Hello Friends,

Just the other week I decided to re-read one of my favorite books. The one I chose was just as good the second time around, so I thought I would write up a review to share it with all of you!

The book I chose to read (again) was It’s a Wonderful Life: Serving God Joyfully in Marriage and Ministry by Terrie Chappel. I first read this book before I was married and thought it was excellent, however, it was even more meaningful the second time around!

Let’s just jump right in and I’ll tell you more about this book and why it’s so good!

Book Review: It’s a Wonderful Life by Terrie Chappel

What It’s All About

The tagline says it all. This book is about serving God joyfully in marriage and ministry. If you are in any form of ministry (teacher, missionary, deacon’s wife, pastor’s wife, etc.) this is a must-read! If you’re married, you will get a double blessing because Mrs. Chappell talks quite a bit about serving alongside your husband and how you can best minister to his needs.

A Personal Perspective from a Pastor’s Wife

Mrs. Chappel is a pastor’s wife, so naturally much of the book will be beneficial to a pastor’s wife – but there is so many encouraging truths to be gleaned regardless of your husband’s position in ministry. I’m not a pastor’s wife yet, but this book certainly encouraged my heart and gave me a greater anticipation for the day my husband and I will finally get to plant a church.

Mrs. Chappell has a way of sharing wonderful stories and illustrations from her own life in the ministry. You can tell she’s not the “perfect pastor’s wife” and yet in every way she strives to be the best wife, mother, and pastor’s wife she can be!

What Topics are Covered?

There is so much spiritual encouragement in this book! Here are just a few of the chapter titles and topics that are covered throughout it’s pages:

• Becoming a Godly Woman
• Preparing for Ministry
• Nurturing Your Soul
• Balancing Family and Ministry
• Praying for Your Husband
• Hospitality
• Being a Blessing
• And so much more!

Each chapter had something spiritually edifying and encouraging just for me!

Other Things I Loved:

Here are some other things I loved about this book…

• All the Bible verses are in the King James Version of the Bible!
• Funny stories – I already mentioned that Mrs. Chappell shares quite a few personal stories. Many of them are doozies. 😉
• It’s easy to read and understand, but it’s not shallow. This is not a deep book in anyway, but it’s not all “fluff” either. It’s easy to read and glean some good things, but you’ll also want to mediate on what you read. It’s has a good balance!

Related Post: 8 Books About Biblical Womanhood and Femininity

My Favorite Chapter

To be honest, I think my favorite chapter in this whole book was the chapter on hospitality. This is something that is important to my husband and I, and it’s something we desire to incorporate both now and in our future ministry. I appreciate the tips and suggestions in the chapter on hospitality, as well as Mrs. Chappell’s simple, yet loving, approach to making others feel welcome in your home. You don’t need to have the “perfect house” or circumstances in order to practice biblical hospitality.

This chapter was full of very practical tips – things that are easy to put into practice when learning how to be a hostess and make others feel special and welcomed into your home.

Overall, I just enjoyed this chapter very much!

Final Thoughts

This was just a short and sweet review of one of my favorite books – I hope it gave you a small glimpse into this gem of a book. Again, if you are in any form of ministry and/or married, I would highly recommend this book. There so much throughout it’s pages that can apply to every Christian woman, not just ministry wives.

Another fabulous book by Terrie Chappel is called The Choice is Your’s: Walking with God is a Decision. This is another excellent read that is great for every Christian woman and isn’t quite as specific as It’s a Wonderful Life.

Where to Find this Book

This book was given to me as a gift, but there are many places around the web where you can get a hold of it. Here are some suggestions if you would like to read this book:

Amazon: You can buy this book for about $9 on Kindle OR buy a used or new copy in paperback form. Click here to see what options are available.

Striving Together Publications: You can find many of Paul and Terrie Chappells’ books through this website. A new copy of It’s a Wonderful Life is about $15. Click here to visit Striving Together.

Thrift Books: Here you can buy a used copy for about $5! Click here to use my referral and get a 15% off coupon!

I Would Love to Know!

Have you ever read this book before? If not, will you consider reading it? Please share your thoughts in the comments. I love hearing from you!

With Love,