Journey to Love by Janeen Michael-Lanier - REVEIWED

About the Book:
Abused! The Preacher's Wife! Divorced! 

These were not my character traits or career choice, yet these associations and marks on my life gave me my public identity. This identity's influence was so strong it broke my personal courage. Could I break the silence and confess my pain to God? Would He hear my prayers and heal me if I walked away from ministry? Would He discard me, if I got a divorce? After taking an honest look at my life I truly wondered if He even loved me at all! For years I lived with the disconnection between the truth of God's Word, which proclaimed His Love for me, and my ability to dwell daily in the confident security that truth inspires. 

The distress in my heart was so great, and securing God's love seemed so elusive that I made attempts to cure myself. Unfortunately, I wound up causing myself greater injury as I sought out alternatives that I could intellectually grasp and measure up to. Each substitute for His love that I gathered failed me miserably...'til finally I answered God's question to me. "Janeen, will you let me love you?" 

After many hills, valleys, scrapes and falls, I placed my hand in His and made the discovery of a lifetime. He created me to Love me! I didn't have to beg, barter, or steal for love. The Love that I so desperately longed for was inside of me. All I had to do was "accept" and "receive" the awesome gift. But the twists and turns of the pathways travelled, to arrive at the place of clarity and wholeness, was an absolutely incredible...Journey to Love! I am so glad that God is Love. He miraculously loves me and you, in the midst of and through each of our life's pathways! 

My Thoughts:

“A Souledy – A Melodious ode born out of a sacrificial, thankful, meditative, worshipful, reflective, or contemplative utterance of a soul (immortal component of a human) that is focused or centered on the character, attributes, or traits of one or more Persons of the triune God of Christianity.” (p. 146)

This definition is supplied by Janeen Michael-Lanier as she explains the way she worships God through the creation of a “melody that flows from my soul.  It is a conscious act of my will that I employ through song to meditate on God.”  Her book, Journey to Love, is the most poignant, sometimes painful, Souledy she has ever created.  Her words were bled from her soul as she shares her testimony of how God brought her into a precious and intimate relationship with Christ.

Her experience mirrors that of many women, even mirrors my own life experience to some extent, yet God faithfully caries her through until she rests safe in the faithful arms of her Savior.  This is not an easy book to read, but it is filled with the precious promises and direction of God’s Word that buoy believers up in our earthly walk through this fallen word.  This is an important book that will minister to many that are desperate to find the unfailing, complete, unconditional love that is only found in God through Jesus Christ.

Janeen shares her Souledy through music as well, and has recently released a CD entitled Press On. So please, explore her book and her music!  You will find healing, promise and strength for your journey!

About the Author: (from The Adams Group)
Today, Janeen serves as the Worship Arts Director at Emmanuel Community Church in Conyers, Georgia, where she hones her craft of songwriting, singing and leading worship on a daily basis.   She realizes the task before her is to help other people understand what she has learned -- that transparency before the Lord will lead to a deeper worship experience.

“Worship is our God-given gift and opportunity to revere and show respect to our holy God and it can’t be achieved when we aren’t honest before Him, by living lives that are contrary to His Word.  The more obedient we are before Him, the deeper the worship experience will be.  Additionally, it is difficult to receive and enjoy His presence in the worship experience when we’re all covered up.  It is really heartbreaking to see brothers and sisters during a worship service, singing songs and going through the motions yet seemingly leave “empty” though deeply longing to feel “full” from the experience. We are so dependent on Him for everything, including our need for His help to render acceptable worship, but until we come honest and disrobed, it will always lack in depth.”