Trauma and Ecstasy: How Psychedelics Made My Life Worth Living by Alex Abraham Book Review

In Trauma and Ecstasy, Alex Abraham has written his autobiography about his life story and experiencing bad trauma growing up. He begins the book by sharing how he hated riding bikes in general but he was riding one in the Netherlands. His life changed forever at age 23. He started experiencing pain and had trouble peeing. He thought he had an infection from traveling. It turned out to be pelvis pain. He looked for relief in any activity or a promise of a healing. He read a post by author, Tucker Max and his own experience with MDMA assisted psychotherapy. He into great detail about everything he tried and went through. This lasted for years before he discovered the cause. 

 

 

One day, he had a troubling dream from his childhood. He remembers having piano lessons throughout his childhood. His mom wanted him to try new activities and thought piano would help him. Mr. Bishop who refers to as Mr. Dickhead throughout the book. He was also his school music teacher in school. He told him he was smart and encouraged him. He said he was his favorite and none of the other kids practice like he did. This later was revealed to have known as an act of grooming him. He blamed the traffic and getting stuck in it caused him to wait and waste time. So, he offered to just drive him home to do the lessons. He remembered how he gave him a special candy bar from a local gas station on the first drive. The next ride home he took him by a special park. He thought he was friendly and it beat riding the bus home. He recalled the first time and how he felt like it was seconds and then how it eventually went to choking and rougher sexual acts. He bled a few times from it. Through therapy he was able to recall him raping him and making him taste him. The rapes went on for years until he was about 7. He even had a friend rape him once. One time he even told a teacher and wasn’t believed. 

 

 

He touched on eventually telling his parents and how they went to the police. They took it seriously at first then couldn’t find any evidence. His statements can be seen in video online. He also wrote a letter to the school board explaining to him what happened. They wrote a response and they never did fire him. In fact, he received an award in 2021-2022 for best outstanding school based professional employee of the year. Right after the case was closed. 

 

 

This story is just downright troubling and the lack of action from the school board is just astonishing. It was very heartbreaking to read his whole experiences with being raped and all the graphic details. I feel like this book needs to make national news and media outlets need to discuss the topic. This book brought tears to my eyes in reading it. It also reminds me of a song by Jelly Roll entitled, “Hear Me Out”. 

“I received this book free from the publisher for my honest review.”

 

 

 

 

If you would like to purchase a copy, check it out on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Trauma-Ecstasy-Psychedelics-Worth-Living/dp/1544541589#averageCustomerReviewsAnchor

From Broken to Blessed: The Promise That Changed Everything by Dustin Bryan Book Review

 

In From Broken to Blessed, Dustin Bryan revealed his life story and how he experienced redemption from brokenness and heartache. He shared how he grew up in a difficult home life. His mother would also have friends over and chose to entertain them. There was often marijuana on the table and snort lines on the countertops. She claimed that he was too young to remember. His parents went through a divorce and he didn’t understand the word family and what it meant. He shared how he had no curfew and no boundaries. His brother, Jesse never graduated from high school and ended up in prison for six years on drug charges. He felt like he failed his brother. He had to learn to take care of him growing up. He would often have to change his diapers and make his own baby bottles. Because his mother would often be too busy drinking or partying. He disclosed a troubling story about potato salad and his own mother forced him to eat it and was very rough with him. He was powerless and this event still taunts him to this day. He also went into detail about how is father promised him a baseball bat. He told him not today and he never knew if it was the price tag or what shifted. He made a choice to lock the car door and not let his dad inside the vehicle. When they got home, his father got the paddle and forcefully punished him. He was left with bruises and he eventually lost all visitation rights. He also opened up about how he stole from his brother, David. He withdrew from his savings his grandparents' set up for him. He had broken his trust and he felt shamed. He has gone through difficult events growing up readers will get to experience what he had to endure. 

 

 

I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a heartfelt story and one that embraces the challenges and rises above them. He faced a bunch of situations from a lack of love and care from his parents. He also shared how he experienced a rough business patch during covid and how he had to try and overcome the offsets. He explored the power of unconditional love and resilience can transform our lives. The lessons and the stories he shared was very heartbreaking but hopeful to see how it made him into the man he became. This book contains a very hopeful message. 

“I received this book free from the publisher for my honest review.”

