When God Makes Lemonade

                                           Title: WHEN GOD MAKES LEMONADE

Compiled by Don Jacobson

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

April 2013

ISBN: 978-0849964701

Genre: Christian life/Inspirational

Do you know someone who needs some encouragement?  Perhaps that someone is you.

In WHEN GOD MAKES LEMONADE, author Don Jacobson has collected real-life stories from around the world that show everyday folks discovering unexpected sweetness in the midst of sour circumstances.  Some are funny, others are sobering, and more than a few will bring tears of amazement.  But these true stories all have one thing in common: hope.

There's no question that life gives us "lemons," like issues with health, employment, and relationships.  But when those lemons become lemonade, it's as refreshing as a cold drink on a hot summer day.

It's true that in life "stuff" happens, but as you'll see in these stories, Lemonade Happens too!

WHEN GOD MAKES LEMONADE is a collection of 68 short, true stories about people who have experienced some trying situations. The idea behind the book is that despite the bad times, God made a sweet drink of lemonade out of the difficulties they experienced.

Some of the stories are just that—the people lived through a difficult time and looked back to see a really good thing. But not all the stories are that way. Some are very hard to read, and the “happy ending” is a pretty sour drink of lemonade.

Since the cover states that the stories will “amaze and encourage” on the cover, I feel that the premise of the book wasn’t exactly as promised. Some left me rather discouraged and sad, but I give the authors snaps for holding onto their faith despite heart-rendering situations. 

WHEN GOD MAKES LEMONADE is good to keep in a waiting room or a bathroom for short stories to be read here and there, but since the book fails on the promise to encourage, I’m only giving it 3 stars. $15.99. 368 pages.

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When Life Hands You Lemons New book series by Don Jacobson reminds us that when life turns sour, refreshing sweetness can still be found

There is no doubt that life can be tough from time to time. Health issues arise, much-needed employment ends or the loss of a loved one leaves us feeling shattered. Almost all of us have experienced the kind of truly painful circumstances we wouldn’t wish on a worst enemy. Remarkably, however, it is often just these “sour as a lemon” moments that God uses as the catalyst for gifting us with new experiences that are surprisingly sweet. And, it is “lemons to lemonade” moments like these that author and veteran publisher Don Jacobson is showcasing in his new book series, When God Makes Lemonade: True Stories That Amaze & Encourage (Thomas Nelson, Inc., April 2013), with a host of stories that offer encouragement, inspiration and hope to those experiencing the sourer side of life. “We all have lemonade stories,” Jacobson says. “So we wondered what would happen if we could share them with those who need them most all around the world. Our dream for the When God Makes Lemonade project is to be able to publish true stories that will encourage those going through sour experiences that God is at work making sweet lemonade.”

The founder of D.C. Jacobson & Associates, an agency for authors based in Oregon, as well as the previous owner and president of Multnomah Publishers, Jacobson knows firsthand how God can bring sweetness to even the sourest circumstances. At the age of 24, while busy establishing himself in the lucrative construction market, Jacobson’s entire life was turned upside down when he was seriously injured in a hunting accident. Suddenly finding himself unable to depend upon his body to do the only work he knew how to do, Jacobson was initially thrust into a deep depression until he began to realize that God was giving him the opportunity to begin an entirely new career doing the work he was meant to do. After returning to school to get the basics needed for a new career, Jacobson took his first job in the publishing industry. Soon discovering this to be work he loved doing, he has spent the last two and a half decades working with authors and has found them to be among the wisest and most encouraging people in the world. “Their friendships have blessed me,” Jacobson explains. “They have given me hope and taught me to believe in the miraculous power of the story, even my own. The hunting accident started me on a journey that led me here—to When God Makes Lemonade and to share the truth I’ve learned over and over: God can, and does, use life’s worse moments to invite us into life’s greatest blessings. So while it is true that bad stuff happens in life,” Jacobson is quick to point out, “I have found that lemonade happens, too, and it is my greatest wish that When God Makes Lemonade will bring encouragement and hope to those who are suffering in any way.” Though the first book in the series is due for release from Thomas Nelson in the spring of 2013, just in time for Mothers’ Day, the When God Makes Lemonade series will be an on-going community effort, dependent on those who, against all odds, have found joy in the midst of pain. To help encourage others to share their own lemonade stories, Jacobson and his wife, Brenda, have created theWhenGodMakesLemonade.com website as a portal where others can share their own lemons-to-lemonade stories. The Jacobsons encourage all those who have their own lemonade stories to visit the website to learn more about how they might participate in this project of encouragement and hope. When God Makes Lemonade: True Stories That Amaze & Encourage Created by Don Jacobson Thomas Nelson, Inc.  April 2013 ISBN: 978-0-8499-6470-1/256 pages/paperback/$15.99 www.ThomasNelson.com    www.WhenGodMakesLemonade.com