Emotional Intelligence Game Changers: 101 Simple Ways to Win at Work and Life by Harvey Deutschendorf Book Review

In Emotional Intelligence Game Changers, Harvey Deutschendorf has written a book to help readers to understand their emotions and to learn how to balance them. The book is in a simple form with a short chapter with bullet points, El exercise, and a quote broken down into 101 ways. He explained where the term emotional intelligence come from and it began with Aristotle. It is defined as, “skill of understanding and channeling our emotions, rather than letting them control us.” He shared how his father was an angry man and was rarely happy. They have to live on guard never knowing when he would get set off. His mother was the opposite and she was patient and loving. He grew up in a dysfunctional family life. This led to him to become guarded and afraid of criticism. He would withdraw and would be distant and at work he didn’t have the people skills. He explained how he read a book and worked hard on his emotions and he turned his work life around. He would get to know them on a personal level and help with extra work and this led to him getting promoted. 

 

 

One of my favorite chapters discussed the importance of recognizing awesome employees. They have discovered that potential new hires are looking for employees with good attitudes. This tends to be more preferred than their abilities, skills, or knowledge. One of the ways we can change is remembering to respect others and show them consideration. We need to be handling our emotions well and become a part of who we are. Another way is knowing when to speak up and ask questions with sensitivity. We must also refuse to ever say it’s not our responsibility and ignore trying to help others or doing additional tasks. Employees can also be open to finding ways they can improve the work environment. This EI activity was to begin your awesome gift card program and email another coworker a blessing and a gift just to thank them for their hard work. 

 

 

 

I would recommend this awesome book about emotional intelligence and this is a great tool for personal and business reasons. He has a main goal of helping you to learn how to manage them. I liked how he explored body language and how we should position our bodies and maintain good posture. I also liked how he explained the prominence of not taking things too personal in business. Our coworkers might have been upset at a spouse and taking it out at us at work. I thought it was really interesting how he described how loneliness in our workplace is worse than obese and possibly even smoking. He included helpful tips in creating an atmosphere where coworkers can connect also on a personal level and in turn become less likely to be lonely. I also connected with all the types to avoid at work that are toxic to our health. This will help readers to learn more about them and how to handle them. I thought he did an excellent job at trying to help readers especially in their work environment. This book would be a great read if you would take a tip a day and try to act it out in real life. 

 

 

 

 

 

"I received this book free from the publisher, Dexterity for my honest review.”

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

https://www.amazon.com/Emotional-Intelligence-Game-Changers-Simple/dp/1947297694/

 

Love Is the Point: 100 Days of God’s Love for You and How to Share It with Those Around You by Carlos PenaVega and Alexa PenaVega Book Review

 

In Love is the Point, Carlos and Alexa PenaVega has written a book on critical it is to remember and focus on love and share it with others. Love should be the main point of our existence. This book is divided up into short devotionals for 100 days. They both realized that fame and being a celebrity couldn’t ever be the most important aspect of their lives and marriage. They explained how they were forgiven by God and loved by him. They shared how they learned to love each other and love their friends. They also shared a lot on one of their best friend’s, Andrew and how he chooses to reach out to others anytime they need assistance and is active example of love in action. They shared how he asked them to start a Bible study in their home. Lex explained how she wasn’t looking forward to it at the time and didn’t want to host and invite a lot of people in their home. She eventually agreed to and it tried out to be one of the best decisions she ever made. They had Bible study, worship, and fellowship with about 50 other people. She explained how we need to create our homes as a welcoming place for others and we can show them hospitality. 

 

 

In the book, Los also opened up about his past struggles with pornography. When he received Christ, he began to feel led to give up this habit. God was calling in and instructing him to become more holy. He relied on the help of the Holy Spirit to help break this addiction. He suggested that readers find their one person who we fully trust and have them support us in our journey to let go. Lex also shared how she struggled with an eating disorder in her teens. Her own mother made a comment about Katharine McPhee and how when she revealed her own struggle with bulimia. She felt people would always judge her and she would forever be known as someone who dealt with bulimia. Her mother was just trying to protect her own daughter. But Lexa disagreed and knew she needed to acknowledge her secrets and bring them into the light. She shared how we need to share our deep secrets with someone we trust as we love in action task. 

