Reading, Writing & Pondering

Knowing Jesus:The essential Teen 365 Devotional offers teenage students a path to knowing Jesus every day of the year. The 365 devotions offer Scriptures and action points that focus on the complete life of Jesus. Knowing Jesus for teens is one that will make the reader think. Each daily devotion offers a Bible reading for the day that will need to be looked up in a Bible separately. There a few notes on the concepts that were a part of the reading. Then, there is an "Ask Yourself" section which includes two or three questions to stop and think about from the reading. Each day's reading concludes with the "Respond" section. In this section, readers are asked to stop and think about how to apply what you read in some way. Several days ask for the reader to journal their answers. I think Knowing Jesus is an excellent tool for learning more about the Bible and applying it to life. It really is designed to help teens change their lives as they read, grow ...

Where Does Love Hide? is a lift the flap board book for little ones ages one to three. This cute, bright board book is designed to help young children learn the basic concept of love in action. Children can see every day actions they can take to show love to those around them. Each page shows an example of love in action along with a short memory verse. Every day, many children hear the words, I Love You. However, they don't always understand what those abstract concepts mean. Mary Manz Simon's book, Where Does Love Hide? is designed to help children see how to show what love looks like through day to day activities like helping to put up groceries, taking turns when playing, and helping Grandpa with a small task. Where Does Love Hide? is bright and nicely illustrated with pictures and flaps that are easy for little ones to see and get their hands on. In the back of the book there is a short note to parents to help them see how to use the book to help their little o...

What child doesn't want a hug at bed time? This beautifully illustrated children's book encourages a bit of silliness and is virtually guaranteed to have everyone in the family going to bed with a smile on their face. I'm Going to Give You a Bear Hug! is a delightful children's book geared for ages four to eight. The rhyme is simple but so well-worded to keep the young one's interest as they read and gather hugs from many animals such as bears, horses, pigs, fishes, and more that are just so nicely and brightly illustrated. I highly recommend I'm Going to Give you a Bear Hug! I think it would be a regular request for bedtime reading at our house. My son is a little older than the recommended age range but he enjoyed it and it left him smiling. I honestly think it could make pretty much everyone smile. My family truly loved this book--both the beautiful illustrations and the verse. I received this book from the publisher. I was not required to write a...

I grew up knowing the value of hard work. I think that is a good thing. However, what I struggled to learn was how to just have fun and enjoy life as an adult. Guilt in doing so became a real struggle for me. Enjoy by Trillia Newbell shares how God actually wants us to enjoy life and find joy in the gifts He gives us. In Enjoy , Newbell shares how God wants us to enjoy all the good gifts he has provided for us on earth--the gift of one another, the joy of intimacy, work, rest, money and possessions, food, nature, art and worship. Each chapter in this book is devoted to one area of our lives that we can truly enjoy and appreciate as a gift from our Creator. At the same time, in the last chapter, Newbell also reminds us that we enjoy these things in an imperfect world and we all look forward to eternal enjoyment in Heaven. Throughout Enjoy , Newbell not only shares information on how to enjoy each gift from God more, but she also encourages you as a reader to do more than jus...

You may be wondering, what is The I Factor ? The I Factor is bigger than self-worth and self-respect according to Van Moody. Moody says The I-Factor is about managing yourself and your whole life well. The keys to The I-Factor are identity, significance and perspective. Throughout The I-Factor , Moody uses examples from his life, the lives of those in the Bible and the lives of famous people to help readers see how to best understand and help their I-Factor improve. Moody encourages you to look to God, maintain your integrity and be true to yourself. He also encourages you to see that God is growing you through the difficulties and challenges that you face. I especially appreciated that chapter. Throughout The I-Factor , Moody offers a lot of wisdom and advice that readers would do well to apply to live a better life. The last two chapters offer seven steps to greatness. Moody says only you can define what greatness is for you and what you were created to do. The People Fact...

"Bibleman" is a Christian"super hero" reminiscent to me of the older Batman series I watched as re-runs when I was a kid. Miles Peterson is Bibleman. He was a man who seemed to have it all and then found God and the Bible in his darkest hour. Now Peterson combats evil in the name of God. This DVD contains two episodes. The first episode finds Bibleman taking on the Fibbler. The Fibbler has spread lies and caused turmoil among the church youth. In the end, the youth learn that lies only cause more problems. They also learn that God's Word can help them remember how to change their ways so they don't lie anymore. In the second episode, the Gossip Queen uses bitterness beams to batter Bibleman as he tries to help the church kids keep the group together. The Gossip Queen schemes to tear them apart and is nearly successful when Bibleman stops her. This DVD would be good for younger children. It is a little bit dated as it was made in 2004. However, the ...