Daring to Hope -- book review

Daring to Hope is the second book from Katie Davis Majors. Her first book was Kisses from Katie. I listened to her first book as an audio book. It was so good. Kisses from Katie is basically her story or moving to Uganda and following God's calling for her. If you haven't read that book then I would recommend it. It isn't necessary to read it before reading Daring to Hope, but it will give you more of an understanding of her story and how she ended up where she is. As much as I like Katie's first book, I do think this one even better. 

Daring to Hope is more of Katie's story and also the stories of those that have come into her like. It is stories and love, hope, and faith. It is also stories of pain, heartbreak, and deep hurt. Daring to Hope is open and honest. Katie has allowed herself to raw and deep in such a beautiful way. While reading you get a sense of her deep faith and devotion to God and where her hope comes from in the midst of her everyday life, no matter what that day brings. 

This book could be enjoyed by a wide range of audience. I think both men and women would enjoy 

it. I also think that a wide range of age groups would enjoy this book. This is something that I would have enjoyed reading in my later teens and I also think my Grandma, who is 93, would enjoy reading it. Over and over while reading Katie's words I would think, "This is perfect for someone who has or is going through deep hurt or loss." For myself, I lost a good family friend very suddenly and unexpectedly recently. I was reading this book during that time and there were so many words and lines that brought me comfort. So, for myself, thank you to Katie for sharing her hope. 

Lastly, this is my final book review for Blogging for Books. They have chosen to shut down the program. I have enjoyed writing these reviews for them, it was fun while it lasted. 

I received this book for free from Blogging for Books for this review. 

He Calls You Beautiful -- book review

Let's be honest, the Song of Songs (or Song of Solomon) is not my go to book of the Bible to read very often. In fact the only time I usually read the SOS is when I am reading through the whole Bible. So, a book that is based on the SOS intrigued me from the start; just cause I wanted to know how the author would interprets the SOS. The SOS is one of those books in the Bible that we don't often hear preached or taught on. When it is talked about, it often either focuses on being a representation of Christ and the church or as a love story with the focus on marriage. There is nothing wrong with those applications, but it can cause some confusion when you hear both sides and don't know which is right. I appreciate Dee Brestin, the author of He Calls You Beautiful, because she takes the approach that it is both. The SOS is a book of poetry, and just like all poetry it can have multiple applications.

It is obvious that Brestin has done her research and studied the SOS. With that said, this book doesn't come across as just facts and information, i.e. textbook style. Brestin does a descent job intertwining information and personal story. I will say, at times I felt there could have been more written on the explanation or information side of things. There were definitely points where I thought this was lacking. Although, she does recommend reading the SOS along with the book. I did not do that and it may have helped some things make more sense. If you are wanting a deep theological study of the SOS then this is probably not the book for that. If you are wanting a book directed toward women with a focus on the SOS then this book is a good choice.

A benefit of this book is that it is designed to have a study and reflection part built into the book. There is a Q&A section at the end o each chapter. You can certainly do this on your own for a personal study, or you could use it in a small group setting. There are some additional guides at the back of the book for someone to use to facilitate a small group setting. Brestin also has some additional resources available on her website to use along with the study portions. There are video clips to correspond with each chapter in the book.

When God Made You -- book review

I love a good children’s book, and I especially love one that has great illustrations. This book hits both of those things. When God Made You by Matthew Paul Turner is such a beautifully written book for children. There is a ton of rhyme in the book which makes it fun for kids. I read this book several times to my daughter, who is just under a year and a half, and she enjoyed listening as I read because of the fun rhyme to the words. She may not have understood a lot of what I was saying, but she still liked the book. More importantly though, this book has a beautiful message and one that I believe is important for children to learn early on. The message of the book is God created each person for a special purpose and he knows every part of them and they are loved by Him just as they are. Kids need to know this deep inside of them (well, adults do too.)

I also want to point out that the illustrations, by David Catrow, in this book are absolutely wonderful. It is full of bright colors and great drawings. The pictures tell a story of their own. The story of the pictures goes right along with the words of the book, they flow beautifully together. I enjoyed looking at these illustrations just as much as reading the book.

I would recommend this book to anyone who has kids. I think this book would also make a great gift. I’m sure that I will read this book to my daughter many more times in the coming years.

     

I received this book for free from Blogging for Books for this review. 

