Book Review – “Married for Real: Building a Loving, Powerful Life Together”

Book Review: “Married for Real: Building a Loving, Powerful Life Together”

by: ellis j. still

“What I had to do for myself, was to figure out my faults, and where they came from. I had to try to improve on those qualities  or at the very least try to keep them from affecting our relationship.”

                – Tamara George

Abingdon Press publishing company has afforded me the opportunity to review the upcoming new release “Married for Real: Building a Loving, Powerful Life Together” by Eddie and Tamara George.

Although my NFL football team is on the east coast (Philadelphia Eagles), I remember when Eddie George played for the Tennessee Titans. While his time in the NFL was extremely successful, his next career is just as successful. Eddie is currently the Founder and CEO of George Enterprises, a Landscape Architecture firm (my major in college & first career choice) that plans and designs new neighborhoods and communities.

Tamara (better known as Taj) is a former member of the singing group Sisters With Voices (SWV). With SWV, Taj has chart toppers such as ‘Weak’ and ‘Right Here’ to her credit. The group separated in 1998 to pursue individual efforts. Since then, Taj has earned her Bachelor’s of Business Administration, played a significant role on the CBS reality television series ‘Survivor’, and is an accomplished author of two books, including this one.

These things are what I know about Eddie and Tamara from a distant onlooker/admirer point of view. Married for Real takes a closer look at life behind the limelight… the challenges that they faced that you could never possibly see from watching them perform on stage or scoring touchdowns. You see their successes in public, but what you do not see is their struggles and triumphs in private. You do not see how Christ saved their lives and their marriage.

“Married for Real: Building a Loving, Powerful Life Together” is a funny & lighthearted, yet transparent look at marriage. It deals with what happens when we allow baggage of the past to go unaddressed, and speaks to how Eddie and Taj overcame tribulation. The book “grows out of the realities of life” – keeping it real… not always happy go lucky stories, but real life challenges that marriages face.

The book will quickly make you realize that a great relationship does not have to be (and will never be) perfect, and brings awareness to the fact that that men and women have totally different perceptions & thought processes on any given topic. It is written together as a couple, but also includes viewpoints from both Eddie and Tamara as individuals.

Married for Real is an easy read, with funny and descriptive storytelling. It is a must have for your library as a single person or as a couple.

Question:  How are you building a loving, powerful life with your spouse (or future spouse) together?

Click Here to view and/or purchase the book at The Burning Bush Christian Bookstore.

© 2012, Ellis J. Still. All rights reserved.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have a marketing connection to a brand, topic or product herein. Through the use of affiliate links contained herein, I may collect fees from purchases made. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255

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Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like what you read and you are not yet a Subscriber to my blog, why not subscribe now? All posts are original, there is no fixed schedule, so you would not have to check my blog regularly, and you will be receiving an authentic review of books, organizations and life experiences as a husband and entrepreneur. If you change your mind, it is easy to unsubscribe. Once you sign up, visit your email inbox to verify your email address. Check your spam folder if you don’t receive any verification

Tinellis: The year of leather

Tinellis: The year of leather

By: ellis j. still

On Monday, August 1^st, 2011, my wife Tina and I celebrated our third wedding anniversary. This year we spent our anniversary close to home, and low key. We had already done an extensive amount of traveling thus far this year, and so we felt like we needed to pace ourselves. Year three of marriage is the gift of leather. I got Tina a new leather case for her IPad 2, and she got me a custom leather golf club cover for my driver. She cooked a ridiculous breakfast (I fell asleep on the couch afterwards) and surprised me with an anniversary dinner of all of my favorite foods (short ribs, mac-n-cheese, blueberry cheesecake, etc.). We spent time at the movies, seeing the new Smurf movie (we spent the entire next few days speaking in Smurf), and Transformers 3 (interesting how they integrated Star Trek with Transformers – “The needs of the many…”). Peanut was his usual unconditional loving self, wanting a lick our faces every time Tina and I kissed, and turning every hug into a group hug. Life cannot possibly get any better than this for Tinellis.

Yet also, this was a time of reflection. We are three years in, and have grown in many ways, both as individuals, and as a unit. There have been many times of laughter, and many times of pain. Many areas of strength and many areas of weakness. Many prayers have been answered, and many prayers that we continue to act in faith on.

I realize that there are many couples out there with stories to tell about how they have maintained their marriages for many more years than we have been married. Yet part of my point is to reiterate the fact that marriage is great. The world tends to paint a picture of marriage as a ball-and-chain mentality, and emphasizes how common divorce is. However marriage can be fun and joyous. Like anything in life, marriage is what you make it. I am having more fun as a married person than I have had my entire life. When Tina and I were dating and considering marriage, we had a conversation early on where we made a deliberate and conscious decision that there will be no divorce, and that we will continue to grow as a family in Christ.

