Lovestruck- Podcast Book Review

We’re hitting the books with Lovestruck by Sharon Jaynes. I must say, this in-depth description of the Song of Songs gave me a clearer understanding of this biblical book.

https://www.buzzsprout.com/1806754/

Resisting Happiness- Book Review

We’re hitting the books in this episode. This book, “Resisting Happiness,” is currently my favorite read of 2023. Want to find out why?
Take a listen. 😀

https://www.buzzsprout.com/1806754/

Book Review Podcast – Five Little Pigs

Do you like mystery novels? Well, tune in to this episode because we’re Hitting the Books with this episode, “Five Little Pigs” by Agatha Christie.

No spoiler alerts, I promise! 🙂

https://www.buzzsprout.com/1806754/

You Are Never Alone – Book Review

Hey! Do you ever feel abandoned or singled out? Feel like no one can understand what you’re facing? I’ve got just the book recommendation for you! Today, I’m discussing one of my favorite authors, Max Lucado. Tune in as I hit the books and dive into one of his more recent books, “You Are Never Alone.”

Before You Vote – Book Review

We’re hitting the books in this episode with “Before You Vote” by David Platt. What are seven essential questions Christians should ask before heading out to the polls?

Is referring to someone as God’s candidate a safe statement? What policies are rooted in biblical truths, and which ones are rooted in preferences?

https://www.buzzsprout.com/1806754/

https://open.spotify.com/show/1eRwq46xm2tQpjvq70Ky1d?si=alg4Odn_SxywcjZxF5XCLw&utm_source=copy-link

Daughters Diary Podcast- Hitting the Books

https://www.buzzsprout.com/1806754/

Unoffendable Book Review

I started off my year with the book “Unoffendable” by Ryan Leak. Everyone with access to my wishlist can thank the Bible app because they’ve had so many guest speakers and authors that have grabbed my attention with their topics and titles. Thus, I received two books by Ryan Leak this holiday season.

The first pro to this book was honestly the Foreword. Ryan had a personal friend write his Foreword because he wanted someone who really knew him and whether or not he did what he recommends in his book. Usually, people have a well-known author or public figure write their Foreword (if they can get them). Nothing against authors who choose the latter, it was just a different type of approach to a Foreword, which to me set the tone for the book because literally from the first page you can see the transparency of Ryan.

Now, on to the book’s content. Most of the book was about things we probably know but just haven’t actually put into practice. The book was a short, practical read more than anything. To be honest, I feel like the format of the book is to serve the purpose of the practicality of it.

There were plenty of stand out quotes, but I think most of the book was about having a few moments of self reflection and being able to pause in agreement with the author.

In short, how do we become less offended by what people say and do, and better yet, less offended by what they don’t say or do that we believe they should? The last part of the question has resonated with me the most.

I’d have to say that one of my favorite takeaways was the phrase “phantom discouragement.” Phantom discouragement happens when you see someone else being complimented for something you consistently do. No one said anything negative to or about you, but they also didn’t acknowledge what you consistently do. Ryan says it better, “Phantom discouragement will put a negative spin and filter on everything positive around us that is not about us.”

After this epiphany (for me), the author uses the biblical example of Saul and David to show how extreme the effects of phantom discouragement can be. In short, Saul, the first King of Israel, became insanely jealous of David, that’s no exaggeration. Saul was praised for killing thousands and David for killing ten thousands, and Saul took that offensively. Saul had many problems, and one was not being able to handle offense:

“Saul lost sight of who he was and set his sights on who he needed to be better than… When praises for David were all he focused on around him, criticism was all he heard inside him.”

However, if we’re honest, we’re all like Saul at some point. When we see someone getting recognition for something we consistently do, it can feel like a slap in the face. As Ryan would say, this is phantom discouragement.

I know a “good” review is supposed to have a con, but these are my reviews so I can do them however I want. So I won’t call them cons but “food for thought,” meaning this is something different that may stand out to certain readers.

Food for thought, the book’s formatting is really spaced out (which really isn’t a bad thing). The book is about 146 pages but reads more like 100 because it’s double-spaced and large print. Again, I think this adds positively to the simplicity and practicality of the book.

