Book Sneeze Review: Tough Guys and Drama Queens

   My latest book to review was Mark Gregston's, "Tough Guys and Drama Queens (How Not To Get Blindsided by Your Child's Teen Years)".   Well I have 3 children ages, 14, 12, and 10 so you can probably guess why I wanted to review this book :).  Plus, the fact I hear the author of this book on Talk Radio on Saturday mornings on my drive to the Grocery Store.  Mark Gregston is the founder and executive director of Heartlight, a residential counseling center for troubled teens.  The center houses up to 60 teens, so I would say that Mark Gregston probably knows a thing or two about raising and disciplining children, teens in particular.

  I think this book was wonderful as it had so much helpful information.  Actually, I am really glad I read it because the author is used to working with teens that are in crisis, so he definitely has experience and has seen what has worked in parenting and what has not (to put it nicely).  I on the other hand am just beginning my experience with parenting teens, and when I read this book I realized that I may have some wrong thinking when it comes to parenting and disciplining my teens to be.

 I am glad that Mark Gregston opened my eyes by sharing  from his experience of how teens actually do think.  Plus, the fact that today's teens are experiencing things that generations past have never even dreamed about (or had nightmares about).  Styles of parenting that worked in the past have to be tweaked to reach the generation of teens today.

     So my review for the book is one hundred percent positive, and I think every parent that has a child that is 10 years or over would benefit from the information in this book. I know every child is different and this book won't solve all of your parenting issues, but you will be really glad that you took the time to read it.  I am now passing it onto my husband to read :)

  BookSneeze gave me this complimentary copy of this book, and in return I wrote this review.  Thanks BookSneeze!!!

Twelve Unlikely Heroes Book Review: BookSneeze

  I love John MacArthur's teachings so when I saw his newest book, Twelve Unlikely Heroes I had to request it to review.  I have not been able to read his other "12" books (Ordinary Men and Extraordinary Women) so I wanted to make sure to read this one.  BookSneeze provided me a complimentary copy of Twelve Unlikely Heroes, and I in turn agreed to write this review.

 First of all, I will say that this is not a book that you will breeze through in a weekend setting, nor do you really want to.  John MacArthur knows his theology and has taken time to do a lot of background research in order to enrich the reader's experience with the book. (Taken from back cover) "John MacArthur uses his deep knowledge of the Bible and history to take us back to see these three-dimensional men and women in their own times and cultures. In doing so, it becomes clear how their dramatic stories apply to us today."

   MacArthur goes into great detail about the lives of Enoch, Joseph, Miriam, Gideon, Samson, Jonathan, Jonah, Esther, John the Baptist, James, Mark and Onesimus.  In this book John MacArthur labels them as heroes, but maybe not in the super hero kind of way that we would think.  These men and women of the Bible were real people with real flaws.  They were weak and succumbed to temptation at times.  They struggled, but they also believed God and trusted in Him.  God used them to accomplish His Will in spite of their weaknesses.  When you look at their lives, you get a glimpse of your own life as well. 

  The thing I liked best about the book was the research and background that MacArthur provides on each of these men and women.  I have been a Christian for over 30 years and know quite a bit of information about most of these persons from the Bible, but through reading this book I came away with information I never knew before.  Reading this book helped me to make connections in the Bible that helped me to understand it better.  I so appreciate John MacArthur's style of writing that really ends up teaching me more about God.

   I definitely recommend this book to all readers.  I believe that everyone can learn something new and come away from reading this book with a bigger view of what the Lord can do with a "unlikely" person that is fully surrendered to Him.  Thanks John MacArthur. 

"Stuck" Bible Study

Here is the link to the trailer about the DVD bible study "Stuck" that I wrote a review for in an earlier post. Check it out...

Book Sneeze Book Review: "Stuck" Bible Study

Since I began my experience as a book/resource reviewer for "Book Sneeze" (Thomas Nelson), I have not been as excited to receive a resource as the "Stuck" DVD based bible study. I was intrigued by the title, and I also lead Women's bible studies in my home so I knew I would request this resource as soon as it became available. I am so glad I did. "Stuck" gets my highest recommendation of any of the resources I have reviewed so far.

"Stuck's" author is Jennie Allen, and up to this point I had never even heard of her in the world of Women's Ministry. Well, I can tell you after reviewing "Stuck" I am sure Jennie Allen will be a new and upcoming leader/teacher in Women's Ministry. As I watched Jennie's teaching DVDs I fell in love with her teaching style. She is passionate, authentic and biblically sound. What more could you ask for in a teacher? (Well, I am sure there is more, but Jennie Allen will not disappoint you).

"Stuck" is set up as an 8 week DVD session study. The Bible study kit includes the 8 session DVD, a copy of the study guide (used for personal study), a leader's guide, and a set of conversation cards that coincide with the 8 weeks. The study guide is a bit different from some of the other studies I have done in the past, and that is a good thing. Jennie challenges her participants to dig deep into God's Word each week. After the "study" portion of the guide Jennie has included "projects" that are very interactive for each individual to complete. Each week's study maybe completed in one sitting, or one can break the study up and complete it in multiple settings.

The leader's guide is set up in a way that basically takes all the "work", or shall I say "fear" out of leading. Jennie walks her leaders right through the entire study so they can feel confident when they lead their own group of women through "Stuck".

My favorite part of this whole study are the "Conversation Cards" that Jennie has included in her study. Jennie has come up with multiple questions on each week's theme (IE: broken, mad, discontent, etc) and a weekly scripture to support each week's theme. She always wants to make sure that the final word on any subject comes from God, as it should be. In my experience, women love getting together and asking each other questions about life and their spiritual journeys. This study lends itself to going deep with your group if you choose that path. I think that is where true growth happens.

I think I should end my review here because honestly I could go on and on about how great this study is. I give it a 5 out of 5 stars. I will actually be beginning this study with a small group of women in my home very soon. Thank you Book Sneeze for providing this resource to me. I am ever so thankful.

(Book Sneeze provided "Stuck" to me complimentary and I in turn had to write a review).

"Women of Faith" Recap

NATALIE GRANT... LOVE HER!!!

ANGIE SMITH-LOVE HER TOO!!!

NICOLE JOHNSON

SHELIA WALSH

MY TRAVELING BUDDY!!!

If someone offered you free tickets to go to a "Women of Faith" conference what would you say? Well I hope that your answer would be a resounding "YES". Book Sneeze (Thomas Nelson Publishing) offered me 2 free tickets to a "WOF" event anywhere in the United States, and I gladly accepted. In return for the complimentary tickets I agreed to write a review of the conference.

I invited one of my good friends to go to the conference with me, and we headed to Indianapolis a couple weekends ago. Before this event, the last time I went to a "Women of Faith" conference was probably about 8 or 9 years ago. I had heard that the original team of speakers (or at least the team I had seen last) had divided up so they could cover more of the United States. Honestly I was a little sad because I wanted to see all the original "WOF" speakers together. However, it didn't take me too long to fall in love with the new "WOF" speakers and realize that nothing was lacking from the conference... NOTHING :)

The theme of this year's conference that I attended was "Imagine". Throughout the entire event that little word "imagine" popped up here and there as the speakers gave their talks. I forgot how much I really enjoyed the "WOF" events, and it didn't take me long to immerse myself in the atmosphere of love and encouragement amongst thousands of women. I laughed out loud and cried more times that I wanted to...Actually that is not true, I LOVE TO CRY :)

I totally love the "WOF" conferences and I highly recommend this event to any woman or man, although a man might feel real out of place :) But before I close I just want to give a little informal shout out to the "Women of Faith" event team.

-Shelia Walsh- Love her, and her rendition of "How Great Thou Art" brought the whole arena to a place of worship.

-Lisa Harper- This was the first time I saw Lisa. She is a wonderful story teller and she is funny (in a good way :)

-Luci Swindoll- Luci is fearless and her whole life has been an adventure. She is honest and she is a hoot. I laughed many times as she spoke.

-Nicole Johnson-I have always enjoyed Nicole as the dramatist of the "WOF" conferences. She is so talented, but I especially loved that at this conference she shared her personal testimony. Nicole Johnson as Nicole Johnson :)

-Angie Smith- This was the first time that I had seen Angie Smith and she was a new speaker to the "WOF" team. Oh my goodness, Angie was delightful and her personal testimony was heart breaking, but through her sorrow God's light shined through. She was witty and it was just a joy to listen to her.

I could go on and on about the conference, but I will stop here. I am already thinking of planning another trip to a "WOF" event in 2012. I need to start saving my dollars and may I suggest that if you are reading this blog entry you should save your money too.

Thanks again Book Sneeze. I had the most wonderful time :)

Book Sneeze Book Review- "Max on Life"

I just received Max Lucado's newest release from the Thomas Nelson publishing company (Book Sneeze). Thomas Nelson has given me a complimentary copy of the book, and in exchange I have to write a review of the book. Well, I have reviewed several Max Lucado books, and when his newest book "Max on Life" came out I knew I wanted to review this book as well.

Max's newest book is a compilation of questions that he has received from people throughout his years as a pastor and author. Max tackles 172 of those questions and the questions are divided up into 7 different categories (Hope, Hurt, Help, Him/Her, Home, Haves/Have-Nots, Hereafter). Lucado has truly been given a gift from God when it comes to his writing. He paints pictures with his words and is a master storyteller. Even though this book feels more like a question and answer session, you still get to see Max at his best as he answers questions from people just like you and me.

Lucado fans will really enjoy this book, and those that are not familiar with Max's books will probably like this one because of the variety of topics covered in the book. Lucado does his best to answer the questions that are asked of him according to the Bible. Some of the questions that are in the book are those "tough" life questions that are hard to answer, but Max does answer them. However, Max's answers are short and to the point. They are encouraging, but for those tough questions one should seek God's Word for the answers.

I thank Book Sneeze and Thomas Nelson once again for allowing me to review this new book, and I would definitely recommend you buy it if you are looking for a good book to read. We all have questions in life and I am sure that you will find at least one question you have been wanting to ask someone in Max's newest release.

Book Sneeze Review (In Constant Prayer)

The latest book that I chose to review for Book Sneeze (Thomas Nelson) was "In Constant Prayer" by Robert Benson. This book is one in a series of books called "The Ancient Practices Series". Book Sneeze provides the book to me at no charge if I will write a review and post it on my blog and another consumer site. Thank you Thomas Nelson publishers.

I was drawn to this book at first because of the title. In the Bible we are told to "pray without ceasing", so when I saw the title I figured that this book would help me discover what praying without ceasing really means. The book does address this subject, but actually focuses in on a pattern for worship called the "daily office" (aka: daily prayer, divine office, canonical hours, etc). I had never heard of the daily office before as it is not commonly (or at all) practiced in my particular church denomination. In the book, it states the daily office "roots" are from the early Church, and many people that did not grow up with such a practice are very interested in it today.

Again most of the information in this book was foreign to me as I did not come from a church background with such traditions like the daily office, but I tell you after reading this book I see that a practice such as the daily office is not limited to a certain church background. After reading Benson's book I am very interested in learning more about this early church practice. There is too much information for me to share in a book review, but I would encourage all Christians to at least read through this book to see if the practice of the daily office would be something they would want to add to their spiritual practices and prayer life.

Benson's writing is very easy to read, and his transparency and honesty add to the appeal of the book. He writes just enough for you to understand the about the "daily office", but this book is a first step if one wants the daily office to become part of their daily disciplines. Benson doesn't make big promises that if one practices the daily office that there will be all these supernatural answers to prayers, although there might be. That is up to God. But he does mention how it will change us because we are taking time to honor God and give Him the praise He is due. In my opinion, Benson implies that the daily office is not another spiritual practice that is about us, but it really is about God. He becomes our focus. I don't know if that what Benson was trying to say, but that is what I took from his book.

I am planning on reading and finding out more information about the "daily office" and I could see that this practice may become a part of my daily routine and quiet time. I recommend this book to anyone searching for a deeper relationship with God. Read it and see what the Lord may speak to you about this practice.

