Book Review: In Search Of Wisdom: Life-Changing Truths in the Book of Proverbs by Joyce Meyer

In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.

Proverbs 3:6 

Publishers Description

#1 New York Times bestselling author Joyce Meyer takes us on a journey through the wisdom of Proverbs that leaves us transformed and prepared to face daily choices and challenges.

The book of Proverbs is a treasure trove of spiritual and practical wisdom that equips us to live our best lives. Knowledge is important, but if it isn't converted into action, it fails to create transformational change in our lives. It is important to gain a thoughtful and practical understanding of the seven foundational principles in the book of Proverbs:
Wisdom,
Understanding,
Prudence,
Knowledge,
Discretion,
Discernment, and
Fear of the Lord.

If we desire to possess these qualities, we must make a commitment to a deeper understanding and implementation of these values in our daily lives.
Featuring inspiring questions to promote thoughtful reflection, In Search of Wisdom will enlighten you with God's understanding and teach you the foundational principles and secure God's help in practicing them.

My Personal Review

In Search of Wisdom: Life-Changing Truths in the Book of Proverbs by Joyce Meyer serves as a beautiful map of the book of Proverbs!

This is an excellent book that imparts practical wisdom on how to make daily decisions that will grow us closer to the Lord and keep us physically, emotionally, and spiritually safe. In the author’s usual manner of concise Biblical teaching, Joyce Meyer clearly defines that in order to obtain wisdom, we must first understand that by definition, “wisdom is not just the ‘gathering’ of knowledge, but the ‘proper use’ of knowledge." 

The work is organized into chapters that coincide with the book of Proverbs. The idea is that there are seven basic foundational principles to gain wisdom. If we can practice these principles, we will gain a deeper Biblical comprehension and thereby strengthen our walk with the Lord, which in turn, will help us manage our lives better. The principles uncovered within the book of Proverbs are: wisdom itself, understanding, prudence, knowledge, discretion, discernment, and the fear of the Lord.

What I love about this latest teaching treasure, besides it’s extremely timely release in a day where we are surrounded by confusion and turmoil, is the unashamed way that the truths of the Bible are addressed head on. Joyce does not mix words about hot topics, but rather addresses them directly from a Biblical stance. She reminds us that the fruits of our actions when we follow the guidance within the book of Proverbs, will be a blessing to not only our own life, but the lives we come in contact with on a daily basis. 

My take away from the book, In Search of Wisdom is threefold. First, the book serves as an uplifting reminder that God has given us an instructional manual within the book of Proverbs that is as relevant today as it was at the time of it’s initial writing. In our shifting world of unstable ideas, it is a beautiful gift to find a concrete list of behaviors that will help us live safe, content, abundant lives. Second, this latest work by Joyce Meyer could easily be used in a small group Bible study of Proverbs. There is enough material within each chapter to spark lots of exploration of God’s Word and open dialogue about how that applies to our lives. Finally, the book is one of encouragement and inspiration. As time goes by and life delivers new challenges, the reader will find new nuggets of truth and fresh perspective to handle many situations; it is a book that can easily be reread many times over! 

Thank you to FaithWords a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc. for this complimentary review copy of In Search of Wisdom by Joyce Meyer. I was not required to give a favorable review, but to simply read the work in it’s entirety and give my honest opinion.

Book Review: The Return by Nicholas Sparks

Psalm 37:8 (NET) Do not be angry and frustrated. Do not fret. That only leads to trouble.

 Book Review: The Return by Nicholas Sparks

The Return is a great reflective read!
                                               

Publishers Description

In the romantic tradition of Dear John, Nicholas Sparks returns with the story of an injured Navy doctor -- and two women whose secrets will change the course of his life in this #1 New York Times bestseller.

Trevor Benson never intended to move back to New Bern, North Carolina. But when a mortar blast outside the hospital where he worked sent him home from Afghanistan with devastating injuries, the dilapidated cabin he'd inherited from his grandfather seemed as good a place to regroup as any.

Tending to his grandfather's beloved beehives, Trevor isn't prepared to fall in love with a local . . . yet, from their very first encounter, Trevor feels a connection with deputy sheriff Natalie Masterson that he can't ignore. But even as she seems to reciprocate his feelings, she remains frustratingly distant, making Trevor wonder what she's hiding.

