Reviews and Endorsements
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[Endorsement]
- “This beautiful book of bite-sized parables, in which Danijela Schubert vulnerably shares her life experiences, and how they have shaped her journey with God, will encourage you to reflect on Scripture and how it intersects with your life. In addition, it will challenge you to live your faith in new ways. Love it!”—Edyta Jankiewicz, Associate Ministerial Secretary, Women in Ministry, South Pacific Division of Seventh-day Adventists
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[Endorsement]
- “Parables are short, sharp stories that drive home timeless lessons and, when inculcated, imbue significant value into our lived experience! These parables from Danijela Schubert’s life are exactly that! She shares values from her lived experience, which will make you think and bless your life.”—Terry Johnson, President, Australian Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists
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[Endorsement]
- “In these 52 short life stories, Danijela Schubert—university lecturer, church administrator and women’s advocate—is willingly vulnerable, openly sharing painful and joyful pictures from her life, inviting us as readers to reflect on our life choices.”—Peter Roennfeldt, author, trainer, church planter, evangelist
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[Bookshelf Review]
- Throughout the 52 short stories she tells from her personal experience, Dr Danijela Schubert is openly vulnerable, inviting us to share her sadness and joy, her stress and laughter, and to learn the lessons she has discovered in her life. The Green Dress asks you to question your own choices and challenges you to see value in your own experiences.
From the first story, Dr Schubert is an engaging writer. The tone is friendly and playful, and her stories are relatable—you can easily compare her experiences to your own. She takes stories that we might be tempted to brush off as mundane and insignificant and demonstrates that they are powerful, that there is something to be learnt from them. The questions asked at the end of each story allow us to get the most out of the stories told and challenge us to reflect on our own experiences. These questions make the book perfect to inspire journalling or discussions with friends.
The first story told is from the perspective of before she was born, and it’s immediately clear that Dr Schubert had a difficult childhood. Her family struggled with poverty and substance abuse, but they stayed strong throughout. The Green Dress reflects on the way the author perceived her mother as a child and how she sees her now, looking back as an adult, and it’s inspiring to see the way her views have changed with age.
Throughout The Green Dress, Dr Schubert makes links to her faith and the way it has guided her through difficulties with money, family and personal worldview. She finds God’s presence in every story she tells and sees the ways He quietly helps her to think positively and make the right decisions.
The Green Dress leaves us reflecting on our own difficulties and mistakes, and finding God’s presence in our everyday life. It leaves us asking ourselves what we can learn from the stories we brush off and forget—and helps us see the value in sharing the stories from our own lives.
—Tess Carter, work experience student, Signs Publishing
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[Endorsement]
- “As you recognise God in your stories and choose to share them with others, they will see the power of God in your life too.”
—Sylvia Mendez, Director of Women’s and Family Ministries, Australian Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists
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[Endorsement]
- “Are you caught in the trap of compartmentalising God’s work from the everyday rhythm of your life? The Green Dress challenges this separation, inviting you to explore God’s presence in both the mundane and the unexpected, as you journey through a delightful and, at times, amusing selection of reflections drawn from the life of Danijela Schubert.”
—Wendy Jackson, Head of Seminary, Avondale University