What if God’s plan and God’s will for us doesn’t quite line up with our dreams? But what if they do? How do we know?

These questions are what Dianne Jago addresses in her book A Holy Pursuit. The world often tells us to chase our dreams no matter the cost. But this causes our dreams to become our idols, and we begin thinking of God as our own personal genie who should give us all that we desire. The Bible does not teach that we should follow all our dreams; it teaches that we should die to self.

This does not mean that we cannot have dreams at all. It just means that we have to hold our dreams loosely and trust God with them. The world doesn’t revolve around us and our dreams. We’re part of a bigger story, and we must use our special giftings to first honor God and serve the Church. Throughout this book, Dianne uses personal stories and biblical examples to help believers discern whether they need to pursue, pause, or surrender their dreams.

If you have a dream and are not sure whether it is in God’s will or only in your personal agenda, I highly recommend reading Dianne’s book A Holy Pursuit.

A much-needed reflection on holiness and true relationship with Christ. Though it was at times slow and hard to get through, I realized I needed to slow down and read in chunks and let it flow that way. Glad I did.

I really appreciated this book and glad to have a chance to review it - I’ve heard about it everywhere! It was fascinating hearing about the start of the deeply rooted magazine and made me feel less alone in the middle of motherhood and life and trying to build a business while keeping first things first- Jesus. A very refreshing read and take on chasing dreams and building business (even a faith based one) while also giving a framework on examining your own personal life - where to pause, pursue, or surrender any current dreams. Really helpful for the overhaul my own writing and birth business is going through lately - kind of necessary shifts to make after this crazy year we’ve all had - I would think many would agree too! How timely. Thank you netgalley for the copy of the book. Highly recommend for any creator, dreamer, and business owner who longs to serve God with her gifts while also staying grounded in Scripture.

This was such a great book, well written book on dreaming. There are some dreams that are great to pursue, and some that need to be put on hold or reconsidered. I really appreciate the biblical applications Jago included.

Dianne is a gifted writer and so obviously leaned on the Lord to produce this book. Every chapter (even those including personal stories from her life) point back to Christ and scripture. I am thankful to have read it in this season of my life. The hustle and "chase your dream" culture abounds and she loves her reader well by reminding them that not every dream is worth pursuing. She also loves them well in spurring them on to examine their motives and how they are loving and serving the "first things" in their lives. Sometimes this means laying down a dream and sometimes this means taking action and doing what the Lord is leading you to pursue. I highly recommend this book!

This was excellent. It was easy to feel relatable to the author’s stories while also holding tightly to biblical truth. I highlighted SO many good lines in this book. My only critique would be that some of the middle chapters were a bit repetitive and seemed to drag on for a while. I would give 4.5/5 stars.

Very meaningful book. I appreciated the conversational tone Dianne Jago used when writing. I will read again and even recommend to my bookish friends!

A beautiful book pointing us back to Christ in all we do. Rich with scripture references, Diane Jago writes in A Holy Pursuit to exhort believers to reframe their life ambitions to pursue Christ.

A Holy Pursuit is a biblical look at following your dreams verses following Jesus and His plans for us. I felt really encouraged reading the book and how it relates to the worlds messages verses the Bible. I'd recommend!

A Holy Pursuit: How the Gospel Frees Us to Follow and Lay Down Our Dreams by Dianne Jago is a great read. The world tells us to pursue our dreams and live our best life. In the culture of #GirlBoss this message shows us that we can pursue Christ and what His plan is for us. Sometimes that means surrounding and laying down a dream but it doesn’t always mean that. I appreciate this book and its message. If you are wrestling with the tension of pursuing your dream and pursuing Christ, this book is for you.

I was blessed to receive an electronic copy via the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Psalm 37:4 says, “delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” But when we do that and God gives us new desires, what’s next? How do we pursue these unique dreams? Diane Jago answers these questions and more in her book, A Holy Pursuit: How the Gospel Frees Us to Follow and Lay Down Our Dreams.