Further complicating his stay in New Bern is the presence of a sullen teenage girl, Callie, who lives in the trailer park down the road. Trevor hopes Callie can shed light on the mysterious circumstances of his grandfather's death, but she offers few clues -- until a crisis triggers a race to uncover the true nature of Callie's past, one more intertwined with the elderly man's passing than Trevor could ever have imagined.

In his quest to unravel Natalie and Callie's secrets, Trevor will learn the true meaning of love and forgiveness . . . and that in life, to move forward, we must often return to the place where it all began.

My Personal Review

The Return by Nicholas Sparks is an entertaining and engaging read! 

I patiently waited until Veterans Day to post this review. Why? Because it's main character is a Navy Veteran who struggles with PTSD. I can't think of a better day than today to champion a book that will not only entertain, but also bring potential help to a population of our countries's heroes who might suffer with emotional trauma. Now, lest you think this is a self help book, think again, it's definitely not! True to his previous works, Sparks will not disappoint you as he holds to a model of chivalrous relationships and endearing romance woven throughout the book.

 

The author manages to craft a story of mystery, love, and hope while gently giving glimmers of perspective into the life of an injured war veteran, Dr. Trevor Benson, the narrator in the story. His voice is very authentic as he shares his trials with both the physical and mental manifestations of PTSD. 

The gem in this work, however, is the way in which the author cleverly interjects tools to assist those that are experiencing this delayed stress syndrome. The novel, The Return utilizes the main character, Trevor, to model a very healthful lifestyle of conscious choices to regain his life back. The tools presented to the reader include, but are not limited to Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, and honest evaluations of one's own feelings of fear. 

The acknowledgment that some of the greatest challenges to a healthy mental life circle around the fear of rejection, judgement, anger, and disappointment is clearly presented in this book. Recognizing that we can only control our own behaviors and as such we are not responsible for other's behaviors is also a theme tucked away within the story. 

Here's my takeaway after reading The Return. I love it! It's good for someone who is wanting to escape and relax with a good mystery, as well as those introspective folks like myself who are always thinking beyond the words. You really get two for the price of one in this book...entertainment and advice! The Return captures your attention from the beginning, as a trail of clues grows throughout the chapters and the reader is left to figure it out. There are also stepping stones of hope carefully placed at equal distance throughout the book. The author's mission to impart wisdom with threads of tangible help to victims of PTSD while still entertaining the audience is priceless.

Yep....this is a good one. It's strikingly obvious to me why The Return by Nicholas Sparks is on the "#1 New York Best Sellers" list, along with all of his other novels; It's uplifting, relaxing, tender, intelligently written and has a steady rhythm that 2020 so desperately needs! Enjoy!

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing an imprint of Hachette Book Group for the complimentary copy of this book. I was not required to write a favorable review of this book, but simply asked to read the work in it's entirety and give my honest opinion.

Book Review: Forties on Fire: Honor Your Moods, Rediscover Your Sexuality, and Thrive Throughout Your 40s by Kathryn Kos

Proverbs 3:8

This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.

Publisher's Description

Take Your Forties by Storm with Simple, No-Nonsense Steps to Balance and Wholeness

Your 30s and 40s are loaded with surprises. More fatigue. Less “You Time.” Trampled romance. Dissatisfaction with your body.  Mood swings. The often overlooked season of perimenopause lurking around every corner.

Sound familiar?

Now raise your hand if you wish you could move past these symptoms of imbalance and live the life you’ve always dreamed.

You would, right?

Good news: Kathryn Kos is here to help, with her myth-busting, action-boosting book, Forties on Fire: Rediscover your Sexuality, Learn to Honor Your Moods, and Thrive Throughout Your 40s and Beyond. 

Kos is a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner with an M.Ed. in Rehabilitation Counseling and by taking a functional approach to health, Kos helps her clients find the root causes of their conditions to help them find healing once and for all.

Now she’s bringing these insights to readers, in a compassionate, compelling guide jam-packed with tips you can put to use today.

Inside this book, you’ll learn:

• How to honor your emotions without letting them rule your life
• How to turn back aging – mentally, physically and emotionally
• Why sunlight matters so much to your health
• How to recapture your sexuality and feel like a teenager again (in a good way)
• How to add simple movement back into your life
• The importance of R&R in grounding and fulfilling you
• The role of perimenopause in how you feel and how you can embrace it in your life
• … and more.

