Sacred Rest by Saundra Dalton-Smith, M.D.

Sacred Rest: Recover Your Life, Renew Your Energy, Restore Your Sanity(FaithWords, December 2017)

Staying busy is easy. Staying well rested— there’s a challenge.

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 Restcombines 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.

Learn more and purchase a copy.

{MORE ABOUT SAUNDRA DALTON-SMITH}

Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith is an author, speaker, and board-certified physician. She has an active medical practice in Alabama (near the Birmingham area). She received her B.S. in Biochemistry at the University of Georgia, and graduated with honors from Meharry Medical College in Nashville. She has been an adjunct faculty member at Baker College and Davenport University in Michigan teaching courses on health, nutrition, and disease progression. Dr. Dalton-Smith is a national and international media resource on the mind, body, spirit connection and has been featured in Women’s Day, Redbook, and First For Women magazine. She is the author of “Set Free to Live” and “Come Empty” (winner 2016 Golden Scroll Nonfiction Book of the Year and 2016 Illumination Award Gold medalist). She is a member of the Christian Medical and Dental Association and a repeat keynote speaker at their annual gathering. She has shared her tips on merging faith and medicine with over 16,000 health care professionals to encourage the current and next generation of doctors to treat the whole person.

Find out more about Saundra at http://ichoosemybestlife.com.

My Take:  I found this book very interesting.  Even though I am disabled and don't work I find myself feeling very worn out emotionally.  I found this book very good in helping me to identify what is making me this way and what I need to do about it.  Exhaustion doesn't just come from physical work.  Some of the chapters deal with Spiritual Rest, Creative Rest and a lot more.  If you are feeling exhausted and don't really know why I suggest you pick up this book and see if it might help you.

I received a review copy of this book from Litfuse in exchange for my honest opinion.  

In the Middle of the Mess by Sheila Walsh

How do you turn your struggles into strengths? Beloved Bible teacher Sheila Walsh teaches readers how the daily spiritual practices of confession, meditation on God’s Word, and prayer result in fresh freedom in Christ.

In her long-awaited new book, Sheila Walsh equips women with a practical method for connecting with God’s strength in the midst of struggle. From daily frustrations that can feel like overwhelming obstacles to hard challenges that turn into rock-bottom crises, women will find the means to equip themselves for standing strong with God. Using the spiritual applications of confession, prayer, and meditation on Scripture to form a daily connection to Jesus, women will learn how to experience new joy as a child of God who is fully known, fully loved, and fully accepted.

In In the Middle of the Mess, Walsh reveals the hardened defenses that kept her from allowing God into her deepest hurts and shares how entering into a safe place with God and practicing this daily connection with him have saved her from the devil’s prowling attacks. Though we will never be completely “fixed” on earth, we are continually held by Jesus, whatever our circumstances. 

My Take:  I found this book very encouraging and very helpful.  Although I do not suffer from mental illness except for occasional depression because of my several other chronic illnesses I found that illness is illness and problems are problems even though we as humans seem to place more significance on certain ones over others.  Christians especially even though we are suppose to be more forgiving than others have a tendency to be less tolerant of mental illness as we tend to think if we truly believed you would not have problems in this area.  I thought that Shelia Walsh was very brave to come forward and talk this openly about her issues.  I found it very helpful for myself.  I would recommend this book if you are having a hard time just with life in general.  

I received a review copy of this book from Handlebar in exchange for my honest opinion.  

Book Spotlight of Get out of the Pit by Beth Moore

Beth Moore wants readers to know if God could lift her out of the pit, He can get ANYONE out! She admits she wasn't just a visitor; this former pit-dweller had to be delivered from acres of life-accumulated dirt, bone-chilling darkness, spirit-deadening anger, heart-breaking desperation and mind-numbing confusion. The permanent lessons she learned in her desperation are lessons of hope for all of us. Deliverance is for everyone, she proclaims - no matter how you got stuck, no matter how long you've been down, whether you think you deserve it or not. And in her straight-talking but loving style, she reminds readers that deliverance can begin for them this very day. Comes complete with a study guide in the back of the book.

Total Christmas Makeover by Melissa Spoelstra

Total Christmas Makeover: 31 Devotions to Celebrate with Purpose (Abingdon Press, October 2017)

Give your Christmas a makeover with this practical approach to help your family learn what it means to truly celebrate their Savior.

In the bustle of the Christmas season, it can be easy to get swept up in all of the things to do. But it’s important to pause and remember that our priority should be to spend time celebrating Christ’s birth and not forget to invite Jesus to his own party.

Christmas is far more than a celebration of an event from long ago or a modern holiday centered around shopping. Mindfully take time to listen to how God continues to speak through the Christmas story as the Gospel narratives centered around the birth of Jesus provide encouragement and revelation concerning the love of God and his wisdom for us today.

In Total Christmas Makeover, author and Bible teacher Melissa Spoelstra provides a practical approach for you and your family to turn your attention toward God’s grace day-by-day as you prepare for Christmas. This 31-day devotional presents key scriptures, ideas to implement with each reading, and questions for reflection to guide you in rediscovering rituals, relationship, and rest to connect you more deeply with Christ this holiday season.

Learn more and purchase a copy.

