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Tag Archives: Baker Books

Book Review: Every Piece of Me

31 Monday Dec 2018

Posted by Kayla Stierwalt in books, Uncategorized

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Baker Books, beliefs, book review, books, Christian living, Every Piece of Me, perspective, resolutions, wisdom

I received Every Piece of Me: Shattering Toxic Beliefs and Discovering the Real You by Jerusha Clark from Baker Books in exchange for a review.

 

This book covers topics every woman needs to reflect upon. Our thinking processes require constant supervision and adjustment, and these chapters remind us what to observe and how to take action. Jerusha Clark takes common struggles and explains how they work, how they affect us, and how we can better align those thoughts to the perspective Jesus teaches. Despite these representing issues most people experience in everyday life, they don’t exactly hold the everyday applicability. The writing style comes off a little dry and slightly inaccessible. However, the message still holds clarity and strength. It even goes a little deeper than some of the more accessible books, so that makes a nice contrast. I recommend this to someone who doesn’t need the warmth other titles offer.

Book Review: Developing Emotionally Mature Leaders

13 Thursday Dec 2018

Posted by Kayla Stierwalt in books, Uncategorized

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Baker Books, book review, books, Christian living, emotions, leadership, maturity

I received a copy of Developing Emotionally Mature Leaders: How Emotional Intelligence Can Help Transform Your Ministry by Aubrey Malphurs from Baker Books in exchange for a review.

This book covers a lot of technical information. It carries more the cold feel of a textbook rather than the welcoming warmth of a typical Christian living book, which I partially expected upon starting. I appreciate the effort of explaining the history and definitions of this complex subject. Malphurs describes in-depth without making the information inaccessible to the average person. While this targets church leaders and likely benefits them most, laypeople like myself can make use of this knowledge as well.

While the information remains accessible to the average reader, I find myself wanting more application. An extra insight as to how to use this knowledge properly would have been beneficial. The several appendixes in the back give a good starting point for this with quizzes and extra information. However, an epilogue or something similar with more steps on how to move forward might encourage readers truly to apply this knowledge. Considering “developing” starts the title, it seems like the book hints at going beyond textbook knowledge.

Book Review: The Whole Bible Story

04 Wednesday Jul 2018

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Baker Books, bible, book review, books, Christian living

I received The Whole Bible Story, Illustrated Edition by Dr. William H. Marty from Baker Books in exchange for a review.

Overall, I enjoyed the concept of this book. The writing upheld an accessible, plain language that made the bible story easy to understand. Complex stories had a new simplicity to them. They even had accompanying pictures of the real sites mentioned to provide a more realistic picture. I particularly enjoyed getting that extra context and accuracy. However, I sometimes found myself wanting to cross check with my bibles to see if they included some of the situations found here. I wondered how accurately the Word transferred to this particular edition. Overall, it made a nice starting point for making the stories and information easier to understand, but I cautioned myself against using this as an ultimate true source.

Book Review: Mrs. Oswald Chambers

02 Monday Jul 2018

Posted by Kayla Stierwalt in books, Uncategorized

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Baker Books, Biddy Chambers, book review, books, Christian, Christian living, culture, devotion, Michelle Ule, Oswald Chambers, writing

I received a copy of Mrs. Oswald Chambers: The Woman behind the World’s Bestselling Devotional by Michelle Ule from Baker Books in exchange for a review.

This book provided great insight into the life of a well-respected Christian writer, his marriage and the fruit of following the path God sets. Oswald Chambers’ work would not have gone as far as it has without the dedication of his wife Biddy. She attended Oswald’s lectures and took meticulous notes, which she ultimately used to produce the popular devotionals. While that aspect might have seemed fairly straight forward, I didn’t expect the time the family spent immersed in the military culture and Egyptian culture while stationed in Egypt. The book also gave context to other literary figures of the time. Surprisingly, I related to hearing mentions of Agatha Christie, C.S. Lewis and more, and I loved to see she adored her daily trip to the mailbox as much as I do. Biddy Chambers had a unique strength, and she demonstrated the power of what God can do through someone who devotes her time and effort to following the path He has set before her. Without her dedication, those books would not have been printed, and they would not have changed so many people’s lives.

I enjoyed this book and its insight into a person, a marriage and family, a writing process and life in general. Though Biddy lived many years ago, a lot of these situations exist for people now. She served as a model for how to interact with those around us and how to follow God’s will and discern His purpose.

Book Review: Reading People by Anne Bogel

22 Friday Jun 2018

Posted by Kayla Stierwalt in books, Uncategorized

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Anne Bogel, Baker Books, book club, book review, bookish, books, Christian living, Modern Mrs. Darcy, Nashville, personal growth, personality, Reading People

I received a copy of Reading People: How Seeing the World through the Lens of Personality Changes Everything by Anne Bogel from Baker Books in exchange for a review.

