inspirational book reviews

Really Bad Girls of the Bible (Book Review)

August 18, 2016 by Joi Leave a Comment

Whether it’s on Self Help Daily or my mental fitness blog (Out of Bounds), I often harp on the benefits of learning new things. Of broadening your field of knowledge and opening your world to learning about new people, places, and things.

It’s mentally stimulating and fun to learn new things and my personal favorite way to go about this is by tackling subjects front-on. Throughout the year, I pick certain subjects from streams of interest and dive headfirst into learning everything I can about them. Each stream of interest has, of course, countless subjects to pull from.

For example, I LOVE history, so that’s a stream of interest I frequently fish in. Below are some of the subjects I’ve plucked from this particular stream…

Biblical History
Men & Women of the Bible
Revolutionary War
John & Abigail Adams
Abraham Lincoln
The Romanovs
Harriet Tubman
Civil War Battles
Ancient Greece
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Cleopatra
Thomas Jefferson
Etc…

Other favorite subjects are…

Roman Gods and Goddesses
Greek Gods and Goddesses
Cooking
Shakespeare
Animals
Birds
Flowers
etc…

As you can imagine, there is so much information about each that subjects like these are actually “ongoing” lessons. I can research any favorite subject throughout the year and bone up on my knowledge. In fact, I’ve read about the Romanovs, Ancient Greece, and Harriet Tubman each in the past three days.

A favorite subject that I read about daily is Biblical History and Men and Women of the Bible. Over the years, I’ve built up a darn good personal library and many of these books deal with Biblical history. The most recent book to join the collection is an instant favorite, Really Bad Girls of the Bible by Liz Curtis Higgs. This wonderful (wonderful, wonderful, wonderful) book is a sequel to the author’s classic Bad Girls of the Bible and What We Can Learn From Them.

As I’ve said recently, I’m on a one-of-a-kind roll when it comes to books and book reviews this year – so many wonderful books have passed through my hands this year and I couldn’t be happier or more excited.

Really Bad Girls of the Bible is just exceptional. It’s a wonderfully fun and entertaining book and the men and women of the Bible are brought vividly to life within the pages.

As I read through this beautifully written book, I was encouraged, enlightened, and educated. It’s a fun, eye-opening read that also frequently gives a gentle squeeze to the reader’s heart.

Whenever I read a book that causes that much bodily involvement, I seek out everything the author has EVER written! I strongly recommend you go to Liz Curtis Higg’s Amazon page and have at it – one book at a time.

Really Bad Girls of the Bible would be a wonderful place to start.

If you’ve made mistakes in your past (and you look human to me, so I’d say this is a strong, strong possibility) – this might just be a life-changer. The author reminds us that we all make mistakes and we are all undeserving of the free and all-encompassing love and forgiveness God offers us.

The journey this book takes you on isn’t just about the fascinating and colorful people you learn about through the pages, it’s also about the fascinating and colorful person flipping the pages. You might just say to yourself, “I’m not a loser and I never was. I fought my battles and I’m still standing.”

Like I said, life-changing.

{Review Continued Beneath the Gorgeous Cover}

“Popular storyteller Higgs takes a look at the vamps and tramps of the Bible, searching for the lessons these wicked women have to teach. Higgs retells these biblical stories with rollicking humor and deep insight as she teaches about the nature of sin and goodness.”
—Publishers Weekly

Ten of the Bible’s best-known femmes fatales parade across the pages of Bad Girls of the Bible with situations that sound oh-so-familiar.

Eve had food issues. Potiphar’s Wife and Delilah had man trouble. Lot’s Wife and Michal couldn’t let go of the past, Sapphira couldn’t let go of money, and Jezebel couldn’t let go of anything. Yet theWoman at the Well had her thirst quenched at last, while Rahab and the Sinful Woman left their sordid histories behind.

Let these Bad Girls show you why studying the Bible has never been more fun!

“When she was perfect, beautiful, and innocent, I found no toehold where I could connect with Eve. When she was tempted by her flesh, humbled by her sin, and redeemed by her God, I could sing out, ‘Oh, sister Eve! Can we talk?’”
—from Bad Girls of the Bible

Includes Discussion Questions and Study Guide

A Novel Approach to Bible Study
More than one million readers have already taken a walk on the wild side with Former Bad Girl Liz Curtis Higgs and her eye-opening blend of contemporary fiction and biblical commentary. Laced with humor, solid research, and heartfelt self-disclosure, Liz’s unique brand of girlfriend theology has helped women of all ages experience God’s grace anew.

