Again, my skepticism reared its head in relation to this book. A book written by a Christian from Hollywood? It caught my attention because it was about weight loss. Based on the way she looks I figured she should know something about weight loss, or at least weight control.
She was, in fact, 20 pounds overweight at one time when she was younger. She lost that weight and an additional 5 pounds. In addition to being overweight she also dealt with bulimia at one time. She gives many suggestions for losing weight; including exercising, controlling portion sizes, and eating nutritious foods and skipping the "empty calorie foods", and others. She also includes a number of recipes that she considers simple and balanced.
I don't personally agree totally with her evaluation of what is a healthy diet. Also, it is not the best written book I've ever read. It had too many grammatical errors and such to receive an 'excellent' rating from me; though it was certainly written well enough to be worth reading. :-) Those were my negative thoughts as I read it; otherwise, I liked the book.
It was written in a personable, down to earth sort of way that made for enjoyable reading. She talked a little about how she got to be overweight and a bit about her bulimic stage. She talked some about her childhood and how she became a child "star" and a little of what that life was like for her. She talked some about her relationship with her husband and her children. She relates all of this to her weight gain/loss, exercise, or the way she views food. I really like that aspect of the book because I do believe that everything is related to virtually everything else in a person's life.
She gave a lot of good advice about weight loss, eating habits, attitude toward food, exercising, etc. Many "diet" books focus almost completely on what to eat or not eat and when to eat or not eat. Candace goes well beyond that. She talks a lot about our attitude toward food and how that attitude needs to change. She sounds like an energetic and enthusiastic person but her book isn't a "rah-rah" book. She speaks as one who understands the thought processes of an overweight person as well as one who can sympathize with the negative attitudes that cause so many people to overeat.
With all the talk of eating, exercising, dieting, losing, gaining, etc. there were two other things Candace talked about that were, I believe, more important than any of the rest of what she said. For one thing, she talked about our attitude toward food. Do we eat for comfort? Because it tastes good? For the sake of nostalgia? To be sociable? As a reward for something challenging we've accomplished? There are lots of reasons to eat. Candace looks at many of those reason. She looks frankly but gently at what can be a painful topic to someone who can't seem to lose weight.
The other issue Candace discusses that I think is often missing in "diet" books is the issue of self control or self discipline. She looks at this from a distinctly Christian point of view. She points out, through scripture, that we are called to have self control, to deny ourselves instead of indulging, to discipline ourselves to work toward a goal and keep at it even when it is difficult. She doesn't over spiritualize the idea of weight loss but she does point out that one of the most important aspects of weight loss and maintenance is self control, the ability to let our decisions be made by our heads instead of our hearts or our "passions" which always crave more pleasure than they have had, even if they were just "filled".
I was pleasantly surprised by this aspect of the book. I believe it is an important one that is often overlooked; mostly we want to find reasons for being overweight that don't have anything to do with: I don't want to exercise, I really like this so I'll eat more, I don't want to wait, I am too tired to walk, or any other reason that lays the "blame" where it belongs - namely, on the fact I don't want to do anything that I don't FEEL like doing.
These spiritual "lessons" could be applied to almost any personal goal you may have: to lose weight, to exercise to meet a certain physical goal, to finish school, to study and make good grades, to plant and maintain a garden, to run for public office, to start a new career, and I could go on all night with the list. Why do I not accomplish this goal that I have dreamed about for so long? Mostly, because I haven't come to a place of wanting it badly enough to discipline myself to do what needs to be done in order to make the dream come true.
Ouch. That is pretty personal and it hurts. If you are looking for a 'feel good' book to tell you there are lots of good reasons to not accomplish a specific goal, don't read this book. However, if you are looking for a way to motivate yourself from within to accomplish a goal, you just may find what you need in 'Reshaping It All'. Candace looks frankly at some of the reasons we don't do what we want to do. All of that isn't pretty; but she looks at it all kindly, gently, compassionately, with an understanding heart and encouraging words that show no judgement or condemnation.
If there is some goal you have been trying to accomplish and just can't seem to make it happen; or if you have just been dreaming of doing something but haven't found the motivation to get started or to stick with it to the end, here is a book for you that contains a lot of encouragement from Candace's personal life and the Bible.