 

 

 

I would recommend this awesome book to anyone who is ready to love stronger and learn to truly love others like Christ does. This book is extremely helpful for marriage couples to use as a devotional together. You could also benefit from it from being single it could help you to love in the future. Each day had a short story and a love in action task to complete. I especially loved the tasks and thought it immensely helped to live out love each day. There stories are very personal and they try to make the content relatable. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"I received this book free from the publisher, Thomas Nelson for my honest review.”

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

https://www.amazon.com/Love-Point-Share-Those-Around/dp/1400242770/

Flying Sideways: The Story of the World's Most Famous Stunt Pilot by Fred North and Peggy North Book Review

 

In Flying Sideways, Fred North opened up about his journey to become a professional stunt pilot. He has done stunt work on X-Men, several Fast and Furious movies, James Bond: Spectre, Mission Impossible, Transformers, and has been credited in over 200 movies. He was chosen to work on Extraction 2. He explained how they worked together to create the masterplan of landing a helicopter on top of a moving train and having it top off back guys right on top of the train. He shared how this led to him flying sideways for the epic scene. He also shared how he met his wife Peggy and how she helps him in his filming stunt career. 

 

 

 

In the book, he explained how he told his parents that he wanted to become a pilot and fly a helicopter. At first, he was going to try out for the military. He had to pass an IQ test, psychological evaluation, and pass the assess knowledge. He failed the psychological test and was told he isn’t logical and he wouldn’t ever be able to become a pilot. On the instructor test he passed it with a perfect score but it still wasn’t enough for them to accept them. He did try out for the army proper and the EMHM program and was able to focus on alpine and arctic warfare. He also opened up about his experience in this program and how he talked them into releasing them. He still wasn’t living his dream. He went into extreme details revealing how he became a pilot and his experiences and adventures he faced. 

 

 

I absolutely loved the cover design and the photos in the book. They all had a comic or superhero feeling to them. This is helped to lure readers all of ages into wanting to check out the book. I really enjoyed reading about all of his crazy adventures. It was interesting reading about how he refused to ever give up on his dream even when people didn’t support him. He bet the incredible odds despite being labeled a misfit who wouldn’t ever fly. I remember watching some of the scenes he was a part in and they were unbelievable action packed. You can tell he is very talented in his work and has cheated death a few times. This story will inspire readers to never give up on their own dreams. 

 

"I received this book free from the publisher, Dexterity for my honest review.”

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

https://www.amazon.com/Flying-Sideways-Story-Worlds-Famous/dp/1947297872/

When the World Breaks: The Surprising Hope and Subversive Promises in the Teachings of Jesus by Jason Adam Miller Book Review

 

In When the World Breaks, Jason Adam Miller has written a guide in helping readers to rediscover hope and that all is not lost in the world. The world around is hurting and breaking. We are still recovering from the side effects of a global pandemic and the politics are out of control. We are dealing with racial injustice, climate change, sickness, divorce, religion falling away. He shared a personal story of witnessing the violence in the Middle East. He heard of stories of families shot and killed. He went to Gaza and saw that every playground has a bomb shelter. They have 15 seconds to make it underground before the rockets will land. He saw a video of children being tear gassed. All of this led him to feeling hopeless and at the end of his faith. He passed by a church that contained engraved words and blessings on the steps. There were known as the Beatitudes. He felt an urgency to study them. In the book he explored all eight of the blessings referred to as the Beatitudes which are found in Matthew chapter 5. These included blessed are the poor in spirit, those who mourn, meek, people who strive for righteousness, merciful, peacemakers, just to name a few. 

 

 

 

 

One of my favorite chapters discussed mourning and how it can turn into praise. He shared a story about one of his friends named, Alex. They met in college and they were roommates with some other guys. One day, he saw his friends discover his calling and passion for life. He wanted to join a nonprofit that helped children who were exploited to become soldiers in Joseph Kony’s war in Central Africa. He travelled the world and helped others and found happiness. He eventually got married to Beth and they were expecting their first son. A few months went by and he received a phone call telling him that Alex committed suicide. He explained the grief he felt and heartache. He revealed how he was a part of his memory at the ocean and how he found healing. He compared it to finding the glory and praise in the pain. 

