Book Review: Intimate Conversations by Alicia Britt Chole

Press Release:

Relief for Busy Women and Moms To Draw Closer to God — During All of Life’s Busy Moments

Author Alicia Britt Chole shows women how to rejuvenate their spiritual lives with this collection of short yet deeply thought-provoking meditations.

Women spend a large portion of their lives serving everyone around them—making sure the kids are fed and to school on time, the house is in working order, the to-do list is full of checkmarks and they’re volunteering on Sunday mornings at church. After pouring into everyone and everything else, it’s a struggle to have any time or energy left over at all—not even when it comes to cultivating their relationship with God.

Author and seasoned mentor Alicia Britt Chole offers relief. In her latest book, Intimate Conversations: Devotions to Nurture a Woman’s Soul, she shows women how every season—even those marked by hectic schedules and overwhelming responsibilities—can offer unprecedented opportunities to actually deepen your faith without having to put God on hold.

She reveals how that’s possible through this set of 52 daily readings. Each takes only moments to read, yet these poignant meditations will bring a refreshing perspective to a reader’s entire day.

Rather than ignore the daunting real-life issues and faith struggles that complicate your connection with God, Chole addresses them with grace and understanding. Whether it’s yearning to love God more, to learn to listen, to not give up or to overcome fear, she helps women understand how they can develop a more intimate and satisfying relationship with God in the midst of everyday challenges.

“I want to show women how each minute of every loud, distracting day is pregnant with potential for intimacy if we can learn how to simply and intentionally live it with God,” Chole says.

She draws from her experience as a mentor, daughter, wife and mother to weave personal stories of laughter and tears alongside Scripture in these meditations. Paired with thought-provoking questions for reflection or group discussion, Chole’s insightful writing will be cathartic for any woman who is hungering for a more intimate connection with God, no matter how crazy life gets.

What Others Are Saying:

“Alicia has a unique way of framing truth. Her heartfelt and thoughtful words penetrate the soul and make you think and feel in new ways.”
— Mark Batterson, author

About the Author:

Alicia Britt Chole speaks nationally and internationally to leaders, pastors, professionals, students, women, and churches. She has been a mentor for students and women for more than twenty years. She is the author of Anonymous and Finding the Unseen God. Chole lives in Missouri.

About the Publisher:

Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group, offers practical books that bring the Christian faith to everyday life. They publish resources from a variety of well-known brands and authors, including their partnership with MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) and Hungry Planet.

For more information, visit www.RevellBooks.com.

My Review:

As I read Intimate Conversations, I kept wanting to write for permission to share the devotion I'd just read. Then I read the next one and wanted to share that one, too.

The devotions are quick and easy to read - perfect for a mom or young children, or any busy woman. But don't let the "quick and easy" fool you! Alicia cuts through the fluff and gets down to the business of getting intimate with God. With captivating stories and anecdotes and thought-provoking, heart-arresting questions, Intimate Conversations will draw you into the deeper - and yes, more intimate - relationship with God that you're longing for.

Trust me, just go get the book, and quick!

A COMPLIMENTARY COPY OF THE BOOK WAS GIFTED TO ME IN EXCHANGE FOR MY REVIEW OF THIS BOOK ON MY BLOG.

MOPS Book Review: Life on Planet Mom

*Yes, there's an asteroid belt's worth of planetary and space references in this review. Between the title of the book, my lingual nerdiness, and the fact that I'm trying to put together a space unit study for my son, I just couldn't help it. You've been warned.*

If men are from Mars and women are from Venus, moms must be from Mercury. I mean, think about it: wouldn't you describe much of your life post-baby as mercurial? One minute you're ecstatic; the next you're devastated. Monday your husband is The Man, but then Tuesday you wonder why on Earth you married him. And don't even get me started on your mother-in-law.

They say your whole life changes when you become a mom, and they're right. Everything from your body to your philosophy of life changes. Even our relationships change. Of course, our relationships to our husbands change, but the marital relationship isn't the only thing to change. Have you considered the other five key relationships in your life?

1. Self - How do you see yourself now? More importantly, how do you treat yourself?


2. Friends - Do you have as much in common with your friends now that you have kids, or do you sense a shift in the company you keep?


3. Family of origin - Was Mom the smartest woman to ever live or did you learn more of what you don't want to do with your own kids? How does becoming a mom affect your relationship with your mom?


