This is Your Brain on Joy, Dr. Earl Henslin

An interesting look at how our brains work based on Dr. Henslin's and Dr. Amen's studies using SPECT scans. There are many different parts of our brains and each part plays a different role in affecting our moods. This book gives detailed description of common mood disorders and then realistic guideline for how to treat each disorder.

This book was very interesting to me. On one hand, I am really into psychology and mood disorders, so this book was very appealing, interesting and insightful. On the other hand, I am a Christian. And the Christian part of me was surprised at the lack of balance between science and spirituality. To me, this was a book about a psychological experiment. I really went into this book blindly looking for a spiritual revelation that would bring great joy into my life. This is not what the book was about. However, as a psychology book, I thought it was great. I like that the author provides a very basic assessment quiz so that you are not guessing what your brain is like. And after you've determined your main problem areas, there are explanations of each of the imbalances. What I really like is that this book doesn't just point you to the nearest pharmacy. There are ways to support your physical and emotional health using nutrition, natural remedies, herbs and drugs, if necessary. I found the SPECT scan information extremely interesting, but this book creates a desire to go get one of these scans for yourself, and they are extremely expensive, unattainable for the average person.

My first book review!

The Word of Promise Next Generation New Testament Dramaztized Audio Bible is a wonderful updated take on an ancient body of writing. This is a great introduction to the Word of God for young people of the next generation. I love that the actors portraying these ancient characters are teens and adults that are popular and well known among people who know about pop culture today. Sean Astin, as the narrator, has a strong and likeable voice, which makes listening easy. While Cody Linley has an innocence to his voice that seems strange at first, but after thinking about it, it resonates that Jesus was the most innocent of all. The entire cast captivated and held my attention through the entire production. Some things that I did not care for were the modernization of words when used in well known passages. It seemed to take the impact out of the verses and water it down. For example, the “beatitudes” were changed in such a way that it changed the meaning for me. Traditionally, it is written, “Blessed are the ....” but these words of been changed to, “Happy are the....” For me, happy does not equal blessed. It's not even close. When you are blessed, you are not necessarily happy. Blessing offers hope in a deep and meaningful way, but happiness is a fleeting emotion. Though I understand altering words so kids can understand, the word “blessed” in such a prominent text is not so confusing that a teen should not get the point. So, although I liked listening to this dramatization, I hope that it wouldn't mislead young people or new readers into a more superficial understanding of God's Word. That said, if it gets kids interested in the Bible, I'm all for it.

The beginning of a blog

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