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.

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.

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.

Heart Wide Open -- book review

I first heard of this book when Shellie was doing a give-away for the release of the book. When I was checking out the give-away, I discovered the book trailer for Heart Wide Open. It is posted below for you to watch as well.

After watching the book trailer, I wanted to read the book. The book did not disappoint. It isn’t very often that I read a book in the Christian Living genre that I don’t want to put down or take a break from. Heart Wide Open is one of those books that did just that though. Shellie Rushing Tomlinson does a great job of winding antidotes from her own life, other stories, humor, quotes, and most importantly Scripture together to make a great read. This book does a good job at encouraging you in your faith and walk with God no matter what stage of your Christian life you are in. The things in this book could be applicable to a new believer just as much as a seasoned veteran of the faith.

Shellie is a southern girl from Louisiana. The southern in her comes through in her writing. In saying that I mean it feels like you could sit out on the porch with her, drink some sweet tea, and chat for hours even though you have never met her. This southern warmth comes through in her writing in a way that makes the book not seem too preachy or harsh. Instead it is encouraging and full of grace and love. One minute you may find yourself and laughing out loud at one of her stories and the next page over be brought to tears by the truth of God’s Word. All the while the purpose of the book, to encourage you to open your heart up to a life fully lived with God as a part of all of it, shines through.   

Heart Wide Open was a fantastic book to read on my own. It would make an excellent read for a Bible Study or small group setting as well. There is actually a short Bible study or discussion guide in the back of the book. I love books that come with a discussion guide included. Shellie has also put together a DVD that you can purchase to go along with the book if you are using it for a Bible study or small group.

Blogging for Books provided this book to me for free in exchange for an honest review.