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I don’t think of myself as a control freak. I don’t feel like I’m stressed out about life all of the time. Overall, I like to think that I have it mostly under control. (ha. Control.)

I have my issues, don’t get me wrong. I have a list of insecurities and fears long enough to keep two people busy, and I’m not immune to stress.

But when this book arrived in the mail, I really didn’t think I’d like it very much. The cover didn’t appeal to me at all, and I didn’t know if it would be relevant to me. That’s why I hadn’t requested it from Tyndale when I had the chance. That’s why I wasn’t sure I was excited when She’s Got Issues showed up on my door step anyway.

I decided to read it anyway. After all, I already had it and hadn’t started anything else yet. And I have to say, once again, you just can’t judge a book by its cover. I think God might have orchestrated this little computer glitch just for me.

I had to read this one at a much faster pace than I wanted to, but I gleaned so many tidbits that hit me square on the head of my own “ordinary issues”. I realized maybe I was a little more of a control freak than I thought I was, and that perhaps I wasn’t as stress free as I wanted to believe. I was reminded how easy it is to put on a face and to act like “everything is normal” and play Christian, and yet not have victory in the small areas of our lives. Looking good, and being good are two different things. Pride can put on a great act, but at the end of the day does all the acting get us anywhere? Nicole came straight to the point when she asked the question: “Am I changed because of Jesus?”

She’s Got issues talks about plastic women—the women we tend to try to be, and about the real and beautiful woman that God wants to make us. She gives a real, candid look at the 5 1/2 “issues” that we likely all deal with every day. She speaks courage, and strength that trying to “fix it” ourselves will never bring us. And that’s the grace of God and His power to transform us, right down to our most ordinary issues.

In short, I came away from my reading inspired, convicted and encouraged to keep letting God peel away the plastic me, and keep molding the real version.

Each chapter ends with questions for personal evaluation, and a link to a video clip you can view online and hear Nicole share some of her personal greatest issues and the changes God is doing in her life. It almost feels like you are sharing the journey with her.

I’m now reading the book through at a little slower pace. Hopefully I’ll assimilate more and come away with a deeper feel for what all the book is getting at.

But I’m glad that I “accidentally” got a copy. I’m glad that I read it. I’m glad that no matter how messy  and deeply rooted our “ordinary issues” are, God already has a solution, and the way to real joy and peace mapped out for us. And I’m thankful that He chose to remind me how much I need Him through this book this month.

If you are looking for some inspiration and encouragement to step out of the comfort zone of excuses and want to take a good look at your own issues, consider picking up a copy of She’s Got Issues. I’m pretty sure you’ll be glad you did.

Oh, one more thing: If one of you wants to get a hold of a copy of She’s got Issues and read it along with me and go through the end-of-chapter questions, I’m looking for a reading partner. Let me know?

“I intend to give my life…”

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

These lines are taken from America’s declaration of independence. They are the basic truths behind freedom. All men are made to be free. Men and women have lived and died for that truth. But what are we doing about it today?

I want to introduce you to Anna Ashwell. She’s a beautiful, young British girl who grew up in society in England in the 1800s.

Anna may not have read the Declaration of Independence, but she believed that hat freedom was not to be dictated by the color of your skin or the place that you were born. It was the same kind of truth that has driven the Abolition in every free nation that compelled her to embrace the cause of the slaves in England’s struggle.

That choice would cost her more than she could have realized. But it would also bring her the fulfillment of some of her dearest dreams.

You can read my review of The Abolitionist over on Kindred Grace. Or go to Amazon and grab your own copy so you can read Anna’s story of conflict and courage for yourself. If you remember Charity, and loved her stories, you’ll want to to meet Anna as well. If you haven’t read any of Elisabeth’s books, you should. Check out the resources at the bottom of the review for lots of handy links to her books, including a place that offers free international shipping!

I enjoyed Anna’s story. It was thought provoking and made me think about what I am using my influence towards. I hope you’ll enjoy it, too.

I am honored to introduce The Abolitionist, the latest book written by Elisabeth Allen to you today. It’s a lovely book and it tells Anna’s story.