The Very Good Gospel -- book review

Let me begin this review by saying that when I chose this book I thought that is was written by a different Lisa Harper. The Lisa Harper that I assumed was the author of this book is a well known speaker at mostly Christian women’s events and an author as well. The Lisa Sharon Harper who is the actual author of this book is also an author and a speaker, but with a much different focus. I thought I was getting a book about God’s Word that may be somewhat light and an easy read. What I got instead, with The Very Good Gospel, was something much deeper and focused on justice through the light of God’s Word and works. With that said, this book was still an interesting read.

Lisa focuses on a few main things all wrapped up together; the brokenness of the world that we live in, what God intended for us and what He can do for us in this brokenness, and shalom. This isn’t a book of light, fluffy, feel good topics. Lisa addresses such issues as equality, race, brokenness, shame, hurt, hate, war, and more. Lisa addresses these topics from a very personal place with stories from her own life and real life examples. All of this helps to bring a tone of gentleness to what in reality are hard things. She also intertwines Scripture and deep theological studies of God’s Word that relate to whatever topic is being discussed.

We cannot deny that we live in a broken and hurting world. It is easy to see this, just read a newspaper, turn on the TV, look at social media, the brokenness is everywhere. The heart of The Very Good Gospel points us toward the fact that in the midst of all this junk, God wants to heal, restore, and be in relation. That right there is the gospel message; a God who wants to work in and through us to have shalom.

This book was not my typical read. I will say though that for the most part I got a lot out of it. There were parts where I had “ah-ha” moments. There were other parts that I just read through. There were parts where I thought, “Hmm, I’m not sure I agree with that.” An interesting part of this book, that adds to it, at the end of most chapters there are questions and activities for self reflection. In my opinion this book would be a great read for someone who wants to know more about social justice in the light of God’s Word. Although, many others could get a lot out of this book.

    

I received this book for free from Blogging for Books for this review.

Light of the Last -- book review

Lightof the Last is the third and final book in the War of the Realm series. I have read the two previous books in the series; Cloakof the Light and Rise of the Fallen. Both of the previous books were good reads; this book follows right along with them. Although, I must say, if you were to read this book without reading the previous two, you would miss out on a lot of what is happening and some parts may be a bit confusing.

This book is truly the coming together of the first book, which focused on the main character Drew Carter, and the second book, which focused on the main character Validus. Light of the Last goes back and forth between the two and brings everything together. The three part story is wrapped up in the end, but (spoiler alert) there is just a bit of an open ending.

Once again Chuck Black does a good job of crafting a fictional story around the topic of spiritual warfare. Speaking of warfare, this book is action packed. With that said there were parts that seemed like a bit of a stretch. Now of course this is a fiction book, and Black does himself say that he takes some liberties in the area of spiritual warfare. I believe I pointed it this out in my reviews of the other two books in the series, but I’ll say it again. I appreciate that Black includes Reader’s Guide at the end of the book that states Scripture references that he uses to back up his writing. So, for anyone worried about the Biblical context of the book, there is the foundation of that.

I received this book for free from Blogging for Books for this review.

Lovely Adult Coloring -- book review

In case you haven’t noticed, a newish trend is adult coloring books or coloring pages. (Side note: they couldn’t come up with a better name than “adult coloring?”) Now, I was aware of this trend for a while before I actually tried some of the adult coloring. This past Christmas my husband got me two of these coloring books. That is the first time that I had tried them. Now I liked the idea of them, but I wasn’t sure if I would actually find them enjoyable. Turns out, I did. I think they are quite relaxing and more enjoyable than using a child’s coloring book because they are more complex.

Whateveris Lovely is an adult coloring book that has some aspects that make it stand out from some of the others. It was created for the purpose of devotion, worship, or meditation on God or God’s Word. Each picture is based on a verse, quote, poem, or hymn. The back of each picture has the full piece that the picture was based on and a little blurb about the author. Water Brook Press has also created a Spotify playlist to accompany the book. That is more than your average adult coloring book does. Another thing that sets this book apart is that the coloring pages are created by a variety of artists. Because of this there is a variety of styles of work throughout the book. One down side that I think this book has is that the pages are not perforated, so you can’t tear them out and use them for art.

So, who would Whatever is Lovely appeal to? In my opinion people who have an artistic side would enjoy it. Someone who is looking for something different to use a devotional could find it useful. I think that it would appeal to both the young and the old. This would make a fun gift for a wide variety of people, or just something to purchase for yourself.

I received this book for free from Blogging for Books for this review.

Here two of the pages that I have colored so far. (Sorry about the not so great photo quality. I just snapped the pictures real quick right before posting this.)