This is a perfect 10 out of 10 and I hope you’ll grab a copy (Really Bad Girls of the Bible) immediately. This is one of the most fascinating books I’ve ever read. Period.

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

One of the Best Books of 2016 (or Any Year): Jesus Talked to Me Today

August 12, 2016 by Joi 2 Comments

Jesus Talked to Me Today, Compiled by James Stuart Bell

As I’ve mentioned before in my book reviews, I try to think of the first word (three at the most) that comes to mind after reading a book. After reading Jesus Talked to Me Today, one word was all I needed, “Breathtaking.”

When I received my review copy of Jesus Talked to Me Today, I began reading right away. Book worms don’t believe in patiently waiting, you know. I wasn’t into the book very far at all… I think I was, maybe, two pages in… when I realized that I had just embarked on a very special journey. An extra special journey. A potentially life-changing journey.

When you sit down to eat in a new restaurant, it only takes one bite before you know that you’d better settle in because you’re in the presence of greatness. The same can be said for an outstanding book.

After just one bite of Jesus Talked to Me Today, I knew I was in the presence of Greatness. Capital G.

Before I go further with the review, I want to show you something – we’ll call it Exhibit A. Take a look at the picture below…

Jesus Talked to Me Today

…. what do you see? Upon first glance you’d think it was a near-sighted St. Louis Cardinals’ fanatic who takes notes like it’s her religion caught mid-reading – and you’d be right, but there’s more to it than that. What it IS is a near-sighted St. Louis Cardinals’ fanatic who takes notes like it’s her religion caught mid-reading who had to take off her fogged-up glasses and put her book down, yet again, because she was so emotionally moved.

As Paul Harvey would say, “And that’s the rest of the story.”

I finally decided to snap a picture of what the experiences in this book kept doing to me for proof – foggy glasses and all.

Mind you, I’m not complaining. When a book moves you, magic happens. It’s as though little seeds of magic are planted within the pages, and by the time you’ve reached the last page – beautiful vines have sprung up all around you.

Not only did I have to pause multiple times, practically after each individual experience, to wipe my eyes (they kept getting something in them and that something was called emotion) – I also had to pause to let what I’d just read sink in. I paused after each author’s revelation to simply spend a little time with Jesus because He spoke to me through each author and it was a beautiful, beautiful thing.

It’s books like Jesus Talked to Me Today that made me fall in love with reading in the first place. It’s books like this that have the power to produce more book lovers. It’s books like this that could change the world – one person’s heart at a time.

From the Back Cover:

A Heartwarming Story Collection of Children’s Encounters with God, Angels, and Miracles

Children have a special place in Jesus’ heart. He said they are the greatest in the kingdom of heaven, and their angels continually see the face of God. Perhaps that’s why children seem to be more receptive to supernatural experiences than adults.

This new collection reveals how God works in the lives of these precious little ones. It contains the touching true stories of children who have heard Jesus speak, encountered angels, and experienced miracles. We could all use more childlike faith, and these stories "from the mouths of babes" will encourage readers to be open to hear from the Lord in a fresh, sweet, and pure way.

When I first began mentally mapping out my review of Jesus Talked to Me Today, I thought, “Oh, geez. I’m long-winded as it is, but this particular book review is going to take me 5,00, 844, 008 words to tell just how wonderful it is.”

The gift of exaggeration was bestowed upon me at an early age.

I spent 15 minutes trying to think things through…

Where do I begin?
How can I MAKE everyone read this book?
How do you describe that which cannot be described?
Where do I end?

I came up with these answers..

Begin with Breathtaking.
I can’t MAKE anyone do anything.
You can try, but you really can’t.
End with Breathtaking.

Yeah, the answers really didn’t move my world, either. But this book did. It, like other special books that I have had the pleasure, JOY, and honor of reading will be passed from one of my daughters to the next, to the next. They’ve been out of our home-school for quite a few years, now, but I will still tell each that it is “required” reading.

They’ll listen – and they’ll read the entire book just as their loving mother suggests – because they’re as beautiful inside as they are outside. They will also have to sit the book down multiple times and they will also find their lives changed for the better.

Now, dear reader, I may not be your mother (in fact, I’m pretty certain of that). However, I care deeply about you and want only the best for you. I want your heart to be touched, as mine was, by Jesus Talked to Me Today and I want that touch to reverberate in your life – for the rest of your life. I want the seeds of magic within these pages (watered by joyful, salty tears) to grow a beautiful vine that’ll wrap lovingly around your life.

Our world is pretty chaotic right now. In fact, sometimes it’s downright horrifying. Sometimes I turn the news on and turn it back off so fact I worry that my remote control will blow a fuse (or do they even have fuses?). Ugliness abounds.

