The Struggle is Real

  • Author: Nicole Unice
  • Publisher: Tyndale Momentum
  • Print Length: 288 pages
  • Release Date: August 21, 2018
  • I Rate it:    
  • GenreChristian
  • Purchase on Amazon

Book Summary

“It just shouldn’t be this hard!” Raise your hand if you’ve ever had a day where everything that could go wrong does go wrong—you lock your keys in the car while it’s running, lose control with your kids, make a mistake at the office that results in hours more work. And just when you think not one more thing could possibly happen . . . well, fill in the blank. The struggle is real, friends. It may not be major stuff. Lives are not on the line here. But it makes us feel awful . . . and then we feel guilty for stressing when other people have “real” problems that are so much more serious. Yet the fact remains: We live in a world that often feels harder than we think it should be. And so it can be easy to believe the stories we tell ourselves—that we’re doing it wrong, that we’ll be stuck in this place forever, that God doesn’t love us. We struggle to practice gratitude, to make godly choices, and to live our daily lives with confidence and contentment. So what can we do? Join popular Bible teacher and counselor Nicole Unice to discover why the struggle is real . . . and what to do about it. Nicole offers practical tools to help you navigate the daily ups and downs, and ways to rewrite your struggle into a new, God-centered life story. The Struggle Is Real is an invitation to take the hard, hurtful, and confusing moments and turn them into opportunities to grow in wisdom, strength, and joy. Includes access to free online video streaming for 90 days!
Write Now Literary Book Tours - Taffy Book Blast Tour

Guest Post from Nicole Unice

There’s a question we throw around that I bet means a whole lot more than we would expect. How many times a week—or a day!–are you asked:

How are you?”

I don’t know about you, but the answer I hear and give the most is something like …. ”fine”, or —“busy but good!”? It’s kind of the socially acceptable answer, right?

A friend asked me this question just this week as I walked into work. I was multitasking as usual while knee deep into a cell phone conversation about yet another problem. I didn’t answer her, because if I did—if I really stopped and answered—I might have started crying, right there on the spot. My lips formed the word “fine” when in reality, I was anything but—at least not in that moment. And life doesn’t always stop long enough to give a real answer….

But isn’t “fine” the socially accepted answer because it works….or does it?

The reality is, we are all struggling, to different degrees and complexity levels, each and every day. The Struggle IS Real, and when you add up both the little and big daily struggles, it’s easy to understand why this hashtag social media rockstar exists—over 3 million deep at #thestruggleisreal.

But if we dig a little deeper into this common complaint, we might discover a much more sinister root—and real help toward freedom and wisdom in Christ.

In my newest book, The Struggle is Real, that’s what I’ve done. I address issues like:

  • Life is much harder than I thought it would be, and I feel bad saying it.
  • There are some things about myself that I can’t change…it’s just how I am, and it frustrates me.
  • I really don’t know if God is interested in my life, and even if He is, I don’t know how to hear from Him.

(and if you are wondering how real your struggle is, I’ve included a Good Life Inventory on p. 14!)

I wrote this book because I know how real the struggle truly is—and I want us to discover the true source of the answer to these age-old problems. My hope is to take my readers through a journey into this gap between our “just fine” lives and the truly good lives we are seeking and are hungry for. To offer hope that we can live the best life we can, this side of heaven.

Yep, the struggle is definitely real. But the struggle can also start the story. It can motivate us to rewrite our lives into a new story. The struggles can lead us to a new source of hope and freedom, and somehow, even the worst of life can become a place of strength and growth. The struggle is real. And the struggle can be good.

<h2><span class="wrap"><span class="inner">About The Author</span></span></h2>

Nicole Unice is an author and bible teacher who has a passion for bringing God’s Word to life in a personal and relevant way. Her training as a counselor informs her work, with an emphasis on the importance of facing our own reality and embracing the transforming power of God’s grace.

Nicole’s invitations to speak have taken her across the world, and her books come to life with her popular video curriculum series found on Right Now Media. Her heart belongs to Hope Church, where she serves as the ministry director and leads Praxis, a full-time ministry residency program for young leaders..

Nicole holds degrees from the College of William and Mary and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. She loves creating a space for ministry and spiritual formation in the everyday rhythms of life with three children, two pups, one husband, and a whole community of twenty somethings who are usually around raiding the fridge.

You can find Nicole on:

Book Review by Bree Herron

“Fiddle Sticks”, “Shucks”, “Oh,Phooey”! These are the phrases that come out of my mouth when #thestruggleisreal . Ice cream falling off the cone like the cover, welcome to my world. I told a friend the moment this book showed up that it was truly a book about my life. Granted, I didn’t write it and it isn’t fiction but it is right there with me.

I found myself nodding, saying “yeah”, and thinking “this is me” through the book. First read, went this way, I was focused on how it correlated with my world. Second read, I was ready to try and apply. I was taking note on details and suggestions. Want to know a hint? It is so easy! The struggle bus won’t be chugging up the hill for you as hard after reading this book. I feel as though many will read this book and be ready to cheer “I can do this!” because it really makes sense and it is easier than picking up fallen ice cream from the floor. So eat your ice cream sundae, pick up this book and find out how to make the struggle a bit better.

I Rate it

**DISCLAIMER: I was provided an opportunity to read this book as an Advanced Reader Copy in return for a fair and honest review.

Blog Stops

<h2><span class="inner">Giveaway</span></h2>

To celebrate her tour, Nicole is giving away a grand prize of a “The Struggle is Real” T-Shirt!! Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Find out all the details and enter to WIN at The Struggle Is Real Celebration Tour Giveaway.

Professional Reader Affiliates

NetGalley Professional Reader Frequently Auto-Approved 200 Book Reviews 2016 NetGalley Challenge Reviews Published Great Escape Tour Host BethanyHouse Blogger Reviewer

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3 Comments

  1. Kim Hansen

    Sounds like a good read.

    Reply
  2. Dianna

    Nothing makes me feel as good as hearing my friends say that their problems are like mine. For some reason, I always thought I was the only one who dug her outfit out of the clothes pile in the corner!

    Reply
  3. Nicole Unice

    Thanks so much for this awesome review! So appreciate you reading and sharing. 🙂

    Reply

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