For All Who Wander

So here we have a new book by Robin Dance. What was uber  exciting about reviewing this book has been receiving the journey guide with it. Robin is an (in)courage author, which means she belongs to the same community of writers responsible for the (in)courage bible, devotional and a host of other books.



I love the color scheme of this book and the journey guide. I feel like its a navy with a hint of purple and journey guide itself is definitely purple. With the accent of red-seeded dandelion petals on it. And the full red-seeded dandelion on the cover of the journey guide. These books are 5x7 (roughly) so they are the size of the average book and can be thrown into your bag to take on the go with you.




At the core of this book is Robin’s own journey through life in coming into relationship with God. And the journey guide is a guide to help the reader understand our own journey through life in coming into relationship with God. The questions are very self reflecting to pull out the memories and get them on paper, to reflect on the life we’ve lived up until this point.

I’ll be honest, Robin has the stereotypical church background  (at least what she describes of it). She has been in the church her whole life, definitely as a result of her father’s promise to her mother (her mother passed away during her childhood, I cried). And she found the comfort that she needed as a child in going to church consistently no matter what, even if her dad didn’t go, he made sure she went. And from there her story unravels. I particularly sit up and dig in once she’s in the same space of life as me, a mom that’s trying to make it through broken sleep, many kids, and trying to live out the gospel I so readily try to share with others. She’s open with her questions to God. She shares the verses that have helped her. And she dares to bare her heart on the pages. And the journey guide takes us chapter by chapter on this journey with her, prompting us, well me, the reader to remember if I’ve felt like her, asked the same questions, or been in similar situations. It’s helping me to write my faith journey.

So my end take: TWO thumbs up. If you’re going to get the book, then do not miss out on the experience, get the journey guide as well. Let them help you through your journey as well. And answer the questions honestly.


{As always, I received this book from the publisher, B&H Publishing, as a member of this book reviewer community. I got it for free in exchange for my HONEST review.}

Bible & Breakfast!

So, as I am learning mealtime and bible time can go hand in hand. And what better way than with Asheritah Ciuciu's latest book Bible & Breakfast.

31 days having Breakfast with Jesus. That is the promise of this book. As a mom, Ashertiah understands how hard it is as a mom to get consistent time in God's Word each morning. And one of the best features of this bible??
RECIPES!!! There's a recipe for each day that you spend with Jesus. This makes me happy because it is so easy to run out of new recipes to make and here are 31 new recipes.

Each day features several things:

1. That day's recipe which is also illustrated and tells you if its "gluten-free," "kid-friendly," "freezer-friendly," or if you can meal-prep it.
2. The morning snack, which is a quick 3-minute devotional.
3. The feast which is a longer more in-depth study that is intended to really get us in the Word.

I love that from the beginning this book assumes that it is a we thing. That perhaps there will be a group of parents doing this study together or a group of girlfriends, or even a group of grandparents. I also love that she has both a short devotional AND a deeper bible study. That way even if I cannot sit down to study, I can at least grab a quick snack in the Word then come back during lunch or nap-time to sit, savor, and study the Word.  And it is hardback which means it can withstand being in the kitchen around little hands or some messes.

HIGHLY recommend. I am personally digging into this book starting January 1st to kick off my year. And I invite any and everyone to join me. You can grab a copy here. 

{A huge thank you to Moody Publishers for allowing to be a long-term member of its Blogger Program. As a member, I have received this book (along with many others reviewed on this blog) for free in exchange for my HONEST opinion.}

Habits for Our Holiness

Many are the number of books available on Christian Living. 

Rare is a book that puts different habits into one book (outside of the Bible).

So Philip Nation undertook the very high standards and responsibility of composing a book on the spiritual disciplines. He starts with actually loving Jesus and surrendering our lives to Him. 

The second chapter focuses on worship and not just in the manner of singing or rather listening to someone on a stage sing. Completely pleased with the way addresses this because people often think worship is just the beginning of Sunday service, the singing portion. But worship goes beyond that into the way we live and what we spend our time, affection, and resources on. 

