Live Young Forever by Jack LaLanne

  He is gone now but on his 95th year he wrote this book. It is a good inforamative lifesytle plan.
   He wasn't always what you remember him as.. a brash but good looking fitness guru. He started out as an out of fitness kid. Eating the wrong things. Doing the wrong things. Until he attended a lecture on fitness that got his attention.
    It was LaLanne who introduced most if not all of our fitness equipment.
   It has the subtitle of 12 Steps to Optimum Health, Fitness & Longevity. It includes an exercise workout in  drawings when you get to  chapter thirteen. The exercises look doable
  LaLanne was into juicing. As an aid he includes at the end of step twelve pictures and information on the fruits and vegetables and grains along with a glycemic index.
  Vitamins play a great part in his nutrition program.  For a look at available vitamins for sports and for exercing, the aminos you need, the other suppliments needed  you can go to www.vitaminspower.com.
   The web site is not affilated with Jack La Lanne but is an  independent online business.

Miraculous by Kevin Belmonte

Do you need to have your eyes opened to God’s working in the world? Are you  so jaded that you feel God is no longer involved in events?   Then you need to read this book. It traces God’s work known as miracles as seen in periods of time . What makes this so good is the book is not written as a theological explanation of God’s involvement in the world but as a historical  look at what God is doing. It starts with the biggest miracle of all, the creation of man.. It moves quickly through Abraham,. Moses, Elisha, into the incarnation, the resurrection. Then it moves into historical periods and people, most are well known.

  Belmonte  looks at miracles as consisting of five types. He sees confirmatory miracles where God is showing his choice  and support of certain individuals or groups. Then there is the judgmental miracle. These can be seen in the plagues. Thirdly there are miracles of mercy or miraculous healings. Fourth we have miracles of deliverance as seen  with Daniel and the friends in the fiery furnace.  And last of all he uses the lens of the miracle of divine vision

 As I read this book I found myself marveling  at what God has done and is still doing.    The point is God is not finished doing miracles. We still live in a world of  wonder. I found myself looking at things around  me differently.

I would recommend this book for those who need to have their vision of signs, wonders and miracles refreshed.

This  book was received free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to give a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own and do not reflect the views of the publsiher.

Dough, a Memoir by Mort Zachter

This is a delightful memoir of Zachter as he details his life as what he thought was a lower middle class Jewish child. It concerns his uncles and his family .

The title can be seen on two levels. Dough as in the bakery he grew up in or dough being the money he discovered his Uncle Harry had in stocks and bonds. Over a million dollars was invested But when  Mort finds out about the money Uncle Harry is suffering from Alzheimer’s and there is no way to ask why he was never told.

Then there was Uncle Joe who ran the bakery . By the time Mort learns of the money  Uncle Joe is dead.

          Mort grew up thinking he had to be careful with each penny he received. His life centered around the family bakery and all he knew growing up was hard work and  long hours, struggling to make it in America.. There never seemed time to do anything outside the shop.

          It was a good childhood. He wanted for nothing. He didn’t starve. Money was doled out for special occasions. It was a tight knit family. It was a hard life. One time the bakery was robbed but the robber was forgiven and charges never pressed. 

          This was the family he grew up in. All life centered around the bakery. The uncles never ventured out. They lived and breathed the bakery. Deliveries were made on time to customers regardless of the weather. Snow never stopped the delivery.

          It is a story of forgiveness and acceptance of the family you are born in. And of secrets that are kept. In the end there was nothing that could be done but accept the fact that what matters most is family.

The Reason By William Sirls

In this fiction book of about 400 pages we are presented  with a story of faith and belief. A stranger comes to town, a carpenter, and where ever he is things start to happen. The question to ask is it believable?

 I got to thinking about the title of this book. Each author likes to title their books for a reason ( no pun intended.). What was the author trying to tell us by naming it thusly?. What is the purpose or reason for this book?

 The story concerns a group of people in a small town. A stranger shows up and things miraculous start to happen. The phrase “only Believe” is thrown  around.

 Are the characters believable? I mean, are they real or  merely stick figures?. I found the characters  to be subordinate to a message. The question thus is what is the message of this book?

 As I read it the feeling I got is that I can’t share this with my non-Christian friend.  The area of suspension of unbelief necessary in a work of fiction is handled well, but for a  person who is seeking answers, this is not that book they need.

 The message seems to be miracles happen when God is present.. The plot driven story is just too difficult to believe as possible.

The book as a whole was interesting.

This book was sent to me free from the publisher as part of the book review bloggers program of BookSneeze.com . I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own.                                                                                                      

Spark by Jason Jaggard

     If it were possible to impact your world step by step by taking small risks would you do it? If you could change your life by making one choice would you make that choice?

     Jaggard says that it is possible.  He states it will be stepping out of your comfort zone yet it will change you also. In this   212 page book called “Spark” Jaggard presents “a road map that leads to a more meaningful life and to challenge you top take the risks required to get there.”

    The world needs to be changed and set right. But nothing will happen if there are not people to risk things. Not big  things. Small things like talking to your neighbor about eternal things. Or helping out at the food bank.

    Jaggard wants individuals to know they can make a difference by being creative. It is so easy to sit back and let others do the work when all this time maybe the world is waiting for you to take that first step and they will respond.

    This book is an interesting charge to do something. It is not a typical self help book but when one reads and considers what is being suggested, it makes one eager to go out and make a choice and risk comfort. It makes me want to reach out and touch someone..

    I felt this book to be just the nudge I needed to risk stretching myself. I would recommend this for those who need  to transform their lives creatively.

  The video trailer that goes with this book can be found here..

  This book was  sent to me free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review. I was not required to give a positive review and the opinions expressed are mine and not the publishers..

           

One Big Thing by Phil Cooke

            Have you ever wondered why you were created? Have you ever wondered  what you are here to accomplish? Do you wish to know what you  would do if you could be the best in the world at doing it?

            A whole new stream of thought is opened by Cooke in this book when it comes to life planning. Knowing and discovering your one big thing is important but only the first thing. Adding value to your purpose is also important.

            In twelve chapters and an epilogue Cooke presents a challenge to the reader to explore and discover the purpose that only they have that can influence the world around them. With influence will also come passion. With passion comes credibility.

            I found this book to be quite interesting. It covers an area in life that very few of us want to think about. We accept things as they are not realizing that maybe there is a greater purpose for us being here.

            It presents a challenge for the reader to do something about his present state. Cooke wants a person to be active not passive in life.

            The information was presented in a digestible manner. I would recommend this book for everyone who wants to explore the possibility that there is a purpose for existence.

 That means everyone.

 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 views expressed are my own and do not reflect those of the publisher.

Great Book Site

Boundaries by Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend

   All of us need to have personal boundaries. None of us should be left with a sense of no limits.
When  a person is allowed to touch  you in a way that he or she shouldn't, a boundary has been broken or was never set in place. Everyone has the right to say no. When it comes to your skin, for example, no one but you and those who you allow to touch you has the right to do so.
   A boundary is how far you let a person go, A boundary is a limit.
   In this book Dr. Cloud and Dr. Townsend help you see and set up boundaries. Boundaries also limit our actions. You have to know when to say yes and when to say no and take control of your life. Boundaries help in this process.
    Boundaries are not just physical. They are also emotional and  spiritual. The complete person.
    The problem is that we are afraid of hurting someone if we say no. That should be the most distant thing from our mind. We must see ourselves as being important and also an individual. It is our right to be on one hand free and on the other hand to have limits to our action. Just as we are an individual so is the other person.
     I recommend this book for everyone.