Nonfiction Roundup

I've been on a nonfiction kick in the last year. I read a lot of health books. I'm currently reading one called The Virgin Diet, which is not about throwing young maidens into a volcano. (Seriously, worst title ever, marketing folks. I keep the cover face down, I don't tell people about it. All because I don't want to explain the name. Though it's a good health/diet book. Virgin is the author's last name, God bless her.)  I really like the book, which is very similar to Paleo or Primal diets. Very easy read. But I'm a health book junkie. I like to read them while eating Cheetos.

I've read a handful of inspy nonfiction lately. I was really surprised at my favorite.

I enjoyed Steven Furtick's Greater. I didn't love it like I did his debut book, Sun Stand Still. He has a passion for people living big dreams, and I appreciate that. Furtick touches on things like hearing God's voice, getting in the word, taking chances, and basically getting out of the boat. He talks about how Satan loves to remind us of what we don't have to begin the goal/dream–like talent, money, age, resources. Loved the point that in the Bible so many didn't get what they needed to move their mountains until they actually began the process. They just began on faith. I underlined some “keeper” lines. Do you guys highlight or underline? I've found I have to have a physical book if it's nonfiction. If it's Kindle, I'll just end up ordering the physical book as well so I can mark all over it.  The book would make a great grad gift. It has quite a bit of repetition and filler, but still it was worth the read.

Women's ministry is a weird thing right now, isn't it? There is a big trend in pretty and fluff, and I dunno. Blogging is really shaping who we're seeing at the pulpit for the gals. I like the hard hitters from women who've been in the trenches.  Christine Caine is one of my newer favorite women's speakers. She's a total fire ball. I don't get the feeling she spent too much time agonizing over the matching of her scarf to her boots. She's a very enthusiastic speaker and really encouraging and inspiring. She comes from a past of abuse and now dedicates her life to saving girls/women in prostitution and sex trafficking. Her book Undaunted touches on that. The book wasn't quite what I thought it would be. It's less an inspy living book and more of a book in three parts–part biography, part teaching, part trafficking education. That's a lot going on in a book, but she has good things to say. I think mostly I like to hear her. She gets fired up when she speaks, and she's funny. If you go to iTunes, you can find her in some free podcasts. I've heard her podcasts from Elevation Church, as well as National Community Church out of D.C. Definitely worth the search.

I read Soul Detox from Craig Groeschel. I like him a lot. This is an easy read and Groeschel (or someone) has a nice, conversational writing style. Basically he lines up a handful of categories in which we could be screwing up–finances, entertainment choices (I skipped this chapter) (kidding), family time, etc. The book doesn't really present any new information, but more like it's someone sitting down and saying, “Hey, take a look at all the ways junk could be getting into your life. Do any of these sound familiar?” I have no junk in my life, so I had to pass it on to others. ; )

Finally, I read a book by an author I typically stay away from. But I cannot say enough good things about I Declare by Joel Osteen. While I admire Osteen's positivity, his hair makes me covet, and mostly he's not my pastoral preference. And yet, this book rocks on every level. DEFINITELY a great gift book. It's based on the idea that negative thoughts and words equals an underperforming life. “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.”  So this book is kind of a devotional, with 31 short chapters, and every chapter being a new idea to ponder, with a declaration to say out loud or think on. This is one of those books I got as a download and after reading a few chapters had to order the physical book. I loved this book so much. Please get it. I type out his declarations and put them on my bathroom mirror. I obnoxiously text the declarations to friends. As a side note, you can still catch Osteen discussing the book and his mode of operation on the OWN Network on Sundays here lately. I think he's on March 31st.

What have you read lately? Doesn't have to be inspy. I could tell you about the biography I read on Janice Joplin that I was going to put in our jr. high library until I turned a page and met Janice's boobs…