About the Book

Book: Able Soul

Author: Lucy Goncalves

Genre: Christian Inspirational Devotional

Release date: April 27, 2019

No stranger to adversity, Lucy Goncalves was deprived of oxygen at birth. She has lived her entire life with cerebral palsy, and the daily challenges she must face as a result.

In her award-winning debut book Able Soul: Empowering God’s Spirit Within, she explores the ground-breaking lessons garnered from embracing her struggles rather than giving up on God because of them. On the backdrop of personal stories from her life, along with related scriptures and prayers, you will find proof that the Holy Spirit is always accessible. God works with you in the midst of all your challenges.

By inviting God’s spirit in daily, Lucy has received tangible communications from God. She shares how the power of these soul-lifting reflections will lead you out of the darkness and steadfast toward pure contentment.

Review:🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋

The reason I chose to sign up for this tour is because it resonated with me as I had a similar birth experience except I was left in the birth canal for an unknown amount of time as the drs waited for the placenta and my kept insisting there was a 2nd baby there...I was a surprise identical twin who had trauma to my unbiblical cord early on in pregnancy that mended just enough for me to get fed after my twin sister was fed first due to our position in the womb(how they figured out our position and she got fed first without knowing there were two of us is beyond me but whatever that's the story my mom tells 🤷‍♀️ I guess they figured out things later after the placenta was examined) so I was malnourished and not breathing or dead at birth(depending on who is telling the story when because it was only in the past few years that my Granny actually said I was dead...a lot of things I didn't know about my birth and the aftereffects didn't come to light until I was in my 40s(I'm 46 now). I was developmentally delayed and blind in my left eye due to a hematoma birthmark under my eyelids that caused my brain to just develop connection with my good eye and ignore the other,it was thought that I had optic nerve damage but again in the last several years with better technology my eye dr says that there's no optic nerve damage but I am having early degenerative eye condition in my blind eye. I didn't have much help besides speech in my first two years of school and always having a seat in front of the classroom because my parents didn't want the stigma of special ed services for me. So I learned to cope on my own and although I ended up getting my college degree later in life, I'm still the only one in my immediate family that has and I did it with a 3.0 GPA and quite a few semesters where I was on the Dean's list for 3.5 or higher GPA. I can't say I did this alone, without God that dream wouldn't have happened as I did it in my late 20s&early 30s as a single mom with two kids with social, emotional and behavioral issues themselves and fighting early stages of chronic illness. However, shortly after I got my 2 teacher certifications, my health started to decline rapidly and I wasn't able to work full time so I subbed until I couldn't work anymore. So I figured this book could give me some inspiration and spiritual help and encouragement. I have to say,the author makes the devotions or chapters simple to read yet get the point across. By a few chapters in I was emotional as it hit a spiritual nerve and I was ready to quit reading for the night(I attempted to read it in one sitting and planned on going back and reflect on certain chapters..which you can read it all at once or as a daily devotion) but the next chapter conveniently was on the very subject I just discovered I was struggling with. So I pressed on. This book is for anyone,disabled or not,it gives you tools for deeping your spiritual walk and facing issues we may not even realize we had. I'm thankful the author has shared her journey, life stories and lessons learned in this book! I recommend anyone to read it! There's many little golden nuggets of wisdom, scriptures to remind us of God's word, love and promises that's I've highlighted for futurereference as well as prayers at the end of each chapter that I've bookmarked. This is definitely a book you can go back to more than once. I also like that I found common interests and dreams with the that I have also.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Author, Advocate, Adventure Sport Enthusiast, Able Soul

Lucy Goncalves began her writing career by penning a sought-after blog, ‘Able Soul’ where she shares her life experiences of living with a disability, and in the midst of it found hope, faith, and the greatest love of all. Due to a lack of oxygen at birth, Lucy acquired Cerebral Palsy. She uses a powerchair for mobility, wrestling with chronic muscle spasms, and has a speech impediment, yet has fought through these obstacles to tell her story. She is the epitome of overcoming adversity.

Lucy is the daughter of Portuguese Canadian immigrants from Northern Portugal. She was raised in Kitimat, British Columbia and has been living independently in North Vancouver for the past few decades. She obtained a Bachelor of Business Administration and has chaired several nonprofit boards, including the InterFit Society, an organization that exists to remove barriers for people with disabilities to access outdoor recreational adventures.

Anyone who has met Lucy Goncalves can attest to her radiant personality, intellect, quick wit, sense of adventure and to the depth of her character. In her book, she shares candid reflections of her life living with a disability, the abuse she encountered, and the freedom she found with God. She hopes that you too will discover your own Able Soul story.

More from Lucy

Before writing the book, I felt a bit lost and frustrated, not having my voice completely heard. I felt that I had a lot to offer especially in regards to my faith. As a person with a disability, sometimes it’s difficult to be taken seriously, as an equal. Through prayer I began to write and started a blog. With positive feedback from readers, I gained confidence in my writing ability which led to the book.