The Good Life

As an avid reader and former ex-pat myself, I was completely surprised to have never heard the moving account of Annalena Tonelli's life and work in Somalia. Journey with writer Rachel Pieh Jones as she weaves her own story of living in Djibouti with Annalena's story. At times I was encouraged. At times I was shocked. And at times I was amazed. This is the incredible account of one woman's desire to live out her convictions and love for mankind. It was so inspiring to read of her life and dedication. As a reader of Rachel Pieh Jones' blog, I really enjoyed her story intertwined with Annalena's. I recommend this book for any one of the following (or all of them!) groups of people: enjoy memoirs, have lived overseas, Christians, public health advocates, or read cross-cultural stories. This is not a light and easy read, but there is such depth in the story of Annalena Tonelli. Thank you to NetGalley for providing me a copy of this book.

I really enjoyed reading this beautifully illustrated version of The Good Samaritan to my 4 boys. There is power in reading God’s Word aloud and I appreciated that the author used straight Scripture to share this parable. The illustrations are accurate to the time period and peoples in that land and time. I also liked the questions at the end of the book because it gave me a chance to dig deeper with my sons about how to apply Jesus’ words to our lives today. I recommend this book for 3-10 year olds.  I received this book for free from NetGalley, but my opinions are my own.

I love Mary DeMuth’s writings and Everything is one of my all-time favorite books. When I saw she had a new devotional out, I knew I had to read it! Outrageous Grace Every Day is a daily devotional through the book of Romans. It’s a quick read, but each days gives you time to sit with the rich truth of Romans. Romans is one of my favorite books of the Bible and I’m grateful for the opportunity to slow down and take this beloved book one day at a time. She encourages the reader to go through this with a friend and I love that idea! It would be great to go through with a group of friends and have a group text or weekly video call to talk over what you are learning. I highly recommend this fresh look at such a transformational book of the Bible.  This book was given to me for free by NetGalley, but my opinions are my own.

Ministering to Problem People in Your Church:  What to Do With Well-Intentioned Dragons   by Marshall Shelley is a must-read! I can't recommend this book highly enough for pastors, church staff, parachurch ministry leaders, and even church members. Marshall Shelley takes the reader through real-life stories of pastors facing problems with troublesome members of their churches and "helps you go beyond just tolerating problem people to limiting their damage and showing them God's love. You'll discover effective strategies to turn dissidents into disciples." This book is incredibly well-written and very engaging. I learned so many things about pastors, church members, and myself. It gave me so many opportunities to pray for my pastor and check my own heart to see if I had any of the tendencies of the people mentioned in this book. Ministering to Problem People in Your Church  does a wonderful job of connecting pastors to the 21st century. Multiple times it ref...

Aptly titled, Hands Free Mama:  A Guide to Putting Down the Phone, Burning the To-Do List, and Letting Go of Perfection to Grasp What Really Matters , Rachel Macy Stafford challenges, encourages, and shows us how to become the parents and people we long to be. In a world over saturated with smart phones, computers, TVs, and the never-ending pressure to do all and be all, Hands Free Mama is a breath of fresh air for the person who wants to make a change.  I loved this book and picked it up at exactly the right time. I realized I was spending entirely too much time on my phone and not enough time enjoying the simple pleasures of being a stay at home mom. As a stay at home mom, time is both a blessing and a curse. You have unlimited amounts of it and sometimes the temptation to zone out with media can be a struggle. Rachel Macy Stafford writes from her own experiences as someone who realized she was missing out on the important things in life. Each chapter includes tim...

Bread and Wine by Shauna Niequist is wonderful! It's the perfect mix of memoir and cookbook. She weaves her life story with awesome recipes and I couldn't put it down. I love Shauna's authenticity and openness. I think everyone can take something away from this book. It touches on many topics and I found myself laughing or crying and saying, "Oh good, me too!"  I love cooking and I loved the encouragement that she offered to fledgling "chefs" like myself. It was refreshing to read how to view preparing food as a way to love others. The book is divided into chapters with a story from Shauna's life and a recipe that corresponds to that time. It. Was a really neat way to set up a book! I think this book would make a perfect gift for someone or it would be wonderful if you enjoy cooking/would like to become more adventurous in the kitchen. I would say the only thing I didn't like about Bread and Wine was the inclusion of some harder to find ingredien...

I'm reading through "Lord, I Give You This Day" by Kay Arthur and really enjoying it. It is my first thing to read of Kay Arthur's outside of Precepts. There are 366 short devotions that will help you become "equipped to greet each day with bold faith, confident in God's faithfulness, strength, and transforming grace." I like her straightforward but authentic style of writing in each day. I loved that each devo could take me 5 minutes or less to read through. Each one left me feeling closer to the Lord with a Bible verse in my mind and a prayer to go along with the day's theme. I do wish they were slightly deeper in content, but it's really the perfect devotional to read first thing in the morning when you only have a few minutes to read and meditate on something. I also really liked that each day was for a specific date. I like knowing that if I skip a day, I can just turn right to whatever the next day's date is.  I recommend this book to a...

Rebekah Lyons' new book, "Freefall to Fly: A Breathtaking Journey Toward a Life Of Meaning" is a memoir based on her life as she and her family make a big move from Atlanta to New York. It's filled with authentic glimpses into her battle with depression, anxiety, control, and the search for true meaning. It says, "But life looked radically different when her family relocated to the heart of Mew York City. She was forced to navigate a new normal with three kids, two toy poodles, and a minivan. Blindsided by crippling despair, Rebekah wrestled with bigger questions women often ask, Why am I here? Does life matter?"  I enjoyed most of this book. It was fairly slow in some parts and the language is a little flowery, but overall I liked it! I think it would be a great book to read through with a friend or small group for a laid-back discussion. I think most young, stay at home moms like myself struggle with the questions about life that Rebekah brings to light. T...

