I was excited when I received this book to read. Authentic Influencer uses a study of the life of Barnabas to show us practical ways that we, too, can be influencers for Christ.

Authentic Influencer

You may feel like an ordinary believer, but God has a knack of using ordinary people to accomplish His extraordinary purposes. Authentic Influencer encourages you to walk with Barnabas, learn from God, and shape the world for Jesus Christ— one life at a time.

God’s approach to influencing the world is through His people. People shape people. And yet, many of God’s people spectate from the sidelines unsure of what to do. Authentic Influencer is rooted in principles emerging from the life of God’s choice example in the Scriptures—a man called Barnabas—rather than recycled quotes from corporate leadership works.

Every follower of Jesus can be inspired, instructed, and mobilized to influence the world from right where they are. In fact, it is everyday believers—not just “professional” Christians such as pastors, church leaders, authors, and others—who are specifically tasked by Jesus Himself to bring godly influence to the world. We are all His agents of change, be it shaping one person or a thousand.

Authentic Influencer is a Christian leadership book that:

• Highlights 15 key principles that emerge from Barnabas that are relevant, practical, and customizable to every believer;
• Inspires you to shape those around you for Christ;

• Urges you to practice investing in others through discipleship; and
• Challenges you with inspiring stories and practical wisdom emerging from biblical truths

By studying the life of Barnabas, we see how he influenced the world for Jesus Christ in practical and doable ways. Become encouraged to shape our world for Jesus— beginning with whoever happens to be close by.

Book Review

I have never really studied Barnabas before. I have, of course, seen his name in the Bible while reading. If we are not looking for it, though, we will miss his example.

The author does an excellent job of helping us to see what Barnabas did, and what it means for us. Authentic Influencer is brimming with help and ideas.

One of the things I learned from this book is that we are all influencing people for something. That is so true! Even when we don’t realize it, we are.

Whether it’s the name brand clothes we wear, the pictures of our food from restaurants, or telling everyone about our new favorite movie. And even the way we look and act can influence others.

When we describe someone using the term “influencer” we think of someone online with millions of followers trying to get us to buy something.

Pay attention to this, you don’t have to be an “influencer” online to influence others!

But, here’s the thing.

We should use our influence to show others Jesus.

In Authentic Influencer, we learn the why and how of influencing others.

Every chapter begins with two quotes. One quote from Jesus. And one quote from others, including preachers, presidents, and others.

Every chapter ends with “Some Food for thought”. Questions to ask ourselves so we can get the most benefit from each chapter.

A godly influencer serves as God’s hands.

I have loved reading Authentic Influencer.

While I have learned a lot while reading this book, this quote sums up the book for me.

Godly influencers are servants who lead whoever is around toward flourishing in light of God’s vision for their lives.

I highly recommend this book, Authentic Influencer to you!

Buy your own copy of Authentic Influencer HERE.

Enter HERE to win a copy of Authentic Influencer.

Disclosure: Many thanks to FrontGate Media for providing this product/product information for review.  Opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation..

I recently received the Invincible Joy book to review. In Invincible Joy, author Oliver Asher tells the story of his life, and how he came to be president of Advancing Native Missions.

Oliver Asher had a rough, chaotic childhood. He worked hard to perfect his football skill as he saw getting a scholarship to college as he way out of the poverty of his childhood.

But what happens when all your plans and dreams for your life are changed in an instant? Oliver found out the hard way, like many of us do.

Invincible Joy Book Review

I’m not an extraordinary person. I came from next to nothing, from almost nowhere. But God had a plan and a purpose for my life. He picked me up from where I was and took me places I could never have expected to go. He invited me to join him in chasing his God-sized dreams for the world. And that is where I found invincible joy. You may have the same story. Or at least you can, and I hope you will. That’s what this book is for. I pray you will benefit from my story as you follow the Lord on your own adventure from where you came to where he wants to take you. I believe, as the Lord leads, you will end up with a stronger sense of God’s purpose for your life and your place in his plan for the world. That’s where you can find invincible joy too.

Check out the Invincible Joy trailer!

The author encourages the reader to ask a couple of honest questions of the Lord. “What good came out of that?” “What are you doing in my life now?”

I really like the authors definition of Invincible Joy.

Invincible Joy is being in the Lord’s presence and care in the midst of whatever the world throws at you.

The world sure has thrown some stuff at me. I know that I am not alone in that! We also share something else. The fact that the Lord is with us as we go through it!!

I really enjoyed reading Invincible Joy. It’s a perfect combination of an autobiography and an inspirational book. I think you will like it, too!

You can learn more about the story behind the book and it’s author on HERE.

Oliver is the President of Advancing Native Missions, a global missions organization.

Purchase Invincible Joy HERE.

