Reading, Writing & Pondering

  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...

  Have you heard of Verse Mapping? This is all new to me--and I think it is a fun way to better learn about what the Bible is saying as I read it. I also learned that while this is new to me, it isn't a new way to learn the Bible. When it is defined, it is a way of getting real about studying the Bible through researching everything you can about a verse to learn more about who God is and how he is speaking to you. It is some serious studying. Because it is new to me, I have been a little slow to get started in the Bible itself. I like this Verse Mapping Bible Study Journal by Kristy Cambron because I feel like I can freely use it to learn and grow in doing this without making a mistake in my nice Bible. (Why yes, I have struggled with perfectionism at times.) I also like that the journal takes you through the process step by step. I also like that Kristy Cambron not only explains things so well, but she also explains that this study is for every day people like you and me. Also th...

  Have you ever been given a miracle? Would you know one if you saw it? The Miracle Collectors by Joan Luise Hill and Katie Mahon share their own miracle stories, as well as the stories of others. The Miracle Collectors starts out with a prologue explaining how the authors became interested in miracles and how they united to write this book. This chapter also defines what a miracle is.  Then the book is divided into three sections: Becoming Aware, Deepening Connection and Finding Meaning. Throughout the book, the authors share stories that other people shared with them about miracles that they experienced. In between the real-life stories, the authors connect them with analysis and other spiritual information. While it is interesting, to a certain degree I felt this bogged the book down in some places. To a degree, the book felt more like a dissertation on the subject than a relaxed discussion. I did enjoy The Miracle Collectors as a whole. I liked the uplifting and inspiri...

  When I was an older teenage girl, there were times I worried about things. Sissy Goff's new book, Brave: A Teen Girl's Guide to Beating Worry and Anxiety , is a good book for teenage girl's today who face that same struggle. I wish I had had this book growing up. Brave starts out with a not to the parent who bought the book. i will be honest, I thought this was kind of a strange way to start the book as I was buying my own books as a teenager and no parent would have bought it for me. However, there is some good advice for parents in this chapter as well as a reference to book for parents by the same author for those who may be interested. Then she has an introduction for the teenage reader. The next chapter is Goff's rules for reading the book, which are really just some good advice to remember that it is your own book and you can answer and do what you need to do to process the answers on your own.  Brave is then divided in to three sections: Understanding is the f...

  Joyce Meyer's Biblical Study series is as beautiful inside as it is on the covers. In Philippians by Joyce Meyer she shares how Philippians is one of her favorite epistles because it encouraged believers in the early church as well as addressing believers today. I have to agree as it is one of my favorite books as well. Philippians: A Biblical Study starts with an introduction by Meyer on how to study the book of Philippians using this book. She also has an introduction to the book that tells about the book and also lists the key truths in this book of the Bible. There are 14 chapters in this Bible study book that cover the four chapters of Philippians in depth. Not only does Meyer take the reader through the book verse by verse, but she also has Personal Reflection questions with room to journal about the question.  I like these in depth study books because Meyer goes through the Bible books so thoroughly and this book in Philippian s is as well done as the rest in the se...

  The Beauty of an Uncluttered Soul by Carla Gasser is a truly beautiful devotional journal.  The Beauty of an Uncluttered Soul starts out with an introduction by the author and a description of the artistic process by the illustrator, Vivian Kammel. Then there is a short chapter explaining how to use this devotional with the SOUL study method--Search, Observe, Use, and Lean. Then the book is divided in to three sections with three chapters each: Checking your attitudes: How do you respond to God?, Connecting your actions: How do you relate to others?, and Choosing your habits: How do you renew your soul? There is also a conclusion chapter and one of helpful terms at the end of the book. I found The Beauty of an Uncluttered Soul to be a simply gorgeous book with full-color watercolor illustrations. Then each chapter invites the reader to learn and grow through both the reading and the journaling sections.  As an artistic person, this book just left me feeling spoiled w...

  Unknown Threat by Lynn H. Blackburn is the first book in the Defend and Protect series about the U. S. Secret Service. I did not want to put this book down until I was done. Four Secret Service Agents from one department died within a ten-week span. FBI Agent Faith Malone is in charge of the investigation to figure out just what is going on. USSS Agent Luke Powell is assigned to work with her to find the killer and bring him to justice--without getting killed himself.  I enjoyed everything about Unknown Threat. I liked the chemistry between Luke and Faith. I laughed at some of their banter. I liked that spiritual struggles were real among these agents and talked about as if they were a part of their lives in one way or another. Faith's struggles with her faith were easy for me to understand and relate to. Right off the first few pages, the action in the book gets started and it is a page turner to figure out who the killer is. It definitely kept me guessing and turning pag...