Book Review: Becoming Fearless: My Ongoing Journey of Learning to Trust God

I really wanted to like Becoming Fearless: My Ongoing Journey of Learning to Trust God by Michelle Aguilar. Let me just go on the record first and admit I have never watched "The Biggest Loser". However, I don't think that affected my opinion of this book at all.

When I first started reading Becoming Fearless it seemed like a good book, but as I read on I grew confused. The way the book was written caused too much back tracking and trying to keep the events in order. Instead of answering my questions, it just left me wondering - things just didn't seem to fit. For example Michelle stated that she had stopped attending church, praying, and having a relationship with her mother, but then we find her at church with her mother. Also, it seemed to me that Michelle used her family being in ministry to justify her feelings of anger and shame, but we come to find out her parents stepped down from ministry many years before her parents divorced. It would seem pride was more the problem then fear. 

For a book that is supposed to help us become fearless and trust God, it doesn't seem very honest. I would describe it as shallow. It seemed to be more about Michelle finding her "voice" and getting rid of her "co-dependent" tendencies (psychological jargon) than about trusting God.

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"Don’t Check Your Brains at the Door" by Josh McDowell and Bob Hostetler

Don’t Check Your Brains at the Door by Josh McDowell and Bob Hostetler is a great book. It covers six major topics, but breaks them down into bite sized pieces. The topics are Myths about God, Myths about Jesus, Myths about the Bible, Myths about the Resurrection, Myths about Religion and Christianity, and Myths about Life and Happiness.
This book is aimed at Christian youth not necessarily unbelievers. I like the way it's set up giving an illustration and then bible verses and questions to help you dig deeper and think. (Brain Food) 


I really liked the Myths about Jesus section! This is a great book to read and discuss with your teenager.

Book Description

“Seven in 10 Protestants ages 18 to 30—both evangelical and mainline—who went to church regularly in high school said they quit attending by age 23, according to the survey by LifeWay Research.” (USA Today) 

Don’t Check Your Brains at the Door gives teens answers that make sense, even for the toughest of questions. Internationally known defender of the faith Josh McDowell and co-author Bob Hostetler offer clarity laced with humor to expose common myths about God, the Bible, religion, and life to show how Christianity stands up to the test of fact and reason. Teens will be better equipped to stick with their faith as they begin to understand why they believe and why it’s important to make a lifetime commitment to Christ and the church.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from BookSneeze. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

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Solitary by Travis Thrasher

I was recently given "Temptation" by Travis Thrasher to review. Since I have not read the previous two books and my 15 year old daughter has, I asked her to write the review for me. I do plan on reading the whole series, but I have to start with book one. My daughter said I wouldn't understand it without reading books one and two first. So here is her review:

This book was awesome and amazing, but it mostly left me hanging in the end.  If you like books that deal with the occult, mystery, suspense, salvation, Christianity, and making right choices, you will love this series. This book shows how easy it is to be tempted to do the wrong thing and then directed to do the right thing. Overall, it’s a really great book with a powerful ending that will leave you wanting more. I can't wait for book four!

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