Alone in Plain Sight: Searching for Connection When You’re Seen but Not Known by Ben Higgins Book Review

In Alone in Plain Sight, Ben Higgins wrote a brand-new book about dealing with the feelings of rejection and how we can reconnect with yourself, others, romantically, and God. Ben Higgins was on the 11^th season of the Bachelorette and he also starred on the 20^th season of the Bachelor. He begins the book by sharing a personal story about how he has always felt like an outsider and how he was the kid who was a loner and didn’t feel like he fit in. He shared how in reading class, he was the last one picked and he didn’t have a reading partner so he had to partner up with the librarian. He admitted to feeling like an outsider and he always felt rejected by his peers. He felt like he could easier talk to adults than his peers. He was an only child and it wasn’t by choice. His parents spent four years with infertility specialists before they were able to conceive him. He shared how during the pregnancy, she suffered a severe placenta previa hemorrhage and he became a high-risk pregnancy. During this time, his father was also diagnosed with stage four Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Luckily, everything turned out fine and his parents were okay but it changed them afterwards. But after all these events they were unable to have any more children. He explained how these events caused his parents to live life a different way and they raised Ben that every day is gift from God and making meaningful connections with family and friends is extremely important. Ben revealed how he struggled with friendships and he didn’t understand the term casual acquaintance. He wanted to believe that people would be his friend and they would accept him. He explained how he felt like an outsider and that he wasn’t seen, understood, or even valued by his peers and he felt alone in plain sight. He also explored the story of the woman at the well and how judged she was and how Jesus spoke to her as a fellow human being and treated her with respect when the world and her peers rejected her.  

 

 

Later on, in the book, he opened up about how he was chosen for The Bachelorette with 24 other guys in hopes that he would fall in love with this one special girl. In the book, he shared his experiences and some of his feelings about what he learned about himself while on this journey. He opened up about ending his first engagement and he was struggling and looking for another person to fill up his soul. He eventually realized that hold would never be filled with looking to another person to make us happy and whole. He explained how another person can’t fix our own brokenness inside us. We have to look to our Savior and reconnect with God. 

 

 

In the book, he also discussed how he started his own company, Generous Coffee and he was able to create jobs globally. This company isn’t just about coffee they also stand for serving others and doing good for others. He explained in the book how the company and vision for the company was formed and how they crafted the ambassador program. 

 

 

I would this awesome book to anyone is feeling alone and rejected. You might be feeling like you are alone in plain sight and no one sees you or loves you. I immensely loved how real Ben was in this book and it’s not something you would expect from a reality TV star. I’m going to be honest I don’t like the Bachelor or the Bachelorette and I truly hate the show. I don’t really care for it since I personally think most of it is fake and played up for TV. I liked how Ben didn’t really focus on the show as much as he could have. He had a bigger vision and he wanted to help others who are feeling alone and forgotten by their peers and they are dealing with the pains of rejection. I connected with story because I’m also an only child and I personally have felt the pains of rejection. I always have felt like I didn’t fit in. It was a great encouragement to see that I’m not alone and even when I feel like I’m alone in plain sight, I’m not. 

 

 

 

"I received this book free from the author, Ben Higgins for my honest review and for being a part of his launch team.”

 

 

 

 

If you would like to purchase a copy of Alone in Plain Sight, check it out on Amazon.com:

 

https://www.amazon.com/Alone-Plain-Sight-Searching-Connection/dp/1400221358/

 

 

Check out Generous Coffee:

 

https://generousmovement.com

 

Jesus About Exigency of Loving Yourself: Religious View on Hot Topics in Psychology by Mike McArthur Book Review

In Jesus About Exigency of Loving Yourself, Mike McArthur explored the topic of loving yourself like Christ has instructed and commanded us to do. The book is based off of Mark 12:30-31. In this verse, we are told to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength and to also love your neighbor like your love yourself. Throughout the book, Mike revealed how important it is to love yourself first. Then once we have truly loved who we are inside and what we believe and stand for can we truly love others. He discussed how if we don’t love ourselves, we aren’t loving the God that is living inside us. He reinforced how loving ourselves and loving God is interconnected. He explained how our relationships are hurting because both parties aren’t truly loving others and may don’t love themselves. He shared how loneliness is a big problem in the world and most of us feel alienated and alone and this was occurring way before Covid-19. He explained how we can learn to stop seeing loneliness as a negative thing. We can use it as a catalyst to form deep friendship connections.

 

 

 

In the book, he took the major time in looking at the results of us not loving ourselves and how we can choose to love ourselves unconditionally. He explored how not loving yourself can result in alcoholism, drugs, depression, and even divorce. He shared how self-hate is something a lot of us are experiencing. He also opened up about how even overeating can be seen as a destroy act that can harm our body when we choose to engaged with junk food, sugar, alcohol, and lack of physical exercise. He also looked at how we can have pure love for ourselves and how this will help us in our relationships. When we learn to accept and love who we are, we can learn to be a better lover and we won’t be trying to get love and force our partner to love us. 

 

 

I would recommend this awesome book to anyone who is struggling with loving themselves. They might be turning to the arms of a lover, alcohol, drugs, social media, food, or anything else that they believe will bring with wholeness and happiness. But you are realizing that you are still left empty and longing for more. I immensely loved how Mike explored in detail how loving ourselves completely will also reflect in how much we are loving God. I liked how he taught readers how to love themselves and to love the God that is within them. I also agreed with Mike’s reasoning and how he strongly believed in the importance on sitting down with a partner and discussing the expectations and requirements that we have for our partner. This in turn could improve the relationship/ future marriage and led to less frustrations between couples down the line. I also liked how he included action points at the end of each chapter to encourage readers to think about the material presented and to guide you into loving yourself. 

 

 

 

"I received this book free from the author, Mike McArthur for my honest review.”

 

 

 

 

If you would like to purchase a copy of Jesus About Exigency of Loving Yourself, check it out on Amazon.com:

 

 

https://www.amazon.com/Jesus-About-Loving-Yourself-Psychology-ebook/dp/B08P9LPLDP

The Power Plate Diet: Discover the Ultimate Anti-Inflammatory Meals to Fat-Proof Your Body and Restore Your Health by Erin Oprea Book Review

In The Power Plate Diet, Erin Oprea has written her second book on fitness and has developed a new power plate diet. It consists of a four-week meal plan to encourage nutrition and promote weight loss. Erin is a personal trainer and she is based in Nashville, Tennessee. She served in the Marines for 9 years and she served in two tours in Iraq in 2003 and 2005. She opened up about how she became a personal trainer. Some of her celebrity clients she has worked with and trained are: Carrie Underwood, Maren Morris, Ryan Hurd, Kelsea Ballerini, Kacey Musgraves, Jana Kramer, Brian Kelley and Tyler Hubbard of Florida Georgia Line, Lauren Alaina, Lee Ann Womack, Martina McBride, Carley Pearce, Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland, and Alan Jackson and Denise Jackson. In the book, she shared how she trained her clients and taught them how to work out and be active and to eat a balanced diet. She also shared how at 52 years old her father died from a heart attack. She didn’t understand how he died because he was very active but she realized that he ate a bad diet. After his death, she studied nutrition and how food can help us to have energy, heal our bodies, and have longevity. She explained how important it is to choose the correct foods to eat and how it can help us to lose up to three to five pounds a week and if we also include exercise it can help us lose even more. 

 

 

In the book, she looked at inflammation in our bodies and how bad inflammation can lead to obesity. She revealed how sugar, junk food, and foods we are allergic to or intolerant of can impact our fat cells and cause us to store extra fat and led us to being overweight. One of the biggest factors, we can look at is how much fat we have around our stomachs and this can be an indication that we are struggling with bad inflammation. In the book, she shared her own food sensitivities, such as onions and yeast for her and how she discovered her own sensitives. She revealed that 20% of us have some sort of food sensitivity and it can lead us to weight gain, cravings, and bloating. 

