Review of The Voice New Testament by Ecclesia Bible Society

I like to read different versions of the Bible, and have several of them, so I was interested in reading The Voice.  I was intrigued by its description as being “a collage of compelling narratives, poetry, song, truth, and wisdom”.  But I did not find much poetry or song.  Much of it is written as a script, which is interesting, and the notes throughout are helpful.  Overall, I think this translation is interesting but I would go a more standard translation for actual Bible study.Top of Form

Bottom of FormDisclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255

Review of Right from the Heart Turning Your Day toward God by Bryan Wright

I am always looking for new devotionals. I have been using this devotional ever since I received it.  It is a very pretty book to use on a daily basis. A variety of topics are covered in this devotional include parenting, marriage, the Holy Spirit, forgiveness, prayers, tolerance, and priorities.  Each devotion begins with a Scripture verse and is followed by a short, meaningful discussion.
I have enjoyed this devotional and will continue to use throughout the year.  I would recommend it to others as a great way to start the day with God.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Review of Stumbling Into Grace by Lisa Harper

Lisa Harper is a Women of Faith speaker who has written a likeable, friendly book that shares her personal experiences along with stories from the life of Jesus. The book is divided into three parts: Real Life, Real Gifts, and Real Growth.  Real Life discusses scary things, binding things, dangerous things, and sweet things.  Real Gifts includes the gifts of forgiveness, touch, humor, community, and rest.  Real Growth shows how Jesus helps us become less critical, more honest, more content, more dependent, and more grateful.  In each chapter, Lisa gives a story from her personal life, a scripture passage from the life of Jesus, and a short discussion of the passage.  At the end of each chapter are questions for personal reflection or group discussion, as well as a journal prompt, so this book can be used in a group setting or on an individual basis.

All of the big names from the Women of Faith conference- Anita Renfroe, Sheila Walsh, Luci Swindoll, Patsy Clairmont, Sandi Patty, Lisa Whelchel give great praises to Lisa Harper’s book in the opening pages of the book, so I was expecting a can’t-put-it-down read.  This was an okay book, but I didn’t get what I expected.  It would be a good book for a group Bible study to help generate discussion.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Review of “It’s Not About Me” by Max Lucado

It’s no secret that society today has encouraged people to become very self-centered.  We focus on what we want and how we can get it, how we look to other people, and how we can get ahead of them.  The kind of life we should be living-a God-centered life- is totally opposite.  The title of Max’s book says it all-“It’s Not About Me”.  It’s about God.  Everything about our life is about Him-our salvation, our body, our struggles as well as our success.  Max talks about each of these areas and how we can change out thinking about them. 

I particularly liked how Max describes us as God’s mirrors. We reflect the Son, just as the moon reflects the sun.  This book is a great reminder about what life is really all about.  It’s so easy to be caught up in our everyday life and forget that we were created and are here for God’s glory.  I would recommend this book to all.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Review of Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo with Lynn Vincent

Heaven is for Real is the story of a little boy’s experience of heaven during a serious operation.  His parents were not sure he was going to survive, and his pastor father raged at God and begged for his son’s life.  The four year old survived and began to tell his parents small pieces about his experience, including things he could not have known-like the miscarriage his mother has suffered before he was born.

I had read Don Piper’s 90 minutes and really enjoyed it.  I didn’t think a little boy would have much to say.  However, I was wrong.  It was very refreshing to hear a child’s viewpoint of heaven.  Colton talks about the colors, the people he meets, and being with Jesus and His Dad.  This book was a great reminder of how we are to view heaven and eternity. Matthew18: 3-4 says “And he said: “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.  Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”  I would highly recommend this book.  It was a great read!

Review of The Seraph Seal by Leonard Sweet and Lori Wagner

Because of the complexity of the storyline, I have included the description of the book from the publisher:

“An epic tale of good and evil based on the four horsemen of the Apocalypse found in Revelation.

Using the four horsemen of the Apocalypse to symbolize the four Gospels, four transcendentals, and four forces of the universe (air, water, earth, and fire), Sweet and Wagner weave a fast-paced, end-times tale of good vs. evil and the promise of a new dawn for humanity.

