Lara's Reviews

The Shelter of God's Promises by Sheila Walsh

2011-02-22T14:32:00.001-08:00

Sheila lays out the promised of God in an easy to understand and extremely relatable way. Telling stories that have happened in her life to relay what God's promises can do. She touches on subjects of love, grace and hope while revealing promises in these areas.

Sheila has packaged a very useful and uplifting message into this book. She is always reminding us how special we are to God and how He only wants the best for us and His promises reflect that. Claim them for yourself.

As a bonus there is an in depth bible study in the back of the book relating to each chapter. With sections titled: Discover, Believe and Live she directs you to dive deeper into God's word and answer questions with deep personal introspection. A great resource for individual or intimate group study.

Voices of the Faithful

2010-12-25T13:55:00.000-08:00

A book of daily devotions written by missionaries from around the globe. Beth Moore lends her pen to the acknowledgements and introduction to get your year started off right. The devotions are short and easy to include in your morning routine. Each month is devoted to a different topic, i.e. spiritual warfare, witnessing and God's Word with an introduction to the topic by Beth.

I would recommend this book to anyone in your life. This book is not geared towards women as many of Beth's books are (and this book is not written by Beth). It is for anyone who needs a bit of encouragement to get out of their comfort zone and be challenged by what God has in store for their life.

Excellent Devotional

2010-12-06T10:55:00.000-08:00

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Jesus Calling: 365 Devotionals for Kids by Sarah Young is a great book for kids and adults alike. My daughter (8) and I have been using this for morning devotionals and it is just the perfect Word for the start of our day. The devotionals are short and written from Jesus' point of view - such a heart warming feeling in the morning with Jesus speaking directly to your heart even when you're trying to get out of the house on time. There are additional verses relating to the daily topic that the reader can use to dig deeper into The Word either right then or at a later time during the day. I would recommend this for pre-tween kids all the way through young adult. I have enjoyed the reminders of God's promises and love for me through this book.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

How should a Christian Live?

2010-09-16T07:06:00.000-07:00

Going deep into The Word of Promise Next Generation . . . the audio Bible for the "wired generation!" You've heard the dramatized New Testament featuring the voice talents of many of today's top young Hollywood stars. Now dig deeper and embrace the truths and knowledge of the Bible like never before. This new devotional study guide series is available in four volumes. Each volume includes an MP3 CD, a devotional guide, and journaling section. The devotional guide is presented in 13 lessons with topical articles, exciting and fun 2-color graphic design, and creative interactive games and activities for youth to enjoy! Also included is a journaling section at the end of each lesson of the each book.

Volume Three – the "How" focuses on the study of how Jesus' continued presence can and should impact our lives. It is based on the books of 1-2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1-2 Thessalonians, 1-2 Timothy, Titus, and Philemon.

Features include: GET-IT (help to understand difficult concepts); GRAB-IT (how does this look in your own life); HOLD-IT (how to maintain in everyday life); GIVE-IT (how does this affect others in your life); DEFINE-IT (in-depth look at key words); and LIVE-IT (presentation of ideas, questions, challenges to support each session's content).

I believe the devotional/journal "How should a Christian Live?" is a great tool and resource for the teenage new believer. It takes them through topics like what it means to be a believer, faith, learning God's truth among other great topics for young and/or new believers. There is plenty of space to journal your thoughts and prayers to God as well as games centered around the topics to hold interest.

Broken up into 12 "sessions", this devotional could be used for 12 weeks worth of devotion and study of His word. The accompanying MP3 disc includes readings for the lessons of each session. I think this is a great resource for the young person in your life who is searching for the truth or searching for more truth in their new walk with the Lord.

The Flowering Cross by Beth Ryan

2010-03-08T14:24:00.001-08:00

A modern-day story of how Christ’s resurrection is still changing lives.
Six-year-old Katie’s next-door neighbor Papa Jack has the most beautiful flowers in town. He seems like a mean man to most, but Katie has a special place in his heart. Every Easter Sunday she stops by to get her flowers for the Flowering of the Cross at church. Only this year, Papa Jack decides to come along, and Katie helps him discover the real meaning of the Cross.
Also included are instructions for making a Flowering Cross.

What a great story! This story was enjoyed by me and my 7 year old. This children's book encourages children to share their faith with others including adults. Such a sweet story about a little girl and her grouchy neighbor - showing him the love of Jesus proved to soften his heart to hearing the gospel and love those around him as he was first loved.

This book also teaches children about the Bible with "Faith Imprints". These help parents teach lessons from the Bible and gives them the supporting verse. Such a great simple story with great lessons and values directly from God's word. I would recommend for any elementary aged child in your life.

