Get Back Up: Trusting God When Life Knocks You Down

by Sheryl Giesbrecht

Life is not always easy or fair for the follower of Christ. Yet, Sheryl Giesbrecht has learned, from the depths of past pain, it is possible to be raised up. It is possible to heal. Most importantly, it is possible to exchange hurt for hope. In her inspirational new book, Get Back Up: Trusting God When Life Knocks You Down, Sheryl tells her own story. She uses scripture to tell the stories of so many other Biblical figures who stumbled before they could be helped up. Sheryl's message is one of hope. Trusting God in the midst of a life turned upside down is essential to survival. Without Him, life would not be worth living. Climbing out of the pits of despair would be impossible. Yes, with God to lean on, finding hope is possible. Healing is possible. God is capable of taking our losses and mistakes and turning them into something remarkably beautiful. Won't you let Him?

176 pages, Paperback

First published February 18, 2013

About the author

Sheryl Giesbrecht Turner (pronounced Geese-Breck-T)
Exchanging hurt for hope is Sheryl Giesbrecht’s focus—a message she shares with audiences as a radio and television personality, author and speaker. A dynamic teacher and motivating leader, Giesbrecht has endured many changes and challenges, moving her to a deep faith, trust and dependence on God.

Sheryl has authored four books and served as Focus on the Family's columnist for Pastor's Wives for four years. Hundreds of her columns, magazine and devotional articles have appeared in Focus on The Family Magazine, Just Between Us, Discipleship Journal, CCM, Walk Thru the Bible’s - InDeed and Tapestry, Charisma, Live-Living and Arise Daily publications. Sheryl’s theological contributions have been honored by the distinguished Women In Apologetics Forum at her alma mater Biola University.

Giesbrecht’s radio and television show, “Transformed Through Truth” is nationally and internationally syndicated, viewed and heard on networks across the United States, internationally on seven continents.and can be viewed on www.HSBN.tv.

Sheryl has a heart for missions and is avid about reaching out to the poor and needy, locally through the Rescue Mission and worldwide through various ministry partners. Giesbrecht is a Lead Like Jesus Facilitator and missionary with Freedom In Christ Ministries (www.FICM.org) and has been personally involved with equipping hundreds and facilitating the training of thousands of leaders internationally.

Sheryl’s latest book is entitled It’ll Be Okay: Finding God When Doubt Hides the Truth.
The joys of Giesbrecht’s life are her children and thirteen grandchildren. She is excited about the new beginning she shares with her marriage to Dr. Jim Turner. Sheryl holds a Bachelor of Arts from Biola University, a Master’s in Ministry and a Doctorate of Theology. Sheryl enjoys eating peppermint hot fudge sundaes and running 5K races with her 85 year old mother.

Learn more about Sheryl Giesbrecht on her website, www.FromAshesToBeauty.com or www.sherylgiesbrecht.com. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter (@SGiesbrecht), Instagram and Pinterest.

Reviews

[Erin · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's true: life will knock you down. It's also even more true that God is trustworthy and we can reach up to Him and let Him carry us in those moments. I've experienced getting knocked down before, and I'm sure you have, too. I'm always eager to find books to help facilitate healing in those hard circumstances. Unfortunately, I'm afraid I didn't find much that was helpful in this book. The format was awkward, as it was part life story, part practical help, but neither area was developed satisfactorily. She'd leave stories from her personal life hanging, or make mention of a truth she often taught to women's groups without expounding on what that truth was. It seemed like this should have been a companion volume to one of her speaking engagements, rather than a book offered on its own.

I'm also unsure if this book ever saw the eyes of an editor. If it did, that editor might need to rethink their career choice. The worst example of this was found on page 48, where Sheryl writes: "As a social worker for the state of California, I networked resource services as a social worker with the state of California for parents of children with developmental disabilities." Say what? There were numerous instances of missed or misplaced commas, clunky wording, redundancy, and even a sentence on page 146 which does not start with a capital letter. On page 116, Sheryl also claims, "...63 percent of most non-Hodgkin's patients..." Sixty-three percent of most non-Hodgkin's patients? Seriously, where was the editor on this one?

Even worse was the way that Giesbrecht incorrectly related information from the Bible. On page 78 there is a whole paragraph of stuff she made up about Moses. The Bible records nothing about "the day he discovered he was of Hebrew descent," nor that he "became confused about his identity." There's plenty to draw from in Scripture without telling fiction as though it were truth. On page 105 there is a mention of Potiphar being the king of Egypt. That is simply a factual fail.

Although the grammatical and content errors were driving me crazy, the last straw was when I realized the author was incorrectly quoting Scripture. Although she stated she was using the New International Version, which I do not personally use, I am familiar enough with the Word of God and with the structure of the English language to know that she was not actually quoting the Bible. I looked up these verses on BibleGateway and my suspicions were confirmed. If Giesbrecht had mentioned she was paraphrasing, it would have been one thing. But to claim those verses came straight from the NIV was a lie.

