I haven’t done this in quite some time, even though it has been on my mind so today I am going to tackle a blog on some of my favorite books and authors.  One of the things I am determined to do more of is read books and watch tv less!  I absolutely love to read and I am just not doing enough of it, so if you have any book ideas you would like to share with me as well please email me at [email protected]   For the record, there are so many great books out there that for today, I am only going to list 2 for each category.  Some of these are older books, for example “The Power of Passion”, I had the privilege years ago of meeting Jamie Clarke and heard him speak and their story is so empowering although I must warn you it is lacking any “spiritual content”, it is more about going after your dreams and overcoming life obstacles, it is a good book even though it is not a “Christian” book.

Ok, I see a lot of prayer requests coming through for marriages so I am going to start with some great authors and books that I have loved over the years (for the record I am also very set on the idea of having a counselor or life coach as you go through different stages of your marriage as well ~ that works for both preventing issues from starting and also can help you resolve issues, big or small too!):

Mark Gungor ~ “Laugh Your Way to a Better Marriage”

Based on Mark Gungor’s wildly popular seminar, Laugh Your Way to a Better Marriage® builds on Gungor’s success with tens of thousands of couples who credit him with enriching, and even saving, their marriages. By using his unique blend of humor and tell-it-like-it-is honesty, he helps couples get along and have fun doing it.

Through exploring a variety of subjects including the myth of a “soul mate,” the different ways men and women think, the conflicting levels of libido, and the necessity to forgive, Gungor proves that the key to marital bliss is not romance or destiny — it’s work and skill. Couples need to work hard at maintaining their relationship and to have the skills to pull it off. The longer spouses wait to learn these skills, the greater their chance of wanting to bail, yet Gungor makes it easy for couples to bring their relationship to the next level.

 

Dr. Greg Smalley & Dr. Robert Paul ~”the DNA of Relationships for Couples”

This book shows readers who are struggling in their marriage the steps to take to strengthen and rebuild their marriage relationship. The practical solutions are built on the basic steps that are explained in The DNA of Relationships. Smalley uses fictional couples (based on real client experience) who are grappling with real-life problems ranging from work and family priority balance issues to extramarital affairs. Through the telling of the stories of real couples going through the step-by-step counseling process, the book provides a tool to help both partners identify destructive relationship habits and explains how to begin the rebuilding process.

 

Here are a couple I love for raising children:

Joshua Straub Phd

Parenting isn’t rocket science, it’s just brain surgery.
And Dr. Joshua Straub has good news for you: You can do it!

You don’t need to do all the “right” things as a parent. Both science and the Bible show us that the most important thing we can provide for our kids is a place of emotional safety. In other words, the posture from which we parent matters infinitely more than the techniques of parenting.

Emotional safety—more than any other factor—is scientifically linked to raising kids who live, love, and lead well. Learn how to use emotional safety as a foundation from which you parent—and make a cultural impact that could change the world!

In Safe House, Dr. Straub draws from his extensive research and personal experience to help you:

– Foster healthy identity and social development in children of any age
– Win the war without getting overwhelmed in the daily battles
– Discipline in a way that builds relationship
– Understand how the culture is affecting your child and what you can do about it
– Cultivate responsible, self-regulating behavior in your kids
– Establish an unshakeable sense of faith, morality, and values in your home
– Feel more confident and peaceful as a parent
– Find a greater perspective on parenting than what you might see on a daily basis

 

Anne Ortland ~ “Children Are Wet Cement”

Children are like wet cement-moldable and impressionable. In this best-selling book, Anne Ortlund shows parents how to practice verbal affirmation, a simple yet powerful technique for raising children to be secure, loving adults. She gives specific suggestions for each stage of childhood, from infancy to the teenage years and beyond.Sprinkled with stories of Anne’s own childhood and parenting experiences. Won the 1982 Christy Award as Best Marriage/Family Book of the Year.

