Auntie's 2016 Bookworm Challenge 25

Book: Evening By Evening.

Author: Charles Spurgeon

Info:  Copyright 2000: Nashville:  Thomas Nelson Inc.

Where acquired: Amazon purchase.

Rating (on a scale of 1-4 stars):  ✮✭✭ 1/2

What it's about:  This is the companion devotional to Spurgeon's Morning by Morning.  The author gives reflective commentary on Scripture passages.

Favorite Quotes: 

"A sense of Christ's amazing love to us has a greater tendency to humble us than even a consciousness of our own guilt."  - p. 143.

"A deep sense of gratitude will nourish Christian zeal.  Looking a the hole of the pit whence we were digged, we find abundant reason why we should spend and be spent for God. "  - p. 147

"My looking to Jesus brings me joy and peace, but it is God's looking to Jesus which secures my salvation and that of all His elect, since it is impossible for our God to look at Christ, our bleeding Surety, and then to be angry with us for sins already punished in Him." - p. 208

"'Thou hast redeemed me, O Lord God of truth.' Redemption is a solid basis for confidence. David had not known Calvary as we have done, but temporal redemption cheered him; and shall not eternal redemption yet more sweetly console us? Past deliverances are strong pleas for present assistance. What the Lord has done he will do again, for he changes not. He is faithful to his promises, and gracious to his saints; he will not turn away from his people." - p. 220.

"Why then do we calculate our forces, and consult with flesh and blood to our grievous wounding? Jehovah has power enough without borrowing from our puny arm."  p. 261

"Purify flesh and blood by any educational process you may select, elevate mental faculties to the highest degree of intellectual power, yet none of these can reveal Christ." p. 283

"There is a way of joy as pure and sanctifying as though one bathed in the rivers of Eden: holy gratitude should be quite as purifying an element as grief." p. 332

What I Liked:

• Spurgeon doesn't assume that all who will read the book are already Christians.  Several passages are evangelistic in nature.
• The author speaks from a place of intimacy with the Almighty, so his take is not mere theory, but experience.  This makes his insights more genuine.
• I enjoyed the author's flowing, poetic style of writing.

What I didn’t like: 

• There are quoted passages with no reference cited, so we have no way to know where the quote came from.  There are also names and reference abbreviations that are not explained.
• The fancy font used to quote the Bible passages was very hard to decipher.
• This volume wasn't quite as intriguing as the companion volume.  There was a touch of unwarented negativity in some passages.  Some days, I felt like I was reading Oswald Chambers instead of Spurgeon.  Fortunately, those were few enough that I wasn't turned away from finishing the devotional.

Takeaway: 

Though this devotional wasn't quite as good as Morning by Morning, it will still remain a part of my personal library to be read again sometime in the future.  I'm also looking forward to reading other writings by this author.

Aunite's 2016 Bookworm Challenge 24

Book: Life Strategies.

Author: Dr. Phillip C. McGraw

Info: Copyright 1999:  New York:  Hyperion

Where acquired: Amazon purchase.

Rating (on a scale of 1-4 stars): ✮✮✮✮

What it's about:  Dr. McGraw presents his ten life laws and seven life strategies for building a successful, authentic life.  Through real life examples and assignments, he asks the reader to take a long hard look at life and teaches how to form strategies for improvement.

Favorite Quotes: 

"In every church I have ever attended, the people with real problems hid them rather than seeking support, and those who didn't hide them wished they had, after the doses of guilt, judgment, or alienation they received.  We hide our problems, and judge those who don't or can't hide theirs.  It's not working people--not even close.  We have forgotten the basic laws of living in general, and living together in particular, and therefore violate them constantly." - p. 22

"Instead of asking whether the way you are living, behaving, and thinking is 'right,' I want you to ask whether the way you are living, behaving, and thinking is working or not working." - p. 30

"My dad had taught me there are times in life when you just don't want to miss a good chance to shut up." - p. 29

