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Praying for Your Elephant by Adam Stadtmiller (Review of an Amazing Book!)

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Praying for Your Elephant by Adam Stadtmiller

Praying for Your Elephant

I read A LOT of books… Spiritual books, Old Hollywood Biographies, inspirational books, Agatha Christie mysteries, American History books, Ancient Egypt books, cookbooks….

You get the idea. I’m almost always seen with several books in one hand, a caffeinated beverage in the other, and a cat (or two or three) in my lap.

I always have more than one book going at once – usually 3 or 5 because my interests are all over the place. Having said that, three genres are constant:

  • Agatha Christie (I read and re-read her and have one Hercule Poirot mystery going at all times)
  • Inspirational Book
  • Old Hollywood Bio

Agatha Christie is like playtime for my brain.. I simply love everything about her mysteries. Old Hollywood books are an absolute obsession – if I’m not watching an Old Hollywood movie, I’m lost in at least one biography. As for inspirational and Spiritual books – they feed my soul.

The book you see pictured here, Praying for Your Elephant, is one of the best books of any genre I have ever read. You read that right…. I loved it that much.

Have you ever heard of the phrase “Prayer Warrior?” I have considered myself to be a Prayer Warrior for many years. This simply means that I pray day and night with the fervency and determination of a warrior who is smack in the middle of the battlefield. I pray for my family, friends, people I read about, strangers, crazy drivers who run red lights, individuals I see prayer requests for, etc. With this much praying going on and with this much on the line, I need all the inspiration I can get! Naturally, the Bible provides the bulk of said inspiration, but God uses Christian authors to further inspire and motivate.

Prayer does the salvage work of raising the sunken treasure of our lives. – Praying for Your Elephant Page 57 

This particular author, Adam Stadtmiller, has written an extraordinary book and it has taken my prayers to a whole new level. I’ve always believed in asking God for all needs – from small to large and all sizes in between. However, this book has inspired me to go further. It takes the phrase “small to large” and asks, “Why stop at large? Aim for COLOSSAL!”

Elephant-Size Colossal!

From the Back Cover:

What If Your Biggest Prayers are Too Small?

Get ready to re-ignite, re-imagine, and repurpose your prayer life while experiencing great intimacy with God. This is an invitation to identify your elephants—to name, through specific and strategic prayers, the 100 most important and audacious petitions you can imagine. These are the elephants that—if answered by God—would be game changers in your life and perhaps the world.

By supersizing your prayers and daring to ask for the big things – your elephants – you will come to know God in a way you never have, even if His answers aren’t what you expect. Dive deep into the adventure that is the prayer-filled life!

Praying for Your Elephant starts off with a bang. The author guides you into a 40 Day Prayer Challenge: Forty Days to Praying for Your Elephants. He gives you 10 suggested “categories” to create to organize your prayers and all but dares you to pray big!

My take away from this section was to pray as big as the God we’re talking to. Again, COLOSSAL comes to mind.

The book provides a chart for these categories, or you can simply write them down on paper or (my own personal approach) in a Prayer Journal. Writing prayers down helps you to see, over time, which prayers are answered and which ones may take a little longer. I have also experienced something else in my prayer journal – sometimes your prayer changes as God guides you from one destination to the next.

“There is no way that Christians in a private capacity can do so much to promote the work of God, and advance the kingdom  of Christ, as by prayer.” – Jonathan Edwards

Praying for Your Elephant is available on Amazon and I, quite frankly, could not recommend it enough. I love to tell you about books that have the potential to change your life for the better… to help you open up a whole new world… to touch you in such a way that you feel empowered to do anything you set your mind and heart to!

This is such a book and I really hope you’ll grab your copy as soon as possible. You won’t regret it. ~ Joi (“Joy”)

Find out more by visiting Praying for Your Elephant!

About the Author: Adam Stadtmiller is lead pastor at one of the San Diego’s most historic churches, La Jolla Christian Fellowship. A regular contributor to Christianity Today’s Leadership Journal, he is also the author of Give Your Kids the Keys and Discover Your Kid’s Spiritual Gifts. Adam lives in Carlsbad, California, with his wife and two daughters.

