Book Review: Trusting God in the Darkness by Ash

This is an incredible book to help one through times of suffereing. This is also a great book that can accompany the book of Job as a light commentary. I say light because it was easy to read and helpful for personal application. The author does have a more academic commentary if that is the interest of the reader.

This book moved me closer to God in many ways. My understanding of the purpose of suffering and who God is has deepened. There are not many books like this out there. If you want to grow closer to God and want help in your suffering, get this book. It will help your biblical perspective be clearer. 

I did receive this book free of charge from the publisher for the purpose of an honest review. 

You can get a copy of this book from Amazon.com here.

Table for Two by Dunham

I received a copy of this book at no charge from the publisher for the purpose of an honest review.

I highly recommend this book to all believers. I do realize it is a book that specifically addresses the topic of eating disorders, however, this book is filled with so many good questions and helps that could benefit almost any struggle that someone has. I found it super helpful and it is a definite go-to reference for me for aiding people in healing. It directs others toward Christ and is completely practical and biblical.

This book also includes the transparent journey of a sufferer and helper through this struggle. That made it more personal and helpful to the reader. I appreciated the transparency and thoughtfulness and self-awareness of the authors. Overall that makes a book more realistic and fruitful.

Get this book. It is one that you want on your shelf if you are a helper of people. 

You can get a copy of this book from Amazon.com here.

Book Review: The Whole Life by Huie and Smith

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher for the purpose of an honest review.

I requested a copy of this book because as a counselor, I often am wondering what is the best way to provide myself care when I am hearing people's stories of difficulty all day long. It is a privilege to do this work yet also being a burden bearer can become wearing. I am always interested in learning more about biblical self-care.

This book was filled with biblically balanced information about how to care for yourself by stewarding the body/life God gave you so that you can in turn avoid burnout and best serve Him. 

It is formatted by splitting the book up into 52 weeks of study allowing it to be absorbed little by little in order to really aid one's growth in this area. It includes tips and tricks for practical help. I was encouraged and think this book would be helpful for those that need help in this area. 

You can get a copy of this book from Amazon.com here.

Book Review: Saints, Sufferers, and Sinners: Loving Others As God Loves Us by Emlet

As a biblical counselor, I recommend this book to all who desire to help others in any struggle they may face on this Earth. Mike Emlet writes with great compassion and eloquence on who we are in Christ as image-bearers. Then he helps us understand what it is like to be sufferers and how to help sufferers effectively and with kindness. Then he goes on to address how we help people who are sinning. All categories need to be addressed. I appreciate the care he took in helping us be better people helpers that look more like Jesus if we apply what was written. 

With each category, he addresses possible pitfalls and how we can work with each category biblically and most helpfully. I really appreciate this book because there has been much damage done by well-meaning people helpers who have said damaging things. We need to move beyond that and truly help people in a way that they can actually be helped. This requires looking to Christ, the best example of a people helper, and learn from Him and how He actually helped others.

I received a copy of this book at no charge from the publisher for the purpose of an honest review.

You can get a copy of this book from amazon.com here.

Book Review: The Heart of Anger by Ash and Midgley

I have read many books on anger. It is a topic that I often choose because I also struggle with anger. Of all the books that I have read on this topic; this one is the best. I did receive a free copy of this book for the purpose of an honest review from the publisher. I wrestled with the idea of why? Why would I want to read another book on this topic? Would it honestly benefit me more than the others? I still felt a bit trapped in this knee-jerk reaction of anger so I thought I'd give this book a try. I am eternally grateful for this book. God gave me a new level of freedom from my struggle because of this book. I praise God for that and highly reccomend it to anyone who struggles just a little bit or desires to understand how others struggle.

I do believe we all struggle with anger at times. It doesn't take long when you look at our world to come up with that deduction. It should be one of those books that are required reading for Christians. Anger isn't always sin but it does and can quickly turn to sin so we need to understand it. God was angry at times. It would seem wrong if we felt nothing when injustices occur in this world. However, this book also explores "cousins" of anger like fear and worry. Overall it is a great help in the Christian walk. It helps the reader have a right perspective on it and how God sees it.

What was different about this book? I think it was the fact that it did a lot of focusing on Jesus. Maybe because it just practically made sense to be in a better way. Or maybe it was just the right timing. Either way this book will be the one I reccomend to the clients that I am counseling.

You can get a copy of this book on Amazon here.

Book Review: Restore by Cheong

This is a great book for facilitating real-life biblical change. As a biblical counselor, I appreciate how it makes getting in the word easy and practical so that a person can grow in Christ and learn how to practically change their thought patterns which then results in changed behaviors.

This book is written in a way that you can go through it yourself. You can go through it with a biblical counselor. You also can go through it as a group. It is actually written with a group context in mind. Groups work well when we are looking to Christ together and hoping for healing and change. I facilitate Griefshare groups with people who are hurting and working through healing from grief. This book works in a similar way but works toward life change. It can help any person reach a more robust relationship with Christ. It can be helpful to the person struggling with sin or suffering. I was impressed that both issues are addressed in this book well. 

A biblical mindset can be life-saving and life-changing. This book is highly recommended for groups of people who desire to live in the fullness of Christ.

I received a free e-book from the publisher for the purpose of an honest review.

You can get a copy of this book from Amazon.com here.

Book Review: Saints and Scoundrels by Guthrie

I had the chance to review this book for Crossway. I really love Nancy Guthrie's books so I was excited at the chance to review this one. It did not disappoint. It is similar in style to her other books and was what I expected.

What I liked about this book was that it was filled with stories and contrasts of different people in the Bible. Some we know little about and some we know a lot. The reason why I love Nancy Guthrie's writings is that she always finds a way to bring everything back to Jesus. After all, the Bible is all about Jesus, and we can learn from other characters but ultimately we need to focus on Jesus. She is faithful in this task and we are better for it by reading her works. 

This book is not a hard read. It is helpful because it takes you through scriptures and helps you understand the cultural context around it. This helps the reader practically apply the truth to themselves in our times and culture but ultimately see Jesus as beautiful. You will grow closer to Christ after reading this.

I did receive a free e-book copy of this book for the sake of an honest review.

You can get a copy of this book from Amazon.com here.