Brave Surrender - A book Review

When I saw this book come up for review I knew that I wanted to read it. I've enjoyed her voice for so long and her authentic way of leading worship always intrigued me. How someone can seem to have such a real connection ... the one she shares when she worships makes me curious.

Kim Walker Smith sings with Jesus Culture. I really enjoyed her book. It took me less than a day to read though I want to go back and read it again. Her writing style is easy to read and doesn't jump around and leave you guessing as to where she is, where she has been or where she is going. It's a smooth journey that you want to walk with her on.

Through her story of her childhood and her journey through faith she walks you through her story of surrender. Without casting judgement for where you are on your own journey she invites you to see hers. I enjoyed her candid, real, and raw walk through her story. I'm sure it's not easy being on display as you lead people to worship this unseen, intangible God. Her book is great and I really enjoyed hearing from her. I feel like she has others in her and look forward to whatever she may write next ... whether it be via song or book ....

Book Description

Kim Walker Smith's passionate performance of "How He Loves" helped transform Jesus Culture into a global worship movement. Brave Surrender is the story of how Kim journeyed from a place of shame and fear to stages around the world where she boldly proclaims the unconditional love of God. Through her own story, Kim inspires us to experience true freedom and healing with Jesus.

Coming from a painful childhood, Kim struggled to believe that God could heal her heart or bring any sense from her past. Yet when faced with the choice to hand her struggles over to God and receive His love in return, everything began to change. On the other side of surrender, Kim began a journey of looking at one painful memory at a time with God and exchanging her perspective for His truth - a journey in which God rewrote her story of pain into a story of redemption and hope.

If you are longing to experience God more than the shame or hurts of your past, the pressures of your present, or the fear of your future, Brave Surrender offers a soul-healing path forward. As Kim learned in her own life, the first step - and the bravest step - is letting go. Once we let go of anything that gets between us and God, we are freed to take hold of the life that truly matters. As Kim writes, "When we encounter God's love, it changes the way we see. And when we learn to see what He sees, we will never be the same again."

Delivered - A book review

I love anything by Beth Moore. I love her style and the way she relates to the reader. I didn't know that this was a "lighter" version of her other book until I read it and it started to sound familiar. It is a great book. Just a smaller version than the full book. However, the message is not lighter nor do you feel like you get less of it. She does a great job at putting the right parts of the book out there. It is a quick read. I read it in a day and would recommend it to anyone that needs to hear this message of how to get out of the pit.

Great gift book to give away to friends who may need to read it's message.

Book Description

Based on her bestselling book, Get Out of That Pit, Beth Moore delivers a stirring message of sheer hope, utter deliverance, and glorious freedom of God.

God is in the deliverance business. He longs for you to be free, to know the love and presence that are better than life—and the power of His Word that defies all darkness. In Delivered, Beth Moore shares her own journey out of the pit and the way the poetic expressions of Psalm 40 rewarded her with a new song for her soul—given by her Savior and offered to you here in this soul-stirring book. You also can be free from the worst life has to offer and learn to take Christ’s mighty arm when he reaches into the depths, and says in a way you can finally hear, Need a hand?

More than You can handle - A review

I had never heard of Nate Pyle ... I was drawn in by the name of the book. There are many days where I feel like life is more than I can handle. I wasn't a fan of this book. Wasn't a fan of his writing style. I felt like I was lost through most of it. Felt like it jumped from here to there wit no connection between the stories or thoughts. I wanted to like the book. I wanted more from the book ... The title of the book drew me in and I wanted so badly to like it. Maybe I felt like I needed more from the book than a book can give. Honestly I don't think there is really an answer for when life just feels like it is failing miserably. I'm not sure that any book or any conversation can really answer the questions that plague many of us when we say that life is more than we can handle. Short of having a face to face with the almighty ... I don't think we will ever feel satisfied with words to these questions.

Book Description

"God won't give you more than you can handle." This is one of the most common and least helpful reassurances floating around Christian circles. It is anything but biblical. The truth is that God does allow a lot more than we can handle. But why?

Nate Pyle has walked through tragedy in his own life--professional uncertainty, the intense impact of mental illness, and the struggle to build a family because of a lost pregnancy, infertility, and adoption. As a pastor, Nate has cried with countless people experiencing deep and overwhelming pain. They want answers but perhaps even more, they want someone to sit with them as they lament.

Cliché Christianity tells us not to ask questions in hard times. Yet transformation awaits us in the dark night of the soul. In More Than You Can Handle, Nate asks with you: "God, where are you in this pain? Why don't you step in and act?" Because when we courageously bring all of who we are to all of who God is--and stop pretending we can "handle" life--we encounter the God of Redemption. The good news isn't that we can handle everything, but rather that God promises to be with us at the very moments we can't handle anything.

Skillfully weaving together his own story, the stories of others, and a powerful look at the life of Jesus, Nate delivers a fresh and timely response to the pain we each experience. As Nate reminds us, the only thing more overwhelming than the pain of life is the love of a God who carries that pain with us.

When Faith Fails - A book Review

Another author that I've never heard of ... The title of this book is what drew me in. When Faith Fails ... Finding God in the shadow of doubt ... Oh that a book, with words and chapters could answer this probing problem. I will say that Dominic Done, did a pretty good job. There were a few chapters where he lost me ... the nitty gritty of science stuff. My doubt doesn't linger there. However, it does come in several other forms. Dominic does touch on a lot of the places where my doubt comes in like a wrecking ball. I honestly expected a lot of churchy, cliche answers and one liners in this book. I didn't find them.

What I did find was an author who encourages doubt and wrestling, yet also encourages you not to pour a foundation and make a home there.

