The Quiet (Crazy) Easter Day

I love these padded books. They are sturdy like board books yet have good story like a picture book.

And this is one that we enjoyed so much!

So as you can see its bright and colorful, which will hold any toddler or preschooler’s attention.

I like the story because it incorporates animal sounds which encourages my little audience to join in the story. They often get a good laugh from me making the animal noises as I read the book. And there’s almost a request for an encore performance. It’s a fun book to read to little ones who may not yet understand the full impact of the resurrection, but this book is a gentle introduction to our savior’s story. (They also have one about Jesus’ birth which is just as fun and colorful and full of animal noises to act out). 

I really like that this book takes the perspective that perhaps the animals were excited or maybe they somehow understood what was going on. And even if they did not, perhaps they were excited for God. As the Bible says that everything that has breathe worships Him, all creation worships Him. And animals are just as much God’s creation as I am. And they aren’t biased like humans are. So surely they worship God as a default. Their very existence is worship. And during those days, those who were sacrificed worshipped God in their death as well.

As always I received this book from the publisher in exchange for my HONEST opinion. And I am not required to write a positive 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.}

New Review: Play to Their Strength

So our next book is a parenting book. I'm almost always up for reading someone else's take on parenting because as parents we don't know it all. And if someone has advice that can make me a better, more God-honouring parent then I'm all ears.

From the cover, this one promises both.

So in this book, we meet parents who have got it wrong then strove on how to get it right.  Their goal is to not parent from a place of fear but one of working to uncover what their children's gifts and talents are, then parent their children in such a way that nurtures those gifts and talents. Some practical tools they offer are to find the 5 e's (your child's enthusiasm, ease, excellence, energy, and enjoyment) regarding what your children are involved in; creating a vision board, which works with children the same way it does us, adults; and keeping an eye out for red flags that trigger frustration and keep parents from reacting and disciplining out of anger.

Then the last 80 pages of the book is the Bonus Playbook which helps parents actually used what they've read. There are practical tips to go with every chapter.

This book has been an interesting book to read, especially since we have five (5) children that span in an age range from 1 to 12. For me, Chapters 12 and 13 have been the most useful and implementor. I see this book as an ongoing reference book that would get a reread every so often for recharge. But all in all, I like their approach to parenting, its encouragement and cultivation at its best.

I also like that they encourage really learning our children and not taking the approach that we know them because we birthed them.

I definitely recommend this book to parents. 

{Also, please note that I received this book from the publisher, Harvest House, in exchange for my honest opinion.}

Good News for Little Hearts: Gus Loses His Grip

Our third book in the series! Such a good series so far. Each one is just as good as the last. 

Each book takes place in Mulberry Meadow and introduces another animal family. We've met Henry and Tori, now we meet Gus. 

Now Gus is a going through a sneaky phase. It starts with disobedience, eating candy in his room, which is a no-no. Then it delves into stealing candy at the market. All of this falls around Easter.

When Gus confesses to his dad he says he just had to have it (candy). So when he was offered a piece without any supervision he did what the kids next to him did, took more than he was told he could. Gus also confesses to eating candy in bed and hiding the wrappers knowing it was against the rules.

But the best part? His dad's response. His dad acknowledged what Gus did was wrong then self-reflected that even he as an adult needs to practice restraint and self-control. Then his dad tells him to return the candy, confess to the shopkeeper and apologize. 

Parents, a book that deals with disobedience, lying, and theft in a godly manner? Win!

Again add it to your home library for when the situation arises.

{I received this book from the publisher, New Growth Press, in exchange for my honest review.}

On Bended Knee

So if you know me, I love to review a good bible study and I love being on launch teams!

And this spring I got to do that TWICE.

The first was on Crickett Keeth's On Bended Knee. 

This is one of the very few bible studies I've come across that tackles prayer like this. She doesn't focus on one specific prayer or one specific person but she covers many prayers across both the Old and New Testament. 

So above you'll see the Table of Contents where each week the author takes on a new prayer and guides us through that prayer. 

She starts off with THE prayer by Jesus (you know the one: Our Father....). 

Then we go into intercessory prayer by Paul in Ephesians (and even get to cover one in Colossians). Next is Job's prayer in his despair and Hannah's prayer as she was longing to have children (the prayer that brought forth Samuel). 

By week 5 we get to David's prayer in the Psalms of Lament where we find how to be sad & hurting and yet still trust God to be God. 

Then there's Asa's prayer who was seeking God and trying to turn the people towards God. 

Then Jehoshaphat, Asa's son and the monarch after him, who is depending on God for his decision making.

