We Cannot Be Silent by Moore

This is a much needed response to what a Christian needs to know in times such as ours. It is an excellent read which addresses the current sexual revolution in which we are living. I was fascinated by the simple choices of change that started the ball rolling in creating these bad consequences. Of course looking back you can see things more clearly but at some point it seems there should have been more of a red flag. Yet here we sit.

This book speaks to the Christian about how to respond to our times and culture. We are not in a time where we can be silent about these things. We must, more than ever, state clearly what the good news of the gospel really is and what it saves us from.

This is a read for our times. I think all Christians should read it. It will help you sort through what is currently happening in our times. It also has a section of answers to the more difficult questions we will need to answer in the coming days. It is written with a great scriptural thoroughness and with love.

I received a copy of the book free of charge from the publisher for the purpose of an honest review.

You can get a copy of this book from Amazon here.

Book Review: The Great Christ Comet by Nicholl

I found this book to be fascinating! I was surprised by the great detail of science that was involved but it just made it more interesting. To be honest, I didn't understand all of the astronomy but it is necessary for the reader who does understand this type of intellectual study. Either way I enjoyed it.

For the lay reader, this book will inspire you toward worshiping our Savior. If this book is accurate, the fact that God lined up every detail of the Heavens to orchestrate this world changing event, the birth of the Savior, is astonishing!

The book details Scriptures that highlight this event and addresses it carefully considering records of astrological events during this same time period. The book even includes beautiful pictures of comets that were captured through time. It also compares other theories of this great star. It is quite beautiful to study.

The fact that through this comet God was already reconciling those who would be His to Himself by showing Himself to the lowly shepherds and catching the attention of the gentile magi. Addressing the Scriptures of a destroyer at the virgin birth all played out on the stage of the sky. It truly is amazing to think of.  This book is a great read in considering the great sovereignty of God.

One thing this book brought me was a renewed sense of wonder at God's splendor in all of creation. In our modern day of lights, I often forget about the stars. This renewed a sense of reminding me of their presence and the splendor of God's glory they declare.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher for the purpose of an honest review.

You can get a copy of this book from Amazon here.

Book Review: Awe by Tripp

If you take the time to read anything this year, read this! This book is that important. Has your love of God grown cold? Are you worried all the time? Are you stuck in fear? Do you wonder why your parenting even matters? Do you stress too much at work? This book addresses all of these questions and more.

It is no magical formula, just a desperate plea for God to allow us to see more of Him in everyday life. Paul Tripp writes in such a practical way it helps you see potential pitfalls in your life and where you need to look to correct them. It is all by God's great grace but the additional practical instruction of how to get there is needed in the body of Christ today. Tripp models this well through his writing.

I was inspired in the awe of God from reading this. I felt like it was a pool of grace that I got to just float in as I read. It had me comfortable in the throws of this book and I never wanted to put it down. The picture of God in this book is the picture of God we desperately need to see. We need to see Him in the awe that He shines brightly toward us. We need this to be restored in our lives and society today.

I received a copy of this book free of charge from the publisher for the purpose of an honest review.

You can get a copy of this book from Amazon here.

Book Review: Seven Women by Metaxas

This book is excellent! You will not be disappointed if you take the time to read it. Biographies are wonder stories of people's lives that inspire us to live well. These seven short biographies of these extraordinary women will aid in your encouragement.

The book is well written and enjoyable to read. I actually read most of it while waiting in the car line. I found my time well spent. The seven women chosen were not all women that I had previously heard of yet the ones I heard of already, I also learned some new things about.

The women written about were quite an eclectic group, some were young, some were old. Some were rich while others poor. They were from various ethnic backgrounds and time periods but what they all found in common was their love for God. These women are part of our "great cloud of witnesses." We can learn from them.

I think if you like biographies and your are a woman you should take the time to read this. It will only encourage you!

I received a copy of this book at no charge from the publisher for the purpose of an honest review.

You can get a copy of this book from amazon here.

Rediscovering Discipleship by Gallaty

 I loved this book because it is centered on Jesus and greatly practical in application. I often take for granted that a word like discipleship can mean many things to many people. This book defines the true meaning of biblical discipleship based on the example of Jesus. It is a very interesting and helpful read.

Being in a discipleship group myself, because of the encouragement from my pastors and reading Growing up by the author, I have experienced the fruit and blessing of discipleship groups first hand. I have been praying about facilitating our group in a better way and this book has helped answer that prayer. Every Christian would do well to read it and consider how to apply it to their life as a Christian and disciple-maker.