When I think back on the past three years, these are some things that I have learned:

• compromise means that everybody wins
• it is important to maintain a balance between work, love, and play
• keeping God as the head of your marriage is the single most important thing you can do to keep your marriage vibrant and prosperous
• staying active in ministry / church activities is an important way to stay connected for spiritual growth

Question: What are you declaring your marriage to be?  How are you and your spouse guarding your relationship against divorce? Any thoughts?

© 2011, Ellis J. Still. All rights reserved.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255

 ____________________________________________________

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like what you read and you are not yet a Subscriber to my blog, why not subscribe now? All posts are original, there is no fixed schedule, so you would not have to check my blog regularly, and you will be receiving an authentic review of books, organizations and life experiences as a husband and entrepreneur. If you change your mind, it is easy to unsubscribe. Once you sign up, visit your email inbox to verify your email address. Check your spam folder if you don’t receive any verification emails. Thanks!!!

ellis

2011: The Year of Disillusion

2011: The Year of Disillusion

By: ellis & tina still

Welcome to 2011!!! This will be the year of great expectations for TBB. We have some exciting events and new resources planned for the year, so keep your eyes open as we venture into new areas of service. We have thousands of new titles to browse, and beginning in February, we will have catalogs that you can download with all of the new and upcoming releases. We have partnered with Neilsen BookScan, so all of your purchases count towards national best seller lists, allowing you to support your favorite author. TBB has grown immensely in the short time that we have been open and we have you, our customers, to thank for that.

So, I guess you are wondering about the title of the blog: “2011: The Year of Disillusion”.  You are asking yourself what is that about?  We are supposed to start the year off positive, and speak life into the months to come, to have optimism that every area of our lives will be better than the last. That our business will grow; that we will advance at work; that our personal relationships will grow and be more fruitful, and that stress will no longer be a burden in our lives.  Every year we resolve to do something differently than the year before.  Every New Year we say that “this year will be our year”, but by the end of the year, we find ourselves in the same exact place… disillusioned.

This is a cycle that is easily repeated if you do not pay attention. You find yourself making the same or similar resolutions or declarations every year without noticing it.  After a while you stop making them all together, disappointed by hope.  Have you ever stopped to ask yourself, self, what you are DOING differently from last year?  What changes have you made in your thinking?  In your actions?  Are you working harder and smarter? What are you doing to get yourself out of your comfort zone? What barriers are you removing from your life?  What are you loosing?  What are you binding up?  What changes have you made in the people you have around you, especially those who revel in your failures? How much quiet time have you dedicated to spend in prayer?

Faith without doing is not faith.  It’s just a word that has no weight to it. Your faith is fostered in your doing.  At some point you have to give your words some substance so that you can grow beyond anything you have ever imagined.  

In Habakkuk 2:2-3 is reads “Write what you see (Vision).  Write it out in big block letters so that it can be read on the run,  The vision-message is a witness pointing to what’s coming.  It aches for the coming-it can hardly wait!  And doesn’t lie.  If it seems slow in coming, wait.  It’s on its way.  It will come right on time” (MSG).  What is your vision?  More importantly what is your plan?  What are your goals for this year?  In five years? In ten?  What are you doing to get better? Not in acquiring “things” but how are you growing?  How are you praying?  How are you developing yourself to be able to handle what God has in store for you?  How are you leading?  What have you cut out of your life, or out of your business?  What are you planning to do differently this year?  What changes are you making in the people you keep around you?  How will you grow together in marriage?  How will you grow in your singleness?  These are just some of the questions to ask yourself in your quiet time.  

Every year brings a new set of challenges. You got over the stumbling blocks of 2010. Rest assured there will be new ones in 2011. 

Question: How can you break the cycle?

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255

____________________________________________________________________

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like what you read and you are not yet a Subscriber to my blog, why not subscribe now? All posts are original, there is no fixed schedule, so you would not have to check my blog regularly, and you will be receiving an authentic review of books, organizations and life experiences as a husband and entrepreneur. If you change your mind, it is easy to unsubscribe. Once you sign up, visit your email inbox to verify your email address. Check your spam folder if you don’t receive any verification emails. Thanks!!!

ellis

Men On Fire VI – Built To Last!!!

Men On Fire VI – Built To Last!!!

by ellis j. still

 

“As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another”

click image to visit website

This week (November 3^rd thru 6^th) marks the sixth annual installment of the Men On Fire men’s conference. Every January I circle this weekend in November on my calendar in anticipation of what is always a special weekend of camaraderie and fun. Something special happens when men get together, and Men On Fire does not disappoint… setting the atmosphere for growth, mutual support, and learning in a way that is practical and applicable to our daily lives. It is a conference that is dear to my heart, and is the spark that propelled TBB – The Burning Bush Christian Bookstore (http://www.TBBbookstore.com ) from dormancy into what it is today. 

