Book Review - Fight Back with Joy

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Joy is stamped on coffee mugs, sewn onto decorative pillows, even displayed on dish soap. But what if there s a deeper power and purpose to this mighty virtue?
Through vulnerable storytelling, a difficult diagnosis, and a good dose of humor, Margaret Feinberg reveals how joy is more than whimsy. It s the weapon you can use to fight life's battles. Fight Back with Joy will help you:

• Expand your joy threshold by awakening to God s fierce love for you
• Escape fear and regret by applying biblical strategies to whatever crisis you re facing
• Overcome depression as you reignite your imagination for laughter and celebration
• Discover freedom from the past by learning how to turn mourning into joy
• Rise above endless demands and become more winsome, cheerful, and thankful

No matter what your circumstances, you can practice defiant joy. When you do, you will embrace a life that s richer and fuller than you ve ever known before—a life radiant with joy.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

A self-described "hot mess," Margaret Feinberg is a popular Bible teacher and speaker at churches and leading conferences such as Catalyst, Thrive, and Women of Joy. Her books, including The Organic God, The Sacred Echo, Scouting the Divine, and Wonderstruck and their corresponding Bible studies, have sold nearly one million copies and received critical acclaim and extensive national media coverage from CNN, the Associated Press, USA Today, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, and more.

She was recently named one of 50 women most shaping culture and the church today by Christianity Today, one of the 30 Voices who will help lead the church in the next decade by Charisma magazine and one of the '40 Under 40' who will shape Christian publishing by Christian Retailing magazine. Margaret lives in Morrison, Colorado, with her husband, Leif, and their superpup, Hershey. She believes some of the best days are spent in jammies, laughing, and being silly.

Now that you've read the official bio, here's the kick off your shoes and drink iced tea on the back porch version:

Margaret spends most mornings with her good friends Coffee and God. Without Coffee, mornings would be difficult. Without God, life would be impossible.

After a caffeine and God infusion, you'll often find Margaret (puppy-in-tow) adventuring outdoors--she enjoys hiking, river rafting, and scanning the night sky for the Northern Lights and shooting stars.






She boasts an exceptionally dry sense of humor that she attributes to her Jewish father. Little known secret: He was recently inducted into the Surfer's Hall of Fame, and her mom earned her captain's license for 60-ton ships. They're pretty amazing. You'd like them.

Married to Leif for almost a decade, Margaret's known for losing things like her sunglasses on her head, keys in her hand, or her phone for the 12th time in the same day. Luckily, Hershey hasn't been left anywhere... yet.

For being a writer, friends say she has a surprisingly narrow vocabulary and uses a lot of the same phrases including, "I'm game", "Whahhooo!" and "Oooh! Let's do it."

Always up for an adventure, Margaret is known to drive 50 miles to chase down a food truck and snag Groupons for skydiving on a whim. Some describe her as a bat out of hell behind the wheel. Steer clear. She prefers watching comedies and laughing until her tummy aches over doing sit ups. And if you touch her belly button she gets nauseous. So don't do it. 

You can find out more about Margaret at  http://margaretfeinberg.com/

MY REVIEW:

MY REVIEW:

"Fight Back with Joy" has been a life changing, thought changing book for me. Margaret shares her own story of getting cancer and what it has meant in her life. The ups and downs, but mostly, finding joy where ever she can through her faith in God.

The greatest thing about this book is how real and honest Margaret is. She shares her story honestly and you feel like you're sitting with her over coffee and getting to know her. I highlighted this book on almost every page. As I'm going through my own health issues, I found her book so helpful and encouraging! It really has helped me to have a new attitude about my struggles. One of my most favorite things she said is this:

     "The Great Give is parachuting people into your life to remind you that you are not alone. Perhaps you've been distracted by those who have vanished....(then she goes on to say later) Even if you feel alone, God has positioned people waiting in the wings to spring into action. They may not be the faces of those you expect, but if you keep your heart and eyes open you may be surprised by whom God uses."

It was almost as though she was reading my journal and my mind. I had been doing exactly that. Distracted by those who have vanished from my life,  however, I started to see I had a core group of people who have circled the wagons around me and have never left.

The whole book was like this for me. Beautiful pearls of wisdom and insight that have helped me to look at my situation in a whole new light and with joy! Whether you're going through a health issues, a family problem, or anything else, this book will show you how to find joy in your life, have greater faith, and understand that there is joy, even in those dark situation. It will also show you how to reach out to others with joy when they are going through those hard times.

In my opinion, this is a must-have book for everyone.  I give it 5 out of 5 stars.

*This book was provided to me for my honest review by Worthy Publishing


Blessings - Julie