The third chapter is on bible study. Praise God! And he makes clear the difference between devotions, basic reading and actual study of the bible. Yes, there is a difference. And unfortunately many I know get to devotions and because they may get a couple verses in the devotion, they stop there as if its a full meal and not a snack. 

Then the fourth chapter focuses on prayer. Yet another spiritual discipline that even I have to rein in. Prayer is a conversation with God, there's dialogue and too often we treat prayer like a monologue simply dumping on God then continuing on with our day OR treating Him like a genie (available to grant our wishes). 

The fifth chapter is on the discipline of fasting. Because it is something we are expected to do. Jesus doesn't say IF you fast but WHEN you fast, meaning it is supposed to happen. 

The sixth chapter covers fellowship. Again something else we are expected to do. We are expected to spend time with other believers in corporate fellowship and worship. Even if large crowds are uncomfortable, there are house churches (we need more of these) and bible study or belong groups, you can join. 

The seventh chapter addresses rest. Because there is a such thing as doing too much and even God rested.  

The eighth chapter focuses our attention on simple living. Something capitalist America struggles with. There's always the quest for more, more bigger, for better, for brand names. And there's the idea of being like the early church, live simple and be generous. 

The ninth chapter reminds us to serve. Jesus did not come to be served BUT to serve others. And we must also remember to serve others. 

The tenth chapter exhorts us to submission. Because that word is dirty, especially to women and almost always comes with a negative retort. Submission is to get under the mission, which is literally what we signed up for when we chose Jesus and when we get married. 

The eleventh chapter concerns spiritual leadership. Knowing that there is good and there is bad and we must always seek to serve God and lead people to God. 

And the final chapter like Jesus final instructions exhorts us to disciple-making. The end of the great commission is to make disciples. Our testimony can't end with us. And we have to help steward those we lead toward Jesus. Help then stay on the narrow path. 

READ AT YOUR OWN RISK. This is one of those books that once you read you're expected to act on what you know. Once you read and gain a base understanding of these spiritual disciplines, you will be held responsible for what you do or don't do.  And on that note, I do recommend reading. Especially new believers who may want and need a base understanding of these spiritual disciplines.

Remember: It's hard to do what you don't understand just like you can't love what you don't know.

{I received this book from Moody Publishers in exchange for my honest review.}

Disciple Her

Discipleship, a fastly growing topic in contemporary Christian circles.

Kandi Gallaty addresses a very much needed and widely gaining notice topic. 

Discipleship is the act of teaching through life lessons another to be a disciple. But in order to make disciples, you first have to be a disciple. Jesus was able to tell the 12 to go forth and make disciples because they had first been disciples of His. And so Kandi Gallaty, who has discipleship groups at their (her & her husband, whose book will be one of the next books I review) church. 

Note that this book's table of contents is awesome. There is a breakdown of the topic of each chapter, which makes sharing the topic of the book that much easier.

So what makes this book great on discipleship is the fact that (as you can see below) Kandi Gallaty goes beyond talking about the need for discipleship but she goes into HOW to actually accomplish discipleship. She goes starts with the prep work that goes into starting a D-group (discipleship group). From prayer & planning to actually starting the group. She explores the elements of development, so you get an idea of what maturity looks like in your group. Then she does something else amazing: she breaks down the difference between a D-group and all of the other small groups that are in a church because yes there is a difference. 

This book has been an eye-opener and a welcomed resource for the next stage of life that God is preparing us for. I highly recommend, especially for those who are in ministry as I think it will definitely assist in your ministry work.

If you check out the excerpt below you will see the breakdown of each chapter. 

 {And as always I received this book from the publisher in exchange for my HONEST opinion.}

Friendship Promises

We all have friends, right? And what particularly makes us a good friend? What would we tell others if they asked us this question?

So this is a new gift book by (in) courage, it is composed of devotions, prayer prompts, and journal prompts on the topic of friendship combined with beautiful Scripture art and graphics. I can easily see this book going from gift to interactive treasure as the devotions, prayers, and journaling prompts (along with the space to journal) invites us to linger and digest these lessons & promises on friendship. Then, as we marvel at the Scripture art, perhaps they are left blank without color so that we, too, may participate in making this book beautiful. 

The friendship promised this book offers are:

I promise to be Authentic, Present, Encouraging, and Rooted in Christ. The entire book is organized by these friendship promises. The reflections are drawn from Never Unfriended by Lisa Jo Baker and Craving Connection (another book by (in)courage). I mention this so that you have an idea of the authors of the book since other than this mention, there is no attributed author.

So for the exterior, we're looking at linen over the board. In person, it is the perfect shade of a coral/salmon color. And is the same size as Open Door Living (another gift book). The cover lettering & design is embossed with gold foil. There's also a ribbon marker the same shade of coral/salmon as the book, which makes me happy. 

I really like this book. I think that in this world of people being so easy to write each other off (and being proud of that fact) we need more resources on friendship. The beauty in friendship and knowing just what godly friendship looks like.

Highly recommend. I say buy in pairs. One for yourself and one for your best gal pal (or more for your best gal group of friends).

{As always, I received this book from the publisher (B&H) in exchange for my HONEST opinion.}

A Standard of Grace

A Standard of Grace is the third book by Emily Ley. And Omgosh I wish I'd known about her before. After getting my hands on this guided journal, I am itching to read her other books, Grace, Not Perfection and A Simplified Life. 

So starting on the outside, it is a beautiful and bright hardback. The front lettering is embossed in gold. Also, there are 3, yes THREE, colorful (navy, yellow, and pink) ribbon bookmarks. Yep, excited! This journal is smaller than the average notebook yet larger than the average journal (9x6.6). 

Now for the inside, this is the GOOD paper. I mean you can use gel pens or even a highlighter without worry of it bleeding through. The guided journal is organized weekly instead of daily, with about 2 journaling prompts per week. It's enough to really get into but not so much that it takes us too much time. So it is PERFECT for the busy mama (like myself) or even the busy gal on the go who wants to stop to smell the roses but still has a full plate. There are also loads of beautiful photography found in the book.

Back cover...

The purpose of this guided journal is to get us to slow down to create the life we want and will be proud of. Not a life of perfection but one full of grace and mercy. One that has room for margin, which means less stress and frustration when disruptions to our day come. She also encourages us to dream in our journaling. And there are plenty of nuggets of inspiration and motivating quotes sprinkled throughout the journal. 

I'd definitely recommend, especially for those who could use help in staying on track in journaling. *hand raised*

(FYI: I received this journal from the publisher in exchange for my HONEST opinion.)

Open Door Living

How do you feel about hospitality?

Is it effortless for you? Or do you often need a little encouragement and some great tips on ways to show hospitality to others?

Well, me, I fall in the middle of the two. Serving others comes naturally to me. Once we have guests, I immediately fall into service. I think its part of my DNA, although most moms I know are like this. But then there are times when I struggle. Some times it is merely getting everyone in my house on board with opening our home to others (especially when strangers are involved). Other times it is knowing what to do, how to decorate, or what to serve them once they've entered my home.

And enter Open Door Living by Jen Schmidt. I'd already read her book Just Open the Door (which has a companion Bible study). Open Door Living is another companion book to Just Open the Door. While Just Open the Door dealt with getting us to actually be hospitable and invite people into our homes and hearts. Open Door Living is more of a practical, here are some recipes and decor tips with devotions, beautiful artwork and conversation starters thrown in. 

And I LOVE IT. I love the recipes and decor tips, they are easy to follow and tweak to my taste. The conversation starters are great when you're having new friends over and are just starting to learn about them or even having a small dinner/lunch/brunch party. And the devotions are always welcomed. They help get us in the mood and set the tone for each chapter. 

The artwork, though!!! Definitely worth getting printed and put on canvas or framed to put in your home. Your walls will thank me later. 

Feel free to download and frame or put on canvas.

I think this book is great for personal use but also make a great gift. Highly recommend for any gift-giving needs.

(FYI: As always I received this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion.)

Tiny Truths Illustrated Bible

EEEEEEKKKK!!!!

That was me being UBER excited about this children's story bible. This has to be the first one I've EVER encountered where ALL of the illustrations are brown people. 

I have come across many Bible storybooks in my years of book reviewing and this is the FIRST time I've come across one where the characters are accurate. They are all beautiful shades of brown. While this may not seem like a huge deal, it really is. Most illustrations of Jesus and different people from the bible has been hugely white-washed even when you see movies on Joseph or Moses it is rare for us to see the Egyptians (who are African) portrayed as actual Africans (which is people of color, brown/black). And so to have an ENTIRE Bible storybook filled with people of color where my kids can see themselves in the Bible, that's huge. It's representation where we often have none. 

The stories are not too long and the illustrations hold our little ones' interest.  There are about 20 Old Testament stories and 20 New Testament stories.  Now don't expect it to be completely accurate (it isn't), that's why I described it as a storybook and not a Bible as the writer liberally adds to it to make it fun and engaging for kids. One of the stories is titled in such a way that children can connect the story to the holiday, The First Christmas.

If you choose to grab a copy for your kiddos, head over to Amazon.

(As always, I received this book from the publisher in exchange for my HONEST opinion.)

Made for This

Jennie Allen! Love her books! They get to the nitty-gritty of surrender. And morphed into IF: Gathering (IF: Table, IF:Local), a ministry that seeks to gather people together into groups of all sizes and demographics to study God's Word together. 

This book is 40 days and it has released right in time for Lent (also a 40-day event). The goal is to do this book during Lent (what Jennie is currently promoting). The book itself is broken down into 4 parts (check below for photos of the Table of Contents). It is the embodiment of Anything (2015) and Restless (2014) morphed into one interactive book. It challenges and inspires. It requires you to engage. It prompts you to make life-altering changes. Changes that exhorts you to draw near to God so that He will draw near to you.

Part One is completely Anything. Praying the Anything Prayer. I will go anywhere you choose Lord.  I will do anything You ask of me, Lord. ANYTHING Lord, here I am. And this is a BOLD prayer to pray. This is a surrendering of one's self and entire life unto God. And you need to mean it and be willing to follow through when God responds. 

Part Two, answer the call. God calls. He beckons. He points, He moves. And it is up to us to hear and to respond. I'll be honest, the first step to hearing is to spending time with God.

Part Three: Working out the details, the threads. There's a process of walking out the surrender. It will not be easy and it will require obedience to whatever God sets forth. Those threads are important, no matter how big or small.

Part Four: The future. It's okay to dream for the future and plan. Even if God throws the monkey wrench later, it is okay. How do we take what we learn about ourselves and about God in this 40 days journey and let it apply to the rest of our lives? Because that is the real goal, right? For lasting impact, not just to feel good or feel challenged in the moment then, write off once the 40 days are up.

Highly recommend. And if you have not read Anything and Restless. Please get them and read them while going through this book. It will make a HUGE difference.

{FYI: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for my HONEST opinion.}

Taste and See

How often do you come across a book that combines Scripture with food yet not in the context of fasting?

Margaret Feinberg does just that. She takes her readers on a journey through the Bible to literally taste and see that the Lord is good. 

First, we head to the Promised Land to catch fish in the same sea as the disciples. We learn just the type of fish caught and just how important fishing was to that culture and what it meant when the disciples left their jobs fishing to follow Jesus but also the miracles Jesus performed in that sea. 

