Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Fearless

"Fearless" by Eric Blehm is a book that details the life of Navy SEAL Team SIX Operator, Adam Brown. Let me start by saying that this book was not at all what I expected - it was so much better! What I expected was all military, war, and battle stories, but this book starts at the very beginning of Adam's life, chronicling his intense love, commitment, and drive to accomplish his goals. The story of Adam Brown sees us through the full scale of emotions, but through it all we see an amazing man, driven by love for his family, friends, and God.

I have to admit, that this book sucks you in from the beginning. Even though it is essentially a biography of Adam Brown's life, it has all of the suspense, intrigue, and empathetic qualities of a good novel. This book pays amazing tribute to Adam Brown, and proves that not only was he a great father, friend, and an upstanding member of society, but that he was someone we can all look up to - he was a true hero.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone - It is an amazing book about an amazing man.


FTC DISCLOSURE: I received this book for free from WaterBrook Press through their Blogging for Books program, in exchange for my honest review. I was not obligated to write a positive review.

Unstuck: Your Life. God's Design. Real Change

Arnie Cole and Michael Ross have created a great book entitled, "Unstuck: Your Life. God's Design. Real Change". This book attempts to help us draw closer to God in our spiritual life, through a series of chapters that delve into the heart of why we tend to "stall out" in our spiritual lives, how to overcome those setbacks, and through them, grow as Christians. What I thought was interesting about this book was the amount of statistical data that was available - numbers and percentages of people who read their Bible every day, and what situations are temptations for men vs. women. I thought it was very interesting to see this information. I think that Arnie and Michael offer up quite a bit of valuable and insightful information about keeping the wheels moving, so to speak, on our spiritual journey. Each chapter ends with a "research reveals", "encouraging nudge", and "spiritual stepping stones". The "research reveals" offers up a fact about our spiritual life, revealed through research. "Encouraging nudge" offers a short, but inspirational paragraph reiterating the message of the chapter, and encouraging you to follow through on the ideas presented. "Spiritual stepping stones" are a series of a few scriptures to memorize, and a question to meditate on related to that scripture. I thought that this book was a really good reminder of how our walk can slow to a near stop, and that it requires a daily choice, and daily effort to maintain that relationship with Christ.

FTC DISCLOSURE: I received this book for free from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for an honest review. I was not obligated to write a positive review about this book.

Asher of Bethlehem

"Asher of Bethlehem" by Howard Rodney Jones is a wonderful story of the birth of Jesus. The story centers around an orphan names Asher, who is living in Bethlehem, and his best friend Medad. Medad's parents own the inn in Bethlehem, and Asher is able to spend time doing work at the inn. This story keeps the basics of the Biblical story of Jesus' birth accurate, but adds these characters and creates a story that truly draws children in and allows them to experience the birth as never before. This books is over 100 pages long, so definitely for more advanced readers - I would recommend ages 7 and up. From the crowded inn, to the magi following a star, this story has all of the Biblical fact of the nativity, but has the suspense and intrigue of a novel. This is a great book to get children interested and excited about learning about the birth of Jesus. I would highly recommend this book, and think that most children would enjoy it!

FTC DISCLOSURE: I received this book for free from BookCrash.com in exchange for my review. I was not obligated to write a positive review.

Your Heart's Desire

Sheri Rose Shepherd's book "Your Heart's Desire" is a wonderful book for women. Whether you are married, single, or divorced/widowed, you will gain wisdom from this book. Sheri uses a series of personal stories, Biblical references, and inspirational thoughts to stir our hearts for God, and to desire his love above all else. I believe that through this understanding, we begin to have the capacity to truly love and be loved. Once we begin to understand God's love, we also begin to understand how we are called to love our husbands, or boyfriends. The chapters are a little longer than what you can read in one sitting, especially if you have young  children, but it is easy to pick up when you have the time. Each chapter has a foundation of a Bible verse to start off, followed by a personal story or Biblical story to illustrate that verse better, and help us relate to it. Sheri creates a wonderful book here, complete with a final thought at the end of each chapter, as well as love questions for a small group, and love questions online with Sheri that can be answered via a link supplied with each question. I thought this book was great, and will definitely be keeping it on my bookshelf for when I need a reminder of how to love. Great book!

FTC DISCLOSURE: I received this book for free from Tyndale House Publishing in exchange for my review. I was not obligated to write a positive review of this book.

The Coming Revolution

Dr. Richard G. Lee's newest book, "The Coming Revolution: Signs from America's past that Signal Our Nation's Future" is a very interesting and insightful read. Dr. Lee essentially makes the argument that our country sits on the verge of a second revolution, necessitated by society's loss of faith, morals, and American spirit. We, as a nation, were founded on basic Christian principles, and our founding fathers set our nation on a course for greatness. But, as our country aged, we also pulled away from God - removing God from the public school system, rejecting monogamy in marriage, and ending our protection of all life by allowing abortion. Dr. Lee's book makes a great case for following our convictions and faith, and ushering in a "revolution" - to change our country from the ground up. I thought this book was thought provoking, and I would recommend it to anyone who believes that our country and government need a major overhaul.

FTC DISCLOSURE: I received this book from Thomas Nelson Publishers in exchange for an honest review. I was not obligated to write a positive review of this book.