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This was a book that I needed. Like many of us, I struggle with finding peace when circumstances are not ideal or things don’t go according to plan. I was considering a few different books on peace or anxiety and landed on this one. This book ended being exactly what I needed and more. It connected the dots between many subjects and many obstacles to finding peace in a way that I had never considered. It revealed that the true key is to choose contentment in all the areas of our lives and surrender our uncertainties to Him. If you are a woman who struggles with anxiety, fear, or discontentment, then this is the book for you ~ Bethel Contentment is something that Christian women want but often struggle to find. We know Paul’s declaration that he found contentment by doing all things in Christ’s strength, but wonder how that is even achievable. We tend to get caught up in the disappointments and fears that result when life doesn’t go the way we planned it. Uncertainty fills our hearts and gives way to other struggles, such as discontentment, grumpiness, bitterness, and even anxiety. We wonder if we will ever find our peace. It makes us ask the question: How do I find contentment in all circumstances?  In her book Calm My Anxious Heart, author Linda Dillow walks women through the biblical and practical tools they need to find contentment and overcome struggles with anxiety. She acknowledges that every woman deals with worries and “what-ifs” that threaten to still our joy and contentment. However, when we learn how to see our difficulties through the lens of trusting God with what He’s given you, it allows you to find peace in situations you never thought possible. You will discover the areas of your life that may be holding you back from contentment, such as body-image, self-image, bitterness, and even the questions “what-if”, “if only” and “why”. It’s when we get these areas in order when we learn to lay our burdens at the foot of the cross and be content with who we are and what we have. I only have one minor criticism of this book. She frequently uses the phrase “Blessed Controller” to talk how we should trust that God is in control of our circumstances. While I understand what she was trying to communicate, I am not fond of this description of God. I think it can be misinterpreted to imply that God somehow takes away our free will when we surrender to Him, which is not the way He works. I wish she had chosen a different phrase to help us grasp God’s sovereignty and how our choice to trust Him completely can help us find contentment. Linda speaks with strength and wisdom to the heart of every woman’s struggles with finding peace and contentment. With many Scriptures to study, stories to inspire, and a study guide to help you dig deeper, this book is a great Bible study for any woman who struggles with discontentment or anxiety. Aside from these issues, this is a book that I highly recommend.  Teen Rating. While the book is clearly speaking to adult women, all the Scriptural principles could apply to a teen girl. I would recommend it for those 15 and older, or possibly younger if they struggle with anxiety.  Singles Friendly Rating. While this book relies heavily on illustrations applicable to married women, it also does a great job at addressing contentment in singleness. Chapter 4 specifically addressing being content with your current role, including single, married, and even widowed. Even the illustrations using married women feel relatable to singles. Definitely a worthwhile read for single women.  Male Friendly Rating. I wouldn’t have a problem recommending this book to men based on its solid Scriptural principles. While it aimed at women, none of the topics discussed would be inappropriate for a man to read, especially if this is a struggle for his wife.  Personal Rating. Other than the minor issue mentioned above, I think this is a great book. I was inspired and challenged by it and will be going back to it in the future.  Interested in purchasing this title? If you purchase it from Amazon using the link below, Abiding Grace Ministries will receive a small commission from the sale at no cost to you. Purchase Calm My Anxious Heart: https://amzn.to/3DeLfFZ
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I was excited to hear that Jackie had released another book. While it took me quite a while to get around to reading it, it was a book worth the wait. Not only does this book make the author’s transformation through Christ all the more evident, but also demonstrates an incredible ability to make difficult theological concepts accessible. This is a book I would recommend ~ Bethel Holiness is a concept that many Christians struggle to understand. While it’s something that the Bible speaks about often, we struggle to see its relevance to our lives because we struggle with our sinful nature. However, it doesn’t take one long while reading God’s Word to realize that God is holy. With our struggle to understand holiness, it makes us harder to understand God or even know how to trust Him. It makes us ask the question: how can we trust God when we have been hurt by those around us?  In her book Holier than Thou, bestselling author Jackie Hill Perry helps her readers understand that if they truly understand that God is holy, we can trust Him, and the reason why many of us don’t trust Him is because of our misunderstandings about His holiness. We are reminded that our struggle to understand holiness comes from our sin and the sin of those around us. These affect our ability to accept that God is holy, morally perfect, and transcendent, since we often project our experiences onto Him. Understanding this allows us to see God through new eyes and put aside many of our barriers to trusting Him fully. It also allows us to see ourselves as sinners that can only achieve personal holiness through the saving grace of Jesus Christ. Walking through many different Scriptures and relying on the insights from many theologians, Perry walks through holiness in a way that is accessible to the average reader and with wisdom beyond her years. If you want to understand holiness in a whole new way, this book is definitely worth reading.  