BookSneeze Review: DVD "The Least Among You"

I was so excited to review a DVD from BookSneeze (Thomas Nelson) this time around. I love faith based movies, so when I saw that a DVD was available for review I jumped at the chance. The DVD that I reviewed was a movie titled, "The Least Among You". This movie is inspired by a true story about a man named Richard Kelly (Dr. Charles Marks).

Richard was arrested in the 1965 Watts Riots. In order to get out of prison he had to serve his probation at an all white seminary. I won't give you the rest of the story, but the movie deals with the issues of racism, abuse and forgiveness. Ultimately, the movie shows the journey of how Richard comes to really know and accept God's will for his life.

This movie was really good. There are well known actors in this movie, such as Louis Gossett, Jr., Lauren Holly and William Devane. I do not really know the actor that plays the role of Richard Kelly, but he does a wonderful job. Also included on the DVD is a featurette titled, "Rev Dr. Charles Marks-The Real Richard Kelly". I like when movies feature small documentaries of the real life characters.

One of the things that I like most about this movie is that it deals with very sensitive and life situations that are graphic, but the movie deals with it in a way that is appropriate and not at all graphic. As a Christian this is real important to me that I can watch a movie without hearing and seeing all the "stuff" that can be so offensive.

I definitely recommend this movie as one to purchase. It would also be a movie that could be watched with your family (older children). Thank you BookSneeze for making this movie available for review.

BookSneeze Review-(One Hand, Two Hands)

I love Max Lucado, so when I saw that he had a new children's book out I requested it so I could review it. I also teach Preschool at a Church so I thought this might be a book that I could read to my class. I was right; Max's new book "One Hand, Two Hands (Oh, the ways we can help with our hands!) is a perfect book to read to my class of 4 year olds.

In this book Max shows that even the youngest children can use their hands to serve others. He also emphasizes that the hands of little ones can be used to help and show love to others, especially to their family. Max states in his book that children know that "hands" can be "kind or harsh", "helpful or hurtful", so he wanted to write this book to show how their little hands can be helpful in all kinds of ways.

The book itself is not to long, but just the right amount of pages for little ones to listen to. The words in the book (the story) are written in a bigger font, which makes it easy to read. Max also writes so that words and phrases rhyme in the story. I just love reading a book out loud that flows with a rhyming pattern. The illustrations of the book were done by Gaby Hansen, and they are really beautiful. Soft colors and full illustrations fill each page.

Max ends the story with a list of ways a child can use their hands to show love and to help others. It appears Max is giving the children that read the book a list of actions that they can complete when they are done reading the book. I like that...

I would recommend this book to parents, grandparents, and teachers. Actually to anyone who has a little one in their lives. Max is a gifted, talented writer and he can write for any audience, young or old. Once again, I am thankful to BookSneeze for allowing me the opportunity to review this book.

BookSneeze Review- "Out Live Your Life"

I am so glad to tell you about the newest book that I was able to review for BookSneeze. I am in a busy season of my life right now, and have not had a chance to read many books lately. However, when I found out that Max Lucado had a new book, I jumped at the chance to review it. The title of Max's new book is "Out Live Your Life", and Max challenges his readers to do exactly that OUTLIVE THEIR LIVES.



In "Outlive Your Life" Max takes a look at how the early church lived their lives (from the book of Acts). His point is that if God worked in the lives of the early church in such amazing ways, might we expect that He can work in our lives the same way today. Lucado talks about how ordinary people can do extraordinary things for God. Throughout the entire book Max is basically calling us to come out of our "shells" and to open our eyes to see the needs of a hurting world. For all of us to do something for God that will last eternally.

I love Max Lucado's writing style, and he writes in such a way that makes every story he tells come to life. Lucado is brilliant with his use of words and phrases, but yet he writes in a way that makes it simple to understand. He is a master storyteller.

I love when I can read a book, and walk away from it feeling challenged in some way. Well, "Outlive Your Life" is one of those books. I felt convicted, challenged and encouraged all at the same time. I highly recommend this book, and you too may walk away challenged and changed after reading it.

One of the neatest things is that 100% of the author's royalties from "Outlive Your Life" products will go to benefit children and families through World Vision, and other ministries of faith based compassion (this came from the back of the book). One other thing that I like is that the back of the book has a discussion and action guide (prepared by David Drury) that relates to all the chapters in the book. This discussion and action guide make it easy for a person or group to go through this book like a study. I glanced over the guide and questions, and they were really good. I love that not only are questions posed for us to answer, but that there is a action to go with each chapter that you can perform..."Walking the Talk".

If you are a Max Lucado fan you will love this book. If you don't even know who Max Lucado is, you will still love this book. It is an easy read, but it won't always be easy to do all the things Max refers to in his book, but we have Christ to help us outlive our lives.

(I received this book from BookSneeze to review. Thank you BookSneeze.)

Book Sneeze (Thomas Nelson) Book Review/ 66 Love Letters...

I finally finished Dr. Larry Crabb's latest book, "66 Love Letters". I received the book from Thomas Nelson (now called Book Sneeze) to review, and 4 months later I am finally finished with the book. I normally don't take that long to review a book, but we moved into a new house and the book was about 400 pages long...I know stop making excuses. Actually, I think in the beginning of the book Dr. Crabb talks about how this particular book is not really one that you should pick up and read cover to cover in one or two settings. I too agree that it is best to go through this particular book slowly, and "digest" what Dr. Crabb is saying in this book. However, because I needed to review the book I did read the book cover to cover, and I enjoyed it thoroughly.

The format of this book is different from Dr. Crabb's other books. I have read several of Dr. Crabb's books, and have loved them. Actually, Dr. Crabb's ministry of writing has had an impact on my spiritual walk with Jesus, so I was really looking forward to reading his latest book. Basically, Dr. Crabb writes this book as if he and God were having a conversation back and forth. Dr. Crabb read through the entire Bible and he wrote what he felt God was saying to him through each individual book of the Bible. He begins with Genesis and goes all the way to Revelation.

I will say at the beginning of this book I was a little hesitant because the book is written as if God was talking with Dr. Crabb about what is in the Bible. I get a little nervous when someone speaks for God, but as I read the book I took it more as this was Dr. Crabb's view of what he felt God was saying to him through each book of the Bible. In saying that, my favorite part of the book is how open and vulnerable Dr. Crabb was in this book. Basically Dr. Crabb is talking with God back and forth throughout the entire book. He pours out his feelings, the good, the bad and at times the very ugly. I was surprised at how many times I could totally relate to everything Dr. Crabb was feeling. Although he will never realize it, Dr. Crabb and this book helped me get through a spiritual dry place that I have been in for awhile.

My only advice about reading this book would be to remember that you are reading a man's book on what he feels God is saying through the Bible. It should not be taken as complete truth, but only the Bible itself. However, in saying that I do feel that much of what Dr. Crabb said in the book lines up with God's Word.

This is a book that has opened my eyes to many things in God's Word, and it has had an impact on my walk with Christ. I look forward to now turning to God's Word and learning for myself things that Dr. Crabb learned as He read God's Word. This book is a keeper, and I look forward to rereading it at a slow pace the second time around. I do recommend this book to other's looking to dig deeper into God's Word.

Thomas Nelson Book Review

I decided to try something new this time and review a cookbook. For those who know me that might give them a laugh, but the title of the cookbook is "Busy People's fast and frugal cookbook", and the word "busy" definitely applies to me. The author, Dawn Hall has promised her readers meals that are healthy, can be made anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes, and meals that are perfect for those working within a budget.

First I have to say the cookbook is so cute that it would look just adorable sitting out on your kitchen counter. I also like that Hall gave her readers an introduction in which she shares her personal story and the inspiration for creating this cookbook. Hall divided the cookbook into nine different food categories, ranging from breakfast and brunch all the way to beverages. Within each category she divides the recipes up according to how long they take to make (10 to 30 minutes).

At present I have not tried to make any of the recipes, but I definitely plan to soon. For each recipe, Hall makes it easy as she gives you a supply list which includes the grocery items, as well as the supplies needed for the meal (tools, pans, etc). This is a great addition to a cookbook for someone like me. Hall also includes helpful hints along the way that might make your cooking experience a little more easy. Thank you Dawn Hall!

