Moments of Grace

"This book is a huge hug for God ... about moments in our lives when God steps into our lives and gives us a great big hug." Some might label the heart-rending stories in this book as acts of synchronicity or coincidence, but author Neale Donald Walsch calls them moments of grace--"those times when God intervenes in our lives in very real, very direct, and very visible ways." Walsch is renowned for his enormously popular Conversations with God series, which encourage a friendship-like intimacy with God. He builds upon that intimacy in this collection of real-life stories, which he gathered from everyday folks. The settings and situations range from hitchhiking a lonely highway to discovering a teenage daughter who's cut her wrists to finding a gay support group. Every story features a turning point or a seemingly chance encounter that seems to be divinely orchestrated. After recounting the stories, Walsch offers a brief commentary that emphasizes the intimacy and availability of God. This is an unabashed feel-good, feel-God kind of book--highly inspirational and a tad schmaltzy. Some will find the tone a bit smothering, but fans of the CWG series will probably find it touching. --Gail Hudson