Good and Beautiful and Kind, by Rich Villodas, should be required reading for every parent of children of all ages.  Additionally, anyone who wants to help make the world a better place, which quite possibly should be everyone, needs to follow Villodas' example.  Why can't there be more goodness and kindness in the world?  The answer is simple...there can be, we just have to commit to making this a reality.  In an age where entitlement and anger and meanness and no empathy nor compassion run rampant on our streets and in our schools and in our communities, it is time to do something about it all.  I totally agree that prayer, forgiveness, calmness and humility are the keys to success and should be practiced by everyone.  Thank you for such a hopeful and praiseworthy book.  Hopefully others will make this their self-help primer of the year.

I really appreciate Rich's honest, thoughtful perspective here. He has so much wisdom to offer in matters of unity despite differences, love in suffering, and an outward focused life. He presents the idea that the root of our sin is essentially that we are bent inward, not outward or upward. And he's not wrong. It's when we're self-obsessed and overly self-focused that we fail to love God and others as we ought. 

I especially appreciated the chapter on healthy disagreements. Rich points out that when we fully rest and are secure in God's love, we're free to engage honestly and receive constructive criticism which in turn enables us to love those around us better. Sometimes it's not a deliberate inward curve. Sometimes it's a defense mechanism, a subconscious self-protection. But we can't grow past it or love others fully if we don't deal with the curve. 

While I had a bit of a hard time getting off the ground with this book, there's a lot of good meat here for those who are willing to stick with it and dig deep!

A necessary book for the times we are living in.  Pastor Villodas helps readers ask themselves how we got to where we are now and how can we reclaim a life of purpose and greatness while being good, beautiful, and kind.  A must-read for those who may be experiencing chaos in our everyday life.

Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. This book was a gentle balm for a fractured world, weaving biblical insight with contemporary and ancient wisdom.

Rich Villodas is one of the most passionate, articulate, wise, and Spirit-led Pastors of our generation. His book “Good and Beautiful and Kind” is a wonderful invitation into contemporary spiritual and psychological formation leading us toward lives filled with more beauty, goodness, kindness, healing, and wholeness. His delicate balance of compassionate challenge, wise leadership, and pastoral encouragement is unmatched. I will recommend his book widely!

Rich Villodas, author the award-winning book, "The Deeply Formed Life" has a new book out called "Good and Beautiful and Kind." In his newest book, Villodas encourages his readers to develop the characteristics of goodness, beauty, and kindness as proof of a life well lived. According to the author, sin is a failure to love. I found this assertion to be controversial but also thought provoking. 

This is a good devotional book and it was a quick read. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.