Do I need another Bible?

Truthfully, There is no way that I NEED another Bible.. However, I love to get new Bibles and this one was no exception. Being a big fan of Max Lucado, I couldn't wait to get into the "Life Lessons" he incorporated into this Bible. I typically turn to NLT or NIV translations for Bible Study, but had the opportunity to receive this Bible (The Lucado Life Lessons Study Bible) for FREE from Booksneeze.com. At first glance, I was disappointed. I was expecting a true Study Bible with footnotes and such. Once I got past my initial disappointment and started really looking at the Bible, I was been pleasantly surprised at the translation and the format of the Bible itself. I enjoyed the standard Max Lucado devotionals, and found the Life Lessons to be very easy to read and informative. The real treasure of the book is at the very end, a section titled More Help For Your Spiritual Growth. This section of the book is broken down into five segments.

• He Did This Just for You Verses - verses to remind us of all the things God did for us.

• Spiritual Growth Verses - a topical assortment of verses to help us grow stronger in important aspects of daily living.
  

• 30 Studies for New Believers - 30 days of short Bible Studies with questions for personal application.
  

• The Big Picture: A 30 Day Overview to the New Testament

• "Where to Turn When" index

While I am not a "New Believer," I found the short studies to be very easy to read and neither assuming nor condescending.


This Bible will probably not become my "go-to" Bible, but I anticipate getting a lot of use out of it.

My biggest complaint about this Bible is that the pages are thin. I am going to get the pencil style Bible Highlighter and see how it works, but i am afraid it will still bleed through.

** I received this book FREE from Booksneeze.com in exchange for an honest review. I was not compensated in any other way, and they did not require my review to be favorable.

I am always looking for a "new" devotional, something that makes me WANT to read it every day. It took me a little while to read and review this book. I have read and re-read the daily readings. I love that Nettlehorst pulled scriptures strictly from the Old Testament and wasted no words helping us see the words of God have meaning for us today.

The back cover states that "God's words are real, and they are full of his love, wisdom, and direction." This devotional helps us to understand just how much love, wisdom, and direction there is to be found in the Bible.

The devotional is arranged according to the topic that is addressed in the chapter. I definitely see myself referring to this book when i need encouragement from a biblical source.

Although it wasn't a fluffy, feel good type of devotional, it certainly held my attention.



** i received this book courtesy of Booksneeze in exchange for a written review. I was not compensated in any other form and my review was not required to be positive..

Transforming church in Rural America.. breaking all the Rurals.. By Shannon O'Dell.

I struggled to read this book. That said, i will read it again before passing it on to my pastor.
There were so many great points made in this book. Some were so simple that you wonder why they were included, others so simple that you wonder "why didn't i think of that", and still others that i haven't been able to categorize. I could easily go chapter by chapter and hit the high points, but i am going to give you some teasers.. read the book yourself.. you will have your spirit lifted and your heart for ministry returned to you.. or you will know that you are not destined to lead in your church and that's okay too..

... A red-hot marriage is a must in ministry. (unless you are single)
... Leadership is resisting the urge to settle!
... V.A.L.U.E.
... have a Phillipians 2:5 attitude!
... his will, his way, will never lack supply..

By the time I got to the end of the book, i wasn't sure why I struggled with reading it.. It's full of God's Word, direction, and encouragement.. Whoe doesn't need a little bit of that in their day?


I recieved this book from Booksneeze.com. There was no other compensation and my review was not required to be positive or negative. My views are my own.

Define Faithful

Define Faithful.., September 11, 2010

By	Amy Goins - See all my reviews

This review is on: Faithful by Kim Cash Tate

Cydney Sanders was like every woman I know - she had a plan for her life. Nearing forty and not on track, she is forced to admit that maybe HER plan and God's Plan were not the same.

Add a mystery man, a friend's wavering faith, and her best friends failing marriage and you have a recipe for real life!

