When I went to Relevant/Allume last fall, I got to listen to Holley Gerth chatting with Emily Freeman (not talking, mind you, but chatting, ’cause Emily chats). Although I hadn’t ever heard of Holley, I made note of her upcoming book because Emily said it was like a sequel to her book, “Grace for the Good Girl” and I loved Emily’s writing.
I came home, read the copy of “Grace for the Good Girl” that Emily had given me, it became my Book of the Year (yes, it was that amazing – read my review of it over at YLCF), and then I really began to anticipate Holley’s book.
Last month, Revell sent me a pre-release copy of “You’re Already Amazing” to read and review on my blog. The following are ALL my own thoughts and opinions. 🙂
“You’re Already Amazing” is a book celebrating all God did when He created you and all He’s going to do in your life.
I’ve been on a journey the past few years of defining my passions and figuring out who exactly God created ME to be. This book was like the frosting is to a cake, tying all the layers of lessons about identity and purpose together into symmetrical, luscious package.
Because I knew I’d be writing a review, I kept a pen in the book so I could highlight anything that was particularly meaningful that I might want to quote. That plan fell through when every other page began to look like this…
I’m serious – there is so much good stuff in this book, I have to focus on just one chapter in this review or my post will become a book itself! After the chapters “Who am I, Really”, and “Why Is It So Hard to Believe I’m Amazing?”, and “Why Do I Feel This Way?” she tackled the question “Where Am I Going?”…
In this chapter Holley used the example of the Israelite’s to help me gain the big, zoomed out picture of where I’m at right now, allowing me to celebrate the ‘promise land’ points in my life, and encouraging me to pray for progress in areas where I’m experiencing ‘slavery’ or ‘waiting’.
She defined a ‘promise land’ point as “a desire of your heart that God guides you into through an intimate journey with him.” I definitely have a few of those, don’t you? Sadly, I tend to forget about those things and spend all my energy on the problems. But Holley encouraged me to Possess, Defend, and Enjoy these areas of my life.
“When the Israelites arrive at the edge of the Promised Land, God tells them to go in and make it fully theirs. He asks us to do the same too. That can take a lot of hard work and fighting some battles. Possessing the Promised Land isn’t a one-time event but instead a process…Gratitude and obedience are the best defenses for our Promised Land.”
Thanks, Holley–I needed that reminder.
It was like a breath of fresh air to read a book with such an emphasis on affirmation. But Holley’s words aren’t all “hot air”–they are based on scripture and spoken in the tones of a close friend.
If you need a word of encouragement, an understanding ear, or a friend to cheer you on through a rough spot, Holley has managed to pack all that into book form. Go ahead and treat yourself to a copy of this book. Let’s celebrate together that, through the work God has done, we’re already amazing.
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That’s about what my book looks like too, although in pencil. There is so much good stuff in the book, that it’s quite impossible to read a page and NOT find something to note.
Great review Trina.