It’s Shoebox Time

Monday, November 18, 2013

Yesterday we hosted an Operation Christmas Child Shoe Box Packing Party.

If you’ve never heard of Operation Christmas Child (OCC), it is a project of Samaritan’s Purse where shoe boxes are filled with gifts for a boy or girl in an impoverished country. You can find out more on the Samaritan’s Purse website.

We had boxes ready to fill with gifts for children. Worksheet-style letters were fun to do & added a personal touch to each shoe box.

We had lots of coffee and hot chocolate provided by Starbucks!

These boxes will be going with us to the Charlotte OCC warehouse on December 4th.

Shoebox or shoe box? Which way do you write it?

Adventure Bible Storybook Deluxe Edition ~ Book Review

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

This storybook Bible for kids ages 4-7 will start them on a journey of discovering about the Bible and growing with God as they grow up with the Adventure Bible, at every age and stage, beginning with the Bible Storybook and continuing on through age 12 with the NIV edition. At every twist and turn, the Adventure Bible Storybook is filled with---what else---ADVENTURE! Parents and loved ones can be assured that children who read it will learn the main stories and themes from the Bible, but all within a fun, exciting theme of discovering, imagination, and suspense---everything you'd expect from a fantastic adventure. This storybook includes some lesser known stories that are particularly adventurous, such as Paul's shipwreck on the island of Malta, and when the Israelites went to spy on the people of Canaan.

My thoughts: First, can I just say that I love this book? This Bible set is just gorgeous. The pictures in this book are so vivid, so colorful. It is perfect for children! The stories are simple enough for children to grasp and ponder. I love that there is an equal mix of Old Testament and New Testament stories. The audio CDs are a huge bonus! The audio CDs are perfect for listening to while you're working on something else. If you're looking for a simple Bible set for your little, this would be absolutely perfect. You won't be disappointed!

Thanks to booksneeze.com for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Frame 232 by Wil Mara Book Review

Friday, November 1, 2013

About The Author

Paperback: 448 pages

Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. (June 21, 2013)

ISBN-13: 978-1414359519

The time had come, she decided, to rid herself of this burden, to take the steps necessary to put the matter to rest once and for all. And the first step, she knew—against every instinct and desire—was to watch that film.

During the reading of her mother’s will, Sheila Baker discovers that she has inherited everything her parents ever possessed, including their secrets. A mysterious safe-deposit box key leads her to the answers to one of history’s greatest conspiracies: Who killed John F. Kennedy? Not only does she have the missing film, revealing her mother as the infamous babushka lady, but she has proof that there was more than one shooter.

On the run from people who would stop at nothing to keep secrets buried, Sheila turns to billionaire sleuth Jason Hammond for help. Having lost his own family in a tragic plane crash, Jason knows a thing or two about running from the past. With a target on their backs and time running out, can Jason finally uncover the truth behind the crime that shook a generation—or will he and Sheila become its final victims?

About The Author

Wil Mara is the award-winning novelist of the 2005 disaster thriller 'Wave.' His second book in the disaster group, 'The Gemini Virus,' was released by Macmillan Publishing in October of 2012 to tremendous reviews by consumers and critics alike. In 2013, he released the first book in a new suspense series, 'Frame 232,' which features pivotal character Jason Hammond. 'Frame 232' begins with the discovery of new evidence concerning the Kennedy assassination. Wil is currently writing the second Jason Hammond novel, 'The Nevada Testament,' and developing the next story in the disaster series. He has also written extensively for the school library market. More information about his work can be found at www.wilmara.com.

My Review:

This was a great book. I enjoyed reading it. The characters and plot were well developed and interesting. It held my attention from page one. The JFK murder conspiracy theory is well known. I loved Shelia and Jason and how they interact. The book was a combination thriller, suspense, mystery, and a tiny bit romance. The characters were believable and real. The story is told from a few point of views including Jason. The plot details were great and not confusing. The author describes the conspiracy and the details around it interweaving the modern day plots. I can't wait to read the next Jason Hammond book. Recommended.

