Understanding The Dreams You Dream

This book wasn't what I thought it would be. For some reason I thought this book would be completely filled with how to interpret dreams, rather a little over 200 pages of this 252-page book is a Dream Dictionary.

Forty-four pages of this book talks about how to interpret dreams and is very systematic. It was pretty cool, because a lot of what it talked about I learned in my 4-week class at church. So, it's a confirmation, as I think the teachers of my class got their dream interpretation resources elsewhere, but it is all Bible based.

One of the things I love about this dream dictionary is that every explanation of what something is defined, there is a Scriptural reference. Very cool.

I'm going to eventually get some stuff from John Paul Jackson, James Goll, Barbie Breathitt, and Doug Addison on dream interpretation to see what they all say.

This is a good reference book!

Crushing The Spirits Of Greed & Poverty

This book is so good and very convicting. This book is not a feel good book nor is it filled with fluff, but there was so much Truth that applied to my life and really cut so deeply in me. It wasn't a book that I could just zip through, but there was so much thought, pondering that went into it.

Mammon is a demonic spirit, as Babylon, Greed & Poverty. She talks about how these work in our world, our society, lives, and including her own life. Sandie is very opened about as she wrote the book, how Mammon showed up in her life, and how she had to relinquish that hold that Mammon had because God used the writing of the book to expose those areas in her own life.

I cannot do an adequate book review and this is one of those books that I need to read again in a month or so to see how God is working in my own life and ask Him to further expose areas that Mammon has infiltrated my life.

Money is all around us and our world uses money for everything. It's a challenge to not worship or get sucked into all this and make it an idol. I thought I was getting better, and I am, but Mammon still has a great deal of influence in my life. She talks about how to break that hold that it has, expose the lies. We MUST know the Word of God, memorize it, use it to take authority over the enemy. The enemy may even use the Word of God against us in subtle, seductive ways, so we also need to know how the context of the Word.

All of this really comes back down to really relying on God as the sole Provider, Healer, etc. for our lives. That does not mean we're to be lazy and kick back to do nothing, rather, it means to not worry what our circumstances are, rather just keep putting your eyes on Jesus and asking Him for His solution and walking in confidence knowing that God has it all figured out and He will do what's best. It may not always be what we want, but it's His plan and it will glorify Him.

There are many parts of the book I highlighted. In fact, really, the whole book is a HUGE highlight. It's probably the best book I've read regarding money and well worth buying. I want to live in complete victory in the Lord and this is a must read on how to break the chains and bondage of Mammon & Babylon in our lives.

Let's Do Lunch

I would have to give the author of the book 5 stars for his accomplishment of losing 230 pounds and keeping it off for more than a decade. That is quite a feat and he figured out what he needed for him to lose the weight.

However, I am disappointed in a number of things as I thought there would be a greater emphasis on the Lord in the book, so that was maybe an assumption I made that wasn't all that great. My error. He does give God the credit.

Although my background is not medical, nutrition or fitness, this book kind of pulls this and that out of each of those areas. Yes, it does give a disclaimer at the beginning of the book to check with your doctor, blah, blah, blah. Most doctors have very little training in nutrition. I found some of Roger's suggestions like using Splenda (though, it seems like he uses Stevia more) a horrible suggestion, as well as some references to diet soda. Those are just simply awful. Really, would you rather have arsenic 1 or arsenic 2?

Roger is also big into corn. The fact is, corn is really hard for your body to process & digest. He seems to be really in favor of these corn cracker things, popcorn, I Can't Believe It's Not Butter.

Butter, real butter isn't bad for you when eaten in moderation. It is way better than margarines or other more processed spreads. He also isn't a big advocate of avocados or nuts. God created these things to be eaten and they do have very healthy fats in them.

The nutritional content of the book is poor and I give this, at best, a 1 star. This was quite disappointing. Though he says that this isn't a fruit diet, it seems mainly that way. He doesn't address on this weight loss style of eating about people who are into weightlifting or more intense forms of exercises.

He advises eating your 3 meals a day: lots of fruit for breakfast, lots of protein for lunch, and a dinner that has very little protein. No snacking, but if you must, it seemed rather limited here, as he advises to not eat fruit between meals. The "nutritional" stuff that is correct is scattered all over the book where some things are bogus and others are factual. The thing is, you need to know what is what.

So, if you seriously exercise, what about feeding your muscles after your workout? He doesn't talk about this unless I missed it. He says you can do this weight loss program without exercise, but that if you exercise, it will accelerate the weight loss and help you get healthier.

The reason why I give it 3 stars is because people do get positive results. It's something that can probably be doable for many people, but it's unclear to me for those in a more rigorous exercise program that you will have more meals.

I think he could've just simply said for a good part of the book is to really eat 1 ingredient items instead of processed things. Anyway, he wasn't as organized in the book as well as I would've thought.

Anyway, I would be willing to give some of the general thoughts of this way of eating for a bit to see how effective it is to give him the benefit of the doubt.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

100 Ways To Simplify Your Life

I did not have the book to read this rather I listened to the audio of this book. It is 4.6 hrs long and I really like how this audio was laid out. The person reading the audio, I don't like so much as she's nowhere as animated as Joyce Meyer is at reading this, but it was okay.

There is nothing easy about the 100 ways to simplify your life. I wonder if Joyce does these things. Some of them I do do and I can see how they can simplify your life if you can apply them, but being that with all the baggage I still have left, it will take quite awhile to get through this list.

I do like how she references stories and verses in the Bible to back up these things. Each point is talked about in the 2-4 min. timeframe, which allows plenty of information to be disseminated.

Not sure if it would be okay for me to list all 100 of the points, but I'm going to, so if you want the book or the audio, you can go get it as it'll expound on each point.