Personal Rating. My only criticism of the book is the lack of headings and structure in the chapters. While the material is great and her theology is solid, there are hardly any headings in the chapters to help the reader follow along with the subjects she is covering. I find headings help me process information, but not everyone sees this the same way. If you aren’t bothered by this, you should have no problem reading this book and would recommend that you do  Interested in purchasing this title? If you purchase it from Amazon using the link below, Abiding Grace Ministries will receive a small commission from the sale at no cost to you. Purchase Holier Than Thou: https://amzn.to/4fei9DU I have been curious about this book for quite some time, but decided to take a chance on finding a used copy. This book took me longer than average to finish – almost a week. This is because there is a ton of information and suggested methods to process here. I think this book has a lot of great information that has the potential to change people’s lives. However, I think at times that it was so much information, it was difficult to process. I might argue that this book would be better if it was broken up into a series. This book for those that want to take boundaries seriously and are willing to do the work necessary to make that happen. If you aren’t serious about it, this book may not be for you ~ Bethel  In the expanded and updated edition of the bestselling book Boundaries, Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend explain and break down the concepts of what boundaries are, how they are formed, and how they apply to the different relationships in our lives as Christians. We are reminded that boundaries are not just a good idea, but a biblical idea that represents some of the characteristics of God. You also come to realize that many of the problems in our relationships and personal lives that leave us feeling stuck can be traced back to a lack of boundaries. It helps you define what things are your responsibility and what things are not, and when and how to say yes and no. As the practical application is presented in the difficult types of relationships in our lives, you realize how much work and perseverance are required for boundaries. You may get resistance or even lose some relationships, but the result will be a more fruitful and abundant life. This book is practical, insightful, and a potential game-changer for anyone willing to do the work. Get your copy today!  Teen Rating. I would be hesitant to recommend this book to a teen. While many of the principles would be useful, teens have to depend on their parents to help them set many of the boundaries in their life at that age so that they have a standard to look towards as an adult. This book also clearly uses language speaking to adults that may confused less mature teens. This would be a great book from them to read after they graduate high school and start looking toward the future. I wish that they had a book on this topic geared toward teens, since right now, they only have a book geared toward the parents of teens.  Singles Friendly Rating. This book does have a lot of practical application for singles. There are even a handful of illustrations of single adults throughout the book. However, the book is predominantly speaking to married adults with kids. There is a whole chapter on boundaries with spouses and one on boundaries with children that I admitted skipped (but will go back to if/when I reach those phases of life). There is also a lot about raising teens in the chapter about social media and technology. Wish there was more information, or even a separate book, that addressed the nuances of setting boundaries as a single adult.  Personal Rating. This book has a ton of biblical grounded and practical information. However, by the time I got to Part 2, it felt a little like drinking water from the firehose, and a large portion of the information and illustrations were not relevant to my current situation. There were a lot of lists, both of the problems lack of boundaries causes and of suggested methods of resolution. So many lists made it hard to keep track. If you are serious about doing the work, I recommend taking your time reading it or looking into the workbook and video curriculum to help make the information easier to process.  Interested in purchasing this title? If you purchase it from Amazon using the link below, Abiding Grace Ministries will receive a small commission from the sale at no cost to you. Purchase Boundaries: https://amzn.to/49Crfcf If you are interested in a different perspective on setting boundaries, check out my review of Lysa TerKeurst’s book
Good Boundaries and Goodbyes |
Lion's Eyes Reviews is a blog dedicated to reviews of Christian books, most of which are non-fiction, but may also occasionally review movies and musicals. It will also feature the work Bethel does to help launch and promote the works of Christian authors.
The name is derived from one of Bethel's favorite books, Through the Eyes of a Lion by Levi Lusko. Through these reviews, Bethel hope to give Christians the tools they need to look at the world "through the eyes of a lion" so they can find the courage to "run toward the roar". To find the detailed archives of these reviews, you can check them out here: Books In Review Movies in Review Broadway In Review Quick Reviews To understand the rating used in these reviews, click here Categories
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Bethel Grove is a Christian young woman who loves to read and write, eat Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Blizzards, and disciple teen girls as a youth leader. What started as a hobby of writing book reviews and doing deep biblical studies eventually led her down the path of self-publishing and supporting other Christian authors and ministry volunteers. She hopes to someday be a vocational youth minister and well-known author.
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