 

 

 

 

If you would like to purchase a copy, check it out on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/BROKEN-BLESSED-PROMISE-CHANGED-EVERYTHING-ebook/dp/B0DYPHM7DD/ 

The Best of You: Break Free from Painful Patterns, Mend Your Past, and Discover Your True Self in God by Alison Cook, PhD Book Review

In The Best of You, Alison Cook has written a book to help readers to break from their past and stepping into who you are supposed to be. She shared how she thought of this idea for the book when she experienced a hurt finger during Covid lockdown session. She described it as if her finger disconnected from her body. The day before she wrote about on her blog about learning to trust yourself. She has on average about 30,000 views. Later, she realized that she was having a stroke and there was a blood clot making its way to her brain while she was writing on her blog. She explained how this led to anxiety and a longing to write this book. 

 

 

 

She begins by sharing the silent message women are faced with and how they are supposed disregard themselves for the sake of others. When we do this, we avoid, ignore, and skip over people and you treat them as if they aren’t important. We are sacrificing ourselves for others and we focus on other people and ignore our wants and desires. This will lead us down the path to bitterness and burnout and people pleasing. She explored Jesus and how he learned to say no and set boundaries. He said no to being on all the time, no to pleasing and performing, toxic behavior, no to bullies, and much more. He said yes to his purpose, asking for help, honoring his emotions, and choosing friends. She shared how women especially need to become who they are. 

 

I would recommend this life changing book to anyone who is ready to become their very best version of themselves. She helped readers set boundaries, heal from emotional wounds, repairing your relationship with God, seeing yourself as God sees you, trusting yourself, and becoming authentic. This book is excellent to help women to become who God created them to me and its primary for them. But anyone can benefit. Everyone needs to be the best version of themselves. The lessons and the information presented in this book is very well written to assist us in becoming who we were meant to be. 

“I received this book free from the publisher for my honest review.”

 

 

 

 

If you would like to purchase a copy, check it out on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Best-You-Painful-Patterns-Discover-ebook/dp/B09VYYN2M4 

 

CSB Illustrator's Bible Book Review and Giveaway

• Order your copy of the CSB Illustrator’s Notetaking Bible, Large Print Edition today!

• Engage with your Creator in a creative way.
• Enhance your personal Bible study with the CSB Illustrated
Notetaking Bible. This uniquely crafted Bible features a single-column setting with wide journaling margins and line-art illustrations on every page spread.

• With wide journaling margins, line-art illustrations on every page spread, Scripture art, and more, this Bible will inspire you to engage God’s Word in a fresh and exciting way through meaningful creativity and personalization.

• This beautiful Bible provides the perfect place for meaningful creativity and personalization, over time creating an incredible keepsake for your journey.

• Includes over 600 inspirational line-art illustrations, filigree designs, Scripture quotes, and other unique Scripture art, with space for personal creativity and journaling.

• Enhance your personal Bible study with the CSB Illustrator's Notetaking Bible. This uniquely crafted Bible features large, easy-to-read 9.5-point type in a single-column
setting with wide journaling margins and line-art illustrations on every page spread.

Including filigree designs, Scripture quotes, and other unique Scripture art alongside plenty of space for personal creativity and journaling, this Bible will inspire you to engage God’s Word in a fresh and exciting way. This beautiful Bible provides the perfect place for meaningful creativity and personalization, over time creating an incredible keepsake for your journey.

My Review:

This Bible is an excellent resource to use to dive deeper into scriptures. It's the CSB version and it is very easy to read and follow along with this version of the Bible. It is enclosed in a creme/tan color in a Smyth sewn binding. This Bible is very unique in the fact that it allows readers to illustrate and draw and color in their Bible. I thought this was a very different style of a Bible most I have seen hasn't included spaces or objects you could trace and color. It will probably provide a way of relaxation while reading the Bible. There are illustrations designed to color such as flowers, birds, buildings, refuge illustration, trees, angel telling Mary not to be afraid, and all sorts of fun ideas. One of my favorites was of a lion and God and it's based on Daniel 6:23. There is room for notes where readers can write down what they find important details they want to remember. It would also be interesting to pass this Bible down to generations to see what others thought and experienced while studying the Bible. It contains quotes of scriptures you can trace and color such as, Esther 4:14, Jeremiah 29:13, Matthew 22:37 just to name a few. There is a concordance, a one year Bible reading plan, full color maps, two cream color ribbons to make it easier to journey back and forth in the Bible. The Bible is available in sage, blue, peach with flowers, and cream. 

• Order your copy of the CSB Illustrator’s Notetaking Bible, Large Print Edition today! 

