Thursday, October 21, 2021

Book Review - Help, I'm Drowning

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Life is filled with unexpected storms that take you by surprise.

In these storms of life, it's easy to feel helpless, exhausted, afraid . . . and alone. We can feel like victims to circumstances out of our control.

Beloved author Sally Clarkson understands deeply. Through almost seven decades of life, she has found herself tossed about in overwhelming life storms through many different seasons.

In Help, I'm Drowning, Sally identifies the challenges that took her by surprise and then leads you to the wisdom she gathered from her experiences. Finding grace to walk through the darkness and hope to make it through will give you the comfort and encouragement you need in knowing you are not alone. Though there are no easy, formulaic answers that apply to every situation, Sally leads us to the One who is with us and will see us through.

Sally found the anchors that held her steady in the midst of every storm, and she wants to help you find your anchors too. She invites you into her own personal story of anchoring well, and then--with honesty, grit, and her trademark wisdom--she will help you heal and move forward with courage and strength.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Sally Clarkson (www.sallyclarkson.com) is the beloved author of many bestselling books, including Awaking Wonder, Own Your Life, The Lifegiving Home with her daughter Sarah, Desperate with Sarah Mae, and Different with her son Nathan. As a mother of four, she has inspired thousands of women through Whole Heart Ministries. She advocates relentlessly for the power of motherhood, the foundational importance of family, and the influence of home through her Mom Heart conferences, speaking to audiences on several continents. Mentoring women to understand how to love God in a more personal way and how to live a satisfying Christian life are threads through her messages. Sally's podcast, At Home with Sally Clarkson and Friends, has more than 14 million downloads.

MY REVIEW:

I enjoyed this book so much. I think it's a timely book s there is so much going on in our world and it can feel as though we are literally drowning under the weight of it all.  

Sally is very open in this book - much more so than in her other books.  In fact, as much as I enjoyed her other books and got a lot out of them, I appreciated the open honesty that her life wasn't perfect.  I always had the idea that her family was trouble free and happy every moment.  Although I know this couldn't be true, it put a lot of pressure on me as a wife and mother. I came away from this book feeling more uplifted. 

She shares the struggles in her marriage and as a mother and shares how she learned to navigate these tough issues. Many of the thngs she went through resonated so much with me and I found them helpful as I navigate new difficult issues in my life. Scripture is timeless and she points us to so many wonderful Scriptures to encourage and edify us. 

My book is heavily highlighted because I know that I'm going to revisit her book again and again for encouragement as I go through difficult times. Her book is so encouraging and gives us a road map for dealing with hard things. She also made me feel like the hard things were a normal part of life but, with God, we can navigate them without completely going under. 

I highly recommend this book. It will encourage you and make you feel better just for reading it. I give this book 5 stars.

*This book was provided to me by Bethany House. I received a copy of this book to review but I was not financially compensated in any way. The opinions expressed are my own and are based on my observations while reading this book.

Blessings - Julie

Saturday, January 2, 2021

Book Review - Searching for Certainty

ABOUT THE BOOK:

We all long for certainty in life, yet things often don't go as we expect. When facing illness, job loss, strained relationships, and other struggles, our impulse is to question God and strive to fix things ourselves.

In this profound book, trusted ministry leader and leadership coach Shelly Miller shares how to reframe uncertain times and turn them into purposeful times of spiritual growth. Learn how to break unhelpful habits and thought patterns, make decisions in faith rather than fear, and know deeper than ever before that God loves you not for what you know or do, but for who you are.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Shelly Miller (www.shellymillerwriter.com) is a veteran ministry leader and sought-after spiritual mentor and leadership coach. She is the author of Rhythms of Rest: Finding the Spirit of Sabbath in a Busy World and leads the Sabbath Society, an online global community that practices weekly rest as reality. She is described as a poet with an acute taste for authentic honesty, and a storyteller and avid photographer who helps people think about and see life differently. Making their home in London, England, Shelly and her husband, H, are the proud parents of two adult children.

MY REVIEW:

This book is so encouraging and lifted my spirits so much. It is full of hope in the Lord and shows us how we can be certain of God's love and comfort.

I absolutely loved her personal stories throughout and how she found God's love and steadfastness in her life despite the uncertain situations she was in. Just recently, like me, she has had to battle cancer and, again, the Lord provided the strength she needed in her life. This book has given me hope and help as I struggle with my own health and life issues. Each and everything she writes is grounded in Scripture and she never takes a verse out of context to fit what she wants. God's Word is perfect the way it's written and has everything we need and Shelly concentrates on sharing that fact.

I highlighted so many pages of this book! There were so many wonderful paragraphs and sentences that I knew I would want to remember or refer to again.  In fact, I plan on re-reading this book again as it was such a joyful book and brought me so much hope! 

No matter what you're going through, this book will show you how God is right there with you - your steadfast rock. He has all the certainty we need no matter our circumstances. We need search no farther than God. I highly recommend this book and give it  5 stars.

*This book was provided to me by Bethany House. I received a copy of this book to review but I was not financially compensated in any way. The opinions expressed are my own and are based on my observations while reading this book.

Blessings - Julie

Monday, November 9, 2020

Bible Review - NIV Beautiful Word for Girls Gift Set

MY REVIEW:

This is such a wonderful Bible for girls...and big girls, too! I really like this Bible a lot! It's especially created for girls aged 8 to 12, but I think teenage girls and adult girls will love it, too.  

There are so many great aspects to this Bible. They include:

Complete text of the accurate, readable and clear New International Version (NIV)

Over 600 verses illustrated in ready-to-color line art

Four colored pencils

Six sheets of stickers designed for girls

Thick white paper for writing and doodling

Lined, wide margins for notes and reflections

Satin ribbon marker

Beautifully debossed and screen-printed cover

Exclusive Zondervan NIV Comfort Print® typeface in a readable 8-point print size 

It's lovely that there are ready to color illustrations. This allows the girl to get creative right away without feeling like she needs to be an artist. 

I love how this comes so beautifully boxed. It's perfect for keeping the Bible and all the pencils and stickers in.  It will help your girl keep all her supplies together. 


The cover is soft yet durable. It's an adorable blue with fun drawings on it. Plus you get four colored pencils to start you on your way to creativity. 


Plus you get several sheets of stickers to use inside the Bible. These are really nicely done and make it fun to get creative in your Bible. 


One of my very favorite things about this Bible is that it has the Comfort Print 'Typeface Point 8, which makes it really easy to read and easy on the eyes. The whole point of our Bibles is to read them and if it's easy to read, it encourages our children to read. Being that it's the NIV version and the Comfort Print helps our children to read and understand it easily.


I really like this Bible and it would make such a wonderful gift! With Christmas coming up, it would be a great thing to add to your list for any girls in your life. What a wonderful gift to give them! I can think of several girls that will love this under the tree.

I highly recommend this Bible and give it 5 stars. 

*I received a copy of the NIV Beautiful Word Coloring Bible for Girls Gift Set from Zondervan (HarperCollins Christian Publishing) for this review.  This post is sponsored by Zondervan.

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As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. When you click on my Amazon link, I will earn a small fee on this item or anything else you purchase while clicked in on this link. It costs you nothing extra. I appreciate your support for my blog, More Of Him.

Blessings - Julie

Wednesday, November 4, 2020

Bible Study Review - Habakkuk by Dannah Gresh

ABOUT THE STUDY:

The prophet Habakkuk faced great storms in life. His fears of the future crippled him with doubt and left him questioning God. How is it, then, that he is now a shining example of how the righteous live by faith?


Learn how the storms of life can become opportunities to activate your faith in Habakkuk: Remembering the Faithfulness of God When He Seems Silent. You'll study the book of Habakkuk—which maybe you've never done before!—and discover how remembering is essential to understanding the faithfulness of God. Through daily Scripture, prayer, and meditation, you'll enter the life of this prophet, and:

  • Gain freedom to express your fear and frustration to God
  • Remember that God is at work—even when He seems silent
  • Increase your capacity to practice the art of waiting on God
  • Learn how to navigate through the storms of life to live free from fear and full of joy

This six-week study provides daily interactive Bible study and an easy-to-use leader's guide for group participation. Dannah Gresh also hosts a six-session podcast series to kick off each week of study. Find it at dannahgresh.com.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Dannah Gresh is the bestselling author, speaker, and founder of True Girl (formerly Secret Keeper Girl), America's most popular Christian tween event. She has authored over twenty books that have been translated into twelve languages, including And the Bride Wore White and Lies Girls Believe. Considered one of the leading experts on the subject of sexual theology and parenting tweens and teens, her resources have equipped over one million moms and leaders as they seek to raise their girls in confidence and Truth. Over 400,000 have attended her live events. Dannah is a frequent co-host for Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth's Revive Our Hearts as well as a popular guest on programs like Focus on the Family and Family Life. She has appeared on CNN, Fox News, and the TEDx stage. She lives on a hobby farm in State College, Pennsylvania, with her husband, Bob, and over twenty animals.