 

 

I would recommend this overwhelming book about the Beatitudes and the blessings that we can experience in scriptures. This book provided a new fresh look at the passages and they were very eye opening. We can learn a lot about Jesus and His teachings and the hope we can still reply on today. I really liked how open he was in his own struggled with clinical depression and even went into a psychiatric ward. He was dealing with childhood trauma and feeling despair. He also shared how he was able to connect more with God. I really connected with the Everyone an Icon story about Jenny and the Snotty Lady. Readers will really get a taste of how noteworthy it is to see the Divine in other people. This will be life changing if readers will begin to see God in others.  

 

 

 

 

"I received this book free from the publisher, Hachette Book Group/Faithwords for my honest review.”

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

https://www.amazon.com/When-World-Breaks-Surprising-Subversive/dp/1546003509/

 

Brindlefox by John Sandford Book Review

Brindlefox is a children’s book discussing the life of a fox and how this particular fox hated to speak to others. He hated small talk or any kind of talk at all. He didn’t like to have guests over or to invite people into his home. He wouldn’t clean his home and he let moss and ivy grow around the rooms. There were weeds and flowers everywhere. He refused to have any friends. He had a hard heart and was bitter on life. One day a small sapling grew on his back. This led to a big tree growing on him and birds loved to make nests in the tree and he hated this. A young heron decided to swing on his branches and he told him that he heard he never spoke. She kept coming back and taking brambleberries from his vine. One day he smelled pies that were freshly baked being left at his own house. He spoke and asked the heron why she would make him pies. The heron refused to not take no for an answer. She was determined to make the fox speak to him. This led to them to become friends and he experienced love and kindness. 

 

 

 

I would recommend this awesome children’s book with a powerful message of how a hardened heart can be turned around. At times, I think we can all related to the fox and how we want to shut the world out and just to be left alone. We might be experiencing pain or hurts from others and we think it is just plain easier to build up walls and ignore others. There is great healing when we choose to let kindness in and become friends with others. This is a wonderful book about helping others and learning to love ourselves and to love others. We all need to remember how to be a friend. I loved the wonderful pastel colors and it reminded me of nature and looked very storytelling in the colorful details. 

 

 

 

"I received this book free from the publisher, Hachette Book Group/Faithwords/Worthy Kids for my honest review.”

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

https://www.amazon.com/BrindleFox-John-Sandford/dp/154600372X/

 

Home is Calling: The Journey of the Monarch Butterfly by Katherine Pryor Art By Ellie Peterson Book Review

 

Home is Calling is a children’s book about the critical journey of a monarch butterfly and their travels around the world. Every fall monarch caterpillars hatch in the eastern United States and southern Canada. Then they travel over 3,000 miles to central Mexico for the winter months. The book covered how the fly and travel across the oceans and world during the different seasons. They are typically orange and black with incredible wings. They are all on a special quest to make it back home. The book enclosed the anatomy of a butterfly and had a helpful chart explaining what each part of the butterfly is. It also described the life cycle of a caterpillar to an adult butterfly and how long it takes them to complete the cycle. She explained the importance of milkweed and how this is a beautiful flower that helps them to survive. Since the 1990’s the monarch butterflies have encountered a vast decline in their numbers. They have become a member of the endangered species list in 2022. A big part in their decline is the view of the milkweed and how it is considered a weed and climate change. She shared how readers can help save them by planting milkweed. You just have to be careful cause it can harm other animals. You can also report and seek out ways to help through organizations. There was also a guide on the migration progress and their travels at the back of the book. 

 

 

 

I would recommend this colorful impactful book on butterflies to anyone who enjoys watching these beautiful creatures. It would be a great sadness if we lost them and they were no more. But there are things we can do to help them live longer and to have a home. It was interesting to read about the migration process of them and I loved how in depth they went in explaining it where kids can understand. I liked how they created a fun book showcasing their journey around the world and how they travel every year. I liked how they included the anatomy of the butterfly and how they tried to teach children some of the science behind their bodies and their live cycles. I also loved the illustrations and it was like watching the monarch butterflies fly right around me while I was reading the book.  

