Have a New You by Friday

Dr. Kevin Leman continues his series of personal growth books in this entertaining and educational book about why you are the way you are. He combines his own research into birth order with insights into parenting style and love languages to make this foray into psychology easy to understand. He encourages his readers to make a plan of how they will change their lives with this new understanding and provides excerpts of correspondence where people have done precisely that. If you want to understand yourself and work on improving yourself, consider reading this book.

I found his humorous style a delight to read and I would like to re-read the book on occasion to look at my life and how I can change. I expect it to be helpful we parent our kids to see how best I can encourage them in their own development and how I can change my parenting style for the better. I enjoyed the anecdotes from his own life, seeing what he had to overcome to get where he is. I particularly enjoyed the snippets of correspondence he enclosed.

Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. Available at your favourite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

City on our Knees

While I don't know TobyMac, I was intrigued by the title, and I'm glad I picked up this book. I don't read many biographies, but I really should read more. TobyMac has selected stories from past and present about people in different walks of life who have relied on their faith in God. From Alexandra whose faith at 4 years old started lemonade stands to raise money for cancer, which she died of 4 years later, to George Mueller's famous orphanages which ran on faith and God's provision. From prayers and tireless effort to end slavery to one man's search for a missing 11-year-old. From the faith of a reluctant parliamentarian to the persistence of handicapped individual doing more than most able-bodied people do. From Saint Patrick and the early Irish Celts to miracles in modern-day Haiti, God moves in those that earnestly seek Him.

I quite enjoyed reading the many stories TobyMac chose to highlight faith in God. The stories are not all the same: God uses different people and different methods to reach out to people. The stories were short, but served to highlight that one person's inspiration can change a life, or the life of a nation. These stories serve to challenge me and challenge us to step across the room or around the world to make a difference, all relying on our relationship with God on our knees. It's nice to see TobyMac feature the variety in God's kingdom. Quite often it's easy to focus on on person or place and not see the breadth of His work around the world and through the ages.

Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. Available at your favourite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group.