Giving Your Words by Sally and Clay Clarkson

 

Here is the book review:

Shaping the hearts, minds, and souls of your children starts with your words.

As a parent, your heart's desire is to guide your children to love and follow God. Yet so many voices are offering help and advice. Whose voice should shape your children?

Sally and Clay Clarkson suggest the answer is as simple as it is powerful: yours. They will show you how to use your own words to shape your child's life for Christ.

The biblical principles and wisdom they offer, drawn from their years of raising four children and mentoring parents worldwide, will equip you as a word-giving parent.

Start here to gain confidence to personally and intentionally cultivate a verbal home, one filled with words of faith formation and spiritual nurture.

Then, when your children "take your words for it," they will hear God's voice.

And now, my review:

I really enjoy this author and have read other books by her.  This book gave me just what I was looking for which was encouragement in the importance of my words as a parent.  She pulls from the Bible which is the best foundation to build from.  I have the power in my words to build someone up or tear them down and this goes especially for my children.  If you’re looking for this too, you’ve found the right book and the right author. 

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

https://www.amazon.com/Giving-Your-Words-Lifegiving-Formation/dp/0764235923/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1669753793&sr=8-1

https://www.christianbook.com/giving-lifegiving-verbal-family-faith-formation/sally-clarkson/9780764235924/pd/235924?product_redirect=1&search_term=Giving%20Your%20Words&Ntt=235924&item_code=&ps_exit=PRODUCT|legacy&Ntk=keywords&event=ESRCP

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/giving-your-words-sally-clarkson/1141012100?ean=9780764235924

Discovering God Through the Arts by Terry Glaspey

Here is the book summary:

What does art have to do with faith?

For many Christians, paintings, films, music, and other forms of art are simply used for wall decoration, entertaining distraction, or worshipful devotion. But what if the arts played a more prominent role in the Christian life?

In Discovering God through the Arts, discover how the arts can be tools for faith-building, life-changing spiritual formation for all Christians. Terry Glaspey, author of 75 Masterpieces Every Christian Should Know, examines:

·       How the arts assist us in prayer and contemplation

·       How the arts help us rediscover a sense of wonder

·       How the arts help us deal with emotions

·       How the arts aid theological reflection and so much more.

Let your faith be enriched, and discover how beauty and creativity can draw you nearer to the ultimate Creator.

And now, my review:

I was really excited about this book when I first saw it.  I love including art to my times with the Lord whether it is enjoying a painting or creating a piece myself.  One of my highlights from the book was that the author includes questions and exercises to try at the end of each chapter.  I found those to be helpful to sit with the paintings he chose to include in the book.  I did find some of his words at the beginning of the book to be quite telling of where he’s at with his walk with the Lord.  Everyone has a story that they are trying to tell.  For this author it was about not playing it safe but jumping into pools that dibble… well, I haven’t finished the book yet but let’s just say I’m not onboard with all of what he says.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

https://www.amazon.com/Discovering-God-through-Arts-Appreciating/dp/0802419976/ref=sr_1_1?crid=V51J76239MUW&dchild=1&keywords=discovering+god+through+the+arts&qid=1629833621&sprefix=discovering+God+through%2Caps%2C207&sr=8-1

https://www.christianbook.com/discovering-through-christians-appreciating-beauty-creativity/terry-glaspey/9780802419972/pd/419976?event=ESRCN 

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/discovering-god-through-the-arts-terry-glaspey/1138772366?ean=9780802419972

I Give Up by Laura Story

Here is the book summary:

Most of us long to be in control—of our schedule, our relationships, and our future.

Newlywed Laura Story thought she had control over the great life ahead of her. After all, she followed Jesus and had a promising new job as a worship leader. Why would God not want to fulfill her dreams?

