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​No matter where we go in this life, we are more than sure to be met with disappointments. That’s part of living in this world. Some of these disappointments are minor, while many of them are earth-shattering, causing so much pain and suffering in their wake. All too many of us find ourselves crippled by our circumstances, especially when difficulties hit us unexpectedly. So many of us get to the point of questioning God’s goodness or desiring to turn our backs on Him. This can make us feel trapped like there’s no way out. It makes us ask the question: how can I handle the major disappointments I am sure to face in this life?

​In her newest book, It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way, Lysa Terkeurst walks us through how we can turn to the Lord to find strength and courage when life throws unexpected disappointments at us. This topic is very relevant to Lysa, who in only a few years’ time has dealt with marital strife and two major health issues than inevitably required surgery. With her own fair share of hardships, Lysa admits that facing these disappointments is hard, and sometimes feels impossible to overcome. But she directs us to the Lord and His Word to helps us find strength to keep moving forward, even if we don’t have all the answers or when it we are actually given more than we can handle. She also reminds us how important it is for us to remain alert to the tactics of the one that wants to use our disappointments to keep us apart from God. This is all pointing to the reality that God is using our trials to prepare us from strength in this life and eternal peace in the next. This book is powerful, relevant, and honest. Although written out of her own personal experience, this book felt like it was written for me and my current struggles, which speaks to the talent of the author to relate to her audience. If you are going through trials or disappointments in your own life, I cannot recommend this book enough. It is the perfect companion to her last book, Uninvited. This book is available as of November 13. Get your copy today!

To read my review of Lysa's last book, Uninvited, click here
To read more about the circumstances that made this book so personal relevant, click here

​Ever since I met Bob Goff and read his first book, I could wait for another book by him. I was all the more excited when I was able to get onto the launch team for this book. Unfortunately, circumstances in my life prevented me from reading and reviewing the book until now. But in the end, I was glad that I waited. So many of the themes of this book came just at the time I needed to hear it. The recent circumstances in my life have made certain people more difficult to love than others. But Bob’s storytelling has an incredible ability to help you see past yourself in order to help you live your live the way that Jesus would. It was exactly the challenge I needed at the time I needed it. Bob’s first book is in many ways about loving God, which is the summary of the greatest commandment. This second book is about loving people, which is the second greatest commandment. Both books can stand alone, but they are all the more powerful together. I cannot recommend this book or Love Does enough ~ Bethel

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There are many people we encounter in our lives that are not easy to love. The reasons for our struggles with loving them is just a numerous. But at the end of the day, our greatest struggle is loving difficult people is learning to see past ourselves. The things that we need to do in order to show them love require us to step out of our comfort zone and take action. That is usually easier said than done. And unfortunately, most people don’t. We tend to push away those that need love most. This is the pattern set by the people around. It makes us ask the question: is there a way to love difficult people in our world today?

In his book, Everybody Always, Bob Goff uses his popular storytelling style to share personal stories that can help us learn to love those that seem impossible to love. Bob shares stories of many people in his life that taught him and challenged him, most of whom were difficult to love. Either by personality or by the circumstances, Bob found ways to show love to everyone. From a neighbor dying of cancer, to his limo driver, to a witch doctor, the variety of people Bob encounters is both entertaining and inspiring. He never really preaches, but shares truth from God’s Word as it is portrayed in the stories from his life. This in turn challenges and inspires us to not be hindered by the patterns of love based on restrictions or contracts. This gives hope for us to show love to everybody always. This book is great read that will inspire and challenge anyone that is willing to take its message to heart. If you liked Love Does, you definitely want to check out Everybody Always. Get your copy today!

​Note: A huge thank you to my launch team friend Bailey for paying for my copy of this book. She offered to help me get the book when I was unable to afford it at the time it came out. This act of kindness was very much a demonstration of the message this book is about. Thank you loving a person you’ve never met Bailey. I will always be grateful for you when I think about this book.

