Info: Copyright 2001: Ventura, CA:Regal Books Rating (on a scale of 1-4 stars): ✮✮ Where Acquired: Unknown
What it's about: Dutch Sheets touches on the heart's desire of the committed Christian--the salvation of loved ones. Using Scripture and historical examples, Sheets sets out to prove that not only should the Christian pray for the conversion of others, but also to absolutely expect that prayer to be answered.
Favorite Quote(s):
I want you to be so convinced that God will save the person you love, the one for whom you pray, that you would be shocked it they didn't get saved. - p. 10
Biblical meditation...means to ponder, muse on, think about and even mutter to one's self. In other words, it is repetitious thinking on and speaking on God's word. This allows the Holy Spirit to transform the Word from information in the mind to revelation of the heart. - p. 21
...we must allow ourselves to receive the burden of the Lord. We must let His heart for people become ours so much that when we pray, it is really Him praying through us. - p. 82
Some would contend that we cannot command God to do something. I would agree. But there is a great difference between dictating and simply being a spokesperson. We are not telling God what to do. We are decreeing for Him, releasing His Word to perform its work. - p. 105
What I liked:
The author's taking the time to give the meanings of the original Greek and Hebrew words used in many of the quoted biblical passages enhanced the text.
What I didn’t like:
While I applaud the author's research of significant prayer warriors and revivals from history, I would have also liked to see more examples of the principles working in his own life and in the lives of his friends and family.
The publisher's use of the aside box.
Sheets did a great job of explaining why a Christian needs to pray for and expect the conversion of loved ones, but he doesn't give much direction on how and what to pray. Because of the scholarly nature of his research, I gather that he assumes the reader would know what scriptures to stand on and what prayers to pray. That's not always true, especially for those new to the faith, or those who are not versed in in-depth biblical study.
There are questions at the end of each chapter. However, many of the questions didn't relate to the text. Also, how would the reader know if his answers were correct? There's no study guide or answer key included.
The author waxed a little too political for my taste. It didn't seem to fit the theme of the book.
Takeaway:
I enjoyed the encouragement presented in this book. I also gleaned a lot from the scholarly research of the author. However, I felt the book needed more. It seemed like the author told us what to do, but not really how to do it, as the title implied.
I do own a copy of Sheet's book Intercessory Prayer. Perhaps this book will be a better guide on this subject. We'll see...
Author:Joyce Meyer Info:Copyright 2000: New York:Warner Faith Rating (on a scale of 1-4
stars):✮✮✮✮
Where
Acquired:Borrowed from a friend.
What it's
about: Love:many people say they know what it is.However, many others, including some
Christians, really don’t know what God’s love is or how to live in it.Using
I Corinthians 13 as the foundation, Meyer shares the meaning and practice of
Bible-based love.She also gives many
personal examples of how walking in the true love of God has enhanced her life
and ministry.
Favorite
Quotes:
Love is tangible; it is not just an emotional
feeling, a spiritual thing that cannot be seen or touched.It is evident to everyone who comes in
contact with it.p. 12
Love has a beginning and a completion.First, God loves us, and by faith, we receive
His love.We then love ourselves in a
balanced way, we give love back to God and we learn to love other people.Love must follow this course or it is not
complete.p. 18
As believers in Jesus Christ, the love we are to
manifest to the world is the unconditional love
of God flowing through us to them.We don’t receive God’s love and then try to give them ours.Our love has conditions and limits; His does
not. p. 94
Unconditional love does not allow people to
remain the same; instead, it loves them while they are changing…. Unconditional love will overcome sin and
transform lives.p. 103
In the current church age, we need more teaching
on obedience and holiness (moral goodness).There is a great deal of teaching on faith, prosperity, and success, all
of which are very important.I am very
thankful that someone taught me I could prosper.But God is not going to give a bunch of
spiritual babies radical prosperity that would only serve to make them more
carnal. – p. 136.
Love offers people both roots and wings.It proves a sense of belonging (roots) and a
sense of freedom (wings).p. 161.
Love is actually a form of spiritual
warfare.We must never lose our burning
desire to practice it every day because by waling in love, we become overcomers
in life.- p. 169.
What I
liked:
There was nothing flowery or shallow about
Meyer’s approach to this book.It’s not,
as my friend Suzanne B. would say, “God is love. Love is God. Let’s color a
picture about it.”This isn’t a book
full of mealy-mouthed platitudes about love.
