Good girl? Really? I wouldn't have given myself that title... not since maybe when I was really young. I wanted to read Emily's book because she is my friend. I had no idea that I needed this book!

As the pages started turning, I soon realized that these were MY feelings. MY thoughts. A core struggle that I have had since childhood. The difference is that my heart went way astray. A good girl who ended up going bad... sick and tired of always trying to live up to some standard. I have since given my heart and life back to Jesus, but I still have these people-pleasing tendencies.

 Grace for the Good Girl has 3 different sections:

• The Hiding, where Emily basically tells us what struggles we face as a good girl;
• The Finding, where she shows us how to breathe and overcome those struggles;
• The Freedom of Being Found, which tells us the life we have to look forward to when we allow Jesus to take complete control.

This book has brought me to laugh and to cry. I laughed a lot at myself, finally seeing in print the things that I have dealt with forever. I have cried over the pain caused to God, myself, and others because of my "good girl" ways that I never knew quite how to explain. Perfectionist, yes. But this surprised me.

I believe that all women need to read this book. You may be like me... not realizing that you have good girl tendencies. There is something in this book for everyone. Emily has shared her heart in a most transparent manner, and she offers us very practical explanations and illustrations that help us in our walk as believers.

The third section, The Freedom of Being Found, basically says we are safe when.... (you fill in the blank). Heartbreaking stories of hurt, failure, and fear, and the way women have responded, bring us to recognize where our true safety lies.

I am so thankful to Emily for bearing her soul in this book. It has been (and will continue to be) a blessing to me... and I'm sure it will be a blessing to you. Here is a video of Emily talking about Grace for the Good Girl:


Grace for the Good Girl is available NOW at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group. I received a free copy in exchange for posting this review.
 
So... on to the giveaway! :) I pre-ordered a copy before I found out that I would be included in the tour, so that means I have one ready to give away to one of you! Here's how you enter: Just tell me in a comment or an email why you want to read this book. Your good girl story. :)

Entries will close Monday night (September 19th) at midnight. I will announce the winner here on Tuesday, September 20th. Good luck!

****And the winner is.... MELODY from Life is a Bowl of Wedgies. :) Congratulations!!

The winner of a copy of Notes to Aspiring Writers is... Kandi Hampson! Thanks to all who entered... Don't forget that you can get Brooke's eBook right now for just $2.99 here: Notes to Aspiring Writers.

If you missed reading my review of this awesome book, you can read it here.

***And the winner of a copy of Notes to Aspiring Writers is... Kandi Hampson! Thanks to all who entered... Don't forget that you can get Brooke's eBook right now for just $2.99 here: Notes to Aspiring Writers.***


As an “aspiring writer,” I was excited to see what new tidbits of information Brooke had to offer. I have admired her since I found her in blogland. Her heart… her sweet spirit… her pure joy of writing… and her desire to see moms on their knees in prayer for their sons. What I found in this eBook was more than I expected.

You see, this “how to” eBook is not what you would think. It’s not about how to technically improve your writing. It’s about how to ready your heart for what the Lord has in store for your life. It’s about finding HIS plan for your life, NOT chasing your dreams.

As I have been preparing to leave for She Speaks, this very easy and quick read has spoken to my heart in a very convicting way. As I go to the conference this weekend, I will be seeking what God wants to do with me next. Not what I think is the next step in my writing journey.

If you are an aspiring writer (or anyone who is trying to figure out God’s plan for your life), I encourage you to read this great eBook. It will convict you and it will change your perspective… in a good way.

Thanks, Brooke, for giving me the opportunity to receive a copy for free to review for you. I am honored to be able to recommend Notes to Aspiring Writers to those who read this blog.

And as a special gift, I am allowed to give away ONE copy to a reader. Here are some ways you can get in on the giveaway:


You can do any or all of the above. Leave a comment below telling me each thing you did (obviously #3 will speak for itself)… and each will be a SEPARATE entry. :)

I will close the entries on Monday evening, July 25^th, at 5:00pm EST and the winner will be announced on Tuesday morning.

If you want to go ahead and buy the book so you can start reading, you can do so by this link: Notes to Aspiring Writers by Brooke McGlothlin.

After finding out how quickly Sarah Mae was able to sell a LOT of copies of her eBook, 31 Days to Clean: Having a Martha House the Mary Way, I was anxious to learn how she did it! So… I was excited to find it ready to download yesterday afternoon.

I sat down last night and was able to finish the whole book quickly. It is 77 pages, and a very easy read. Clear. Concise. Detailed. Well written.

You will find the following information in this book:

• Sarah’s story
• How the book business is changing… eBooks are becoming extremely popular
• How to choose your topic
• Marketing/promotion
• Upfront costs
• Where to publish
• How much to charge
• Social Media for Newbies
• Lots of resources… everything you need to get started

Sarah’s passion comes through in all of her writing and communication. This book is no different. If you have ever considered writing an eBook, this is a must-read. You will see that anyone can do this! You do not have to be a published writer or someone with a huge platform. You can do it!