 

 

"I received this book free from the publisher, Hachette Book Group/Faithwords/Worthy Kids for my honest review.”

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

https://www.amazon.com/Home-Calling-Journey-Monarch-Butterfly/dp/1546003134

Gutsy: Learning to Live with Bold, Brave, and Boundless Courage by Natalie Franke Book Review

 

In Gutsy, Natalie Franke guides readers on how to live courageously and to have the drive to go after what you want. She begins her photography business at 18 years old. She also used it as a way to help her make money during college. After she graduated, instead of following in the degree she got she kept pursing her photography business. She explained how others viewed it is as simple hobby. She still chose to go after her business even when they judged her for doing so. She was riding high when the depression hit her. She shared how she dealt with the loneliness of entrepreneurship and she started to connect with others. They formed a community called Rising Tide Society. They would meet and connect and they grew to 75,000 members and help other businesses. She opened up about how she discovered the number one reasons business fail to begin is because of other people’s opinions. We all want to avoid criticism and the look of disapprove from others. This is meant to help readers to push past the fears of what others are thinking about us. She calls readers to become more gutsy and this means, “marked by courage, pluck, and determination”. This will provide us with the confidence to step out and become the person that we want to be. 

 

 

 

In the book, she also revealed her struggle with infertility and undergoing IVF. When trying for her second child, they tried three round and they all failed. She was tired of the disappointment they faced and all of the doctor visits and shots. She recalled how she asked herself if this failed would she still be able to live with that. It did end up working and she became pregnant. Throughout this process, she revealed how she had to learn how to be brave and handle all of the challenges. She provided some of the ways in which she learned to deal with the possible of failure. 

 

 

A powerful chapter she looked at was the thing about opinions. She used a fox story in her neighborhood to compare all of the posts her neighbors made on her community message group about the fox. Some thought it was dangerous and others not so much. She shared how popular the post was at first until it went into irrelevance. Everyone has opinions and they aren’t always facts. She used a helpful chart enclosed in the book to assist readers into writing down their inner circle. This is meant to help us understand why we care so much about what this person believes about us. She will help readers to discern what feedback we need to take inside our hearts and which to remove. Every year she encouraged readers to take an audit of the content around us. 

 

 

I would recommend this inspiring book to anyone is ready to live gutsy and be courageous to live their own lives. I really enjoyed the topic of center of attention and how people aren’t always thinking about us like we tend to believe that they are. It was interesting to read about the different studies regarding the spotlight effect. We think they are constantly thinking about our imperfections, mistakes, and flaws and judging. I enjoyed the study of Tom Gilovich and how one person wear an embarrassing shirt and how only 25% could even remember the shirt. I especially loved how she explained in detail about how she was embarrassed in school and looking back at it today. No one but her would remember it. Memories tend to fade. I also liked the discussion on easing the word, “just” and changing the way that we talk about ourselves. This book is an awesome resource to use to break free from seeking the approval of others and their validation. 

 

 

 

 

"I received this book free from the publisher, Hachette Book Group/Faithwords for my honest review.”

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

https://www.amazon.com/Gutsy-Learning-Brave-Boundless-Courage/dp/1546015469/

Flourish: Finding Purpose in the Unknown and Unexpected Seasons of Life by Grace Wabuke Klein Book Review

In Flourish, Grace Wabuke Klein explained how we can choose to see the hidden treasures in whatever seasons we are currently in. There is great purpose in our pain and in our darkest days. Throughout the book, she covered all of the season: fall, winter, spring, and summer. Fall is a time of release, winter is a time of unexpected challenges, spring is a time for new things to occur, and summer is everything is flourishing and growing. In the book, she explained her own darkest seasons. One of the big ones is her struggle with being single and not having any children. Like many people who are still single we are always being reminded constantly of a newly engaged couple and new baby on the way. She didn’t understand why God was making her wait this long to find a husband. She shared how at forty she just was sick and tired of being single. She was proudly servicing God and enjoyed being in full time ministry. She shared the different stages she experiences and the season of being single. It is extremely difficult to wait and trust God when we don’t see anything happening. Eventually, summer came around and she met her husband, Philip and got married at age forty two. 