 

How about a couple Self-Help types:

John C. Maxwell ~ “The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth”

Are there tried and true principles that are always certain to help a person grow? John Maxwell says the answer is yes. He has been passionate about personal development for over fifty years, and for the first time, he teaches everything he has gleaned about what it takes to reach our potential. In the way that only he can communicate, John teaches . . .
The Law of the Mirror: You Must See Value in Yourself to Add Value to Yourself
The Law of Awareness: You Must Know Yourself to Grow Yourself
The Law of Modeling: It’s Hard to Improve When You Have No One But Yourself to Follow
The Law of the Rubber Band: Growth Stops When You Lose the Tension Between Where You are and Where You Could Be
The Law of Contribution: Developing Yourself Enables You to Develop Others

 

Alan Hobson and Jamie Clarke ~ “The Power of Passion”

Everest adventurers and speakers Alan Hobson & Jamie Clarke believe life’s “Everyday Everests” are harder to surmount than Mount Everest itself because they are longer-term. No one takes our picture or congratulates us when we get to the summit because there is no summit. The everyday mountains we climb keep getting higher and harder.
In this book, Alan and Jamie share the true story of their struggle to climb Everest. It is far more than a mountaineering tale, it’s a real-life story – a story of hopes and dreams, of tragedy and tenacity to which everyone can relate. Mostly, it’s a story about triumph – a triumph of the human spirit. It will help you climb your own Everests – whatever mountains you are climbing in your own life.

 

Spiritual Warfare ~ of course I must begin with my husband Bill’s book!

Bill Scott ~ “The Day Satan Called”

THE DAY SATAN CALLED is Bill Scott’s account of an excruciating 18-month period in his life. Out of Christian love he and his wife invited a young lady who was demon possessed and the member of an active satanic network into their home. They prayed the sinner’s prayer with her and believed that they could help redeem someone who had witnessed and experienced unimaginable rituals and abuses.

What happened instead were death threats and the loss of their home as a sanctuary. Voices. Threats. Objects falling and moving. Strange visitors and callers. A loving church falling into turmoil. And yes the voice of Satan. Every day was filled with the dread of nightfall. Once you’ve invited someone filled with demons that aren’t leaving her into your home what do you next? Where do you send her? How do you protect yourself and your family? What do you do after she’s finally gone but the demons haven’t left?

This is the account of a terrifying and incredible phenomenon. But ultimately, it is a testament to the power of God’s love, even over evil spirits.

 

Neil Anderson ~ “The Bondage Breaker”

Featuring a new introduction by Neil T. Anderson, this freshly re–covered edition of his bestselling book The Bondage Breaker (more than 1.2 million copies sold) leads readers away from the shadows and shackles in their lives and toward the freedom that comes when they

realize they have the right to be free
confront the power of Satan
fight the temptation to do it their way
trade deception for grace
affirm their identity in Christ
Neil Anderson ultimately helps people break negative thought patterns, control irrational feelings, and break out of the bondage of sinful behavior. Those struggling will discover how to embrace the promise of Jesus to win the spiritual battles that confront them.

And also Neil Anderson ~ “Victory Over Darkness”

This bestselling book gives you practical, productive ways to discover who you are in Christ. When you realize the power of your true identity, you can shed the burdens of your past, stand against evil influences, and become the person Christ empowers you to be.

 

 

Now, for fun!!!!

My favorite author~ Lynette Eason   🙂  Her books are always so captivating that I have to be careful when I start one because I know I won’t be able to put it down.  Here’s the latest in her series “Elite Guardians”

When Maddy McKay and Quinn Holcombe don’t show up for Quinn’s surprise birthday party, his friends know that something is very wrong. Their search turns up little beyond evidence that Quinn and Maddy just decided to take off for a long overdue vacation. But it soon becomes apparent that they did not leave of their own accord.

Maddy awakens in a cement room with no idea where she is. But it’s not long before she realizes she’s in the clutches of a madman exacting revenge by hunting. His prey of choice? Humans. Now Maddy and Quinn must run for their lives, hoping to find their killer before the next game begins. Because if they don’t win this game, they die.

Fast, furious, and flirty, Lynette Eason’s relentless suspense barely gives her readers time to catch their breath in this third thrilling installment of the Elite Guardians series.

