God’s Great Plan by Melissa Cutrera and illustrated by Matthew Sample II (Review)

God’s Great Plan

By Melissa Cutrera and illustrated by Matthew Sample II

(I received this book for review purposes.)

Genre- Religion / Christian / Juvenile

Published by- Shepherd Press

Copyrighted- 2013

Number of pages- 27

Age Group- Juvenile (young children)

Description of book- hardback (ISBN: 978-1-936908-813, $16.95)

Are you in need of a book which will teach young children about God and the plan he made to save us?

God’s Great Plan, by Melissa Cutrera and illustrated by Matthew Sample II, is about the story of Creation, Fall, and Redemption.  This book contains concise rhyming and discusses the creation, fall, redemption, sanctification, and glorification.

The children looking at the illustrations will see the truths being taught to the two children in the book by their grandfather.

Link to the video.

About the author- Melissa Cutrera currently lives with her husband and two children in Utah.  She has many interests and has been a nursery director, public school teacher, and a French teacher to homeschool students.

My thoughts- God’s Great Plan, by Melissa Cutrera and illustrated by Matthew Sample II, was a great book to illustrate what God has done for us.  I thought it was great to have two children who are being shown by their grandfather what God did for us.  To me, that shows children who read the book or have it read to them how people can tell other people about God’s story.

This book was short and to the point, which made a lot more sense to me than having a longer story which may not have said so much.  To me, the most important part of this book was the illustrations, because they were able to say so much more than the text did.  I could really understand the point of the story by looking at the illustrations. 

This book would have been perfect if there had been a list of questions in the back of the book for parents to discuss with their children.

My eight-year-old daughter said, “I liked the illustrations.  I liked reading the book.  It would be good for children younger and older than me.”

My almost ten-year-old son said, “I liked the picture of God forming Adam.  I think this book would be good for children my age.”  

I highly recommend this book.

Disclosure of Material Connection- I received God’s Great Plan, by Melissa Cutrera and illustrated by Matthew Sample II, for free through Cross Focused Reviews.  I was not required to write a positive review.  The opinions I have expressed are my own or my family.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.  All links were current when posted.

Awakening Faith: Daily Devotions from the Early Church by James Stuart Bell with Patrick J. Kelly

Awakening Faith: Daily Devotions from the Early Church

By James Stuart Bell with Patrick J. Kelly

(I received this book for review purposes.)

Genre- Religion / Christian Church / Leadership

Published by- Zondervan

Copyrighted- 2013

Number of pages- 176

Age Group- Adult

Description of book- hardback (ISBN: 978-0-310-49450-8, $18.99)

Are you looking for a new devotional for yourself or someone you know?  Awakening Faith, by James Stuart Bell, along with Patrick J. Kelly might be what you are looking for.

Awakening Faith contains 366 Scripture readings and devotions from some of the earliest Christian Church Fathers.  Bell and Kelly have updated the language to make the language easier to understand. 

Some of the Church Fathers include Patrick, Tatian, Ambrose, and Hippolytus.  In the back of the book is a list of the Scriptures and short biographies of the Church Fathers.

About the authors-

James Stuart Bell currently lives with his family near Chicago.  He has written, edited, or compiled more that 140 books.  He has worked at Doubleday and Moody Publishing.  He currently owns Whitestone Communications, Inc., a literary development agency.

Patrick J. Kelly currently lives near Chicago and has degrees in English, philosophy, and systematic theology.

My thoughts- I thought Awakening Faith, by James Stuart Bell and Patrick J. Kelly was an excellent resource and daily devotional.

I really liked that I could study the works of the Church Fathers from the first eight centuries.  I was especially appreciative of the fact that Bell and Kelly took the time to modernize the language.  I do have a degree in English with an emphasis in Old English, but the language has always been hard for me to understand easily.  The modern English language made the devotions a joy to study and I felt that I really began to understand how the Church Father’s thought and what their lives were like.

At the top of each page it listed the topic of the devotion.  I would have liked to see a list of those topics in the back of the book with the corresponding devotions.  I enjoyed reading the biographies of the Church Fathers.  I would have liked the section in the front though, so I could have learned about them before I read their writings.

