Reading, Writing & Pondering

  The Legacy of Longdale Manor by Carrie Turansky is a split time novel set in 1912 and 2012. It has been awhile since I read a split-time novel and I felt this one was well done with smooth transitions.  In 2012, Gwen Morris is working as an art appraiser for her grandfather's business when she is sent to England's Lake District to appraise the painting and antiques of an old family friend of her grandfather's. While she is there working, she meets David Bradford, the owner's grandson who is helping her keep her estate in good working order. Gwen also searches for her father, whom she has never met, with some interesting results. In 1912, Charlotte Harper is struggling after her father passes away and she discovers he hid an affair from her mother and their family. What makes this even worse for Charlotte is that he was also a pastor. After she finds out, Charlotte struggles with both her faith and trusting in male relationships. After her father's death, Charlott...

Joyce Meyer is a popular Bible teacher with a bestselling book entitled, Battlefield of the Mind . Meyer wrote this book to help Christians change their thoughts and renew their mind. The Battlefield of the Mind Journal is a blank ruled journal with one quote on each page from Meyer's Battlefield of the Mind book. There is also a chess piece on some pages in the bottom corner, reminding Christians that it is up to them to make the "right" moves. It measures about 6 1/4 inches by 8 1/4 inches in size and is 160 pages long.  Meyer said she hopes "this journal along with her book Battlefield of the Mind , will help you firmly establish in your heart forever that you can think the way God thinks by renewing your mind with His Word and lining up your thoughts with His thoughts. It's a process that will bring you into the life of freedom, peace, and joy that God has created you to live!"With that in mind, the book the journal is based on would be helpful fo...

  Stuff I'd Only Tell God: A Guided Journal of Courageous Honesty, Obsessive Truth-Telling, and Beautifully Ruthless Self-Discovery by Jennifer Dukes Lee is a journal that I would say definitely belongs between you and God if you are going to use it and be honest in it. I have some things in common with Jennifer Dukes Lee. I am from Iowa. She is from Iowa. I am a trained journalist who has worked as a reporter with newspapers and so has she. She likes to ask questions and learn about other people and things in the world. So do I. I have followed her on social media and read others books she has written. With all of those things in common and already liking her work, I had to get this guided journal. Oh, and I do like to journal so that also makes this book up my alley. Maybe Stuff I'd Only Tell God is up your alley too? Stuff I'd Only Tell God is a paper back guided journal with an introduction by the author and well-organized sections with titles like, Me and My People,...

  I have enjoyed Day by Day: 100 Ways to Capture Memories & Create Your Own Story by Jess Conte for awhile now this month. This guided  journal is so pretty and enjoyable to use. Day by Day invites journal users to go at their own pace from the beginning in the How to Use This Journal section. There are four different types of activities to choose from--and they are color coded with a stripe.  Check-In offers opportunities to document your day, choose gratitude and to take care of yourself. These entries offer moments of quiet reflections and time to re-set your mind, body and heart when it is needed. Capture activities are fun prompts to take light-hearted polls, tackle trivia, and to really create your own personal time-capsule of answers from this time to look back on. Create spaces invites journalers to relax, maybe put on your favorite music, and to create something artistic. There are coloring pages, pages to make a collage and more. Reflect and Grow activi...

  Are you a creative person who likes a paper planner? Maybe bullet journaling is your thing or you want it to be your thing? Draw Near: Your Creative Spiritual Journal by Sophie Killingley is a fun, basic journal that you can use to unleash your creativity and include your spiritual life. This basic journal is blank and could be started at any time. Killingley writes in the introduction that she used to be a compulsive doodler--but that was never a part of her spiritual life. Then she reached a point where she was struggling with her mental health and had to take Scripture in much smaller bites. She used that time to connect her creativity with her spiritual life. She began lettering and doodling verses. She has since moved on from that time, but then decided to merge her creativity with bullet journaling and her spiritual life. This book is a result of that.  Draw Near does have some basic organization to get your started. It starts with a "monthly" section. Killingley en...

  Are you looking for a journal to keep track of your Bible reflections? A Bible Study Journal For Women from Barbour Publishing is gorgeous both inside and out and also quite user-friendly. A Bible Study Journal For Women starts out with 38 pages of insights from the bestselling book, How to Study the Bible. There is a lot of good information in this short space on preparing to study the Bible, various styles of studying the Bible, using Bible study helps and getting motivated to study the Bible. The rest of the book is beautifully illustrated blank Bible study pages that are ready to use. I was so impressed by the quality of A Bible Study Journal For Women. The pages are fairly thick with plenty of lines. Yet, I could see using this journal not only to write but to do some art journaling as well. I also found the brief introductory pages to be full of good reminders and information on studying the Bible, even as a more mature Christian. It has a flexible cover with a beautiful fi...

