Betrayal is a scary and often painful word. Sadly, most of us are all too familiar with the pain that is associated with this word. Some betrayals are small, while others are life-altering. The more we trusted them before it happened, the most deeply we are wounded by their actions. Once we’ve experienced it, it has the ability to change the way we see everything, but many of us want to pretend like it means nothing. Yet we find ourselves stuck in a cycle of hurt and mistrust that we are unsure how to get out of not matter how her we try. It makes us ask the question: how can we heal and trust again after we’ve been betrayed?

​In his book Beyond Betrayal, author Phil Waldrep teaches his audience a biblical perspective on handling and processing betrayal. Sharing from his own experience of being betrayed by a friend and employee, Waldrep reveals how real and devastating the pain of a betrayal can be, as well as the unfortunate consequences if we choose to suppress our emotions from betrayal and refuse to deal with them. He reveals what can be learned about the nature of betrayal by one of the most famous betrayals of all time – Judas. He walks us through many of the emotions that come at the different stages of processing and healing from betrayal, including shock, anger, isolation, forgiveness, and more. Each chapter concludes with practical advice for implementing the concepts discussed. Through it all, you will find hope for healing and evidence through the author’s story of how God can redeem any pain or hurt we experience for His glory. This book speaks with incredible wisdom and insight into a topic that is not discussed often enough. This is a book I highly recommend to anyone who has ever experienced a betrayal.

I have been a fan of Narnia since I first read the series when I was in junior high. I eventually became a fan of the other works of C.S. Lewis as well as the story of his life. Then my senior year of high school, I was assigned a research paper in my English class that was both a biography of an author as well as a literary analysis of one of their works of literature. When I decided to do this paper on C.S. Lewis, I went through some of the books I already owned about C.S. Lewis and discovered this book. I came to realize that this book went a step above most books that merely talk about the spiritual values in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe – this book did the work of literary analysis for me while keeping the language understandable and the spiritual values at the forefront. This book was so rich in the details I needed, I didn’t have to reread The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe to complete my paper. If you a huge fan of Narnia or need help with a research project like mine, I cannot recommend this book enough ~ Bethel

​The Chronicles of Narnia is one of the most beloved fantasy series in history. With seven books written by the well-loved author C.S. Lewis, the first book of the series, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, is probably the most beloved. This book, full of biblical parallelisms and practical life themes, has had many books written about it that try and get to the bottom of all of them. While some of them do a good job, others struggle with diving deep enough while also being understandable to the average person. However, there is one (or rather a series) that stands out above the rest by examining the book in a whole new way.

​In Inside Narnia, author Devin Brown dives into a compelling analysis of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis, the first book released in The Chronicles of Narnia. Instead of just reviewing the spiritual themes or values in the story, Brown takes deeper by exploring the interesting symbols, deeper meanings, and fascinating details that often get missed. You also learn details about the life of C.S. Lewis that contributed to the story. While some books that do this type of literary analysis would be considered dry or uninteresting, this book makes the analysis engaging and understandable (as long as you have a basic understanding of literary analysis). As this book breaks down The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe chapter by chapter, you will come to see this beloved story in a whole new light and see how this fantasy world can teach us spiritual truths about our own world. If you are a fan of The Chronicles of Narnia or you have a research paper involving these topics, this is a book I highly recommend. 

​Inside Narnia was originally released in 2005 to coincide with the release of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe film from Disney and Walden Media. When the film proved to be successful, Devin Brown chose to write more books to coincide with the release of the subsequent films. Inside Prince Caspian was released in 2008 and Inside the Voyage of the Dawn Treader was released in 2010. They were all republished with new covers by a different publisher in 2013.

​Both of these books use a similar precise to Inside Narnia. While I haven’t either of these books all the way through, I do own them and have read parts of both of them. I believe that they do they maintain a similar quality to the first book and would be valuable if you are interested in learning more about Prince Caspian or The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. 

​However, Brown did not continue the series after the original film franchise was discontinued. Personally, I would love to see him complete this series one day, especially the one that would explore The Last Battle in greater detail. I also wish they hadn’t discontinued the film franchise, but that’s another story for another time.

In the novel based on the film Facing the Giants, you meet Christian school football coach Grant Taylor. Grant is fighting an uphill battle, since he has not had a winning season in the 6 years has coached the Shiloh Eagles football team and the team’s lead scorer transferred to a rival school. Things are not much better at home, as he and his wife Brooke struggle financially and long for children they don’t have. When things take a turn for the worst, Grant turns to the Lord, who leads him to reevaluate the way he follows the Lord and the way he leads his team. His new passion for his spiritual renewal eventually inspires his team and changes everything, eventually leading them to challenge the biggest team they ever faced and a game they would never forgot.
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The story of the film is inspiring and this novelization, with added details and characters not seen in the film, enhances the powerful truths in this story further. It is divided into several easy-to-digest chapters and clearly changes perspectives between characters in a way that is engaging. This book would also easily appeal to teenagers as well as adults. If you are a fan of Facing the Giants or Christian fiction, this is title I highly recommend. Get your copy today!

While I don't always talk about my books or products I am producing on this blog, I am going to make an exception because I have several projects I have completed since the beginning of the year, most of which I haven't talked about at all. So I am briefly going to touch on each one and share links so you can learn more if you are interested. Here we go:

Before talking about the specific products I've released, I want to highlight my newest avenue of self-publishing through a website called Gumroad. Instead of being limited to just publishing traditional print books, eBooks, and audiobooks, Gumroad gives me the ability to sell my own digital or even physical products without having to play for an official webstore. Instead, they simply take a small percentage of my sales so I can start where I am. While I have many ideas and projects in the works that I hope to release through this site, my main goals as I have launched this site have been to either sell PDFs versions of books I've already released or exclusive PDF eBooks that will be on a variety of subjects I am passionate about. To see my whole store, click the image below:

As the third part in Are You Ready series, Are You Ready to Repent is a short Bible study for teens focusing on the topics of repentance and recommitment. These topics tend to be confusing to teens and can lead them to be convinced that they aren't forgiven and need to keep repenting in order to earn God's favor. This study will give them a biblical grounded view of repentance, how it fits into the message of the gospel, and help them discern if they need to recommit their life to Christ. This book is available in print, eBook, and PDF download. To learn more, click the image below.