Amazingly, the book portrays how prayer and Christian fellowship among friends should be. Lighthearted at times, and tough at others but always honest and open. Instead of running from God at these tough times, these girlfriends turn to God and each other. The church and community come together to support and love their people. It's the way it should be.. God's love overcoming man's flaws.

I received this book from Booksneeze.com. I was not compensated in any way for the review.

Sandi Patty has truly touched my life with this book. I could quote line after line of it, but you need to read it for yourself! There is very little in this book that I have not heard before or that I couldn't find elsewhere. What this book has is tenderness coupled with honesty. Sandi shares her heart and her pain as she discusses her struggles with stress, and her weight.
At first I was afraid the book was going to be simply an account of her experience with lap band surgery. It soon proved to be so much more. As she shared her journey through life with us with brief glimpses into her past, she used scripture to define each phase/moment. One of my favorites was when she used John 10:10. .. that we might have life and have it more abundantly.. ..She went on to remind us that Jesus didn't suffer and die for no reason. . He died for us to have life. and to have it more abundantly..

Her story is one of sadness, struggles, and pain. But it is made beautiful by the hope, happiness, and triumph. I know that I would follow her anywhere, through anything because she is following the word of GOD..

The Cross Examination of Oliver Finney

This is the first book i have read by Randy Finney. It won't be the last.

I loved the idea behind this book. Finney, an old judge with some secrets in his past, is taking part in a reality TV show called Faith on Trial. He discovers that there is a plot to kill at least one of the contestants on the show. Using codes and outside help from his law clerk, he uncovers the hidden agendas and plans to expose them. Sometimes a little hard to follow as they uncover the ciphers for the code Finney uses, but otherwise a good read. I was disappointed that there wasn't more definition of the different faiths portrayed on "the show." I wish more had been done to create the case for Christianity, but I still think a case was made.

This isn't a beach read, or even a weekend read, but it is worth reading.

Sarah's Garden

This is not your typical Amish romance...

I recieved Sarah's Garden from Booksneeze.com, but am not obligated to give a positive review. I was not anticipating liking this book, in fact, I kept putting off reading it. I wish I hadn't. This book was a great read. I finished it in a few hours, after my kids went to bed one night.

The main storyline was easy to follow, even though there were so many substories. I learned a lot from the King family about the values that the Amish have and family dynamics within the Amish family. From Sarah,I learned a little about gardening and a little about quilting - fun stuff, not instructions, and a lot about accepting responsibility. I really appreciate how the author, Kelly Long, explained the differnt relationsihips and didn't gloss over the struggles that the young Amish woman has within herself. This story has twists and turns that make you laugh and make you want to cry. I was left wondering "how is it going to end", up until the very end. This was definitely different from any other Amish Romance that I have read.

Mystically Wired

Buy		Read

I just finished reading this book. There are a lot of good points in the book that would help a person to develop a stronger prayer life, and in turn a closer walk with God. However, there are a lot of ideas presented in the book that I feel would confuse a new christian and possibly even scare a spiritually immature christian. The book states inside the front cover that 'Prayer is a human instint, not an impossible chore.' While I love the sentiment behind that statement, the book relies on a lot of scientific data and extreme experiences to draw the conclusion that our brains are designed to pray to God. Several times I started thinking that the author was "too far out there" and wanted to put the book down. Since I was reading this to review for Booksneeze.com, that wasn't an option. Almost everytime I ended up coming across something new or helpful to me. There is an Appendix which outlines 10 Practices to Explore New Realms in Prayer as identified throughout the book.. This was perhaps the best portion of the book for me. I could find no fault in the suggestions given and agree wholeheartedly that practicing any of these 10 practices could lead to an enhancement of a person's prayer experience.

Overall, I found the book to be somewhat difficult to read, yet thought provoking. While I did not truly enjoy the reading, I can say that there is much to be learned from Ken Wilson and his approach to prayer.


This book was provided by Thomas Nelson Publishers and reviewed for Booksneeze.com.