I love this book and , even more, I love that this book has led me to Anne and the Modern Mrs. Darcy Book Club. Reading People appeals to my interest in understanding personality and people on a deeper level. While it covers a lot of information I have already read (I’ve read numerous books about the Myers-Briggs personality typing), it gives a wonderful overview of various approaches. I recommend it as a place to start and as a resource for books to continue research. I agree with Anne that understanding these can help you understand yourself better and therefore know your strengths and tendencies and how to cater to those as you structure your life for success. Anne makes this information accessible and interesting for anyone, an accomplished feat considering the complexity of the subject. Her voice welcomes readers into this informative world in an enlightening way that truly highlights the wonderful aspects of understanding personalities and ourselves. I love how she does this.

Again, I love this book. From here, I plan to continue reading more in-depth books on each approach as I make my way through her resource list to add to my current collection of similar books. I recommend it as a refresher and as a place to start whether you want to explore all the approaches or just certain ones.

 

As a side note, this book led me to Anne’s Modern Mrs. Darcy website, What Should I Read Next podcast and Modern Mrs. Darcy Book Club. My book arrived the day I moved from Houston, Texas to Bowling Green, Kentucky. I read the author bio on the back and noticed she lived in Kentucky too. Then I saw the pages in the back that led to her websites. I ended up joining the book club and meeting some wonderful people and books as I got settled in my new city. Last night I even had the pleasure of meeting Anne and some of the book club members in the Nashville area, and we had great bookish conversation and a book swap. In short, I recommend checking out Anne’s resources and recommendations. She has a gifted eye for those.

Book Review: Praying With Eyes Wide Open

05 Monday Feb 2018

Posted by Kayla Stierwalt in books, Uncategorized

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Baker Books, book review, books, Christian, Christian living, God, prayer

I received a copy of Praying with Eyes Wide Open: A Life-Changing Way to Talk with God by Sherry Harney with Kevin G. Harney from Baker Books in exchange for a review.

The Harneys visit a common theme of prayer but provide good insight into its necessity and effectiveness in everyday life. They emphasize the concept to pray continually from 1 Thessalonians 5: 17. This includes prayers of lament, joy and intercession. When we pray, God will respond.

The book urges us to pray openly and honestly with God as we go through our days. My favorite takeaway from the authors is that “Honest prayer can actually crystallize our thinking and teach us to trust God at deeper levels.” As we keep the line of communication open, we can learn more about God and thus see Him acting on our behalf.

Overall, the book serves as a reminder for prayer life, some ideas new and some repeated. They use scripture, anecdotes from all over the world and analysis to illustrate their points with authority. It can serve as a good book for anyone needing a little encouragement in their prayer life.

Book Review: One by One: Welcoming the Singles in Your Church

17 Friday Nov 2017

Posted by Kayla Stierwalt in books, Uncategorized

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Baker Books, Baker Books Bloggers, book review, books, Christian, Christian living, church, community, dating, One by One, single, single life

I received a copy of One by One: Welcoming the Singles in Your Church by Gina Dalfonzo.

Gina Dalfonzo approaches a highly important topic in today’s culture in her new book One by One: Welcoming the Singles in Your Church. As a single adult, Dalfonzo has spent numerous years observing and experiencing the church’s approach to its single members. As a young adult single, I could relate to most of what she said. Dalfonzo tackles her topic from numerous angles, ranging from sharing singles’ feelings of being left out of a generally family oriented culture to suggesting how the church might incorporate singles into ministry.

At first I disliked the way she shared so many paragraphs of examples taken from her surveys of singles. I didn’t want to read a bunch of seemingly unconnected, brief notes from numerous people. It also didn’t seem like they were incorporated in the expected manner (an introduction to the person and the quote), but after a while I grew to appreciate the thoughts of so many singles. I found they didn’t necessitate high credentials to represent the plight of everyday people found in every church. It kept it on a realistic level, allowing me to continue to find myself amongst those singles.

Overall, the points made stayed spot on. Dalfonzo captured the negative feelings a lot of singles have felt as an unintentional effect of how some people approach them (even with good intentions) and how the church steers their belonging in groups and ministry. It brought to light a lot of disappointment and how people can unintentionally compound the pain of searching for a mate. Hopefully it helps people see how to better approach how they “help” singles in their quest for a mate and how they understand their unique set of difficulties. For example, Dalfonzo points out how many married folks may quickly think to themselves that a single doesn’t know the true meaning of busyness since they don’t have kids, etc; however, as Dalfonzo points out, married people might forget that a single person still has a household with an equal amount of chores that they must do alone since they don’t have a mate to assist with the work. Most importantly, she shares that people tend to forget that finding a mate isn’t as simple as believing in God and creating an online dating profile.

Dalfonzo highlights the plight of the often overlooked singles in the church, but she also points out positive ways the church has viewed singles. She goes further to suggest ways to deepen their involvement in the church, thus keeping them strong in their faith as they wait for a mate and as they serve in the church. As she points out, a single person can balance out perspectives and have a lot to offer the church in ministry.

