Let.It.Go by Karen Ehman

Back in the fall I was on the search for a Bible study for the ladies Bible study group I lead at church. We have never done any of the Proverbs 31 Ministries studies, so I decided to check them out. There was a new one about to be released, Let.It.Go. by Karen Ehman... How to Stop Running the Show and Start Walking in Faith.  Being  somewhat of a control freak, this one sounded right up my alley!  So I ordered the book, the study guide and the DVD. 

I have to say that Proverbs 31 is very reasonable when it comes to their DVDs!  There books and study guides are about the norm, but their DVDs are a much better price than most of the studies I teach.  I was thrilled.

This review is for all of these items BUT you could easily read the book with out the Study Guide or DVD and get a great deal out of.  

My intention was to work through this on my own and then I learned of an online Bible study group that was going to do this study starting in February, so I signed up!  What fun it was to do with other ladies but it is definitely one that can be done on your own.

Ehman is a self-professed control freak who reaches out with great openness to woman who feel the need to manage every bit of their life (as well as their husband and kids and friends etc.) to death!  In the end, we put more pressure on ourselves and cause more stress and strain in our relationships.. including the most important one.. our relationship with God.

Through humor and personal experiences, Ehman guides you into the Word and personal introspection to discover the freedom that can be found in Letting Go!  Control is not bad.. it is over control that leads to lack to trust and the inability to walk in faith and let God be God!

The DVD offers a bit of personal input from Ehman and while a good bit of the material on it is covered in the book, I really loved being able to listen to her and then read it.  It seemed to help drive some of those points home.  The Study Guide is, to me, a bit weak for a group study. But it would be good for personal study or quiet time.  It reinforces what is taught on DVD and in the book, as well as takes the reader further into the Word... which is always a good thing!

Overall I enjoyed the study. I am not sure it will work for my ladies group, but I have ideas how to use it in my church's Women's Ministry and it effected my personal life.

If you are a control freak or just like to hang on to everything a bit too tightly, this would be a good read for you.

Meet Me at The Well by Virelle Kidder

Ever feel like your sinking into a deep dark hole... like life is swallowing you up and there is no where to run? Virelle Kidder understands and she can tell you how to not only survive, but thrive.

Meet Me At the Well is Kidder's story of a year straight from the depths and then a series of events that could only have been orchestrated by God to provide a new start... a fresh perspective... release.

He wants to do the same for you.  Grab this month long devotional read, your Bible, a journal and pen, then dive in one day at a time and let God (through Kidder) speak new life and peace into your stress-filled existence.

not a fan by Kyle Idleman

The subtitle to this book is "Becoming a Completely Committed Follower of Jesus" and that is the challenge Idleman sets forth for believers. If asked, are you a follower of Christ most of us would answer YES without hesitation, but as you read this book you begin to see where that may not be true. ... you may be more of a fan, an enthusiastic admirer.

Idleman does not come up with this theory out on his own... he bases it soundly and squarely in Scripture.. and not random bits of Scripture edited to make it "fit" his thoughts.  No, he digs into a few key passages and verses and teaches the reader from Christ's Words.

Reading this book feels a bit like sitting in a small group discussion... very frank and intimate.. no holding back, no sugar coating, and yet no condemnation.. more challenge and encouragement.

not a fan will challenge you to consider the cost of calling yourself Christian.  It calls you to take a good look at your relationship with the Lord and determine if you are truly living the life or just sitting in the stands cheering.

Authentic Relationships by Wayne Jacobsen & Clay Jacobsen

A friend mentioned this book on FaceBook and the subtitle caught my eye.. "discover the lost are of 'one anothering'"  After reading a quote or two my friend posted and asking him about the book, I decided to order it.  Wow!  Good decision on my part!  This is truly a wonderful book... one I think every Christ-follower should read.

The Jacobsen brothers point out that their are verses (commands) throughout the Bible that tell us how to treat our fellow Christians.  And if we would only heed God's word, we would find true authentic lasting vital relationships within the body that in turn make us more effected as we reach out to those outside the body.

