Burge02

This book was written for moms in the trenches, raising kids. She encourages moms not to raise the white flag, but to stand firm on the promises of God. To be honest, I was curious about the title and wondered how much the author would rely on Scripture or merely provide another worldly mantra. Right off the bat, in chapter 1, she writes, "your best defense, your only defense is the Word." I also found these two quotes in the accompanying bible study, "today's moms need a special kind of strength-the kind that comes from God" and "the only way to grow in wisdom is the know God better...God offers wisdom for worn-out moms," who doesn't need this reminder! She encourages moms to submit to God's will and embrace the idea that God is in the restoration business. She also reminds us that our goal is to release these "arrows" with a strong and firm foundation of who they are in Christ and what their chief end is: to glorify God. Most impor...

The title of this book was intriguing to say the least. I had not heard of the authors previously, but it was endorsed by Focus on the Family, so I thought I would request a copy. It was written by a couple who have over 40 years of experience as sex therapists and educators, good information, not groundbreaking though. The authors recently released two books targeting married couples, this one is primarily for women and it's counterpart is called The Married Guy's Guide to Great Sex. In the book, they lay the foundation for great sex- women need to figure out why we may not be enjoying ourselves in the bedroom. They encouraged me as a woman to listen to my body in certain ways: hormones, brain, body, sexual triggers and potential. They believe that intimacy takes time and intentionality, what they recommend is a formula for intimacy available at  passionatecommitment.com Two things that were thought provoking for me were assessing my current beliefs and attitude toward ...

In order to understand the author's point of view and idea for the main character, Chooser, you will want to read the Note to Parents. The Chooser is our will, also known as our ability to choose right from wrong and commit to something. The book addresses the personal nature of each person's individual "Chooser." It is a creative personification of our will that utilizes child-friendly illustrations and tries to bring kid-friendly concepts to life, like avoiding conflict, letting others make the decision, etc. The Chooser as depicted on the cover is depicted by a colorful orb and apparently God owns one too-a perfect one; this in particular struck me as slightly bizarre.  I read it several times to myself and my four young children, but I'll be honest it is not a favorite. The physical book and illustrations are great,  I'm still not convinced that his choice of personification works. To comply with new regulations introduced by the Federal Trade Commissio...

A creative story with a great storyline about friendship. The author/illustrator had many spreads that made me laugh out loud. It turns out Flash, the main character, is based on a real life donkey and the author has written another book for adults, definitely piqued my interest. This book was delightfully illustrated and had a Biblical moral about friendship and good deeds. Definitely a lesson my family is learning. My four school aged kids loved listening and it provided plenty of conversation starters. I would buy additional children's books by this author if available. I received a complimentary copy of this book from Tyndale House Publishers in return for this review.

If you are familiar with the book Dinner with a Perfect Stranger by David Gregory, then this is along the similar lines. After relationship troubles and the feeling that she had "settled" on a number of fronts, Emma wonders, "Does God have time for me?" and asks "Where is his love when something happened that really mattered?" She starts to have doubts and decided Jesus wasn't enough and that the Bible didn't provide her with the answers she needed. Her real question was this- Does God exist? Emma finds herself on a very personal adventure with Jesus that starts with her in a boat in the middle of the Sea of Galilee in a horrible, gale-like storm. Jesus allows her to be an onlooker to many biblical events in order to prove that not only does God exist, but that He is in fact a very personal God that cares deeply for her. This book was an easy read with short chapters, but challenging none the less. I envision leaving it in my guest room for t...

This journal contains more than 50 entries that include a prayer, a verse, and lined space for reflection. Peppered throughout are blank pages that include a verse and brief instruction to encourage meditation. It has many beautiful pages, I personally prefer the colored ones. A majority of the journal entries has an entire page dedicated to a quote or a Bible verse; which if you really liked, you could remove and frame.  As far as the actual physical journal, I'm not a fan. It is hardcover, but has an added cardboard layer, that feels uncomfortable when I am holding it and writing. And at $14.99, it seems pretty steep for a simple journal.   Personally, I'm not a fan of adult coloring books as a means of relaxation and de-stressing, but that is for you to decide. And I'm  not sure how I feel about the Mandala-like look to the journal's coloring pages. Overall, I give it a 3 out of 5 rating.  I received a complimentary copy of the book for revi...