But when Laura and her husband, Martin, faced a brain tumor, infertility, and a son’s birth defect, she realized she’d been looking for a happiness that comes from circumstances, rather than a deeper joy that comes from God. Again and again, Laura had to surrender her vision for her life so she could embrace God’s vision. And again, and again she learned that even in the midst of shattered dreams, God’s plan brought greater joy than she could have imagined.

Now the Grammy Award–winning singer-songwriter known for such hits as “Blessings,” “Indescribable,” and “Mighty to Save” shares her powerful story of finding blessing in her deepest pain. In, I Give Up, Laura explores:

·       How to delight in God’s gifts no matter your circumstances.

·       Why waiting on God is a daily decision, not a step-by-step process.

·       The strength we find from meditating on God’s Word.

·       Why surrendering to God leads to reconciliation with others.

·       How the things we consider to be losses are ways for God to display his glory.

As Laura writes, she no longer wants to be in control of her life. She wants to be rooted in the God who is in control. I Give Up will help you Discover a deeper life of worship, a fuller life of joy, and a freer life of true surrender as you open your hands to God. And give up.

And now, my review:

I found I Give Up by Laura Story to be a raw read of genuine transparency of one living what she is writing about.  I was blessed that this author shared the nitty gritty with her readers and I was thankful that I was one of them.  She shares of God’s faithfulness as she’s living the life that is laid before her.  What she thought life was going to look like and what it actually looks like for her.  Surrender is a main theme in all she shares. 

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

https://www.amazon.com/Give-Up-Secret-Surrendered-Life/dp/078522629X/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=I+give+up&qid=1628544413&sr=8-1

https://www.christianbook.com/give-the-secret-joy-surrendered-life/laura-story/9780785226291/pd/226298?event=ESRCG

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/i-give-up-laura-story/1129856651?ean=9780785226291

Prayer in the Night by Tish Harrison Warner

Here is the book summary:

How can we trust God in the dark? 

Framed around a nighttime prayer of Compline, Tish Harrison Warren, author of Liturgy of the Ordinary, explores themes of human vulnerability, suffering, and God's seeming absence. When she navigated a time of doubt and loss, the prayer was grounding for her. She writes that practices of prayer "gave words to my anxiety and grief and allowed me to reencounter the doctrines of the church not as tidy little antidotes for pain, but as a light in darkness, as good news."
Where do we find comfort when we lie awake worrying or weeping in the night? This book offers a prayerful and frank approach to the difficulties in our ordinary lives at work, at home, and in a world filled with uncertainty.

And now, my review:

This book has numerous authors pulled together with different prayers for those moments/times of darkness.  When you put together a book with many voices you are bound to love some and not others.  That was what I found with this one.  I loved what Tish had to share.  There are some really great insights and sharing in there.  It’s a type of book that you can skip around with.  When I started it, I just opened it and went to a random reading.  I was surprisingly disappointed.  I then read another and another and was not liking it at all.  So, I put the book down after reading quite a few.  A couple days later, I tried again.  That time I started at the beginning and loved what I read and kept going with it.  I was so thankful that I tried again!  Bottom-line is that I didn’t like some but for the ones I did like, it’s well worth the read!  Pick it up and see what you think. 

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

https://www.amazon.com/Prayer-Night-Those-Work-Watch-ebook/dp/B08C9JX4GR/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?dchild=1&keywords=prayer+in+the+night&qid=1628264982&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExR0kySlJBVFo4R0JLJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNjc5Mjg5MkZPSUg3RzkzMzQxNSZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwNzY0NTAyM1VPMFhOOFYwUkVDWiZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

https://www.christianbook.com/prayer-night-those-work-watch-weep/tish-warren/9780830846795/pd/846795?event=ESRCG

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/prayer-in-the-night-tish-harrison-warren/1137285263?ean=9780830846795

Opening to God by David Benner

 

Here is the book summary:

