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

Review: Stuck

Stuck By JennieAllen

A review by Katherine Heimsoth

We are often so stuckin invisible struggles in our hearts and minds, we barely have space for God.These deep struggles, these stuck places, are familiar to every one of us:brokenness, anger, discontentment, fear, and sadness. "Stuck" takes onthese struggles within us so that we can encounter God. Because until werecognize that we are stuck and in need of God, we will miss what He has forus.

I was very excited to have the chance to review the DVD/Bookstudy “Stuck”. There seems to be a lack of women’s bible studies for groupsthat are actually engaging the struggles of Christian women. Jennie Allen goesright into the practical, past the “right answer” remarks, to address the sortof things that hold us back in our lives of faith.

This kind of study can be intimidating for small groupleaders to lead, but the leaders guide really does a great job of equipping youwith not only the topics, but how different people can best be lead to a placewhere they can engage with hard topics. This is the kind of teaching that canhelp not only lead this study, but every other study, and all the more as youlearn more about the people in your group.

The session dealing with “discontent” was a great highlight.Addressing how we naturally get into patterns of discontent in our lives,wanting...something (sometimes not even knowing what it is we think we want). Itfocuses on the biblical truth of how God is calling us to something muchgreater. When we get free of this desire for more, no matter if it is for more “stuff”,a different body image, or whatever else, we start becoming ready for God’slarger purposes that he desires for us.

No matter who you are, there is something that seems toengage with where you are in this study, with issues of fear, anger,overloaded, dealing with sadness and more. It does not condemn you, but pointsyou towards something far greater, God and his promises. And it does it in away that isn’t just pretending one easy answer will fix everything. This studywill not fix everyone’s problems, but it will certainly help you get on theright path for getting unstuck with God’s help.

I received this Set free from the publisher through theBookSneeze®.com book reviewbloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions Ihave expressed here are my own.

Review: Stuck

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