Book Club: Book Review of Stay by Anjuli Paschall

Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. This post contains affiliate links. For more information, please see my Terms of Use and Disclosure Policy page. Thank you.

For many, figuring out how to handle the difficult moments in life is not an easy task. Anjuli Paschall wrote Stay: Discovering Grace, Freedom, and Wholeness Where You Never Imagined Looking to help readers discover how to seek comfort in the painful moments and find peace with God. Stay is a memoir-like book in which the author invites us to stay in those very places we want to avoid or run from because they are what we actually need to become whole. When we stay in these moments, we can open our heart to Jesus to find His love. This 221-page hardcover book helps us address the pain in our past through staying with God.

"God, in love, always welcomes us to stay and dine at the table with him." (20) 

This story of Anjuli Paschall is divided into 21 chapters with a discussion guide for each chapter asking such questions as:

• "Would you describe your relationship with Jesus as hard or easy"?"
• "List a few ways God tangibly provided for you in the past." 

All the questions and statements are thought-provoking and one could easily journal their responses as they read the book. The only thing I would change is printing the Discussion Questions: Thoughts to Consider at the end of each individual chapter to make them easier to remember to reflect upon and answer. 

Scattered throughout the book are larger quotes printed which are pulled from the various chapters. These help readers focus upon key thoughts.

There is a lot of wisdom to be gleaned from the story of her life that Paschall shares. We see how she learns that "mistakes are not my enemy but my guide back to Jesus" (33) and that the secrets we hide – that we hate parts of ourselves – are actually carried by Jesus. He carried "an entire world of brokenness" when He breathed his last on the cross. Even when we fear being rejected or misunderstood, if we take the time to listen to God we can help those who need our help. 

Throughout Stay, Paschall discusses marriage, careers, raising children, friendship, anxiety, and more topics. I really found Stay to be an interesting and helpful book. At first, I admit to having my doubts because who really wants to stay in the dark moments of their life? But in the end I found the book to be uplifting and useful. I made many notes for myself so I could go back and reread sections a second time. I would recommend Stay to those individuals looking for a closer relationship with God.

I am including this book as part of the AtoZ Reading Challenge.