She's All That (Spa Girls Series #1) is the beginning book in yet another delightful series by Kristin Billerbeck.

This is the pefect book for single and married career gals everywhere as Kristin lightheartedly writes of the adventures of a 20-something year old single woman with a degree in finance but a dream for fashion design! Follow Lilly on the all-to-realistic path of turmoil that only a woman can experience who is trying to find her way in life by doing what she is passionate about doing but has no means to finance that passion.

And what woman is complete without her two best friends to cheer her on every step of the way in her venture to starting her very own business? Morgan and Poppy, the completion to the spa trio, enter the story line with their own individual personalities and way of living that readers will relate to either personally or as they think of their own girlfriends.

She's All That (Spa Girls Series #1) is a book packed with quick-witted humor and a good dose of reality in the life of a real-world career women trying to pursue her dreams! This is the type of book that a woman can come home to at the end of a day, sit down and read, and feel completely valildated in her own life because there it is, in written form, via Lilly's life!

Posted by True Hope Counseling at 05:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Usually I finish a book before I write a review on it but I am currently two chapters into a book that I am finding so awesome I have to promote it before I finish! Becoming A Contagious Christian is a book that grabbed me from the first page!

Often, when I hear the word "evangelism" I freeze in my tracks. It prompts visions of over-zealous Christians thumping Bibles, yelling, "repent and be ye saved", and acting holier than thou to the "unrepentant". This is something I want no part of.

And yet, at the same time, I have a heart desire for those who don't know Christ to find Him and experience for themselves the abundant life that He alone can offer. I have often been at a loss as to how to do this without being "preachy" but this book has clearly shown me the way!

Simply put, live the life they don't have but would like! Be a contagious Christian! Be a person who loves people! Living like that will open doors you never dreamed could be opened! It's as easy as that.

If you have a fear of "evangelism" this is the perfect book for you to read. Not only will it ease your fears, it will also build an incredible excitement in you as you consider that simply living your life with Jesus as the center can be your biggest tool in reaching others for Him!

Posted by True Hope Counseling at 04:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I am a person who avoids the book section of Christian bookstores that holds the "romance literature". I have never cared for books that read like overly dramatic scenes in a poorly written movie with phrases like, "She wept profusely and shouted out as she pounded his chest, 'Why me? Why does my life have to be so hard!?' or, "he gathered her up in his arms and decared, 'I love you so darling. God help me, I love you so!' " *GAG*

Therefore, it was with much trepidation when I picked up What a Girl Wants (Book 1 of the Ashley Stockdale Series) on a recent library run, due to running out of good reading material. I was pleasantly surprised to find myself hooked by the end of the first page!

Kirstin Billerbeck writes with a refreshingly real sense of what it means to be a woman - - and a single woman to boot - - out in the real world. There is not fluffy, non-realistic romance and drama in this series! Instead, the reader is given caustic and dry humor as written from the first person perspective of a single woman who is stuck in the church singles group that she calls "The Reasons", watches her best friend start a family, gets nagged by family about still beng single, and has a job that uses her because, "well, she's single and has the time to give to it."

As a single woman until the age of 30 I related to this book and kept thinking of all my single friends that would love to read it! Married women would love to read it for that matter, as it not only deals with singleness but the realities of being a woman in today's world.

All three books of this series were excellent, captivating, and books I could completely relate to, both past and present. Kristin Billerbeck now has a new fan and an avid one at that!!! Thank heavens for realistic "chick-lit" that hits the nail on the head instead of creating fantasy's the don't really exist for any of us - - unless you're living a Paris Hilton life that is. . .

Posted by True Hope Counseling at 04:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Facing Terror: The True Story of How An American Couple Paid the Ultimate Price Because of Their Love of Muslim People is not only a missionary story, it is a love story.

Usually when a book starts out with the main plot first and grabs my attention but then backs up to "how it all began" in Chaper 2, I lose my interest quickly. This was not the case with Facing Terror as told by Carrie Mcdonnell. Carrie captured my entire attention as she shared the story of how her and her husband David met, became friends, courted, and fell deeply in love.

Because I was so drawn into the love story that Carrie shared, by the time I was brought back around to the main crux of the story of Carrie, David, and three other missionaries being attacked in Mosul Iraq, I was emotionally involved with them and found my heart racing as she continued to speak of the terror and emotional anguish that followed the attack against them.

Carrie is a modern-day hero that rises up out of the ashes of a tragic story. A tragic story, and yet, at the same time, a beautiful story of ultimate love and sacrifice. My heart was deeply touched by this book and I will not soon forget what Carrie had the courage to share with her readers.

Posted by True Hope Counseling at 03:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

After giving birth to my daughter, old eating disorder issues began to emerge in my life once again causing alternate desires to starve or binge and purge. Thankfully, knowing myself, I was prepared for this to happen and had an action plan firmly in place to be used at a moment's notice.

Part of that plan included digging out the book the intially showed the pathway of recovery for me back in 2002, Weigh Down Diet.

The concepts in Gwen's Book are simple: God made our bodies to run on fuel, aka, food. He designed us to eat as much as we need and therefore, have the fuel we need. to live life. When we eat more than we need for living life on a daily basis, we gain fat.

In other words, we need to learn to pay close attention to the body signals God created us to have in order to function in a healthy manner. This means eating when hungry, stopping when full. As basic as these principles are, they are the key that I found in 2002 when I began to really pursue freedom from my anorexia and occasional bouts of bulimia.

Gwen has written a book that addresses the phsyical, spiritual, mental, and even emotional dimensions of eating disordered behavior and provides great spiritual insight in how to find freedom. Although the book was originally written for those struggling with over-eating and obesity, it's basic principles are also foundational for those who under-eat and/or purge after eating for the purpose of maintaining a thin body.

