5. The Experiencing the Depths of Jesus Christ by Jeanne Guyon

I have read this many years ago, and then I gave away my copy. Then, it was part of our Renovare reading for this term.

I loved it. It is really a lovely book. I loved these two reviews. So I will let them to the talking for me! 

https://daviddflowers.com/2008/04/27/experiencing-the-depths-of-jesus-christ-book-review/

http://www.passtheword.org/DIALOGS-FROM-THE-PAST/methodofprayer.htm

2015 Reading Wrap Up

I have participated in the "52 Books in 52 Weeks" Reading Challenge for several years now. There is always a "wrap up" for the year. My list is at the end of this post with links to all my reviews. 

• How many books did you read this year and did you meet or beat your own personal goal?

I read 53. My goal was 52, and I was so busy writing my own books (until May) and studying for other things (Pilates and Personal Training Certifications) that I really thought I would not meet it, but I did! 

• Share your top 5 (or more) favorite books.

1. Living in Christ's Presence by Willard

2. A Guide to Listening and Inner Healing Prayer by Rustenbach

3. You've Got Libya by Livingstone

4. National Academy of Sports Medicine Essentials of Personal Fitness Training

5. Oliver Twist by Dickens

6. A Christmas Carol by Dickens


(The above list reflects my true passions: Jesus/Spiritual Transformation/Discipleship! (1), prayer and healing (2), missions (3), fitness (4), and classical literature/reading (5-6)!) 

I know several of the books on my list are ones that I wrote, and I loved all of them too! LOL! :) 

• Which books or authors you thought you'd never read and were pleasantly surprised to like them?

It isn't that I did not think I would like her or never read her, but my former nanny, N.E. Casady, wrote her first novel, Time Assignment. So, I expected it might have many plot holes, but it was a well-crafted story! So proud of this woman! I have read some first time novels that have made it in big time publishing houses that were really bad, but this is not one of them! :) 

I had the book A Guide to Listening and Inner Healing Prayer on my shelf for the better part of a year. I wanted to believe that the author "walked his talk" and that prayer had truly transformed the person I knew 33 years ago. After having him in my home in May and visiting him in Colorado in August, I can heartily say that he most certainly "walks his talk"!!! That was a pleasant surprise! 

• One book that touched you - made you laugh, cry, sing, or dance! 

Living in Christ's Presence was so moving as it is a transcript of a conference that Dallas Willard gave 77 days before he died. He knew he was sliding into heaven, and it is the wise words of one who was ready to meet his Maker. It made me bawl like a baby. I will read it over and over again.

Messiah Meditations made me do all of the above! I know I wrote it, but I love listening to and learning about this amazing piece of music even if I am the source of the information (or at least the one who compiled the information)!

You've Got Libya by Greg Livingstone made me both laugh out loud and cry at times, but that is because I know Greg so it might not hit others as it did me. 

• Share your most favorite character, covers and/or quotes.

Favorite characters: Oliver Twist and Scrooge and all the characters in these two fantastic Dickens novels! 

Cover (colors are great!):

Favorite Quote from Living in Christ's Presence:

Spiritual transformation is not about behavior modification. It is about changing the sources of behavior, so the behavior will take care of itself. When the mind is right and the heart is right and the body and the soul and the relationships that we have in our social world are right, the whole person simply steps into the way of Christ and lives there with joy and strength. It is not a struggle. One of the lies about the spiritual life is that it is hard. No, no. It is not hard. It is the easy way.

Willard, Dallas; Ortberg, John (2013-12-26). Living in Christ's Presence: Final Words on Heaven and the Kingdom of God (p. 14). InterVarsity Press. Kindle Edition. 

From A Christmas Carol:

“But you were always a good man of business, Jacob,' faltered Scrooge, who now began to apply this to himself. 

Business!' cried the Ghost, wringing its hands again. "Mankind was my business; charity, mercy, forbearance, and benevolence, were, all, my business. The deals of my trade were but a drop of water in the comprehensive ocean of my business!”

 “There are many things from which I might have derived good, by which I have not profited, I dare say,' returned the nephew. 'Christmas among the rest. But I am sure I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round—apart from the veneration due to its sacred name and origin, if anything belonging to it can be apart from that—as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow-passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys. And therefore, uncle, though it has never put a scrap of gold or silver in my pocket, I believe that it has done me good, and will do me good; and I say, God bless it!” 

