Tag: Alisa Keeton

SATURDAY SMORGASBORD: Spiritual Growth Resources from 2018

SATURDAY SMORGASBORD: Spiritual Growth Resources from 2018

Posted on by Jaymie

Last December I posted a list of spiritual growth resources I enjoyed using during 2017. You can see that list here. Today I’m going to highlight similar resources from 2018. Also check my post on Enneagram resources here. Those have been a big part of my spiritual work this year, too.

A Mile Wide: Trading Shallow Religion for a Deeper Faith – This is one of the books my husband challenged me to read this summer. And one I actually read! (I am STILL behind on the summer challenge!) I enjoy Jen Hatmaker’s books so much, but this is the first book I have read from her husband. I enjoyed this one. I think I underlined something on almost every page. This really lined up well with things we have been talking about at church this year.  I’ll be reviewing this one in January.
Draw the Circle Study Guide – I talked about Draw the Circle in last year’s post, (and posted a full review earlier this year ) but then I did the study again for Lent with this study guide and a free video series I found. I enjoyed the study guide, but I don’t think it is essential to using the original resource. Either alone or with this extra resource, Draw the Circle would be a great annual experience for spiritual growth.
The Dream of You: Let Go of Broken Identities and Live the Life You Were Made For –  I adore Jo Saxton! The only thing better than reading her thoughts on identity (one of my favorite themes in spiritual growth books as well as novels) would have been an audio book version so I could hear it in her own delightful accent! I will listen to and/or read anything she puts out there. She’s one of my favorite speakers.
Heir to the Crown – I have become an Alisa Keeton fan over the last year. I support her fitness/health/wholeness ministry, Revelation Wellness, and I thoroughly enjoyed her 2017 book The Wellness Revelation. She, like Jo Saxton, is someone I want to hear from regularly. I am slowly working through her new devotional for teens and women about our identity as daughters of the King. Each entry includes a brief meditation thought (which I rarely do – I know I would get more out of this if I would take the time), the devotional, a couple questions related to the day’s material and space to answer some wellness/wholeness questions that are part of each day’s page.
Isaiah (Life Change Series) – While I am familiar with several stand alone verses from Isaiah, it wasn’t a book I had ever read from start to finish. And the parts I had read seemed hard to follow. This particular study was a treat for me! In fact, Isaiah has become one of my favorite books of the Bible because of this study. The book is set up so you can use it for individual or group study. I usually work through each section over the course of a week, answering 2-3 questions (often with multiple parts) every day. I feel like going slowly really helps me dig into the material rather than just check it off a list that I did some reading, but not letting the material really sink in. I love the format of this so much, I have asked for several more for Christmas!
Made Like Martha: Good News for the Woman Who Gets Things Done – This was the sort of book I felt was written just for me at just this moment. So much of what I read here tied into the work I was doing in my Enneagram reading, too. You can read my review here.
Romans (Life Change Series) – I am working my way through Romans right now in the same study series as the Isaiah study. The language of Romans at times seems to circle in on itself, and I have found this study is helping me piece through it so I get more out of my reading and study.
The Quest: An Excursion Toward Intimacy with God – Lifeway offered a free study with videos this fall, and since I already had the book, I jumped at the chance. The first and last video are around an hour long and were really rich experiences. The rest were fine, but I didn’t find them essential to the whole. The book, though, was fantastic. It’s a detailed and in-depth study. I highly recommend this one – even if you can’t get to the videos. The study stands on its own.
Whisper: How to Hear the Voice of God – I am a huge Mark Batterson fan (Draw the Circle), and I enjoyed this exploration of listening to the voice of God. I enjoy Batterson’s writing style and the stories he tells. But most of all I enjoyed the topic of this one!

REVIEWS: Two Self-Help Winners!

REVIEWS: Two Self-Help Winners!

Posted on by Jaymie

I’ve been having a hard time finding a day for these reviews, but I enjoyed the books so much, I didn’t want to push them off any longer. So today, you get two reviews. Happy Valentine’s Day! Show some love to yourself and check these out.

She’s Still There – Summary

Have you ever found yourself in a moment or at a cross roads and wondered “How did I get here?” And not in a good way! You had these plans, these dreams, these expectations. But nothing in your life looks like you thought it would.

