Books
Below are some of the books that helped shaped my way forward;

This book, along with the workbook and devotional, provide the tools, maps and exercises to help you overcome adversity, uncover and live out your unique potential.
Design your vision board, Learn how to own your story, Draw your Kairos Life Map, Build your 5 Capitals, Step into your 5 Roles, Create your why statement
Lee: The Unstoppable Growth program was the crucible for writing “The Last 48”.

This Unstoppable Growth WORKBOOK provides the space for you to go deeper by filling in the blanks as you watch the weekly small group video messages. You also have extra space to take group notes and write down the specific small group question for that specific week.
More info at unstoppablegrowth.org

A topical Bible study guide to help believers know and apply the essential beliefs of Christianity and grow strong in the Christian life.
Lee: Easy to follow with thought provoking questions that come to life in a small group. Prepared me, unknowingly, for what was to come in December 2022.
https://amzn.to/49AQCM2 (Paperback)

Provides real, raw, honest and hopeful conversations about suffering, loss and grief from a Christian perspective.
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Lee: Helped me in the initial days before I was able to start the in-person Grief Share program at my church.

Comprehensive and definitive book on Heaven invites you to picture Heaven the way Scripture describes it―a bright, vibrant, and physical New Earth, free from sin, suffering, and death, and brimming with Christ’s presence, wondrous natural beauty, and the richness of human culture as God intended it.
Lee: Gave me immediate answers to my questions about Heaven. The Question format of the chapters was helpful.
https://amzn.to/4aXLeVE (Hardcover)
https://amzn.to/4qdzYsY (Kindle)

An interactive journey to equip yourself to become the best version of yourself. Offering forty daily challenges to help you come to terms with the reality of your internal battle, learn to take up the weapons God has given you and engage in the fight.
Lee: Simple and direct, I used this daily to help recenter my new life purpose and perspectives.

Your midlife doesn’t have to be a crisis. In fact, the second half of your life can be better than the first. What do you want to do with the rest of your life? Buford provides encouragement and insight to propel your life on a new course to true significance–and the best years of your life. Buford focuses on this important time of transition to the second half of your life, giving you the tools you need.
Lee: Most influential book in my early 50s. Set stage for my future. Thank you, Susan.

What are angels? What is their role in God’s plan? Are they present? Do they appear? Do they give us personal insight about our work and our worship? In this broad and thorough survey of Scripture, Dr. Jeremiah clearly and simply separates fact from fiction as it relates to angels.
Lee: Clear explanation, encouraged me.

Hope Heals documents Katherine and Jay’s journey as they struggled to regain Katherine’s quality of life and as she relearned to talk, eat, and walk. As Katherine returned home with a severely disabled body but a completely renewed purpose, she and Jay committed to celebrating this gift of a second chance by embracing life fully, even though that life looked very different than they could have ever imagined.
Lee: True faith, perseverance. Inspiring.
https://amzn.to/45903Bb (Kindle)

Helping men rediscover their masculine heart, this guide to understanding Christian manhood and Christian men offers a refreshing break from the chorus of voices urging men to be more responsible, reliable, dutiful and dead. God designed men to be dangerous, says John Eldredge. Simply look at the dreams and desires written in the heart of every boy: To be a hero, to be a warrior, to live a life of adventure and risk.
Lee: Motivation to live life to its fullest, drive to be the man God designed me to be. No fear.

Written moment-to-moment as Lewis processed the loss of his wife to cancer, this is more than a mere book on grief, but a visceral hand outstretched in the darkness, a reluctant guide through the “mad midnight moments” of mourning and loss.
Lee: my takeaway…pain is instrumental in spiritual growth.
https://amzn.to/4aY6YAW (Kindle)

After miraculously surviving a near-fatal brainstem stroke at age 26, as told in their memoir, Hope Heals, life for Katherine and Jay Wolf changed forever – and so did the way they viewed God, the world, and themselves in it. There was no going back to normal after such a tragedy. Yet Katherine and Jay learned that suffering is not the end, but rather the beginning of a new story.
Lee: Powerful lessons of faith, courage and action. Katherine taught me “I can have pain and joy in my life simultaneously”.

A wealth of information on how to learn the art of dancing and include chapters on the Fox Trot, the Rumba the Mambo, all accompanied by instructional diagrams.
Lee: Don’t laugh! Arthur Murray got me out and helped me expand my new life with new friends and experiences.

Drawing upon Scripture and the latest findings of brain science, Groeschel lays out practical strategies that will free you from the grip of harmful, destructive thinking and enable you to live the life of joy and peace that God intends you to live. Winning the War in Your Mind will help you.
Lee: Helped me understand how my brain works, and how to focus on what’s important.

Modern-day assumptions are wrong, marriage should be a glorious relationship that is also misunderstood and mysterious. The Book offers instruction on how to have a successful marriage, and is essential reading for anyone who wants to know God and love more deeply in this life
Lee: Best book I have read on marriage.
https://amzn.to/3Z7rbgf (Kindle)
https://amzn.to/3YxQ7gR (Paperback)