Next, Margaret takes the reader to California to learn about figs and fig trees. We learn about the cycles of the fig tree and how huge it was when a tree did not produce. 

Third, we learn about baking bread. The way the Israelites would have for Passover, especially if they were poor. 

The fourth place we head to is near her home in Utah, to salt mines to learn about how salt is mined and the differences in salt as well as to learn that while salt is a common commodity these days, in biblical days salt had to be mined to be of use even to season with. 

The sixth chapter takes the reader to Croatia to pick olives in an olive grove and learn rich history behind olives and how the relate to the Old Testament story of Elisha and the widow. 

The seventh chapter takes us to Dallas, Texas where Margaret gets a lesson on meat and lamb chops. We learn about how modern food regulations relate to biblical times food regulations and how they set the Israelites apart from their neighbors and kept them from food bribery. Understanding meat take up a great portion of the chapter both in biblical times and in modern times.

The last chapter pulls it all together and sums up the experience that Margaret has taken us on.

And if you hurry, you can jump in on the study videos offered through Study Gateway, which can superbly aid in reading and studying this book.

I give this book 2 thumbs us and greatly recommend it to anyone interested in seeing the Bible truly come alive with the food of that era.

{FYI: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for my HONEST opinion.}

Morning and Evening Prayer Book

This is my first time ever reviewing a prayerbook and I couldn't be more thrilled. It is meant to last the entire year and it has prayers to start the day and end the day. The prayers come from throughout history. There are Old Testament prayers and New Testament Prayers. There are prayers from the Eastern Orthodox church, prayers from the catholic church, prayers from Martin Luther, from Spurgeon. There are prayers from just about every walk of the Christian faith and every era of the Christian faith. And its amazing. It's refreshing and invigorating to pray the prayers of those before us. To have that as a inspiration towards more personal & intimate prayers. And THAT is the purpose of the book.

This book comes as a beautiful deep purple hardback, with a ribbon marker. The paper is fairly thick parchment. It doesn't feel like your usual book paper. Rather it lends an air of ancientness to the book as if to set it apart from any other book you may pick up. The parchment reminds me of what I think a book from hundreds of years ago might be like.  There are also pictures throughout the book, they're usually found depicting an event on the Western Church Calendar (many of the daily prayers follow along with the Church Calendar). Something super helpful to me as I have decided to follow along with the church calendar this year (starting with Advent 2018).

I highly recommend. Especially for those who may struggle to pray. Some days there is no struggle for me to pray and other days I need the assistance.

Below are a few excerpts:

{FYI: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion.}

Sacred Holidays: Less Chaos, More Jesus

Sacred Holidays, what started as a ministry to bring advent and lent bible studies & reading plans have morphed into a book about making the holidays sacred. There are some things Becky Kiser gets right and there are still some things I feel she misses the mark on.

So let's start with what she gets right. She offers solid planning ideas and space to plan your holidays and birthdays. She offers grace about being different and doing holidays differently. She's adamant about learning how to say no so that you can say yes to the valuable things. I love that she wants us to plan 30-60 days in advance the holidays and birthdays, which would make my life so much easier, as we have 5 children and birthdays can be quite hectic since they seem to come back to back (March 4, May 3, May 7, May 30, & August 9). 

She helps us tackle budgeting because while some are natural budgeters, some of us are not (*raises hand*).  She helps us set realistic expectations of ourselves because it is easy to try to do it all the first year and it may not happen or it may not be consistent. And the goal is consistency. 

So, baby steps (Becky's words). 

So, with all that said, what could have possibly gotten wrong?  For me, it lies in the chapter on Halloween. That's one holiday I refuse to celebrate. Regardless to how you dress it up as having some Christian roots, it is a day that satan worshippers revere & celebrate as much as we, Christians, do Resurrection Sunday and Good Friday. I can appreciate what she attempts to do by suggesting that we engage our neighbors on the holiday and share the gospel.