As I paged through the whole book, (I didn't read every single recipe word for word) one of the things that I noticed is almost all the ingredients for the recipes are simple, and are not food items that I have never heard of, or are very hard to find. I wouldn't say this cookbook is for the gourmet cook with a lot of experience, but I think almost everyone would enjoy using it from time to time.

The only thing that I wish the cookbook had is more pictures of the recipes. There are some pictures of certain recipes, but for many of the recipes there are not any pictures, or the pictures are really small and hard to see. Other than that small detail I would definitely recommend this cookbook for anyone that likes to cook, and even for those that don't.

Thomas Nelson Book Review (Let Go)

Many of you may recognize the author of the book "Let Go". Shelia Walsh is a very well known author, and one of the main speakers at the "Women of Faith" conferences. Her newest book will encourage readers to live free in Christ by "letting go" of the many things in life that can weigh them down.

Walsh's new book is an easy read, but yet it is challenging at the same time. You may find yourself not wanting to put the book down until you have finished reading it. Walsh's writing style draws you in as the reader as if you were having a conversation with her. Her authenticity in her writing makes you feel as if you have known her your whole life.

Each chapter begins with quotes and Bible verses that relate to the specific topic of the chapter. Walsh also begins each chapter with a short story that again relates to the chapter which sets the stage in your mind for what she will be discussing. Walsh ends each chapter with a set of questions you can ask yourself, and a prayer that you can pray.

I think what I appreciate so much about this book is Walsh's honesty as she shares some very personal painful experiences that happened in her life. My favorite part of the book is what Walsh has learned about God through all her experiences. I would definitely recommend this book.

Thomas Nelson Book Review (Max Lucado)

When I read about getting the chance to review Max Lucado's new book, "Fearless" I jumped at the opportunity. What a timely book for the world that we live in today. I would venture to say that every person on planet earth struggles with some type of fear. For some it may be an occasional fear that creeps up every now and then, but for others fear is a constant companion that paralyzes them from really living.

First of all, Max Lucado has written over 80 books (books listed inside cover of Fearless) which in and of itself is pretty amazing. God has really gifted Lucado with the ability to write beautifully, and he is an extraordinary story teller. Lucado shares from his heart many of his own personal stories, as well as extraordinary stories of others from the past and present.

Fearless is an easy read and is one of those books that you won't want to put down until you have finished reading it. I love that Lucado adds Scripture to his book so that the reader can see what the Bible has to say about what he is discussing in the book. The book is divided into 15 chapters, and Lucado covers 13 different kinds of "Fear" that people struggle with today.

"Fearless" is a great book that can be used in Churches, Small Groups, Home Groups and any other kind of ministry. In the back of the book, Lucado has included a discussion guide with thought provoking questions for individual or group studies.

I highly recommend Max Lucado's new book "Fearless" whether you want to read it for yourself, or gather a group of people together and read it as a group. There are many practical and spiritual lessons that you will be able to take with you from this book. I believe this may be one of Max Lucado's best books yet.

Thomas Nelson Book Review

I recently signed up to review books from "Thomas Nelson". My first choice was a children's book titled, "The I Believe Bunny". This book by Tish Rabe is the first in a series about the "I Believe Bunny" and his friends.

The first thing I noticed when I read the book is that the words flowed so effortlessly while I read the story out loud. I felt like I was reading a book by "Dr. Suess", and after finishing reading the book I read that the author, Tish Rabe has written over 80 children's books, including her new Cat in the Hat books.

Without giving too much information away the story is about how the Bunny realizes that with God he can do anything, even overcome his doubt and fear. I too love that the Bunny offers a prayer to God in his time of need, and at the end of the story we see the outcome of his prayer. Before our eyes we see the "I Believe Bunny" grow in his faith.

Last, Frank Endersby did a wonderful job illustrating the book. The soft colors were beautiful and the animals that were drawn were done in such a way that adults and children will find them appealing.

I would definitely recommend this book, and look forward to seeing the books that follow in this series.