I was given a free copy of this book by Tyndale Publishers for review purposes.

The Christian Mama's Guide

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

An entertaining, practical guide for first-time mamas and those who need a baby refresher course. The new mom initiation ritual involves sleepless nights, an inexplicable obsession with baby booties, and more questions than answers. This take on everything baby offers new moms the Christian girlfriend advice she needs to feel confident in her new role, including:

getting into the motherhood groove

breastfeeding advice

suggestions for losing the baby weight—before your baby is no longer a baby

time management tips that may just help you find time to do laundry—before you run out of clean underwear

how you can manage to be a godly mother and a good wife on less than three hours of sleep a night

Easy-to-read and relatable, this been-there-done-that guide answers these questions and more with a dose of humor an a lot of grace so that new moms can become the moms that God intended them to be during their baby's first year.

Review:

The Christian Mama's Guide to Baby's First Year was such a wonderful read and so very refreshing after plodding through several less than encouraging"girlfriend" guides to pregnancy and raising your newborn. Many of the other pregnancy and newborn books were very negative and focused almost exclusively on how hard raising new children can be on the Mom and the marriage. Although, MacPherson offers plenty of empathy and humorous antidotes about her own life, that openly illustrate that being a new mother is not an easy trick, she manages to infuse the novel with positivity and grace. She celebrates the joys of new motherhood and encourages other mothers to do the same. As a potentially unintended consequence, the book also results in a desire to reach out to other new moms who may be struggling or having a bad day to let them know they are not alone in this life challenge.

Many of the chapters are common to the new motherhood books, such as getting your baby to sleep, convincing them to eat, changing diapers, and when to seek medical advice. This book is different in that for each of the subjects the chapters serve as summaries of most of the advice in other books and can quickly point you in the correct direction for reading that most suits your current need. She offers her own personal insights and tips and tricks for saving money,time, and sanity while completing each of the above motherhood adventures. The chapters include her personal experiences, which truly provide the feeling that you are sharing motherhood in the company of a close friend. There are several points during the book where I laughed out loud; a wonderful therapeutic side effect to reading this book.
BookSneeze provided me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Theology

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Theology 101 In Bite-Size Pieces ~ Book Review

Theology 101 in Bite-Size Pieces: A Bird's Eye View of the Riches of Divine Grace

By Judy Azar LeBlanc (Author)

The word theology tends to lead people to think that it is only meant for seminarian scholars; however, the word speaks for itself by the sole definition meaning "the study of God's Word." This book takes a fresh look at God's Power, Character, Love, Nature, and what the finished work of Christ meant to the world in bite size portions. It offers scripturally based truths of some of the riches of His Divine Grace that include answers to thought provoking questions such as what is predestination; who are the chosen; the called, and the elect. The author uses everyday language to explain what it means to be justified, reconciled, forgiven, and offers a clear explanation of why practicing merited grace contradicts Christ's finished work on the cross.

This book will be excellent for a new Christian or someone just learning about Theology. For the most part I knew everything that the author talked about, but it did clear up some of the questions I had, but not really brought any questions to my brain. I liked that they included many verses in this book to the bible, but the only thing I did not like was that they refers to others books. This is something I don't like, but there were not that many, just a few here and there. Over all, this book would be perfect to new Christians or students.

*Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book exchange for honest my review of the book. This does not reflect on my review. The opinions in this post are my own.

Relentless By John Bevere

Wednesday, July 31, 2013

As part of Waterbrook Multnomah's Blogging for Books program, I received this advance reading copy free in exchange for my review. I was not required to give a positive review, but to simply write my own thoughts/experience on it. It was a pre-release copy and is officially for sale today.

First off, let me say that I had a difficult time getting through this book, though I did read it all the way through. I made lots of notes on it, but in this case it was not a good thing. Let me explain.

I was initially quite excited to read Relentless from the descriptions I had read about it. This was my first exposure to Bevere's work, and it sounded like he has had some success in the past. Here's the basic premise of the book from Waterbrook's website:

“God doesn’t author hardship but uses it to strengthen us for greater conquests. He never leads us into a storm that He doesn’t give us the power to overcome.” -- John Bevere, Relentless

You already have what it takes to finish well!

