The right book at the right time to help bring us together
938191
Lizzie's evolving story is simultaneously inspirational, just as she is approachable. Her lessons to be "the right kind of selfish" particularly resonated with me, as a people pleaser who has trouble making time for myself. Thank you, Lizzie, for this book and to Catherine for helping make it happen!
2932391
I found this book at a perfect time!  Helped me think clearer about a particuliar relationship.  Love to re-read certain chapters for reminders and the peace they bring.
1784300
Not-Two Is Peace is a book, which if followed, could be the solution to the crisis of this world. It is the call to all of us to take responsibility for what is going on, and to realize that we are not in this alone, but together, and that the common man can drop the ego and cooperate, or at least learn tolerance. We can stop the passive subordination to the "powers that be" whether they be political, financial, religious, or whatever and work as the one. The answer is in Adi Da's book, which I believe to be the "paradigm shift" we are looking for. The wisdom in this book is profound. I give it 5 stars.
401064
I am learning so much from this book.  When I read the title, it was perfect timing for me so I couldn't wait to read it. I have not been disappointed.  This is definitely a must read for everyone.  We all have influence on others - team, employees, spouses, children, etc.and this book gives us great information to really make a positive difference in our relationships.  We can build others up or tear them down by our words and what we say affects others for years to come.  You will even discover how to release someone or let them go from your organization - positively.
3934207
When my husband mentioned he wanted to read this book together, I did not hesitate for a second!  I didn't even say a word about how I've wanted us to read it together for the last 7 years.  I just bought it and we began reading it right way.  It took us a couple of months to write our mission statement, but I have so much more ablility to focus and find what is important now.  Plus we are more united as a couple and as a family.
2264119
Earlier this Spring I had the chance to read "No More Perfect Kids" by Dr. Kathy Koch. I now think that book belongs on every parent's shelf, and I'm inclined to think that "Never Say No" should be next to it.

This is an awesome book that's full of ideas that could change our relationships with everybody, not just our children. But if you have children, so yourself a favor and try this book. It does not set itself up to be an owner's manual, an instruction book, or a recipe. After all, we are dealing with human beings- not rifles, engines, or collie dogs.

As the authors explain, if you want behavior modification, there are numerous ways to achieve that. Who hasn't seen shame, fear, and anger used to manipulate somebody? It "works"- on the surface. People adjust their words and actions to appease and calm the situation. Yet deep down, that unhealthy trio destroys.

So what do we really want when dealing with people in general and when raising children in specific? We want relationship, I'd say.
We want communication and understanding.

That's what this book is about. It's about walking without our kids through each area of life. Together, we can share the "safe chaos" of community, we can explore God's work and His ways, we go with courage into the big world, we can let Christ shape our character, and we can train our appetites to crave the good, the better, and the best.

Working from the infant years through childhood and up to the late teens and twenties, Mark and Jan share what they tried to do with their kids, and we find inspiration for ourselves. There are so many things to consider as you read this book, little things that you can integrate into your days. They discuss all the usual stuff- praise, boundaries, discipline, confidence, responsibility, goals, dreams- but they set each topic in the context of relationship, and that's what makes this book valuable.

I thank Litfuse and David C Cook publishing for my review copy.
4093542
The fact that you have looked up this book and are reading the reviews is an excellent sign that you are ready for this book. My challenge is to share my feeling that this is a "wonderful" and "you must read this" book without sounding like another boring cliche. So how can I say this without saying it?
  For me, this book came into my life at just the right time and the right place. It is not a book that just tells you what you already know i.e. that kindness is a good thing and can be fun. However it does remind you of what you already know, but it is written in a way that you feel you are with the author in person and engaged in a deeply meaningful and heart-warming  conversation. The feeling is one of peace  and a sense of naturalness that "of course this way is so obvious" - no effort, no pushing anything, but just allowing what is within us all to gently emerge from under the layers of life that strangle us all.
  If I am not explaining  myself well, ignore the above and just go and buy the book - it's wonderful and a "must read."
3182834
An informative and inspiring book that needs to be read and shared with loved ones of all ages.
1585359
I'm writing this as a formerly wayward teenager, father, grandfather, former teacher/vocational school director, and training consultant.  Whether just starting out with kids, or in the midst of a "What do I do now?" moment with one, Denny's wonderfully readable book is the kind of resource we all need, sooner or later.  In it, he maps out critical information and ideas about how the teenage brain works, and suggests approaches we can use to help kids grow up to be self-disciplined, rational beings.  The book has a place in our homes, schools, youth clubs, and church youth groups.  I highly recommend it.
1602856
I loved this book!  I bought a copy for a friend and we have been reading it together and doing the suggested exercises and then talking together about it.  Not only has it inspired me to make some changes in my life, but it has really deepened my talks with my friend to discussions of the things that are most meaningful to us in our lives.  I'm also sharing what arises with my husband, and he is seeing and appreciating the conversations, but also the changes he is seeing in me.
This would be a perfect book for book clubs!
1984174
we had this book for our monthly book club meeting and I had to facilitate the meeting. We'd asked all the members to read and try out atleast five chapters and then share one in the meeting. The meeting was an amazing experience. When each one shared a chapter, and we would all open up to that chapter, the sharing which came from a personal context with a personal story made the lesson of the chapter come alive. The book, which had initially looked too big has now become like a daily bible. I read one article at night and reflect upon it before I fall asleep.

It is what its title is - 101 great ways to improve your life.
2902608
After reading a few book on finding my purpose/calling, this was a book I needed to read. No, I am not the super-achiever type, but like all of us I am too busy and often wish I could do more of the stuff I really want to. This book is chock full of practical suggestions to help people like me actually make an impact instead of spending life with my wheels spinning and not getting very far.
No, I have not yet sat down with it and gone through all the thinking and planning it suggests, but I can tell that the principles behind her suggestions make a lot of sense.

