A Woman’s Walk In Truth by Vonette Bright

A Woman's Walk in Truth: Devotions for Living a Confident Faith by Vonette Bright
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

MY REVIEW:

Short. Sweet. Simple. Inspiring.

This small, yet thick book is filled with wonderful devotions for women. They are short, yet ever so sweetly inspiring and tied to the truth of Scripture. I really enjoyed the insightful thoughts and stories and the verse to meditate on. However, my favorite part was the ending thought of each day titled This I Believe. In one sentence, Vonette wraps the devotion up in a truth that will stick with you.

I think this book makes a great mid-day treat to read a page while eating your lunch or waiting at an appointment. Any age woman will appreciate the devotionals and that makes it a perfect gift for any occasion! Bring a smile to a friends day and give her a copy of A Woman's Walk In Truth.

In closing I want to issue a caution that this is indeed a devotional book which is meant for an appetizer, not your main dish. It is a great encouragement book, but in no way is it a Bible study.

BOOK OVERVIEW:

Award-winning radio host Vonette Bright is the founder of Women Today ministries and co-founder with husband, Dr. Bill Bright, of Campus Crusade for Christ International. She speaks regularly to thousands of women about the importance and joy of walking in the truth of God’s Word.

In this beautiful padded hardcover filled with refreshing devotions, select verses, “This I Believe” statements, and stories of women modeling remarkable faith, Vonette encourages all women to:

choose God and His character as their foundation of truth
move forward with renewed confidence in Christ
demonstrate their faith convictions in their daily ways
make God the center of their life
experience God’s remarkable purpose for them

Through each meditation, Vonette leads women to give every area of their life to God’s control and experience the blessings of a daily journey lived in Christ’s love.

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This review copy was provided by Harvest House Publishers but the opinion expressed is strictly my own.

Jump Off The Hormone Swing by Lorraine Pintus

Jump off the Hormone Swing by Lorraine Pintus
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

MY REVIEW:

Encouraging. Inspiring. Convicting. Comforting. Exciting. Practical. Just a few words I would use to describe this book.

As a woman, have you ever thought about how your hormones and monthly cycle are a reminder of God's redeeming love?

Yeah. I thought not.

Neither had I...until I read this amazing book by Lorraine Pintus. Until now I have hated hormones and their affects on my body. But now I have a new appreciation and perspective on God's amazing creation in the female body. Not only has my thinking been changed about such matters, but I am now armed with a whole lot of understanding and practical ideas to embrace my hormones rather than antagonize them.

This book is extremely practical and very comprehensive as it not only addresses the physical and emotional components, but the spiritual ones as well. Lorraine, with both love and humor, shows us how the physical, mental, and spiritual aspects are all tied together and how we should treat them individually and as a whole. Reading this book will open your eyes to God's grace - even to a woman who can go from feeling wonderful to crummy in 5 seconds flat.

This book is a perfect handbook for woman of any age - from teen to post-menopause. It will enable you to understand your own body and be more compassionate to the women around you. I also highly recommend it as reading for husbands who truly want to be a student of their wife or for a Mother/Daughter study together. Anyway you read this you will be blessed.

30 Days to Taming Your Fears by Deborah Smith Pegues

30 Days to Taming Your Fears by Deborah Smith Pegues
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

MY REVIEW:

I like the concept of 30 Days to Taming Your Fears - although I don't like the idea of putting an exact number on how long it should take one to tame their fears - but I think that this book on fear misses it's mark on getting to the heart of the matter. Deborah has provided a comprehensive look - day by day - of many of the fears that we face and has also provided many practical tips for overcoming them. But as someone well acquainted with fear, I know that these tips don't dig down deep enough to truly tame the fears that rise up within.

Shortly in to the book Deborah says "I believe with all my heart "that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose" (Roman 8:28) - even if I never comprehend what the "good" is. Therefore, I never asked, "Why me?" Because she leaves off verse 29 no one will ever be able to see the "good" in all situations - which is to grow more and more into the likeness of the Son, Jesus Christ, through the shaping and molding that all things in our life produces. It is faulty, surface level beliefs like this one that continue through out this book and while they may be informative and change your thoughts for a few moments, they do not change the core problem which in turn provides long term change.

It's a cute book with an appealing cover and title, but it's not one to read.

BOOK OVERVIEW:

Deborah Smith Pegues, behavioral specialist and bestselling author of 30 days to Taming Your Tongue (more than 500,000 copies sold), sheds light on rational and irrational fears and offers readers a path of hope and assurance.

With her trademark clarity and practical wisdom, Deborah addresses spiritual, relational, physical safety, financial, and emotional fears with godly principles and straightforward helps. Each step of the way, she gives readers power over fear by helping them understand:

-the foundation of their fears
-God's perspective on their specific anxiety, fear, or phobia
-how to respond to fear triggers with information, awareness, and confidence
-ways to embrace healthy fears and to resist unhealthy ones
-how neutralizing their fears maximizes their life

This will be an invaluable resource for anyone walking the minefield of constant apprehensions who is ready to exchange fear for the peace which passes all understanding.

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This book was provided for review courtesy of Harvest House Publishers but the opinion expressed is my own.

A Woman Who Reflects The Heart Of Jesus by Elizabeth George

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

MY REVIEW:

One of my favorite things about Elizabeth George is that she can take a complicated or deep subject and make it so practical and easy to apply to your own life. This book is no different.

A Woman Who Reflects The Heart Of Jesus explores 30 characteristics modeled for us by Jesus Christ and digs into how we too can "flesh them out" in our own lives. Each character trait is discussed in 1 short chapter that feels very much like a short devotional. You can get the discussion guide to give you homework or you can simple read a chapter a day and be refreshed by the reading alone. Elizabeth creatively goes back and forth between Jesus' example and applying it to our daily lives.

I personally enjoyed this amazing book and the way that each day I could focus on adding a new thought/trait to my life. After 30 days I saw growth in my life in several areas and would enjoy reading this book over and over again as I work more and more on all 30 character traits. I think this is one of Elizabeth's "easiest" books to enjoy because it is a little more "bite sized" than some of her other books. And as always you will be encouraged by her testimony and humble heart.

This is a must-read for any woman at any stage of life.

BOOK OVERVIEW:

Elizabeth George has long been a favorite source of encouragement and wisdom for women who hunger to know how God desires for them to live. In her newest release, Elizabeth asks, “Where better can we learn about right character and conduct than Jesus Himself?”

There is much we can learn from this perfect life example: His generosity in caring for the needs of others, the abundance of His kindness and forgiveness even to His enemies, His persistence in watching over His own, and His willingness to give His all even though He had nothing.

Every woman who desires to…

* skillfully make the most of limited time
* give freely without expecting anything in return
* achieve all things in God’s strength and not her own
* let her light shine and glorify God

…will find a treasure trove of truths and applications that enable her to follow well in the footsteps of Jesus.

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This review copy was provided courtesy of Harvest House Publishers but the opinions expressed are strictly my own.

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This book gets awarded with the To Read, Or Not To Read badge of distinction  - Best Of The Best - for the fact that because it is so good, it has been added to Mandy’s bookshelf!