Carol McLeod

God’s timing is always perfect. When I signed up to review “Storm Proof” a few months ago, I was intrigued by the title and figured that it would be an interesting work of nonfiction. What I didn’t realize was how appropriate it would be for this season of my life. All of us travel along rocky paths once in a while, but sometimes there are periods when it seems as though we are in the middle of a gale with a vicious onslaught that seems unrelenting. We love the mountaintop experiences we have with God, and although we do not often choose to also walk through the valleys, it is during those low treks that we learn the most. As we come to cling closer to the Lord, we come to know His lovingkindness and provision more deeply.

Indeed, “[t]he compass that will lead you out of the storm is your ability to recount the miracles God has done for you and others in the past. The miraculous God of the land who provides for us in abundance is also the God of the seas who preserves our lives in times of peril.” The truth is, we are jaded. We have become desensitized and far too often can’t see the forest for the trees. There are so many miracles all around us each day that we don’t even acknowledge, let alone the miracles of healing and protection that the Lord grants. God has always been in the miracle business, and He still is! This is one of the points that struck me early on in this book; McLeod posits that when Jesus appeared to His disciples on the Sea of Galilee during a terrible storm, Peter asked if it was Jesus because he knew that if it was, then something even more miraculous was about to happen. We are safe in the Savior’s arms!

In keeping with the nautical theme, McLeod shares that her anchors for the storms of life are the Word of God, worship, prayer, and the Holy Spirit. With this combination, there is no storm that can defeat us. God protected Noah and his family during the flood, after which He made a covenant promise to never again destroy all living beings while the earth remains. Noah’s story brought up two tidbits that snagged my attention: God wept over the flood, and he had given the people of the earth 120 years while Noah was building the ark to turn to Him, but they did not and so they perished. We have the same option today, and while we may not be facing a worldwide flood, what is at stake is our eternity.

Likewise, McLeod’s section on Job’s story is enlightening. Job teaches us to worship while grieving and while waiting. Worship should always be our response, no matter what our circumstances. If Job, who lived before the redeeming power of Jesus set us free, could worship through his devastation, how much more should we! One of my favorite quotations from this book is that “Satan is still roaming the earth, but he no longer has the same power depicted in the book of Job because Calvary changed everything, for all of eternity. And you, my friend, have been given the authority and power of heaven to defeat him!” I am sorry to say that at times I give the adversary more power than is due him when I should be focusing on the unlimited and all-surpassing power of the Lord of heaven and earth, power that we have access to 24/7!

“Storm Proof” is a thought-provoking, engaging read that packs plenty of punch and insight into its 256 pages. If this book had a soundtrack, it would be “Praise You In This Storm” by Casting Crowns. The Biblical stories and characters may be familiar, but McLeod offers a fresh perspective on their experiences and on how and what we can learn from them. Also interspersed throughout are some of her own personal recollections, which indicate that she has first-hand knowledge of life’s storms. Don’t we all? So let us be not hearers only of the Word, but doers as well, in the calm and in the storm.

I received a complimentary copy of this book through CelebrateLit and was not required to post a favorable review. All opinions are my own.… (más)

As I picked up the book Storm Proof Weathering Life’s Tough Times by Carol McLeod, I expected to find a book that would make me think and read about how to weather the storms that invariably come with life. I found that and more. The Scripture references provide a clear Biblical basis for what Ms. McLeod writes in her book.

She also provides the voice of the first-hand experience of many storms she has had to weather in her lifetime. I think the personal experiences and the Scriptural storms references, Ms. McLeod does an excellent job of providing insights for any storms the reader may be entering, living through or finally seeing the rainbow at the end of the storm.

So whether you personally have experienced, are experiencing, or expect to experience storms in your life and you want a Biblical basis for getting through them, check out this book for yourself.… (más)

Storm Proof was something completely different then what I was expecting to read. I thinking it was going to be about a storm that you were going to proof. This is not a bad way to think that when I read the title it caught me to pick it up.

As I was reading the book that what I got the impression. This book was boring for me to read. I did finish it. The reason for that is because it was on a book tour with me. I just could not get into reading it. I really could have just left it on my kindle. Thats how boring it was for me to read.

Their was nothing wrong with it in any way. Author did good in writing it. It just was not a my taste of book. I felt like I was reading the bible or God Words, that is not me. If you are into reading the great book be my guess. No offense to the author.

I thinking I would be reading a bit more about the author experience with Depression or her Cancer battle and how she manage them though this book. Then I might have seen using the scriptures of the bible or god's words. This is my opinion on that.

Those that enjoy reading about God words or the bible, this book might be for you.… (más)