Worth it All, by Isabella Morganthal

         Recently I had the opportunity to dig into a nonfiction book about running the race of a Christian life. Worth it All, by Isabella Morganthal. Bella has been a friend of mine ever since we met through the National Bible Bee, so I was really excited to read Worth it All. Want to learn more about the Bible Bee? Check out its website here and my article about it here. Or you can also read Bella's book. Because Worth it All is the story of her journey through the Bible Bee and the lessons she's learned about Christian living along the way. 

Book Summary (from the back of the book): This is the personal race—the journey—to know Jesus more deeply than we could even imagine, and live completely dedicated to Him. It’s the race of a lifetime. In her third book, "Worth it All," National Bible Bee Alumnus Isabella Morganthal, shares about her journey as a Bible Bee contestant for five years. Comparing her time as a contestant to a race, she encourages readers to run their own race of knowing Jesus well. "Worth it All" is meant to inspire you to live for Jesus radically in a way that shows the world He is worth more to you than anything or anyone else. So if you’re willing to step onto the racetrack for the race of your life, begin reading. Ready? Set… Go.

Discussions: First of all, I loved reading this book. It was conversational, honest, passionate, and very authentic. As one who's competed in the Bible Bee, I devoured Bella's Bible Bee experiences, remembering and reliving what those times were like for me. The account of her 2015 Locals was especially meaningful to me, since that was the day we met in person after our email-meeting through a Bible memory challenge. It was so exciting to remember that day as one we shared in the Senior division; it's one of my favorite Bible Bee memories ever. :)

I think this book will be relevant to any Christian who reads it, no matter how many years you've been one, no matter whether you've done Bible Bee or not. (I expect Bible Bee-ers will be probably be particularly enthusiastic, though. ;)) It all comes back to serving God wholly and delighting in His Word. I found it encouraging, inspiring, and motivating. 

The only thing I had reservations about was how she mentioned God "speaking" to her. I encourage you to look at that from whatever your Biblical perspective may be and see if you agree with her or not.

(Note on the title.) Possibly because I've competed in Bible Bee, Bella's powerful narration of her Bible Bee experiences really hit home with me. The longing to qualify for Nationals, to place in the top five, to soar high at Nationals. I think most, if not all, contestants have all experienced those desires. And when you don't make it high... the disappointment can be very hard to bear. Yet we need to remember what's important; we need to trust that Jesus is "worth it all."

Overall: I highly recommend Worth it All. Congratulations on writing it, Bella!!

You can find Worth it All on Amazon by clicking here.