“Knowing what God says about us will make a world of difference in how we view ourselves, as well as how we live out our stories the way he planned from the beginning of time.  But first we must shift our focus.  This is no small thing.  The answer to the question “Who am I?” isn’t bound up in you at all; it’s a treasure buried within the heart of your father.”

This book can be read alone but would also be really great to read through as part of a ladies’ bible study.

3.  Rooted: Going Deep into God’s Transforming Love  by Lara Williams
I found out about this book through this youtube video.  The video is a discussion between Stacey Thacker, author of my second review, and Lara Williams, the author of Rooted. Stacey’s book focuses on Grace whereas Lara’s book focuses on love.  I loved listening to the discussion of their books about the same book, Ephesians. 

In her book, Lara takes the reader through Ephesians one chapter a week by looking at a few verses each day.  I like how each day she has the reader read the assigned scripture first and then to ask what does this tell me about God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and humankind before her commentary on the verses.  Then she ends the day’s reading with a few questions that relate to those verses and her comments.  Each day’s reading takes maybe 15 to 20 minutes.  This book is great for personal study but would also be good to use in a weekly study to discuss each chapter of Ephesians.

Here is a quote that stood out from chapter 6 of her book

“The diagnosis comes.  That person betrays.  Our child rebels.  Life takes our breath away.  And we forget.  We forget where Jesus sits.  We forget He holds all power.  We forget that He’s in a real, live realm holding everything together, including our lives.”

4. Union With Christ by Rankin Wilbourne