Break Blow Burn & Make : A Writers Thoughts on Creation by E. Lily Yu Book Review

In Break Blow Burn & Make, E. Lily Yu . She begins the book by describing how writing is like an incandescent. The writer starts with a light and sometimes it can be seen a small flame just waiting to burn brighter. The dust and ashes are left by the living of one’s life. She compared it to a dragonfly and the world begins to shift and emerge and it searches for a reader. It the writing is good it will eventually burn through our preconceptions and change our way of living. She has felt like there is a missing vital flame in most the writings in today’s times. She explained how readers are now in search of books that offer their mirror way of thinking and help to reinforce our preexisting beliefs. She explored how literature is changing and how love, grace, wisdom is vanishing quickly. There is a dwindling in congregations and how many people are gathering together. She explained how she left a nondenominational church after some leader in another state declared that COVID-19 was an answer from his own personal prayer that God would bring down punishment. She shared how writers and readers need to recover what has been lost to catch the new flame and to get their fire back. 

She explained how inspiration occurs and how gratitude has immensely helped her. She realized that this helped her with the very first blessing and it will help her to improve for hopefully a second one. This is an act of an inward response of thankfulness when we receive an idea or a new solution to our writing. She opened up about how she had an experience on working on first draft of her novel. She felt led to stop and to instead focus on another story that was demanding her full attention. She admitted how normally it takes her four drafts with hard editing and this time it was like she was being pulled into the way she should go. She learned to give thanks for this rare occurrence from her Creator. She explained how each artist is able to choose if they will grow their living story and it take them through pleasant and unpleasant tasks and we can freely receive the gift or refuse it. We have to be open to listening to the voice that instructs us to write when we need to write. She clarified how critical is to have the mindset we are called to serve others with our writing and not believe we should be the ones who are served. 

I would recommend this inspiring book about creative and how writing has dramatically changed over the years. She has a unique way in describing the writing process and illustrating how their is a lost flame and art to good writing. She believes most of the writing now is missing the craft and language of the past. One of the most interesting things, she shared was how in 1895, J.B. Wise was found guilty of mailing out obscene materials containing Isaiah 12:36 and he was fined $50 dollars for doing so. I liked how she explored how Christian writing has also changed and how we have lost the truth and the love of Christ. This book is geared to help readers to read and write more deeply and being honest with themselves. 

I received this book free from Worthy Publishing for my honest review.”

 

 

 

 

 

If you would like to purchase a copy, check it out on Amazon.com:

https://www.amazon.com/Break-Blow-Burn-Make-Thoughts/dp/1546005498 

Why I Believe: A Psychologist’s Thoughts on Suffering, Miracles, Science, and Faith by Dr. Henry Cloud Book Review

In Why I Believe, Dr. Henry Cloud is a personal book about part of his life mixed with what he believes on suffering, miracles, science, and faith. He shared in the book at the young age of ten years old. He was at a camp in North Carolina and he felt a sharp pain in his soul. It was a lightly Christian camp and he felt a calling to the Creator. He explained an illustration of a judge condemning us for our sins and crimes. Jesus stands up telling the judge to spare us and He would instead take our fines. This is to convey how Jesus tried for all of our sins and mistakes and He paid in on the cross. This is the first time he felt the presence of God and His love for him. He shared his up bring and how his parents displayed their faith in God and how this influenced him. He also shared how at four years old, he was sitting in Sunday school when he leg began to hurt badly. He would be screaming in pain for hours and he has to be hospitalized. They did lots of test and blood work. He admitted to feeling very afraid and alone. They considered amputating his leg. He explained how his mother heard a voice that told her to leave now and take him to another hospital. His new doctor knew right what the disease was and it affected his hip and he would have to remain in a wheelchair. He then realized that God intervened on his behave with his parents faith. He felt very different from others and he struggled with being normal.

When he was better, he decided to jump into sports especially golf. He played through the pain for two years until he had to give it up at age 20. At this time, he also gotten broken up. He struggled with depression and feeling like a complete washout. He lost his life purpose and started searching for a new path. He recalls being in his dorm room and being drawn to open his Bible and the page opened until Matthew 6:33 and how seeking first the kingdom of God and how all things will be added to you. He started searching actively for God and he turned to Him. He explained how people came into his life and helped him strengthen his faith. This helped to dramatically change his life with the help of mentors and friends. The depression finally went away. He was instructed by God to trust him and to follow him this led him into going after psychology. 

One of the chapters of course discussed what the greatest obstacle of all is. This how does a good God allow evil to exist and suffering. He like most have experienced lost and witnessed others and heard others who had gone through horrible events. He shared how everything is related to death and a separation from God. God gave us freedom from the beginning and we chose a different tree. We lost our disconnect from our Creator but still we had a path through the crucifixion that would save the world. If we want to have relationship with Christ, we have a chance to seek Him. He clarified how there is no answer on his side as to why we have to go through things. We have to have faith that Jesus knows better than we humanly do. Even when Jesus was dying on the cross, He asked His own dad why he had forsaken Him. He even explored cognitive thinking and psychology and how we can look at suffering in this way to see a different approach. 