Short story about that – Once my husband, three precious daughters, and I moved into a small home that had, possibly, the ugliest master bedroom of all time. I kid you not, the wallpaper was dark blue with HUGE, overzealous flowers painted everywhere. The window was kind of crooked-looking, the carpet didn’t match the wallpaper (what would?!), and even the closet was homely.

We were renting, so I couldn’t rip the wallpaper down – which is what every instinct in my body demanded. Painting over it would have been a waste of time – paint hasn’t been invented that’d cover those neon flowers. All of my bedroom decor, including my bedspread, pillow cases, etc were a beautiful mauve and pale blue color. They clashed with the wallpaper in a manner that made me ill.

I decided to switch all of our bed’s wardrobe to a beautiful, bright white. I bought two pillows that were dark blue, like the you-know-hideous. White lacy drapes went up. I sat a vase of flowers on a table and always tried to match the flowers on the wall to the flowers in the vase – as close as was possible, that is.

It actually became one of my favorite bedrooms I’ve ever had.

The addition of beauty calmed the presence of ugly.

That’s something we have to be especially mindful during times like this. If the only input we have is ugliness, cruelty, lying, and terror – we will live inside of a life far uglier than that poor room.

We have to add as much beauty, kindness, goodness, and love as possible.

The addition of beauty calms the presence of ugly.

I cannot make you read this book which… if we’re being honest.. makes my heart scream, “Doggone it!” in a thick Kentucky accent. All I can do is tell you the effect it had on me – which I’ve tried to do – and lovingly tell you that the next book you need to read is pictured below.

In all its breathtaking wonder.

~ Joi (“Joy”)

Jesus Talked to Me Today

8 Keys to Practicing Mindfulness: A Few Thoughts About a Very Special Book

August 5, 2016 by Joi Leave a Comment

8 Keys to Practicing Mindfulness: Practical Strategies for Emotional Health and Well-beingAs I said in a recent post on this very self help blog, I don’t like to repeat myself… hearing myself once is plenty enough, when my thoughts and words start going through syndication, I sort of tune out. Having said that, one word I do say again and again is mindfulness.

I was recently sent a great book to read that also has mindfulness on its mind a great deal – 8 Keys to Practicing Mindfulness by Manuela Mischke Reeds. This is one of those self help and inspirational books that reads in a manner you can only describe as lyrical. The text is both wise and beautiful at once and it makes for a very relaxing, introspective, and… well… lovely journey.

Learning how to pay attention to the present moment.

Becoming mindful is about the small, everyday things such as pausing to take a breath before you drive off in a hurry or considering the food that will nourish your body before a meal. Or it can mean checking in with yourself before responding to a challenging email or text.

Every moment of our lives can become an opportunity to practice mindfulness. This book will invite you to sharpen your awareness and ask yourself with more frequency, “What do I notice right now?” or “How do I need to respond or be with this situation?”

These seemingly tiny moments of noticing yourself can have a major impact on your life as you learn to track habitual patterns and awaken to change. Practicing mindfulness is not about being better by figuring it all out. It is about tolerating the moments when you don’t know or learning to be more curious about the struggle.

Here you will learn how to establish a basic practice with guidelines for posture and breathing as well as various options for meditations that involve sitting, walking, gently moving or lying down. You can try these exercises at your lunch break, before you rise or fall asleep. But best of all is for you to sprinkle mindfulness throughout your day.

Whether you are new to mindfulness or a seasoned practitioner, you can make the conscious decision to change your approach to life. Moment by moment you have the opportunity to cultivate awareness that will make a difference in how you engage with the world on a daily basis.

8 Keys to Practicing Mindfulness reminds us that our lives are filled with moments and that to take any of these moments for granted is a waste of epic proportions. I love the concept of (frequently) asking yourself, “What do I notice right now?” While I am generally good at living in the moment, I began to ask myself this question frequently while I was reading this book and have continued to do so since.

My answers have included…

wind whistling through the trees
my cat’s breathing
a hummingbird at a feeder
my husband flipping the pages of a newspaper
birds singing
my youngest daughter painting her nails
a kitten swatting at her momma cat’s tail

Moments such as these may not float your boat, but they float my entire fleet. Becoming more aware of the peaceful, downright beautiful moments that fill my day has been a lovely experience and it’s one I’ll take advantage of forever and ever, amen.