 

 

One of the most powerful lessons in the book is the topic of trees losing their leaves in the fall. We don’t every see them trying to glue their leaves back onto their branches. They learn to let go where we can flourish. The leaves actually fall and decompose and provide them with nutrients to keep growing stronger. We can in turn allow the things we need to let go of to make us stronger. 

 

 

In the book, she also shared her challenges with being Black and how her parents and her were judged and told that they didn’t fit in at the church. The pastor wasn’t even welcoming and tried to get them to leave the church. She also shared a personal story about being overhearing a young boy asking his mother at the mall a very rude question. He asked why that little girl was dirty and didn’t take baths. He judged her by her skin being different and she explained how later she tried to wash off to where she wouldn’t be dirty any longer. She then relooked at what she would tell the young girl today. This story was heartbreaking but I liked how she spoke healing words into others who had negative comment spoken over their lives. This is just an incredible healing passage that readers need to let down into their spirits. She went into great detail about how we are a child of God and how we all need to know our true identity. 

 

 

I would recommend this breathtaking book about flourishing during the different seasons of our lives. I really liked Grace’s writing style and how real she was in sharing her experiences and challenges with trusting God while being single. This book would greatly benefit single people if they are looking for a book from someone else who has walked the same journey and didn’t give up. This book would also be wonderful for someone who is struggling with finding their purpose and following their dreams. One of my favorite things, she shared was about how she later asked God why he made her wait so long to get married. He told her would she rather have faith for two years or for two decades deep. Wow! I also enjoyed how she enclosed some of her journals during the different seasons and we got to see a glimpse into what she was feeling at that time. I also loved the ideas she completed for other marriage couples and singles to be a blessing to others while she was waiting. I really loved the birthday idea in sponsor a child who shares the same birthday as you and giving them a gift. This book will assist you in flourishing through the different seasons of your life. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"I received this book free from the publisher, Hachette Book Group/Faithwords for my honest review.”

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

https://www.amazon.com/Flourish-Finding-Purpose-Unexpected-Seasons/dp/1546004300/

You Can Live the Dream: Trading Disappointment and Discontentment for Peace, Joy and Fulfillment By Nick Nilson Book Review

In You Can Live the Dream, Nick Nilson has written his first book about how we can learn to start living our dreams. Many people know Nick as the associate pastor of Lakewood Church alongside Joel and Victoria Osteen. We need to stop focusing on what we do currently do not have and where we hope to be next. He shared how Paul stated how we are called to live by faith and not by our sight. He explained how living the dream can all come down to having the right perspective. We can have change how we are seeing our lives. We can learn to be content in whatever seasons we are facing. He chose to share a powerful example of taking his son Denver to fish for the very first time. They weren’t having any luck in catching any fish. They would bait the line with worms. Nick thought it was a super failure and he figured his son would hate to fish after that. Later, he asked his son how he enjoyed the fishing. He told him he loved drowning all the worms. He realized at that point that his son thought they were drowning worms. He used this to explain the difference in perspectives. His son had fun and thought it was a successful mission. Our perspectives can greatly impact how we view our lives and we can choose how we respond to it. He shared how we need to give His promises more attention than we do to our problems. 

 

 

One of my favorite chapters was about progress over perfection. We can choose to celebrate the small victories and the improvements we are making. He used the scripture story of the Israelites rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem. After they finally finished the foundation for the temple of the Lord. The priests celebrated and praised the Lord even though it wasn’t even finished yet. Celebrating the process while we are still going through the journey can make all of the difference. He opened up about how his wife, Summer has been battling vertigo for a few years. They believed it was caused from a plane ride. She has been to many doctors and tried different things to get free from it. She hasn’t yet been set free from vertigo. One day he was at church when his wife texted Victoria and told her that she was on her way and she was driving to church. She rarely drove because of the dizziness and anxiety she faced. His wife decided to do it afraid and when she made it into the parking lot. Victoria and him celebrated the small victory she experienced. He used this exampled to show us how important it is to celebrate the process and we can rely on the truth that God will complete His work and continue it until Jesus returns. 

