The Blessing

The Blessing by John Trent and Gary Smalley has been a great asset to my blended family and newest addition coming in June.  It helps guide parents or adults in how to have children feel unconditional love.  It contains five elements:  1. Meaningful and appropriate touch, 2. A spoken message, 3. Attaching high value to the one being blessed, 4. Picturing a special future for him or her, 5. An active commitment to fulfill the blessing.

Each step is carefully laid out with examples of how the authors have approached this in their own lives.  That is invaluable to see how other families have used this method in real life situations. 

I would highly recommend this book to friends and family whether they have children or are thinking about children. 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://booksneeze®.com/> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Jolt by Phil Cooke

Jolt by Phil Cooke is a great read for anyone that feels stuck in a rut with others controlling your destiny.  It takes you on a journey that jumpstarts you into getting back on course with your goals or how to lay out a plan to begin to realize what those dreams may be.  Each chapter is short and concise so the information is not overwhelming.  One of my favorite parts are the quotes listed at the beginning of each chapter.  They make you stop and think and then it motivates you to make it work in your life.  Since I recently took on a new position that needed some updating and revival this book is going to prove invaluable into making that happen.  It reminds you that you don’t need to depend on everyone else to get things accomplished and you do have the power within yourself to reach your goals.  It is a book that is up to date with how our society works, inundated with social media and distractions everywhere. Instead of pretending those things don’t exist he shows you how to work with those distractions to benefit yourself, your workplace and those around you.  I would highly recommend this to anyone.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://booksneeze®.com/> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The Final Summit

The Final Summit by Andy Andrews is a very interesting read.  For some reason I struggled to really get into this book and I’m not sure why.  I guess there were parts for me that seemed a little bit out of the realm of my own imagination.  I am the first to admit that I am missing the science fiction part of my brain and it feels like this book did that for me.  It did however have some great principles that would help me with different areas of my life.  But what was interesting was that while I was reading it and struggling to get through it, I knew there were a lot of people in my life that would love this book.  It is very well written and has a well thought out story line and I realized early on that just because it wasn’t for me doesn’t mean it wouldn’t be great for someone else.  I would have no issues recommending this book to friends.  It has also piqued my interest to check out an earlier book by Andy Andrews titled The Traveler’s Gift to see if that would help me in my understanding of this book.

Same Life, New You

Same Life, New Story by Jan Silvious is an excellent read.  It is a ten week Bible study showing women how one small change can profoundly change their lives.  It is well written, easy to understand and you begin to think about choices these women made and how it affected their lives. 

Each chapter presents the story of a woman from the Bible (Naomi, Leah, Rahab Deborah).  It follows them on their journey and the chapter concludes with a personal reflection time and a journal entry.  The personal reflection piece addresses issues that you may have in your current situation or about yourself.  The questions allow you to examine why you may be having these thoughts and what you can do it change that negative though process.  The journal entry allows you to collect these thoughts and begin to make changes that will make a positive impact on how you think about yourself and your life situation. 

It is great as a personal Bible study but could also be useful as a group Bible study tool.  I would highly recommend this to any woman who is trying to make small changes in their lives and may need some direction of how to get there.

Unto the Hills by Billy Graham

Unto the Hills by Billy Graham is a must have in anyone’s library.  In typical Billy Graham fashion I am uplifted, challenged, forgiven and blessed each day.  It is a daily devotional book that covers an entire year.  Each day begins with a Bible verse and then a short story about an experience that Billy Graham or someone close to him may have had that applies to the verse.  It finishes with a very simple but poignant prayer that you can feel bringing you closer to God. 

For me, the stories that he shares are somehow very applicable to life situations that I currently have going on.  He focuses on the positive in each situation and reminds you to do the same and to always be aware of God’s presence in your life.  This book has allowed my husband and I to communicate about things that are going on in our heads that sometimes you cannot find the right words to express exactly what you are feeling.

I have taken the Bible verses each day and am writing them on a calendar so that I am constantly reminded of God’s word.  The verses also allow me to remember the stories that went with those verses.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough to new Christians or a seasoned Christian that needs to be reminded of God’s purposes in their lives.