Lay Counseling

In college my major was psychology.  I have always been fascinated by the human mind and thought that after my dance career I could go into Christian counseling.  Well, my dance career ended quite early and my drive to start a family pushed my counseling aspirations to the side.

When I saw Lay Counseling as one of my review options I thought it would be a good read for an inquiring mind.  Maybe reading this would help reignite my counseling spark.

I have to admit that this book was extremely hard to get through.  It reads like a textbook but the information this book contains is wonderful.  Any church leader or Christian counselor would benefit greatly from this resource.

It has everything from the need for a lay counseling ministry in our churches to all the details that goes along with building a lay counseling ministry and everything in between.  We as Christians are called to help one another and this book is a wonderful reminder of how to "bear one another's burdens."

If counseling doesn't interest you I would not recommend this book but if it does I would highly recommend it.  There is so much information it's almost overwhelming if you read it straight through but if you read it a little at a time and use it as a reference it is invaluable.

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In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day

"What if the life you really want and the future God wants for you are hiding right now in your biggest problem, your worst failure...your greatest fear?"

When you read a quote like that your ears perk up.  Who doesn't have failure or problems?  Who doesn't have fear?  We live in a crazy time, in a crazy world, so it's easy to get focused on our circumstances and the world around us.  We forget just how big our God really is.

In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day is a book that caught me off guard.  From the very first chapter I felt convicted.  I knew this was going to be another book that would make me think about my own situation and it most certainly has!

The focus of the book is Benaiah and his encounter with a lion in a pit on a snowy day in 2 Samuel 23:20-21.  If you were just reading through the Bible you would most likely miss it but Mr. Batterson delves deep into these two verses and explains what it means to be a lion chaser.

There are so many good quotes in this book!  Seriously, you should see my notes.  I love how the author makes all the concepts he explains so simple.  There are a lot of computer and neurological comparisons that made the points the author is trying to convey even more understandable.  

At the end of each chapter there is a list of the major points that were discussed in that chapter (which are a perfect reference) as well as a "Starting Your Chase" question which really helps you delve deeper in your own personal lion chase.

Reading this book has pushed me into a lot of self-reflection which I think is the authors purpose.  There are several things that I read that I am still thinking about and will continue to think about.  I did not read this book by accident.  "The timing was divine" as the author says.  

For someone who has struggled with fear and anxiety her entire life, it was eye opening.  I realized lies that I have been believing as well as felt challenged to rediscover dreams that I had  cast away, thinking they would never be possible.  Mr. Batterson reminded me that those dreams came from God and that I need to chase them through God to show who God is and give Him the glory.

This book was originally published ten years ago but the copy I received is a revised edition that has bonus material which I loved.  At the end of the book there is an excerpt from Chase the Lion which just came out this September and looks great!  It is definitely going on my Christmas wish list.

It has been a long time since I've felt this hopeful.  Sure there are dreams that I can no longer pursue but I have a few ideas in my head of what could possibly be my lion-chasing dreams and that gets me scared and excited.   Who knows what the future holds!  All I know is that I am going to trust the Lord in all things AND highly recommend this book!  It's a quick read with easy to understand language and personal stories from the author that make this story even more relatable.

Mr. Batterson ends the book by saying, "Be a lion chaser.  It's who you're destined to be."  I can proudly say that I am now a lion chaser, running towards my destiny!  

Click HERE to find out more about the author

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.  

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From Cairo, With Love

After reading No Resting Place and starting my next book (another deep nonfiction) I decided I needed a quick, fun read and From Cairo, With Love by Nancy Campbell Allen was the perfect escape!

This historical romance novella is from the Timeless Romance Singles line (a branch of the Timeless Romance Anthologies).  Even though this is a historial romance I found it to be less historical and more romance but nontheless it was a cute story and one that I couldn't put down.

Valentine Baker is a spinster who is perfectly content with being single but she longs for more adventure in her life.  She hears about a trip to Venice through her cousin and is soon on a ship bound for Cairo with Contessa, her traveling companion.  Mr. Maxwell, the gentleman that is accompanying the women to Cairo, quickly catches Valentine's eye and before either of them realize they are mixed up in a crazy storm and shennanigans aboard the ship that continuouly push them closer together.

Some of the storyline is predictable but there are definitely some suprises that will keep you turning from page to page, quickly reading to see what happens next.  I read the last page with a smile on my face, glad that love once again prevailed, and happy that I chose this book.

If you want a sweet, quick read with a little mistery, suspense, and love then this is the book for you.

Be sure to check out more books from the Timeless Romance Anthology series and from Nancy Campbell Allen.

I received a copy of this e-book from Mirror Press in exchange for an honest review

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No Resting Place

My review of No Resting Place by William Humphrey is one that hits home with me.

I have always been proud of my heritage.  When you look at me I look "white" but I'm really not.  I'm actually Choctaw/Cherokee (with a little German and Irish mixed in).  I am not legally allowed to be considered Native American only because of a lack of documentation.  When I asked my grandparents why the documentation is not there the only reply was, "The Trail of Tears."

I have a relatively young family and the cool thing about that is that I got to know my great-grandparents pretty well.  My maternal grandfather's parents were raised on a reservation in Oklahoma and I remember sitting at my great-grandfather's knee, listening to him talk about the days on the reservation, and about his families journey on the Trail of Tears.  Even though I didn't understand it all my heart still broke with his stories.  How could people be so cruel?  How can one human treat another human with such contempt?

Sadly, as life tends to get in the way, I haven't done as much research as I should have on the Trail of Tears to understand what my ancestors went through.  All I knew was that they lost everything as they were forced from their land and many of them lost their identity which is why there is a gap in my lineage to prove that I am who I say I am.  I am Native American.

When I was asked to review No Resting Place I was pretty excited.  Like me, Mr. Humphrey's ancestors went through the Trail of Tears and with the story being passed down from generation to generation Mr. Humphrey was able to put pen to paper and tell the story that has been lost in our American history.

From the beginning I could tell that this book was going to be a challenge.  The author has a very unique writing style and one that I am not accustomed to reading.  I'll be honest, I almost gave up on this book but I wanted so bad to see what my ancestors saw and feel what they felt that I pressed on and I'm so glad that I did.

It is a hard story to read and another sad note in American history.  Much like the holocaust, Native Americans were forced off their land by the "white man" and moved first to concentration camps and then west.  Depending on the compassion of the officer that came knocking on your door, some families were able to take some of their belongings with them while others left with only the clothes on their back.

There are stories of people dying while on the trail and them not being able to bury them.  Women dying in childbirth only for the infant to die later.  Walking in a foot of snow with only rags to give them warmth and many losing all hope and wishing for death.

I cannot even begin to imagine what that trek must've been like.  Tears blur my vision as I think about my family having to endure all that.

I have read a few reviews of this book and it is not well received which doesn't surprise me.  This is a hard story to read but it is very well researched and gives you a truthful, yet painful picture of what occurred.

This book was originally published in 1989 but has been brought back to life by Open Road Media since the passing of the author and I am so thankful that it was.  I've already talked to my grandparents about pulling out my great-grandparents scrapbooks again so I can delve more into my families history.

If you are into Native American history or history in general I highly recommend it!  While painful to hear, it's a story everyone should know.

I received a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

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