Download Sarah’s awesome eBook here (and it’s pretty cheap!): How to Market and Sell Your eBook: Everything You Need to Know to Make Money With ePublishing.

There are very few books that I can say have truly changed my life. Radical by David Platt is one of them. As I read through the pages, my toes were continuously stepped on, as Platt encouraged me to chase God instead of chasing “the American Dream.” I’m not saying this is true for all churches, but in our culture in general, church has become more about OUR preferences and OUR comforts rather than what God is calling us to do… which is actually to get OUT of our comfort zones and share the gospel. Platt challenges us by saying that we have “missed what is radical about our faith and replaced it with what is comfortable.” OUCH! Instead of being about comfort, our Christianity should be about abandoning ourselves.

To sum up the book, one statement that Platt makes is the following: “While the goal of the American Dream is to make much of us, the goal of the gospel is to make much of God.” If we are really sold out to Christ, this should be our main goal in life… to make much of Him and to bring glory to Him. We should not be “selling out” to what the world wants us to do or what makes us “happy.” 

Radical becomes more intense and convicting with each chapter. Platt concludes with a challenge called “The Radical Experiment,” where he encourages us to dedicate one year to doing the following:

1. Pray for the entire world;
2. Read through the entire Word;
3. Sacrifice your money for a specific purpose;
4. Spend your time in another context;
5. Commit your life to a multiplying community.

To find out more about these challenges, read the book! This is truly a must-read for every person who claims Christ as Savior. It WILL change your life… and be prepared, because a lot of Platt’s statements and challenges will not be “easy” or “comfortable.”

I am thankful that I was able to receive a free copy of David Platt’s book, Radical, from Waterbrook Multnomah’s Blogging for Books program. 

Reading this on Facebook? Visit my blog: www.growwhereyoureplanted.com.

This month, I had the honor and privilege of receiving a book from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishers (a division of Random House) for my review. The book is called Primal… and is the latest writing by Mark Batterson, pastor of National Community Church in Washington, DC. As you can imagine, I was extremely excited about this opportunity, but had no idea just how much this book would change my life! Before I start my review, here is the description from the publisher:

Primal: A Quest for the Lost Soul of Christianity by Mark Batterson

Our generation needs a reformation.
But a single person won’t lead it.
A single event won’t define it.
Our reformation will be a movement of reformers living creatively, compassionately, courageously for the cause of Christ.

This reformation will not be born of a new discovery.  It will be the rediscovery of something old, something ancient.

Something primal.

What would your Christianity look like if it was stripped down to the simplest, rawest, purest faith possible? You would have more, not less. You would have the beginning of a new reformation—in your generation, your church, your own soul. You would have primal Christianity.

This book is an invitation to become part of a reformation movement. It is an invitation to rediscover the compassion, wonder, curiosity, and energy that turned the world upside down two thousand years ago. It is an invitation to be astonished again.

The Basics of Primal...
Love the Lord your God with all your HEART, all your SOUL, all your MIND, and all your STRENGTH! - Matthew 22:37

The HEART of Christianity speaks of having a holy COMPASSION! Our hearts should break for the things that break the heart of God!

The SOUL of Christianity is in looking for the WONDER of God’s creation and scripture. One of my favorite sentences in this entire book is the following: “Awed silence in the presence of divine beauty is a form of worship that is often deeper and truer than sung words.” 

The MIND of Christianity reminds us that we must be passionately CURIOUS! A good summary of this section is the following from Mark: “We need fewer commentators and more innovators. We need fewer critics and more creators. We need fewer imitators and more dreamers.” He also challenges us to rethink the "taking our thoughts captive"... it means MORE than just taking captive the negative thoughts and sins…

The STRENGTH of Christianity can be summarized best in two different quotes from Mark:

• "Pray like it depends on God and work like it depends on you."
• "Quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death. Go after a dream that is destined to fail without divine intervention.” (I'm reminded of a song... as I usually am! Listen to "Something Big" by John Waller.)

We are called to reflect God… His compassion (heart), His wonder (soul), His creativity (mind), and His energy (strength)!

My final thoughts about Primal…
Primal delivered everything that I expected… and more. As I started reading, I was drawn in by the challenge of stripping everything in life down to the basics. As I continued to read… the more challenged I became in my Christian walk… the more determined I became to pull every lesson possible from this book! It also grew incredibly clear that the entire point of Primal is to call us to a life based on The Great Commandment, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.”

Nothing more.

Nothing less.

Mark writes in a way that speaks deeply to hearts and minds. Primal is a book that can be read quickly, but should be given more time to digest. There is so much meat inside… so much that we can learn… It is not primarily a book about “how to grow a greater church” but instead “how to become a better disciple”. However, if we all begin to live the principles in Primal, I believe we will see the church experiencing a reformation like we have never seen before!

This is a great book to start off your reading for the new year… I truly believe this is the first “must read” of 2010!

If you would like to purchase Primal, you can purchase directly from Random House: www.randomhouse.com.

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