When it comes to dreams, the world typically says to chase them at all costs, even if it means killing your unborn baby (*cough Michelle Williams cough*). This message is also pervasive in the Church. I have seen many pastors encourage us to pursue our God-given dreams or unlock God’s purpose in our lives. There is, however, a competing message in Christendom. And it says to lay down your dreams and deny yourself.

So which one is the right way? Should we be ambitious and chase after our dreams? Or should we lay them down and deny ourselves?

In A Holy Pursuit, Jago invites us to discover the answer ourselves using the Holy Scriptures as a guide. She says, “while each one of us is called to a different life with different circumstances, and while God’s Word may not address your dream specifically, there’s one thing we can be sure of in this dream-chasing world: Scripture does provide trustworthy wisdom to help the Christian navigate when to move forward or not.”

Jago uses her dream chasing experience to point us to the ultimate goal we should chase, being rooted in Christ. She wrote this book to “remind you of who you are in Christ first and then to encourage you to use the truth and hope of the gospel as a lens when pursuing a dream.”

A Holy Pursuit has nine chapters: “The Way of the World Does Dreaming,” “When God Becomes Your Genie, and Your Dreams Become Your God,” “Does Dying to Self Mean Dying to Our Dreams?,” “The Bigger Story,” “The Fruitful Dreamer,” “You Aren’t filler,” “The Christian Dreamer’s Secret Weapon,” “Discernment for Dreamers,” “God’s Will for the Christian Dreamer.”

Each chapter explores Jago’s journey pursuing her dreams of photography and provides valuable lessons she learned on the way.

I loved that Jago doesn’t give us a formula or tells us which route to take. Instead, she points us to the gospel and gives us tools to help us think biblically about our dreams. She is faithful to the Holy Scriptures and reminds us throughout the book to seek God’s glory, not ours. To work for His Kingdom, not build our own.

Jago addressed many other topics in A Holy Pursuit, such as prayer, Bible study techniques, and more. I thought it was a bit too much and made the primary topic—how to chase dreams biblically — less substantial.

This book interested me because I have been wondering whether to pursue my new dreams and how to proceed. Though it provides useful information — particularly the chapter on discernment — I didn’t get as much from it as I hoped.

Nevertheless, I recommend A Holy Pursuit. It’s easy to read, relatable, and provides sound wisdom to live according to God’s Word.

*B&H Publishing graciously gave me a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review. *

GoodReads:
At a glance the author and I don't have a lot in common (she's a stay-at-home mom of 3, I'm a full-time working academic librarian without children), but the things we do have in common are a love of God and a desire to live authentically to ourselves and not the way any particular culture might say to. For those reasons, I found reading this book to be like talking with a friend about a commonality - even if I might not always agree with everything. I also really enjoyed the translations of the Bible she chose to use, and her caution to point out that there is no one way that is God's design for everyone. The encouragement to individually discern and ensure your decisions are right for you was very refreshing, and I may have cried at the words of encouragement in the final chapter. Overall, I recommend it.

*Note: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.*

Instagram:
Thank you to the publisher and @netgalley for a free copy of A Holy Pursuit in exchange for my honest review.
This nonfiction book explores how to discern and pursue dreams that God is truly calling you to. At a glance the author and I might not seem to have a lot in common (she is a stay-at-home mom of three!) but what we do have in common is a desire to live the lives we were called for. For that reason, I found reading this book to be like speaking with a friend, and I found it refreshing and encouraging. I thought it was fitting to show the handful of peas I grew in a container on my porch in an urban area to highlight a pursuit I enjoy - urban gardening. Recommended to those wondering what should be next in their lives.

A Holy Pursuit is full of gospel-truths, unpacking ideas, and re-directing the reader back to how trusting and believing in the Gospel-message allows us to not only follow our dreams, but to follow God's good design for us. The chapters are a bit long, and because of this, it took me longer than usual to absorb the message and make sure I was staying on topic. Because it is rich in content, Scripture references, and good doctrine —all contrasting the American narrative of chasing our dreams— I find it worth the read!

