3 big deal books for the new year (some books are a big deal because they change people...)

I have been reading non-fiction lately.
Please stop and pick yourself up off of the floor.

Some of you may know that mostly, I read fiction.
I REALLY heart fiction.

But these three books that I read at the end of 2015 are changing the way
I am approaching 2016.

They are shaping how I think about happiness,
about how I want to live,
about what brings me joy
and about following Jesus.

So I thought  you might want to check them out.

The first book that is changing my life is
Switch on Your Brain: The Key to Peak Happiness, Thinking, and Health
by Dr. Caroline Leaf, a communication pathologist and audiologist.

Leaf is an expert on neuroplasticity,
(how the brain renews itself).
She believes that scripture supports science and vice versa.
She has found over the last 30 years of research and working
with people with severe brain trauma, that toxic thinking
actually changes the physical landscape of your brain and on the flip-side, that feeding your brain truth not only changes the shape of your brain but the shape of your life.
She is pretty much a rockstar.










The second book I read is the
The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing
by Marie Kondo, a professional organizer (or should I say Life Transformer????)

This book literally changed how I think about organizing (which is kind of huge
since I used to own my own organizing business)
and it changed the state of my underwear drawer
(what can be more powerful than that?)
Her thought is that your home is your sanctuary
and you should be surrounded
only by things that spark joy in you.
I think I am pretty good at purging my closets.
After reading this book, I had 10 garbage bags full of non-joyful, non-sparking items
to donate to our local thrift store.
So. Good.






And the third book that I truly loved reading was
Rising Strong: The Reckoning. The Rumble. The Revolution.
by Brene Brown, a social scientist, who has done extensive research on courage,
shame, vulnerability and worthiness.

The tag line of the book is
If we are brave enough, often enough, we will fall.
This book is about what it takes to get back up.

She talks about owning our difficult stories and integrating them into
our lives and that is the place that our courage is tested and our values are forged.
As my mother-in-law would say, "I love this chick."










One of my Bible college professor's once told me that, "All truth is God's realm."
I have found this to be revolutionary in my life.
I may not agree with everything said in each of these books but
some of the truths resonated so deeply with me
that I felt like the Holy Spirit
was saying,
"This is from me. Hold on to it with both hands."

So....these are my books that brought me joy and hope this last year.

Are there some books that you have read recently that are changing your life?
Make sure to leave the title in the comments.
I would love to check them out!