Book Review: Deeper by Dane Ortlund

This book is about sanctification. This is a topic that is important to the Christian walk and life. I do not believe enough people understand the difference between sanctification and justification well. This book helps with that. And is useful for the Christian walk of faith in becoming who they are meant to be in Christ.

It is like a follow-up to Gentle and Lowly (which I highly recommend) on the character of Jesus. You can read one without the other but your study is more enriched by reading both. Both are helpful to read as aids in our Christian walk and growth in Christ.

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 from Amazon.com here. 

Book Review: Raising Emotionally Healthy Kids by Huie

I had the opportunity to review this book prior to release. I love it so much that I ordered my own hard copy to keep and reference in the future. In the practice of faith-based counseling, parents need this resource and reminder. It is a must-read for parents or anyone who works with children because we simply have not addressed enough how important it is to help kids learn how to process emotions in order to be healthy adults. This is a biblical need for a healthy generation. And if this is disagreeable to some, just take a long look at the Psalms, It is an entire book dedicated to processing and recognizing emotions before the Lord. I am not sure exactly how we lost this skill-set but after counseling so many people who were raised to ignore and not process emotions, I see it as a real problem. This book, if practiced, helps make the process simple enough for any parent to follow. 

This book is also a short read so it is easy enough for any schedule to tackle. It is included in a series of other books called, raising kids in (different situations). All of the books would probably be helpful in parenting but I haven't had the chance to read any of the others in the series yet.

If you are a person who interacts with children in any way, this is a must-read. Pre-order it now and you will not regret it.

You can get a copy from Amazon.com here.

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.