Beautiful Battlefields | iPad Mini Giveaway and {3/12} Live Webcast with Bo Stern
http://litfusegroup.com/author/BStern
From Bitterness to Beauty!,
About Beautiful Battlefields:
Where is God in the midst of this?
You've probably heard that question or perhaps asked it yourself. In the battle for your joy, your marriage, your finances, your health, an emptiness creeps in. Where is the peace You promised, God?
Bo Stern has been there-and is still there. Yet in studying the battles in Scripture, she came to a startling conclusion: God is using these fierce fights in our lives for an astonishing purpose.
“Bo Stern has written a book that will encourage, challenge, and inspire anyone facing battlefields of everyday life. Thoughtful and provoking, these pages just might be filled with the hope you need right now.” — Margaret Feinberg, author of Wonderstruck and Scouting the Divine
“In twenty-one years of women’s ministry, I have never met a woman as extraordinary as Bo Stern. She is the real deal and her words are anointed by God Himself. You will forever be changed by this book.” – Sheri Rose Shepherd, best-selling author, Bible life coach
Link to buy the book: http://ow.ly/hGUuS
“Bo Stern has written a book that will encourage, challenge, and inspire anyone facing battlefields of everyday life. Thoughtful and provoking, these pages just might be filled with the hope you need right now.” — Margaret Feinberg, author of Wonderstruck and Scouting the Divine
“In twenty-one years of women’s ministry, I have never met a woman as extraordinary as Bo Stern. She is the real deal and her words are anointed by God Himself. You will forever be changed by this book.” – Sheri Rose Shepherd, best-selling author, Bible life coach
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Bo Stern knows the most beautiful things can come out of the hardest times. Her Goliath came in the form of her husband, Steve’s, terminal illness, a battle they are still fighting with the help of their four children, a veritable army of friends, and our extraordinary God.
The Sterns make their home in Bend, OR, where Bo is a teaching pastor at Westside Church with a passion for making theology accessible, compelling and transformative. Both her position in the church and her personal battle have allowed Bo to minister to others as they are facing their own giants. She considers it to be a privilege to be able to provide a listening ear and a shoulder to cry on — being a part of another’s Army so that they don’t have to fight their battle alone.
Bo and Steve also serve on the international board of Kings Kids Village, a home for AIDS-affected orphans in Nairobi, Kenya. They are also active in ALS advocacy — a disease Steve has been fighting since 2011.
Bo also writes of their unexpected journey at www.bostern.com. She can also be found on Facebook (www.facebook.com/beautifulbattlefields) and Twitter (@bostern).
My Review ~
Bo Stern is a teaching pastor in Bend Oregon, where she has experience teaching others how to meet and do battle with the giants in life. Having been through her own battles over the years, Bo has developed valuable techniques in taking on giants through tough times. Steve, Bo's husband of 27 years, had been a strong and healthy man who recognized the onset of some muscle weakness. Numerous medical tests eventually confirmed a diagnosis of ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease). Bo had met her Goliath. The ALS giant was the biggest and toughest of any foes she had encountered in the past, and threatened her to the core. Bo chose to fight her giant with prayer and walking through the battlefield with God at her side. Her experiences and teachings prove that beauty can sometimes only be found in the midst of the toughest times, and God's love is unconditional.
"Beautiful Battlefields" is written in two parts, "Discovering Beauty In The Hard Places," and "Strategies for Growing Stronger Through Every Battle." Bo presents biblical illustrations of battles fought and beauty found. She gives examples of how to develop perspective, endurance and joy even through the bumpy, shaky battlefields of insecurity, through the security and love of God. From there she reveals opportunities to discover peace through prayer, listening and obeying. Building a support system is an integral part of seeking strength from trusted, selfless, devoted friends. Throughout the book are points to ponder and suggested activities for taking positive action on the battlefield. The use of positive memories of God's goodness and grace develops strength and assurance that God's grace is a stronghold in battle.
The author writes with conviction and passion regarding the use of appropriate tools to meet our giants on the battlefield, including illness, financial hardship, marital discord, dysfunctional families, drug or alcohol abuse, physical abuse, guilt, etc. These tools can be utilized in all situations, no matter what those giants represent. Practical ideas and spiritual tools are described as a method for experiencing the beauty of God's love and His presence throughout the battles we face. This is a beautiful, informative and spiritual testimony of valuable techniques to be utilized in every day situations as well as when meeting Goliath on the battlefield. It's a transformation from bitterness to beauty.
DISCLAIMER: I received a copy of this book from LitFuse Publicity Group, with no expectations regarding a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine, and no compensation has been received for this honest review.
I want to read this after reading your review. Super Review!
ReplyDeleteIt's an excellent book, Mary. Great resource book! I will be reading it again and again.
Delete