I really enjoyed this book by Louie Giglio and the way he teaches through writing, Giglio is a great speaker, so I wasn't sure what to expect. But it was a good book.

Not Forsaken is a study of the fatherhood of God. What may be elementary for some could also be life-changing for others. A key quote that he jumps off of is AW Tozer’s statement, “What comes our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” Bold yes, but he breaks down why this is so important.

Giglio’s style of writing was so easy and quick, so the book did not seem laborious as many other nonfiction books do for me. I appreciated the stories of “Big Louie,” Giglio’s father, as the author revealed the dynamics of fatherhood and how it impacts our human view of God.

While it often felt repetitive, I did enjoy the book. But I also felt like he was prolonging his examples and stories for a word count or chapter count per the publisher. This, to me, is the issue with traditional publishing of nonfiction. They want 10 chapters that are each the same size, blah, blah, blah, no matter how much content the author has on the subject. I miss the days when a nonfiction book got straight to the point, even if it was only 6 chapters long. It was strange because even though the chapters felt a little repetitive in their examples, there were 10 chapters….WITH AN EPILOGUE. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a faith teaching book with an epilogue!! Why not just make it chapter 11?
Anyway, none of that as to do with the content of the book, just kinda bugged me!!

But the book content itself was really great and both a simple and deeply complex at the same time.

This is a fantastic book which talks about something most people are probably unaware of, the way we view God is the way we view our earthly fathers. Louie takes time to share his own experience with this which helps the reader relate to him, and helps them to have hope! He teaches us how to forgive our fathers, recognize them as humans, and remind us of the beauty of the cross. He finishes with a challenge to throw off our old selves and become who God made us to be. Great read!

I received an ARC from B&H Books via NetGalley, this review is my opinion.


Great book, Pastor Louie Giglio. Take us on the journey of discovering our true and perfect father, he opens up and talks from his own experience with his father and shows us the importance of forgiving and let go of the past in order to be free in our present. I like that he says that we may think we don’t need our dad, but in the end, the pain is there only hidden. It is painful and as he says, we all have a different experience with our dads.

Forgiveness needs to be my decision, not even God will force me to do it. I am grateful for this book because it has open my eyes to the meaning of God the father and it takes time, but I can say it for myself. Knowing you are loved and accepted by God, change your life. I recommend this book because we all have some issues either with our fathers or we truly don’t see God as our father and I think it will help you with those situations.

This was hard for me to read, not because of the author but because of the content. Slowly and steadily, the Lord used it to heal parts of my heart that I have had closed off to others. A fantastic resource, especially to those with a distorted view of God due to their own fathers.

I love Louie Giglio's teaching and writing and this book was no exception. An important book for all to read as even the best earthly fathers fall short of our Heavenly Father but an especially important read for those whose earthly fathers did not live up to even our worldly standards of what a father should be and do. Would highly recommend to anyone and everyone looking to learn to love and trust God more.

This was so beautiful! Everyone needs to read this book. If you have had a wonderful Dad than you need to read this, if you had a less than desirable dad than you need to read this. My Dad was not perfect, but he was always there and I knew I was loved. This book reminds us that no matter how our earthly dads are, God loves us and calls us to be His children.
I cannot recommend this book more highly!

This book is for anyone who really wants to find God, the Father, instead of God, the Austere Master. I grew up thinking God was an austere master, someone who was impossible to please and better of just forgetting.

But as I grew more and figured out my life a bit, I wanted to find God, the One that holds my life in his hands and get to know Him as my father.

This book would be amazing to read if you struggle with where you stand with God and how his character is truly displayed for you.

I absolutely love Not Forsaken and Louie Giglio! This is definitely one book I highly recommend to all. Just knowing we have a perfect heavenly Father who loves us and is looking out for us should be enough for us!

In this book, Lou Giglio does a beautiful job of presenting God as our Heavenly Father who loves us with an everlasting love. The author gives us a balanced view of God’s love and mercy versus His justice and righteousness. He goes into detail about how our views of our earthly father can give us a wrong perception of God as our Heavenly Father and the relationship we can have with Him. He highlights the relationship pictured in the Bible between Jesus and God the Father. The author also writes about forgiveness and how bitterness can poison our lives.

Lou Giglio shares his heart with us all throughout this book. He speaks of his relationship with his own father and how that influenced him in the early years of his life. I’d recommend this book to anyone who has faced heartache because of their relationship, or lack of one, with their ather. But this book is for all of us to fully realize the wonderful love, grace, and mercy that God offers to each one of us.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

I knew what this book was about when I picked it up. I knew it was going to be about our earthly fathers as well as our heavenly Father. I thought I was ready to read it. But I wasn't. I read the first chapter, cried my eyes out, and promptly tossed it on the coffee table and walked away.

