Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Book Review: Living the Quaker Way by Philip Gulley

I was very intrigued to read this book as I had encounter a Quaker gathering place near one of my very first clinical locations in nursing school in 2004. I had wondered what they believed and had heard that Quakers gather to sit in silence during meetings.

The book answered many questions for me about the Quaker's but also caused many more questions than it answered.
I found the insights into living life with simplicity, peace, integrity, community, and equality as very good qualities. I was very confused, however, on the marketing being aimed at Protestants and bringing "God's Kingdom to Earth". I agree that this should be the goal of Christians, to live like Jesus now, not waiting to get to Heaven. However, early on in the book, Gulley described that Quaker's come from all walks of life, including athiest. I have not been able to reconcile this detail in my mind. To me "living the Quaker way" does not equate to following Jesus and bringing His kingdom to Earth, despite the similarities.

Overall an interesting read and definitely good qualities to live life in, but I would not classify this as a Christian book.

Author Website
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Disclosure: I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

Thursday, August 08, 2013

Book Review:Quiet by Susan Cain

This book was a phenomenal read! Being an introvert I appreciated the confirmation that my personality is not really a flaw, that it has strengths that vary from societal expectations. The book is full of great research articles and other references that bring much validity to the work. I highly recommend this read to everyone. As always I enjoy the numerous practical tips contained between the covers!
Be sure to listen to the TED talk as well!

http://www.ted.com/talks/susan_cain_the_power_of_introverts.html
http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/files/2013/01/Quiet-Reading-Group-Guide.pdf
http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/files/2013/02/Quiet-Question-and-Answer.pdf
http://www.randomhouse.com/book/22821/quiet-by-susan-cain/9780307352156
http://www.randomhouse.com/book/22821/quiet-by-susan-cain/9780307352156#excerpt
http://www.randomhouse.com/author/125586/susan-cain?sort=best_13wk_3month


"I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review."

Saturday, February 09, 2013

Book Review: Next Generation Leader

book by: Andy Stanley

I loved this book.  Andy Stanley had a great coaching writers voice.  The book was a fast easy read with many practical applications.  He weaved personal experiences in modestly.  I really enjoyed to questions for self evaluation at the end of each section (Courage, Competence, Clarity, Coachability, and Character).  One of the most useful applications for me was defining my current job situation and then laying out the qualities of my dream job.  I feel inspired to step up and display more courage in my work because of this book.  I highly recommend it!

Author's Website
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Read Chapter One
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I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

Thursday, January 31, 2013

Life organization

Through the years I have tried many planners and calendars in an attempt to organize my life.  Nothing in the are world has ever worked for me on a long term basis.  This past August I received an IPad for my birthday.  This has revolutionized my life.  I have never been more organized.
I use a calendar for dates, to-do list for all tasks including a break down of goals and the tasks involved, Evernote for collecting information, numbers for budgeting, tracking gifts and cards, employment requirements, etc.  this is only the beginning.

What tools do you use for life organization?

Great article about birth center outcomes

Outcomes in birth centers

I am so pleased to see the completion and publication of a study on birth center outcomes.  The results are wonderful and supportive of the choice for low risk women to birth at freestanding birth centers.  I have been blessed to have given birth to both of my wonderful daughters in the presence of certified nurse midwives at a freestanding birth center.  I am so thankful that more and more people are finding value in the midwifery model of care.  I pray that the government and society as a whole will begin to realize the cost containment involved in low intervention wellness based pregnancy and childbearing care.

Friday, January 25, 2013

Book Review: God Gave Us Easter

By Lisa Tawn Bergren

After having read two other books in this series, I had high expectations for this book. I read it with my two year old daughter, who immediately asked to read it again upon completion.  The story was different than I imagined, but it was still good.  The pictures are, as always, very cute.  The text was easy to read. I appreciate the authors willingness to delve into deeper topics in a way that youg children can understand.  I highly recommend this book.

Coloring page
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I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Book review: Cleaning House by Kay Wills Wyma

I recommend this book for any parent.  The authors intended audience is that of parents that desire to reeducate their children to get rid of youth entitlement in their homes.  I feel that this book is also appropriate or even better suited for new parents.  I have a 2 year old and a newborn so I read the book as if the author was an older mentor advising on how to establish work ethic and prevent youth entitlement from the start. I enjoyed the authors honesty and transparency about what worked with her children and what didn't.  I also appreciated the authors discussion of what she learned versus what her children learned in the process.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review. Thank you!

For more information follow these links.

Author's website
More Info
Read chapter 1
Author bio