Better Than My Dreams: Finding What You Long For Where You Might Not Think to Look [Paperback]

Paula Rinehart (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 16, 2007

The story of everywoman's emotional and spiritual journey, helping her release stored up false hopes and preconceived notions by replacing them with the wonderful reality God is weaving into her life.

Every morning we face the day with a set of expectations about how things will or should be.  Author Paula Rinehart says, "The oddest part about our mental images is that we don't know they are there until the video of our lives plays out in a different fashion." Offering a radical shift in perspective, Paula guides readers to a fresh discovery that the story of our lives may look vastly different than what we anticipated-but that it's a good thing.

Better Than My Dreams charts a course that enables a woman to jettison her old baggage and to discover that what God is creating might be better than she ever dreamed for herself, where fellowship with Christ, rather than fulfillment of dreams, is the real prize. This deeper awareness, that God knows what He's doing with our lives, allows us to truly let go and enjoy the trip as we learn to live, love, and embrace whatever comes.

Better Than My Dreams helps women:

• face their fear of disappointment
• deal with life's disturbing interruptions
• own their own stuff
• find the freedom to love difficult people

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Women's conference speaker and professional counselor Rinehart (Strong Women, Soft Hearts) offers Christian women redemptive hope in a world where dreaming can be a dangerous endeavor. Rinehart tells her own story of living in dull sepia days, bound by life's disappointments and doubting Christian claims. Such skepticism eventually led her to serious explorations in Jungian psychology, which she now views as a period when she was committing spiritual adultery. Wrestling through personal faith issues proved painful, yet incredibly freeing, as Rinehart allowed God's mercy and knowledge of her to permeate every darkened space of her heart. Rinehart lucidly hits the mark about women's most desperate yearnings as she discusses rites of passage in which individuals make a choice to either embrace life with all its interruptions or settle into a paralyzing fear. She challenges readers to act decisively and courageously in their relationships, primarily by inviting vulnerability and loving difficult people, and she shows how to trust God's sovereignty and faithful love even through interminable setbacks. Christian women who are serious about setting a course beyond vague dreaming will appreciate Rinehart's inspiring path to a more hopeful life. (Oct.)
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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson (October 16, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0849918677
• ISBN-13: 978-0849918674
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #249,533 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Paula Rinehart is a counselor and speaker who writes on how women experience the love of God in ways that free us to love others. She's the author of the widely-acclaimed Strong Women, Soft Hearts... as well as a book on sexuality (Sex and the Soul of a Woman), understanding men (What's He Really Thinking?), and disappointed dreams (Better Than My Dreams).

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wothwhile Reading!, October 28, 2007

By 

Laurie A. Jones "artsy gal" (New London OH) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Better Than My Dreams: Finding What You Long For Where You Might Not Think to Look (Paperback)

In this day and age when one is searching for books to discover who I am, all I ever come acrossed are books with New Age agendas. However, "Better Than My Dreams" is exactly the kind of book that I was looking for in learning who I really am and what the second season of my life holds. I am not a teen, I am almost 53 years old and searching for a life worthy of Christ. I highly recommend this book for any woman who wants to experience a full life in Christ! I will read this book again and again. Good journaling prompt in this book or Bible study questions to ponder.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Life Changing Book, January 29, 2008

By 

G. Luch (Michigan) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Better Than My Dreams: Finding What You Long For Where You Might Not Think to Look (Paperback)

This is my first review ever written, and I have read many good books. This book is changing my thinking in a way I have never been challenged before. I couldn't put it down, and have re-read half of it again. I am 45 years old, and I have six children, and in one week I have already been using the book to counsel my college aged children about God's plan for their lives. It has hit me hard, and I was weeping through many pages as I experienced the Spirit of God healing my heart. Thank you Paula for clearing up so many murky places in my life. I was getting there, but you gave me a hand up out of the mirey clay. Paula is a very wise lady, and the wisdom of God was with her when she wrote this book. Today I bought 10 more copies to give to my friends. I have also given away many copies of her book, Sex and the Soul of a women.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Better Than My Dreams: Finding What You Long For Where You Might Not Think to Look, March 12, 2009

By 

Laurel J. Best (Columbia Heights, Mn) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Better Than My Dreams: Finding What You Long For Where You Might Not Think to Look (Paperback)

Better Than My Dreams: Finding What You Long For Where You Might Not Think to LookPaula Rinehart knows how to address the question... "What happens if my dreams don't come true?" Her ability to communicate understanding, as if it was a 1:1 conversation or counseling session is incredible. I would recommend it for anyone struggling with the issue.. Where is God when my dreams don't come to fruition, or worse yet, come crashing to the ground due to the circumstances of life... And how do I live with that and still trust a God who loves me and promises a future and a hope? Great book to discuss as a small group with discussion questions at the end that lend themselves to future thought on the issues presented in each chapter.