Reading, Writing & Pondering

Many of us are struggling with stress, worry and anxiety with so many challenges in our world today. In Live The Let-Go Life by Joseph Prince, Prince uses Scripture and other stories to help readers learn to live free from stress, worry and anxiety and find a more fulfilled life in Christ. Some of the chapters in Live the Let-Go Life are: Just Look at the Birds, The Rhythm of Rest, Tune In to Peace, Above All Things, Guard Your Heart, Becoming a Person of Rest, and Stress-Free Parenting. Each chapter looks at Scripture related to the topic and Prince uses stories to illustrate how God has worked in other believer's lives. As a whole, I found L ive the Let-Go Life to be uplifting and encouraging to me as I seek to live for God and deal with the every day stresses of life. I think there would be helpful information in this book for most people. Prince does encourage me to look to God as I face struggles versus giving in to worrying. However, if I am honest, I had some mixed ...

 "You were always meant to be brave." Annie Downs shares her own story and encourages readers to not let fear hold them back on her new book, 100 Days to Brave . The introduction of 100 Days to Brave is a letter to the reader that starts with Dear friend. Downs shares how all of us reading the book probably feel like there is more to life than this. We all have a different "this" but we all need courage to go after our life's hopes and dreams to find our best life. Downs encourages readers to journal alongside this book for 100 days to find the journey God has for you. Downs says she wants to be the friend across the table from you to process and think through the road to your most courageous self. While I have not gone through the book for 100 days yet, for the purposes of this review, I have read the readings. For each reading, Downs shares a Bible verse for the day, a short reading that offers a brief story or example relating to the verse, and then q...

Creative Journaling is one of my favorite things to do to relax. 30 Days to Joy is a 30 day creative journal designed for people who like to write, draw, photograph, or collage. You can personalize the journal however you would like. 3 0 Days to Joy starts out with a short introduction explaining the difference between joy and happiness.The journal then has Scripture verses and quotes about joy interspersed throughout the book. In-between are pages with prompts to make your own creative work. There are also pages in the back to list the songs that bring you joy to make your own playlist on Spotify. The concluding pages of the journal invite you to write about what you have learned about yourself and where do you want to go from here. You can end the journal with a short page about you and all of the people you want to thank in your life as the author of your own book. I know I will use and enjoy this 30 Days to Joy journal. I have read through all of the prompts and the quote...

I don't know about you but sometimes I wonder if I can hear God's Voice today. I believe He spoke in the Bible. I read other people's prayers that were answered so greatly, clearly showing God speaks to them, and I am amazed. But if I am honest, I sometimes wonder if I have a hearing problem when it comes to God. Whisper by Mark Batterson tells about seven love languages that Batterson says God is using to speak to all of us today. The seven love languages are: Scripture, Desires, Doors, Dreams, People, Promptings and Pain. He tells how God uses each of these methods to speak to us and how to tune into each of those love languages to better hear God's voice today. In every case, though, Batterson stresses that Scripture must line up with each love language you hear. I liked reading Whisper . I found the mix of Scripture, Bible stories, and real-life stories to be both enjoyable and helpful to relate to. At the end of the book, I appreciate that Batterson has a t...

From the time John Finch was 11 years old he no longer had a father. His father committed suicide and Finch didn't know what to do with the gaping father hole that was left in his life for many years. When he was a father himself raising three young girls, Finch realized he needed God and he needed to forgive his father and himself in order to move on with his life. He wanted to be the best dad and husband he could be to his young girls. This touching book is also based on a feature film also called The Father Effect . Finch said he felt God was calling him to reach out and to share his story to help other men and women heal from the loss of their fathers. Whether they lost a father from death, divorce, or if they just had dads who weren't emotionally present, healing can be found through God and through learning to forgive. As a woman I have a different sort of father wound. I still have my dad, but he doesn't talk to me very often. I can see how my distant relationsh...

It seems like many of us end up with one form of arthritis or another by the time we are elderly. Instead of being one of those statistics, this book could help change those odds. Healing Arthritis: A 3-Step Process to Conquering Arthritis Naturally by Dr. Susan Blum, a leading expert in functional medicine, offers a better approach to healing arthritis permanently. Even more inspiring to me, she shares her own personal healing story in this book along with her expertise. I have osteoarthritis in an ankle that I broke when I was in my early 20s. I didn't really feel the arthritis until the last couple of years due to a combination of stress and a tendon tear in the same ankle. I don't want to take a lot of medication so I decided to read Dr. Blum's book to see if I could make a difference naturally. Dr. Blum gives a lot of information in an easy to read format. She first explains the various types of arthritis that one can contract. She also shares stories of real pe...

Hinds' Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard holds a special place in my heart. It is one of the first books that I read as a baby Christian. A dear college roommate left a copy for me with a note as we left for the summer. I read it and treasured it. This edition of Hinds' Feet takes the book to a whole new level. It is just beautiful! Hinds' Feet on High Places is an allegorical story of Much Afraid as she faces trials and challenges on her Christian journey. Throughout the story, Much Afraid continues to rely on God and continues to keep her faith through the challenges. This beautiful mixed-media edition contains 80 full color paintings, photographs and hand lettered scriptures. It has space to journal and color verses of your own. It could truly be an interactive story of your personal faith journey along with Much Afraid's. It is a also a beautiful edition to give as a gift, especially to a young believer, as I was gifted this book. According to Tyndale H...