Christians were never meant to “just get by.” You were created to rise above adversity and display greatness! In this compelling book, best-selling author John Bevere explores what it takes to finish well. More than a strategy for survival, Relentless offers you a fresh new mind-set, one that enthusiastically declares with the apostle Paul, “I delight in difficulties.” Its biblically grounded truths will equip you to flourish in every season of life.

However, within just the first chapter (click here to download and read the first chapter for free here and see for yourself), Bevere is exposed. A subtitle proclaims "God wrote a book about you" and within the first paragraph he states "God needs you" and "the heavenly Father is depending on you". Two pages later he continues that God has "prepared for you a fabulous life" and that "you are destined to be great in the sight of God." He concludes this opening chapter with a prayer that includes "I want to know the power You've placed within me to accomplish my destiny." Are you catching the theme here?

The premise of Relentless is that we as Christians are empowered with everything we need to live a successful life. Unfortunately, Bevere's theology is based on a prosperity gospel that is not biblical and his definition of success is not God's. He toes the line (and crosses it at times) between dependence on God for His grace through Christ and self-reliance because we have access to His power whenever we want it.

There are simply too many theological errors to point out, and quite honestly it would unnecessarily belabor the point, but here is a sampling of what I came across:

Relentless focuses heavily on acquiring what God has to offer or what He can give me, rather than finding deep satisfaction in the Giver Himself and how I can give more of myself to Him.
Man's responsibility for sin at times leans more on the excuse that Satan has deceived us, which feels too much like the problem is outside of us rather than inside (a heart problem).
In making the point that we and Christ are one (he referenced Hebrews 2:11 and John 17:21), he states, "when you read Christ in the New Testament, you need to see not just the One who died on the cross, but also yourself" (italics his). I fear that Bevere is equating the church (body) with Christ (head) to show we have His power, instead of recognizing that Christ is the head of the body.
Grace is mistaken as something God passively gives us as if it could be ordered online. Bevere states, "grace is God's free empowerment that gives us the ability to go beyond our natural ability." Was Paul not clear in Ephesians that everything we have is from God in Christ and through Christ?
Grace is also disgraced. He reduces the grace that "forgives our sins and grants us entrance into heaven" as inadequate, and that we should expect more from God.
Throughout the book, Bevere reports that living relentlessly as Christians ought to mean worldly success. I'm not exaggerating this here, so please read carefully. He states many times in chapter 5 that God's gift of grace should produce "fresh, creative, and innovative," "new and more effective," "originate the fresh and creative" societal and economic developments such as in fields of teaching, medicine, fashion/design, politics, law enforcement, and business. As a result, "our places of employment should boom. Our music should be fresh and original-emulated by secular musicians instead of Christian music imitating theirs." He adds later on: "Lack and poverty are not life in all its fullness; therefore they cannot be God's will for your life" (italics his). This has no biblical foundation or support and is, in fact, a complete contradiction to the life and teaching of Jesus.
Finally, Bevere advocates for talking directly to Satan to rebuke him instead of praying to God or quoting Scripture. He does mention that Jesus quoted scripture when He was tempted, but seemed to think that since God has given us Christ we have His same power as if we were Christ Himself. Bevere blatantly admits that praying to God is unnecessary because we can rebuke Satan on our own.

I could go on and on (which I was tempted to do), but I think you get the point: his theology is inaccurate and unbiblical. He clearly advocates for personal empowerment and spends nearly no time cultivating a deep, personal relationship with God. As a result, I simply cannot recommend this book to anyone. While he does make some sound doctrinal points, which are easily the highlights of the book and where Bevere's writing shines the clearest, his application of those is totally unbiblical.

One last point. At the risk of driving my point too far, I have to admit that I'm disappointed with Waterbrook Multnomah as a publishing company for endorsing this book. It definitely does not fit with the other quality books they publish or the goals and mission of their organization.