Learn more at: https://www.lifeway.com/en/product/csb-illustrator-s-notetaking-bible-large-print-edition-cream-leathertouch-M00101449/005850840 


Illustrator’s Notetaking Bible Buy Link:

https://www.lifeway.com/en/product/csb-illustrator-s-notetaking-bible-large-print-edition-cream-leathertouch-M00101449/005850840 

Holman Gift Guide: https://www.bhpublishinggroup.com/holman-gift-guide/ 

Disclosure:
Many thanks to Lifeway Christian Resources for providing a sample of the product for this review. Opinions are 100% my own.

Giveaway: 1 copy of CSB Illustrator’s Notetaking Bible, Large Print Edition

(Note: This is limited to US winners only.)

The Garden Within: Where the War with Your Emotions Ends and Your Most Powerful Life Begin by Dr. Anita Phillips Book Review

In The Garden Within, Dr. Anita Phillips has written a book about embracing emotions and the power we can experience. She begins by how she was traveling with Pastor Sarah Jakes Roberts on a bus tour to 8 cities within 2 weeks. They were helping women with their emotions and what to throw away. Some of the common ones was insecurity, grief, anxiety, and fear. They are compared to the war that never ends. She explained how instead the heart is meant to be like a garden. She has worked for years a trauma therapist and she shared about how her own family struggled with mental illness. In the book, she shared how people are not okay right now. 2020 brought on some major depressive disorders and increased by 27.6 percent. Anxiety disorders also increased by 25 percent. She shared how we need to learn to grow our gardens and have relationship goals, purpose, and legacy goals. She explained how we must remove and cultivate our garden. We have to also replant our garden. She stated how our emotions begins in our bodies and doesn’t start in our minds. 

 

 

This book contained all sorts of powerful discussions on regrowing our garden and learning more about our emotions and how we can survive the war. This book is an excellent resource about managing trauma and realizing that you are not okay. She strongly tried to help readers to embrace whatever we have experienced in our lives and to realize how it has provided us with the lens we see the world around us. She looked at how the enemy enter Eden to led us to destruction and how sin entered the world because of this event. Healing from our past events can help to destroy that work. 

 

 

“I received this book free from the publisher for my honest review.”

 

 

 

 

If you would like to purchase a copy, check it out on Amazon:

 

 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1400232988/

 

Lower: Igniting Spiritual Awakening Through Radical Humility by Zach Meerkreebs Book Review

In Lower, Zach Meerkreebs has written a book about radical humility that led to a change spread across the world. He was called to preach on Romans 12 at Asbury University. This contains 28 commands that are pretty high standards. God told him to present the students with a challenge that they could not love others based on these standards. He explained the difference between love and love as the counterfeit and how this will leave us empty in the end. To truly love others, we first must experience His love in order to give it freely to others. He left them with three questions: what’s the source of your love, purpose of your love, and are you becoming through this expression of love. He instructed them to come to the alter and to experience the love of God so that we can pour it out. This event led to a 16 days revival and spread around churches and the world and became known as the Asbury outpouring. He shared the importance of being lower and having humility. Jesus even declared how we should be at the lowest seat at the table and wait for the host to invite you to sit. 

 

 

 

In the book, he shared his story and how he grew up Jewish and had never heard of the Gospel before. He also experienced sexual brokenness. He had a perpetrator who instilled shame and guilt. This made him question his sexuality, identity, and manhood. He wondered if he had what it takes even. He admitted he hid his hurt in drugs, alcohol, and girls. His friend, Mason invited him to a party one night. It ended up being a Christian Athlete’s event. The speaker shared how God is a father to the fatherless and he puts lonely people into families. He stated the teachings of Psalm 68 and this moved him. A year later, he gave him life to Christ. 

 

 

I would recommend this life changing book on humility to anyone who is ready to see a change in their life. This book will touch on the 16-day event that occurred at a college and students’ lives where dramatically changed. There is tons of amazing scriptures and teachings readers will learn about humility and the character of Christ. 

 

 

 

“I received this book free from the publisher for my honest review.”

