A Beautiful Offering: Returning God's Love with Your Life    by Angela Thomas Order:  USA  Can Thomas Nelson, 2004 (2004) Hardcover      Reviewed by Melissa Parcel A Beautiful Offering takes a new and unique look at the Beatitudes. Angela Thomas delves into the Sermon on the Mount in a different way, telling readers 'The Sermon on the Mount is not a list of failures meant to magnify the end of every imperfect, hurried, not-quite-good-enough day. It is encouragement from Jesus on how to go about your everyday life.' She includes many Scripture references to underscore her points. Thomas first takes the perspective of 'When you are:' broken, wounded, being yourself, falling in love, pure in heart, persecuted, and so on. She addresses how Christ might be drawing the individual closer to Him in those circumstances. She does not pull punches or sugarcoat her discussion, but talks in a straightforward way. Part two focuses on 'As You Go ...'. It talks about day-to-day life, giving instructions and guidance from the Sermon on the Mount. Topics include being the salt in the world, confession, prayer, storing treasures in heaven, and laying down burdens. Each chapter ends with questions for reflection and discussion, so that readers can go deeper and apply the truths to their lives. Angela Thomas has gone through a great deal of change and struggle over the past couple of years. She allows herself to be transparent in order to show the reader how brokenness can lead a person to the presence of God, and how God can use it to help others. I shed a few tears of self-recognition throughout this book, which has caused me to learn and grow. The subtitle, 'Returning God's Love With Your Life', captures the heart of the text, since our offering of ourselves is a direct response to God's love. A Beautiful Offering is a treasure, appropriate for women in any stage of life. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more NonFiction books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews