Tag: Body Mind & Spirit

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Down The TBR Hole

Down the TBR Hole #141-160

Welcome to Down the TBR Hole #141-160!  What is Down the TBR Hole?  It is where I grab 20 books from my insanely long TBR list on Goodreads and decide if I am keeping or removing the books.  Need to catch up?  Click here to go to the previous post.  As a reminder, here are the rules:

I am starting with 4,668 books this week on my To Read shelf on Goodreads.  I literally just added two new books, thanks to the YouTube video I am watching in the background while typing this up.  (Edit: before I finished this post, I added another book thanks to my reading last night.  Do you see why I have to do this post every week?  My list is ridiculous!) Let’s get started.

1. The Runaway Bride: Are you living for Jesus or are you running away from Him? by Heather Lindsey

The cover of this book makes it seems like it is going to be a fiction book, but it’s not.  This is entirely the wrong thought, but man, I feel like so many people should read a book about being a Sunday only Christian.  I’ve been there, and although things are far from perfect and let’s be honest, sometimes I feel like I struggle more now, I can’t imagine how people get through Monday through Saturday without the help of Jesus.  Now, with all of that said, I no longer feel like I need a book like this.  So I am going to be removing it.

 

2. The Pressure Trap: Breaking Free from the Pressures of Society to Become Who God Called You To Be by Heather Lindsey

I may need to actually buy this book and read it now because I feel like this has been my issue for the past few months.  With that said, I am keeping it.

 

3. Present Over Perfect: Leaving Behind Frantic for a Simpler, More Soulful Way of Living by Shauna Niequist

I actually own this book and feel like it has been recommended to me a bunch of times.   This is probably a book that I should have read when I was experiencing burnout.  Both when I was traditionally working and when I had my own business.  I do believe this is something that I could still struggle with, so I am keeping it.

4. One Minute Business Woman’s Devotional by Mike Murdock

Obviously, the cover shows how dated this book is, but it was recommended on one of my business lists.  It would be interesting if someone were able to update this based on today’s business world.  Because I feel like it may be dated and this isn’t my current season, I am removing it.

 

5. The Perfect Find by Tia Williams

This seems like a quick, quirky little romance that I wouldn’t mind reading in between my self-improvement books.  Those books can sometimes be a bit heavy, so reading about a woman who is working on a second chance in her career with a side of romance sounds like it would be the break I need.  I am keeping it.

 

6. You and Me Forever: Marriage in Light of Eternity by Francis Chan & Lisa Chan

I will say this with every marriage book on my list. Marriage is hard, and therefore I am keeping this book.  I absolutely love Francis Chan (check out my resource page on him) and have already read a few of his books.  So a book on biblical marriage is a no brainer for me to keep.  I also had this downloaded on Hoopla, but I had read quite a few Francis Chan books by this point and wanted to switch it up.

7. Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus by Ellie Claire

So here is some honesty.  I love buying these journals.  Yet I have not finished one at all.  I barely do them.  One of the goals I want to set for this year to help improve the health of my spiritual life is to add these types of devotionals for me to do each day.  But I do have a ton and don’t need to buy anymore until they are done.  So I will be removing this one.

8. The Meaning of Marriage: Facing the Complexities of Commitment with the Wisdom of God by Timothy J. Keller

Like I mentioned with the marriage book above, marriage is hard, so I will be keeping this one.  I need to read a book on marriage each month.  I’ll probably add this to my list of goals soon.

 

9. Gods at War: Defeating the Idols that Battle for Your Heart by Kyle Idleman

I added this book because I was going through a season where I was allowing some pretty good and Christian things to become idols in my life.  Like going to church each week, serving at church, people, etc. I struggled with seeing these things as idols until I realized that anything that is taking God’s place in my life is an idol.  So I am keeping this one.

 

10. Women Don’t Ask: Negotiation and the Gender Divide by Linda Babcock

There are certain topics that to understand them truly, we need to read the most up to date information.  So while this is still a significant issue in today’s workforce, I would want to read a book a little more recent.  So I am going to remove this one.

 

11. The Career Code: Must-Know Rules for a Strategic, Stylish, and Self-Made Career by Hillary Kerr & Katherine Power

I love a good women’s empowerment and success story.  And I am so thankful that these women are willing to share what worked and didn’t work for them.  This book is apart of a series, and I would like to read them all.  So I am keeping this one.

 

12. Wild and Free: A Hope-Filled Anthem for the Woman Who Feels She is Both Too Much and Never Enough by Jess Connolly

I bounce between feeling like I am doing too much and that I’m not enough to do the things I want to do.  It’s a struggle, and I’ve realized that the more I don’t take care of my mental health, the more I struggle.  I own a copy of this book, and I look forward to reading it.  So I am keeping it.

13. How to Be Here: A Guide to Creating a Life Worth Living by Rob Bell

One verse that has made me realize that I deserve so much more in life is John 10:10b (CSB) “I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance.” This tells me that Jesus gives me an abundant life.  I should be living my life that way.  So because of that, I am keeping this book.

 

 

14. May Cause Miracles: A 40-Day Guidebook of Subtle Shifts for Radical Change and Unlimited Happiness by Gabrielle Bernstein

This is probably one of those books I need to read during my Year of Healthy while I am working on building better habits.  Anything that helps with unlimited happiness is something I need to look into.  I am keeping this one.

15. Adventures for Your Soul: 21 Ways to Transform Your Habits and Reach Your Full Potential by Shannon Kaiser

Another book I should look into reading this year.  I think I tried to listen to the audiobook version, and I prefer to have my self-improvement books in ebook or physical book form because I love taking notes and highlighting.  But I am keeping this one.

16. The Desire Map by Danielle LaPorte

I’m a little torn about this book.  A life planning tool sounds like something right up my ally.  But it seems like this book may be borderline mystic, and those types of books can some times conflict with my faith, and I prefer not to read them.  So I will keep this one and give it a try.  I can always mark it as DNF (did not finish).

 

17. Healthy Happy Sexy: Ayurveda Wisdom for Modern Women by Katie Silcox

The first thing I needed to do was google Ayurveda.  I needed to make sure this wasn’t anything that was going to go against my faith.  I was stumped at first because the first articles that pop up are WebMD, National Institutes of Health, and Johns Hopkins. But when I dig deeper, I see that it has its origins with Hindu gods and is based on holistic healing. I can get down with Holistic healing, but I’m not about to open the door for any other “gods” to have any access to my mind, body, and spirit.  So I will be removing this one.

18. Miracles Now: 108 Life-Changing Tools for Less Stress, More Flow, and Finding Your True Purpose by Gabrielle Bernstein

I stress and worry way too much to be as blessed as I am.  It’s definitely something I want to work on this year. I also like the fact that these are small tidbits of info and practices for someone with only a minute or two.  I am keeping this one.

 

19. 100 Ways to Love Your Husband: A Life-Long Journey of Learning to Love by Lisa Jacobson

Again…marriage=hard.   Any book that I can read that can help me be a better wife, help me understand my husband more, help me love him more, I am all for reading.  I am keeping this one.

 

20. The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay

I read the plot of this book, and my first thought was awww in such a sad way.  Have I ever shared how randomly emotional I am?  I cry very frequently when things get sad in a book, tv show, movie, or with a random thought.  And it’s usually boohoo crying.  It’s terrible but I chalk it up to feeling deeply.  I feel like this book will make me do just that.  So I am keeping it.

 

Final Count: Removing 5; Keeping 15

TBR Down to 4,663

Have you read any of these books?  Think I made a mistake removing one?  Leave me a comment below and let’s chat.

*As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases using the links included in this post.

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Down The TBR Hole

Down The TBR Hole: #1-10

I never thought that I would be one to do a book meme (book lingo for a challenge) on my site, but I found one that I believe will help me out. If you know me, you know I love all things organizing (This site initially belonged to my Professional Organizing business). So anything that will help me organize this crazy TBR (To Be Read) list I have is fantastic. I found Down The TBR Hole on the blog, A Book. A Thought. The original creator of the meme has taken her site down but here are the rules:

Why am I doing this one? At the present moment, I have 4,679 books on my To Be Read list. Yes, I do. My problem is, whenever someone, somewhere recommends a book, I add it to my list. 25% of the time, I will check on what the book is about to see if it is something I will read, but most of the time, I add.

I know, logically that I will never get through this list and read all of these books. But I also never have to worry about being without a book recommendation. I do expect to remove some books off this list by doing this meme (weekly is my goal but don’t hold me to that just in case life happens). Let’s get started.

1. Knowing God Intimately: Being as Close to Him as You Want to Be by Joyce Meyer 

I own a physical copy of this book (or maybe my mom technically owns it, and I borrowed it indefinitely) and I have this dream of reading every book I own. I love Joyce Meyer’s teaching, but I’ve only read one of her books, half-way. But I also have a ton of her books (or my mom does). Plus this topic is something I could always use a refresher on. I’m keeping this one mostly because I own it.

2. The Secret by Rhonda Byrne

This book is only on my list because I have heard so much about it. From my experience, that isn’t always a good thing. I’m not even sure how I feel about the Law of Attraction. I did try and watch the Netflix special and couldn’t make it past the first 10 minutes. I’m removing this one.