MY REVIEW:

This is another wonderful study from Moody Publishers There is so much through put into this study and I love that they made it beautiful inside and out with gorgeous illustrations and lots of purple, which in my opinion, is always a good thing.  

Most importantly, this is a very Biblical study with focus on a book of the Bible I wasn't really familiar with. Habakkuk is a prophet that we can very much relate to today as he was living in a broken world (sound familiar?) and wondering where God was in all this. I know right now that a lot of us are wondering what's going on and how our world got so very broken. I love how God reassures us through this amazing book in the Bible.  

This six week study is an in-depth look at Habakkuk and it has been so encouraging to me. Dannah has set this study up so wonderfully and I learned so much! She starts out with description of what we will be learning. She then has 5 meditations where we take a deeper look into the Scripture and answer the questions. I really like that there is enough room to write in your answers! There are charts to fill in occasionally and everything brings us deeper into the Word of God. I absolutely love studies where we fill in things! What is really great is that Dannah provides a podcast at the end of each week where she explains what we have learned. Such a wonderful bonus to this study!

I enjoyed this study so much and it was great doing it on my own, however, it would be great for small groups or women's Bible studies. It's just a great study all the way around! Obviously, I give it 5 stars.

*This Bible study was provided to me by Moody Publishers. I received a copy of this book to review but I was not financially compensated in any way. The opinions expressed are my own and are based on my observations while reading this book.

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As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. When you click on my Amazon link, I will earn a small fee on this item or anything else you purchase while clicked in on this link. I appreciate your support for my blog, More Of Him. 

Blessings - Julie


Tuesday, November 3, 2020

Book Review - Point of Danger by Irene Hannon

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Hate mail was one thing. This was quite another.

Radio talk show host Eve Reilly is used to backlash from her pot-stirring on-air commentary and interviews. But now it seems a disgruntled listener is resorting to more than angry words to express their displeasure. When a suspicious package arrives on her doorstep, Eve turns to law enforcement for help.

Police detective Brent Lange can't find any evidence to link the string of unsettling incidents that follows, but he's convinced they're connected. As the harassment grows more menacing, it becomes clear someone wants Eve's voice silenced--permanently. 

But unless he can track down her elusive foe, the gutsy woman who is willing to take risks for what she believes--and who is swiftly winning his heart--may not survive.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Irene Hannon is the bestselling author of more than fifty novels, including Hope Harbor, Sea Rose Lane, Sandpiper Cove, Pelican Point, Driftwood Bay, and Starfish Pier, as well as Point of Danger and the Code of Honor, Private Justice, and Men of Valor suspense series. Her books have been honored with three coveted RITA Awards from Romance Writers of America, and she is a member of that organization's elite Hall of Fame. Her many other awards include National Readers' Choice, Daphne du Maurier, Retailers' Choice, Booksellers' Best, Carol, and Reviewers' Choice from RT Book Reviews magazine, which also honored her with a Career Achievement Award for her entire body of work. In addition, she is a two-time Christy Award finalist. Learn more at www.irenehannon.com.

MY REVIEW:

I always enjoy Irene Hannon's books. She does a great job with mystery and giving us characters we care about.  I also like that there's a little romance but it doesn't take over the storyline. I like my suspense novels to stay that way and not veer off into the romance genre.

This book starts right off with a heart-pounding situation.  Eve, a conservative radio show host, goes to her door and find a ticking package. The twists and turns never stop from page one. I really like that she cares enough about others, throughout the book, to try and protect others from the backlash of disgruntled listeners.  You see this side of her immediately and it's one of her endearing qualities.

The police detective called to this situation becomes a main-stay in her life. He's a complex man  that cares about Eve and is drawn into her life more and more. There are so many background characters that could be the culprit so it keeps you guessing as to who is doing what and why.

Another interesting aspect of this book is that we see the story from the point of view of the culprit which brings a whole new to this story. That has been done in some books, but it's unusual and I enjoyed this twist.  I've read other Irene Hannon books and it was so fun to see familiar people in the story. It feels like you know this community because of that. 

I really enjoyed this book. It's a book full of suspense and I had a hard time putting this book down. I give if 5 stars.

*This book was provided to me by Revell. I received a copy of this book to review but I was not financially compensated in any way. The opinions expressed are my own and are based on my observations while reading this book.

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As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. When you click on my Amazon link, I will earn a small fee on this item or anything else you purchase while clicked in on this link. I appreciate your support for my blog, More Of Him. 

Blessings - Juile