Note: this is the overview of her impactivity plan. To get all the details you need to read her 5 related books (all short.)
4406062
There are dozens of good books linking faith and the natural world these days, but if you're looking for a single "good read" for 2010, pick up this sturdy paperback. I call it sturdy, because this volume is built to be useful including a study guide if you'd like to discuss the book with your small group over eight sessions.

  Veterans in this movement will recognize names like Bill McKibben, who wrote a recommendation for the back cover, and the Rev. Sally Bingham, the founder of Interfaith Power and Light, who wrote the Foreword.

  The usefulness of this book is its breadth. Eboo Patel even contributed a Muslim perspective and you'll find Tariq Ramadan's viewpoint mentioned as well. This is the kind of bold expansion we need in the global community to confront what this book correctly calls "A Spiritual Crisis."
4901188
This tiny book is one of many in the new Frames series, a collection of books put out by the Barna group, a trusted research group interested in the intersection of religion and culture. You may recognize a couple of books that the president of Barna, David Kinnaman, has written- unChristian, You Lost Me, and The Next Christians. In this series, each book takes one of todays trends and provides current research on that topic, and then provides a thoughtful analysis as well as a way to reframe the conversation in a helpful way.

In Wonder Women, the author Kate Harris does a good job of analyzing the research that was done in 2013 on womens identity as it relates to motherhood and work. One of the most surprising (and troubling) statistics that I discovered in this book is that while many women feel overcommitted at home and at work, hardly any women feel that way with their church and friend commitments. In fact, when asked which areas they would like to improve in, the highest percentages were first at church and next with friends. The research seems to indicate, from what Ive read, that perhaps women don't have as many close friendships as we seem to have. It is common to hear that women are highly relational and have an easy time making friends, while most men in our country do not have close relationships with other men. Could it be that many of us women actually don't have close friends, but are afraid to admit that, feeling like were the only one?

Kate does an even better job at explaining the tensions that modern women feel in relation to juggling all of her responsibilities and opportunities. To have kids or not have kids? To stay at home or work part-time or work full-time, or perhaps a combination of these? If a woman chooses to work, what area to pursue? What does career look like for a mom? So many questions, but most of the answers surround managing logistics. Kate shares about her own tensions:

On the one hand, I find deep joy and satisfaction in my role and responsibilities as wife and mother. I aspire to fully and imaginatively stewards the gifts of my family and home. At the same time, I feel drawn to launch new projects, meet new people, and engage in all manner of interests and responsibilities that take me away from home. (p. 31)

Kate wants to turn that conversation altogether. Instead of managing tensions, what if we just admitted and embraced that we are whole people for whom life does not fit into compartmentalized boxes?  She uses the idea of vocation, creation, constraint, incarnation, covenant/community, coherence, and consent to spin the conversation around, challenging women to recognize themselves as whole beings who are doing Kingdom-work, wherever they are. She encourages women not to just choose something because you feel like you have to be one thing, but to pursue God and feel free to walk in the spaces He creates for you, all the while realizing that we have constraints on each one of us (men and women alike).

I loved that this short book gives a thoughtful alternative to the you can do it all message that our culture gives women without the churchy womans place is in a home response.

My takeaway:

ONE of my takeaways (man, there are so many) is to not despise the constraints of life (which for me right now is having many young children, the need to sleep, and a lack of financial resources). Kate opened my eyes to the fact that simply by being human, we have constraints, as seen as the incarnation.

Questions Im now asking:

What are the constraints in my life that are staying put, and how can I learn to embrace them?

If I apply the idea of vocation (rather than career) to my life, what are the words and ideas that I could use to describe my vocation? (this one is a question adapted from the book)

How can the church do a better job of furthering this conversation- talking about vocation, limitations, disappointments, community, and brokenness?

Thank you to Booklook Blogger for providing a complementary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
792726
As an author of parenting books,<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/The-Birth-to-Five-Book-Confident-Childrearing-Right-from-the-Start/dp/0800733193/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">The Birth to Five Book: Confident Childrearing Right from the Start</a>, it's my honor to read other books that also contribute to better homes and family life.

Salzmann's Making Your Home a Haven is well-written, realistic and motivational. From her own experiences the author illustrates, often humorously, important messages about making our homes a safe, nurturing, inviting place for today's busy family. Our society is built upon the family unit and this book not only values that principle but inspires the reader with practical ways to preserve the family.
 Each chapter closes with a GOING DEEPER section of thought-provoking questions and introspection exercises. There are also recipes, recycling ideas, a section on hospitality, and supplemental resources.
 While this book is written by and for a Christian it is NOT preachy nor smack of oppressive attitudes towards women.
 I recommend it as an encouragement gift to young couples who want to build an enjoyable future together. It'd also make an excellent group study.
1177949
Several years ago, I bought this book for myself.  It was a great help during a time of massive transition.  Today, I am buying it for a friend.

If you know that you don't have time for what is really important to you, but you aren't sure why or how to fix it - this book is like a ray of sunshine piercing through the clouds.  Unlike typical organizational books this book does not focus on taming paper, cataloging information, to do lists or household choirs.

This book does not assume that each reader is the same.  But, this book does focus on the freedom to be in the center of God's will and how that applies to your life, one day at a time.  An added plus for the time cruched person who needs this saged wisdom: the book is a relatively quick read.

Today it is being placed on my annual must read list - I highly reccomend it.
3734123
What a wonderful book.  It came at the right time to further understand my work with others and to assist me in doing it in a manner that is more sustainable as a practitioner and helpful to my client's and myself. Thank you for the work you do on our behalf.