Inspirational Non-Fiction

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Let’s All Be Brave review

Let's All Be Brave imageAre you brave? According to Annie F. Downs, the majority of people would answer in the negative – including me. But what if bravery doesn’t mean doing something earth shattering in its enormity… What if instead bravery consists of small, often insignificant choices we make every day? What if we are all braver than we think? These questions, among others, are the foundation for Annie Downs’ newly released book from Zondervan entitled Let’s All Be Brave: Living Life with Everything You Have.

Formatted as a series of essays, Let’s All Be Brave contains chapters that each feel like a separate, real-life conversation with Annie about various topics – all connected to the subject of bravery and courage. With bushels of humor, Continue reading →

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Surviving Henry review

Surviving Henry imageAre you prepared to meet a dog who is so uncontrollable, so prone to accidents in the unlikeliest circumstances, and so full of energy that you just can’t help falling in love with him (while simultaneously being glad that he’s not your dog)? If this sounds like an interesting storyline, then you should DEFINITELY pick up ‘Surviving Henry’… Right now, without delay!

Erin Taylor Young has crafted a tale that cannot help impacting anyone who reads it. Overflowing with down-to-earth, laugh-out-loud humor, ‘Surviving Henry’ is unexpectedly seasoned with the tenderness and love, sweetness and grace that only a pet can emanate through your life. Published by Revell in the summer of 2014, the story of Henry the Boxer will bring laughter and tears, while causing you to alternately smile, gasp, shake your head, and groan at the incredible antics of one extraordinary dog.

With amazing talent, Ms. Young engages her readers in a unique, present-tense, first-person point of view to share a candid portrait of loving a dog who turns life upside down the day he comes home. Although primarily a humorous story, ‘Surviving Henry’ gently nudges readers to the truths God reveals to us through our pets. Truths such as living a life of love – even when you don’t feel like it, and persevering – even when you are on the verge of giving up. If you ever feel like your pets are too much work, ‘Surviving Henry’ might be just the lift your heart needs. Or, if you don’t have a pet but love animals anyway, Henry’s story is will touch your heart as well.

Although I can say very little on the negative side about ‘Surviving Henry’, the occasional mention of certain doggie anatomy proved a little uncomfortable, and references to the bodily functions of the same dog seemed slightly too commonplace… But I suppose, in a story about a dog, this is to be expected. Overall, ‘Surviving Henry’ is a delightful, frolicking story about a dog who wreaks chaos in the lives of his family – and ends up teaching them a few lessons along the way. Your only regret after reading this endearing tale will be the final words, indicating the story is over… Unless, of course, Ms. Young’s fans convince her to write a sequel!

“Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.  Available at your favourite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group”.

 

To learn more about Henry the Boxer check out this adorable book trailer, or visit his website.

 

 

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Life Changing Products by Dr. Caroline Leaf

Late in 2013 I requested a book from my reviewer’s program called Switch on Your Brain by Dr. Caroline Leaf. Little did I know what this would lead to, and how it would impact me in so many ways! I have now read almost all of her books, watched most of her DVDs, and shared many of her ideas with my friends and family. All of Dr. Leaf’s products are amazing, but for now I wanted to share three of my favourites with you.

Switch on Your Brain imageSwitch On Your Brain

As the first book I read by Dr. Caroline Leaf, I found Switch On Your Brain to be filled with amazing ideas that showcase how science, specifically neuroscience, is catching up with what has been stated in Scripture for so long. One of the main concepts of this book is the research showing that the brain is neuro-plastic, which means it is malleable and adaptable, changing every moment of the day. Through her research, Dr. Leaf shares how she assisted patients with car-accident brain damage take control of retraining their brains and become successful citizens, even after neurologists had written them off as being unable to ever again function normally.

The first portion of the book focuses on many of the functions of the brain, how various scientific concepts correspond with Scripture, and what can lead to a healthy or unhealthy brain. The second portion features the steps to detox your brain from toxic thinking, using Dr. Leaf’s specialized program, the 21-Day Brain Detox Plan.   Overall, I learned so much from this book even after one reading, and I hope to go through it at a slower pace again soon.

