"Becoming a Woman of Influence" by Carol Kent

[reviewsbyerin]

One thing is certain: I do desire to be a woman who influences others to draw deeper into the love and life of Christ. When I saw this Carol Kent title available from NavPress I knew right away that it was one I wanted to read.

 

Kent bases her book around 7 principles drawn from examining the life of our Lord Jesus and gives us real-life application for implementing these principles into our lives as women. The keys she brings forth are:

 

1. Time alone with God

2. Walking and talking

3. Storytelling

4. Asking questions

5. Compassion

6. Unconditional love

7. Casting vision

 

The book is not a long one; there are a couple of introductory chapters and then one devoted to each of these principles. That made the reading interesting, since I knew there would be a different focus each time I picked it up.

 

My main complaint against this book would be the fact that Kent mainly uses The Message Bible when sharing Scripture. As a lover of the beautiful and lyrical King James version, I would often not catch that she was quoting a passage that I was very familiar with or even had memorized until she listed the reference at the end. I'd never read The Message Bible before but found it to be too informal and summarized for my personal taste.

 

There is a 9-week study guide included at the back that I did not have time to go through with this reading but I did take a peek at it and thought it looked very thorough and thought-provoking. Sometime I would like to go through and study it out as the author intended.

 

I found many helpful and practical ideas presented in the book. My favorite chapter was the one about asking questions to draw people out. I also liked how the focus was on us becoming like Christ so that He could draw others to Himself through us. That's where the difference really is: our own efforts will always fall short, but through Christ in us we can see other ladies brought to freedom and new heights in their relationship with Him. It is all about Him!

 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from NavPress Publishers as part of their Blogger Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commision's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Comments

[pemberley2189.livejournal.com]

Carol Kent spoke at Cedarville once while I was there. It was very powerful! For whatever reason, I thought of it the other day. It's been at least five years since I heard her speak!