  Do you like to read your Bible and journal about what you read? The Know Your Bible Journal for Women is a beautiful, yet practical, journal to help you reflect on your Bible reading time. The Know Your Bible Journal for Women goes through each book of the Bible from start to finish. It has been a couple of years since I read straight through the Bible but this journal would be especially nice for that purpose. It is based on the three-million-copy bestseller, Know Your Bible. This journal helps you define the who, what when, where, and why of each biblical book. It also has space to record your thoughts and feelings as you go through each Bible book.  I like that the Know Your Bible Journal for Women helps you flush out the basics you need to know and remember from each book of the Bible. The guided questions are basically the same through each book, which I liked. I think it helps you to focus on the basics to know and remember. There is plenty of space to write. It is ...

  Do you like to journal? If so, I believe Ellie Claire has some of the nicest journals available. The Confident Woman Journal from Joyce Meyer is no exception. It is simply gorgeous! This journal is 160 pages and measures about 6 by 8 inches. The cover is flexible and feels like leather. There is a ribbon marker and it is nicely bound to hold up to regular use. The pages are nicely ruled with Joyce Meyer quotes on the edges. A few examples of quotes include:  "Our worth is not found in being different or the same as others; it is found in God." "If we do what we can do, God will always do what we cannot do." "God works through our faith, not our fear." There is also an introduction to the journal from Meyer where she explains how special women are to God and how the journal could be helpful to you. This journal is especially nice for Joyce Meyer fans but it could be a special journal for any Christian woman to use.  I received a copy of this book from the...

  To Read or Not to Read: A Literary Journal for the Book Lover's Soul from Ink and Willow Gifts is a gorgeous book journal that would make a great gift for any bibliophile. The To Read or Not to Read book journal has pages to record your favorite authors, characters, books, and other book related quotes and information.  It is classic in its styling and sure to appeal to all genders from that stand point. It also allows you to create your own table of contents so the whole book is really customized for your book needs. There is plenty of space for book reviews and to include all of the information about that book that is important to you including your rating, notes, takeaways, why it inspired you, when it was published and when you read it and more. There is a fair amount of space to write but if you are a really lengthy writer there might not be enough for you. The journal measures a little over 6 by 7 inches in size so it would easily fit in most book bags. The paper and...

  I have often heard people say that they don't have a creative bone in their body. I heartily disagree with that statement. I believe we all use creativity in more ways than we realize. Mary Potter Kenyon's new book, Called to Be Creative inspires all sorts of creativity and reminds the reader that they are indeed creative in many ways. For me, reading Called to Be Creative was like sitting down with the author at the coffee shop and chatting about writing, artwork and all the things that we mutually enjoy that take a bit of creativity. I enjoyed her conversational tone. I also liked that each of the twelve chapters concludes with an inspiring real-life story from another creative person and an assignment to do something creative--for example, writing in a journal or making a vision board. For the purposes of this review, I read straight through the book and made some mental notes regarding the assignments. However, I plan to go back through and do the assignments and I am r...

I read Joyce Meyer's book, Healing the Soul of a Woman , and found it to be so helpful. Meyer has been through a lot of difficulties in her life that she shares with the wisdom of one who studies the Scriptures. Overcoming: A Soul-Healing Journal would be great to either use alone or along with that book on your own soul healing journey. She writes a beautiful introduction in this journal sharing a tiny bit of her journey and why she wrote the book and how this book could help you. In the Overcoming journal , Meyer has 23 guided journaling lessons to use to help facilitate your healing journey. Some of those include: What is a Healthy Soul?, Stand Up for Yourself,  Roadblocks to Healing, and The Blessings of a Healthy Soul. As I have looked through the journal, I like her mix of Scripture and questions and activities to do that help to guide the reader to find healing in their heart and soul. This journal has a gorgeous leatherflex cover and the beauty continues throughout th...

When God Says Go: A Devotional Thought Journal by Elizabeth Laing Thompson is a well-bound hardcover journal with a ribbon marker. Each short thought-provoking reading has both a Bible verse and a reading with a lot of room to write. As I write this, we are in a pandemic and no one is going anywhere so that feels a little ironic. However, I think this could be a helpful journal as you think about what God is calling you to do--even if it is to continue to stay home and that is different from your old "normal." This book has a lot of good questions to think about and several of those deal with fear. There was one I especially liked about brainstorming to use your gifts to honor God to those around you. That could certainly be done anytime and anywhere. When God Says Go would be a good journal to use whenever you have your quiet time with God. I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review.

In our modern society, it seems like so many voices around us are saying, "hurry, hurry." Yet, God often has us in a waiting period which can be so frustrating in our fast-paced world. When God Says Wait: A Devotional Thought Journal from Elizabeth Laing Thompson is designed to help put all of those thoughts and frustrations on paper and to continue to guide journalers to look to God. When God Says Wait starts out with a short but powerful 2-page introduction by Thompson. She talks about different types of waiting seasons and shares how journaling can help us through those times. The journal then has a short paragraph by the author followed by a question or two to answer as you write. A Bible verse is at the top of the second page of each two-page themed writing spread. I am finding When God Says Wait to be a helpful journal. I like how there is so much room to write but yet there are short paragraphs and verses to think about along with the writing prompt questions. ...

