Books I Read In January

Did anyone else's January go by entirely too fast? One minute I was celebrating the new year, and the next I'm staring February right in the face. Can you relate?

It's for that reason that I only completely read four books in January. I have several started, but I'll admit that I haven't been great about seeing them through to the end. Yet. 

So here's what I read:

A Peace of My Mind by Stuart Briscoe. I loved how the word shalom translates to peace, the tranquility of order. If God is orderly and perfect, then our lives will be internally peaceful regardless of what's happening in the circumstances around us. Peace like a river!

Building a Great Marriage by Anne Ortlund. For the longest time, I would ask Danny each morning what I could pray for him for and what I could do for him that day. This book has stirred up that desire again, asking what I can do for him, what would make him happy and how can I be praying. With these simple prompts, I can spend much of my day in a prayerful attitude and support my husband in a positive spiritual way.

Jesus > Religion by Jefferson Bethke. What I really want, not just superficially, is to grow my relationship with my Savior. We get stuck in religious platitudes instead of living for intimate encounters with Jesus. This book breaks that desire wide open, moving away from just saying what you're supposed to say and determining to reflect what He has been in my life.

The Carrot Principle by Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton. One of my personal goals for the year is to grow as a leader, and this book was a fun way to think about motivating and encouraging growth in the office. Some of the ideas are ones I want to implement for making myself more effective and efficient, just don't tell anyone!

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