Author: Candace Cameron Bure
Published: August 2015, B&H Books
Format: ARC Paperback, 208 pages
Source: Publisher
Candace Cameron Bure has grown up before our eyes and weve watched as shes balanced life in Hollywood with her faith for many years. But that all reached new heights when she was given the opportunity to join the cast of Dancing With the Stars. Being on the show was one of her dreams come true; and with that dream came the opportunity to display her Christian faith in front of millions of people, through an intense season of stretching beyond her limits, and to run the race God gave her with joy and perseverance.
Join Candace as she reflects on the self-discovery that came through leaping out of her comfort zone. Go behind the scenes and experience the highs and lows, the roadblocks, and the personal victories. Hear straight from her heart on tough lessons learned about grace, rejection, perfectionism, disappointment, accountability, dealing with criticism, and more. Through God’s strength, and with the help of endless support from her family and friends, see how Candace stayed true to herself and publicly lived out her faith in Christ all the way to the finale.
How do you stand with conviction in your world? Where does your courage come from when faced with challenges? How do you live out your faith on a daily basis despite opposition? Your stage probably isnt in Hollywood and the challenges you are facing may not be on live television, but they are no less real. Come along with Candace as she shares how she found the courage to stand with conviction on one of the largest platforms of her life.
My thoughts: It wasnt until I was at the Javitz Center the first day of BEA, waiting for the exhibit hall to open up, reading through the Publishers Weekly Magazine that I even knew this book was coming out, let alone that there would be a chance to get an early copy of it while there. Ive followed Candace Cameron Bure on and off since she was on Full House and loved when she was on Dancing With the Stars and just knew this was a book I would want to read.
For some reason, I am fascinated with Candace...more so now than ever before. I guess it really did start when she was on Dancing With the Stars. Ive always been a fan of that show - its the one reality show that I had religiously watched season after season, and then stopped. But the season Candace was on, I was all about the show, rooting for her all the way. And from that moment on, I really started paying attention to her.
Candace is very open about her faith - I believe shes always been that way, so when it came to her being on Dancing With the Stars, something she always wanted to do, it produced a lot of conflict, both for her and her fans/followers. But, she stuck to her convictions and this book clearly shows that.
The book follows her season on the show and shows her struggles as well as successes. Shes quite vocal about her faith and how she calls on that on a daily basis. She has her bible with her at all times and calls on her group of friends to pray for her when needed. I may not be as strictly religious as she is and may not know all the bible quotes she refers to, but I never felt that she was preaching to me at any point during the book. In fact, there were quite a few lessons to be taken from the book that I could use in my life - Ive had struggles in my life and while my faith doesnt necessarily involve physically going to a brick and mortar church on a weekly basis, I have my faith and its helped me many times.
This book spoke to me, but I can see where it might not be for everyone. We all have our own set of convictions but do we have the strength and courage to live them out loud? Do we have the strength and courage to always stand up for what we believe in no matter the consequence? Candance Cameron Bure shows us that, while it may not always be easy, it can be done. This book is definitely one that will be staying on my shelf so I can pull it down when I need a little reminder of that.
