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. If you are interested in a different perspective on setting boundaries, check out my review of Lysa TerKeurst’s book Good Boundaries and Goodbyes
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This was a book that I didn’t realize how much I needed it. I first heard about this book when I got a free download of the audiobook from Christian Audio a few years ago. It wasn’t until I did some self-reflection that I realized how much I needed to read a book like this. So I quickly tracked down a gently used copy. I eventually had the whole book read in a single day. This type of book turned out to be exactly what I needed to read. This book allowed to wrap my head around the number of betrayals I have experienced, start the journey of processing them, and help me get on track to healing. I wish I had this book 5 or 6 years ago. If you have experienced any sort of betrayal, this is a book that I cannot recommend enough ~ Bethel Betrayal is a scary and often painful word. Sadly, most of us are all too familiar with the pain that is associated with this word. Some betrayals are small, while others are life-altering. The more we trusted them before it happened, the most deeply we are wounded by their actions. Once we’ve experienced it, it has the ability to change the way we see everything, but many of us want to pretend like it means nothing. Yet we find ourselves stuck in a cycle of hurt and mistrust that we are unsure how to get out of not matter how her we try. It makes us ask the question: how can we heal and trust again after we’ve been betrayed? In his book Beyond Betrayal, author Phil Waldrep teaches his audience a biblical perspective on handling and processing betrayal. Sharing from his own experience of being betrayed by a friend and employee, Waldrep reveals how real and devastating the pain of a betrayal can be, as well as the unfortunate consequences if we choose to suppress our emotions from betrayal and refuse to deal with them. He reveals what can be learned about the nature of betrayal by one of the most famous betrayals of all time – Judas. He walks us through many of the emotions that come at the different stages of processing and healing from betrayal, including shock, anger, isolation, forgiveness, and more. Each chapter concludes with practical advice for implementing the concepts discussed. Through it all, you will find hope for healing and evidence through the author’s story of how God can redeem any pain or hurt we experience for His glory. This book speaks with incredible wisdom and insight into a topic that is not discussed often enough. This is a book I highly recommend to anyone who has ever experienced a betrayal. I was excited to hear that Mark Batterson was releasing another book. However, I was admittedly surprised to discover what it was about. Having written dozens of books, many of which have multiple variations of the same core material, this book was one, at least at first glance, I don’t think I would have expected to have been written by him. However, once I got into the book, it was easy to see that this book was written in his style of speaking and challenging the reader that has become more familiar to me as I read more of his books. While it initially seemed strange, I found this book to be just as inspiring as his other titles that I have read, on a subject that is incredibly relevant to my life. It was also an honor to be a part of the launch team for this release. Whether this is your first Batterson book or your 12th, this book is one I definitely recommend ~ Bethel In his book, Please Sorry Thanks, bestselling author Mark Batterson explains the life-giving and life-changing qualities of these words and the far-reaching implications of choosing to adapt them to our lives and relationships. Breaking down each of these words into three parts of the book, Batterson explores each of them in a way that connects with his readers. We learn in the “Psychology of Please” how our willingness to be polite and humble can open hearts, minds, and even opportunities. Through the “Science of Sorry”, we learn that willingly admitting when you do wrong or expressing compassion for someone who’s struggling can restore broken relationships. In the “Theology of Thanks”, we discover how learning to have a spirit of gratitude and thankfulness can change the way we see the people and world around us. Through all this, we are reminded that choosing to put the power of all three of these common words together can change our hearts and relationships more than we can imagine. Batterson does all of this in his unique style of writing, full of fun and relatable stories and illustrations, that makes you feel you are speaking with a friend. This book is a creative and inspiring approach to common words that we can tend to take for granted. It’s one that every Christian should read. Get your copy today! * I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher for the purpose of this review Singles-Friendly Rating. My only issue with the book is that some of the illustrations spoke strictly to marriage and/or families. While I was able to figure out ways to relate, I wish there were a few illustrations that also spoke to singles instead of just married people. There is also an illustration that mentioned testosterone in such a way that it was only speaking to men, but this reference was not clarified to be only for men reading the book. It was kind of confusing as a woman. Make sure to check my reviews of my other books by Mark Batterson:
In A Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day Chase the Lion Circle Maker Draw the Circle Win the Day I was so excited to hear that Katie was releasing another book. Her first book Kisses from Katie was a very influential book in my first few years after I graduated college. I was also on the launch team for her last book Daring to Hope. So I jumped at the opportunity to read an advanced copy and join the launch team. I discovered a book that, much like her two previous books, was exactly what I needed to read in this season of my life. The continuation of her story is not what I expected it would be, but it is still a tale full of God’s love, faithfulness, and provision. She even taught me something new about the biblical story from which my name originates. If you have read either of Katie’s previous books or you struggle to trust God to be your Prince of Peace, then this is a book you definitely want to read ~ Bethel Safe is a word that describes how many of us long to feel. But it’s also true that it’s a feeling that too many of us struggle to maintain. When we don’t feel safe, we tend to feel worried and afraid. We get caught in anxious mental spirals of “what-ifs” and “if-only's” that steal the joy of the present from us. Especially in the aftermath of a global pandemic, people in our world seem to be struggling to find their peace. As Christians, we know God is there, but we struggle to fully rest in His love, grace, and provision. It makes us ask the question: can we ever feel safe again? In her book, Safe All Along, bestselling author Katie