Unglued review

Book Description:

In her bestseller Made to Crave, Bible-teacher Lysa TerKeurst shared her struggles with what went into her mouth and how her food choices were based on her emotions. Now in Unglued: Making Wise Choices in the Midst of Raw Emotions, she focuses on what comes out in her speech. Sharing from her own experience, Lysa observes how many women hold their feelings inside, until circumstances reach a crisis and we explode, speaking in anger and saying words we'll regret later. In a very real way, we can come unglued and lose control of our emotions.

But there is hope for women who desire healing for their emotions. Without offering pat answers or simple solutions, Lysa brings insight to help women resolve conflict in healthy ways and improve communication with those whom you're in close relationship. Discover what it means to "renew your mind" in Biblical and practical ways.

My Review:

Becoming More Than a Good Bible Study Girl was my introduction to Lysa Terkeurst, and that book really impacted my relationship with God. Then there was Made to Crave: Satisfying Your Deepest Desire with God, Not Food which helped me to see how my relationship with food was a symptom of problems I had with my relationship with God. In this book, Unglued: Making Wise Choices in the Midst of Raw Emotions , Lysa  addresses our emotions, or rather our desire to not let them control us.  And again this book has helped me to draw closer to God.

I love Lysa's honesty throughout all of her writings.  She doesn't preach at you, but rather shares real stories about having been there.  She comes unglued on her daughter not realizing that she has pocket dialed her pastor and he can hear it all, she cleans her house for company only to have company arrive and aks, "Lysa, where's the toilet seat for the kids' bathroom?"  She is downright honest, which makes it so much easier to hear that we need to change, and opens us up to her suggestions.  After all, if this gal who has similar unglued experiences can progress towards wise choices, why can't we?

And that's what this book is about, progress not perfection.  Lysa keeps it real here too.  Rather than tell us we will have a new us by Friday she tells us that we aren't going to get it right quickly, not if we want it to stick.  We are aiming for imperfect progress, where our steps forward are greater than our steps back, because we will have steps backwards.  No shortcut to happily ever after in this book, but I don't want the sugary sweet your life is going to be complete in 5 easy steps version.  I want truth, I want to know that when I mess up it doesn't mean the game is over.

So if you have ever felt like sometimes your emotions control you rather than the other way around, grab this book and start reading.  At best you will start on your own path to imperfect progress, at worst you spent $10 on a book that you can turn around and sell on ebay!

If you are interested in reading Unglued as part of an online Bible study, stop over at www.MelissaTaylor.org and sign up!  Study begins September 23, 2012

Bad Girls of the Bible review

Bad Girls of the Bible and What We Can Learn from Them:

 Women everywhere marvel at those “good girls” in Scripture–Sarah, Mary, Esther–but on most days, that’s not who they see when they look in the mirror. Most women (if they’re honest) see the selfishness of Sapphira or the deception of Delilah. They catch of glimpse of Jezebel’s take-charge pride or Eve’s disastrous disobedience. Like Bathsheba, Herodias, and the rest, today’s modern woman is surrounded by temptations, exhausted by the demands of daily living, and burdened by her own desires.

So what’s a good girl to do? Learn from their lives, says beloved humor writer Liz Curtis Higgs, and by God’s grace, choose a better path. In Bad Girls of the Bible, Higgs offers a unique and clear-sighted approach to understanding those “other women” in Scripture, combining a contemporary retelling of their stories with a solid, verse-by-verse study of their mistakes and what lessons women today can learn from them.

Whether they were “Bad to the Bone,” “Bad for a Season, but Not Forever” or only “Bad for a Moment,” these infamous sisters show women how not to handle the challenges of life. With her trademark humor and encouragement, Liz Curtis Higgs teaches us how to avoid their tragic mistakes and joyfully embrace grace.

My Review:

 Higgs story telling ability really shines in this study book.  I really enjoyed the "contemporary retelling" of each girls story and I liked the way Higgs walks us through the actual Bible verses as well.    Her diligence in research doesn't shine quite as much in this book as it does in The Girl's Still Got It, but it is obvious that she has done it.

What I enjoyed most about this book is the "what lesson can we learn" section at the end of each chapter and of course the "Good Girl Thoughts worth Considering" which is the reflection section (just say that, reflection section.  Fun to say isn't it?).  Higgs manages to show us how we can learn from these "bad girls" and use their mistakes as a way to evaluate ourselves and turn from a path that may lead us to appearing in a future bad girls book.

