“Always We Begin Again,” a challenging, inspiring and thought-provoking quote by St. Benedict, is the rich source of inspiration for the title of Leanna Tankersley’s book, appropriately subtitled “Stepping into the Next, New Moment.” This is a soulful and sacred invitation to anchor you to your true identity. A tender, powerful book, with a unique blend of candid honesty and expectant, soul-refreshing hope, it is an inspirational treasury of hope, filled with grace, that invites us to rest, renew and refresh ourselves, as we step into the next, new moment of each new day. It’s a challenge but one worth taking. I encourage you to read this life-transforming book.

When I took at look at this book's title, "Always We Begin Again", I thought it sounded very interesting. What I didn't realize is that the author, Leeana Tankersley, wrote this as a devotional. We are met with one hundred days of readings that do not take long at all to read. Each one gives thought-provoking questions along with quotes and/or scripture that goes along with the reading. I suggest this book for anyone looking for a devotional that they can work on consistently. I highly suggest that you have a pen or pencil ready, so you can write down notes inside the book or in a notebook. I loved reading this book and I think you will too.

Please note: I was given a copy of this book for review by the Revell Reads Book Review Program. All thoughts in this review are my own.

A message of hope for those struggling.

I love the premise of this book. No matter the circumstances, we can begin again. Taken from St. Benedict, “Always we begin again” is a message of hope. That each step forward is a new beginning. That whatever happened previously, the gift of beginning again is as easy as making one single step.

The beautiful message of author Leeana Tankersley’s Always We Begin Again: Stepping into the Next, New Moment is served to readers in one hundred opportunities for healing. Each topic begins with a quote, sometimes from the Bible, sometimes another notable source. Ms. Tankersley covers each topic, drawing on her own life experiences, and ends with the reader’s self-exploration and writing exercise.

The topics of Always We Begin Again sometimes feel random, but they’re tied together by the theme that whatever angst of life is currently holding us back from loving ourselves or not living up to our full life potential in union with God, we are able to tackle it – to overcome – to begin again.

Ms. Tankersley offers us glimpses into her own struggles and triumphs at beginning again. We all face many of these hurdles at one time or another. It’s the human condition. The beauty of it is that it unites us and we can celebrate together at the idea of beginning again.

Some people might consider Always We Begin Again a devotion, although I don’t think that’s the perfect definition, but I can’t think of a better one. There are micro-prayers and prompts that encourage the reader to work with God, to talk to him, to include him in our struggles, but the overall focus feels more about the self-assessment aspect than the religious.

How this book affected me:
I’m in more of a ‘tweaking’ phase of my life than ‘re-vamping’, so I’m not currently dealing with many of the angst issues covered, but did find many topics to be pertinent to everyday life and overall encouraging a deepening relationship with God.

One particular topic that hit home for me was Sabbath = STOP. I’ve been reflecting on this personally for some time now. I find that I enjoy the “productivity” that I’ve convinced myself comes with running on the hamster wheel. One of my personal goals has been to “keep holy the Sabbath” and I continually fail at stopping for God and family. The other day, my husband actually said to me, “Why are you running?” I was literally running from my upstairs home office downstairs to the front porch where I was working on my laptop. I was running because I was working on the launch for my upcoming book. When I answered him, I realized how ridiculous it was - how hyped up I was over nothing urgent. I need to learn to STOP, not only for myself and my hubby, but to spend more time listening to God. This book provided another dose of reality for me.

Who would enjoy this book:
Readers who like devotions would enjoy this book. Anyone overwhelmed with life, feeling deflated, defeated, or broken. Anyone feeling “alone” in their struggles. Anyone needing God to help them take the step of beginning again. In short, anyone dealing with the angst of everyday life would benefit from this book.

Our Book Reviews:
The book reviews at Finding God Among Us focus on Christian books, adult and children, fiction and nonfiction. I chose to read an ARC from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group. This review is my honest opinion.