"What About Heaven?" by Kathleen Long Bostrom is a book in the "Little Blessings" series that offer children answers about Heaven - what Heaven is, who goes to Heaven, and what it is like in Heaven. The book is written in a sing song tone, with a cute rhyming pattern, which helps children remember some of the things they hear. The actual explanations about Heaven are Bible based, and each page gives the Scripture where the basis for that part of the story can be found.
The book is easy for young children to understand, and Bostrom made the clear choice to use kid-friendly words, which makes this book appropriate for ages 3 and up. Another thing that I thought was important was that this book is very uplifting and cheerful - it makes Heaven feel like an exciting and fun place to go.
The book is illustrated by Elena Kucharik, and done wonderfully. The depictions of Heaven, and Angels are bright, colorful, and perfect for young children.
I thought this book was great for young children, especially if the loss of a loved one or loss of a pet has your child questioning what happens after they are gone.
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.
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
6 Verses That Can Change Your Life
"6 Verses That Can Change Your Life" by Joe Barnett is is great Biblical companion for reinforcing essential Biblical principles. This book is a paperback cover, with 215 pages of actual reading, followed by a section devoted to individual action steps and a group discussion guide that corresponds with the chapters in the book. The book itself is broken up into six different sections, each with a major theme, such as "joy", "courage", "patience", and "trust". Each section offers five chapters that expound on the theme from a Biblical perspective, exploring, explaining, and relating to the theme. The end of each section also offers one page of summary resolutions - essentially promises that you can make to help reinforce that theme.
I thought this book was thoughtfully written, and Biblically researched. I think that nearly anyone could benefit from the principles and advice contained in these chapters. I would recommend this for any adult reader, as it covers such important topics and really uses Biblical references as well as modern day tie-ins to help the reader relate.
FTC DISCLOSURE: I received this book for free from BookCrash in exchange for an honest review. I was not obligated to write a positive review.
I thought this book was thoughtfully written, and Biblically researched. I think that nearly anyone could benefit from the principles and advice contained in these chapters. I would recommend this for any adult reader, as it covers such important topics and really uses Biblical references as well as modern day tie-ins to help the reader relate.
FTC DISCLOSURE: I received this book for free from BookCrash in exchange for an honest review. I was not obligated to write a positive review.
Gaither Homecoming Bible
"The Gaither Homecoming Bible" is an absolutely beautiful Bible that attempts to build faith not only through the word of God, but also through music and personal stories from others. Bill and Gloria Gaither and their team put together this Bible, and it is wonderful - they have added color to the pages of a traditional Bible, as well as made the connection between music and the Word. This is a hardcover, New King James Version. Throughout the Bible, they have added personal stories and insights from a variety of people, that ties in to the message of that particular passage of the Bible. Another thing they did was take a handful of popular hymns and trace back their origins, which was interesting to read.
I thought this Bible was beautifully pieced together with all the little extras that the Gaithers have added. I loved the added color on each page, and the musical features. I would highly recommend this Bible to anyone - I love it, and will definitely treasure it for many years to come.
FTC DISCLOSURE: I received this book for free from BookSneeze.com's Blogging for Books program in exchange for an honest review. I was not obligated to write a positive review. I did not receive any financial compensation for this review.
I thought this Bible was beautifully pieced together with all the little extras that the Gaithers have added. I loved the added color on each page, and the musical features. I would highly recommend this Bible to anyone - I love it, and will definitely treasure it for many years to come.
FTC DISCLOSURE: I received this book for free from BookSneeze.com's Blogging for Books program in exchange for an honest review. I was not obligated to write a positive review. I did not receive any financial compensation for this review.
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Men of Sunday
"Men of Sunday" by Curtis Eichelberger is the perfect book for the Christian football lover! This book profiles some of the biggest names in football - past and present, and their challenges they face not only in their career, but in their faith. Most people think that these NFL athletes are tough, no nonsense kind of guys, but this book sheds light on a side of these men that most never see. Through in person interviews, Eichelberger retells the struggles and faith of men like Tony Dungy, Ray Lewis, Aaron Rodgers, Tim Tebow, and Herb Lusk. What I loved about this book is that each chapter has a theme, and Eichelberger uses stories from these men and others tied in with Biblical references and verses and it all fits together. I thought this book was very well written, and truly interesting. I was able to find a newfound respect for many of these men by learning their personal stories of faith and challenge, and how they were able to come out on top in their spiritual lives as well as on the football field. Great book, and would highly recommend it.
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.
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.
90 Devotions for Kids
"90 Devotions for Kids" is a cute way to start getting your child into the habit of reading a little bit of the Bible every day. The devotionals are numbered, but not dated, so it is easy to jump in whenever you pick up the book. Each devotional starts with a Bible verse for that day, and then a short story or real life application for that verse. This is followed by a made up scenario about a particular character that helps compound the lesson and make it more real life for the child reading. The devotional ends with a daily challenge, that encourages the child to dig deeper into the lesson, or read more in their Bible. The very last part of the daily devotional is a Bible Theme memory verse. At the end of each week, there is a "theme" that takes a topic and gives almost an overview of the devotionals, with a memory verse, short story or explanation, and a short prayer. These topics cover subjects like learning about Jesus, the Bible, and forgiveness. Also mixed into this book are puzzles for the child to tackle. I thought this devotional gave a lot of variety and paid attention to topics that can really help younger kids grow in their faith. I would recommend this book for children ages 5+. Wonderfully written, great applications, and easy Bible verses for children to remember.
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.
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.
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
God of All Creation
"God of All Creation" by James Robison with James Randall Robison is a book dedicated to lessons that Robison has learned through observing animals. James Robison shares with us some of his memories and stories - mostly of his dog, Princess, and then he takes these examples and relates them to our relationship with God. In the same ways that Princess is obedient to her master, and the relationship between her and her owner, Robison draws parallels between our relationship with God.
This book is relatively short, and the chapters themselves are only 3-4 pages each, so this could easily be read as a devotional style book. The stories of Princess and the Robison family are entertaining, but also relevant to the message that James is sharing, and the parallel that he draws. I thought this book was well written, with thoughtful insights and great stories. I would recommend this book to the animal lover, as the stories are centered around wildlife.
FTC DISCLOSURE: I received this book for free from Water Brook Publishers in exchange for an honest review. I was not obligated to write a positive review. The opinions expressed herein are entirely my own.
This book is relatively short, and the chapters themselves are only 3-4 pages each, so this could easily be read as a devotional style book. The stories of Princess and the Robison family are entertaining, but also relevant to the message that James is sharing, and the parallel that he draws. I thought this book was well written, with thoughtful insights and great stories. I would recommend this book to the animal lover, as the stories are centered around wildlife.
FTC DISCLOSURE: I received this book for free from Water Brook Publishers in exchange for an honest review. I was not obligated to write a positive review. The opinions expressed herein are entirely my own.
The Open Bible
I have to say that I am absolutely in love with The Open Bible - This Bible is written in the New King James Version, so it maintains its traditional translation, but the resources within this Bible allow you to feel like you are gaining a deeper understanding of the Bible.
There are many "extras" that are packed into this Bible, such as a vast cyclopedic index that allows you to find literally anything you are looking for - this index exceeds 300 pages, and is so inclusive it would be hard to find a topic that isn't covered! Each book of this bible begins with an introduction to the specific time period, author of that book, survey of the book, key words, verses, and chapters, as well as a very detailed outline of the chapter. This is a huge resource, in my opinion, because it allows you to really soak in the things going on at the time, the key passages to look for, and have a better understanding of what is taking place, and why. This Bible also offers colorful maps at the back of the Bible, detailing important geographic areas as they were in Biblical times.
Another resource that I found particularly interesting is the Visual Survey that is inserted between the Old Testament and the New Testament. This gives you a visual overview of the Bible, outlining topics such as: the history of Israel, the history of the early world, the poetic books, the prophetic books, as well as an overview of the basic information about the Old and New Testament, and key figures within them. This is really interesting and allows you to grasp a lot of information about the Bible without requiring hours of research and reading.
The back of the Bible also offers resources such as a section dedicated to archaeological discoveries that relate to the Bible, a list of the laws of the Bible, an index of Jesus' parables and where they can be found within the Bible, a guide to Christian workers, as well as a concordance. The Open Bible truly offers a great amount of resources within its pages, and I would highly recommend this Bible to anyone! I loved it!
FTC DISCLOSURE: I received this book for free from BookSneeze.com in exchange for my honest review. I was not obligated to write a positive review, and the opinions expressed herein are entirely my own.
There are many "extras" that are packed into this Bible, such as a vast cyclopedic index that allows you to find literally anything you are looking for - this index exceeds 300 pages, and is so inclusive it would be hard to find a topic that isn't covered! Each book of this bible begins with an introduction to the specific time period, author of that book, survey of the book, key words, verses, and chapters, as well as a very detailed outline of the chapter. This is a huge resource, in my opinion, because it allows you to really soak in the things going on at the time, the key passages to look for, and have a better understanding of what is taking place, and why. This Bible also offers colorful maps at the back of the Bible, detailing important geographic areas as they were in Biblical times.
Another resource that I found particularly interesting is the Visual Survey that is inserted between the Old Testament and the New Testament. This gives you a visual overview of the Bible, outlining topics such as: the history of Israel, the history of the early world, the poetic books, the prophetic books, as well as an overview of the basic information about the Old and New Testament, and key figures within them. This is really interesting and allows you to grasp a lot of information about the Bible without requiring hours of research and reading.
The back of the Bible also offers resources such as a section dedicated to archaeological discoveries that relate to the Bible, a list of the laws of the Bible, an index of Jesus' parables and where they can be found within the Bible, a guide to Christian workers, as well as a concordance. The Open Bible truly offers a great amount of resources within its pages, and I would highly recommend this Bible to anyone! I loved it!
FTC DISCLOSURE: I received this book for free from BookSneeze.com in exchange for my honest review. I was not obligated to write a positive review, and the opinions expressed herein are entirely my own.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)