While the author does mention marriage
principles on love, the book is not written only from the marriage vantage
point.It does not alienate those who
are in various stages of life.
This is one of the few—if not the only—book on
Christian love that has tackled the need to love oneself in order to fully love
God and others.
Meyer’s use of honest personal stories is a
plus.I’m not fond of authors who tell
people what to do, but never do it themselves, or are sketchy about how they
apply what they write to themselves.
What I
didn’t like:
I honestly couldn’t find anything unlikable in
this volume.
Takeaway:
For me, this book reminded of concepts I’d
learned early in my Christian walk while instructing me in new ways to walk in
and share the love of Christ.I
definitely want to purchase this book for my collection to refer to again.
Amena Brown, a poet and spoken word artist, gives
the reader part coming-of-age chronicle, part pop culture lesson, as she
explores the “broken records” that have shaped her life.Events from her early years to her current
role as a new wife and businesswoman are fused with a soundtrack of her
favorite albums.
Favorite
Quote(s):
I ask myself all sorts of things:Does true womanhood really hinge on a woman’s
ability to become a mother?Why do I
hold myself to this ticking biological clock and some ridiculous social media
standard that says I should have children by now?Is my identity wrapped in checking off some
arbitrary list of achievements?Does my
life not matter if I am not married with kids, with a certain income bracket,
with a house in a certain neighborhood, with a list of ways to describe my cool
life to people I meet at parties? – p. 156 What I
liked: Brown’s conversational, yet sophisticated
writing style was engaging, which made the read quite enjoyable.
I found Brown’s take on purity rings and True
Love Waits rather refreshing.In my
experience, when a writer/speaker starts off with “Yeah, I did the purity
ring/True Love Waits thing, but after a while I said screw it because insert lame excuse for fornication here.”Brown actually waited for her wedding night. She wrote of the experience as something
beautiful and not as deprivation.
What I
didn’t like:
The author hinted that any black woman who
didn’t wear her hair naturally wasn’t embracing her true self.Sorry, honey, but I don’t consider my coarse,
matted tresses a gift from God; I consider them part of the Curse of the
Law.Pass me the relaxer, please.I need to touch up my nappy roots.
Her attempts at finding love using Dr. Henry
Cloud’s book How to Get a Date Worth Keeping were disturbing. Initially, I thought she was making it
up.I said to myself:This
can’t be real. Dr. Cloud would never write something as horrid as that.When I saw on goodreads.com and amazon.com
that the book does exist, I thought I was going to hurl. The fact that she
followed a book that essentially puts women in the position of huntress and
requires that she seeks a date with any and every man within ten feet sent my
stomach churning.Ironically, she didn’t
meet her husband through any technique in the book; she actually hooked up with
him because she left one of those required hunting sessions.Sheesh, Dr. Cloud should have just called his
book The Christian Side of Hoochie.And, no, I will NOT be reading it.
Personally, this book wasn’t for me.This book would be more appropriate for newlyweds
or those contemplating marriage.However, for someone single, older, and not pining for “Boaz” while
lamenting over bad past relationships, a majority of the chapters were an
unappealing dissertation on marriage and dating relationships.
I find it funny that when Annie and I discussed How
to Fix a Broken Record, she thought I would “get” the book more because I
grew up more immersed in pop culture.However,
I didn’t understand the record metaphor any more than she did.First, I’m a child of the 70’s and 80’s
where, for a while, vinyl records were our main option.Brown is a child of the 90’s and 2000’s,
where vinyl records were a novelty, not a necessity.Also, I knew nothing of any of her musical
references…well, except for The Wiz.That vinyl album I played about a hundred times while visiting my Aunt
Anne’s in Detroit in the early 80’s.I’m sorry, but much of the material just
didn’t resonate with me. I had to work
too hard to comprehend what her “broken records” were and how/if they were
fixed.She also didn’t fully explain the
meaning behind the metaphor until the last chapters of the book.If those explanations had come earlier, I may
have gleaned more meaning from the rest of the work. Takeaway:
One thing I’m learning through my own writings
and reading the works of others is that good writing is very cathartic.For the author, honest, raw writing helps to
cleanse the soul from wounds.For the
reader, pouring over the writings of others is cathartic only if the author can
craft his story in a way that connects with the reader.I think Brown’s book was very cathartic for
her, but I didn’t feel connected with her at all.
If you would like to join in and post your own Daybook, please head on over to visit Peggy at The Simple Woman's Daybook
For Today: Monday, December 4, 2017
Note: If you are here just for the book review, scroll down to the "I am reading" section. Thanks.
