Focus on the Family presents "Adventures in Odyssey: Whit's End Mealtime Devotions : 90 Faith-Building Ideals Your Kids Will Eat Up!" This devotional is unique that it is filled with devotions completely written for mealtime. Each devotional offers several different sections, that offer a variety of discussion questions, stories, Bible principles, and Bible verses, as well as a mealtime prayer.
What I liked about this devotion was that it helps younger children learn how to pray for their meals. I have a four year old who always tells me, "I don't know what to say" when asked to pray for our meal. This is a great solution to that problem, as she can learn a variety of prayers and can mix and match different elements of each as she likes.
I also liked that each devotion has discussion questions, to encourage family interaction over Biblical topics. This is a great way to get everyone talking, and the kids giving more than one word answers about how their day was!
FTC DISCLOSURE: I received this book for free from Tyndale Publishing in exchange for an honest review.
Friday, March 15, 2013
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
"Gods At War"
"Gods At War", written by Kyle Idleman is a new book published by Zondervan that is dedicated to the status of our heart. The tag line of this book is, "Defeating the Idols that Battle for Your Heart", and this is the truest interpretation of what this book is all about. Think about the last 24 hours of your life - what have you given your attention/energy/focus to try to do/make/plan?
"Gods At War" asks you to honestly look at what is battling for the throne of your heart - is God on the throne, or has success, money, or sex taken over? I think that this book has an awesome premise, and especially in our society, one that seriously needs to be discussed. This book challenges you to be more aware of what is battling for your heart, and to be more careful of what we allow to sit on the throne of our hearts.
This book is 240 pages, which makes it a great read for a daily reader. The material that Idleman uses is a compilation of personal testimonies of people who have actually struggled with these modern day idols. I really believe that this book could be a great addition to the library of any Christian - I think that it is always healthy to be more aware of our spiritual life, and this book makes such great observations and truly makes you think!
FTC DISCLOSURE: I received this book for free from BookSneeze.com in exchange for an honest review.
"Gods At War" asks you to honestly look at what is battling for the throne of your heart - is God on the throne, or has success, money, or sex taken over? I think that this book has an awesome premise, and especially in our society, one that seriously needs to be discussed. This book challenges you to be more aware of what is battling for your heart, and to be more careful of what we allow to sit on the throne of our hearts.
This book is 240 pages, which makes it a great read for a daily reader. The material that Idleman uses is a compilation of personal testimonies of people who have actually struggled with these modern day idols. I really believe that this book could be a great addition to the library of any Christian - I think that it is always healthy to be more aware of our spiritual life, and this book makes such great observations and truly makes you think!
FTC DISCLOSURE: I received this book for free from BookSneeze.com in exchange for an honest review.
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Intentional Parenting
"Intentional Parenting" is a book written by Sissy Goff, David Thomas, and Melissa Trevathan that debunks some of the most common parenting myths, and replaces them with logical and helpful solutions to everyday parenting issues.
As parents, sometimes we feel like we should have all of the answers - we should be able to handle any situation that comes our way when it comes to our children. But the reality is, sometimes we need a little extra help. This book is a helpful resource in helping parents be more encouraging, patient, and spiritual in their daily lives and interactions with their children.
"Intentional Parenting" encourages parents to be honest, self-aware, and endeavor to be better parents. This book touches on a variety of topics, ranging from being connected and encouraging to being consistent and patient. I found that much of the advice that is in this book was very helpful in helping me to look at my parenting role in a different way.
Sometimes it is easy to write a child off as just being "difficult", rather than explore the situation and realize that perhaps it is the parent that needs to work with the child to make the situation better. This book encourages, explains, and expands on this idea.
I thought this book was well-written, easy to understand, and offers a lot of encouragement and advice to parents. I would recommend this to any parent.
FTC DISCLOSURE: I received this book for free from BookSneeze.com in exchange for an honest review. I was not obligated to write a positive review.
As parents, sometimes we feel like we should have all of the answers - we should be able to handle any situation that comes our way when it comes to our children. But the reality is, sometimes we need a little extra help. This book is a helpful resource in helping parents be more encouraging, patient, and spiritual in their daily lives and interactions with their children.