This year’s conference subtitled “Built To Last” features Dr. Myles Munroe for the first two evenings, and on Saturday, discussions will be led by Bishop George Searight, Pastor Lawrence Powell, and Dr. Gloria Morrow. Also, a “power panel” of experts that will discuss “Reinventing and Repositioning yourself for success during difficult times” will be held. Panelist names have not been disclosed, but knowing the excellence that this conference operates in, I am sure that the panelists will be heavy hitters with a wealth of wisdom and feedback. Free time is built in on Saturday for fitness, fun and games at the Rahway Recreation Center and the conference will close out at the respective sponsoring churches.

 

Here are five reasons to attend Men On Fire VI: Built To Last 

1. It is an opportunity of sharpening, of encouragement, and of building up  in a great atmosphere
2. Entrepreneurship panel for business owners or start ups
3. An opportunity to meet some new golfing buddies
4. You haven’t been on the basketball court in a while and you need to tune up your skills
5. You will be inspired to create something new, an idea, develop a thought … to go beyond where you currently are.
6. Bonus reason – It’s only $60 bucks (Thursday and Friday nights are free)

 

For more information contact:

Abundant Life Family Worship Church

New Brunswick, NJ

732-545-3897

http://www.ALFWC.org/

 

Agape Family Worship Center

Rahway, NJ

732-680-9800

http://AGAPECENTER.org/ 

Question:  what are you doing to invest in yourself?

© 2010, Ellis J. Still. All rights reserved 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255

__________________________________________

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like what you read and you are not yet a Subscriber to my blog, why not subscribe now? All posts are original, there is no fixed schedule, so you would not have to check my blog regularly, and you will be receiving an authentic review of books, organizations and life experiences as a husband and entrepreneur. If you change your mind, it is easy to unsubscribe. Once you sign up, visit your email inbox to verify your email address. Check your spam folder if you don’t receive any verification

Ocean City, NJ Bed & Breakfast: A great place to recharge your batteries

Ocean City, NJ Bed & Breakfast: A great place to recharge your batteries

By: ellis j. still 

This past week my wife had a super-secret-surprise for me for my birthday. In the weeks leading up to my birthday, she would refuse to tell me what it was, but she did tell me that the surprise was a place and that we would be there from Sunday June 13^th through the 16th. So, I’m thinking road trip out of state… New York, Philly, Poconos, Baltimore, or maybe Washington DC. But then she told, me that the place that we were going to was dog-friendly, and that we will be bringing Peanut with us. At this point, I was really clueless. Other than Staybridge Suite Hotels, where could we possibly go that accommodates pets? Is there a Chuck-E-Cheese for dogs? So we get into the car, she drives, I fall asleep in the passenger seat, I wake up at our destination, and we are in Ocean City, NJ at a really cool Bed & Breakfast. 

This was the best birthday mini-vacation ever. Ocean City has the same kind of calmness as North Carolina, beaches and boardwalks within walking distance, good restaurants, and a boardwalk carnival if you are in the mood for some activity. Likewise, there were many dog owners in the city, and there is even a beach that is dog friendly. There’s an informal social thing early in the morning when dog owners walk their dogs and the dogs get to meet and greet each other (sniff each other’s butt) with their owners in tow.

Ocean City Mansion (http://ocmansion.com/ ) is where we stayed, and Nancy is the best. This was the first time Tina of I ever stayed at a bed and breakfast, and Nancy, the Innkeeper,  made us feel right at home. The house was a mansion that was built in 1896 that has been well maintained over the years, yet has all of the modern amenities in order to make your stay pleasant. Our suite was complete with a Jacuzzi, an alcove bed, and was Peanut friendly as well. Every morning Nancy cooked a different breakfast for us and we ate outside on the front porch as we read the morning newspaper in the calmness of the outdoors.  That in itself is a novel idea. Who has time to sit and eat breakfast before work anymore? Breakfast at the mansion pretty much set the tone for the rest of the day, with more relaxing and quiet on the front porch, or a series of power naps in our suite.

I.   So.   Needed.   This.

Our lives tend to be constantly in hustle and bustle mode such that we rarely take the time to slow down and replenish ourselves. A quiet and relaxing four day vacation with the woman of my dreams two hours from my home… it just doesn’t get any better than that.  My first experience with a Bed & Breakfast was definitely a good one, and we plan on making this a habit every year since our birthdays are five days apart. This was a great start to my week. The second half was also great, but that is a different blog post  :- )

Question:  When was the last time you slowed down to recharge your batteries? Have you ever thought about visiting a Bed & Breakfast in your area?

© 2010, Ellis J. Still. All rights reserved 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255

____________________________________________________

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like what you read and you are not yet a Subscriber to my blog, why not subscribe now? All posts are original, there is no fixed schedule, so you would not have to check my blog regularly, and you will be receiving an authentic review of books, organizations and life experiences as a husband and entrepreneur. If you change your mind, it is easy to unsubscribe. Once you sign up, visit your email inbox to verify your email address. Check your spam folder if you don’t receive any verification emails. Thanks!!!

ellis