I love this book. I have many books by Ruth and this one was just as good as all the other I have read.
She shares her personal experience with being in a season that was too busy, not where she thought she should be/are would be, and at a place where her spiritual gifts weren’t being used (so she thought).
I really liked how she shared that even in the waiting God will do great things as long as you aren’t wasting your time on things that don’t matter, like scrolling on instagram.

This is a book I will probably revisit from time to time. It’s like the book was just written for me. Ruth has put to words what I have been wrestling with for some time. If you think your stuck, I highly recommend reading it!

In this day and age of social media when we are all constantly shown more, more, more, and buy into it, literally— ever planned a trip based on insta or bought those kitchen sponges Eva Mendes sells— we need an antidote!! This book is that very thing and defines what “more” truly means. Both relatable and inspirational, the pages serve as a low key reminder to turn to what really will bring peace and contentment. Now and Not Yet will have a home on my keeper shelf and I know I will return to it often. Oh and if this book had a playlist - an Amy Grant song from the 80s written by Pam Mark Hall, titled The Now and the Not Yet should be included.

Learning to be present and be still in the Lord is a lesson I’ve fought hard to learn. I work fulltime and have been a weekend caregiver and jack of all trades for my parents since mom was diagnosed with dementia prior to the pandemic. Mom passed in the middle of reading “Now and Not Yet” so now life is still in a waiting period but I’m looking at it differently. This book has been a balm to my soul and has encouraged me to live the life God wants me to live even if I’m not in the place where I want to be.

I believe we can all relate to being in a season where our expectations and reality don't match. Perhaps we're impatient for an easier or more visible season. Maybe we're feeling stuck in circumstances that are difficult. Wherever you are, Ruth Chou Simons lovingly points you back to Jesus, back to truth of the Bible, and to liturgies and prayers that can re-orient our heart to patiently and obediently look for God in every situation, instead of only looking for God to get us out of our situations. I loved this book. I will be highly recommending to all of my friends!!

#NowandNotYet #NetGalley

This is my honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson books for the eARC.

"Now and Not Yet" by Ruth Chou Simons is like a friendly nudge to appreciate the season of life you're in, even when you're craving change. With stories and down-to-earth wisdom, Simons reminds us to soak up the lessons and blessings of the present moment instead of always looking ahead. While it can get a tad repetitive, the book's message hits home, earning it a solid four stars. It's a timely and relatable read that encourages us to live with gratitude, faith, and purpose right here, right now.

Haven’t quite finished the book but fully plan to. I will also be purchasing a hard copy. This book is a literal answer to prayer. A book that is very much needed in this current culture. The encouragement and truth she speaks into the restlessness of this world is just beautifully done. We all desperately strive for platforms and followings, far too often at the expense of our hidden lives in Christ. This book speaks to that. I am deeply convicted by just the first few chapters and have no doubt the rest will be the same. Highly recommend.

Thanks to @netgalley, @nelsonbooks, and @ruthchousimons for the ARC of this book! I LOVED it!

I’m currently sitting in the midst of a lot of turmoil and frustration in my career. I’ve been feeling restless and pushed to move away and on to what I deem as “better.” My copy of this book came at the perfect time haha.

Gently, but firmly, Ruth guides us to settle in to the now and not yet of life. At the end of the book, she referenced the words of the prophet Jeremiah and I found it to be some of the most impactful parts. Israel was called by God to settle in and prosper; to love and create peace; to dig in and do GOOD during their captivity in the land of Babylon. Regardless of where we are, we are God’s people and he will never forsake us, His plans are greater and everything is perfect in HIS timing—not ours. This is a book I’m taking many lessons away from and I’m excited for a physical copy of the book to be in my hands next month so I can go back to reference and be challenged by it in the time to come.

Highly recommend this to any and all readers, but it’s especially poignant if you’re in a season of “now and not yet” yourself 🫶🏼 a waiting season is not a wasted season.

“Look forward to someday and stay faithful now.” -Ruth Chou Simons

This was such an enjoyable book from the beginning. She is thorough and thoughtful in her points and it's easy to follow along.

I love Ruth Chou Simons and was really excited to get this ARC from NetGalley…and it did not disappoint. I always have a Christian, nonfiction book going at the same time as a fiction book. Ruth guides us through the restless times we are currently in by pressing in and growing through the circumstances. I very often want to fast forward through the messes and get to the good stuff but that is rarely how life happens. My right now matters, God is right here with me, and He is not done with me yet. Beautifully written book. I have quite a few highlighted areas.

Ruth Chou Simons' books are always truth filled and heaven pointing but I wasn't prepared for how much Now and Not Yet would speak to me.

Wonderfully written and beautifully illustrated, the book talks to the importance of pressing in and persevering right where you are, whatever your circumstances. God is not done with us, He works through any and all circumstances even if they are ones we would rather not be part of our stories.

Ruth shows how throughout the Bible, in less than ideal circumstances, the authors show us how to eyes on Jesus, to preach his truths to our hearts and to keep going even when it is tough.

Through wisdom taken straight from the Bible and practical thoughts about how we can press on, Ruth helps us to work through the disappointments and struggles we can face as Christians, helping us to understand the tension of the now and not yet of God's Kingdom and leaning into the trustworthiness of God.

The liturgies found at the end of each Chapter were also a really helpful way to gather my thoughts and express them as I voiced my struggles in prayer.

This is definitely a book that I will return to again and again.

Thanks to Netgalley and Nelson for the ARC.