Awakening Faith was an excellent book.  I highly recommend it to everyone who is looking for a new devotional.

Disclosure of Material Connection- I received Awakening Faith: Daily Devotions from the Early Church, by James Stuart Bell with Patrick J. Kelly, for free through Cross Focused Reviews.  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.  All links were current when posted.

Innovation’s Dirty Little Secret by Larry Osborne (Review)

Innovation’s Dirty Little Secret: Why Serial Innovators Succeed Where Others Fail

By Larry Osborne

(I received this book for review purposes.)

Genre- Religion / Christian Church / Leadership

Published by- Zondervan

Copyrighted- 2013

Number of pages- 176

Age Group- Adult

Description of book- hardback (ISBN: 978-0-310-49450-8, $18.99)

Are you a leader in your church or business?  Do you want to learn more about being a leader when innovation is involved?  Innovation’s Dirty Little Secret, by Larry Osborne might be just the book for you.

This book is packed with a lots of valuable information on how to make your innovations work and what to do when they fail.  Some of the topics are:

• How to have an exit strategy.
• How to begin and accelerate your innovation.
• The importance of a vision and what to do when plans are not working as you wanted them to.

Link to the Video.

About the author-

Larry Osborne currently lives with his wife in California.  He is the senior pastor at North Coast Church.  Osborne is a consultant to different leaders and speaks about leadership and spiritual formation.

My thoughts- I thought Innovation’s Dirty Little Secret, by Larry Osborne, was an excellent resource for all leaders and those who want to be leaders.  I have been a leader in various clubs and at work.  I think that if I had been able to read this book before I took those leadership positions, I would have been a more effective leader.

I enjoyed reading and learning from this book, because Osborne used an easy writing style.  The writing style did not detract from the all of the important information that he needed to give, it made it easier to understand and remember.  I thought the setup of the book was very good.  It was helpful to have the book divided into different parts, so that at a later point in time I can go back to the section of the book that I need.

Innovation’s Dirty Little Secret is a very important book.  I know that all leaders will learn a lot of information and it will help them succeed where previously they may have failed.  Please buy a copy today.

Disclosure of Material Connection- I received Innovation’s Dirty Little Secret: Why Serial Innovators Succeed Where Others Fail, by Larry Osborne, for free through Cross Focused Reviews.  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.  All links were current when posted.

Severed Trust by Margaret Daley (Review)

Severed Trust (Book 4 of Men of the Texas Rangers Series)

by Margaret Daley

(I received this book for review purposes.)

Genre- Christian / Fiction / Suspense 
Published by- Abingdon Press 
Copyrighted- 2013
Number of pages- 320
Age Group- Adult
Description of book- paperback, listed price- $14.99, ISBN: 978-1-4267-6186-7

Severed Trust, by Margaret Daley, is Book Four of the Men of the Texas Rangers Series.  In this book, Texas Ranger Ethan Stone is investigating the mysterious death of a high school student.

Sadie Thomson, a teacher at the high school, becomes involved with Ranger Stone and discovers that there is a lot of prescription drug abuse in the high school and the community.  Ethan’s niece, Lexie, is drugged and now everyone thinks that she is a drug abuser.  Then Lexie’s friend commits suicide.  Lexie, Sadie, and Ethan are determined to find out what has happened.  Will they be able to find out what happened?  Will they be able to keep Lexie safe?

About the Author- Margaret Daley currently lives in Oklahoma.  She has written more than sixty-five books and mentors other authors.

My Thoughts- I liked Severed Trust, by Margaret Daley, because it discussed a subject that many of us may not know a lot about, prescription drug abuse.  I didn’t know a lot about drug abuse before I read the book.  Now I realize how easy it is for everyone to have access to prescription drugs.  People really need to keep track of their prescriptions, because other people can be taking them.

I enjoyed the characters in this novel.  Sadie Thompson, Texas Ranger Ethan Stone, and Lexie Alexander were strong characters and dedicated to solving the mystery of the mysterious deaths of Jared Montgomery and Kelly Winston.  There were also other strong characters, but they were the ones who had done the crimes. 