Electronics are great for many things, but I like to keep track of things on paper. I was excited to receive this Eat Better, Feel Better, Live Better 52-week food journal by Nasima Quresahi so that I can visually see my progress and quickly jot down the information that I want to remember. The Eat Better, Feel Better, Live Better food journal starts out with an introduction that includes healthy tips and helpful advice on using the journal to make it a regular healthy habit. It is also breaks down daily, weekly and monthly goals in to segments to make up the year with a place to write measurements every four weeks and to keep track of what your hopes and goals are. Then each week includes the daily places to write meals and easily keep track of water drank, exercise, feelings, sleep and other brief notes. This journal has some positive quotes and encouragement sprinkled through the pages. I have started using The Eat Better, Feel Better, Live Better Food Journal . I believe it...

I can't imagine leaving my grandchild something more personal than this book full of all my stories, love and wisdom for them. Dear Grandchild, This is Me is a gorgeous journal or record book of sorts that you can fill with personalized stories and encouragement for your grandchild. Dear Grandchild, This is Me goes through the seasons of your life as you share wisdom and stories from each season to your grandchild. This book also has places for you to leave private letters to your grandchild to open at certain seasons of their life. There are places for mementos and photos--and mounting stickers included in the back of the book. There is a special section to leave favorite or secret family recipes. There are some places to write fun stories and there are places to write stories of faith. This is a book for your grandchild to cherish and treasure as a truly unique and special keepsake from you. The publisher has truly made this gorgeously illustrated book one that you can pers...

I know I need to work at memorizing Scripture again. I also like to journal. Combining the two sounds like a real win for me--and perhaps you too? The Scripture Memory Map for Women from Barbour Publishing is a spiral bound undated journal with prompts for each day you choose to work on Scripture memory. Each two-page journaling spread has plenty of space to write your memory verse, explain why it is important, tell what it means to your faith, explain how it applies to your life, identify when the verse will be most helpful, and write out a small prayer with your verse. I can't begin to tell you how much I like this journal. The Scripture Memory Map for Women is also spiral bound so it lays flat as you right. I like the layout of the pages with small illustrations and the space it includes to write. I like the prompts. I think it will help me more and more as I use this journal to not only memorize verses, but to identify how and where they will be most helpful in my l...

  Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. (James 4:8) The Near Journal is designed to help you take time to draw near to God and focus on Him in your quiet time each day for 90 days.  The Near Journal doesn't give you what to study for ninety days. Instead, this journal provides the structure you need to study what you want to study in the Bible. This journal is designed to help you make a commitment to keep regular times with God and your Bible. Each day's journaling area provides a place to write a summary of what you have read or thoughts about the verses you read, a place to write some goals or things to do based on what you read, a space for gratitude and a space for prayer, then a place to write a verse to memorize.   I like that The Near Journal is easy to use. It is straight-forward in it's approach. I like the simple instructions that go with it. The price is reasonable and the whole package is nicely done.    I received an el...

"I will hold myself to a standard of grace, not perfection." This quote from the back of the book grabbed my attention. I smiled because I wish someone had given me this gorgeous A Standard of Grace guided journal by Emiliy Ley when I was a young mom. A Standard of Grace is a journal designed to help readers to discover their hopes and dreams and to invest some time into themselves through prompts, short readings, quotes and Scriptures. It is divided into 52 weeks so the reader could do one a week through the year. However, it does not need to be started at any particular time and it could be done at any pace that works for the woman doing the work. Each of the 52 sections include a Scripture, a short reading and a question or prompt with space to write. There are also a lot of full color pictures throughout the book. A Standard of Grace is nicely bound with thick paper useful for using a variety of journaling pens. Each section includes ample space to write unlike so...

The Daily Question For Your And Your Child is a fun way to create a special keepsake journal with your child. The Daily Question For You and Your Child contains 365 questions, one for each day of the year. However, this book could be started any time of the year. Open up the book to the current date and start asking a question. This interactive journal has space for asking the question for three years. The idea is that you are creating a time capsule of responses and can see how your child's personality and interests have changed over time as the vary year after year. Here are a couple examples of questions that are asked in the book: What is your favorite smell? What do you do when you are bored? What do you know about Jesus? This is a spiritual journal so there are a few Christian-based questions asked. I like that the Daily Question For You and Your Child journal has a place to slip a picture into the front cover to turn it into a frame. One could change the picture ev...

100 Days of Thanks from Thomas Nelson is a simply gorgeous reflective gratitude journal. This beautiful book is designed to help you take time away from your busy schedule, to sit and to reflect on what is important in life and what you are grateful for. As you would expect, there are 100 readings in 100 Days of Thanks . Each reading has a Scripture verse, a short written piece to reflect on the Scripture as it relates to your life, and a question to help reader's reflect on what they are grateful for in their own life. Throughout the book there are many beautiful soft photographs and illustrations that add a real richness to this little book. 100 Days of Thanks would make a great gift for almost anyone. It would also be a nice book to buy for your self and to go through for 100 days. It is small in size (4.7 x 8.2 inches) so would be easy to stick in a purse or backpack to carry along and use wherever you want to. I also like that it has a ribbon marker sewn in to keep yo...