Most Christians want to experience spiritual transformation. But many are frustrated by the limited progress of our spiritual self-improvement efforts. We find our praying burdened by a sense of obligation and failure.
But prayer is not merely something we do; prayer is what God does in us. Prayer is not just communication with God―it is communion with God. As we open ourselves to him, God does the spiritual work of transformation in us.
Spiritual director and psychologist David Benner invites us to discover openness to God as the essence of prayer, spirituality, and the Christian life. Prayer is far more than saying words to God; all of life can be prayer when offered to God in faith and with openness. Using the four movements of lectio divina, Benner explores prayer as attending, pondering, responding, and being. Along the way he opens us to a world of possibilities for communion with God: praying with our senses, with imagination, with music and creativity, in contemplation, in service, and much more.
Learn how prayer can be a way of living. Move beyond words to become not merely someone who prays, but someone whose entire life is prayer in union with God.
This expanded edition includes a new afterword and an experiential guide with questions for individual reflection or group discussion.

And now, my review:

Despite our differences in some parts of what we believe, when I saw Opening to God by David G Benner come out, I was really looking forward to reading it because of the topic and how it might lend well into spiritual direction.  I love Lectio Divina and looked forward to seeing what he included in this read.  I enjoyed his invitations to take a moment to note… or take a pause to pray… things serve as a call to pause…  He also includes information on the examen, which he calls an exercise of God-spotting, and the labyrinth.  He includes quotes from other people in his books. 

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

https://www.amazon.com/Opening-God-Lectio-Divina-Prayer-ebook/dp/B08LMX4NM4/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=opening+to+God&qid=1628194021&sr=8-4

https://www.christianbook.com/opening-lectio-divina-and-life-prayer/david-benner/9780830846863/pd/846863?event=ESRCG

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/opening-to-god-david-g-benner/1111417266?ean=9780830835508

Eye of the Storm by Ryan Stevenson

 

Here is the book summary:

How an unexpected lightning storm changed everything

Ryan Stevenson’s Dove Award-winning breakout hit “Eye of the Storm” was an overnight success, but his path to releasing that song was decades in the making. Ryan always knew he was called to be a musician, yet it took years of career changes, failed label contracts, and leaps of faith for him to achieve his dream. 

In his debut book Eye of the Storm, Ryan shares his zig-zagging journey from farm boy to singer and songwriter, and the life events along the way that have shaped his relationship with God. From his insecurity with self-image, to his grief and fear during his mother’s lengthy battle with cancer, to his high-stress days working as a paramedic, Ryan describes the many ways his faith was tested—and how each trial helped him become more reliant on Christ.

Eye of the Storm will inspire, encourage, and challenge you to trust more deeply in God, confident that any struggle you face in life will help mold you into the person He wants you to become.

And now, my review:

I found Eye of the Storm by Ryan Stevenson to be raw and vulnerable.  This author shares some really hard things with the reader and I found that to be quite the blessing to be let into so many aching places. He shares delays, twists, turns, and compound situations galore.   As a person that is not in the medical field, I found some of the information/reading to be quite appalling and hard to read.  God bless those in the medical field, as He has made them for that purpose and work.  May they receive His strength daily to carry on.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

https://www.amazon.com/Eye-Storm-Experiencing-When-Cant/dp/0736979778/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=eye+of+the+storm&qid=1609267713&sr=8-1

https://www.christianbook.com/storm-experiencing-when-cant-see-him/ryan-stevenson/9780736979771/pd/979771?event=ESRCG

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-eye-of-the-storm-ryan-stevenson/1133197202?ean=9780736979771

The Grumbler's Guide to Giving Thanks by Dustin Crowe

 

Here is the book summary:

Trade Grumbling for Gratitude—Experience God like Never Before

The apostle Paul instructed the Philippians to be anxious in nothing and thankful in everything. And when he said everything—he meant everything. We can all agree that this is easier said than done. Disappointments and discontent may cause you to slip into dissatisfaction, and grumbling becomes a state of mind—gratitude seems impossible to find. However, what if this is the precise reason you lack the joy of a God-filled life? Instead of a reaction to when things are going well, what if gratitude is actually necessary to knowing the hope of our gracious God?

