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At the Corner of Bitter & Sweet: Choosing Beauty in Life's Painful Places
Worn out. Disappointed. Done.Are you tired? Have you been wounded or nearly defeated by life? With a refreshing candor and raw emotion, Amy Joy Stout gives the gift of hope and renewal to women who are in the midst of their own disappointments and pain. She describes her own struggle in choosing the road of sweetness when fears, lies, and insecurity threatened to bang down the door of her hurting heart. With every setback, Amy felt like she was growing old, but not growing up. Ugliness was winning over true beauty- until she finally embraced the hard stuff with Jesus, the only One who could empower her to live fully and freely. "At the Corner of Bitter & Sweet is a breath of fresh air to lonely, worn out souls. Amy's encouragement makes her feel like a lifelong friend, and her empowering message shows that it is possible to thrive once again. You don't need to live in fear, hiding from the pain. No matter what your stage of life, no matter what hardships you face-the road to sweetness awaits. It'll be a good one because Jesus is along for it.
210 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 30, 2019
59 people are currently reading
59 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
June 20, 2020
Much Needed
Great read. I'm glad I decided to buy this book. There is so much wisdom and life lessons from this author. This is one of those books that you need to revisit from time to time after you have read it, to refresh your memory on how we should be traveling on this journey. It was also a quick read. The chapters are not long, and the way this author weaves her storytelling holds your attention throughout the chapters. I especially enjoyed the two chapters on Martha and Mary. Overall, very good book. If you are on a journey of wanting to grow more sweet than bitter, and growing up than growing old, you want be disappointed.The
Great read. I'm glad I decided to buy this book. There is so much wisdom and life lessons from this author. This is one of those books that you need to revisit from time to time after you have read it, to refresh your memory on how we should be traveling on this journey. It was also a quick read. The chapters are not long, and the way this author weaves her storytelling holds your attention throughout the chapters. I especially enjoyed the two chapters on Martha and Mary. Overall, very good book. If you are on a journey of wanting to grow more sweet than bitter, and growing up than growing old, you want be disappointed.The
November 5, 2019
I appreciated the author’s gentle encouragement, disarming honesty, warmth and girl-next-door charisma. She was very open and honest about her hurts and struggles, even admitting that she resented the church at times in her life because of the hurts she experienced.
The main idea of the book is: What are we going to do with the hurt and pain we experience in life? Are we gonna let it make us bitter? Or are we going to work hard in cooperation with God to deal with our hurt and allow Him to bring sweetness from our bitter experiences? “We like instant miracles. But God likes strong daughters even more.”
“Wearing praise like a garment is something I desire more than anything. Sometimes despair clings heavy on me. But I want this new garment, which means I must surrender the rags of despair.” ❤️ This!
My favorite part of the book was when the author eloquently spoke of the difficulty of reading the Bible when we are going through traumatic experiences. “In times of crisis, sometimes the Word hurts. Some verses sting. The words seem cruel and empty, when they are not working in my crisis. Maybe they come true for other people in similar situations but they are not coming true for our family. How do I know what is a promise in the Bible and what is a principal? When is the word speaking of the here and now, when is it speaking of then and there? It’s all so confusing when a crisis is raging and your mind is reeling... God’s word is not enough. In times like this, I need God Himself...I need Him. I need His presence. I need His power in me. I need His strength flowing through me. I need His hope infused in my very soul. I need to experience His peace that surpasses this thing. I need to experience His grace being sufficient while this nightmare rages on. I need to experience His mercies new each day while nothing new happens in my circumstances... God doesn’t bring us some kind of refuge. He is the refuge.”
Wow! Drop the mic. This is exactly what God’s been teaching me in my own seemingly impossible circumstance. He is so good! I’m learning that truth more every day and I pray you will too
The main idea of the book is: What are we going to do with the hurt and pain we experience in life? Are we gonna let it make us bitter? Or are we going to work hard in cooperation with God to deal with our hurt and allow Him to bring sweetness from our bitter experiences? “We like instant miracles. But God likes strong daughters even more.”
“Wearing praise like a garment is something I desire more than anything. Sometimes despair clings heavy on me. But I want this new garment, which means I must surrender the rags of despair.” ❤️ This!
