She's Got Issues DVD/Book Review

Review: DVD/Book Curriculum "She's got issues"

I was given the chance to review the DVD/Book "She's Got Issues" from Tyndale House Publishing.

There are a lot of Women's bible study video curriculum's out there, and many of them are fine for a group that mainly wants to just spend time with each other and have fun. But if there is genuine desire to grow spiritually, then it is a bit harder to find a good group study for you. It is a balance of real life questions and looking at uncomfortable realities of who we are but doing it in a way that feels safe for those in it. That is the target of Nicole Unice's book and DVD, and I think that it was a success.
Right from the introduction, she acknowledges the fact that this does not have a simple self-help formula of "do these five things and this will happen in your life", but instead seeks to look into the things in our life that hinder us from experiencing the kind of faith life God intends us.  It is encouraging us to face the issues we have that we don't like to admit to, even to ourselves.

Maybe you are a planner (control freak), you get to look at how there are some things we are supposed to take charge of, and some things that we are not, all from a solid scriptural base. And then there are some practical outflow of how to move in the right direction. The following studies flow out of this first one in the same way, looking at our insecurity, comparison, fear, anger and unforgiveness. I would be surprised if there are any of us who do not need to look at some of these issues, and the way they are gone through is very helpful.

Some highlights in this study are the following: there is a lot of very powerful scripture that deals with these issues; the way the DVD studies are created, it is laid out very clearly for groups and builds in times for prayer, journaling and even doing some of the background work in the group if your group is not able to do the work beforehand; I like that there is a pdf on the dvd that can be printed off for all who are working through this study; the heart that comes through the study that speaks of a genuine desire to see people grow.


I was given a free copy of this study in exchange for my review. The views expressed in this review are my own.

She's Got Issues DVD/Book Review

Family

Here is a glimpse into our last year.

We having been trying to sell our house and after over seven months it is now sold. Praise God! We are now getting ready to move onto a smaller house which will suit our family and needs much better.

I have also been struggling with health issues which has been hard on me as well as my family. God blessed me more than I could ever imagined when he gave me Chris as a husband and David and Jaclyn as my children.

Chris is the most supportive man I have ever met, he works hard at his job and then comes home and helps me with the kids and housework. He also has me rest as often as he can.

David loves school and has been learning a lot and we are very pleased with is teacher, she really loves her class and it shows in her teaching. When he comes home he is excited to play with his sister and to tell me all about his day. David is also learning to read and is getting excited about the idea of reading by himself.

Jaclyn loves to have "girls days" with me while our boys are at work and school. We will play together. Then though out the day she will will want to play by herself while I rest. She's awesome! She has such an amazing imagination and is always pretending to be a character from a book or movie.

I sure do love my family they are a blessing to me everyday. They can always make me smile and I love spending my days with all of them.

Family

Stumbling Into Grace: Confessions of a Sometimes Spiritually Clumsy Woman - Book Review

Stumbling Into Grace: Confessions of a Sometimes Spiritually Clumsy Woman a book review.

When I received the book Stumbling Into Grace by Lisa Harper I picked up the book and read this on the back of the book.  

“So, today I’ve been thinking about...things that bind us. The thought flitted around my mind and then landed for a while, likely because I was wearing a pair of too-tight jeans.”

This made me smile; actually it made me laugh out loud. After reading that one paragraph I was intrigued even more and was really excited to read this book and discover how Lisa uses her life experiences and her interactions with Christ’s love as a “part diary, part devotional.”

Throughout this book, as you read it, Lisa will have you laughing out loud, bring tears to your eyes, and smiling like a little school girl, but most of all it will show you how God’s grace is all around us and in our daily lives.

Each chapter of this book is broken up into five parts. The first part is where Lisa tells a part of her story, where she uses humour, uncertainty, trust and sometimes a little sadness to tell how Jesus has shown Himself to her throughout her life.
The section after that, has a specific focus on scripture relating to the life of Jesus called: Jesus and ________ (this part changes with every chapter).
After that, we get into a great section, which is one of my favourite parts, where she looks deeper into the passage. I love to jump into the background and find out more about passages so I really appreciate how she takes the scriptures and gives them more meaning and depth.
The final section is called Hope for Our Ongoing Stories, where she helps to apply the bible passage to our everyday lives. Then at the end of each chapter there is a section where you can either do a personal devotion time with questions or a group devotion. So as you can imagine from this list Lisa Harper manages to pack a lot into each chapter.

I enjoyed every part of this book, I found that I learned a lot about myself as I looked at my life in some of the same ways I read about Lisa’s life and saw how God has given me Grace so many times even if I felt like I didn’t deserve it. It's as if I was taken on this journey while reading this book and Jesus showed me once again how much He loves me and gives me grace and wants to have a deeper relationship with me. 

I really loved this book and would recommend it to woman of all ages who are looking for a fresh look on the grace that Jesus gives us everyday. Throughout this book Lisa will use her life as an example of how we as woman can be stumbling through our everyday lives and how Jesus is waiting for us around every corner.

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Thomas Nelson Publishers has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book for review. 

I am not required to give a positive opinion but I am required to give my honest opinion.

Stumbling Into Grace: Confessions of a Sometimes Spiritually Clumsy Woman - Book Review

Broken

I love walks and about a week and a half ago my friend and I were planning on going for an evening walk, it was so beautiful out and I had just put my kids to bed and we were planning to meet somewhere in the middle of our houses.

Sounds like a great idea right??

Well it was a wonderful idea. Unfortunately, as I was leaving my house, I fell. I rolled my ankle and heard a loud cracking sound. I tried to move and get up but I couldn't use my ankle and was in a lot of pain. Not having many options, I then called for Chris to come out and help me, and thankfully I was not far from my front door.

After Chris helped me into the house, he then found my friend and told her that I was not going to be meeting her that night and then found someone to sit at our house with the children while he took me to the ER. 

Once I finally saw the doctor there he told me it was just a bad sprain but I should stay off it for a week or so. I wasn't able to put any weight on it for the first 6 days and then I was able to put a little bit of weight on it but it still hurt more then I think it should have for a sprain. 

So last Tuesday (7days after my fall) I went to a sports clinic and had them look at it. I was told that I had cracked the top of my ankle and torn some ligaments or tendons in it as well. They casted my leg and sent me home with instructions not to put ANY wight on it for about two weeks when I am able to go back in and see how I am healing. 

So here I sit with my leg in a cast all because I had a strange fall that cracked my ankle.

My husband is awesome and I am very blessed to have him! As much as he has in his week to get done with work he has been able to keep up with all of his normal schedule as well as do most of what I do during the week. He has been cooking, cleaning, laundry and so much more. 

I have had different issues in the past with walking when I was younger (I have had 4 knee operations) but I have been very lucky that I have been able to walk normally almost everyday since I had children. 

Its amazing how we can take for granted being able to move on our own and doing things for ourselves and those around us. I am accustom to making my own tea, cleaning my house, cooking and caring for the daily needs of my family. As I have been sitting around these past few weeks I have been learning again at how important it is to thank God that I am able to walk on a daily basis and how there are many around our country and world who have to rely on others to care for them everyday.

I will be able to walk without crutches in a few weeks and my life will go back to "my normal" fairly soon. As I think about it, my prayer and hope is that I remember those around me, those in my country and around the world who are still dependent on others and when I have the opportunity, to help and support them. I also pray that God gives them continued patience in their circumstances and the help that they need.

It is amazing what God can teach when you see things from a new point of view.

Broken