Mailbox Monday -- March 12th!

Welcome to Mailbox Monday which is hosted this month by Anna at a Diary of an Eccentric. Below are the books that I received this past week:

1) Employed by God by Tracy S. Dietz. Publisher's Summary. In fall of 2009, Tracy S. Deitz abruptly joins the nation’s ranks of 14 million unemployed workers, and the event immediately challenges the very core of her Christian beliefs. In whom does she really trust? After struggling with pride and despair for many months, she finally faces her worst fears. This is when her greatest adventures begin as she encounters unsung heroes and reflects on situations that range from her taking part in a medical mission to Mongolia to working in a maximum-security prison.

What happens when our ideas of destiny collide with God’s invitation to serve? Throughout the whole process of rediscovering God, Deitz comes to a new understanding of how he calls us and what it means to trust in him. Based on the structure of Psalm 23, the chapters in Employed by God: Benefits Packaged with Faith, combine her personal story with Bible passages and include study questions for small-group discussions. How would an unexpected job loss affect your faith? Adults who have faced unemployment, the death of a loved one, or adversity of any kind will be filled with hope as they read examples of how God works in the lives of ordinary people. This truly inspiring book will help renew our gratitude, teach us how to forgive mistakes, and guide us toward personal fulfillment.

Thanks to the author!

2) Forgotten Hostages by Paul Green. Publisher's Summary. Along with 125 of his colleagues, Paul Green faced threats of beheading and death from the Hanafi Muslim terrorists who violently captured the B’nai B’rith building on March 9, 1977. Men and women were shot, stabbed, beaten and assaulted as the attack gained momentum. Across town, from a second attack, the future mayor of Washington, Marion Barry, almost died from a shotgun pellet near his heart and a young reporter, Maurice Williams, was killed. A third location, a mosque, was also attacked with multiple hostages taken. Washington’s first major terrorist incident, with its anti-Semitic vitriol and explosiveness, left more than 150 lives hanging in the balance. With Washington in chaos, the future of all the hostages was in jeopardy. It was the first time local and federal law enforcement authorities faced such a terror attack in our nation’s capital. When three Arab ambassadors became involved in the rush to try and find a way to save the hostages lives, it became an international event. But for the hostages, it was 40 hours of terror, pain,dismay, enlightenment and hope.

Thanks to the author!

3) Someday is not a Plan by Dave Straube. Publisher's Summary. How money works is not rocket science. Someday Is Not a Plan explains the basics of personal finance from compound interest to investing for retirement without using charts, formulas, or confusing financial terminology. Follow along as twenty-something Larry gets financial advice from his retired uncle in a series of casual conversations over coffee. Larry starts out in debt, living paycheck to paycheck, with no hope for progress. But as his education proceeds, he sees that financial security is possible and not as difficult as he had imagined. To his surprise, Larry discovers that both his habits and his thinking have to change. By the end, Larry is transformed from misguided dreamer to master of his future.

Someday Is Not a Plan does not plod from one dry financial topic to another until your eyes glaze over. The conversation between Larry and his uncle is light with lots of back and forth between the two. They do talk real numbers from time to time, but you'll follow along just fine if you can divide by ten and shift a decimal point left or right. Despite the easy-to-read conversational format, serious topics such as interest, credit ratings, investing, real estate, mortgages, taxes, and retirement planning are covered. The focus is always on understanding the financial principles at work. This book does not offer easy panaceas or get rich quick schemes. You have no doubt heard the adage "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime." This book will teach you how to fish - financially, that is.

Thanks to the author!