1. 7 Women and the Secret of Their Greatness
    Eric Metaxas
    Thomas Nelson / 2015 / Hardcover
    Our Price$22.49 Retail Price$24.99 Save 10% ($2.50)
    4.7 out of 5 stars for 7 Women and the Secret of Their Greatness. View reviews of this product. 19 Reviews
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  1. Diane Busch
    5 Stars Out Of 5
    7 wonderfully inspiring women
    April 12, 2018
    Diane Busch
    Quality: 0
    Value: 0
    Meets Expectations: 0
    Eric Metaxas is an excellent biographer. This book is no different. I enjoyed hearing about these seven extraordinary women and why he decided to include them in his book. Each of them are a great inspiration in varying ways.

    Joan of Arc - It's almost unbelievable what she accomplished as a young woman - a teenager!! She heard from God numerous times and she was bold in her faith and leadership. She exhibited great bravery as she donned men's attire and led armies into battle. She was falsely accused and wrongfully treated, and was martyred for her faith.

    Susanna Wesley - She endured much heartache and hardship in her life, yet she was always faithful to her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. With her husband Samuel, she had 19 children (9 of which died as infants), whom she homeschooled and raised with biblical principles. Some of her children are well-known, including sons John and Charles Wesley, who are known as founders of the Methodist Church.

    Hannah Moore - I had only known a little about Hannah before (from a movie about William Wilberforce), so I was enlightened of her influence in her time and the crucial part she played in abolition.

    St. Marie of Paris - I had never heard of this woman before so it was a delight to learn of her heart for the poor, how she loved others and how she helped people find faith in God. She had great humility and was kind to others. She saw in each person a reflection of God.

    Corrie ten Boom- She is a beloved and well-known woman of faith, whose family helped hide Jews in their home in Holland during the invasion of Nazi Germany and Hitler. Their family's hiding place was eventually found out, and the family members were sent to prison. Corrie endured much suffering in prison and concentration camps, but never lost her faith in her dear Savior. Along with her dear sister Betsy she prayed and evangelized even under the worst conditions. Eventually she was released from the camp through a clerical error, just a few weeks after Betsy went to be with the Lord. One time after she had spoken to an audience, a former guard at the prison camp came up to shake her hand and ask for forgiveness. He was now a Christ-follower and was sorry for his sins. It was the hardest struggle of her life, but she did end up forgiving him and shaking his hand.

    Rosa Parks - Rosa was raised in a Christian home and she had learned to trust in God at an early age. Scripture and hymns helped her keep faith during difficult times. As de-segregation was slowly coming about in America, she as a member of the NAACP was a civil rights activist. She is sometimes known as the "The mother of the civil rights movement". She was the token black person who did not give up her seat on the bus to other white people, but "stood" her ground and stayed seated. She was arrested for her actions, but this sparked much upheaval. Because of her bravery, many laws were changed and culture began to change as well.

    Mother Theresa - She was such a dear lady of humility and service and love. She truly followed the new commandments to love God and love people. She especially had a heart for the poor, for the sick and dying, and for unborn babies. She lived and worked on the streets of Calcutta, India serving the poor and homeless.
  2. Michele Morin
    Warren, Maine
    Age: 45-54
    Gender: female
    5 Stars Out Of 5
    7 Women. 7 Virtues
    September 19, 2015
    Michele Morin
    Warren, Maine
    Age: 45-54
    Gender: female
    Quality: 5
    Value: 5
    Meets Expectations: 5
    The only thing better than a good biography is SEVEN good biographies, and that's what Eric Metaxas offers in 7 Women and the Secret of Their Greatness. Through touching down at seven distinct historical and geographical points, my mind was coaxed beyond its tendency to "see everything in the dark glass of [my] own era, with all its blind spots, motes, beams, and distortions." Eric chose women whose greatness derived from their ability to "exist and thrive as women," with accomplishments rooted in their "singularity as women." His list is broad and diverse, including Joan of Arc, Susanna Wesley, Hannah More, Saint Maria of Paris, Corrie ten Boom, Rosa Parks, and Mother Teresa.