And we end the study with Nehemiah whose prayer was very bold, especially for someone still in captivity in Persia. 

Then at the end, there's this section with MORE prayers found in the bible that we can study and replicate in our own prayer time: Jacob, Moses, Solomon, Elijah, Hezekiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, Ezra, as well as others by David and Paul.

And if you choose to do this study in a group there's also a leader's guide in the back.

I must admit I thoroughly enjoyed this book when I read over it during the launch and even more so now that I am taking my time going through it, studying the prayers and praying them over friends and family. I highly recommend as a good study on prayer that's not warfare praying (which is not covered in this study).

{FYI: I did receive this book for FREE as a member of the launch team.}

Empowered

Rarely do I read books about the saints of the past. Yet here is a book that tells the story of 11 women who stood strong in their faith. 

Catherine Parks effortlessly weaves short stories about these women that leaves me ready to research their lives. And at the end of each chapter are questions and Scripture and encouragement that we can be just as effective as these women. These are women who faced persecution simply because they believed in Jesus Christ and they didn't back down. That's FAITH. To know torture, prison, starvation is coming yet to stand strong in the faith and not deny Jesus. We are called to this level of faith even now. Granted some of us may live in a country where Christianity is accepted, even as it is twisted to fit others agendas. So many more of us live in countries where Christianity is not accepted and to believe is to be persecuted. And we must stand strong and support those in those countries where their faith can mean torture and persecution.

Now mind you this is a book for preteens & teens, it is just as good for adults as well. That's how well written it is. I am enjoying learning about these women, and am looking forward to each of my kids learning about these women as well. (And don't worry there is one for boys as well. I'll review it soon.) 

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

Soaring Through the Bible

How awesome is a Bible overview book made specifically for kids?? I think it is awesome and it helps with actually teaching the bible.

So this book goes book by book explaining who wrote it, why they wrote, who they wrote it to, and how it relates to the BIG picture of the Bible: The Gospel. Each chapter is about 4-5 pages long and encompasses helping with learning little tidbits about the Hebrew language and how the words really translate from Hebrew to English. And of course, it wouldn't be a Bible overview if each chapter didn't share a summary of the book in question, generally by theme.

My plan is to incorporate this book into our morning basket this school year as it will help my kids learn the books of the Bible, where to find them in the bible and how they relate to the gospel and God's overarching picture. 

I do recommend adding this book to your library for your kiddos too.

And if you choose to do so, you can get a copy on Amazon.

{As always I received this book in exchange for my HONEST opinion.}

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.}

Settle My Soul....a Pressing Pause Devotional

This is my second devotional authored by Ruth Schwenk. This, however, is co-authored with Karen Ehman (currently a writer & speaker with Proverbs 31 ministries).

This is one of those devotionals that you completely enjoy and devour. That you sit and linger in because of the daily journaling prompts to respond. And it is completely beautiful. The theme like the previous one (and The Better Mom Devotional) is floral. It's a hardback book with a nice ribbon bookmark (never realize how much I use bookmarks until I come across a book/bible without the ribbon already in it).

There are 100 devotions with each author writing 50 devotions. They trade off First Karen then Ruth and going back and forth for the rest of the devotional. Rest and indulging in Jesus, kindness and disappointment are some of the many topics discussed. Each devotion starts with Scripture and ends with a prayer as well as a journal prompt along with journaling space to write in the book. I enjoy these devotions greatly because there is enough to chew on. I also greatly enjoy the journaling prompts and lined space to write. I enjoy their different yet similar writing styles. I also enjoy the differing perspectives offered (as Karen has been married longer with older children than Ruth). It feels like the cover both the older mom and younger mom demographics.

HIGHLY RECOMMEND.

(FYI: as always 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.}

Chosen for Christ

So if you've been following along, then you know this is the second book I've reviewed by Heather Holleman. The first one was Seated with Christ. And I read this one second, it is actually third in this series of books by Holleman on life-changing verbs in Scripture. As of my knowledge, she has written three books and 1 bible study (of which I have 1 copy of each).

So one thing I've noticed about Holleman is that as an English professor who teaches college kids how to write. She writes in such a way that if you did not know she is a college professor, you would ask. The organization and transitions are all there as one would expect of an academic paper. The thesis statement is clear. We gain the framework for the rest of the book at the end of the first chapter (pg 19).

This entire book is about recognizing and living life as though you are chosen for Christ. The way Holleman explains it is when you believe that you are chosen for Christ the way you go about life changes. Not in a way to earn it but as a result of being chosen. The book is organized into three parts: Your present situation, seven invitations, and what if I say yes. Each one is meant to address a specific part of the process of going from living unchosen to living as chosen for Christ. When you read you will notice that chosen is repeated often, to reinforce the word for the reader and remind them during each invitation that they are chosen simply because they chose Jesus and received the gift of salvation.

