Loved this book! Sheila always pours out her heart in her writing. This time I felt as if she was talking directly to me.

Sheila uses illustrations from her own struggles and shares verses and Bible examples which have encouraged her.

I was encouraged by the reminder in Chaper 8, God does not always change our circumstances. He often works in our hearts to change us. Reading Chapter 7, I appreciated the teaching around faith and trust in God.

I recommend this book to anyone who faces a feeling of loneliness, or disconnect from Christ due to circumstances beyond their control. Even if life seems to be going OK your faith will be strengthen reading Holding on When you Want to Let Go

If the pandemic has taught us nothing else, it's that we are all prone to feeling depressed, sad, anxious, out of control, alone, and scared. But what do you do when you just want to let it all go and be done with the anxiety, depression, and being alone?

Sheila takes us straight back to Scripture and shares example after example of Christians who felt exactly the same way. What did they do? Turned to the Lord. Sheila walks us through how, even when we feel completely lost and done, the Lord has always been in control and nothing surprises him. What comfort we can take from knowing that we don't have to be in control and that Someone greater than us has everything in hand!

This book is quickly becoming one of my most highlighted and beloved books. If there was ever a time that we needed encouragement such as Sheila provides, it's now.

Sheila Walsh is an inspiring Christian author who shares her personal life, struggles and successes and triumphs with us. I was given the privilege to review an early release copy of this book: Holding on When You Want to Let Go: Clinging to Hope When Life is Falling Apart.

If we are honest, we have all been there at some point in our lives. Feeling shame, feeling alone, feeling “less than” or “not good enough”. Sheila wrote this in 2020 in the midst of the fear, anxiety, aloneness and uncertainty of coping with living in a pandemic. Mixing personal stories with Scripture and honesty
Sheila gives 5 chapters of “Holding On” - “…When Life Feels Out of Control”
-“…When You Feel Alone”
-“…When God is Silent”
-“…When You’re Afraid”
-“…When You’ve Messed Up”
Then she helps guide us to what it means to Be Held.
-“Held by the Promises of God”
-“Held by the God Who Rescues”
-“Held by the God of Miracles”
-“Held by the One Who Changed Everything”
And finally to “Let Go! You Are Being Held”
At the end of each chapter is an overview of truths.

“The greater truth is this: nothing was or ever has been out of God’s control. God has always been in control.”

“Sometimes the greatest ongoing battle we face isn’t dealing with what has been done to us but dealing with how that action has marred our own image of who we are in Christ. Unfortunately, many of us live with those distorted images every day of our lives.”

This book is for anyone who feels alone, feels like they’ve lost their grip and reminds us of our God, the One who always Holds us close, even when we doubt His Presence.
Posted on Goidreads and Amazon

There is Hope When Life Falls Apart
Best-selling author and singer Sheila Walsh's newest book touches the reality of life with it's title: "Holding on When You Want to Let Go. Clinging to Hope When Life is Falling Apart. The book that contains ten chapters was published by Baker Books. The first five chapters are entitled: "Holding On When... (e.g., You Feel Alone)", the next four are entitled "Held by the... (e.g., God Who rescues), and the last chapter's title is "Let Go! Your Are Being Held." Sheila starts every chapter with Bible verses and quotes from well-known persons (such as Josh McDowell, Timothy Keller, Jean de la Bruyere, and others). She finishes each chapter with a segment entitled "Holding on to Hope" that contains three statements and a prayer.
Sheila asks some very honest questions in chapter 1: "What do you do when life feels out of control? What do you do when there’s nothing you can do? What do you do when you believe that God is good, that God is in control, but nothing makes sense to you anymore?" and gives an answer: "Those feelings can be overwhelming. One of the things I’ve learned through my depression journey is that when I’m really struggling, it helps me to pray for others." I really appreciate that Sheila underlines in chapter 2: "God doesn’t toy with us. Even when we can’t always see the plan, He is still our Abba, there is a plan, and we are never, ever alone, even when it feels as if we are."
I highly appreciated Sheila's openness, her honesty about her life and experiences, and her vulnerability. She compares life to a jigsaw puzzle that sometimes is missing pieces but is "learning that the missing pieces in our lives are not gone forever. They reappear at unexpected moments, and even when it hurts for them to be put back in place, the picture is so much clearer when they are." I appreciated that she bases her book on the Bible and that the book contains Endnotes that are good for reference and help with further study about the topic. I highly recommend the book for readers who doubt that they have the strength to hold on and for readers who want to be prepared for the times when they need to hold on, when life's circumstances question if they can.
The complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley free of charge. I was under no obligation to offer a positive review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
#HoldingOnWhenYouWantToLetGo #HoldingOnBook #NetGalley

