Okay…so I like to read! I wish I could say I had plenty of
time each day to read and that I had finished all of these books and am
living the life they describe (other than the novels), but that is not
true. I do take time each day to read, but there is always an
unfinished book lying around. There are a few that are on my shelf
waiting in line and a few on my nightstand in mid read and a few that I
keep out for referencing from time to time and a few that I have
finished and put away but don’t want to part with. There is also about a
billion that I own that didn’t quite make this list. There is a bit of
everything here, but hopefully you can get an idea of some good books
and some insight into who I am and where my heart is. Also, if you have
any suggestions of something I may like, feel free to share in the
comments!!! IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER...
Look Great, Feel Great: 12 Keys to Enjoying a Healthy Life Now by Joyce Meyer
Bestselling
author Joyce Meyer shares her own struggle to overcome unhealthy living
habits, as well as the keys for restoring mental, physical, and
spiritual wellness.
Rather than presenting a specific
diet, A Guide to Flexible Dieting is a look at some of the psychological
and physiological reasons why diets so often fail. Among these is the
research demonstrated fact that individuals who are too rigid in their
approach to dieting (e.g. expecting complete unyielding perfection at
all times) are actually less successful in the long-run than individuals
who are more flexible in their approach.
A Guide to Flexible Dieting by Lyle McDonald
How Being Less Strict with Your Diet Can Make it Work Better
Building
on this research, as well as looking at the physiology behind
bodyweight regulation, A Guide to Flexible Dieting examines three
distinct strategies that dieters can use to make their fat loss efforts
more flexible. Free meals (single meals that ‘break’ the diet), refeeds
(periods of deliberate high-calorie consumption) along with full diet
breaks (periods of 10-14 days where active dieting is not pursued) are
all discussed in detail with specific guidelines for their
implementation.
Dieters who find themselves falling
into the trap of “I broke my diet by eating a single cookie, I should
just go ahead and eat the entire bag (and another for good measure).”
should read this book to see how such rigid attitudes towards dieting
are ultimately both limiting and destructive to long-term success.
The Slight Edge: Secret to a Successful Life by Jeff Olson
Teaches
you how to achieve success in all aspects of your life - in your
health, your finances, your personal relationships and family life.
The Butterfly Effect: How Your Life Matters by Andy Andrews
The
decisions you make and the way you treat others have more impact than
you may ever realize. Speaker and New York Times best-selling author
Andy Andrews shares a compelling and powerful story about a decision one
man made over a hundred years ago, and the ripple effect it's had on us
individually, and nationwide, today. It's a story that will inspire
courage and wisdom in the decisions we make, as well as affect the way
we treat others through our lifetime.
The Traveler's Gift: Seven Decisions That Determine Personal Success by Andy Andrews
A
unique blend of fiction, history, allegory, and inspiration, The
Traveler's Gift has motivated tens of thousands since its release in
late 2002. David Ponder's lost his job, his confidence, and his will to
live. And just when it seems that things can't get any worse, they do:
his only child falls ill, and he's involved in a serious car accident.
But a divine adventure that includes encounters with seven of history's
most inspirational characters, among them Anne Frank, Abraham Lincoln,
and Christopher Columbus, leaves him with a glimpse of life's big
picture, and seven bits of wisdom with which to confront his future.
This thought-provoking book encourages readers of all ages to reach
their full potential using these simple keys to success.
Mastering the Seven Decisions That Determine Personal Success by Andy Andrews
Mastering
the Seven Decisions guides readers to a profound understanding of how
to fully integrate seven life-changing Decisions into their daily lives.
The Responsible Decision: The buck stops here. I accept responsibility
for my past. I am responsible for my success. I will not let my history
control my destiny. The Guided Decision: I will seek wisdom. The Active
Decision: I am a person of action. The Certain Decision: I have a
decided heart. Criticism, condemnation, and complaint have no power over
me. The Joyful Decision: Today I will choose to be happy. The
Compassionate Decision: I will greet this day with a forgiving spirit.
