The Utter Relief of Holiness Review and Givewaway

The Utter Relief of Holiness by John Eldredge

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I have been a longtime fan of John Eldredge.  I would almost venture to say he is my favorite author.  At the very least he is the author of one of my favorite books.  So when I heard he had written The Utter Relief of Holiness, I couldn’t wait to read it. 

Like his other books, Elderdge takes the topic and presents it in a clear but challenging way with great application.  However, as excited as I was about this book, it didn’t quite live up to my expectations.  I wanted to LOVE this book.  As it was, I only liked it.   I believe his previous writing had me spoiled and set my expectations a little too high.  However, if you are a new to Eldredge’s books, you will likely really enjoy this book.

I did jot down several quotes in my reading notebook.  My favorite is this:

“People who knew themselves to be anything but holy found the holiness of Jesus winsome, open-armed, and utterly compelling.  Is this how you have understood holiness?  It changes everything when you do.”  (page 38)

Having grown up in a church that took a theological idea to extremes that we could be sinless in this life, I almost wondered if Eldredge took the idea of being able to achieve holiness to extremes.  Can we really be so holy that we “simply don’t struggle with whatever it is that haunts you, it’s not an issue.  That’s the utter relief of holiness.  That’s what happens with the life of Jesus invades yours.”  (page 43)  It’s a great thought.  It would be wonderful if I truly believed it, but I sit back and I wonder.  The Apostle Paul had a thorn in his flesh.  Although we aren’t told what is was.  Perhaps it was a physical malady, but what if it was a sin he struggled with?  We don’t know and that leaves me pondering if holiness the way that Elderedge depicts is really something we can achieve this side of heaven.

That said, I also think it’s a great book on the topic.  There is a lot of Scripture contained in it, so it would make a great book from which to do a personal Bible study.  Because of the amount of Scripture, it would be ideal to use in a Bible study or Sunday School class.

Do I recommend this book?  Yes.  Will it be one of the favorite books I’ve read this year?  Most likely.  Did it live up to what I’ve thought of his previous books?  No.  Worth the read?   Absolutely.

You can learn more about the book and connect with the author at these links:

Website: http://www.ransomedheart.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ransomedheartministries
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ransomedheart/
Watch the book trailer:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdVkECNOEp0
Purchase at Amazon:
The Utter Relief of Holiness: How God's Goodness Frees Us from Everything that Plagues Us


Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one or more of the products or services mention above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog.  Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.  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”

I have a copy of The Utter Relief of Holiness to giveaway.  The giveaway is open to those 18 or older, and this is an INTERNATIONAL giveaway, so you do NOT need to live in the United States! Ends 1/29 at 11:59 pm Eastern Time.

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My Top Non-Fiction Picks for 2012

In 2012, I only read 61 books, this is down from previous years.  I tend to read much more non-fiction and here are my picks of what I read in 2012, listed alphabetically.

Arbitrage: The authoritative guide on how it works, why it works, and how it can work for you is a great book on how to use your phone to find things to sell online.

The Art of Neighboring: Building Genuine Relationships Right Outside Your Door  This is a great book on relationship building and why you need neighbors.

The Devil in Pew Number Seven is a book you can only wish were fiction. 

The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio: How My Mother Raised 10 Kids on 25 Words or Less is my favorite book of all time, and I re-read it this year, so of course it will get a mention.

Sister of Silence is a book about domestic violence and how she escaped.

Success Is Not an Accident: Change Your Choices; Change Your Life is a great read about choices and how to achieve your goals.

Thou Shall Prosper: Ten Commandments for Making Money is a great book on how to make money and the importance of connections.

 Winning the Food Fight: Victory in the Physical and Spiritual Battle for Good Food and a Healthy Lifestyle was written by the brother of a friend of mine from college and well worth the read.

 When Helping Hurts: How to Alleviate Poverty Without Hurting the Poor . . . and Yourself is an excellent book I believe all churches should have all who want to go on a mission trip read.