To check out my review of Bob’s first book, Love Does, and the story of how I met him, click here
To read more what’s been happening in my life this year, click here

​I was so excited when this book first came out. I had been a huge fan of Jon’s work with his YouTube channel (formerly the Anima Series, now under his name Jon Jorgenson). In the end, I was not disappointed. I love Jon’s relatable writing style that draws you in and inspires you to think beyond yourself. This book was one of my greatest motivation for getting going on this blog (since I read the book less than a month after I created it) as well as refocusing my YouTube channel to doing spoken word (which of much of his work on his YouTube channel). It’s true that a lot has changed in both my life and Jon’s life since this book came out. But I will never forget the best advice that this book (and Jon personally) gave me when it comes to creative pursuits is this: just start. Even if you don’t have all the answers. Even if you don’t have ideal resources. Don’t make excuses. Just get started with what you have right now and see where God takes it. I know without that advice, I wouldn’t be doing what I am doing online today. It’s currently one of my favorite resources on creativity. I even have one of few physical copies of the book he sold privately. If you are looking for creative inspiration or guidance, I cannot recommend this book enough ~ Bethel

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Creativity. It’s a word that at times is hard to grasp its full meaning. Many of us struggle to find inspiration and motivation to pursue the ideas we have that are unique. We worry that we don’t have the right resources, enough time, enough courage, and the list could go on. We allow that to keep us from sharing what’s on our hearts. In an age when we have more opportunities than ever before to share our creativity, too many of us are scared or ashamed to do so. This makes us question our ability to do something that is at the core of who God created us to be and makes it more difficult for us to live out our intended purpose. It makes us ask the question: how are we supposed to pursue creativity in our world today?

​In Jon Jorgenson’s e-book, Created to Create, he walks through a collection of blog posts written over the course of 2014 that are meant to help creatives walks through what it means to be creative in our world today. Over the course of that year he made a commitment to his fans that he would blog three days a week, and he kept faithful to that commitment, all while being an actor on Broadway. Being an artist and creative mind, he explores the thoughts about the call to create, the craft of creativity, the audience of our creative projects, and the One that gives us our creative abilities. It not divided into traditional chapters since it was derived from his blog posts, but it is still a powerful tool for those that want inspiration, guidance, or courage in pursuing the creative process. Jon speaks with a wisdom beyond his years as he gives a fresh perspective on a topic that is sometimes difficult to address. He speaks from his heart, and his passion for this subject is evident in every part of this book. There is so much to take in and challenge you in your creative pursuits. As a follower of Jon's work online, I think this book brings many of his messages together in a more cohesive way. I have been very inspired by what I have read and I would recommend this book to anyone that wants to pursue creativity. It’s available on Kindle on Amazon for only $0.99! Get your copy today! 

​When I first heard this book was coming out last year, I was so excited. The original book Secret Keeper for teens is one of my all-time favorite books and since the author Dannah had developed a ministry to tween girls, I figured that this book would come along eventually. I was very excited to buy it and read it. In the end, I was not disappointed. Dannah’s heart for helping young women understand their God-given power of modesty is evident on every page. But I really enjoyed getting to see the older material I was familiar with was adapted to a younger audience. She uses different illustrations and metaphors to speak to the younger girls. She has a little bit different line of logic to help them understand the motivation behind modesty. The devotional companion even includes a coloring experience. But the heart between all of these books remains the same, and that makes it an excellent resource to tween girls, their parents, and even their youth leaders. If you haven’t checked this out, then you should. ~ Bethel

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Modesty is a difficult concept to teach to young women in our world today. We are surrounded by a culture that tells us that when it comes to clothes, “less is more.” And this idea is being pushed upon us at a younger age than ever before. Even t-shirts for preschool girls are designed to accentuate a figure that they don’t even have yet. Girls are being convinced that they can wear whatever they want whenever they want, and if anyone restricts that, it’s infringing on their rights. It makes it difficult for those of us that want better for these girls. We struggle with how to communicate to them the importance of the way they present themselves. It makes us ask the question: how can we teach the importance of modesty to young girls today?