I would recommend this book to both men and women.  There is a lot to learn about prescription drug abuse and what may happen when teens abuse the drugs.   

Disclosure of Material Connection- I received Severed Trust, by Margaret Daley, for free from Abingdon Press.  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.  All links were current when posted.

Ephesians: Discovering Your Identity and Purpose in Christ (A Discover Together Bible Study) by Sue Edwards- Lesson 9: Sit Down to Stand

Ephesians: Discovering Your Identity and Purpose in Christ (A Discover Together Bible Study)

by Sue Edwards

(I received this book for review purposes.)

I’m excited to bring to you a Bible study that I am participating in by Sue Edwards.  I participated in her 1 Peter Bible study.  It was rewarding.  I worked on the Ephesians Bible study this past week with Lesson 9: “Sit Down to Stand.”  I’m excited to share my thoughts with you.

This week’s focus was standing with Christ, by putting on the full armor of God and this is our last week of lessons.  I read Ephesians 6:10-24.  The memory verse was Ephesians 6:11-12.

“Your Source of Strength”

• The command in verse ten is be strong in the Lord.  Many people look for power in their jobs or with their wealth.
• God is our source of strength.  A woman who looks to the Lord for strength and power is a Proverbs 31 woman.
• To be strong and stand firm we need to put on God’s armor.  Jesus is our armor.

“Your Vicious Enemy”

• My enemy is Satan.  Satan is always behind our difficulties.  He is in the unseen world.
• I think that if you know that Satan is behind other peoples negative actions, that we can forgive and help those people more easily.

“Your Armor”

• I think we should always be on the offensive, because we need to be proactive in our actions against evil.
• Take a look at Ephesians 6:14-17 and identify the character quality or spiritual resource for the armor.  There is the belt, breastplate, shoes, shield, helmet, and sword.  There are more verses about how Christ is our armor in other verses of the New Testament, like Ephesians 2:14 and Revelation 19: 11 and 13.
• When we put on the armor of God we need to pray consistently, be thankful, ask God for wisdom, and we should not stifle the Holy Spirit.
• When we have Christ as our armor we have nothing to fear.

“Battle Prayer”

• We need to pray for others and be a prayer warrior. 

“Parting Words”

• Paul’s closing and opening of his letter to the Ephesians had repetition, because those were some of his most important thoughts.

“Conclusion and Endings”

• Standing is being firm and not moving from what you believe you.  You have to learn to be with God and work with others in God, then you can stand firm with your armor on.
• In five years, I will remember to talk well, live in the light, how to treat one another, the Lord is here for us, and Don’t Fear

Genre- Bible Study 
Published by- Kregel Publications 
Copyrighted- 2012
Number of pages- 128
Age Group- Adult
Description of book- Paperback, listed price- $12.99, ISBN 978-0-8254-4309-1

Disclosure of Material Connection- I received Ephesians by Sue Edwards for free from Open Book Promotions and Kregel for this Bible Study.  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.  All links were current when posted.

Seasons of the Heart compiled by Donna Kelderman (Review)

Seasons of the Heart: A Year of Devotions from One Generation of Women to Another

compiled by Donna Kelderman

(I received this book for review purposes.)

Genre- Religion / Christian Life / Devotional

Published by- Reformation Heritage Books

Copyrighted- 2013

Number of pages- 416

Age Group- Adult (women)

Description of book- hardback (ISBN: 978-1-60178-272-4, $20.00)

Women, are you looking for a new devotional for this next year?  Men, is there a special woman in your life who needs a new devotional?  Seasons of the Heart, compiled by Donna Kelderman, might be what you are looking for.  

This book is filled spiritual insights from twelve women from Great Britain and America who lived from the sixteenth to the twentieth centuries.  Some of the women were published authors, some were not, they wrote in journals and letters.  These women included Ruth Bryan, Isabella Graham, Susan Huntington, and Anne Steele. 

The back of this book includes biographical sketches and scripture index.

About the author-

Donna Kelderman currently lives with her family in Michigan.  Her husband is dean of students and spiritual formation at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary.  Kelderman works with the seminary’s Ministry Wives Institute.

