Tag Archive | Kara Tippetts

And It Was Beautiful by Kara Tippetts

Mar4

So Brave, So Beautiful

And it was beautifulAnd It Was Beautiful by Kara Tippetts is her third book. It is split into four acts and is made up of entries from her blog Mundane Faithfulness. It is a beautiful book. Kara Tippetts was so brave and so beautiful.

Kara Tippetts was a young mum of four, fighting cancer. She had a loving husband Jason. She fought her cancer bravely. She could have become bitter, but she wasn’t. “If you live long with an illness, you can begin to be defined by it. I have cancer, but that’s only a part of who I am.” Kara knew exactly who she was. She was a child of God. Kara always gave God the glory. “To be in her (Kara’s) presence was to be in the presence of someone surrendered to God.”

Kara fought her cancer with her eyes on Jesus, believing that “suffering makes my faith more child-like.” In all her trials, treatments and disappointments, Kara stayed close to Jesus. “Don’t move away from Jesus. Move towards Him, be near to Jesus.” Jesus was her rock. In Him she built her life and she knew where she would spend eternity.

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Just Show Up by Kara Tippetts and Jill Lynn Buteyn

Feb7

The Importance of Family, Friends and God

Just Show UpJust Show Up by Kara Tippetts and Jill Lynn Buteyn is a beautiful book of friendship and community, laughter and tears, life and death. The book is mainly written by Jill but Kara writes two pages at the end of each chapter. There are also two questions at the end of each chapter designed to make the reader think. It is a bitter sweet book but it is a work of great beauty.

This is Kara’s second book. She is a young mum of four fighting cancer. She needs her friends around her to help with the mundane day to day things. Jill writes about how important it is, just to turn up and be there for your friend. Do not wait until you feel qualified to help or you will never do it. “God uses those of us who aren’t qualified so that He is glorified. And when we show up, we are blessed.” In our weakness we become strong by leaning on God.

The focus of Just Show Up is God. Kara in spite of her suffering still believes in the goodness of God. Many times she says “suffering is not the absence of God’s goodness.” Too many people question the goodness of God in hard times but God is good. He walks alongside us in our hardships.

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The Hardest Peace by Kara Tippetts

Feb5

Beautiful and Brave

The Hardest PeaceThe Hardest Peace by Kara Tippetts is a beautiful, heart wrenching book. Kara is a young mum of four children. She has a loving husband. She knows a loving God. And she has cancer. The Hardest Peace is her story. How she copes. How she does life. What she learns. How she grows her relationship with God.

Kara Tippetts did not have an easy childhood. Her life was hard. Her life was messy. Then Kara met God and she learnt about grace and forgiveness. “I was met in my hurt and loved.” Kara opened her life to God. She realised her sins and the need to be forgiven. She found “it was more than intoxicating, the thought of living forgiven.” Kara began to know God and to walk in relationship with Him “God met me in my messy.” She realised that she wanted God in her life. God does not mind how messy our lives are, He wants to love us and walk beside us.

Life seemed good for a few years. Kara had a husband Jason and they had a family. Then Kara got her diagnosis of cancer and life became very hard. Kara “was fighting to believe the goodness of our story that seemed anything but good.” Kara talks candidly about her battle with cancer. Her chemo, her hair loss, her hopes and dreams for the future, her thoughts of heaven, her desires for her husband and children. Through it all Kara keeps her eyes fixed on God. She had to believe that inspite of everything, God is good.

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