Higgs personality really shines throughout the book and you feel like you are sitting with a group of your girlfriends having a chat session.  With lines such as "Grab your daisies, sister, and let's pull of the petals, one by one. 'She loved him.  She loved him not.  She loved him.  She loved him not...' Not, it seems," (Did Delilah love Samson?) we see Higgs humor.  With her admission of leaving a store with a book in which she was undercharged without correcting it (she did later, but not at the time!) we see her getting tripped up just like we do sometimes.  (This was in the Sapphira chapter.)  You really feel like you are just hanging out with the gals while reading this, which is a good thing considering what the subject is.

You almost feel like you are gossiping.  "Did you hear what Eve did?"  "Eve, the one that is sooooo perfect?  No, tell me!"  or "Oh my gosh!  You remember Rahab?  You know.... (whisper) the harlot?  Guess what I saw her do!"  Only this gossip has a purpose.  These gal's stories were included in the Bible for a reason.  "All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right." (2 Timothy 3:16 NLT)  Higgs really helps us to examine these particular scriptures and to examine our own lives to see if we have these same wrongs in our own lives.  I bet that you will identify in some small way with at least one of these bad girls!

Learn more about Liz Curtis Higgs on her website
Read chapter 1 of Bad Girls of the Bible here
order your own copy from Amazon here

Cruel Harvest review

Book Description:


"Get out here, now, or I'm gonna kill you!" he hollered.

Little girls are hardwired to hold their daddies in high esteem, so it comes as a shock the first time a daughter feels the back of her daddy's hand across her face . . . or watches him punch and kick her mother to within an inch of her life.

How could this be? Her older sisters teach her how to survive, even when he comes for her in the night.
A girl learns to become invisible, to look the other way, to say nothing when a curious stranger asks if she's okay. To lie. To expect nothing, not even from relatives.

To cry without tears.

To pray silently.

When she is fourteen, and weary, a girl begins to wish she were dead. Cruel Harvest is the compelling story of how she lived instead.

My Review:
This is a difficult subject to write about, especially when you are so close to it as Fran Grubb obviously is since it is a memoir.  Physical, mental and sexual abuse are horrible things to undergo.  Grubb and Reardon do an amazing job of conveying the abuse without being crass.  As a reader you understand the fear, the terrible situations and the acts of evil that occur without the four letter words that must have been used or the minute detail that would have pushed this into something that a Christian publisher would have turned down.

This story, while horrible, demonstrates the power of faith.  How Fran was able to hang on to God when she had no church she attended regularly, no Bible to read and few examples of what it is to be a Christian is a testament to God himself. 

I can't label this as a "good" read.  The subject prevents that.  What I can say is that you will find yourself with tears in your eyes as you watch Fran's family run away from her father, eventually leaving her alone with him.  You will cringe when you read how easy it was for him to walk back into his children's lives and again subject them to his torture.  You will be stunned at the logic that some use to justify committing one evil in an attempt to rescue Fran from another.  If you have never suffered abuse and do not understand how easy it is to be charmed by an abuser or how you begin to believe what the abuser tells you about yourself, you will wonder why the women in Fran's father's life chose to stay.

Fran makes no excuses for the actions of those around her.  It was a different time.  One in which fathers ruled their families however they saw fit.  Spousal abuse, while maybe not common it was often overlooked.  Child abuse as well.  It was a different lifestyle.  As a migrant worker you were never really anywhere long enough to form bonds with others.  As a result few on the outside took notice of what was going on.  For Fran, it was what it was.

This is a story of triumph however.  By God's grace she makes her way out from under her father.  She overcomes, she reconnects with siblings, and she learns to forgive.  Truly a testament to the Spirit that lives in her.



You can purchase Cruel Harvest:  A memoir on Amazon by clicking here

The Girl's Still Got It

Book Description: 

 Walk with Ruth as she travels from Moab to Bethlehem, certain of her calling, yet uncertain of her future. Hold Naomi’s hand and watch love put the pieces of her broken life back together. And hang out with Boaz, their kinsman-redeemer, who blesses both women and honors God, big time.

With best-selling author Liz Curtis Higgs by your side, you’ll tarry in the corners of their ancient houses, listen to their conversations, and consider every word of every verse until you can say, “I totally get the book of Ruth. And I see what God is trying to teach me through this rags-to-riches redemption story—he has a plan for my life.”

Girl, does he ever!

Think of it as time travel without gimmicks, gizmos, or a DeLorean: a novel approach to Bible study that leaps from past to present, gleaning timeless truths that speak to the heart.




My Review:

I like Ruth, actually it is one of my favorite books of the Bible.  It has hardship, perseverance, romance and a happy ending all centered around God.  What could be better?

