I have to say this book was life changing for me. It was exactly the spiritual wake up call I needed right now. It is also really well written and super engaging. I could hardly put it down. I went back and bought several more copies to give to friends, which I never really do. I think everyone should read it.

For me it is always refreshing and yes even a bit exciting to start a brand new year with a brand new book and on New Year's day 2019 Michelle DeRusha launched here newest book True You!

I became deeply interested when I dug into chapter 3 in the section that says "Let Your Soul Speak"

"Wilt Thou Be Made Whole?"

Don't we all want to feel whole?

"when was the last time you felt a longing for healing and fundamental change within you?

Your longing for God, your longing for love, your longing to live your life as it is meant to be lived in God?

It may be the most important question you ever ask.

Quite, stillness, silence, and solitude are so imperative.

Your desire for God and your capacity to connect with God as a human soul is the essence of who you are.

Quite whisper reminds me of the verse: Be still and know that I am God.

Going Deeper: Be present for God.

I will be using this book throughout my New Year 2019!

As I journey to be quite and hear the still small voice of the Holy Spirit speak to me of my Heavenly Father's eternal Love!

I have enjoyed Michelle's sense of humor through the years when she can make me LOL but I am also enjoying this important message she shares in True You!

Do yourself a favor this New Year and discover True You!

If busyness has taken over your life, this book will draw you away from it to a more intimate level with God. Intentional slowing down will lead to not only soul-searching but also soul-finding. If you are harried from wearing too many hats, this book will lead you to stillness and rest.

To begin a New Year right, this book is a must read. To be pruned to the True You is essential in these times of chaotic living, to rest and live a life of purity and faith. She compares the pruning away of old leaves and limbs of a tree to peeling away the old layers of ourselves to reveal the new True You,

Michelle causes the reader to dig deeper and reflect on the message by asking questions to ponder at the end of each chapter.

If you'd like a fresh start, a new focus, for the New Year, then this is the book you need to read. And probably at the beginning of every year.

This is my honest review of True You as I received an advanced copy from the publisher.

If the amount of highlighting on my pages is any indication, I loved this book. It is full of truth!

The author reveals our need for stillness and directed rest. I loved the message that we need to really discover our true self. My identity doesn't come from what I DO, it comes from who God made me to be and in His love for me. She states that while "our culture values busyness, achievement, efficiency, and productivity above all else," that "God's deepest desire is for us to know him, to root our whole selves in himand to know his deep, abiding love for us."

This is a great read for anyone who has ever said, "I'm so busy." It is an invitation to come away, to rest, to discover the true you beneath all the stuff that we fill our lives and time with.

I don't give out 5-star reviews easily. They are reserved for books I will use with my holistic health coaching clients to help them move forward in whole health and also books I will read over and over. This is one of those books.

I received an advanced copy from Baker Books so I could give an honest review. I was not required to give a positive review. The thoughts and opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

We are busy people. Insanely busy. Always working, doing, checking emails or social media, too busy to uncover the real "us" and to hear God's still small voice. In this book, the author uses stories from her own life and the analogy of pruning to help us understand what it means to scale back, slow down, rest and listen. Each chapter has questions to help you dig deeper into what she is talking about.

She recommends taking five minutes of rest during your busy day without distractions. She did this and actually heard God's voice. She also describes a time in Italy where she became broken before God. If we really want God to make us into what He wants and to prune us, we need to be willing to be still before Him and allow Him to prune away things in our lives.

This is a good book with a lot of anecdotes and analogies in it. I highly recommend this book.

(Although this book was given to me by Baker Books to review, the opinions expressed are my own.)