{Review Continued Below….}

I love the “Everyday Mindfulness Tip”s throughout the book as well as the wonderful “Try This” prompts. Below is a “Try This” dealing with anger:

In a moment of anger, yours or someone else’s, ask these questions: What is the truth behind this anger? If this anger could speak, what would it say? What would be help to calm this intensity right now? What are its physical manifestations? How long does it take for me to think calmly after the anger comes up? If the anger is aimed at me, does it carry a message that is important for me to hear? – Page 120

Different emotions are dealt with in the various “Try This” prompts – sadness, anger, fear, grief, stress, etc. and they are priceless. The reason I chose the one above is the fact that I love one part of this prompt in particular – I have always tried to identify the source of things said by me (or those around me). When we are in an emotional state, our emotion very often does the speaking for us. The problem is, emotions will say just about anything! I love that the author asks, “If this anger could speak, what would it say?” This is the golden key at getting to the heart of any emotion you’re dealing with.

Have you ever thought, “I’m kind of blue today, but I don’t know exactly why?” Ask the one who does… the blues, themselves. This is effective for sadness, anger, and even fear.

When dealing with anger, the benefits of this exercise are two-fold: You’ll realize exactly why you’re feeling so much anger AND you’ll allow anger to have its say – with only you in the audience.

Can you imagine how much hurt could be avoided by allowing anger to whisper to you and you alone instead of taking the microphone like he normally likes to do?!

About the Author

Manuela Mischke Reeds, MA, MFT, is an international teacher of mindfulness-based somatic psychology. She co-directs the Hakomi Institute of California and teaches in the US, Europe, and Australia. A meditation practitioner for over 25 years, Manuela lectures, consults and trains professionals in mindfulness, attachment, trauma, and movement therapy. She maintains a private psychotherapy practice in Menlo Park, CA.

Babette Rothschild, MSW, LCSW, is a bestselling author, editor of the Norton 8 Keys to Mental Health Series, and member of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies. She gives lectures and professional trainings around the world. To date, her books have been translated into 13 different languages.

Final Thoughts

Sometimes it seems as though there are more books in the world than anything else – maybe it’s because I review so many books on my websites, but seriously there are a lot of books in the world and even more rolling hot off the presses each day. For a book to stand out among millions of its kind is a special accomplishment and 8 Keys to Practicing Mindfulness pulls it off with aplomb.

This is a beautiful book that’ll help put you more in touch with you and the world around you. It’s a winner from start to finish.

~ Joi (“Joy”)

8 Keys to Practicing Mindfulness

A Gift of Love by Tony Cointreau – Say “Hi” to the Next Book You Should Read

July 20, 2016 by Joi Leave a Comment

A Gift of Love - Lessons Learned From My Work and Friendship with Mother Teresa

Uncommon compassion. That’s the phrase I must have thought 100 times as I read Tony Cointreau’s beautiful book, A Gift of Love: Lessons Learned From My Work and Friendship with Mother Teresa. The compassion displayed on the pages of this book take my breath away. More than once, I thought, “The world needs more Mother Teresas and Tony Cointreaus.” Too often we think about our own struggles and fail to realize that, compared to those of others, we should be embarrassed by what we call misfortunes.

In the Author’s Words:

I wrote A Gift of Love because people kept asking me to do so, telling me that there was a great need for it. Perhaps it was their parents who were dying, or another family member, or a close friend, and they needed to know what they could do for their loved ones in those last weeks, days, or hours. They knew that I had worked with Mother Teresa as a volunteer in her homes for the dying, and had twelve years’ experience in what they were facing perhaps for the first time, and asked me to pass on some of my knowledge.

In 1979, when I saw a magazine photograph of one of Mother Teresa’s volunteers carrying a dying man in his arms, I knew in an instant that I had to become a part of this work. It was certainly not a religious calling, but a simple calling to give something of myself to others. I felt that if I could comfort one dying person, my life would have had purpose.

It took me ten years to enter the world that I had only seen a glimpse of in that magazine article. When I did, it was during the worst of the AIDS crisis in the United States, in a hospice called “Gift of Love” in New York City, which had been opened by Mother Teresa in 1985. It had room for fifteen dying men, most of them from a world I had never known?a world of drugs, poverty, and crime, a far cry from the privileged life of châteaus in Europe that I had been brought up in, and later on, the world of show business in which I had been able to fulfill some of my greatest dreams.

In the years to come, these men, who were dying of AIDS and had never been given much of a chance in life, taught me not only about the many ways to help others die in an atmosphere of peace and love, but also how to enjoy the richness of living our lives fully until the very end.

Whenever Mother Teresa asked me to sing for her on her little terrace in Calcutta, I never said “No.” And when I asked her to help me write about caring for loved ones in their last days, she also never said “No.” What a blessing—thank you, Mother!