I found his writing style easy to follow ... except for in that science chapter but again - that's not my downfall when it comes to doubt. There was one final line that really struck home with me in his final words in the book ... "The greatest danger is not that we lose our faith but that we settle for a mediocre version of it." What are you settling for? Are you pitching a tent or pouring a cement foundation in doubt land? Are you frustrated with yourself for being there? Pick up a copy and don't expect to be blown away with advice or answers that will remove all doubt from you ... what you will find is someone who gives you permission to be in the place you are in. I think you will finish encouraged to keep digging and keep wrestling ...

Book Description

"This book is for those of us who have experienced a gut check, or two, when it comes to some of the intersections between our lives and our faith. It’s for those of us who no longer want to add unnecessary explanations to our beliefs just because we can’t fully see what God is doing in our lives." —Bob Goff, New York Times bestselling author of Everybody, Always

How do you deal with the hard questions about God, the church, and the Bible? Where can you find a safe place to openly and honestly wrestle with your faith without being criticized or judged? If you have ever struggled with doubt, you are not alone.

Writing with humor and candor out of his own experiences, and incorporating Scripture, literature, and accounts of others who have doubted, Dominic Done argues that not only is questioning normal, it is often a path toward a rich and vibrant faith. Whether your struggle is with tragedy, the difficult parts of the Bible, the intersection of science and faith, or even God’s silence, you can move through doubt into a deeper, fuller faith—a faith that doesn’t run from questions and the hard work of honest wrestling but instead embraces the mysteries of belief.

“This book is one of those books that I will be buying to give to multiple friends.” —Je­fferson Bethke, New York Times bestselling author of Jesus > Religion

“This book will help you surrender and trust the areas of your life that are meant to exude God-designed mystery, while also holding your hand as you search for substance and truth.” —Audrey Rolo­ff, coauthor of A Love Letter Life, founder of Always More, and cofounder of Beating50Percent

“Doubt is such a pertinent issue in this cultural moment. Dominic walks us through the issues of doubt with which we wrestle but he does so in pastoral practicality. One feels as though you are seated in his living room sipping coffee. Dominic is the type of soul who understands the questions of the heart. He never shames. He’s always transparent. He gives substantive hope.” —Emerson Eggerichs, PhD, New York Times bestselling author of Love & Respect

Still In The Game ... A review

My boys needed a new book to read. So when I saw this one, I knew it would be a hit with them. They LOVE football ... that is such an understatement really. They are avid sports fan and when I can put something in their hands that not only gives them a role model but incorporates their love of sports ... its a win win!

I really enjoyed reading this book before handing it over to my boys. This is the story of a young man who grew up overcoming great obstacles and allowed his faith to lead him through some super tough circumstances.

I loved reading about his love of and devotion to his daughter. It is so apparent through every word he writes ... his love for her is inspiring and one that I wish more fathers had for their children.

His story is one of determination and perseverance at every step of is journey. It will inspire you to hold on and find your own grit to walk through whatever may be finding it's way into your own path. Totally recommend this book and I cannot wait to see what my boys think as they read it. A very timely read for my family right now. I hope they will always be proud of their scars and not embarrassed ... I hope they will see them as signs they survived what tried to take them out!

Book Description

Be proud of your scars. They’re signs that you survived whatever tried to break you.

For Devon Still, life has been a journey from one scar to the next. From one challenge to the next. His is a story of pushing through pain and overcoming obstacles of all shapes and sizes—of choosing to fight for the sake of his family, his community, and his faith.

Millions of people around the world have been inspired by Devon’s tireless devotion in helping his daughter, Leah, learn how to “beat up cancer.” But in these pages, Devon takes readers behind the headlines to reveal the deeper story of what prepared him for that fight.

Still in the Game is Devon’s declaration that our challenges reveal our purpose, that our scars make us stronger, and that no loss is too great to stop our comeback!

A life beyond amazing - a book review

Doesn't everyone want a life that is BEYOND amazing? I think it's something all want and very few would actually say that they have.

Jeremiah looks at nine qualities of love, joy, peace, endurance, compassion, generosity, integrity, humility and self-discipline. He breaks down each of these qualities and gives you practical advice on how to live each one out. I thought the book was well written and easy to read. Doing is another story but a life worth living is worth the hard work to get to the place you want to be. 

Book Description

In A Life Beyond Amazing, bestselling author Dr. David Jeremiah uncovers God’s strategy for change and challenges you to make nine important decisions that will transform your heart, your life, and your world.

This life-changing book explores the nine qualities of character that carry us forward. Three of these have to do with our relationship with ourselves, three deal with interactions with other people, and three of them focus on our relationship with God. Spiritual principles are true in any situation. But we must make a conscious decision to employ them in our daily lives.

God has given us wisdom for these days. A Life Beyond Amazing answers the questions that keep us up at night and shows that the way forward is a reminder of who we are in Christ and why it matters.

NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible - A review

I got this Bible to review. This is the updated Study Bible. It is HUGE :) Definitely not something you want to carry around with you each day but filled with tons of study items and helpful information to help you when studying the Bible. There is definitely more than was in the Old study bible edition. I would recommend this to anyone who is looking for a good study Bible and depth as they read the Bible.

Book Description

Marvel at the big story; savor each detail

Biblical Theology allows you to ponder the individual stories and themes of Scripture while observing how they all fit together in God’s grand biblical narrative.

With three articles introducing Biblical theology and 25 articles unpacking key themes of Scripture, the NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible equips you to follow the progressive unfolding of God’s story. Helpful introductions to books and sections of the Bible combined with 20,000 verse-by-verse study notes will guide you to a clearer understanding of every portion of Scripture.