Outside my window… Cloudy and cool. It's starting to feel like December outside.
I am thinking…
About Christmas Day. I've been asked by several people what my plans are for the day. I honestly don't know. I've been invited to several parties and open houses, plus I'm trying to figure out how to get pictures made with Santa. I thought about just staying home that day and enjoying the quiet (of course, I will be home if it snows). I'm just not sure yet.
About McDonald's. I had a weird thing happen at a local McDonald's. OK, pardon my ignorance, but I thought their basic menu was universal to eateries around the country. Apparently not. On the way to church, I stopped at one of the Aurora locations. All I ordered was a chicken biscuit. The girl behind the counter looked at me like I'd ordered a bugger sandwich. She curled up her lips and said "We don't serve those." "You don't serve a chicken biscuit?" "No, ma'am. I've never even had someone order one." "Wait, what?!" **silence** **crickets** "OK, may I have a sausage biscuit then?" "Sure!" **grrr** I've been to McDonald's from Georgia to California and they ALL had chicken biscuits! I think the girl behind the counter was smoking something (well, I am in Colorado). Can't have nothin'!
About my wardrobe. I'm in a colder climate where layering is a must and snow and ice are not anomalies. How do I go about doing that without breaking the budget? Not only that, but I need to get waterproof boots and these things call YakTracks so I can safely walk to work when the roads are too icy. See, we didn't deal with this back home because if it was snowy and icy, everybody stayed home.
About how I'm going to get proper hair care products. I've not found a beauty supply place yet that carries what I use. I may end up ordering it online (and paying twice as much for it), but I've got to do something. Buckwheat is starting to show on my head.
About how to safely help the homeless. I see many out on the street corners with signs saying they are in need. I know that some may be on the con, but that's not my call. I saw where people make packets with food and toiletries to give out, but how can I, as a woman alone, safely do that? I'm just not sure what to do. There were points in my life where I was nearly homeless. I would want someone to care.
I am thankful… I'm making an executive decision. Since I don't have internet at home, I'm not going to keep trying to keep up a daily gratitude blog. I will post for whatever day I can. Even if you don't see a post, just know that I am thankful everyday of the 40 days; I just can't write about it daily online.
With nighttime temperatures in the teens and 20's this week, I'm very thankful for a nice warm place to live.
I'm thankful for our Pastor's new message series:
I'm thankful that my car continues to be up and running.
I'm thankful for caring friends and coworkers.
I'm thankful that I now have a couch and more lamps in my apartment.
From the Workshop…I'm currently in a stretch of Christmas painting. Here's one I've finished for use as a Christmas card.
I am reading…
Reduce Me to Love by Joyce Meyer
Over the Top by Zig Ziglar
The Miraculous Journey by Marty A. Bullis
Books I’ve completed since my last Daybook:
Book: Diary of a Wimpy Kid.
Author: Jeff Kinney
Info: Copyright 2007: New York:Amulet Books Rating (on a scale of 1-4 stars): ✮ Where Acquired: Library check out.
What it's about: At the behest of his mom, Greg Heffley chronicles a year of middle school in his diary...err...journal. Typical middle school problems like parents, teachers, and flaky best friends (not to mention a piece of cheese with the staying power of a cockroach) are displayed on each page in both written and cartoon/comic strip form.
Favorite Quote(s):
Most kids wake up early on Saturday to watch cartoons are whatever, but not me. The only reason I get out of bed at all on weekends is because eventually, I can't stand the taste of my own breath anymore. - p. 16
What I liked:
The Kindle Edition has real page numbers.
What I didn’t like:
The font of the Kindle Edition was not scrollable, which made the book difficult to read.
There's so much more not to like, I'm just going to cut to the chase...
Takeaway:
I enjoy reading children's literature, even silly boy humor. I'm not so stuffy that I don't laugh out loud at this kind of stuff. However, unlike Captain Underpants that I read earlier this year, Diary of a Wimpy Kid was anything but funny. The book was, in a word, annoying. Little Greg Heffley was not a "wimpy kid" as the title implies; quite frankly, he was a little turd!
Several years ago, the Ad Council had a series of radio commercials encouraging literacy. One of them featured a narrator reading some funny excerpts from Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Apparently, it wasn't from the first book of the series because I heard none of those funny quotes. Even with the lack of ability to enlarge the font, fortunately, this book was a quick read. Otherwise it would have been a DNF.
