Instead of trying to cover all the books I have read since the last 2017 post, I just chose 12 that I have read this year and divided them into two posts of six reviews. As many of you know, I am a life and wellness coach so a good portion of my reading have been in those fields, so I am not going to bore you with all of those titles. I tried to choose ones that stuck out specifically to me and ones I feel would be great recommendations to the friends who still read these reviews. I plan to add a "2018 Book Review Part 3" and maybe even 4 by the end of the year, but we will see! For now, here are a few to browse.
I hope these are helpful and that you can find some new books to add to your lists!
This book was an amazing way to start the year! I read this book the first week or so of the year and it set such a great pace for my heart and mind as I approached my spiritual goals for the year. To be honest, it is hard to be unbiased in my review of this book because Mrs. Taylor is such a life mentor/faith hero of mine. I have looked up to her since my college days and admire her honesty and tenacity. She is an amazing wife and mother (and now grandmother!), which are all things reflected in her writings! Taking The Word to Heart is an incredible handbook on how to memorize scripture in a practical, reasonable, and responsible way. Her approach to memorizing Scripture is deeper than just a daily discipline but rather it is a way to see and hear the heart of God. Grab yourself a copy! 
I was so excited when I found out that Maria Goff had written a book! Many of you know of her husband, Bob Goff, and have been profoundly impacted by his life. I have always wanted to hear what life was like from her side of the story. This book is packed full of stories of grace, hospitality, real life child-raising, and adventure. Her stories will have you laughing, crying, and leave you wonderfully inspired to love others right where God has you. "Invite, include, welcome, and celebrate the people around you and you will be doing exactly what Jesus was talking about."
High Performance Habits by Brendon Burchard
Brendon Burchard is a world renowned performance coach that has done extensive research on how and why people succeed and do so happily. This book offers up 6 proven habits that help you become a "high performer" in the field of your choice. Brendon is deeply practical, giving you all kinds of take aways and habits to immediately apply to your everyday life. At times you have to do some wading through how awesome he is and how hard he worked to get to this point kind of stories, but if you can bare with him through those segments and try to pull out helpful hints within those stories, you will be profoundly impacted. For the most part, his stories are rich with practical advice as he lets you have a sneak peek in to the lives of those he coaches. This book comes with supplemental downloads and videos you can get on his website that are a tremendous resource.
Culture Care by Makoto Fujimura
Vern and I have followed and been intrigued by the work of Makoto Fujimura for years. I have watched videos, documentaries, heard podcasts, and been fascinated by his art, but never made time to read this book until now. If this is the first you are hearing of Mr. Fujimura, please stop reading this review and google his name. Watch, listen, and be moved by all you see, you are welcome! In his book, Culture Care, Fujimura unpacks the responsibility we have to feed our culture with beauty, generosity, and creativity and in turn, he contends, we will be feeding our own souls. This book is one to revisit as we wade the waters of current day politics, economy, and society at large.
Parenting by Paul Tripp
I knew going into this book that I would likely disagree, not with the praxis of Tripp's parenting advice, but more with his premise. I was pleasantly surprised that while his premise is much more "reformed" than the stance our family takes, the harshness and sin-centric focus that usually comes out from authors in this camp was not a deeply displayed in this book but rather a gracious, kind tone. I enjoy reading books on all kinds of topics from authors with whom I agree and disagree, and the fun thing to me about this book is that it had both! Paul Tripp is a seasoned parent and has been married for over 45 years. He is full of insight, loaded with experience, and offers this to us in a gracious and freeing way through this work. You will not walk away from this book feeling weighed down by the burdens of raising your children, but you will feel equipped with some practical guidelines as well as freed love your children at each stage while you point them to Christ.
Seeing Is Believing by Gregory Boyd
In this work, Seeing Is Believing, Boyd unpacks for the reader the idea and practice of imaginative prayer. He gently walks you away from the "I have to keep working and trying hard" mentality of spiritual disciplines and towards a restful, healing, and creative approach. Boyd leads the reader in the use of their imagination with the intent to experience Jesus in a real way. He begins the book helping you grasp the use of imagination within prayer for those who are skeptical of it and then takes you through a practical process in which, through prayer, you experience Jesus in a real and meaningful way. I highly recommend this book, especially to those who desire a rich relationship with Jesus. Imaginative prayer opens up the door for deep healing and incredible spiritual growth.
Happy Reading! Stay Tuned for "2018 Book Reviews Part 2"
High Performance Habits by Brendon Burchard
Brendon Burchard is a world renowned performance coach that has done extensive research on how and why people succeed and do so happily. This book offers up 6 proven habits that help you become a "high performer" in the field of your choice. Brendon is deeply practical, giving you all kinds of take aways and habits to immediately apply to your everyday life. At times you have to do some wading through how awesome he is and how hard he worked to get to this point kind of stories, but if you can bare with him through those segments and try to pull out helpful hints within those stories, you will be profoundly impacted. For the most part, his stories are rich with practical advice as he lets you have a sneak peek in to the lives of those he coaches. This book comes with supplemental downloads and videos you can get on his website that are a tremendous resource. Culture Care by Makoto Fujimura
Vern and I have followed and been intrigued by the work of Makoto Fujimura for years. I have watched videos, documentaries, heard podcasts, and been fascinated by his art, but never made time to read this book until now. If this is the first you are hearing of Mr. Fujimura, please stop reading this review and google his name. Watch, listen, and be moved by all you see, you are welcome! In his book, Culture Care, Fujimura unpacks the responsibility we have to feed our culture with beauty, generosity, and creativity and in turn, he contends, we will be feeding our own souls. This book is one to revisit as we wade the waters of current day politics, economy, and society at large.Parenting by Paul Tripp
I knew going into this book that I would likely disagree, not with the praxis of Tripp's parenting advice, but more with his premise. I was pleasantly surprised that while his premise is much more "reformed" than the stance our family takes, the harshness and sin-centric focus that usually comes out from authors in this camp was not a deeply displayed in this book but rather a gracious, kind tone. I enjoy reading books on all kinds of topics from authors with whom I agree and disagree, and the fun thing to me about this book is that it had both! Paul Tripp is a seasoned parent and has been married for over 45 years. He is full of insight, loaded with experience, and offers this to us in a gracious and freeing way through this work. You will not walk away from this book feeling weighed down by the burdens of raising your children, but you will feel equipped with some practical guidelines as well as freed love your children at each stage while you point them to Christ.Seeing Is Believing by Gregory Boyd
In this work, Seeing Is Believing, Boyd unpacks for the reader the idea and practice of imaginative prayer. He gently walks you away from the "I have to keep working and trying hard" mentality of spiritual disciplines and towards a restful, healing, and creative approach. Boyd leads the reader in the use of their imagination with the intent to experience Jesus in a real way. He begins the book helping you grasp the use of imagination within prayer for those who are skeptical of it and then takes you through a practical process in which, through prayer, you experience Jesus in a real and meaningful way. I highly recommend this book, especially to those who desire a rich relationship with Jesus. Imaginative prayer opens up the door for deep healing and incredible spiritual growth.Happy Reading! Stay Tuned for "2018 Book Reviews Part 2"
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