Excellent and Engaging!

In his most recent book, The Last Arrow: Save Nothing for the Next Life, Erwin McManus has written another excellent book.  I have read a number of his earlier books and had not heard of him lately, but this book captivated me from the first pages.  It is a must read for those who do not want to go through life simply existing and waiting live when they die.

The book was convicting and motivating.  It caused me to take a second look at what I do and why I do it.  He uses the story of his own cancer and what that meant to him regarding how he lived his life.  It is a personal story.  McManus explains he would much prefer God asking him the question ‘of why he tried to do too much, rather than why he settled for so little.’

With that thesis in mind, McManus explains how the reader can live their lives to the fullest, and he uses the story, an obsucre one from the Old Testament about Elisha from 2 Kings 13:14-20 where Elisha tells King Jehoash to shoot an arrow then to strike the arrows on the ground, however the king only strikes the ground 3 times and no more.  Elisha becomes angry and thus the theme of the story is to use your last arrow.  Don’t die with a quiver full of arrows!

Overall, it’s an excellent book which I would highly recommend.

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

Very Good Devotional

The Red Letter Words of Jesus by Jack Countryman is a very nice devotional which focuses on the words which Jesus spoke.  When you receive this book, you will note that it is a very well put together book.  The hard cover feels sturdy and the pages are not thin.

The book starts in Matthew and moves along through the gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John; then the final devotional / page is from Revelation 3:20.  On the left side of the devotional is a very nice looking scripture verse, then on the opposite page is a brief 1 page devotion about that passage.

The book is basic in its nature and will most likely not lead you into deeper theology, yet, it is very nicely done and worth reading.  It would make an excellent gift to someone as well.  In all, there are a little over 100 devotionals in this book.

One other comment is that there is no Table of Contents, so if you are looking for your favorite passage from Jesus, you may have to search for a moment.  But that should not take away from the quality of this fine devotional!!

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

People Working Together!!

In the book, All Saints: The Surprising True Story of How Refugees from Burma Brought Life to a Dying Church, by Michael Spurlock and Jeanette Windle was a moving story about transformation and a willingness for people to adapt.

Reverend Spurlock was the pastor at All Saints Episcopal Church in Smyrna, Georgia, and was close to closing their doors.  While this was occurring, over 70 refugees from Karen in Burma arrived in Smyrna.  It was an unexpected and miraculous marriage as the Burmese refugees began to farm the land which brought in revenue to the church and the church began to care for and help the Burmese people assimilate into the American culture.

Spurlock and Windle write with great detail the journey of both the American folks in Smyrna and the Burmese refugees.  It was not always easy, and there were difficult decisions which had to be made, yet, they were and a church began to thrive with people who were as different on the surface as night and day.

There is now a major motion picture about this, but I have not seen the movie, but have heard it is a very good movie and follows the book as well.  This was a well written book which was easy to read and follow.

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

Wonderful Idea

The 5 Minute Bible: 100 Stories and Songs is a fantastic idea!  The colors and the pictures are great.  There are stories which are well known and some which are lesser known.  I like that!

I think it is great to associate stories and songs. What better way to rock your child to sleep, or sit and snuggle on the couch, than to share a Bible story and sing a song.

The book / Bible is for young children.  The parents also have the opportunity to ad-lib a little and expound on the stories.  I had one concern with the book . . . and that is the fact, not all of the songs are well known.

As a parent, I would have to make up a tune or do my research in advance to learn the tunes.  It would have been great if the songs were included with the lyrics and notes together.  Without the musical notes, some songs could not be sung unless the parents looked up the songs on the Internet.  Otherwise, this is an excellent resource for young children.

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