Sleep for Little Ones -- book review

Lisa Tawn Bergren has a series of books for young children that all begin with; “God Gave Us …” The latest in the series is God Gave Us Sleep. I’m sure that the other books in her series are cute, enjoyable, fun reads for a little one. I haven’t actually read any of the other books though. This was the first one that I have had the opportunity to read. After reading God Gave Us Sleep, I wouldn’t hesitate to read or recommend Bergren’s other children’s books. As a child, I was a reader, and I enjoyed being read to as well. I have read many children’s books during my life, and I can’t wait to get to read this book to my child someday. (First baby on the way.)

An aspect of God Gave Us Sleep that is so charming is the artwork. Laura J. Bryant has created these adorable pictures that I can imagine any child loving. Who wouldn’t love a super cute cub and all of her arctic friends? The art is beautifully done on every single page, giving the child plenty of pictures to look at while reading the story. These pictures help to make the story come alive.

Bergren does a great job of not just making this a book about bedtime, an often stressful and tiring time for parents. She includes why it is important to get sleep, what happens if you don’t get the needed sleep, and things that can seem scary about sleep to a child. In my opinion this adds depth to the book that can be appreciated not just by kids, but by their parents too. For me, a mark of a good children’s book is one that a parent wouldn’t mind having to read multiple times to their child. This book falls into that category for me.

I received this book for free from Blogging for Books for this review.

It's Good to Be Queen -- book review

In Liz Curtis Higgs’s latest book she dives into the life of the Queen of Sheba. The basis for the book is taken from 1 Kings 10:1-13. Liz is a seasoned author, and she knows how to do her research. Not only do you have the Scriptural basis, but there is a fair amount of other resources and information that she sites as well. All of that along with her personal stories, input from other women, and a dab of storytelling make for an interesting and quick read in It’s Good to Be Queen.

I don’t think that I would generally pick a book about the Queen of Sheba for my reading material usually, but being familiar with some of Higgs other works I figured it would be good. She did not disappoint. I know about the Queen of Sheba from the few Bible passages that she is mentioned in. I also have heard some historical information and some speculated stuff about her. Even with the knowledge that I already had of her, I felt that Liz did a great job of really diving into who the Queen of Sheba was in a fresh new way that made me look at her in a different way.

The book itself is broken down into ten different chapters that each focus on a portion of Scripture from 1 Kings 10, and what lesson or insight we can draw from that. This book covers a lot of subtopics. The story of Sheba ties it all together though, so it works. The way that the book is set up it would be great to use in a woman’s Bible study, Sunday school, or book club. Liz even includes a study guide in the back of the book. There is actually one that is meant for a one time discussion of the book; a book club setting. One that is broken up into 10 sections, one for each chapter of the book; a woman’s group or Sunday school setting. Now, of course you can also use the study guide for yourself to getting thinking about the reading a little more.

I received this book for free from Blogging for Books for this review.

Rise of the Fallen -- Book Review

The second installment in the War of the Realm series by Chuck Black is Rise of theFallen by Chuck Black. Having read the first book in the series, Cloak of the Light, I was very excited to get to read  and review the second book as well. Rise of the Fallen did not disappoint! In some ways it may have even been better than the first book in the series. The second book really adds to the story of the first book. I am interested to see where the next book goes with the story.

The first book, Cloak of the Light, focuses on the main character of Drew Carter. For the most part it is written from his point of view. Throughout that book you see the war that is going on in the spiritual realm, but from a human perspective in most ways. In Rise of the Fallen, the focus is on an angel, Validus. Most everything is from his perspective. This completely changes the tone of the book. This book has much more of a supernatural war tone to it because of it being from the point of view of Validus, a warrior angel. The war may be a supernatural war, but it very much has the feel of a natural war.

This book also doesn’t just focus of the story of Drew from Validus’ point of view. The story weaves back and forth between the story surrounding Drew and the history of Validus. You see Validus move from an inexperienced angel at the beginning of time to one of the greatest warrior angels that there is. This part of the story moves along through some significant moments in Biblical history. Throughout this book the parts about Validus may be more intriguing than the parts following the story of Drew.

My one warning of this book, and really this series, is that some people may find some theological fault in it. Clearly some the parts involving and about the angels, demons, and spiritual warfare is fictionalized. There is only so much that we know about the spiritual world from the Bible. Chuck Black does take some liberties in this area. A great thing that he does to back up his writing is put stuff that is a direct Biblical quote or Biblical truth in bold letters. Then there is a reference in the back that corresponds to these parts and gives explanations. He also addresses some the things that may bring up questions about the spiritual world, and backs up his answers with Scripture. This is a great resource, especially since this book is written for the young adult genre. It is equally good for the adult reader too.