This book by Lance Ford and Brad Brisco is all about empowering you to transform your neighborhood for the glory of God. The book can be summarized in this quote, "...we are seeking to give vision to what can happen when heavenly minded people determine to do earthly good in the places they live, work, and play" p 61. This book provides motivation and Biblical reasoning on the why's and how to's of hospitality. It was convicting  for me, especially since we have recently moved into a new neighborhood. Perhaps our family can just start off on the right foot.  The authors, friends and ministry leaders, Ford and Brisco address some of the reasons or excuses we choose not be the aroma of Christ. One of them is that American culture has undergone some dramatic shifts in terms of isolation and detachment. We tend to live as nomads and fail to establish "roots." They also believe that most Americans have resigned to pursing the "American Dream" at the e...

Ok, so when I read the book Give them Grace by Elyse Fitzpatrick and her daughter Jessica Thompson, this is the message I thought I was getting... a book about treasuring the Gospel and embracing it in everyday life. Well, that wasn't exactly the case, instead THIS book is just that-encouragement on how daily doses of grace may look and wisdom straight from God's word about His grace in the completed work of Jesus Christ. I don't know about you, but I have recently come to the realization that I have lived much of my Christian with the whole idea of "works righteousness." I'll explain for those of you who need a definition. Works righteousness is basically doing instead of resting in God , it is striving instead of dwelling with God , it is comparing instead of mimicking Jesus Christ . So, once again this was a great book for me personally and my struggle to "treasure the Gospel" and as a friend put it, "preach the Gospel to myself everyday...

This book was written by a young mother who at the time of the writing had five little ones, including a set of twins. She admits she doesn't have all the answers, but point readers to God at every opportunity-which I appreciated and encouraged self-reflection. I picked it up because it was recommended by Tedd Trip (Shepherding a Child's Heart) and R.C. Sproul, Jr. I enjoyed it because 1) the chapters were short, which meant I could pick it up at a moment's notice and finish a chapter and 2) it was filled with real-life stories and struggles to which I could relate. It was a parenting book in a way, also aimed at mothers of young children who need a pick-me-up and encouragement along the journey. I admit it is a little jumbly and each chapter stands alone, but she shares some great strategies that I have not tried. I think it would be best understood by moms with multiple children, but I'm sure it will provide encouragement to most moms. She has since written another bo...

I'm really not quite sure why this book struck my fancy nor why I ordered it, yet it was more than I anticipated. Based on the back cover, it is a book about the struggles of motherhood and the  occasional feeling of being overwhelmed by it all; it boasted answers to honest questions that many moms have and sounded intriguing...so I picked it up while on vacation last month. And as with any book that has not come personally recommended, I read with a wary eye checking for biblical accuracy, etc. The main author, Sarah Mae, is a Christian, wife, homemaker, mother to three little ones, homeschooler and a popular blogger. She blogs at:  http://sarahmae.com The secondary author, Sally Clarkson, is a Christian, wife and mother of four adult children with a passion for Christian motherhood and parenting. She and her husband started Whole Heart Ministries http://www.wholeheart.org  after spending time on the mission field. I am currently reading one of her other books, The M...

Confession Time: The first time I picked up this book, I only read two chapters and put it down thinking that I must have gotten some things wrong in my parenting.  What I perceived was that we (my husband and I) had missed the mark in incorporating the Gospel into our discipline routine. I will also admit that I actually expected a different message, one about imparting grace to our kids in our everyday lived, but rather this was a book focusing on bringing attention to the Gospel during our every conversation, especially discipline. After attending a conference in March and listening to one of the authors (Jessica), I decided she was so honest in admitting failure in her own presentation and implementation of the material to her kids; I picked it up again. Jessica said that the book was not written to be used as a manual with scripts to be read, but rather a Biblical basis for holding high the Gospel during our interactions with our children. Several close friends, including my ...

