Book Review: God's Love Letters to You

I received God's Love Letters to You by Dr. Larry Crabb for review from booksneeze.com. This is a very small paperback book. I like the texture of the cover and the design of the pages. This is a 40 day devotional, each day covering a theme pulled from 1 book of the Bible. The devotional only quotes a couple verses from each book, and the actual devotional is written as though God is speaking to the reader directly. Each day includes a "Take a moment to reflect" section some questions to think about and a "Take a moment to pray" section that provides suggestions on what to pray about.

Reading a devotional written as though God is speaking can be very moving, but I would caution readers to use the Bible to judge for themselves on what God's promises to us truly are. This is Dr. Crabb's interpretation of God... only the Bible and the Holy Spirit can truly reveal God's love for us. The actual devotional takes less than 5 minutes to read. Quick daily reads. I would be cautious about giving this devotional to new Christians but would be good for long time Christians who have some Biblical knowledge and interested in reading a different perspective.

Book Review: PrayerWalk

I received Janet McHenry's PrayerWalk from Water Brook Multnomah Publishing. McHenry discusses the physical and spiritual benefits of prayer walking, suggestions on time management/prioritization, the importance of proper footwear, and her prayer life.

I really enjoyed McHenry's honesty and openness about her own struggles in life and the healing God brought into her life through her prayer walks, both physical and psychological healing. She reveals the power of prayer for not only her life but also testimonies of others who participate in prayer walks. McHenry is very encouraging but not pushy at all. She provides only suggestions, from shoes to topics of prayers. Her excitement about the power of prayer walk is contagious.

McHenry includes a questionnaire reviewing each chapter and a 30 day challenge at the end of the book. Each challenge includes a prayer focus, fitness challenge, and a notes section which includes some questions. I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to shape up and improve their prayer life. It will encourage and challenge you.

Book Review: The Dragons of Chiril

I received the book The Dragons of Chiril by Donita K. Paul from Water Brook Multnomah for review. I really enjoyed this fiction novel. The book is about a young girl, Tipper, who's father has been missing for years. To support her and her mother, she sells her father's art. One night, her father returns with some interesting characters, a wizard and a librarian. They are looking for 3 pieces of art that were created from a special stone, a part of the foundation that would be the key to sharing the news of Wulder. Tipper must help the 3 men to find the 3 missing sculptures to save her world.

This book is definitely captivating. I enjoyed the fact that they use Wulder as a representation of God and bringing the good news to people who may not be ready to receive the message. I found the characters to all be very interesting. Dragons, giant talking parrots, crazy wizards, they all keep the book very fun and interesting. I recommend this book to young adults who enjoy fantasy novels.

Book Review: We Shall See God

I received the book We Shall See God by Randy Alcorn from Tyndale publishing. This is a 50 day devotional book on heaven. The book is actually a collection of sermons by Charles Spurgeon on the topic of heaven. Each day is broken down into when and where the sermon was given, the overview of the sermon, the actual sermon given by Spurgeon, and also a commentary by Alcorn.

I had a really difficult time staying interested in the book, especially the sermons part. Alcorn does a good job explaining the sermon and providing scriptural references, but the topic was not my favorite. This could be a great book for someone who is struggling with the loss of a loved one or just seeking to find out more about heaven.

Book Review: Plain Wisdom

I received the book Plain Wisdom by Cindy Woodsmall and Miriam Flaud. I LOVED THIS BOOK!!! Cindy is the author of the Amish themed novels such as the Sisters of the Quilt series and the Ada's House series. Miriam is an Old Order Amish woman. This book is the story of how these two women met and shared their lives. It is an insight to the Amish world. Cindy goes and spends time with Miriam and through those visits, she experiences of the culture first hand. Miriam also shares her culture and her perspective on many topics.

The book is broken down into chapters, but each chapter is very short. It includes scripture, and a section by Cindy and a section by Miriam. This can be used as a daily reading for encouragement, or just read it straight through. I found the book insightful, moving, and funny. The book even includes some Amish recipes!

Moms will definitely be able to relate to the two authors! A great mother's day gift idea!

This book makes me want to be Amish!!! :o)

Book Review: Beyond Talent

I received the book Beyond Talent by John Maxwell from Thomas Nelson Publishing. I absolutely loved the book! Maxwell is a very to the point writer and has great stories as examples! The book is focuses on what is need to succeed beyond just having talent. He discusses the importance of faith, passion, initiative, focus, preparation, practice and many more! Each chapter covers one of the topics. It discusses what these things can do to improve your talent and the chapters also cover how to use those topics to improve your talent.

My favorite aspect of the book is the application questions at the end of each chapter. It really helps you understand yourself better, focus you to determine what needs to be done to proceed, and how to apply what you just read into your own life to become the successful person you can become!

This is a very encouraging book for anyone who has thought about career changes, life changes, and more. I recommend this book for all students. Whether they are looking for a job, or deciding on a major, making this tough decisions early on can really influence their success in a future career.

Maxwell is a great writer and keep your interested throughout the book. This would be a great gift for high school and college graduates.

Book Review: The Canary List

I received The Canary List by  Sigmund Brouwer for review from Water Book Multnomah Publishing. A warning to the reader, this book is very dark. Characters are involved in devil worshiping and sacrificing. Accusations of inappropriate behavior between teacher/student are made, and the plot also involves conspiracies involving the Vatican.

Jaimie is a 12 year old girl who goes to her teacher’s house seeking a “safe” place for the night. This starts the whirlwind of events that causes her teacher, Crockett, to be accused of inappropriate relations with the student. Having spent some time in jail, being beat up, and then finding out his lawyer to get him out on bail was completely paid for, he seeks to figure out why someone is trying so hard to stop him from protecting her.

This is definitely a very good book, but as warned previously, it is very dark. This book is definitely for an adult audience. Even though the book is dark, Brouwer is a great writer and will keep you on the edge of your seat.