 

 

Another prevailing story he included was about how he felt up a $100 dollar bill and asked the audience how much it was worth. He then proceeds to crumple it up and stepped on it and made it dirty. He then offered to give it to someone in the crowd. A college student eventually accepted it gladly and without any hesitation. He used this story to explain how the bill was tattered and dirty people still wanted it. He shared how people can’t change our worth and value. We need to see our value in that we are a child of God. He clarified how getting the bigger house, job title, getting married, and whatever else we think will increase our value. When the lights go down, none of that will truly matter. He also touched on the topic of comparison and we have nothing to prove to anyone else. 

 

 

I would recommend this awesome book about living our dreams to anyone is looking for inspirations. I loved reading about how Nick wanted to play in football and how his injuries led him into the path of becoming a pastor. This was a very impactful story about understanding the power of perspective and celebrating how far we have come. I liked how he shared how we can have blessing in the margins and building character and integrity. The book also discussed how to pick out our dream team and the qualities they need to have. There is tons of helpful scripture references and teachings that will ignite our faith present in the book. Readers will be able to connect with the stories and this is a book meant to be reread and put into practice. 

 

 

 

 

"I received this book free from the publisher, Hachette Book Group/Faithwords for my honest review.”

 

 

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

 

 

https://www.amazon.com/You-Live-Dream-Disappointment-Discontentment/dp/1546004661 

I Hope You Fail: Ten Hater Statements Holding You Back from Getting Everything You Want by Pinky Cole Book Review

In I Hope You Fail, Pinky Cole has a goal of helping readers to overcome all of the negative hater and going after our dreams. She shared how she started her multimillion-dollar business during a pandemic. She also tried to help readers in understanding the importance of fire insurance. Her first restaurant location burned down in a grease fire. The State of New York garnish her wages until she was able to pay back the entire $17,000 debt that was due. This heartbreak led her to founding Slutty Vegan. People judged her in naming her restaurant with the term slutty. She refused to give the name and the business she wanted to create around being vegan. She explained how her father was in prison right after she was born. He was sentenced for 30 years. This caused her mother to have to work extra hard to provide for her family. She described what all this taught her growing up. She also clarified how critical it is to deal with your low self-esteem. It can literally kill your business and cause it to fail. We tend to second guess ourselves and what our business has to offer our customers. She compared it to Beyonce and how she doesn’t doubt herself when she is recording and releasing an album that she will sell copies. She also explored the topic of looking at your team and taking inventory. We need to be around people who push us to our maximize potential. 

 

 

Another powerful chapter was about love and how when we own a business it makes us have to even be more careful about who we enter into a relationship with. She opened up on how she was sued after she opened her restaurant. The guy wasn’t really invested in her dream. He just wanted a quick cash out to become a part of her brand. She helps readers to ask themselves if the person they are currently with filling the vison they have of love. We need to know for a fact that if everything falls apart that they will be there for us. She strongly suggested readers to ask themselves if they have any unmet needs or daddy/mama issues that is affecting our love lives. 

 

 

I would recommend this awesome book on business and what tools we can use to grow our business. I really liked how she took a sturdier approach to making bold statements about how she hoped readers would fail because it will teach them so much more about life and business. Another impactful teaching is about dealing with negative voices and how we need to consider the source before we listen to what they are saying. I really appreciated the truth found in discovering the lie and applying the truth. This book was very knowledge and covered all the areas of our lives and the advice was all geared towards business lessons. 

 

 

 

"I received this book free from the publisher, HarperCollins Leadership for my honest review.”