But that book just kept calling my name. So I picked it back up and read some more. I cried a little more and put it back on the coffee table. After this second reading session I knew I needed to finish it. I knew I would find healing in the end but I also knew it would be like ripping a band-aid off. And it was.

My earthly father was a flawed man. He hurt me deeply but God showed me how to forgive and move on. Louie Giglio's writing took me through that journey again and it was tough but it was so worth it.

If you have a father, and we all do, you need to read this book. Even if you have to read it over a period of time like I did you should. Being able to see your relationship through the lens of your heavenly Father puts things in perspective.

I found this book to be a hard read but worth every tear. We all have a longing for a good father and this affirms that He's already there just waiting for you to come to Him.

I received a copy of this book to facilitate my review.

I received an arc of this book on netgalley in exchange for a honest review.

This just kind of felt like the same old same old kind of book- nothing much in the way of new information that could actually be useful.

"Not Forsaken" by Louie Giglio is a Christian Non fiction book. Louie tells the reader it is important to understand who God really is and not who We think He is. We often have a very distorted view of God and this distorted view of God clouds are perspective of life. He says if Jesus got the nails pounded in Him He must love us very deeply. He says if we can be open to changing our view of God we will see Him for who He really is and deepen our relationship with Him. We will then realize we are highly valued and esteemed by God. God does not view us like our earthly Father may have viewed us. God is unconditional and consistent. When We view life from this perspective we will live in freedom and our relationship with God will deepen and be richer. He also encourages us to watch how we think since our thinking should be from an eternal perspective. This book is written in a very personal and practical way. I was given this book by the publisher and netgalley to read and review . I am not obligated to give a positive review. Thank you so much to the publisher for allowing me to read and review this book.

From Tozer's 'knowledge of the Holy', Giglio reminds us that what comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us. He begins Not Forsaken by addressing all the misrepresentative ways that people often think about God: the man upstairs, the benevolent grandfather, the angry punisher. By removing those incorrect categories, Giglio makes sure his readers are laying the same foundation by clearing away all the rubble before pouring the slab. With compassion, Giglio encourages his readers that no matter what kind of father you had (or didn't have), God is not the reflection of your earthly father; rather he is the perfection of fatherhood. God—who primarily wants to be known by us as our Father—is everything we'll ever need. He understands our pain, loves us more than we could ever imagine (demonstrated by him sending his own son to the cross), and has the power to take the worst of what the world has to offer and turn it around for our good.

A particular praiseworthy observation of Not Forsaken is that typically, popular Christian books can be 1/3 too long, or have a little too much 'stuffing' in each chapter. Not so with Giglio. The book is encouraging and valuable all the way through, and the last two chapters contain particular encouragement, without which the book would be incomplete. A thoroughly enjoyable, valuable work. (And the audiobook is read by the author too, which I love.)

Rating 3.5 Stars

Your life is no longer dictated by what was done to you. #notforsaken the position, and the forgiveness and the power of the spirit that comes with being His.

Louie Giglio is passionate about others knowing God and it is a passion that will do us all well. It is this passion that has lead Giglio to write about his own experience and the experience of so many of being forsaken. You may have been forsaken by a parent, a spouse, a friend and I would guess that we may have forsaken another as well. However, that part is not discussed which I think needs to be addressed. It is in forsaking others that maybe a struggle to love others well. To get past the shame and guilt. The same freedom of the forsaker and the forsakee is available in the gospel of Christ.

It is a balanced text that makes it not about the victim but about the savior. There is something about the longing for a parents approval and affection but our longing for something needs to be redirected which Giglio explains and gives his readers a new hope. The goal of the book is ultimately to love God more but also to forgive and be able to love those that have hurt us. It is not a how to book but a Behold the Lord your God. A goal that ultimately frees us for so much more.

A Special Thank you to B&H Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.

A few of us had great fathers. Some of us had rotten fathers. Too many of us had no father at all. Regardless of what kind of earthly father we had, Louie Giglio’s message is, “God is not the reflection of your earthly father, He is the perfection of your earthly father,”
Giglio, pastor of Passion City Church in Atlanta, has written Not Forsaken, a book about fathers. Giglio writes of our desire, even from childhood, to be noticed by our father. Whether or not we received the attention we craved from our earthly father, our heavenly father is watching over us.
Giglio and his wife had been successfully ministering on the campus of Baylor University in Texas when Giglio’s father had a stroke. The couple wanted to return to Atlanta to help care for Giglio’s dad, but did not feel a release from God to stop what they were doing and move.
After several years of seeking God to return to Atlanta to help care for his dad, Giglio and his wife finally felt they had the green light from God. But just before their move, Giglio’s dad died. That put Giglio in Atlanta with no job, wondering why he was there, and if he had heard God correctly.
Within a couple months Giglio had an idea that eventually grew into Passion Conferences, a gathering of college-age young adults. These annual meetings are well attended, drawing thousands of young people. Passion City Church is an outgrowth of the Passion Conferences.
As God’s plan for Giglio played out, he was able to see that God had not forsaken him. Giglio says our heavenly father will not forsake us, either.
I received a free audio copy of this book, and I choose to give an unbiased review.
@louiegiglio ‏ #Notforsaken #NetGalley @BHpub

I was given an ARC of this book for an honest review... and I have to say this book is a treasure. I loved Giglio’s points of view and he certainly makes you think. I love how he points you to the Lord and reminds us to keep looking vertically, not horizontally at our earthly lives. As a woman I got a lot out of this book, but I think men would get even more. I would definitely recommend this book.

