The Good Life

Black and White Bible, Black and Blue Wife is a very eye opening and much needed read. Ruth Tuckers shares her very heart wrenching story of abuse and cautions Christians to carefully consider what the Bible says about submission. I think it is a very needed read because abuse in Christian marriages is a very true and sad reality. I did not agree with all of her points on Complementarianism or egalitarianism but still felt the book was a fresh perspective on a very important topic.  

Drema Hall Berheimer's moving and funny account of her childhood in West Virginia is the perfect read for a lazy Saturday. She weaves her stories and draws you in until you don't want to put the book down. Journey with her through her sometimes painful, always authentic, and hilariously accurate account of life as a young girl growing up in Appalachia in a Pentecostal household.  I love how the chapters are fairly short, but packed full of great narrative. The author does an amazing job of making you feel like you are right there in the middle of the story.  Memoirs are my favorite genre and this one does not disappoint! I highly recommend it. This book was provided to me for free by BookLook Bloggers in exchange for my honest review. 

The Gentle Art of Discipling Women is a wonderful resource! It is readable, relatable, and full of Godly wisdom on how to love and disciple women towards a more Christlike life. I really liked Dana Yeakley's style of writing and her open and genuine way of sharing about herself, including successes  and failures.  I especially appreciated the first section of the book, which is a great heart check for anyone desiring to disciple other women. I appreciated the time to be able to examine my own heart, motives, and thoughts before I attempted to lead other women.  The rest of the book was a wonderful balance of how-to and real stories. I felt encouraged and empowered to disciple other women and how to be discipled myself. I highly recommend this book to women's ministry leaders, Christian counselors, and everyday women wanting to help others grow in their relationship with Christ. I received this book for free from Tyndale Publishers in exchange for my honest ...

Randy Alcorn does it again! I just love his style of writing and the content of his books. I couldn't put down "Heaven" and knew I needed to read "Happiness." Just as I expected, my paradigm was totally shifted again. So often in the Christian life, we form beliefs from something we hear and assume it's Biblical and true. I had so many pre-conceived notions about Heaven and knew after reading Alcorn's book on it, I would be forever changed. The same was true of "Happiness." Many times we can go around with guilt over feeling like God wants us to be holy, not happy. Acorn flips this idea on it's head and not only shows through skillful, engaging writing but also with solid Scriptural references. Don't get bogged down by the length, just read and enjoy as you go.  I highly recommend this book to anyone who might need a fresh dose of grace! Be encouraged fellow believers and be happy in Christ :) I received this book for free from Ty...

Wow! I was not able to put down Dangerous Love. It is a riveting, heartbreaking, faith inspiring true story about a father and daughter who must face the unthinkable:  forgiveness in the face of no remorse. Ray and his daughter Hannah show true love that only comes from faith in Christ. Living in Mauritania as World Relief workers, they see the good, the bad, and the ugly of cross cultural living. Throughout the whole book, you are amazed at their faith and the love they show. I highly recommend this book to anyone who would like to see their faith in God restored. It's such an uplifting and incredible reminder of how God's love for us is like Ray and Hannah and their family's love shown to their attacker. Completely undeserved...but what an amazing God we serve who not only showed us this love but enables us to shower others with it, too. A must read!! 

Robby Dawkins is the real deal! He was my pastor in Aurora and he is the same in person as he is in his writing. He is passionate, kind, seeking to glorify Christ through his actions, words, and prayers. When you read this book, you will be very encouraged and Robby helps open your eyes to the enemy's plan to derail your desire to know and serve the Lord. Identity Thief reads like part memoir and part training manual. You will not want to put it down! The stories are so engaging and what Robby has to say is spot on. I recommend this book to all believers and buy an extra copy to give to a friend. I received this book for free from Bethany House Publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Win or Lose, I Love You! by Lysa Terkeurst is an adorable story about Max and Lulu and their competitions with their forest friends. It's a book about friendship, competition, playing fair, and losing and winning gracefully. My boys loved this book! The illustrations were so cute and engaging and the writing was easy for my boys to follow.  Lysa takes a deep topic and makes it understandable for young children. I felt like the whole book had so many wonderful talking and teaching points. I loved being able to talk with my boys about what it means to play fair and how to handle emotions when things don't go their way. The verses at the end were wonderful and a perfect end to this precious book. We will read it again and again!  I highly recommend "Win or Lose, I Love You!" to parents, grandparents, preschools, and churches. It's great for kids age 2-5. I received this book for free from Book Look Bloggers, but the opinions are my own.