Reading, Writing & Pondering

The Inspire Catholic Bible from Tyndale House Publishers is another gorgeous Bible in the line up of creative coloring and journaling Bibles from Tyndale. While I am not Catholic, I have several friends and family members who are Catholic and so glad to have this Bible available to them. Some of the key features of the Inspire Catholic Bible : There are over 450 Scripture line-art illustrations to color throughout the Bible. There are two-inch-wide lightly ruled margins with space for personal reflections and your own creative art journaling. The paper through the Bible is a heavy weight quality paper that is designed for journaling. Finally, the font size is 8.65, which is larger and more readable than other journaling Bibles. At the same time, this is a good size for carrying to church, the coffee shop, Bible study or anywhere else you want to use this Bible as the dimensions are 6.125 x 7.875 inches and it is two inches thick. Also, the Inspire Catholic Bible ’s New Livi...

I can't imagine being penniless and living on the streets, not knowing anyone. Yet, Jacob McCallum in Jacob's Bell is that homeless person. He lived a hard life and made a lot of mistakes that led to his homelessness and loneliness. Those mistakes haunt him now and he feels badly about them as he has grown older. Jacob struggles to make changes in his life and to find his adult children to seek their forgiveness and to make amends. Throughout the book, Jacob is searching in more ways than he realizes and God guides him to the right people to help him make needed changes to better his life. But will it be enough for his grown children to see that he has truly changed and that he has become a different man? Can there be a reconciliation for Christmas? When I started reading Jacob's Bell , I didn't find Jacob very likeable. He made some bad choices in his life and he ended up reaping what he sowed through the first part of his life. But our God is a God of mercy and ...

Holy Sexuality and the Gospel by Christopher Yuan offers both theological and practical insights to both finding our identity in Christ and not in our sexuality. Holy Sexuality and the Gospel invites readers to apply the gospel to their gay loved ones. Yuan explains what he means by "holy sexuality" and encourages readers to uphold the standard of Biblical sexuality. At the same time, he also encourages readers who are believers in Christ to love their neighbor, regardless of whether they agree with them or not. There are practical stories and advice on how to truly love those who are gay and how to be there for them as Christians, without compromising faith, but rather by living out faith and love through Christ. I found Holy Sexuality and the Gospel to be an interesting read. Yuan has taught at Moody Bible institute and has been a speaker. He has another book before this one, Out of a Far Country about his story of being gay and his mother's response. I wish I ...

Bedtime books have always been a special favorite at our house. My husband and I have a few memorized--as I imagine many other parents do as well. The new Touch and Feel God Bless You and Good Nigh t board book is especially sweet for young children with the rhyming prose, gorgeous illustrations and fun spots to touch on each page. Your little one can help cute animals say "good night" through God Bless You and Good Night 's story with penguins, kangaroos, elephants and more. Besides listening to the cute rhyming story, your young children can get into the action and touch all the animals on the pages and feel them throughout the book. This sturdy board book is a bedtime story keeper for us. God Bless You and Good Night is a large 8 by 8 inch sturdy book with soft, silky, satiny, shiny places to touch throughout the book. The illustrations are adorable and the story is sweet, rhyming prose. I recommend it to anyone who is looking for a new interactive bedtime ...

Are you looking for a new study series for your couple that you are pre-marital counseling, a small group or young married couples group? I recommend checking out the The Growing a Strong Marriage series from Hendrickson Publishers. In the Starting Strong DVD with the study guide, viewers see strong Christian couples share both the fun things about their marriage, such as how they got together, and the challenges that they have faced and overcome in their marriage. The couples featured in the DVDs are couples that many of us have heard speaking or have read their books: John and Stasi Eldredge, Chip and Theresa Ingram, Gordon and Gail MacDonald, Les and Leslie Parrott, Art and Lysa TerKeurst, and Gary and Lisa Thomas. Their is something sort of comforting about seeing how well-known people have also struggled and worked out problems that is encouraging and reminds young couples that they can work things out too because marriage has some challenges at times. The Starting Strong D...