While the book does not focus on ever single "one another" verse, it does cover many and, honestly, most of the ones they cover encompass virtues that are found in the ones not discussed.  We look at loving one another, honoring one another, encouraging one another, praying for and with one another, submitting to one another, forgiving one another, being kind to one another and more.

This book can be used for a small group study and has discussion questions for each chapter. If you choose to read it alone, as I did, these questions can be used for deeper meditation and digging into the Word.

I tend to underline and highlight in my non-fiction books. This one is full of pen marks and asterisks.  I have already gone back and looked at things again and again and have no doubt I will continue to do so. I also know that I will be ordering more of this book and giving it to friends and family. NOT because I think they are doing a poor job in their relationships, but because this is just a great focused tool that points us to Scripture and how God wants us to live.  It teaches us, again through Scripture, how to be the church not just go to church.

"One Anothering"... definitely a lost art and one I, personally, hope to revive in my life.

Radical by David Platt

The title pretty much sums up the book... Radical.  Platt calls Believers in Christ... those who profess Him, who call themselves Christian, to lead a Radical life. NOT  a life Platt has designed, but the life God has laid out for us in His Word.  

Platt contends that we have created a Jesus in our own image.. nice, safe, comfortable... and in doing so, we have turned away from the Call placed on us in the Scriptures to be different.  We have sold out our Faith for the American Dream and have rationalized it as God's Blessings on us and our nation.  

Platt's challenge is to dig into the Scriptures and see if that really lines up with God's Word.  You will quickly learn that it doesn't.  

Platt does not provide a step-by-step plan of what you do to be the Christian God calls you to do. He does not advocate every believer sell their home and move to another country. What he does advocate is spending time in the Word and prayer and seeking God and His plan for you and your family (if you have one).

This book is chocked full of Scripture... very Biblically based... and very sound.  It will make you rethink basically every aspect of your life and hopefully lead you to truly search out the path God has for you.

The Promise by Robert J. Morgan

I have quickly become a fan of Mr. Morgan's writing.  In The Promise, he focuses on a very familiar verse... Romans 8:28 "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose" (NIV) What a powerful promise!


In the first half of the book, Morgan takes this verse apart bit by bit. That might sound silly to some, after all the verse makes total sense. But there is so much more here than meets the eye. I was wowed from the start when he was able to get a chapters worth of wonderful insight from 2 simple words.. "We know".... 


The second half of the book looks at other scripture that echoes the promise of Romans 8:28. I love seeing God repeat the same thing in more than one part of the Bible. Especially when the same promise is found in the Old and New Testament.  It drives home how important this is to the Father.


So why learn about Romans 8:28... isn't knowing the verse enough? Well, maybe it is. But Morgan challenges the reader to do more than know it. He wants us to LIVE it.. to pray and act and love and serve and everything else according to the truth found in this verse. And in The Promise, he not only teaches us many of the treasures hidden in this Word, but he also shares ways to walk it out.


Excellent book!  Mine is marked up and will be referred back to often, I am sure.

The Red Sea Rules by Robert J. Morgan

Morgan is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. A dear friend told me about this book and I kept thinking "Hmmm.. that name is familiar."  Well it should be!  One of my absolute favorite devotional types books is He Shall Be Called (based on the names of Jesus) and the author is Robert J. Morgan.  I also have a devotional that my husband and I gave his mother years ago entitled Then Sings My Soul which Morgan also wrote. Each devotional thought looks at a classic hymn.

The Red Sea Rules has 2 subtitles... 10 God Given Strategies for Difficult Times and The Same God Who Led You in Will Lead You Out.

Morgan looks at Exodus chapter 14 and gleans from it truths that most of us miss when reading. We see a story... we look at the action... but rarely do we look at the events and wonder what can I learn from this.  Morgan shows us just that.  Moses and the children of Israel were caught between the Egyptian army and the Red Sea... trapped.. overwhelmed... we have all been there! But God delivered them and He will deliver us too.

The Red Sea Rules shows the reader how to see God in the midst of turmoil.  How to trust Him and let Him guide you.  Morgan has ten strategies based on the Israelites' situation that will teach you to move from fear to faith.