4. Community - Did Mama Myopia set in or do you finally see the forest out there?


5. God - You're a parent now. What does your Heavenly Father look like to you through your new eyes?

Lisa T. Bergen finally covers the whole galaxy of relationships in the new theme book for MOPS, Life on Planet Mom: A Down-to-Earth Guide to Your Changing Relationships. The mom of three and bestselling author of more than thirty books gives all moms something to love and learn in this book. Whether you like fiction, non-fiction, book clubs, or self-help, you'll find shining stars of relational wisdom - in small chunks you can read at warp speed, since we all know that's the only speed moms can read in when they're chasing preschoolers!

For the fiction gals, there's an on-going narrative at the beginning of each chapter about four friends exploring the universe of Mommydom. Stephanie, Jen, Amy, and Keisha will pull you right into their conversations, where you'll wonder if you're reading about fictional characters or conversations with your own friends. I'm more of a non-fiction girl myself, but I actually caught myself crying as I read Stephanie's difficult conversation with her mom at the beginning of chapter three.

Like non-fiction? Not to worry. The fictional bits are short so you won't get bogged down before you get to the nitty-gritty. Lisa includes wisdom both from her own Childfleet Academy career and others that have gone before her, including comments from some of the 500 other MOPS moms out there that responded to a survey she put out with MOPS International while researching for this book. You'll find anecdotes, statistics, and advice from professionals, as well as other moms.

Book discussion addicts will get their fill from this book, too. Lisa's put together questions at the end of each chapter for the Mamas of the Round Table. For those fearless mamas who boldly plan to read a chapter a week (or two weeks), you'll find a handful of questions to think about and discuss with your small group. These aren't namby-pamby "What did you think about this chapter?" questions, either. These are hard, thought-provoking questions to help you open up and relate to other women like you. Don't believe me? How about this one from chapter two: "Have you experienced the 'Is this all there is?' question in your marriage?" How's that for namby-pamby???

As if that wasn't deep enough, there are self-examining questions dotting the book to take you deeper into your motivations and feelings as a mom for those of us that want to answer questions and internalize the book without sharing. These questions hold up a mirror for us to really look at who we are as women and moms and how that affects the relationships with everyone around us. Chapter four has a great question I want each of us as moms to consider, whether you read the rest of this book or not:

Are you clique focused? How would you feel if you were on the outside, wishing to take part? Are you open to inviting others outside your group to come in? How do you do that now or how will you do that in the future? Are you willing, deep down, truly willing, to give people who don't pass your initial review one more chance (and another and another)? [emphasis mine]

Whether or not you're a paid-dues member of MOPS, or if your kids have graduated from preschool (or high school or college, for that matter), I recommend you get your hands on a copy of Life on Planet Mom as soon as possible. It may be a place where no man has gone before, but sister-girl, Planet Mom is full - of other women like you and camaraderie, laughs, and wisdom.

Book Review: Seeing Through the Lies

Seeing Through the Lies: Unmasking the Myths Women Believe

I read Seeing Through The Lies back in October during Fall Into Reading 08. Fantastic book! Vonda is in an online writer's group that I'm lucky enough to be a member of, and I loved it so much I actually went a little wonky on the poor woman and e-mailed her to tell her how much I loved it. Bless her, she was beautifully gracious and grateful for my e-mail.

Michael was continually amused that I kept laughing out loud while reading this book. Vonda's book makes you wonder if you're reading or having a conversation with girlfriends in your living room. It's very conversational and funny, but don't let that fool you. Seeing Through the Lies breaks through the fluff and delivers poignant, deep, spiritual points that women need to hear. Vonda's gift is that she makes you feel good about hearing these deep truths, not shamefully convicted. If you wonder how your spiritual health is faring or your relationship with God or the church, as Vonda would say, "You need to read this book, girlfriend!"

MOPS Book Review: Making Work at Home Work

There are work-at-home opportunities and companies everywhere you look. There seem to be twice as many books about working from home out there. Believe me, I know. I've worked in libraries and book stores, not to mention reading more of them than I can remember. I've even seen and read books about working from home from women. They happen to be moms. Those books weren't about moms working from home, though.

Can we say frustrating and useless?

Well, we all know I'm a huge MOPS fanatic. Why? Because MOPS helps me. And not just at meetings. MOPS is helping me become a successful work-at-home mom with a new book called Making Work at Home Work, by Mary M. Byers. It's not just a book about working from home. And it's not all about party companies, either. This is a real book about real moms who really work at home. A quilter, business strategist, meeting planner, interior designer, cake decorator, and photographer are among the 125 women who contributed by answering questions like these:

• What's the toughest part of running a business and a family under one roof?


• What unique child care strategies have you used to enable you to work successfully from home?


• What do you know now that you wish you would have known when you started?


• What's the biggest mistake you've mad as an at-home business owner?


• What advice would you give to a another woman who is interested in starting her own work-at-home business?

