I received a complimentary copy of "Heart Wide Open" by Shellie Rushing Tomlinson from the Blogging for Books website, and I in turn agreed to write this review.
Over the past few years as I have been reviewing books for different companies I have had been introduced to many new, rather unknown authors. I love reading books from authors and teachers I know well, but it is always a nice surprise to come across a new author with a story to tell. One such author is Shellie Rushing Tomlinson. Shellie is an award winning author, popular blogger and speaker.
Shellie's newest book is "Heart Wide Open (Trading mundane faith for an exuberant life with Jesus)" . I was intrigued by the "mundane faith" statement in the title. Sometimes I do feel like my faith walk is mundane, even though I don't like to admit it. So I requested the book and began reading it right away. I was sold on this book from the very first chapter as Shellie described her relationship with God in her early years. I felt like I could have written the first chapter of her book. It is amazing how God can connect people together that have never even crossed paths.
The book is well written and Shellie is a master at bringing humor into her writing. Honestly, she is just being authentic and telling the truth. Sometimes that truth is funny and other times it cuts you to the core. Shellie is vulnerable in sharing her story in hopes that it will encourage others that have felt the same way she had for many years.
Shellie shares how her transformation began with a simple but honest prayer to God about the state of her own "mundane" faith. She then goes on to share how her heart changed and how God gave her a love for Him and His Word. I was engaged as I read about how God worked in her life and was encouraged to ask Him to do the same thing in my own.
I would definitely recommend this book to other women, and believe it would be a wonderful one to read and work through in a Women's Bible Study group. There is a great discussion guide in the back of the book with questions you could ask in a group or use on your own.
I am thankful for new authors like Shellie and look forward to reading more of her work in the future.