An excellent read whether you are in the midst of a Red Sea moment or on the other side.  A reminder that God is in control and that "the God who led you in will lead you out."

(I stated at the beginning that Morgan was quickly becoming a favorite author. I am currently reading his book The Promise based on Romans 8:28.  A review will be coming soon.)

Forgotten God by Francis Chan

Forgotten God is a powerful book about the Holy Spirit... the often forgotten part of the Holy Trinity.  It seems believers know all the right things to say about the Holy Spirit, but don't really understand who He is nor do they walk in the power of the Holy Spirit, which is available to them.  Chan shares how God puts the Holy Spirit in us to empower, guide, comfort, reveal and more.  We are not alone... we are not powerless.. so why do we act as if we are?

Downpour by James MacDonald

It has taken me a while to read through this book. You could certainly fly through it, but I decided to take my time and chew on what MacDonald had to say and to apply the various exercises he gives at the end of each chapter.

Downpour is a book about revival... renewal... refreshment... reinvigoration... and it is a book that holds no punches.

There are five pictures MacDonald paints..


God on the Throne: A Picture of Holiness
Sin in the Mirror: A Picture of Brokenness
Self in the Dirt: A Picture of Repentance
Christ on the Cross: A Picture of Grace
Spirit in Control: A Picture of Power

This is not a 5 easy steps to a better relationship with God book... in fact, I would say it is more like 5 difficult steps.  But it is worth it! Downpour will lead you to look at yourself and your relationship with God in a new light. To really see God as holy... to see your sin as God sees it, not just as some little "bad" stuff you do every once in a while... to understand that repentance takes more than words.... to grasp what Jesus truly did on the cross and how that Grace still flows down today... and to realize your need for a continual infilling of the Holy Spirit to live as Christ would have you to live.

It is a wonderful book that will challenge and encourage you to seek more in your walk with the Lord.

A Praying Life by Paul E. Miller

I forget where I heard about or read about this book, but I am so glad I did!  It is a wonderful book to breathe some fresh air into your prayer life.  In the last section, Miller covers some practical points like using prayer cards and journals and such, but through out the first 2/3s he just shares prayer stories and what God has taught him as he has developed his praying life. 

His thoughts will encourage and challenge... they will make you stop and think about how you pray and why... and whether or not you pray just because it is something Christians do or if you really expect an answer.  He  prays about everything with unabashed boldness... after all, God wants to be a part of our lives.. ALL of it. 

This is not a 5 steps to a better prayer life book.. nor is it a theological tome on prayer... it is an open and honest look at prayer and how it looks in one man's life and how it could look in yours.

Crazy Love by Francis Chan

I think I am one of the last people in my church to read this book! I have been hearing about it for so long and have had it on my to-read list... but that is a LONG list and it has taken forever to get here!

I can say that all the good things I have heard are true! Crazy Love is definitely a book worth reading. BUT what really made it even more wow for me was to go to the website and read about the author... Francis Chan. I am not one who is easily impressed, but I am with Chan. He is truly a man after God's own heart striving to walk it out every day.

In Crazy Love he encourages all believers to do just that.. walk out their faith... by embracing the enormity of God's love for us and letting it overflow through us onto every one we meet.

This book is drenched in Scripture, so this is not Chan's theory or original idea. He has drawn from God's Word to show us that God wants more for us than living the same ole life everyone else on the planet lives... the status quo... He has the Abundant Life waiting for us if only we will let go and live it!

i am not but i know I AM by Louie Giglio

A small book that packs a big punch! Giglio gets to the heart of the matter... our need to see God as who He really is and to see ourselves in light of that.... to realize that it is all about Him... that we can accomplish nothing of value apart from Him. This is not a book that degrades humans and makes you feel worthless, on the contrary... it is a book that frees you from having to carry the load! We have been invited to share in His-story... the greatest adventure of all time! And when life hits us hard and we question it, the answer is found in 2 simple words... I AM! Excellent book! A must read!