Review
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Title: Amazed By Grace
Author: Sheri Dew
Publisher: Deseret Book
Genre: Religious Nonfiction
Year Published: 2015
Number of Pages: 75
Binding: Hardback
ISBN10:
ISBN13: 978-1-62972-039-5
Price: $15.99
Reviewed by Kristie Wilkins for the Association for Mormon Letters
God gives each of His children gifts to use and bless our lives and the lives of others. Sheri Dew has been given the gift to teach the gospel with power and the spirit which she has employed masterfully as she has addressed the topic of the grace and Atonement of Jesus Christ. Sister Dew acknowledges the difficulty of the subject as she states, “The central, most compelling, most life-changing message of all time is that Jesus Christ has already triumphed over sin, death, hell, temptation, and every kind of misery. And yet, perhaps it shouldn’t surprise us that imperfect people-as we all are- struggle to comprehend the Savior’s perfect love.” [3-4]
In her newest book, *Amazed by Grace,* Sister Dew addresses four key questions on the subject of grace.
What is grace?
Sister Dew begins by providing a definition of grace as “divine enabling power.” [16] She states, “Grace is the power that flows from the Atonement. It is what the Savior uses to help us and thus to continue to manifest His love for us.” [11]“The Savior has ‘all power’ in heaven and on earth. He has power to cleanse, forgive and redeem us; power to heal us of weakness, sadness, illness and heartache; power to deliver us from circumstances we can’t escape ourselves; power over death; and power to strengthen us. When the Apostle Paul said, ‘I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me,’ he was describing grace.” [14]
What difference can grace make in our lives?
“Faith in the Lord and in His grace, coupled with obedience and earnest seeking, can literally turn our weakness into strength,” says Sister Dew. [27] “With His help, you can resist temptation. With His help, you can forgive those who’ve hurt you and start over. With His help, you can leave your past behind. With His help, you can become your true self. With His help, your capacity and energy can increase. With His help, you can be happy again. With His help, as Sister Linda K. Burton taught, ‘all that is unfair about life can be made right through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.’ The Savior promised, ‘My grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.’ In short, with His help, we can change-truly change.” [22-23]
How does the Savior make His power available to us?
Sister Dew beautifully declares, “We live in the dispensation of the fullness of times, when no spiritual blessings are being withheld from the earth. No men and women living anytime anywhere have had greater access to divine power than we do. If we seek for a lifetime, we won’t plumb the depth of power and breadth of spiritual privileges the Lord has given us. Through His grace, He has made His highest, holiest spiritual privileges available to both men and women. That is our doctrine. That is the truth.” [39-40]
What must we do to gain access to the Savior’s power?
“Elder Dallin H. Oaks said that ‘in contrast to the institutions of the world, which teach us to know something, the gospel of Jesus Christ challenges us to become something.’ Our access to divine power hinges upon who we are becoming.” [42] She further quotes Elder Oaks as he refers to a statement by President Spencer W. Kimball, “the repenting sinner must suffer for his sins, but this suffering has a different purpose than punishment or payment. Its purpose is to change.” Sheri Dew further adds, “Because we are mortals, and mortals by definition make mistakes, our discipleship and our access to the Lord’s grace depends upon our willingness to repent.” [50] “Make no mistake about it; notwithstanding all we can do and despite the little we actually do, it is the Savior’s grace that will ultimately save us. We can never earn exaltation. But we can indicate by the choices we make and the way we live our lives that we want to be part of the kingdom of God more than we want anything else. And that is discipleship.” [58]
In her concluding pages Sister Dew shares a quote from President Gordon B. Hinckley that sums up *Amazed by Grace* perfectly. He says, “I sense in a measure the meaning of His Atonement. I cannot comprehend it at all. It is so vast in its reach and yet so intimate in its effect that it defies comprehension. When all is said and done, when all of history is examined, when the deepest depths of the human mind have been explored, there is nothing so wonderful, so majestic, so tremendous as this act of grace when the Son of the Almighty, the prince of His Father’s royal household….gave His life in ignominy and pain so that all of the sons and daughters of God, of all generations of time, every one of whom must die, might walk again and live eternally.” [67-68] She then shares her own equally powerful testimony of Jesus Christ’s divine mission and the power of His grace.
One of the things I appreciated most about this book was its length. *Amazed By Grace* can be read in an afternoon and pondered for days. In 75 short pages Sheri Dew addresses the most significant principle of the gospel without intimidating or overwhelming her readers. She proves that a discussion of grace doesn’t have to be long or lofty to be powerful and life changing. The length of the book makes it easy to study, to ponder on what is being taught and to review important information. Key concepts are often highlighted with beautiful illustrations to make a lasting impression on the reader. Sister Dew provides notes at the end of the book that invite her readers to embark on further study of this most vital topic.
If you have read or listened to Sister Dew’s other works you will recognize themes from other books and talks, such as God wanting to empower His people and women and the priesthood that are beautifully woven into this book. I love that she reinforces and builds upon her previously works, weaving the principles she has been studying together as a whole and demonstrating real beauty of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
I highly recommend *Amazed By Grace* to anyone seeking a personal relationship with the Savior. I believe this book would be an excellent resource for bishops to have on hand for individuals struggling to find faith in the Atonement and understand how grace can be applied in their lives.
I can also see the book being a tool for parents striving to empower their children, in this time of tremendous opposition to righteousness, with the grace of the Savior, and prepare them to serve missions and share the gospel with the world. Sheri Dew states, “Think of it! The eyes and hopes of every previous dispensation are upon us. We’ve been chosen to help prepare the world for the Savior. We are living in a day unlike any other, which means it is time for us to do things we have never done before.” [60] “The more we unlock the power available to us as covenant making men and women, the more vibrant our impact will be in the work of salvation.” [62]