Enter to win a copy of Invincible Joy HERE.

Disclosure: Many thanks to FrontGate Media for providing this product/product information for review.  Opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. 

I love a good book. A good biography or autobiography are my favorites. So I was looking forward to this Room 1010 book review. Room 1010 did not disappoint!

ABOUT THE BOOK: Room 1010

Room 1010 is an uplifting, true story of how one little girl’s faith inspired people from across the world to come together to pray for her and for a miracle.
Elynn, just turned ten when tragedy struck. She suffered a traumatic injury that left her and her family with many unknowns. At a time when Covid-19 was running rampant and the entire world seemed to be in chaos, word of Elynn’s accident quickly spread to friends, family, and strangers across the globe who heard her story and began to pray for her.

Through every challenge, Elynn’s faith showed through. Despite her excruciatingly painful injury and recovery, she never complained or asked, “Why me.” She felt God chose her for this accident to help bring people to Him. Her faith, determination, and perseverance grew stronger as she worked with the doctors, nurses, and care givers throughout her miraculous surgery and recovery.

Check out the Room 1010 book trailer…..

Written by Elynn’s mother, Billye Survis, whose faith through the struggle will inspire you!

Billye Survis was born and raised in rural Wisconsin. After spending a few years working and traveling, she settled back in Wisconsin where she met her husband Dan. Billye has spent the last twenty years helping to build, grow, and lead talent acquisition teams, where she is able to share her passion of helping others. Billye and Dan still reside in Wisconsin with their two children, Ethan and Elynn.

Room 1010 Book Review

It’s hard to believe that something so simple, something that every kid that has ridden a bike has done, can cause such damage to a child’s body.

The author conveys very well the thoughts and feelings of a parent with a sick/injured child. One of my kids had cancer, so we spend a lot of time in and out of the hospital, (he is a childhood cancer survivor now!). I was impressed with this mothers dedication to her daughter, and her faith that God would heal her daughter.

I loved that the forward to Room 1010 was written by the doctor that did the ground breaking surgery on this young girl. This surgeon was able to write a case study about Elynn, her surgery, and recovery to help other people with this type of injury. Before he did this surgery, others did not have as good an outcome as Elynn did.

To read that Elynn, 10 years old, said she knew her injury, surgery, and everything that she went through was something that God was going to use to reach others for him, was very moving. The faith of a child. Then Elynn got to find out first had that that was true!

I highly recommend Room 1010. I did not want to put this book down. Room 1010 will inspire you, and build your faith. I know it makes me feel even more grateful for the health and safety of my children. Something as parents, we often take for granted.

You can purchase Room 1010 HERE.

Enter to win your own copy of Room 1010 HERE.

DISCLOSURE: Many thanks to FrontGate Media for providing this product/product information for review.  Opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation.

I recently received the book If Mama Ain’t Happy to review. See why I liked this book so much below.

If Mama Ain’t Happy: 
Why Minding Healthy Boundaries Is Good for Your Whole Family
(A Mother’s Guide to Joy, Anxiety Relief, & Freedom from Depression, Stress, & Weariness. A Book of Hope for Moms.)
​
Are you weary? Stressed? Depressed, anxious, and annoyed?
And, to top it all off, do you feel guilty for feeling bad?

Rachel Norman gets you, mama. She knows how much you love your kids. And how, day after day, you put your family’s needs first, which means your own needs come last. Or don’t come at all.

Rachel used to be a mom who spent her days weary, anxious, and guilt laden. She had five kids in five years, lived on three different continents, and then was blindsided by a devastating health diagnosis. Neglecting her own physical, spiritual, mental, and emotional needs for so long―in an effort to be a selfless mother―had left her utterly depleted. And physically unwell. Then she began asking a question she’d never considered before:Could it be that taking good care of myself is not actually selfish, but maybe, just maybe, something a responsible adult does?

In this countercultural book, Rachel takes some weight off your shoulders by:

• offering hands-on, rubber-meets-the-road strategies to cultivate a life you aren’t trying to constantly escape
• teaching you to discover and claim your own limits and boundaries so you can be a calm, resilient, peaceful mother
• showing you how to shape your daily life and values around the few things that really matter, and how to let the rest go

If mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy. But when mama is at peace? Everyone benefits.

As you can see from the Table of Contents, the author covers subjects that are important to moms.

I like that after each chapter there are sections for you to fill out. They help you determine what is most important to you of the things discussed in that chapter.

Here’s an example of some of her suggestions. These pertain to mama getting enough sleep.

This section is about how mama can take care of her body. Self care is not selfish!

If Mama Ain’t Happy Review

I’m a mama of 6. They are all grown now, ages 22-36. I wish I had had this book when I was raising them!