"Failure is no accident.  You set yourself up for it or you don't." p. 39 

"Once you acknowledge and embrace the second law [You Create Your Own Experience] you stop being a victim.  It's like sitting alone in a moving car, you can't not drive and expect anything besides a crash.  Take the wheel. Begin to consciously, purposefully, and actively create experiences that you do want, instead of suffering through experiences that you don't want." - p. 62

"Be a willing spirit.  Lean forward.  That doesn't mean that you are to suspend good judgement or take reckless risks in the name of willingness.  If someone is saying, 'Hey, try some cocaine; you'll love it.' that's obviously not the time to be a willing spirit.  Tell them to go blow their own nose!" - p 63

"Life doesn't reward quitting.  You are the only one who does that." - p. 110

What I Liked:

• This book was written by a Doctor of Psychology, but it is not loaded with some pseudo-psychological, namby-pamby, mental voodoo.  Dr. McGraw, as he is known for, simply tells it like it is.  Yes, I like heavy reading, but I also want to understand what I read well enough to implement what it contains.
• The author does ask the reader to deal with past issues, but he doesn't leave you there.  In fact, he emphasizes that one who still carries psychological or emotional baggage will not succeed at applying the strategies.
• He doesn't tell you how to think, but he does get you thinking.
• The assignments, though thorough, are an integral part of the entire life strategies process.  Without them, the book would be full of information, but no guidance on execution.
• McGraw is very good at using humor to get his point across (thus some of the quotes above).

What I didn’t like: 

• When it came to relationship strategies, McGraw assumes that the reader is in some sort of romantic relationship.  He didn't offer much help to those who wanted to improve friendships or fellowships, rather than marriages and dating situations.  Also, some of his assessment questions were scored based on a participants love and sex life.  So, what if you don't have one? Or want one?  Are those the only viable relationships?
• Some parts were confusing.  For example, in Chapter Three:  You Create You Own Experience, McGraw seems to suggest that one takes the blame for every negative event in his life.  He nearly lost me on that one because I thought he was off his rocker.  It isn't until much later in the chapter that he explains that victims of certain atrocities are NOT responsible for creating that particular reality.  Yes, accountability is important, but not for victimization someone else is responsible for.

To sum up:  I attempted to read this years ago, but since I apparently wasn't ready for it, the book went back to the library unfinished.  Late last year, my mentor recommended I read it, so I purchased a used copy off the internet and got started.  Because of the assignments and soul searching required (plus rereading certain passages to deeply engrain them in my psyche), it took me all year to read it in its entirety.  Though I am still not done with all the assignments (you never really are), the book has helped me get a clearer picture of where I've been, and gives me better hope of getting to where I want to be.

Year in Review: The Best and the Worst Posts of 2016

I was over at Heading Home, the home of the Five Minute Friday.  Mrs. Kate asked us what our top posts were for the year.  I've never done an end of the year wrap up on my blog before.  Not only will I have you the top five posts, but the five bottom ones also.  There are links in case you missed any and would like to read them.  Here goes.

The top 5 posts of 2016:

#5

Why My Future Children May Hate Me [Thursday Thirteen]

In case I ever become a mother.

#4

Hot and Bothered:  The Simple Woman's Daybook
Searching for a Sunday School class, poignant quotes, and some Titters from the Twitter.

#3

Lose Your Quit Quest 24
Examples of how excuses keep us from achieving our goals.

#2

Loving to Hate Running [Thursday Thirteen]
Thirteen things that may turn someone off from running.

#1

They Like Me, They Really Like Me:  The Simple Woman's Daybook

Chronicling the best day (so far) of my running life.



And now, the 5 least read posts of 2016

#5



Lent Photo a Day 23: "Seeds"
My attempt at preparing for Easter

#4

Lose Your Quit Quest 12
The benefits of having your own personal library.

 

#3

Lose Your Quit Quest 15
The importance of charting the progress of a goal so that we'll know if we're on the right track.

#2

Lose Your Quit Quest 04
Make a goal fun, or it won't get done.

 

#1

 

Lose Your Quit Quest 10
Find the triggers that discourage your progress.