I highly recommend this book to others in the church. It is very important that we learn how to disciple and be discipled in order to grow in our walk with Christ which should be the main goal in our walks.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher for the purpose of an honest review.

You can get a copy of this book from Amazon.com here.

Book Review: The Call to Joy and Pain by Fernando

I really enjoyed this book. One may think joy cannot be found in pain but this book helps work you through that process by exploring Colossians and the life of Paul and Jesus. It also walks you through contemporary examples of people walking this kind of lifestyle out. It is encouraging to be surrounded by "a great cloud of witnesses" while reading this book.

The art of walking worthy of your calling takes encouragement. This book helps you in that. It is written in such a way where you could read one selection a day and just ponder it. Each selection is like a gospel saturated devotional that is good for any person. All who read this should come away encouraged in Christ.

I came away encouraged in my walk with Christ knowing suffering is just part of it but in that suffering is growth not only for me but also those that God has placed in my life to watch. We are made to live in community and it is important to suffer together for His glory as much as it is important to celebrate victories together for His glory.

I received a copy of this book at no charge from the publisher Crossway for the purpose of an honest review.

You can get a copy of this book from Amazon.com here.

Book Review: Called for Life by Brantly

This book detailed the account of Dr. Brantly and his family during the Ebola outbreak in Liberia. It is very interesting and answers questions that the reader may have about this very international event.

What is inspiring about this book is that Dr. Brantly appeared to trust the Lord through this entire ordeal, whether it was from faithfully serving others who were ill or persevering through his own illness, his trust seemed to hold strong because he knew that it was a stronger arm that held him; the arm of God.

I like that this book helps the reader understand the conditions in Africa and the cultural challenges to treating specific illnesses. Honestly, if they had the equipment and resources we had in America, those illnesses would not spread as badly.

I came away in awe of the sovereignty of God and a desire to help others. There are a lot of whys to why do some live here or there or live or die? These questions we grapple with under His sovereignty and goodness. The important part is that those of us who are able and have access to needed aid need to stand up and use those resources to help others for His glory. Because of His love we can love others.

This is a good read and you can get a copy from Amazon here.

I received a copy of this book at no charge for the purpose of an honest review.

Book Review: Gospel Conversations: How to Care Like Christ

 This is a great book that I think all Christians would benefit in reading. We all need to know how to care for others more like Christ. This book walks you through how to do this in counseling relationships with people.

 It is an excellent and detailed overview to help lay people fulfill this role for the church. The book is set up to help you go through this as a group, which I highly recommend. It gives you soul searching questions that apply to each section that will aid you in knowing pitfalls and areas to address before counseling others. This is an important step in counseling others.

Lay people are proven to be the most successful help to those in distress with in the church body. The problem is that too many are not properly trained. This resource is a good start for that.

This book also includes helpful form examples for a more formalized counseling ministry if you desired to start that up within your church.

Loosely stated, counseling can mean many things to many people. This book takes some time to explain them all. It is beneficial to know your people and know what is best for them.

I am currently training and completing coursework in Biblical Counseling at the Christian Counseling and Educational Foundation. This book has reminded me of all that I am learning. It really is a needed resource for the body of Christ. I hope you check it out.

I received a copy of this book free of charge from the publisher for an honest review.

You can get a copy of this book from Amazon.com here.

Book Review: Writers to Read by Wilson

This was an excellent read. Not only did I learn things about some writers with whom I am already familiar but also learned about some new authors I am now excited to read. This book is a great addition to your bookshelf because it expands your knowledge by taking the time to explore the minds and examples of others who excel at their craft. 

Each chapter covered a different writer, included a short biography, and gave detail about the things they wrote. At the end of each chapter there was a section that stated, "if you cannot read anything else, then read these books by this author." I have made a wish list of these recommended books and cannot wait to get started.

If you are a writer, it is wise to read other writers. It works as a type of mentoring. You can only improve your craft by studying others. This book is a good place to start. I definitely recommend it.

You can get a copy of this book from Amazon here.

I received a copy of this book at no charge for the purpose of an honest review.

Book Review: Bathsheba by Hunt

I am more of a non-fiction reader than a fiction reader but part of that comes from a fear of imagination. This currently plagues my thoughts. We, who are redeemed, have what C.S. Lewis called a baptized imagination, and in imagination, good things can happen. Books like this help me break free from whatever fear holds me back. First, this is for what I am most thankful.