If I can reach just one person who is flailing around in panic and fear while trying to help a loved one at the end of their life, my journey will have been worthwhile.

Other words that frequently came to mind while reading A Gift of Love were bold and refreshing. Tony Cointreau’s work with men who were dying from AIDS was especially bold because you have to remember, at that time, ridiculous fears were still rampant. Research had not proven so many of the theories WRONG about how AIDS could be contracted.

In spite of the great perceived risk, his compassion and love for fellow human beings will leave a lasting impression on the reader. The manner in which he (and others) allowed these men to maintain their dignity while facing their last days doesn’t tug at the heart strings… it ties them up in knots.

The pain of a loss can be excruciating, but it need never defeat you. It can tear you apart, but you can rise again, and if given the opportunity to aid and participate in the final days, hours, and moments of someone’s life, you, the participant, will never be the same either. Any love and comfort that we give leaves both the giver and the receiver in a different realm than before. – page 8

What sort of wold would we live in if we all treated one another with respect, dignity, and uncommon compassion? Put another way… what if we all treated one another the way Jesus taught?

Jesus. There is another reason this book strikes me as bold and refreshing. The author is not the least bit hesitant to mention God or His Son, Jesus. By name! If this doesn’t strike you as unusual, you must not read as many “self help” or “inspirational” books as I do. Then again… who (outside of publishers) does?! A huge pet peeve of mine is when authors – or anyone, for that matter – refers to God as “a higher power” or “the man above…” I’m fairly certain that if they had a loved one in the emergency room, they wouldn’t say, “Higher power, would you please help..”

No. They’d know His name then!

For an author to speak of God or talk about Jesus as freely as he would Mother Teresa or his own family was just what this book reviewer needed. It was encouraging to see.

Truth be told, the entire book was a lesson in encouragement, compassion, and enlightenment.

A hug or the human touch is not a danger with AIDS or most other diseases. The only thing society should fear is not having enough love to comfort someone in their agony so that they can leave this world with a feeling of peace. – page 28

Who Will Love This Book?

When doing book reviews, I often like to tell my readers who will love the book I’m reviewing. In this case, the answer to the question, “Who will love this book?” is simple – everyone. The book reads as though Tony Cointreau is your very personable, witty, warm, and well-spoken dinner guest. You know, the kind who leaves begging for more stories as your food gets cold.

I plan to pass A Gift of Love around to everyone in my family, because it is simply a beautiful and uplifting lesson in life. How Mr. Cointreau takes a subject as grim as dying and makes it an uplifting journey for the reader is mind-boggling, but that’s exactly what he has accomplished.

I judge no one. – Mother Teresa

I hope you’ll grab a copy of A Gift of Love right away. There are books that touch you, there are books that are great reads, and there are books that you know will stay with you forever. This is one of the rare books that answers to all three.

Upcoming Book Reviews on Self Help Daily: A Week “For the Books!”

June 20, 2016 by Joi Leave a Comment

I just wrote the first of three book reviews I have planned for this week on Self Help Daily: Done with the Crying. I’m extremely excited about each of these three books because of the potential each one has to help people. Books that want nothing more out of life than to reach out and help pull others up are my favorite types of books to review.

It just so happens that three have landed in my book reviewing lap almost at the same time.

This has reminded me how very thankful I am for authors and publishers who are patient and wait for their book to be reviewed. Hopefully they realize that I take great pride in my reviews and, therefore, do not rush them. I’ve read many book reviews online and have come away knowing – beyond a shadow of doubt – the reviewer never even read the book!

I want to read the book, get a “feel” for what the author wants to convey, get a firm grip on how this book can help my readers, and just do everything I can to “do right” by the author and the book they take such pride in.

As I told a particularly “pesky” author once (after his 3rd e-mail and 5th direct message to me on Twitter) – pestering me does in, no way, help you, dude!

In all seriousness, though, these three books are exceptional and I’m extremely excited to tell y’all all about them. I am doing the reviews in the order I received the books – and Pound for Pound will be next. If I don’t have the review published tomorrow (fingers crossed I can pull it off!), it WILL be published Wednesday.

The third book is one I’m having a lot of fun with, Cultivating Gratitude.

After these three book reviews, I have even more coming next week. They simply weren’t in the yard with me when the other three were – otherwise they’d have been part of the photoshoot too.

You should see the expressions on my cats’ faces when I photograph books. They’re used to being my main subjects, after all!

I hope all of you have a week filled with laughter, love, and very pleasant surprises.

~ Joi (“Joy”)

Really Bad Girls of the Bible (Book Review)