Words To Live By – Book Review I love words. I love to discover new ones and play with familiar ones. My favorites ticked the tongue and stir the soul. The best ones though, stick with your spirit and emerge as words to live by. What if you could pray and ponder over 52 ordinary words that would lead to an extraordinary life? I discovered a neat newly published book called: Words to Live By – One Word a Week Devotional by Linda Gilden and Dalene Parker and also unearthed a real treasure. Each week one simple word is highlighted followed by five devotionals. For example, ordinary words like listen, change, wait and trust. Quick reads for your morning quiet time with perfect illustrations and applications. Many of us chose an action word for the year: here is a similar technique to invite you closer to God through a word a week. I think journaling about the chosen word would also deepen your experience. Many of the entries end with a question to carry with you for … [Read more...]
Dwelling Places – Book Review
Looking for a new devotional to nourish your spirit? I highly recommend Dwelling Places – Words to Live in Every Season by Lucinda Secrest McDowell. I am part of her book launch team, so received this book in exchange for fair review, but must tell you its words are a gift to me and will continue to enhance my walk with God. This has quickly become a favorite devotional of mine. Dwelling Places is a year around, 130-day devotional based on a single word for each day, a Bible reading and a reflection for those days. The author divides the book into four sections: Fall (dwell), Advent (shine), Lent (renew) and Summer (grow). A great devotional and one of those resources you could use if you need to lead devotions before a meeting or small group. “I awaken to the sound of heavy rain encompassing me, This second floor sleeping porch contains one piece of furniture: a large bed surround on three sides by floor to ceiling windows, setting me high among the trees. Sliding down … [Read more...]
7 Books & 7 Quotes about Books
Books Books – I love them. I have piles on my nightstand, stacks on my desk, and too many on my bookshelves so my hubby tells me. "Do you really need another book?" he asks. " Do you need air?" I answered with a glare. I should own stock on Amazon. And I will be truthful – I support our local library too. I borrow quite a few of the books from their shelves – share the love, right? I enjoy reading other people's blogs about what they have read or are reading, so thought I would share a few with you this week. Most of the following books I have read since the first of the year. Hopefully you will find a couple of new books to enjoy! 7 Books The Gift for All People – Max Lucado I love how Max Lucado writes – inspirational stories and powerful word images. This book is a collection of short devotional stories focusing on God's gift of love and grace for all of us. My only disappointment is the book isn't original – it is composed of stories taken from his earlier … [Read more...]
Let’s Celebrate My Birthday!!
Happy Birthday To Me! It's my birthday today (March 18) and guess what? I have a gift for you! The past few years I have loved blogging and getting to know so many of you. So it is time to give back. Starting today through Sunday (March18-20,2016) my newest book Whispers - Being with God in Breath Prayers is FREE as an e-book. YIPPEE!! Go to amazon or just click on the icon below to download. The best birthday gift I could receive is for my words to bless your walk with God. Whispers is only available through Sunday so don't wait. Tell your friends! Invite them to this blog and ask them to sign up on my email list. Share on social media. Write a review of the book on Amazon. But most of all, have a great day and weekend. I know I will cause it's my birthday!! … [Read more...]
What Will Be Your Legacy? Writing Your Eulogy
If you were to die today what would your obituary say? What words would be shared at your funeral? Though a somber thought, thinking about this eventual fact of life makes me and perhaps you too - ponder our legacy. Ever hear the quote: “The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.”? Thinking this was from Mark Twain, I did some research and discovered it is actually a misquote, somewhat based on an actual incident. You can read the full story here. But essentially he said, "The report of my death was an exaggeration.” So let's hope the report of any of our deaths is a false overstatement too, but imagine what would words would be used to describe your life? How would you like to be remembered? What will be your legacy? I began thinking about this when I wrote last month about Finding your Purpose series on Thursdays. I suggested this practice before on retreats and in presentations as something to try. But last week I read the new book, Living Forward, a Proven … [Read more...]
Luther and Katharina – Book Review
I love a book with a strong female lead. And when the story is partially based on history, the reading becomes more intriguing. A great read for the upcoming 500th anniversary of the Reformation. Luther and Katharina – a Novel of Love and Rebellion by Jody Hedlund tells the story of Martin Luther and Katharina von Bora’s relationship and then marriage. This fast read swept me quickly into the 1500s dark history of war, reformation, courage, and turmoil. This is a love story more than a history book. I kept wondering as I read it what was true and what was the author’s imagination. Hedlund clarified that in the author’s notes in the back of the book which as I reader I appreciated knowing. To be honest, I am a non-fiction reader and rarely read or enjoy fiction books. So it is quite an accomplishment to have a novel keep my attention from the start and draw me into the story with great dialog and description like this book did. The story captivated me and made me curious about … [Read more...]
How WillPower Works and What We Can Do to Use It More Effectively
I don't get it! I don’t really understand willpower. At times I can be Superwoman in accomplishing what I set out to do; others times I fail miserably. I start the day with full intentions of only eating so much and then graze on enough sugar/fat-laden carbs to fuel an elephant. I swear to live on austerity and simplicity and then magically find myself shopping on Amazon or at Christopher Banks for more books and clothes I don’t need. I really do have enough stuff in my life. Look! Pretty Object! Grab it now or you may never have that opportunity again! No, Never again… Most of the time willpower is a mysterious switch within me that seems to be faulty or misfiring. My self-control must be defective and flawed in some self-damaging way. Anyone else feel like that? I just finished reading Kelly McGonigal’s book The Willpower Instinct, that I borrowed from the library. This is not a formal book review of her work but a synopsis of insights I gained. Actually I am … [Read more...]
Thresholds – Book Review
As a spiritual director one of the most frequent topics I hear from my directees is about making decisions at significant points in their lives. Discernment, uncertainty, worry and/or fear of change, the unknown and mystery of what will happen if…affect all of us throughout our lives. Knowing this is a huge issue for many people is what attracted me to Sherre Hirsch’s new book, Thresholds, How to Thrive through Life’s Transitions to live Fearlessly and Regret-free. I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest review, but am excited to share it with you today. Sherre Hirsch is a Rabbi who weaves wonderful Bible story examples and contemporary illustrations into her writing. She is easy to read, encouraging, engaging and empowering with this message. This book would benefit anyone facing life transitions or those who help others in those challenging times. One section that made me smile is titled: "It’s Time to Stop Using the F word." Using Moses as her … [Read more...]