Second, honestly, after the first few chapters, I felt extremely uncomfortable like a rat trapped in a maze trying to find an impossible escape, yet I kept with this book until the last page and about a fourth of the way in, I was deeply hooked. This exposed things in my heart that I needed to deal with which in turn helped me worship God more fully.

The book itself is a wonderful historical fiction that exams the life of Bathsheba. It goes right along with Scriptural history and traces Bathsheba's life filling in probabilities of the imagination for a woman of that time period. The writing is beautiful and the story is told through the eyes of Bathsheba and the prophet Nathan, both real characters of the Bible itself.

After my personal hangups, which again have nothing to do with the author, I found myself drawn in and really enjoying this book. The author has also written on on the life of Esther and when time permits, I plan to read as well. Again, I am thankful for this book. I think it was well done. If you are looking for some quality fiction, this is a good choice. If you know the Bible you may know that this book would include real, hard issues so I recommend it for mature high schoolers and above.

You can get a copy of this book from Amazon here.

I received a free copy of this book from Bethany House for the purpose of an honest review.

Book Review: The Story of God's Love for You by Jones

This is such a great book! I just about absorbed it all in one day. It is simply the Jesus Story Book Bible in a new format for teens or adults. It kept me smiling because I just love how it reminds you over and over of God's great love for you through Christ and what Christ did for us in and through that love. My children love the children's book so much and now I am glad there is a format available for adults! Also, it is a storybook bible so it would be beneficial to pass it out to anyone who was curious about God and His love.

One of the great things I like about this book is that each story points to Jesus. It keeps your eyes moving toward Jesus and what He has done. It is beautifully written, non-intimidating for the new Christian reader but developed enough for the oldest of Christians. I cannot even give you good enough words to describe how well done I think this project is! I think it would benefit everyone to have a copy. You will not be sorry!

You can get a copy of this book from Amazon.com on October 9th here.

You can check out the author's webpage here.

I received a copy of this book at no charge from the publisher for the purpose of an honest review.

Book Review: The Surprising Imagination of C.S. Lewis by Root and Neal

I loved this book! C.S. Lewis is a fascinating person who displayed a brilliant mind.  I like to read anything about him and written by him. You can learn a lot from a person like him. He just makes you better in the Lord for spending any amount of time with him. I am thankful for his life and ministry given to us during his lifetime. It is books like this that just help us see even more. For that reason alone I highly recommend this book.

This book explored the different types of imagination that Lewis was taping into with his different works. He wrote many genres so there is much to learn from that. The book is actually divided into seven genre types and takes the reader on a journey of exploration through Lewis's writings. I really enjoyed this and will reread sections as I read one of his works. It just helps you get so much more out of it.

Reading Lewis or insight written about Lewis, draws me closer and deeper in my walk with Christ. It is just so encouraging to know a man like him walked the earth and made such impact through writing. I am just glad it still exists so we can learn from it. If you like anything by Lewis this book would be a good addition to your collection.

You can get a copy of this book from Amazon.com here.

I received a copy of this book at no charge from the publisher for the purpose of an honest review.

Book Review: The Message of Lamentations by Wright

This book is a commentary on Lamentations. It is separated into 5 chapters that cover the chapters of Lamentations which makes it easy to follow along. It is readable and easy enough for any believer to read which is what I like best about this book. It is part of, "The Bible Speaks Today" series.

It flows well too in a way that gives the reader the context of the book of Lamentations and applications from that time period but then quickly connects to how this would apply to our here and now. It is a really good resource for understanding the book of Lamentations. 

I recommend this book, if the rest of the series is written like this one they are all worth checking out.

You can get a copy of this book from Amazon.com here

I received a copy of this book at no charge for the purpose of an honest review.

Book Review: For the Love by Hatmaker

This book is what I expected. It is funny, an easy read, and points you to Christ along the way. Sometimes we just need to laugh at life and ourselves. This book helps with that. It is just filled with random stories about life.

The bride of Christ is filled with a variety of different people. It is good to read things from those perspectives. It is good to read things filled with honesty and vulnerability as we journey along together. Somehow this helps make the journey lighter.

This book was one of those kinds of books for me. I may not agree or endorse everything said but that is the beauty of diversity in the body. I do find the author hilarious and this book helped me keep my sanity in the car line. If you wanna laugh and be encouraged at the same time, pick this up. As I said, we all could use a little more laughter these days.