I received an ARC from NetGalley and B&H Publishing for my honest review.

This book is not a guide about chasing your dreams. It is so much more than that and far better than any self help book! Dianne continually points back to scripture throughout her book shifting our eyes constantly back to God rather than our dreams. Encouraging us to build a solid foundation on Him rather than dreams that can crumble.

I liked her style of writing, and I believe this book is truth-filled and no doubt helpful for many who read it. However, I personally had a hard time connecting to the message of the book. I don’t think I’m struggling with what to do with a particular passion or dream right now, so I felt like this wasn’t a book that was timely for me at this moment. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to those that may be questioning how to pursue both their dream and what the Lord has for them.

An interesting book on how to pursue and accomplish our dreams. We are called to have the right perspective - is it for our glory or God's? She describes how she created her magazine, Deeply Rooted Journal using this process.

A Holy Pursuit is a gospel-centered look at what our calling as Christians really is. It's not sugar-coated in any way, although the author does write from a true place of thoughtful care for women. This book is 110% countercultural and I would say is the Christian response to "follow your dream" or living some sort of vapid, self-centered lifestyle.
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I give it a 4 star and here's why. I think the effort and heart is absolutely a 5 star. The adherence to scriptural reference was so encouraging to me, especially as someone who has been largely disappointed in Christian books altogether for a long time, although that is rapidly changing thanks to recs from bookstagram. However, the writing could have been a bit more concise and organized at points. I did lose patience a few times with the pacing, and felt like a lot of the beginning was a primer to get to the point.

Update: on further reflection I give it 3 stars.

I'm not very good with words, but this book means so much to me. In a world of Instagram, social media and the American dream, it's so easy to put all of our energy into wanting and dreaming for something - material things, the perfect home, recognition, a certain job, a large following. For me, it was/is staying home with my little boy instead of having to work a full time job to help support our family. Upon starting this book, I thought my dream was in some way "better" than yearning for some of the other things that were mentioned, but I quickly realized that I was wrong. It's not wrong for me to dream of spending more time with my boy, but it is wrong for it to completely consume me and my thoughts. I had become bitter with my current situation instead of being thankful for the time I do have with him and for the full time job that so many others would be so grateful to have. I know now that I need to give it to God and let Him guide my steps, and if I never get to be a stay at home, homeschooling mom, well - I should still be joyful with where I am because ultimately He is the dream! Leaning into Him through every moment and circumstance and letting Him lead me in every situation is what it's all about.

At the end of our lives, what matters most is not whether or not our dreams come true but whether or not we get to spend an eternity in the presence of God. We will not carry our successes, job titles, and achievements with us to hang on the wall of heaven. We will carry how the Gospel shaped us.

Dianne Jago illustrates her passions and dreams and how it shaped her in the gospel. The disappointments and how true successes looked like in light of God transforming her. It is in the disappointments that God uses for us to dig in deeper with him. In prayer and in his word. Our passions can look differently in the beginning than what they do in the end. God uses our passions and dreams to reveal himself to us and in the process increase our faith.

I appreciated her applying the gospel to how we compare ourselves with others. She writes that comparison manifests itself in one or two ways; either we develop a spirit of pride or of insecurity. God does not desire pride or insecurity because it forces us inward instead of outward . We cannot love others well. Our dreams and passions can easily turn into a idol of worship and security that it is not meant to be. The study is grounding work of the gospel. Highly recommend.

A Special Thank you to B&H Publishing Group and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.

I needed to hear the message of this book more than I even realized. It is a MUST-read for anyone who loves Jesus and has a dream on their heart. I felt seen and understood while reading these words, but also convicted by the Holy Spirit and the truth of the Gospel that Dianne is faithful to make the focal-point of every theme and chapter she wrote. You will put down this book comforted and released by the reminder that we exist for no other reason than to glorify God, and with a helpful framework by which to reconsider your passions, dreams and/or callings. I am grateful to have read this book in this exact season of life! RUNNNN to get it!

I received an Advanced Reader's Copy of the book from the publisher.