You Are Already Amazing... a DaySpring review

Sometimes you can judge a book from its cover... 

or at least in the mind of an 8 year-old.  

It was Ellen who opened the box with the latest book for me to review inside, and it was Ellen who said, "I like this book!"  without having read a single word.  

Sometimes you get pulled into a book from its cover and its title.

...and, sometimes, you open that book with it's engaging title

 and amazing cover,

 and you realize you are sitting with a friend over a cup of coffee.

Holley Gerth is that friend, and You Are Already Amazing is that book.


With sweet words and deep understanding, Holley addresses the issue most of us women face... a hard time accepting that we truly are amazing.  We tend to see ourselves as less than someone else through comparing ourselves to others and who we think they are.  We often see ourselves as less than them as we change diapers, clean toilets, and tackle the endless mountain of laundry facing us.


Not only does Holley tell us that we are amazing because of Who created us, she reminds us that He has an unique plan for each of us.  We are not called to be anything other than what He has equipped us to be.


Using her experience as a personal coach, Holley gives thought provoking questions to help each of us understand our strengths, weaknesses, and our unique gifts.  Understanding who we are is the key to discovering what makes us amazing.


At the end of her book, Holley has also included discussion questions for individuals and groups to study deeper... to go a little further.


Sometimes you realize that there is some wisdom in an 8 year-olds words, when she says "I like this book!"


You Are Already Amazing is available through major retailers or through DaySpring, as well as an entire new collection of coordinating gifts.


***disclaimer... I received this free book through my affiliation with DaySpring, I received no other compensation.

I AM WHO I AM... a review

I've been looking forward to writing this review for a long time.  Once in a while, I get the opportunity to write a review just 'cuz I want to... and this is one of those.


My God works in mysterious ways.  Last year, He caused my path to cross with my friend, D. J. Mercado's, through a Bible study I had written.  Several emails later and a phone call across this broad country, a friendship was born.  D. J. has prayed for me, mentored me, and even edited that particular study.  I count it a privilege to review the book of my friend.


from the back cover of I Am Who I Am-- God's Words to His Beloved...

Has God ever spoken to you?  Has He spoken so clearly that there was no doubt in your mind that it was Him?

If He has, then you know that when God speaks, lives change.  His words are never frivolous, empty, or pointless.  They are always precise, powerful, and life changing.

Every person goes on a unique spiritual journey in life.  God tugs at people's hearts, drawing them to Himself.  However, many are enticed and led astray from ever finding the true and living God.  They go everywhere on their journey but to where God is actually found:  His Word and His throne room.  I Am Who I Am--God's Words to His Beloved aims to guide you to both.  Using only the Scriptures, I Am Who I Am is written as if God is speaking personally to you.  Through sixty daily readings, God will reveal Himself to you by His names.  You will learn His character and come to know His feelings, desires, and plans for you.  Whether you are just beginning your spiritual journey or you have been on it for many years, this devotional will drive you to your knees and lift your spirit as you come  face to face with the great I AM. 

I AM WHO I AM is a devotional written for a 60 day journey of discovering just who this God I serve is.  In reading Mercado's book, I've learned more of who El Elyon-- God Most High is.  I've read His words to me when He tells me more of Himself, El Shaddai-- The Almighty God.  Each day's reading is written in first person... Him speaking directly to my heart.


The best part?  The Index of Scriptures that D. J. Mercado includes at the end of this book. Each day's devotional is taken straight from God's Word and divided by paragraph, so that I can easily cross-reference in my own Bible.  For instance, on day three, when I read about El Elyon--God Most High, this is the first paragraph...


I am El Elyon, "God Most High."  I alone am the LORD, the Most High, supreme over all the earth.  I am high above the nations.  My glory is far greater than the heavens.  Who is like Me, the One who sits enthroned on high, who stoops down to look on the heavens and the earth?


When I turn to the Index of Scriptures, this is what I find for this paragraph...


Genesis 14:20
Psalm 83:18
Psalm 113:4
Psalm 113:5-6


At the end of each day's reading, space has been included for journaling a prayer in response to what was read.


I love this book!  I actually fell in love with it when I first talked to D. J. about it.  It has been my own desire for years to know God more, to love Him more, and to understand even a tiny glimpse of who He is more and more.  Reading Mercado's book leads me deeper on that quest and mentors me along the way.  


I Am Who I Am-- God's Words to His Beloved by D. J. Mercado is available through Tate publishing as an eBook pdf for $9.99 or in paperback for $16.99.


This is one I'll buy more copies of to pass out.  It's that good!


**disclaimer... this is my own review.  I bought the book and wrote the words because I believe in this product.  I received absolutely no compensation for this review.