Maybe you drifted. Maybe you took a short cut, lowered a standards, or took your eyes off the path and that changed your course. Maybe you got distracted. That temporary move, temporary job, “short season” of something has become your permanent location. Maybe circumstances outside your control have left you in a place you never intended to be. No matter how you got here, you can find your way back. The person you were once upon a time is still there. And Chrystal Evans Hurst wants to help you find her.

She’s Still There – Review

While this book is targeted to women in the title and in many of the examples, this really works for anyone. The book is broken into 6 sections with multiple chapters. Each chapter has reflection questions and Bible verses to go through. There are practical applications for every point from doing an assessment of your gifts and skills to ways of setting small goals to help you stay on track.

I read the book as part of a study with Proverbs 31. This included videos and Bible study ideas and conference calls. And all of that “bonus” content was great. But the foundation is the book, and it is all you really need to take a long look at your life and your current direction.

I found the book both challenging and encouraging. The writing is approachable. There’s a “me too” feel where the author shares from her own journey. She’s not perfect or an expert. She’s lived this and coaches from her place a few steps ahead of you. Great for personal study or for group study. I highly recommend this.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

 

The Wellness Revelation – Summary

The subtitle for this book is “Lose what weighs you down so you can love God, yourself and others.” For a diet/health/fitness book, this has a HUGE faith component.

There are 8 sections of the book, designed to lead the reader on an 8-week journey. Each chapter has five components, easily broken down for weekday usage if you choose. The first two sections include a chunk of information and encouragement and often an action step or two. There’s a set of Bible study questions in another section, reflection questions in the fourth, and a final “testimony” piece at the end.

The journey is intentionally slow paced. It doesn’t address much with food until week 3, and the exercise kicks in in week 4. This is by design. The author spends two weeks setting a spiritual foundation, encouraging readers to approach food and movement from healthy places. And she reinforces this message in each workout, podcast and Facebook Live posting.

The Wellness Revelation – Review

I loved this whole process from the beginning. I loved the faith pieces that are part of every breath of the program. I read the book as part of an online course through Facebook, and every leader online encouraged participants to seek the Lord and follow His leading on food, on movement, on pacing and on how our past influences our present.

There’s enough material in the book and online (workouts, podcasts, etc) to make this process a full time job. I had to choose to be content to do what I could, to emphasize the parts that were encouraging to me and be okay when I couldn’t keep up with it all. I’ve become a fan of their online workouts at RevWellTV (available for a monthly fee) – there are different types of workouts, different instructors, and different skill/intensity levels. Something for everyone.

If you feel like now is the time to invest in your health, I can’t recommend this book and the people behind it highly enough.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

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SATURDAY SMORGASBORD: Spiritual Growth Resources from 2017

SATURDAY SMORGASBORD: Spiritual Growth Resources from 2017

Posted on by Jaymie

I have had fantastic luck this year finding terrific spiritual growth resources. I wanted to highlight a handful of them here today. These would make great Christmas gifts.

Draw the Circle – A 40-day prayer challenge. This was inspiring! I would have preferred to read it cover to cover because I enjoyed the writing so much, but I’m so glad I took it one day at a time.

Enjoying Jesus – This study on spiritual disciples from the folks at IF: Equip was exceptional. I completed the study with the folks at IF, and I enjoyed the videos that went along with the study. I have tried a lot of studies this year, trying to replicate the experience I had completing this study.

Enough – I chose “enough” as my word for 2017. Our pastor’s wife posted about this study  on Facebook, and as soon as I saw the title, I knew I had to try the study. It was excellent. I felt like I was able to split the sessions into polite-sized chunks to cover a portion each day and really dig into the material. I wanted to go deeper, not just check something off a list. I have a second study by these same folks waiting on my shelf for 2018.

Nothing to Prove – I read this with a group that was meeting each week on Facebook with the author. It was a timely book, working with my word for the year, “enough.” And I have purchased the Bible study that goes with this so I can spend more time with the material in 2018. You can read my review of the book here.

She’s Still There – Proverbs 31 hosted a study of this book that included videos and conference calls. The entire experience was excellent! I grew so much from working through this book. I’ll be reviewing this in 2018.

The Wellness Revelation – This may be the resource that impacted me most this year. This 8-week journey toward lifestyle change and pursuing wholeness was like a breath of fresh air. I’ll also be reviewing this in 2018. I highly recommend this book!