Maybe we're those Christians because for us it's simple either you serve God or you serve satan by turning from God. Revelations is quite clear, being warm isn't acceptable to God. You're either all in or you're out.

For what this book intends to do, for the most part, it hits the mark: to have less chaos and have more Jesus during the holidays.

{FYI: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for my HONEST opinion.}

The Better Mom Devotional

The is the devotional follow up to Ruth Schwenk's novel The Better Mom (my review on it here) named after her blog, The Better Mom. And I must say it is quickly becoming my favorite devotional! It literally speaks to my often overwhelmed, sometimes weary mom heart. That part of me that questions just how well am I doing at this job. 

And on top of that, it is insanely beautiful. It comes as a hardback which means...longer lasting quality. HUGE plus. And the pages are of great quality, they're heavy enough to be read and turned many times without worrying about them ripping so easily. 

Each day starts with a bible verse/passage and ends with a prayer prompt and questions for pondering that I use as daily journal prompts. There are exactly 100 devotions, so that's just over 3 months of devotions.

Below are a few shareable images: 

THIS is one of the main themes of this devotional.

This is an often prayer of mine, that we are acceptable representatives of Christ in all we do & say. That people want to join His family when they interact with mine and feel God's love in action.

This one is such a HUGE truth that we have to remember daily as moms and wives. We are supposed to be a gift to each other AND an example to the WORLD of Christ's relationship with His bride, the church

Before I go: New 3 week FREE Bible Study

Pre-registration for Sarah Koontz' Fall Bible Study is now open and I could not be more excited! 

I was able to review the study early, and it is awesome. For me, it reads like an in-depth devotional. However, I've always been one of those meat and potatoes type of girls. It definitely reignited my love for John 14. So this is good for getting in some focused reading when I only have 10-15 minutes to spare. Something to remember is that while John is one with the Gospels, it differs from the other gospels in that John seeks to get his audience to see Jesus as one who loves us infinitely. There are some teachings of Jesus you find in John that you can't quite get the same anywhere else in the Gospels and THAT is one of the many things that Sarah focuses on in this study. This study focuses specifically on John 14-17.

Here are 5 things you need-to-know about the #JesusBeforeIGo study:

▪        It's a FREE email-based online Bible study.

▪        It is a 21-Day study with two rest days per week.

▪        It takes just 15 minutes per day to complete.

▪        It is full of powerful truths and practical takeaways.

▪        It will help you get to know Jesus Christ better and authentically share your faith with others.

The study starts on October 15, but you'll want to pre-register today! Everyone who signs up early will be entered for a chance to win a beautiful handpainted Bible from Wheat and Honey Co. Visit LivingbyDesign.org/Jesus for all the info & to sign up. 

The Lifegiving Parent

There are some authors I instinctively turn to for parenting advice. Sally Clarkson is one of them. She has a remarkable way of showing parents, especially mothers how our motherhood is ministry work even if we never actually serve in a ministry at church. And here we come to the finale of a trilogy of books (the review for book 1 will come after this one). 

The Lifegiving series is one that seeks to transform the way in which we live, in how hospitable we are, and how we parent our children. It's not pushy as you must do these things but is more of showing different ways that she and her husband are doing it and have been doing it for decades. 

The Lifegiving Parent is a joint effort between Sally and her husband, Clay. Prior to reading, I thought it would be equal writing between them as I absolutely enjoy Sally's writing style. However, after reading, I realize that this is really Clay's book. Sally contributes at the end of each chapter little tidbits of momoirs of her take on what Clay has discussed in the chapter.

I'll be honest, it is a fairly good book when it comes advice on parenting. It has 8 touchpoints of ways we as parents shape and give life to our children. Each one is equally important to the parenting of our children and each one plays a huge part in who they will eventually become. And as parents, especially as Christ-following parents who want to be intentional about raising our children to have a strong foundation and faith in Christ, this book is a good point in the right direction for accomplishing that goal.