Happy Reading :-)
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Mixed Blessings by Cathy Marie Hake
On my bookshelf I have seven books by Cathy Marie Hake but this isn't one of them. All the ones I have were published by Bethany House and are set in a 'western' scene. All good books, funny and fun to read. I recommend them all. Fancy Pants is my favorite.
However, Mixed Blessings is not on my shelf. Nor is it a western; nor even particularly funny. Nor was it published by Bethany House. So, how did I find it. On my Kindle. I did a search for Cathy Marie Hake on Kindle and came up with this book which was published in 2004 and I had never heard of before. I'm so glad I found it.
Mixed Blessings is about two families and their struggles as they try to integrate for the sake of the children. Marie Cadant is a widow with a 3 year old son, Ricky. During a routine medical procedure a discovery was made that would change their lives forever. Peter Hallock, a widower with a 3 year old son named Luke, is not impressed when Marie shows up at his house saying she has his son. It seems that Marie and Peter's wife gave birth at the same hospital on the same night and, due to extenuating circumstances around both births, the babies were switched.
Both parents want every minute they can get with their newly discovered biological child, but neither is willing to give up any time with the child of the heart that he/she has been loving for 3 years. They live in the same state but more than a two hour drive away from each other, making visiting a challenge. Furthermore, both parents are somewhat wounded emotionally, making it difficult for either of them to trust the motives of others. This is especially true of Marie who has suffered several emotional bumps over the past couple of years. Both parents would like to have full access to both boys, but neither of them ever entertains the idea of trying to take a son from the other parent. The question is how to allow both parents to love and care for both boys and how to do it with the minimal disruption to the lives and schedules of both families.
I found this book to be fun, interesting, different, yet serious and thought provoking. It was well written and interesting enough that I finished it in just a couple of days -- working days, that is. :-) It varied from the typical "romance" story in that the "problem" to be solved was believable and a bit more true to life than a female doctor in the 1800s who fights to "prove" herself equal to a male doctor all the while she is falling crazy in love with the first cowboy who walks into her office. I admit the conflicts were smoothed considerably by the fact that neither parent had a living spouse and one of them had enough money to make any workable solution seem affordable. :-) In spite of these little contrivances, I enjoyed the book very much and wish I could find more stories as well written with plots that don't make me laugh at the thought of them.
Happy Reading. :-)
However, Mixed Blessings is not on my shelf. Nor is it a western; nor even particularly funny. Nor was it published by Bethany House. So, how did I find it. On my Kindle. I did a search for Cathy Marie Hake on Kindle and came up with this book which was published in 2004 and I had never heard of before. I'm so glad I found it.
Mixed Blessings is about two families and their struggles as they try to integrate for the sake of the children. Marie Cadant is a widow with a 3 year old son, Ricky. During a routine medical procedure a discovery was made that would change their lives forever. Peter Hallock, a widower with a 3 year old son named Luke, is not impressed when Marie shows up at his house saying she has his son. It seems that Marie and Peter's wife gave birth at the same hospital on the same night and, due to extenuating circumstances around both births, the babies were switched.
Both parents want every minute they can get with their newly discovered biological child, but neither is willing to give up any time with the child of the heart that he/she has been loving for 3 years. They live in the same state but more than a two hour drive away from each other, making visiting a challenge. Furthermore, both parents are somewhat wounded emotionally, making it difficult for either of them to trust the motives of others. This is especially true of Marie who has suffered several emotional bumps over the past couple of years. Both parents would like to have full access to both boys, but neither of them ever entertains the idea of trying to take a son from the other parent. The question is how to allow both parents to love and care for both boys and how to do it with the minimal disruption to the lives and schedules of both families.
I found this book to be fun, interesting, different, yet serious and thought provoking. It was well written and interesting enough that I finished it in just a couple of days -- working days, that is. :-) It varied from the typical "romance" story in that the "problem" to be solved was believable and a bit more true to life than a female doctor in the 1800s who fights to "prove" herself equal to a male doctor all the while she is falling crazy in love with the first cowboy who walks into her office. I admit the conflicts were smoothed considerably by the fact that neither parent had a living spouse and one of them had enough money to make any workable solution seem affordable. :-) In spite of these little contrivances, I enjoyed the book very much and wish I could find more stories as well written with plots that don't make me laugh at the thought of them.