I received a copy of this book at no charge from the publisher for the purpose of an honest review.

You can get a copy of this book from Amazon.com here.

Praying the Bible by Whitney

Do you want to hear God? Do you really want to know for certain what He is saying to you? Praying the Bible is where this happens with certainty and Donald Whitney helps you know how. Sound to good to be true? Then read on because it is not. This simple strategy is for everyone.

This book focuses on the importance of praying the Bible. It gives you practical tools on how to pray the Bible without being bored. It is extremely encouraging because the author identifies with the reader and their challenges in their prayer time. He encourages them with easy steps to help them never get bored in prayer.

The strategy is just as simple as reading a line of Scripture, praying it to God and reading the next line. God's word is alive and active and it is literally God speaking directly to us. As we do this, things will come to mind to pray about and that is what makes this time of prayer more two-way conversational.

I learned a lot from this book and have started putting this kind of praying into practice. I highly recommend it. It is an easy read and gives you such practical advice.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher for no charge for the purpose of an honest review.

You can get a copy of this book from Amazon.com here.

Book Review: The Colson Way by Strachan

This was an exceptional book. The reading of Christian biographies is an important step in our growth in grace. The Bible says we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses. There are many saints who have gone before us that we would benefit to learn from. This book covers this as it looks at the life of Chuck Colson.

Colson was a interesting character who declared boldly his faith in Christ everywhere he went. He was a visionary who started many projects to help those marginalized. He learned many lessons the hard way but those things, God used to make him stronger. Not only does this book look at Colson's life but it also gives us practical thoughts as to live our lives in the similar ways in our world.

I believe any reader would be inspired to live a life of loving their neighbor and sharing their faith after reading this. I am glad that I had the chance to read this title. I do recommend it.

If you would like a copy of this book from Amazon.com you can get it here.

I received a copy of this book at no charge from the publisher for the purpose of an honest review.

Book Review: My First Hands-On Bible

 I love this Bible! It is such a precious storybook Bible that you can easily read to your little one while they are engaged and pay attention! The Bible is in the NLT translation which makes it easy to understand. There are little activities after several sentences to help your little one understand the lesson further. And my favorite part is each story makes a connection to Jesus. My little guy and I both love this Bible.

When I asked my little guy if he would want other kids to read this book he exclaimed, "Yes!" He said it is the best book. He cannot wait until it is time for us to sit and read it together. I really like all of it. The activities, illustrations and translation work well in this context. Another thing I like is that the Bible looks like mommy's or daddy's Bible. He noticed this right away and loves this about it as well.

I received a copy of this Bible at no charge from Tyndale for the purpose of an honest review.

You can get a copy of this book at Amazon here.

Book Review: Word-Filled Women's Ministry by Various Authors

Women's ministry has been my heart for as long as I can remember. I have seen it done really well and really poorly over the years. In all of my observations, I have questioned why ministry among women flourishes in some places and looks ugly or diminishes in others? The simple answer to this complex question is, the Word of God.  The key to good, solid, and beautiful ministry among women in the church is being grounded in the word of God.

This book thoroughly covers this topic.  The word must be central to all we do in the church so it makes sense that women's ministry is no different. Our entire goal is to build one another up in Christ til we reach that fullness. Women's ministry focused around the word of God accomplishes this and is much needed!

All members of the church should read this book. Women first because it is about how to do women's ministry well. Yet, our brothers in Christ could benefit in reading this to understand and know more about how to support our unique ministry to women. It can help them see our felt needs. This book was also quite diverse in addressing many areas of women's needs and is helpful and needed at this time.

I was personally challenged by the importance of centering all things around the word of God. I believe others will benefit from reading this as well if they want to learn how to serve and love the church well. I am thankful for this book.

You can get a copy of this book from Amazon here.

I received a copy of this book at no charge from the publisher for the purpose of an honest review.

Book Review: Gaining by Losing by Greear

This is a great book if a church wants to know how to be missional. It is a must read. The author explores the reasons why it is important to equip and send out people, how this is biblical, and why this gets the best results. The author then takes you through ten plumb lines he uses within his own church context. There is a third section that gives more detailed strategies. I found it easy to read, informative, and practical.

I found myself being convicted while reading this book. There are things that everyone could be doing here and now that are quite simple but we don't for various reasons. We must be faithful in the small things here before we will be faithful with the more difficult things. This is how I am trying to view my life now. The book reminded me even more just how important intentional living is now, right where God has placed your feet.

I think this title will encourage Christians.

You can get a copy of this book at Amazon here.

I received a copy of this book at no charge for the purpose of an honest review.

Book Review: It's Good to be Queen by Higgs

This was an engaging and interesting read. The author explored the passages of all we know about the famous Queen Sheba and broke it down into the chapters that are included in this book. The author wrote up a fictional account of what the Queen may be thinking, what the passage actually said, what tradition speaks of, and then application of what we learn from this queen.

I did enjoy this book. It was an easy read that flowed well all throughout. The author is also balanced in not taking too much liberty with the Scriptures by making it fit what others may want. I really appreciated this about this book. I learned a lot and am glad I read this title.

You can get a copy of this book from Amazon.com here.

I received a copy of this book free of charge from Blogging for Books for the purpose of an honest review.

Book Review: Berenstain Bears' Harvest Festival by Berenstain

The anticipation for this book was building as my six year old waited for it to arrive in the mail. He was not disappointed when I read it to him. He loves these little books. They are very light when it comes to theology but they are cute stories. Maybe it is the pictures because they are beautifully done but he just loves these. Because of this, I think it is a good book.

You can get a copy of this book from Amazon here.

I received a copy of this book free of charge from the publisher for the purpose of an honest review.

Book Review: 40/40 Vision by Greer and Lafferty

I found this book extremely interesting because it is about reaching your midlife; specifically age 40 and beyond. It took a look at what is important at this stage of life based on various life experiences and Scriptures from the book of Ecclesiastes.

I found it informative and interesting. The stories the authors tell were engaging and the book, in general, was easy to read. I chose this title because I am reaching my mid-life stage of life. I have been interested in what this stage will mean for me. I hear about mid-life crisis's often and find stories and the psychology of them intriguing.

This book was helpful. It gleans off of Solomon's wisdom recorded for us in the Bible. If you are interested in this phase of life for yourself or others and learning what the wise king Solomon said about it, this book would be a good read.

This book is scheduled to release on November 2nd. You can pre-order a copy from Amazon here.

I received a copy of this book at no charge from IVP Books for the purpose of an honest review.

Book Review: Making Disciples Across Cultures by Davis

This was a great book about diversity in our world and how it impacts disciple making around the world. I found this book very informative, useful, and easy to read. It explores various cultural differences in different parts of the world and what that means for sharing Christ. Basically it is very important that we seek to understand people in their various cultures in order to know how to best share the gospel.

Each chapter is broken down into different things we need to learn about discipleship at large. The author has great experience working with different cultures and in different places around the world. He has much wisdom from which the reader can glean. Heaven will be a group of people from every tribe and nation. We need to learn this now on our journey home. I think this is a good read if you have a desire to understand people who are different from you.

I received a copy of this book at no charge from the publisher, IVP, for the purpose of an honest review.

You can get a copy of this book from Amazon.com here.

Book Review: Accidental Feminist by Reissig

This book was phenomenal in dealing with biblical womanhood. In our day, this can be a tricky topic but this book was handled with much grace and wisdom. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to better understand the complementarian point of view on this topic. Though I, myself, am complementarian in thought I still believe someone who was not could benefit from understanding this school of thought. This book will answer any questions as to what God's plan was with womanhood and how to walk that out in our time.

 This book is pro-women and pro-bible but mostly pro-God. Seeing God's bigger plan for womanhood all through the bible is helpful and instructive for everyday life. I found myself from time to time having to stop reading just to worship God for His grand design. I pray all Christians can rightly embrace it, especially in our times.

 I received a copy of this book at no charge from the publisher, Crossway, for the purpose of an honest review.

You can get a copy of this book from Amazon.com here.

Book Review: Joy in the Journey by Hayner

This book is an intimate look at a couple's journey with cancer. It is simply a diary. It records their trust and struggles with God through this journey. It is over all encouraging. It is written from the one who has cancer and from the caregiver. The author's are husband and wife.

Honestly, I think we all would do well to read things like this. People get so caught up in things that really do not matter. They put so much energy into things that really don't make a difference but when someone is hit with a serious illness it slows them enough to think, pause, and question life. It is important to do this from time to time. This book walks us through this process with this couple.

 I found this book to be encouraging because it is real and honest regarding the struggle. Yet this couple held tight to the God they knew who loved them despite their understanding of their hard circumstances.

I received a copy of this book at no charge from the publisher for the purpose of an honest review.

You can get a copy of this book from Amazon.com here.