My thoughts-

I thought Seasons of the Heart, by Donna Kelderman, had a lot of good spiritual advice that is as important now as it was hundreds of years ago.

Kelderman had a great idea when she decided to compile this information from all of these wonderful women.  It was helpful for me to have this advise in short pieces, because some of their dialogue was difficult for me to understand.  When it is hard for me to understand something I have to spend a lot of time going through each sentence, so shorter pieces don’t take a lot of time in my hectic life and still allow me to learn a lot.

The only thing I would have done different in this book, would be to place the biographies in the front of the book.  I would have liked to learn about the women before I started reading what they wrote.

I’m glad that there were 365 days of devotions.  It can give me time to get to know these women better.  I think that many women can learn a lot about these women and themselves from studying these devotions.  I recommend this book.

Disclosure of Material Connection- I received Seasons of the Heart: A Year of Devotions from One Generation of Women to Another, by Donna Kelderman, for free through Cross Focused Reviews.  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.  All links were current when posted.

For Love or Loyalty by Jennifer Hudson Taylor (Review)

For Love or Loyalty (The MacGregor Quest Series, Book 1)

by Jennifer Hudson Taylor

(I received this book for review purposes.)

Genre- Christian / Fiction / Historical 
Published by- Abingdon Press 
Copyrighted- 2013
Number of pages- 352
Age Group- Adult
Description of book- paperback, listed price- $14.99, ISBN: 978-1-4267-1469-6

It is the MacGregors against the Campbells.  The Campbells have sold Malcolm McGregor’s mother and sister into servitude in the United States.  The ship has already left Scotland, so he takes a drastic move, by taking Lauren Campbell.  They go on one of the next ships to the United States.

Lauren doesn’t realize it, but she is going to be the one that is traded for his mother.  Lauren stays strong in her faith in God, the God Malcolm’s mother taught her.  Malcolm begins to trust and love her on the ship ride.  What is he going to do when they get to the United States?

About the Author- Jennifer Hudson Taylor graduated from Elon University with a B.A. in Journalism.  She writes historical and inspirational fiction.  Her website is www.jenniferhudsontaylor.com

My Thoughts- Jennifer Hudson Taylor is one of my favorite authors.  I really enjoyed For Love or Loyalty.

This book starts with the Campbells fighting the MacGregors and it ends with fighting.  The epilogue will please you though.

The details in this book were very good.  I felt like I was on the ship with Lauren and Malcolm.  I also felt like I was with Lauren, when she was an indentured servant.  Taylor must do a lot of research to be able to include such great details in this book.  Based on all of the details in For Love or Loyalty, I can’t wait to read the second book in the series.

If you like adventure, history, and romance, then this book is for you.  Make sure you buy a copy today.

Disclosure of Material Connection- I received Love or Loyalty, by Jennifer Hudson Taylor, for free from Abingdon Press and the Early Reader 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.  All links were current when posted.

The Shadow Lamp by Stephen R. Lawhead (Review)

The Shadow Lamp (A Bright Empires Novel, Book 4)

by Stephen R. Lawhead

(I received this book for review purposes.)

 

Genre- Fiction / Fantasy / Contemporary

Publisher- Thomas Nelson

Copyrighted- 2013

Number of Pages- 388

Age Group- Adult

Description of Book- Hardback, $26.99, ISBN: 978-1-59554-807-8 

This is the fourth book in The Bright Empires Series and The Shadow Lamp is filled with adventure and mystery.  Everyone is still searching for the skin map and only one person knows where it is.

Mina has gathered with her friends at her coffee house and they have decided they would like to like to find the Spirit Well again.  Two of her friends, Haven and Giles, leave with Sir Henry’s Green Book.  Cass, Kit, Mina, and Gianni now need to decide what they are going to do and where they are going to go.

Cass’s father has become involved with the Zetetic Society and they have discovered that it is very important to find and solve the Skin map.

About the Author- Stephen R. Lawhead currently lives in England with his wife.  He is the author of The King Raven Trilogy, The Song of Albion Trilogy, and The Dragon King Trilogy.

