Stay

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.

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.

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.

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

‘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 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.

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: 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 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.

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.

“We have to pull up a chair at the table of our souls and invite all of the fractured places within us (the memories, stories, and unpleasant feelings) back together and stay there with Jesus. Only then do we realize that Jesus is the kind host, inviting us to linger, spill the milk, break a dish, be known, and stay, not as guests, but as daughters.” - From “Stay” by Anjuli Paschall

Reviewing “Stay” by Anjuli Paschall is no easy task. The book spans, in bite sizes, her nearly forty years of life! It is complex, absorbing, insightful and wise! But it is also funny, poignant and tough to read. This book is a journey, once begun, you won’t want to stop but I enjoyed slowly, a little each night.

Each chapter is an invitation and reflection. It highlights a happening from Anjuli’s life, it’s impact and it’s broader connection to a Christian life truth. Some are brutal, like grief and pain, and others are fun and joyful. In each there is a call to stay. To pause in the experience, whatever it is, with God and find appreciation and healing in it. To work through it so that we move forward as whole and healthy people.

“Christ searches my heart, not as a reckless force knocking down my structures of sin, but as a kind shepherd, sitting patient and present. He isn’t about ripping up, breaking down, smashing, and managing my behavior, but comes quiet and gently. I am being replanted from a foundation of concrete, tangled cords, and shattered glass to a soil rich with nutrients. A ground that absorbs my neediness as a source for my growth and good.” - From “Stay” by Anjuli Paschall

In each chapter, Anjuli shares practical ways she’s tackled each invitation, where she’s gone wrong and she is beautifully honest. The reader feels one has found a friend, someone who gets how messy life really is.

“When fear presses down over me, I uncurl my chest and stretch out my spine. I pry back my body and open all of me to Him. I resist my tendency to defend, attack, protect, and panic. My soul’s discipline in surrender is to relinquish life on my terms.” - From “Stay” by Anjuli Paschall

The subtitle promises the reader a discovery of grace, freedom and wholeness and “Stay” definitely delivers! It is not a self help book or a how to book but rather a meditation book, an opportunity to, through Anjuli, pause and ponder one’s own life. As such, I thoroughly enjoyed it! It’s a five out of five on the enJOYment scale and highly recommended.

In times like this when we are staying at home -- and possibly struggling with having to stay at home so much -- this book came with the right words. But to be honest, no matter whether I was quarantined or not, this book had the right words for my heart.

Stay, by Anjuli Paschall, is a beautiful read. It is a book for anyone who longs to be close to God, yet struggles with feelings of shame, guilt, or fear. It is a book filled with the authentic, real stories of the author -- yet all of these stories hold an eternal perspective, something to challenge and to change your mind and your heart. In Stay, Anjuli Paschall invites the reader to stay with the pain, weariness, guilt and shame. It is an invitation to stop struggling and instead to stay in the places that are hard, only to notice the hand of God even there. It is an invitation to let go of the idea of needing to be perfect, and instead grow closer to God in our imperfection. It isn't easy to stay where you most resist being. Yet staying there, is where we can grow so much.

Stay by Anjuli Paschall is such a beautiful book that will change the heart and perspective of the reader. I cannot recommend this enough, as it spoke to my broken and hurting places. Most of all, it changed my perspective on my struggles and hard places.

Thank you to Bethany House for the free review copy. All opinions are my own.

What a perfect book for the season we're currently in. Being under a stay-at-home order has not been easy, but with this book, I was able to see how I may look back on this time of staying with more fondness than I have now for it. In each chapter, Paschall tells of different events from her life that show fear, embarrassment, and other emotions as she tackles the new seasons in her life. I found that I could connect with a lot of these stories or at least elements of them, and she showed me how I can find and connect with God in them, even when I feel like He isn't present. I enjoyed the authenticity and vulnerability in this book.

Anjuli Paschall’s book, Stay: Discovering Grace, Freedom, and Wholeness Where You Never Imagined Looking, is a lovely, flow-of-thought look at life as one woman grapples with identity within the context of faith. Plucking scenarios from her life, Anjuli creates beautiful prose to illustrate the importance of staying with the difficult emotions, the hard places, and the God who loves us in order to become the woman we were created to become.

The book is so lyrically captivating and emotive that it is worth the read.#stay #anjulipaschall CLICK TO TWEET
Ephemeral and airy, Stay is more philosophical and poetic than practical. It is inspiring, not empirical. There are no action steps, prayers, or points for consideration. However, the book is so lyrically captivating and emotive that it is worth the read. Anjuli will pull you into her world with rich, captivating words that cause you to explore the depth of your own pain, joy, and faith.

You won’t be disappointed.

https://tammykennington.com/2020/04/08/from-the-bookshelf-3

Even though Anjuli couldn't have known that she'd be releasing her book during a pandemic, it is actually the perfect time for her message. Quarantine means that people don't have the option of continuing to keep busy with outside activities and can practice the art of staying. The stories are personal, funny, and make you feel like Anjuli is a girlfriend opening up to you. Highly recommend!

STAY is exactly what I needed right now. Especially during this season of unknown during a pandemic and stay at home orders! Round of applause to Anjuli for sharing her heart with us! Thanks to the author and publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book!

I can't word this any better than what is on the back of the book:
"This book is for anyone who longs for a connection with God and his people but can't seem to escape the haunting feelings of guilt, shame, loneliness, and fear. Through raw, authentic stories, (in)courage writer Anjuli Paschall invites you to stop running from your pain and to recognize that the deep end of your story is the way to intimacy with Christ."

Anjuli’s book was made for such a time as this. “Yes, stay. Stay where you most resist being. This staying is a slow and painful sanctification, and it’s the place where God is growing us.” I read through this book as I entered motherhood in postpartum during a hospital stay. My heart ached to be home. What was worse is my heart ached to be with community, and giving birth during a pandemic doesn’t allow for that. It forced everyone to stay where they were. And for me that meant staying in the discomfort of a hospital to heal. It’s meant staying in my home to shelter. It’s meant finding new ways to forge community and rely on Jesus Christ for support, patience, and healing in this time. And Anjuli’s book has been a guiding light through the messy start to motherhood. A light shining grace and encouraging us to stay... Stay awake to love right where you are.

I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley to review.

The author entices the reader with a detailed look at a unique aspect of life in and encourages the reader to find solace in simplicity.

I received an ARC from Bethany House Publisher, via NetGalley. This review is my personal opinion.

Anjuli Paschall opens up her heart in an honest and relatable way, for this be her first book I must say it looks promising her next books. Stay is an invitation to be real and let all the weight of being and let God be God. To start a process of healing and honesty with ourselves, God, and others. All do Anjulli Pashall talks of all the seasons she has being through and right now as a mom and wife, I know many can relate to the situations she mentions in her book. I believe this book is a must-read for everyone, even if you are single as myself. Because all do we may not relate to some of the situations she mention. In this busy and noisy world, we are living, we need to learn how to stay and not run; especially when stay means freedom and walking in the purpose God has for us. Grateful to Anjulli Pashalll for her courage in telling her story.

One thing the pandemic has forced us all to do is stay put. Many of us have resisted this, but Anjuli Paschall teaches us that when we stay put in the hard places, we can learn the most about ourselves and our God.

This is a book of brief vignettes into Anjuli’s life, somewhat like a memoir. But it’s also intended to help the reader grapple with hard truths about spiritual identity, striving too hard, being too worldly, depending too much on relationships, and wanting to give up. With colorful metaphors, she describes her failures in plain view while also telling her personal story of redemption.

Young women will especially appreciate her openness. It’s an ideal book for newlyweds struggling with finances and new moms in the trenches of diapers and the daily grind. Her writing is relevant and raw, which holds great appeal for people wearing masks who long to be understood, affirmed, and led forward.

Quotes I’ve Enjoyed:
“This never-ending hurt for home is down there, deep inside of me. Even when life is falling gracefully as I hoped it would, the ache persists.”

“I think God moves into the little cracks and crevices and corners of our lives to surprise us with His delight.”

“Jesus turns all my bent-out, turned-in, twisted-around brokenness into this — goodness.”

“Every day, God is nudging my heart to stay awake and savor this one incredible life. There are love winks from the Lord everywhere.”

I received a preview copy of Stay from Bethany House Publishers.

I downloaded Stay last year, but had a hard time getting into it. I picked It up again this week and related to it and started following the author on social media. Her story of her faith journey and overcoming doubts show that we need to "Stay" while we seek answers. The portion that spoke to me most was the story of giving up a fiancée whose life didn't match up with the plans she felt God was asking her to pursue. They went separate ways and God put them where he wanted them.

I received a complimentary copy of Stay through NetGalley, but all opinions are my own.

I really like how this book was written as if we were sitting on the couch with a cup of coffee. Funny because that’s on the cover of the book.

The book had many things I wanted to highlight and remember or take away. I feel I need to just sit and think on all I read.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley on behalf of the Publisher and was under no obligation to post a favorable review.

Review run date was set for publication but life and studies was just as important as writing a book review on 31 Mar 2021 so now 03 October 2021 the review was written and posted on NetGalley,

Stay, meditate in prayer to unite with God as you process your thoughts and reflect upon your much exhaustion from emotions, stress, guilt and other major feelings from your life as a wife, daughter, daughter-in-law, sister, sister-in-law, mother and mother-in-law, work mate and many others in our lives as a woman. This book is a page turner with plenty of information and stories about the life of women going through similar issues to situations that you are feeling at the time. All you need to do is find the appropriate section and read with reflections and prayers to find on how to distress.

Wordpress blog and Facebook blog, Amazon.com.au, goodreads, kobo, googlebooks and iBooks. My WordPress blog is http://bluefalkon95adorationofallgenres.wordpress.com My Facebook reader blog page link, is https://www.facebook.com/BlueFalkon95-Readers-blog-104660277776984 I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany House Publishing through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #Stay #NetGalley