Official Review: God + Music = Joy

[Twylla]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "God + Music = Joy" by Rachel Mareshah Morrison.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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God + Music = Joy by Rachel Mareshah Morrison is a collection of thirteen scriptures about joy from both the Old and New Testaments. Each scripture has a song associated with it and a suggested action toward living a more joyful life. The songs are not Christian or religious songs and the actions are not necessarily related to the Christian faith. This book is not a devotional or a bible study. It is a quick shot of joy.

Songs are from various genres including Pop (Taylor Swift’s “Shake it Off”, Vitamin C’s “Smile”, and Pharrell Williams’ “Happy”), Rock (Incubus’ “Megolomaniac”), Reggae (Bob Marley’s “Three Little Birds”), and Hip hop (Alicia Keys' “Warrior Song” and Wyclef Jean’s “It Doesn’t Matter”).

Examples of joyful actions include choosing an activity that starts with A through Z (Acting, Baking,...Zumba), enrolling in classes or workshops, investing in music, art, drama, or dance therapy, yoga, singing karaoke, writing, reading, putting on your favorite swimwear and having a mini-vacation at home, daring to talk to a potential mate, going on nature walks, developing a crafting skill, and praying/meditating. The author warns to avoid alcohol, drugs, and overeating in times of sadness and stress.

I was looking for an uplifting quick read, and I was pleasantly surprised to find this gem. I felt refreshed after reading each scripture and playing the suggested song on YouTube. I learned some new songs I have never heard before, and I listened to some old songs.

I would have liked this book better if it had been organized into distinct chapters with a title for each chapter and a table of contents. All of the text flowed in one continuous stream.

At the beginning of the book, there was an equation that read “Endurance = Hope + Faith = REward + JOY = (REJOICE!).” I am assuming the RE + JOY = REJOICE, but there was no explanation, and it didn’t seem to relate to anything else.

This book is well written. I didn’t find any typos or errors, but it needs to be polished. I was mesmerized by the writing style. It’s not poetry, but it sounded poetic. Whatever it is, I like it. I am giving this book a rating of 3 out of 4 stars. I love this unique little book of joy, and I plan to revisit it whenever I need a boost. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves God and needs a joyful lift in this troubled world.

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God + Music = Joy
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[AvidBibliophile]

One can never go wrong with perusing positive little scriptures that center around living a joyful life; I know that nature walks certainly give me a renewed sense of invigoration! Thanks so much for your review of this one.

[RGoel]

This sounds a really interesting and unique book. I too have many of the activities on my to do list and this book seems like a good and quick start to get the motivation and courage to take the dare. Thank u so much for such a nice review of the book.

[Miraphery]

I love the activities listed in the book, they do help in refreshing and bringing joy to one's life. Nice review.

[Dannyphery]

I love this book it's wonderful.
Nice review