Simply God Book Review

Simply God, God’s Message of Love and Encouragement by Rick Richards has not been an easy book to read.  While there are pearls of wisdom hidden within the pages, I found the overall book not to my personal liking.  It was difficult for me to overlook typos and to get used to some of the nouns/verbs used.  I also tend to be more traditional in the versions of Bible I read and was not comfortable with some of the scriptures being communicated in the GNB version; however this is personal preference on my part so other readers may not take issue.  

I also struggled with some of the interpretations of Bible stories that Richards conveys and am concerned that this book is not entirely Biblically based.  While I believe Richards is a man devoted to God and is sincere in what he believes God has revealed to him, I am not comfortable with everything he accepts as true; therefore I cannot recommend this book.

There are some basic truths communicated, especially for Christians about spending quality time with God. However, I use caution recommending this book to Christians who do not have a solid foundation in Christ established to be able to weave through solid Biblical truths and one man’s interpretation of what he deems God has spoken to him.  

The courage Richards shows in opening up about his journey with God is touching, even if not entirely to my personal belief system.  I hope any who read this book spend time in prayer asking God to reveal truths to them so that they may grow spiritually and not get tangled within the personal understanding Richards expresses throughout this book.  I also encourage the reader to look up scriptures, to read the entire stories of Biblical characters portrayed and to ask God to reveal His wisdom to each individual reader.  

Richards bravery in self publishing and in communicating his devotion to seeking God’s will and growing in knowledge has my admiration and respect.  

This book was provided complimentary by the publisher, WestBow a division of Thomas Nelson, through BookSneeze for the purpose of review.