I received this book for free from Blogging for Books for this review.

The Holy Land Key -- book review

In the HolyLand Key, Ray Bentley takes you on a journey into the lives, history, and significance of Israel and the Jewish people. Bentley has a great love for the nation of Israel. He also has made deep and lasting connections with many Jews and non-Jews who reside both in Israel and outside Israel, but who share a deep love for this nation. Bentley is an American who would be considered a Gentile, but he has spent many years studying Jewish culture, history, and significance. His love, respect, and value for this nation and its people is obvious.

In this book, Bentley tries to bring together a lot of information about Israel and the Jewish people, personal stories of people whom he has made connections with concerning the Holy Land, and the role that it plays in prophecy. He does a good job with first two fore mentioned items, the third seems to be lacking a little in my opinion. This is a bit strange considering that the subtitle for the book is, “Unlocking End-Times Prophecy Though the Lives of God’s People in Israel.” Initially reading this led me to believe this book would be more of a look at the prophecy that is seen in the book of Revelations, and how the Jews and Israel are a part of all that. Now, that is included in the book, particularly about the last third of the book. The beginning of the book is more of a look at the significance of Israel and the Jews. So, with that said, the subtitle for the book can be a bit misleading if you are expecting a book focused on prophecy as a look at the End-Times and the events that will take place during that time.

Now even though this book wasn’t what I was expecting it to be, it was still a solid read. Bentley has done his research and it shows. In fact there are many sources listed in the back of the book to back up his writing. I found The Holy Land Key to be very interesting. I feel as though I learned a lot of new information from it and gained some new perspective as well. This isn’t the type of book that I would generally read, but I am glad that I did.   

I received this book for free from Blogging for Books for this review.

An Adventure in Light & Darkness - Book Review

Cloak of the Light by Chuck Black is a gripping story that centers on a young man, by the name of Drew Carter. At first Drew just seems like a kid, then teen, who has had several unfortunate events happen to him during his life. Then one of these unfortunate events changes his life forever in a drastic way. Drew is suddenly forced to live in world where he can see not only the normal world we live in, but what seems to be another world that no one else seems to see. This change to Drew’s world forces him to change his life as well. Along the way there are also other characters that are an essential part of the story, Sydney and Ben. They are Drew’s two closest friends who are there with him through the journey that he is forced to travel between light and darkness.

ChuckBlack has done a great job putting a fresh spin on the topic of spiritual battle. In a note at the end of the book, he himself says that creative liberties have been taken in approaching this topic. He also does note that there are many things that are unclear to us about spiritual battle simple because the Bible doesn’t give us every little detail about it. He does however take the truths that we know of the subject from the Bible and stay within those guidelines. There is also a great Readers Guide at the back of the book. This would be particularly helpful for someone who does not the Bible well or is a younger reader.

The down side to this book is that the start is a bit slow. If you stick with it though, until about a fourth of the way through the book, the pace picks up really quickly. From there the story moves along quickly, then it gets a bit bogged down and can start to seem a little redundant. Keep reading though, the story finishes strong and leave you hanging a little. Just enough unanswered questions to make you want to continue on with the War of the Realm series. Cloak of the Light is the first book in the series, by the way. 

I would think that this book would appeal to both adolescent boy and girls. There is a little bit of suspense, sci-fi, love story, intriguing story, and Biblical truth for everyone. As an adult I enjoyed it as well, and will probably read the other books in the series.

I received this book for free from Blogging for Books for this review.

Give Away -- Heart Wide Open

As a disclaimer, I have not read this book......yet. Sounds good though, and I would like to read it. Anyhow, the author, Shellie Rushing Tomlinson, is giving away a fantastic gift basket in celebration of her book release. Anyone is welcome to enter the drawing. I have entered. Why not? Give aways are fun! Here is the book trailer for Heart Wide Open. 

Here is a note from Shellie about the give away.
_________________________________________________________________

Hello there!

To those of you that will be requesting and reviewing my book, Heart Wide Open I just wanted to say bless your heart and many thanks.

So, the big news is that we are inching ever so close to the book launch on March 18th. I'm in the middle of more details than you can shake a stick at as I try to juggle the lovely chaos of a book launch along with the regularly scheduled chaos that is my life. But, then, I'm thinking your life is probably equally full and you'd appreciate it if I would get to my reason for being in your inbox. Good point. I'll go there now.

