Hello! Happy first Wednesday of November and happy What are you reading Wednesday day! If you are like me, I really do not know what happened to October and can’t believe we are already into the first week of November!
The book I currently finished that I want to share with you today is The Storm Inside by Sheila Walsh. The book is not a new release and is actually a few years old. Sheila has even written a couple of more books since this one that have now been added to my “want to read” list!
So why did I start this book?
Well, I am just going to tell it like it is…. “My name is Angie and I like to buy books and never read them.” Yes, I am that person. I get all excited about a book, buy it, and it just sits, collects dust and then ends up with the mountain of other books I have collected. That is what happened with this book.
I heard her speak about this book.
In 2014 Sheila was one of the speakers at the Women of Faith conference. I had heard her at another conference before and loved everything about her; her story and the message she shared. She really spoke to me this night as well and it was then that I bought this book. It made it to my home, and I remember reading the first chapter, and then….life. As you may remember I mentioned in THIS post I wasn’t a huge reader before either.
About a month ago the book resurfaced and the theme hit home even more.
I was trying to tackle the mess of a space that is lovingly named my closet and found this book. The title alone grabbed my attention for the second time. (The Storm Inside: Trade the Chaos of How You Feel for the Truth of Who You Are) This time I did not put it up. Just the opposite happened, I couldn’t put it down.
One thing I love about Sheila is that she speaks real but also raw truth. She is encouraging but also real. So many self help and motivational books these days just want to tell others what they want to hear.
She acknowledges how hard life this side of heaven is. She knows the storms of this life and has had some very hard experiences herself.
She also knows how good God is!
She knows how important she is to Him and she uses this book to show others that they are too, even when they are in the middle of a storm in their life that equals a category 5 hurricane.
Just to give you a little insight to the book, here are the titles of the chapters:
- When a Tsunami Hits the Heart (From Heartbreak to Strength)
- A Long, Dark Winter (From Disappointment to Hope)
- Navigating Treacherous Waters (From Unforgiveness to Freedom)
- Covered by Christ (From Shame to Love)
- A Silent Storm (From Regret to Rest)
- Thunder and Lightning (From Fear to Joy)
- Battered to Beautiful (From Insecurity to Confidence)
- A New Dawn Breaks (From Insignificance to Courage)
- Standing on the Rock (From Despair to Faith)
- On a Clear Day We Can See Home (From Rage to Restoration)
One thing I loved about this book is that at the end of each chapter she had a section called Standing Through Your Storm.
In this section she would include ideas on how to apply what you just read. Ideas on how to help you. I like this because sometimes I can read something and be all “yes, Amen, I need that, I need to do that, etc” but then I don’t know how to get there or what to do. Or I am so overwhelmed that I just feel stuck. Sheila helps you at the end of each chapter! It is also a resource you can easily go back to especially if a couple of the chapters spoke to you more than others.
Whether you are currently enjoying sunshine and not in any storm, are in a slight mist, a steady rain, or a thunderstorm where you can’t even see what is in front of you, I think you would be encouraged and blessed by this book and by Sheila’s words.
The Storm Inside can be found in any local bookstore and can also be found HERE. For some reason the paperback is even 5 cents more than the hardback, so unless you just like paperback better I would definitely get the hardback! If you like audio books and like to listen in the car you can also get it off of Audible HERE.
So, that is what I have been reading! I am trying to decide what I will read next. I would love to hear what you are currently reading!
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