Even with my not liking the book, I wouldn't discourage a child from reading it. Maybe they can find more humor in it that I did. Or, maybe not.
Now, back to the Daybook...
I am learning…
...that apparently a money order isn't a money order. Apparently, in some businesses, where you buy them makes a difference. Go figure.
Favorite quote(s) of the week…
I am looking forward to…
My boss's Christmas open house on Sunday.
Part two of my Pastor's sermon series.
Sitting on my couch and crocheting, reading, loafing, or whatever else I want.
Decorating my place for Christmas. But first, I have to go buy some decorations.
Info:
Copyright 2016: Nashville:Nelson Books Rating (on a scale of 1-4 stars): ✮✮
Where Acquired: Library check out.
What it's about: Drawing from personal experience, TerKeurst
tackles the insecurity-inducing results of being uninvited—unwanted, rejected,
and unloved.She offers prayers,
scriptures, and encouragement for those suffering from this type of mental
damage.
Favorite Quotes:
We project the lines of rejection we heard
from our past on others and hold them accountable for words they never
said.And worst of all, we catch
ourselves wondering if God secretly aggress with those who hurt us.p. 8
In my research on rejection, I discovered
two core fears that feed a person’s sensitivity to reject; The fear of being
abandoned [and] The fear of losing one’s identity.p. 17
What the mind focuses on, it feasts
on.p. 24
Live from the abundant place that you are
loved, and you won’t find yourself begging others for scraps of love.p. 30
No, God’s love isn’t based on me.It’s simply placed on me.And it’s the place from which I should
live…loved.p. 40
Grace given when it feels least deserved
is the only antidote for bitter rot.p.
80
Acceptance is like an antibiotic that
prevents past rejections from turning into present-day infections.The need for belonging runs deep.The need to belong goes beyond the need for
superficial social ties…it is a need for meaningful, profound bonding.p. 94
No amount of outside achievement fixes
inside hurts.Those hurts have to be
soothed by replacing the ties with truth.p. 98
Rejection isn’t just an emotional
feeling.It’s a message that alters what
you believe about yourself.. And the minute you sense that happening is the
minute you must stop the runaway thinking with truth.p. 105
So even as the closed doors and rejections
seem more prevalent than the new opportunities you’d like to see, even as
you’re seeking to readjust your thinking, remember that there is an abundant
need in the world for your contributions to the kingdom…your thoughts and words
and artistic expressions…your exact brand of beautiful.p. 125
What I liked:
The Kindle Edition has real page numbers.
The author gets high marks for grammar and mechanics.
The first two-thirds of the book weren’t
so great, but the last third was powerful.The prayers and scripture passages included were quite encouraging.
What I didn’t like:
Her incessant comparing herself physically with other women and self body shaming really got on my nerves. If this was an attempt at self-effacing humor, it missed the mark tremendously.
I felt like this book was only for wives and moms. The whole book was written like a mommy blog...a long, whinny mommy blog.
OK, y'all already know how much I loathe the "aside box." This book used its twin brother; what I call the "repeat bar." It's a placement of text in large letters that repeats what the author JUST said. Make...it...stop!
I read the first two-thirds
of the book back in July.Then my
check-out expired and I had to put the book on reserve again.I didn’t get to re-check the book until this
past week.The only reason I was willing
to wait so long was because I’d gotten so close to the end of the book.Otherwise, it would have been relegated to my
DNF category.After finishing, I’m really
surprised that the wait list for the book was so long.It wasn’t worth it.
Takeaway:
After enjoying TerKeurst's book Made to Crave, I was looking forward to this offering. However, I found this book to be very disappointing. It was as if the author was saying "Crap happens; get over it. If you're excluded, it's your fault for not being the right kind of...whatever." While giving encouraging scriptures to see us through lonely times of rejection was helpful, I was hoping she would tackle the issue of stopping this nonsense. Yes, I understand that the world is going to reject us because of the cause of Christ. However, I wanted her to tackle the blatant rejection among Christian women--those given the power to decide who gets "invited" or "uninvited." Why do we who are supposed to be sisters in Christ continue to cut each other to ribbons and toss out those who don't fit a very outdated, mutually exclusive mold? Why do we as women of God keep allowing the world (and uninformed church people) to obliterate the beautiful image that God beautifully formed in His Word? The author didn't do any of those things. In fact, the way the book was written seemed to exasperate the situation.
