Inspirational books and recommendations.
December 4, 2011: “The Secret” by Rhonda Byrne
The Secret
The Secret has been passed down through the ages… coveted, hidden, lost, stolen, bought for vast sums of money, and known by some of the most exceptional people who ever lived: Plato, Galileo, Da Vinci, Beethoven, Edison, and Einstein, to name but a few.
The Secret book reveals how you can change every aspect of your life. You can turn any weakness or suffering into strength, power, unlimited abundance, health and joy.
Everything is possible, nothing is impossible. There are no limits. Whatever you can dream of can be yours, when you use The Secret.
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Written by Melbourne television producer Rhonda Byrne, and based on a film she created in 2004 of the same title, The Secret tells of the laws of attraction: Asking for what you want, believing in what you want, and being open to receiving it.
With a historical basis in the 19th century New Thought movement; Byrne’s book has proven to be a cultural phenomenon, making the number one spot on the New York Times bestseller list.
While some consider the book little more than slick marketing and the re-packaging of many other spiritual beliefs, the book’s cultural significance cannot be denied. It remains to be seen whether Byrne’s The Secret will stand the test of time.
The book begins by introducing and explaining the mechanisms of the law of attraction, then goes on to describe its historical applications, and the great men and women in history who harnessed its power. The book describes the law as a magnetic power emitted through your thoughts. The power of thoughts are likened to a transmission tower that sends out a frequency to the universe and then returns the same frequency in a physical or experiential form.
Next, a three-step creative process for manifesting dreams is introduced: Ask, Believe, and Receive. This creative process is based on a quote from the Bible:”And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.” (Matthew 21:22)
“One of the most powerful uses of gratitude
can be incorporated in the Creative Process
to turbo-charge what you want” The Secret, p. 80.
The Secret highlights gratitude and visualization as the two most powerful processes to help manifest one’s desires. It asserts that being grateful both lifts your frequency higher and affirms that you believe you will receive your desire. Visualization is said to help focus the mind to send out the clearest message to the universe. Several techniques are given for the visualization process, as well as examples of people claimed to have used it successfully to manifest their dreams.
The following chapters describe how to use the law of attraction specifically in the areas of wealth, relationships, and health. The book provides examples and ways to use the law of attraction for each. The final chapters offer a more spiritual perspective of the law of attraction, and of how it relates to one’s life and the world.
Click here to see the 2,760 reviews from Amazon.com
Click here to see the 400,200 reviews from Goodreads.com
Click here to see the The Secret website
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November 6, 2011: “Heaven is for Real” by Todd Burpo
Heaven Is for Real is the true story of the four-year old son of a small town Nebraska pastor who during emergency surgery slips from consciousness and enters heaven. He survives and begins talking about being able to look down and see the doctor operating and his dad praying in the waiting room. The family didn’t know what to believe but soon the evidence was clear.
Colton said he met his miscarried sister, whom no one had told him about, and his great grandfather who died 30 years before Colton was born, then shared impossible-to-know details about each. He describes the horse that only Jesus could ride, about how “reaaally big” God and his chair are, and how the Holy Spirit “shoots down power” from heaven to help us.
Told by the father, but often in Colton’s own words, the disarmingly simple message is heaven is a real place, Jesus really loves children, and be ready, there is a coming last battle.
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Todd Burpo is the pastor of Crossroads Wesleyan Church in Imperial, Nebraska where his sermons are broadcast locally every Sunday via the local radio station. He volunteers at Chase County Public Schools as wrestling coach for Junior high school students, as well as serving as a member of the school board. In emergencies Todd can be found working shoulder-to-shoulder with the Imperial Volunteer Fire Department as a fire fighter. He is also the chaplain for the Nebraska State Volunteer Firefighter’s Association. To support his family, Todd also operates a company called Overhead Door Specialists. Todd graduated from Oklahoma Wesleyan University in 1991 summa cum laude with a BA in Theology. He was ordained in 1994.