The author not only covers self care for mamas. She covers setting boundaries, and setting standards and rules for your house. How we don’t have to have everything perfect, or do everything perfectly, and we don’t have to beat ourselves up about it! The author discovered this for herself when she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

I love that she writes about being a mama from a Biblical viewpoint. Where in the Bible does it say that our kids have to participate in every sport and activity? Or mamas have to cater to their every whim? It doesn’t!

It’s not just ok to have rules and boundaries for our kids, but it’s essential to set them up for success later in life.

I highly recommend If Mama Ain’t Happy!

Purchase your own copy of If Mama Ain’t Happy HERE.

If Mama Ain’t Happy Giveaway

Enter to win your own If Mama Ain’t Happy book!

Visit HERE to enter!

Disclosure: Many thanks to FrontGate Media for providing this product/product information for review.  Opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation.  I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post.

What is neighborliness? It’s more than being friendly with the people in our neighborhood. According to this book, neighborliness is the embodiment of Jesus to those around us. Taking on His characteristics of love, grace, and genuine interest in others. I like that definition. Scroll down for my Neighborliness Book Review.

Neighborliness

About the Book:

Do you want to love your neighbor as yourself but don’t know where to start? This practical, accessible guide to bridging the dividing lines of politics, race, and economics, both individually and as the church, will help you amplify Jesus in your community and build God’s kingdom.

When asked what the greatest commandment is, Jesus gave a two-part answer: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength” and also “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Love God. Love others.

Jesus’ simple command to love your neighbor can feel overwhelming when your neighbor looks, lives, and votes differently than you do. Racial and economic tensions across the country have resulted in deep dividing lines that seem really intimidating to cross.

Docusen breaks down these lines in approachable chapters, including topics such as:

~how to actively seek out people you can benefit and encourage,
~what it means to find a diverse and supportive community that fulfills needs,
~examples of real-life experiences, including highlights and missteps of Docusen’s ongoing journey, and
~how churches can teach on difficult topics with grace and truth.

Neighborliness is a practical guide to bridging those dividing lines and learning to recognize and amplify the beauty of God in our communities. Backed by David’s speaking and training through the Neighborliness Center, this book will help individuals and churches reach out to their neighbors, love them through Christ, and build God’s kingdom.

Neighborliness Book Review

This book is not just a list of ideas to do for your neighbor. It delves into racism, poverty, things that pull us apart. Through real life examples, the author shows us how we can overcome the things that pull us apart so we can make a real difference in our neighborhoods.

At the end of each of the 14 chapters, there is a page of questions and resources, as seen in the picture above. A Bible verse, discussion prompts, and a next step. The discussion prompts can be used just for you while reading the book, or in a group discussion situation.

I don’t like writing/taking notes in my books. As you can see in the pictures, I use post it notes, and little post it stickies (don’t know the official name lol) to mark pages I want to read again, or notes that I have. That’s just me, I think. Lots of people take notes in books. This way, I get a visual of how much I liked a book, and don’t want to forget certain sections.

There are quite a few things I learned in this book that I don’t want to forget. And sections that I want to reread. To me, that’s the sign of a good book!

There are sections in the back of the book with resources that you can use yourself, or with your church.

If you are looking to be more involved with your neighbors/community, I recommend this book.

For more information about Neighborliness, and to buy the book, go HERE.

Disclosure: Many thanks to FrontGate Media for providing this product/product information for review.  Opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation.  I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post.

*Free World Missions Book post is a sponsored post.

Missions is such an important part of Christianity. Whether we go on mission trips ourselves, or donate money to missions.

Today I want to share with you this FREE book about missions, Revolution in World Missions. I have had this book. And I highly recommend it.

FREE World Missions Book

About Revolution in World Missions:

“Lord, I’ll give myself to speak for You.”

Young Yohannan had no idea what those words of surrender would mean for his life and for millions of others in his generation. Once an insecure 16-year-old, he became a missionary statesman who has impacted the world of missions and whose unbending message has touched hungry hearts on every continent.

Step into his story and experience the world through his eyes. You’ll walk right into the book of Acts. And through his telling, you’ll hear the very heart of God beating for His creation. K.P. Yohannan’s passion is contagious and spurs you on to be all for Jesus.

He chose to take the road less traveled many years ago, and today Gospel for Asia, the mission he founded, is one of the most respected organizations in our time with thousands of national workers and vibrant congregations throughout the heart of the 10/40 Window.

Get ready, your life is about to change!

Do you long to let go of self-centeredness and be more eternally minded?

Do you desire to make a difference in the lost world but aren’t sure how to go about it?

Many people have said this book changed their life—and it just might change yours too!

Get your FREE Revolution in World Missions book HERE.

For more information, visit Gospel for Asia.

*Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. My opinions are my own. The book is totally free, and not an affiliate link.