Mind your own Mortgage

If you are planning to buy for the first time or have bought several homes; this is a must see! It breaks everything down to the most minute detail and is a book that will help you explain to others how to wisely choose, manage, and pay off your existing mortgage quicker. Disclosure Note: Thomas Nelson has been gracious enough to give me a complimentary copy of this book for review purposes. The opinions expressed are my own.

Embracing Your Second Calling by Dale Hanson Bourke

A BOOK REVIEW:

Embracing Your Second Calling: Find Passion And Purpose For The Rest Of Your Life by Dale Hanson Bourke

I have to admit that I was a little skeptical about reading this book, especially when you read the title, "A Woman's Guide," which I am sure you can tell (hopefully) that I am not a woman and so why would I read a book written by a woman for women? Well, that is an interesting question but can be summed up by saying that I have just recently retired from the Navy after 21 years and I am embarking on "My Second Calling" which is to preach the Gospel and has little to nothing to do with what I did in the Navy. Also, I figured as a future Pastor it would be wise to read something that could be beneficial to counseling women in my ministry and to have a tool that I could give them instead of shrugging my shoulders and saying, "well don't worry, God will work it out." As someone who was in the medical field in the Navy I saw patients and what I came to understand is that all patients want you to tell them what it is they have and if they can get rid of it. Don't beat around the bush by trying to explain it to them in ways they might not understand because they would rather be upset with the straight truth than with a flowery worded delivery that they don't understand.

NOW! To the book review: I would have to say that this was a 4 out of 5 which I struggled with because I wanted to give it 5 out of 5 but could not over come the stumbling block that some women who read this may feel a little

disenfranchised because they spent the first half of their lives either by homeschooling, being a stay at home mom, or being a home maker, which by the way the author does not imply that in her book but may be perceived as the undertone. Otherwise this book could be beneficial even for men and especially Pastor’s or Christian Counselor’s.

The Meaning behind it all:

Bourke makes it clear that she was struggling with the idea that she was getting older and felt as though she was losing a part of her life that she was never going to be able to hang onto and had to come to terms with getting older and adjusting to this new phase in her life. Anyone could profit from reading this book that was filled with pearls of wisdom and gold nuggets of information. Although this book may seem as another self help book or a book that claims if you follow these simple steps you too could have….., what ever you choose to place in the blank, but to me the real substance of this book is putting it into action by going through the exercises placed throughout the book and applying the “Reflect” and “Act” boxes and logging the outcome into a journal.

Advise to Men and especially Pastor’s and Christian Counselor’s:

Men, you may want to read this somewhere by yourself because you may find yourself getting teary eyed as I did by reading some of the stories. Also, you may want to be able to reflect upon what you read and not having any distractions around will allow the words to sink in deeper and spark a greater degree of respect for your wife. This book has diffidently caused me to appreciate my wife and what she had to put up with having been married to a Sailor who was gone a lot.

What about the Book?

I can’t say enough about this book without disclosing all the contents but I will say that I read it non-stop to the end and my mind is still buzzing with things to say. There were two things that stood out the most to me about this book, the first was that I believe it is not just for the “older” woman but is a classic example of how Titus 2 tells the older women are to teach the younger women because there is value in this book for even the younger woman and secondly that you should do that one thing that makes your voice change whenever talking about it.

Conclusion:

This book isn’t just a book to be read and put up on the shelf; this is a book that is to be carried around and not put away until all the principles have been put into action and you may want to buy the hardcover edition because the cover and pages will be so worn from writing in it and from you opening and closing it. Thomas Nelson has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an objective and honest review.