Great read!!

A dream without a strategy to achieve it, will remain a fantasy!

Does it ever happen to you that you have a book on the shelf for months and months and months... without reading it? And when you finally read it, it blows you away and you wonder why you had it on the shelf for so long? Well, it happened to me with John C. Maxwell's book 'Put your dream to the test'.

We have just spent two weeks in Mexico and a few days on a secluded beach in Bahia de Los Angeles, without electricity, phones or e-mail turned out to be the perfect location and timing for finally reading this awesome book! Maxwell has a way of writing that is simple yet so profound, it is honest and raw and loaded and everything else I can think of. This is defenitely the most inspiring and motivating book I have read in a long time!

I don't know what your dream is, maybe you want to write a movie script or become a doctor or open up an orphanage or bake the best apple pies in the country... it doesn't matter, the size of your dream doesn't say anything about the significance. But a dream without a strategy to achieve it will remain a fantasy! This book is a must read for anyone who wants to accomplish something significant in life. It really, really inspired me and encouraged me. I wrote all my thoughts and ideas and questions and comments in a journal and that really helped me to see where I am in the process of achieving my dream. I highly recommend it!!

And this is my prayer...

What do I pray for and why?
Have you ever bumped into a friend or neighbor in the store and, after they updated you about their current drama, you left them with the words: "I'll pray for you."
I've done it! And to be honest with you, if I don't write these things down immediately, I sometimes forget to follow up on my promise. And that leads to feeling embarrased about myself, about treating such a promise lightly and not being more considerate about the trouble the other person is going through. I don't want my words to be meaningless or an empty cliche, so I have decided that either

1. I have to pray with the person on the spot, or
2. write it down immediately and pray later, or
3. ask the person what I should pray for and get specific so we can agree

The last method I learned from the apostle Paul; he told the believers at Philippi: and this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight... (Philippians 1:9-11) He did not adress the people casually, 'oh, I'll pray for you...' He told them what he prayed for and why he did it, he expected certain results because of his prayer. He wanted them to gain a greater understanding of love and he clarified why, so that:

• you may be able to discern what is best, in other words you will be able to make the right choices and always act in love, and love never fails (1 Corinthians 13:8)


• you may be pure and blameless until the day of Jesus Christ, because love covers a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8)


• you may be filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, you will have peace over the situation because the fruit of righteousness is peace (Isaiah 32:17)

Paul ads the ultimate goal of his prayer -to the glory and praise of God! Wouldn't this be a great way to practise effective prayer this week?

GRACE OF GIVING

Pre-sales GRACE OF GIVING starts today!

This morning I came to the conclusion that 2010 has only two more months left… Two months in which we celebrate two major holidays. One day to give thanks and one day to give gifts. It seems that ‘giving’ is the theme for the remainder of each year we live.

I guess it keeps us balanced, because we are programmed to spend most of our lives accumulating possessions which we think will make us happier and give us a more fulfilled life, whether it is the house, the car, the boat, the job, the money or the mate we desire. How can we shift that all too human attitude of gathering into an attitude of giving? Is it truly possible to become a cheerful giver?

In my fourth book Grace of Giving, turning the key to enter and experience fullness of life, I have tried to answer these questions by taking an in-depth look at the commandment do not steal. I share how we can leave behind the way of the thief, which always cries for more, more, more, and how we can adapt the way of the Master, which is cheerfully, abundantly and costly giving that will lead us into a life in all its fulness!

The official nationwide release date for Grace of Giving will be January 25^th 2011, so the book is not yet available at major book sellers. It is, however, available at the publishers’ website! If you want to learn more about the blessings of giving, please go to this link and order your own copy of Grace of Giving:

http://www.tatepublishing.com/bookstore/book.php?w=978-1-61739-078-4

If you prefer the audio version, and don't mind listening to my foreign accent, or if you rather have it as an e-book download, please go to this link and order there. In the coming weeks I will be giving away several copies of GRACE OF GIVING, so keep an eye on my blog!