Sacred Holidays was a book that was different than I was expecting. . .in such a good way! This book by Becky Kiser is one I wish I had had when we were first married and starting out celebrating holidays. However, it is never too late to make changes and we will likely make some as a result of this book. Sacred Holidays is divided into three parts. Part 1:Less Chaos, More Jesus (read now) offers guidance on how to use the book and how to implement changes in your family's celebrations. Part 2: Holidays (Read 30 to 60 days before holiday) offers ideas and things to think about as you reflect on each particular holiday and how you want to celebrate it in your family. Part 3: Common struggles (read as needed) talks about aspects related to making changes to your holiday celebrations that you may want to consider and think about, such as your budgeting, scheduling, and realistic expectations. Kiser starts out Sacred Holidays by letting readers know it is different than other ...

A War of Loves is a beautifully written, heartfelt autobiography offering hope to all of those seeking to reconcile their faith and sexuality today. Bennett shares his story and reflects on it in light of the Bible throughout the book. I truly appreciate his thoughts from all angles of the subject. Because we have a loved one that is gay and against Christianity because of it, my husband and I want to love him as Jesus would. I think reading this book has helped me to gain better perspective and to be able to offer more compassion. I see Bennett's heart toward serving Christ and sharing in such a way that the church and the gay community can both converse and reflect in a better way. Honestly, before the gay member of our family told us, we didn't know anything except what we heard on the sidelines of the discussion. After reading Bennett's book, I feel like I can better support our loved one. I also better know how to pray for him as a result of this book. I appreciate...

The Jesus Calling series of books by Sarah Young have been my devotions for the past few years. My son and I have also done the regular children's devotional books. I was excited to see there is a special Jesus Calling:The Story of Christmas book. Jesus Calling:The Story of Christmas has twelve devotional readings for young children. At the start of the book, after the presentation page, Sarah Young write a one page letter to parents and grandparents telling about her family and why she wrote the book as well as her hopes for the book. I especially liked this added touch. The book then goes into the brightly illustrated pages with the devotions, most of which are on two pages. Each devotion has a Scripture reading, followed be the devotion and ending with a reminder of who Jesus is and what he does in the Jesus Calling section. I think Jesus Calling:The Story of Christmas would be a great addition to any family's Christmas readings and traditional books to use year after ...

If we live long enough, I think there are tough moments that come when most of us say, It's not supposed to be this way. We wonder why these things happen. The past few years, Lysa Terkeurst has faced some tough challenges which she shares in her new book, It's Not Supposed To Be This Way . It's Not Supposed To Be This Way is Terkeurst's story of how she handled the hard things of the past few years and how turning to God helped her face them. This book is part memoir and part an inspirational encouragement book for anyone reading it who is facing tough challenges and struggling. At the end of each chapter, Terkeurst has a "Remember" section with some of the most important ideas from each chapter that she encourages readers to cling to. That section is followed by a "Receive" section with several Bible verses to soak in and meditate on. Then she offers a "Reflect" section with questions to think on. This book pairs well with your Bible...

Proverbs 23:7(KJV) says, "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he." Through the years, God has been teaching me to think more positive thoughts. Switch On Your Brain Every Day by Dr. Caroline Leaf is a new devotional designed to help Christians improve their lives with a daily routine of positive thinking practice.  Switch On Your Brain Every Day starts with an introduction with information on how to get the most out of this book. Then each day's reading has a Bible verse, a "Brainy Tip" followed by a short reading. Each day's reading is just one page in this sweet little devotional book that is based on Dr. Leaf's book, Switch On Your Brain . This devotional book and the original book are both designed to help you instill a happier, healthier life based on correct thinking patterns. Dr. Leaf offers encouragement and various strategies to reap the benefits of positive thinking and this devotional offers those tips every day. I haven't read ...

I think many of us have wondered at one time or another if we really matter--matter to people around us, matter in our jobs, or matter in the scheme of the life we live. Mandy Hale spent some time wondering if she mattered as well and the result of her wondering and going through life's challenges and depression is the book, You Are Enough . You Are Enough is mostly a memoir of a time in Hale's life when everything fell apart for her in a short time and she became depressed. She shares how things went wrong, how she dealt with her life, and how she came through it in the end to feel that she truly was enough. At the end of each chapter, along with sharing her story, she has a side-bar of encouragement for the reader. Not to be overlooked, Hale has an appendix in You Are Enough that offers several resources for suicide prevention. For someone who needs this book, this list alone, may be the biggest thing they need if they don't know where to start looking for help. Y...