This one looks interesting!

The Gospel According to Lost by Chris Seay... check it out! It is on it's way to me now and I'll let you know what I think shortly!

Voices of the Faithful... finally!

I know it seems like forever since I posted a book review... that is because it HAS been forever! When I received "Voices of the Faithful" to lend my opinion to I was overwhelmed and have taken more time to review this book than others in the past. Yes, it is a daily devotional, but it is more than that. At this time of year and in this current economic downturn it has been very refreshing to be reminded that God is working every day in every corner of the globe. Written entirely by missionaries, this testimony to the power of God to transform lives and meet extraordinary needs is a daily shot in the arm to those of us who doubt... pretty much everyone at one time or other. I highly recommend this devotional to just about anyone who wants to be reminded of that still small voice and the faithfulness of our trustworthy God.

A must-read!

If you have any library of any size, may I highly recommend this book? Max Lucado may have one hit after another, but he hits the ball way outa the park with Fearless: Imagine Your Life Without Fear! Not only is it timely, but it is timeless. Humans have a distinct tendency to worry... and in this day and age it is almost as normal as breathing. We almost feel guilty NOT worrying! Mr. Lucado not only looks at the underlying reasons why we are held in the grip of fear, but what God says about how to escape that noose. With wit, sensitivity and an unshakable determination he invites the reader to confront their fears, name them and dismiss them with the help of our faithful heavenly father. This book will be a staple in my yearly book list and an item on my gift giving list as well. I hope you find it as encouraging and empowering.

Yes, you are seeing double....

You're in for a double header! Thomas Nelson has it's reviewers doing more than one review at a time right now and they are looking like real gems! Here are the next reviews on their way to you:



This is what the product page of Thomas Nelson has to say about Voices of the Faithful:


"A willingness to go is all they have in common," exclaim Beth Moore and Kim P. Davis, speaking of their friends on the front lines who are spreading the gospel around the world and with whom they collaborated to create this book. This second book of 366 daily devotionals features stories of God’s faithfulness, written by hundreds of missionaries worldwide.
From stirring miracles to heroic adventures, this second volume highlights those who daily go to the outer limits of spiritual devotion.
A follow-up to the first book which has now sold over 300,000 copies."



And the next one I was so very excited to recieve is by an author who is a favorite to many with a topic that is more than timely, but a word of encouragement to God's people in a very uncertain time: "Fearless: imagine your life without fear" by the very insightful master communicator, Max Lucado.

They're talking layoffs at work, slowdowns in the economy, flare-ups in the Middle East, turnovers at headquarters, downturns in the housing market, upswings in global warming. The plague of our day, terrorism, begins with the word terror. Fear, it seems, has taken up a hundred-year lease on the building next door and set up shop. Oversized and rude, fear herds us into a prison of unlocked doors. Wouldn't it be great to walk out?
Imagine your life, wholly untouched by angst. What if faith, not fear, was your default reaction to threats? If you could hover a fear magnet over your heart and extract every last shaving of dread, insecurity, or doubt, what would remain? Envision a day, just one day, where you could trust more and fear less.
Can you imagine your life without fear?"

Stay tuned!

Jesus Calling

After recieving Jesus Calling to review I dug right in! I love devotionals and books that are like a spirtual cup of coffee to my soul. I am sorry to say that I was dissapointed in this particular one. Though Sarah Young has a wonderful idea in writing down exactly what she felt that Jesus was saying to hear, I feel it was specifically what SHE needed to hear. I found the devotional repetitive and after about a dozen entries it became stale for me. If you happen to be in the same place that the author was when she wrote this book then you may find it refreshing and encouraging, but I would say it is a must to have your Bible out and reading the sriptures for yourself that she gives at the end of each day's entry. Don't get me wrong, the truths that she shares for each day are not, I believe, take out of context, but they the end of the book you get a very real sense of what God wanted to say to the author and where she was coming from, and in that vein, you know the author's needs and not your own.

Next Up!

The next book headed to me for my review is Jesus Calling: Seeking peace in his presence by Sarah Young. Here is what Thomas Nelson has to say about it:

Uniquely inspired treasures from heaven for every day of the year by missionary Sarah Young.
Jesus Calling is a devotional filled with uniquely inspired treasures from heaven for every day of the year. After many years of writing in her prayer journal, missionary Sarah Young decided to listen to God with pen in hand, writing down whatever she believed He was saying to her. It was awkward at first, but gradually her journaling changed from monologue to dialogue. She knew her writings were not inspired as Scripture is, but journaling helped her grow closer to God. Others were blessed as she shared her writings, until people all over the world were using her messages. They are written from Jesus' point of view, thus the title Jesus Calling. It is Sarah's fervent prayer that our Savior may bless readers with His presence and His peace in ever deeper measure.