The Persistent Decision: I will persist without exception.
Think and grow rich by Napoleon Hill
Here
are money-making secrets that can change your life. This book will
teach you the secrets that will bring you a fortune. It will show you
not only what to do but how to do it. Once you learn and apply the
simple, basic techniques revealed here, you will have mastered the
secret of true and lasting success. And you may have whatever you want
in life.
Become a Better You: 7 Keys to Improving Your Life Every Day by Joel Osteen
Is
this as good as it gets? Or can you enjoy more of what life has to
offer? Not only can you live happily every day, bestselling author Joel
Osteen suggests you must discover the potential within yourself and
learn how to use it to live better, and to help others better themselves
as well. God didn't create you to be average. You were created to
excel! You have everything you need to fulfill your God-given destiny,
and there is no limit to what you can accomplish if you discover how to
be a better you! In Become a Better You: 7 Keys to Improving Your Life
Every Day, Joel Osteen, America's best-known pastor, will inspire and
motivate you to live with more joy, hope, and peace -- truly a life of
victory! Joel will help you look deep inside yourself to become a better
spouse and parent, a better boss or employee, a better community
leader, a better friend -- in short, a better person! Joel Osteen
reveals seven simple yet profound principles that when taken to heart
will help you become all that God has created you to be. In a
straightforward, easy-to-understand style, Osteen explains key biblical
values; the text is laced with personal testimonies that will enlighten
and uplift you. Each of the seven keys has its own section, complete
with a set of practical action points. Thus Become a Better You will
guide you in the process of uncovering your hidden resources. Within
these pages, Joel Osteen addresses topics such as building your
confidence, developing better relationships, finding peace within, and
staying passionate about life. Become a Better You will encourage you to
reach your unique God-given potential, and will help you to enjoy every
day of your life, despite your circumstances. As you incorporate Joel's
easy-to-grasp principles into your life, you will be pleasantly
surprised at how much more God has in store for you, and how quickly you
become a better you!
Message Bible by Eugene H. Peterson
Awesome easier to read and understand paraphrase Bible.
Life Application Study Bible NLT by Tyndale
Over
300 new Life Application notes, nearly 350 note revisions, 16 new
personality profiles, updated charts, and a Christian Worker's Resource
make today's number one selling study Bible even better. FEATURES: Over
300 new Life Application notes and significant revisions to nearly 350
others 16 new Personality Profiles Most charts revised to clarify
meaning and importance, plus eight all-new charts New information on the
intertestamental period Christian Worker's Resource, a special
supplement to enhance the reader's ministry effectiveness, includes: How
to Become a Believer, How to Follow Up with a New Believer, Mining the
Treasures of the Life Application Study Bible, So You've Been Asked to
Speak, and Taking the Step to Application
The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks
"Everyone
wanted to believe that endless love was possible. She'd believed in it
once, too, back when she was eighteen."In the spring of 1984, high
school students Amanda Collier and Dawson Cole fell deeply, irrevocably
in love. Though they were from opposite sides of the tracks, their love
for one another seemed to defy the realities of life in the small town
of Oriental, North Carolina. But as the summer of their senior year came
to a close, unforeseen events would tear the young couple apart,
setting them on radically divergent paths.Now, twenty-five years later,
Amanda and Dawson are summoned back to Oriental for the funeral of Tuck
Hostetler, the mentor who once gave shelter to their high school
romance. Neither has lived the life they imagined . . . and neither can
forget the passionate first love that forever changed their lives. As
Amanda and Dawson carry out the instructions Tuck left behind for them,
they realize that everything they thought they knew -- about Tuck, about
themselves, and about the dreams they held dear -- was not as it
seemed. Forced to confront painful memories, the two former lovers will
discover undeniable truths about the choices they have made. And in the
course of a single, searing weekend, they will ask of the living, and
the dead: Can love truly rewrite the past?