I also like the way this book was put together.  Higgs brings us there, using many reputable sources to establish what a day in the life of Ruth and Naomi might have been like.  While she doesn't stray from the scriptural account she does include daily life and gives each person some character (or at least lets them borrow some of hers!).

Higgs leads you through the story with frequent stops to examine what Ruth and Naomi might have been thinking, what they were facing giving the times and culture they lived in and really helps us to understand what they were facing.  But Higgs is a story teller, and that is very evident in this study.

Now don't get me wrong, I like that about this book.  But you do need to be aware that while the information she inserts is always clearly her own interpretation or is backed up and cited by other researchers, there is a lot of inference going on in this study.  So much so that I began to question this being sold as nonfiction at times.

That being said, this is a great study to help us grow, to see God's plan unfold, to help us realize that if God can take this Moabitess and graft her in the to lineage of His Son, what great things can He do in our own lives if we surrender to Him?!

Find out more about Liz Curtis Higgs at her blog here
Order your own copy of this book on Amazon here


edited August 30, 2012
Good news!  Liz Curtis Higgs is planning to do an online study with this book THIS fall!  You can read more about it on her blog here

Please take a moment to rate my review. You can read more about this over there on the right of this page.

Cleaning House review

Publisher's description:

 Is Your Home Out of Order?   Do your kids think that clean, folded clothes magically appear in their drawers? Do they roll their eyes when you suggest they clean the bathroom? Do you think it’s your job to pave their road to success? As parents, so often we hover, race in to save, and do everything we can for our kids—unintentionally reinforcing their belief that the world revolves around them.

When Kay Wyma realized that an attitude of entitlement had crept into her home, this mother of five got some attitude of her own. Cleaning House is her account of a year-long campaign to introduce her kids to basic life skills. From making beds to grocery shopping to refinishing a deck chair, the Wyma family experienced for themselves the ways meaningful work can transform self-absorption into earned self-confidence and concern for others.

With irresistible humor and refreshing insights, Kay candidly details the ups and downs of removing her own kids from the center of the universe. The changes that take place in her household will inspire you to launch your own campaign against youth entitlement. As Kay says, “Here’s to seeing what can happen when we tell our kids, ‘I believe in you, and I’m going to prove it by putting you to work.’”

My Review:

We have all heard about it, a generation of youth that seems to feel they are more special, more important, more everything than anyone else.   Coming on the heels of the McCullough "You're Not Special" graduation speech, this book is very timely.  Ms. Wyma recognizes that her children don't have even simple life skills and that they have developed a sense of entitlement and sets out to fix this through a year long experiment.  Each month the family tackles a different task, everyone learning something new about themselves.

Over this year, Wyma sets out to teach her children how to make their own beds and keep their own rooms clean, how to plan, shop for and prepare a family meal, weed a lawn, search for a job, clean a bathroom, wash clothes, home repairs, plan a party, work together, run errands, serve others and finally manners.  I commend Wyma on keeping it real.  Some tasks worked really well, others didn't and she shares it all.  Her successes, failures, and how simple family dynamics and throw even the best laid plans out of whack.

All in all I found this to be a great read, and even gleaned some ideas for my own family from it.  I recognized in myself a similar propensity to hover and enable as Wyma did with her children.  I realized that my own struggles to instill values, a sense of pride in a job well done, and the concept that my children are a contributing part of the family not the family service project are not unique to my family, my community or even my income bracket.  And there is my only problem with this book.

I come from an "upper lower class" family and am currently "lower middle class".  This means that my family wasn't dirt poor growing up, but we certainly didn't have a maid as Wyma did.  My sister and I had to learn to cook at a young age or we didn't eat because my single mother was working and not there to cook for us.  And since she was working the cleaning, dishes and yard work fell to us to do.  That made it hard to relate to a woman who had never cooked before marriage, and had no idea how to do basic cleaning until then either.

As for now, well, let's just say that we don't EVER see a Porshe on either side of us on our journey to school in the mornings as Wyma commented that she did.  We cut our own grass and our front yard isn't nearly big enough to put a volleyball net.

Still, don't let these little things deter you from reading this book.  While my children can run a dishwasher, lawnmower, washer and dryer, vacuum cleaner and know how to use a toilet brush, we still struggle with youth entitlement.  I bet your family does too.  And the biggest lesson in the book, a lot of the time it isn't entirely our children's fault.  Sometimes (gasp) it is our fault for not expecting our children to do more.  And as Wyma points out, this is truly the most destructive part.

