Book Reads and Suggestions

In my first blog entry, I did a book recommendation list of three books that I like that others might as well, and I'm kind of going off on that in this one.  I was thinking of the books that I've read this past year or so (probably since the spring of 2012), and it's actually kind of amazing how many I've read, or are currently reading.  I know there's probably a few more than what I came up with, but here's the list (you'll recognize a few from the first blog I did in this list):

• Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain
• Zero Regrets by Apolo Anton Ohno
• The Top Five Regrets of the Dying: A Life Transformed by the Dearly Departed by Bronnie Ware
• Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy by David Burns (recommended to me by a manager as I was going through a tough time last year)
• Not a Fan.  Becoming a Completely Committed Follower of Christ by Kyle Idleman
• Let. It. Go. by Karen Ehman (currently reading as part of a bible study through Proverbs 31 Ministry and melissataylor.org)
• Be It.  Believe It. by Ali Vincent (a Biggest Loser winner, I believe season 5)
• Becoming Fearless: My Ongoing Journey of Learning to Trust God by Michelle Aguilar (Michelle is the season 6 winner of the Biggest Loser) (currently reading)

As I finish up the books I'm currently reading, I was wondering what I could read next that would seem to be a good read.  I decided to go through the books I have, and came up with a list of books that I might actually enjoy and would love to read at some point (I have a wide variety of interests...sports, music, biography, religious, etc):

• The Tao of Music by John M Ortiz
• Playing With Purpose by Mike Yorkey
• A History of God by Karen Armstrong
• The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle (another book recommended to me by a manager)
• A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle
• Protestantism by J Leslie Dunstan
• Basilica - The Splendor and Scandal: Building St. Peter's by R. A. Scott
• Sacred Hoops by Phil Jackson
• The Games Do Count by Brian Kilmeade
• The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
• Promise Me by Nancy G Brinker
• The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls
• Quiet Strength by Tony Dungy
• Open by Andre Agassi
• Shot in the Heart by Mikal Gilmore
• Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser
• How (Not) to Speak of God by Peter Rollins
• Proverbs of Ashes by Rita Nakashima Brock and Rebecca Ann Parker
• Fingerprints of God by Barbara Bradley Hagerty
• The Tipping Point by Malcom Gladwell
• Outliers by Malcom Gladwell

That's obviously a big list of books that I would like to read, but I seem to be on the look out now-a-days looking for the next book to keep me busy, and to read something that would grab my interest and if need be, make question and realize what I can take a long, hard look at inside myself, and what I can do change (Let. It. Go. by Karen Ehman is doing that right now for me actually because it deals with the control that women have and trying to let it go...I've always been one who wants to have control over things, and by reading this book, I'm really learning that it hits home with me, along with being called out by one of my managers on something related to this).

If you have read any of the above books and have input on them (did you like it, would you recommend it, etc), let me know.  I would love your input.  Also...if you've been thinking about reading any of the above books, let me know as well, and maybe we can read and discuss it together.

Bible/book study - Let. It. Go. by Karen Ehman, week one

 As I probably mentioned in my last blog post, I am doing an online bible/book study through melissataylor.org.  Melissa Taylor is part of the Proverbs 31 Ministries organization, and I found the bible study through their Facebook page.  The book she has picked for the current bible study is called "Let. It. Go." by Karen Ehman.  It's geared towards women and the control that we have.  Melissa Taylor does the bible study through her blog on her website (which I gave above) and each week, there's at least one chapter to read, along with some thought provoking questions for you to answer and take a look at closer inside yourself.  I know for me, this is a time where it's great to have something like this because I'm kind of in the midst of trying to figure some things out and how to work at getting better at them (control is definitely one of those things!).  If you're at all interested in joining the conversation about the book, join in reading the book with me, answer the questions yourself, or whatever, feel free to comment or get a hold of me.  This post is actually last week's assignments and responses for week one, but I wanted to share my answers and see if I can get some of you to answer them as well.  (Just a side note - Proverbs 31 Ministries is geared for women)


TUESDAY 2/5/13 ASSIGNMENT
READ CHAPTER 1 - WIRED TO CONTROL

YOUR RESPONSE (BLOG COMMENT SECTION)
CHALLENGE #1
WHAT WAS YOUR CONTROL QUOTIENT? (END OF CHAPTER ONE)
    Mine was 42, which is considered a control freak.  Not very surprising though, and I’m not surprised it has come up when a manager called me out a while back saying that others at work said that I was bossy (definitely part of my control side coming out).  It helped me realize what I have always done, along with taking the quiz at the end of chapter one.