God as Father is so misunderstood due in a lot of ways to the earthly fathers we've experienced. Giglio writes a compelling book on why we shouldn't use our own experiences of earthy fathers to overly influence our perspectives of God. the Father. Certainly, there are many great earthly fathers who reflect many of the qualities of our God, however, the goodness of God and His unending love are way beyond anything human fathers are able to be.

Giglio encourages the reader to confront our images of the father and reveals the nature of the Heavenly Father. For many this might be a difficult read having had negative father experiences but Giglio gently helps the reader work through this. Sure, this book won't replace a good counsellor, however, provides such an in-depth insight into the loving nature of God it provides hope to those who've had such a poor experience.

There are so many good chapters but I found Chapter 10, the last one, to be an absolute cracker. In this chapter, Giglio works through how we are able to become more like Christ using some brilliant verses that sum up the 'divine nature' that is both present in us and accessible to develop the fruits of the Holy Spirit in maturing as the beloved sons and daughters of Christ.

Go get a copy of this book. Giglio has an engaging style, not unlike how he speaks, and as a result is very accessible and gracious.

I received an advanced unfinished copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley with no expectations of a favourable review.

Louie Giglio is well known to American Christians, especially those who are 40 and under. Founder of the Passion Conferences, sixsteprecords, and Passion City Church in Atlanta, Giglio has made an outsized impact on American Evangelical Christianity. Giglio's new book, Not Foresaken: Finding Freedom As Sons and Daughters of a Perfect Father, explores fatherhood and reminds us that we are children of the perfect father.



A major issue Giglio addresses is comparing our earthly father to our heavenly father. He writes, "No matter what has happened on this side of eternity between you and your dad, you are not forsaken by God. No one who knows Him as Father will be forsaken." Giglio points out that "the number one image of God that Jesus paints for us again and again is that God is a Father. He is our perfect Abba Father."



As anyone who has heard Giglio speak can tell you, his speaking is captivating and lyrical. He tells great stories, both from his own life and from the Bible. Not Forsaken captures his speaking style very well. (Apparently this is a result of an author who helped him transcribe his sermons and prepare them for the medium of print.) In a way, this is a great strength. But it's also a deterrent--he takes a long time to make a point, and at times the book seemed repetitive.



Not Forsaken is a great reminder to us all that we are children of the perfect father. No matter what wrong or incomplete perceptions we have about fatherhood based on our earthly fathers, God is the remedy. He calls us to know Him and to be like him. To this I say, Amen, brother!





Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!

In Not Forsaken, Louie Giglio’s latest novel, he addresses those who have had great earthly fathers, those who have non-existent fathers, and every type of father in-between. Therefore, making this book relatable to everyone who picks it up!

Louie uses many examples of his personal relationship with his earthly father, making Not Forsaken easily relatable. He gives the revelation that many times we compare our earthly father to our heavenly father, leaving us to believe a less than perfect image of who Abba is. Throughout Not Forsaken, Louie continually speaks into the depths of your heart and reminds you of your new identity found in Jesus Christ, equipping you to seek God to heal the wounds of the past and live out your life in true freedom only found in Jesus.

Not Forsaken by Louie Giglio is a book that I wish I had when I was just beginning to walk with the Lord due to knowing just how important it is to know God as Abba and your identity in him as his child. No matter where you are in your walk with God Not Forsaken will help you grow closer to the Father, release you from the lies of comparing your earthly father to your heavenly father, and assist you in walking as a Child of God!

Overall the review I give Not Forsaken by Louie Giglio is a solid 5/5. Everyone, no matter your background or current life stance, needs to read this book and remember who they are and who Abba truly is. There is great freedom found and voids that are able to be filled when you know your heavenly father on a personal basis. As Louie Giglio states, “through our faith in Christ, we can find the father we have been longing for all along”.
Thank You

A big thank you to Louie Giglio for reminding us yet again of how great our heavenly father is! You continue to remind me of how worthy he is of our praise. Another thank you to Net Galley and to the publishers at B & H Books for allowing me to have the opportunity to read and review this amazing book and also generously providing the audio-book to me as well!