By not giving our children opportunities to shine on their own, but not showing we trust and believe they can do it, we rob them of the growth opportunities.  We rob them of the sense of accomplishment that comes for completing a task once thought impossible.  We teach them that they can't do it.  That is truly the saddest part.  Wyma illustrates this perfectly in chapter 7 when one of her sons is prevented from performing a task due to circumstances.  (I'll let you read about it!)  Wyma watched her son wither back into himself and revert back to the "I can't do it" mentality.

If you have kids, read this book.  Wyma's humor keeps it from being dry, and she isn't a finger pointer (except at herself).  It is practical, real and honest.  I love that at the end of each chapter she shares not only what her children learned that month, but also what she learned too.  After all, it is a group effort and more often than not if we want to change the behavior of our children, we first have to change ourselves. 

Check out chapter one here
Visit Wyma's blog here
Purchase on Amazon here

Enter below for a chance to win your own copy of this book!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sneak review

Publisher's Description:

 In a future United States under the power of a charismatic leader, everyone gets the Mark at age thirteen. The Mark lets citizen shop, go to school, and even get medical care-but without it, you are on your own. Few refuse to get the Mark. Those who do . . . disappear.

Logan Langly went in to get his Mark, but he backed out at the last minute.  Now he's on the run from government agents who will stop at nothing to capture him. But Logan is on a mission to find and save his sister, Lily, who disappeared five years ago on her thirteenth birthday, the day she was supposed to receive her Mark.

Logan and his friends, a group of dissenters called the Dust, discover a vast network of the Unmarked, who help them travel safely to the capital city where Lily is imprisoned. Along the way, the Dust receives some startling information from the Markless community, opening their eyes to the message of Christianity and warning that humanity is now entering the End of Days.

When the Dust finally arrives in the capital, it seems that all their careful planning is useless against a government that will do anything to bend its citizens to its will. Can the gentle words Logan has found in a tattered, banned Bible really stand against the most powerful military the world has ever known? Can Logan even sacrifice his own freedom, choosing to act through faith alone?

My Review:

In this, the second installment of the Swipe series (you can read my review of Swipe here) Angler begins to really get to the meat of the matter.  Logan begins an active rebellion against the powers that be, the dissenters begin to come together as one, and the horrible truth of the mark begins to come out.

If you enjoyed Swipe, you are going to LOVE Sneak!  Angler does a much better job at character writing.  There are enough twists and turns to keep you guessing and the supporting characters are fleshed out a bit more than in the previous book.  Best of all, the Bible, and the truth (both capital and lower case T on that one!) are introduced in this installment of the series.  It's hard to imagine a world in which the Bible isn't readily available in every home, but that is one of the things that was taken away (individual religious beliefs and freedoms) in order to achieve world unity.

Like the last installment, this one has a cliffhanger ending and leaves you with a lot of questions and wanting more.  Another great read by Angler! 

Eden

Eden book description:


Eve knew the stories of the Fall, of a time before she wandered into the colony of Eden, unable to recall anything but her name. She’s seen the aftermath of the technology that infused human DNA with cybernetic matter, able to grow new organs and limbs, how it evolved out of control. The machine took over and the soul vanished. A world quickly losing its humanity isn’t just a story to her though.

 At eighteen, this world is Eve’s reality. In their Fallen world, love feels like a selfish luxury, but not understanding what it is makes it difficult to choose between West, who makes her feel alive but keeps too many secrets, and Avian, who has always been there for her, but is seven years her senior. The technology wants to spread and it won’t stop until there is no new flesh to assimilate. With only two percent of the human population left, mankind is on the brink of extinction. While fighting to keep Eden alive, Eve will discover that being human is about what you will do for those you love, not what your insides may be made of. And even if it gets you killed, love is always what separates them from the Fallen.

My Review:

I admit, I was hesitant to read this book.  It was actually on my Kindle for over a month before I decided to read it.  I now wish I hadn't waited so long!  If you liked Hunger Games you will almost definitely like this dystopian novel as well.

Although the description portrays this as a love story, and in part it is, that isn't what really hooked me and I didn't feel like it was even the center of the story.  Eve, a young adult trapped in a world where survival is all that is left, struggles to keep those she has come to call family alive, with trying to figure out who she is and who she was in the past, and as an afterthought almost there is her newly discovered emotional side that is split between two men.

The writing is great and Taylor does a phenomenal job of making the reader really feel like they are there.  The characters really come to life.  When I finished I found myself wishing for a sequel.  The good news is that Black Forest Film Group has optioned this book for film production.  No release date but you can bet that I will be in theaters that weekend!

You can grab your own copy of the book by clicking the appropriate link below:
Eden on Kindle
Eden in paperback
also available for other e-readers



I purchased this book and it was not a gift from the publisher or anyone else. As usual, all thoughts and opinions are my own.