For anyone interested in simple personal development, holistic wellness and vibrant sexuality, this is a must-read. Filled with simple steps to help you take action and improve your own life, you’ll find it easy to rediscover the real you.

If you’re ready to wake up with pizzazz and reach bedtime with enough energy left to read or … ahem … anything else, it’s time you hear what experienced nutrition and wellness counselor Kathryn Kos has to say.

Ready to meet the strong, cheerful, actualized woman you know you can be?

Don’t wait. Buy this book NOW to build the happier, healthier, stronger business you’ve always known you could have.

My Personal Review

This book is a great resource for women as they travel into the perimenopauseal phase of life!

I loved this quick read, Forties On Fire written by Kathryn Kos. Her credentials as a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner with an M.Ed. in Rehabilitation Counseling bring a validity to her message that transfers easily to the reader. From the beginning of the book, where the author explains what is happening within our bodies during perimenopause, and throughout the remainder of the book, which is directed toward healthful habits to ensure a smooth transition into the next season of life, you will find a steady stream of applicable information.

Kos’ communication style is a good balance between lay person terms and clinical jargon. She manages to educate us without tipping over into verboseness and confusing the reader. She infuses encouragement and wise counsel throughout the book. One such nugget was, “How we feel does not define who we are. You are not your thoughts!” This is a truth that I think many women are still trying to figure out. She challenges us to find the root cause for our emotional state of being, because there is definitely a mind-body connection. Her message that, “You are always enough,” is a breath of fresh air.

The summation of Forties on Fire is that our spirituality, nutrition, supplementation, sex, grounding, prayer/meditation, sleep, play, and sunlight all work together to provide a beautiful canvas for an eminently salubrious life. Kos has done the research in these areas and provides the reader with plenty of references for further study if so desired. It appears to me that each one of the afore mentioned categories could be a book unto themselves, and if I’m not mistaken, I think that is the point of this book….to dig a little deeper and own your health!

I am a Registered Nurse with over fifteen years experience working in our local hospital’s Cardiac Intensive Care. I have always found it odd that we are called “Healthcare” Workers. “Healthcare” Workers isn’t really what we are at all. In fact, we are actually “Diseasecare" Workers. We take care of people with illnesses and chronic diseases when they reveal their ugly heads. What if we could get to a place where we rarely ever needed the hospital? Wouldn’t that be fantastic?! Reading this book could be a step into your whole person health. Kos’ gives a message to find a Functional Medicine Practitioner. That is excellent advice! Forties On Fire by Kathryn Kos is a spring board into a healthier version of you…the whole you…mind, body, and spirit.

Thank you to Archangel Ink for this review copy of Forties on Fire: Honor Your Moods, Rediscover Your Sexuality , and Thrive Throughout Your 40’s by Kathryn Kos. I was not required to write a favorable review, but simply to give my opinion of it’s content upon a thorough reading.

Book Review: Indigo by Krista Wagner

You have searched me, Lord,

and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar. Psalm 139: 1-2 (NIV)

This book addresses some very important
themes and leaves the reader with a sense
of hope.

Publisher's Description

When emotionally driven Indigo falls for flirtatious Brian, her senior year quickly spirals out of control. Faced with the afflictions of her cruel peers, Indigo is quickly becoming numb to the world, and if she doesn’t start to care about herself soon, she will be dead.

My Personal Review

Indigo by Krista Wagner and published by CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (December 10, 2016) is a page turning novel that covers a lot of heavy subjects in a small amount of space. 

This newly published book by Krista Wagner is very consistent with the author's previous works, in that the subject matter is always informational and one of depth and conviction. If it's entertainment you're looking for, you will find it too, as Indigo is a fiction read and is full of surprises. The important lesson to learn about the necessity of making good decisions in life is loud and clear. There is also a prominent message about suffering consequences when we make bad choices. The significance of our relationships with God, family and friends will linger long after the reader has put this work down.

Indigo manages to quickly connect the reader with the main character, Indigo Star Rush. This vibrant deep thinking young lady is in the midst of her senior year at her local high school. As the story progresses, the reader hears the voice of Indigo as she experiences some difficult times with relationships and the roller coaster of emotions that quickly follow. 

Indigo is classified in the Young Adult genre. It reads like a diary and could most certainly help struggling upper teens (16+ due to heavy themes) approach subjects such as bullying, premarital sex, lust, unhealthy family relationships, suicide and insecurity. This novel could potentially open dialogue between a parent and child in situations where conversation has been limited. 