This guide is designed to have all the materials a youth leader would need to teach classes based on all three of the books in the Are You Ready series. For each book, there are download links for editable teaching scripts and instructions for completing follow up meetings with each participant. This book is available as a print book, eBook, and PDF download bundle. To learn more, click the image below.

In addition to publishing more traditional books, I have also been doing some experiments with publishing a type of book called "low content". This is a book that the user has to fill in, such as notebooks, planners, and journals. So working in line with much of my other books, I am working on ideas for several low content youth ministry books. The first low content book is a journal designed to help small group leaders improve their small group time. There are two variations of these journals: one for general youth ministry and one for teen girl ministry. To learn more, click on one of the images below.

This low content youth ministry book is simply a method that youth leaders or small group leaders can use to keep track of their student information. To learn more, click the image below.

As my first PDF only eBook, this resource will give you question you can ask that will help you dig deeper into the Bible and hopefully help you see the Scriptures in a new light. To learn more, click the image below.

Make sure to stay tuned to this site to learn more about future projects like these.

​ I was excited to hear that Mark Batterson was releasing another book. However, I was admittedly surprised to discover what it was about. Having written dozens of books, many of which have multiple variations of the same core material, this book was one, at least at first glance, I don’t think I would have expected to have been written by him. However, once I got into the book, it was easy to see that this book was written in his style of speaking and challenging the reader that has become more familiar to me as I read more of his books. While it initially seemed strange, I found this book to be just as inspiring as his other titles that I have read, on a subject that is incredibly relevant to my life. It was also an honor to be a part of the launch team for this release. Whether this is your first Batterson book or your 12th, this book is one I definitely recommend ~ Bethel

​In his book, Please Sorry Thanks, bestselling author Mark Batterson explains the life-giving and life-changing qualities of these words and the far-reaching implications of choosing to adapt them to our lives and relationships. Breaking down each of these words into three parts of the book, Batterson explores each of them in a way that connects with his readers. We learn in the “Psychology of Please” how our willingness to be polite and humble can open hearts, minds, and even opportunities. Through the “Science of Sorry”, we learn that willingly admitting when you do wrong or expressing compassion for someone who’s struggling can restore broken relationships. In the “Theology of Thanks”, we discover how learning to have a spirit of gratitude and thankfulness can change the way we see the people and world around us. Through all this, we are reminded that choosing to put the power of all three of these common words together can change our hearts and relationships more than we can imagine. Batterson does all of this in his unique style of writing, full of fun and relatable stories and illustrations, that makes you feel you are speaking with a friend. This book is a creative and inspiring approach to common words that we can tend to take for granted. It’s one that every Christian should read. Get your copy today!

* I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher for the purpose of this review

​I was so excited to hear that Katie was releasing another book. Her first book Kisses from Katie was a very influential book in my first few years after I graduated college. I was also on the launch team for her last book Daring to Hope. So I jumped at the opportunity to read an advanced copy and join the launch team. I discovered a book that, much like her two previous books, was exactly what I needed to read in this season of my life. The continuation of her story is not what I expected it would be, but it is still a tale full of God’s love, faithfulness, and provision. She even taught me something new about the biblical story from which my name originates. If you have read either of Katie’s previous books or you struggle to trust God to be your Prince of Peace, then this is a book you definitely want to read ~ Bethel

Safe is a word that describes how many of us long to feel. But it’s also true that it’s a feeling that too many of us struggle to maintain. When we don’t feel safe, we tend to feel worried and afraid. We get caught in anxious mental spirals of “what-ifs” and “if-only's” that steal the joy of the present from us. Especially in the aftermath of a global pandemic, people in our world seem to be struggling to find their peace. As Christians, we know God is there, but we struggle to fully rest in His love, grace, and provision. It makes us ask the question: can we ever feel safe again?

In her book, Safe All Along, bestselling author Katie Davis Majors walks her readers through the struggles of overcoming anxiety so that they can realize that she did that we have been safe all along. She begins the book by describing a story of swimming in the Nile River with her daughter in a place with fast rapids. When they both got caught in the rapids, Katie thought her daughter would get swept away. When they both came out alright, Katie’s husband took her to a higher vantage point, where she could see that there were several places along the river where her daughter could have swam to safety. This illustration sets up the whole book, encouraging readers to realize that in Christ, we are safe all along. This is hard-earned wisdom for Katie, as she experienced serious anxiety over the last several years between the weight of worrying for her family and loved ones, a global pandemic, and a difficult move from her beloved country of Uganda to the United States. While she has chosen to see a therapist and medication to help with her struggle, Katie has also chosen to process her struggles and anxieties through the lens of Scripture and help her readers do the same. The first half of the book lays the foundation for overcoming the spiritual aspect of anxiety and worry by sharing Scriptures and part of the story of her emotional roller coaster of the last few years. The second half of the book lays out 10 practices based on Scripture that can help readers in their own journey toward finding biblical shalom.
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This book is honest, relatable, and full of powerful biblical truth. Katie continues to speak with wisdom beyond her years and a vulnerability that allows readers to find a place in which they relate to her journey. This is a great book that I highly recommend. Get your copy today!

*I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher for the purpose of this review