The Real Deal on Books

First, I have an apology to make. I titled my last post, “My New Book”, mostly in jest because I feel like I’m in the process of writing several books with wildly varying themes. A little here, a little there, line upon line… but only by the grace of God will any of them ever get published. Since God’s grace is lavish towards me, you just may see an announcement sooner than you think about “my new book” and next time, I won’t be kidding. Okay?
On the other hand, I have a friend that’s the real “go to” person for both book reviews and book give-aways. She is giving away TEN – that’s 10! – books to celebrate her 1000th blog post. Wow. Go visit Mocha With Linda and get in on the fun.

In other news, I have been spending my evenings in the garden and my late afternoons cooking. The bounty of fresh corn, green beans, squash, tomatoes, peppers and potatoes is amazing. I’m bartering for watermelon and blueberries with eggs so we are eating like kings. No – I guess we’re eating like Daniel right now.

Surely I’ll have a meaty post soon, but in the meantime, come back for the latest pictures of Miss A, the grandbaby who will be ONE in a month!! She gets cuter by the day, if that’s possible and I know you’re just dying to see photos so I will oblige you….soon.

Grace; How Sweet the Sound!

I’ve enjoyed your comments this week on the post on mentors, mothers and manners, and I’ve noticed there doesn’t seem to be a disparity in regions when it comes to the basics of etiquette. I would venture to say my observation applies at least to the western hemisphere. No doubt our eastern hemisphere counterparts share concepts of courtesy and polite behavior, but cultural differences are certainly significant.

I have to share one more thing that came to my mind about my mother and her concern for the social graces. Whenever I began to talk about a new friend, my mom would ask, “Are they from a good family?” I used to get my back up about that, but I’ve come to the realization that my mom was referring to families where at least one parent is present and committed to imparting the essential lessons to their children. Her question and concern were valid, but I still chuckle at that question.

I’ll conclude this discussion with the consideration of one my favorite words in the English language: grace. Oh grace, how I love thee. Let me count the ways:

I told you I love books.... I can even get encouraged reading the dictionary. ; )

It's Not About Me!

I’m glad I’m not queen of everything. If I were, I would add more hours to the day so I could accomplish more and I’m pretty certain that wouldn’t be wise. No doubt I would shorten my life in exchange for smashing more into less time. Thank God He’s in charge!

I’ve decided I love books as much as I love chocolate and walking on the beach and wish I could do more of all three activities! There’s nothing quite like the small things that bring great delight. If you want an exact count, I think I’m reading four books concurrently. I had three in progress, then I won a fascinating book titled “The Male Factor” over at Mocha with Linda’s. (She does some amazing give-aways of books she reviews). When that book arrived, I couldn’t resist starting it too! Surely I’m not the only one who does that?!

I’ve missed visiting with you this past week and plan to go blog visiting this weekend. I’ve learned a lot in the past week as I’ve seen 2 significant people pass into eternity. I’ve reflected on what I learned from each of them and it’s momentous. I just have to share a few nuggets that I received as a torch being passed from my friend, Brenda Pink.

*Get over yourself, it’s not about you.

*Love your spouse like there’s no tomorrow.

*Believe in people and know that each life is a canvas that we can paint on

*Lift people up - you can never give away too much encouragement and love.

Thanks for stopping by – your visit encourages me!

P.S. Come back next week for my first give-away of 2010. It’ll make you laugh.

Inestimable Wealth

Sunny Florida? Not so much. We are growing a fine crop of toadstools in our yard. Our lowest humidity level this week has been 97%. No kidding.

This kind of weather makes me want to curl up with a book and just read. I certainly have a nice selection of books waiting for my attention, but the one I just finished is noteworthy. Rich Church, Poor Church by John Muratori is thought-provoking and full of wisdom. I had listened to an interview with the author and my curiosity was heightened enough to order the book.

He starts out with a defense about not ascribing to the “name it and claim it” philosophy and spends time distancing himself from any worldly thought patterns. I certainly believe that God wants to bless us, so I wondered about his emphasis on this until a recent conversation with an acquantance. She called to see if we would be interested in purchasing 40 acres of land she has for sale near us. I indicated that we would love to buy, but right now it just isn't possible. She mentioned that Mr. X. was interested but she didn't want to sell it to him because he’s wealthy. She sounded derisive and critical about that fact (I know him and admire him). I responded by saying, “I aspire to be wealthy, what’s wrong with that?” She was horrified and went on a rant about how money ruins people. Ah – that’s the mental attitude that Muratori’s book addresses!

Let me make note that Muratori is a pastor as well as a recognized authority on organizational management and strategic planning for businesses and ministries. I thought his discourse on the Jewish culture was most enlightening. Despite centuries of persecution, almost to the point of extinction, the Jewish people have always grown to be prosperous and influential in every country they’ve settled in. The author goes into great detail about their adherence to the teachings of the Talmud and their unwavering emphasis on education (historically for both males and females ) and God's money management principles.