Davis Majors walks her readers through the struggles of overcoming anxiety so that they can realize that she did that we have been safe all along. She begins the book by describing a story of swimming in the Nile River with her daughter in a place with fast rapids. When they both got caught in the rapids, Katie thought her daughter would get swept away. When they both came out alright, Katie’s husband took her to a higher vantage point, where she could see that there were several places along the river where her daughter could have swam to safety. This illustration sets up the whole book, encouraging readers to realize that in Christ, we are safe all along. This is hard-earned wisdom for Katie, as she experienced serious anxiety over the last several years between the weight of worrying for her family and loved ones, a global pandemic, and a difficult move from her beloved country of Uganda to the United States. While she has chosen to see a therapist and medication to help with her struggle, Katie has also chosen to process her struggles and anxieties through the lens of Scripture and help her readers do the same. The first half of the book lays the foundation for overcoming the spiritual aspect of anxiety and worry by sharing Scriptures and part of the story of her emotional roller coaster of the last few years. The second half of the book lays out 10 practices based on Scripture that can help readers in their own journey toward finding biblical shalom. This book is honest, relatable, and full of powerful biblical truth. Katie continues to speak with wisdom beyond her years and a vulnerability that allows readers to find a place in which they relate to her journey. This is a great book that I highly recommend. Get your copy today! *I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher for the purpose of this review Singles-Friendly Rating. One of my only criticisms of the book is that, from the perspective of a single person, I wish that more attempts had been made to relate to singles in some of the illustrations the author used. When all the illustrations refer to marriage, it can leave single people feeling left out. While the topics were relatable, I wish that more effort was made to speak to single people. Personal Rating. My other criticism is that while, as someone who struggles with anxiety, I could relate to a lot of the author’s anxieties, I could not relate to all of them. Especially as a single woman, I couldn’t relate to the author’s struggles with being anxious about the future of her children. But it is a reminder that when it comes to worries and anxieties, each person’s struggles are unique to their mind. I still found so much wisdom, grace, and hope in these pages. This is a book I highly recommend. I am also running a giveaway through Simple Youth Ministry for a Free PDF package of my book Are You Ready to Be Baptized? For more information, check out my Facebook post: http://tiny.cc/okp5vz When I heard about this book, I wasn’t totally sure what to expect based on the title alone. I knew that I enjoyed several of Nancy’s other titles, but this one seemed a little different. When I finally got around to reading it, I was pleasantly surprised by the contents. This book represents both Nancy’s worldview and a powerful study into the book of Daniel. She even tackles some of the prophetic parts that many other Christian authors are scared to touch in a way that is relevant to modern audiences. This book is another great treasure among the wisdom shared by Nancy in her writings ~ Bethel This world can be a scary place to live, especially in the times we live in today. It’s hard enough at times for us to keep our heads above the water as we juggle the trials and struggles of our daily lives, especially when we find ourselves amid crises that we did not expect. But then the struggles of our personal lives become compounded by the tumultuous social and political times we live in. It’s no wonder that we have a mental health crisis on the rise and it seems to only be getting worse. For those of us that are Christians, we want to find peace and hope, but the sounds of the chaos in our lives and world tend to drown out the peace we find. It makes us ask the question: how do we find peace when we don’t always know what the future holds? In her book Heaven Rules, Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth shares how choosing to take to heart the two-word phrase of the book’s title is the key to calming our fears and finding our courage amid a chaotic world. Nancy teaches her readers that “Heaven Rules” (sometimes abbreviated as “HR”) can become a powerful mantra that can keep us anchored to the truth of God’s word, reminding us that God has control over the micro (the tiny details of our personal circumstances) and the macro (the big picture of what’s happening in your life or even the world). By walking through the book of Daniel, we learn about the prominence of this theme through the book, as well as the consequences when even the mightiest of earthly rulers choose to ignore Heaven’s rule. She even tackles the prophetic half of the book in a way that is contemporary but also biblically sound. However, I have a few minor criticisms that are unrelated to the content of the book: 1) I don’t understand why this book does not mention the book of Daniel in its subtitle. I believe this to be an unwise marketing choice, because people browsing for the book have no idea that the author is reflecting on the book of Daniel unless they read the book’s description online or the flap of the inside cover. That is a detail that should be included in the subtitle and the back cover so there is no confusion. 2) This small hardcover book is an awkward size. To get a hardcover book with a dustjacket on this relatively short book, they have to make it a smaller trim size that makes it uncomfortable to hold for long periods of time. I had to take the dustjacket off to read it, and even then it was still uncomfortable to hold for too long. I have never had that problem with a physical book before, so it was quite frustrating. Given its short length, this book would have been better suited as a thin paperback. I recommend reading the eBook version for this reason. Despite these issues, this book is inspirational, as it challenges its readers to use “Heaven rules” as the lens through which they view and interact with the world. It has the power to calm our worst fears and anxieties, give hope to those who feel hopeless, and inspire courage in the fearful. With these powerful and biblical sound teaching at the forefront, this is a book that I highly recommend. Get your copy today! *I received a copy of this book from the publisher for the purpose of this review To read my review of a classic fiction about heaven, The Great Divorce, click here To read reviews of other books by Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth, click here |
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 helping other Christian authors launch their books. She hopes to someday be a vocational youth minister and well-known author.
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