Happy Reading. :-)
Stuff Christians Like by Jonathan Acuff
Do you want a laugh? Pick up this book and read a little of it. I did that in the store one day and decided to bring it home with me. I am always glad for a good laugh. After I got home with it, before I had a chance to read it, Stephen picked it up and disappeared with it into another room. He finished it that night. :-)
If you like sarcasm, cynicism, laughing at yourself or your friends, you'll enjoy this book. Don't do what I did. I read it pretty much straight through and, at the end, asked myself why I bothered to read it. LOL A little sarcasm goes a long way.
Anyway, the author 'pokes' fun at many of our Christian inconsistencies, idiosyncrasies, and idiocies. Virtually nothing is too holy to come under his cynical pen. I really wish I hadn't read it all at once because it left a bad taste in my mouth. I did enjoy many of the entries and laughed quite a bit. So, I truly think the problem wasn't what he wrote but simply that I read too many of them too close together. Sort of like eating too many sweets because they taste good but realizing afterwards that you really regret it because it makes you feel sick. A little would have been great; the whole package was yuck. LOL In the same way, this book is quite fun and funny when taken a little at a time. So, get the book and put it in a conspicuous place and pick it up every day or so and read an entry or two for a good laugh.
Happy Reading. And laughing. :-)
If you like sarcasm, cynicism, laughing at yourself or your friends, you'll enjoy this book. Don't do what I did. I read it pretty much straight through and, at the end, asked myself why I bothered to read it. LOL A little sarcasm goes a long way.
Anyway, the author 'pokes' fun at many of our Christian inconsistencies, idiosyncrasies, and idiocies. Virtually nothing is too holy to come under his cynical pen. I really wish I hadn't read it all at once because it left a bad taste in my mouth. I did enjoy many of the entries and laughed quite a bit. So, I truly think the problem wasn't what he wrote but simply that I read too many of them too close together. Sort of like eating too many sweets because they taste good but realizing afterwards that you really regret it because it makes you feel sick. A little would have been great; the whole package was yuck. LOL In the same way, this book is quite fun and funny when taken a little at a time. So, get the book and put it in a conspicuous place and pick it up every day or so and read an entry or two for a good laugh.
Happy Reading. And laughing. :-)
Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo
The full title of this book is Heaven is for Real: a Little Boy's Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back. In it Todd Burpo tells of the near death experience of his 3 year old son, Colton.
I will spare you all the reasons I came to this book with a heavy degree of skepticism and just state that I did so. Yet, I read it. I was curious. And, as I work in a bookstore, I like to be able to give a personal opinion about some of the books. Most of the current best sellers don't interest me. This one did, a bit, so I decided to read it. I'm glad I did.
Being near death, Colton Burpo was taken to surgery as the last effort to save his life after a short illness that had been misdiagnosed. I'm intentionally being a bit vague so as to not spoil the story for you. His parents knew this was serious and he might not live; especially when the hospital staff didn't give them any reassurances that he would be fine as they took him to surgery.
After his release from the hospital Colton began occasionally making comments about seeing Jesus and other obscure references to heaven. His parents pretty much ignored these comments until a time about 4 months after the surgery when some things Colton said could no longer be easily brushed off. Not only did he claim to have sat on Jesus' lap, he also told them that he saw his parents (while he was in surgery) and told them what they were doing. During part of that time they had been in separate rooms and they had never talked to him about what they did while he was in surgery, yet he could tell them.
Over the next couple of years he told them other things also. He described Jesus and talked about Him and His 'Dad' as if they were personal acquaintances. He told them he had met his 'other sister' -- the one his mother lost through a miscarriage before he was born and that he had never heard mentioned. He talked about spending time with his father's grandfather, a man who died decades before Colton was born. Furthermore, when he saw a picture of that grandfather that had been taken when he was a young man, he immediately identified him as the "Pop" with whom he had talked in Heaven. At the same time, he had no idea who the young woman in the picture was -- the great grandmother, still living, with whom he has a personal acquaintance.