The Wishing Year: A House, a Man, My Soul A Memoir of Fulfilled Desire was a fun and interesting read.

Etched Upon My Heart Review and Giveaway

Etched...Upon My Heart: What We Learn and Why We Never Forget by Jill Kelly

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Etched . . . Upon My Heart:  What We Learn and Why We Never Forget is a book that literally brought me to tears.  Jill Kelly is wife of former Buffalo Bill quarterback Jim Kelly, and mother to two girls, to whom she dedicated this book, and one son, Hunter, who passed away at age eight from a rare disease.

In this book, she takes eight ideas / qualities and expounds on them from her life experiences.  She discusses losing Hunter to Leukodystrophy and the challenges that surrounded that as well as other life challenges.  They range from love to death, and while telling these stories she bares her heart.  The stories are ones any woman can relate to, or at the least empathize with her.  She recalls memories that will bring a smile to your face, such as when her daughter was insist that her husband pray to become a Christian.  Some stories make you wonder how you would feel -- what if you organized a fundraiser in honor of your child who passed away and saw his picture on flyers which at the end of the day were discarded? She tells stories of hope.  When she was doing a Bible study and couldn’t remember when she had been betrayed, healing emanated from that recollection.

This is a unique book.  It’s not a devotional (although it could be used as such.)  Nor is it a Bible study.  It’s someone sharing from their heart, some of the deepest things that as I read it, I repeatedly thought to myself, “If this happened to me, I don’t know if I could ever share this with the world.” 

I think this would make an excellent book for a book club, women’s group, or even a Sunday School class.  Through a group discussion, you might even be inspired to write your own legacy to your children of God’s love and faithfulness in your life by telling your story.  I can’t recommend this book enough.

Connect with the author:
Website:  http://www.jillk.org/
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jill-Kelly-AuthorSpeaker/322884036164
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/hjkforever
Purchase at Amazon: Etched...Upon My Heart: What We Learn and Why We Never Forget


Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one or more of the products or services mention above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog.  Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.  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”

I have a copy of Etched Upon My Heart to giveaway.  The giveaway is open to those 18 or older, and this is an INTERNATIONAL giveaway, so you do NOT need to live in the United States! Ends 1/29 at 11:59 pm Eastern Time.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The 5 Money Personalities : Speaking the Same Love and Money Language Book Review

FTC disclaimer:  I received this book in order to do a review.  All opinions are my own.  This post contains affiliate links.


In The Five Money Personalities: Speaking the Same Love and Money Language, Scott and Bethany Palmer -- also known as "The Money Couple" -- discuss the traits that each person may have that can affect the relationships of those around them.  When about half of marriages end in divorce, and money is the number one issue that couples argue about, I believe this is a very important book for everyone to read.  I’m single, but it helped me understand others who don’t have my money personality.

One of the things they discuss in this book is how to handle it if you have married someone with an opposite personality.  Or what if your secondary money personality trait is opposite of your main one!  That can actually be quite common, and leave that person fretting about decisions.

One of the neat things is they have resources on their website to compliment the book.  It was no surprise to me when I took the quiz that my primary personality was “saver”.  I remember as a child my grandparents giving me a jar full of coins for my birthday thinking I’d use them to play video games.  Instead I took them to the bank and deposited the nearly $40 in change in my savings account.  My secondary trait is “security seeker”.  This is something that took a long conversation with someone recently when he was asking why debt bothered me.  Don’t know how to start a conversation like that? It’s needed and this book has advice on how to broach the tough topics of how your spouse wastes money in your eyes. 

Also included in the book is an appendix of how to survive live with someone with that other money personality (or even your own!)  If you’re a spender you might need to reign yourself in come birthdays or Christmas, but the saver might need a little help spending their hard earned money on other people.

I highly recommend this book to everyone.  It gives a lot of insight to why we handle money the way we do, and I believe if read and the principles in it were applied, it could save a lot of marriages.

You can purchase this book at Amazon.