Book Review:: Redeeming Love

Wow. It's been a long time since I've done a book review! We've had a lot of things going on and it's been hard....

So without further ado, here in a VERY LONG book for you.

The tag line of this book is "A story of love that won't let go - No matter what!" Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers is just that.

Angel was taken by a 'step-father' at a young age and sold into prostration as a young child (Read Chapter 1). Years later she finds herself in California working to live among the men of the gold rush. That is until a man named Michael Hosea steps into her room saying God has told him to marry her and take her away from this. It took multiple attempts, a strong faith in God's will, and an almost deadly beating for Michael to do what he believes God is calling him to do.

He takes Angel away to his farm, nurses her back to health and depends completely on God to grow their love. As her love for Michael grows, Amanda (the name he gave her for her new life) becomes fearful and unworthy. As Gomer does in the the book of Hosea, she runs back to the life she knows only to have Michael retrieve her. Unable to give Michael want she thinks he wants, Amanda runs again. This time, Michael waits for her to return on her own.

Through Biblical truths, promises and faith, this love story becomes a story of the love God has for us as well as the love we can have. A love that forgives, embraces and is never ceasing, never ending.

A modern day Hosea and Gomer.

I'm not much for love stories but this one was good. It wasn't a sappy love story, focusing only on the people. It was all about the love of God and His all-consuming heart for His people. 400+ pages of redemption, faith and the power of God. Francine Rivers wrote a wonderful story.

Disclaimer: I received this book from WaterBrook Multnomah for this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Book Review:: The Passionate Mom

Susan Merrill is the director of iMom, a online resource for inspiration, information, ideas and insight for moms. She has been asked countless times what makes a mother the best she can be. She never guessed she would find the answer in the book of Nehemiah. Frankly, I thought she was digging kind of deep with this one but why not! The Bible has the blueprint for parenthood, right? Why not some little Old Testament book.

The Passionate Mom takes a very close look at the qualities of Nehemiah and his reactions and pro-actions to the rebuilding of the wall of Jerusalem. Merrill also takes the concept of building the actual wall into motherhood: "You are the wall and the gates, the protection from the world and the provider of training for life in the world..." She helps moms build their walls brick by brick and mortar by mortar.

There are ten bricks, ten qualities of Nehemiah, that build the wall around our children. Within the ten bricks are the mortar, the glue that holds the bricks together. For example, the first brick is perception. To be perceptive, a mom must have alertness, availability and attentiveness, the mortar. Each chapter is dedicated to a brick and mortar and guides a mom with examples, confessions and ideas on how to use it within her child's life.

The gates have a chapter all to themselves. Merrill shows you how to open and close them to test your child's readiness for the world. She gives five rules to remember when you come to a gate in your child's life. As well as ten gates that can lead to independence, that really train your child for the future. You can't keep your babies walled up forever, they're going to grow and leave, now is your chance to train them for the flood gates.

This book is so jam packed with wonderful guidance to become the best mom that you can be. Ideas that are biblically based, God honoring and actually doable! It's not a quick read. It's one that you must reflect on if you truly want to be the best you can be. If you're looking for direction in motherhood or a pick me up when you get bogged down, this is the book for you!!

Disclaimer: I received this book from BookSneeze.com for this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Taking a Break

As you probably noticed it was almost a month since I last posted a review or anything for that matter.

We have had some amazing things going on in our life that I haven't had time to really focus on reading  AND reviewing books.

So...these things are still going on and will be consuming even more of my time in the next couple weeks.

We read every day, don't worry. If I come across something that is calling to be shared I will. Other than that, wait a few weeks and there will be more!

Book Review: "Unglued Devotional"

I have wanted this book since I saw it previewed on a mom's group facebook page I follow. So when it came up for review I couldn't wait!!!! The book, Unglued: Making Wise Choises in the Midst of Raw Emotions by Lysa TerKeurst, didn't interest me, but the devotional I wanted. I was going to order when I finished the devotional/prayer book I started before it was released but I was very happy to see it come up.

I'm very glad I got it. And I want to read it again when I have the time to do one each day. We have a deadline to do these reviews so I didn't get a chance to do it for the 60 days. I did it more in two days. I definitely want to spend the time reflecting on each day.

"For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you,

 Do not fear, I will help you."

Isaiah 41:13

In the midst of chaos, out of control emotions, and prayers being cried out for relief, God is there, ready to help. TerKeurst reminds us that it doesn't matter what's going on in your life, what you're feeling, what you're struggling with, God is always bigger. With His unending grace, He can reign in your life, everything, and glue it back together. 

For 60 days TerKeurst addresses areas of "imperfect progress". Imperfect progress meaning that you will slip again, you will fall back, but with God, you can keep progressing, keep going forward. 

The author provides a scripture verse to claim each day and a simple idea how to put it into practice in your life. A quick prayer and love poured out from being in the same situation. Sometimes, when you're completely unglued, that's all you need. Someone to show you that God's love is all you need.

Disclaimer:  I received this book from booksneeze.com for this review. All opinions expressed are my own. 

Book Review:: At the Feet of Jesus

"Jesus simply didn't want Martha to be so caught up in the Kitchen Service for Him that she missed out on the joy of Living Room Intimacy with Him" 

How often do we find ourselves working on "something" for God? Get so wrapped up in the calling that you miss the Caller? In At the Feet of Jesus Joanna Weaver takes a whole year to get your heart back to being with Jesus. In this devotional, Weaver takes excerpts from a few of her best selling books (Having A Mary's Heart in a Martha World for example)  and turns them into a devotional to challenge the heart and mind, bring us back into a relationship with God that we all deep down desire. 

We don't have to do anything to get there: "The only requirement for a deeper relationship with God is showing up with an open heart and ready to receive." Weaver also includes a few Going Deeper areas as well as questions at the end of each day to really hone in on getting our hearts back into the God we are serving. 

"The cross did more than pay for my sins; it set me free from the bondage of the 'shoulds' and 'if onlys' and 'what might have beens.' And Jesus's words to Martha are the words He wants to speak to your heart and mine: 'you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed (Luke 10:41-42)

The 'one thing' is not found in doing more.

It's found by sitting at His feet." (pg 4)

I didn't get to take the time to do this as intended and maybe if I did it would have been more for me. This wasn't at all what I was expecting. It's just a reworking of her other books into a devotional. She pulled apart some good books to make a years worth of separate daily readings. I feel, in doing that, she took away from the the power of her other books, especially Having a Mary's Heart in a Martha World. It seemed choppy and the flow was lacking. Don't get me wrong, her message is an important lesson we all need to learn. But you can get it with more passion and power in her other books.

Disclaimer: I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah for this review. All opinions expressed are my own. 

Book Review:: Dirty God

"The Bible teaches us that God 'demonstrates his own love for us' (Romans 5:8) in how he came to us in Jesus. He didn't expect us to climb up to him. He climbed down to us. He got his hands dirty so we could have our hearts cleaned."

In Dirty God, Johnnie Moore gives us a human, humble Jesus who came to give us grace that really can be experienced, felt, and freely given. Jesus wasn't and isn't a well showered, clean shaven, spotless man with nothing to offer but  God who took on man to reach us, to live and eat with the dirtiest of dirty, to love and care for the sickest of the sick, to touch a hardest of hearts, to save the worst of us: "Jesus inaugurated a kind of faith the spirit of which is encapsulated in the words of the great missionary C.T. Studd: 'Some wish to live within the sound/ Of church or chapel bell,/ I want to run a rescue shop/ Within a yard of hell.'"

In part one, Moore gives us a Jesus who we can actually see and touch. A Jesus who we can relate to, accept and know that he was really on earth instead of a god who was aloof, absent and uncaring. He was real. Like you and me. He dressed like us, ate like us, lived like us. He became us for us: "We think of God as far away- like a famous person we admire but don't really know. We kind of keep track of what's happening in his story, but surely he doesn't know much about ours, and if he does, he doesn't care enough to know." He came to bring us grace.

And it can be received, it can be 'gotten'. Moore closes part one with grace. The given grace of God. Grace for us to really grasp and understand. A grace in which God "knows us fully , and he loves us just the same." If we can really, fully comprehend this kind of grace, then we need to share it, spread it, and get our hands dirty.

In part two, Moore extends the grace past you and me. He challenges us to give it.

"God expects us to get our own hands dirty, just as he dirtied his own. He wants to meet us- not in the sanctuary but in the slums. Where hopelessness resides is where the rivers of grace are meant to flow more freely...God's not waiting for us at the alter. He is waiting for us to take the alter to the streets."

If our Dirty God roams the trenches, we need to be willing to live out the love God has shown us. 

"He didn't want his followers to stand out as walking billboards, their t-shirts painted with cliches and bible verses...He imagined our difference as having more substance, a more subversive quality, and greater effectiveness...we should seem different because we are living out what we believe in a way that causes others to wonder what curious belief undergirds our lifestyles."

Are your hands dirty?

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This book is a life changer, or a life challenger I should say. It'll challenge your ideas of Jesus, grace and paying grace forward. It'll challenge your actions and thoughts. Moore writes in a way that really brings Jesus and grace from the pedestal to your level, no matter how far down the ladder you think you are. His humor and style are perfect for the committed Christian and one who is seeking this grace and love. 

Disclaimer: I received this book for free from booksneeze.com for this review. All opinions expressed are my own. 

Book Review:: Everything Christmas

Last year I received  Everything Romance just in time for Valentines Day. This year Everything Christmas by David Borden and Tom Winters arrived a few days after Christmas. I enjoyed the fun little facts in the first book and with a growing family eager to celebrate Christmas I was excited to begin this book. Once again the authors provided such fun details about the history of Christmas traditions from around the world.

Do you know the real history of Christmas?

It can be traced back centuries before Christ was born.

WHAT!?

"The twelve days of Christmas, the bright fires, the yule logs, gift giving, carnivals, carolers going from house to house, holiday feasts, even church processions can all be traced back to the early Mesopotamians. These traditions were passed down throughout the known world and were popular in Rome long before the birth of Christ." (pg. 7)

Didn't see that one coming, did you?

I sure didn't!

Throughout the book, Borden and Winter offer recipes for traditional Christmas meals from countries such as England, Portugal, Denmark and Poland as well as some of their activities and plans. You can learn about the history of the Christmas stocking, your favorite Christmas carol, and decorations including the story of the candy cane. Ideas for thoughtful presents for each person in your family, fun activities to do with your children, and suggestions of planning your day so it centers around the true meaning of Christmas (did you know in Poland there is no cooking done on Christmas Day?). 

This is all done in a format of an Advent calendar. Each day you learn a history of Christmas and ideas on how to celebrate that day as the big day draws near.

This year my daughter wasn't old enough to really get into the Advent calendar. It didn't mean that we couldn't as a family but I really want her to know what Christmas is all about. We talk about it like it's nothing, "the true meaning of Christmas" is even recited many times over in the Charlie Brown Christmas special. But do we really know what it means? This little book gave me some ideas on how to make Christmas special and memorable without going overboard. It gave ideas for traditions we can start doing while giving a basis for ones we already do. It also ended on Christmas Eve with the story of the birth of Christ. 

Next year, I plan to prepare our hearts and lives for Christmas so when the day comes, we can celebrate the birthday of our Savor.

Disclaimer: I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah for this review. All opinion expressed are my own. 

The Original Curious George

The library finally got this book for us. We have been waiting patiently for it to come through the library hold system. 

This is the very first Curious George book. Not edition but the first one written.

It was not what I expected. It actually left more questions than it gave answers.

I was hoping it would tell us how George got to be with the Man with the Yellow Hat. Yes, it did chronicle his journey from Africa to Man's house. But (spoiler alert) he ends up in the zoo.

And the Man stole him from Africa!!!!!

I couldn't believe it. What in the world!?

There were a lot of things in this book that were completely unexpected. But it was written many many years ago. I would imagine everything that was said and done was acceptable during that time period. It's just kind of weird now to see what happens.

Some how George ends up living with the Man with the Yellow Hat....