The Burpo family didn't begin to speak publicly about Colton's experience for several years in order to protect his privacy. He was about 7 or 8 when they began to speak in churches about what had happened to him and what he told them as a result. Only now, when he is around 11 years old, have they written a book in order to spread the story to a broader audience. As a result of one such public talk, Mr. Burpo became aware of a certain painting of 'the Prince of Peace' of which Colton says "Dad, that one's right." when asked if it looks like Jesus. You will have to read the book to find out more about that. :-)
As I read this book I kept thinking what a great fiction story this would be. And wondering if it WAS fiction. I had a hard time believing this was all real and true. Why? Honestly, from the book I have not one reason to doubt its truthfulness. The story is told in a way that is both straight forward and credible. I didn't catch anything in it that I believe to be in conflict with scripture or with the Spirit of our holy Savior. On the other hand, I have heard and read so many "near death experience" stories that seem to me to be so incredibly unreal (as in, false) that I just can't quite bring myself to put my full confidence in any of them.
Having said all that, I recommend this book as a good read. It is well written in a friendly style. If it isn't true, it certainly seems believable. Reading it as it is presented, as fact, will bring hope and comfort to anyone who is wondering about heaven.
Happy Reading. :-)
I will spare you all the reasons I came to this book with a heavy degree of skepticism and just state that I did so. Yet, I read it. I was curious. And, as I work in a bookstore, I like to be able to give a personal opinion about some of the books. Most of the current best sellers don't interest me. This one did, a bit, so I decided to read it. I'm glad I did.
Being near death, Colton Burpo was taken to surgery as the last effort to save his life after a short illness that had been misdiagnosed. I'm intentionally being a bit vague so as to not spoil the story for you. His parents knew this was serious and he might not live; especially when the hospital staff didn't give them any reassurances that he would be fine as they took him to surgery.
After his release from the hospital Colton began occasionally making comments about seeing Jesus and other obscure references to heaven. His parents pretty much ignored these comments until a time about 4 months after the surgery when some things Colton said could no longer be easily brushed off. Not only did he claim to have sat on Jesus' lap, he also told them that he saw his parents (while he was in surgery) and told them what they were doing. During part of that time they had been in separate rooms and they had never talked to him about what they did while he was in surgery, yet he could tell them.
Over the next couple of years he told them other things also. He described Jesus and talked about Him and His 'Dad' as if they were personal acquaintances. He told them he had met his 'other sister' -- the one his mother lost through a miscarriage before he was born and that he had never heard mentioned. He talked about spending time with his father's grandfather, a man who died decades before Colton was born. Furthermore, when he saw a picture of that grandfather that had been taken when he was a young man, he immediately identified him as the "Pop" with whom he had talked in Heaven. At the same time, he had no idea who the young woman in the picture was -- the great grandmother, still living, with whom he has a personal acquaintance.
The Burpo family didn't begin to speak publicly about Colton's experience for several years in order to protect his privacy. He was about 7 or 8 when they began to speak in churches about what had happened to him and what he told them as a result. Only now, when he is around 11 years old, have they written a book in order to spread the story to a broader audience. As a result of one such public talk, Mr. Burpo became aware of a certain painting of 'the Prince of Peace' of which Colton says "Dad, that one's right." when asked if it looks like Jesus. You will have to read the book to find out more about that. :-)
As I read this book I kept thinking what a great fiction story this would be. And wondering if it WAS fiction. I had a hard time believing this was all real and true. Why? Honestly, from the book I have not one reason to doubt its truthfulness. The story is told in a way that is both straight forward and credible. I didn't catch anything in it that I believe to be in conflict with scripture or with the Spirit of our holy Savior. On the other hand, I have heard and read so many "near death experience" stories that seem to me to be so incredibly unreal (as in, false) that I just can't quite bring myself to put my full confidence in any of them.
Having said all that, I recommend this book as a good read. It is well written in a friendly style. If it isn't true, it certainly seems believable. Reading it as it is presented, as fact, will bring hope and comfort to anyone who is wondering about heaven.
Happy Reading. :-)
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)