Imagine With Me by Kristen Proby

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Imagine with Me is like a painting. Proby draws the heart in with the design and captivates with the colorful characters she creates. Lexi and Shawn bring so many layers to their journey, that it feels as if it's hard to keep track. From beautifully flawed to endearingly funny there is a bleeding of emotion that runs so deep, it will leave you mesmerized.



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So many people
are too afraid to
pursue their ideas,
their hopes, their goals,
and their dreams,

so many people are too afraid
to take that necessary action
and to make that necessary step
that would eventually approach them
to this point with which they could
eventually reach and touch
their craziest, wildest,
and impossible dreams.

But more importantly,
so many people are too afraid
and too terrified to be themselves
in this life and in this world,

because they've created this thing
they like to call fear
within their minds.

My question is: Why be afraid ?

Why be afraid of taking that action
and why be afraid of making that step?
Why be afraid of being yourself
in this life and in this world?

It's fear that prevents us from
living our lives to the fullest,
it's fear that prevents us
from reaching, touching,
and living our dreams,

it's fear that prevents us from
offering our truest gifts, our truest  values,
our truest worth, and our truest potentials
to the beautiful side of the world,

it's fear that prevents us from
reaching our greatness
and living our
undeniable
destiny,

it's fear that prevents us from
succeeding and exceeding
in every area and every aspect
of our lives,

it's fear that prevents us from
living that life we silently know
we deserve to live.

Don't be afraid and don't be terrified
of your ideas, don't be afraid and don't be
terrified of your hopes,
don't be afraid and don't be terrified
of your craziest, wildest,
and impossible dreams,

because you know what?

Throughout History, many hundreds
of immensely brilliant minds were once
afraid of something, but they've eventually
beaten that fear they've had and they've left
behind an enormous legacy about which
we still read and learn about today.

Don't be afraid to become that person
you know you were always
meant to be, because your life, your dream,
always was and always will be
God's gift to
this world.

So many people
are too afraid to
pursue their ideas,
their hopes, their goals,
and their dreams,

so many people are too afraid
to take that necessary action
and to make that necessary step
that would eventually approach them
to this point with which they could
eventually reach and touch
their craziest, wildest,
and impossible dreams.

But more importantly,
so many people are too afraid
and too terrified to be themselves
in this life and in this world,

because they've created this thing
they like to call fear
within their minds.

My question is: Why be afraid ?

Why be afraid of taking that action
and why be afraid of making that step?
Why be afraid of being yourself
in this life and in this world?

It's fear that prevents us from
living our lives to the fullest,
it's fear that prevents us
from reaching, touching,
and living our dreams,

it's fear that prevents us from
offering our truest gifts, our truest  values,
our truest worth, and our truest potentials
to the beautiful side of the world,

it's fear that prevents us from
reaching our greatness
and living our
undeniable
destiny,

it's fear that prevents us from
succeeding and exceeding
in every area and every aspect
of our lives,

it's fear that prevents us from
living that life we silently know
we deserve to live.

Don't be afraid and don't be terrified
of your ideas, don't be afraid and don't be
terrified of your hopes,
don't be afraid and don't be terrified
of your craziest, wildest,
and impossible dreams,

because you know what?

Throughout History, many hundreds
of immensely brilliant minds were once
afraid of something, but they've eventually
beaten that fear they've had and they've left
behind an enormous legacy about which
we still read and learn about today.

Don't be afraid to become that person
you know you were always
meant to be, because your life, your dream,
always was and always will be
God's gift to
this world.

Having read the previous books in the Imagine series, I was very much anticipating this one because Matt Koceich was stepping up the game by focusing on Jesus’ earthly ministry. I was very interested to see how he would handle placing a 12-year-old boy into the scenes of some of Jesus’ works. In the earliest installments in this series, I felt that the author did well overall in making famous Bible stories understandable and relevant to early adolescent readers, providing applicable Biblical lessons in each. However, I didn’t think that “The Giant’s Fall” focused enough on the Biblical part of the story. It is a very delicate balance, and even more so in a children’s short novel, and I applaud Koceich for undertaking this challenge because we need more children’s literature with a godly, inspirational focal point.

With “The Miracles of Jesus”, I was hoping for a compelling book that would give readers a glimpse at what it might have been like to see and listen to Jesus in person two thousand years ago. Did this book live up to my expectations? Yes and no. Chapters one and two are very powerful, and John’s first encounter with Jesus brought tears to my eyes. However, a somewhat disjointed narrative follows. There is a scene that seems to be representative of the book of Revelation, and this one was out of place in my opinion. Other good versus evil scenes that followed made more sense in connection with the storyline. Although I understand what the author is trying to convey, I would have liked more details about Jesus Himself. The main character John Le’s experiences with Jesus are brief, and overall this book did not seem as cohesive as Koceich’s earlier stories. Nevertheless, I did get a strong sense of the theme of faith over fear and appreciated this story. The target audience of 8-12-year-olds will most likely have fewer, if any, issues with it than I did, and I would recommend this to kids within that age range and perhaps even a year or two older.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review.

Number four in this Bible adventure series, Matt Koceich’s “Imagine: The Giant’s Fall” tackles some weighty issues. Wren Evans recently lost her mother to cancer and arrives home from school to see her house engulfed in flames. The key Bible verse for this story is Matthew 19:26: “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” When Wren suddenly finds herself in ancient Bethlehem, this Scripture takes on new meaning. She meets a shepherd boy named David and embarks on a treacherous journey into the midst of a battle between the Israelites and the Philistines, the principle fighter of which is—you guessed it—Goliath.  

Unfortunately, this book fell a bit flat for me. While I understand that this is a kids’ adventures series, I wish that it had spent more time on the Biblical aspect. The overall message about trusting God and having faith is good, but the execution is lacking. Wren definitely takes center stage, and David is just a peripheral character. He has very little role in the story, which surprised and disappointed me. Wren’s venture seems disconnected from David’s narrative, and her time in Bethlehem passes very quickly, without allowing the reader to be truly immersed in the setting. Furthermore, the spiritual warfare aspect of the tale is interesting but again does not fit well with the rest of the story. One of the central figures is a female angel, which is not Biblical, and the end of the story seems to make reference to the book of Revelation, but I was confused with some of the details, which again do not seem to line up with Scripture. Overall, this is an interesting read for young kids and pre-adolescents who enjoy exciting stories, but take note that it is not Biblically accurate.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review.