I love hymn-stories.

I have read several books that tell the story behind some of our greatest hymns. I love glimpsing into lives of the people that wrote them. It’s always inspired and encouraged. Ordinary people, ordinary lives like mine that God uses leave legacies of trust and hope and faith for years to come: I love it!

Ever since I saw a review of the special edition of Then Sings My Soul,  I’d wanted to read one of the series for myself.

I finally got my wish when a copy of Then Sings My Soul, book three by Robert J. Morgan, arrived on my doorstep. I didn’t get a chance to start reading it until after Christmas. When I read the first story, I was hooked.

This particular edition studied the history of hymnody in depth.

The first part had six categories: Biblical hymns to Medieval Hymns to Gospel and present day hymns. It was so interesting to see the development of music over the generations. How it was different and how it has also stayed the same over generation to generation was intriguing to me. It is also amazing how hymns written hundreds of years ago can still inspire and encourage our hearts just as they did others in the day they were written.

The second part is a large collection of hymns that are not very commonly sung in most circles anymore. But they are beautiful—both the stories of the people who penned them, and the hymns themselves. I did know quite a few of them, but others I’d never taken the time to read or learn. On our occasional extended family gatherings on the weekend at our place, we’ve taken to trying to learn a song or two. It has been fun!

The third part was hymn stories the author loved to tell and the last discussed why we draw so much courage from hymns and music.

Besides all that good content, the book itself is beautiful. It has a rough cut edge to the paper, making it look older. I love how it all tied in with the theme inside.

Another thing I loved about this book as well is that it has the music printed right into the book. No digging through my stacks of music books and hymnals to try to find music to the songs that are being shared!

I suppose Book Three is a strange place to start a collection, but I would like to own all of the books in the series one day. Music and poetry and hymns are some of the things main things I turn to when I face rainy days, and I can’t think of much better than to have a library of musical encouragement at my fingertips.

thanks to booksneeze for a complimentary copy of this book. the review states my personal thoughts and opinions about this book.

Everyone has faced hard times. It is a part of living in this broken down world. As Christians, we are told we can count on hard times, in fact. I think sometimes I forget that.

Relentless, by John Bevere is written to us. It is a book of challenges and encouragement to not just “get by” but to face these hard times head on, knowing that we are more than conquerors through Christ. We are meant to excel, and to finish this race strong in Christ.

Mr. Bevere explores deeper meanings of grace. He talks about the roots of our lack of courage, and about how to grasp the strength that Christ offers us and to live our lives well and to step out and do great things for Him in that strength. He shares some of his own journeys, and struggles and the way that God has answered prayers and provided for him and his family time after time.

Relentless is aimed at encouraging. It is meant to inspire us to embrace hard times as opportunities to grow stronger, to not just endure them but to say with Paul, “I delight in difficulties”.

If I had read this book with a pen in hand, I could have highlighted quite a few key phrases, but one of the quotes that best sums up this book is the quote that is also on the back of the fly cover, and a quote that I think is worth remembering.

“God doesn’t author hardship but uses it to strengthen us for greater conquests. He never leads us into a storm that he doesn’t give us the power to overcome.”

The 18 chapters of this book are broken up in an easy to follow way, with helpful comments inserted and bible verses at the beginning of each one. It wasn’t a book I could speed through. There’s a lot to think about and honestly I haven’t yet digested it all to the point where I know if I agree with every idea and thought expressed. Still, I found more than once, portions that spoke to my heart in the season I’m in right now. I found places that said what my experiences have been trying to teach me in words I couldn’t find. And I was encouraged to keep embracing each moment of this life and striving to live it well—to live it as I believe Jesus wants me to, with gratitude and hope.

If you would like some practical encouragement in facing the hard times that life gives us with courage and boldness, you may want to try to pick up a copy of Relentless  somewhere and read it. No matter what your background is, I think there are things in this book that everyone could learn from.

thanks to waterbrook press for sharing a copy of this book with me to review. the thoughts and opinions expressed are mine.