Sheila Walsh has written another encouraging and inspirational book. Holding on When You Want to Let Go came at a good time in my life when I was struggling,  worn out, and wondering if God really cared about me. It helped me refocus on God's truths and Promises and remember I am not alone in my battles. The book is full of Scripture, personal accounts, and Biblical stories and insights to encourage, strengthen, comfort, and provide hope to someone struggling to hold on in their daily life. Sheila pulls from God's truths and the Psalms along with many other Scriptures as nourishment for the broken, struggling, and weary soul. Early chapters of the book include Holding on Whrn Life feels Out of Control, Holding on When God is Silent, and Holding On When You've Messed Up. Sheila then switched to chapters of how we are held by God and not alone in our struggles and hardships. These chapters include Held by the Promises of God, and Held by the One who Changed everything along with several others. The message of the book as quoted by Sheila is "Life is not a quick fix, but God is always moving, always working." Each chapter ends with 3 main points and a short prayer. These points and the prayer can be used as quick reminders to focus on in our struggles and weariness. This is a book I will be rereading to gather the nuggets to hold onto as I go about my daily life. I am adding it to my list of books to reread in times I need encouragement, strength, hope, and reminding of God's character, truth, and goodness. This book provides a message of hope during uncertain times and daily struggles of our lives. I recommend picking up a copy today for yourself and sharing it with others. I received a copy of this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC. A handbook of hope filled with warmth, insight and biblical wisdom.

Holding On When You Want to Let Go is not a book of Christian platitudes. It is a book full of raw, real stories about holding on when life is tough and encouragement to keep trusting God. I especially appreciate Sheila's real story of dealing with mental illness. She says, "I'm not fixed. It's much better than that. I'm redeemed, I'm rescued, I'm being held by the One who changed everything". I'm not fixed either but am thankfully also holding on and being held by Jesus.

Holding On When You Want to Let Go by Sheila Walsh is a soulful read and took me on a journey of how to best encounter "the disappointments of my life". I felt blanketed by God's protection again as I read about her openness and reasons for hope. The reminders to focus and participate faithfully in my relationship with JESUS even when I don't like what may be happening and or past happenings that were difficult to endure. I realize more that God was with me and I am so thankful to Him. The way the book offers a friend in Sheila, I felt mentored and encouraged as I was searching through my own examples.

In times of not knowing, Sheila Walsh offers a lifeline of hope. With great compassion born of experience and hardship, Walsh comes alongside the hurting, fearful, and exhausted to remind us that we serve a God who is so much greater than our momentary troubles, no matter how insurmountable they feel. She doesn't offer a quick fix. She offers a God fix. Sharing from her own painful struggles and digging deep into biblical stories of rescue, hope, and miracles, she gives you the strength to keep going, to keep holding on to God in a world turned upside down. The accompanying study includes 10 lessons to help individuals or groups dive deeper. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Holding on When you Want to Let Go
by Sheila Walsh
Publish Date: 21 September 2021

Thanks to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the ARC. I really liked this book.
In times of not knowing, Sheila Walsh offers a lifeline of hope. With great compassion born of experience and hardship, Walsh comes alongside the hurting, fearful, and exhausted to remind us that we serve a God who is so much greater than our momentary troubles, no matter how insurmountable they feel. She doesn't offer a quick fix. She offers a God fix. Sharing from her own painful struggles and digging deep into biblical stories of rescue, hope, and miracles, she gives you the strength to keep going, to keep holding on to God in a world turned upside down. The accompanying study includes 10 lessons to help individuals or groups dive deeper.

5 star