My only drawback is that I expected more of Sally's writing. Much of the promotion on this book is that it is a Sally Clarkson book, only to realize once you start reading that it is really a Clay Clarkson book and it banks on Sally's name to draw the audience. Clay is a good writer, however, for me, he doesn't have the charm and drawing in the reader quality like Sally does. Sally's words do more than tell a story and convey a message they illustrate the imagery she wants you to see and helps you to imagine the sights and smells that she's telling you about. Clay's writing does not quite have that effect and that's OK because it's what distinguishes him from Sally. 

{FYI: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for my HONEST opinion.}

The Life Giving Table

I've been sitting on this book for quite awhile. Sitting savouring what I was reading and enjoying the recipes shared in the book by Sally.

So this is book two in the Life-Giving Series. This particular book focuses on mealtime and how it can be used to disciple those who dine with us. Of course, because Sally is a mom of four, a majority is told from the perspective of using meal time to disciple the hearts of our family and set a tone of nurturing each other through meals and the time spent. However, she also includes some experiences of hers from before she and Clay had children so their mealtime discipleship would be for their friends and acquaintances while abroad on missions, specifically in Vienna, Austria.

Mealtime does not have to be just eating but also includes the conversation that can occur over meals (I say can because not everyone converses during meals).

So one of the best parts? The nuggets found throughout the book and the recipes that are tried and true direct from Sally's kitchen (each chapter includes several recipes). The first chapter that is written by Sally's husband, Clay. And it is so good because you get the why from a male's perspective, who purposefully participates in this process. As a mom who wants to leave a godly influence on my children, this book, as well as the others in the series, are apart of the treasure trove.

This is the table of contents. As you can see there are about 14 chapters and each chapter has about 2--4 recipes at the end, there are at least 30 recipes in this book. There is an appendix with conversation starters which is awesome for families who are just introducing the idea of discipleship around mealtime.

This is how each chapter starts off. The table-discipleship principle at the beginning of each chapter kind of gives you an idea of what that chapter will cover.






{FYI: I received this book from the publisher (Tyndale) in exchange for my honest opinion.}

Lies Women Believe

I remember the first time I heard about this book, it was a number of years ago and I was quite curious as to what it contained. Then the expanded edition was set to launch and I applied for the launch team, didn't make it. But then the book showed up in the book reviewer program as an option and I JUMPED AT IT. Thankfully, one of the admins even allowed me to received the study guide as well to review at the same time. AWESOME. Usually its only one book at a time.

I have literally taken my time reading through this book to review it. Studying through it with the companion study guide and it has been eye-opening. 

So there are three sections in the book: Foundations, Lies Women Believe and Walking in Truth.

Chapters 2-10 cover the lies women believe in specific areas: 

1. Lies we believe about God
2. Lies we believe about ourselves
3. Lies we believe about sin
4. Lies we believe about priorities
5. Lies we believe about sexuality (note this section is not in the original)
6. Lies we believe about marriage
7. Lies we believe about children
8. Lies we believe about emotions
9. Lies we believe about circumstances.

     The companion study guide further expounds on the book. Each chapter in the study guide starts with what section of the book it covers, recaps that section of the book, then has three question sections: Realize, Reflect, and Respond. 

     It asks you personal questions that help you to identify if you believe this root lie and how the belief and action upon that lie affect your life. Sometimes we say we believe one thing but the way we act and live our lives shows that we really don't believe what we said. For example, we can say we trust God but does every action we make show doubt? We can say we believe that the Bible is incorruptible and the absolute truth but do our actions show that? Because if we did, we love more and forgive more. We'd love people, treat them well, and still rebuke the sin in their lives, without fear of their reaction or anyone else's reaction. 

     I can tell you off the bat, the chapters on sexuality and children will immediately ruffle many feathers as these go heavily against the culture we live in. We live in a culture where it is fairly acceptable to be gay and if you refuse or do not accept it, you're labelled as judgmental and hateful. We live in a culture that says it is fairly acceptable to have abortions. We live in a culture where premarital sex is not a bad thing and adultery is ok if you're not happy and even glorified on TV and in movies.