    Without a doubt, each of these valiant women rose to meet the challenges of her day with grace, whether it was the careless ruination of European monarchs, the vise grip of Nazi Germany, or the slow discouragement of a huge family and an incompetent husband, my reading turned up seven virtues that these women shared and, by their example, throw forward into our day as a light in our present darkness:

    1.Vision: Joan of Arc quite literally had visions, but all seven of Eric's subjects shared an ability to see beyond their circumstances and to live in possession of a calling that served to focus their activities and decisions like a laser. Susanna Wesley spent twenty years teaching her children at home, and was fiercely diligent in overseeing their character development as well as their education. Rosa Parks launched the yearlong Montgomery bus boycott with her refusal to see the world in the literal black and white that her forty-two years of life in the segregated South had planted before her eyes.

    2.Perseverance: I fell in love with Mother Teresa and her determination to "do small things with great love." Her recruitment tactics distill down to the riveting question that went along with her sweet smile: "Would you like to do something beautiful for God?" Saint Maria of Paris, a woman who was introduced to me for the first time through 7 Women, seemed to have had a limitless fountain of identities, never allowing herself to be captured by a stereotype. Divorced single mother? Look again, and she's mayor of St. Petersburg. Fifteen years later, she turns up in France as a Christian monastic where her activity on behalf of the oppressed Jewish population landed her in Ravensbruck until her death in 1945.

    3.Faith: Susanna Wesley was herself a catechized woman who believed the promises of God from a well of sound theology and biblical literacy. This provided a foundation for "worldview teaching" in her homeschool which serves as a model for those of us raising and educating our children in an increasingly post-Christian culture. Joan of Arc challenges my assumptions about what constitutes orthodox theology, but I see in her words an absolute openness to truth from heaven. When asked by her inquisitors if she was in a state of grace, her reply was, "If I am not, may God put me there; and if I am, may God so keep me."

    4. Influence: Hannah More lived in a time in which women were expected to fulfill only "certain roles", and even to write only about "certain topics." Nonetheless, as a single woman, she found her voice among the political and cultural movers and shakers through her writing. Because she "did not lose her wit when she found God," she was able to speak hard truth against the slave trade and was instrumental in its abolition in 1833. By the same token, Rosa Parks is called the "Mother of the Civil Rights Movement," and Susanna Wesley, the impoverished housewife, is known as the "Mother of Methodism."

    5.Refusal to conform: There are times in history when women need to sit down when they are told to stand up (Rosa Parks), to speak up when they are told to be quiet (Hannah More); to protect what is about to be destroyed (Corrie ten Boom); and to value what culture says is worthless (Mother Teresa). This is not in order to make a name for oneself, but in order to be the agent for change God created us to become and to be obedient to His calling.

    6.Devotion to God: When Maria of Paris finally turned her heart toward God, she never again wavered. When Corrie ten Boom saw that people whom God loved and valued were being oppressed and eliminated, she put her own life at risk to help them. The quiet strength that Rosa Parks exhibited came from a life-long belief that, in her words, "the Lord would give me the strength to endure whatever I had to face."

    7.Leadership: I wonder how many tiny nuns would dare to approach Calcutta's city authorities to ask for a building. I wonder how many women (or men) in Hannah More's day agreed with her stance on slavery but feared the social backlash and grief that came with opposing it. I wonder if Susanna was ever tempted to just teach her three boys and save herself the labor of teaching seven daughters how to read and how to think when the practice was frowned upon anyway. In every case, the seven women Eric Metaxas has profiled were willing to stand alone against social pressure, and because they did, society as a whole was impacted. This is godly leadership.

    I'm grateful for the extraordinary women of history who achieved their greatness because they realized that the sovereignty of God had placed them in a certain place at a certain time in order to make a difference. It is my prayer that my sons will spend their lives loving women with these seven virtues -- and that their mother-in-law will lead the way.