 

3. Discerning the Voice of God – The Bible Study Book by Priscilla Shirer

I’ve already done this with a small group and own the Bible Study book, so I am assuming I meant to add the actual book Priscilla Shirer wrote. That book also happens to be on this list so I will be removing this one.

 

 

4. Girls with Swords: How to Carry Your Cross Like a Hero by Lisa Bevere

I own this book because I started it with a large group at church, but we never finished the book. Now that I think about it, our large group never finished the last three books we were supposed to read, including one by our lead Pastor. Nevertheless, I didn’t like this book enough to finish it on my own. It could have been the slow pace of reading a chapter or two a week to stay on track with the group. Or maybe the season I was in. I’ve heard Lisa Bevere preach once and enjoyed her, but I wasn’t a fan of one of her husband’s books, so I’m a little concerned with how I will feel about her books. But since I own a physical copy of the book, I’m keeping it on the list.

 

5. I Want It All: Exchanging Your Average Life for Deeper Faith, Greater Power, and More Impact by Gwen Smith

Not sure how this book ended up in my collection, but it is another one that I physically own (and this one actually belongs to me). I’m on this kick lately of knowing that there is more to life than just living so the pull to exchange an average life is enough to say I am keeping this book on the list.

 

6. Women of the Bible by Frances VanderVelde

I don’t know how I ended up owning this one, but it’s on my Kindle app, so it isn’t going anywhere. I think I went through a season of wanting to know all I could about women in the Bible. I probably wanted to see how they were able to do life. I’m keeping this one.

 

 

7. Chazown: A Different Way to See Your Life by Craig Groeschel

Guess what? I don’t own this one. I’m also a little over reading books about the vision or call for my life. That is to give God glory, and however He wants me to do that, He has told me or will let me know. I’m removing this one.

 

 

8. Women Living Well: Find Your Joy in God, Your Man, Your Kids, and Your Home by Courtney Joseph

I use to love Good Morning Girls, and I am sure I downloaded this book on Kindle when I was following their reading plans. I still like them, but they aren’t in-depth enough for me in this season, but they are great for people just beginning to get into the Word of God. As for her book, I love the cover and have wanted to know more about Courtney. I know she has had some life changes since this book, but I would still like to read it. I am keeping it since it’s on my Kindle app.


9. Start Balancing by Kristy Dickerson

I found out about Kristy Dickerson by using her Start Planners. When she came out with this book, it was so adorable, and I was all for trying to organize, simplifying, and balancing this thing called life. I started the book but didn’t finish it. Unfortunately, since then, I have realized that Kristy herself isn’t all that balanced. She has created and launched quite a few businesses in the past few years, and I’ve noticed that she just isn’t juggling like she was. Which is more like real life.  Maybe she needs a bigger team; perhaps it’s just a growing or stretching season. Either way, I’m not interested in the book anymore, especially since I realized there isn’t really a thing called a balanced life. I own a physical copy of this book, but I am removing it because I don’t plan on finishing it.

10. Rhythms of Grace: Discovering God’s Tempo for Your Life by Kerri Weems

Remember up above when I said my church started three books during Large Group and never finished? Including one by our Pastor? This is it, which is hilarious considering shortly after we entered a season where we picked back up honoring the Sabbath. The book was great. I had to force myself to slow down to stay on the same page as the group, which is honestly what made me put it down. I’m sure I only had a few more chapters to go also. But I’m keeping this book on the list because it was so good.

Final count: Removing 4; Keeping 6; TBR down to 4,675

I know…that number seems crazy. And it is. But just think, I removed 40% of the books on today’s review, which means there is hope for my list. Plus I am reading a bunch still. I have eight books right now borrowed on my apps that once I read and finish them, will be able to come off. I’m making progress.

*As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases using the links included in this post.

Categories
Book Review Faith Book Review

Book Review: The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz

Title: The Four Agreements

Author: Don Miguel Ruiz

Genre: Body, Mind & Spirit

Publisher: Amber-Allen Publishing, Inc.

Rating: Related image/DNF

This has been the most recommended book to me by people I am close to and some who are random but know I like to read and thought I would enjoy it.  After reading the first few pages, I knew there was a major disconnect.  I already felt like this book was going to skirt around ideals that are closely aligned to my faith.  This book is called a wisdom book, and the people aren’t in a religion.  It seemed like a quick read, so I was determined to finish it and see what it could teach me.  I knew I had to be careful with what I received from this book and make sure it didn’t contradict my faith in any way and go against Biblical truth.