This is exactly what Pastor Dustin Crowe identifies in The Grumbler’s Guide to Giving Thanks. Dustin examines the biblical foundations of thankfulness and traces how it can reshape every-day Christian living. When we express gratitude in all things, we not only praise our Creator, we also get to know Him better. With The Grumbler’s Guide, you’ll learn how to practice thanksgiving in both simple and extraordinary ways, even when you’re tempted to dwell on the negative. You’ll find your outlook on life realigned to see the hand of God in everything, strengthening your trust in Him. And in doing so, you’ll find greater, more joy-filled reasons to continue expressing thanks to our good and generous God.

And now, my review:

The Grumbler’s Guide to Giving Thanks by Dustin Crowe is in my opinion a must read for all Christ-followers.  I found this book to be easy to read but filled with something that sounds easy but is deeper than first look.  To pause, take a moment, and drink in the complexity of giving thanks.  This author had me pondering the depths of his words.  I know that I will be coming back to this one over the years and it’s a must have for me to keep on my shelf. 

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review. 

https://www.amazon.com/Grumblers-Guide-Giving-Thanks-Reclaiming/dp/0802419852/ref=sr_1_1?crid=MWCTZFHUDG0J&dchild=1&keywords=the+grumbler%27s+guide+to+giving+thanks&qid=1609262291&sprefix=the+grumbler%27s+%2Caps%2C244&sr=8-1

https://www.christianbook.com/the-grumblers-guide-to-giving-thanks/dustin-crowe/9780802419859/pd/419852?product_redirect=1&search_term=the%20grumbler%27s&Ntt=419852&item_code=&ps_exit=PRODUCT&Ntk=keywords&event=ESRCP

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-grumblers-guide-to-giving-thanks-dustin-crowe/1136291109?ean=9780802419859

Love Like You Mean It by Bob Lepine

 

Here is the book summary:

Every year, millions of men and women stand before friends and family to pledge their lifelong love to each other. Do they know what they’re getting into?
 
Unfortunately, many people have a shallow, superficial idea of what marriage is. As a result, many marriages don’t last, and many more married couples are trudging along looking for something more.
 
Love Like You Mean It gives husbands and wives a biblical understanding of what real love looks like in marriage by unpacking the ten attributes of genuine love listed in 1 Corinthians 13. Bob Lepine, marriage and family expert and host of the nationally syndicated radio program FamilyLife Today, helps husbands and wives discover that it’s not primarily emotions that define marital love, but actions and decisions that fuel emotions and cause marital love to grow.
 
Every person who is married, would like to be married one day, or wants to understand more about the biblical vision of marriage will find what they’re looking for as they dive deep into Love Like You Mean It.

And now, my review:

My husband and I were so encouraged by the well-put-together read of Love Like You Mean It by Bob Lepine.  First off, the lay out is so on point.  It walks you through the Scripture of 1 Corinthians 13.  If you know 1 Corinthians 13, you know what’s coming and sometimes you even cringe knowing what is coming because you know it’s going to hit close to home.  We also found that this goes beyond marriage to other relationships and situations as well.  It’s a read that is simple and will have you talking and communicating with each other.  I highly recommend this marriage/life read.

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.  

https://www.amazon.com/Love-Like-You-Mean-Marriage/dp/1535996730/ref=sr_1_1?crid=10BJWIG0E1C2G&dchild=1&keywords=love+like+you+mean+it+bob+lepine&qid=1609261282&sprefix=Love+Like+You+Mean+i%2Caps%2C224&sr=8-1

https://www.christianbook.com/like-mean-heart-marriage-that-honors/bob-lepine/9781535996730/pd/996730?event=ESRCG

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/love-like-you-mean-it-bob-lepine/1134582210?ean=9781535996730

The Prayer Map Devotional by Donna K Maltese

 

Here is the book summary:

THE ORIGINAL Prayer Map Devotional!