     Now depending on where you are on the spectrum of beliefs will tell you just how offended you might be by this book. If you're pro-choice and accepting of LGBT then you will be offended. And you NEED to be. Maybe then you may read God's Word and realize that culture does not dictate TRUTH. Just because it has been regarded as acceptable by people, does NOT make it acceptable to the Lord. The ancient Israelites learned that with pagan worship and lost their hedge of protection for a number of years because of it.

     I HIGHLY recommend this book and the companion study guide to EVERY generation of women. We are in a place to influence those around us and we need to be a godly influence. We aren't called to sound like or look like this world so why do we attempt to do so?

{FYI: I received this book from Moody Publishers in exchange for my HONEST opinion.}

Little Critter Little Blessings Collection

Ok, as a mom I absolutely LOVE when we can receive these collections to review. It is an awesome deal to be able to get four full stories in one hardback book. Even better is when the books are completely God-centered. And these books are!

So the four books included in this collection are:

• You Go First, 
• Being Thankful, 
• It's True!, and 
• We All Need Forgiveness. 

Each one has a clear moral and lesson for readers to learn. In We All Need Forgiveness, Little Critter learns that he needs to be forgiving, however, he learns this the hard way after he has been unforgiving and unkind to his friends when they needed forgiveness THEN he becomes the friend who needs forgiveness and they all do no immediately give it. It is then that he realizes (with his Mom's help pointing to the Bible) that in order to receive forgiveness, he must also give forgiveness. And they mention God by name, eek! Even better!

And that is an awesome message for a book to provide to children. Because children can be irrational and selfish and even mean at times. But they have to learn early that just as they want to be forgiven when they make mistakes, they have to forgive when others make mistakes. 

{FYI: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for my HONEST opinion.}

Creating a Vision Board

I see a vision board like a vision goal list. It lists the things I want to do, the things I entrust to God's capable hands. My expectations are that IF what I want to do is in God's will for me then it will happen and if it is not is God's will for me then that's perfectly fine as well. As my main goal is to be in the centre of God's will for my life, not my will or anyone else's but GOD's will. 

There are some negative connotations to the vision board and that often stems from 'The Secret' which follows the thinking that you can compel the universe to do what you want by simply visualizing it and that's not quite how it works. 

There are some things you need in order to create your vision board. First, think of the things in life you want to accomplish and entrust them to God's hand. Second, write them down (make the vision plain). Third, gather your supplies: poster board, magazines, markers, tape/glue/stapler. And lastly, create. You decide how you want to put everything up, do you have an organized way you want to put it up or perhaps you're adding as you go. There is no right or wrong way as long as it makes sense to you. Cut out photos and inspirational phrases that match your goals. Even add a prayer or two that you can pray over your goals and your tribe (your family/friends).

Check out mine below:

So this year I decided to do something I have not done in several years. Create a vision board and intentionally create goals (something I have not ever really done) for things I want to do in the future. It's nothing fancy or from Pinterest.

As you can see above, My vision board is not very large and has quite a few inspirational quotes and bible verses on it. But then there are the things I want to accomplish this year, such as ongoing on a cruise with my husband and children for our summer vacation this year. I also want to accomplish creating a stream of revenue for my family. One that is totally home-based so that after I have baby #5 this Spring I can be okay with staying home with him/her (we don't know the gender yet).

Also, you'll see my WORDs for this year: THRIVE, ENGAGE, and JOY. Most people usually stick to one word that they choose to emphasize in their life over the coming year. However, for me, I need these 3 words as they are very intentional and are related to one another. Apart of thriving and being engaged is to choose joy. I choose to be joyful in all things, no matter the circumstances and not to stress when I have a Savior who bears my burdens and offers me a lighter load of simply trusting Him.