The book is subtitled "successfully growing a business and a family under one roof." This woman gets it. Yes, we are women business owners. Yes, we want to be successful. Yes, we are also moms who want to nurture our children to be responsible, loving, successful adults. The two are not mutually exclusive, folks. Making Work at Home Work is the first book I've seen or read that understands this foundational principle of women working at home.

If all you do is pick up the book and read the first chapter, you will have gained the value of the purchase of the book.

There are two main parts to the book: Saving Your Sanity and Preserving Your Profit. Saving Your Sanity addresses key issues that must come before profit if any person is to ever be successful in working at home. From understanding your motivation to setting boundaries and handling client "crises," Mary covers all the mental building blocks you need to lay in place before you can truly start on your journey to work-at-home success. If all you do is pick up the book and read the first chapter, "Being Honest: Acknowledging the Difference between 'At Home' and 'Work at Home,'" you will have gained the value of the purchase of the book. Those 7 pages will revolutionize how you see yourself and your identity as an at-home business owner.

Preserving Your Profits gets into the nitty-gritty of money-making. Starting off with "Accepting the At-Home CEO Mantle," Byers covers ten different financial aspects of being an at-home entrepreneur. Questions on equipment? Covered. The dreaded tax dealings? Yup, it's here. You'll even learn how spending just one morning a year planning can make a huge difference in your entire fiscal year.

And as if all that wasn't enough, Mary shares over a dozen recipes from acclaimed fast-mom cooks Trish Berg and Mary Beth Lagerborg! Sanity, money, and food all in one book? It's so worth it, and so are you. It'll be the best $12.99 you've invested in your business this year.

Book Review: Dear God, It's Me and It's Urgent

I often struggle with my personal prayers and despite writing since I could pick up a pen, words seem to fail me when I need to pray the most. This is the reason I often turn to the Psalms to inspire my prayers. I also lean heavily upon the promise that "the Spirit prays for us in ways that cannot be put into words." (Romans 8:26 CEV) Now, thankfully, I have another resource: Marion Stroud's latest book, Dear God, It's Me and It's Urgent.

Marion has taken into consideration many of the seasons and struggles in a woman's life, and has openly and honestly laid out her own prayers concerning them. In the process, she has given words to the groanings of so many women's hearts. I kept finding myself thinking, "Yeah, that!" as I read the prayers throughout the book. Even when I was reading prayers concerning situations or seasons of life that I haven't experienced yet, I could relate to Marion's deep concerns and pleas to the Father. You feel as if you are in a prayer circle for a loved one or dear friend while reading this book. Sprinkled around each prayer you'll find quotes and scriptures that offer more hope and encouragement.

Whether you have just a minute or two or hours to pray, Dear God, It's Me and It's Urgent will give you an effective tool to both put into words your own feelings about current situations and to lay future situations on the prayer altar. The book is laid out in such a way that you can easily go right to a specific prayer, or simply read through and let the book guide your prayer path. I recommend that any woman that seeks fresh prayer at any age and in any situation get this book.

Book Review: Achievement IQ Moments, by Stan Bronstein

I recently finished Achievement IQ Moments® by "Mr. Achievement" Stan Bronstein - for the first time. I will be reading it again...and again...and again. Described as

"50 extraordinary stories about people who transformed vision, attraction, readiness and action into massive success,"

Moments offers (you guessed it) 50 chapters of fast-reading inspiration with results that will last a lifetime.

When I first received the review copy (thanks, Stan!), I thought I knew who the majority of the stories would be about. I was wrong. I don't know that I had heard of any of the people the Bronstein interviewed. These are not the Famous Dead Guys. These are not the Famous Living Guys. These are real men and women, living real lives, making real differences in Real Life. These are also not overnight success stories. Some of them were 20 years in the making. From the artist that paints with her nose (!) to the man responsible for saving the guavas in Hawaii, there's someone in the book for everyone.

The book is called Moments for a reason. The title itself reveals a success secret hidden right under our noses, but so often missed: success most often comes in a moment - not the glaring, won-the-lottery kind of moment, but an epiphanic moment, when something clicks, and everything begins to line up. See, success is a beginning, not an end - we succeed when we begin, not when we end. If we continue to count success only after the completion of a project, we will never succeed. We must see success in the discovery of what needs to be done and then the process of getting it done. Stan Bronstein knows this - that's why he succeeded in writing a great book that should be required reading for every person that wants more from life than waking up, surviving the day, and going to bed. It's required reading for you.

The Achievement IQ Moments® release is scheduled for 1 October 2008. Watch Stan Bronstein's blog for updates and breaking news about the release.