Writing Days: 52 Devotionals for the 52 Weeks in a Christian Writer’s Year by Jan Thompson

I gulped down this book. It’s supposed to be stretched over 52 weeks but I read it in a week. I wanted to stop, I really did. Or, at least make it last longer. I liked that she touched on a verse each week as well as gave you a daily action plan. The idea is to take a daily action plan for each day for that week.

Week 43 entitled Press On reminds us that every success comes from God. Sometimes we think we should have a bigger blessing than we receive. It reminds me that our life is not our own. God will reveal blessings in His time not ours. This is just one devotional and just a snippet for that week.

Now that I have swallowed it whole, I shall read it again at a much slower pace and take it to heart. I recommend this book to writers whether published or not for weekly encouragement. I’ve been looking specifically for a devotional for Christian writers and this one came to the top. Is that a God thing to encourage me to keep writing? I believe it is. Now, I just need to obey.

Heaven: What's It Like? How Do We Get There? (First Steps) by Stephen Elkins

This is a wonderful book for young hearts to learn about Jesus. It’s comprised of 60 rhyming stories. The book is divided into three sections as follows: What is heaven like? How do we get there? How do we live like Jesus until then? The illustrations are sure to capture a young person’s eye. The stories are fun and give a child a sense of hope in Jesus. In the back, it has a glossary of bible words, which explains key points in a simple, yet effective manner. For example, prayer is simply talking to God.  

My child is much older than the recommended age. However, it was fun to read the poems together. It’s easy to complicate matters as we get older and forget that prayer is simply talking to God and that this world is not our home. There is hope. This book would be great to read many times with your child. Poems are fun and easy to read. It’s a way to plant seeds in a fun and creative way.

I would highly recommend the book for any parent, grandparents, church daycare, or anyone who is part of a young child’s life. I was provided a complimentary copy of this book free directly from Tyndale House Publishers. I was not required to write a positive review.

How to Be Rich by Andy Stanley

Andy Stanley never disappoints. He admits that when he was growing up that he wanted to be rich enough that he never had to worry about how much something would cost. What’s interesting is that we think we are poor. Our house is not big enough. Our car is too old. We open up our closets and we have nothing to wear; however, every hanger has a piece of clothing on it. Yet, we feel poor. If you earn more than $37,000 a year, you are in the top 4 percent of wage earners in the world!

A great quote from the book is, “Rich” is a moving target. No matter how much money we have or make, we will probably never consider ourselves rich.” How true this is! I remember earning a whopping $3.35 an hour but today I earn much more but it’s still not enough. We become greedy. It’s the American way. Another interesting fact is that the more someone earns, the less they give away. It’s actually not entirely true. If you are a giver, you will give more as your income increases. If you are not a true giver, you hold your fist tighter. It’s only when we release our fist and be willing to give, that blessings flow.

Anything past food, shelter, and clothing is extra. We are rich. We have Internet, smart phones, TV’s, and even fresh water. We take so much for granted. Andy Stanley reminds us that we are rich. We have extra stuff that we want versus what we need. Personal challenge. Look around your house, how many items do you have that you really need? Most of it, you don’t. They were wants. And the more wants we buy, the more wants we desire.

I was thrilled to receive a DVD with this book. They complement each other. Andy Stanley is a dynamic speaker. There are four sessions in the DVD titled as follows: Congratulations, Side Effects, Dollar Cost Living, and Diversity. Endorsed by Dave Ramsey, this book and/or DVD will not disappoint. I recommend this as a small group study.

Disclaimer: I received this book free through Harpercollins book review program.  http://booklookbloggers.com. I was not required to write a positive review.  

NIV Essentials Study Bible

I love this bible! Just as the title indicates, it’s a NIV Essentials Study Bible. It’s essential because the publishers have combined portions of several books into one bible. They include the NIV Study Bible, NIV Quest Study Bible, NIV Archaeological Study Bible, NIV Student Bible, The Great Rescue Bible and the Essential Bible Companion.

Each book begins with a book introduction, which includes the key concepts, the purpose, key verses, terms, teachings, maps, and even photos. At the bottom of the pages, there are additional notes to help you understand the meaning of the verses.

The people in focus lens helps you learn a little bit more about certain characters such as Job and tackles the question of why bad things happen to good people. I’m sure we all felt like Job at one time or another.

The Q & A lens tackles difficult questions such as why did God choose such sinful people to be judges or does God allow pain in order to display his power? Or how about what is my purpose in life and how can I be certain of it?

The guided tour sections are notes from the NIV Student Bible. One talks about how Daniel and Ezekiel had leadership abilities and how they were taken prisoner. Have you ever taken a stand as a matter of integrity? It helps you reflect on your own life.

The insight excerpts are similar to a short magazine article such ‘Ecology Plus’ and how nature plays a role and that it is part of God’s work. Then there are short box highlights that help emphasize a particular verse.