"Intentional Parenting" encourages parents to be honest, self-aware, and endeavor to be better parents. This book touches on a variety of topics, ranging from being connected and encouraging to being consistent and patient. I found that much of the advice that is in this book was very helpful in helping me to look at my parenting role in a different way.
Sometimes it is easy to write a child off as just being "difficult", rather than explore the situation and realize that perhaps it is the parent that needs to work with the child to make the situation better. This book encourages, explains, and expands on this idea.
I thought this book was well-written, easy to understand, and offers a lot of encouragement and advice to parents. I would recommend this to any parent.
FTC DISCLOSURE: I received this book for free from BookSneeze.com in exchange for an honest review. I was not obligated to write a positive review.
Monday, February 11, 2013
Humble Heart : A Book of Virtues
"Humble Bumbles Humble Heart : A Book of Virtues" by Amy Meyer Allen is a children's book that helps explain Biblical virtues through friendly animal characters and easy to understand, kid-friendly language. Featuring characters such as Humble Honeybee, Daniel Dog, Lydia Lamb, and Felicity Frog, "Humble Heart" uses short stories to feature each of the virtues, using kid-friendly stories to help them understand virtues such as forgiveness, joy, thoughtfulness, and mercy.
What I enjoyed about this book was that even though some of these virtues seem a bit complicated for young children to fully understand, Amy Meyer Allen did a wonderful job in breaking them down and making it simple. Each short story features one of the virtues, and one of the friendly characters, using a storyline that young children can easily understand. The language used in the stories is also kid-friendly, which helps aid children in their understanding of these virtues.
I have a four year old daughter who loved this book, and I really love that it is helping her to understand Biblical virtues at a young age. The end of each story poses a question to the child to help them further grasp the virtue that was presented in that story, as well as a Bible verse that parent and child can read together to help reiterate the Biblical value of that virtue.
FTC DISCLOSURE: I received this book from Tyndale House Publishers in exchange for an honest review. I was under no obligated to write a positive review.
What I enjoyed about this book was that even though some of these virtues seem a bit complicated for young children to fully understand, Amy Meyer Allen did a wonderful job in breaking them down and making it simple. Each short story features one of the virtues, and one of the friendly characters, using a storyline that young children can easily understand. The language used in the stories is also kid-friendly, which helps aid children in their understanding of these virtues.
I have a four year old daughter who loved this book, and I really love that it is helping her to understand Biblical virtues at a young age. The end of each story poses a question to the child to help them further grasp the virtue that was presented in that story, as well as a Bible verse that parent and child can read together to help reiterate the Biblical value of that virtue.
FTC DISCLOSURE: I received this book from Tyndale House Publishers in exchange for an honest review. I was under no obligated to write a positive review.
Saturday, January 26, 2013
Just Like Jesus
Max Lucado's "Just Like Jesus - A Heart Like His" is a book that will help you re-evaluate your own heart, and show you how you can model your own heart after that of Jesus. God's greatest desire is for us, as Christians, to have the heart of Jesus, and this book will help you honestly assess the status of your own heart, and give you the foundation to rebuild your heart.
This book is broken up into twelve chapters, and each chapter is a theme that shares a specific trait that your heart should have, such as "honest heart", "pure heart", and "focused heart". Max Lucado uses not only Biblical stories and quotes, but also retells personal stories to help tie in the message he is trying to convey. This book offers so much wonderful advice, and I loved that it was completely focused on the goal of having a heart like Jesus.
I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to further their relationship with God. It's well written, full of great observations and suggestions, and will truly help you honestly assess the state of your own heart against the backdrop of what God wants your heart to be. Great book.
FTC DISCLOSURE: I received this book for free from BookSneeze.com in exchange for an honest review. I was not obligated to write a positive review. The views expressed above are solely my own.
