Better Than My Dreams
Finding What You Long For Where You Might Not Think to Look
- Christian Living
- Publisher: W Publishing Group (Thomas Nelson)
- Published: 2007
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Publisher's Description
The story of everywoman's emotional and spiritual journey, helping her release stored up false hopes and preconceived notions by replacing them with the wonderful reality God is weaving into her life. Every morning we face the day with a set of expectations about how things will or should be. Author Paula Rinehart says, "The oddest part about our mental images is that we don't know they are there until the video of our lives plays out in a different fashion." Offering a radical shift in perspective, Paula guides readers to a fresh discovery that the story of our lives may look vastly different than what we anticipated-but that it's a good thing. Better Than My Dreams charts a course that enables a woman to jettison her old baggage and to discover that what God is creating might be better than she ever dreamed for herself, where fellowship with Christ, rather than fulfillment of dreams, is the real prize. This deeper awareness, that God knows what He's doing with our lives, allows us to truly let go and enjoy the trip as we learn to live, love, and embrace whatever comes. Better Than My Dreams helps women: face their fear of disappointment deal with life's disturbing interruptions own their own stuff find the freedom to love difficult people
Endorsements (16)
“When the dream you thought your life would be gets shattered, it’s hard to see the sovereignty of God among the broken pieces—let alone, the goodness of God. In Better Than My Dreams we see both. And something else. We see something beautiful. And that something beautiful is the dream God first dreamed of when He dreamed of you, and when He dreamed of me.”
“Whether you are wrestling with overwhelming challenges or just experiencing low-grade disillusionment in life (as we all do at times), Paula’s out-of-the-box thinking will help you get God out of whatever box you may have Him in. Her wisdom and insight will open your eyes to the joy of truly living life—not the life we always dreamed of, but one that’s even better—the one we already have!”
“With remarkable insight, Paula Rinehart cuts to the chase, revealing the longings, disappointments, dreams, challenges, and spiritual hunger of every woman. If you long for a book that describes your deepest desires and leads you on a journey to joy, look no further. Paula’s writing is fresh, vibrant, penetrating, and personal. The built-in study guide makes this book ideal for personal or small group study.”
“Desire is often an undeclared war in the heart. We want, and we don’t get. We fail to receive because because we either don’t ask or we ask for what will divert us from glory. Desire is the territory where we battle with the core questions about the goodness and power of God. Paula Rinehart is a wise, generous, and honest woman who knows this terrain and has found in her own struggle a sweet passion for the risen, self-giving love of Jesus. Her invitation is so profound and yet so simple it is staggering: find the passion you were born to engage, and in giving you will find the deepest desire aroused and fulfilled beyond measure. Better Than My Dreams will transform and refine every heart that risks desiring God.”
“From the first paragraphs I felt like Paula was reading my mind and my heart, and it was hard to put the book down. With a style that made me feel as though we were sitting in her office talking about life, she encouraged me to be honest about the disappointments in my life and to ask God to meet me there. It’s a book of great encouragement and hope.”
“Better Than My Dreams is a must-read for women of all ages and stages of life. Paula is gifted with a divine ability to help women recognize and deal with real-life issues, thereby enabling women to live beyond their wildest dreams. Practical applications and the small group guide are most helpful in our journey to live life to the fullest and make progress in our walk with the Lord.”
“Sooner or later every woman feels stuck in her own life. Thankfully, Paula Rinehart has been there and knows the way out . . . with honesty, compassion, and a steady vision for the life we women long for.”
“Come, all you who are weary and wounded, and find hope. ‘Disappointment is, strangely enough,’ Rinehart writes, ‘the doorway to real adventure with God.’ How thankful I am for such an articulate Christian woman, using the truths of Scripture to set us free. Life is so hard, yet that pain can be ‘a gymnasium for the soul.’ I was compelled by Better Than My Dreams, turning pages to the satisfying end.”