My thoughts- I have read the other books in The Bright Empires Series, by Stephen R. Lawhead, and I didn’t think they were very interesting.  I did like The Shadow Lamp.  I thought there was a lot of detail and action. 

I thought it was interesting how there were so many different characters and they were all in different places, doing different things.  At first I had a hard time keeping track of all the characters, but there was a list of characters at the front of the book and it helped out a lot.  I could not have kept track of everyone without it.

I did think there were some problems.  At one point Lord Burleigh and his men were on the way to China, then a little while later they were in Mina’s 16th-century coffee house.  It did not make sense to me, what did they do in China?

I enjoyed reading the description of the elephants that Haven and Giles saw.  I knew exactly what it was from the description. 

I thought this was an interesting book.  It is not the type of book I would usually read, but it was good.  I recommend it if you like this style of book.

Informational and Purchasing Links-

The Shadow Lamp - http://www.amazon.com/Shadow-Lamp-Bright-Empires-Quest/dp/1595548076/

Author Website - http://www.stephenlawhead.com/

Author Facebook page - http://www.facebook.com/pages/Stephen-R-Lawhead/84503526872

Participants’ links:

• Julie Bihn
• Red Bissell
• Thomas Clayton Booher
• Thomas Fletcher Booher
• Beckie Burnham
•  Jeff Chapman
• Karri Compton
• Theresa Dunlap
•  April Erwin
• Timothy Hicks
• Christopher Hopper
• Becky Jesse
• Becca Johnson
• Jason Joyner
• Carol Keen
• Rebekah Loper
• Shannon McDermott
• Meagan @ Blooming with Books
• Rebecca LuElla Miller
• Mirriam Neal
• Nathan Reimer
• Chawna Schroeder
• Jojo Sutis 
• Rachel Starr Thomson
• Robert Treskillard
• Steve Trower
• Rachel Wyant
• Phyllis Wheeler
• Deborah Wilson

Disclosure of Material Connection- I received a free copy of The Shadow Lamp, by Stephen R. Lawhead to review.  I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.  The opinions I have expressed are my own.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC Regulations.  I am part of CSFF Blog Tour.  All links were current when posted.

Why Christ Came: 31 Meditations on the Incarnation by Joel R. Beeke and William Boekestein (Review)

Why Christ Came: 31 Meditations on the Incarnation

by Joel R. Beeke and William Boekestein

(I received this book for review purposes.)

Genre- Christian / Nonfiction

Published by- Reformation Heritage Books

Copyrighted- 2013

Number of pages- 160

Age Group- Adult

Description of book- paperback (ISBN: 978-1-60178-268-7, $12.00)

Do you think of Christ only as a child or do you think of him also as a grown man?  This book focuses on 31 different things that the Lord came to do for us. 

Some of the subjects discussed are:

• “To Serve”
• “To Bring Peace”
• To Bind of Broken Hearts” 
• “To Reign as King”

About the authors-

Joel R. Beeke is currently the pastor of the Heritage Netherlands Reformed Congregation in Michigan.  He is also the president and professor of systematic theology and homiletics at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary.

William Boekestein is currently a pastor of Covenant Reformed Church in Pennsylvania.

My thoughts- Whenever I am feeling down, I know now that I can turn to Why Christ Came: 31 Meditations on the Incarnation, by Joel R. Beeke and William Boekestein.  This book shared 31 meditations on what Christ came to do.  I know that he came for me, but this book can give me the specifics about why He came, like to serve, bring peace, and bring judgment.

The preface of this book discusses how we, as a society think about the Christ of the Christmas story.  There is of course more to Christ and that is what this book is all about.  This book discusses 31 different reasons why Christ was on this earth for us, not just the Christmas story.

This is definitely a book that is for all Christians, but I would certainly recommend it for new Christians.  They can get 31 concrete reasons on what Christ has done for us.  Please find a copy today.

Disclosure of Material Connection- I received Why Christ Came: 31 Meditations on the Incarnation, by Joel R. Beeke and William Boekestein, for free through Cross Focused Reviews.  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.  All links were current when posted.