​In her book, Secret Keeper Girl, Dannah Gresh adapts her material on modesty for older teens and addresses it on the level for tween girls. In a book of fun illustrations, both in visual and written forms, Dannah helps the girls understand their value as a unique masterpiece created by God and they our understanding of how much God loves us should motivate our desire to dress modestly. She also talks about what makes a girl truly beautiful, not by what is on the outside, but what is on the inside. She addresses issues that so many parents struggle to talk about with their daughters, but she does so in a totally tasteful and age-appropriate way. She gives fashion tests to help girls determine if an outfit is appropriate. Dannah even shares examples are stories about girls their own age to make their journey more relatable. If you are a girl about 7-11, you want to ask for a copy of this book. If you are a parents of a tween girl, you need to get this book. Even if you are a youth leader, you need to check out this book. Girls and adults alike will be grateful with the help and perspective this book provides. Girls and their moms with also love the corresponding mother-daughter devotional guide, which includes a coloring experience and an awesome letter to the moms. I cannot recommend either of these books enough. Get your copies today!

(To check out my review of the teen edition of this book and its devotional guide, click here)

​I first heard about this book when my Facebook friend and book launch guru (Anna LeBaron, author of The Polygamist’s Daughter) shared about the book launch she was leading. At first, I thought the title sounded weird. But the more I heard about it, the more I was interested. It finally got the point that I was dying to read it, so I got it around my birthday. In the end, I was not disappointed and instantly knew why this book has become a New York Times bestseller. Rachel is fun and quirky, but also honest and vulnerable with her audience. She never tells you to do anything, but speaks from her own experience and allows that to help the reader along their own personal journey. That was enough for me, because I found that some of my experiences mirrored hers. And when they didn’t, she shares what happened in a way that’s relatable. Although I would limit the recommendations of this book to a certain audience, I personally really enjoyed the book and will use it to help me overcome lies in the future. I hope you can too ~ Bethel

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Lies. Lies surround us in our culture. Lies about who we are, what we can be, and what others perceive of us. The more we see these lies disguised as truth, the more likely it is that we will just accept that as truth. This seems to be especially true for women in our society today, with the air-brushed versions of womanhood we see plastered across billboards in Times Square. Believing these lies about our identity aren’t just bad, they are dangerous. They will hinder us from living our lives to the fullest and being the women that God wants us to be. They can steal our joy, our hope, our families, and our future. We can even let these lies define us and our identity. If makes us ask the question: how can I stop believing the lies about who I am?

​In her New York Times Bestseller, Girl, Wash Your Face, Rachel Hollis shares lies that she believed about herself so that her readers can identify them and make the choice to become who there were meant to be. Each chapter addresses one of these lies. Unlike other books in the self-help category, she break down how these lies became prevalent in our culture or share a bunch of statistics to make you change your perspective. Instead, she shares the good, the bad, and the ugly from her own life experiences, shared what she learned along the way, then she concludes each chapter with things that helped her overcome each given lie. From marriage to motherhood, from writing to weight management and so much in between, Rachel covers it all in a way that is honest and accessible. Although it’s subtle in its presentation, her faith is evident throughout the stories that have become her life. With her faith as a foundation, it becomes clear how she learned to overcome the lies she had believed for so long and it makes it clear that you can learn to do the same. This book is a powerful call-up call that is hard to ignore. It’s calling women of my generation to stop wallowing in the lies to hold them back and to replace them with truth. It’s a reminder that we have the power to change these perceptions for ourselves. It’s a chance to have a new beginning even after we’ve faced pain and difficulties. It gives us hope that we can become women who stand in our faith against all odds. It’s exactly what this generation of women need. Women young and old need to read this book, especially if you are married with kids. Get your copy today!