I was so excited to review this book not only because I love the Walk Thru The Bible curriculum, but I also loved the idea of an overview of the Bible. Walk Thru The Bible does a great job of presenting the Bible as a story that is all connected in one big picture. I knew this overview would bring the same enthusiasm and simplicity to understanding each book of the Bible. I felt like I could underline so many of the pages, but here are a few of my favorite quotes. "Between the basic message and some of the well-known stories, deep, dark sections of Scripture remain obscure...it's entirely possible, then, for us to be well-versed in certain specifics and yet ignorant of major themes." "Our voices carry no weight when we declare that the God of the universe has revealed himself in the Bible and simultaneously admit that we haven't actually read all of it. We far too often tend to ascribe glory to God's Word and then never get around to exploring it fully ...

Dallas pastor Bob Roberts asks readers, "As Christians we're called to love our neighbors-all our neighbors. But is that even possible? Can we truly love them well?" Bold As Love is a great read on an often misunderstood topic in the Christian community: interfaith gatherings. I'll be honest, I was very wary of reading this book based on the premise alone. But, I'm really glad I gave it a try! Mr. Roberts delves into the topic of truly loving our neighbor and how to practically live it out. He establishes very early on that loving his neighbor did not mean abandoning his beliefs and saying we all ultimately believe the same thing. Roberts says, "I made it clear that I was an evangelical, a conservative Christian, and that I didn't like interfaith gatherings: I saw interfaith as loosey-goosey, let's all just hug one another and ignore core truth. I wanted nothing to do with that. I liked the concept of multifaith better, which says we have fundame...

I just finished "Dreams and Visions: Is Jesus Awakening The Muslim World?" by Tom Doyle with Greg Webster. Wow! What a great reminder of what God is doing in the Middle East! Mr. Doyle did a wonderful job of compiling amazing, true stories of how God is reaching out to the Muslims of the Middle East through dreams and incredible "coincidences." "Dreams and Visions" takes stories of real people encountering Jesus through dreams and visions in countries like Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Iran, just to name a few. I had chills reading the true accounts of people encountering Jesus for the first time or maybe they had heard of Him before. Not only did this book encourage me to pray even harder for the people of the Middle East, but it reminded me that the Lord is always desiring for every tribe, tongue, and nation to come to know Him in a true, saving way. It makes me think of the verse, "The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count sl...

I have loved going through this 30 day devotional focused on worshipping God. "I Exalt You, O God: Encountering His Greatness In Your Personal Worship" by Jerry Bridges is a phenomenal devotional that will lead in into worship of God for • His Greatness...beyond measure, beyond compare • His Holiness...transcendent majesty • His Wisdom...skill and splendor on display • His Love...the infinite love of an amazing Father for His child (from the book description) I think Mr. Bridges does a wonderful job of defining what is worship, both corporate and private. I felt convicted, challenged, and encouraged in my journey to worship the Lord more in my personal life and in corporate settings. I think he does a great job of clearly defining hard to understand terms and he does it with Truth straight from the Word. I like that whatever he was saying was totally backed up with Scripture. I loved learning about all the places in the Bible that talk about worshipping God. I also lov...

"What You Need To Know About Bible Prophecy" is a great resource! I really respect Max Anders as an author and I read his book, "30 Days To Understanding Your Bible" a few years ago. So, when I saw this become available for review, I was excited to read it. "What You Need To Know About Bible Prophecy" is broken down into 12 easy to teach or read sections. Thomas Nelson says, " Prophets. Rapture. Tribulation. Judgment. End times. Learn what the Bible has to say about prophecy, how Christians differ in their views of the end times, and what the universal aspects are on which all Christians agree."  This is the perfect book for a Bible teacher, Sunday school teacher, or small group leader to read and teach from. I've never seen a book with a better flow for its chapters. You can definitely teach each section in an hour or less. The writing style is engaging and the questions are thought-provoking. I like the way he set up the end of the chap...

I was able to review "No Greater Love" by Levi Benkert and it did not disappoint! I love memoirs and "No Greater Love" was an amazing story of one family's decision to follow God's calling on their lives. It's not your typical Christian memoir because Benkert doesn't sugar coat his life, family, or decisions. "No Greater Love" details the crazy story of Levi Benkert's decision to leave California for Ethiopia. Through an astounding series of events, he leaves for the African country in order to help organize a rescue of children destined to die due to tribal superstition, known as "mingi." When he arrives, he realizes that this is where he is supposed to be and calls his wife to ask about the possibility of moving their family of three young children there for good. I won't ruin the rest of the story because some parts of it are just incredible, but it is a must read for anyone with a heart for African orphans. I really ap...

I had always wanted to read The Daniel Fast so I was really excited when I saw that it was offered by Tyndale. The Daniel Fast by Susan Gregory was great! The book is broken down into two sections. The first part is about Susan Gregory and why she wrote the book, what is fasting, the story of Daniel and his decision to fast, and tips for a successful fast. The second part details acceptable foods for the fast, menus, recipes, devotionals, and frequently asked questions. I loved reading it and I loved the recipe book in the back. Susan does a great job of explaining the reason behind the title of the book. I loved learning about Daniel and why he chose to fast. It is not really a book to learn about fasting, but more of a practical how-to guide for those who want to start fasting. If you are looking to learn more about the spiritual discipline of fasting, I would highly recommend Richard Foster's The Celebration of Discipline . I think the best part of the book is the 21 day devo...