Customer Reviews

I Can't Do It All: Breaking Free from the Lies that Control Us

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I can do it all. I can't trust anybody. I deserve to have it all, and to have it right now. True love is like a romance novel. I must be thin to be happy. I can make my own truth. Truth? Lies? A mix of both? Three friends (Tracie, Allison, and Dianne) explore these ideas within the perspective of Christian living in I Can't Do It All.

Told mainly through sharing their own experiences, many common beliefs are exposed as lies that Satan uses to keep people from seeing God on a daily basis. Lies are uncovered, and scripture is used unsparingly to counter the lies.

I used this book for my quiet time study guide during December. The experiences that the women shared, and the personal manner used, helped to make me feel like we were all in the same kitchen sharing a cup of coffee. Often, however, I felt like I wanted to jump in with a story of my own--but no one was there to listen. Keeping a journal of my thoughts and reactions helped; I also used this journal to contemplate the study questions posed at the end of each chapter.

Be prepared to work slowly--maybe one or two of the lies at one time. Working any faster may bring on fatigue (I'm tired of working on getting better), despair (I'll never get this right), or numbness (I'm reading this but nothing is sinking in).

Armchair Interviews says: Work through this one with a group of friends.

This non-fiction book was so deep that I could only eat it in morsals. What an ideal resource for a women's group! I dare say I enjoyed it even more than Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World, and I thought that Bible study was awesome. Whether read individually or with a group, I Can't Do It All is so rich, and has such fantastic questions, that it smoothly facilitates transitioning into the deeper issues. I am going to strongly suggest this book for my women's group at church after we finish the current book we're working through. I learned a lot and gathered insights into my own spiritual walk. Talk about convicting! These ladies made a great team! I loved the "My Turn" section at the end of most chapters. I feel like I know the authors' hearts. Their candidness and testimonies are refreshingly real. It's as if I joined hearts with them as sisters in Christ. I even read a few sections out loud to my husband. He was wondering why it's only a women's book. Seemed to him like much of it applied to men as well. :) Highly recommended.

We try to do it all, be all things to all people, be all places at all times.We are women, we are capable and we are tired.

Tracie Peterson, Allison Bottke and Dianne O'Brien tackle the statement 'I can do it all' with truth and grace in this book.

With candor and vulnerability they share stories from their own journeys and guide us on ours. Fourteen chapters, fourteen lies we try to live and always fail. For it is the truth of the Bible that will break the lies. Then we learn it is only through Christ who strengthens us that we can do all things.

This book is an excellent resource for women's Bible studies, retreats and individual growth and reflection. Woven through the pages is truth, beauty and the grace of the God who CAN do it all. Read the book. You will see yourself on the pages. You will also find mercy and freedom on every page.

Great for anyone trying to do too much in too many areas of our lives. Great stories. I loved it so much I am passing it to my patients at work to read. Messages were also very uplifting! I truly enjoyed.

At some point in life, I think we come to the painful realization that some beliefs we have always held as true and have set our life course by, may not be true at all. These beliefs may be leading us away from the goal of a happy and productive life. A habit or firm belief that we hold dear is contributing to our destruction.

I think that the title of this book,"I Can't Do It All!" is misleading but the sub-title, "Breaking Free From The Lies That Control Us" makes it clear. The book dares to look closely at 14 beliefs or `lies' that we hold on to and that ultimately enslave us.
Each chapter gives a thorough discussion of each topic and offers a biblical perspective on breaking free from the particular lie.
What is meant by "lies?' These are a few. Do any of them sound familiar?

*"I need a man/baby/career/money to be happy and fulfilled"

*"If I am unhappy, I don't have to stay."

*"True love is like a romance novel."

*"I can be young forever."

*"It's my choice."

The authors are three talented and very different women:

*Tracie Peterson, best-selling author of over 60 historical and contemporary novels.

*Allison Bottke, creator of the God Allows U-Turns project and Author of "God Allows U-Turns for Women.

*Dianne O'Brian, a registered nurse, speaker and pastor's wife.