Amazing truth revealed!

Can I just say how amazing this book was to read??? I am in the midst of a class on the end times and we are focusing on the role of Israel and the Jewish people right now. It was serendipitous timing to be reading this book and discovering how miraculously God used the people of Italy to save a remnant of Jewish people under the very nose of Mousselini during the second world war. The people of the small towns and villages humbly and without thought for their own lives took a silent stand and acknowledged the right of the Jewish people to survive. The truly puzzling thing is that they did it withot knowledge of the same thing being doen throughout the country and then did not even speak of it until just recently to a woman who made it her purpose in life to recognize such bravery publicly. Though I am not catholic, I can understand the signifigance of the recognition of the pope himself at these acts of selflessness. This book has some amazing pictures and reads a little like a memoir, but is so very worth the wading to uncover the riches of the human spirit. I highly recomend this book to anyone who doubts that anything good came out of the "war to end all wars". Doing what is right is always the right thing to do.

NEXT!

"It Happened In Italy:

Untold Stories of How the People of Italy Defied the Horrors of the Holocaust"

By Elizabeth Bettina

I'm very excited to review this book since my ancenstor come from Southern Italy and I love hearing true stories of how people have stood up for what is right and how God protected them in doing so...

Inventive and fun!

Here's something a little different! Similar in feel to a childhood version of Indiana Jones, the value of being different in couched in a grand mystery and an adventure! Everyone goes through the indecurity of being a little different and comparing themselves to others. This Hermie and Friends adventure helps kids discover the blessings of being a little different and the truth that God has a special purpose for each of us! Creative storytelling and bright animation couple to bring a bible-based tale sure to delight over and over again! With a wonderful twist at the end, each child will feel quite smart to have figured out, all of the characters have a change in perspective and find that God is indeed in control. There is something for everyone in this video- even grown ups won't mind sitting through the inventive tale.

The Noticer: an easy buck...

I don't give negative reviews often as I have a special appreciation for the hard work of an author, but this one really got me... When I opened The Noticer, by Andy Andrews, I was quickly drawn in by the storytelling and the parable-esque quality of the writing. If I was a new Christian or a person seeing the frosting-type of sweetness that comes from shallow advice I would think this was a very good book. There are so many other religeous self-help books that were skimmed to cobble this one together than I got a little lost about what advice was given to what situation. The main character was so unbelievable that I was totally turned off by the 3rd chapter even. I have to say that I was very dissapointed in the amount of scripture used. It felt a little like playing the telephone game with a whole lot of great ideas being passed around without roots. I honestly would not recommend this book at all unless it is for a very light devotional or a mindless distraction.

Next: Same Kind of Different as Me

Coming next: Same Kind of Different as Me by Ron Hall and Denver Moore. Here is the teaser from the Thomas Nelson Product Page:

A dangerous, homeless drifter who grew up picking cotton in virtual slavery.
An upscale art dealer accustomed to the world of Armani and Chanel.
A gutsy woman with a stubborn dream.
A story so incredible no novelist would dare dream it.
It begins outside a burning plantation hut in Louisiana . . . and an East Texas honky-tonk . . . and, without a doubt, in the heart of God. It unfolds in a Hollywood hacienda . . . an upscale New York gallery . . . a downtown dumpster . . . a Texas ranch.
Gritty with pain and betrayal and brutality, this true story also shines with an unexpected, life-changing love.

EDITED 5/6/09: This book was in PDF form and will take a while longer to read. This review may be a while in coming, but don't give up!

A Great Grief Helper

A real help for those grieving is "For the Tough Times" by Max Lucado. This gift book type piece was a nice surprise wrapped up in what I thought would be a bubble gum-hued band aid for those suffering from the death of a loved one. This book is so much more.

We grieve over those lost to death as well as relationships lost to pride or sin. We grieve over jobs lost and futures lost. We all face tough times and the answer is found in Christ for all situations. I was so inspired by the actual applicable texts found in this book that I quickly found a stuation in one close to me to give this book to. It is a wonderful tool to pass along after you have found the help needed within it's pages for your own pain.

I really liked that it was not a glib collection of platitudes, but shone the light on the real issues faced in the midst of pain as well as the importance of facing them with God's help. This connection is acheived through prayer and immersion in scripture to remind us of God's unending control. In grief we can easily feel that God has forgotten about us or is caught off guard, but listening to his voice through his word and pouring out our hearts to him in prayer can reset our center and help us to stand.

I urge you to obtain a copy of this book even when not in crisis. Teach your heart to pray now so that when grief enters your life you will be ready.