Captivating

Captivating
By John and Stasi Elderegde
Captivating is set around the premise every little girl asks the questions, “Am I lovely? Am I beautiful? Am I captivating?” Throughout life we go on with the daily grind but deep inside our hearts we are still asking ourselves these questions and looking to external things to answer them. Captivating explains how God places these desires into our hearts and how ‘looking time’ can help answer the questions and what it takes to become truly captivating.




John and Stasi Elderidge talk candidly about how we all can easily fall into a fantasy world of the way we think things should be. When our lives don’t play out the way we thought they should many women escape to mindless movies, romance novels, food, or whatever else brings comfort. What many of us miss is how all our struggles and longings stem from the fall of Adam and Eve.



As the pages are turned, Captivating doesn’t promise if you do A and B you’ll get C but explains how we are beautiful because we are made by Christ and everyone’s shortcomings stem from the fall of man. The chapters are filled with thought-provoking questions of where we stand in certain areas followed by a prayer asking God to help us turn to Him and away from the lies we have believed.



I first heard of this book a few years ago when it was newly published. Friends of mine had talked about being captivated by it just as the title says. So that’s exactly what I expected - to be drawn in and unable to put the book down by the way it explains the questions all women ask. I wasn’t as captivated by this book as I thought I would be, possibly because all had I heard previously about it. However I do think there are many good points scattered throughout the pages, they just seemed hard to find. It is definitely a book to read when you want to sit down, really digest each chapter and ask yourself tough questions.

Favorite Quote:

“We have never considered that by living a controlling and domineering life we are really refusing to trust God. And it has never dawned on us that something precious in us is being squelched, diminished, or refused. Something that God has given us to bring to the world.”



I received this book as a review copy for free from Thomas Nelson Publishers
Learn about John and Stasi's minstry HERE
Buy the book HERE
Rating: 4 carats

Peculiar Treasures

Peculiar Treasures by Robin Jones Gunn

After attending her best friend’s wedding Katie Weldon begins to wonder about her own life. As she juggles her friendships, her sort-of boyfriend, Rick, ponders whether to take a job as a Resident Advisor, and contemplates declaring a major, Katie starts to constantly question what she is doing with her life and where she wants to go.

This is the first book in the Katie Weldon series and is a continuation of the Christy Miller and Sierra Jenson series by Robin Jones Gunn. I've only read a little bit of the Christy Miller series but I can definitely see how these characters have grown in depth and become more dimensional as they have progressed through college.

Katie is sweet and relatable to almost any 20-something girl who has wondered about life. Robin Jones Gunn has a fantastic way of lightheartedly and captivatingly sweeping you up into her stories, leaving your heart filled with warmth. I think the only way to describe her writing is from a quote in the middle of the book, "What I appreciate about you is your freshness and honesty. You say things I would never think of saying and you say them in a way that makes me think."

There is nothing peculiar about this treasure!

Favorite Line:
"I wonder if being willing is a just as good in God's eyes as being ready. Especially since it’s kind of difficult to be ready when you don't even know where you're going in the morning."

Rating: 5 carats

Browse Robin's website and online store HERE

Buy the book HERE