Encouragement and inspiration for purposeful, more focused prayer is right here!

This practical and inspiring The Prayer Map Devotional will guide you through 28 weeks of devotional readings and prayers plus the creation of weekly prayer maps to help you better focus your daily prayer time. With prayer-related themes like TRUSTING GOD, BEING PERSISTENT IN PRAYER, and EXPERIENCING THE POWER OF PRAYER, you will be encouraged to spend regular time in the heavenly Father's presence and share what’s on your heart. . .as you continue to build a healthy spiritual habit of continual prayer for life!

And now, my review:

I found The Prayer Map Devotional by Donna Maltese to be just what I was looking for.  It’s informative and yet full of space for you to experience times of prayer with God.  It started me out with a great lesson on the Who, What, Where, When, Why of prayer.  That one just really was special to me because of the Inductive approach carrying over to prayer.  (I’m an addict of Inductive Bible Study as student and teacher, so this just screamed loudly at me.)  That as just the beginning and it just built from there.  I loved the set up and the packed devotions that were small but boundless.  Yes, to this one!

I received this book in exchange for my honest review.

https://www.amazon.com/Prayer-Map%C2%AE-Devotional-Inspiring-Readings/dp/1643525239/ref=sr_1_3?crid=1LZYL4T3KKPBH&dchild=1&keywords=the+prayer+map+devotional&qid=1609260098&sprefix=The+Prayer+Map+Devotion%2Caps%2C231&sr=8-3

https://www.christianbook.com/prayer-devotional-inspiring-readings-weekly-guided/donna-maltese/9781643525235/pd/525235?event=ESRCG

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-prayer-map-donna-k-maltese/1135602777?ean=9781643525235

The Light of His Presence by Anne Graham Lotz

 

Here is the book summary:

The beloved Bible teacher and daughter of Billy Graham shares a rich treasury of her personal prayers to guide you into deeper, more intimate daily conversations with God.
 
Why is it that as soon as we bow our heads to pray, we start thinking of other things we need to do? How do we make time to pray in the middle of our busy lives? And how do we know what to say and how to say it? 
 
Like many of us, Anne Graham Lotz has struggled with prayer. Over the years, she discovered that writing out her prayers draws her into deeper, more intimate conversations with God. The Light of His Presence offers forty of these tender, honest prayers for real-life situations as an invitation to deepen your own prayer life through worship, confession, thanksgiving, and intercession. You’ll be encouraged to lean more fully into God’s promises through this power-packed devotional resource, which includes inspiring quotes from Christians throughout the ages and also has space to journal your own words to God.
 
As Anne writes, “My prayer for you . . . is that God will use my struggle with prayer to help you overcome yours. And that, as a result, you will be drawn nearer to the heart of God.”

And now, my review:

I found The Light of His Presence by Anne Graham Lotz to be an amazing resource for prayer in my life.  I’m so blessed to have this book in my hands and I find that I flip all over the place in it to pray all sorts of areas all at once.  She really is such a blessing to share her prayers in all sorts of areas with us.  She’s lived what she’s written in these pages and it shows real, raw prayer. So, I turn to the topic I’m wanting to pray about and see how it fits into my personal experience in that moment.  For example, it might be fear and then she prays Scripture through her section on fear.  I will be using this for years to come.  I highly encourage this resource for your prayer time. 

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

https://www.amazon.com/Light-His-Presence-Prayers-Heart/dp/0525651179/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2M8D6IR4RCL7J&dchild=1&keywords=the+light+of+his+presence+anne+graham+lotz&qid=1609258165&sprefix=The+Light+of%2Caps%2C254&sr=8-1

https://www.christianbook.com/light-presence-prayers-draw-near-heart/anne-lotz/9780525651178/pd/651171?event=ESRCN 

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-light-of-his-presence-anne-graham-lotz/1136012760?ean=9780525651178

Find Your Weigh by Shellie Bowdoin

Here is the book summary:

When has a diet ever yielded long-term weight results?

