Marry Wisely, Marry Well by Ernie Baker (Book Review!)

Marry Wisely, Marry Well: A Blueprint for Personal Preparation

By Ernie Baker

(I received this book for review purposes.)

Genre- Religion / Christian Life / Personal Growth / Marriage
Published by- Shepherd Press
Copyrighted- 2016
Number of pages-192
Age Group- Adult and Young Adult
Description of Book- paperback, ISBN 978-1-63342-118-9, $14.95
Are you planning on being married at some point during your life?  Does marriage even matter?  It matters to God.  Can you have a stable marriage?  Yes, you can with God's help.

This book will help you begin to think about marriage, even if you aren't thinking about it seriously.  There is a blueprint that the author, Ernie Baker, would like you to follow.  You will need to have a good foundation (God), build a strong structure (your life), and add a good roof (the marriage).  If you know how to make the right choices by following God, you will have have a relationship that will be built on him.

About the Author- Ernie Baker (M.Div., D.Min) is married and has six children and seven grandchildren.  He is a Professor of Biblical Counseling at The Master's College and Seminary in Southern California.

My thoughts-
I have been married for almost sixteen years, but I would have welcomed a book like this before I was married.

Marry Well, Marry Wisely was full of solid biblical principles on how to approach a marriage based on the Bible, build your own faith dealing with marriage, and your resulting faith based marriage.  I enjoyed all of the different Bible verses that were used with the support of Ernie Baker's text.  I liked how he built a marriage as he would a house, with a blueprint, strong foundation, etc.

I liked the heading and subheadings in each of the chapters.  The questions at the end of each chapter were very helpful (you know I like questions at the ends of chapters).  They will help you grow and develop a stronger foundation of marriage through God.  There is a very good appendix, "Marriage Preparation Project."  It will help you gather all your thoughts together.

I think this book should be on the shelf of anybody who is planning on getting married, thinking about it, or who teaches about it.  This book will help you have a solid blueprint for your marriage.
 
Disclosure of Material Connection- I received Marry Well, Marry Wisely, by Ernie Baker, 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.

When Sinners Say “I Do” from Dave Harvey (Review)

When Sinners Say “I Do:” Discovering the Power of the Gospel for Marriage

From Dave Harvey

(I received this book for review purposes.)

Genre- Religion / Christian Life / Marriage

Published by- Shepherd Press

Copyrighted- 2014

Number of pages- DVD

Age Group- Adult

Description of book- DVD (ISBN: 978-1-63342-092-2, $59.99)

Everybody is a sinner and when you add marriage to the mix, problems can and will happen if there is not a great deal of understanding and mercy.

In these eight sessions, Dave Harvey shares God’s word and his own story to help people who are thinking or marriage or already to overcome their conflicts.

The sessions are:

1. Sin – Part 1
2. Sin – Part 2
3. Design
4. Contentment
5. Mercy – Part 1
6. Mercy – Part 2
7. Sex
8. Stubborn Grace

About the Author (Speaker)- Dave Harvey currently lives in Florida with his wife.  He is the founder of www.AmICalled.com.  He is the Pastor of Preaching at Four Oaks Community Church.

My thoughts-  There was a lot I liked about When Sinners Say “I Do” and some I did not like about it.

I am going to talk about what I did not like first, that way we can concentrate on what I did like.  I found all of Dave Harvey’s movements very distracting.  I tended to concentrate on his swaying instead of what he was saying.  I would have had more luck listening to this as a CD or MP3.  The other thing I did not like was the retail price.  I think $59.99 is way to much to ask somebody to pay.  (I realize I received it to review, but I would never be able to afford it.)  It would be best purchased by a church or study group.

There were eight very interesting different lectures.  While they were all very different, they had several commons themes, marriage, sin, and mercy.  He also talked about being content.  I thought Harvey did a good job picking the best Bible verses and quotes to go with his discussion.

I would recommend this video to couples who are thinking of getting married or who already are. 

Disclosure of Material Connection- I received When Sinners Say “I Do,” by Dave Harvey, 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.

Guiltless Living by Ginger Hubbard (Review)

Guiltless Living:

Confessions of a Serial Sinner Captured by the Grace of God

By Ginger Hubbard

(I received this book for review purposes.)

Genre- Religion / Christian Life

Published by- Shepherd Press

Copyrighted- 2013

Number of pages- 120

Age Group- Adult

Description of book- paperback (ISBN: 978-1-936908-639, $12.99)

In Guiltless Living, by Ginger Hubbard, you will learn that you are a sinner saved by grace.  The grace will give you the freedom you need to live in Christ.

Each chapter begins with a narrative of Hubbard’s sin, like selfishness, then continues with God’s grace, in this case, serving.  There is a conclusion at the end of the book that serves for hope.  The chapter questions are also there.

