Reading, Writing & Pondering

Many times when we are young, we feel invincible. Then as we grow older, we start to feel some health issues beginning. Laura Harris Smith shares her remedies and spiritual prayers for healing whatever may ail you in Get Well Soon . Get Well Soon is divided in to three parts: Part One: Employing Your Spirit and Mind for Bodily Healings. In this section, Smith goes in to great detail to merge the body, mind and spirit for healing. She breaks down verses in the Bible from the original Greek and she shares experiences from her own healing. She also shares her history and what her degree means. Part Two: Blessing and Healing Prayers for Your Whole Body. In this section, Smith gives prayers to pray over every system in the body and prayers for specific issues in the body. Part Three: Get Well, Stay Well. In this smaller, final section of the book, Smith offers advice for how to handle stubborn illnesses that are difficult to treat. She also leaves a benediction at the end of the book ...

The first place I think of when I think of relaxing and vacation is the beach. A line on the back of Devotions from the Beach says, "Life at the beach calms your soul." I think that is so true. Devotions at the Beach has 100 short one page devotional readings. Each reading includes a Bible verse, a reading and a brief prayer. Next to each reading is a gorgeous full-color photo of a beach scene.This book is beautifully bound and includes a ribbon marker to keep your place. No need to try to rustle up a bookmark--especially if you are on vacation. I think this would be a great devotional to take on vacation, along with my journal and my Bible app. I can't begin to tell you how much I like this devotional. Devotions from the Beach just invites me to relax, take some time to think about God, and to reflect on living the Christian life. I love the idea of slowing down and reading this book on the beach. I also think this beautiful book would make a great gift--tuck ...

"There is a time for everything, a season for every activity under heaven." (Ecc. 3:1, NLT) Patti Tingen's book, A God for All Seasons , shares this complete verse from Ecclesiastes 3 in her introduction. This beautiful book takes a look at every season and every month in that season as a part of our wholehearted Christian journey. A God For All Seasons starts with that brief introduction, then goes into winter, spring, summer and fall seasons. Tingen writes a brief essay about each season. Then she shares an essay for each month in the season. Each month has a theme that goes along with the season--like Thanksgiving for November and Giving for June. I enjoyed A God for all Seasons . This book shares part of Tingen's story through each of the essays. I appreciate how encouraging and down-to-earth she is. She makes it clear that we all struggle to live the Christian life during some seasons in our life and she doesn't come across as better or judgemental. Sh...

Ten years ago it was Lena Donohue's wedding day. However, to say things didn't go as planned is an understatement. Today, Lena deals with the fall out of her sister and her fiance's betrayal that day. Or rather she tries not to think about the painful memories of the day. Since then, she has moved on with her life and became a successful travel writer in New York City. She stays far away from Watersend, South Carolina where her sister lives, currently married to her former fiance, until Lena's brother calls to let her know she is needed at home. Lena's dad's health is failing. One thing has never changed, Lena loves her dad and would do anything for him. Including going home and facing old memories and people she has avoided for years. The Favorite Daughter is a complex layered story that touched me on several levels. I thought Lena's wrestling with forgiveness was realistic and I could understand why it wouldn't be easy for her to be with her fami...

"What better way to spend the last few minutes of the day than smuggled up with your children, pouring God's love into their hearts?" This question from the back of God's Words to Dream On: Bedtime Bible Stories and Prayers by Diane Stortz nails it. This gorgeous book with it's vibrant photos and succinct wording has over 52 stories to read with your children. Each night there is a Bible story, a bedtime blessing leaving the kids with something positive to reflect on, a Bible verse to think on, and a short sleepy-time prayer tied to the theme of the story. God's Words to dream On is aimed at children four to eight years old, but would also be great in a family setting of mixed ages. The pictures in God's Words to Dream On are quite well done. They are so bright and eye-catching, especially for young ones to look at. I think the stories are a good length for young children to read or hear. The short prayers, verses and blessings are also just right ...

Cadie McCaffrey and Will Whittaker have been dating four years. They met at the office and things started out great. However, for a long time, Cadie has been waiting for Will to "pop the question." When he doesn't, she is convinced he doesn't really love her. Then things get compounded for the couple with more misunderstandings coupled with some regret. At that point, Cadie tells Will that  things aren't working out. Will doesn't understand and continues to try to win her back. Can he succeed? Wooing Cadie McCaffrey is Bethany Turner's second book that I have read. I laughed out loud at the first book and enjoyed it a lot. I wanted to love this one too, but I didn't like it as well. I was looking for something light to read that would make me laugh--with some tension and struggles of course. . .But I didn't laugh. Instead, I felt frustrated by Cadie's willingness to give up so quickly and her lack of communication. For me, it wasn't b...

The Beyond the Circle Series starts out with The 49th Mystic . Rise of the Mystics is the second and final book in the Beyond the Circle series by Ted Dekker. These are my first books that I have read by Dekker but I understand this new series also plays off of his original Circle series although it can be read independently. Rachelle Matthews is also known as the 49th mystic. She lives in two worlds at once. In the ancient world she is currently locked in a dungeon. She has received three out of five seals in the book one and needs to complete the next two to save the people she loves and cares about. How can she do it in this realm when she is stuck in the dungeon? In the modern earth world she faces even greater struggles to overcome as she faces off with the villain Vlad Smith. I don't want to give away any spoilers so will stop there. I especially like to read a series when I can go right from one book to the next so I was glad that both books were published when I ...