I enjoyed this book, and it gave me hope as a single person seeking deeper involvement and community in church. I could see this benefitting anyone in the church as it shares an understanding of the experience of the single person and how the singles and married folks can contribute to a community incorporating singles.

Book Review: Real Love In An Angry World

08 Wednesday Nov 2017

Posted by Kayla Stierwalt in books, Uncategorized

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Baker Books, Baker Books Bloggers, book review, books, Christian, Christian living, conversation, Real Love In An Angry World, relationships, Rick Bezet

I received a copy of Real Love In An Angry World: How To Stick To Your Convictions Without Alienating People by Rick Bezet in exchange for a review.

This book seems fitting for today’s society where so many opinions get tossed around on a daily basis. Without fail, these topics enter into our everyday discussions, potentially leaving us wondering how to share appropriately differing viewpoints. Overall, Bezet focuses on staying rooted in the Word and faith. From there we can ensure what we say flows from a godly perspective rather than from our personal feelings.

As an example of these roots, Bezet illustrates the story of Moses and the Israelites fleeing Egypt. He reminds us how daily they had to collect their bread in the form of manna. We too have to collect our physical bread and Word bread from Jesus, again on a daily basis. This shapes our minds and hearts and allows us to share love as we reflect and grow.

Bezet maintains a casual style, which I mostly enjoy. He comes across as someone having a conversation with you, a fitting approach for the topic. However, a couple of the jokes distract me from the professional tone a book still should uphold. The book overall makes the information accessible and easily applicable.

I have enjoyed this book and may revisit points again in the future. The point to stay rooted in daily scripture serves as an important reminder. I also want to reflect how I talk to people and ensure that I maintain approachability, compassion and understanding in my encounters and discussions with people.

The Breaker Anointing: Book Review

22 Sunday Oct 2017

Posted by Kayla Stierwalt in books, Uncategorized

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Baker Books, Baker Books Bloggers, book review, books, Chosen

I received a copy of The Breaker Anointing: How God Breaks Open the Way to Victory by Barbara J. Yoder in exchange for an honest review.

Yoder’s book highlights an important message: God will break through to deliver us. God breaks through to do this on numerous levels. These range from bringing us healing to getting us to a point where we can fulfill the purpose for which He created us. As Yoder points out, we can see examples of this throughout history. He did it for Moses, and He does it for us. However, I would have enjoyed a little more descriptive depth to connect to these illustrations on a more personal level. Yoder describes truth but doesn’t paint an emotional picture like most Christian living books tend to do. She does know her message though, and she makes her point with scripture and experience to back it up.

Book Review: The Perfect You

22 Friday Sep 2017

Posted by Kayla Stierwalt in books, Uncategorized

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Baker Books, Baker Books Bloggers, book, book review, books, Christian, Christian living, identity, thoughts

I received a copy of Dr. Caroline Leaf’s book The Perfect You: A Blueprint for Identity in exchange for an honest review.

This selection reads like an easily accessible textbook. While that may conjure an image of a boring book, it provides a lot of insight. The idea of understanding how your thoughts work and how you can shape them to improve your life gives you not only knowledge but hope. As Leaf explains, a lot of people feel stuck in their negative thought patterns, and she shares understanding and guidance to alter those for the better.

Leaf divides the book into sections, separating the parts that explain how the thought processes work and the biblical bases she uses with the assessment tool and explanations on how to apply it. The flow generally made sense as it gave a foundation for the information so you could have a strong base to use the assessment rather than simply take the assessment and have no background for it. I preferred the first two sections most as they provided all the information. However, the assessment could be used as a workbook for further reflection. I would like to spend more time on nit to use it as an ongoing source of encouragement and growth. The assessment has a lot of questions and depth to it, so it seems like this can be used over a lengthy time for best results.

I enjoyed the book overall, both for its insight as well as its tools for improvement. Leaf knows her brain as well as her bible. I particularly liked how she ties them together. She makes the information accessible and relatable to real life by pointing out how people feel when they do good and how we tend to steer our thoughts. Then she anchors the hope for improvement using biblical principles on how God created us and continues to shape us.

 

“But, as I have emphasized throughout this book, you do not have to let your thoughts control you. You are not a victim of your thoughts and their biology; you are a victor over them. This means you can change these thoughts! You may have been nursing these negative mindsets for so long that they are so familiar to you that you think they are normal. This mistake is often made. However, only the thoughts formed when you are in your Perfect You, from God’s perspective, are normal, while the rest need redesigning or, to use the scientific term, reconceptualization. You can analyze your thoughts and, because of the neuroplasticity of the brain, redesign and rewire them. This is ‘renewing the mind’ in action, and with the guidance of the Holy Spirit it is an essential part of a healthy, good life. Indeed, it is grace meeting science, since research shows that conscious awareness of thoughts makes the thoughts amenable to change because they are physically weakened!” (page 257)

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You can't make advances if you don't take chances. These posts share my perspectives of my journey as I step forward, walking in the Light.

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