Free Book*

So what is the deal about this Free Book*? Well first let me start by saying this book is not free. It will cost you whatever your favorite book provider will charge you. Now, with that out of the way. This is Brian Tome’s second book which is simply called Free Book* (worlds longest subtitle; OK not really but wow it seems to go on forever.) This book is about realizing that most of us go around day to day trapped in fear and slavery.

While this may seem strong most Americans are drowning in debt forcing them to work jobs they may not want to, simply to stay afloat. They have become slaves to their lenders. Or perhaps it’s any other number of things like alcohol, drugs, gambling, so on and so forth. Brian tries to help you to focus in on these concepts and become truly free. This is a Christian book as it uses many Bible verses, footnoted of course (not that Bible verses and footnotes make it a Christian book but it’s usually a fair sign).

However, this isn’t your typical Christian author. Brian is about freedom. I have even heard that he is very fanatical about it. He believes that this freedom comes from following advice that is for your own good. If your are looking to find a very scholarly sounding book then I would say this book is not for you, but if your looking for a book that makes you think about what your doing and tries to give it to you straight then perhaps you should pick this up. I recommend this book to you even if you aren’t Christian. The Bibical verses are indeed entrenched but I feel that most of it is still applicable to most peoples lives. However the points and conclusion made in the are applicable to virtually any one’s life and situation.

Disclosure of Material Connection: We received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Dave Ramsey’s Total Money Makeover

Are you sick and tired of having debt up to your eyeballs? Is there usually more month left then your money? Do you have flabby, wimpy, money muscles? Then you need a Total Money Makeover. Now in its third edition Dave Ramsey’s Total Money Makeover is a hard hitting financial workout that has serious proven results. In 2009 there was over $23,972,100 in debt paid off using Dave’s plan, and that number only counts the people who called The Dave Ramsey Show on a Friday.

So is this book basically a math book with tons of formulas and equations. Nope, not at all. Dave is a firm believer that financial fitness is 20% head knowledge and 80% get off your butt and do it. While I don’t know about the first and second editions, I know the third edition is packed full of stories of people who got sick and tired of being financially sick and tired and began to live life, as Dave says, like no one else, so that later they can live like no one else.

Is this a quick and easy plan. Definitely not, this is one of those get down in the trenches and prove that you want it kind of plans. It wont take a lot of knowledge to do the plan, but your going to have to put the effort in. So, if your ready to be strange and become debt free, then I recommend picking up Dave Ramsey’s Total Money Makeover for the proven plan and the tons of motivational help. Get Gazelle Intense and Get Free!!!

Tithing:Test Me In This

Tithing:Test Me In This by Douglas Leblanc is book seven in the Thomas Nelson Ancient Practices series. The series takes a look at several aspects of many ancient religions with a slant towards how they apply to Christianity. In this book the topic is tithing. However, instead of a heavy, scholarly discussion about what tithing is and how it is to be acted out, Douglas Leblanc has decided to use his journalistic skills and set off across the country to tell the stories of several individuals that have made tithing an essential part of their lives.

I am not sure I would recommend this book to others as a book to learn about the practice of tithing. There is very little concrete discussion about what the ancient practice of tithing is or was. Occasionally there is some discussion of this, but it is brief and mixed inside people’s stories. Further, I find the theological messages within the book to be confusing and problematic. It is not the main message that you should tithe that I find problematic, but the overall sense that the book tries to to imply that if you tithe, God will grant you wealth. With that being said, I did enjoy reading the stories of those who Douglas Leblanc choose to interview. So, overall, I am not sure I would recommend this book unless perhaps it was in the bargain rack. I just don’t feel that in a series devoted to the ancient practices of religion that this book holds up its end of the deal.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

A Million Miles in a Thousand Years

Donald Miller’s A Million Miles in a Thousand Years is a truly inspiring book that will make you rethink the way you are living. The book starts off with Donald describing how his life had sunk into a funk after writing his successful New York Times Best Seller entitled Blue Like Jazz. He explains that life had become somewhat meaningless and that his days consisted of mostly sitting in his comfortable chair, eating ice cream, and watching Oprah.

Until his life was given an inciting incident, a phone call from a movie director. The director’s desire was to turn Blue Like Jazz into a movie (www.bluelikejazzthemovie.com). However, the book needed to have a little artistic license taken with it in order to make it a better story, regardless of the fact that Blue Like Jazz was a true story about Donald’s life. This sets Donald off on a quest to learn to tell a better story with his life. This book is that story. It is a truly inspiring tale that will make you want to tell a better story too. This is a must read.

One of the points Miller makes about telling a better story is that you have to “save the cat”. Well, ok not necessarily a cat but the point is you have to show that you’re a good person because only actions speak. So, if you’re interested in picking up this book and want to start telling a better story yourself head over to the Mentoring Project, an organizations founded by Donald Miller himself, agree to make donate at one of the preset levels and receive a free signed copy of A Million Miles in a Thousand Years. (http://thementoringproject.org/donate.html)