This will be the 5th time I have read through this book in six years, and as always, I find it a refreshing and motivational encouragment to take care of my body the way God originally intended for it to be taken care of. This is not to say that I don't stuggle with the old ED mentality on a daily basis but it is to say that reviewing the truths in this book help me fight the battle on a daily basis and go to bed each night saying, "Today I lived in victory! Thank you Lord!"

Posted by True Hope Counseling at 05:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

As a woman who is a new Mama, getting back into a simple but healthy exercise program was important to me after giving birth. Karrie Amamany's book Post-Pregnancy Pilates: An Essential Guide for a Fit Body After Baby was the perfect book for me to do so!

Throughout most of my pregnancy I was either ill with severe nausea or on bed-rest. During labor I sustained some labor-related injuries and both pregnancy and labor complications combined made getting back into a regular work-out a slow and challenging process. This particular book helped me do so however, and in such a way that I was still able to heal while gradually retraining my muscles.

Karrie begins with a basic, simple work-out to be used immediately after giving birth, which involves simply re-learning to breath, stand, and sit correctly now that the baby is no longer making those things difficult.

The beginning part of her program helps a post-partum woman get in touch with muscles that were over-taxed and used during pregnancy and which need to relearn healthy positioning and use. Using simple breathing and stretching techniques Karrie leads the reader into a basic and foundational work-out that is pain free and actually a great stress reliever for a new Mama.

As the post-partum weeks progress Karrie adds more pilates and yoga based exercises into the program so that at 3-6 months post-partum a woman is fully ready to be back to her pre-pregnancy workout.

As a new Mama, I consider this book to be a must-have for any woman about to give birth or who just gave birth and desires to begin getting back in shape!

Posted by True Hope Counseling at 04:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Oftentimes, for women who are raw and hurting, reading in-depth books takes more mental and emotional energy than she has in her current state. T.D. Jakes has designed a devotional guide for women in need of healing that can be read one day at a time, even in the darkest of times.

Hope for Every Moment: 365 Days to Healing, Blessings, and Freedom is a simple book that I would highlyl reccommend for any woman who is struggling to the point of barely making it. With a simple Scripture verse at the top of each page, T.D. Jakes touches the deepest parts of a wounded woman's heart in these daily readings.

Drawing from years of ministering to women in need of God's hope and healing, Jakes addresses everything from abuse to betrayal to inadequacy in this book and is sure to touch many women right where they are at in their healing journey.

Posted by True Hope Counseling at 04:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Ever the Phillip Yancey fan, I was excited when I saw my church was planning on starting a study of Bible Jesus Read, The for Sunday School.

I quickly picked up a copy that was layiing in the adult Sunday School room and began reading. As always, Yancey, with his authentic and real-life honesty, grabbed my attention.

With stark candor, Yancey writes of his struggles with reading certain Old Testament books such as Deuteronomy and the Prophets because of his hesitation that they can actually be applicable to today's Christian. He speaks of the Psalms as being somewhat of a bi-polar book that can be emotionally exhausting to read and expresses limited human understanding of how God could allow what He did in Job. And yet, as he goes on to write, these books make up the Bible that Jesus had and there must be a reason beyond the first glance look that these books seem to give, that they exist in the Bible.

With his usual faithful study of the hard issues of God's Word, Yancey digs deeper into each of these books and grapples with the questions that they raise for him and fellow believers. Then, the conclusion of each individual study he then shares what each book comes to mean to him and the relevance that it can have to us, even in today's modern world.

For those who struggle with Old Testament reading in their devotional times, Bible Jesus Read, The is a refreshing book to read that will more than likely make the reader a bit more eager to read those formerly avoided Old Testament books!

Posted by True Hope Counseling at 04:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

When I first heard about the concept of teaching babies sign language, I passed it off as overly-ambitious parents pursuing the latest fad. However, as I researched it further, it began to make sense to me.

Although babies are able to begin grasping certain concepts at an early age they are not able to verbalize these concepts with spoken words. An infant or toddler may realize when they are hungry but are unable to say, "I'm hungry, can you feed me?" , simply because they have not developed speech yet. With basic sign language skills they can demonstrate to their parents what they need or want in a particular moment.

Baby sign uses basic American Sign Language and is able to be used by babies before they are able to vocally form the words they need to communicate to their parents. This can eliminate guesswork and frustration for both parent and child as they are better able to understand each other through the use of sign.

Research has not only shown that babies are quick to grasp basic signs for things like, "eat, wet, cold, hot, bathroom", but they are also quicker to begin talking at an earlier age if they are taught baby sign. Whereas it was originally believed that by teaching the baby sign language speech development would be delayed, the opposite has proven true.

One of the simplest books I have found to date is Teach Your Baby to Sign: An Illustrated Guide to Simple Sign Language for Babies. Offering a comprehensive list of words infants and young children would need for communication purposes on a daily basis, this book gives clear illustrations of how to do each sign.

While the inital thought may be that this will be a complicated task of having to learn sign language in addition to being involved in the busyness of motherhood, I personally, have already found this to be easier than expected. During the first week of incorporating this into my baby's and my life, I thought about the different things I was doing, such as feeding her or changing her dirty diaper and looked up the signs for that particular activity. I then began implementing them into my speaking with her as I began and accomplshed each of those tasks. I had to look the signs up a few times before I remembered them but within three weeks I had remembered all of them and have been using them ever since. Although my daughter is still too young to use the signs herself I am excited about the day that she will begin using them to tell me what she needs from me! I'm also excited about using this early year base of basic ASL as a foundation for her having a second language later on in life.

Posted by True Hope Counseling at 05:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)