Cruel Harvest by Fran Elizabeth Grubb with Bryan Reardon

Cruel Harvest is the tragic story of Frances and her family as they survive each day with her abusive father. This book will captivate you! I sat in utter shock as I turned each page. The things this family endured at the hand of this man is…unbelievable. The majority of it is about her childhood and the abuse but it occasionally flashes ahead to her adult life. I have to admit that as I read, I cried, I became angry, I was saddened by the loss of innocence and the violation of trust that took place in this family. Fran is an incredibly strong woman to have endured such an injustice and still be a functional, loving, trusting person. Her faith in God carried her through her life and it is evident that God was with her. It is inspiring to read her journey and to learn of her struggle to find peace and forgiveness.

This book reminds me how truly blessed I am to have the family, the past and the God that I have. Our God is so good! He is faithful! And if you look, you can see him in EVERY situation!

I would definitely recommend this book but BE WARNED, it is not for the faint of heart. The story is wonderful but the content is horrific.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers 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 Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Surfing For God: Discovering The Divine Desire Beneath Sexual Struggle by Michael John Cusick

Cusick is an ordained minister and counselor who draws from his own experience with the restoring touch of God in his deeply broken life and marriage, broken by his many sexual sins and addictions. Cusick’s insights help you understand how porn struggles begin, what to do to prevent them (hugely important information!), and how to overcome the compulsion once it begins.

My favorite chapter is “It’s Not About Sex”, this chapter discusses the “broken promises of porn”, which are: validation of our manhood without requiring strength, sexual fulfillment without relationship, intimacy without requiring risk and suffering, passion and life without connection to your soul, power over women without responsibility and humility and comfort and care without depending on others.  I felt completely enlighten by this information and this topic sparked some very interesting dialogue between my husband and I.  I always assumed this subject was rather cut and dry but it is a very complex struggle, especially for men.

This book is not a long book (197 pages) and is a very quick read but I was surprised by the amount of material that was covered and how in depth most topics were discussed. While it is a “self help” book, it was still a “page turner” I found myself very interested in this topic. It’s no secret that American church and family is being torn apart by pornography, infidelity, sexual abuse and every other kind of sexual immorality. We typically think about men struggling with these issues but there is a rising number of women who now struggle with sexual sin, too. This is very important information for all to have.

I would recommend this book not only to anyone struggling with a sexual addiction, but to parents of any young person and also to anyone who counsels people struggling with sexual addictions.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers 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 Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Heaven in Her Arms: Why God Chose Mary to Raise His son and What It Means for You by Catherine Hickem

Catherine Hickem is a licensed psychotherapist with 30 years of experience, she is also a wife and mother. In the prologue, Hickem writes,“By getting a glimpse of His heart for Mary, women and mothers will be encouraged, challenged, and inspired to live out the same faith-filled, gutsy devotion that Mary’s journey called forth from her.” This is when I decided I was going to like this book and realized how much I needed it.

Do we ever really stop and think about why God chose our mother to be our mother or if you have children, why you are their mother? I hadn’t before now. I was drawn to this book as a mother and a woman who doesn’t have the best relationship with her mother. I didn’t really have a maternal role model and I honestly never considered that Mary could be one. We often just see Mary as the woman chosen by God to bear His Son and we rarely think of her as a biblical female role model. I think Hickem does a good job of leading the reader to think about  the story of Jesus and Mary (and their Mother-son relationship) instead of just reading over it as we typically do.

Each chapter begins with a Scripture from the life of Mary then goes on to talk about an aspect of Mary’s life demonstrated by the Scripture. The chapters conclude with earthly wisdom and experience related to the trait shown by Mary. The author shares much of her own life and wisdom, which I think keeps the book from feeling like a bible study curriculum.

I enjoyed this book. It was a quick read, I found it enlightening and inspirational. This book would be great for any mother or any woman who hopes to become a mother. I will definitely loan this book out and recommend it in the future.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers 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 Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”