Was the book a complete loss? I found it intriguing that she opened each chapter with real life accounts of those who had survived massive free-falls, and how we could pick out a truth from each story to apply to our spiritual lives. There were some good moments and things to reflect on, but her outright abuse of the English language and the Holy Scriptures will stay with me much longer than anything else from this book.

I received my copy from LitFuse in exchange for this honest review. All opinions are my own.

This review originated at http://reviewsbyerin.livejournal.com

[Stacie Wyatt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read Get Back Up: Trusting God when life knocks you down by Sheryl Giesbrecht, in exchange for review from Litfuse. The book is available in Kindle and Print Editions. This book is geared towards women primarily. I chose this book because I need to rely on God more during tough situations, instead of relying on myself. I don't trust a lot of people with my problems, issues, and concerns because I don't think they will keep it secret or they will use it against me. By the time, most people find out about something, I have already went through it and learning from it.


My review of the book:

I do like how the book gives chapter summaries before starting into the book. I am one of those folks, who sometimes starts a non-fiction book on a specific chapter before reading the rest. I want to know how a particular topic can apply to me right now. How do I resolve a specific problem I am dealing with now? Some of the topics included in the book are letting go of grudges; responding to God's invitation; finding your true identity; isolation, flexibility; dealing with death; and finding balance.

Some things I learned from reading the book:
Casualties, mistakes, and accidents are apart of life. Each time something happens, you can learn from it. You also can know what not to do, if and when it occurs again. I had a miscarriage in 2005. I was hurt, isolated, and devastated. My body was rejecting the baby (fibroids, herpes outbreaks, and stress). I lost the baby four months later. I never wanted to experience that type of pain again. In 2009, once again, I am in the same situation, but I approached it a little differently. I still was in mental and physical pain, but I made some serious changes. I deleted phone numbers. I stopped having sex as much. Eventually, I became celibate a year later. I found out I was pregnant in 2010. I did not want another miscarriage, so I started eating healthier. I started cooking more foods. I also did not tell too many people to reduce stress. I also tied my tubes in 2011. I did not want more kids, but I also never wanted another miscarriage again. I fell, but got stronger as time went by.
When you fall down, get back up again. Whether it's addiction, depression, despair, destruction, etc. Learn from it and get back up. God will help us through the good and the bad. He is waiting for us to call on him and ask for his help.
Man is flawed. Man can not always help you through your problems, let alone fix your problems. We can not rely on man alone. We need to rely more on God.
Our sins (mine and yours) are not too much for God to handle.


Sheryl also added personal experiences to her book. She talked about getting into trouble as a youth. She discussed her drug addiction. She discussed getting rejected by a boy, she liked, at the school dance. She talked about falling deep, wanting God's help, but still wanted her own way as well (I been there lots of times.).

[Jalynn Patterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

About the Book:

Did you know it is possible to survive a freefall from the Willis Tower in Chicago or a skydive with a failed parachute? It will hurt, and it will take some time to heal, but it is possible. Our lives can be a lot like that freefall, but we can survive whatever challenges God puts in front of us if we just get back up. In Get Back Up: Trusting God When Life Knocks You Down (Wheatmark/March 2013), Sheryl Giesbrecht shares her personal story of triumph over tragedy to help readers understand they can not only survive their adversities, but thrive.

As much as we would like it to be, life is not always easy or fair for Christ followers. Giesbrecht learned this truth firsthand but also discovered that from the depths of past pain, it is possible to be raised up. It is possible to exchange hurt for hope. Trusting God in the midst of a life turned upside down is essential for survival, and climbing out of the pits of despair would be impossible without Him. God is capable of taking our losses and mistakes and turning them into something remarkably beautiful if we just let Him.

Much like a physical fall, readers will learn that it's not how a person falls that matters, but how they land. By preparing for landing-how we respond when we fall-we'll be better equipped not only to survive our fall, but thrive once we get back up. Giesbrecht also encourages readers to find opportunities to forgive in both good and bad times. With honesty and transparency, readers will learn from Giesbrecht's experiences what it takes to trust in God, no matter what life may bring.
About the Author:

"Exchanging hurt for hope," is Sheryl Giesbrecht's focus.

She loves to share how God rearranges loss, bitterness, and mistakes; and turns them into something remarkably beautiful.

Learn more about Sheryl at her website.

My Review:

Through Sheryl Giesbrecht's experiences she has turned them around for God's good. Hoping to renew or enlighten us to the fact that God can take things and events in our lives, things that seem otherwise impossible and turn them around to glorify Him. Our ever present Father in our times of trouble only wants what is best for us. Not by just our imagination but by His Almighty power revealed, shows us that it will be far above what we could ever imagine or bring forth on our own.

Through the authors past experiences she was able to have a God moment and find Him and run to Him in insurmountable circumstances. She had enough faith to lean and learn completely on God when diagnosed with cancer even making jokes throughout the ordeal. No matter what life throws our way we MUST look onward and upward to our Saviour to find our way out of what seems to us to be unmovable.

