Every Bitter Thing is Sweet

By: Sara Hagerty

Sara Hagerty allows us to enter her world during some of her darkest hours.  She authentically shares moments of her life that many people try to keep hidden.  She discusses many facets of her life where she desperately searches to find the depth of God’s goodness and His love for her.  She sought God out during times of struggle in her marriage, when barrenness plagued her, during a difficult adoption process and dealing with the deep scars of her adopted children.  She often found herself questioning not the goodness of God but was He good to her.  Through time and much prayer she was finally able to grasp the depth of God’s love for her and how He used the bitter things in her life to bring out the beauty in her.  She appropriately titled the book after Proverbs 27:7.

The title of this book captured my attention as it made me reflect upon the challenging times in my own life.  Was I able to find the goodness of God during these times?  When hard times hit am I searching for His goodness or trying desperately to find an answer to ease the pain?  I must confess I often find myself wanting answers.  My mind convinces me that an answer will lead to peace when my heart knows otherwise.  As I dove into this book I could not put it down.  Although Sara is a complete stranger her story drew me in.  Our stories do not mirror one another, however; they do have similarities.  I appreciate Sara openly sharing her life struggles to help others.  I have also purchased this book for a friend as I know it will encourage her. 

* Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers <http://booklookbloggers.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 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

 

The Mess Detectives and The Case of the Lost Temper

By: Karen Poth

 

Veggie Tales have been a family favorite for years.  I can still remember some of the songs from the DVDs!  Being so familiar with Veggie Tales, I was excited to have the opportunity to review one of the books from the “I Can Read!” series for level 1 beginning readers.  Before getting into the story, there is a letter to parents explaining the “I Can Read!” book series and the different categories that are available.  The categories begin with Shared Reading and end with Advanced Reading (Level 4). The next page contains a scripture which the story is based upon.  For the book I am reviewing the scripture is Proverbs 29:11: “A foolish person lets his anger run wild.  But a wise person keeps himself under control.”  The story is about Detective Bob and Detective Larry trying to solve the case of the Masked Door Slammer.  Bob is in a bad mood and his mood continues to get worse as the day goes on.  Finally, Larry helps Bob to recognize that he needs to change his attitude.  Bob reflects on his actions and apologizes to Larry.  Bob and Larry are then able to solve the mystery.    

This is a very short book which I was expecting.  It was a cute story.  I like how the scripture is shown before the story begins and then it is shown on the last page.  I think this is a good reminder for children about the message the story is trying to convey.  I also like how the inside front cover has a place to write the child’s name after he/she has read it.  It says “Hooray! _____ can read this book!”  I think that will encourage the child once he/she is able to read the book.  I look forward to reading more books in this series. 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers <http://booklookbloggers.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 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

    

Telling Yourself the Truth

By: William Beckus and Marie Chapian

I found this to be a very helpful book.  The authors discuss Misbelief Therapy and explain how to work through misbeliefs.  Many times people accept their thoughts without further challenging them.  This acceptance can often make people experience feelings and react to those feelings.  An example is given in the book about a man who was going through a divorce that he did not want.  One day he listened to what he had been telling himself.  He had thoughts about him being a failure and how nobody loved or cared about him.  He soon realized that the depression that he had been experiencing was due to his thoughts instead of his divorce.  He learned to reject those thoughts and focus on the truth.  Although not an easy process, he found that he could lead a fulfilling life.  This book contains many other examples of how lives can be changed when the lies are rejected and the truth is lived out.     

I recommend this book as I found it to be very useful.  Life can be so busy that very few people take the time to really think about what they are thinking about.  Reading this book provides some understanding as to why people may be experiencing different emotions and how to combat negative emotions.  The following are the ten misbeliefs that are discussed: Self-Talk, Depression, Anger, Anxiety, Lack of Self-Control, Self-Hate, Fear of Change, Never Taking a Chance, Our Relationship with Others and Being Indispensable.  The authors provide tools on how to combat negative thoughts and replace them with the truth.  For additional help, a study guide is provided at the back of the book for individual or group use.             

 

*Thank you Bethany House for providing me this book in exchange for my honest review.