CHALLENGE #2
WHAT ARE YOUR STRUGGLES WITH CONTROL?  ARE YOU AN ALL OUT CONTROL FREAK, OR DO YOU, LIKE ME, STRUGGLE WITH LETTING GO AND ALLOWING GOD TO GIVE YOU PEACE IN THE MIDST OF LIFE?  HOW CAN YOU PERSONALLY PRACTICE WALKING IN FAITH?
    I think for me, the biggest struggle with control is just the fact that I want to have control of situations and I don’t know when to just let things go, or let them be.  I want to make sure things get done, I want to make sure I have enough hours at work to pay  for my bills, etc and I don’t always know when to say enough is enough or where the limits might lie.  I think that’s where the bossiness, etc come into play and not being able to let things go the way they are intended to go.  
    I don’t know if it’s possible, but I think I might be a little bit of both - an all out control freak, along with having the struggle to let things go and let God give me peace in my life, as well as determine how things go in my daily life.  I know I need to trust God in how things go, and know that he has a purpose and plan for everything.  It might not be the way that I want it to go (which is probably why I want to control everything), but I have to trust that there is a reason why things go the way that they do, and just let everything fall into place the way God wanted it to go.  I also think that they are very much intertwined with each other - I think we control things in our life, and maybe some more than others, because we struggle with letting things go and allowing God to plan how things go, as well as just going with the flow.
    Personally, I think I can practice walking in faith more by just trusting God and knowing that things happen for a reason.  I also have to trust myself to let things go and believe that God will take care of everything for me.  Surrendering that power of control is a hard thing for me because I want to make sure I get what I want but yet trust that God will take care of it.  Things might happen that I might not like, but I just have to realize that I need help and I can’t control everything that I do.  There might be a time where I have to have some control over what happens or say enough is enough, but really...God is the one that has the ultimate power over that and if there is a time that comes where I have to put my foot down about a situation or something that comes up, maybe it’s just meant to be that way.

Books I Recommend

I am not usually a blog kind of person, but I thought I would give it a shot.  I do have some things going on right now that I'll probably be sharing some ideas and topics from (an online bible/book study I'm doing, reflections from a bible reading plan that I'm doing, etc) to hash out my thoughts (and maybe get some of yours) plus some other things that I would like share.  Such is the case in this blog...I was thinking about some of the books that I've read in the last six months or so that I thought might be an interesting read.  So, here it goes...

Top Five Regrets of the Dying: A Life Transformed by the Dearly Departed by Bronnie Ware
I know the title sounds a little dark, and maybe a little out there, but it really is a good read.  The author, Bronnie Ware, works in palliative care taking care of those who are about to pass on.  As she works with various people in her work, she finds that there are five common themes/lessons/regrets that seem to come up that she is able to use in her own life and realize, in a way, that it's not to late to change.  And really, these regrets and lessons can be applied to everyone, because a lot of us deal, or will deal, with some of the same regrets as we grow older.  Or maybe, we come across these regrets in our own lives whether it's dealing with a parent who's ready to pass on, or something we might finally realize when we decide to step back in some way, shape, or form and realize what we have been doing for so long...I know I did when I read this book.  Some of the regrets I realized that I've been going through my own life and I really didn't fully understand or realize it until I read this book.

In case you're wondering, the top five regrets she covers in the book are: 1) I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected for me; 2) I wish I hadn't worked so hard (so very true for me!); 3) I wish I'd had the courage to express my feelings (definitely rings true for me, and I'm working on it); 4) I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends (I'm really bad at this); and 5) I wish I had let myself be happier.

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain
If you know me, I'm usually a very quiet person, especially when you get me outside of work (where it seems like I can be very outgoing and fun).  To read this book was actually quite interesting because it takes a look at how our society undervalues introverts and the contributions that they make.  Susan Cain covers a variety of other topics about introverts such as how Asian students feel out of place in an atmosphere of American schools that are brash, how leadership potential from introverts can actually be overlooked in the workplace, and some successful introverts, among several other topics.  Being an introvert myself, it was a great look at how powerful introverts can actually be in this world if given the opportunity, which is not always the case, and how important they can be, no matter the circumstance.

For more information, you can always check out http://www.thepowerofintroverts.com.  It has a ton of information about the book, the author, etc (there's even a forum to talk about the book and such).

Not a Fan.  Becoming a Completely Committed Follower of Jesus by Kyle Idleman

Yes, I know I have included a religious book in my recommended reading, but I think it's worth look.  I think it's definitely worth a look, especially if you're going through a time where you're trying to figure things out and feel like the church/religious community is what you're looking for, or even as a source of strength to get you through things.  I know for me, reading this book in the last month or so has opened me up a bit to seeing how I can change what I'm doing and doing what I can to live like how Jesus wants us to...not worrying about things, trusting him, letting God and Jesus be in control of things, etc.  Ironically, these are some of the things that I definitely have to work on myself because I am the type of person who worries about things, don't trust a lot of people (at least I don't think so), and I definitely like to be in control of things.  What Kyle Idleman challenges us to do in this book is to make that sacrifice to follow Jesus, and not be a fan...not one where they will say, "I will follow you but only if I can still have, or do, x, y, or z," but instead say, "I will follow you no matter what."  I don't know how to fully describe the book, other than it's one that takes a good hard look at how you define your relationship with Jesus and how it goes deep into how to be a follower of Jesus, and live how he wants you to live, even if it means making some sacrifices along the way, which may not always be positive.

More information about the book: http://http://www.notafan.com/

For now, that is all I recommend that I can think of.  I know there are several other books that I have read recently that I recommend, I just have to recall which ones and possibly do another blog on it.  In the meantime, I am reading several other books if you would like to join me and have discussions on them.  One is called "Take This Bread" by Sara Miles, while the other is called "Let. It. Go." by Karen Ehman (which is actually more geared for women).  Both are considered religious, I believe, but so far they seem to be good books to delve into and read.