Thursday, March 1, 2012

Growing Up Ziglar by Julie Ziglar Norman

About Growing Up Ziglar:

Julie Ziglar Norman often says her dad is the king of 'doing life right' and she is the poster child for 'doing life wrong.'
For over a quarter of a century she lived every day with regret, shame, guilt, and depression. But she was the daughter of the motivator's motivator, Zig Ziglar, and knew that she needed to be positive. So she gathered up all her negative self-talk and squashed it deep down inside where it couldn't ruin the bright and practiced smile she presented to the world.

'People might assume Zig Ziglar's daughter would automatically grow up to have a positive attitude,' Julie says. 'For a large portion of my life, I was just positive I was miserable!'

Her powerful and heartwarming story will move readers to laughter and tears. Mostly it will renew their faith in God's power to redeem all the wrong choices and bring them full circle to hope and healing. Julie urges readers not to settle for okay when God has true joy waiting for them. She shares tools to equip them to make the changes needed to find true freedom in every area of life.

MY THOUGHTS:

This book came out of the blue to my mailbox, and while it may not have been a book I would have plucked off the shelf at my local bookstore, I have to admit I really enjoyed it.

Most people in America know the name Zig Ziglar...the motivator's motivator...and would assume that everything about him and his family would be near perfect. Enter Julie, his youngest daughter, who through the course of her life made choices, many of them unbeknownst to her parents, that would shatter that 'perfect' image. She relates many of those choices and their consequences in the pages in this book.

Julie is candid about the choices she's made and the lessons she's learned...and many of those lessons are ones that you and I can learn from as well. God wants us free, not just for ourselves, but for others that may have walked in our shoes. He wants us to make choices based on wisdom and not on fear. He wants us to be who He created us to be...people who understand His expectations and want His will above our own. He doesn't want us to be the right person in the eyes of others...He wants you and me to be the RIGHT person in His eyes, because His opinion of us is the only one that counts.

I was greatly encouraged by this book, and even though I've made different choices than Julie, they were detrimental in my keeping strong fellowship with the Lord. She reminds us that Jesus loves us right where we are, and He was willing to give His all for us to find Him. A "Challenge List" is included at the end of the book to help us do our part to get to know Him...read His word, pray, be in a local church to be fed and encouraged...all practical things that can benefit a newborn to a mature Christian.

If you've struggled with receiving the free gift of God and His forgiveness for the choices you've made, Julie's story is proof that it's never too late to choose wisely and BE the RIGHT person!

My thanks to Guideposts/Summerside Press for providing a copy of GROWING UP ZIGLAR in exchange for an honest review.
Find out more on the web:
Julie Ziglar Norman
Guidepost Books

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