If you have ever felt hopeless about your weight or struggled with the up and down rollercoaster of yo-yo dieting, Find Your Weigh offers a new perspective and proactive steps to change your relationship with food. You will develop a mental framework and workable habits that will allow you to enjoy all kinds of food in a healthy, managed, Holy Spirit-empowered way!

When we think about losing weight, we immediately think of a diet. However, diets are only short-term fixes to target our weight, which is really just a symptom of our behavior with food. If we really want to change our weight story, we've got to target our behavior with food and uncover the beliefs that actually inform that behavior. The problem is that most of us have no idea what we believe or why we act the way that we do with food.

It's time to walk in freedom over food and weight. Join Shellie Bowdoin as she shares her own weight journey and lays out practical, "aha" steps to help you renew your mind with food. Filled with biblical insights, practical steps and interactive questions, Find Your Weigh helps uncover your excuses and mental blocks with food so you can develop new, workable habits that you can see yourself following next week, next month and next year!

Filled with biblical insights, practical steps, and interactive questions, this book will help you get to the bottom of your food issues to help you figure out why you do what you do and think what you think when it comes to food. Find Your Weigh will lead you through a proven process that will yield tailor-made solutions to fit your preferences and your lifestyle.

Instead of looking for another diet or another workout plan, it's time to alter your relationship with food for good. The only way to do this is to renew your thinking and establish focused eating habits that you can carry on for the rest of your life. I did it and, for the first time in my life, I've taken weight off its pedestal in my head and replaced it with living.

Find Your Weigh is written to be motivational and practical. It can be used alone to set up healthy food habits for successful weight maintenance or alongside another proven weight loss plan.

·       - 50 - day interactive journal with weekly guided reflection questions

·       - Practical steps for developing food habits to include all types of foods into your daily life

·       - Guided practice for developing new life-long eating habits without hunger or deprivation

·       - Personal reflections from my own real-life weight journey

This book also comes with a companion group Bible study. Check out the Find Your Weigh: Walk In Freedom Bible Study Guide by Shellie Bowdoin.

Free video links are also available for use with the study guide. Both the book and the study guide can be used alongside any healthy weight loss program or to help you set up a healthy plan for weight maintenance.

______________________

All profits from the paperback version of Find Your Weigh go to fund mission outreaches throughout Asia through Assemblies of God World Missions.

 

And now, my review:

I really enjoyed Find Your Weigh by Shelley Bowdoin.  In this book she points out a mind over matter approach that can be so freeing.  It’s about our thought processes and the actions tied to them.  I loved how it motivates the read to success.  It’s very practical and not a never have that food again kind of plan.  It’s not about dieting but freedom in getting down to the things that weigh us down.  I also enjoyed how transparent this author was and how much she shares with her readers.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

https://www.amazon.com/Find-Your-Weigh-Freedom-Bible/dp/9715034454/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=find+your+weigh&qid=1596214284&sr=8-2#customerReviews

https://www.christianbook.com/weigh-renew-walk-freedom-edition-0002/shellie-bowdoin/9789715034425/pd/034421?event=ESRCG

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/find-your-weigh-shellie-bowdoin/1134897680?ean=9789715034425

Homeschool Bravely by Jamie Erickson

Here is the book summary:

Quiet the voices of "not good enough" and step courageously into guilt-free homeschooling

Many homeschool parents have a long-term relationship with self-doubt. "Did I make the right decision?" "Could someone else do this better?" "Am I robbing my kids of something by not sending them to ‘regular school’?"

What if there’s a better way?

Not a 3-step technique or a shiny, new curriculum, but a change in perspective that transforms the way you plan, teach, and homeschool?

Homeschool Bravely teaches you to see homeschooling as a calling, helps you overthrow the tyranny of impossible expectations, and guides you through the common bumps in the road, including how to:

·       juggle school and parenting with toddlers at home

·       teach a struggling learner

·       plan with the end in mind

·       accept your own limitations without feeling guilty

·       stay the course even in the face of criticism

Reclaim your hope, renew your purpose, and transform your homeschool. Because the truth is: God will use every part of your homeschool, even your fears, faults, and failures, to weave good plans for your kids.

And now, my review:

Have you ever heard something from someone that has stopped you in your tracks and had you wondering if what you are doing is going to work?  If it’s going to be successful?  If you and your children are going to be able to learn and thrive together in this homeschool journey?  Well, this book touches on all this and more.  I found the author to be very transparent and upfront about her experience.  I loved her friendly voice that she puts in her writing.  She’s one of us.  I think that no matter where you are on the journey of homeschooling, that this is a great resource to have.  It’s like a B12 shot in the arm.  It’s so encouraging and right on time.  As a fellow homeschooling mama of many years, I recommend this one!

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

https://www.amazon.com/Homeschool-Bravely-Squash-Doubt-Confidence/dp/0802418872/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=Homeschool+Bravely&qid=1596204034&sr=8-3

https://www.christianbook.com/homeschool-bravely-squash-teach-children-confidence/jamie-erickson/9780802418876/pd/418876?product_redirect=1&search_term=Homeschool%20bravel&Ntt=418876&item_code=&Ntk=keywords&event=ESRCP

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/homeschool-bravely-jamie-erickson/1129757355?ean=9780802497598

A Life of Listening by Leighton Ford

Here is the book summary:

The Christian life is a life of listening. In this memoir, lifelong minister of the gospel Leighton Ford tells his story as a personal history of listening for God’s voice. Beginning with his earliest memories, he recounts the different ways God has spoken to him, and the different ways he has learned to listen. Through the joys of ministry, first as an international evangelist, often in partnership with Billy Graham, and later as a leader of the Lausanne Movement and a mentor of emerging leaders, he remembers God's voice proclaiming, instructing, reassuring. Through the pain of deep loss, he remembers God's voice calling out to him, even in the deafening silence. What emerges is not just an account of a long and faithful life of Christian service, but a picture of the Christian life―the life of listening. What will it sound like, Ford asks, when God speaks to you?

And now, my review:
This book was not what I was thinking it was going to be and yet I’m a huge life-story lover and I was privilege to be able to read A Life of Listening by Leighton Ford.  It was like sitting across the table from a fellow follower of Christ who shared the ups and downs of walking this earthly life in Christ.  Some of these things seemed a bit easier than others.  Yet, God is faithful to use them all.  I especially loved the transparency in the process of living humbly.  I loved reading about how the Lord reveals things to him along the way and the changes that occur.  I found it to be such a drink of fresh, clear water.

I received this book in exchange for my honest review.

https://www.amazon.com/Life-Listening-Discerning-Voice-Discovering/dp/0830845739/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1596202746&sr=8-2

https://www.christianbook.com/life-listening-discerning-gods-voice-discovering/leighton-ford/9780830845736/pd/845736?product_redirect=1&search_term=a%20life%20a%20listening&Ntt=845736&item_code=&Ntk=keywords&event=ESRCP

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-life-of-listening-leighton-ford/1130765843?ean=9780830845736

Get Out Of Your Head by Jennie Allen

Here is the book summary:

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • You can choose hope in the midst of chaos. The visionary behind the million-strong IF:Gathering challenges you to exercise your God-given power to shift negative thinking patterns and take back control of your thoughts and emotions.
 
