Great for God by D. Shibley

Great for God by David Shibley has the subtitle "Missionaries Who Changed the World." The book is made up of short summaries of 23 different missionaries. At the start of each section is the missionary's name, their date/place of birth, their date/place of death, their "legacy", and a quote by that individual. After this is a narrative section of a few pages which gives a short summary of their life as it relates to missions.

I was pleased with this book in a sense. At first I was disappointed because each segment is so short (!) and I really wished to read more about these people, more details. I think I am just used to reading missionary biographies (such as the Christian Heroes Then and Now) which tell the life story, using an entire book on one individual.

After I had reconciled myself to the fact that this is meant to be a brief introduction/overview of different missionaries, I came to see it as a book about missions/missionaries rather than about individual missionaries. That statement may sound a little confusing, but what I meant by it is that throughout reading this book it will be obvious that there is no ONE type of missionary, no ONE way of "doing" missions, no ONE set pattern, no ONE background, etc. Missionaries are people who spread the gospel, in many different ways, in many different places and settings. This book introduces several different missionaries, some well-known, others less-known. If you are a person like me who likes to read more than just a few pages about these individuals, there are books available elsewhere to expand on the names you read about here.

I would recommend this book as a picture of missions and missionaries. It's also useful in introducing the names of missionaries you may wish to learn more about.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

knitting! :)

Well, somehow I have become inspired to knit a little! I know how to knit, but haven't really enjoyed it lately/in the past -- but I've been truly enjoying knitting lately! I made a really quick and easy hat -- found the pattern here. Cute, huh? (here's my version)

To make this a super inexpensive project, the yarn which I used was actually from an ugly wool sweater that I bought at a rummage sale for the purpose of using the yarn :) So glad to have this cute hat and lots of yarn left for other projects!

My knitting frenzy is continuing -- I made my husband an easy men's hat and am in the middle of a super cute fish hat for my youngest daughter -- will post a pic later!

Perfect Lies by Jennifer Crow

There are many thoughts/feelings/emotions that seem to control our lives as human beings. Not just women, but men too. Some of those are valid, others are lies that Satan introduces to our minds and bodies at different spots in our lives.

This book by Jennifer Crow, Perfect Lies reminds us of those lies and of the fact that they ARE lies.

Lies such as
I must be perfect because my actions define who I am.

or
I must gain the acceptance of others because their opinion matters
most

or

I must indulge myself in order to be happy.

These are just a few of the lies the author "exposes" and illustrates. She is painfully honest in her recounting of these lies in her life and the roles they played in crumbling her physically, emotionally, and nearly spiritually.

BUT she also recounts how she has had TRUTH conquer these lies. Truth from God based in Scripture. She speaks of Meditative Prayer (meditating on Scripture and praying Scripture) and how it has transformed her life.

Big picture -- I thought it was a good, helpful book. I have a family member who wants to borrow and read it too. Some of her methods were maybe not quite for me (I am not really impacted by her "guided imagery" style) but the truths she used in turning away the lies Satan uses in our lives were definitely helpful.

I think this book could be very helpful to many different people who either admit or don't admit that they have problems with these lies :)

I received a copy of this book from Tyndale in exchange for this review. I was not required to write a positive review.

Labor Day, summer's "end" ?

Can summer possibly be coming to an end? The evenings are getting colder, requiring a sweatshirt, but the days are still warm/hot. Ahhhhhh :) What a great time of the year! I think I'm in denial about the end of summer.

Today I would like to mention that I am so thankful for where God has placed us for this time in our lives. We are very blessed to live on an island in the lake, so we have a wonderful town "beach" which is just a mostly-rocky cove nearby. I'm so thankful for the opportunities He gives us, and I'm thankful for a wonderful family with which to share those opportunities.

Are we in denial that summer is ending? :) Nah, we love fall too. . .but why not make the most of these last days of summertime?

Answers Book for Teens vol 2

Answers Book for Teens vol 2 by Bodie Hodge, Tommy Mitchell, and Ken Ham is the second in a series that I hope will expand even further! Back in January I reviewed the first book in this installment (here) and was very pleased with that book. The second is definitely a valuable book as well!

The authors confront even more issues which are important to a teen, or truthfully, any of us at any age. The format is a question (such as "Isn't natural selection evolution? or "Noah's Ark. . .really?") The answers are given in conversational form, easy to read and understand, yet not lacking in depth. They are godly answers, backed up with Scripture, to questions teens face every day.

As I had mentioned in my review of the first book, this book would be a wonderful resource for a college-aged student as well as "teens". College years are so full of searching, questioning, etc. that this book could be a great help for. Don't let the title limit you!

I would recommend this book for sure. It'd make a great gift for a teen or even a good resource to have on your own shelves. It's full of good info and you may want to lend it out as well! Not just for teens! I even "caught" my non-religious father-in-law reading through it with interest! Good tool for sharing Scriptural explanations as well!

This book definitely receives a positive rating from me!

I received a copy of this book for the purpose of this review. I was not required to write a positive review.

Fully Alive by Ken Davis

I just finished reading "Fully Alive" by Ken Davis and I'd like to share my thoughts about this book with you! I was excited to read this book, as I've heard Ken Davis's little spots on the Christian radio station for years now and they have usually elicited a laugh.

The book begins with a story of Mr Davis's granddaughter lost on a mountain. This terror-filled time (and the blessing of her return) pushed him into a journey to become "fully alive".

The book chronicles his successes in recent life and how they've been possible, how he is living life fully alive. . .it kind of reads like an inspirational self-help book at times, with a LOT of focus on losing weight and exercising. Not just one chapter, but a big chunk of the book. There are stories and illustrations in the book, but not lots of Scripture. Many personal stories and inspirational stories of others, all used to show how you can and should maximize your life.

So what did I think of it? That's a tough one. I wouldn't really say I liked it; I probably wouldn't have finished it had I not promised to read and review it. But it was not all bad :) Reading through it there were parts which were interesting to me, parts which were not and parts which brought tears to my eyes. I guess maybe it was a lot like other books I've read, good inspirational reminders, but not like "wow".

Read it if you like, maybe it'll be your favorite! Or maybe not. Or maybe you need ideas and inspiration to lose weight through healthy eating and exercise. This is a good book for that (lots of words dedicated to that!) I guess I'm pretty ambivalent on this one.

I received a free copy of this book for the purpose of this review.

Unstuck by Arnie Cole and Michael Ross

This book Unstuck has a subtitle of "Your Life. God's Design. Real Change." I liked the concept of this book before I even began. Who of us hasn't felt "stuck" or at least kind of paused in life.

The book encourages us to read Scripture, and read it at least four days a week. There are sections relating to fear, "religion", different sins, ambivalence, and many other areas which will touch each of our lives. The power of God and the power of timeless Scripture are highlighted. We are not only encouraged to read the Bible but also to put it into practice, and the authors explain that as well.

There are many personal examples from the authors' lives, which made the book easier to understand and more interesting, and there were lots of statistics. Lots of statistics. Maybe too many for me, but I know that some people thrive on data, so maybe this is helpful for them.

At times the book seemed a bit dry, but truthfully, God spoke to me through reading it. I would suggest you read it as well and see if God will use it in your life as well!

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher for the purpose of this review.