So I did enjoy this book albeit not as much as I did Seated with Christ. I think Seated felt a bit more of a fluid read than Chosen does. Chosen feels like I'm reading more of an academic paper that is a bit more rigid in the writing style. It was also harder for me to finish Chosen because it did not hold my attention as well. I do recommend it though especially for people who are struggling with their identity in Christ. For those who are not really struggling with their identity in Christ, this book seems to over-reinforce the idea in a way that Seated with Christ did not overuse the word seated.

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

Preparing Your Heart for Marriage

This is like only the second couples devotional I've ever come across and yet the first one that is specifically for engaged couples. 

Gary Thomas is known for his Christ-centered books for families. Most of them (especially the ones I've read) are on marriage. My favorite is Sacred Marriage. It has really progressed how I view marriage. 

So recently Gary Thomas released this devotional. It is for 30 days prior to marriage and has a day of the wedding devotional for both the bride and the groom. What I love is that the devotions are not expected to be read by just one person, they are expected to be read by both the bride and the groom. AND there are reflection questions for them to discuss. Also, the devotions are about 3 pages each. The devotions are broken down into 3 groups: God's Plan for marriage, Preparing for your vows, & The wedding vows. If you look below at the photos, you'll see the titles of each devotional in each section. One thing to note is that Gary Thomas is addressing the marriage, not the wedding. He isn't addressing the literal wording of the vows BUT the meaning behind those vows and what it looks like in action. He's addressing engaged couples' headspace going into marriage. He's giving them a tool to help them succeed. To know that marriage is full of forgiveness and grace and service unto each other. 

Table of Contents pg 1

Table of contents pg 2

Back cover

This back cover captivated me because it made me think, was I spiritually ready for marriage when I got married 8 1/2 years ago? Honestly no. I was not ready on spiritually and while I thought I was ready emotionally, I actually was not. And because of that, my marriage suffered a bit under my immaturity. There are days now, when it still may suffer from my attitude.

So I recommend this book along with good godly pre-marital counselling (preferably by a neutral party).

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

The Lifegiving Trilogy

If you've been following along, then you know that there are 3 books in the Lifegiving Trilogy. 

The Lifegiving Home (review found here)

Two words that sum up this book: Cultivating HOME.

The Lifegiving Table (review found here)

Two words that sum up this book: Intentional discipleship.

And lastly The Lifegiving Parent (review found here). 

Two words that sum up this book: Intentional parenting.

As you may have read, these are well-written books that expound on being lifegiving. Intentionally Lifegiving in our homes, Intentionally Lifegiving with the meals we serve, Intentionally Lifegiving in how we parent our children. We want to cultivate the intentionality because it does NOT come naturally. It doesn't come naturally for me. If I am not intentional then I will spend entirely TOO much time on social media (if you don't believe me ask my husband). I have chosen to use Lifegiving Table this fall/winter season (along with another book, you can find here) to disciple the hearts around me by simply inviting people for dinner. Inviting my neighbors to Thanksgiving dinner will allow me to use a meal to be intentional in being hospitable and loving towards them. The same with Christmas. I want not only my family but those around us to want to come to our home. And that starts with me. 

I recommend this trilogy to everyone who wants to cultivate something special in their home, in their family. Even if you do not have children, you can still appreciate at least 2/3 of the books.

Thank you, Sally, for this oh so needed reminder! And if you want to know more about Sally or her books, you can connect with her here. And thank you, Tyndale, for allowing me the chance to experience these books! 

You can purchase the entire trilogy HERE for only $24.49 (prices subject to change).

The Unexplainable Church

The Unexplainable Church, the second bible study by Erica Wiggenhorn on the Book of Acts. This one covers Acts 13-28. It covers what happened to the church! And this is a big deal because we are to live this out daily, so what better way than to study what happened with the church and how God grew them and used them for His glory to further spread the Gospel around the world. The study is ten weeks long with specific questions and reading for five days.

(table of contents)

In the first week, you will go back into the earlier part of Acts (mind you this Bible study is a continuation from an Unexplainable Life Acts 1-12) and read on the forming of the church as well as Paul's conversion because that plays a huge part in early church history.

I really enjoyed this book because it's Scripture driven and centered. It seeks to help us understand and interact with God's Word. Not in it being focused on us (because the Bible may APPLY to us it is not about us) but in its actual context. And by helping us to understand God's Word, Erica helps us to connect with God through His Word. Oftentimes we are called to pray God's Word and speak it back to Him, but how can we do that if we do not know it? So we must study.

