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Showing posts from August, 2016

Uninvited by Lysa TerKeurst

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I don't know about you but I often feel like I am the only one. The only one that has been left out, rejected, lonely or less than. Not so says Lysa TerKeurst in her latest book, Uninvited . TerKeurst shares her own experiences of feeling left out in life, along with some Bible characters that have also faced feelings of rejection. Uninvited is another one of those books where you feel like you are sitting in the coffee shop leaning towards Lysa and hearing her share her heart with you. In Uninvited , she shares a lot of ways we can learn to change our thinking about ourselves, about situations and about facing a room full of strangers at the next large gathering. There is a lot of good advice in this book. At the same time, that advice doesn't feel all preachy instead it feels up close and personal, like it is coming from someone who really cares to help you make life changes. At the end of Uninvited there is a Bonus Chapter called, What's It Like to Do Life with...

God Gave Us Thankful Hearts by Lisa Tawn Bergren with art by David Hohn

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Little Pup is bummed out. . .Hibernating season is coming soon in the Great North Woods and he isn't looking forward to it. As someone who has lived all her life in the Midwest and whose least favorite season is winter, I can relate to Little Pup. However, Little Pup's Mama reminds Little Pup to be grateful for the autumn season and for all the other good things in his life. . .She even helps him turn the negative things he mentions into something to be grateful for. "The trick to having a thankful heart is thinking about the things that make us happy, rather than the things that don't," Mama says in God Gave Us Thankful Hearts . God Gave Us Thankful Heart s is part of the God Gave us series by Lisa Tawn Bergren: God Gave us You, God Gave us Christmas, God Gave Us Love, God Gave Us Easter, and God Gave Us Sleep . My family has enjoyed other books in the series. . .and we especially like this one. Honestly, it is a simple, but good message that the whole fami...

How Big Is Love? by Amy Parker with illus by Breezy Brookshire

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  How Big is Love by Amy Parker is a delightful children's book. We really enjoyed both the beautiful illustrations by Breezy Brookshire and the words to this book. How Big is Love? is a nice sized board book measuring eight inches square. It is a sweet tale about a young hedgehog who is trying to understand how love works. Throughout the book, Little One asks his mama questions and and she answers them by continuing to point him towards the One who made us all and showing him a gentle caring love in the process.  How Big Is Love? is based on 1 Corinthians 13:13 and is part of the Faith, Hope and lOve series. There are 2 more board books similar to this one: How High Is Hope and How Far is Faith? in the series along with a Faith, Hope and Love Devotional to use with your little ones. I like many aspects of this book: size, quality illustrations, a nice wording and the Bible verse in the end that seems to be geared well to the age group without seeming to overwhelm...

Modern Potluck by Kristen Donnelly

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My husband's family gets together a few times a year for special occasions with a potluck meal together. Occasionally we go to a church or neighborhood potluck or the yearly potluck family reunion with my family. While I usually bring an old favorite, I thought Modern Potluck by Kristin Donnelly might offer some new ideas for a traveling dish. I especially enjoyed reading the introduction and cook's notes in Modern Potluck as I wasn't familiar with this author's background. She also offers some great advice and ideas here and throughout the book. She shares her tips on making perfect hard-boiled eggs, on choosing the right salt, cooking beans, tips on making a great fruit salad, and various other helpful hints. Recipe chapters in Modern Potluck include: Snacks, Dips and Drinks; Main Course Salads & Other Room Temperature Main Dishes; Slow-Cooked and Served Hot; The 9 X 13 inch Pan: Casserole and the Like; Supporting-Role salads & Sides; Baked and Savo...

Me Too by Jon Weece

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You know that you have found a special friend when you share some of your life's stories and they respond with, "Yeah, me too." Author Jon Weece tells us in his new book, Me Too, that God is a God who understands our difficulties and our pain, our thoughts and feelings. Weece says that He is the God of Me too. Me Too is divided into three sections. Part 1:The Cross--What Jesus Did, Part 2: The Church--What Jesus is doing, and Part 3: The City--What Jesus will do. In each section of the book, Jon shares stories from his church and his life, relates them to the God of the Bible and ends with teaching you can relate to your life. In the first section we read about the Jesus who lived, walked among us and died for us--and how that can change our life if we will let it. The second section shares how God lives in His people and they are the church wherever they go. In the last section, Weece tells us how we have a heavenly city to look forward to even in the midst of s...