Made for Goodness: And Why This Makes All the Difference By Desmond Tutu

Never has a book, besides the bible, made me want to break out every quote, every passage, every sentence to put on a note to remember, just why we are here on this earth. I'm only on chapter 3, and already I can tell just what an amazing book and author(s) this is. I want to savor every suculent, sacred word written. Soak it in, like holy water. I'm slowing down my reading of this, as I would poetry, so I can enjoy and relish how great God is, and how he works in our lives, if we choose to believe or not. 0061706590 God holds out an invitation to us - an invitation to turn away from the anxious striving that has turned stress into a status symbol.

Love this book, and it came at just the right time for me. Desmond Tutu and his daughter Mpho write that we humans are designed for goodness, that we can stop trying so hard to be good because at our core we already are good. We can live joyfully in the knowledge that we are loved unconditionally, choosing to do right not to convince God to let us into heaven, but because pleasing the One who loves us so dearly is the path to happiness. The Tutus are Anglican priests but write broadly to include all faiths.

The section on zoning out struck home:
'Zoning out' - an activity usually accomplished with the aid of a television set - does not reinvigorate us....We 'zone out' though we want to rest. But we are afraid to really rest because we are supposed to be doing something..... 'I am busy, tired, and stressed, so I am entitled to a respite. I will zone out in front of the television.' And we continue to be tired, busy, and stressed. I'm not against watching tv, but goodness knows how often I let my brain turn to mush watching some pointless show and find that even though my body is relaxing, my brain hasn't unwound, and I'm as frazzled as ever once the screen is shut off. 0061706590 If you are tired of all the negativity of today, the Bible-thumping preachers haranguing about the evils of men, and feeling hopeless, this is the book for you. I guarantee you will think a lot about your beliefs, how you might react to the negativity of others, and what exactly you should do to make the world a better place. It is full of love and affirmation.

I'm not normally one to read for inspiration and I'm not sure why. Almost every time some well-meaning friend recommends a book for my edification I don't like it. However, I really liked this one. I have not read Tutu before in book form only the occasional sermon or quotation. This was not too heavy, but more life-affirming, and actually quite a good read. Also it is a book to make you think about your attitudes, your beliefs, and how you interact with others.

My friend Paula has read much Tutu and has gone to see him in person. She is much wiser than I am and I will be giving her a copy of this for her birthday and thanking her for encouraging me to read his work.
0061706590 Richard Branson 'This wonderful new book is a great gift to the world'
Bono 'Our boss and his daughter remind us.......'
Thich Nhat Hanh 'Thank you Archbishop Tutu for helping u come back home to our true nature
Mary Robinson 'Desmond Tutu has walked the talk all his life

Four bits of inane rubbish on the flyleaf of my copy of this book; they are cliché ridden and say nothing of any significance. This unfortunately is how this book comes across too. I have nothing but admiration for Archbishop Tutu as a man of courage, insight and nobility but as an inspiring spiritual writer I am afraid he comes way down the line.

He and his daughter co write this book......well no they don't. Tutu writes and every now and again he throws in an example of some inane bit of wet 'theology' from his daughter. Why I have no idea. Her contributions are miniscule and add nothing to the whole, which is not that good to start with. Sorry but this was extraordinarily unimpressive. Really sad because who doesn't want to love everything Tutu says and does but it would not be honest for me to say anything other than 'bland, bland, bland'.

Part of the big problem of the book is Tutu is simply churning out paragraphs of cliché ridden waffle which I, as a believing and praying Christian can fully accept and see because I have an experience that backs it up but so much of his 'preaching' bears no reality to the majority of people's lives, makes no attempt to make inroads of discussion or explanation to those who do not share his experience. Now to be fair that might not be his intention anyway but the gushing claptrap of the flyleaf contributors presents this book as the one to transform the world......well it won't.

eg. 'Goodness is not the coin from which we anxiously pay for God's love. Our goodness is rather the recognition we offer and the thanks we return for the gifts and the love already given us. Rather than a request for something yet to come, it is a response to the abundance of gifts that have already been given and received'

This I can accept and rejoice in but that is because I have an experience, no matter how imperfect, of a loving God. Tutu makes no effort to reach out to anyone other than believers. He talks religious speak and waffles prettily about beauty and goodness but in an artificial and pointless way.

