Reading, Writing & Pondering

    Are you a woman who needs a new Bible? Or maybe you want to give a woman you know a special Bible. You may want to consider the new Every Woman's Bible in the NLT version from Tyndale House Publishers. This Bible is both beautiful and practical. It is also unique in that it is aimed specifically at women. Over 100 women from various walks of life are contributors to this Bible. Many of them are scholars. They offer  serious study and deep reflection will help you clarify your calling through personal stories, insights, inspiration, and study notes that dig into personal needs during your Bible reading—all created by women, for women. How great is that? I love this and find the information to be fascinating. It offers a new perspective for me on some Bible verses. I also understand that men have appreciated seeing a woman's point of view in this particular Bible, so this Bible may also interest the men you know for that same reason.  Physically, this Bible isn't ...

Tyndale House Publishers has had Inspire Bibles available since 2016. I bought one early on as I like to journal and art journal so this Bible was up my alley. I would have loved the Inspire Bible for Kids if it had been available when I was growing up as I loved to draw and color, besides growing up going to church and Sunday School.  The Inspire Bible for Kids is aimed at children ages seven to twelve.  Whether on their own or together with family, Inspire Bible for Kids invites children to meaningfully engage with each other and God’s Word. This Bible contains the full text of the New Living Translation and so much more to help boys and girls learn from the Bible and bring it to life. Inside this Bible, it has wide margins for taking notes, journaling and for coloring in over 400 ready-to-color line-art illustrations that are in the margins, throughout the Bible and on the end papers.   It also has all of these features:  300+ devotional readings and trivi...

  Are you a Christian who struggles with diets and eating? Fully Nourished by Brandice Lardner may be a book that you would find helpful. I like to read health-related books so I have read a lot of them. I point that out because I didn't learn a lot from this book for that reason. I thought the book was well-thought-out and the steps the author included could be helpful to the person who has these struggles. I am not that target audience though. I haven't struggled through diets. I grew up in an era when it was "in" to be skinny but I was already skinny and active so not really an issue for me at that time. However, having gone through menopause, I can say that I had to change how I then had to change how I ate to maintain the weight I wanted but it wasn't a real struggle. The author of this book has struggled with weight and body image throughout her life. She then became a health coach and personal trainer who has lived what she teaches. She is also a Christian...

  Draw Close to Jesus is a different kind of Lenten devotional by Heidi Chiavaroli. This author writes beautiful historical fiction. In this devotional, she puts her talents to use and writes devotional Bible stories based on Scripture--Biblical fiction stories in devotion.  The book starts off with an introduction where Chiavaroli shares how she came to write the book and what she hopes you will glean from these 40 Lenten readings. I also believe that God is a God of stories. I love how Jesus used parables and stories to reach people These stories are likely to bring the Bible to life for you as you read about: Joseph, Ariel, John, Tirza, Simon and more.  Each reading in Draw Close to Jesus is followed by reflection questions and a prayer. This would be a good time to do some journaling if you like to do that sort of thing. Then, if you would like to, there is also a list of more Bible verses to read to support the day's reading.   I received a copy of this bo...

  I have been anxiously awaiting Last to Fall by Lynn H. Blackburn for a few months now. This book is the third book in the Gossamer Falls series. You could read it as a stand alone but it would be more enjoyable if you read the series in order. This book is Bronwyn Pierce and Mo Quinn's story. I have been wondering about them since the series began. This book did not disappoint. Bronwyn is running The Haven, her family's exclusive mountain resort. She runs a tight ship and does a good job. . .but something is off and she can't put her finger on the problem. Mo is a former army intelligence officer so she asks for his help in finding a problem in the book-keeping that her gut tells her is there. She also feels she is being watched. Her family has a lot of issues and she isn't sure how the "bad" guys are in this situation. Can they figure it out before her time runs out? I read Last To Fall in a day and enjoyed it all. I liked how the relationship developed be...

  Are you looking for a new Easter book for a child? The Great Waking Up by Sarah Shin is a colorfully illustrated picture book aimed at children ages 3 to 8. This Easter book measures a little less than 9 inches squared. It is bright and colorfully illustrated. I love that it is so inclusive--including Jesus looking fairly historically accurate. The illustrations are so beautiful that they bring to mind stained glass windows when I look at them. Anastasia loves dreams. In The Great Waking Up she talks about her dreams with her mother. Her mother tells her that there will come a day when there is the Great Waking Up with no more death. In this book, they live in the time of Jesus. They see Jesus do miracles. Then they see Jesus is crucified and become confused about his role--until He wakes up himself. This whole book is the story of Jesus and Easter told through the eyes of a young girl. The Great Waking Up is this author's second children's book. In the back of the book, t...