Friday, December 30, 2016

Very Informative book about the 3 Mary's


I had the pleasure of reading an Advance Review Copy of The Women of Easter: Encounter the Savior with Mary of Bethany, Mary of Nazareth, and Mary Magdalene by Liz Curtis Higgs.  Admittedly, I ordered the book so I could begin Easter preparations and thought this may be an interesting way to approach Easter.

Liz Curtis Higgs helps the reader along as she sets the context for each of the Mary's.  Without doing this, the book would be less complete and feel fractured.

She discusses Mary of Bethany's annointing of Jesus for His death and burial; Mary of Nazareth, His mother's constant devotion, even in the midst of not understanding who Jesus was, she was there from start to finish; then Mary Magdalene who was delivered from 7 demons and never stopped following Jesus.

There is a nice section in the back of the book, which has a study guide and questions for review.  There are a number of footnotes, which showed the research put into the writing of this book.

Overall, this was an easy to read and informative book.  I would recommend it to those wanting to learn more in a user / reader friendly version.

I received this book from www.bloggingforbooks.com in exchange for an unbiased review of this book.

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Excellent Devotional!

I was looking forward to reading the devotional, Jesus Today: Experience Hope in His Presence, by Sarah Young, after hearing about her previous devotional, Jesus Calling.  This devotional contains 150 one page devotionals, which are supported by scripture on the second page.  There is also a scripture index in the back of the devotional.

The book was written during a difficult period in Sarah's life and you could feel the power and courage, as well as the personal feeling from her.  At times, it felt as if God's words were being written or gently spoken through her.  The book is filled with images of grace, power and hope.

This would be a great devotional book to read for people that need extra doses of encouragement and hope.  Really, this devotional would be a great present for anyone who wants to be encouraged through Scripture!

I received this devotional book from from www.booklookbloggers.com in exchange for an unbiased review.

Monday, December 19, 2016

Powerful Book about CTE

I read with interest the book, After the Cheering Stops, by Cyndy Feasel.  I love football, I coach football, and I have a son who plays high school football.  This was definitely a very powerful, at times, very scary book about the nature of football and the brutality of football.  We all know it is a violent sport, but the devastation and toll to some, is frightening.

 Cyndy wrote this book about life with her husband, Grant Feasel.  He was a former NFL football player who played center with various teams.  He had a long and successful career, but after he retired, he made many poor decisions due to an incurable, unforgiving and vicious disease, CTE - -  chronic traumatic encephalopothy.  The sad thing about this disease as it related to Grant, is that he never knew it.

This disease impacted his decision making, his mood, his activity with his family and ultimately it led to his death.  He died due to liver failure at the age of 52, which was the result of alcoholism.  Ultimately, it is believed the alcoholism and more were the results of his CTE.

This is also a book about faith and hope.  As Cyndy and Grant were / are Christians.  Overall, this is a very descriptive book about the life of Grant Feasel.  It's well written and if you appreciate football, and understand the violent nature of the game, you may enjoy this book.

I received this book from www.booklookbloggers.com in exchange for an honest review.

Friday, December 02, 2016

Great Devotional for MEN

There are very few good Men's Devotionals out there.  When I saw this book, I immediately wanted to get it.  In Roger Patterson's A Minute for Vision for Men: To Kick-Start your Day, was a very good devotional especially geared toward men. 

I have found over the years, that men want to grow in faith, but have fewer resources to do this than women.  This devotional is written with the hopes that men will be drawn in and engaged; which will lead to greater Christian maturity.  This book, as Patterson states, is to kick-start your day, and not be a replacement for Bible reading.

There are 365 daily readings, each ending with a scripture passage.  Most devotionals are sports related.  Because I am a sports enthusiast, this book drew me in.  There are quotes and illustrations used by Patterson to help make his points.

The cover is nicely done and this would make a very nice Christmas present.

I received this book from www.tyndaleblognetwork.com in exchange for an honest review.

Important Book for Kids

I don’t read very much fiction, but this book just seemed to jump out at me, and I was really glad I read it.  Larger-Than-Life Lara, written by Dandi Daley Mackall was very well written.  This is a book which drew me in, it was a quick to read book at under 200 pages, but had a great, deep message as she tugged at my heart.

In short, the story is about Laney Grafton who is a 10 year old girl, who does not have a very good home life.  Then one day a new girl shows up in her class, named Lara.  Lara is larger than life in her appearance, and the fourth graders go at her and bully her.  Yet, Lara will have none of it.  She doesn’t fight back as we think of fighting back, instead, Lara smiles and smiles.  Laney was picked on before Lara arrived, and she finds this a reprieve, but learns through the way Lara handles herself.

This would be an excellent book to be read by 3rd through 5th graders in school to help them understand bullying and how to deal with it.

I received this book from www.tyndaleblognetwork.com in exchange for an honest review.

Excellent Reading!

I had not read anything from O.S. Hawkins and I have now become a fan.  The book, The Daniel Code: Living Out Truth in a Culture that is Losing its Way, was an exceptional book.  It is 25 chapters long, but each chapter is only about 8 pages.  This book would make a great Christmas present, as it has a signing page and has a great hardcover.

Hawkins chronicles the life of the Old Testament prophet Daniel to help the reader better understand and learn how to go against the culture and demonstrate our faith in Christ to the world. 

This book was easy to read, but it was very thought provoking.  I used it for my devotions, as there is a Bible verse to begin each chapter.  Even though Hawkins is talking about culture wars, the book is very encouraging and not demeaning to other groups.

Hawkins writes from a conservative Evangelical Christian worldview.  This book is also helpful to understand the way the world reacts to Christians who are willing to speak about their faith or speak on issues they support, while the world is against them.

Hawkins has written a number of other “Code” books, which I look forward to reading. 

I received a complimentary copy of this book through www.booklookbloggers.com in exchange for an honest review.

Seeking Your personal Vision!

I enjoy listening and reading books by Andy Stanley.  Having read, Make Vision Stick, I was looking forward to reading this revised and updated edition of his book, Visioneering.  This was a very good book, informative and engaging.

Stanley uses the story of Nehemiah to illustrate how a person can seek to fulfill their God-given vision.  In a sense, the main point or thesis of the book is his point that everybody ends up somewhere, but not everyone ends up somewhere on purpose. If we would seek God's presence and God's vision, we have the potential to end up in the right place with the right God given purpose. 

In order to tell the story about personal vision, Stanley uses his engaging style of telling personal stories, sharing various illustrations, using humor; all in a down to earth style which is easy to read and follow.

He asks the reader to seek, inquire, learn, discern what is it that you have always been dreaming about.  What is it that makes your heart skip a beat.  He wrote about how the Wright Brothers got started, wanting the reader to look at their own life and follow their passion and seek the dream God has placed within them.




This was a very good book, one I would recommend to someone who seeks to better understand or even discover their purpose.

I received this book from www.bloggingforbooks.com in exchange for an honest review.


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...