Stepping Out: To A Life on the Edge

Stepping Out will give hope, healing, encouragement, and edification to be brave, to not look back with excuses for insecurities and fears. So with boldness, you can edge out on life’s springboard of situations, jumping into the future with God’s loving and safe arms enfolding you. What are you waiting for? You can do it!
Terry Lee Kieschnick, National Speaker, Ministry Leader, Mentor

When I first heard author Deb Burma speak on this topic it was in her keynote address for the Lutheran Women’s Missionary League (LWML) convention in Peoria, Illinois, in June 2011. Prior to the convention, Deb had an unusual request: could we somehow rig up a diving board on the stage to be used in her talk. The local properties team and our audio-visual director made it happen. The theme of that convention was, “Being with Jesus—Living on the Edge.”

Deb Burma has been with Jesus and in this book leads readers through the fears and struggles they face. She draws the reader into her own personal experience of fear and relates her stepping out story in the introduction and the first chapter. Sharing her vulnerability, shortcomings, and struggles, Deb’s over-riding message is God’s grace and forgiveness in Jesus Christ. Using stories from real women, with which many are able to identify, the author draws examples from the ministry of Jesus, inviting us all to be with Jesus and learn from Him. Each chapter ends with reflection and personal applications to life, here and now.

Looking over the list of chapter titles and topics covered, I felt as if this book was written just for me. Gather a group of friends, or read this book on your own, but by all means do read it. God is inviting you to step up, dive into His Word, and step out to life on the edge.
Janice M. Wendorf, 16th President of Lutheran Women’s Missionary League 2007-2011

In Stepping Out, Deb Burma speaks directly to a woman's heart, mind, and soul. In her conversational style, Deb highlights the self-talk that women use to avoid stepping out and taking risks. Deb is frank, and she steps out on the edge as she shares her own personal challenges, failures, and successes. How does she do it? Deb writes, "I have a Savior who enables me to keep stepping out in His strength because He keeps stepping in with His saving grace!"

This book is wonderful for one's personal reading, and it is a great book for a small group Bible study. The questions at the end of each chapter are perfect for initiating heartfelt conversations and further Bible study. Why not step out, invite some women to your home, and start a book discussion? This is the perfect book to get you started. As a matter of fact, I plan to step out and start a book discussion at my house. Thanks, Deb, for stepping out and writing this book!
Mary E. Hilgendorf, Ph.D., professor emeritus Concordia University Wisconsin

Deb Burma throws her whole self into her writing, her remarkable love for Jesus, her amazing sense of humor, her life experiences, her tender heart, and her deep understanding of God's grace toward us in Christ. Buy this book! You'll be glad you did.
Jane Fryar, DSL, LittD., Author, Educator, Speaker