Praying for Your Elephant Quote Graphic


Book Review: Defeating Dementia by Richard Furman MD

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Defeating Dementia

As of today (May 9, 2018), if you Google How to Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease, you’ll be given About 25,400,000 results. That means there are A LOT of people talking about Alzheimer’s (and Dementia) prevention and even more people looking for the information.

From the Inside Cover of Defeating Dementia:

Dementia. It’s one of the most dreaded conditions we face as we age. Many people claim they would rather be diagnosed with cancer than dementia or Alzheimer’s. What many don’t realize is that dementia is not a forgone conclusion as we get older. Our own lifestyle choices and habits can have a significant impact–for good or ill–on our chances of developing the disease. And that means there’s hope.

Drawing from the latest medical research, Dr. Richard Furman helps readers understand dementia and Alzheimer’s and shows them how to make three powerful lifestyle changes that can help decrease the probability of developing this disease. He explains how eating the right foods, exercising, and sustaining an ideal weight can dramatically reduce the likelihood of developing dementia in the first place, and even how it can slow the progression of the disease in someone who has already received a diagnosis.

When you’re talking about one of the most unkind and relentless diseases of our time, “hope” is a beautiful word, indeed.

When reviewing a book on the self help blog (or any other blog, for that matter), I think it’s always important to give a little information about the author. After all, if we’re going to invest in reading what they say… we should know why we should! Richard Furman, MD, FACS spent more than 30 years as a vascular surgeon. He is the past president of the North Carolina Chapter of the American College of Surgeons, Past president of the North Carolina Surgical Society, and two-term governor of the American College of Surgeons. He co-founded the World Medical Mission (the medical arm of the wonderful “Samaritan’s Purse“) and is a member of the board of Samaritan’s Purse. He is also the author of Prescription for Life and Your Cholesterol Matters.

About Samaritan’s Purse:  Samaritan’s Purse is a non-denominational evangelical Christian International Relief organization. The author’s proceeds from Defeating Dementia will be donated to Samaritan’s Purse for World Medical Mission to assist doctors serving at mission hospitals abroad.

Defeating Dementia gives a clear and concise overview of Dementia (including Alzheimer’s Disease) – broken down in terms we can all understand… and, as you’ll see when you read the book.. understanding the disease is pivotal in preventing the disease.  There are, in fact, quite a few things we can do to tilt the odds in our favor – That is where hope comes in.

There are four distinct parts of Defeating Dementia.

  1. Understanding Dementia, The Stages of Alzheimer’s, & The Brain, Imagery, and Testing
  2. The Aging Process and the Health of Your Arteries
  3. The Risk Factors for Developing Alzheimer’s Disease (such as high cholesterol, being overweight, having high blood pressure….)
  4. Lifestyle Choices for Defeating Dementia (covers diet, physical activity, and other areas you probably haven’t even considered)

Each of the four sections are packed with valuable information and advice which is, again, presented in a very clear and concise manner. The book is very enjoyable and “reads” very fast – in fact, you should make yourself slow down every now and again to make sure you don’t miss anything. Mental fitness is one of my biggest passions in life, so I actually took notes along the way.

From the Back Cover:

In the fight against dementia, the most powerful player is you.

“While many books have been written about individuals with Alzheimer’s, none has so seamlessly connected the disease biology, the patient experience, and the preventative science as Dr. Furman does so skillfully. Dr. Furman’s work will serve as the definitive guide on preventative measures to decrease one’s chances of developing Alzheimer’s dementia.”–Senator Bill Frist, nationally recognized heart and lung transplant surgeon, former US Senate majority leader, and chairman of the executive council of Cressey and Company, from the foreword

“I had always thought that there was little one could do to prevent or slow the symptoms of Alzheimer’s. However, in this amazing book, Defeating Dementia, Dr. Richard Furman explains in an easy to understand and detailed way that there are actually things you can be doing right now to decrease your odds of developing Alzheimer’s dementia. This book can change the way you live. It can give you a new hope and practical steps to deal with–and even help prevent–Alzheimer’s.”–Franklin Graham, president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and founder of Samaritan’s Purse, from the foreword

“Dr. Furman has created a unique book for the public–one that synthesizes decades of research on the prevention and early treatment of dementia into understandable chunks and practical advice. Pairing the science with personal story provides immediacy, underscoring that this advice is not just a good idea, it’s crucial and matters now.”–Dr. Richard Ackermann, director, Hospice & Palliative Medicine Fellowship, Mercer University School of Medicine

Defeating Dementia is available on Amazon and I highly, highly recommend you click through and take a closer look.

Hidden Treasure: How to Break Free of Five Patterns That Hide Your True Self

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Hidden Treasure

I was recently sent a copy of Hidden Treasure: How to Break Free of Five Patterns That Hide Your True Self, in exchange for telling my readers about it. While this isn’t the sort of book I normally read, it doesn’t mean that it isn’t the sort of book you could very well enjoy. That’s the amazing thing about books, one person can read the intro of a book, toss it aside and never think twice about it while another person can devour the same book in one sitting and wonder how they ever lived without it!

That’s pretty much why I’ve gone ahead and written about books before that didn’t float my boat… because I know that my boat isn’t your boat.

 

Hidden Treasure: How to Break Free of Five Patterns that Hide Your True Self is written by Alice McDowell, PhD, a counselor in private practice, retreat guide, and co-founder of Light on the Hill Retreat Center, as well as the founder of the Hidden Treasure Program (a 3-year training in personal and spiritual growth).  A professor of religious studies at Ithaca College for eighteen years, she now facilitates groups devoted to inner work.

Book Description: Do you long to live a more authentic life but feel you might be getting in your own way? In Hidden Treasure, author Alice McDowell reveals five personality patterns that cause unnecessary suffering and block individuals from living a full and radiant life. These patterns can be so ingrained that they influence body shape and even who a person thinks they are. Through a series of exercises, compelling true stories, fun cartoons, and spiritual insights, McDowell offers individuals and groups an opportunity to learn about―and break free of―these patterns. She provides guidelines for readers to join or create a Hidden Treasure group for ongoing exploration. No matter a person’s age or background, Hidden Treasure can light the way to soften and heal these patterns―and restore your true self and spiritual identity in the process.

Hidden Treasure examines five personality patterns (“character structures”) – and teaches you how to break free of these patterns through effective exercises, compelling true stories, fun cartoons (I got a kick out of these), and insights to help you carve out a free, more radiant life.

This book is a complete study in the Psychology of Self-Awareness. I read a great deal of Spiritual and Christian books (a favorite genre) and honestly feel that trying to fit this book into those categories would be like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. While the description and author’s bio mention “religious studies” and “spiritual insights,” do not expect this book to be a Spiritual book or guide.  As I said, it’s more about psychology, self-discovery, and self-awareness.

You can read more about the author at AliceMcDowellAuthor.com.

You can find Hidden Treasure on Amazon.

Whisper: How to Hear the Voice of God by Mark Batterson (Book Review)

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Whisper by Mark Batterson

Whisper: How to Hear the Voice of God

As a book fanatic, I am completely in love with being in the middle of a great book. I carry the book with me everywhere I go – it gets a tour of each room of our house and it knows the flowers in the flower beds by name. It’s convinced coffee is it’s soulmate and wonders if all books spend time in the company of so much chocolate and so many cats.

Whisper: How to Hear the Voice of God (pictured above and below, with its soulmate near its favorite location – the flower beds) is the most recent book to get this special treatment.

I even carried it with me once to meet my daughters for lunch. I wanted tWhisper: How to Hear the Voice of Godo have it handy if I beat them there, so I could sneak in a little extra reading.

Whisper: How to Hear the Voice of God is by the wonderful best-selling author Mark Batterson. This book is not just a remarkable journey…. it’s one you cannot afford to miss.

“If we don’t listen to everything God has to say, we eventually won’t hear anything He has to say.” Mark Batterson, Whisper

This is not a book about hearing God speak as Moses did from the burning bush – although, if God chose to speak through any size plant to us, he certainly could, whether or not it was ablaze. The truth of the matter is, He doesn’t generally speak to us in this manner.  More times than not, the voice of God comes to us as… you guessed it, Whispers.

“The voice of the Spirit is as gentle as a zephyr.” – Oswald Chambers

{Continued Below…}

The best-selling author of Circle Maker, which helped over 2 million people learn to talk to God, now helps readers learn how to listen to God.

The voice that spoke the cosmos into existence is the same voice that parted the Red sea, and made the sun stand still in the midday sky. One day, this voice will make all things new, but it’s also speaking to you now!