Finally, the reflect and respond section will help you to reflect on a certain aspect such as prayer and why we are told to pray. And helps you to not only think about prayer but live it.

The layout is pleasing to the eye. The black and blue font makes it easy to read. This bible provides different reading plans such as reading the bible in a year, a 60-day overview of the bible, 20 not-so-famous stories of the bible, etc. It includes a concordance and colorful maps.

I recommend this bible to anyone who wants to not only read the bible but also delve deeper into the word of God.

Disclaimer: I received this bible free from the publisher (Thomas Nelson) through their booksneeze program and was not required to write a positive review.

In Broken Places by Michele Phoenix

Shelby’s childhood is riddled with abuse. The abuser was her father but her mother, in some ways, was to blame for allowing it to happen. Her brother, Trey, is her savior in many ways. Through the abuse, they became closer not only as kids but as adults. Shelby is content with being alone. Through a twisted set of events, she becomes a single mom.

Shelby moves to Germany but it doesn’t take away her memories. She is a mom to Shayla, a sweet girl who is a typical four-year-old who is wonderful and challenging at the same time. Is she really meant to take on this role? Can she move on with her life? Will she ever find true love?

I love the part of her brother, Trey. He was involved in her life even though he was thousands of miles away. The loved they shared was phenomenal.

This story really made me think of how our past does affect how we view our future. It’s easy to listen to the demons that swirl around in your head. When you live with childhood abuse for such a long period of time, it begins to feel real. The lies become the truth. It’s only after you are away from the dysfunction that you realize how wrong it really is. It doesn’t define you. You have the power to change. You have the power to forgive.

Shelby struggles to make peace with her past and moving forward. This book is about the power of forgiveness.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher (Tyndale). I was not required to write a positive review.

The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey (Classic Edition)

I’ve been a fan of Dave Ramsey for the past several years. There is a difference between being a fan and actually following through what he teaches. The plan is not difficult. It’s a matter of telling your money ‘where to go’ each month. It’s called a zero based budget. Every dollar has a name. It will take a few months to get it down.

If you want to get an updated version, buy this book and maybe gift the first book to a friend, co-worker, family member, or whoever might benefit. If you have even one credit card, then you need to read this book. Don’t be fooled by the gimmicks of free miles, points, and zero percent interest. It’s a trap. Recognize the trap and avoid it at all costs.

Throughout the book, there are stories that will inspire you to get out of debt. Mr. Ramsey debunks many myths including this one:  Myth: Debt consolidation saves interest, and you have one smaller payment. Sounds true, right? The Truth: Debt consolidation is dangerous because you only treat the symptom. As Dave says, “Debt CONsolidation-it’s nothing more than a con because you think you’ve done something about the debt problem. You just moved it!”

In the back of the book, Dave gives you several forms that you can use in helping your family get out of debt including: irregular income planning, monthly cash flow plan, debt snowball, and more!

I highly recommend this book to people who want to live the true American dream and get out of debt so they can “live like no-one else” and be able to “give like no-one else.”

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com® <http://BookSneeze.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Memory's Door by James L. Rubart

This is the second book of the series of ‘A Well Spring Novel.’ I spent most of last Saturday and finished the book close to Monday at midnight. I was determined to finish the story even though I sacrificed sleep!

Like most books in a series, you can read it as a stand-alone; however, you’ll end up wanting to read the first one to see how the story was told. James L. Rubart is an awesome storyteller. The words were so vivid and clear. I was so immersed that I felt like I was a part of the character’s life. I was in a different world.

The story is about the four members of the Warriors Riding and their fight against the enemy. Each one has their own struggle individually as well as a group. The enemy has found each of their weaknesses and attacked them. Satan is sly, evil, and most of all the Father of Lies. This book explores that spiritual fight that we all deal with. He whispers some truth among the lies, which make it difficult to discern what the truth is, and we can fall for the deception. Reece is the leader of the group but he is blind and the enemy is playing it against him.

The members have choices and their ultimate choice will affect them for eternity. Will they choose the right path? Or will they be deceived into the path of destruction?

The most powerful lesson in this book was the power of forgiveness and learning how to forgive oneself for a past regret or mistake. But it wasn’t the only message in the book. We always know what we want God to do for us. But sometimes God has other plans and is on a different timetable than us.  And many times He answers in a way that was totally unsuspected. Or how about our identity? We may be police officers, teachers, or singers but our real identity isn’t in those jobs.

It was amazing to read how James L. Rubart was able to weave all these powerful messages into a story that read seamless like a movie playing. I would highly recommend reading this book for anyone who loves to become part of another world but have the message infiltrate in his or her heart. It’s a book that will leave you still thinking about it the next day.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com® <http://BookSneeze.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials i