Picturing Heaven: 40 Hope-Filled Devotions with Coloring Pages written by Randy Alcorn and illustrated by Lizzie Preston

This is a beautiful coloring book. I’ve always wanted to try adult coloring but didn’t because most of them do not draw me in. Heaven does. It’s a reminder that this is not our home. The book contains beautiful illustrations with gold tones. I happen to love the gold contrast because it reminds me that heaven will be full of beauty. The illustrations include: verses, animals, music, young, old, and in-between souls, and the beautiful cross among many other pictures. There’s even a place you can write some notes at the end of the book.

It’s not only a coloring book but a devotional. There’s familiar verses such as, “This is the way to have eternal life-to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth.” John 17:3 (page 68). It states that the primary happiness in Heaven will be knowing and seeing God. Oh what a wonderful day that will be!

It’s said that coloring is a way to calm and relax your mind. I’m looking forward to filling the book with the colors of my imagination. That’s the beauty of coloring. We can each make the pages are own and how we see life and God.

I highly recommend this coloring book to anyone who loves to color.  I received a complimentary copy of this book and was not required to write a positive review through Tyndale Blog Network.

Can I Just Hide in Bed ‘Til Jesus Comes Back? By Martha Bolton and Christin Ditchfield

I was drawn to this book by the title alone. I, too, want to hide in bed and not face life at times. I consider this a book of devotions/short stories of hope. There’s hope amongst the trials of life: death, infertility, and grief just to name a few.

I was pleasantly surprised at the number of stories that I could relate to. It reminded me of the fact that we all face hard times and there are certain seasons of life that it becomes unbearable. One such event would be a death of a child. How does a parent get over it? I don’t believe you do; however, there is hope. Hope in Jesus.

There are four parts to this book. The topics include: facing your feelings, facing people, facing loss, and facing life. People who suffer from anxiety and depression often feel alone and don’t want to burden others. When you read these stories, you quickly realize that you are not alone. Someone else has been through that horrible event that you thought you’d never recover from. As quoted from Irving Berlin, “Life is ten percent what you make it, and ninety percent how you take it.” I’ll admit, some parts of life are incredibly difficult. The stories put the situation in a different light. The light of eternity.

I would recommend this book to anyone who is fighting for hope in their lives or suffers from anxiety and depression. Having said that, it is not a downer book. It’s a book of hope and encouragement.

I received a complimentary copy of this book and was not required to write a positive review through Tyndale Blog Network.

Larger-Than-Life Lara

Lara Phelps is the victim of bullying. The story is told by Lara’s classmate, Laney Grafton. She breaks the story down by the components of storytelling beginning with character and ending with the resolution.

Lara handled the situation with kindness. It would have been interesting to hear it from Lara’s perspective too. Her outward response most likely did not reflect her inward thoughts.  Lara was bullied but it wasn’t overwhelming. I found myself focusing on what would happen next based on story elements.

Bullying is a tough topic and the author handled it appropriately for the elementary reading level. She ended it with a satisfying resolution and the conflict continued to increase as the story unfolded.

I would recommend this book to the elementary reading level. And I hope that it will encourage the readers to consider and apply it to their own classmates.

I received a complimentary copy of this book and was not required to write a positive review through Tyndale Blog Network.