This combination assures that each topic can be covered fully and logically and in a variety of ways, from an emotional, material, physical, and spiritual angle. Each author adds her own perspective to the discussion.

I liked the way each chapter is put together.
The topic is discussed. Then comes the work part, where you are asked to think it through and then to apply it to your own life. Following this, the authors give their own stories.

While it is suggested that "I Can't do It All!" be used for either individual or group study, after reading it, I think it would be more useful for a group study - Even better in a group of women of all ages, with different life experiences. A few of the `lies' covered in the book really hit home with me while others were harder for me to identify with. I found myself wanting the input of group discussion to bring better perspective and understanding of all of the topics.

We all labor under lies, and these authors make a concerted effort to debunk them here. From common myths like "I must be thin to be happy;" "I don't have time to be healthy;" and "True love is like a romance novel" to the more probing ones, such as "I deserve to have it all" and "I can be young forever," they share personal stories, apply Biblical truth and encourage us all to break free. Insightful and uplifting.

This book tears away the curtain of lies women have become accustomed to hearing. These women talk candidly about their experiences in a way that will touch your heart. I can't be this open about my own life, but I'm so glad they could. They have provided insightful, practical advice for overcoming the problems each of us have. Not every experience will speak to you on a personal level, but I could identify with several of them. I think every woman should read this book and it would be nice if every man bought it for the woman in his life. I Can't Do It All, is a book you will read through more than once.

As we learned in Logic 101, if you base a theory on a false premise you will end up with a false conclusion. I once heard sin described as the human tendency to believe the lies of Satan over the truth of God. So whether we choose to convince ourselves that drinking ourselves into a stupor will solve our problems or that having material things is a measure of our self worth, believing these lies becomes the basis for behaviors that lead to trouble and misery. The three authors of I CAN'T DO IT ALL! have taken a giant step toward helping to identify some of the most common lies that we have the tendency to believe --- lies that can lead us away from truth and freedom and into sin and bondage.

The table of contents reads like a mental "to do" list for today's busy generation as well as for many of us who still struggle with making changes in our reasoning. The chapters address such lies as: I deserve to have it all...right now; I can make my own truth; I don't have time to be healthy; True love is like a romance novel; The more I do the more God likes me. And, perhaps the biggest of Satan's lies: I don't need God. These and several other thought-provoking chapters provide the reader with much to ponder when trying to understand why life is full of stress and frustration. Tracie Peterson, Allison Bottke and Dianne O'Brian have crammed this small handbook full of Biblical truths that can be used to free yourself from the lies that have held you captive and never provided the promised results.

In a unique format, each of the authors addresses one of the lies that she believed, describes the problems it led to and the resulting stress and frustration that it caused. Along with the Biblical truth that challenges the lie, there is a list of questions and suggestions at the end of each chapter to help provide practical applications. So you're not just getting "take two proverbs and call me in the morning" advice. Many chapters also contain inserts with simple prayers such as: I keep saying yes to things when I really mean no, Lord, help me get a grip!

I CAN'T DO IT ALL! can be used to guide a Bible study or simply to help the reader break free of lies that control. It is a book about hope and healing, written by three women from diverse backgrounds who have a common belief in the goodness and mercy of God.

--- Reviewed by Maggie Harding, a substance abuse counselor in Phoenix, AZ who wanted to be Brenda Starr before life intervened. [...]

I must be thin to be happy. I don't have time to be healthy. I can be young forever. The more I do, the more God loves me.

Ever believed any of those lies? If none of the above, then I'm sure very few would not be able to identify with some other topics dealt with so capably - and honestly - in this book. Women sharing from their own hard earned experiences of life have to be listened to. The personal application sections at the end of each chapter gives the reader the opportunity to check things out for herself - and himself too! Highly recommended for group study and discussion also.
Mary Hawkins

My Bible study group used this over the period of a year to discuss our own personal growth. We enjoyed the many topics and ideas in the book and I really feel it is an excellent discussion starter to explore why we women believe the lies society and our own filters hand us. As a group, each of us grew through using this as a guide. It created so much discussion that we decided to just stick with it for the entire year. I think I personally learned more using it in a group format.

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Angie