Monday, December 12, 2016

Shaken by Tim Tebow

Shaken: Discovering Your True Identity in the Midst of Life's StormsShaken: Discovering Your True Identity in the Midst of Life's Storms by Tim Tebow
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'm not a football person or a fan at all, but I do know Tim Tebow.
Who doesn't know about Tebowing - right?
I've not read any of his other books, but when he had a spare weekend & stopped into our church & spoke & talked about his future book, I wanted to grab it, just to support someone who is giving a good message to the world on faith & reminding us WHOSE we are - not who we are.
I really did enjoy the book - even the parts of Tim telling his football story. I thought that part may bore me a bit, but it was interesting to see how he handled being let go of the organizations he was a part of.
The book is full of Tim's experiences in life as a teenager on mission trips, to playing in the big leagues, to everything in between. & it all holds great reminders of God's truth.
Some of the stories, I've heard before... some of the points he makes on scripture, I've heard most of them in other places, but there were a few little snippets of truths that were new to me that really gripped me. I have to say, for me reading a book on a football player, I really did enjoy it.

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Friday, December 2, 2016

I'm Glad About You

I'm Glad About YouI'm Glad About You by Theresa Rebeck
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

DNF
I got about a quarter in & just didn't connect with this one.
I'm getting better at letting go of books that I don't care for. Why waste the time - so many good books, so little time.
I think it didn't help that I read reviews before & got the jest of the ending... & then a quarter through, the characters just irritated me & I flipped to the last few pages of the book (GASP!!!) & read... & yeah, knowing the ending, it didn't make me want to fill up the 'in between' so I just scraped it.
Maybe I'll try it some other time... probably not.

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The Magnolia Story

The Magnolia StoryThe Magnolia Story by Chip Gaines
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I cant even begin to say how much I loved this book. I want to buy it for every one. For every woman, for every mom, for every person with a dream.
I love Chip & Joanna Gaines anyways but to read their life story makes me love them even more.
I honestly swooned so many times in this book. Just to hear the story of these two individually, & together & how their show came to be & their success. The stories of their childhood, to how they met & the wisdom they have learned through the years is just so heart warming. & I love how they balance each other out through so many of lifes ups & downs. How they clearly saw God working in their lives & feeling His presence.
Y'all, I can't say enough about this book. If you like their show, if you like them, you are going to ADORE this book. If you have no idea who they are, I'd still think you'd like this book. It's just a good true life story that is filled with heart, wisdom & love.
I'm sad to see it end.... it gave me the warm fuzzes the whole time.

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These famous words are now synonymous with the dynamic husband-and-wife team Chip and Joanna Gaines, stars of HGTV’s Fixer Upper. As this question fills the airwaves with anticipation, their legions of fans continue to multiply and ask a different series of questions, like—Who are these people?What’s the secret to their success? And is Chip actually that funny in real life? By renovating homes in Waco, Texas, and changing lives in such a winsome and engaging way, Chip and Joanna have become more than just the stars of Fixer Upper, they have become America’s new best friends.

The Magnolia Story is the first book from Chip and Joanna, offering their fans a detailed look at their life together. From the very first renovation project they ever tackled together, to the project that nearly cost them everything; from the childhood memories that shaped them, to the twists and turns that led them to the life they share on the farm today.

They both attended Baylor University in Waco. However, their paths did not cross until Chip checked his car into the local Firestone tire shop where Joanna worked behind the counter. Even back then Chip was a serial entrepreneur who, among other things, ran a lawn care company, sold fireworks, and flipped houses. Soon they were married and living in their first fixer upper. Four children and countless renovations later, Joanna garners the attention of a television producer who notices her work on a blog one day.

In The Magnolia Story fans will finally get to join the Gaines behind the scenes and discover:

The time Chip ran to the grocery store and forgot to take their new, sleeping baby

Joanna’s agonizing decision to close her dream business to focus on raising their children

When Chip buys a houseboat, sight-unseen, and it turns out to be a leaky wreck

Joanna’s breakthrough moment of discovering the secret to creating a beautiful home

Harrowing stories of the financial ups and downs as an entrepreneurial couple

Memories and photos from Chip and Jo’s wedding

The significance of the word magnolia and why it permeates everything they do

The way the couple pays the popularity of Fixer Upper forward, sharing the success with others, and bolstering the city of Waco along the way

And yet there is still one lingering question for fans of the show: Is Chip really that funny? “Oh yeah,” says Joanna. “He was, and still is, my first fixer upper.”