God's Battle Plan for the Mind by Saxton

This was a great book about strategies on how to keep your mind stayed on God. We are bombarded with many things in this world that are not godly, because of this we need to be diligent in keeping our minds focused on what matters. This book looks at the practices of the Puritans who were diligent at this task. They called it meditation.

I found this book to be helpful because it helped me see that even in the time of the Puritans there was a need to keep one's mind stayed on God. They were relate-able to me in my time period and were very helpful. Meditation is a lost art in Christian thought that needs to be taken back up. In order to live lives that are God-focused we must take the time to meditate on God's word. We act by what we spend time believing and thinking about, why not use your time to meditate on His word?

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: Spurgeon's Sorrows by Zack Eswine

This book was the best book I have ever read on depression. If you know anyone or you yourself struggle with depression, this book is such an incredible encouragement. It is well worth the time. Even if you have never met anyone who struggles with depression, this book is great for your library because you will probably know a depressed person at some time.

This book  was was timely for me. I cried as I read through it because it was such balm to my weary soul. I highlighted so many things that were used to heal my heart in ways I desperately needed. I cannot recommend a book more highly.

I received a 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: Siv and the Blood Moon by Geoffrey Leigh

If you like reading things like, The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, then you need to add this book to your collection. New author, Geoffrey Leigh, astounded us with this winsome tale of adventure filled with dwarves, elves, humans, and goblins, where the battle of good versus evil is imminent. The story occurs in an imaginative world of great description. It is a reader's delight.

With depth and great character development, Leigh, offers the reader a great story that will keep the reader drawn in. We did not want to put the book down. We continually wondered how the story would end.

Our approach with this book was to use it as a read aloud as a family. This is a great book for this type of family activity yet it can also be read alone. It is so interesting though, you will want to talk about it with your friends.

This title did not disappoint. It is not a "Christian" book but is written like Tolkien's books where one can ponder the messages being conveyed to find deeper messages. This is another depth the book took us as a family and we greatly appreciated that. A good book is one that the reader can ponder and pick apart looking for the greater, deeper meaning. This book did that well.

It is a book that captured the attention of the people in our home whose ages range from five to forty. We really enjoyed it. Reading with your family is so rewarding and inspires much more imagination than watching television together. 

You can get a copy of this book from the publisher, Frog Street,  here or later next month at Target stores.

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

Glad You Stopped By

If you are here because you saw my post, "The Gift of a Shattered Life" over at TGC today, I am glad you visited. I don't have much to offer over here today unless you just love book reviews, though occasionally I do post something meaningful here. If you want to read more about various journeys around the web similar to the article posted at TGC today you can look up two great sites I contribute to monthly:
Comfort in the Midst of Chaos A wonderful gospel-centered encouraging site for special needs families
The End in Mind where I blog about Home-school adventures and what I am learning staying focused on Christ in the process.

I have blogged off and on about my personal health journey here and if you really want to read those articles then type in the word trials in the label box on the top right of this home page and a bunch of those should come up.

Thanks for visiting! Hope the article encouraged you in your trials and may Christ be supremely glorified in them! If you need someone to pray for you, it would be my honor, just leave a comment.

Book Review: Romans 8-16 for You by Tim Keller

 The extended title of this book is, for reading, for feeding, for leading (God's Word for You). This series of books is very well done. I have had the opportunity to read a few of them and they seem to be beneficial for your collection as a Christian who desires to grow in the word of God.

This particular title was great. I reviewed the kindle version of this book and I loved the functionality of the glossary words throughout. You can touch the word, it takes you to the definition, then touch it again and start reading from the place you started. Not all kindle versions of books streamline this approach so it was greatly appreciated for this title.

This book is beneficial for the person just starting to study God's word or the seasoned student. It was easy to read and extremely practical. It was definitely worth the time. It will only enhance your understanding of the book of Romans, which is a good thing.

Tim Keller writes in a way that keeps your interest even when reading harder sections of scripture so it will keep you drawn in to the word. This is a gift.

There was also an added appendix discussion on the issue of election at the back of this book. Don't miss it, it is also beneficial to the reader in order to rightly understand when applying the book of Romans to their life.

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

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

Confronted with My Complaining Heart

If I were on a mission trip in a foreign land and I had no water, I would not complain. It would be understandable.

If I were on a mission trip in a foreign land and I had no phone, I would not complain. It would be understandable.

If I could not get coffee because of no water on a mission trip in a foreign land, I would be ok because well it is understandable.

If I was in pain on a mission trip in a foreign land, I would endure because it is what is needed at the time.

If I ordered food on a mission trip in a foreign land and it was less than desirable I would eat it and not complain.

If my internet doesn't want to connect or is too slow on a mission trip in a foreign land, no problem.


BUT, I sit here in America in my own house without some of these conveniences that I am convinced are my "rights" so when they are gone, I complain. What is the problem with this messed up mindset of mine??!!! Today, as I lost some of these so called "rights", I even cried people, cried!!! 

May I ever have the mindset of mission and thankfulness for all things/good gifts the Father gives His children. Let me not forget that water and phones are not "rights" but privileges and gifts. Oh how lazy and prideful we are in America, I say we because I know I am not the only one who complains over these things we like to call or demand as "rights".

I am thankful for eyes opened to this form of sinfulness. Lord, forgive my wicked heart. Help me to endure these things along with the million other irritations that life brings with a mind of thankfulness. Christ died for me. Isn't that enough? Resurrection awaits. Focus mind and heart. Focus on what truly matters.

There is a tension I struggle with here and now knowing that God is good and is sovereign over all my circumstances yet when I am in the land of plenty, when things don't go my way, I want to complain but if I am in the land of want, I don't complain as much (it looks much more sophisticated at least). This is a double mind, unstable in its ways. I am glad that God has opened my eyes to this and know He is faithful and just to complete the good work in me He has started of contentment. I am thankful that He forgives these sinful tendencies as I confess them.

Above all, I want to be able to say with confidence as Paul did, " for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content" Philippians 4:11b. Content in the Lord that is, and to freely say, "whatever you will Lord, I will live."