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Forever Beloved

Faith, Love & Truth

July 20, 2015

The Good, the Bad, and the Grace of God {Book Review}

The Good, the Bad, and the Grace of God
What Honesty and Pain Taught Us About Faith, Family, and Forgiveness
By Jep and Jessica Robertson, with Susy Flory

About the book:

A Moving Story of Redemption and Second Chances 

Jep Robertson, the youngest son of Duck Commander Phil Robertson, and his wife, Jessica, open up about their personal trials, their early years together, and the challenges that might have destroyed them both had the grace of God not intervened. Jep describes being molested as a child and his reluctance to tell anyone until only a few years ago, his downward spiral into drug and alcohol abuse, and the eventual intervention of his family. Jessica shares about the difficult failure of her first marriage while still a teenager and the hurt that came along with it, much of it from the church. Her insecurities spun out of control as she wondered whether she would ever be good enough or pretty enough. This book is their love story but, more importantly, their love story for God. 

“We are desperate to let people know that no matter what you’ve done; no matter what you’ve lived through, you can come out of it. You can be washed clean. You are redeemed.”

In this household, we love Duck Dynasty. They love God, guns, country, truth and they are silly. Sounds pretty similar to our fam. Not to mention their beards, which my husband also sports. There aren’t that many shows that promote faith and prayer and when we find one that does, we become faithful viewers.

I took this book on vacation with us, and dove into it straight away. I was excited to learn more about this family who’d already endeared themselves to me through their television series and their display of faith. I wasn’t disappointed. The one unique, refreshing, and comforting quality that recurred throughout the book was the raw honesty and transparency. Jep and Jessica are very candid, holding nothing back, while they share. Written in first person, alternating chapters, I love how this book flows. It’s like sitting in on a conversation. The chapters are also short which is how I prefer it, it holds my attention that way.

This is a true story of overcoming addiction, struggles and obstacles. It’s a story of redemption, forgiveness and grace. Jess and Jep teach us about God’s love and His ability to save us, even from ourselves. I have to admit, I shed more than a few tears throughout this book. They share their imperfections and struggles and show that they’re truly ordinary people with an extraordinary story of God’s forgiveness.



This book was provided to me free of charge by Book Look in return for my honest review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Jep first met Jessica in 2001 and they were married within two weeks of announcing their engagement. Jules Jeptha “Jep” Robertson is the youngest son of Phil and Kay Robertson from A + E’s hit series Duck Dynasty. Jessica grew up hunting with her father on the weekends in the woods of Louisiana and previously worked as a licensed real estate agent. Jep and Jessica are proud parents of 4 children: Lily, Merritt, Priscilla, and River.

Filed in: book review, Uncategorized • by Amy • Leave a Comment

June 30, 2015

Anchored {Book Review}

Anchored
Finding Hope in the Unexpected
by Kayla Aimee

About the book:

Based on the verse from Hebrews 6:19, Kayla Aimee’s memoir weaves emotion and humor together to answer the question of where God is in the midst of suffering. Feeling as fragile as her one and a half pound daughter, she finds herself facing her greatest fear; that she may have finally become a mother just to lose her only child. With vulnerability and plenty of wit, Kayla lays bare her struggle to redefine her faith, her marriage, and herself within the context of a tragedy she never saw coming.

Years ago, this girl was obsessed with scrapbooking.  The amount of obsession I had cannot even be described.  There was just something about having my fingers all covered in ink and paint that soothed my soul. Expressing myself artistically while documenting our life was just a perfect fit. And one of the scrappers that I looked up to was Kayla Aimee. Her style, her wit, her charm and her way with words all drew me in. So when I saw this book up for review, I nearly tripped over myself trying to rush to get it.

Years ago, when Scarlette was born, I followed Kayla’s blog. So every chance she had to post, I was there reading the update. I prayed for this tiny soul back then. I prayed for Kayla’s Mama heart, knowing it was hurting. It was so surreal reading through the book, because of those reasons.