I would recommend this life changing book to anyone who is wondering what a psychologist thinks about science, faith, suffering, miracles, and much more. I immensely loved how he covered the entire spectrum of faith, doubts, and what his own personal beliefs are. I thought he did a wonderful job is going through details about what psychology has taught him and influenced his Christian beliefs. I really enjoyed hearing from a psychologist approach to faith and suffering. I appreciated how transparent he was in reading about his thought and learning more about his background and how he came in know Christ and how it changed and grew over the years. One of my favorite sections was on that he shared how psychology aligned with things that are also addressed in the Bible and this enclosed an entire list that breaks it down for readers. This book will assist readers into growing deeper in their questions and faith. 

I received this book free from Worthy Publishing for my honest review.”

 

 

 

 

 

If you would like to purchase a copy, check it out on Amazon.com:

https://www.amazon.com/Why-Believe-Psychologists-Thoughts-Suffering/dp/154600341X/

7 Lies That Will Ruin Your Life: What My Journey from Porn Star to Preacher Taught Me About the Truth That Sets Us Free by Joshua Broome Book Review

In 7 Lies that Will Ruin Your Life, Joshua Broome explored the lies that we are believing and how they can destroy us, if we let them. He shared how he was once a famous porn star who went by a different stage name, Rocco Reed. When he was out in public, he would often get recognized. He made over a million dollars. He was nominated for 18 awards and won Best Male Star three years in a row. He went into detail about when he felt his lowest and hit rock bottom. He experienced a wake up call that changed his entire life. He had just finished filming a scene in Atlanta. He was dealing with the effects of erectile function medication. He contemplate how many pain pills he could take to end his life. He recalls separating them into four groups on three. He still had his paycheck in his pocket from the film. He glanced at the check and felt shame and he didn’t want his mother or brother having to see the website’s name when they found it uncashed. He had planned to avoid the bank teller like he normally does. Today, he chose to interact. The teller asked him he was okay. She called him by his real name, Joshua. This made him feel seen. He realized that he ran from everyone and was numb from sex and fame. He explained how when he was a kid he loved attention and he chased after momentary success. He was changed by Jesus and now he is a speaker who shares his testimony. He has even tried to get the government to enact the Protect act and this would require government ID to be required to access porn. Also, he has tried to get a bill to allow performers to retract their consent at a later date and the videos would have to be removed.

One of my favorite chapters discussed imitation intimacy and how suicide rates are increasing and it’s top leading cause of death. Gen z is now also being referred to as the loneliness generation despite us being more connected with social media and phones. He clarified how scriptures even state how man isn’t supposed to be alone. This has lead to porn to becoming more socially acceptable. He had difficulty in getting close to others because of fear of his past being brought back up. He explained the difference between lust and love and how his wife helped him to discover what love is. He shared how he grew in intimacy with God and reveals how we can to. 

I would recommend this life changing book to anyone who is dealing with the effects of watching porn and they are seeking to change their lives around. I liked how each chapter enclosed a prayer, a personal declarations, scriptures reflection. All of these helped in connecting the lessons together and providing us with the courage to battle the lies. I immensely liked reading about Joshua’s story and it was telling in revealing the negative impacts of the porn industry. It was inspiring to read about how Jesus forever changed his life and he found true freedom.   

I received this book free from Faith Words for my honest review.”

 

 

 

 

 

If you would like to purchase a copy, check it out on Amazon.com:

https://www.amazon.com/Lies-That-Will-Ruin-Your/dp/154600565X/ 

Excellence by Joel Osteen Book Review

 

In Excellence, Joel Osteen encouraged readers to be people of excellence and to follow God with great character and integrity. Mediocrity is being more popular and people prefer to do the bare minimum to just get by. We would rather be average. Some may even be slacking off or arriving late to work. He instructed us to not follow the crowd and to take pride into our own work. Joel explained how instead God has called us to be above and to be people of excellence and integrity. In the work setting, we should be a model employee for our company. We should be on time, have a great attitude, and going above and beyond. The new trainee should be able to look up to us for guidance. Scriptures even declare how if a solider tells us to carry his gear for one mile we should instead carry it for two and be good steward. Joel even went on to share how he chooses to rewatch his online services. He personally helps his video editor to edit his sermons before they are broadcasted on TV. He studies each one to see what he could improve on and also the lighting and camera angles. He doesn’t want people to become stagnant. In the book, he reminded readers that they represent God and should be people of excellence. This applies to our appearance and work ethic. This book is a small compact book with a  mixture of some of the material found in You Can, You Will, The Power of I Am, and Break Out. 

One of my favorite examples he used was about a young man who had a dream of being a professional football player. He did well in school and performed great at the sport. He was just a little shorter than the coaches thought he should be. They didn’t think he had what it took in college sports. He went to a junior college and worked delivering pizza. He quit football completely. He delivered it one day to a family and a ten year old boy asked him why he was delivering pizza. He thought about the boys comments and then he got his motivation back and started training again. He gained about 70 pounds and grew stronger. He tried out for a major university and worked his way up to a star player. He went on to become an NFL player. Joel asked readers if they had settled for less than God’s plan for you. He explained how we are created to be the head and not the tail. We need believe that we are well equipped to handle whatever we need to do. 