1. Focus on 1 thing at a time.
2. Be content with what you have.
3. Keep God first.
4. Live to glorify God.
5. Don't worry.
6. Let go of what lies behind.
7. Learn how to say "No!"
8. Be yourself.
9. Choose quality over quantity.
10. Refuse to start what you cannot finish.
11. Don't make mountains out of molehills.
12. Get your mind off yourself.
13. Stop procrastinating.
14. Clear out the clutter (physical, spiritual, emotional, etc)
15. Avoid excess.
16. Stay out of debt.
17. Let the main thing be the main thing.
18. Establish boundaries.
19. Know yourself.
20. Only believe.
21. Regularly re-evaluate commitments.
22. Define personal priorities.
23. Choose your battles.
24. Be quick to forgive.
25. Mind your own business.
26. Be merciful.
27. Don't be judgmental.
28. Be decisive.
29. Think before you speak.
30. Be a God pleaser.
31. Don't receive condemnation.
32. Refuse to live in fear.
33. Follow your heart.
34. Don't be afraid of what other people think.
35. Keep the strife out of your life.
36. Be positive.
37. Stop doing things you don't do well.
38. Don't worry about your children.
39. Avoid excessive reasoning.
40. Have simple friends.
41. Find the most efficient way to do things.
42. Be thankful.
43. Count the cost before you commit.
44. Pray about everything.
45. Don't fret over evildoers.
46. Trust God to change you.
47. Trust God to change other people.
48. Have a broad circle of inclusion.
49. Give it to God
50. Take control of your thoughts.
51. Don't be complicated.
52. Don't plan for perfection.
53. Be easy to get along with.
54. Don't over estimate yourself.
55. Get rid of junk mail.
56. Block solicitors' phone calls.
57. Don't let work pile up.
58. Plan ahead.
59. Buy some time. Delegate.
60. Organize, don't agonize.
61. Keep prayers simple.
62. Live with margin.
63. Don't have a false sense of responsibility.
64. Don't try to take care of everybody.
65. Give up control.
66. Be willing to adapt.
67. Don't try to change what you cannot.
68. Change what you can change.
69. Be realistic in your expectations.
70. PRogress is made one step at a time.
71. Wise up before you burn out.
72. Cultivate solitude
73. Be eternally minded.
74. Tackle each day as it comes.
75. Remember God is for you.
76. You are more than a conqueror.
77. Pray before you have an emergency.
78. Keep your conscience clear.
79. Understand righteousness.
80. Grace, grace, more grace.
81. Bridle your tongue.
82. The battle belongs to the Lord.
83. Aovid scenes of temptation.
84. Avoid people who talk too much.
85. Be generous.
86. Be wise.
87. Beware of distractions.
88. Don't be easily offended.
89. Don't be hard on yourself.
90. It is never too late to begin again.
91. Become like a little child.
92. See the person who lives inside of you.
93. Don't be discouraged with yourself.
94. Be a prisoner of hope.
95. Resist the devil.
96. Stay spiritually strong.
97. Be faithful.
98. Check your outlook.
99. Be humble.
100. Let discipline be your friend.

I have a long way to go to live more simply, but there are things I have integrated into my life here that I wasn't at 3+ years ago. Praise God.

Fearless by Max Lucado

I finally finished this book when I set my mind to it. Had had the book for at least a couple weeks and read only a chapter or 2 of the fifteen chapters in the book. Read the 13-14 chapters in a matter of a little over 3 hrs. Amazing what you can do when you put your mind to it and am undistracted with children and other things.

The language of Fearless is consistent with how Lucado normally writes. He brings Biblical scenarios and mixes them with modern terminology and settings to perhaps help the reader be able to relate more. He also relays personal stories of "Fear" in his own life, as well as gives examples of how other people have either succumbed to fear or risen above fear to walk in faith & victory in Jesus Christ.

As usual, I read with a highlighter and could write a super long review with the things I thought were important. What I love about Lucado, and this book is no exception, how he comes up with short little, very powerful sayings. "Feed your fears, and your faith will starve. Feed your faith, and your fears will."

Throughout the book he has quotes Scriptures & their references of how God worked, what Jesus did with fear, His interactions with people & fear. He gives practical advice on what we can do with fear, overcoming it. It all begins with a resolve in our minds and wills to redirect our attention.

In each chapter, the various fears he talks about:

• Fear of Insignificance
• Fear of Disappointing God
• Fear of Running Out/Not Enough
• Fear Regarding Our Children
• Fear of Overwhelming Challenges
• Fear of Worst Case Scenarios
• Fear of Violence
• Fear of the Seasons in Our Lives
• Fear of Life's Final Moments
• Fear of the Future
• Fear That God Isn't Real
• Fear on a Global Level
• Fear of God Not Being Who We Want Him To Be

This really is a boatload of fears, but in each chapter, Lucado gives wonderful examples on how to combat each of these. One of the ones that speaks to me regarding "Worst Case Scenarios". So many of those things have happened to me and much worse, but as I practice the presence of God, delve in His Word, pray, surround myself in godly Community, this really dispels and replaces fear with courage and faith.

This book was encouraging for me. Though it was a quick read, he does sort of go on in some areas where he could've been more succinct. However, my favorite things are his poignant little sayings that are so clear & concise. It speaks to me right now in what I'm going through.

Oh, when I began some of the chapters thinking a particular fear wasn't an issue for me, I found out I was wrong as he gave examples or elaborated on these fears. The true simplicity of the message of this book is as you commit yourself to living in the Presence of the Almighty God, this evil fear cannot be present. The only fear we ought to have is a reverential fear of Him.

Lastly, at the end of the book is a good Discussion Guide, if you want to do this book as a study.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”