Set in 2048, when planet Earth is suffering from the damaging effects of years of misuse and abuse, cultural history professor Paul Binder receives a mysterious letter that leads him to examine a lost 2nd-century Diatessaron manuscript. Ancient prophecies, cryptic letters, and strange events set him on a course to uncover the missing clues that could lead humanity into a new age. Layered with forgotten symbolism from the ancient, Jewish, and Christian traditions, the novel is a type of engaged fiction in which the main character's lost journal serves as a guide to the reader in interpreting clues and understanding the novel's conclusion.”

This is a fictional tale of the end times.  As a fan of the Left Behind series, I thought I would enjoy this one too; however, I have only gotten through a little less than half of the book, and I can’t force myself to finish it.  There are multiple characters and multiple story lines going on at the same time.  There are constant shifts in these story lines and their settings within each chapter, which is very confusing and feels choppy.  In one chapter, I counted seven different scenes.

I’m sure there are many people who enjoyed this book very much, but unfortunately, I am not one of them, and I could not recommend it to others.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Review of the Lightkeeper’s Ball by Colleen Coble

Set in the early 1900’s, Olivia Stewart travels to Mercy Falls, California to investigate the death of her sister Eleanor.  Olivia keeps her identity hidden from Eleanor’s fiancé, Harrison Bennett, as she believes he have played a part in Eleanor’s death.  Woven into the story are themes of societal expectations of the wealthy, especially those of women.  Olivia strains against these expectations as she desires to become her own person.  She also becomes involved in organizing a ball to raise funds to rebuild the Mercy Falls lighthouse that was destroyed in a storm.  Mystery, intrigue, and romance make this a very enjoyable read.

This is the first book of Colleen Coble’s that I have read and I liked it very much.  I think I will be looking up her other books, especially those that are part of this Mercy Falls series.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Review of Max on Life: Answers and Insights to Your Most Important Questions by Max Lucado

Max on Life provides answers to 172 questions on various topics. Some topics are heavy duty- why are we here, who is God, life after death, and unanswered prayers. Max gives a one page answer, which may seem to be too simplistic to some.  However, I can see this being helpful to a newer believer-finding an answer and usually a biblical verse that they can reference. This is not a book for in-depth theological answers. Max also covers a lot of simpler topics, such as hospitality, worry, and getting out a bad mood.  I can envision using this as a reference book, because there is a helpful topical index in the back of the book.
If you’ve read other Max Lucado books, you may recognize that some of the answers are from those other books, so it may seem repetitious. I’ve enjoyed his other books, but as for this one, I would say it was just okay.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Review of The Story of the Bible by Larry Stone

I love to read the Bible, but I thought that reading about the history of how the Bible came to be might not be very interesting.  I was wrong!! Larry Stone has written a concise and interesting story about how the 66 books written by more than forty authors in three languages over a period of fifteen hundred years became the Bible we know today. Mr. Stone starts at the very beginning, discussing Hebrew and Greek languages, the people of the Bible, and the beginning of a new faith.  He takes us through the early church years, the Middle Ages, and all the way through the Bible being brought to the new world and up to current times.  He describes the people involved in the different translations and how decisions were made on what was included in the Bible. The Story of the Bible has beautiful illustrations and also has removable color reproductions of pages from the different Bibles that are discussed that gives an extra dimension to the book.

I really enjoyed reading this book, and I know it is a book I will reference in the future and share with others.  I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in learning more about the most important book in the world-the Bible!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com  http://booksneeze.com/ book review bloggers program.  I was not required to write a positive review.  The opinions I have expressed are my own.  I am discloing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part255.

Review of Same Life, New Story by Jan Silvious

This is a ten week Bible study that sees our lives as stories we are continually writing with God.  If we don’t like our life as it is, we can choose to write a new story.  Jan Silvious uses ten women from the Bible to illustrate the difficulties that can be encountered and overcome.  These include letting go of issues from the past, changing an “I can’t” to “I can”, getting rid of drama, working through fear, and choosing resilience in the face of adversity.  Jan skillfully interweaves stories of Naomi, Leah, Rahab, Hannah, and others with stories from modern day women.  Each chapter ends with questions for personal reflection as well as group discussion questions, so the book can be used for personal study alone or with a group.

I have read a lot of self-help books.  Sometimes I only get halfway through, and stop reading because the information is the same old, same old and I lose interest.  With Same Life, New Story, I did not have that problem.  I found it to be an inspiring and challenging way to look at life.  I found the stories within to be interesting and I would highly recommend this book to others.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.