I Used To Be So Organized by Glynnis Whitwer

First impressions of I Used To Be So Organized clearly were that of a clever cover and very valuable Foreword! The cover depicted two mismatched, and may I add - stylish shoes. The shoes were worn by one person and indicated just a bit of confusion. Karen Ehman of Proverbs 31 Ministries wrote the Foreword. I found her explanation of this book and its purpose for every woman endearing. She clearly was a fan of Glynnis Whitwer's and I found myself an instant fan of the author upon finishing the Foreword.

The subtitle was Help for Reclaiming Order and Peace. Interestingly, the timing for my review could not have been better. We just sold our house, but our purchase of a short sale on the other side was delayed. As I cracked open Chapter Two, I found myself gleaning from this author's helpful hints, but more so I found fellowship as I related to Glynnis's honest accounts of her life and struggle to organize life within limits. I smiled amidst packing boxes and literally no order but held out hope that in a few weeks Lord willing, what I had learned from I Used To Be So Organized would be put into practice.

I appreciated the encouragement I received from this book. I did have a few criticisms of which clearly only had to do with technology. I felt that this book would have been better off without the author sharing technology tips. She mentioned how fast technology becomes obsolete, but then went on to try and help the reader with technology, of which I felt was clearly out of date. For the beginner computer user or computer user looking for direction in organizing, this may not have been an issue,  but for me, I found myself skimming quickly over the file cabinet purchase and the following pages. That's just me though.

The final chapter Keeping It Real felt like an entire cheer leading squad cheering me to victory! I loved it and wanted to learn more about this person behind the Proverbs 31 Ministry. This book was one of those rare reads that you can pick up for ten minute increments and get more than one nugget out of in each chapter. I really enjoyed it and hope to hear more from Glynnis Whitwer!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Leafwood Publishers as part of their  book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” 

Are you a manufacturer of a product or currently market a service? Christina will review it! Email christina@wordsofgrace.info with product name, description and manufacturer's suggested retail price along with any other information relative to said product. You will receive a response via email within two weeks if product will be reviewed. Please note not all products will be considered reviewable. Please do not send products without prior consent. Note: Products sent for review will not be returned. Product submission authorizes consent for said product to remain in sole possession of recipient. No monies shall be exchanged for product submission nor permission granted for reviews prior to submission. Reviews shall remain effective and in full force at sole discretion of blog administrator and/or authors related to http://www.christinawillreviewit.blogspot.com.

As Silver Refined: Answers to Life's Disappointments by Kay Arthur

Ahhhhnointed!!! This book was truly a vacation for my soul. I found myself taking deep breaths as I discovered many "Aha!" moments.

I enjoyed this Holy Spirit inspired book from cover to cover. The takeaway was the reminder of Romans 8:28 and the fact that though God may test us, He does not tempt us as Satan does. This testing is Biblical and so essential for our growth as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Perfectly appointed to me during a challenging month, I gleaned from so many examples and situations in which the author Kay Arthur shared her experiences learning to have the mind of Christ. I love how ms. Arthur introduced people who wrote books about their challenges. I plan to research Harlan Popov's story, Marie Monsen in her book A Wall of Fire, as well as Bruce Olson's testimony as told in his book Bruchko. 

Chock full of Scripture, As Silver Refined constantly led me back to Jesus and God's Plan of Salvation. She appealed to me as a believer, but also to the nonbeliever to make a decision to follow Christ.  I appreciated her clarifying the two with a comment that she understood the believer reading that chapter already understood the premise, however, her comment was a reminder or an encouragement. I appreciated her inclusion of me and her kindness in wanting me to keep reading.  This type of personal touch is one an experienced author, teacher and Titus woman would include.

This book would be wonderful for a group Bible study. The Study Guide in the back of the book is lengthy and full of excellent questions to dig into as well as Scripture review from the heart of the book.

As Silver Refined is a must read for anyone who is serious about digging deeper into Scripture and becoming more aware of how to avoid the common pitfalls of life's disappointments (which she referred to as the Deadly D's). This truly was an anointed read which I devoured and truly enjoyed!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from WaterBrook Press as part of their Blogging For Books book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” 

Are you a manufacturer of a product or currently market a service? Christina will review it! Email christina@wordsofgrace.info with product name, description and manufacturer's suggested retail price along with any other information relative to said product. You will receive a response via email within two weeks if product will be reviewed. Please note not all products will be considered reviewable. Please do not send products without prior consent. Note: Products sent for review will not be returned. Product submission authorizes consent for said product to remain in sole possession of recipient. No monies shall be exchanged for product submission nor permission granted for reviews prior to submission. Reviews shall remain effective and in full force at sole discretion of blog administrator and/or authors related to http://www.christinawillreviewit.blogspot.com.

The Truth About Forgiveness by John MacArthur

This book is one in a series titled The Truth About Series. This petite 118 page book was delivered in John MacArthur's usual conversational style. Mr. MacArthur has a way of allowing me to feel he is there beside me, teaching and gently exhorting me to understand and apply God's truth about forgiveness.

One nugget was on page 49 in which I quote, "I recently overheard a radio talk-show psychologist attempting to give a caller an ego-boost: "God loves you for what you are. You must see yourself as someone special. After all, you are special to God." But that misses the point entirely. God does not love us "for what we are." He loves us in spite of what we are. He does not love us because we are special. Rather, it is only His love and grace that give our lives any significance at all."

Mr. MacArthur then gave Scripture support as he always does. Psalm 106:6 NASB  and Isaiah 64:6 were explained and the lesson unfolded about salvation (Mark 2:17).

I loved this book merely for the fact that every time I picked it up I received a nugget that stuck with me and the next time I read more I was blessed with more teachings that challenged me to see forgiveness from God's perspective to me and not the other way around. Only God can bring about true forgiveness in our hearts. And how liberating truly forgiving others can be!!!

Pick The Truth About Forgiveness up today. The $12.99 cover price will be well worth it, as it would be a great addition to any library, along with the other books in Mr. MacArthur's Truth About Series. One can never have enough sound Doctrine these days!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Are you a manufacturer of a product or currently market a service? Christina will review it! Email christina@wordsofgrace.info with product name, description and manufacturer's suggested retail price along with any other information relative to said product. You will receive a response via email within two weeks if product will be reviewed. Please note not all products will be considered reviewable. Please do not send products without prior consent. Note: Products sent for review will not be returned. Product submission authorizes consent for said product to remain in sole possession of recipient. No monies shall be exchanged for product submission nor permission granted for reviews prior to submission. Reviews shall remain effective and in full force at sole discretion of blog administrator and/or authors related to http://www.christinawillreviewit.blogspot.com/.