Every Gift Matters - How Your Passion Can Change the World by Carrie Morgridge

"One of the most important lessons I've learned is that life changing gifts can be small."

I have to admit - I came to this book with a bit of skepticism. I assumed it would be a vanity book, a book meant to showcase just how wonderful the author is, a book meant to create a carefully coiffed image rather than to inform or enlighten. I am delighted to share that I could not have been more mistaken! 

Carrie Morgridge is a woman with a mission - a mission to inspire all of us to increase our own giving: time, money, skills, whatever we can share to help our community. She quickly won me over with her warm manner and the very unselfconscious way she shares her story - and the stories of those she has inspired and been inspired by. 

She starts with the apocryphal tale of a young boy walking along the beach, and noticing hundreds of beached starfish. He makes his way over and picks up starfish, tossing it back into the water. He steps the the next, and the next, and the next. His mother gently scolds him that he is wasting his time and energy - there are too many starfish and his little effort doesn't matter.

He wisely replies, "it matters to this one". He knew he could not save all, but he could save some.

And he did. A simple and elegant lesson.

Morgridge shares intimate glimpses, personal anecdotes of small and large gifts she has made - and the impact these gifts had immediately... and then longer-term. I enjoyed how she circles back, showing - rather than telling - the multiplier impacts. 

And while she obviously shares her love for her personal charitable giving agenda (mainly re children and STEM education) the steps she shares for creating truly impactful giving are effective even if your agenda is quite different. She shares her experiences with selecting organizations to support - and what to be mindful of. And the book's Appendix has a very useful Giving Checklist that helps to narrow down a focus for your own giving.

"Nothing makes me happier and gives me more fulfillment that knowing I've been able to give someone a hand up - to throw one more starfish back into the sea."

Carrie Morgridge is a Vice-President with the Morgridge Family Foundation, a private foundation that makes investments that transform communities through education, conservation, the arts and health and wellness. 

Every Gift Matters is published by Green Leaf Books Press. It can be purchased for $19.95 at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or other fine booksellers.

Non-Fiction, Charity/Philanthropy; Teen/Adult

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this ebook free from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trace Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 : "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

The NKJV Study Bible: Full Color Edition - Book Review

It always seems funny to be reviewing a Bible...but as I told my husband, I am reviewing the features of this new Study Bible, not the actual content of God's Word. And the features, in my opinion, deliver.

I was quite excited when the package containing The NKJV Study Bible: Full Color Edition arrived - I was really looking forward to diving right into the resources this Study Bible offers. I was not disappointed - color maps, articles bringing context and understanding of Biblical-era culture and times, word studies, annotations, timelines, essays, and more... 

The Good Dad by Jim Daly

"In a few short minutes, a man can become a father. But so many don't realize what a father is or what it means."

- Jim Daly

As a single mother who raised a son, I approached Jim Daly's new book, The Good Dad, with a bit of trepidation. Would I find reproach for my son's absent dad? Would I find yet one more prophecy of fatherless boys growing into men who cannot be good fathers? or, from the man who heads the ministry of Focus on the Family, would I find hope?

I found hope.

No More Dragons by Jim Burgen

"I finally saw that, in spite of the long list of reasons God could hate me, he didn't."

-Jim Burgen

I meant to read this in little bites - a few pages of a chapter at a time - because I was busy and wanted to make sure I read well for the book review. But once I started I could not put this book down until the end - and even then I kept turning back to re-read sections. Yep, I was up til 3am - on a work night - reading this! No More Dragons is part sermon, part confessional, and all inspiring. Jim Burgen takes you through his journey from "the Pastor's kid" to his loss of faith to the moment where God "undragoned" him - and he does this in an incredibly engaging manner. 

The People Factor by Van Moody

"When people show you who they are, pay attention."

- Van Moody

 
The People Factor is subtitled, "How building great relationships and enduring bad ones unlocks your God-given purpose" - a hefty premise, and one that Van Moody takes on with ease. This is *not* your typical self-help-with-a-Christian-twist book, but rather an engaging journey. Moody uses personal examples and Biblical examples of good and bad relationships - models that we all share in one way or another. He then examines *why* each example is good or bad - all the underpinnings - so that we learn to recognize when we ourselves fall into these same patterns.  

The Adam Quest by Tim Spafford

“Interpretations surrounding the brute fact of evolution remain contentious, controversial, fractious, and acrimonious. Why should this be so? The heart of the problem, I believe, is to explain how it might be that we, a product of evolution, possess an overwhelming sense of purpose and moral identity yet arose by processes that were seemingly without meaning. If, however, we can begin to demonstrate that organic evolution contains deeper structures and potentialities, if not inevitabilities, then perhaps we can begin to move away from the dreary materialism of much current thinking with its agenda of a world now open to limitless manipulation.” – Dr. Simon Conway Morris, Cambridge University

The Adam Quest, by Tim Spafford, is an exploration of the evolution-creation debate – a study of a group of Christian scientists (each is a PhD with articles published in peer-reviewed journals) who endeavor to study the realm of human origins. 

Dave Ramsey's The Total Money Makeover: Classic Edition

Dave Ramsey's The Total Money Makeover: Classic Edition is, in effect, the textbook for a powerful and transformational program. I have personally used Ramsey's program to pull myself out of debt and into a cash-based spending program - which saved my skin when I was laid off in late 2008, as the publishing industry fell to pieces. My little Emergency Fund kept us afloat, and our cash-based spending habits kept us from over-spending and incurring new debt. 

Encouragement for Today by the Proverbs 31 Team

Encouragement for Today is a devotional created by an amazing team of women: Renee Swope, Lysa TerKeurst, Samantha Evilsizer, and the Proverbs 31 Team. I have had very mixed experiences with devotionals, but this one really touched a place in my heart - in fact, I plan to purchase copies for all of my nieces, as I feel the lessons contained in this little book are important ones for all young women.

Tough Guys and Drama Queens by Mark Gregson

Mark Gregson's Tough Guys and Drama Queens: How to NOT get Blindsided by your Child's Teen Years is a must-read for all parents. It isn't that I believe all parents must follow Gregson's pattern, as much as reading this constantly pointed me to the the reality that I must stay aware of my child's needs over my own...which is really easy to overlook when we were in the throes of a drama. The book is simple, accessible, and on target - Gregson loves the children in his care, and this love comes shining through on every page.

Simple Secrets to a Happy Life by Luci Swindoll

Simple Secrets to a Happy Life - 50 ways to make the most of every day, by Luci Swindoll, is a treasure of a book. Luci is nearly 80, and has lived a life packed with love and adventure...and she doesn't seem as if she will be giving up the adventure any time soon!