The 49th Mystic is my first Ted Dekker book. I have been wanting to read one for some time. I am so glad I did. The 49th Mystic starts out in the small town of Eden, Utah where a blind girl named Rachelle and her father, David, live. Rachelle has nightmares regularly about the "shadow man." They scare her a lot but they aren't half as scary as finding out that they aren't just dreams and the Shadow Man is alive and in Eden looking for her. At the same time,  Rachelle does dream her way in to another world. She sort of time travels back in to the ancient world and fights to recover five ancient seals. This book is the start of a two book series where she battles for her life and the lives of others in both worlds. I found The 49th Mystic to be fast-paced and it held my interest until the end in spite of the fact that I don't usually read this type of book. I am looking forward to the second book and seeing how this all works out in the end. I like how the b...

I don't know about you, but I started praying for my son and our parenting of him when we found out we were expecting. My son is a teenager now and I continue to pray every day for him. I think he needs those prayers now more than ever. Rob and Joanna Teigen have a new book, Powerful Prayers for Your Son , that can guide parents through prayer in all sorts of situations through the year5s as your son grows up and even in to adulthood. Powerful Prayers for Your Son starts off with an introductory word from Joanna and one from Rob. In these short pages, they introduce themselves and share how this book came about. Following the introduction, there are 77 prayers through the book--prayers that cover your son through all sorts of life situations through the ages and stages of your boy. A few examples of the many prayers included in the book are: when he is looking for God, when he is stressed, when his faith is shaken, when he goes online, when he considers dating, when he is atta...

We all love to hear a good love story. Whether it is about children loving puppies or older couples that have been married for 70 years, these happy stories keep us going through the challenges of life. It's a Love Story by Lincee Ray is full of her love stories through the years. It's a Love Story shares many personal stories from Ray's life throughout the book. She also shares a few heartaches in her quest for love. She shares about how she grew up as Johhny Ray's daughter in a small town with a few escapades and stories that made me giggle out loud. . .She also shares about going to Africa and ministering to the children and obeying God in love to serve Him by serving the least of these. This book is full of both stories that will make you smile or laugh out loud and there were a few that brought a tear to my eyes. Ray is definitely not boring and has a way with words that evoke a variety of emotions. At the same time, she also has a way of causing me to reflec...

Niko left his train in the woods. When he left it he had been playing outside on a beautiful sunny day. Now it was night time. But Niko went to retrieve the train in the dark. However, the woods didn't look the same. Niko's Night and Day by Colleen Oakes tells the story of opposites through Niko's trip to find his train. Through Niko's eyes we see God's creation in the day and in the night. I adore Niko's Night and Day . I thought this children's book was unusual and beautiful. I loved the gorgeous illustrations by Erin Chan and the story told through Niko's eyes. I also liked the pages at the end where Oakes tells how the story is paralleled to Bible stories. It is not only a fun book to read but could lead to some good discussions after reading the book. You can download a sample of this book here: https://books.cph.org/nikos-night-and-day-a-story-of-opposites-in-gods-creation-by-colleen-oakes I received an electronic copy of this book from t...

Little children are so fun to be around. They ask so many questions and want to know why this and why that. I love seeing their inquisitive hearts and minds. Why God? by Dan Dewitt is the perfect book for young children and their families who are wondering about God. The story in Why God? features Thomas and his sister, Hope, who have a lot of questions about the world. Some of them are funny and some of them are big and serious like the ones where Thomas wonders about God. All of the questions together make for a fun story with cute illustrations. Why God? addresses the big and small questions kids have. The illustrations are bright, vibrant and fun. Along with the eye-catching illustrations, the story takes the questions children have and helps them see the wonders of God in our world today. I especially like the Parent Connection page in the back of the book. This page helps parents guide their children into some good discussions based on the story and the Bible. I though...

Maybe you had a wonderful father. Perhaps your dad was cold and distant and not really engaged with you. Or maybe you didn't know your father at all. Irregardless of the type of father you had, Louie Giglio shares in his new book, Not Forsaken , that God is not a reflection of your earthly dad. Not Forsaken is the first audio book that I have listened to on my device. I truly enjoyed listening to this book. The narrator did a good job of reading and keeping my interest in the content. I felt myself want to keep going in the book and to know more about how to re-frame my view of God and to take this information to better live out the Christian life.  Not Forsaken was an interesting book to me. Without going in to details, I had a dad that has left me with an empty hole in my heart. I like how Giglio invites us to see God differently though this book . I especially liked how it started out with the Watch Me chapter. . .Boy did it bring back memories of being younger and wanti...

Does your house feel like YOUR home? Does it feel comfy and give life to all who visit? If the answer is no, you should read Restoration House by Kennesha Buycks. Restoration House is divided in to three parts. Part one is Restored Home, Restored Soul where Buycks shares how she learned to make her house her home in spite of living in many different houses while her husband was in the military. Part 2 is A Restored Space For You where you learn about how you can make your space more enjoyable for you and your family. There is a lot of good practical information in this section about selecting paint and decor and more along that line. Part 3 is Sharing Your Restored Home and offers a lot of good advice and encouragement for entertaining. I picked this book, Restoration House , because my word for 2019 is Restore. I also enjoy books about decorating and home entertaining. I thought this book was beautiful as a whole. I enjoyed the pictures. I thought Buycks had a lot of good adv...

We long for a marriage that lasts for a life time full of love and happy memories. Yet, the divorce statistics are fairly high in today's world. How do we create a marriage full of lasting love? Kim Kimberling gives a lot of solid advice and answers in his latest book, 14 Keys to Lasting Love . There are 14 chapters in 14 Keys to Lasting Love that correspond with the 14 keys. Topics such as being friends with your spouse, how children can change the relationship, how to do conflict, how to handle money, how to keep the spark in your marriage through the years, and a whole lot more. In each chapter, he gives a lot of advice and examples from other couples in his work as a marriage counselor. He also shares a lot of personal information on how he and his wife and maintained their marriage for forty years. At the end of each chapter, he offers several key questions for couples to think about and ask each other. Then it ends with a sort of action each couple can take to improve...