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

https://www.amazon.com/Hope-You-Fail-Statements-Everything/dp/1400242851

 

You Gotta Get Up: Grab Hold of Your Life After Being Knocked Down, Held Back, and Left Out by Kimberly Jones (Real Talk Kim) Book Review

 

In You Gotta Get Up, Kimberly Jones helps readers to become unstuck in their rut and pain and to get up again and live their lives. She begins the book by describing how she chooses to look at pain, rejection, and sadness like it’s a disco ball. We can be broken into thousands of small pieces and somehow God can still cause us to shine. She shared how rejection is God’s way of taking someone out of our future. She explained how at 36 years old she had to move back in with her parents with her two young sons. She had no income and her marriage was officially over. She shared how she was traumatized by the incredible pain. She compared parts of her story to the Samaritan woman and how she was judged from being married five times and currently living with a man. She came to the well and met Jesus. He helped her to heal and have hope again. He provided her a solution to become unstuck in life. Kimberly explained how she felt betrayed and rejected as well. She was able to let go of her failure and she realized that her past didn’t hold any influence over her life. She was able to explore her own stuckness in life and figure out all of the labels that were defining her. She offered a new and special way to get free of our imprisonment. She encouraged readers to ask “and” when they are dealing with their fear. These included you got fired, lied about, got divorced. We can use the and’s to move forward. This was very powerful tool to use against worry and asking ourselves questions to overcome our negative voices. We can learn to remember that our identity is not found in whatever things that have caused our pain. 

 

 

 

 

One of my favorite chapters discussed how we need to stop living the lies that others have spoken over us. Many of us have fallen for and believed them, such as we won’t ever be loved, won’t succeed, and we aren’t good enough. If we fail victim to the lies and believe them, then they can become our reality. Instead, we need to care more about Jesus says about us. God is able to work everything out for our good. She explained how she turned all of her messes into our messages to help others. She explained how if we allow another person to control and determine our worth then this becomes like a modern-day idol. We must always remember that God thinks we are wonderfully made. 

 

 

 

I would recommend this awesome book about choosing to get up again and living your life to the fullest. I immensely loved how she included multiple different Biblical stories throughout the book to explain the message of the book. I liked how she enclosed a story in each chapter about how her message has changed their lives whether it be a podcast, speaking event, or Sunday message. She also included a declaration and a prayer to assist us in getting up. The most powerful lessons in the book that I related to was the label many of us wear every single day. We fall into the rut of hanging on to what people have spoked over us and the things we have gone through. It was astonishing to read about how she was able to find her own healing through the pain she faced in her life and surrender to God. 

 

 

 

 

 

"I received this book free from the publisher, Zondervan for my honest review.”

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

https://www.amazon.com/You-Gotta-Get-Up-Knocked/dp/1400241987/

Happy Mind, Happy Life: The New Science of Mental Well-Being by Dr. Rangan Chatterjee Book Review

In Happy Mind, Happy Life, Dr. Rangan Chatterjee has written a new book about happiness and how we need to get our mind right. He has been a doctor for over 20 years. He begins the book by encouraging readers to take a few moments and ponder a moment when they were truly happy. He then asked what happened to cause us to lose that happiness. He explained how people who make small health changes in their lifestyles have brought about great change in their overall health. He has helped readers to get better sleep and practice one minute breathing techniques. He has also helped readers to manage their stress levels and making small changes to their diets. Stress is a big part of what the doctor sees when they meet with patients every single day. He has witnessed how happiness has helped readers to become healthier when they have less stress. He shared a powerful study Professor Lauie Santos completed. He injected rhinoviruses up their nostrils and discovered that the ones who were happier had a less chance of being sick. When we are happier, we have more energy to work out, socialize, and avoid bad foods. He shared that we all need to tap into our core happiness. These consist of contentment, alignment, and control. It is a forever long journey in which we walk in every day. Luckily, we can work these muscles every day to grow in strength and increase our happiness. The book enclosed ten simple ways to obtain happiness and 20 exercises to assist you. 

 

 

 

I would recommend this book to anyone who is ready to become happier and they are tired of being burden down by stress. I immensely loved the different exercises to work on our journey to happiness. I thought they were very helpful and powerful to guide us. I loved the topic of learning to treat ourselves with respect and I think this will be very beneficial to readers. This book has the potential to help us to manage and control our stress. I loved the breathing techniques and how we can take the time to slow down and reflect. I enjoyed how he contained numerous studies and explored the science of happiness. 

 

 

 

 

"I received this book free from the publisher, BenBella Books for my honest review.”