Ephesians: Discovering Your Identity and Purpose in Christ (A Discover Together Bible Study) by Sue Edwards- Lesson 8: Walk Worthy in Relationships

Ephesians: Discovering Your Identity and Purpose in Christ (A Discover Together Bible Study)

by Sue Edwards

(I received this book for review purposes.)

I’m excited to bring to you a Bible study that I am participating in by Sue Edwards.  I participated in her 1 Peter Bible study.  It was rewarding.  I worked on the Ephesians Bible study this past week with Lesson 8: “Walk Worthy in Relationships.”  I’m excited to share my thoughts with you.

This week’s focus was learning about how to have harmony in our relationships.  I read Ephesians 5:21-6:9.  The memory verse was Ephesians 5:21.

“Submitting to One Another”

• In our lives we are usually trying to boss people and not submit to one another.  We are to do this in fear of God. 
• I looked up the definition of submission.  When I hear the word, submission, I know I need to do it and it is not a bad thing, even though society says it is.

“The Wife”

• Paul counsels wives first.  A wife’s attitude is important, because she is the one who truly makes the house happy.
• I do find submission difficult sometimes, but our relationship is better when I do submit to my husband.
• I can still have disagreements and opinions, but he is the one in charge.    

“The Husband”

• Husbands should imitate Christ.  A husband could read the Word to his wife to encourage her.
• A husband should love his wife as much as he loves himself.  He is to nourish and cherish her.
• Marriage should be as stable and permanent as Christ is to the church.

“An Enduring and Growing Marriage”

• Marriages in this nation would be much stronger if we could love and submit. 
• The husband who is not doing his part can be changed by the spouse who is always submitting and loving. 

“Parents and Children”

• Children should obey their parents and honor them to have a long life on this earth.  Father’s should not provoke their children, but lead them and nourish them.
• We should not exasperate our children like, treat them younger than they are or nag them.  We need to nourish and love them.  We need to teach them about the Lord and how they should behave.

“The Workplace”

• In the workplace we should be obedient to our employers and do it with God in mind.  If the paycheck is small we should still do the best job possible.  Employers should treat their employees with respect and do it with Christ in mind.  Submitting to one another.

Genre- Bible Study 
Published by- Kregel Publications 
Copyrighted- 2012
Number of pages- 128
Age Group- Adult
Description of book- Paperback, listed price- $12.99, ISBN 978-0-8254-4309-1

Disclosure of Material Connection- I received Ephesians by Sue Edwards for free from Open Book Promotions and Kregel for this Bible Study.  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.  All links were current when posted.

The Path to Piney Meadows by Gail Sattler (Review)

The Path to Piney Meadows

by Gail Sattler

(I received this book for review purposes.)

Genre- Fiction / Christian / Romance
Published by- Abingdon Press 
Copyrighted- 2013
Number of pages- 336
Age Group- Adult
Description of book- paperback, listed price- $14.99, ISBN 978-1-4267-355-0

In The Path to Piney Meadows, by Gail Sattler, Chad Allen has left Minneapolis where is home and job were located.  He gets stranded in Piney Meadows, a Mennonite town.  He decides to accept a job position and really begins to enjoy the people and their faith.

He becomes good friends with Anna and he helps her prepare for her move to a larger city.  As they help each other, they realize they care about one another.

Anna is still planning on moving to the city and Chad is facing a personal problem from when he lived in the city.  What will happen to their relationship?

About the Author- Gail Sattler currently lives in Canada.  She is the author of 21 novels and 12 novellas.  Her websites are www.gailsattler.com and www.mennoniteromancenovel.com. 

My Thoughts- I really enjoyed reading The Path to Piney Meadows, by Gail Sattler.  I have read Amish, contemporary, and historical Christian fiction, but never Christian fiction that included the Mennonites, and I loved it.

It was an interesting mix of today’s society and the Mennonites.  I would have enjoyed more information about the Mennonites in the book.  I really didn’t learn very much other than they didn’t really drive, but they did have phones in their houses.

I thought Chad’s attention to his hens was fabulous.  I have never known anyone who enjoyed their chickens so much.