Hugely recommend this book as well as its predecessor, An Unexplainable Life, to study your way through the book of Acts.

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

Unwrapping the Bible

Honestly, I did not know what to expect when waiting for this book to arrive. 

However, when it arrived it turned out to be a literal workbook type of study book. Not just mere words telling us what to do but with questions and space to answer. This is the type of book I would think one may end up with in Seminary because it forces you to interact with it, to answer the questions, to build on what you learn and understand. 

Usually, we (or at least I) think Seminary only comes with Academic books that only requires you to read. But I think this book should be in Seminary, likely first semester, to establish a foundational base for new students. 

(The table of contents)

It covers what the author believes to be seven core foundational doctrines (God, humanity, Revelation, Christ, Salvation, Sanctification, and the Church). Then, those are further broken down into bite-sized sections. 

To me, the only thing that could have made this book better is if the book was a hardback with larger font.

I recommend to the new believer heavily. It can help with many questions and to help lay a base foundation from which one can build upon. I also recommend to the seasoned believer who may be in need of a revival of sorts or may be experiencing their foundation being shaken up.

FYI I did receive this book from the publisher in exchange for my HONEST opinion.

Why Her?

When I saw this book, I was super hesitant to request to review it because it seemed like yet another "me too" book. And I wanted something deeper. But then I saw that Proverbs 31 was (and still is) doing a bible study through it, I decided to go ahead and review it.

So it is about Nicki's experiences yet she takes us through the biblical experiences of Rachel and Leah, Jacob's wives, the mothers of Israel. These women were the epitome of comparison and disappointment and coveting what the other had. Something that is extremely prevalent in today's culture of Instagram and Pinterest where you get a snapshot of someone's life and almost immediately can fall prey to comparing your life to theirs. 

Nicki walks us through 6 lies and the responding truths as we combat the lies of the comparison game. And that is what makes this book NOT another "me too" book. Nicki goes beyond saying here I struggle, she says Yes I struggle but here's how I'm working on it so you can too. And that is what makes this book awesome. 

As you can see each Truth is roughly about 2 chapters long.

And if you have the opportunity to get the bible study companion and watch the videos offered through Proverbs 31, DO IT. (as of this posting, they are still available).

{FYI: I received a copy of this book from the publisher 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.}

The Daniel Key

So here is Anne Graham Lotz's latest book. I was quite excited to dig into this book and completely devoured it. It is my first time reviewing a book by Anne Graham Lotz.

I really enjoyed her writing style. It's not overly personal and incorporates a friendly tone. The book is about 20 short chapters (160 pages). It has MANY nuggets to treasure. Each chapter is about a choice that Daniel made in his determination to remain faithful to God in spite of his circumstances. We read about his worship and faith, his forgiveness and humility. We read how daily prayer time makes a HUGE difference in our lives, even if it means going against the grain (like it did for Daniel). She points out much of Daniel's life that we can use in our own lives to strengthen our faith.

I think the main thing I dislike about this book is how she refers to Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah by their pagan, Babylonian names (Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego) rather than referring to them by their Hebrew/Israelite names. I think if the goal is to glorify God, then we need to use their Hebrew names that identified them as belonging to God than using their pagan names, which were given in the hopes of wiping out their loyalty to God.

Other than that, no complaints whatsoever. I do recommend to others, especially those who may be struggling with identity and even discipline.

UltraThin Reference Bible

A good Bible is always hard to resist. Usually, I enjoy a good study bible. However, a good reference bible is just as necessary as it allows the Bible to be its own commentary.

Holman Publishers recently came out with a ultrathin reference Bible. I love that it is seriously thin, it can easily slide in my bag for church and to take to work (yes I take a bible to work to read on my lunch break). It's much lighter than one of my study bibles.

The one I was sent to review is brown leather, a classic appearance. The print isn't too big or too small. 

But the best part? The center column cross reference system. Above is an example of the cross reference system. There a letter next to the verse which corresponds to a verse in the middle column. 

I like being able to read a physical Bible and look up the references myself and allow the Bible to interpret itself.I have grown rather fond of this translation as it is actually pretty close to the NASB (at least from what I have observed) yet it is a bit more fluid when reading. The maps are also a great addition, something I usually expect in a study bible. 

I'd definitely recommend this Bible for those looking for lightweight travel purposes.

{FYI: I did receive my copy for free from the publisher in exchange for my honest review, however, the above opinions are my own.}