“A must-have resource for anyone looking to get control of their thoughts.”—Lysa TerKeurst, #1 New York Times bestselling author and president of Proverbs 31 Ministries
 
Are your thoughts holding you captive? I’ll never be good enough. Other people have better lives than I do. God couldn’t really love me. Jennie Allen knows what it’s like to swirl in a spiral of destructive thoughts, but she also knows we don’t have to stay stuck in toxic thinking patterns.
 
As she discovered in her own life, God built a way for us to escape that downward spiral. Freedom comes when we refuse to be victims to our thoughts and realize we have already been equipped with power from God to fight and win the war for our minds.
 
In Get Out of Your Head, Jennie inspires and equips us to transform our emotions, our outlook, and even our circumstances by taking control of our thoughts. Our enemy is determined to get in our heads to make us feel helpless, overwhelmed, and incapable of making a difference for the kingdom of God. But when we submit our minds to Christ, the promises and goodness of God flood our lives in remarkable ways.
 
It starts in your head. And from there, the possibilities are endless.

And now, my review:

I found Get Out of Your Head by Jennie Allen to be meaningful encouragement to stop the toxic rehearsals in my head and replace it with His Truth.  The basis of the book I think fits this statement: “Learning to capture our thoughts matters.  Because how we think shapes how we live.”  So important that I renew my mind.  To be committed to breaking the cycles/spirals that are not taking me in the right direction.  To be active in the fight. 

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

https://www.amazon.com/Get-Out-Your-Head-Stopping/dp/1601429649/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2UDSB93U2MXN&dchild=1&keywords=get+out+of+your+head+jennie+allen&qid=1596202042&sprefix=get+out+o%2Caps%2C185&sr=8-2

https://www.christianbook.com/your-head-stopping-spiral-toxic-thoughts/jennie-allen/9781601429643/pd/429642?event=ESRCG#write_review

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/get-out-of-your-head-jennie-allen/1132724368?ean=9781601429643

Fight Your Fears by Kristen Wetherell

Here is the book summary:

What are you afraid of?

You could probably fill this page with a list of your fears. Fears about the future; fears about your health, job, and family; fears about inadequacy and failure (and maybe success); fears about how much fear itself seems to affect your decisions, plans, and growth in this life.

You might even fear what God thinks about your fears. After all, in his Word God commands us not to be afraid hundreds of times. But how is this possible? We're troubled by evil, we're slammed with bad news, and we can't know what tomorrow will bring. How can we learn to trust God and not be afraid?

Kristen Wetherell is in the fight with you. She is a fearful fellow traveler on the road of the Christian life, making strides alongside you in this battle. In Fight Your Fears she carefully searches 10 of God's great and precious promises, equipping you with the practical tools to overcome the fears and anxious thoughts that are robbing you of your joy. Each chapter ends with Scripture exercises, a memory verse, questions to ponder, and a prayer.

Discover truths that will bring peace to your soul as you learn to fear God and nothing else.

And now, my review:

I found Fighting Your Fears by Kristen Wetherell to be an inspiring read.  By turning to fearing the One who we are to fear over all the other fears that bombard us, we turn to the One who has the power to set us free.  It’s a great, refreshing, true approach to fear and other things.  Keeping our eyes on Jesus the author and finisher of our faith.  It felt comforting as I was reading to know I was hearing from someone who has been in the struggle of fear with me and not someone who was better than it.  I’m thankful for the author’s transparency.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

https://www.amazon.com/Fight-Your-Fears-Trusting-Character/dp/0764234374/ref=sr_1_2?crid=1GMXM70C0A79J&dchild=1&keywords=fight+your+fears+by+kristen+wetherell&qid=1596139795&sprefix=fight+your+fear%2Caps%2C169&sr=8-2

https://www.christianbook.com/fight-fears-trusting-character-promises-afraid/kristen-wetherell/9780764234378/pd/234378?product_redirect=1&search_term=fight%20your%20fears&Ntt=234378&item_code=&Ntk=keywords&event=ESRCP

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/fight-your-fears-kristen-wetherell/1131928626?ean=9780764234378