Home. How Heaven and the New Earth Satisfy Our Deepest Longings. A Review.

I'm not sure I have ever struggled quite so much with a book review as I have with this one. Home. How Heaven and the New Earth Satisfy Our Deepest Longings by Elyse Fitzpatrick was not at all what I expected. Although, having said that, I'm not sure exactly what I expected. I'm still not certain that I can say I liked this book. Nor can I say I disliked it. I guess that all goes back to it just not being what I expected. I can say that it provided food for thought. And the fact that I'm still thinking about it is proof, on some level at least, that the book is a success.

"Home" is our only hope in this life - the hope that Jesus promised when He promised to come and take us unto Himself where will see Him and be completed by Him. But we're not "home" yet. So writes Fitzpatrick, as she then proceeds to paint a portrait of what life will be like there, even as she challenges us to live here with there in view.

Written in a very conversational tone, Fitzpatrick shares incidents from her own life to illustrate why there is within us a longing for "home", challenging the reader not to lose sight of "home" even as we are bogged down in this journey called life.

Fitzpatrick uses passages from Scripture to establish a description of the "home" we were meant to occupy. She challenges readers to think deeply about what the eternal "home" will look like. Are we expecting something akin to an idyllic Thomas Kincade painting? Does that line up with the descriptions in Scripture?

Whether or not you agree with her conclusions or her theology, Elyse Fitzpatrick's Home challenges you to dig into the Scriptures to clarify what you believe. Book clubs or Bible study groups who use this book will likely have some lively discussions!

Bethany House Publishing Group provided me with a free copy of Home by Elyse Fitzpatrick in exchange for my honest opinion.