I've personally observed that having more money doesn't change who you are, but allows the expression of who you are to be magnified. A jerk on a budget can be a really big jerk if given a lot of money. A generous, kind person can give a larger expression to that with more resources. I believe that true wealth is having enough to accomplish God's purpose for your life, so there is indeed a wide latitude in how money is distributed.

I was challenged and intrigued by this book and highly recommend it. Despite the weighty topic, it's extremely well-written and is enjoyable to read.

If I Only Had a (Whole) Brain

It pays to remind myself daily that being fascinated with people is more productive than being frustrated by them. That’s one reason why studying personality types, learning styles and brain dominance has always held great interest for me.

I’ve been reflecting for the past few days on a communication problem/personality conflict I’ve been experiencing with a business associate. She has left brain dominance and I have right brain dominance. How this translates is she is very logical and relies on data and facts in making decisions. Everything has to be according to the “rules” and all probabilities must be understood before action can be taken.

As for me and my right-brain thinking, I’m not constrained by logic and facts if there’s a vision and a dream that’s powerful enough to press through the obstacles that inevitably lie ahead. We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it, is what I’m thinking.

The exciting thing is when you put the left brain together with the right brain, you get a whole brain perspective; the ideal scenario.

I saw this powerful example of the brain’s ability to process information the other day:

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Cna yuo raed tihs? I cdn’uolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonemnel pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rsereeachr at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno’t mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteers be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig, huh? Yaeh, and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt!

Isn’t it astounding how easily we can decipher words with information that is ambiguous, garbled, or less than complete? We are wired to see underlying patterns, fill in the gaps, straighten out the miscues, and discover the hidden meanings. The same is true of our innate ability to make decisions.

Excerpt from Lee J. Colan, Winner's Always Quit

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Our brain has astonishing capabilities. Here's hoping for a week working with a whole brain.

411 for Bloggers

I’ve been blogging for 16 months now and I began my blog like I begin most projects:
Ready ………..Fire……...Aim

My daughter loaned me a book when I started, Blogging With Moxie, which I did read. (I got a great chocolate pie recipe from that book! Really!)

But I’ve learned most of what I know through just doing it. I’ve still had questions like the one I posed a few weeks ago, “Shouldn’t I be backing up my blog, just in case??” (Responses indicated no one else had a plan on that either.)

Michelle Mitchell at Scribbet has written a fabulous 175 page e-Book called Blogging in Pink: A Woman’s Guide that you can download from her site FREE! Here’s a few of the chapter titles:

* How to Be a More Efficient Blogger
* The Ten Commandments of Blogging
* Ten Housekeeping Tips for Your Blog
* Technorati in a Nutshell

If you’re anything like me, you NEED this book! Thanks to Michelle for such a concise, practical guide to questions we’ve all had at one time or another.

Speaking of free books, I have to give a shout out to Patrice for the book I just received. I won a signed copy of the new book Net Trigger by Mark Gregory. Thanks, Patrice!

Health is Wealth

My personal experience and observations:
1. Overwhelmed people STOP. Shut down. Put on the brakes.
2. Stress causes us to develop “tunnel vision”; we lose our ability to see options and become ineffective at implementing change.

These reactions can affect each of us in a myriad of circumstances, but can certainly affect those that have been diagnosed with a scary medical condition.

I was honored to be invited to review Theresa Garnero’s new book, Your First Year With Diabetes.

I had high expectations for this book because I understood that as a nurse and diabetes educator, she has knowledge of this subject; as a person who loves people, she desires to inject humor into a weighty topic.

I am happy to highly recommend this book. I have a checklist that I think good health books must adhere to:
1. Easy to read; successfully translating “medicalese” into plain English.
2. Combine personal stories with referenced resources; a professional & credible presentation with a human touch.
3. Practical for repeated referencing.
4. Make the complicated simple.

This book meets those criteria and does an admirable job of helping people get a handle on what has become an epidemic disease. I would dare to say that all of us know someone with diabetes or pre-diabetes. Of great concern are all the people who have the disease and don’t know it.

I have been networking with diabetics for several years now and I am passionate about people understanding that there is a pathway to wellness. Diabetes IS a manageable condition and diabetics can now live full, healthy, productive lives! Knowledge is power in the war against diabetes and Ms. Garnero has given diabetics a powerful weapon in the arsenal against the debilitating effects of uncontrolled diabetes.

I am giving away a copy of this book. If you know someone with diabetes, this would be a perfect gift! All you have to do is leave a comment telling me you know someone with diabetes (you don’t have to say who and it can be you) and I’ll use the random number generator on Monday morning at 9 AM CT to determine the winner. I’ll mail it immediately so if it’s a gift, you’ll have it on time.

If you just want to buy the book, or anything at all from Amazon, pretty please click through the Amazon search bar on the right of this site and I'll get some credit. Now I just need to remember to shop through that link myself!!

The Will to Forgive

I am reading a novel called Levi's Will. Spanning over 40 years, this book tells the story of Will, a teenage boy who runs away from his Amish home. It is fascinating and well-written.

