The Prayer Wheel by Patton Dodd, Jana Risess and David VanBiema

Sometimes the best solutions are not ones derived by technology advancement or an invention.  Some of the best solutions are the simple ones that have already been tried.  In this book the author takes you back to Middle Ages using one of the tools they use to pray with, the pray wheel.  The best description of what the book is about is captured in the beginning of the book in a section called A New Promise for Prayer.  This is how it starts.  What is Prayer – This running conversation with God – and why do we crave it so?  Why do out hearts for communion with something we cannot see, and only sometimes feels?  These key questions that start the book are investigated deeper to help you drive towards your prayer needs.  The book teaches you how to use the prayer wheel not just for a few days but for a full seven weeks with prayers already developed to help you reach another level of prayer.  The book moves on to prayers for everyday life, praying the scriptures then provides details on how each part of the prayer wheel represents and its purpose.  If you are looking for a book to help you with prayers or if you want to try something different in the method of prayers try this book.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

Big Potential by Shawn Achor

Finally, a book to prove what some of us have known for decades but were not able to figure out.  That the one alpha employee, student or team member is not a benefit.  The book is based on proven research that working as a team, sharing information, and positive attitude and reinforcements are what drive a team to success not the one alpha person who thinks they are carrying us behind them.  The author explains how historically we leverage the survival of the fittest mentality.  We do this in how we raise our children, how schools are designed to reward certain students and even how colleges support the individual contributors.  Yet when you look at the statistics after all this is said and done the people who truly succeed are not the top of the class or the genius.  Keep in mind true success is a balance, with each person being different.  How many people have you met that were financially well off yet very depressed.  In many cases their world is about only them.  This book breaks down the barriers to understand people need to socialize, work together, not just to survive but to excel together.  I would highly recommend this book.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

How to be a Perfect Christian by The Babylon Bee

 

Warning: Humor and Satire Enclosed

First, I want to make sure you are aware, before reading the book, that you read the back cover carefully.  Look for the box marked WARNING.  If you don’t and started reading right away, you might get upset or offended by the contents.  You might not realize this book is intended for humor and a satire about Christianity.  While the book’s satire pokes fun at the current trends and traditions, in a subliminal way it does make you wonder how your faith fits within all this.  If you look at the book for a humorous point of view, there are many things that do hit home for most churches that will make you chuckle or laugh out load.  Again, just don’t take this too seriously because if read in the wrong frame of mind you will not get the humor that it was intended.  Now that we are past the warning section and we have restarted the book knowing this was going to poke fun at Christians we can continue.  The book starts off on how to find a church that is just custom made for you, obviously missing the whole point about why your there is the first place.  Then they go on to show how worship, how we should live together, serving the church without doing anything, and the list goes on.  All in a humorous way to showing us how to become perfect Christian’s.  Yes, we know that is impossible but that is what makes the book fun to read.

 I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.      

 

The Last Arrow by Erwin Raphael McManus

The best way for me to describe this book is to quote a line within the book.  “This book has one intention: that whether you win or lose, succeed or fail, live a life of celebrity or anonymity, that when you take your last breath, you will know without reservation that you have given everything you have, everything you are, to the life you have been entrusted with.”  What does all this mean?  The author dives deep into the subject of leaving your past where it belongs, far behind you.  His explains that moving forward and taking the chances and risks is what makes our lives worthwhile.  He provides examples from his own life and family, from the bible and provides other peoples personal experiences for comparison.  While at times the book appears to be rather redundant, it is done on purpose.  To learn many of us need to have the lessons repeated several times.  The authors method of doing this provides a positive method of grasping his overall lessons.  An interesting quick read.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.       

The Million-Dollar, One-Person Business by Elaine Pofeldt

 

This book contains many great stories and examples of success, the reader must take into consideration several things.  Funding of a business of any size can be a very difficult when you are just starting off.  The must concern what your tolerance for risk is.  Keeping mind new business failure rates are high.  What the books brings up many times is the key idea or the unique product that makes you stand out.  This is the most challenging topic the book talks about.  Being able to create a business you are passionate about yet there must be a demand for it otherwise it will not generate enough revenue to pay the bills.  One of the key points the book explains well is as you grow you need continue to learn and be a smarter business person.  This points to leverage consultants, sub-contractors or even shipping companies that can support an increase in volume without out you trying to do it all.  Diversification with a one-person business is critical to survival.  What I found the most useful part of the book was in a chapter called “Useful Resources”.  This chapter contained all the accounting, communication, community, co-working, customer relationships, marketing, funding, legal, shipping/delivery and website builder information you would needed to research and/or start a business.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.