A Cause To Be Thankful by Yolanda Shanks- BOOK REVIEW

Thankfulness. This is something I am trying to cultivate in the hearts of my children. With so many blessings in this world it can sometimes be hard to remember to give thanks to God and to the people who have blessed us. Using her own life as a suicide attempt survivor and through her healing process, Yolanda Shanks wrote this book to help others walk through the thankfulness process and to see that we really do have reason to reject living in ingratitude and discover a cause to be thankful.

This book is a fairly short read at only 110 pages but there is plenty of material to meditate and reflect on.While I would not use this book with my children as there are some very mature subject matters discussed such as a suicide attempt, I can definitely use many of the scripture passages and references in this book to help me in teaching my kids to live with a thankful heart toward God.
 This book is written with a suicide attempt survivor's heart in mind, but as Yolanda writes many of us may be able to remember a time when we felt lost and things seemed hopeless. Yolanda walks the reader through a study of thankfulness by first studying what thankfulness is and to whom are we to be thankful.  After studying what leprosy is and sharing her own personal testimony of her teenage mom experience and what led to her suicide attempt in chapter three, Yolanda dives into the heart of this book in chapter four and begins her in depth study of  the ten lepers and how they approached Jesus for healing and how only one of them came back to thank Jesus. She gives scripture references throughout the book and pauses often in the middle of the chapters to pray for the reader. She wraps the book up with a powerful message of salvation and help for the new believer in Christ. If you know someone who is hurting and feels lost and hopeless this might be a good book to either give to or study alongside them, for there truly is good reason and a cause to be thankful in Jesus Christ!

Yolanda Shanks

About the Author: Yolanda Shanks

Multi-published author, speaker, blogger, teacher, wife, grandmother—Yolanda Shanks wears many hats, but the one she most resonates with is her role as an advocate for living life to its fullest.

Shanks’ award-winning first book, Destined to Live, Despite Me, continues to be a source of hope for those battling effects from a prior suicide attempt. It garnered an enthusiastic Kirkus review, which stated the book was “a commendable guide for finding meaning after considering suicide.”

Her second book, Not Just a Hearer but a Doer (released June 2012) challenges the body of Christ to act upon scripture. In the Fall of 2012, she released a third project, entitled Destined to Live, Despite Me – A Cause to Be Thankful.

Check her website (www.YolandaShanks.com) for book events in your area and for weekly wisdom from this lover of life and committed Christ-follower.


From the back of the book, A Cause To Be Thankful,
"Have you ever considered how often we neglect expressing genuine gratitude?

The Bible gives an account of how Jesus healed ten lepers.

But only one returned to express thanks.

Using the Biblical story of the ten lepers as a reference, A Cause to Be Thankful by Yolanda Shanks will unpack the Biblical model for thankfulness, showing how a spirit of entitlement has overshadowed our spirit of thanks. In this straightforward and challenging book, you will not only learn how to return as the one leper who expressed gratitude, but you’ll come away with a clear plan for including consistent and genuine thanks in your prayer life and day-to-day encounters."

ISBN: 978-0985361600 | List Price: $12.95 | Format: Hard Copy | Page Count: 110


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I received a free copy of this book to review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC Regulations. I am part of The CWA Review Crew.

Not Just A Hearer But A Doer by Yolanda Shanks-Review

"We sit in the pews. We sing the songs. We recite Scripture–Scripture we know by heart. And yet buried in the midst of this routine are commands and requests straight from the Most High that go ignored. We’ve become so reliant on God fulfilling His end of the bargain that we fail to follow through with ours.

WE’VE BECOME HEARERS.

In 31 days, Yolanda Shanks’ devotional study, Not Just a Hearer but a Doer, will help you find calls to action within scripture ... and then act upon them. Starting with small things, like seeing that the Lord is good and working your way up to bigger actions, such as being a bold witness for Christ, you’ll soon have the tools, desire and confidence to put scripture into practice. Just as God intended."

GOD WANTS DOERS.

About the Author: Yolanda Shanks

"Multi-published author, speaker, blogger, teacher, wife, grandmother—Yolanda Shanks wears many hats, but the one she most resonates with is her role as an advocate for living life to its fullest.

Shanks’ award-winning first book, Destined to Live, Despite Me, continues to be a source of hope for those battling effects from a prior suicide attempt. It garnered an enthusiastic Kirkus review, which stated the book was “a commendable guide for finding meaning after considering suicide.”

Her second book, Not Just a Hearer but a Doer (released June 2012) challenges the body of Christ to act upon scripture. In the Fall of 2012, she released a third project, entitled Destined to Live, Despite Me – A Cause to Be Thankful."

My Thoughts:

This may look like a short book at only 143 pages but it is filled with some really deep inspiration and thoughts to challenge your faith and help you move from being a hearer of God's Word to a doer!

This is a devotional book meant to be finished in one month over a 31 day period. Each day you open the book to a title followed by a paragraph or two to open the chapter then a Bible verse. 

Yolanda Shanks labels this first Bible verse, "Observation".

She follows this by a little background to help you get grounded in what this verse is talking about and a bit of history about the verse.

Then each day has an "Interpretation". This is where Shanks helps you apply this Bible verse to your own life. It is here in the "Interpretation" where Yolanda's heart spoke the most to me. From the very first day she invites us to taste and see that the Lord is good! I had read that verse many times in my life but I had never actually stopped to consider what "taste and see" really meant. Yolanda explains that while everyone's taste buds are different, we all will sample God in different ways, so why not at least try Him out and "Taste and see that the Lord is good"?

After the "Interpretation" follows the "Application". This is where we are challenged to become a doer and stop being just a hearer of God's Word. Day 16 she begins the "Application" with, "It is your destiny. What do you hear God saying to you? Have you chosen to obey and trust Him, or do you prefer to pay more attention to what others will think or say?" Her challenge then is this:

"1. Intentionally put distance between yourself and those who are not focused on God's will, especially in sharing the Gospel and making disciples.

2. Do that which you have been given a vision of.

3. Reach for that which the world says is impossible.

4. Go where you have not been."

How's that for a challenge?! To go where I have not been and follow what God has given me a vision of. This has really inspired me to complete my book I am writing. I've been working on it on and off for about three years. God isn't going to write it for me, but Yolanda's words have challenged me to just go and DO IT! The final chapter titled "The Importance of Telling Your Story" really cemented this in my heart to keep on writing because she explains, "The telling of your story, your testimony of deliverance by God, isn't just for you! God's grace has allowed each of us the privilege to be the bearer of good-news to someone who needs to know that with God "all things are possible"." Now not everyone has a book to write, but we do all have a story, a testimony we can share and should share with others!

After each "Application" the author encourages you to write down today's scripture texts in your own words. There is plenty of space to record your thoughts. It is in writing down our own definition of the Bible verses that I believe we really cement a new idea into our hearts, allowing us to become a DOER and not just a HEARER!

I definitely recommend this book as a Bible devotion. You will be challenged to grow and stretch in your faith as you move from being a hearer to a DOER!

You can read more about the book at the website here.

You can follow her Facebook page or  Twitter account.

 I received a free copy of this book to review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC Regulations. I am part of The CWA Review Crew.