I quote a Catholic priest in the book who was helping Will through a crisis of faith and of life.

"God is love. Love is proof of God and forgiveness is proof of love."


Think on that.

Give-aways are Grand

Blogging is so much more fascinating than I ever imagined. Since we all do it for love not money, the give-aways are a real bonus. I figure my chances of winning are far better than winning the lottery (oh- especially because I don't buy lottery tickets!) So I enter every give-away I come across. I met Rachel through Linda's "I See What You're Saying" (otherwise known as "Forget Anything but Visiting Blogs Day" LOL) and she was doing a give-away! Count me in.

I won Rachel's nest of New Orleans prizes and was so excited. But something happened between her posting the package in Lousiana and it's arrival in Florida. The box was almost empty upon delivery. She was horrified and I was sad, as the New Orleans Coffee and Beignent mix were going to bring Cafe Du Monde to my neighborhood. (My mom always said if I didn't have anything nice to say I shouldn't say anything at all so we will not discuss the "service" of our postal system and issues with numerous federal agencies. Ahem) Rachel felt so bad, but it's not like I'd paid for the goodies so I told her just don't worry about it. But today, UPS brought me a package and guess what? Coffee with Beignets this weekend! WooHoo!
Thank you Rachel, for being an exemplary blogger (she has just started a series on Dave Ramsey's principles) as well as an exceptional person. I am pleased to know you!




Now it's YOUR turn to win. If you haven't read any books by Randy Alcorn, you should. I read "Safely Home" and it was amazing. He is giving away 3 copies of his book "Deadline" and you have until Oct 24 to enter by leaving a comment. Go HERE for your chance to win. He also writes a fascinating blog.

Happily Ever After? Really?

I am giving away the Francine Rivers novel, The Scarlet Threadso read on to find out why.

Marriage. A most wonderful mystery. I’ve been meditating on the covenant of marriage for the last month. During this time, I have been asked to do a seminar at a Bible Institute and they left the topic open for my choice. I usually speak in the world of business, so I have been prayerfully considering what my assignment is in this opportunity.

I have decided to do a seminar on marriage. After 30 years, I’ve learned a lot. Builderman was unsaved for the first 17 years of our marriage. The past 13 years since he developed a relationship with the living God have been totally different. But not necessarily easy. Why isn’t marriage easy?? Because I am not dead to self, that’s why.

I need your help with the title. I’ve thought of “Happily Ever After – Fantasy or Reality?” One of my favorite book titles is Beth Moore’s Feathers from My Nest: A Mother's Reflections. (These examples are just to get you thinking – and it’s a great book, by the way.)

Your suggestion will enter you in the drawing to win the great book by Francine Rivers. You don’t have to come up with the “best” title to win. Just make a stab at it and your name is in the hat. (I’ll actually use the Random Number Generator to keep it random) I’ll leave the drawing open through Saturday, Oct. 11th and announce the winner soon after. This is my first give-away, so I'm excited. Thanks for your ideas!!

Note to Self: Older is Happier

I had time to flip through a magazine yesterday when I was in the hair salon. This title grabbed me.

Note to Self: Older is Happier

"Though we as a society extol the years of early adulthood, research studies have demonstrated that younger adults are not as happy as adults in their older years. In later years, the horizon of time has shifted…"

I was called for my appointment before I finished copying the entire quote, but it went on to say that as we get older, we tend to live in the present more than at any time in our lives. When we're young, we often press to the future so hard that we miss things. When we're very old, we tend to live in the past. But right now, I'm in the middle, and I can savor the present. I suppose I haven't totally embraced the whole concept yet in that I take ridiculous pleasure in the fact that I "just" qualify as those in later years. Since my grandmother is 101, I fugure I "just" arrived at middle age at 50. I am encouraged with the thought that I have lots of happiness ahead.

If you want the quote verbatim, it's in September Songs: The Good News about Marriage in the Later Years by Maggie Scarf which will be released Sept. 4.

So You Don’t Want to Go to Church Anymore

That’s title causes a double-take doesn’t it? Especially here in the Bible belt. Actually, this book by Jake Colson has an unorthodox title but it is not subversive or negative at all. In fact, I thought it was an encouraging insight into what the “church” really is.

I’ve also recently read “The Shack” by William Young. This one doesn’t have an unorthodox title but it’s an unorthodox book. I really liked it. This is Christian fiction but I am going to recommend it to a particular non-Christian friend. Honestly, sometimes Christian fiction is just too sappy for me, but none of the books I’m posting about are in the sappy category.

A good beach read is the best love story I have read in a long time. "Redeeming Love" by Francine Rivers is amazing. You have to press through the beginning as it starts slow. But don’t quit - I almost did and I would have been sorry.

I have a list of books that I want to read that's 3 pages long from reading Big Mama’s post asking for good beach reading a few weeks ago. I was impressed and astonished at the 226 comments that gave me a reading list for the next 5 years.