My thoughts:

Ruiz is presenting familiar information under different terms like dream, light, and even using the term humans, and I wonder if this is the fascination with this book.  He says that we are all God.  I was always curious about this concept.  My faith has me believing that I have God’s Spirit in me.  But I don’t call myself or consider myself a god or God.  When people do that, are they aligning themselves with God, or are they merely saying god like they used lord as a title for man in the Bible?  Or do they feel that because God is in them, that they can then say they are God?  It’s not something I understand enough to make an informed opinion on if others are right or wrong when they do it.  I can speak for myself, and I shy away from saying I am God or I am a god.  It doesn’t feel right to me, and I have learned to trust the Spirit in me.

Right away, I am connected with the idea that we are taught everything we know and our need for attention.  A recent area of focus for me, I have been trying  to understand why I believe what I believe.  I realized that most of what I know comes from being taught by others.  While that isn’t a bad thing and is mostly how our lives work, some of my beliefs, morals, and values really should be my own and foundational.  Not something that has been passed down and therefore I automatically believe it.  I do believe in sharing your beliefs, but we should share why we believe them and allow others to come to their own conclusions.

Things were explained very simply from being taught to say “mom” and “dad” to how children learn to say “no” by using a reward/punishment system.  While the simplicity of this part was somewhat frustrating to me (I wanted to push past and get to the part of learning something), I am taking a moment to think about how some of these things are still true for adults today.  We crave the reward, we don’t want to disappoint others, and we don’t want to be rejected.  All of that can have us mimicking others or becoming someone we are not.

I do agree with the concept of judging ourselves over and over again.  The fact that every time we think of a mistake that we made, many times we do feel the guilt again, which can lead to giving ourselves some type of punishment again.  This leads to the self-abuse he speaks of.  I also agree with some aspect of us allowing others to do what we feel should be done to us or what we do to ourselves.  Although I don’t necessarily agree with what he says on physical abuse (it felt very much like victim-blaming, and that’s not okay), I get what he meant by saying we allow things to happen if we think it is deserved.  But we can’t control and really shouldn’t have to be responsible for other peoples behavior but I understand this isn’t the case most of the time.

I’m also torn on his thoughts on hell.  I believe that we all experience a version of our own personal hell, and I do believe that we are experiencing a type of hell on Earth.  Do I think that it is the Hell spoken about in the Bible?  Where people go to be punished when they don’t believe in Jesus? No.  We are lucky enough not to experience that before Judgement. But the problems on Earth can have us feeling like we are experiencing Hell.  Same with our mental anguish and feeling like we have our own personal hell.

I find it ironic that his solution to us forgetting the agreements that we have learned from others that are mostly false is to teach us…more agreements.  Moving on to the first agreement, be impeccable with your word, by now, I thought the book was going to get better.  But then he used scripture to justify this concept, and it was taken so far out of context that I couldn’t overlook it.  Using John 1:1, he tries to explain how the word is responsible for creation, and because our words create, they are powerful.  Except for the word in that verse is actually The Word…as in Jesus.

Then he used this quote, “Hitler sent out all those seeds of fear, and they are very strong and beautifully achieved massive destruction.”  Beautifully achieved?  I’m going to assume he is using the second definition for beautifully here (yes I had to look it up because I could not believe he used this word.  The first definition: In a way that excites aesthetic pleasure; the second definition: In a highly effective or excellent manner.)  Anyway, I do understand the power of words, but I also feel like he may be simplifying this concept a bit.  While negative words can impact our thinking and how we live our life, only having someone say the opposite of that negative word usually isn’t enough to overturn that opinion.  It’s more about the repetition of the negative or positive thought that has us believing it.

I also don’t agree with his definition of sin: “A sin is anything that you do which goes against yourself”.  But I guess since he thinks I am God, then his definition may be correct in that aspect.  I am struggling with the fact that he is giving me, as one person so much power specifically over other people.  If I speak with love, the person I’m talking to will speak in love.  Yes, that may happen but it also may not.  You know why?  Because that person is responsible for themselves.  In my opinion, it’s best to speak in love, no matter the outcome.  Shoot, prepare yourself that you may not get love back.  That shouldn’t be why you are doing it anyway.

I had to give up on this book finally.  I felt like it was honestly going to end up doing too much damage to my subconscious to continue to read it.  I looked at the Table of Contents to see what the other agreements were.  Just like the first one, I agree with the titles.  But if the descriptions are anything like the first one, I can’t even deal with it.  I very much wanted to like this book.  Even though there are some good points here and there, in my opinion, it is covered with way too much fluff and ideals that I cannot agree with.  Of course, he will probably say I am using agreements that are made up of lies to come to this conclusion.  Either way, this gets 1-star from me, and I won’t be recommending it to anyone.

*As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases using the links included in this post.