The topic of boundaries is largely underappreciated or misunderstood in our world today. This is because many of us struggle to understand that we only have the capacity to handle so much emotionally, and that if we don’t set boundaries, people can and will exhaust our emotional resources until we have nothing left for ourselves. Unfortunately, this seems to be an even greatest struggle for some Christians, who have bought into the lie that setting boundaries is unbiblical. This often leads to “boundaries bullying” where someone wants to insist that they have unlimited access to you, even quoting misinterpreted Scriptures to prove their point. This puts us in a difficult position of having to choose between maintaining that relationship and our emotional well-being. It makes us ask the question: is there a way for us to love others without losing the best of ourselves?

In her new book Good Boundaries and Goodbyes, bestselling author Lysa TerKeurst helps her readers develop a biblically-grounded view of setting boundaries and walking away from unhealthy relationships. Through her own story of struggles in her marriage and some friendships, she walks alongside her audience in the process of learning how to love others without losing themselves. After many years of counseling and intense theological study, Lysa learned that boundaries are a biblical idea, going back to the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve first sinned, and that we have to know ourselves well enough to know our own emotional capacity so we can set boundaries to prevent someone from taking away our emotional capacity. She gives five key factors to remember when setting boundaries as well as insights into Scriptures that are misinterpreted to call boundaries into question. She also gives tools to help you determine when a relationship has become destructive enough that it’s time to walk away and advice on how to make peace when it’s time to say goodbye, whether the separation is for a time or is permanent. There is also practical advice at the end of most of the chapter from Lysa’s counselor Jim Cress with more tools on your journey to understanding boundaries. This book is very honest and practical as it speaks from Lysa’s hard-earned wisdom on a difficult topic. The biblical ideas and tools here are essential concepts for Christian women who desire to maintain both relational and emotional health. This is a book I highly recommend. 

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

Many of us have dreams we want to pursue, but we don’t know where to start. We struggle with figuring out how to get where we want to be because we are stuck doing the same thing we have always done. We set goals only to see them fail. Even most New Year’s Resolutions fail before the end of the first month. As a result, so many of us are unable to live our lives to the fullest, since we are stuck in an endless cycle of dreams or goals that seem elusive to achieve. We often feel like failures, which leaves us feeling even more stuck than when we started. It makes us ask the question: is there a way to accomplish more so we can see our goals to their completion?

​In his book, Win the Day, Mark Batterson helps you build or break the habits that are holding you back and achieve your God-sized goals, starting with asking a simple question: can you do it for a day? Seeing how many people fail at the goals there desire to achieve, Batterson shares seven creatively-titled habits to help us “win the day”. By “flipping the script”, we will change our perceptions of our life’s story that may be holding us back. Through “kissing the wave”, we learn to see the difficult parts of our past as the way to move forward. When we “eat the frog”, we choose to do the hard things and trust God to do what only He can do. If we “fly the kite”, we do little things as diligently as the big things. Choosing to “cut the rope” will allow you to avoid playing it safe and take calculated risks that can lead to the biggest rewards. “Winding the clock” is choosing to make the most of every minute and every moment. And “seeding the cloud” is taking actions today that will produce your desired outcomes in the future. All of these principles are shared in the context of powerful and sometimes humorous illustrations, either from history or from the author’s personal life. This book is powerful and relevant to practically any person who would read it. I would highly recommend this book to anyone. Get your copy today!

So many of us struggle with the age-old battle of person versus self. There are so many places in our hearts and minds that seem as impossible to redeem as outer space itself. We long to be happy and feel fulfilled, but it seems elusive when these dark corners of our inner selves rear their ugly head. Many of us are unsure if we will ever find happiness or if our inner self can ever be conquered. It makes us ask the question: how are we supposed to conquer our inner space?

​In his book The Last Supper on the Moon, Levi Lusko helps his readers discover how to conquer their inner space using surprising but insightful parallels between outer space and the moon landing in 1969. Starting with the story of astronaut Buzz Aldrin taking Holy Communion on the moon, Lusko creatively weaves a powerful connection between the mission to the moon, Christ’s death on the cross, and how Christ’s death impacts our ability to overcome our most personal struggles. Through a book of over 400 pages, Lusko takes his time driving deep into the details surrounding the moon landing, including the challenge from President Kennedy to get the moon before the end of the decade and the previous Apollo missions that enabled Apollo 11 to make its historic lunar landing. But beyond just sharing NASA history, he also takes time to examine the seven statements that Jesus made while he was on the cross as well as the letters to the seven churches in the book of Revelation and some of the Psalms. Tying all of it together with some powerful biblical truths and some personal illustrations from his life and family, this book provides inspiration from an unexpected source. While the trip to get to the “moon and back” is lengthier than it is for most books of this type, it is certainly a trip worth taking. If you allow yourself to take these truths to heart, you will never look at the moon the same way again.