That voice is God’s voice, and what we’ve learned from Scripture is that He often speaks in a whisper. Not to make it difficult to hear Him, but to draw us close.

Many people have a tough time believing God still speaks. Sure, in ancient times and in mysterious ways, God spoke to His people, but is He still speaking now?

Mark Batterson certainly believes so. And he wants to introduce you to the seven love languages of God; each of them unique and entirely divine. Some of them you might suspect but others will surprise you.

By learning to tune in to and decipher each language, you’ll be able to hear His guidance in simple as well as life-altering choices. God is actively speaking through: Scripture, Desires, Doors, Dreams, People, Promptings, and Pain. Batterson gives you the tools you need to unlock each of these languages.

God’s whisper can answer your most burning questions, calm your deepest fears, and fulfill your loftiest dreams.

Discover how simple it is to hear God’s voice in every aspect of your life!

He’s speaking, make sure you know how to listen!

{Continued Below…}

Whisper by Mark Batterson

Whisper: How to Hear the Voice of God (with its soulmate)

The truth is God uses a variety of methods to speak to us – sometimes it’s a whisper and sometimes it’s through someone else’s words. Other times, He may use situations, dreams, and/or closed doors.

As this wonderful book points out, God knows us inside/out. After all, he made us! He knows what type of approach will work with each of us. How He chooses to speak to me may differ from how He chooses to speak to you simply because we’re different.

God knows how each of us will interpret or respond to His messages. He has often used visual messages or imagery with me – I lean toward thinking that this means I’m more childlike than most. I imagine God telling His angels, “I’d better paint this one a picture…”

One thing is for certain, if God is trying to speak to you, you do NOT want to miss it and you do NOT want to make Him repeat Himself. As the author says, “God has an outside voice and He is not afraid to use it!”

Mark Batterson is an engaging author who is fascinating to read. He injects wonderful humor into his books, which is part of what makes them so difficult to put down. You don’t know what he’s going to say next.

I couldn’t possibly recommend this book enough. You can find Whisper: How to Hear the Voice of God on Amazon, along with other books by Mark Batterson.  This will quickly become one of your favorite book and he will quickly become one of your favorite authors.

~ Joi (“Joy”)

Note: I received this book from the Blogging for Books program in exchange for this review. The opinions are entirely my own.


Overwhelmed Writer Rescue: Boost Productivity, Improve Time Management, and Replenish the Creator Within by Colleen M. Story

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Overwhelmed Writer Rescue

I was recently invited to participate in a Review/Giveaway/Book Tour for the wonderful book you see pictured above, Overwhelmed Writer Rescue by Colleen M. Story. I jumped at the chance because…

  1. I want to add more books about writing to Self Help Daily.
  2. As a web publisher and blogger (with 8 blogs… count ’em, 8), I was pretty interested in the information, myself.
  3. My oldest daughter, Emily, is a writer and I knew this book could help her.

As you’d expect from a mother, the third one was the most appealing to me. Sorry not sorry.

But here’s the thing…. I absolutely loved this book cover to cover! Unlike some non-fiction books, this book read at a really fast pace. As writers and bloggers, we always appreciate that, right? The author has a captivating personality and it comes through each of her words.

While you can tell how much research she has put into her craft, it isn’t what sets this book apart from other writing books.

So, what does set it apart?

Author Colleen M. Story is, perhaps without even trying, incredibly encouraging. Yes, she is presenting a wealth of information (and wonderful tips!) and, yes, she gives her own experience from her side of the pen – but to me the most compelling effect of reading this book is the feeling you’re left with….. I can do this!

Seriously, could you ask for any more from a book?!

{Continued Below}

Embrace Your Life

Advice, Most Excellent from Overwhelmed Writer Rescue

Who Needs this Overwhelmed Writer Rescue?

Published Authors. If you are an author who has seen their work (book, e-book, article, poem) published, congratulations! That is an incredible accomplishment and I am sincerely proud for you. You know more than most how overwhelming the whole process is. This book is still for you, however. In fact, I whole-heartedly believe it could make the process easier the next time around.

You’ll pull out a lot less hair this time.

Future Authors. Okay, confession time. My own family doesn’t even realize this but I’ve had not just one but TWO books in limbo for a few years.  Somewhere along the way, life got the upper hand and the books just sort of sat there. I still believe in them with all my heart, I simply set them on the back burner because there was always something on the front burner demanding my attention. Like 8 blogs.