{MORE ABOUT MELISSA SPOELSTRA}

Melissa Spoelstra is a popular women’s conference speaker, Bible teacher, and writer who is madly in love with Jesus and passionate about helping women of all ages to seek Christ and know Him more intimately through serious Bible study. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Bible Theology and enjoys teaching God’s Word to diverse groups and churches within the body of Christ. She is the author of the “First Corinthians: Living Love When We Disagree,” “Joseph: The Journey to Forgiveness,” and “Jeremiah: Daring to Hope in an Unstable World Bible” studies and “Total Family Makeover: 8 Steps to Making Disciples at Home” book. She lives in Dublin, Ohio, with her pastor husband and four kids.

Find out more about Melissa at http://melissaspoelstra.com.

My take : My husband and I are empty nesters but we have been feeling a bit disillusioned with the whole commercial side with Christmas even while our children were still at home.  We are always looking for ways to slow down and really engage in this time of year.  I think this year we will be using some of the ideas in this book.  This is a great devotional that takes you through each day a takes a topic about the season and helps you to examine it.  It also gives you ideas on different activities you can do that are about that topic.  I wish I would have had this book when our children were home.  

I received a review copy of this book from Litfuse in exchange for my honest opinion.  

Choosing a Life that Matters by Dennis Rainey

from Goodreads.com :  We live in a culture that permits everything, surrounded by people skimming the surface of life, trying to piece together meaning from ever-shifting truths and fleeting fads. But in a world that stands for nothing, you can choose to stand for Something.

With warmth and wisdom that only comes from weathering the storms of life, Dennis Rainey shares seven ways to not only build a strong foundation, but to choose to live the life of purpose and potential you were created for. When the winds of culture blow, you will be able to stand firm on the Truth. You will be able to choose a life that matters. A life that makes a difference in the here and now--a life that echoes into eternity.

You are at crossroads of culture and Christianity. Which way will you choose to live?

My take:  Dennis Rainey talks about 7 things that you will make your life one that really matters,

Seek God, not sin
Fear God, not man
Love God, not the world
Believe God, not the deceiver
Obey God, not your feelings
Worship God, not comfort
Serve God, not self 

Lets face it we all want a life that matters.  If we strive for these seven things then the battle is practically won for us.  This book would be a good book to give to graduates and couples just getting married.  These are seven things that would help anyone out in framing their life.  Rainey gives good advice throughout the book.  

I received a review copy of this book from Bethany House in exchange for my honest opinion.  

Unsinkable Faith by Tracie Miles

Unsinkable Faith: God-Filled Strategies to Transform the Way You Think, Feel, and Live (David C. Cook, April 2017)

For many people, remaining optimistic and feeling positive about themselves and their lives is a constant battle — especially when circumstances are difficult and life is hard.

For others, negativity is something that only sneaks up from time to time, yet still wreaks havoc in their hearts. Regardless of the root causes, once pessimistic thoughts permeate our minds, our feelings and emotions begin to control us instead of us controlling them. Eventually it doesn’t seem possible to stay positive, happy, and full of joy, and negative thought patterns shake our faith, causing us to sink emotionally, mentally, and spiritually over time. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Despite what storms roll in, hearts anchored in God don’t sink. When we change the way we think, we can change the way we feel and live, even if our circumstances remain the same. Intentionally embracing the opportunity to experience a transformed heart and a renewed mind opens the door for a changed life, because a positive mind will always lead to a more positive life.

In Unsinkable Faith, author and Proverbs 31 Ministries speaker Tracie Miles offers hope for women who struggle with negativity. Each chapter explores Tracie’s and other women’s personal stories, showing how they rose above their circumstances by transforming and renewing their minds. Unsinkable Faith is a breath of fresh air for anyone longing for a heart full of joy, an unbreakable smile, and a new, more optimistic perspective on life. This book will equip you to:

—Replace pessimism with positive thinking by becoming the captain of your thoughts;
—Learn how true joy and happiness are based on choice, not circumstances;
—Overcome unhealthy habits of negative thinking by intentionally implementing three easy mind-renewing steps;
—Stop feeling hopeless and pitiful, and start feeling hope-filled and powerful instead; and
—Discover that when you change the way you think, you change the way feel, and in turn you can change your life completely.

Learn more and purchase a copy.

{MORE ABOUT TRACIE MILES}

Tracie Miles is a national speaker with Proverbs 31 Ministries and a bestselling author who’s spent the last twelve years inspiring women to become who God called them to be. She’s the author of “Your Life Still Counts” and “Stressed-Less Living,” and a contributor to Proverbs 31 Ministries daily devotions.

Find out more about Tracie at http://traciemiles.com.

My Take:  This was a very good book for me in my personal life right now as I am currently dealing with a disability that is still fairly new to me and struggling with a disease that is constantly changing from day to day.  This book helps us to remember that no matter what we are going through everyone else is dealing with something also.  How we deal with life is a choice and you can deal with it either with negative thoughts or positive thoughts.  Because of my situation I have been dealing with mild depression also so this book has helped with that situation also.  This book helps you focus on scripture

and gives you a challenge for each of the chapters.  

I received a review copy of this book in exchange for my honest review from Litfuse.