“Insightful, honest, and beautifully eloquent, Paula Rinehart gives a voice to what all of us women already know—we have big dreams for ourselves. Regardless of our seasons in life, our longing to find deeper meaning unites us. Written with transforming truth, Better Than My Dreams is a book for every woman everywhere. It is a practical and hands-on approach to our quest for more. I will wholeheartedly share it with all of my friends!”
“Rinehart’s book reads like a velvet plow, gently but relentlessly breaking up the frozen tundra of our souls, making way for a radiant hope. With the turn of each page, the alluring possibility of a life—with its losses and longings included—drenched with God’s irrepressible goodness begins to glow. Rinehart’s book is a wise and beautiful beautiful offering, one worth a profoundly warm reception.”
“Paula’s book points at the elephant in the room—our mistaken belief that our faith will somehow fix every heartache we face. But more than pointing out the elephant, she points us to the God who is far grander and far sweeter than a life lived as a fairy tale. Thank you, Paula, for the bracing freedom of reality and the reminder of a love that never lets us go.”
“The secret . . . the secret to life. How much would that be worth to you? Paula Rinehart pulls back the curtain, exposing secrets to living the life of Jesus that I certainly wish someone had given me years ago. If you are wanting to live the life Christ intended for you, amidst this confusing, messy, broken world, this book is for you. Paula takes well-known truths of Scripture and brings them near where they can be experienced and their implications embraced. She has a wonderful way of walking amidst the reality of most of our not-so-perfect lives and the ravenous hunger we have been gifted with by God for so much more. Paula doesn’t offer an easy path, but she offers motivating and deeply practical ways to taste more of all God has for those He has chosen and calls His beloved. This book will help you live the life God longs for you to enjoy. If it were up to me, I would make it mandatory reading in the Life 101 course!”
“As I read Better Than My Dreams, I was shaken to the depths of my heart as I was faced with the reality of my own belief in who God truly is. I was challenged to see my life and how God views me. I have repeatedly asked God to take away some problem, trial, or difficulty in my life, and sometimes He has. But this book has helped me to ask a new question when God does not remove the problem, and that is ‘Will I let God transform me in this?’ Those who read this book will be convicted, challenged, encouraged, and ready for God’s transformation.”
“All of us who have watched Disney’s Cinderella know the first line of that famous song. ‘A dream is a wish your heart makes when it’s fast asleep.’ Some go through life fast asleep, still holding on to their dreams. But what do you do when you wake up and realize that your dreams are not there? Paula Rinehart’s new book Better Than My Dreams gives you gentle reality and a tender hope in a world of broken dreams. She warmly takes you by your delicate heart and walks you through the charred brokenness, then kindly helps you see that every shattered dream is never wasted in the hands of our loving heavenly Father. I believe as you read her book, you will discover for yourself how precious your broken dreams are to Him and how He longs to use them in your life just for you. I encourage all women who have dreams that have never come true to embark on a personal journey with the living God through this book so you may find freedom on the other side of those dreams.”
“There were moments reading Better Than My Dreams when my breath caught to hear what seemed like my own voice breaking from Paula’s pages. So deeply does this wise friend and mentor resonate with our own stories of shattered dreams that we feel known, accompanied, and encouraged to risk crossing our own scary yet holy thresholds. Doorways that lead not into what we most fear but improbably and wondrously into something we could not imagine . . . joy, freedom, and intimacy with the One who redeems all our broken pieces into the original masterpiece that we were always created to be.”
“Having lost my youngest daughter to a tragic car accident just three months ago, I believe Paula’s book was sent to me by God at just the right time. It is full of encouragement for those suffering the disappointments of life and lost dreams. Her stories remind us that God walks with us and we don’t have to rely on what worked in the past. To read this book is to feel freedom and anticipation as you let go of what you thought you needed and enter the journey as a ‘dance with God’ and the fulfillment of dreams.”
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