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Books I Love

Meet Stanley the Cat

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I just wrote a book review on my cat blog and I wanted to share the book with you as well. (You can click through the link to learn more about this delightful book.)

Lessons from Stanley the Cat: Nine Lives of Everyday Wisdom is the little book in question. Basically, this book is a loving tribute to the author’s cat, Stanley, served up with endless warm humor and love.

You might think this wouldn’t be a “fit” for Self Help Daily, but – to be fair – you aren’t familiar with Stanley yet.

This book is a clever collection of lessons we can learn from cats. As a cat lover who has been surrounded by incredible cats her entire life, even I never fully realized all they have to teach us!

Below is one of my favorite “lessons.”

Do not be intimidated by bigger people or creatures. Be amused by them, and let them know that your curiosity is more powerful than their size.

People who carry big sticks and stomp loudly are usually trying to cover up for some major sense of inadequacy. You are not your physical size; you are the size of your character. When you are around people or creatures that make a huge point of demonstrating their physical proportions or material largesse, simply be entertained or even amused by their exaggerated performance.

If you can enjoy their inflated self-importance, they will probably relax because you are accepting them and making them feel secure. Then you might get a word in edgewise. – Page 35, Lessons from Stanley the Cat: Nine Lives of Everyday Wisdom

I love the way the author (Jennifer Freed) words that: “physical proportions or material largesse.”  So many people do love to try to lord over others by emphasizing the size of their body or bank account. While they can drive you crazy and sometimes make your blood boil, she and Stanley make an excellent point.  What if they emphasize these traits so strongly – and often exaggerate them – because they fear that it’s all they’ve got?!

The book is filled with wisdom like this, accompanied by some of the most adorable illustrations you’ve ever seen in a book. I highly recommend this one. HIGHLY!

Seduction is just the practice of artful stretching.
Never let people know how fast you are. Appear slow in all things, and less is expected of you. When someone is on the computer too long, help them by distracting them, or walk lightly on their keyboard.

So advises Stanley, a remarkably astute cat with a keen eye for the important things in life. Perhaps you don’t have time for yoga, can’t afford therapy, or wouldn’t dare cry to mother. If so, let Stanley be your guide. Lessons from Stanley the Cat offers wise and witty maxims from Stanley himself, translated by his doting psychotherapist (human) parent, Jennifer Freed. Whether you’re a cat lover or prefer companions of the canine variety, Stanley’s warmth and insight are sure to brighten even the grayest days.

Lessons from Stanley the Cat: Nine Lives of Everyday Wisdom would make a perfect gift for cat lovers in your life.  It’s a very, very fun little book and surprisingly insightful.

Then again, how could it not be? It’s Stanley after all – he’s the cat’s meow.

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


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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Inspirational Book Review: The Essential Guide to Prayer by Dutch Sheets

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The Essential Guide to Prayer by Dutch Sheets
The Essential Guide to Prayer by Dutch Sheets
I read as often as fat cats think about eating. During the winter, I really give them a run for their money. My favorite books to read, understandably, cover my favorite subjects: God, the Golden Age of Hollywood, cooking, cats, birds, angels, American history, Ancient Egypt, writing, baseball, the Golden Age of Television, preventing Alzheimer’s, nutrition, the Civil War era, and Bigfoot.

What can  I say, I’m all over the place.

Inspirational books have a special place in my heart, for obvious reasons. I mean, can we ever get enough inspiration. I’ll go ahead and answer that… heck no.

The most recent Inspirational book I read was by a favorite author, Dutch Sheets. Is that a great name or what? He was born to be either a movie star, author, politician, or baseball player. I’m not sure about his other skill sets, but I’m going out on a limb and saying he chose wisely.  While I’ve read several of this author’s books, I’d count him among my favorite authors if this particular book, The Essential Guide to Prayer , was the only one I’d read.

It’s that special.

“Your prayers and mine can make a difference. We must become convinced of this. Our prayers can be irresistible to God and indefensible to Satan. That’s pretty strong language, isn’t it? Do I believe it? Yes, and so can you.” – Page 39

If you were to observe me as I read a book (not exactly must-see entertainment, mind you), you’d be able to tell how special a particular book is by my behavior. When a book is extra special, I take notes that’d impress any college professor. When the book is extra extra special, I will also frequently close the book and just sit and think about what I’ve just read.

With this particular book, I discovered a third level of special… the extra extra extra special level. On this level, I photograph passages to send to my daughters along with heart and praying hand emojis.  All the while knowing I’ll be passing the book along to them to read as well. At least they get the emojis this way and, trust me, my emoji game is strong.

From the Back Cover:

Life-Changing Teaching On the Simplicity of Having A Powerful Prayer Life

A prayer life with God isn’t complex, but sometimes not knowing how to start can be enough to make a person turn away altogether. In The Essential Guide to Prayer you’ll discover that the starting point is to find your motivation for prayer in the power of love by forming a solid relationship with God as Father and Friend. As Dutch Sheets lays the foundation for your motivation to pray, he challenges you to reflect with “Did you understand?” questions at the end of each chapter. Dig deeper into the core of your prayer life by learning to pray effectively both alone and in groups, and by persisting in prayer until you see God’s answers.

The Essential Guide to Prayer is a must read for anyone who is interested in improving their prayer life. This beautiful (and very, very funny) book will make you fall in love with prayer again. You’ll be more excited and anxious to pray than you probably have been in years.

Whether, like me, you’ve been praying for nearly as long as you’ve been walking or you’re relatively new to prayer, this beautiful book will do more than just inspire and inform you… it will ignite a fire within you to pray bolder, larger, and further-reaching prayers than you’ve ever dared to pray before.

Although I had been praying faithfully for too many years to count, about three years ago, I read a story on Guideposts.com about a woman who was a “prayer warrior.” The image of her sitting at her kitchen table praying squeezed my heart and I decided, then and there, that I wanted to be a prayer warrior, too. I studied Bible verses about prayer, read great Christian authors, and armed myself with as much information and inspiration as possible.

I wish I had this book years ago – the information would have right there in one beautiful place!

 

If you’re already a prayer warrior or simply want to improve your own prayer life,  I simply cannot recommend this book enough. It is a fast-reading, fascinating, eye-opening, and heart-stirring book and you will cherish every single word.  This book can take your prayer life to the next level and, as you can imagine, that can make a world of difference – not just in your own life but in the lives of countless others.

You’ll probably even take pictures of passages and text them to everyone you know.  Just don’t forget the emojis.

About the Author:

Doug Sheets is an internationally recognized author, teacher, and speaker. Based in Colorado, he travels extensively, empowering believers for passionate prayer and societal transformation. He has pastored, taught, and served on the board of directors of numerous organizations.

Find The Essential Guide to Prayer by Dutch Sheets on Amazon. This book is one you are going to love.

I received this beautiful book from Bethany House in exchange for writing a review. The thoughts, opinions, picture, and high praise are my own! ~ Joi (“Joy”)