Book

Choosing REAL: An Invitation to Celebrate When Life Doesn’t Go As Planned is for my fellow planners, those of us who like to be in control and GET ‘ER DONE! I wrote this coming out of a fresh fog of grief after losing my dad to a sudden stroke. I looked around and noticed a shift, a raw awareness and deep desire to accept that I am not in control (even though I did my best to appear that way) and began choosing to peer through circumstances and understand God’s heart in the middle of real life, especially when it didn’t go as hoped.

Suddenly I noticed frantic schedules, loss, transitions, relationships, and those days I didn’t feel beautiful and worthy as invitations to celebrate the unexpected. To push through the challenge and fight to experience an intimate relationship with a personal Creator. It was then I softened to an understanding that He was already pursuing me. Just as I was. Regardless of what I brought to the table, or relationship, or situation. It was through releasing my need to be all things to all people where I tangibly understood authentic peace, freedom, and joy in newfound ways.

And I want that for you.

So put on your comfy’s, make some tea and curl up with Choosing REAL and pretend I’m sitting with you and we’re talking about how to experience authentic faith in these oh-so-real-life-topics: busyness, loss, identity, worthiness, loneliness, social media, communication, gratitude, status quo, serving, and celebrating. We will laugh, cry, and pause to make cookies, all the while enjoying these very moments in front of us.

The ones we’re choosing.

Let’s spread the message of Choosing REAL together.

Devotional

A companion devotional, Choosing Real 7 Day Devotional journeys and invites us into 7 unplanned circumstances—frantic schedules, pain, transition, feelings of unworthiness, distractions, relational tension—and reminding us that it’s in these very moments when God invites us to notice, respond, and even celebrate an authentic relationship with Him despite our own efforts or work. The result? A connection between real life and faith so that they are one and the same.

Access this devotional on your smart phone by downloading the YouVersion app and searching Choosing Real. Or, begin the devotional by clicking below.

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Choosing Real Reviews

“I was so inspired by Bekah’s words on embracing the everyday, living fully with all of our senses, and celebrating the life right in front of us. Choosing Real will motivate you to look for the beauty in the middle of the unplanned and unexpected.”
—Crystal Paine, Founder of MoneySavingMom.com, New York Times bestselling author of Say Goodbye to Survival Mode

“Choosing REAL is a fresh breath of air. The pages bring God to life; the stories inspire faithfulness; and the transparency makes the warmth of Christ’s love come alive. No doubt this book will leave you feeling lighter, stronger, and a whole lot more connected to God.”—Kelly Balarie, Author of Fear Fighting (Baker Books), Speaker, and Blogger at www.purposefulfaith.com

“Bekah is an enthusiastic, joyful person who projects her passion and faith on every page of Choosing REAL. The voice of her writing bursts with hope as she describes the challenges and complexities of managing life as a young mother. She brings comfort and spiritual inspiration to others who seek guidance on finding their own gifts and balance in our world today."–Richard E. Felix PhD, Author, The School of Dying Graces

“Following her late father’s advice to ‘enjoy the journey,’ Bekah Pogue invites readers to do just that. Pogue welcomes readers into all folds of her life and emphasizes what a gift it is to choose an identity built on what is real versus comparison and fantasy. Readers will find her stories refreshing in a culture that bids us to find our worth in always being picture perfect. Instead, Pogue offers anecdotes of hope amidst life’s transitions and hard times. Her stories of finding God in seasons of loneliness and the ordinary moments of every day will touch readers like me who felt like I was sitting at Pogue’s table with her as I read, eating a brownie and sharing our souls.”—Kristin Ritzau, Spiritual Director and Author of A Beautiful Mess: A Perfectionist’s Journey through Self-Care

“In Choosing Real Bekah has a distinct talent for a lighthearted and down-home approach that makes you feel like you’re sitting on her denim couch, listening to her share her heart. I found myself encouraged to stop, appreciate the magic in the moment, and cherish the microscopic details we live in every day. She has a way of zooming into life while zooming out in perspective, encouraging us to consider what’s truly important in life and realizing the molehills that feel like mountains shall pass. . .and just perhaps, there’s a lesson in those molehills. When life boils down, there are a few simple key ingredients—God and people, and that’s about it. Bekah’s book inspires me to live in a way that has less fear and more love, because that’s how God would want it, if we could just get out of our own way and ‘let go and let God!’ ”—Allyson Magda, Photographer of Mark and Priscilla Zuckerberg, The Hearst Family, featured on the cover of People, and in Forbes, NY Times, Martha Stewart Weddings, World’s Best Wedding Photographers., founder of Allysonmagda.com

“In, Choosing Real, Bekah Pogue artistically does just that. She chooses a journey of relentless authenticity and then invites her readers to do the same. Inspired by grief, Pogue intimately offers a front-seat view of the moments in life that are less than perfect and delicately describes how these are often the very moments in which God is perfecting Himself in us. This book is both vulnerable and inspiring, and readers will find practical application on every page to say ‘YES’ to the journey of life in Christ.”—Dr. Michelle Anthony, Wife, Mom, Speaker, and Author of Spiritual Parenting, Becoming a Spiritually Healthy Family, and The Big God Story“

In an era where it seems like women are being collectively sold a lie that says we aren’t enough, Choosing Real invites us to experience the deep and holy satisfaction that comes when we relish in God filled daily moments. Bekah’s encouragement to lean and listen close to Jesus’s whispering adoration reframes life’s many seasons. Whether in mundane everyday moments, seasons of grief and sorrow, times transitions, or times when friendships experience strain, Choosing Real gently calls us to slow down and identify with a Jesus who values us beyond all, and reveals Himself to us as He celebrates us as His treasured creation.”-Johanna & Denise at Laurelbox

Pogue’s writing is exuberant, sanguine, and personal, often including stories rooted in her own experiences as a young mother, wife, daughter, and friend.(Publishers Weekly 2016-10-07)