BOOK DETAILS:

Title: Comparison Girl by Shannon Popkin
Category: Adult NonFiction, 224 pages
Genre: Christian self-help, Christian Bible Study Guides
Publisher: Kregel Publications
Release dates: May 19, 2020
Tour dates: May 19 to June 9, 2020
Content Rating: G


BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Women compare constantly—on social media, in their neighborhood, at church, even in the school drop-off lane. They glance sideways and ask themselves, "How do I measure up?" All this assessment feels like a natural way of finding a place in the world. But it pulls them into feelings of inferiority or superiority, guiding them into a trap of antagonism by the enemy.

Satan would like women to strive to measure up, constantly adding to a tally sheet that can't ever be balanced. The way of Jesus is completely upside down from that philosophy. Instead, he says the last shall be first--and the greatest are those who empty themselves, lay down their lives, and serve each other.

Through conversations Jesus had and parables he shared, Shannon Popkin has created a seven-week Bible study to address this tendency to compare and judge ourselves and others. Each chapter is divided into lessons, allowing women on a time budget to read a Bible passage, engage in a complete train of thought related to the topic, and then make the content personal--all in one sitting. And the informal teaching tone will make women feel like they're meeting with a trusted friend.

Suited for both individual and group study, Comparison Girl will guide women to leave their measure-up ways behind, connect with those around them, and break free from the shackles of comparison!

Click here to read an excerpt!

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I earned a Master’s in Clinical Psychology from Azusa Pacific University in 2010 and have been mentoring women for over a decade. The most common area of counsel I provide is to single women not ashamed to admit they want to be married and have someone to share their life with. These women often without realizing it, are battling soul wounds (emotional and heart wounds) from their past that are preventing them from fulfilling this deeply held desire of marriage and family.

Enter the Giveaway!

How can you keep your energy, happiness, creativity, and relationships fresh and thriving in the midst of never-ending family demands, career pressures, and the stress of everyday life? In Sacred Rest, Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith, a board-certified internal medicine doctor, reveals why rest can no longer remain optional.

Dr. Dalton-Smith shares seven types of rest she has found lacking in the lives of those she encounters in her clinical practice and research-physical, mental, spiritual, emotional, sensory, social, creative-and why a deficiency in any one of these types of rest can have unfavorable effects on your health, happiness, relationships, creativity, and productivity. Sacred Rest combines the science of rest, the spirituality of rest, the gifts of rest, and the resulting fruit of rest. It shows rest as something sacred, valuable, and worthy of our respect.

By combining scientific research with personal stories, spiritual insight, and practical next steps, Sacred Rest gives the weary permission to embrace rest, set boundaries, and seek sanctuary without any guilt, shame, or fear.

My Review:

Reviewed by Laura Fabiani

I love reading books on the mind-body-spirit connection that are well-written and support a holistic lifestyle. It's one of the reasons I was attracted to this book. And of course, there's also the fact that I don't get enough rest. Even though I'm very conscientious of this and make great efforts to do so. If you're wondering how to slow down and avoid burning out, this book offers much insight.

In Sacred Rest, author Saundra Dalton-Smith takes the topic of rest beyond "we need to get more sleep". She differentiates the two by stating that sleep is a biological necessity, solely a physical activity, whereas rest penetrates into the spiritual, it "speaks peace into the daily storms your mind, body and spirit encounter." The book is divided into three parts: Why Rest?, The Gifts of Rest, and the Promises of Rest.

In the first part, the author introduces us to the topic of rest and its necessity to lead a fulfilling and happy life that encompasses our mental, physical, emotional and spiritual wellbeing. She goes on to explain the different kinds of rest, such as physical and mental, which are familiar to most of us but also social, creative and sensory rest, which many of us don't think about. In the second part, she discusses topics such as setting boundaries (learning to say no, which is what I need to work on!), choosing to do nothing when you constantly feel the need to hustle and bustle, seeking out beauty and spending time in its presence, communicating with God and how not to confuse activity with productivity, to name but a few. The third part is short and summarizes the benefits of sacred rest. The author then invited the reader to take the Thirty-day Sacred Rest Challenge, which I think I'll do.

Sacred Rest is written in the first person by a medical doctor who shares her experiences through anecdotes and personal stories. She is also a Christian who liberally quotes biblical scripture throughout the text and bases much of her discussions on them. As a Christian myself, I appreciated this. I've been reading the Bible daily for most of my life and enjoyed their application to the topic of rest. This book offers practical suggestions on getting the most out of life by proper application of rest with biblical wisdom as its foundation. I enjoyed reading it and will keep it as a resource.

If you are feeling frazzled and need direction on how to restore your energy and make the most out of life without burning out, this book will help you do that by rediscovering how to rest.

