Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Powerful and Impactful


In their book, Performing Under Pressure: The Science of Doing Your Best When it Matters Most, by Hendrie Weisinger and J.P. Pawliw-Fry was an outstanding book.  So many people believe that they can just fend off the pressures which are upon them in a simple way, but that is not quite so true.  Techniques and practice needs to occur.  We believe people perform better under pressure, but that is not true either. 

The authors tell many stories which the reader can relate to, which helps us better understand how our body reacts to pressure.  We don’t like it, and we especially don’t like pressure packed surprises. 

When we experience pressure, especially unexpectedly, we need to be prepared to respond.  With this in mind, the authors developed a system to help the person who is experiencing pressure.  They discuss these strategies in the book, calling it the COTE of Armor.  The C.O.T.E. stands for (Confidence; Optimism; Tenacity and Enthusiasm).  The authors provide practical tools to help people perform better under pressure.  The rest is up to us, to practice and use these tools.

The more we practice these techniques, the more we will find they benefit us and help us thrive under pressure.  This will help us in all walks of life. 

Many books like this are all theory.  This book was not.  It is not a super fast read, but the stories and illustrations are great, as are the many practical tips and techniques which we can begin using. 

We all deal with pressure to one degree or another.  I highly recommend this book. 

I received this book free of charge from www.bloggingforbooks.com in exchange for an honest review.

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Monday, April 27, 2015

Engaging Journey to Faith

Adventures in Saying YES: A Journey from Fear to Faith, was an excellent book.  Carl Medearis packed up his wife and children and left for the Middle East.  They had hopes of changing the world for Christ.  This is a story about overcoming fear and relying on faith to defeat the demons of fear which Medearis and his family experienced on their wild journey.

This is a very easy to read book, filled with adventures and amazing faith, courage and some craziness from Medearis and his wife.  Carl shared a number of very personal stories, often times wondering why he was doing what he was doing, yet, he was always able to experience God’s presence, even when Muslims are questioning him with AK-47's in hand.  He even called out an Imam during one encounter. 

Medearis always brings the reader back to Jesus as the reason for what he was doing.  He shared some Bible passages and more than anything shared his story about overcoming fear in the name of faith in Christ.

I received this book from Bethany House Blogger Review Program for this honest review.

Excellent!

I really enjoyed reading this book, A. D. The Bible Continues: The Revolution That Changed the World.  Dr. David Jeremiah has written a book which if filled with a great deal of history which helps fill in the gaps about the beginning of the early church.  The first two chapters of the book give details regarding the death and resurrection of Christ.  Jeremiah goes into great detail to paint a vivid picture of what occurred. 

Beginning in chapter 3, Jeremiah tackles the beginnings of the church.  The book is based on the television series of the same name. 

Jeremiah provides the reader with additional facts and information which help to understand the political, cultural and religious situation of what was occurring when the church began.  He provides passages from the Bible to help the reader better understand the Christian perspective as well.

This is an easy to read book and very relevant to our world today, as Jeremiah uses examples we can relate to.  This is a very interesting book, which will help the reader understand the early movement of the church.  Of course, there is no substitute for reading the Bible.

I highly recommend A. D. The Bible Continues: The Revolution That Changed the World!

I received a complimentary copy of this book for review purposes from Tyndale House in exchange for an honest review.

Friday, April 10, 2015

Thought Provoking!!

As a pastor who is trying to meet the needs of all people, yet understand why we are the way we are, this book was very helpful to me.  In Searching for Sunday: Loving, Leaving, and Finding the Church, Rachel Evans has written a book which describes her journey from the church to leaving the church and now back again.  She has changed and the church has changed. 

It's not always for the best.  She still struggles with many issues mainline, conservatives take as fact, but I appreciated the transparency of her struggles.  The first part of the book was very helpful as she wrote about her feelings of disillusionment and questioning the church.  Even though I didn't grow up in the church, I could identify with much of what she was writing. 

As she writes, she discusses the seven sacraments which the Catholic and Orthodox churches follow.   The chapters are short and easy to read.  While I do not agree with some of her theology, I found the book valuable to see where some people in the millenial group are thinking about church and structure.

She concluded that the church is still a place where you can find the good in people, yet we recognize we are all flawed.  She still finds it a place of peace for her.  

I received this book from Thomas Nelson publishers in exchange for an honest and impartial review.

Fun Kids Devotional

God Gave Us the Bible: 45 Favorite Stories for Little Ones is a very well done, hardcover introductory Bible for parents to read with thei...