Uncommon Life by Tony Dungy and Nathan Whitaker AND A GIVEAWAY

Tony Dungy--what a great example of Godly manliness (or should I call it manly Godliness?) My husband has followed his career and his wonderful example for years. Not only as coach of the Colts, but now as commentator at NFL games, and also as author of several previous books, Quiet Strength and Uncommon.

We heard of this book on the radio, actually, and I am very pleased to have the opportunity to review it. This book's full title is The One Year Uncommon Life Daily Challenge, and what it is is a daily devotional for men. Each day's reading has a Scripture for the day, a discussion, and "key" which gives a challenge to think and act on throughout the day. Though written by a football guy, the lessons are not all football related, as a matter of fact, I believe even a non-sports-fan would enjoy and learn much from this devotional! Different themes are covered, such as family issues, outreach/mission ideas, friends, peers, faith, and more.

There is a reading for every day of the year, though the introduction emphasizes that if you miss a day, don't worry about "catching up"--just pick up with the day you're on.

These writings are interesting, relevant, deep, Scriptural, and important for our lives today. They're not feel-good sound bites, but rather things that hit hard, say it like it is, and can/should be mulled over all day.

It's an easy thing to add into your day--they're short readings, with the Scripture printed out on the page. It would be a great addition to a devotional time or even just a great kick start for the day!

It's a great book, a reasonable price, and I will say I'm very pleased with it. I'll also say that it's not just for men! I do believe that women will enjoy using it as well.

For more info on Tony Dungy, check out this page!

Now here's the fun part! I have a certificate for a free copy of this book to give to a lucky blog reader! In order to be eligible for the giveaway, just become a follower of my blog and leave a comment on this post. On Saturday (Jan. 7) I'll pick a winner and notify you! If for some reason I haven't heard back from the winner within 3 or 4 days I may have to pick another winner, but hopefully that won't happen :)

A couple other sites of interest to the reader are Dungy's website (www.coachdungy.com) as well as the Tyndale website (www.Tyndale.com) on which you can find a variety of wonderful books published by Tyndale.

I was given a copy of this book for review purposes by the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. (I just really loved it!!)

Courting Miss Amsel by Kim Vogel Sawyer

Another book review?! Yes!! I've been reading a lot lately, and have been enjoying it! This most recent book I read in just a few days, Courting Miss Amsel by Kim Vogel Sawyer. It is a pretty typical historical romance, with a story about a young-ish woman beginning her first job as a teacher in a far-away town, in the 1880's.

I'll tell you that I'm not a huge fan of historical romances, but I certainly enjoyed this one! The characters were very believable and interesting and there was quite a bit to the story other than just "the romance." Edythe Amsel is a likable girl with lots of good teaching ideas which, unfortunately, go opposite of what some of the more traditional folks in the town want to see. Other characters in the book are developed well-enough to give you a good look into their town and its dynamics. I don't want to give away too much of the story, but suffice it to say that it's a nice light read, enjoyable, would make a great vacation book--good clean Christian historical romance--it's not deep, it's a quick read, but therein lies its charm.

I'd definitely recommend this book (and I know it's superficial, but I do like the cover too! :) nice brilliant colors in the artwork!)

I received a copy of this book for free for review purposes from Bethany House Publishers. I was not required to write a positive review.

Max on Life by Max Lucado

I enjoy reading Max Lucado's books, hearing his insights; some of my favorite quotes are by him. I was happy to see this new book of his added to the list of other books he's written.

In reading through this new book, Max on Life, I was a little surprised at the format--instead of a read-through book, it's a question and answer type book. You see, he's taken 172 questions that people have asked him in one form or another and written a short (1 page) response to each of them. These questions range in topic from prayer, to relationships, to God's unfailing love for us, to angels, to death, to finances, and etc. It wasn't a really easy book to read straight through from cover to cover, but, oh what a great resource! So many things that I wonder about, or others have wondered about and asked my opinion about, are addressed in one or more sections of this book. Each answer is thoughtfully written, easy to understand, with Scriptural references included.
To further enhance its use as a resource, topics are divided into the sections: Hope, Hurt, Help, Him/Her, Home, Haves/Have-nots, and Hereafter. There is also a topical index and Scripture index in the back to enable one to easily find a question relating to the particular topic they’re searching for an answer to.

This is the type of book to keep on your bookshelf to be referred to for years. It’s not a “read it once” book, but rather one that will be of great use to you throughout the years. It’s timely and succinct, and I think it’d be a great addition to anyone’s library.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review.

The Final Summit by Andy Andrews

Amazing book! I hardly know where to begin telling you about it! This book, The Final Summit, follows Andrews' earlier book The Traveler's Gift. Reading the inner cover summary I honestly didn't think I'd be too interested in this book. To summarize without giving too much away. . .David Ponder, widower, aged 74, embarks on another time travel adventure to save the world. Sounds a bit hokey, right? WRONG! The story includes many of the world's greatest people, in an imaginary setting where they would all be able to interact (despite not being historical contemporaries) to use their combined wisdom to find a way to save humankind.

I encourage you all to read this book—whether or not you’ve read the first book, The Traveler’s Gift (I hadn’t read it). I generally don’t care for time travel books or sci-fi books, but this was definitely an exception. It was so interestingly written that the chapters just flew by! How fun to imagine such figures as Joan of Arc, Benjamin Franklin, King David, Thomas Edison, and so many others—interacting and sharing ideas with each other! I can say that this book appeals to men and women, of all different ages—I would recommend this book to my dad, my grandma, my nephew, my neighbor! I plan on purchasing several copies of this book to use as gifts.

This book was entertaining, thought-provoking, suspenseful, and challenging. You WILL be glad you read it!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review.

Description from the publisher:
Book Description
David Ponder is back. This time the fate of mankind is in his hands.

This is mankind’s last chance. Centuries of greed, pride, and hate have sent humanity hurtling toward disaster, and far from its original purpose. There is only one solution that can reset the compass and right the ship, and it consists of only two words.

With time running out, it is up to David Ponder and a cast of history’s best and brightest minds to uncover this solution before it is too late. The catch? They are allowed only five tries to discover the answer.

Readers first encountered David Ponder in The Traveler's Gift. Now, in The Final Summit, Andrews combines a riveting narrative with astounding history in order to show us the one thing we must do when we don’t know what to do.