Another impactful story was about a professor who was handing out tests for his students. He decided to provide with a special incentive as their last test. They could hand in the test and get an automatic C and they wouldn’t have to take the test. About half of the test opted to take that route. The rest of the students were given the test and he encouraged them and told them he was proud of their hard work. When they flipped over the test, it told them they made an A. Joel instructed readers to be the second group and to strive for excellence. The A’s would have been worth the risk if they would have only believed. 

I would recommend this book to anyone who is seeking encouragement and they are ready to have a spirit and mindset of excellence. I appreciated how real he was in sharing how we shouldn’t be settling for less than God’s best. We need to be on time at work and having a positive attitude that we are working for God. He encouraged readers to not slack off and to focus on work when we are supposed to be working. We can choose to not settle for mediocre instead we can go above and beyond. He shared how he picks up trash he finds in his church and how we don’t need to become so big that we don’t help others. I really enjoyed how this book was a compilation of three of his different books and it’s very easy to study the principles enclosed in this book. 

I received this book free from Faith Words for my honest review.”

 

 

 

 

 

If you would like to purchase a copy, check it out on Amazon.com:

https://www.amazon.com/Excellence-Joel-Osteen/dp/1546007563 

Connect to Your Calling by T. D. Jakes Book Review

In Connect to Your Calling, T.D. Jakes has written a brand new book about discovering your calling. He share the hidden truth that each of us hold the key to our own calling, purpose, and sense of fulfillment. Instinct is the key. He explained how he has met many people are unfulfilled and how they hate going into work every day. They don’t know their calling. He looked at instinct and how our creativity, resourcefulness, knowledge all work together to provide us fulfillment. He encouraged us to take inventory of what’s inside us first. He used a lot of animal references throughout the book to get his message across. He explained the role of cages and how they still choose to lock the cages at the zoo. It’s mainly because animals are drawn to the wild even though their needs and food is provided for them and they have it made inside the cage. He compared this to a role of an entrepreneur. He shared how he had to choose to move to Dallas and how God instructed him to move their and buy a church property and built a church. He admitted how he hasn’t ever regretted moving to Dallas. He discovered his calling. 

One of my favorite stories was about what he witnessed when he toured Nike’s headquarters. One of the displays had a tennis show stuck in a waffle iron. Phil Knight and Bill Bowerman teamed up and created a new sole for better running and it was inspired by a waffle iron and they were able to follow their instincts. They were able to come up with a concept for a brand new shoe. This story was very inspiring. 

I would recommend this awesome book about our calling to anyone who is questioning their path. This book will provide readers with the tools to search out what God has for them. This book is a small compact book to make it easier for readers to study the principles. 

I received this book free from Faith Words for my honest review.”

 

 

 

 

 

If you would like to purchase a copy, check it out on Amazon.com:

https://www.amazon.com/Connect-Your-Calling-T-Jakes/dp/1546029354/

I Hate Job Interviews: Stop Stressing. Start Performing. Get the Job You Want by Sam Owens Book Review

In I Hate Job Interviews, Sam Owens tried to help readers to land their interviews well and to help you get the job you are wanting. He realized that many people had interviewing and they stressed when they are faced to play the dreaded winner takes all game. There are no do overs. He explained how he entered business school and he had high hopes in landing him a good job. He had a good resume and worked for a well known consulting firm. He shared how he interviewed and tried to intern at top business places and had quite a few rejections. He did eventually get on with a top food company. They did one interview with him and typically there conduct multiple rounds but they were in a bind to get an intern quickly. He studied how to improve his own interviewing style and created comprehensive lists of possible questions. He learned the master of tailoring each answer no matter what style he faced. In 2015, he shared his techniques online via LinkedIn. This has led him to now writing a book about it. 

The first big key lesson he teaches readers is that we have to first believe in yourself. You need to believe that you are an excellent candidate. He helped readers to build their confidence. Interviewing is a learned skill and anyone can learn how to do it. He encouraged everyone to give themselves ten hours to prepare. He also shared how the shy person is able to formulate answers to the questions. They need to learn to show more enthusiasm. He also taught readers the SPAR model and this will help you to provide better stories and the SEE model to answer truthfully the questions about you. 

This book was very helpful to me in reading about how to interview and the principles he included was life changing. I liked how the teach readers the SPAR model and he walked readers how to offer a compelling result and the actions we took to bring about a result. He referred to it like a Disney movie and we have to walk our interviewees through a compelling story. He enclosed a few examples on how to do just that and how that will assist us in displaying our skills. I appreciate how he looked at behavior style questions, knowing yourself questions, answering the strength and weakness, and much more. I plan to use these next time I interview. 

I received this book free from HarperCollins for my honest review.”

 

 

 

 

 

If you would like to purchase a copy, check it out on Amazon.com:

https://www.amazon.com/Hate-Job-Interviews-Stressing-Performing/dp/1400245893/