Click here to see the 2,146 reviews from Amazon.com
Click here to see the 3,993 reviews from Goodreads.com
Click here to see the Heaven is for Real website
Read Mocha Girl Bree from Women of the Word Ministries’s review of the book. I know several people who have read this book and they all said that they loved it. Well, now I can see why. Heaven is for Real is a wonderful book and I’m so happy that I’ve had the opportunity to read and review this unique volume. But first, I have to be honest. I was a little hesitant to read it because I’m wary of people who say that they’ve been to Heaven or had a near death experience. And because this was a Christian book I was even more hesitant to read it. I’ve only read one other book that I would consider well written on the subject of Heaven. But once I turned the final page of this book, not only was I in love with it, but I was also in love with the people who wrote it. This small yellow book has found a big place in my heart.
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October 2, 2011: “The Shack” by William P. Young
The Shack by William P. Young
Mackenzie Allen Philips’ youngest daughter, Missy has been abducted during a family vacation and evidence that she may have been brutally murdered is found in an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness. Four years later in the midst of his Great Sadness, Mack receives a suspicious note, ostensibly from God, inviting him back to that shack for a weekend.Against his better judgment he arrives at the shack on a wintry afternoon and walks back into his darkest nightmare. What he finds there will change Mack’s world forever and quite possibly your own.In a world where religion seems to grow increasingly irrelevant The Shack wrestles with the timeless question, “Where is God in a world so filled with unspeakable pain?” The answers Mack gets will astound you and perhaps transform you as much as it did him. You’ll want everyone you know to read this book!
William P. Young was born a Canadian and raised among a stone-age tribe by his missionary parents in the highlands of what was New Guinea. He suffered great loss as a child and young adult and has overcome a host of inner demons to live a fulfilled life in his 50’s.
Click here to see the 4,755 reviews from Amazon.com
Click here to see the 69,509 reviews from Goodreads.com
Click here to see the The Shack website
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September 4 2011: “The Purpose Driven Life” by Rick Warren
You are not an accident. Even before the universe was created, God had you in mind, and he planned you for his purposes. These purposes will extend far beyond the few years you will spend on earth. You were made to last forever! Self-help books often suggest that you try to discover the meaning and purpose of your life by looking within yourself, but Rick Warren says that is the wrong place to start. You must begin with God, your Creator, and his reasons for creating you. You were made by God and for God, and until you understand that, life will never make sense. This book will help you understand why you are alive and God’s amazing plan for you–both here and now, and for eternity. Rick Warren will guide you through a personal 40-day spiritual journey that will transform your answer to life’s most important question: What on earth am I here for? Knowing God’s purpose for creating you will reduce your stress, focus your energy, simplify your decisions, give meaning to your life, and, most importantly, prepare you for eternity. The Purpose Driven Life is a blueprint for Christian living in the 21st century–a lifestyle based on God’s eternal purposes, not cultural values. Using over 1,200 scriptural quotes and references, it challenges the conventional definitions of worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry, and evangelism. In the tradition of Oswald Chambers, Rick Warren offers distilled wisdom on the essence of what life is all about. This is a book of hope and challenge that you will read and re-read, and it will be a classic treasured by generations to come. –Book description from Amazon.com
Click here to see the 1,200 reviews from Amazon.com
Click here to see the 10,000 reviews from Goodreads.com
Click here to see the Rick Warren website
Did you read this book? What did you think about it? Was it an inspiration to you? Or is it on your to read list? Leave a comment below about this book and a winner will be selected by http://www.random.org.
-You must be a follower of this blog or include your email address (so I can tell you if you win)
-Winner will be contacted by email.
-Contest closes on Friday September 10, 2011 at midnight (Pacific Time)
On the first Sunday of each month there will be a new book introduced. If you are reading it, read it or have any thoughts about the book, feel free to post a comment or email me at mochagirl@email.com and I will post your review.
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I started this book, did not finish. I am going to start it again.
I am not a reader, would this book be a good book for a beginner?
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I read some and didn’t care for it–personally, I found it too commercial and “feel-good” in nature–though I know that many people have found it helpful.
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