    This book was provided by Thomas Nelson through the BookLookBloggers program in exchange for my review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 : Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

  3. AZSmocker
    5 Stars Out Of 5
    Seven Women: and the Secret of Their Greatness
    December 1, 2016
    AZSmocker
    Quality: 5
    Value: 5
    Meets Expectations: 5
    Erik Metaxis writes like someone sitting and telling you a story. The women in this book are fascinating; some I knew and some I didn't. Each woman's story is in a manageable one-sitting session. Good to curl up with at the fireplace.
  4. Books4Jesus
    Brookfield, WI
    Age: 55-65
    Gender: female
    5 Stars Out Of 5
    Encouraging
    March 7, 2016
    Books4Jesus
    Brookfield, WI
    Age: 55-65
    Gender: female
    Quality: 0
    Value: 0
    Meets Expectations: 0
    Eric begins this book with an introduction that is well worth the read. He explains why each woman was chosen and defines true godly womanhood.

    He chose women we have all heard about, but perhaps dont know their whole story. Each woman is a unique study. I had a hard time putting the book down until I had finished each short biography. And I wanted to pick it up and discover about the next woman. They are humble, obedient, woman who gave much, if not their entire lives to accomplishing what they had been called to do. These women were forces to be reckoned with.

    I knew very little about some of them, but gained an appreciation for their bravery and commitment to the Lord. They are Joan of Arc, Susanna Wesley, Hannah More, Saint Maria of Paris, Corrie ten Boom, Rosa Parks, and Mother Teresa. Ordinary women, changed by the Lord.

    One woman I particularly enjoyed reading about was the very feisty Mother Teresa. She never hesitated to ask for what was necessary, whether it be moving some boxes of supplies or offering to work for an airline in order to fly free to a speaking engagement. Mother Theresa was often heard asking Would you like to do something beautiful for God?

    Read about them all or just pick a few. This is an extremely readable book and you will find yourself energized to carry out your own calling and do something beautiful for God.

  5. PBJones
    Edmonton, Alberta
    Age: 55-65
    Gender: male
    5 Stars Out Of 5
    7 Women: The Secret Of Their Greatness
    March 5, 2016
    PBJones
    Edmonton, Alberta
    Age: 55-65
    Gender: male
    Quality: 0
    Value: 0
    Meets Expectations: 0
    Eric Metaxas is a master writer of my favourite genre of books biographies. I could easily enjoy a pleasant weekend wrapped up in stories well told. My personal library is well stocked with biographies of accomplished athletes, Civil War generals, politicians, missionaries, innovators and entrepreneurs.

    Metaxas says biographies enable us to slip the strictures of time and provide a bracing corrective to our tendency to see everything in the dark glass of our own era, with all its blind spots, mores, beams and distortions.

    Its with that value in mind that Metaxas recounts heroes of faith and gives us condensed biographies of their lives that, while short, feel remarkably comprehensive.

    7 Women And The Secret Of Their Greatness is his latest pageturner. The women highlighted include Joan of Arc, Suzanna Wesley, Hannah More, Maria Skobtsova, Corrie ten Boom, Mother Teresa, and Rosa Parks.

    Id never heard of Hannah More or Maria Skobtsova and my library shelves were empty of books about the other five. Im grateful to Metaxas for introducing me to seven new heroes of faith. You wont regret an investment in a personal copy of the book.

    My wife Jocelyn read 7 Women and was quick to loan it to her friends and have it stocked in our churchs bookstore. Here's why...

    Jocelyns 5 Takeways

    1. Ordinary women can be used in extraordinary ways by God. The focus is on ordinary not women. I know ordinary women named Joan, Suzanna, Hannah, Maria, Corrie, Teresa and Rosa. What inspires me is that anyone can see God use their circumstances as a platform for courage when they are abandoned completely to God.7 women book

    2. These seven women changed the course of history. They didnt set out to be worldchangers theirs was a courageous response to the threats facing their communities and countries.

    3. They all understood that serving God meant selflessly serving people. Their gospel was simple love others with the love of Jesus. Love made the difference.

    4. The Holy Spirit worked in radically profound ways through their lives. Some lived in such intense ways that their testimony and integrity was called into question. History has proven each of them to be of the highest moral, ethical and religious quality.

    5. Each woman faced hardships and complicated situations, yet they knew God was with them. They lived by an unwavering and uncomplaining faith despite the price they each paid in their cause.
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