​I also used the audiobook book while reading the print book of this title and have to say that I really enjoyed it. There are a few aspects of the audiobook that make it unique. First, they inserted actual audio recordings from different space missions as well as a few of President Kennedy’s speeches. Second, Levi Lusko’s wife Jennie reads some parts of the book, such as the “Conquer Your Inner Space” sections as well as the letters to the churches in Revelation. Lastly, there are a few places in which Lusko himself adds additional stories or context that is not seen in the print book. Although there were sections of the audiobook that didn’t match with the print book, all of the unique aspects made for a great listening experience. If you like audiobooks, this one I highly recommend.

We all go through difficult circumstances and suffering. This fact was magnified and brought to the forefront by the 2020 pandemic. No matter the size or difficulty of the circumstance, suffering, pain, fear, worry, and uncertainty are all part of life, whether we like it or not. When it hits us unexpectedly, we often don’t know what to do and begin to feel overwhelmed. Some let the fear and worry consume their time and thoughts. Over let their pain harden them through anger and hatred. Others will isolate from others. None of these responses are healthy and tend to push us further away from a solution. For Christians, while we know that we have hope in Jesus, we often struggle to trust Him completely, especially when life is a mess. It makes us ask the question: how do we make it through our struggles when life is hard?

​In his book You’re Gonna Make It, Daniel Fusco walks through what it looks like to unlock resilience and hold onto hope in the middle of suffering, worry, stress, and difficult circumstances. Using Scriptures like the book of Job, Isaiah 40:31, and some of the Psalms, Fusco reminds his readers that the Lord can become the source of our hope and strength during our greatest times of uncertainty and suffering if we look “upward, inward, and outward.” In fact, hope is found in the person who embodies hope and that person is Jesus Christ. If we choose to trust him through our troubles, we will find our resilience and bear fruit through them. This book has the same hope and grit that the author encourages his audience to find. Compelling and powerful, this is a book that any Christian would find encouragement from reading, especially in a post-pandemic world.

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

To read more about how I learned to unlock resilience through difficult circumstances, click here.

To read my review about another great book on this subject, Through the Eyes of a Lion, click here.

Living our lives in light of the truth can sometimes be messy. This is because we live in a world that at best undervalues the truth and at worst is dismissive of any form of objective truth. This can make it difficult for those that embrace truth to build community with those that only embrace truth subjectively. This principle is proven true when observing the LGBTQ community and its activists. Finding ways to walk the tightrope of balancing grace and truth for Christians towards these individuals is a journey that too few Christians and churches have embarked upon and those that do are often left with more questions than answers. It makes us ask the question: how do we build influence and an inclusive community without sacrificing our convictions?

​In his book Messy Truth, Caleb Kaltenbach walks through ways in which Christians and church leaders can build inclusive communities without sacrificing theological convictions. Speaking from experience of years of pastoral work, Kaltenbach acknowledges the difficulties of balancing grace and truth and concludes that it is necessary to build the community and influence we need to reach those that need Christ’s love. We are reminded that more than our stances on the biblical definition of marriage or any other theological convictions, we need to see everything we meet those the lens of value they have as an image-bearer of God that Christ died to redeem, and that knowing their value should dictate how we treat them. We learn that we need to be willing to surrender all of our convictions and personal views to align with Christ, even if we disagree with Him. With these principles as the foundation, we can start using our influence to make our churches into places where the people we disagree with belong by acknowledging their experiences and learning to empathize with them. This will put you in the best position to walk alongside those who may be walking away from sinful choices or to confront them in a God-honoring way. The principles on how to prepare for and facilitate discussions are insightful and practical, regardless of the type of difficult conversation you are facing. This book needs to become a significant part of the conversation on how to unify churches when people disagree, not just about LGBTQ issues, but about any issue that has the potential to divide us. I was encouraged, impacted, and challenged by this book, and I believe you will be too. Get your copy today!

To read my review of Caleb’s first book, Messy Grace, click here.

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