Andrew Smith's Blog

My name is Andrew. Come and have a look inside my life and watch me share what is on my heart.

In the Middle of the Mess: Strength for this Beautiful, Broken Life By Sheila Walsh Book Review





In the Middle of the Mess, Sheila Walsh explored the power we have in confessing, mediating on God’s written word, and praying to our Creator. She opens the book by writing a letter to her dad who committed suicide when he was 34 years old. She realized that her father was broken. She lived with the regret of how she wished she could have tried to make him smile one last time. Sheila Walsh shared about she lived with depression and wound up having to go to a psych hospital. She revealed that she struggled with suicidal thoughts and she thought about jumping off the bridge overlooking the railroad tracks. She came to recognize that God came to save her in the middle of her pain and brokenness and He gave us the gift of salvation. One of the important truths she realized was the power of finding her a community of friends to help build her up. Friends can help us to pray for one another and we can remind each other what Christ has stated about us in His word.





I would recommend this life changing book to anyone who is ready to some hope and encouragement during the mist of the mess of life. I have read a few other books that Sheila Walsh has written. I have always enjoyed with how transparent she is in sharing the darkest times, like when she lost her father and mother. She is a very strong encourager and in this book, she suggested that there is healing and comfort when we surrender our lives to Christ completely. I liked how Sheila shared powerful scriptures people can mediate on if they are dealing with depression, fear, if God seems distant, if you’re afraid of what’s going on in the world around you, and much more. Sheila Walsh understands what it is like in living in chaos and being in a mess and feeling lost and alone. Her story will encourage you that if she made it thru, you can too!!






"I received this book free from the publisher through the Handlebar Marketing book review bloggers program."






If you would like to purchase a copy of In the Middle of the Mess, check it out on Amazon.com:






Goliath Must Fall: Winning the Battle Against Your Giants By Louie Giglio Book Review







In Goliath Must Fall, Louie Giglio explored the Biblical story of David and Goliath and how Jesus can help us to slay the giants in our life. The giants can be anything from rejection, fear, anger, addictions, and anything that has power of your life. Louie Giglio shared his own personal struggle with anxiety and depression. He went to numerous doctors to help him try and sleep. Louie wanted to control everything and he wanted approval from others. When he first built his church, he wanted to please everyone and make sure everyone was happy. He realized he had a few giants he had to overcome where he could move forward with his life. One of the important aspects of the book is how critical it is to worship God and how focusing on Him makes our giant smaller. When Louie began to praise God, he finally found peace and healing. He would have to constantly remind himself that whatever problem he was facing he was giving it to God. 




I would recommend this amazing book to anyone who is ready to worship their way out of the giant’s schemes. One of my favorite chapters was the chapter entitled, “A Table in the Presence”. This chapter talked about the importance of not giving the devil a seat at your table. The devil will always reinforce what we aren’t and never will be. He likes to tell us lies where we are discouraged and broken. I liked how Louie Giglio suggested to read Psalms 23 for forty days and forty nights. This passaged reminds us that the Lord is our shepherd and how he can refresh our souls. When we encounter dark valleys, He is with us through it all. The Lord prepares a table for us in front of our enemies and we will always live with Him.  





"I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers book review bloggers program."



If you would like to purchase a copy of Goliath Must Fall, check it out on Amazon.com: