Choose Joy by Kay Warren- Enjoyable and Helpful!

Joy is a choice and available to everyone. The book is divided into four main parts with many subchapters. Within this volume are many points addressed and explained in a way that is down to earth without being intimidating. Topics addressed include getting to know Jesus on a more personal level, how to discover a new way of thinking, nurturing joy in others, strengths and weaknesses just to name a few. Chapters are enhanced with bible verses which adds depth to the points being addressed. After each chapter are prayers and thoughts for reflection. I found these to be great tools for praise and a way that enhances the chapters more fully. The target audience is women. A truly meaningful and enjoyable read! The author, with compassion, addresses and shares understanding about issues and gives practical and heartfelt solutions while sharing life stories and always encorporating Jesus into the picture. I feel that every reader can benefit and take something from this book, recognize themselves within and be able to incorporate more joy into their lives. Quite the keeper book to reread again and especially for those times when life gets me down, and I need reinforcements to rekindle the joy that is lost. A well written inspiring read that has challenged my faith. I would highly recommend this book to others. I received a complimentary copy from Revell Publishing Blog Tour for this review. Available April 2012 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.






 Kay Warren Author, Speaker, Bible Teacher Kay Warren, cofounder of Saddleback Church with her husband, Rick, is an international speaker, best-selling author and Bible teacher who has a passion for inspiring and motivating others to make a difference with their lives. She is best known for her 10 years as a tireless advocate for those living with HIV and AIDS, and the orphaned and vulnerable children left behind. As an advocate, she has traveled to 19 countries, calling the faith community as well as the public and private sectors to respond with prevention, care, treatment and support of people living with the virus. Kay is author of several books including her newest “Choose Joy: Because Happiness Isn’t Enough” (Revell, April 2012), which was adapted from a Bible study she first taught at Saddleback Church in July 2011, drawing more than 5,000 women for the four-week sessions. In the book, Kay describes how painful experiences – two bouts of cancer, watching as life-threatening illnesses attacked her children and grandchildren and living with mild depression most of her life – have shaped her conviction that joy is a choice and within the reach of every person, no matter how desperate or dark circumstances may be. She is also author of “Dangerous Surrender,” which was originally released in 2007 and revised, expanded and published as “Say Yes to God” (Zondervan) in 2010, and coauthor of “Foundations: 11 Core Truths to Build Your Life On” with Pastor Tom Holladay (Zondervan) in 2004. Additionally, Kay has also written for Christianity Today, Purpose Driven Life, CNN.com and The Washington Post, and has been featured in Newsweek, Reader’s Digest, Guideposts, Sojourners, POZ and Today’s Christian Woman magazines, among others. Kay attended California Baptist College and earned her B.A. from California State University, Los Angeles. She is mother to Amy, Joshua and Matthew, and grandmother to Kaylie, Cassidy, Caleb, Cole and Claire.

Title: “Choose Joy: Because Happiness Isn’t Enough” Synopsis: Between tough economic times and everyday “life” struggles sometimes it may feel as if things are hopeless. Happiness doesn’t just seem fleeting, it often seems unattainable. Kay Warren is no stranger to sorrow and difficulties. Though she lives in the public life as the co-founder of Saddleback Church – one of the nation’s largest and most influential churches in America – with her husband Rick, the circumstances in Kay’s life have not always been perfect. She has personally experienced emotional and physical abuse, two bouts with cancer and various other hardships along with witnessing women and children worldwide who are hurting from HIV/AIDS, hunger and poverty. While very difficult, these circumstances have taught Kay valuable lessons about the true meaning of joy. Realizing that many other women struggle with living in joy – if they even know what it is – Kay decided the lessons she has learned needed to be shared. In “Choose Joy: Because Happiness Isn’t Enough,” Kay draws from biblical principles and her own life experience to illustrate what joy really is, where to find it, and how to choose it in the good times and the bad. Author: Kay Warren, author, speaker and international HIV/AIDS advocate. Kay and her husband, Rick, began Saddleback Church, now one of the largest churches in America, in the living room of their condominium in 1980. Since then, she has founded the HIV/AIDS Initiative at Saddleback Church in 2004 and spoken around the world as an advocate for the weak and vulnerable. She chronicles this in her first book “Dangerous Surrender,” originally released in 2007 and revised, expanded and published as “Say Yes to God” in 2010. A two-time cancer survivor, Kay knows firsthand how a life-threatening diagnosis alters one’s daily life. Her own bouts with suffering have motivated her to serve those who are sick. She is passionate about using her personal experiences to encourage others, which is why she wrote “Choose Joy: Because Happiness Isn’t Enough,” which releases in April 2012. Publisher: Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group Release Date: April 12, 2012 ISBN: 978-0-8007-2172-5 MSRP: $21.99 U.S. Pages: 272 Size: 6” X 9” Website: http://www.KayWarren.com or http://bit.ly/yj3waz Facebook: http://www.Facebook.com/KayWarren Twitter: @KayWarren1