This book is broken up into twelve chapters, and each chapter is a theme that shares a specific trait that your heart should have, such as "honest heart", "pure heart", and "focused heart". Max Lucado uses not only Biblical stories and quotes, but also retells personal stories to help tie in the message he is trying to convey. This book offers so much wonderful advice, and I loved that it was completely focused on the goal of having a heart like Jesus.
I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to further their relationship with God. It's well written, full of great observations and suggestions, and will truly help you honestly assess the state of your own heart against the backdrop of what God wants your heart to be. Great book.
FTC DISCLOSURE: I received this book for free from BookSneeze.com in exchange for an honest review. I was not obligated to write a positive review. The views expressed above are solely my own.
Saturday, January 12, 2013
Bible Stories that End with A Hug
"Bible Stories that End with A Hug" by Stephen Elkins is a compilation of 75 of the best loved Bible stories, rewritten for young children. Elkin did a wonderful job of summarizing Biblical stories into short, easy to understand passages that even young children will understand.
Each story itself is very short, and is followed by a couple of questions that young children might ask, as well as answers to those questions. The end of each story comes at "hug time", when the child is encouraged to hug mom or dad.
What I liked about this book was that it is perfect for young children - as early as age 3. The language is easy to understand, and the stories themselves are short enough that it would keep the attention of a young child.
The illustrations in this book are beautiful, and I thought were a great interpretation of the stories they illustrated. Everything about this book is kid-friendly, and I would highly recommend this one to anyone with young children. A great introduction to Bible stories for even the youngest!
FTC DISCLOSURE: I received this book for free from Tyndale House Publishers in exchange for an honest review. I was not obligated to write a positive review.
Each story itself is very short, and is followed by a couple of questions that young children might ask, as well as answers to those questions. The end of each story comes at "hug time", when the child is encouraged to hug mom or dad.
What I liked about this book was that it is perfect for young children - as early as age 3. The language is easy to understand, and the stories themselves are short enough that it would keep the attention of a young child.
The illustrations in this book are beautiful, and I thought were a great interpretation of the stories they illustrated. Everything about this book is kid-friendly, and I would highly recommend this one to anyone with young children. A great introduction to Bible stories for even the youngest!
FTC DISCLOSURE: I received this book for free from Tyndale House Publishers in exchange for an honest review. I was not obligated to write a positive review.
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Just Like Jesus Devotional
Max Lucado's "Just Like Jesus Devotional" is a 30-day devotional designed to deepen your faith, and encourage you to live your life with the heart of Jesus. The daily devotions in this book are a little bit longer than most other devotionals, but they are definitely worth the extra time.
As with most devotionals, each day's reading begins with a short Bible verse that remains the theme for that day's devotion. After the verse, Lucado builds on the verse by relating it to our daily lives - helping to make it easy to understand, and show how it applies to our modern lives.
What makes this devotional stand out to me was the section that follows the explanation of the verses. Lucado challenges us through a series of four sections, named "thinking", "hearing", "reflecting" and "thinking". Through these sections, Max Lucado offers personal questions for you to ponder about your spiritual life, and faith. He also offers lengthier Scripture references that tie in to the questions he poses. What I enjoyed was how each section builds on the one before it, really allowing you to soak in the message, and apply it to your own life.
Overall I would give this book a 5/5 - Lucado hit a home run with this devotional, and I think that this 30 day challenge would benefit any believer!
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.
As with most devotionals, each day's reading begins with a short Bible verse that remains the theme for that day's devotion. After the verse, Lucado builds on the verse by relating it to our daily lives - helping to make it easy to understand, and show how it applies to our modern lives.
What makes this devotional stand out to me was the section that follows the explanation of the verses. Lucado challenges us through a series of four sections, named "thinking", "hearing", "reflecting" and "thinking". Through these sections, Max Lucado offers personal questions for you to ponder about your spiritual life, and faith. He also offers lengthier Scripture references that tie in to the questions he poses. What I enjoyed was how each section builds on the one before it, really allowing you to soak in the message, and apply it to your own life.
Overall I would give this book a 5/5 - Lucado hit a home run with this devotional, and I think that this 30 day challenge would benefit any believer!
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.
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