At another time he visits prisoners and tells them ' God has no one more beautiful than you'. This is pious claptrap. Murders, child abusers, rapists.....all of these may well have the capacity for beauty and they are certainly loved by God but they are not beautiful now. The unconditional love of God is unconditional; in other words, whether I am beautiful or not He loves me. To sweep away people's cruelty and wickedness and cloak them in the pious rubbish of 'all of you are beautiful' is to betray the challenge of our call to live lives of goodness and kindness.

There is one thing I would praise to the skies in this book and that is the lovely end to each chapter. Tutu writes a beautiful prayerful reflection as if God is speaking to us. They are powerful and poetic and redeem the book, if not totally then certainly they go a small way to doing so. 0061706590 Who knows more about goodness than Desmond Tutu? We are all made for goodness, yet how many of us are taught how to practice it? What it really means, in difficult situations? Goodness is a skill, like singing. It doesn't come to you--you practice it, learn its properties, create conditions for goodness to do its work. Give it time to flower. Learn to see it, to work with it, to recognize it. Tutu and Mpho write eloquently about what they know of goodness, its power, and how to use it well. This is really important. 0061706590

Everyone should take a peek in this one. Tutu is a radicalist, an extremist, a contrarian, but in the best ways possible. This book is hard to swallow and hard to deny. For once, a contrarian who isn't trying to convince you how bad everything is and how bad you are. 0061706590 This book it is indeed a great gift to the world, i wish everyone could read it. 0061706590 This small book has many excellent points and reminders. And if you feel God has abandoned you, the writings from God's veiwpoint will touch your heart. Perhaps the most interesting chapter for me was Where Is God When We Suffer? I had never considered that if God took an active role in our lives everytime we asked for something, the result would be chaos. Plus, as the book explains, we all think God should be on our side personally. How would we feel if God helped someone else and not us? Many negative feelings would be the result. (Which is not to say God doesn't help us or support us - you'll need to read the book to understand the whole explanation.) It was an interesting theory, and one I will be thinking about for some time to come. But if you need words of comfort right now, or are looking for some answers, I'd definitely recommend this book. If Desmond Tutu could live through everything he's experienced and still be such a positive person, his words are worth considering by those of us who struggle daily with big and small issues. 0061706590 I really enjoyed this book. It felt like a breath of fresh air--so optimistic and hopeful. I would like Glenn Beck and the Fox News crews to read it--seriously. Desmond Tutu and daughter Mpho (both priests) share stories of all the goodness in the world they have seen while much of their lives was spent watching and living the horrors of apartheid in South Africa. There are a lot of little gems in this book--good stories about loving others, forgiveness, accepting ourselves, seeing ourselves and others as god sees us, etc. 0061706590 Interesting read and optimistic view of people refreshing, as opposed to the often religious view of man's depravity. Amazing to be the view of one who has so much cruelty. 0061706590

characters Made for Goodness: And Why This Makes All the Difference

In Made for Goodness, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Nobel Peace Prize winner and international icon of peace and reconciliation, shares his vision on why we can find hope and joy in the world’s darkest moments by realizing that we were made for goodness, that we are wired so that goodness will win in the end. Archbishop Tutu is a spiritual leader and symbol of love and forgiveness on the level of Gandi, Mother Teresa, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Nelson Mandela, and Made for Goodness, written with his daughter Mpho, is one of the most personal and inspirational books he's ever written.

Coming Soon: Archbishop Desmond Tutu's The Children of God Storybook Bible, a daily devotional and heirloom-quality keepsake. This beautiful gift Bible will resonate with parents, grandparents, and educators eager to present the message of God’s love, forgiveness, and reconciliation to young children. Made for Goodness: And Why This Makes All the Difference