• One book you thought you'd love but didn't:

Contagious Disciplemaking by David L. and Paul D. Watson

I have been using their Discovery Bible Studies for years, but I like the book about David's work, Miraculous Movements, much better. The chapters on prayer and church were what makes me recommend the book though. 

• What countries or centuries did you explore:

Countries: Great Britain and Afghanistan

Centuries: I went to Dickens' Victorian era, pre and post 9/11 Afghanistan/Pakistan, and the Sahara Desert. 

• What books would you recommend everybody read?

Living in Christ's Presence by Dallas Willard. 

All the Bible Book Club books! :) It is a huge commitment, but you will come out of it with a better understanding of God and what life is all about. 

• What was your favorite part of the challenge?

Having a goal to reach that I felt held accountable for. I also like that fact that I had to reflect on the book by writing a review. 

2015 List: 

1. Living in Christ's Presence

2. Choose Joy

3. Contagious Disciple Making

4-15. Bible Book Club Books 1-12

16. Bible Book Club Year Two, Volume 2

17. Bible Book Club Year Two, Volume 3

18. Bible Book Club Year Two, Volume 4

19. Bible Book Club NT: Volume 1 - The Harmony of the Gospels

20. The Sacred Search

21. Bible Book Club NT: Volume 2 - Acts

22. Reflections on the Psalms

23. Bible Book Club NT: Volume 3 Paul's Letters

24. Bible Book Club NT: Volume 4 General Letters

25. Bible Book Club NT: Volume 5 Revelation

26. Jesse Tree Devotional

27. A Guide to Listening and Inner Healing Prayer

28. Son of Hamas

29. Is Gwyneth Paltrow Wrong about Everything?

30. The Making of an Ordinary Saint

31. Death Comes for the Archbishop

32. The MELT Method

33. Engaging with History in the Classroom: The Post-Reconstruction Era

34. You've Got Libya

35. 8-Steps to a Pain Free Back

36. The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up

37. Core Mat I

38. Go Set a Watchman

39. Dr. Jekyle and Mr. Hyde

40. The Pilates Body

41. The Anatomy of Pilates

42. Intermediate Mat Manual

43. The Prayer of Faith

44. NASM Essentials of Personal Fitness Training

45. Pilates Anatomy

46. Oliver Twist

47. A Christmas Carol

48. Handel's Messiah: A Devotional Commentary

49. In the Warlord's Garden

50. Rick Steve's European Christmas

51. Messiah Meditations

52. Time Assignment

53. The Triple Agent
54. Anatomy of Movement

54. Anatomy of Movement by Blandine Calais-Germain

I am adding this almost a year later because I forgot to add it to my 2015 books.

I had to read this for my Pilates certification. I didn't really care for it and found it rather dry and boring with illustration somewhat difficult to follow.

53. The Triple Agent by Joby Warrick

This book is so gripping that I could not put it down. I love how the author weaves in personal stories about all the key players. You feel very invested in them by the end of the book. It might help you gain insight into the killers in San Bernardino too. 

This is well-researched and gives the backstory of the December 30, 2009 Camp Chapman attack in Afghanistan where seven CIA employees (or people contracted by them for security) were killed by a suicide bomber. Such a sad story!

I had originally heard this guy interviewed by Jeffrey Brown on the PBS Newshour Bookshelf segment for his current book, Black Flags: The Rise of Isis. I was so impressed by him that I got the book from my library before the rush (Often when authors are interviewed on PBS, there is a rush to hold their book. I find if I do it BEFORE the interview is over, I can usually get it!). The book became available, smack dab in the middle of my studies for my personal training certification exam and Christmas. I had it for a week after the exam, but there were other books already waiting in my queue so I returned it and decided to get this one since it was his first. 

I was not disappointed. It will be a great prelude to Black Flags. For anyone wanting to make sense out of what is happening in our world, this is a very valuable addition to the dialogue. An added bonus is that Bob Woodward helped Warrick structure the book. If you have read All the President's Men, you will appreciate this! (If you have not read All the President's Men, put it on your reading list. It is also a riveting read and well-worth your time investment!)

Here is a National Public Radio interview about the book, The Triple Agent, if my review has not yet convinced you to read it:

52. Time Assignment by N.E. Casady

I bought this book two years and four months ago, and it has sat on my nightstand for that long!  It was always edged out by other books I had to be reading for something else. It was such a pleasure to sit down and read this great page-turner as a reward for finishing my Personal Training Certification! 