 

Who Switched Off My Brain? Who Switched Off My Brain? image

This was Dr. Leaf’s first book to be published, and in some ways is similar to Switch On Your Brain. I found that it is written with a simpler approach, however, making it easier to read if you are unfamiliar with her ideas. The main focus of this book is how to promote a healthy lifestyle through your thought life, and how toxic thinking can cause sickness and unhappiness in many ways. Dr. Leaf discusses what she calls the ‘dirty dozen’, areas of our lives often targeted by toxic thinking (emotions, dreams, schedules, etc.) and how to do a ‘brain sweep’ to promote a healthier approach to thinking. In addition, I enjoyed watching the DVDs to go along with the information covered in the book. Overall, this book/DVD set is an excellent introduction to Dr. Leaf’s neuroscience research, without being too difficult to follow, yet giving ideas to start implementing healthy thinking into your life!

 

The Gift in You imageThe Gift in You

Without a doubt, The Gift in You program has been the most influential in my family. This amazing set teaches how everyone has their own unique sequence of thinking, made up of seven different areas of the brain: Intrapersonal, Interpersonal, Linguistic, Logical/Mathematical, Kinesthetic, Musical, and Visual/Spatial. Inside the book is a Gift Profile questionnaire to fill out, which helps you find and understand your unique pattern of thinking – the ‘gift in you’. After you realize what your dominant areas are, you can better understand how you learn and communicate best. Although each person uses a sequence of all seven areas of the brain, usually only the top two dominant areas are obvious, because they are how you receive information, and build connections to that information (the other seven areas deal with confirming, integrating, applying, etc.). For instance, my dominant area of thinking (how I receive information) is Linguistic, which means I learn, communicate, and understand best with words. My second dominant trait is Logical/Mathematical, and so I build connections to the information through reasoning, organizing, planning, and strategizing.

The amazing part about this program is how it helps people to understand themselves, and the people around them, in a new and better way. It has helped me and many of my family members to realize how we can use our minds to the best of our abilities. I believe that many people could benefit greatly by reading this book, and watching the DVD set – it has truly changed our lives.

If you would like to learn more about Dr. Leaf’s research, programs, and products, you can visit her website.

 

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Today is the Day review

Today is The Day imageDo you have a dream hidden deep in your heart?  A dream so big, so out-of-the-ordinary, or so seemingly impossible that you’ve pushed it to the back of your mind and all but forgotten about it?  But you can’t forget about it completely, because God placed it inside you for a reason – a purpose…  Maybe now is the time to pull that dream out, dust it off, and take a deeper look at what it means to your life.  Maybe, ‘Today is the Day’.

Bil Cornelius is a best-selling author, and the founder and pastor of a large and still-growing church fellowship.  In addition, he is a believer in following your God-given dream, and his newest book brings to life various action plans to help his readers do just that.  ‘Today is the Day: Find and Embrace Your God-Given Dreams’ was published by Baker Books in January of 2014, and is certain to help anyone who feels like a personal dream is beyond reach, or is unsure how to get started on realizing a lifelong goal.  With an energetic, encouraging, easy-to-follow style, Mr. Cornelius breaks down his process for making dreams an actuality using Biblical concepts and proven methods for success.

The first portion of this book was my favourite, as it dealt with identifying if your dream is truly from God, recognizing that God has great plans for each one of His children, and breaking down the ultimate goal into tiny, daily, doable actions.  Fittingly, many Bible verses accompany each section, steeping the concepts in Biblical truth.

Towards the middle of the book, however, I felt it spoke less to me, because my dream is a quieter, smaller-scale, primarily internal-based dream.  It focused  more on readers with far-reaching dreams such as opening a business (or entire franchise!), starting a world-wide ministry or mission, or climbing to the top of a corporate ladder in a large company.  Of course, there is nothing wrong with such dreams, and the world needs large-scale dreams to bring about large-scale changes for the better.  But people with smaller, less earth-shattering dreams are also necessary, and God has given us those dreams with just as much love and care as a dream to found a multi-million dollar business.

If your dream is far-reaching and world-changing, this book could very well change your life, or at least your perspective on how you view the dream.  I can easily picture business owners hoping to expand, church leaders with a vision, and company workers with a passion for their job gaining a great deal of spiritual help and guidance from this practical book.  However, if your dream is of a quieter nature, not every aspect of this book will resonate with you…  Certain aspects may be beneficial, as they were for me, but on the whole this book may not be the best choice for readers seeking guidance towards a simple, low-key dream placed deep in the heart by our Creator.

“Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. Available at your favourite bookseller from BakerBooks, a division of Baker Publishing Group”.

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Switch On Your Brain: The Key to Peak Happiness, Thinking, and Health review

Switch On Your Brain image“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” (Romans 12:2, NIV)

Have you ever considered the deeper truths of this Scripture verse, the portion that states our minds can be renewed, and it is a process that can – and will – transform our lives?  If you’ve ever felt trapped by your thought patterns, or held captive by toxic ideas or past traumas, Dr. Caroline Leaf can help you.  Her newest book, Switch On Your Brain: The Key to Peak Happiness, Thinking, and Health, was published by Baker Books in the fall of 2013.  While this book has been called ‘the owner’s manual to how our brains work’, it is also so much more.  Drawing from decades of scientific research, as well as her own Christian faith and beliefs, Dr. Leaf shares with us in an understandable, scientific language the fundamental functions of the brain. Using these facts as a foundation, she then explains how, with the Holy Spirit and Scripture as our guides, we can transform our minds from toxic to healthy.  In essence, we can ‘detox‘ our brains.

Just a few of the incredible points made in this little book include:

– Science is just beginning to catch up with the Bible, showing us the evidence of verses such as 2 Timothy 1:7.  “For God hath not given us a spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”  (KJV)

– Neuroplasticity, the concept that shows how changes in thinking actually change the structure of the brain and effect behavioral change, can truly help us renew our minds and, consequently, transform our lives.  (Romans 12:2)

– In dozens of cases encountered and documented by Dr. Leaf, people of all ages who applied the steps and perseverance necessary to detox their minds excelled beyond all typical expectations.  For example, car accident victims deemed by neurologists as ‘vegetables’ managed to retrain their brains enough to complete their education and became successful, contributing citizens.

– In the later portions of her book, Dr. Leaf outlines the basis for her 5-Step Switch On Your Brain Learning Process, which is used each day in the 21-Day Brain Detox Plan, also outlined in this book.

If you are like me, the large amount of scientific data contained in the pages of Switch On Your Brain may be a little intimidating.  However, I discovered that by focusing on the portions you are able to understand, and using them as a tool for bringing the focus of your mind closer to God, your life will be transformed.  If you let the Holy Spirit work in you as you read the information contained within this book, Philippians 4:8 will become the ‘new normal’ of your thought life.  “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things.”

“Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.
Available at your favourite bookseller from BakerBooks, a division of Baker Publishing Group”.

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A Million Little Ways review

A Million Little Ways imageDo you think of yourself as an artist?  If you’re like me, and likely a huge percentage of the population, your answer will be a definite ‘no’.  The ordinary professional, mother, student, or anyone who doesn’t paint or sing or write for a living, most often does not list ‘makes art’ among their capabilities and accomplishments.  But Emily P. Freeman, author of the incredible little book entitled A Million Little Ways, challenges us to change our views…  To realize that we were born to make art, designed to live art, and in fact we ARE art!

I found this hard to believe at first.  The thought of myself as a work of art, let alone an artist, seemed confusing and went against my perceptions of what art meant.  After reading just the first few pages of A Million Little Ways, however, my thinking began to change.  I began to understand the truth about art, and the way God defines it.  Emily explains that God created us to be image bearers – image bearers of a CREATIVE God, a God who makes and lives and breathes art.  As image bearers, we have a job to do.  We are on this earth to reflect His image by living lives filled with art.  As Emily states, “Art is what happens when you dare to be who you really are.”

A recurring idea within this story begins in the chapter titled ‘Reflect’.  In one portion, Emily paints a portrait with words of something beautiful, because it is true.  In Ephesians 2:10, where it states we are God’s masterpiece, Emily shows us something found only by searching a little deeper.  Did you know that the word ‘masterpiece’, sometimes translated as ‘workmanship’, originated from the Greek word poiema?  Our English word for poem comes from the same root word.  Do you see what this means?  We are God’s poetry.  When God writes poetry, when He expresses Himself, we come into being.  Isn’t this a beautiful truth to hold in our hearts?

I cannot begin to touch on the many incredible aspects of living life as an artist depicted within the pages of A Million Little Ways.  I pray that you will be able to read it for yourself, and encounter truths meant just for you.  Emily Freeman is indeed living her life filled with art, if the power and truth of God within her words is any indication.  And I truly believe that it is.  Please let Emily’s words speak to your heart as you read A Million Little Ways.  Your view and purpose for life may never be the same.

“Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. 
Available at your favourite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group”.