To read more reviews, please visit Saundra Dalton-Smith's page on Litfuse.

Disclosure: Thanks to Litfuse for sending me this book for review. I was not compensated in any other way, nor told how to rate or review this product.

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Books A Million ~ Amazon.com ~ ChristianBook.com

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Video of May Patterson explaining

how she came to write her book:

Meet the Author:

Watch the book trailer: 

I dug into this book with no expectations. I just wanted to see what I could learn. And as someone with a background in both Bible study and psychology, I was also curious how the author was going to tackle this subject.

Book Description:

Learn more and purchase a copy.



I decided to read this book because as a perfectionist, I know that at times I have control issues. I've learned through the years to work through them, which helps, now that I have teenagers to parent, but there's always room for improvement. So I dug into this book with no expectations. I just wanted to see what I could learn. And as someone with a background in both Bible study and psychology, I was also curious how the author was going to tackle this subject.

Well, I found this book to be a gem. First, I found that I was able to relate to the author herself. She was brutally honest and included descriptions of what she calls "ugly scenes" of controlling behaviour, which she admitted were very hard for her to write. But these anecdotes drove the point home in many instances. As a reader we want to know that the author understands well the topic she is writing about. So I appreciated her honesty.

I liked the book's layout. It was easy to read, formatted as a Bible study aid with questions and scriptures at the end of each lesson to read and meditate upon, many of which were my favorite ones. This is the kind of book you need to take the time to read with pen and highlighter in hand. I looked up and wrote out many of the scriptures directly in the book so that in future I could easily refer to them when looking through the book again.

But best of all is that the author used God's Word to make her point. Having studied the Bible for the last 27 years, I knew all the scriptures she referred to and was pleased with their application. And even though I was familiar with them, I truly appreciated re-reading and meditating on them with the goal to applying the Bible's counsel in regards to being controlling. One can read the same scripture at different times in one's life and see it in a different light in view of one's life experience.

Finally, using the example of Biblical women who displayed controlling issues as lessons for us to learn from was brilliant. After all the Bible itself says in Romans 15:4: "For all the things that were written beforehand were written for our instruction..." and in 1 Cor 10:11: "Now these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for a warning to us..."

Often women who like to control equate that with running an organized and efficient household with each member doing exactly what they's supposed to be doing. That's what I thought for the longest time. But it's not true. Doing this requires skill and insight, not control over what others do and how they do them.

If you are a Christian woman who struggles with control or someone who is willing to humbly look into Bible scripture for help with control issues, this book is just what you need. If you have an open mind, a willingness to make changes and the understanding that God knows us more than we will ever know ourselves, then you will greatly benefit from reading this book. The author's ultimate message that true family happiness and peace comes from following God's advice rather than being a control freak is right on.

To read more reviews, please visit Shannon Popkin's page on Litfuse.

Disclosure: Thanks to the publisher and Lifuse for sending me this book for review. I was not compensated in any other way, nor told how to rate or review this product.


Shannon Popkin is a wife and mom, a speaker and teacher, and a leader of small group studies. She's been published by "Family Fun," "MOMsense," "Focus on the Family Magazine," and other outlets. She is a contributing blogger for True Woman.com and has blogged for several years at shannonpopkin.com. "Control Girl" is her first book.

Find out more about Shannon at shannonpopkin.com.

One grand prize winner will receive: A copy of Control Girl

A Vera Bradley tote

A rose gold arrow bracelet

A set of Moleskine journals

Content rating: G

Book Description:

What was God thinking when He created you creative and then gave you children?

Creative moms often feel as though they must lay their passions down. But God had something special in mind for the creative woman during this intense season of mothering.

In this Pinterest age of handcrafted children's parties, Instagram photos of beautifully decorated homes, and blogs filled with poetry and prose, it is clear that we are in the midst of a brand new artistic renaissance. Not one born in Italian cathedrals or Harlem jazz clubs, but rather in kitchens, nurseries, and living rooms around the world. Mothers, working in the cracks and crevices of each hectic day, are adorning the world with their gifts, and they're showing all of us the beauty of this Life Creative.

In this book, you'll learn:

-Why the world needs your art
-How this Life Creative begins at home
-When art can turn a profit
-Your part in this modern day Renaissance

Life Creative paints the stories of moms, just like you, who are fitting their inspired lives into the everyday, ordinary places of motherhood. Women like home decorator Melissa Michaels and jewelry designer Lisa Leonard, author Angie Smith, recording artist Ellie Holcomb, and many more.


Purchase a copy: Life Creative Website


This book's title is very apt and meaningful as it captures perfectly what this book is all about. Being an active and creative mom, I was curious about this book, especially after I read Kelli Stuart's powerful and compelling novel Like a River From Its Course, which made it on my Best Reads of 2016 list.

