My Latest Addiction

I love to read!!!!! As a kid I grew up in the library and spent hours there. Do you remember Book It? Yup, I was always the over achiever in this dandy little club. 

As an adult visiting a bookstore is far more fun for me than shopping for clothes. I love to scan all the titles and just admire the pretty designs on each cover. Ok you can stop making fun of me now!

 I recently had to ban myself from purchasing another book; my bookshelf is overflowing and my iPad is full of reads I haven’t even started. In the last three months I have read 4 books and 3 ebooks. Some of these books have been my inspiration for my blog posts, a reason why I can’t stop reading. So today I’d thought I’d share the wealth of information by posting some of my most recent reads with a short synopsis. I hope this is helpful to you when picking your next book but I want to hear from you too. What are you reading?

*Not pictured is The Power of a Praying Wife by Stormie Omartian. I purchased this one on my Kindle App for my iPad.*

Title: Winning the War Within by Charles Stanley

Length: 203 pages

Summary: This book is about facing trials, temptations and inner struggles. Charles Stanley is the father to Andy Stanley at North Point Church. The book gave insight on how to define the problem, developing a self-defense and discover the truth. It was a great read especially since we all struggle with temptation. It was difficult picking my favorite quotes out of the book because it was jammed packed with so much truth. I will say that although this wasn’t revelation  it was a good reminder, Ephesians 6:13-17 (dressing up for the battle). We forget the importance of putting on the armor and we need it daily to be prepared for battle.

My favorite Quotes from the Book:

• We forget that although God gave us the potential to feel and desire certain things, Satan has the ability to manipulate and misdirect those feelings and desires. That is the essence of temptation. Satan’s appeal to you and me is to meet God-given needs and fulfill God-given desires the easiest, quickest, and least painful way.

• God does not intend for you to live a life full of frustration and anxiety. On the contrary, Satan is the one who wants your life to be filled with anxiety. That is why he is always so quick to offer a substitute for God’s best.

• God does not promise to meet your need immediately. But He does promise the inner strength you need to keep going in the meantime. By opting for His peace rather than Satan’s substitute, you can be assured that when the time comes for God to meet your particular need, you will be ready.

Title: A Glimpse of Jesus by Brennan Manning

Length: 140 pages

Summary: Brennan Manning is just a lovely writer, almost poetic in a way. The book was written for what he believes is the most pressing spiritual problem of our age: self-hatred. His writing encourages you to not look at ourselves if we want to understand God’s love but is better understood by looking at the life of Jesus. Unfortunately Mr. Manning passed away not to long ago so we won’t be seeing new books on the shelves, but he does have a few others that are worth the read.

My favorite Quotes from the Book:

• There is more power in sharing our weaknesses than in sharing our strengths.

• Healthy guilt is other-centered, arouses compunction and the desire for reconciliation, and calls us into the fullness of humanity by staring in the face defiantly and without embarrassment the gods of pride, arrogance, self-righteousness, and self-pity. “Learn from me,” the Master says, “for I am gentle and humble in heart” (Matt. 11:29). Unhealthy guilt is self-centered, it stirs our emotions to churn in self-destructive ways, leads to depression and despair, closes us in upon ourselves and preempts the presence of a compassionate God. 

• By sheer undeserved grace, I’ve been able to abandon myself in unshaken trust to the compassion and mercy of Jesus Christ. 

Title: It’s Not About Me by Max Lucado

Length: 146 pages

Summary: Don’t be fooled by the length of the book it was actually a quick read. The book encourages you to look outward and not inward. God is so much bigger than me. The title pretty much explains itself.

My favorite Quotes from the Book:

• Our society is not wired for this kind of thinking. It’s a “me-centric” world out there which destroys much of what should be good. And for some, life’s troubles are magnified because they believe life is all about them. - David Robinson

• If you think it’s all about you, and I think it’s all about me, we have no hope for melody.

• Why does the earth spin? For him. Why do you have talents and abilities? For him. Why do you have money or poverty? For him. Strength or struggles? For him. Everything and everyone exists to reveal His glory including you.

Title: The Power of a Praying Wife by Stormie Omartian

Length: 203 pages

Summary: This book was powerful. I’ve prayed for my husband many times but it was so eye opening how important it is to pray for one another in a marriage on a daily basis; to be intentional. She even provided a prayer after each chapter to help guide you on what to pray for. She also provided lots of stories on her own relationship with her husband which was nice to hear a “been there” attitude but in a very humbling way.

My favorite Quotes from the Book:

• Something amazing happens to our hearts when we pray for another person. The hardness melts. We become able to get beyond the hurts, and forgive. We even end up loving the person we are praying for. It's miraculous! It happens because when we pray we enter in to the presence of God and He fills us with His Spirit of love.
• The past should not be a place where we live, but something from which we learn.

Ebooks:

Pursuit of Proverbs 31 by Amy Bayliss

How to Have Your Cake and Eat it Too by Mandi Ehman

Simple Blogging by Rachel Meeks

So share with me what you are reading, I'm dying to know!!!

*The above reviews are my personal thoughts and opinions. I did not get paid or was asked to promote or advertise these books*