Thursday, April 24, 2014

New Sermon Series at Alexandria First Baptist Church





Hope to see you on Sunday at 10:30 am, when we Crash the Chatterbox which tells us all the negatives!

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Couldn't Stop Reading!

I didn't expect to get hooked on this book.  But I was hooked, virtually from the first pages.  and life comes back: A Wif'es Story of Love, Loss and Hope Reclaimed, by Tricia Lott Williford is an outstanding memoir of the most difficult time of her life. 

Tricia gives us a personal picture of what it was like to be with her husband when he suddenly died.  The comments she makes and the questions she asked were so moving and so personal.  She helped me to feel like I was part of the book. 

She chronicles her journey from the days before her husband's death to her struggle to move forward to her foundation of faith and ultimately to her hope for the future.

You will cry and you will laugh.  This is personal and moving.  If you want to read a book that will move you, then this is a book you should definitely read.  This is an exceptional and extraordinary book by Tricia. 

Below is a picture of Tricia, her husband, Robb, and their two sons.

"I received this book for free from Blogging for Books for this review."

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Monday, April 21, 2014

Wishing for the Impossible and Expecting the Possbile

What happens when you have a wish for your child?  It’s not about a career, it’s about some of the simple things in life, like playing catch.  It doesn’t sound like it should be difficult, and that’s all James McConnell wanted.  It was his Wish to play catch with his son, Aaron in their backyard. 

In the book, Wish: An Impossible Dream.  An Extraordinary Journey, Jake Smith has written a book which will grab you and pull you along from beginning to end.  Aaron has struggled with cancer, James gave up a baseball career to start a family, and now coaches baseball.  He wants to play catch with his son, but Aaron’s cancer has returned and Smith pulls us along on the journey. 

As a sports dad, who has coached my own sons and other boys in various sports, I could sense the anguish and decisions which needed to be made by Aaron’s parents.  Choices had to be made, yet, the parents were considering their dreams, as well as Aaron’s dreams.

This was an very good book, easy to read and if you like sports, having your heart tugged a little here and there.  And enjoy reading a wholesome book, then I would highly recommend Wish.

I received this book for free from Tyndale Publishers in exchange for my honest review.  All opinions are my own.

Friday, April 18, 2014

Climbing High with your Attitude

Sometimes it’s difficult to read long academic books.  One of the reasons I liked this book is that it was an easy read, filled with little nuggets I can easily apply in my life. 

In his book, How High Will You Climb? Determine Your Success by Cultivating the Right Attitude, John Maxwell leads us on a journey to help us have the right attitude so we can be healthy leaders.

 
The book is broken into 4 sections ~

The Consideration of Your Attitude
The Construction of Your Attitude
The Crashing of Your Attitude
The Changing of Your Attitude


Early in the book he discusses flying lessons he received regarding attitude and pitch of an airplane and at times comes back to these illustrations.  As always, Maxwell gives numerous examples, funny and inspirational about how to become a better leader.

This was a good book, which also includes a study guide in the back to help you dig a little deeper.  This book may be good for a group study as well.

I received a preview copy of this book from Thomas Nelson Publishers in exchange for an honest review.

Friday, April 11, 2014

A Touching Memoir

Addie Zierman has written a type of memoir about her life growing up in the legalism of the Evangelical Church.  Her book is entitled, When We Were on Fire: A Memoir of Consuming Faith, Tangled Love and Starting Over.

Her book is broken into four sections,
Obsession
Disillusion
Rebellion
Redemption

It's the story about Addie's early love and the control he had over her and the wounds she encountered as she did everything she thought she was supposed to do as a young Christian.  She thought she was supposed to do and act in a certain way and if she didn't, for example, her first love made her do 10 push ups every time she was sarcastic, because Jesus was not sarcastic.

If I had to do push ups when I was sarcastic, nobody would be stronger than me.  Her story leads her to push the organized church away, to use alcohol and a coffee house to find what she thinks is community.  Ultimately, this is a story about a young woman with intuition.  She knows something is wrong, but doesn't believe she can act on what she believes is wrong.  There is power in her story, and we see glimmers of grace and hope as she appears to be moving forward in her faith, spirit, and heart. 

In some ways, it's also the story of what many Christians think they should be doing, following rules as opposed to living a life in which we stand out for Christ and make a real and tangible difference in the world.  Overall, this is a good book, an easy read, which many people, especially women, who grew up in the 1990's very well may relate to.

"I received this book for free from Blogging for Books for this review."

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Wednesday, April 02, 2014

Being Intentional!!

Robert Crosby quotes J. Oswald Sanders, “We are as close to God as we choose to be.”  That’s a telling and true statement that sets the tone for this book.  In The ONE Jesus Loves: Grace is Unconditionally Given, Intimacy Must be Relentlessly Pursued, he offers a theme which is present in the New Testament regarding the people around Jesus.

The book is broken into 3 Sections, with 2 Chapters in each Section ~
Part 1 ~ Approaching Christ, the Man
1.  The Crowds: Observing the Words and Works of Christ
2.  The Five Thousand: Enjoying the Gifts of Grace of Christ


Part 2 ~ Enountering Christ, the Lord
3.  The Seventy: Serving the Purposes of Christ
4.  The Twelve: Following the Call of Christ


Part 3 ~ Knowing Christ, the Friend
5.  The Three: Knowing the Depths of Christ
6.  The One: Experiencing the Death and Life of Christ


Crosby’s aim is to lead us on a journey as we intentionally choose to have a more intimate relationship with Christ.  He describes this with 6 circles or rings, as we move more and more into a deeper understanding and experience of Christ. 

As you move further in your relationship with Christ, your level of intimacy with Him also increases.  While all the sections within each chapter are 3-5 pages, this is not necessarily a quick read.  Instead, it’s a book which should cause us to take pause and consider the message of Christ. 

It’s not a deep theological book, yet is scriptural and not difficult to understand.  It can be read more like a devotion, since there are 40 short chapters to read.

I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Tuesday, April 01, 2014

Discovering Who You Are!

I was not sure what to expect from this book.  I was surprised as I enjoyed and was moved as I read PROTOTYPE by Jonathon Martin.  The book is filled with theological truth, yet written in a conversational manner which made the book feel more personal, like it was written for me, and a conversation, albeit, a one way conversation was underway.

The book is broken into 9 chapters ~ 
  • identity
  • beloved
  • obscurity
  • calling
  • wounds
  • resurrection
  • sacraments
  • community
  • witness
  •  
The basic point of the book is one we seem to miss way too often.  God's loves us.  We are His children.  We are His beloved.  There are discussion questions in the back of the book to help the reader or group move through the book.

There is also a DVD series which would help facilitate a small group who meets and reads the book.  
Overall, this was a very good book, which caused me and should cause others to examine who they are in Christ.  

His question early in the book is a haunting question for most people, "Who are you?"  Not, where are you from, or what do you do, etc. but, "Who are you?"  For many that's the big question. 

I received this book from Tyndale Blog Network in exchange for my honest review. No other compensation was received and all opinions are my own.

Fun Kids Devotional

God Gave Us the Bible: 45 Favorite Stories for Little Ones is a very well done, hardcover introductory Bible for parents to read with thei...