I loved it. It has fantasy and suspense. I wanted to finish it so I could find out where all the characters would end up. And the burning question that I had throughout the book was answered.

This woman was my nanny when my kids when they were two and four. We moved to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 1997, and I wanted someone I could trust to take care of my kids while I went out and learned the language. She was a great nanny, and she is even a better writer! I just don't see how all that could be in her head! What a creative person! 

51. Messiah Meditations by Carol Weaver

I know I wrote it, but I actually went through it as a devotional this season! Of course, I found little mistakes here and there. Then I had a friend ask me about using it for her church next December, and that made me want to make sure I fixed those mistakes before they printed the books up.  

All in all, I am so pleased with how this book turned out! 

Here is the Word document download (I will be adding journal pages but am waiting for the church to specify how they want that done): 

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/469660/Messiah%20Meditations%20Devotional%202014.docx

Here it is on my blog:

http://3yearbiblebookclub.blogspot.com/2014/12/messiah-meditations-for-december.html

50. Rick Steves' European Christmas

What an enjoyable read! I have had this "tabletop" book for  years. I got it for free when I donated to Oregon Public Broadcasting along with the companion DVD that has the Christmas Special TV episode of the same name. I have watched that several times, but I have never opened this wonderful book! It has much more detail than the show, and it even has recipes of the dishes they discuss!

He gives a wonderful history of Christmas along with all the holiday traditions that came out of the celebration of the birth of Christ and the pagan festivals that were already in existence. Then he goes through how different countries celebrate. The countries include: England, Norway, France, Germany, Austria, Italy, and Switzerland. It made me want to get on a plane and celebrate there!

I am really happy that there is a recipe for Nuremberg's famous traditional gingerbread: Lubekuchen! We were in Nuremberg on a holiday in 2014 so none of their famous gingerbread bakeries were open! We were so disappointed, but now I can make it myself! 

Wonderful book! I started it in the morning and could not put it down until I finished it that night of the same day. It is a perfect thing to read at Christmas! Now I am going to go and watch the DVD again. 

49. In the Warlord's Garden by Melinda J. Lewis

This is a lovely, poignant, and often amusing memoir of the experiences of a young American wife and mother serving in Afghanistan. I knew Rich and Melinda when they were both students at the University of Oregon. I had a letter from her once when she was homeschooling in Afghanistan during the civil war there in the mid-90's. Then, Rich stayed with us in Malaysia in 1998 when he was on his way to India. Then I talked to Melinda when the World Trade Center fell in 2001. This filled in the gaps of their life for me! It is a great read and only 3.99 on Kindle! 

48. Handel's Messiah: A Devotional Commentary by Joseph McCabe

I do not recall where I heard about this little book. It had some quotes that were real gems; but overall, I was not super impressed. He does not cite the references for the Scripture he uses in the text. If I did not know my Bible, I would not know they were Scripture. He does reference the Scripture in the references in the end though. 

Here is my favorite quote from the whole book. I have never been able to put into words what the "Hallelujah Chorus" part of the oratorio does to my soul, but I think he has captured much of what is in my heart:

Through an everlasting mercy the trumpets do sound in the soul. The goodness and the kindness and the love which once we knew arouse as if from long sleep. Our finest nature comes forward, and we behold the true self like a long-lost friend. If not seized and cherished, the moment passes, and the soul returns to sleep again, to a long sleep. Your spiritual chance is in the finest moment. Lengthen it, nourish it, say to that nobility within you: “This is the person I can become.” For if you don’t, life will lull you to sleep again, smother you in convention again, choke you with success again, choke you to death, spiritually.

The burning desire to have the buried self be more and more your true self is the finest gift we can bring to Christ at Christmas. Let Messiah do its good work in the soul’s deep places, then rise in faith to that height you know as fact when the chorus calls you to worship him who is “King of Kings, and Lord of Lords.”

Handel’s Messiah: A Devotional Commentary, p. 87

One thing I do not like about the book is that he leaves out the more unpopular parts in the main body of the book. He has an appendix with most of them, but I think if you are going to write a devotional on this great work, you have to include it all and explain why those verses are there within the context of the whole. So, that is my biggest disappointment. 

I like Forty Days with the Messiah much more; and, of course, I like the one I wrote (review soon to come) better too! LOL! 

47. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

I read it again. I could not resist after Oliver Twist. I finished it on my walk/run, and I was crying with a big smile during the last five minutes of my walk as I walked along a major street in my city. Everyone should read this book. It is only 2 hours and 45 minutes, and it is a FREE audiobook:

http://www.learnoutloud.com/Free-Audio-Video/Literature/European-Classics/A-Christmas-Carol/29311

What a wonderful opportunity he had to see his life from the outside looking in. I think many people would change if they could see like Scrooge was able to. Just a great story. It is It's a Wonderful Life only opposite. Of course, the counselor in me thinks it is because he was neglected as a child. What a lousy father he had! I am still upset about that.

My favorite movie version still remains The Muppet Christmas Carol. They really do a great job of following the story with lines quoted right out of the book! :) 

46. Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens

 I read this in 2004 when my friend Debbie had just been let go from her job. I flew over to be with her. In between her long "core dumps" on me, she would go into her room and cry, and I would read about Oliver, and somehow, it just brought great perspective to things. I was transported back to a time in the early 1800's when life was very hard for the poor. What a picture Dickens paints, and in the midst of the tragedy, such humor too! He was brilliant! 

I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed listening to Nadia May's narration of this timeless classic. If you have never read Dickens, you are missing out, and this is a perfect one to start with. His characters are so amazing.

It was hard to pull myself away from studying for my certification exam, and I was reluctant to even read it again for my Book Dames Book Club, let alone LEAD the discussion for our January meeting;  but again, going into this world of Dickens fiction gave me perspective on that too.  Go figure! 

45. Pilates Anatomy by Rael Isacowitz and Karen Clippinger

This is the preferred Pilates anatomy book over the book by Paul Massey (see my review for HERE), but I prefer the Massey book because it talks about different postural problems typical for people and how Pilates can alleviate those problems, and that is how I teach. 

This is not a bad book though, and I learned some new things. I think I would prefer the printed book over the Kindle because it is not spaced well on the Kindle version, and I like looking at the pictures in real books. I am glad I have this one, but I wish I had purchased Massey's because the cheapest used copy I can find is $51! It was only about $20 when I first was looking to buy it. I am thankful that the library has a copy that I can continue to check out though! 

Freewrite for a Sunday Morning

Well, here we go on a Sunday morn freewrite. I rarely sit for long periods of time and write anymore. Too bad I did not have my treadmill desk when I was writing the Bible Book Club! I would have burned so many calories and saved my back the heartache.

Speaking of my back. While my lower back has not had pain since November 19, 2014 (Yes, almost a whole year with NO S-I joint incident! And that one was brought on by sitting too long one morning + going for a walk in REALLY cold temps [33 degrees] + hitting a bump in the sidewalk = OUCH! Prior to that, it had been another year that I had had any incident. So, I am doing really well in that department.), my upper back and neck continued to have knots or what I call this "string of tightness" that travels from my neck down to the mid-back inside the shoulder blade. Well, I have not been to Dr. Myers for maybe 5 weeks. Last week, I canceled my appointment only to have a knot for most of the weekend, but then I employed ALL the Self-Myofascial release rolling exercises and static stretching on all my overactive muscles (which did NOT include the knotted area - that area is actually very WEAK and needs strengthening rather than rolling), and the knots went away. I had solved my problem and saved myself a 20 dollar copay! I stand here today with not one area of tightness in my body. I was like this all day yesterday too. I have gotten up every day and before I exercise I do that corrective SMR rolling and stretching on those overactive muscles which FOR ME include my quads, TFL, calves, pecs, latissimus dorsi, and thoracic spine. I do it regardless of whether I feel great or not. I also do the corrective stretching after I exercise. It takes about 20-30 minutes extra total on a daily basis, but it is worth it. 

I was going to write something here and the original reason why I was going to freewrite today, but I cannot remember what is was for the life of me! My goodness. What was it? Oh well.

Oh I remember. I have eight more books to read for my "52 in 2015"! I have not read as many books this year, but a 600+ book that is a lot of science should count as at least three books! Before the end of the year, I get to read Oliver Twist for my book club. That will be really fun! So, I have to think of 7 more books to read. I think I have some Christmas books in my stack that I have never read before. Oh, I want to read Nancy's book that I started but never finished and Melinda's book that I am about 65% of the way through already! So that is two more. So, I just need to find 5 more books to read after that! :) I should consult some "I want to read" lists. I am not the academic that I once was, but that is totally cool. I love what I am doing, and less reading means less sitting and better for my back! Oh, I did start that book by Kris Kyle, but it didn't grab me like I thought it would. I am sure there are great books that I could read that would be great for my walks. I might just check out something to download onto my iPhone. 

I think the test is looming though. So, maybe I will do that after my final two quizzes, two discussion questions, final, and certification exam!

BYE! No proofreading!

44. NASM Essentials of Personal Fitness Training

 I was asked to become a Certified Personal  Trainer by a manager of a local fitness facility two years ago, and I am finally getting around to it! I have loved everything about this book. I learned so much! It is 680 pages, but I couldn't put it down! It is so much of what I learned from my B.S. in Foods and Nutrition. I am coming around full circle, and I love it! 

I will finish up the class I am taking in three weeks, and I hope to take the certification exam before Christmas. I learned SO MUCH, and it has been fun to pass on what I am learning to my Pilates students and friends. :) 

43. The Prayer of Faith by J.O. Fraser

What a gem of a book! It is short and sweet and to the point. My husband had it from years ago, and I just grabbed it off the bookshelf when I went to go on a prayer retreat. James O. Fraser was a British missionary with China Inland Mission (Now Overseas Missionary Fellowship). He ministered to the Lisu people in China in the early 1900's. So sweet! 
Here is a link to the online version:

http://omf.org/us/the-prayer-of-faith/

42. Intermediate Mat Manual by Power Pilates

I have done a LOT of reading this year, but it has been more educational than for pleasure. I love it though. I have to get credit for this one since I had to read it and then TEACH it. I passed yesterday, and I am celebrating by entering it here! 

41. The Anatomy of Pilates by Paul Massey

This was a really helpful book as I became certified to teach Pilates to an intermediate level. It was helpful for me to know what muscles were being worked as I performed each exercise too. It has great illustrations. An added bonus was I learned muscles and their names in a more applicable way.This has helped me study for my Certified Personal Trainer exam in December too. Less boring that way!  I am able to inform my students about what muscles are being worked and greater understand what exercises to skip if they have had previous injuries. 

I checked it out of the library and ran the limits of my checking out. I wish I had bought it from Amazon back then because it has doubled in price since I first started considering buying it! RATS! I am checking it out again from my library now because I refer to it all the time. It is much superior to Pilates Anatomy by Rael Isacowitz and Karen Clippinger (review coming soon). 

40. The Pilates Body by Brooke Siler

This is an excellent "first book" on Pilates. It is especially helpful if one cannot get to a certified Pilates instructor to teach them how to do the moves. 

It has very sound directions for doing all the basic Pilates moves. I am not quite sure why she mixes really advanced exercises in with the intermediate ones though. I would do these in order and not mix them together like she does. 

I like her little illustrations to give imagery to what a person is trying to achieve in the exercise. I will use them for my classes! 

39. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

It is hard to believe, but I have never read this. I had to go up to Hillsboro to pick up George and was able to listen to all but 43 minutes of it on the way up. George said he didn't mind if I finished it on the way back down, and he loved it too. Ian Holm (the older Bilbo in Lord of the Rings) is perfect as the narrator! 

It is a great book. It is a deep look at the good and evil that lies in all of us! 

I read this for my Book Dames book club!

38. Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee

This is the second time I was WAY down on the list at my library, but I scored in getting it ahead of most other people. The CD and the book hold lists were enormous, but I went on the Library2Go, and they had not even ordered it yet. So, I requested they ordered it and got it FIRST! YAY! Down to my iPhone. BOOM!

I listened to this on the plane to and from Denver (and a little when I had trouble falling asleep while there). I liked it. I do not think it is the MASTERPIECE of To Kill a Mockingbird (one of my Top 5 favorite books of all time), but I also don't think it is the MESS that some reviewers are calling it.

Reece Witherspoon's narration is PERFECT. That probably helped me in falling in love with the book. I also think some people do not like it because of how it portrays Attichus Finch. He was a product of his generation and geographical location. I wasn't as ruffled by it as some have been. 

It had some amazing quotes (the drawback of listening to the audiobook on a plane without pen and paper in hand). I recommend it, especially if you have read To Kill a Mockingbird!