Member Reviews
As women, and especially as mothers, finding our place in this world can be hard. We're being pulled in so many directions every day, and often we feel like nothing we do is ever enough. We'll never get it all done or get it all right. Anjuli invites us to remember that we are known, we are loved, and that we are living out the story God has already written for us. He knows the ending and all we need to do is stay. He has it - and us - covered.
This is definitely a must-read. If you're anything like me, you'll find Anjuli's stories relatable and you'll even shed a few tears. Don't miss out on this one!
*I received a complimentary copy of Stay from NetGalley and the publisher. My positive review is not required. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I loved this beautifully written book. Anjuli uses vignettes and short stories from her own life to communicate the idea of staying: to stay in our pain, in our longings and desires, in our relationships, and in constant communion with God. One of my favorite quotes is "Right theology doesn't make a heart right." It is one thing to know what God's Word says, but it is a completely other thing to let the truth of God's Word sink deep into your heart and change you. Anjuli communicates what this looks like in her personal life through stories. This book is written in a flowing, conversational style, but take your time reading it so that you don't miss any of the truths sprinkled in.
Anjuli's book STAY is simply beautiful. It breathes life into the weariest of souls. The writing is beautiful, frank and her heart is left transparent on the page. Her vulnerability is an unexpected blessing that allows the reader to consider and feel their own hurts and hardships... after all, we all have things go wrong in our lives and we all carry the baggage around. The invitation to stay in our awkward, hard places is extended and to recognise that it is often just a feeling. Once we have stayed, we can offer our presence and light to others. Anjuli coaches readers, reminding us that staying doesn't have to be a lonely process. In fact she likens it to a place at the table with our loving saviour Jesus. We can stay as long as we like. One of the quotes which resounded most with me was "Anxiety is the lighthouse in the storm leading me back to my tender need for God." I had never thought of anxiety as anything positive until reading her words. I'm so grateful for the heart work STAY has done in me. I highly recommend to all christian women.
Stay: Discovering Grace, Freedom, and Wholeness, Where You Never Imagined Looking by Anjuli Paschall.
The Author invites us into her own personal struggles and loneliness.
She invites us to stay, to make mistakes, to be vulnerable, to surrender.
To stay and allow God to be present in our lives.
One of my favorite quotes:
“No amount of getting, accomplishing, or achieving will ever satisfy the soul. The soul focused on gaining power, influence, and admiration will only grow hungrier. The soul satisfied will be still. It will be free. The real question wasn’t am I successful or failing, but am I walking in faith? Faith to move forward and faith to accept my gifts as offerings to the world around me. Do I trust that I can be me and let God do the rest?”
This is a short read with discussion questions that would make this a great Bible Study. I received advanced copy of this book through NetGallery and the Publisher for my open and honest review.
I can't decide what to say about this book. Maybe because I was expecting something more like Joyce Meyer's or Priscilla Shirer's books, but this instead reads more like a memoir. For me, Stay is a bit all over the place. There's no real thread to follow or messages that build upon each other. At one point I'm not sure anymore what the author is trying to communicate. Sure, there are parts that touch me and speak to my soul, but those parts are few, and the rest are stories I don't care about. After slogging through to almost half of the book, I decided to give up and DNF it.
I see only high ratings and praises in Goodreads, so apparently this book speaks to many people. So by all means, give it a try. Don't judge it based on my review alone.
5 stars
Stay by Anjuli Paschall
Holy buckets, this is a phenomenal book. I related to this book deep within my soul. I love the transparency and openness Paschall shares within these pages. She doesn’t sugar coat her pain or experiences while openly sharing the gospel. Stay is a wonderful devotional book plus it would be very useful in a small group for women. Stay would genuinely open up some real dialogue between the participants. This is most definitely a re-read book for me. Stay is just an incredible book. A must-read for every Christian woman!
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley. The views given are my own.