 

 

 

 

If you would like to purchase a copy, check it out on Amazon:

 

https://www.amazon.com/Lower-Igniting-Spiritual-Awakening-Humility-ebook/dp/B0D3DTP4BH/

Honey, What Do We Got?: A Week-by-Week Pregnancy Cookbook by Rachael Sullivan and Tom Sullivan and Book Review

In Honey, What Do We Got, Rachael and Tom Sullivan have written a special cookbook to guide you in preparing for your new addition to your family. They believe in the fact just getting pregnant is a reason to celebrate this millstone. They struggled with their own journey to conceiving. Rachael was diagnosed in 2019 with PCOS so it was difficult to pregnant. They did research and found out certain foods can help so Tom begins cooking differently to try and help. This became a major part of their first book. In 2021, she was working on a reserve flight and had to be ready in a two-hour notice and she would often stay with her aunt. She decided to take a pregnancy test. She noticed that she had some implantation bleeding. She surprised Tom with bring out the special tablecloth they illustrated at a restaurant when they were dating. They wanted to hang it in the nursey. The next child came unexpectantly right at a time Tom’s mother was dying from lung cancer. This time they admitted the timing wasn’t the best and there was a feeling of being overwhelmed. 

 

 

 

The book is broken down into each week and covered the three trimesters and they compare the baby’s growth into sizes of fruits and vegetables. The recipes are gluten free and diary free and they are wholesome. Some of the recipes included Blueberry Skillet Pancakes, Raspberry Dijon Chicken, Key Lime Pie Overnights Oats, Cilantro-Lime Chicken, Pink Drink, Pineapple Whip, Pina Colada, and so much more. The pictures are beautiful showcasing her family and the recipes. I’m excited to try of these and they look tasty. 

 

 

 

“I received this book free from the publisher for my honest review.”

 

 

 

 

If you would like to purchase a copy, check it out on Amazon:

 

https://www.amazon.com/Honey-What-Got-Week-Week-ebook/dp/B0DHXKZBK4/

The Way Home: Discovering the Hero's Journey to Wholeness at Midlife by Ben Katt Book Review

In The Way Home, Ben Katt has written a book about he had lost his own way home and his journey to getting back to wholeness. He was entering his 30s about to hit his midlife. He had three kids in three years. His wife was about done with graduate school. He started three community minded startups. He was a community organizer, pastor, a social entrepreneur. He was beginning to experience fatigue and losing his heart. He knew he had to make a change when one day he was running and he felt a notice that stated if he didn’t have a heart then you have nothing. He was headed towards a burnout. He breaks the book down into three phases. Phase one is the process of leaving the familiarity of the false version of ourselves. The 2^nd is failing into the unknown. 3^rd is rising to wholeness. He looked at the power of letting go. In the book, he shared the meaning behind the jaguar and how it come to pass in a dream. This changed the entire scope of his life and how he chooses to live. He explained the importance of slowing down and being careful in detecting our calling. 

 

 

I would recommend this book to anyone who is ready to change their lives and maybe they are about to enter their midlife and they are worried about what’s next. This book will guide readers on living in their purpose and finding their way home. I appreciated how he admitted that he had to tend to his wounds and slow down and this helped him to figure out his calling and rediscover his passion. 

“I received this book free from the publisher for my honest review.”

 

 

If you would like to purchase a copy, check it out on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1250910447/ 

Heaven Awaits: Anticipate Your Future Hope, Your Eternal Home, Your Daily Reality by Michael Youssef Book Review

 

In Heaven Awaits, Michael Youssef wants to help readers to embrace Heaven and to get ready for what is coming soon. He begins the book by explaining how we should view Heaven with an eager awaiting and expectation. They moved to America and had to mentally and emotionally prepare for the journey. He uses this example to showcase how we need to approach our view of going to Heaven. He explained how our Father’s house has many rooms for us and He has gone ahead of us to get them ready for us. Heaven is made Heavenly when we are in the presence of God and getting to see Jesus’ face to face. 

 

 

 

He covered the nine blessings of Heaven. These included no more temptation, no more lost, no more tears, no more death, no more regrets, and much more. He explored the three Heaven’s. People will be shocked to learn that the first is devil’s version of Heaven and where he lives. We are constantly in a battle against the spiritual forces of evil. He shared how these forces of evil can be seen in the drug addiction, violent crimes, pornography, queer theory, and much more that could be linked to the invisible war happening in the first Heaven. The third Heaven is considered paradise and this is where if we believe in Jesus we will wind up. He explained how this isn’t the new Heaven which is to come after Revelations events. He touches on the New Jerusalem and what it will look like for us. 

“I received this book free from the publisher for my honest review.”

 

 

If you would like to purchase a copy, check it out on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1496486331/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1496486331&linkCode=as2&tag=netg01-20