My favorite part of the book was when the author eloquently spoke of the difficulty of reading the Bible when we are going through traumatic experiences. “In times of crisis, sometimes the Word hurts. Some verses sting. The words seem cruel and empty, when they are not working in my crisis. Maybe they come true for other people in similar situations but they are not coming true for our family. How do I know what is a promise in the Bible and what is a principal? When is the word speaking of the here and now, when is it speaking of then and there? It’s all so confusing when a crisis is raging and your mind is reeling... God’s word is not enough. In times like this, I need God Himself...I need Him. I need His presence. I need His power in me. I need His strength flowing through me. I need His hope infused in my very soul. I need to experience His peace that surpasses this thing. I need to experience His grace being sufficient while this nightmare rages on. I need to experience His mercies new each day while nothing new happens in my circumstances... God doesn’t bring us some kind of refuge. He is the refuge.”
Wow! Drop the mic. This is exactly what God’s been teaching me in my own seemingly impossible circumstance. He is so good! I’m learning that truth more every day and I pray you will too
October 16, 2019
This mid-life season is a good time for both reflection and forward-thinking, and I appreciated the author's perspective as she looked back over her life and saw the choice she had when facing trials--would she choose to be bitter when life didn't go as she wanted it to, or would she rest in God and look for the sweet growth? I was also pleasantly surprised at some of her insight into Scriptures and Bible characters and she made me ponder a few things in a different way, which is always enjoyable.
I will say that I didn't always love her voice. While I liked the conversational tone, I'm not into all the cutesy "girlfriend" chatter and talk about foo-foo coffees and cute outfits, but I recognize that I am probably in the minority on that in today's culture. In my opinion, the meat of the book would have been better served by cutting out some of the chatter (as well as the plethora of parentheticals, wink), but perhaps there was a page number requirement.
I was also a little saddened at the trials she has experienced as a result of being "a pastor's wife". I think it's a shame the way "christendom-at-large" has created this position, elevating humans over others, yet we seem to be blind to its fruits while young girls apparently even long for this position and feel "called" to it.
Overall, I found this a quick and encouraging read and am glad to have read it. It would be fun to discuss with a friend.
I will say that I didn't always love her voice. While I liked the conversational tone, I'm not into all the cutesy "girlfriend" chatter and talk about foo-foo coffees and cute outfits, but I recognize that I am probably in the minority on that in today's culture. In my opinion, the meat of the book would have been better served by cutting out some of the chatter (as well as the plethora of parentheticals, wink), but perhaps there was a page number requirement.
I was also a little saddened at the trials she has experienced as a result of being "a pastor's wife". I think it's a shame the way "christendom-at-large" has created this position, elevating humans over others, yet we seem to be blind to its fruits while young girls apparently even long for this position and feel "called" to it.
Overall, I found this a quick and encouraging read and am glad to have read it. It would be fun to discuss with a friend.
February 12, 2020
Absolutely fabulous
I can not say enough about this book, did not want it to end, Amy you have motivate me so much,I hope you write another book soon.
I can not say enough about this book, did not want it to end, Amy you have motivate me so much,I hope you write another book soon.
October 12, 2019
Real, Inspiring, Life Changing
Amazing book for anyone who has faced the bitter sting of life and who longs to turn the bitter into sweet. So beautifully written...real life/difficult situations, heart wrenching bible passages, humor, sadness, growth, redemption, inspiration right out of Gods word and a whole lot of Jesus! I have only had the book for a week and I have already read, marked up and reread. Life is hard sometimes. The book left me feeling less alone in my hard stuff and pain and inspired to lean into God and deal with the hard stuff...to turn the corner from bitter to sweet! Highly recommend!
Amazing book for anyone who has faced the bitter sting of life and who longs to turn the bitter into sweet. So beautifully written...real life/difficult situations, heart wrenching bible passages, humor, sadness, growth, redemption, inspiration right out of Gods word and a whole lot of Jesus! I have only had the book for a week and I have already read, marked up and reread. Life is hard sometimes. The book left me feeling less alone in my hard stuff and pain and inspired to lean into God and deal with the hard stuff...to turn the corner from bitter to sweet! Highly recommend!
October 12, 2019
What a great book with a lot of insight on how to navigate life’s hardships and hurts (as women and especially those serving in ministry). What a great book that teaches us how to choose life and radiance in Christ rather than letting ourselves get stuck in bitterness from life circumstances. I love that this comes with questions pressing readers to dig deeper (would work great as a bible study)!! Highly recommend this book!!!
January 19, 2020
Not bad!
I like this book and she has great insight about how a woman feels. Not my favorite, but it's not bad.
I like this book and she has great insight about how a woman feels. Not my favorite, but it's not bad.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews