Discouragement and Depression by Henry Cloud and John Townsend

Even though I am no longer suffering from depression, I wanted to read Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend’s What to Do When You Don’t Know What to Do: Discouragement and Depression because a great friend gave it to me for encouragement and insight.

The entire time I was reading the book, I thought back to how I felt when I was in the utter dark despair of my depression a few months ago. I tried to put myself back in that mindset as if I was reading the book for help. While I was doing this, I also tried to stay in the present and evaluate the book with a rationale, non-depressed, mind.

The book writes about eight principles to guide you out of depression, and then talks about depression and discouragement and beginning the journey to healing. I found all eight of the principles to be very valid and helpful to a person, but not particularly so if they are in the throes of horrific depression. Speaking from a standpoint of a person who has been depressed to the point of not being able to function in daily tasks, I would find doing any of these things in that kind of depression to be almost insurmountable. Looking at these guidelines from a non-depressed point of view, I do see though how they could be extremely helpful to someone who is mild to moderately depressed (and still able to function), and could certainly put a person on the path to recovery.

I did find an underlying theme of getting help for depression though, which I greatly appreciated. Cloud and Townsend understand the importance of getting help for depression, especially before it gets out of hand as well as the need for medication in a lot of circumstances.

I do absolutely agree that the healing of depression does begin with God, even if that beginning is a good friend being Jesus to you and helping with whatever you need help with.

I would recommend this book to people who are depressed and/or need encouragement. It certainly points them in the right direction and underlines the need to get professional help in a lot of situations.

Disclosure of Material Connection: The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Divine by Karen Kingsbury

Karen Kingsbury’s Divine is an incredibly moving story. Divine is supposed to be a modern-day parable of Mary Magdalene, the woman whom Jesus cast seven demons out of. Because very little is known about Mary Magdalene, Karen Kingsbury was able to take great liberties in the writing of this parable. So much so that I completely lost sight that the book was supposed to be a parable.

That aside, this powerful book speaks of one woman’s story of horrific abuses that she endured and how she was saved from those abuses, ultimately by salvation in Jesus Christ. In one way, this is a story inside a story, as the character, Mary, is telling her story to the character Emma, who is another abuse victim in the hopes that she might save her and give her hope and a future through Jesus.

What is so tragic about this story is that even though it is fiction, stories like the characters’ have actually happened, and continue to happen every day. The book brings to light the tragic cry of people every day who have similar stories and want to know how they can get healing. Are they worthy and what help is there for them? The book brings to light the greatest help and healing: the Lord Jesus Christ.  

I would recommend this book for anyone, if anything, just to open people’s eyes to the horrific abuses and crimes that happen to people every day, especially to children. I do think that this book is an especially important read for people who have been through horrific abuse situations, so that they can get a glimpse of the hope and healing that can come through Jesus Christ. That there is more out there for them that the horrors they have endured.

Disclosure of Material Connection: The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Shades of Blue by Karen Kingsbury

Reading Karen Kingsbury for the first time was really amazing. I read Shades of Blue by Kingsbury and I literally could not put the book down. Her writing is the kind of writing where one feels like they are literally devouring the book ravenously. A real “page-turner” if you will.

Shades of Blue is the story of two young people, Brad and Emma, as they grapple with a decision that they had made ten years earlier, when they were in a relationship. Life has gone on, but the pain of that decision grips them and haunts them daily, each in different ways. Now at a crossroads in his life, Brad, lead by the Lord, has searched for Emma to seek closure on the situation, make amends through apology and with the help of the Lord, try to find the strength to move on in a new chapter of his life and help Emma move on in her life.

It is a hauntingly beautiful story of forgiveness, love and peace that only the Lord can bring. The book will move you to tears or even weeping for the characters in the story and the pain that they endure, and then sing for joy as they find forgiveness and peace in the Lord, as only He can give.

I also think this story is important because even though it is fiction, I know thousands of stories just like it play out every day and this is the kind of story that needs to be heard. That there is healing for the hurting, forgiveness and peace, no matter what a person has been through or what decisions they have made. I would recommend this book for anyone, but most especially for those who suffer because of a decision they have made in the past.

Disclosure of Material Connection: 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.”

The Essence of the Reformation by Kirsten Birkett

The Reformation of the Church in the 1500’s in Europe is a very broad topic, with a great many aspects to it. I found that Kirsten Birkett’s The Essence of the Reformation to be a very insightful book regarding the events that lead to the Reformation, what happened in which countries in Europe prior to and during the Reformation and then lastly, the issues of doctrine and how the Church responded to these issues and how the issues of doctrine fueled the movement of the Reformation.

The book was very good at laying the groundwork for the events that took place in the Church, including Church teaching, etc, leading up the Reformation and why these things that took place started to call for a change in the church. The book then wrote about the events simultaneously taking place across Europe; however these events were written about in a very organized fashion that helped one to separate what was going on and give foresight into how everything tied together. The book then concluded with the issues of doctrine, as brought up by Luther, Calvin, Cramner and others. I had never fully considered how the issues of doctrine affected the Church back then and the way people Believed, and even the impact that doctrine has now on the Church. At the end of the book are various writings by Luther, Calvin and Cranmer where the reader can read what they wrote themselves and see how it played into the picture of the Reformation and the basis for the formation of modern Protestantism.

I really liked how the book was laid out in its’ organized fashion. The book also made me think, and rethink, my views on the importance of doctrine, in the Church, and in one’s own belief system. That, in and of itself, makes this book a great book. I would recommend this book to any Christian and Catholic and any person interested in the history of the Church. I give it four out of five stars.