Stay by Anjuli Paschall was an incredibly real read that I enjoyed all the way through. These stories that Paschall shares are incredibly raw and authentic. I appreciated every bit of detail.
Stay isn’t just an invitation to stay in the presence of God. This is full of invitations to own the pain, the shame, the love, and every moment in between.
A must read if you’re someone who is exhausted, stressed, and just missing God’s connection. So often are we hitting routines and day to day that we have lost the voices that matter the most. Paschall invites us to reach deep inside ourselves and examine the joys and the pains that life brings.
This hits the shelves on March 31! You don’t want to miss it.
I received this book from Netgalley for my review. All thoughts and opinions are my own!
I received this book from Netgalley for review and all thoughts and opinions are my own.
Stay- quiet yourself, sit at the table of your soul with God...taste and add that He is good. The author desires for us to connect with God and his people; escape loneliness, shame and fear.
With raw, authentic stories this book takes you through themes of waiting, hiding, savoring the moment to share his to stay, resting in the Lord.
It had one red flag for the reader, that of a mention of " perfect" day including yoga, a practice of non-Christian religion. See CANA for details about yoga practices. Otherwise, a good book.
‘When I stay right where I am, with all the beautiful and bent out of shape, I find God”
“I am incapable of being perfect, but when I encounter my own brokenness, I am brought into companionship with someone who is perfection.”
Anjuli has so richly and vulnerably expressed what most of us wish we could articulate. Her words are relatable in so many ways.
“Stay” is a book I will be recommending to friends and family. We are all broken in one way or another.
Thank you, Anjuli, for inviting us to stay in our brokenness, bringing light to it and finding strength in letting God heal.
Stay by Anjuli Paschall, is not just an invitation to stay in the presence of God and enjoy a connection that fills up all the aching parts of your body and soul. Chapter by chapter, Paschali shares stories of her own miseries and embarrassments....times where she was so lonely and wanted to fit in more than anything. She also shares encounters and experiences where she was able to just let the world go, embrace the presence of God and take that into her daily life.
What I loved: A quick read, Stay reads more like a journal at times than a self help Christian book. I like the tone and pace that Paschali uses. I can so relate to the addiction to being needed. Ooooh months and months of therapy, and I still walk the line with this one.
Table of Contents includes invitations. I like the way this author words her subtexts for each chapter. There is an invitation to stay, to be an outsider, to make mistakes, to neediness, to vulnerability, to your loneliness, to feel pain,to listen, to break and surrender, to sit in the weeds, to hurt for home, to see, to fear, to embarrassment, to scarcity,to wait, to come out of hiding, to hold on, to grow old, to trauma, to bleed, and to be loved. There are also insightful discussion questions that would be great for a Bible Study class., (Also really great for journaling!!!) I have already pre-ordered my own copy of this book to keep... I am also hoping they come out with an Audiobook version!!
Thank you to NetGalley, Anjuli Paschali, and Bethany House Publishers for this temporary, digital advance review copy for me to read and enjoy. As always, my opinions are my own. #Stay #NetGalley
Stay really was an invitation to do just that. The author allows you into the vulnerable parts of her story that are so relatable and shares how God is present in those moments and what he wants us to gain from them instead of running from them. The chapters are short and easy to read and sit with. I would highly recommend this book.
Great read with timeless truths and lessons for the soul that desires to be still and know God amidst the chaos of life. I really enjoyed this one.
Women are busy. No doubt about that, right?
Paschall uses her own personal anecdotes to illustrate the point of staying with God. Staying through the tough and the difficult in order to see it through to the other side. The side where God blesses us, and cares for us, and brings peace to our lives.
I enjoyed reading through Stay, listening to Paschall’s narratives and experiences, and how those that differ from us can still impact us in positive ways- to the point, when she meets the Dalai Lama through a grandparent’s missionary connection, they share a laughter over the inability to lose anger in this world.
I recommend this story for a light, poignant read that will have you thoughtfully evaluating your life’s experiences, and how you can STAY in the midst of the struggles.