 

 

I would recommend this life changing book to anyone who needs to lose weight for better health and they are ready for a richer life. I have always enjoyed listening to Erin’s teaching when I read her first book. I first learned about her from Carrie Underwood discussing how she got her toned legs from training with Erin. I mean just look at how fit Carrie’s legs are. I will admit I love the way Erin has helped some of these celebrities to tone up and to shape their bodies. Some of other favorites is how fit Jennifer Nettles, FGL, and Kelsea Ballerini have gotten. I also am a member of her Pretty Muscles app and have done quite a few workouts on the app and I will say the workouts and the fun card games are a fun way to workout. I also love how passionate Erin is on doing Tabata’s style workout and the book also include many different workouts and she will explain all of her workouts. I loved how the book also contained 4 weeks of clean eating and power foods. One of her biggest tips was not eating carbs after 3 or 4 pm which is something I plan on trying. I also need to follow the water rule to help fat proof and help use it as a natural appetite suppressant. I have also been taking her collagen recommendations but I can’t try her beet juice because I have had kidney stones and that can aggravate them. I will say I highlighted a lot in this book and I will be rereading this book in my journey to health and wellness and practicing the tips and principles. I enjoyed the recipes she included and the 4 weeks meal plan and I’m curious to try and make some of these. 

 

 

 

"I received this book free from Erin Opera and her book launch team, for my honest review.”

 

 

 

 

If you would like to purchase a copy of The Power Plate Diet, check it out on Amazon.com:

 

 

https://www.amazon.com/Power-Plate-Diet-Anti-Inflammatory-Fat-Proof/dp/1984824546

 

 

Check out her Official Site: 

 

https://erinoprea.com/

Engaging Your Teen’s World: Understanding What Today’s Youth are Thinking, Doing, and Watching by David Eaton and Jeremiah Callihan with Alan Briggs Book Review

In Engaging Your Teen’s World, David Eaton and Jeremiah Callihan teaches parents how to communicate with your teens, set wise boundaries with social media and devices, and how to have important conversations with your teens. In this book, they explored how times have dramatically changed and now our children have different challenges facing them. They are both founders of Axis, a nonprofit that helps parents and teenagers connect with each other. David shared how he was raised in a stable home and his mother became a stay-at-home mother and his dad worked as a police office. His dad turned down a big promotion where he could stay at home more to spend time with his family. His parents taught him Christian principles and took him to church. He had an open conversation way with his parents. Jeremiah was raised differently and his parents were raised under legalism and fear. His faith grew when he was in a youth group and through along with his parent’s conversations. His parents divorced when he was in his twenties. They opened up about even though they were raised different and they both experienced different things, they were able to form a leadership and they developed a passion on reaching out to teenagers and parents. In the book, they shared how to have important conversations around faith, how dad’s play a critical role in leading their children, and how we can do things with our children to develop open heart to heart communication. The book also covered the topics of smartphones, social media usage, hidden apps, sex, drugs, depression and anxiety, college, and video games. 

 

 

I would recommend this life changing book on parenting and teaching our teenagers how to become adults. This book would be a great book for parents, pastors, and youth group leaders. I immensely loved how up to date they wrote the book to explain to parents what challenges teenagers face now with social media. It is much easier for teenagers to hide what they are doing from their parents. There are even hidden apps such as a calculator that if you enter a special code kids can hide nude pictures from their parents. App creators are very creative in lurking and deceiving parents and teens. I liked how they explained how parents can use this book to learn the tools they need to know to raise their teenagers in today’s times. I also liked how they discussed the topic of depression and self-harm and tips on staying aware of the signs to watch out for. I also liked how they discussed opioids and used some real-life Hollywood celebrities as examples and how they died from an overdose. I appreciated how open they were in covering the many topics and experiences our teenagers could face in today’s times and how we can help them by having an open conversation and how we can help them to grow in their faith. 

 

 

 

"I received this book free from the publisher, Bethany House/ Chosen for my honest review.”

 

 

 

 

If you would like to purchase a copy of Engaging Your Teen’s World, check it out on Amazon.com:

 

 

https://www.amazon.com/Engaging-Your-Teens-World-Understanding/dp/0764235826

 

 

Check out: 

 

https://axis.org

A Dolly for Christmas: The True Story of a Family’s Christmas Miracle by Kimberly Schlapman of Little Big Town Illustrated by Morgan Huff Book Review

Kimberly Schlapman of Little Big Town has written her first children’s book, A Dolly for Christmas. It’s based on her family’s wish for a second baby. Her first child, Daisy wished for another sibling. Kimberly had a dream to become a mother for the longest time. Her dreamed was crushed when her first husband suddenly pasted away. She didn’t think she would ever get a chance to have a family. Eventually, she remarried and they had Daisy. They discovered that Daisy was a miracle baby. When they tried to have a second child, her and her husband struggled trying to conceive and they experienced infertility issues. Kimberly shared how Daisy would pray to God for a baby and one year she even asked Santa to bring her a brother or sister. A few years later, around Christmastime they were able to adopt, Dolly. This book is an illustrated book describing the journey of Daisy praying, asking Santa for help, and the hope and fulfillment of believing and waiting on God to provide and answer their prayers. 