I highly recommend reading The Path to Piney Meadows to learn more about Chad and Anna, the young woman who helps him adjust to life in the small Mennonite community.

Disclosure of Material Connection- I received The Path to Piney Meadows by Gail Sattler for free from Abingdon Press.  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.  All links were current when posted.

The Golden Years by Christopher W. Bogosh (Review)

The Golden Years: Healthy Aging & the Older Adult

by Christopher W. Bogosh

(I received this book for review purposes.)

Genre- Christian / Nonfiction / Medical

Published by- Good Samaritan Books

Copyrighted- 2013

Number of pages- 136

Age Group- Adult

Description of book- paperback (ISBN 9781481077743, $12.99)

The Golden Year: Healthy Aging and the Older Adult, by Christopher W. Bogosh, is for anyone who is or is involved with people over sixty-five.  This book has been published at the time of Medicare changes and Obamacare.  It contains information about aging, chronic conditions, preventative medicine, and more.

About the author- Christopher W. Bogosh is currently lives in Florida, where he preaches at New Hope Baptist Church and is a registered nurse at Community Hospice of Northeast Florida.

My thoughts- I started reading The Golden Years, by Christopher Bogosh, and got depressed.  I did finish reading this book and it did have a lot of useful information, but it did not seem to have a lot of information about the good things about getting older.

I know that getting older can be difficult, but there is a lot of good to be said about getting older, like getting to have fun with the grandchildren and retirement.  I would think that older people would not want to read a book all about the bad health issues that they could get as they age.

This book is very useful for those getting older, but it is not for people who are easily worried.  I would read a lot of reviews before picking out this book to read.

Disclosure of Material Connection- I received The Golden Years: Healthy Aging & the Older Adult, by Christopher Bogosh, for free through Cross Focused Reviews.  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.  All links were current when posted.

Ephesians: Discovering Your Identity and Purpose in Christ (A Discover Together Bible Study) by Sue Edwards- Lesson Seven: Walking “Under the Influence”

Ephesians: Discovering Your Identity and Purpose in Christ (A Discover Together Bible Study)

by Sue Edwards

(I received this book for review purposes.)

I’m excited to bring to you a Bible study that I am participating in by Sue Edwards.  I participated in her 1 Peter Bible study.  It was rewarding.  I worked on the Ephesians Bible study this past week with Lesson 7 ‘Walking “Under the Influence”’  I’m excited to share my thoughts with you.

This week’s focus was learning about how to be “under the influence” of the Holy Spirit.  I read Ephesians 5:1-20.  The memory verses are Ephesians 5: 18b-20.

“Imitating God”

• We should walk in love and be as children.  When I was a child I imitated those I was around.  We should have love in all we do, because it makes life better for all those around us. 
• We need to walk and live in the Spirit to live a life of love!

“Danger”

• Sexual desire outside of marriage is very unhealthy.  It is dangerous for women, because they think emotionally and really become involved.  Sexual immorality can effect generations. 
• The danger in this society is the ease of access.  We have to turn it off or turn away.
• We are not about sexual immorality or greed, because God is about love and giving and purity.     

“A Dirty Mouth”

• Foolish talking and filthy talking grieves God.  We need to keep away from the jesting and have love and tenderheartedness. 

“Darkness and Light”

• We are the light and we need to walk in the light.
• Physically- light=can see, dark=cannot see
• Spiritually- light=good, dark=evil
• We need to do as God desires us to do.  We are not to have fellowship with the darkness. 
• Christ will give us light when we come to faith. 

“Walking in Evil Days”

• We need to understand the will of the Lord. 
• Today’s society makes the days evil.  We need to make sure we make the most of every opportunity by making sure we do everything is God’s name.
• We should not drink alcohol, but we should sing songs to the Lord and give thanks (be under the influence of the Lord).

Genre- Bible Study 
Published by- Kregel Publications 
Copyrighted- 2012
Number of pages- 128
Age Group- Adult
Description of book- Paperback, listed price- $12.99, ISBN 978-0-8254-4309-1

Disclosure of Material Connection- I received Ephesians by Sue Edwards for free from Open Book Promotions and Kregel for this Bible Study.  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.  All links were current when posted.