A great resource from Ruth Chou Simons about not rushing the season you are in. Living each moment to its fullest and leaning into the lessons God wants to teach you in the "right now". Which is a very good message for our world today, which is always rushing forward to the "next thing". A very timely book for our current culture. If you enjoy Simons other books & writing style, you will enjoy this one as well.

I’m trying to think of the words, and they fail me. Now and Not Yet is an intensely vulnerable and deeply relatable book about what to do with yourself in the messy in between of where you were and where you’d rather be. I remember 5-7 years ago watching Gracelaced Co. rise out of relative obscurity to be what it is today. In that season, I was a mother of two littles and not at all thriving with it. Looking at someone like Ruth, the “unlikely mother to six” and the owner of a thriving business - I remember wondering how on earth she managed it all. Then I looked at myself and wondered sadly what was wrong with me. This book feels like the answer she’d give me had I had coffee with her then, and her words are a healing balm even now, years later - when, out of the littlest years, I finally have more capacity at my disposal. I’m so thankful for her vulnerability and willingness to return to those hard places to gird up those of us behind her with truth.

The artwork in every Ruth Chou Simon’s book is always lovely, but the liturgies in this book are breathtaking. Her poetic words are aching and beautiful and true. This is one I will buy for my library as well as putting it on the top of my list to gift to loved ones in their dry, desert seasons. Thank you for your wisdom, Ruth; though hard won, they are a testament to God’s faithfulness in your life as well as a reminder to us all to look to the Father.

I’d like to thank Nelson and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I'm not sure how I stumbled upon a Christian book, but I quite enjoyed reading "Now and Not Yet". This beautiful book has messages that people of all faiths can relate to in one way or another. For example, Simons' writes, "You have a choice to stay present, to not check out, to press into the unwanted parts of your story that are happening right now even if they don't feel purposeful or productive... (as) the seasons we, in our limited understanding, had deemed fruitless often turn out to be anything but." To appreciate the present, we must appreciate that our ordinary life and labor is what shapes us to find value in our next accomplishment. It may feel like we are wasting time but there is a "dignity of ordinary human life and labor". We may want to fast forward but without the present struggles there is no reward.

Thank you to NetGalley and Nelson Books for this ARC!

Now and Not Yet by Ruth Chou Simons is a gentle reminder to readers that, while we as Christians will certainly deal with disappointments and will struggle to feel the Lord's presence at times, we can still trust in the His unfailing faithfulness.

I am a long-time reader and follower of Ms. Simons and am regularly encouraged by her gentle and loving way of speaking Biblical truths into our lives not matter the stage or season of life we are in. Her words are never judgmental but are always encouraging, like a sister coming along side you to guide you closer to Christ - sharing that she also has felt these feelings and dealt with these questions. At the end of each chapter are liturgical breath prayers, designed for the reader to focus more on the theme of each chapter.

Not only is this book well written, the art inside is beautiful as well. Just like her writing, Ms. Simons art is calming and peaceful. This is a book I am definitely going to purchase a physical copy to have on my shelf.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

WOW. What a powerful, timely message: start where you are, because this moment matters. In this book, hiddenness is seen, vulnerability is shown, and the struggle of one in the waiting is embraced.

Ruth Chou Simons' writing is relatable and moving. Not only does she give words to our struggle, but she makes you believe that she’s been there with you, fighting in similar trenches against similar unseen enemies (Time. Exhaustion. Heartache.).

Not only is it beautifully written, but it’s beautiful to look at too, with aesthetic artwork and applicable quotes on whole pages. Bible verses are not forced down the reader's throat, but are tastefully and applicably utilized, with relevance and timeliness. The author seamlessly integrates mental health concepts such as reframing, with spirituality. In addition, practical application questions and a "liturgy for pressing in" are found at the conclusion of each chapter, enabling the reader to both better assess their own measures of the chapter's topic and take action steps accordingly.

This book carries one of the most important messages of our modern day: slow down, get comfortable in the mess, and be okay with not being okay. Everyone should be reading and taking to heart the contents of this book!

Thank you for the honor of reviewing this pre-publication!

Ruth Choy Simons newest book, Now and Not Yet, deals with the tension we have as Christians dealing with disappointments and struggles we face now and trusting the faithfulness of God. I love the way she approaches these issues with gentleness.

I loved this book. How often do I feel the tension between holding onto the hope of God’s promises and yet I cannot feel Him with me. While I am not in a dark night of the soul season right now, this book speaks to me in my current season of fatigue and overwhelmed. I will visit with this beautiful book again. Thank you to the publisher for allowing me access to this book as an ARC on NetGalley.

In this book, Simons walks Christians through the tension between the now and the not yet as it relates to the Christian life. She draws from a lot of scriptural truth to encourage Christians to be content where they are even when they're in hard situations.

"God allows us to feel barren desperation in the desert so that we might run to the oasis of his provision. We want his provision and the relief his blessings will bring, but we don't want the wilderness that teaches us about our great need for Him."

I found this book to be very encouraging and highly recommend it for someone struggling in their current season and yearning for something more.

This is a book I will buy a physical copy of. The truths and encouragements held within are ones to keep in reach for when the not yet seasons of life come. And the liturgical prayers listed at the end of every chapter are worth the purchase alone. Each one I wanted to screen shot and print off to keep in front of me.

Truth be told, in the first few chapters I felt a little disappointed. The book was not hitting where I had expected it to. I love Ruth Chou Simons work and had high hopes for this book. And I'm so glad I kept reading and didn't abandon it. Because the depth I was looking for came as the book continued on.

There are also a few digging deeper portions in the back of the book to take the concepts of the books deeper and also into practical applications.