Just like her last book, Sarah Palin’s latest offering comes toward the end of a year. With all of the issues facing our country right now, the timing couldn’t be better. Sweet Freedom: A Devotional offers hope and inspiration during these trying times.
Not unlike Palin herself, Sweet Freedom is unique. The former Alaska governor tackles personal, social, and political issues with God’s word as the barometer. In a day and age where Christianity and those of faith are discriminated against and under attack, Palin implores us all to keep our collective chin up.
“Americans sense that this exceptional nation we know and love is changing so fast it might become unrecognizable,” the former Alaska governor writes. But there’s also reason to believe. “While many wring their hands and wonder where our freedom has gone, you’re going to discover that true freedom—the kind that can’t be taken away—is well within our grasp.”
Sweet Freedom digs into the Bible while offering comfort to deal with the stresses of today. Written in that unmistakable mama grizzly style, the book is heartfelt, positive, and uplifting. This is a classic case of the subject matter and author making for a perfect match. Palin has never shied away from her faith; and just like the way she has lived her life, she writes this work with a servant’s heart.
The book is organized like a daily devotional with an area provided for readers to jot down thoughts. Palin encourages us to take inventory of our lives with the idea of being able to look back at the notes someday in an effort to continue to seek solutions for what we face in life.
Drawing on the Old and New Testaments, Palin talks of divine forgiveness and human self-defense. While the meditations include scripture and stories from thousands of years ago, there’s also plenty of current culture showcased. Palin stands up for our Second Amendment and tells us that Jesus would do the same. She looks at the evil of Planned Parenthood and the failed policies of the Obama administration. Through it all, she encourages people to keep the faith and experience joy and peace even though atrocities do indeed exist.
While names like Ronald Reagan and Martin Luther King Jr. are hardly a surprise to appear in a Palin book, readers will also find sections on Louis C.K., Kelsey Grammer, Walker Evans, and Dikembe Mutombo. As she has demonstrated so many times before, Palin understands the importance of infiltrating pop culture. Here we find out how entertainers and athletes play a role in determining the direction our nation will go.
Palin opens up about her family and several personal issues. We learn about her baptisms, her public service, her eyesight, and her hopes and concerns. God plays a major role in all of it. The book also has that Alaska feel with mentions of Carhartts and Eskimo Bingo along the way.
As the first female governor in her state’s history and the first woman to ever appear on a national Republican ticket, Palin knows a thing or two about shaking up the boys club. She points to a Bible verse to explore that theme. In Genesis 5:2 we’re told “He created them male and female and blessed them. And he named them ‘Mankind’ when they were created.” In other words, women’s work and men’s work can be everybody’s work. Palin has proven that. This is just one of many examples in which Sweet Freedom explains a Bible verse in a way that makes it applicable to current issues.
In Sweet Freedom, Palin explains that Jesus loves us, has a sense of humor, wants the best for us, and we can turn to Him in any circumstance. The Palin family has faced harassment, stalking, and all types of hate over the years. Remarkably, they keep a smile on their faces and a positive outlook. Palin attributes that strength to her relationship with Christ.
Palin shows us the need for Christ in her choice of current events, issues, and movements to include in the book. From the ordeal of Pastor Saeed to the hope we derive from the Tea Party and Convention of States, Palin’s topics run the gamut, and she uses each to show how we can find answers by applying biblical principles.
On the issue of confronting evil, she chose Psalm 34:16: “…the face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to blot out their name from the earth.” Appropriate in today’s climate on many levels.
Palin explores God’s purpose and value for every human life, a call for future generations to support and serve in our military, and the ongoing fight against division and deception at work in the media and in culture as a whole.
There is also a great bonus section in which Palin offers devotionals for Christmas, Thanksgiving, Independence Day and other holidays. It’s the perfect bow to wrap up this collection of yearlong readings.
“The immeasurable gifts of God are available in a divinely appointed time. It has to fit into His blueprint for your life: it’s guaranteed to be perfect timing,” Palin writes about God’s timing and provisions.
All in all, Sweet Freedom is written by the right woman at the right time. People are scared and confused in many aspects of life. Whether it be everyday problems or global threats like ISIS, Americans are seeking answers. Palin points them in the right direction. Right to God.
There’s no doubt that the new year will pose its share of challenges for all of us. Palin’s message is that if we turn to Christ, a year of sweet freedom awaits. Perhaps she put it best on page 278, when she simply writes: “No Christian should ever give up hope.” Those are words to live by every day.
To hear Governor Palin talk about her new book including some comments about Andrew Breitbart, visit www.mamagrizzlyradio.com for an exclusive interview.
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