Defending the Faith

How would you answer the following questions about your faith:

Why do you believe in God?

What are your reasons for thinking God is real and that the Bible is a reliable text inspired by God?

"In his first letter to the Corinthians, the apostle Paul says that if it is not absolutely true that Jesus Christ was raised from the dead, then our faith in God is useless and we are giving false testimony (1 Corinthians 15:14-15). This is why we must be brutally honest with ourselves about what we believe and why: so that we can grow in our own faith in God and move toward maturity in Christ.

You, as a person who professes God as the giver of all truth, should be asking yourself these questions before anyone else asks them of you. It is a matter of being responsible with your beliefs. However, let me be careful to say that you can have doubts and believe in God. Just because people have doubts about their faith doesn't mean they have to abandon ship. Doubts are not confirmation that a ship is sinking, but if you question the sturdiness of your vessel, would it not be wiser to examine its soundness before you simply leap into the sea? Even if you still do not have 100 percent confidence that the ship will stay afloat, you also do not have 100 percent confidence that it won't! Do you really need 100 percent confidence that the ship is secure to stay aboard? Would 10 percent, 20 percent, or 40 percent doubt in one's ship be reason enough to jump overboard? No, of course not! You only abandon ship once you are certain the ship is sinking, and as the gales and tempests of this life come, I contend that the more you study, the more you will find that no other ship but the mighty ark of our Christian faith will bear us safely through every challenge and storm. And if we have this confidence in our own faith, the more persuasive we will be as we thoughtfully interact with the ideas and questions of people from other belief systems."

In the book, Defending the Faith by author Mary Jo Sharp, she takes a look at what is often times lacking within the church, a need for women to be taught how to defend their faith in a way that works for women. It is an honest look into what we need, as women, to help us not only be prepared to answer the questions above with honesty and confidence but how to grow and remain strong in our faith. If left to our own devices, we will simply limb along taking scripted responses from others as a simple way of providing the answers we hope are true to ourselves.

This is a wonderful book that I would see could dramatically impact the ministry opportunities in the church, home and community because of the compassionate needs women have to help others in need. If we continue to work together to really provide a hard line study into growing our faith, studying what God's Word has to stay about things, we can not only answer questions asked of us but also coach those we interact with every day in those same areas. We are instructed as a church to provide that type of teaching within our body and community and I think Mary Jo does an exceptional job at not only showing us why it's necessary but also how to go about beginning the process. She definitely has inspired a fire in this reader's soul to provide my own answers to these questions above and many more.

I received Defending the Faith by Mary Jo Sharp compliments of Kregel Publications for my honest review. I have not received any monetary compensation for a favorable review. This is a must needed subject for the churches, more so now than ever before and I would encourage church leaders and women in the ministry to pick up a copy to encourage this type of growth within the women of the church through small group and personal Bible Studies. I can only imagine how powerful this would be for any woman to have the upmost confidence in being able to defend her own faith in Jesus Christ to anyone who asks. I rate this one a 4.5 out of 5 stars.

For more information about Defending the Faith, Mary Jo Sharp or where you can pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

Defending the Faith by Mary Jo Sharp

The Beautiful Wife

The Beautiful Wife is a book for the gloriously messy woman who has serious and not-so-serious questions about her role as a wife. It's a book for the woman who longs to develop deep relationships with real women who don't gloss over the dirty realities of life. It's book for the woman who wants to experience more fulfillment, passion, and meaning in her marriage.

It can be a difficult thing to understand the role of a wife in this day and age. As a matter of fact, it's always been a hard role to understand. After all, it's not a one-size-fits-all kind of job, and it may require tweaking with each new season of life. Your marriage is different than mine, and both of our marriages are different than your friend's. Recipe theology - living by a one-size-fits-all formula - leaves all women hungry. But there are answers that satisfy.

In the book The Beautiful Wife, you will find some of those answers. In fact the more you work through the book, the more you to turn God and talk vulnerably within a loving community of women, the more answers you'll find. The stories of imperfect women with imperfect marriages will refresh you and also challenge you to make changes in your role as a wife, which will improve your marriage. You can use this book with small groups of women, alone, or with a mentor and I truly believe it will change your marriage for the better and teach you that there isn't such a thing as a perfect marriage or husband.

I received the book, The Beautiful Wife by Sandy Ralya compliments of Litfuse Publicity for my honest review and this came at a perfect time for me. I'm always evaluating how my own marriage can be better and how I can improve as a wife. Just the first chapter alone was like a breath of fresh air to my heart and soul as Sandy explains her own personal struggle in her marriage and trying to find a better way to make it work. I felt as if her words were my own and could relate to her story, realizing I am not alone in my thoughts, actions and worse yet, words. However through simple instructions, I saw how I could improve my husband through my actions alone and not anything I say or try to get him to do.

The biggest eye opener for me was when Sandy taught about the unique differences and roles we each bring into the marriage, though we are equal, we are not the same. Clearly Adam needed something he didn't already possess or there would be no need for Eve. It's realizing what strengths each of us brings to the marriage and how we can use those strengths to build the other up and strengthen our marriage. Men need our strengths in encouragement, our ability to find solutions in the midst of storms and instead of us dwelling on all the things we find fault with in our husbands, we need to think about all the positives, (Philippians 4:8). I can wait to see what blessings our marriage will bring as we both work through building our marriage and work towards being the best we can be in our roles as husbands and wives.

I easily rate this one a 5 out of 5 stars and highly recommend it to any woman who is currently married or considering marriage. It's also great for women's Bible Studies and for Couples Counseling as well. For more information on this book, the author and where to pick up a copy of The Beautiful Wife by Sandy Ralya, please click on the link below:

The Beautiful Wife by Sandy Ralya

By the way there is also a Mentor Guide and Prayer Journal available by clicking here.