Published by B&H Publishing on October 19, 2021
Genres: Non-Fiction, Christian Life, Memoir, Theology
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Have you ever thought your life is beyond repair? Perhaps you asked, “How could God possibly use my brokenness for good?” We all tend to look for purpose in our pain. We are broken people living in a broken world. Depression, anxiety, hurting relationships, unmet expectations, and just that constant feeling of unease and discouragement make us question God, wondering if there is even a purpose to be found. In Repurposed, Noe Garcia takes readers on a journey through Romans 8, which many have called “The Greatest Chapter in the Bible.” Noe shares his life story, including abuse, depression, and overwhelming hopelessness. He reveals how God has redeemed him, repaired his brokenness, and restored him to new life. Whether your life is like Noe's was, or your brokenness looks different, this book will meet you where you are, and:Provide hope for your future.Remind you of the promise that God is for you.Lead you to surrender your brokenness to God.Help you see how God is using all things together for your good.
This book is part memoir and part exposition of Romans 8, as Noe Garcia uses his personal story to illustrate how God rescues us from our sin, gives us a new life, and frees us from condemnation. He shares about his traumatic childhood, his reckless decisions in his young adult years, and the struggles that he faced as a new believer, as he dealt with shame over his past and the judgment of Christians who looked down on him because of his cultural background and struggles to fit into evangelical norms. He is deeply honest and vulnerable while still having compassion for the people who hurt him, and his perspective can be very beneficial to everyone in the church, whether they relate to his experiences or need to consider how to be sensitive to people in situations like his.
Repurposed: How God Turns Your Mess into His Message provides a raw and honest testimony about God’s work in the midst of Garcia’s past and his ongoing struggles with mental illness, negativity, and the aftereffects of trauma. Garcia encourages his readers to find hope in Christ, and as he writes about God’s work in the midst of suffering, he pushes back against common distortions such as the prosperity gospel, writing about how he once felt discouraged and distant from God because he thought that God wasn’t holding up his end of the deal by providing material blessings for obedience. Garcia writes about this from a personal perspective, rather than just challenging the idea from a theoretical standpoint, and the personal lens that he provides throughout this book is incredibly valuable.
I really appreciated this book, and I would recommend it to any Christian struggling with guilt and shame, regardless of the specifics of their background or struggles. There are a handful of typos in this book that an editor should have caught and will hopefully correct in future printings, but I have no critiques about the book’s content, and it is engaging, easy to read, and full of biblical wisdom and encouragement for struggling Christians, and for those who are considering the claims of the faith. I would highly recommend this, and appreciate Garcia’s honesty and vulnerability to share God’s hope so clearly through the lens of his own struggles.