She discusses seven types of serial sinners:

• Critical
• Proud
• Controlling
• Impatient
• Miserly
• Selfish
• Religious 

About the Author-

Ginger Hubbard has written two other books and is a speaker at women’s events and parenting conferences.  She is the founder of Preparing the Way Ministries.  Her website is www.gingerhubbard.com. 

 

 

 

 

My thoughts-  Guiltless Living, by Ginger Hubbard, is a gem.  It took a lot of courage for her to show her sins to the public.  It was because of her honesty and the depth of her confessions that I was able to discover sins I didn’t know I had.

I was very glad to read the sections after her confessions which related to the sin, like impatience to the patient grace of God.  It showed me hope and knowledge about what I can do to change.  I do not want to be the person that I was.

The one thing I would change about this books is that all the chapter questions are at the end of the book.  I find it much easier to have the questions at the end of each chapter, so I don’t have to flip back-and-forth so much.

Hubbard is a wonderful author.  I hope I am able to find her other books to read.

I highly recommend Guiltless Living.  We all need to learn how we are sinners saved by grace.

Disclosure of Material Connection- I received Guiltless Living: Confessions of a Serial Sinner Captured by the Grace of God, by Ginger Hubbard, 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.

Prophet on the Run by Baruch Maoz (Review)

Prophet on the Run: A Devotional Commentary on the Book of Jonah

By Baruch Maoz

(I received this book for review purposes.)

Genre- Religion / Christian  / Jonah

Published by- Shepherd Press

Copyrighted- 2013

Number of pages- 96

Age Group- Adult

Description of book- paperback (ISBN: 978-1-936908-844, $5.99)

Can anyone escape God?  No.  Jonah is a perfect example of a person who tried to escape and failed, because God caught up to him. 

Prophet on the Run, by Baruch Maoz, was written as a devotional commentary for Christen who want to apply the lessons learned in the book of Jonah.  This book has seven chapters which contain Bible verses, information, a summary, prayer, and discussion questions.

My thoughts- I thought Prophet on the Run, by Baruch Maoz was a thought provoking book and I learned how important it is to listen when God speaks to me.  There were many times when God spoke to Jonah and he failed to listen.  It was only when he listened that God was able to help him learn and see the errors of his ways. 

There were many great parts to Prophet on the Run.  The ones I liked the best were the very involved summaries and thought provoking questions.  The summaries were so helpful when when I came to the end of each chapter.  I could really take away the most important parts of the chapter and spend time thinking about how they applied to my life.  After I spent time on the summaries, I could then answer the questions.  There were prayers in each chapter as well, so I spent time on them after I finished everything else in the chapter.  I learned that I should never turn down what God asks of me.

This is an important book for everyone to read and learn from.  I highly recommend it. 

Disclosure of Material Connection- I received Prophet on the Run: A Devotional Commentary on the Book of Jonah, by Baruch Maoz, 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.

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.

Crucifying Morality by R. W. Glenn (Review)

Crucifying Morality: The Gospel of the Beatitudes by R. W. Glenn

(I received this book for review purposes.)

Genre- Religion / Christian / Nonfiction

Published by- Shepherd Press

Copyrighted- 2013

Number of pages- 128

Age Group- Adult

Description of book- paperback, list price $12.99, ISBN: 978-1936908-530

 

Crucifying Morality: The Gospel of the Beatitudes shows verse by verse how Jesus is describing the type of person who understands God's grace and what it means to be poor in spirit, mournful, and meek,....  At the end of each chapter, there are questions in four different categories: "For Your Head," "For Your Heart," "For Your Church," and "For Your City."

About the author- R W Glenn is currently the Pastor of Preaching & Vision at Redeemer Bible Church in Minnetonka, MN.

My thoughts-

Crucifying Morality, by R. W. Glenn, was eye-opening.  I never realized how distorted my views were about the Beatitudes. One important thing I learned is that the Beatitudes are about me and how I view Jesus.

Many times when I read this book I was reminded of Elsie in the Elsie Dinsmore series, by Martha Finley.  She was the epitome of a person who knew the Bible and followed Jesus's teaching.  One of Elsie's strengths was being meek.  I had thought being meek was a sign of weakness, but it really means, "never asserting itself for its own sake."  That takes real strength.

I did have difficulty reading Chapter Two, of Crucifying Morality, which is based on Matthew 5:3, so I read it twice.  It seemed to me that if I were poor in spirit, I would have low self-esteem.  Now I understand, that isn't true: it's just a difficult concept for me to understand.

There definitely needs to be a version of this book for children.  I would love to study the meaning of the Beatitudes with my children.

Glenn has written a book unlike what we know about the Beatitudes.  I recommend reading it.  Why not find a copy and form your own opinion?

Disclosure of Material Connection- I received Crucifying Morality: The Gospel of the Beatitudes by R. W. Glenn for free from 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.