Review: Mostly What God Does

Mostly What God Does: Reflections on Seeking and Finding His Love Everywhere 

By Savannah Guthrie

NBC News Today co-anchor Savannah Guthrie offers honest glimpses into her life-long struggles and faith journey in Mostly What God Does: Reflections on Seeking and Finding His Love Everywhere.

Although neither memoir nor autobiography, the lawyer-newscaster seamlessly weaves in personal stories, Scripture and spiritual discernment for the “faith-full, faith-curious and faith-less” and the “churched, unchurched and never-churched.”

Written as 31 conversational essays, the reader can experience them in order or randomly, one or two a day over coffee, a section at a time, or all at once.

The journalist shares her growing up days in a traditional be-at-church-when-the-doors-are-open Southern Baptist home, referring to God as the sixth member of the Clark family. As a child, she loved learning about Jesus but heard more guilt than grace, grew terrified by a preacher’s story illustrating that lack of humility led to humiliation and shyly shied from youth group pressure to witness.

As a college student and adult, Guthrie confesses she went through periods of fervent prayer, consistent Bible study and regular worship along with other times of not-so-much.

However, Ephesians 5:1-2 in Eugene Peterson’s The Message inspired a perspective shift and a statement that Guthrie returns to throughout the volume and is the title of her new children’s book, Mostly What God Does Is Love You. With that in her heart, the author breaks the work into six parts that she considers faith essentials: love, presence, praise, grace, hope and purpose.

 The essays incorporate Scripture, illustrations, quotes, Bible characters and remembrances, though the writer never “airs her dirty laundry.” For example, the love chapter “Like a Mother” honestly shares her journey as mom to Vale and Charley, and the praise section includes how the co-anchor prayed Psalm 121 when lying on her dressing room floor with a migraine her first day on Today. Every chapter ends with a call for 30 seconds of silence before God.

 Savannah Guthrie fills the pages with information, inspiration and insights along with fresh advice for feeling God’s love. She suggests imagining God in the air and on the breeze. She understands God uses what the world may view as failures as long-term blessings—like being fired from her first on-air broadcast job in only ten days.

After discussing a shattered Sandy Hook mom’s unshakeable faith with her, the journalist voices the reality that on this earth, there simply are no answers to the why of such devastating tragedies or to her own rich blessings.

 In the end, Guthrie says, God gives each of his children a purpose, sometimes more than one in a lifetime. The author explains that as a young girl Oprah knew the first time she spoke in church, hers was to inspire. Guthrie sees hers as sharing, which she illustrates through serving communion and using the platform afforded by her profession and position.

Mostly what Savannah Guthrie does in Mostly What God Does is to share how to seek and find the Heavenly Father’s love everywhere. Whether you listen to her read the audible book or savor a print copy, you’ll be glad you did, and maybe like me, you’ll do it more than once.

 Kathy Robinson Hillman, former president

Texas WMU and Baptist General Convention of Texas

Waco