BE THE PEOPLE by Carol M. Swain, PhD

I was thinking seriously about the issues that Dr. Carol M. Swain, PHD wrote about in her timely book BE THE PEOPLE when Thomas Nelson Publishers sent me a complimentary book to review. Dr. Swain is an expert dealing with the complex issues our country and society are dealing with today. Her book is timely and right on. Her appropriate subtitle is A Call to Reclaim America's Faith and Promise. If our forefathers were reading this book they would be shouting Amen, Amen, Amen! I particularly am saddened by the decline of families in America today and Dr. Swain hits it head on with the scriptures and leaves no doubt in the reader's mind as to how God intended the family to live. The author acknowledges the risk she is taking in writing this book, but she believes that America is worth restoring. She reveals shocking information about the Girl Scouts of America and The Boy Scouts of America. If you are an older person it will not be the organizations that you remember belonging to as a youth. Dr. Swain is a woman of color and she addresses some of the problems that African Americans face due to the encouragement of elitist black leaders for them to see themselves as victims rather than the resilient people that have overcome enormous odds. Dr. Swain wrote this book because she loves American and the insight she gives us is priceless. This is a book for people who want to see America reclaim our power and promise.

Money Secrets of the Amish by Lorilee Craker

I was delighted to receive another complimentary book by Thomas Nelson Publishers to review. The book Money Secrets of the Amish by Lorilee Craker was one of the most helpful books I have read in a long time. The subtitle of Finding True Abundance in Simplicity, Sharing, and Saving was right on and I have made many changes in my spending habits since reading it. I was amazed that the Amish are able to save so much of their earnings by simply living a humble lifestyle and not wasting anything. The story of Amos and Fern Miller and their 14 children was in deed an inspiration. The 45 year old farmer has managed to bank $400,000 over the course of twenty years while renting a farm and raising fourteen children and remarkably none of them feel deprived and the children have a calm and peace about them because they are a happy family with loving parents and a strong belief system. This has been passed on to them for generations and it really works. We are a generation that lives in excess while the Amish repair things and dressed are worn by 7 different children before they wear out. The Amish fix what is broken, patch what is torn, and repair what is repairable. There are tips for saving money throughout the book and as you compare our spending habits with the Amish, you understand why they are able to save and most of our generation is drowning in debt. We fritter away money and become stressed while they save money and have peace and happiness. I highly recommend this book to anyone and will likely be buying two additional copies for our children. We can learn a lot from the Amish. Thanks Thomas Nelson for a fantastic book!