**Disclosure** This book was provided to me at no charge for my honest review from Litfuse.

[Create With Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Life does not always go as planned. Sometimes we are faced with situations that result in disappointment, betrayal or loss. Other times, we find ourselves battling feelings of inadequacy, loneliness, and unforgiveness. During these times, we could use sage advice and encouragement from someone who understands our struggles.

Sheryl Giesbrecht provides both in Get Back Up – Trusting God When Life Knocks You Down. Sheryl draws from her own experiences and shares the lessons she has learned throughout her life – first as a teenage addict, then as a new Christian, a working woman, a pastor’s wife and a mother.

Sheryl also shares the stories of people who have beat incredible odds and survived substantial falls by applying the lessons they have been taught, as well as the stories of people she has ministered to and bible figures.

Get Back Up is a quick and easy book to read: it’s less than 150 pages, and it contains helpful chapter summaries at the beginning of the book that direct you to the sections that best meet your current need. The study questions at the end of each chapter help you to process and apply what you’ve learned.

What I like most about this book is the wide range of situations Sheryl addresses and the positive attitude Sheryl conveys throughout the book.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher to review. I was not compensated or required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

[L_manning · Rating 4 out of 5]

Life has a way of knocking you down. In this book, author Sheryl Giesbrecht goes through parts of her life where she was knocked down. Her life has been a series of ups and downs, but she has managed to find strength in God's teachings when she needed it most. She is now sharing these ideas with people in a short book that will help people become focused on the good parts of their lives instead of the bad.

This book is written in bite-sized pieces that even the busiest of people can handle. Sheryl shares so many of her life experiences, so you know she understands this topic. Her life has indeed knocked her down several times, but she has managed to find the ability to keep moving on. I like that she shared not only her experiences but also those of people she has helped through her public speaking. This helped to further show how these principles can be put into action.

Each chapter starts with the story of someone who survives a free-fall event, so if you have a fear of flying I'd skip those parts. I know they're meant to be inspiring, but it is a little creepy. The rest of the chapter though contains good advice with scripture. There are study questions at the end of each chapter too, and this lets you really put things into practice. This is a super quick read, but it will leave you with ideas on how to get back up and move on with your life through all hard times.

Book provided for review.

[Lindsey Silvestrini · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have definitely gotten knocked down by life on many occasions so I was anxious to read Giesbrecht’s insights in Get Back Up.

I was immediately intrigued when she began by asking the question if it was possible to survive a fall from the Sears Tower. My immediate thought was “of course not!” But I would be wrong. Each chapter begins with her telling a true story of people that survived incredible falls against all odds. She compares this to obstacles in life and that while there are many circumstances we think we can’t possibly survive; we do!

I really enjoyed Sheryl’s life story and real example of living as a Christ follower even when you get knocked down. Her marriage to her husband and her relationship with Christ were inspiring and great examples of how a Godly woman should live.

I liked that at the end of each chapter there were study questions where I could really take it to the next level and apply it to my own life. It made me think of things I hadn’t previously considered and want to grow in certain areas that she thrived in. Sheryl did not have the easiest life but her constant faith is inspiring and a great lesson to all.

Get Back Up will have you cheering for Sheryl and for women like her who have experienced real heartache and pain and persevered on.

[Katherine Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

“[God's] will for us when we are down and out,” writes Sheryl Giesbrecht, “is to turn to Him and ask for a hand up.” In the ten chapters of her easily digested book, Get Back Up, she shows women how.

While the book does contain an odd typo or two, and her overarching metaphor is sometimes a bit of a stretch, her practical advice is rock-solid. I especially liked her teachings on:

Abundant life: living free from worry, harmful habits, and lies we choose to believe.
Recovery. Ending hurts, habits, and hang-ups.
Moms in Touch (recently renamed Moms in Prayer). Practicing prayer that includes praise, confession, thanksgiving and intercession.
In Christ I Am. Countering the common spiritual-identity myths and replacing them with truths revealed in God’s Word.
Because she has lived a life filled with more than its fair share of hard knocks, Giesbrecht is a credible witness to the advice she provides. All in all, her book offers a helpful resource for any Christian seeking practical ways to not merely survive this life’s journey, but to thrive in it.

Thanks to Wheatmark for providing me a copy to review. All opinions are mine.

[Virginia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love books where authors write with authority from personal experience, and Get Back Up is that kind of book. Giesbrecht has been in some tough places, and she writes with honesty about her past. Most of all, she rejoices in the victory of overcoming those hard times. The stories she tells, her own and those of others, are encouraging and inspiring to anyone who has been through, or is going through, hard time.

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sheryl weaves her own story, the stories of others, and those from the Bible around encouragement from the Bible and who we are in Christ. She has added great personal reflection and discussion questions at the end of each chapter. This would make a great ten week study for women who want to know how to successfully deal with the pain in their lives. See my full review at http://bit.ly/1hH15qW.

[Susan VandePol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unusually creative, written with a strong voice and trust in the One Who brought her through life's most potentially crippling circumstances. Some of the images are stunning. Love this book. It came at me from an angle I did not expect.