Celebrate Lit blog tour for It'll Be Okay (book) by Sheryl Giesbrecht Turner

Welcome to my blog's stop on the Celebrate Lit blog tour for It'll Be Okay (book) by Sheryl Giesbrecht Turner!

Read my review of Sheryl's book below and enjoy your time with her today! 

Remember to enter the fun giveaway contest toward the end of this blog post.

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About the Book:

Is it okay for Christians to doubt?

When we don’t get answers or see God’s guiding hand, it’s hard to keep praying or walking forward in faith. Difficult times often cloud our perspective. Does God see me? Does he hear me? Does he care? Many Christians confuse doubt with unbelief and are afraid to admit those fears, but God is not threatened by our questions, and doubt does not negate our faith.

Our doubts express a yearning to be sure of what—and who—we trust. When our questions are answered by trust, faith is fed and our doubts transform into deeper belief that pushes us toward a decision.

· When we address doubt head-on, faith can grow.

· God has a plan in the good and bad that life brings.

· God can heal our wounds and turn our past mistakes around.

Join nationally-known Bible teacher Sheryl Giesbreacht Turner as she guides you toward a deeper understanding of the role doubt plays in your spiritual growth—and how learning to ‘doubt your doubts’ enables faith to prevail.

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About the Author:

Sheryl Giesbrecht Turner holds a bachelor of arts, a master’s in ministry, and a doctorate of theology. 

Her television and radio show, “Transformed Through Truth,” is nationally and internationally syndicated; it’s seen and heard daily by millions of viewers and listeners on audio, internet, Roku, and YouTube networks across the United States and through The Holy Spirit Broadcasting Network worldwide. 

Sheryl is the author of three books and hundreds of columns, articles, and devotions. 

As a Lead Like Jesus facilitator, a blogger, and a missionary with Freedom in Christ Ministries she has personally equipped hundreds and facilitated the training of thousands of national and international leaders. 

She and her husband, Dr. Jim Turner, live in California’s Central Valley where she enjoys running 5K races with her eighty-five-year-old mother.

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Author's Note:

I’ve always been the one to ask the questions. 

As a kindergartener, I embarrassed my mother when I inquired, “Where did I come from?” 

Years passed, as a teenager, I made unhealthy life choices, experimented with alcohol and street drugs, and wondered, “What am I here for?” 

As a young adult, in Bible College; I asked God to take control of my life and questioned, “What’s my purpose?” 

Maybe you, too, have had or now have questions? These concerns may even keep you up at night? Doubting ourselves or God may be criticized as a lack of faith. I disagree. Doubt is the in between. Doubts need to be addressed. If doubts are not considered, they will rot our faith from the inside out. When we doubt, we are able to be honest with ourselves and God. We should not be afraid to doubt.

As a delivered drug addict, stage four cancer survivor, and former widow, I’ve faced many types of situations which caused me to question God’s love, goodness and compassion. As I have gone to His word, I’ve discovered He hasn’t changed, His word continues to speak and revives my faith, taking me to a deeper level every single time. 

I am reminded of this in Lamentations 3:21-24 (NIV) Yet this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.”

Thank you so much for being part of this blog tour. I am excited about what God is going to do with His truth in us as we bring our questions to the Answer – Jesus.

Love and prayers, 

Sheryl Giesbrecht Turner

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My Review:

One question sets the course for this book. The author asks the reader, "Is it okay for Christians to doubt?"

From there, the book unravels like a ball of yarn as the author peels back the layers of that question like an onion until she reaches its core and at the core is the answer to everything: Jesus (Christ).

I truly enjoyed reading this book! The author's transparency and heart for Jesus could be felt throughout the book. She's not afraid to share the good, the bad and the ugly from her personal life experiences.

Sheryl (the author) writes in a way that encourages the reader and inspires their heart to keep trusting in God through it all. I like how she tells the reader that doubt can be a healthy part of your faith journey with God. I like how she reminds the reader that God is not afraid of your doubting Him and He can handle your honesty. I like how she encourages the reader to go to God with your doubts and trust Him to give you the answers that you need.

I liked the cover of this book. I think that the picture of a person walking through dense fog was appropriate, as was the brightness of the light in the lighthouse that stood in the background. I found it to be metaphorical because it's true to real life! Oftentimes, as believers in God, we feel like we're trying to navigate our way through a spiritual fog that's so dense that we can barely see what's in front of us or around the corner. But all the darkness and fog in the world cannot prevent God's Guiding Light of Love from breaking through (enter the bright yellow light from the lighthouse). I love it!

I also appreciated how the author says, "Our doubts express a yearning to be sure of what—and who—we trust. When our questions are answered by trust, faith is fed and our doubts transform into deeper belief that pushes us toward a decision."

What a powerful truth and life lesson that we can all benefit from learning!

The author taught me a few things that I did not know, mainly this point: "When we address doubt head-on, faith can grow." I didn't know that because prior to reading this book, I always had the impression that doubting God is not a good thing and it should be avoided at all costs. I was taught to praise Jesus through every storm and never question God. But this book reminded me that God is not afraid of our doubts and He can handle our honesty! 

It also reminded me of the Bible story that church people call "Doubting Thomas." He was one of Jesus Christ's followers and he didn't believe that Christ had risen from the dead, saying that he wouldn't believe it until he could see it (see Jesus in person and see the marks on His hands and feet from the nails that the Roman soldiers used to fasten Him to the cross). So what did Jesus do? He showed up! He appeared to Thomas and instructed him to touch His hands and see the scars from the nails. He also ate a piece of fish to prove that He was human and alive. And finally, Thomas believed! 

I like how even to this day, Jesus Christ is patient will all of us because He wants us all to be saved. If we doubt, He's okay with it but He doesn't want us to doubt him forever. So He shows up in so many different and wonderful ways to prove that He's real, He loves us and that He has good plans for the stories of our life (Jeremiah 29:11).

Finally, Sheryl Giesbreacht Turner's career as a Bible teacher truly shines through her storytelling in this book. I was captivated and learned a lot of life lessons from her teaching!

And like any good teacher, she didn't leave me as the reader without writing about how I can apply these principles discussed in her book to my every day life. It was a really worthwhile read, well deserving of five stars!

*Celebrate Lit provided me (Alexis A. Goring) with a complimentary copy of It'll Be Okay (book). My opinions in this book review are my own.

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Giveaway:

To celebrate her tour, Sheryl is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon gift card!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/f465/it-ll-be-okay-celebration-tour-giveaway

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Blog Stops:

Through the Lens of Scripture, January 7

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, January 8

janicesbookreviews, January 9

Older & Smarter?, January 10

For the Love of Literature, January 11

Texas Book-aholic, January 12

Artistic Nobody, January 13 (Author Interview)

For Him and My Family, January 13

God is Love, January 14

Genesis 5020, January 15

Inklings and notions, January 16

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, January 17

Emily Yager, January 18

All 4 and About Books, January 19 (Author Interview)

Mary Hake, January 19

Beck To Basics, January 20