Friday, November 2, 2012

Review: When to Speak Up & When to Shut Up

When to Speak Up & When to Shut Up  by Dr. Michael D. Sedler is a book I probably need to read frequently, as I suffer from foot in mouth disease.  Dr. Sedler discusses how to discern your motives for speaking out and then whether silence would be more or less beneficial.  He also acknowledges that you may have to speak out in difficult situations, when you know people don't want to hear something.  However, when you weigh the cost of silence against the risks of speaking the truth, you will know what to do.  It isn't easy to stay quiet when you are dying to interject your opinion, but sometimes it is the right thing. 

I enjoyed all of this book except for the last chapter, which was more of an auto-biography of the author. While I appreciate his wanting to clarify where he comes from, it really didn't add anything to the book.  Other than that, the book is well worth a look.

I received a review copy at no cost from Chosen Books in exchange for my unbiased opinion.  If you have read my other reviews, you know I don't hesitate to speak out when I don't like a book!

Monday, October 29, 2012

Review: Greater

The premise of Greater by Steven Furtick is that no matter what kind of life you are living, you could live a greater life by surrendering your plans and life to God. However, this doesn't mean you have to do something huge that the whole world hears about.  You just need to do what He calls you to do. Furtick states "Maybe God will call you to make a major life change.  Or maybe He simply wants you to come at your present life with a greater passion from a fresh perspective."

The book is written from a biblical perspective and offers encouraging advice.  I don't think it is a book that I am going to rush out and tell all of my friends they have to read, but for those seeking encouragement to move out of their comfort zone in some way, this book is worth reading.  For more information on the book you can visit the Greater book site.




 FTC disclaimer: I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.  All opinions are my own,

Friday, July 13, 2012

Getting to know my juicer again with the allergy diagnosis.  Tried this new juice the other day and it was delicious.  The lemon and parsley added just the right zing.  What about you?  Do you juice?  Send some recipes my way!

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Who Knew?

It has been quite a food journey since my blogging break.  I got into some serious blood testing etc. which was expensive but has turned out to be worth it.  The good news is I may not be allergic to eggs.  It was other ingredients in the banana bread and cupcakes that I never would have suspected: Pineapple and Banana.  The overall allergy list that came back is really strange, but the irrefutable fact is that since I have eliminated all of these, my symptoms have almost disappeared.  And since some of these sneak into foods, when I accidentally have some, my body lets me know it.  Ouch.  So for now (or forever) it's goodbye gluten, dairy, pineapple, banana, cranberry, asparagus (sob), broccoli, ginger, fennel and vanilla.  The vanilla is a killer, as it is often listed as "other natural flavors" and is major ingredient in gluten free baked goods.  It's a learning process.  Wish me luck!

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Christian Book Reviews - 2 books

I'm back, at least for a little while!  The folks at Bethany House were nice enough to send me Angels Are For Real by Judith MacNutt and Spirit Wars by Kris Vallotton.  Both books were good in their own right.  I loved the book on angels - it presented MacNutt's views on angels in a readable, comprehensive manner.  Billy Graham's book on angels is much more detailed on the biblical background and purpose of angels, but it is a hard read.  This would be a good starter book.  Spirit Wars is a book I would have been very skeptical of several years ago.  However, the more I study and experience, the more real spiritual warfare becomes.  Forewarned is forearmed.  I recommend both of these books for those interested in venturing into these two areas of spirituality.

I recieved a free copies of these books from Bethany House to review.  The opinions are my own.

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Time for an Official Break

As much as I would like to think I can keep the blog up along with everything else, the fact that my last post was in Oct. 2011 would indicate otherwise.  So, I will be taking a brief hiatus until I can get my ducks in a row.  When I come back I hope to be more organized (hah!) and have some cool topics to discuss.  If you are subscribed to me, you will get a new post when I come back.  Hope to see you in April!  Anne