Review: Captivating by John & Stasi Eldredge

Summary: There is so much to this book that it's hard for me to summarize briefly. It's about what God created women for and how to get back to WHO God created you to be. This isn't your typical how-to-be-a-woman-of-God book in that it doesn't offer a list of what you should be doing, rather it gets to the roots of WHO you are, WHO God created you to be, WHY you are the way you are. To take it from the back cover:

The message of Captivating is this: Your heart matters more than anything else in all of creation.

My thoughts: I, honestly, was somewhat skeptical coming into reading this book, but it sounded interesting so I gave it a try. And it is GOOD. I couldn't believe how quickly it drew me in – for this type of book that is R-A-R-E! I found myself just drinking this book in. This book was talking to me Stasi gets me. This is a powerful, amazing book. It was a real eye-opener in so many ways. It helped me see how Satan has been tying me down, cutting me off from God's power and love. It made me rethink a LOT of things. I intend to re-read this book somewhat regularly – every year or two – because I think this is something that is constantly a work in progress, and regular refreshers will help keep me progressing in the right direction. I would HIGHLY recommend this book to all women I know! I think this is a book PACKED with a lot of valuable information, based on Biblical truth, and if women can really drink it in they will find themselves FREE!

My rating: 5 stars

Source: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I did not receive any monetary compensation.

Get it: As I said before, I HIGHLY recommend this book. You can find it HERE. (This is an Amazon link, and purchase through this link will result in my receiving a small commission. Your support is appreciated!)

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Teaser Tuesday ~ 5/4

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read.
• Open to a random page.
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page.
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Here's mine:

When Matthew adds a few women to the cast, it is a major and notable exception. These women are so important to God that he had the writer break all cultural norms and even open himself to criticism and dismissal in order to make a point: "Look here – these are really good women." ~ Page 158 of Captivating by John & Stasi Eldredge

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT with either the link to your own Teaser Tuesdays post, or share your 2 "teasers" in a comment here (if you don’t have a blog). Thanks!

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Whatcha Reading Wednesday

Hey, bookworms! This one's for you! Hosted by Busy Moms Who Love to Read, this is just a fun little thing to share a tidbit from what you're reading.

Here's how it works:

Grab the book you're currently reading and open it to a random page. Choose a random spot on the page (I close my eyes and point LOL), and select two full sentences. Make a post (or just leave a comment, if you'd prefer) with the two sentences you selected. Include the page number and title and author of the book. If, by some odd chance, your two sentences have the possibility of spoiling the story for someone (say, it happens to name the death of a character or reveals a surprise twist), make sure to include **Spoiler Alert** before you share the sentences – that way anyone who'd rather not have it spoiled can opt to skip it! ;-) Then link up on the MckLinky provided HERE! :-)

Because I also participate in Teaser Tuesday, I will do like we did last week, and share the first two lines in Chapter 1 (not a prologue, preface, introduction, or anything like that) of my current book. Feel free to do the same, if you also participate in both!

Here's mine for the week:

"Let's do it." Dusk was settling in. ~ Captivating by John & Stasi Eldredge

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

Every little girl has dreams of being swept up into a great adventure, of being the beautiful princess. Sadly, when women grow up, they are often swept up into a life filled merely with duty and demands. Many Christian women are tired, struggling under the weight of the pressure to be a "good servant," a nurturing caregiver, or a capable home manager.

What Wild at Heart did for men, Captivating is doing for women. Setting their hearts free. This groundbreaking book shows readers the glorious design of women before the fall, describes how the feminine heart can be restored, and casts a vision for the power, freedom, and beauty of a woman released to be all she was meant to be. By revealing the core desires every woman shares-to be romanced, to play an irreplaceable role in a grand adventure, and to unveil beauty-John and Stasi Eldredge invite women to recover their feminine hearts, created in the image of an intimate and passionate God. Further, they encourage men to discover the secret of a woman's soul and to delight in the beauty and strength women were created to offer.

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Teaser Tuesday ~ 4/27

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read.
• Open to a random page.
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page.
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Here's mine:

When it comes to the subject of loving a man – any of the men in your life – we need far more than a chapter. A book would barely feel sufficient. ~ Page 150 in Captivating by John & Stasi Eldredge

If you wanna participate, please just leave a comment with your teaser! :-) Or, if you post it on your own blog, please share a link so I can come read yours! :-) This is a fun way to help find more great reads to add to the ever-growing to-read list! ;-)

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