This children’s story was educational, impactful, and thematically strong! Front of the line for teachers of young children.

First off let's talk about the simple beauty that is this cover. It is just stunning. This was such a raw and powerful book. I felt like I could understand the WHYS behind it because I have felt them myself. I also felt that even though there was a heavy focus on God, swap that with spirituality, or faith, or positive vibes and the message still sticks. We are meant to be happy and alive. We are stuck in a society that creates these lonely feelings of disconnectedness. We need to be unique and appreciated while navigating a world that is so loud and selfish. But we al want the same things. This was helpful and beautiful and I really enjoyed the natural focus.

When I requested this book, I believed it to be a bit different than it actually was. While it is a modern self-help book that focuses on finding who you truly are and using God's gifts to get you where you should be. This has Biblical wisdom as well as reflections which will allow "your soul...to open up to the God who made you, sees you, understands you, and loves you."

Phil Urry is a modern day surfer who thrives on juices and his faith and this shows in his book. While it was different than I expected, it would be a great fit for the right person.

The opening chapter was intriguing. The author told how he came upon a beached whale that had died. He had a spiritual experience with God as God showed him that the whale veered off course from his pod and ended up alone and this led to his death. He related that to our spiritual lives and how we can be led off course by believing lies about God’s character and lies about our worth. Then, he had another experience when he was looking at the grand redwood trees and sensed that living a godly life results in growth so that one becomes spiritually healthy like these giant trees. But then the book went places I wasn’t expecting. Not that that’s bad, I was just surprised. I felt like the author only scratched the surface of these two analogies. I believe there was even more depth there to be plumbed in that regard.

Two ways we can veer off course are by allowing social media (or MEdia as Joel puts it) to have too much control over our lives and to be drawn off the path by succumbing to pornography, I believe the more you know Jesus, the less you’ll be drawn to those temptations. I agree with the emphasis being placed on knowing God, rather than controlling sin. We’ll never win that battle if our passion isn’t Jesus. The author included this fitting verse: Ps. 46:10 “Cease striving and know that I am God,” That’s exactly it. Knowing God is the key, not trying to control our own appetites.

My favorite line of the book was this: “But if you feel at times like God is getting angry with you, it’s because He’s actually getting angry for you.” Many people get stuck on seeing their sin as unforgivable. It’s not unforgivable. The Bible is full of people who messed up. That’s why God sent Jesus to us. To show us how far he’ll go to demonstrate His love and forgiveness. That’s not an angry God, that’s a loving God. Now we just have to believe Him and believe it.

One thing I didn’t like was this line, “I was created a golden child who was known and loved before I was even born.” I just didn’t like the phrase “golden child”. I’m curious why Joel chose to use these words? Perhaps he was trying to be poetic, but I think this sounds a bit strange,

Over all this was a fine book. I don’t think I fall in the target audience Joel was writing for, but this would be a great book for teenagers. One of my passions is to see people discover that they can actually talk to God and hear His voice. Prayer is a two way conversation. The author was definitely passionate about that.

In Redwoods and Whales Phil Joel takes on the subject of living in a way that Chrsit would want us to live. The title comes from Phil's experience in Northern California when he saw a whale that had gotten beached, and comparing that with seeing the redwood trees. Throughout the book he makes reference to these experiences; growing strong and tall the way God intends, compared to losing our focus and getting lost (and beached).

Let me start by saying I could not find anything in this book that I disagreed with theologically. The author successfully builds the case that there are clear messages in the Bible of how God wants us to live, and then he provides examples of practical steps we can take to move toward that goal.

I think this book would be very helpful for newer Christians that may be struggling to find their way, or have gotten off track in their lives. It is very encouraging and uplifting, and the things he suggests are easy to understand. For older believers it may be a bit too simplistic with not a lot of meat. Sometimes the flow from one chapter to the next don't always flow, the overall theme stays consistent.

This book is an easy read and is full of practical, simple messages and actions that can quickly be put into practice. I would especially recommend this book for newer/younger believers that are looking to get on track with the way God calls us to live.

Title: Redwoods and Whales: Becoming Who You Actually Are
Author: Phil Joel
Genre: Spiritual, Christian
Rating: 5 out of 5

Redwoods and Whales offers a warning and a promise:

The warning: Don’t become that beached whale, trying to live in a foreign environment.

The promise: You will find freedom when your identity is centered under the safety of the Divine.

Life is tough. Depression, addiction, suicide, violence…they’re all commonplace in our society, and they make it hard to know where to turn. Despite the “connectedness” of our social media word, many people feel alone and adrift. But we have a choice: we can choose to seek God and His true nature, and we can choose to live healthy, purpose-filled lives.

I wasn’t sure what to expect of this book, but Redwoods and Whales brought inspiration and hope while acknowledging the sometimes-bleak world around us. The casual tone combined with the chatting-with-a-friend feel of the book makes it easier to soak in the deep message in this book.

Phil Joel is a musician and an artist. Redwoods and Whales: Becoming Who You Actually Are is his debut book.

(Galley courtesy of Emanate Books/Thomas Nelson via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.)

The Quick Cut: A wandering through today's societal woes and how to encounter them with more faith based solutions.

A Real Review:
Thank you to Emanate Books for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

If you spent your childhood in the 90s around the Christian community, it's almost guaranteed you listened to the Newsboys. I still can't think back to those years without remembering the music and how it captured the happiness of life. As the years have passed, so have the simpler approaches and instead been replaced by complex social media situations along with too many issues to count. From here, Phil Joel's take on life and how to deal with complex situations comes into play.

It's pretty clear based on the writing style that this book came out of a moment, quickly followed by a train of thought. Although this approach starts out very intriguing and exciting, it soon tampers out into some topics that don't seem very well coordinated. This takes away from the original focus that made it so interesting.

On the upside, the material discussed does make for a good starting point on many tough topics (such as social media, addiction, mental health issues). He even talks about his own ADD diagnosis and the aftermath to it. However, the discussions do turn into a far too typical case of faith based arguments using Bible passages and the equivalent reaction of "Have faith in God". As much as I can appreciate the thought, it's not very helpful and certainly doesn't get to the core issue. Life takes work and changing as a person is a rarity. If you want to be better, surround yourself with positive influences, a strong support structure, and don't be afraid to put in the hours.

Although this book means well, it ends up being little more than a quick read that doesn't finish what it started.

My rating: 3 out of 5

I really enjoy the message that Joel conveyed through the first half of the book. The metaphors between the beached whale and society today, as well as the magnificent California redwoods, connected to me on a deep spiritual and philosophical level. The first half of the book was well thought-out, well-planned, and well-organized. I wish I could say the same about the rest of the book. The further I read the less organized and constructed Joel’s argument became. What was a beautiful metaphor for life and how to live it became almost an attack on society today. Joel scrutinized things like social media and the pornography industry. While I understand his argument it did seem a bit one-sided. The positives of social media were never mentioned and sexual liberation was never mentioned. This is most likely due to the fact that this is a Christian book. I understand what Joel was trying to present with this argument, and I must admit that I did agree with many of the points he made. But as a reader and reviewer, I cannot deny the one-sidedness of this argument. I also cannot review a book on my personal beliefs and how they align with what the author presents throughout this novel. Therefore, any rating deductions come from the presentation of the argument, and lack of organization throughout the book. Overall, I do not think this is a bad novel, I just think it could use a little bit of touching up in terms of organization. The chapters were jumpy and it seemed more like a stream-of-consciousness than a well-developed novel. However, the metaphors Joel presented and the quotes used had a lasting impact on me and the way I look at my faith, and for that, I commend him. I would recommend this book to anyone (especially teenagers) who have lost their way in terms of their faith, and who are looking for a novel that puts everything into perspective.