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Showing posts from 2011

Book Review–Don’t Waste Your Life by John Piper

This book has taken a little longer to read because it was given to me in a PDF and therefore has been my first e-read. I have to admit I don’t know how I feel about Kindle’s or other forms of electronic books; I enjoy physically turning pages, highlighting and underlining and pulling the book back off the shelf. Anyhow, enough on that! John Piper is first a Christian hedonist, secondarily the preaching pastor at Bethlehem Baptist Church in MN, a reformed church. He has written numerous books including, Desiring God and This Momentary Marriage , which are available for free download on his website: http://www.desiringgod.org/ . His passion is all things of God, but especially missions and unreached people groups. The premise of this book is that according to 1 Corinthians 6:19+20 , we exist to glorify God. Piper begins with a biographical sketch of his formative years at Wheaton college, during which he describes what he felt was a call to be a minister. He recalls learning the

Christmas gift alternative

Please check this page out as you may be considering an alternative to Christmas gift giving this year. It is such a privilege for us to have a (or several) copies of God's word in our homes and what a blessing to be able to get a copy of God's word into a believer's hand somewhere across the globe. WycliffeCatalog

Book Review-Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo

I borrowed this for a long road trip during which I usually read a book aloud while my husband drives. It was also good timing because we listened to a portion of Heaven by Randy Alcorn just prior to this read. Overall, Heaven if for Real was a quick read (only took 2 hours) with a heavenly storyline. Colton was just four years old when he was hospitalized for an unknown illness, it turned out that he would require an emergency appendectomy. This book is a recounting of the events that occurred during his surgery and the resultant revelation by Colton to his parents over the next 10 years or so. There has been some discussion about the truth of the little boy's actual journey to heaven or lending it to an active imagination. I can't say either way, but it does make you think about eternity, which is always good. I guess I would say read it carefully with a theological filter, but sure it was a good read.

Book Review-A Love That Multiplies by Michelle & Jim BobDuggar

My husband and I have been following the Duggar's show, 19 Kids and Counting on TLC for the past 3 years and to be honest I wanted to know more. The book, A Love That Multiplies  was their second book and was published earlier this year. We knew that they had a preemie, Josie, in 2009 and I guess this is when I got hooked since I was pregnant at the time and it made me ponder the reality of the situation. During this trial, they (Michelle & Jim Bob) were very honest and transparent about their faith, but really they speak boldly for the Lord in every show/interview. To be honest, I was first a skeptic because of a previous reality show (Jon and Kate + 8) that turned me off, but after reading this book I am a believer. I am a believer because they stand firmly on the Word of God in their business decisions, parenting and everything else. Michelle wrote most of the book and I sure appreciated her openness pertaining to her early parenting struggles. Now, at one point they had

Book Review-Crazy Love by Francis Chan

Welcome to the new format for my book reviews, thanks for following! Last month I read the popular book- Crazy Love by Francis Chan . wow, Wow, and WOW. The author is intense and "on-fire" for God. Chan is the former pastor of Cornerstone Church in SoCal. He says that his intended audience is "those who want more Jesus," and he encourages readers to surrender ALL of our lives completely to God. He begins the book with a shock and awe approach to God; he shares some amazing facts about the universe that can be found on the book's own website: http://www.crazylovebook.com/ He sees a disconnect between American Christianity and New Testament Christianity. He feels that most  Americans want a safe, balanced life that does not involve suffering. Using 2 Cor 13:5 as his premise, he proceeds to give 18 examples of "Lukewarm People." If you read this book, I recommend sitting down with this list and asking God where you may have become lukewarm in

Book Review-Holiness by Nancy Leigh DeMoss

Here is my latest book review. As a follow-up to Downpour , I thought Holiness : The Heart God Purifies  by Nancy Leigh DeMoss was a perfect fit. If you have never read any of her stuff, I would highly recommend her books and her website has many printable handouts and prayer challenges! She is very Biblical and has a passion for revival- her things are often very convicting. She also has two radio programs one called Revive Our Hearts and another Seeking Him. Holiness   is the 3rd book in a trilogy that started with Brokenness followed by Surrender . She shares that her passion for the message of holiness comes from the heart of God based on 1 Peter 1:15+16/Leviticus 11:44. "True holiness," she writes, "is the pathway to fullness of life and joy. To be holy is to be wholly satisfied with Christ." She addressed the necessity of "putting off" old fleshly habits or corruption and "putting on" grace as the key to overcoming sin. Most chapters read l

Book Review-Downpour by James MacDonald

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Ok, gals, I must admit this book review is several weeks over due. There are two reasons: 1) In addition to reading Downpour , I also read Tim Tebow's (Christian and football player for the Denver Broncos) autobiography, Through My Eyes , last month. It was an encouraging story of a young man (who was, by the way, homeschooled) with a very detailed commentary on his college football career and 1st season with the Broncos. He caught my attention several years ago after seeing Scripture references on his eye black and seeing him and his mom in the pro-life Super Bowl commercial. Seems like a great guy. I would highly recommend this book for the men in your life, if they enjoy football. Okay, that was a freebie and this month is a two-fer (two for one)! Now... for the good stuff! 2) I started reading this month's book with someone else in mind and once I got into it realized that God intended the message for ME! Downpour-God's best when you need Him most by James MacDo