 

 

 

I would recommend this awesome book to anyone who is looking for a new Christmas book. I have always enjoyed Little Big Town’s music and I have Kimberly’s cookbook and made some her recipes so I already was a fan of her. I also appreciated the little background note Kimberly shared in the back of the book about her life and the meaning behind the book. I immensely liked reading such a positive story and how they believed and prayed for a child. I liked how they showed their faith in God even though it took many years for it to come to pass and how even Daisy was praying and believing in the power of God. I liked how it brought to life infertility issues in a way kids could understand and how their story ended in adoption and how others may choose that route. I loved how the cover was designed with a glittery Christmas illustration and it will help little children to be captured by the design. I loved how the book characters was based on their own family and they were all drawn to look like they truly look in real life. I immensely liked how colorful the illustrations were and I believe this book would make a great gift to anyone who is praying and believing on having another child and it would make a great encouragement book to children. This will bring hope in helping children to believe in a Christmas miracle. 

 

 

 

 

 

"I received this book free from the publisher, Hachette Book Group/Faithwords for my honest review.” 

 

 

 

 

If you would like to purchase a copy of A Dolly for Christmas, check it out on Amazon.com:

 

 

 

https://www.amazon.com/Dolly-Christmas-Story-Familys-Miracle/dp/0316542962

Searching for Certainty: Finding God in the Disruptions of Life by Shelly Miller Book Review

In Searching for Certainty, Shelly Miller explored how we can manage and handle life, when it doesn’t go the way we expect it too. Sometimes we lose jobs, experience illness, encounter broken relationships, addictions, marriage troubles, and any other struggles we may go through. Often times we question why God would allow certain things to happen. She begins the book by sharing how her parents divorced when she three years old. She has a child photo proof of her not smiling in photos and her relatives reminded her and told her stories of how depressed she was. She opened up about how her parents met and how her dad was 24 years old and was in his last year of law school. He was raised as a Catholic. He met her mother when she working as an agent for an airline company. A few months in their relationship, she became pregnant. They got married and hid it from their families until after she was born. But they figured it out by the calculation and they were judged. He never ended up practicing law. Their marriage was rocky and her mother ended up leaving him one day to an empty house. She shared how as a young child she refused to eat because of the divorce and separation. She also shared later how her mother eventually moved in with her lesbian girlfriend. She opened up about how she looking for proof that she was truly worthy of love and security. She explained the story of Moses and how he might have been wondering if he was worthy enough of love. She also looked at statistics and how depression, anxiety, loneliness, and suicide are on the rise. This isn’t even counting the covid-19 factors. 

 

 

I would recommend this helpful book to anyone who is struggling with dealing with life changes and the uncertainty that we face. We can’t control what comes our way. This book will help readers to learn to handle and cope when the changes do come. I deeply connected with how real she was in the epilogue and how at the end of the book she shared a little on the covid-19 struggles and how she experienced a major health battle. She started having pain on the right side of her abdomen and then it travelled to her back. After many tests during the pandemic, they found out she had sarcoma cancer. She passed away on November 1. I liked how open she was in sharing the uncertainly she was now facing in her battle with her health. Her life story and book will become a testimony on how we can learn to find and discover our Savior even when faced with uncertainty. 

 

 

 

 

https://www.dignityfunerals.co.uk/funeral-notices/01-11-2020-shelly-ann-miller/

 

 

 

https://shellymillerwriter.com

 

 

 

 

"I received this book free from the publisher, Bethany House/ Chosen for my honest review.”

 

 

 

 

If you would like to purchase a copy of Searching for Certainty, check it out on Amazon.com:

 

 

 

https://www.amazon.com/Searching-Certainty-Finding-Disruptions-Life/dp/0764235974