The Choice by Nicholas Sparks
#1
New York Times bestseller Nicholas Sparks turns his unrivaled talents
to a new tale about love found and lost, and the choices we hope we'll
never have to make. Travis Parker has everything a man could want: a
good job, loyal friends, even a waterfront home in small-town North
Carolina. In full pursuit of the good life-- boating, swimming, and
regular barbecues with his good-natured buddies--he holds the vague
conviction that a serious relationship with a woman would only cramp his
style. That is, until Gabby Holland moves in next door. Despite his
attempts to be neighborly, the appealing redhead seems to have a chip on
her shoulder about him . . . and the presence of her longtime boyfriend
doesn't help. Despite himself, Travis can't stop trying to ingratiate
himself with his new neighbor, and his persistent efforts lead them both
to the doorstep of a journey that neither could have foreseen. Spanning
the eventful years of young love, marriage and family, THE CHOICE
ultimately confronts us with the most heartwrenching question of all:
how far would you go to keep the hope of love alive?
Take the Stairs: 7 Steps to Achieving True Success by Rory Vaden
Do
you ride the escalator-or take the stairs? No matter how you define
success, it always requires one thing: self-discipline. But as popular
speaker and strategist Rory Vaden explains, we live in an "escalator
world"-one that's filled with shortcuts, quick fixes, and distractions
that make it all too easy to slide into procrastination, compromise, and
mediocrity. What seems like an easier path is really much harder in the
end-and, most important, it won't take you where you want to go. How do
successful people stay focused and achieve results? This lively and
insightful guide presents a simple program for taking the stairs-that
is, for overcoming the temptations of quick fixes and procrastination,
conquering creative avoidance, and transcending personal setbacks in
order to tackle the work that leads to real success. Whatever your goals
are, Rory Vaden's proven approach will get you there-one stair at a
time.
The New Strong-Willed Child by James C. Dobson
Dr.
James Dobson has completely rewritten, updated, and expanded his
classic best seller The Strong-Willed Child for a new generation of
parents and teachers. The New Strong-Willed Child follows on the heels
of Dr. Dobson's phenomenal best seller Bringing Up Boys. It offers
practical how-to advice on raising difficult-to-handle children and
incorporates the latest research with Dr. Dobson's legendary wit and
wisdom. The New Strong-Willed Child is being rushed to press for parents
needing help dealing with sibling rivalry, adhd, low self-esteem, and
other important issues. This book is a must-read for parents and
teachers struggling to raise and teach children who are convinced they
should be able to live by their own rules!
Bringing Up Boys by James C. Dobson
With
so much confusion about the role of men in our society, it's no wonder
so many parents and teachers are at a loss about how to bring up boys.
Our culture has vilified masculinity and, as a result, boys are
suffering. Parents, teachers, and others involved in shaping the
character of boys have many questions. In Bringing Up Boys, Dr. James
Dobson, America's most trusted authority on family issues, tackles these
questions and offers advice and encouragement based on a firm
foundation of biblical principles.
Never Give Up!: Relentless Determination to Overcome Life's Challenges by Joyce Meyer
Joyce
Meyer is probably better equipped than anyone when it comes to never
giving up. She overcame an abused childhood, a bad marriage and
extremely limited opportunities to become one of the most popular
author/speakers in the world. Joyce Meyer Ministries was the first
ministry in America to be headed by a woman, and it's one of the largest
in the world. If anyone knows how to hold on to a dream and realize it,
it's her. Packed with examples of people who pursued their goals
relentlessly, the book profiles nearly fifty individuals who prevailed
against all odds. From the builder of the Brooklyn Bridge to the
chemists who invented Post-It notes we meet people like Bessie Coleman,
an African-American who had to go to flight school in Paris in order to
learn how to fly. But she did, becoming the first woman in America to
earn her pilot's license in 1920.
The Confident Woman: Start Today Living Boldly and Without Fear by Joyce Meyer
Encourages
women to identify the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual
barriers in their lives and to develop a self-confidence that stems from
living honestly, being positive in their actions, and having faith in
both God and themselves.
A Woman After God's Own Heart by Elizabeth George
This
book is filled with rich advice, spiritual wisdom, and practical
applications. With passion and personality, Elizabeth George shares how a
woman can follow God and seek His heart in every area of her life: her
husband, her children, her home, her walk with the Lord, and her
ministry. There is peace and purpose for the woman who prepares her
heart and mind to embrace God’s plan every day.
Making Life Rich Without Any Money: Stories of Finding Joy in What Really Matters by Phil Callaway
In
a time when readers have experienced the transitory nature of the
economy, Phil Callaway shares fascinating characteristics of truly rich
people characteristics that have nothing to do with money and everything
to do with wealth. Readers will nod their heads knowingly, smile, and
sometimes laugh out loud as they read about The perils and joys of a
SITCOM family (Single Income Three Children Oppressive Mortgage)… Phil’s
new appreciation for his wife after a memorable Mr. Mom experience… One
family’s surprising response when they are literally creamed by a dairy
truck… A lasting male friendship forged over an unlikely object, a
lawnmower… A startling phone call that changed Phil’s life. True wealth
doesn’t come with any material possessions. Through warmth and laughter,
Callaway shows that the best things in life are not really things,
after all.
Parenting, Don’t Try This at Home by Phil Callaway
These
sparkling, warmly told stories capture the amusing and bemusing
experiences of life while sharing timeless spiritual lessons. Funny and
inspiring, Phil reminds us that it's wonderful to be part of a family.
Multiple blessings: surviving to thriving with twins and sextuplets by Jon Gosselin, Kate Gosselin, Beth Carson
After
the emotional rollercoaster ride of dealing with infertility, Kate and
her husband, Jon, rejoiced in the birth of their twin daughters. Three
years later, they were pregnant again--with sextuplets. Their quiver was
filling fast--a little too fast--and happy wasn't exactly their first
reaction. I blinked hard and then stared at the bright screen positioned
slightly to my right. There was no mistaking what I saw; yet, I was in a
state of denial. Dr. Munabi began his fateful count. One ... aaah. Two
... okay. Three ... now I was scared. Four ... I started sobbing
hysterically. The chill of reality washed over me as I watched my
husband, my best friend, cheerleader, and storehouse of strength, slowly
drop to his knees at the count of five ... but the count continued. And
so it began. Though encouraged to consider selective reduction--both
for the sake of Kate's health and to increase the babies' chances for
survival--the Gosselins opted to play the hand God had dealt them. They
accepted the six miraculous blessings and all the challenges that came
with them. After struggling to carry and deliver all six babies, then
coping with months of neonatal intensive care, Jon and Kate think
they've made it through the hardest part of the journey. Not even close.
Stress-filled days and sleepless nights became their world as she and
Jon managed to feed, bathe, clothe, and monitor, the health of their
fragile infants without losing sight of their love for each other and
the twins. Candid, honest, and emotionally-charged, Multiple Blessings
is first and foremost a story of faith. It's the story of slogging
through exhausting challenges, coping with setbacks, and trusting that
God will provide the strength and resilience to get through each day.
Ordinary Mom, Extraordinary God by Mary E. DeMuth
This
is a devotional aimed at the deeper issues of the heart and one that
will provide a soothing respite amid chaos. Think of it as Oswald
Chambers meets Busy Housewife. Writer, speaker, and stay-at-home mom
Mary DeMuth creatively focuses on the gift of motherhood as she
considers resting quietly in the Lord, even on crazy-busy days being
thankful for the duties as well as the joys of being a mom offering God a
heart to prune so that it can continue to bear good fruit Personal
stories integrated with scriptural truth and probing prayers will help
everyday stay-at-home moms remain connected to the most amazing and
extraordinary Parent of all parents.
Cure for the Common Life by Max Lucado
"Sweet
spot." Golfers understand the term. So do tennis players. Ever swung a
baseball bat or paddled a Ping-Pong ball? If so, you know the oh-so-nice
feel of the sweet spot. Life in the sweet spot rolls like the downhill
side of a downwind bike ride. But you don't have to swing a bat or a
club to know this. What engineers give sports equipment, God gave you. A
zone, a region, a life precinct in which you were made to dwell. He
tailored the curves of your life to fit an empty space in his jigsaw
puzzle. And life makes sweet sense when you find your spot. But if
you're like 87 percent of workers, you haven't found it. You don't find
meaning in your work--or you're one of the 80 percent who don't believe
their talents are used. What can you do? You're suffering from the
common life, and you desperately need a cure. Best-selling author Max
Lucado has found it. In Cure for the Common Life he offers practical
tools for exploring and identifying your own uniqueness, motivation to
put your strengths to work, and the perfect prescription for finding and
living in your sweet spot for the rest of your life.
Wonders Never Cease by Phil Callaway
Terry
Anderson, whom readers met in Calloway's first novel, Growing Up on the
Edge of the World, returns six years older (he's 18) and not a whole
lot wiser. His conservative church has driven him away from faith, and
although Grace, Mont., isn't exactly a hotbed of sin, Terry has a gift
for finding trouble. The party-loving agnostic smokes, drinks and
listens to forbidden Rolling Stones records disguised in Bill Gaither
album jackets. Things aren't so good at home, Terry's mother has
Huntington's disease and spends her days in bed, and his father
struggles to raise Terry's little nephew while holding his family
together. Life gets stranger and stranger: Terry discovers a dead body
in an abandoned Dodge Charger; household items begin to disappear; a
mysterious envelope arrives.
Next Door Savior by Max Lucado
We
applaud men for doing good things. We enshrine God for doing great
things. But what about a man who does God things? One thing is certain.
We can't ignore him. If these moments are factual, if the claim of
Christ is actual, then he was, at once, man and God. The single most
significant person who ever lived. Forget MVP. He is the entire league.
The head of the parade? Hardly. No one else shares the street. Who comes
close? Humanity's best and brightest fade like dime-store rubies next
to him. Dismiss him? We can't. Resist him? Equally difficult. Why would
we want to? Don't we need a God-man Savior? A just-God Jesus could make
us, but not understand us. A just-man Jesus could love us, but never
save us. But a God-man Jesus? Near enough to touch. Strong enough to
trust. A next door Savior.
Who moved my cheese? by Spencer Johnson
Johnson
realizes the need for finding the language and tools to deal with
change--an issue that makes all of us nervous and uncomfortable. Most
people are fearful of change because they don't believe they have any
control over how or when it happens to them. Since change happens either
to the individual or by the individual, Spencer Johnson shows us that
what matters most is the attitude we have about change. When the Y2K
panic gripped the corporate realm before the new millennium, most work
environments finally recognized the urgent need to get their computers
and other business systems up to speed and able to deal with
unprecedented change. And businesses realized that this was not enough:
they needed to help people get ready, too. Spencer Johnson has created
his new book to do just that. The coauthor of the multimillion
bestseller,The One Minute Manager, has written a deceptively simple
story with a dramatically important message that can radically alter the
way we cope with change. Who Moved My Cheese? allows for common themes
to become topics for discussion and individual interpretation. Who Moved
My Cheese? takes the fear and anxiety out of managing the future and
shows people a simple way to successfully deal with the changing times,
providing them with a method for moving ahead with their work and lives
safely and effectively.
The 9 Steps to Financial Freedom: Practical and Spiritual Steps So You Can Stop Worrying by Suze Orman
A
Personal Finance Classic that Changed Forever How We Think, Feel, and
Act about Money. Ten years ago, Suze Orman, America’s most celebrated
finance expert, transformed the way we all view personal finance with
her groundbreaking The 9 Steps to Financial Freedom. This New York Times
bestselling blockbuster broke from the ranks of traditional money
management books by looking at finances from an entirely new
perspective, advising people to approach money from an emotional
standpoint in order to achieve their financial dreams. By emphasizing
the psychological and spiritual power money has in our lives, while
still including information on all aspects of our financial daily
activities, Orman has helped millions break through the barriers that
hold them back. She is now our country’s leading personal finance
expert, and here is the book that started it all. Orman is back in a
brand-new, fully updated edition to The 9 Steps to Financial Freedom,
her personal finance classic that offers thoughtful, easy-to-follow
steps toward a life of financial freedom. Here is the most
up-to-the-minute information on a wide range of financial topics that
plague us today: credit card debt, bankruptcy, paying for education,
wills versus trusts, the best retirement account, life insurance, and
more. Combining real-life recommendations with Suze’s own brand of
inspiration and motivation, this is the only guide you’ll need to
provide for yourself and your family. As Orman shows, managing money is
so much more than a matter of balancing your checkbook or picking the
right investments. It’s about redefining financial freedom and realizing
that you are worth far more than your money. Let America’s leading
personal finance expert show you how.
The Spirit of Loveliness by Emilie Barnes
A
little old school but still a great book! Exploring the places of the
heart where true femininity and creativity are born, this book contains
Emilie's personal insights into spiritual beauty, along with hundreds of
"lovely" ideas for personalizing your home.
The Duggars: 20 and Counting!: Raising One of America's Largest Families--How They Do It by Jim Bob Duggar, Michelle Dugga
This
is a behind-the-scenes look at the supersize family that fascinates
millions of television viewers around the world. From Idaho to Istanbul,
people want to know how Arkansas parents Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar
efficiently and lovingly manage seventeen (soon to be eighteen) happy,
homeschooled children without going into debt -- or losing their minds!
This, the Duggars' first book, is an entertaining and enlightening
collection of stories, photos, recipes, tips, traditions, and practical
ideas designed to answer the questions of the curious, such as:- Why do
you have so many children?- How do you provide for your family
financially?- How do you handle mealtimes? Transportation? Laundry?
Birthdays?- How are your children so well behaved?- Why do all your
children have names that begin with J?Since their first documentary
broke viewership records on the Discovery Health Channel, the Duggars
have appeared in American and international news media, sharing their
rock-solid faith and their overriding belief that "children are a
blessing from God." In these pages, Jim Bob and Michelle share their
story, beginning with their own childhoods. They reveal how their
growing-up years shaped their philosophy of parenting. It continues with
tales of their big, busy family, whose televised documentaries and
frequent appearances in news shows and newspapers have created an
international following. The Duggars share, with humility and humor, the
family routines and guidelines they've learned through biblical study
and trial and error -- ideas that can help make your home a place of
peace, love, and support:- Financial lessons for debt-free living-
Organizing systems for a clutter-free home- Homeschooling methods and
schedules- Training tips for little ones- Relationship builders for
older children- Favorite Duggar family resources. Reading The Duggars:
20 and Counting! is like visiting this big, busy family right in their
home: fascinating, inspiring -- and fun.
Hey! Thanks for taking a look at my site! I hope you have found some
helpful tips and information here. I am more than happy to answer any of
your questions, and help you out any way I can. I offer FREE online
fitness and nutrition coaching as a way to help others out and to 'pay
it forward'. Click on Free Coaching to
set me up as your online fitness and nutrition coach, and then send me a
quick email so we can start getting you on track to meet your goals!
This is a write up from one of Joel Osteen's daily devotional books. It just really touched me as I have dealt with heavy feelings of guilt steaming from divorce. This was a great reminder to focus on the road ahead and let go of the past!