Although nonfiction, Life Creative is beautifully written, full of imagery, quoting Scripture and poetry. It is a delight to read. It's an inspiring book written specifically for Christian moms, encouraging them to pursue their creative gifts to honor God, assist their families and the community and to make a living if so desired. I totally agreed with the authors' statement that our ministry starts with our children. Sometimes through the sleepless nights, feedings and diaper changes, we forget.

I was truly able to relate to some of the honest stories in this book, stories about mothering, feelings of being lost and confined in the dark days of sacrificing so much for family, of having to take care of babies and toddlers and feeling frustrated because our creative self is stifled. Gently, and using scripture and life experience, the authors encourage and motivate mothers not to give up but to start little by little to feed that creative side.

That's what I did when my children were toddlers. During naptime, I would write every day and soon enough a novel was born. I went through postpartum depression, and writing my novel was therapeutic for me. So this book really spoke to me. I was nodding my head as I read along. I loved reading the many anecdotes of creative moms and how their art, whether writing, photography, jewellery making, cooking, painting or music fed their souls, children, families and their ministry.

I applaud the authors for writing this inspiring book to encourage moms to pursue their creative goals and that it is part of our role as mothers. The book itself too has a pretty layout, with a quote at the beginning of each chapter and interspersed throughout the text, appropriate for a book on creativity. It is a beautiful book, very positive in tone and topic and life as an active Christian. Highly recommended for all the moms that need a boost to discover or rediscover their flare for being creative in any way they love.

To read more reviews, please visit the authors' page on Litfuse.

Disclosure: Thanks to Litfuse for sending me this book for review. I was not compensated in any other way, nor told how to rate or review this product.




Wendy Speake is a trained actress and heartfelt teacher. She ministers to women's hearts through storytelling and life applications, utilizing drama, comedy, poetry and the study of God's Word. During her career in Hollywood, Speake found herself longing to tell stories that edify and encourage women. She is the author of Triggers: Exchanging Parents' Angry Reactions for Gentle Biblical Responses (BRU Press, 2015). Speake is a wife and homeschooling mother of three boys.

Kelli Stuart is a writer and a storyteller at heart. She has written for several websites including The Huffington Post, 5 Minutes for Mom, The MOB Society, (in)courage and Compassion International. She is the author of three books, including Like a River from Its Course (Kregel Publications, 2016) and a noted speaker. Stuart her husband live in Florida with their four children.

Connect with the authors: Website | Instagram

Enter the Giveaway!

One grand prize winner will receive:

One copy of Life Creative

The Gracelaced Personalizable Mom's Wreath

A handmade leather journal

A Starbucks gift card

 

This text is a spiritual and inspirational journey for those drawn away from their purpose by the circumstances of their lives. This book is dedicated to those told they would never amount to anything.

It is for those told they would be just like their mother or father, that they are idiots, mistakes, and failures. It is for the pushed aside and ignored. It is for those under shadow, and for those abused from childhood. It is for the molested, and the ones told that no one loves them and no one ever would. It is for the misled and mistreated. It is for the suicidal. It is for the victims of domestic violence and abusive relationships. It is for those in spiritual bondage, and those who don’t believe in themselves. It is for those suffering from cancer or other diseases. It is for the motherless, fatherless, jobless, and homeless. It is for the depressive and anxious, the lonely and isolated. This book is for the hopeless.

To my brothers and sisters who need a way out: This book was written just for you. It is to polish your existence and your purpose on this earth.

This book was inspired and written by the Holy Spirit to assure you that, as a child of God, you no longer have to feel bound by labels and curses spoken over the course of your life. God wants to reinforce in your heart how valuable you are and how much you mean to Him. He wants you to know that through Him, you are Accepted, Secured, and Significant.

Buy the book: 

  Author's Website

Meet the author: 

 

Kemley Whiteside is a native of the Republic of Panama, a survivor and overcomer. Kemley resides in the state of New Jersey with her husband and children.

She is ordained to help build by empowering, igniting, and fulfilling people into their purpose. She is a life-coach, mentor, inspiration, motivational speaker, and a minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

She is the survivor of an anxiety disorder, depression, cancer, Lyme disease, domestic violence, and suicide. She is the survivor of physical, emotional, and mental abuse. These obstacles have strengthened her life and her purpose.

She is a woman birthing life to others by embracing them with confidence, and helping them achieve their calling. Kemley Whiteside earned her MA in Pastoral Counseling from Liberty University, and her MBA in Project Management from Ashford University. She holds a BS in Information Technology from Phoenix University and has over fifteen certifications.

Connect with the author: Website   ~  Twitter  ~   Facebook  ~   Instagram