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

https://www.amazon.com/Happy-Mind-Life-Science-Well-Being/dp/1637742118/ 

Life After God: Finding Faith When You Can’t Believe Anymore by Mark Feldmeir Book Review

 

In Life After God, Mark Feldmeir explored the topic of a faith and our doubts. He first opens up about a personal story about being in his seminary professor’s office. He pulls out a gun and points it at his chest. He then proceeds to ask him an important question if he believed in God. He then explained that it’s a finger gun. He shared how he has always been a Christian and felt the call to ministry. He then asked if he believes that God is all powerful and that he could stop a bullet from entering his body. This leads to a discussion about omniscience and God’s loving nature. He later shared how his 48-year-old father was diagnosed with terminal cancer. He was very real in opening about faith and living with fear. He compared it to a sudden downpour and how he struggled with a river of doubt. He strongly suggested readers to give permission for our doubts to exist and he explained how this could lead us to embrace what we might believe. 

 

 

One of my favorite stories was about the topic of what we are living for. His wife, Lori is a behavior interventionist for special needs children. She works with them to teach them how to communicate with children and express themselves in nonverbal ways. She was actively trying to assist with this one girl with her meltdowns. She was struggling with a way to connect with her. She would bang her head of the floor and she would refuse to engage. She one day heard her humming a song and she knew it was Kelly Clarkson’s “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)”. The girl would jump, dance, and spin when she heard Kelly’s music. He shared how we need to live with the mindset of the fullness of time and living like every moment matters. 

 

 

I would recommend this splendid book about faith and our doubts in a God we may no longer believe in. I really enjoyed how he explained the powers at work in the creation of our future and he broke them down into three key areas. It was really beneficial in learning about the power of shalom and living in the presence. Peace will greatly help us to find contentment. I immensely love how he described the presence of God and how we seek Him. He did a wonderful job at looking at faith and how to have faith when we are having trouble believing. I liked how this book contained a book club discussion guide and a small group study guide. 

 

 

 

 

"I received this book free from the publisher, Westminster John Knox Press for my honest review.”

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

https://www.amazon.com/Life-after-God-Finding-Believe/dp/0664268404/   

Just Jake: Sweet Travels Series Book 1 by Jaimie Engle Book Review

 

Just Jake is the first book in the brand-new series, Sweet Travels. It has also been recently released as a movie. The main characters are played by country artist, Rob Mayes and Brittany Bristow in the movie. Amber Gibson is an entrepreneur of her family’s restaurant Pop’s Place. She also working at the Lesson Center music school helping students with their gifts. The main character of the book is actually country superstar, Jake Collins. He had his first sold out performance as a headliner. When he was growing up, he used music as an outlet to deal with his parent’s constant fighting. His mother finally had enough and decided to leave. He became a musician and signed with Moose Records before he even graduated high school. They discovered him on TikTok. He was struggling in the studio and there was a disconnect with him singing the lyrics like he meant the words. He was encouraged to go home to his hometown, Lincoln. He really didn’t want to because of his abusive father and he made him feel less than. There was also an old romantic flame, Amber. They were dedicating the new performing arts center in his name. He would have to face his past and reconnect with Amber. She was very heartbroken when he left and choose to go after his musically dreams and forget about what they had. He also chooses to volunteer and help Amber with teaching the kids at the music school and getting them prepared to take the stage. This forced them to spend time together and reconnect.

 

 

 

I would recommend this awesome new series to anyone who enjoys country music, mixed with faith, and romantic. I liked the storyline of this book and how it touched on never giving up that hearts can’t be mended again. It was interesting to read about their struggle with forgiveness and healing and reconnecting after their broken hearts. I liked how the book contained a few Christian Bible verses throughout the book. God was still trying to reach him and reconnect with his heart. After reading this book, I’m excited to watch the new film that is already out. I really liked how they picked Rob Mayes for the role of Jake and I already have his music on my phone. It will be exciting to see how the book compares to the film and what was added and changed. 

 

 

 

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

 https://www.amazon.com/Just-Jake-Jaimie-Engle/dp/B0C5YXY675

Check out the trailer: