90 Minutes in Heaven by Don Piper was a very interesting read.

I am a sci-fi kind of guy... however this book affected me in a much deeper way than I had expected.

The story goes that on the way home from a church conference, Don Piper's car was crushed by a semi-trailer that crossed into his lane. Medical personnel said he died instantly.

While lying lifeless inside his car, Piper writes that he experienced the glories of heaven, awed by the beauty and music.

Seeing Piper fight for his life, a minister began praying for his recovery..

After reading this story, I found it easier to face the issues that come up in my life.. A majority of 90 Minutes in Heaven focuses on Piper's struggles after his accident..

The intense pain and knowledge that he won't be normal again lead Piper to despair, depression, and frustration.

God placed a number of people in Piper's life to help him with his depression and despair. Piper begins to share his experience with others and finds God working through his story.

If you seek a complete description of Heaven, you may feel let down by this book.. But this book will show you that God can help you overcome anything..

Piper's harrowing recovery was a great inspiration to me, and I would encourage anyone who is down on  their luck to read this and see how God can transform your life.

90 Minutes in Heaven offers a glimpse into a very real dimension of God's reality. This book offers encouragement to those who are struggling with personal issues.. Don's life was forever changed from this experience. This book changed my life as well.

Oh... and they have sold over 4 million copies. There's a reason why, it's just that good!!

The measure of a true leader is the relentless pursuit of self-improvement in our daily lives. By never being satisfied with our skill level in our primary endeavor; by constantly striving to improve some facet of our performance, we will learn from our experience and approach every obstacle with a clear understanding about what we need to do to overcome it; accepting the safe status-quo isn't an option. 

John C Maxwell certainly understands what it takes to be an effective leader; he's already written a slew of terrific books on the subject, and his latest effort is designed to lay the proper foundation for personal growth; to maximize our leadership skills by adding some measure of experience and knowledge to our existing level of expertise. The key is to repeat the process every day; this isn't a self-improvement project is NOT for the faint of heart. Drawing from the wisdom in his books Your Road Map for Success, Talent Is Never Enough, Developing the Leaders Around You, Failing Forward, The 360 Degree Leader, Winning with People, and Leadership Gold, John C. Maxwell provides in Self-Improvement 101 the essentials all leaders need to keep striving for excellence no matter where they are or what they are doing. After all, great leaders who are growth oriented rather than goal oriented never "arrive," they just keep building upon what they're learning.

I loved this book because I never want to stop growing and learning or of course- improving. Maxwell's inspiring insight was really beneficial to me through this book. If you're looking to improve like most of us humans are than I would highly suggest this to you. All great leaders are growth oriented, they know what path they are on, they know if they are stagnant or not, and that is indeed the key.

Pick up Self Improvement 101 and get started today , why wait?!

Wouldn't you love to truly live " above " life's storms? Storms are inevitable, so how do we infact rise above some of the truly hard circumstances and gut wrenching stuff that life throws our way??

Kirk Franklin's newest book: The Blueprint: A Plan for Living Above Life's Storms speaks on this subject. Kirk didn't grow up in the easiest of ways, from his father abandoning his family, his mother telling him he was unwanted and therefore left him to be adopted at age four ; his sister became a crack addict ; he never saw a black man faithful in is marriage, and the list goes on. Despite his shaky foundation he found strength and success through his life's architect- God.

God truly holds the " Blueprint " of our lives is what this book shouts over and over again. Knowing all of this helps us depend on the architect of our lives. Kirk learned that through hardships ( that are necessary ) that propelled and moved him into being something greater. Who would of thought that now he's the bestselling gospel musician in history , as well as devoted husband and loving father.

The Blueprint is a transparent approach into talking about some hard issues- from marriage to polotics to sex and religion. " Not from a Princeton, mainline, protestant, evangelical or liberal veiwpoint, but from a 2010 Christian moderate with swag. " - Kirk Franklin

In this book I found that it's not a step program , but it's rather a lifelong journey. With Kirk's inspiration you'll find in this book it pushes you on to something greater than your current hardship, and that is excatly what this book is- It shows you hardships, God as our architect, and what we can do about following God's Blueprint and not the Blueprint of our hardships and hurts.

Just when you thought Kirk Franklin was inspiring enough ,he comes out with this!

Pick up The Blueprint and be inspired!

Your personal guide to learning how to love.

When you say or hear the words "I love you" it can change your life forever.   Love is one of God's most important gifts to anyone, yet there are many misunderstandings about how to make love work in our families, friendships, marriages and dating relationships. In Loving People best-selling author Dr. John Townsend shows you that love can actually be learned, and gives you the steps and tools to become skilled in love.

The three most powerful words ever spoken are still "I love you!" They have the ability to transform relationships, families and communities. When real love is expressed, people naturally come alive, heal and become who they were created to be. In Loving People, Dr. John Townsend explores the important role love plays in personal growth and relationships. Apart from love, we simply cannot grow spiritually, emotionally or personally.  Loving and being loved go hand in hand. They allow you to become the loving person you were designed to be. Learning to love has so many benefits. It will help you develop better and healthier relationships. Learning to love also increases your capacity for more intimacy. You can even love at a deeper level. Whenever you're facing trials, stress or struggles, love empowers you to get through. And loving goes hand in hand with joy and happiness. As you learn to love and be loved, you can't help but experience and feel success and achieve some of your dreams. In this process, you'll develop leadership abilities and help others.

"One of the most important realities of the nature of true love is that the `lovability' of the other person is ultimately irrelevant. Said another way, the more we require the other person to be lovable in order to actually care, the less loving we are. The converse is also true: the less we require the other person to be lovable, the more loving we are." 

Insights and thought-provoking statements like these line the pages. The result is a book that everyone can benefit from. By the time you finish reading it, you'll discover that "I love you" means a bunch more than you thought it did and looking for ways to express and experience those words in attitude and action.

This book was so inspiring and made me want to LOVE.

Pick up Loving People: How to Love and Be Loved today!

In his newest book Counterfeit Gods, Timothy Keller discusses the idol worship that takes Christians away from God.

If you are like me, the mention of worshipping false idols immediately brings the Ten Commandments to mind. While people have worshipped other gods and statues or symbols for centuries, Keller brings up the idols that affect us in today’s world, particularly those of money, sex, and power.

After reading this book, I gained a whole new understanding of the things that we allow to take the place of God in our lives.

As Keller described, an idol is “anything more important to you than God, anything that absorbs your heart and imagination more than God, anything you seek to give you what only God can give.”

It is no secret that our society is driven by the need for more money, more power, and the feelings of love and acceptance.

Yet as Keller explains, these are the very things that keep us from loving God totally. One of the more convincing arguments he made was concerning the issue of love.

While Keller encourages us to love one another and find true love he also suggests that if love becomes and idol that it is dangerous when we place our love for other people above our love for God.

In addition to the previously mentioned subjects, Keller also hits spot on the issue of politics in controlling one’s life. Without taking political sides, Keller points out that for humans to place faith in government institutions and people in office to provide a good life, they are rejecting the notion that God is the one in control.

No, he isn’t calling for anarchy or overthrowing the government. He is just pointing out that people should be less consumed with political issues and more focused on turning to God to steer our world in the right direction.

If you are looking for an eye-opening and truth revealing book, look no further than Counterfeit Gods by Timothy Keller. This book will show you the things that we put before God in our daily lives and will help you to start putting God first in everything.

What in the world am I here for? That is the question we all ask from the time we learn to speak and think to the time we are on our death bed. Many time it goes unanswered, or if it is somehow answered, it still can be unclear. We often ask the selfish questions over our existence. Who is our soul mate? What will be our life-time occupation? The question we ought to asking should pertain to the Almighty and his plan for us.

We need to remember that God has always thought of us before he had ever crossed our minds. There IS a reason and plan for why we are here, although many things crowd God's place, for example: careers/ambitions, hobbies, and even our spouses. God wishes for us to choose Him over all..

I know my role on earth and for eternity thanks to Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren.

The Purpose Driven Life is a 40-day spiritual journey that will answer that important question:”Why am I here”. I know that you will learn more about who you are and what you should be living for. Sure, it may take more than 40 days to completely get the guidance that you want but you will be reminded every time you pick up this book that God is there by your side.

You may not have ever been sure if you had a plan for your life. It isn't an accident that we are living, breathing, existing. There is a plan behind it all and the hand that guides it is the hand of God. There is a loyalty to embrace for our Creator.

It takes focus and discipline to actually DO what you are here to do. God cares about HOW we are as people, and not who we are as people which is topsy-turvey in today's culture. At least that is what I took from the book. I encourage you to read and find out more for yourself.

Things never seem to go as planned. We all want to have a great job, a loving wife or husband, healthy children, a nice car, and a big house.

What happened to these dreams?

Maybe you have even lesser expectations for your life, but God has not even given you that. Life tends to set us off our paths we think we'll be on to an unwanted and unexpected detour.

In times like these I suggest reading Pete Wilson’s Plan B: What Do You Do When God Doesn’t Show Up the Way You Thought He Would?

I think the following paragraph will give you a taste of what Wilson’s book offers.

We do spend a bunch of time worried about what is happening to us. We focus a lot of attention on when things might happen. We ask a lot of questions about where we will end up. Often in life, the what, when and where are not going to turn out the way you want them to turn out. You don’t always get to choose those things, but you do get to choose the why. You may not get to choose what your future is going to be, but at any given time you do get to choose why you’re living the way you do.”

Wilson openly admits that he does not have all the answers. All he knows is that we have the need to believe in God. How exactly do we use them? You will have to find out for yourself.

This book guides you with powerful messages making you realize that Plan A seldom comes through and we need to know when to resort to Plan B.

Wilson shares the downfalls, hardships, and pains of people including those of the Bible. I think most everyone will find some sort of answer becauseit isn't sugar coating. You're problems won't look so petty and you'll learn how to deal with them.

Eeven if you feel like you are living the life you have planned all along you may come to realize that you're actually in a Plan B state of mind.It is a great thing to examine your life and to make sure you aren't too bust for God. You may even find that you're not living up to your full potential.

Check out Plan B: What Do You Do When God Doesn’t Show Up the Way You Though He Would by Pete Wilson. Seek God and His Wisdom. Grow.

I would like to know what is your Plan B? How have your plans in life changed?

Dark Peril is story about Vampires. Having given up hope of ever finding his lifemate in this life time and determined to end his existence with honor, Ancient Carpathian warrior Dominic has begun a suicidal quest to gain the information necessary to save his Prince and his people. Priest has ingested vampire slaying, knowing that the parasites which now infect his embody present wage the cloth requisite to forecast him to move among the opposer in magnitude to get the intel necessary to foil the vampires' disgrace plots.

But even as the parasites attempt to seduce Dominick into taking the final step and becoming vampire himself, Dominick has begun to dream, and in his dreams he ‘feels’ hints of the emotions that he has lost. Emotions stirred by the unique woman of his dreams, a woman who shows a warrior face to the world but who shares her softer side with him.

Jaguar shifter, Solonge survived the annihilation of her family and friends perpetrated by the ruthless males of her species. Solonge now fights a partisan war against the Cat men - hiding approve captives and working to pass1 their despicable from the world. Unsurprisingly, Solonge’s experiences with men in general are not good, and she is also distrustful of domineering Carpathian males – her cousin is mated to one of the Delacruz brothers. But in Solonge’s dreams she has created the perfect man, sexy and strong to be a partner to her but one who will also allow her to be a woman in addition to a warrior.

Both of the pair are a bit surprised to find that the one who they’ve been dreaming of is real. That they are lifemates adds a level of complication because both have upcoming battles – Solonge against the evil leader of the Jaguar men who has dastardly plans for her, and Dominick against the vampires – battles which neither of them expected to survive. But now that they've initiate each remaining, moribund for a august drive no thirster seems similar a benevolent drawing, instead the duet give transform and seek together in the hopes of having a tenacious and gaga future unitedly.

But once Dominick and Solonge make it back out of the cave, the story ramps back up to speed and Dominick’s strike at the vampires – with Solonge watching his back – and Solonge’s final confrontation against the Jaquar leader – with Dominick returning the favor – finish the story of Dark Peril on a high note.

Basic. Fear God- a simple message coming from renown author and speaker Francis Chan.

Basic is a new seven-part film series by the makers of NOOMA featuring Francis Chan he uses a simple, full, and beautiful journey that our lives should look like.

Going back to the well, basics, of Fearing God this series also includes the basics of the questions like " Who is God " In this series the basic structure of faith is addressed questions about God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.We're all looking for a solid foundation -something we can build our lives on. In this series it puts it simply how to live out our lives like the church should. This was such a helpful tool to me in my life. This is a potent and strong DVD based around the essential truth of scripture: " The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom."

To understand the relationship between God and man, we turn to those who have directly interacted with Him in the Bible. In each case, they are met with fear. Not respect, reverence or courage, but sheer speechlessness, humility, and complete surrender. They are overcome with pure fear and many of them cry out to be destroyed.

Most people today have lost this fear. We need to understand that a true fear of God leads to the keeping of His commandments, leads to life abundant, and is the beginning of wisdom.

Within this deeply impacting teaching series one will discover: 

- What does Scripture indicate when it commands people to fear God? 
- What is the difference between fear of the Lord and mere respect or reverence? 
- What does proper biblical application of the fear of God lead to in your life?

This is a well done project that has helped me amazingly.

I highly recommend this DVD to anyone really from youth groups to small groups and even family devotions.

Pick up yet another amazing inspiration by Francis Chan, It's Basic

When I first saw this book, I knew it would be an interesting read just from the title.

However, reading it all the way through took me forever. Not because it was a horrible book, mind you.

No, it took me forever to get through this book because of the many laugh fests along the way that couldn't be stopped.

After gaining a large following on his blog of the same name, Acuff put his best observations into a gut-busting look at the Christian life in Stuff Christians Like.

As a normal everyday guy, Acuff has put together some of the most entertaining and dead-on observations about his fellow Christ followers.

Using a sarcastic and witty writing style, Acuff points out those moments that we all wish we could comment on, yet are too afraid of offending someone.

Some of his gems include: “Obligations to think about going into the full-time ministry at least once every three years” and “Saying you’re going to pray for someone…then not.”

One of my favorite subjects in Stuff Christians Like was entitled “Being not funny for the Lord.” In this essay, he points out that many suffer from SCS, also known as Serious Christian Syndrome. This is the idea that to be a good Christian, you must be serious all the time.

However, Acuff points out several verses that prove that God wants us to laugh and have fun. Seeing as how I do consider myself somewhat sarcastic at time, I thought this essay was so correct.

For those who may be offended by the book’s description, fear not. Acuff is not condemning Christianity or mocking it. Instead, he is bringing to light some of the more interesting facets of daily church life.

By doing this, he is showing us that God wants us to stop worrying about how we look doing something and getting caught up in foolish things and just enjoy being a Christian.

This book is a big must for anyone who wants a clean laugh and a double check on there own sincerity. So pick up Stuff Christians Like by Jonathan Acuff and start seeing how many of these scenarios come up in your daily life.