ReviewSantelli

This month I wanted to find a book that addresses the issues of spiritual health in a very honest and back-to-basics approach. I found just that in a little book entitled, The Right to God for Everyday People, co-authored by husband and wife Ron and Jennie Dugan.

A little over 100 pages, the book is broken down into chapters that define our rights as God's children followed by a very uncomplicated explanation of each and how to apply them in our lives. Discussed are our rights to God, to forgiveness, to prayer, to give, to be blessed and a chapter on how to recognize healers ---those who help us further our way along the path to God--- versus falsifiers, "people who accuse others of wrong behavior so they feel small and increase their own sense of authority, rather than God's." And while the topics of the chapters may seem elementary or something you've heard perhaps many times before, it is sometimes truth in its simplest form that knocks you over the head and reminds you that one needn't be perfect to go to God, one just needs to go.

Before reading the book, I was worried that an excess of Bible quotes, which are often used in Christian writing as the final word on a matter, would keep me a bit distant from the text. However, I found the authors use of references to the Bible, Old and New Testament are all clearly deciphered and are reasonably and sensibly explained and used to support their ideas, without a heavy evangelical undertone that can often be a deterrent for those coming from a different religious text other than the Bible.

The habits we've developed that prevent us from connecting with God are outlined from the excuses we use, the false faces we show, to living life in excess rather than through the lens of abundance. With all this, I felt that the authors' intentions in writing this text was to remind readers that even with all the things we do that pull us from God, there are things we can do to move us still closer to our Heavenly Parent.

Father Moon is often teaching us to take responsibility in the world and to become a true owner. I think that to many, that translates into taking everything onto our own shoulders, no matter how heavy or impossible (in human terms) the task. An often overlooked idea of which the authors remind us (as obvious and overstated as it may seem), is that "through God all things are possible." This tiny little phrase-- "through God" --however, is "too often left out" and replaced by our own names. Upon reflecting, I think many people can relate to the error of not trusting God enough to let him work or even making God the last resort when everything else you've tried hasn't worked, rather than asking God for guidance from the beginning on and working together with Him.

The Right to God is a book and an idea that needs to spread. This thin paperback is a treasure trove of ideas and little gems that can assist each of us, wherever we are in our life of faith, from the deepest of ditches to the highest of peaks, further along our path to inner peace and towards the goal of becoming true children of God.

To learn more about the book or the authors, or to purchase a copy for yourself, go to www.righttogod.com.