Another Favorite ~ Mark Gilroy and here’s his latest:

“Detective Kristen Conner is no stranger to bad guys, big crime, and heart-pounding danger. In Cold As Ice she packs some serious heat!” John Valeri, HARTFORD EXAMINER WHEN THE RED MAFYIA WANTS YOU DEAD . . . THERE’S NO PLACE TO HIDE! What can go wrong on a run on in Central Park on your last day of vacation? Even if it is brutally cold? Everyone told Detective Kristen Conner to stay inside, which guaranteed she would go outside—and stumble onto a gang murder that puts her in the cross-hairs of a Russian “Red Mafyia” hit man. Back in Chicago, murder strikes closer to home. Just down the street from where her mom lives, a popular schoolteacher, solid citizen, and great guy—he shovels snow for widows and volunteers to work with underprivileged kids—is found dead. It was supposed to look like an accident, but crime scene investigators discover more than one killing blow to the back of his head. When Detective Kristen Conner lands the case, she knows from day one who the key suspect is. That’s simple. The person most likely to kill you is someone close . . . someone you know and love. But his wife? The nice lady down the street she knew when she was a kid? How could that be possible? Kristen is about to discover there is more violence beneath the surface of the working-class neighborhood she grew up in than she ever dreamed possible. She’s also about to discover that when the Red Mafyia wants you dead, there is no place to hide. You better be ready to fight. Mix in her on-again, off-again relationship with FBI Agent Austin Reynolds, and Kristen Conner is once again swept into a world of danger, intrigue, and a confusing love life.

Now, this is totally different and yet one of my absolute favorite books of all time!  I was flying back from Sacramento one day and I was exhausted and fell asleep at the gate before taking off after my layover in Los Angeles and when I woke up I realize we were still sitting there.  The plane had broken somehow and they were working on it.  I ended up chatting with the gentleman sitting next to me and I must say that he kept me captivated with his amazing wisdom for over 5 hours!  He is an older Jewish man and his depth of simple wisdom was just wonderful!  By the time I landed in Nashville he told me that he had written a book titled, “Jacob The Baker”!  He sent me a copy of it and I read it over and over because there’s so much in it that is so profound and it is such an easy read!

Noah benShea ~ “Jacob The Baker”

Jacob the Baker is the International Best Selling and timeless story about a man whose humble life and profound wisdom are a source of both inspiration and reflection to those around him. Eighteen years in the writing, this deceptively simple book kindles the human spirit in the manner of a modern classic, its gentle message inviting each of us to witness that “a miracle is often the willingness to see the common in an uncommon way.” Jacob is a poor but pious figure who rises anonymously before dawn to light the ovens in the town bakery. As the ovens are warming and the first dough rising Jacob turns inward, scribbling notes to himself — thoughts and observations ringing with the clarity of a soul unencumbered by “the weight of its own importance.” One of Jacob’s carefully folded notes is accidentally baked into a loaf of bread. When it is discovered and read, its impact is overwhelming. The secret of Jacob soon becomes a whisper that rides the wind into every ear, and the community embraces Jacob “as if he were a long-ignored human treasure suddenly unearthed.” Adults and children alike gather at the bakery or stop Jacob on the street. With patience and love, Jacob the baker finds doors for those locked within themselves and their presumptions, and turns the key to their questions. Jacob the Baker is a treasury of answers in the form of brief stories and parables, told by a baker who is a poet of truth and kindness. The questions put to Jacob are as diverse as death and charity, eternity and anger, but Jacob’s responses are always a celebration of rightness, a reminder of the purpose and order in life. He is a wise and gentle friend who renews our sense of belonging to the world. Jacob the Baker can be started on any page; as Jacob would say, it doesn’t matter where you start, it matters that you start.

I promise I will try to do this more often because I have so many books and authors that I love!  I was trying to stretch today from authors and books you probably already have read or know of!  I hope if you are looking for something good to read, one of these will fill that desire and encourage, entertain and enlighten you as well!

God Bless,

Janet Scott