A hardy book well worth it

FOUR STARS: REVIEW OF As Silver Refined: Answers to Life’s Disappointments by Kay Arthur

This book is well worth purchasing. It is so meaty and hardy—and is virtually two books in one. The book itself is more than 275 pages long while the additional 13-week Bible Study at the end consisting of 75 plus pages. Talk about really being able to dig into God’s Word!

The book talks to readers about refining their lives—how God can take what is impure and make it pure and turn the dull into beautiful. Issues in the book include how to use one’s past to move forward toward the future and how God can use the things in your life to make you into someone He “can use in the lives of others to show them that no matter where they’ve been, no matter how deep the hole, no matter how painful the trial, there’s hope. There is victory (page 118).” Chapter topics include: understanding disappointment, past regrets, facing stress, victory over discouragement, and the secret of endurance.

Arthur also weaves in her own personal stories of suicide, her prodigal son, and her father’s unexpected death throughout the book allowing the reader to connect. It is also chocked full of Scripture which I appreciate. This is no surprise, though, after all Arthur is the queen of Inductive Bible study at Precept Ministries.

*I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

Mark Batterson has done it again!

FIVE STARS: SoulPrint: Discovering Your Divine Destiny by Mark Batterson

Mark Batterson has done it again!

I have been a big fan of Batterson since I read In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day, and Soul Print doesn’t disappoint. As always, Batterson is a masterful writer that makes the biblical stories jump off the page. The book is full of deep insight, but also contains plenty of humor. Soulprint is educational and entertaining all rolled into one!

Using biblical David as a foundational prototype model, Batterson shows readers how to find their unique soulprints. While our chief objective is to be just like Jesus, Batterson says our other destiny is “to be unlike anyone who has ever lived…to become like Christ is to become unlike anyone else. He sets us free from who we’re not, so we can become who we were designed to be.”

The book is separated into five major sections—Holy Confidence, Lifesymbols, The Crags of the Wild Goats, Alter Ego, and The Devil’s Workshop—which helps readers discover their authentic, unique soulprint. At the end of the book is a very useful tool where Batterson notes the key ides from each chapter along with discussion questions to use for further self-discovery or with a group.

This book is a must read for those seeking to stretch themselves for the sake of discovering their divine destiny.

*I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.