Wednesday, June 28, 2017

The Good News in 4 Words!

I was really intrigued when I saw the title to this book.  WOW! The Good News in Four Words.  I was not sure what to expect.  But I was very pleasantly surprised.  This is a wonderful book for children.  And in fact, I really love the four word description of the Good News . . . 

WOW! 

UH-OH!

YES!

AHH!

 I really liked the layout of the book.  The pictures were crisp and colorful, the writing was fresh as she told the story of the Bible using these four words to get her point across!

She quickly moved from creation to sin and concluded with the resurrection.

This is definitely a book that young children will want to read over and over again, as they listen and discover new things on each page.


I highly recommend this book!

I received a copy of this book from Tyndale Press in exchange for an honest review.

Monday, June 26, 2017

Finding your Vision

I am very familiar with Craig Groeschel and his ministry at Lifechurch.tv and have benefitted from some of his writings and their style of doing ministry.  However, I had not read Chazown: Discover and Pursue God's Purpose for Your Life.  This is a newly revised edition for 2017, as the first edition came out in 2010.

Chazown is the Hebrew word for vision.  It's what leads and directs our lives.   Groeschel reminds the reader that when they are seeking to discover their Chazown, God has already given us 4 gifts which help keep us moving forward.  They are focus, endurance, peace, and a passion.

As you discover your spiritual gifts, core values and experiences, you begin to discover your personal vision.

When you are not sure what you are called to do in your life, this book may be of help to guide along on your journey.  This could be a next step which will give you some objective ideas about who you can be in God’s kingdom.

I received a copy of this book from Blogging For Books in exchange for an honest opinion.


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Excellent for Discipleship!

I had heard of Peter Scazzero's Emotionally Healthy Spirituality, but for some reason never thought about reading it.  When I saw the book was available for review in an updated, revised version, I thought this was the time.  I really appreciate the opportunity to read this book.  It is an extremely easy to read and insightful book.  I think I looked at it as another self help book, however, I believe it is far more than that.

Scazzero tells the story about his life as a pastor, how he attempted to lead the church through his own power and energy, to which he found this was not working.  He gave little to no thought about his emotional life and how this was destroying his relationships.  Once he took a closer look at himself, his life changed.  

Early in the book, in the 2nd chapter, Scazzero lists the 10 symptoms of emotionally unhealthy spirituality and uses that as a diagnostic tool. 

In many respects this is a book on discipleship.  The goal in discipleship is to help the person grow to become the person Christ has called them to be.  If we are not spiritual life is not emotionally healthy, then we will not grow as we should.  

In order to help the reader identify with his points of unhealthy spirituality, Scazzero looks at other historical and biblical figures to help the reader better see where their own shortcomings are and what they need to do to address this issue.

Overall, I would highly recommend this book.  I am considering using this as a classroom book for a study within the church.

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


Thursday, June 01, 2017

Excellent Kids Study Bible



I had the opportunity to review the NIV Kids' Visual Study Bible. The Bible is designed for children ages 8-12, and attempts to bring the Bible to life in four-color illustrated splendor.  This study Bible includes a spectacular full-color interior featuring over 700 illustrations, photos, infographics, and maps on every page that visually represent key Bible information. Each page also features important facts located near the relevant verse. Intriguing facts; colorful, engaging maps; photographs; and illustrations make this a Bible they'll want to explore.

Some of the key Features are ~ 

  • Over 700 four-color photographs, illustrations, infographics, and maps throughout
  • Full-color design
  • Book introductions, including important facts and an image to orient the reader
  • One-column format with side bar study notes for ease of reading
  • Presentation page
          • The complete text of the New International Version (NIV)                    translation of the Bible

Overall, I really liked the Bible.  It's really designed as a tween to young teen Bible.  Kids may give the impression it is for 6 year olds, but it's for older kids.  I really liked the pictures and images which were in the Bible.  They are not cheesy and were very well done.  This is not like most adult study Bibles with lots of notes on the bottom of each page.  There are generally 1 - 3 notes per page and they are in small boxes on the side.  

The Bible I received comes in hardcover and is very nice!  My only complaint is that the font seemed a little too small for my eyes.  If the font was a little bigger, I would give this a perfect rating.  That is my only criticism.  Otherwise, this is an excellent, excellent Bible for young Bible readers!

I received this Bible in exchange for an honest opinion from booklookbloggers.


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...