Book Review-Sharing Your Faith with a Hindu by Mdasamy Thirumalai

  I ordered the book, Sharing your faith with a Hindu by Madasamy Thirumalai from Voice of the Martyrs several years ago. But I finally decided it was time to read this book because I have had a burden to get to know our neighbors and well most of them are Indian, some are Hindu. I studied Hinduism in college, but honestly don't remember much.   First, an interesting aside about their names. The author, like my neighbors, has multiple Indian names, which I find interesting but can hardly pronounce. Since I have no idea how to spell their names, I keep a list on my fridge with the syllables/pronunciation written out. So let's start here.  The names of men is usually three-fold starting with their grandfather, their father and then their name. But most of them have adopt an english nickname like my neighbor Sindhu, who goes by Cindy. Okay, here are some similarites among Hindus. 1) Hindus are primarily from India 2) Hindus worship idols, images, pictures, relics and other object

Book Review-What the Bible Says About Parenting by John MacArthur

Here is the latest book review for May- What the Bible Says About Parenting by John MacArthur...and here is why i decided not to read and review Five Love Languages of Children: I started reading it and there was not a single reference to a Bible verse for the first 23 pages. I really enjoyed the original Five Love Languages book, but felt my time could be better spent focusing on a topic that is Biblically based. The premise for this book is to clearly present principles of biblical parenting. John MacArthur asked if we (Christian parents) are taking our parenting duties serious enough and are we providing shade/protection for our children or leaving them exposed to the "heat" of anti-Christian values in an anti-Christian world. "God has made parenting a full-time responsibility" therefore we ought to take it seriously by not allowing outside influences to shape their character or speak more loudly into their lives than us. Thus plays in the question or debate

Book Review-Hudson Taylor's Spiritual Secret by Dr and Mrs Howard Taylor

This is quite a lengthy review as God has used it to stir my heart, I pray that you will be encouraged by Hudson Taylor's life. Biographies/autobiographies are my favorite genre of books to read, and... I am always inspired by missionaries and Christian leaders, so I picked Husdon Taylor's Spiritual Secret by Dr and Mrs Howard Taylor for my reading last month. Hudson was born in 1832 and is perhaps best known for starting China Inland Mission, now called, Overseas Missionary Fellowship. His work began alone and in less than 50 years, there were over 750 members of the mission organization. His work was supported by Christian contemporaries, including D.L. Moody and George Mueller. Perhaps his most famous quote: "Let us see that we keep God before our eyes; that we walk in His ways and seek to please and glorify Him in everything, great and small. Depend upon it, God's work, done in God's way, will never lack God's supplies." and this more convi

Book Review-On Being a Servant of God by Warren Wiersbe

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This month I chose a book from Pastor James MacDonald's reading list called On Being a Servant of God by Warren Wiersbe. He is a retired pastor (formerly Moody Church), speaker and professor. This book is specifically directed to those in Ministry with a capital 'M', but the author hopes that all in God's ministry with a small 'm' will benefit from it as well. In it he focuses on the basic principles of Christian service-those which he wishes were shared with him when he became a Christian. It is written in 30 short excerpts/chapters that build upon one another, starting with his definition of ministry: "Ministry takes place when divine resources meet human needs through loving channels to the glory of God." He encourages readers that it is only true Christian ministry that can change lives and solve problems, I would agree, but would make sure it is Biblical first and foremost. Although, several of his excerpts addressed issues that did not specifi

Book Review-What is a Family by Edith Schaeffer

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For my second book, I read What is a Family by Edith Schaeffer. It was recommended by the author of A Woman after God's own heart , Elizabeth George. It was published in the 70s and as long as you can get past the outdated references, it is a great encouragement for us (as women) to invest/foster the  family atmosphere in our home. She paints a picture of a multi-generational family reunion and uses Scripture, but draws mostly from her personal experience. Here are the take-aways: The home is meant to be a safe, warm, and inviting environment. Being a wife and mother IS a career. It is "a most exciting possibility of turning the tide, of saving the species, of affecting history, of doing something that will be felt and heard in ever-widening circles." Just think both Billy Graham and Hitler were both people who changed history, we can influence the future (to a certain degree) for good or evil. Be intentional in being a family, plan reunions, attend special oc

Book Review-Bringing Up Girls by James Dobson

I chose Bringing up Girls -practical advice and encouragement for those shaping the next generation of women by Dr. James Dobson. If you have read Bringing up Boys by the same author, this one reads a bit more like a patched together commentary with each chapter almost standing alone. In it, he addresses numerous topics, ranging from teaching our daughters manners, the Disney Princess craze, Father Daughter Purity Balls, Girl Scouts of America, bullying, hormonal changes, STDs and sexual predators. Yes, he does provide some eye-opening data regarding early promiscuity and the dangers that are all around us. It is only scary if we let Satan have a foothold on our fear! Some of the things I took away from it: 1) the HUGE role of dad's in their lives-did you know researchers have identified a hormone that is emitted by the father and sensed or smelled by the daughter. This hormone is only emitted when dad is involved, not just present in her life. This hormone, called a pheromone