Disclosure of Material Connection: 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.”

Washington: A Legacy of Leadership by Paul Vickery

Being a person with a love of history, I have found Paul Vickery’s book Washington: a Legacy of Leadership, in “The Generals” series, to be a very insightful historical read. Though I have learned of Washington and some his legacy in school, I must admit that I did not know very much about his life. Vickery’s book, a biography on the life of George Washington, starting when he was twenty-one and appointed to the military position of Major in the Southern District of Virginia militia and ending with the conclusion of his second term as President of the newly formed United States, was incredibly insightful to the life of Washington and to the events that surrounded him and drove him in his leadership role.

The book brings to light the frustration Washington endured through the Continental Congress and their slowness in providing for the army they wanted him to lead, to the agonies that Washington and his men endured during the American Revolution and the wisdom and precedence’s that Washington brought as the first President. Washington, as it turns out, learned as he went throughout his career: an ingenuity and foresight that could only shed new light on ways to set up the foundations of a country.

I liked the book for two reasons primarily. The first, Vickery writes Washington’s story like a fictional story, for the most part. He gives insight into battles and marches and into Washington’s private life and thoughts. The second reason is because of the amount of source documentation that Vickery uses to write this book. I find that quotes and excerpts from actual letters, orders and firsthand accounts are vital to understanding what goes on behind the events in history. Every chapter has this kind of source documentation, and it is all provided in a bibliography at the conclusion of the book. Vickery didn’t make up the events that happened, as hard as it is to believe that some of these events are true. He proves this history as accurate; I find this to be the mark of a true historian.

I would recommend this book for history enthusiasts and for those who want to pursue a leadership position. Washington’s leadership during this time was absolutely amazing and very inspiring. Some of the book was a bit dry, but not terribly so. I would give this book three and a half out of five stars.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com <http://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 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Galileo by Mitch Stokes

I have always found the relationship between science (natural science specifically) and religion to be intertwined – to study natural science is to study God’s Creation and explore it in wonder. A statement like that in today’s world is shocking to most people, and this was apparently also true during European Renaissance times in the early 1600’s, as we see in Galileo, a biography of Galileo Galilei’s life. Mitch Stokes’ Galileo, from the Christian Encounters series, gives up a beautiful portrait of the life of Galileo, whom we find to be a devout Christian whose goal was never to undermine the authority of the church, but to try to determine the way the universe worked through mathematics, while refuting theories of the time of natural philosophy [science], mainly Aristotelian.

The book starts with Galileo’s early life, during which we learn that he was accomplished at many musical instruments, had a love for literature and writing and when he did go to school, to study medicine, he secretly eavesdropped on mathematical lecturers and studied math in secret. The book goes on to cover the remainder of his life, and even into the legacy he left behind in such a way that it feels as if you are reading a novel about a fictional character. Stokes, however, does not make up his information, which he validates with numerous references throughout the novel (one can immediately tell that Stokes is an academic writer who knows how to document his thorough research).

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Galileo and enjoyed Stokes’ writing style. I also loved how different philosophies, specifically Aristotelian, and mathematical theories were explained in order to understand where Galileo was coming from. The direct quotes from letters written by or about Galileo were also very intriguing – one can tell that he was either well loved or well disliked. I also found the peak into the socio-cultural and political aspects of the Renaissance and Catholic Italy extremely interesting. Finally, it is always inspiring to me to read how people know Scripture so well they can reference any particular verse or passage, and this is not strictly speaking in regards to Galileo – many of his counterparts really knew their Scriptures. Though this is only subtly mentioned on a few scattered occurrences in the novel, I found it to be motivating to try to learn the Scripture so thoroughly so as to defend or refute a theory by recalling what I have read and studied and applying that knowledge to the argument, as Galileo and so many of his counterparts did.

I would recommend this book for those who have an interest and/or love in science, Renaissance history and/or exploration. I plan on saving this book for my children to study when they are of an appropriate age to understand the material (not recommended for toddlers).

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the 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.”

Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah

I had never read any of Kristin Hannah’s books before, and a friend gave this book to me as a going away gift when she moved. I found Winter Garden, overall, to be a very compelling story. Winter Garden is the story of three women and their relationship to each other in the modern day. Anya, the mother, made a promise to her dying husband that she would finish the fairy tale she began many years ago for her daughters. As she tells the story, her life and the lives of her daughters are changed forever. I found myself trying to hurry through the main parts of the “current day” drama of the outer story to get back to the “past” drama of the inner story, it was so enthralling and fascinating.

The first third or so of the book was a bit hard to get through; the story just didn’t hold my attention the way I like a novel to. I pressed on instead of setting aside the book and I was rewarded with a very rich middle and even richer ending indeed. I smiled, I cried, I tried to imagine myself in the characters’ place and wondering if I would have made the same decisions or done the same things if I were in that situation. I found the ending to be a bit unbelievable, but I feel that the author was striving for a happy ending to the story, which has some very tragic elements and themes.  After I finished the book, I was inspired to do my own research into the time period that the story was written in. I love books that inspire me to go beyond and learn more. If you can make it through the first third of the book, you are in for a real treat by a solid author who can really weave a story together using imagination mixed with historical facts.

I would recommend this book to anyone over the age of 15 or 16. I think some of the elements of the story might be a bit much for a younger reader, although the younger reader certainly isn’t the intended audience. The book will make you cry, so if you’re not up for a good tear-jerker, you might want to wait a bit. It is definitely a very good book. As an added bonus, the author included recipes that are included in the stories.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free.  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 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html