*Food for thought for all parents,  encouragement for homeschool moms* This book creates the case that ALL Christian parents are called to homeschool their children and that parents are fully equipped to do the job. First, it must be determined if education is a function of the state, the church or the family. After all, education cannot be "neutral" according to John Milton, a puritan poet. Second, we must apply the discipleship process in our homes. Sproul, Jr. uses  Deuteronomy 6 to show that God has called parents to be teachers of their children. Education IS the function of the family and it takes place in the form of discipleship. The goal of which it to create children and grandchildren who are Christlike. On the other hand, p ublic education is an arm of the government who is an enemy of the gospel (we hear it more now than ever) and have banned even a mention of Christ's name. Their goal is to raise responsible adults who, bottom line: do well, earn mo...

To read the first chapters Nicole is a gifted author, Christian counselor and youth leader who shares her struggles with control, insecurity, comparison, fear and anger (along with unforgiveness). In her experience, she has found that these "issues" seem to be common among most women and this book/study was written to help the reader live in victory vs defeat. The book includes 14 chapters that can be read by itself or can be used along with the 6-session DVD. As mentioned before the topics range from dealing with fear and anger to giving up control. Each chapter concludes with a prayer and heart probing questions with space to journal as well as a link to bonus YouTube videos. In the first chapter- Cheap Plastic Souls, the following questions really struck home, "If the grocery store cashier or your kid's teacher or the last waiter who served you described you with complete honesty, would loving be there first word he or she would use? Or would you be kn...

Ellie Kay is a good author with some practical advise. The premise behind the book is that you or you and your sig other sit down once a week for a timed financial overhaul session. She provides all the information, quizzes and online worksheets necessary for each workout. There are 13 topics/workouts that you can pick from and then you can choose the order and even skip some if they don't apply. I think the topics she covers have the potential to really transform an individual or a family's financial outlook. I mean who doesn't need some tweaking of the budget every now and again. I really appreciated her specific guidelines for the workout, including stating something positive to yourself or your partner to begin and end the session. I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review

The DVD has two 25 minute episodes that are opened by a short introduction by Chick Swindoll. This particular DVD is the 8th in a series. The main characters C.J. and Staci, best friends and school-aged bears who are learning what it means to live like a Christian. The first episode: The Hullabaloo at Hunker Hill was mostly about a bully named Hugh who gets blamed for a pretty serious accident involving Staci and a soapbox derby car. Ultimately, it is a story of forgiveness and is based on Matthew 18:21-22. The second episode: The Great Go-Kart Race was all about working together. C.J. has organized a club made up of his friends, but everyone has their own idea of how the club's go-cart should look. They end up splitting up and coming up with some pretty sorry racers that each have their issues. In the end, they decide that working together is the best way and is based on Matthew 6:14. Our family is not familiar with this series, but it looked good. So, I watched this DVD wit...

Back in 2005, I was working as a physical therapist in Carol Stream, IL and I treated a patient whose name I associated with some Christian literature, I thought some children's bibles. His name was Ken Taylor and I remember my boss telling me that he was a very important patient. Until reading this book, I had no idea the impact Mr Taylor has had on the 21st century. You see, he started as director of Moody Press and helped get it up and running. During his time there, he felt there ought to be a Christian organization for booksellers to network, he called it the Christian Booksellers Association which has been hugely successful. Mr Taylor admitted that he had difficulty reading and understanding the KJV and began the incredible task of translating the bible into a thought-for-thought paraphrase; he called it The Living Bible which has sold over 40 million copies. He started with the Epistles and called them the Living Letters, which was personally endorsed by Billy Graham. ...

                                        Check out the video and personal challenge by Coach Dungy This is the second book that I have come across by Tony Dungy  and Nathan Whitaker. And for those of you who don't know, he coached the SuperBowl XLI winning Indianapolis Colts, who beat my beloved Bears in 2007:( Previously, my husband and I had listened to Quiet Strength on Audio CD, so I was familiar with Coach Dungy's background and his relationship with Tyndale . The One Year Uncommon Life Daily Challenge is a daily devotional follow-up to his book Uncommon ; their goal is to have individuals take the 365 day challenge to spend time with God everyday for an entire year. Which is a wonderful challenge! They have established a website and registration to "take the challenge" and receive encouraging words from Coach Dungy. The book targets 7 categories, my personal favori...

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 recall...

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

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.