An Encouraging Devotional!!

The new devotional by Sarah Young has a specific purpose and totally accomplished its goal.  Jesus Calling: 50 Devotions for Encouragement, is a short but very powerful devotional.  There are 50 different devotions in this short book.  Each devotion is easy to read, taking maybe 1-2 minutes, yet they are very powerfully written.

In this devotion, Sarah Young writes this devotion as if Jesus, Himself were talking to the reader.  She writes from the perspective of Jesus speaking to the reader, using "I, Me, Mine, My" when Jesus is speaking.

An example of one devotion which I found powerful was ~

I Am Christ in you, the hope of glory.  The One who walks beside you, holding you by your hand, is the same One who lives within you.  This is a deep, unfathomable mystery.  You and I are intertwined in an intimacy involving every fiber of your being.  The Light of My Presence shines within you, as  well as upon you.  I am in you; and you are in Me; therefore nothing in heaven or on earth can separate you from Me!

There was one more paragraph which followed and that is it for the day, but it's powerful writing and if the reader is willing, should draw you deeper and closer to Christ.

Overall, this is a powerful devotional.  I highly recommend it.

I received this book from booklookbloggers in exchange for an honest review.

Grinding to Success

In his latest book, Rise and Grind: Outperform, Outwork, and Outhustle Your Way To A More Successful and Rewarding Life, Daymond John has sought to write an inspirational book about how to succeed in life.

John explains the purpose of this book is to help the reader so that they could learn and understand the day to day rituals and habits of some of the more successful people in the world.

There are 8 chapters, totalling about 300 pages in this book.  John interviewed 16 people, such as talk show host Wendy Williams, actress Catherine Zeta-Jones, musician Carlos Santana and Pastor Joel Osteen.  John asked each person to share what their daily habits and routines look like so the rest of the world can learn from them.

This is a good book, but not a great book.  At times, I felt like I was reading an infomercial as a great deal of time was spent on explaining who each individual was.  There were times the book did not have a good flow to it, and that made an easy book, more difficult to read.

What John is attempting to do is great, but I think there were better ways to accomplish his task.  I appreciated learning more about each person, including John, but was left wanting more.

Overall, I would say this is a good book, and worth reading.

I received this book from bloggingforbooks in exchange for an honest review.

The Lord's Prayer

In his book, The Prayer that turns the World Upside Down, R. Albert Mohler, Jr., has written an excellent, easy to read, yet powerful book on the most familiar of Christian prayers . . . The Lord's Prayer.

While this book is easy to read and just under 170 pages, Mohler has filled this book with wonderful insights into The Lord's Prayer.  If read with an open mind, this book will challenge some of the basic beliefs we have had about the Lord's Prayer.

While there is some theology in the book, it is basic enough in that the reader should benefit from reading this book.  We are reminded that familiarity with something tends to cause us to lose its significance and that is true with the Lord's Prayer.  Mohler is an excellent author and this is an excellent addition to his writing.  I would highly recommend this book.

I received this book from booklookbloggers.com in exchange for an honest review.

Lessons from the Coach!

In the book, Always Fall Forward: Life lessons I'll never forget from "The Coach", Todd Gerelds has written a very personal devotional.  This book comes from the true story which was made into a film, called "Woodlawn."  The story focuses on his father, Tandy, a football coach.

There are 52 weekly devotions based on what Todd learned from the football field and from his father.  Each devotion has a unique title and is about 3-4 pages long, and ends  with ways the reader can attempt to go deeper in their relationship with God.  There are suggested scripture readings and questions to consider.

If you are a sports fan, especially a football fan, or even a coach who is looking for some inspirational stories to talk to your team about, then this book would be a great addition to your library.

Each devotion is easy to read and many of them can be challenging as well.

Overall, I would recommend this book.

I received this book from Tyndale Press in exchange for an honest review.

Maxwell on Leadership!

I have been a fan of John Maxwell for many years, and have read many of his books on leadership.  I already had the first edition of Developing the Leader Within You and was curious to see what changes would be made in Developing the Leader Within You 2.0.

Basically there are 2 chapters with different titles, along with different material which has been included in the book.  John has a very personal way of writing which helps draw the reader to his books.  They are understandable and very practical, which is one of the reasons I appreciate his books. 

There are 10 chapters in the book, with each chapter averaging about 20 pages.  The chapters are filled with practical advice, illustrations and some theory.  Each chapter contains Action Steps at the end of the chapter which is a great summary of the chapter.

Overall, this is an excellent book on leadership.  I would highly recommend this for those wanting to go deeper in their ability to lead others.

I received this book from booklookbloggers in exchange for an honest review.