Rating (on a scale of 1-4 stars): ✮✭ Category: Impulse Read: The ladies' Bible study I was involved in before I started working were doing a study on this book. Since I couldn't attend, I decided to read the book. What it's about: Higgs focuses on the principle female characters of the Christmas story. Taking a verse-by-verse journey through the account of Jesus' birth, the author zeroes in on Elizabeth, Mary, and Anna.
What I Liked:
The book was a short, easy read.
The Kindle edition had real page numbers.
There were no aside boxes in the text.
What I didn’t like:
The choppiness of the text read like a quick cut-and-paste of the author's notes and a few salient comments from her Bible study group thrown in. Reading it was like being part of a Bible study where all the participants knew each other, but you were the newbie who didn't understand all the inside jokes and nuances of the group.
The study questions at the end just didn't do it for me. It still felt like I was sitting as the lone "dunce" in a class full of teacher's pets.
While I applaud her use of various Bible versions to further amplify the meaning of some passages, the manner is which they were done was very disruptive to the already choppy flow of the narrative.
Takeaway:
Years ago, I read Higgs' Bad Girls of the Bible and really enjoyed it. While I didn't expect this book to be written in the same style, I did expect a more in-depth text that would inspire me to dig deeper. It didn't. Maybe studying it along with others would have been more helpful--but maybe not.
Rating (on a scale of 1-4 stars): ✮✭✭✭ What it's about: Author Jeff Goins tackles the notion that a creative is only a "true" artist if he is constantly behind the eight-ball financially and must succumb to the image of the starving artist. Through extensive research of both historical and contemporary examples, the author elevates the creative from starving to thriving. Woven through this volume are instructions and examples on changing one's mindset, marketing one's work, and dealing with money.
Category: Impulse Read: I was watching a video interview of the author on Michael Hyatt's Facebook page. I'd never heard of Jeff Goins before, but his description of he subject matter hit home and I was immediately curious.
Favorite Quotes:
"We must not only use our stubbornness to succeed,--we must harness it and apply it toward the right things, turning it into tenacity. Otherwise, what helps us succeed can also be the source of our undoing. p. 55
"When you're playing a game you can't seem to win, sometimes the best thing to do it not try harder. None of us want to spend our lives playing by someone else's rules. When the game is unfair, change the game you're playing. Move to another city, create a new art form, get a different network. If the group you want to be a part of doesn't want you, create your own." p. 97
"Genius tends to happen in community, not isolation." Michael Farrel, Quoted on page 111.
"Promotion isn't something an artist avoids; it's an essential part of the job." - p. 124
"Creative success is about getting to do your work without constraint. Money is not the point, but it is part of the road we must walk to become professionals. Charging brings dignity to our work. It validates our offering to this world and allows us to keep working." - p. 139.
"The point is not to make a fortune or become famous, but to do the work. We are all looking for a way to share our gift with the world without worrying about making a living. That means building a life that allows us to keep creating." - p. 202
What I Liked:
Goins has an entire section of references. In other words, he gives proof that he thoroughly researched the subject and didn't just make this up off the top of his head.
He doesn't advise quitting one's day job and just diving in. That's usually the formula for the starving artist.
Though it was scholarly research, the author's writing style wasn't dry, but read more like a mentoring session. He also shares examples from his own life.
Goins taught me a piece of Black History I never knew about; the Florida Highwaymen: a group of painters of color who sold unique landscape oil paintings starting in the 1950's. This group of creators sold art in a time and place where their actions defied cultural and racial norms. I want to learn more about these fabulous trailblazers.
What I didn’t like:
I would have preferred that the author not to refer to reaping inspiration from our influences "stealing." I understand that he's not talking about plagiarism, or presenting someone else's artwork as one's own, but his wording makes it sound that way.
Takeaway:
I relish books that give me solid information that leads to a complete paradigm shift in my thinking. This book ranks right up there with how Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University course changed my views on money and Dan Millers 48 Days to the Work You Love podcast shifted my attitudes and techniques on finding lucrative, meaningful work. Like many others, I had also been taught the myth of the starving artist without knowing how this apocryphal story became an assumed fact.
This book revealed my mistakes as an artist while providing steps to avoid other pitfalls. My attitude about my own artwork is changing; hopefully, my strategies for getting more of it out into the world will grow as well. I plan to purchase a copy of Real Artists Don't Starve for future reference and inspiration.
Book: How to Pray for Lost Loved Ones.
