Friday, April 22, 2011

A Book Every Christian Woman Should Read


On April 6th I woke to a beautiful day, had a glorious personal time with the Lord, and read from the current book I was reviewing, A Deeper Kind of Calm by Linda Dillow.  15 minutes later I received a phone call which would drive every blessing that the Lord had given me that day, deep within my being.  My mother had had a stroke.

As I sat with her during the following weeks in the emergency room, the ICU, the hospital room and the rehab home, precious lessons from A Deeper Kind of Calm kept sifting through my heart: 
1.      We all have problems that we go through and they seem major at the time we are going through them.
2.      We should remember that God is our strength and as we have been helped in the past, He will continue to help us.
3.      When we are overwhelmed we can hide ourselves in Him and find comfort and strength to continue.  And…
4.      When it seems that the pressures of this life are too much to bear we need to cling all the tighter to our Father.


This book begins by asking three questions:
1.      Is it possible to go through the Valley of Weeping without falling apart?
2.      Is it possible to have joy in the midst of suffering?
3.      Is it possible to grow in intimacy with the Lord as we travel through the valley?

God has given many answers in His Word and Linda has gathered them together to teach us how we can be calm even in the midst of our tribulations.  Each chapter begins with a Psalm that illustrates how God wants us to handle our problems.  Starting from there, Linda dissects the Psalm searching for its full and deeper meaning.  She includes the background of the Psalm in which it was written.

This little book (103 pages) is chocked full of personal stories which illustrate the points she is making.  The back of the book includes a four-week study that can be used on your own or as a group Bible Study.  The questions are well-thought out and encourages you to think through what God is teaching you in His Word.

I highly recommend this book.  I rarely give a book my highest rating, but I would give this book a 10 out of 10 on my scale. J

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from NavPress Publishers as part of their Blogger Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commision's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

2 comments:

  1. Prayin' for your mom! How's she now, months later?
    Oh, and I put this book on my wish list :) Sounds really good :D

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  2. your post reminded me of sitting in ICU with my son after brain surgery. I wish you all the best. I appreciated your post- I wrote a book about being a mom and dealing with children with special needs and about our house burning down in the wildfires and God walking with me through it all- free excerpts at http://godonearthonline.com.

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