Since hopefully you will soon review Heart Wide Open on your blog, there's good news straight ahead. All bloggers will be able to offer their readers a chance to win my Heart Wide Open Gift Basket. They can register by leaving a comment for you on your blog and filling out this simple online form that will allow me to collect all the names for the big drawing to be held on the first day of April. And that's no April Fool's!



What’s in the Heart Wide Open Gift Basket, you ask?

• A beautiful wallboard inscribed with these words from the Song of Solomon, "Come and awaken love and when I find him I won't let him go."
• A beautiful coffee mug bearing this sentiment, "Heart you to the moon and back."
• A Bird of Paradise heart shaped candle
• A Heart Shaped Keepsake Box
• A Red and White Chevron Design Scarf
• A Heart Wide Open T-Shirt (winner to designate size)
• A $50 Amazon Gift Certificate
• And, of course, a copy of Heart Wide Open

Now, that, my friends, that is a gift basket! Am I right?

Hugs,

Shellie 
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Happy Friday & Happy Give Aways! Remember leave a comment on my blog if you enter the give away.

The Names of God - Book Review

Knowing God by Name, a Girlfriends in GodFaith Adventure is an eight week devotional with daily readings that include some stories or personal antidotes and a section of Scripture that includes that days focus on a certain name of God. Sharon Jaynes, Gwen Smith, and Mary Southerland, who together are Girlfriends in God, have teamed up to put together this devotional. Each one separately writes the different days of the devotional. They are known for their online devotional and each is a speaker and writer in their own right.

Knowing the names of God and what they mean is a great way to know more of the character of God and who He is. After all, knowing more of God’s character helps us to grow closer to Him. Focusing on one name a day is great idea for a devotional. There are forty names of God that are studied in this devotional. Each one is discussed in a simple way that isn’t too deep or overwhelmingly theological. The writing makes it very easy to read and make applicable to your own life.

Each daily reading, if you choose to read the book in a devotional fashion, is usually only 3-5 pages and a quick read. Each day includes a portion of Scripture and a reflective prayer. There is also a day for reflection that includes review questions and personal reflection. This book could be used as a personal devotional or as a group Bible study. Personally I think that I would have gotten more out of it if I were using it in group setting and discussing with others the material. It was good to read just on my own too though.

Having previously read a book by Sharon Jaynes, I knew that I enjoyed her writing, and this was one thing that drew me to this book. Also, reading an excerpt from the book made it seem like it would be interesting. I did enjoy reading this book. At times the personal stories and antidotes seemed to almost distract from what the focus of the book is, the names of God. Although, the names of God were talked about and explained, I felt that more focus could have been put on them and the portions of Scripture that they were taken from. This book is of course directed at women, thus the "Girlfriends" part. It would be a great read for a women's group, an individual woman, or someone who just wants to know more about who God is.

I received this book for free from Blogging for Books for this review.

Prairie Hummm......Book Review

Where to begin with this review? I have mixed feelings about this book, so overall I guess it was just ok. This isn’t the normal type of book (a historical romance) that I would normally choose to read. I wanted to read a fiction book though since the last few that I have read have been nonfiction. After looking through my choices, Prairie Song by Mona Hodgson was my winner.

To begin, the back cover made it sound like an interesting story. Good way to start. The cover artwork is nicely done, another good starting point.

Now on to the story; as I began reading the characters were inviting. The story revolves around several characters, which helps to move the story along and add more depth and interest. The main character is Anna Goben a young woman with a rough life, who dreams of something better for her family and has convinced them that they need to join a wagon train and head out on a fresh start. Anna is a likable character in the story. In fact one thing that I really enjoyed was the depth of each person in the story and how they all seemed to have their own little side story happening. This is what makes a character seem like a real person, not just words on a page.

Then the story kept going, and going, and dragging on. Mid way through the book it starts to bog down a bit and seem repetitive in way, like about 50 pages or so of the book could have been condensed down. And pretty much at this point in the story you can figure out what is going to happen. This makes it pretty predictable. A fact that I feel is hard to avoid with a romance story. You just kind of assume the guy is going to get the girl, they will fall in love, and live happily ever after. Prairie Song wasn’t quite able to get past the predictability of the romance.

Then suddenly over the last few chapters I was drawn back in to the story and hooked again. This is the point when I wanted to just keep reading so that I could get to the end (in a good way.) So, overall it started well, dragged in the middle, and ended on a high note.       

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this reviewing purpose.