Every Christian faces doubts about his/her faith walk at some time in life and Joyce Meyer’s latest book UNSHAKEABLE TRUST addresses how one can face these doubts, Bible in hand and prayer in the heart. Ms. Meyer honestly approaches the topic and is not afraid to admit that she has faced doubts in her own life and how she has overcome them. But she also admits that it is a daily battle because we must overcome Satan daily. Her advice is practical and Biblical, and this one-of-a-kind book is one that every Christian should have on the shelf to refer to when the doubts come. I particularly enjoyed the definititons of faith as a noun and trust as an action verb. I also enjoyed the life stories that Ms. Meyer shared that made the teachings that she was sharing more real and applicable to life. Each chapter begins with a Scripture and Ms. Meyer instructs the reader how to pray through the lack of faith until victory is achieved. I enjoyed the book and appreciated the chance to read it, since I have difficulty with doubt. I say I have faith, but as Ms. Meyer points out, we frequently have faith for a limited amount of time, and out schedule is not always that of the Lord. Her insight is thought provoking and will stay with me for a long time. I read the e-book for Netgalley, but I would like a hard copy of the book as a reference tool, just to remind myself that I can have “Unshakeable Trust” in an Almighty God who loves me and wants the best for me.

 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. 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 Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”

In 2002 I first became a grandmother and decided that I would be called “Nanna.”  I did not realize how much these little people would get into my mind and heart, but they have become so much a part of me that my prayers are with them constantly.  I have three children:  Hope, Scott and Steven.  They have blessed me with nine grandchildren and I will try to write about them in birth order. First was Isaac, who is in high school for the first time this year.  Isaac is garrulous and loves video games and Boy Scouts.  He enjoys watching “Monk” with me when he visits and likes to go off on adventures with his grandfather.  He loves to do math problems but he doesn’t like reading much, even though I have tried to tell him how important it is. Tyler followed a month later and is extremely bright and reclusive, but also very strong and athletic.  He is a great soccer player, or so I have heard.  I have never actually been able to attend a match. He reads constantly and is very good at putting things together, from legos to robots.  Our first princess arrived next-Iris.  Iris is special in many ways, not the least of which is that she is autistic and does not speak much.  I am always hopeful that she will one day come out of her shell and just start to speak her mind, but so far that has not happened.  It is heartbreaking, but it is a matter of daily prayer, also. Teya came a few months after Iris.  Teya is athletic and quiet and thoughtful.  She is the first one to notice if someone needs something and also the first one to run to her mom to get help. Teya is devoted to whatever her current interest is and right now that is gymnastics; she is very good at it and spends hours practicing so that she will be better.  Teryn was born next and I call her Ter-Bear because she has always wanted to cuddle, since the first time I held her.  She still cuddles, but she also likes to read voraciously, devouring all books that she can find. She is also a gymnast like her big sister Teya and practices hard and cheerfully.  Little Tinslea came next and is my namesake, so of course she is special.  Her mom Hope says she is like me in a lot of ways, the bad ones.  She is stubborn and  precocious all at the same time.  And she is very smart about it!  (Sounds a lot like me.)  After Tinslea was Penny who now says that she is a “big, strong girl” as she climbs a rock above her six-foot daddy Steven’s head.  She is a little daredevil who has captured my heart with her smile and her curls, not to mention her teasing sense of humor that is way above her age level. She and I share a banana and cuddles each morning when we visit Maryland, and she enjoys reading stories and going to the “libelly”.  (library). After Penny was born, Tessa Serenity went to Heaven to be with Jesus before I got to meet her.  I know she will be a special treasure to meet once I get there.  Finally, but not least, there is Teagan, the little eight-month old who has just recently learned to crawl and is now beginning to stand up.  Born at Christmas time, Teagan Noelle is a gift to all of us but especially to her mom Hope, with her one dimple that is always smiling and her easy temperament. She has a second mom in Teya, a third mom in Teryn and a would-be mom with Tinslea. So she has ample caregivers!  And Tyler has been known to come out of his bedroom to walk her around and talk to her, too.  So, you see, I am a blessed Nanna, with alliteration:  I have I’s in one family, T’s in another and one P in another.  Steven and his wife Nina say they will have more (oh happy day for me!) but they don’t plan on following the whole alliteration thing.  Oh, well.  I can live with that, as long as I am Nanna!

Dean Koontz writes horror fiction that makes you think.  Well, his newest book not only makes you think, it makes you think, “Oh, no!  This could really happen!”  Jane Hawk is an FBI agent married to a career military man with a small son when the unthinkable happens.  Nick commits suicide, for apparently no reason.  And Jane is determined to find out why.  But her investigation puts her and Travis in danger, so she hides Travis in a safe space with friends and sets out on her own to find out how it is possible for so many people to suddenly commit suicide. Her investigation leads her to California and some really strange people who are doing more than messing with people’s minds.  Jane is more in danger every day as she gets closer to the truth, and she does not have the FBI behind her any more.  In fact, she is on the FBI’s list of Most Wanted for the actions she has had to take to get to the bottom of the criminal enterprise that is controlling people’s minds.  Jane is a heroine who will not be stopped and the book is one that you won’t be able to put down.  From the beginning to the end, it will grab you and capture your attention.  This is a thriller that you will not want to end and when it does, you will be waiting breathlessly for the next installment.

I think that I have always enjoyed reading, or at least I cannot remember a time when I did not like it. I was born with asthma so I was limited in the number of activities I was allowed to do, and reading was a safe one for me, so I immersed myself in books from a very young age.  I read all of the Bobbsey Twin books, then went on to read Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys.  I shared my mother’s love of Victoria Holt and Phyllis Whitney.  For a while, when I was a young wife, I read a lot of romance, including Danielle Steel and others.  I now read a lot of Christian fiction, mysteries, thrillers, and some non-fiction occasionally.  I read a lot of books from the library and post reviews on Goodreads.  I also read for Netgalley and love to be chosen to read some of the latest books before they are available to the general public.  So, I will share some reviews here as well as some of the happenings of my daily life that keep me reading as an escape.  I relax with a good book and forget that I had a stroke and could die any day, or maybe not.  I count my blessings daily that I have lived this long and that I have lived to see the birth of eight grandchildren and have enjoyed so many books. I am just taking one day at a time and one book at a time and loving the life that God has given me.