Wonderful and Challenging! 'Into the Deep: Diving Into a Life of Courageous Faith' - by Lauren Gaskill

About the book:

Develop enduring faith for the turbulent waters of life.

Following Jesus doesn’t guarantee sunny skies and smooth sailing. In fact, the waters of life are often tumultuous, crashing over us. Sometimes we can feel that we’re drowning in a sea of confusion, division, frustration, complacency, or disillusionment. We need more than a shallow faith to survive these deep waters.

Into the Deep is an invitation to dive headfirst into a life of courageous faith. With endearing warmth and authenticity, Lauren Gaskill shares how she and others have learned to swim with Jesus in the deep waters of life—facing challenges such as anxiety, depression, and chronic illness—only to discover a more authentic, enduring faith that cannot be shaken by circumstances. In addition to examining the character of God and the lives of women and men of the Bible who chose to dive deeper with God, she provides practical examples and tools that help us take our faith to the next level by learning to make decisions by faith alone, control our reactions to overwhelming situations, and live a life rooted in love.

Get ready to exchange fear and frustration for the boldness, courage, and holy confidence that lead to a life of deep faith and joy!

My review:

This was a wonderful book full of a lot of great advice!  Lauren used a lot of examples from her own life to show where she'd been and how she crawled out of the pit of despair.  I really admired her honesty when she talked about how she'd messed up or that it took her a long time to get to a place of surrender and trusting God and she still has to work at it!  She starts out by saying we need to put our faith in the only one who's trustworthy and will never let us down, Jesus.  Some of my favorite sections were when she pointed out six things you need to know if you're going through a hard time, such as 'you're never alone' and 'God is not punishing you.'  Then she talked about trusting God and how we need to spend time with Him, to really get to know His character.  There were also wonderful chapters on finding His will, overcoming fear and building endurance by putting on the armor of God.  Each chapter had questions to think about where you are on the journey and a prayer.  There were also some wonderful testimonies in the back.  Part of the reason I wanted to read this book was because I could relate somewhat to Lauren as I, too, am dealing with chronic pain and feeling discouraged.  It was very helpful to read about someone I felt could relate a little more to my situation but this book would be great for anyone who's gone through a hard time or is going through one now or will in the future, so everyone could benefit from this book!  I highly recommend it!

I received this book from Abingdon Press.  I was not compensated for this review.  All opinions are my own.

Excerpt from the book

About the author:

 Lauren Gaskill is an author, speaker and host of the Finding Joy podcast and Finding Joy Ladies Night Out events. After being diagnosed with an incurable connective tissue disorder, Lauren made it her life mission to encourage others to fight for faith and find joy — no matter what life’s circumstances might bring.

Gaskill is a storyteller who believes stories are powerful and loves how God uses them for His good. She writes and speaks to motivate and inspire others to experience abundant life in Christ. She is particularly passionate about encouraging women to fight for faith and go deeper in their relationship with Jesus. Gaskill also writes and speaks about what it looks like to walk with Jesus through pain and suffering.

She lives in Raleigh, NC with her husband and Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.

Find her online at LaurenGaskillInspires.com or on Facebook (lauren.gaskill.inspires), Twitter (lauren_inspires) and Instagram (lauren_inspires).