You're Already Amazing! A Book Review



I was pretty excited when I was contacted about doing a review of Holley Gerth's new book "You're Already Amazing".

I was already a fan of Holley's from her blogging so I knew that she would have something special to offer in her first book.

She didn't disappoint.

Within the first paragraph of the introduction she had me interested....It was her "Dare" with a statement that suggests "You don't have to to do more, be more, have more".

This simple statement is at the heart of so many of my struggles....always comparing myself to others, never feeling like I measure up.

And Holley found this was the case with many women. Many of us feel like we will never be enough but Holley uses the pages of this book to show us otherwise.

One of my most favorite parts of the book is when she tackled the idea of our emotions, and how they often get the best of us.  She shares this verse...."Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it." Proverbs 4:23

Oh how true this is isn't it? You know the saying when mama isn't happy....no one is happy?  When I let my emotions get out of control it does affect the whole family. And when I get to the heart of those things that cause my emotions to be out of control it often starts with the fact that I am not bringing everything to God.

One of the unique features of this book is that it is like a individual reflection study along with wonderful encouragement.  She has space in each chapter where you can find out where you are. In regards to the emotions chapter she asks if we are a "head or a heart girl".  I am a heart girl 100% when it comes to my emotions....no surprise to me! :)

This book is like sitting down with a close friend and talking through all the ins and outs of life.  I was encouraged to look inside myself and see where in my journey I was...and then also encouraged to remember that I am right where I need to be....

As Holley says..."The good news....God has a journey for your life. It looks different than anyone else's."  Such a good reminder for me to stop worrying about where others are in their journey, stop comparing myslef to others and start focusing on the journey God has me on.

I know that you will be encouraged and challenged if you pick up a copy of You're Already Amazing. Thanks Holley for sharing your life and journey with us! I am blessed by your words.

Disclosure: I was provided with a free copy of You’re Already Amazing by Revell {a division of Baker Publishing Group} in exchange for my honest review.

"What Women Fear" - a Giveaway!!!

I am so excited to share this book with you today and I have a great little giveaway too so keep reading!!  I got my copy of "What Women Fear - Walking in Faith that Transforms" by Angie Smith last Friday.
It.Is.Amazing!!

I finished it yesterday and I can't wait to find some time to go through it again and really devour it even more. I tend to read really fast and I don't want to miss any of Angie's nuggets of truth so this time I will have a pencil in hand so that I can mark my favorite parts.

In this book Angie shares about not only her personal fears, but of the fears of some familiar and maybe not so familiar people of the Bible.  I found in each chapter something that I could relate to and was moved by the honesty in which Angie shares her life.

Here is just one of my favorite parts....

"Another fear that many of us have is that we will let people down and not meet their expectation of us.  I think that so many of us feel like the real "us" will be exposed when we don't rise up to what someone else thinks we should be. So many of us feel burdened by our perceptions of the expectations of others. We often live our lives trying to avoid letting people down."....

"As a result, many of us talk about the weather at a Bible study instead of the fight we had with our teenage daughter, knowing that we might be labeled the overprotective parent, or the one that can't control her own children. And long after the issue is resolved, we will still be seen as the one who messed up. The labels we create (and dwell on) for each other are killing our chance for genuine community and we are missing the best part of each other."

Does any of this resonate with you like it does me? And the book is filled with points that not only helped to convict my stubborn heart but also offer hope for freedom....true freedom in following and trusting in the One true Redeemer.

I promise that it will be worth your time to read this book!!

And now is your chance to win one as well!! I have 2 copies available to share with 2 of my readers!! These are books that I purchased myself and I have not been compensated in any way to endorse Angie's book. I just believe in her and this book and want to share the love!!

The winners will be chosen randomly on Friday September 9th.

So here's how you enter with 3 separate chances to win: :)

(Leave 1 comment for each "Chance" and please make sure to leave your e-mail address in the comment if you don't have an active blog so that I can contact the winner!!)

1) Become a follower of my blog - The Smith Family Journey (Or comment if you already are!)

2) Share in a separate comment one of your fears...this can be anything you struggle with!

3) Share for another chance the title of a book you have read and enjoyed recently.

And if you want a copy of "What Women Fear" for yourself right now click on the Amazon link on the left sidebar and you can purchase a copy today!!  Have fun and good luck!!

"Daddy Dates" - Book Review

So there is this great website I have found called Booksneeze. It is a site where bloggers can go to request a free book in exchange for a posted review about the book.  I enjoy reading(when I can find the time) and thought this would be a great...and inexpensive way to get to read some new books!

They offer a selection of different books under several categories and the first book that I chose to read was "Daddy Dates" by Greg Wright.

Now obviously I am not a daddy but even so this book was a fun read. Greg (aka Daddy) has a family of 4 daughters and realizes that he doesn't know how to "connect" with them. And he wants to figure how how - points for daddy here!! So he sets to record the process by which he started to "date" his daughters and gives great example of what works and what doesn't work. The start of his process...."Just don't screw up"! :)

So what I liked best about Daddy Dates is that he wanted to meet his daughters where they are. Yes he set up a "standard" for how he was going to ask them on dates, and he showed them how he felt they should expect to be treated by a man by opening car doors, asking questions about them and treating them with respect.

But where I often fail is meeting my kids where they are. Greg understood that if he wanted his daughters to share their lives with him that he needed to listen to them -even if his instinct was to tell them how to fix their "problem" or to become distracted when they talked of things he maybe wasn't really interested in.  What he found was that there were MANY things he didn't know about them and when he really listened they shared a lot!

I find this in my own life with my own teenager...when I try and impose my ideas onto him he tends to shut down, but when I just talk with him about what he is interested in he shares much more with me!

Greg also made a point to say that the "dating" isn't just for the daughters. That men needed to date their wives as well. This is something I have heard before and something we need to do more often if we really want to connect!!

Finally I leave you with this....he was talking about parenting and had an interesting "formula" that I want to share.

1) Rules - Relationship = Rebellion

2) Relationship - Rules = Destruction

3) Relationship + Rules = Connection

Where do you find yourself today in regards to your relationship with your kids? If you want an "easy" and quick read with some good ideas - pick up "Daddy Dates" by Greg Wright.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the 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.”