Buried Alive by Roy Hallums

2010-02-11T09:25:00.000-08:00

What a superbly written book on a topic that will make you cringe at every corner. Roy Hallums was abducted in Iraq and held captive for 311 days before US forces found and rescued him in 200. He has written a book to tell his story. Definitely for the adult readers, this book is so real it will make you flinch.

The detail he recalls is just amazing. I know he left out some circumstances for the reader's benefit but he tells just enough of what he went through to keep the pages of the book turning like wildfire - just so you can get to the end and be sure he was rescued! I found myself praying for him and his family nightly - I just could not imagine.

Early on in the book he describes where he asks God to give him a sign so he will know if he will make it out of this ordeal alive. God responds by making it rain in the desert. Roy's trust in God got him through a horrifying experience and has given him a ministry in which to train others how to survive in the same situation. He has been able to work with the military and private companies to help train those heading into the Iraq zones with huge markets for kidnapping and ransom operations. His experiences could save others.

Such a courageous story!

Reminding me that I am God's Little Princess

2010-01-26T13:56:00.000-08:00

God's Little Princess Devotional Bible by Sheila Walsh is a great resource for parents to share with their princesses. Sheila Walsh created GiGi, the princess of the Greatest King. Many little girls, including my own, have grown to love her. She is the Christian version of Fancy Nancy - reinforcing the promises from the Bible of who we are in Him.

What a wonderful devotional for little girls! This book has 84 sections that are each color coded as the lessons change. Short enough for the younger princess but packed with a lot of activities such as Bible focused plays to act out for the older princess. Each section opens with a story from the bible and supporting activities on the next few pages to reinforce the lesson.

This book is suggested for ages 4-7 though I think even an 8 or 9 year old could have a lot of fun and even help mentor a younger sibling using this as a guide. I can just see a room full of girls giggling and playing, hiding the promises of God in their hearts, learning the truth in a fun interactive way.

If you have a little girl in your life this is a must have for their library!

The Gospel According to Lost by Chris Seay

2010-01-02T09:00:00.000-08:00

The Gospel According to Lost by Chris Seay is a book using the television show Lost as a basis for paralleling the Gospel. At least according to the title I came to this conclusion. I watch Lost and was pretty confused by the early chapters and how they related to the Gospel. The chapters are broken out by characters of the show and how they represent Biblical characters or ideas. Some characters have pretty strong ties/parallels like Jacob and Jin but other parallels (or lack of parallels) add to the confusion I experienced in reading the book. Kate and Sawyer's chapters focus more on their outward appearance than any biblical parallels.

You most definitely have to have a good knowledge of Lost in order to read this book because characters are mentioned without any description to where they fit in the Lost story. This makes sense because the book would be huge if these things had to be explained but a few times names are dropped that made me stop and have to recollect who they were in the show.

I am not sure what I expected but I was not blown away with what I read. I definitely do not recommend this to anyone who has not watched Lost and am still hesitant to recommend it to anyone who has.

Jack Daniel's Spirit of Tennessee Cookbook by Lynne Tolley & Pat Mitchamore

2009-11-30T13:59:00.000-08:00

Let me begin by saying - I LOVE COOKBOOKS. This collection of recipes includes ones with and without Jack Daniel's as an ingredient so don't let the title fool you. There is something in it for everyone - and when I say everyone, I am not exaggerating. This cookbook has over 375 Southern recipes. Among them are also photos of life in Tennessee as well as commentaries about the history of Jack Daniel's and the Tennessee area.

The Southern Classics are represented: meatloaf, fried chicken, catfish and bar-b-que. There are also some surprises even for this Southern Belle: Possum and Sweet Taters, Ham Mousse and Molded Beet Salad. While I can't wait to try many more of the recipes in this cookbook, I can honestly say those are not among them. ;) The stories and photos, circa 1980 (and some older), really add character to the book and give a glimpse into life on the Tennessee farm. It is easy to pull together a southern affair using just the recipes in this book. Categories from drinks to desserts and outdoor cooking to vegetables, allow anyone to put together a great southern meal from beginning to end.

I've not had time to try them all but a few of my favorites so far are: Asparagus Casserole, Boarding House Meat Loaf and German Chocolate Upside-down Cake - a meal fit for a Southern royal family. Enjoy.

Starting a Blog...to review books

2009-10-20T12:42:00.000-07:00

A friend posted that Thomas Nelson, a Christian book publisher, is giving away free books as long as you agree to blog about them after you've read them. I figured I'd give it a try. I've yet to start a blog but love reading about others' adventures in life in their blogs. Maybe this one will grow into more than book reviews and maybe not but at any rate it's been started.