I really wanted to like this book. I really did. The description is what got me so excited: "Many of us have felt the stirring in our hearts to make a difference with our lives, yet we don't always know how." That description fits me to a T and I was so looking forward to learning how to really dig in and find out how to hear what God wants us to do.
I never really understood the concept of rising up. I don't know if that's because I haven't followed her blog or if I missed something, but it was never really spelled out. The phrase is usually followed by something like "with integrity" or "for Jesus" and there are never any specific instructions on how to rise up, just that we should do it.
My biggest problem is the simplicity of the book. There are hardly ever any concrete examples. Sentences like, "I've learned to welcome hard times because my attitude has changed now that I RISE UP! for Jesus," didn't really do it for me. I felt like it didn't get the point across. In chapter 4, there is a snippet from a conversation with Lindsey, who felt called to God after a bad breakup. Because I could relate to the example, I felt that I connected more to the journal and was able to really think about the questions. I wish there would have been more examples like that one. Real, raw examples.
I didn't write this to bash the whole book, so I do want to say that I enjoyed the journals throughout the chapters. The questions made me stop and think about how I was processing the information. And, as I said earlier, I liked chapter 4. I felt more of a connection with that chapter (probably because it was the most relevant to me).
Overall, not what I expected.