I completely believe some women are just born with a heart to be a Mama. Like myself, Kayla just wanted to be a Mama. But a struggle with infertility made that just a dream. When that dream finally became a reality, her faith was tested at 24 weeks gestation when she went into labor. Her daughter, Scarlette, weighed one-and-a-half pounds at birth. Kayla spent the next six months visiting her daughter in the NICU measuring days one heart beat at a time.

I’m telling y’all, this book is real, raw, sad, hilarious and everything in between.  You may have tears, but you’ll be laughing through them.  Kayla has a way with words that is just unexplainable.  It was a book that once I started reading it, I couldn’t put it down.  Aren’t those the best kinds?!

Anchored covers life just before Scarlette was born, all the way through after coming home from the hospital, with various other memoir type life events and memories thrown in throughout.  It’s definitely a book I would recommend to all Mama’s out there!

Kayla Aimee is a writer, mother and slightly spirited southern girl who spends her days uncovering hope and humor in unexpected places. She makes her home and garden in the honeysuckle drenched hills of northern Georgia with her husband, Jeff and daughter Scarlette. Kayla shares stories of faith, family and her favorite things at www.kaylaaimee.com

Filed in: book review, Uncategorized • by Amy • Leave a Comment

June 19, 2015

Soul Friends {Book Review}

Soul Friends
What Every Woman Needs to Grow in Her Faith
By Leslie Parrott

About the book:

Dr. Leslie Parrott is speaking the heart-language of women in her new book that shares how friendships are essential for spiritual formation – for women of all ages. 

In Soul Friends, Dr. Leslie Parrott brings you into an intimate and vulnerable conversation about the life-changing value of deep-spirited friendships and soul-altering relationships. 

Whether it’s a new friend, a member of a small group, or a friend we’ve had for years, these soul-friends embody the grace that enables us to take a next step in the unfolding journey of our lives. God has great purpose, intention, and fulfillment in the give-and-take of deep-spirited friendships. If we purposely cultivate them, God will bring us soul-friends to help us along our spiritual journey. 

Leslie reveals how every woman traverses four stages of growth—quest, calling, crisis, and communion – again and again. And whatever stage you find yourself traveling right now, you need soul friends to help you move forward. 

With courageous honesty and heart-felt revelation and reflection, Leslie reminds every woman of the incredibly intimate, intricate, faith-forming work God does in her through the gift of soul friends he places in her life.

This book had four main parts: quest, crisis, calling and communion. There were two questions at the end of each of the 34 devotionals to help the reader tie things together and reflect on what they just read. The chapters are very short–HUGE bonus for this reader as longer chapters totally loose me in non-fiction books.

Leslie’s personal stories, Bible references, and quotes and stories from Christian women throughout history all worked together to convey her message. Her choice of The Message version of the Bible was perfect because of the poetic nature of the book. Her frequent references to Winnie-the-Pooh and his friends added an extra touch of fun.

This book was provided to me free of charge by Book Look in return for my honest review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Dr. Leslie Parrott is a marriage and family therapist and co-director with her husband, Dr. Les Parrott, of the Center for Relationship Development at Seattle Pacific University. She is the author of First Drop of Rain and God Made You Nose to Toes, and co-author with her husband of several bestselling books, including the Gold Medallion Award-winner Saving Your Marriage Before It Starts. Leslie is a columnist for Today’s Christian Woman and has been featured on Oprah, CBS This Morning, CNN, and The View, and in USA Today and the New York Times. Leslie lives in Seattle with her husband and their two sons. www.LesandLeslie.com

Filed in: book review, Uncategorized • by Amy • Leave a Comment

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Wife & Mama • Iced coffee seeker & curator of chaos • Collector of words & magic • Obsessed with laughter & bright lipstick • Dreaming & homesteading in the hills of PA

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