After reading the inspiring words of Colleen M. Story and taking killer notes as I read her book, I have figured out that this whole “back burner” scenario is a crock. When cooking, I use my front burners and back burners simultaneously. There is no either this or that. I don’t say, “Well, the fried catfish and okra are on the front burners, the potatoes and corn won’t make it to the table – after all, they’re on the back burners.”

Why does everything always go back to food with me?

Armed with outstanding advice and much-needed encouragement, I’m ready to roll up my sleeves and tackle my neglected books in limbo. Both of them – one at a time.

Bloggers. I have been a web-publisher and blogger for far too many years to count. One thing that has always frustrated me is the fact that, even though most of us writer literally every day of the week, we aren’t often looked at as writers.  That’s like looking at a carrot and saying it isn’t a vegetable because it isn’t as expensive as yams.

Again with food.

We are writers. We write. Therefore we are writers.

If you are a blog publisher, you will love this book to Starbucks and back. The information and inspiration are as much for carrots as they are yams.  Trust me on this, Overwhelmed Writer Rescue is as much for you as any other writer.

{Continued Below}

Put it all together

Book Description:

FIND THE TIME, ENERGY, AND CONFIDENCE TO MAKE YOUR CREATIVE DREAMS COME TRUE.

Do you feel like you’re always behind? Do less important tasks frequently flood your schedule and sink your creative motivation? Are you frustrated and out of touch with your inner artist?

After 20 years experience in the writing industry, author Colleen M. Story extends a lifeline to pull you out of the sinking swamp of “busyness” and back into the flourishing creative life you deserve.

Today’s demands on writers and other creative artists are overwhelming. Not only must you produce the work you love, but build and maintain a platform and market your finished products to the world—all while holding down a day job and/or caring for a family.

You teeter on the edge. What waits on the other side are burnout, exhaustion, and a complete loss of creative motivation.

“Overwhelmed Writer Rescue” provides practical, personalized solutions to help beginning and experienced writers and other creative artists escape the tyranny of the to-do list to nurture the genius within. You’ll find ways to boost productivity, improve time management, and restore your sanity while gaining insight into your unique creative nature and what it needs to thrive.

Ultimately, you’ll discover what may be holding you back from experiencing the true joy that a creative life can bring.

{Closing thoughts and a Book Giveaway are below!}

Colleen M. Story

About the Author:

Colleen M. Story has worked in the creative writing industry for over twenty years. Her novels include “Loreena’s Gift,” an Idaho Author Awards first place winner, New Apple Solo Medalist winner, Foreword Reviews INDIES Book of the Year Awards winner, Reader Views award finalist, and Best Book Awards finalist; and “Rise of the Sidenah,” a North American Book Awards winner and New Apple Book Awards Official Selection.

As a health writer, she’s authored thousands of articles for publications like “Healthline” and “Women’s Health;” worked with high-profile clients like Gerber Baby Products and Kellogg’s; and ghostwritten books on back pain, nutrition, and cancer recovery. She finds most rewarding her work as a motivational speaker and workshop leader, where she helps writers remove mental and emotional blocks and tap into their unique creative powers.

Colleen is the founder of Writing and Wellness (writingandwellness.com), a motivational site helping writers and other creative artists maintain their physical, mental, and emotional health and well-being throughout their careers. Sign up for your free weekly email containing tips for living your best creative life at: www.writingandwellness/newsletter.

To find more information on Colleen and her work, please see her website or follow her on Twitter. She loves to hear from readers—feel free to use the “contact” form on either her website or Writing and Wellness to get in touch with her.

In Closing… What Makes This Book Extra Special

I’ve put my finger on what it is that makes Overwhelmed Writer Rescue by Colleen M. Story EXTRA special and it’s simple. She doesn’t give tell you how to manage your time, awaken your creativity, and get things accomplished based upon what works for others – she guides you as you discover how to manage your time, awaken your creativity, and get things accomplished based upon what works for you.

That, as they say, is where the magic happens. We don’t improve in any area of our lives by mimicking what others do. We have to do what works for us, or it won’t stick. Through fascinating information and interactivity (which I love by the way), the author allows the reader to find what works for them, individually.

I recommend this book 110 percent. – Joi

Connect with the author: Website ~ Twitter

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