It’s not deeply theological or philosophical and I don’t think it was meant to be. The book in and of itself is food for thought. The overarching question being, how do we become less offended? In today’s cancel culture, this question has a much needed answer.

In the end, we should be able to celebrate the accomplishments of others with the knowledge that it doesn’t take anything away from our own. We should address the root of our offense more than the offender, whether intentional or not. Lastly, we should understand that being offended is a part of life, but it’s how we respond to the offense that can make us more Christlike.

“Being unoffendable doesn’t mean you don’t get offended, it means you choose to not stay offended.”

Moore Books

Alright, so I love to read. I love to encourage reading. Why not?

Quick tangent, I hear people talk about wanting to be smarter or wanting to use their time wisely, but say they don’t like reading or don’t want to. Well why not? There’s a wealth of knowledge available if you’ll just crack open a book. Do you know how many people died for you to have the right and freedom to read?!? OK, I’m done.

Quick reading tips:
1) Find something you like and read about it. It will develop into a desire to read more. I didn’t always love reading UNTIL I read a book that hooked me. “Staying Pure” by Stephanie Perry Moore.
2) Make a realistic goal. Maybe you want to read 10 pages a week. Try it and if you don’t meet the goal, aim for maybe 5 pages. What’s useful is that you may stop in the middle of a paragraph or new idea and decide to keep reading through.
3)Create accountability. Ask someone to read with you to hold you accountable.
4) Take a technology break. For me, sometimes seeing how much time I’m on my phone makes me (guilts me) want to be a little more productive by reading.
5) Try. Saying “I don’t read” isn’t really a good thing. Life requires us to read, so we might as well try to enjoy it.

Why am I harping on this? Because this year I’d like to write and podcast about books. My hope is to monthly provide content on books I’m reading or have read. Sometimes people don’t know where to start, so hopefully a few reviews might light a fire in a few followers here and there. If not, I still get to read, I still get to write, and I still get to create content for my blog and podcasts.

Now, the fun part, do you have any book recommendations?

Grieving Friendships

I’ve genuinely grieved a friendship that I now know is over. It’s been tough. It’s been sad. And so much of me wants to just move on and get over it, yet I’ve been unable to.

I finished a book by A.W. Tozer recently and in one sentence from it I understand why I’m having a tough time. “Only love can grieve.”

I realize grieving is OK. Grieving a death, grieving a marriage, a job, and a friendship is OK because grief is a part of life. We will grieve the loss of people and things we loved simply because we loved them.

As much as I want to rush this grieving process I know I can’t. As much as I want to be rock solid and move on, it’s hard. In reality, if the alternative is to not care at all, I don’t want that either.

So I’ll continue to grieve. I’ll continue to have moments of heartbreak from this and maybe continue to shed tears. At least in the end I’ll know I’m grieving this former friendship because I loved and still love this person. And that is going to have to be enough to get me through.

Living on Purpose – Tip 1

Tip #1: Choose Joy

Find joy in everyday. One thing I’ve challenged myself to do everyday is find one thing to look forward to. This is a simple exercise and a huge game changer. It’s useful for a few reasons.

1) The feeling of hope creates joyful anticipation. Do you know how much easier it is to get out of bed when you have something to look forward to?

2) It promotes a more positive outlook on life. Life tends to appear more half full than half empty when you look for the fullness of life.

3) It creates simplicity in life that we all need from time to time. We complicate life so much that the things that are privileges become burdens. When we choose to focus on the simple joys, we clear our minds for the meaningful moments.

No matter how small or silly it may seem, find something to look forward to everyday. And if you can’t think of anything, create something. Here are a few little things I look forward to:

Buying a new book
Finishing a book
Buying coffee one day
Ice cream on Fridays
Chick Fil A
Jean day at work
Dinner with my family
Watching a rerun of Family Matters
Wearing sweatpants and a hoodie
Taking a nap

All very simple things, but when I use them as things to look forward to, they actually become powerful influences. They are simple things that bring me joy so when I anticipate them they bring joy to my day.

Just try it for a week and tell me what you think. It can’t hurt right?