You will definitely be left with a sense of hope for the future upon completion of this book. Psalm 139 came to mind after reading Indigo, as the Lord really does know our every thought. We are never alone in our struggles, because Christ is with us. Another clear point taken from this work, is the powerful reminder that it is our responsibility to treat others with kindness and respect. We never know what careless words or hurtful actions my compound another's suffering. 

Book Review: A BRIDE FOR ALL SEASONS~The Mail Order Bride Collection

Great book!

A Bride for All Seasons: A Mail Order Bride Collection by Margaret Brownley, Debra Clopton, Mary Connealy, and Robin Lee Hatcher is a lively and entertaining book! 

A Bride for All Seasons: A Mail-Order Bride Collection by Margaret Brownley, Debra Clopton, Mary Connealy, and Robin Lee Hatcher is a great compilation of four novelettes.  In each piece the reader is jettisoned back into the 1800’s to the commonplace practice of submitting an application to an add agency (The Hitching Post) for a spouse. 

 

Each author carefully weaves an account of intrigue and creative circumstances surrounding the uniting and eventual destination for each of the individuals seeking matrimony.  The couples are brought together by a masterful matchmaker, the owner of the Hitching Post, who allows his intuition and power to intercept letters and add to or subtract from the initial applications in an effort to knit the pairs together in perfect union.  As each detail of the character’s life emerges, the reader is taken on a beautiful narration journey with the end effect of stirring up emotions of joy, compassion, sadness, and hope.

I immensely enjoyed the patterned format of this book.  Once I read the first two mini-books, I recognized that the remaining stories would continue to utilize the same meddling character to orchestrate the marriages.  I found myself not wanting to put the book down in anticipation of meeting the newest characters and unearthing what was changed in their application that would actually become the glue to stick the couples together!

This is a quick, fantastic, heartwarming, and uplifting book to add to your collection.  In addition, I actually learned a little history as I passed through the pages.  I am confident that you will not be disappointed in these authors.  Enjoy!

I would like to thank Thomas Nelson Publishing for providing me with this review copy through the Booksneeze Blogger Book Review program.  I was not required to give a positive review.  The opinions in this review are entirely my own.

Book Review: Max On Life by Max Lucado

 

Max On Life by Max Lucado deserves a prominent location on your personal library bookshelf!!  It is a must read for anyone wanting answers to some of life’s most difficult questions.

Reading the book Max on Life by Max Lucado is like sitting down at the kitchen table with Max and talking over a cup of coffee.  His candid transparency is a refreshing change to the frequent dodging of issues that has, unfortunately, become so prevalent in our culture today.

The book is divided into seven sections.  Each section contains crucial and pointed questions that have been presented to him throughout the course of time.  Max tackles each inquiry head on with a spiritual fervor that is unparalleled.  Standing on the word of God as his platform and drawing from his experience as a pastor and author, he brings clarification and logic to some extremely challenging topics.

Pressing questions such as:  “How should I react to poverty?”, “Why do Christians suffer persecution and violence?” and “What will happen on judgment day?” are each answered gracefully with sound Biblical base, to give the reader an increased faith and confidence in God and His loving character.

I enjoyed reading this book and found it to be an extremely engaging and thoughtful work.  I would highly recommend it to anyone who has lingering unanswered questions about God and His dealings with man.

Thank you to Thomas Nelson Publishing for this review copy presented to me through Booksneeze.  The opinions in this review are my own.

Book Review: Diary of a Cavewoman by KyAnne Weaver

This book is an extraordinary read!  Every woman, mother, and wife will benefit from reading this text.  (Husbands too, for that matter!)

Diary of a Cavewoman by KyAnne Weaver, took me from laughing out loud (literally) to a deeply contemplative frame of mind in the course of a few page turns.  KyAnne’s ability to be candid about her experiences as a mother of three boys and the wife of a pastor serve both to encourage and challenge the reader.  She draws from a deep well of scripture that is obviously as much a part of her life as the breath that she breathes. 

Her stories of doing life in “the cave” are nothing short of hilarious, but the Godly wisdom to be gleaned from her life accounts as she takes you to the Word of God are refreshing and immeasurable. This book needs to be on your “must read” list for 2011!  I’m hoping that this will be the first of many books by this author.