"Draw the Circle" by Mark Batterson

Draw the Circle by Mark Batterson is a devotional book on prayer along with a workbook and a DVD. Our church encouraged everyone to do this study together for 40 days so my husband and I read this book and participated together. The DVD is simply the author talking about the same exact things he wrote in the book. In my opinion, the DVD is redundant and not needed if you read the book.

I thought the book was very interesting and it helped me to improve my prayer time and inspired me to pray more using scripture. It also challenged me to have a prayer journal again. I enjoyed reading about the amazing answers to some prayers that he shared in this book. I did not agree with everything in the book, but most was very good and Biblical.
(Karen's Review, 5 stars)

Teaser from page 28:  Almost like hunger pangs that hit you after going too long without eating, I couldn't go too long without hitting my knees.  Kneeling became almost as instinctual as eating or sleeping.

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"Children of The Day" by Beth Moore is an Interesting Bible Study

I enjoyed Beth Moore's Children of the DAY Bible study on I and II Thessalonians very much.  I learned some new things and love how she applies the scripture to modern times.  I also like how she brings in scripture from other books related to the same topic.  This study seemed a bit less time consuming than some of her other ones because there are fewer fill-ins and questions to answer.  Much is just reading her commentary about the book.  I loved it!

I highly recommend that you also get the DVD that goes along with the study.  I did this with a group at church and the DVD enhances the experience--she's pretty funny at times.   
(Karen's review, 5 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

"A Woman's Passionate Pursuit of God—Creating a Positive & Purposeful Life" by Karol Ladd

A Woman's Passionate Pursuit of God—Creating a Positive & Purposeful Life by Karol Ladd took me several months to get through because I was reading it for a ladies Bible Study that met just once a month.  I finally just went ahead and finished it out.  It is actually sort of a commentary on the book of Philippians.  It has study questions in the back for use in group Bible studies in addition to the reflective thought questions at the end of each chapter.  I particularly liked that the author includes chapter summaries of the main points following each chapter to easily find main points.

After reading this book, I am going to make an effort to more gentle to all.  That is the chapter that spoke to me the most.  Although I liked her other book better, The Power of a Positive Woman, I would recommend this one too.  It has a lot of good advice and interesting examples.
(Karen's review, 4 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

"David-Seeking a Heart Like His" by Beth Moore is a Fantastic Bible Study!

David-Seeking a Heart Like His by Beth Moore is the best Bible study I’ve done yet! WOW! I learned so much and it was a fantastic look at David’s whole life with its ups and downs. What an inspiration! Not only did this study focus on David’s life going through I and II Samuel but also into Kings and Chronicles. One of my favorite features of this Bible study was that she also pointed out Psalms that David wrote as he went through certain events of his life or looked back.

I found myself highlighting quite bit in both the book and my Bible as I went through this study. I spent about 45 min. to an hour a day on the daily lessons but the time flew by. There is so much life application included that it just made the scripture really come to life. Although I did it along with a group and viewed Beth Moore’s DVD once a week to introduce each week’s lessons, I got so much more from digging into the daily lessons during the week.

 If you want to grow in your walk with the Lord, this will be an eye-opener. It has raised my level of praise, worship, trust, understanding of God and prayer. I cannot say enough good about this study and highly recommend it! Now go order it!
(Karen's review)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

Talk About Suffering Unfairly, Read the Book of Job

I finished reading the book of Job this week which I have been studying in my Circle of Friends group at church.  It is all about how Job lost everything including his health to prove that he did not worship God only for what he could get from him as Satan claimed.  Throughout the book, Job’s “friends” came to comfort him but instead accused him of sinning and kept telling him to repent.  They claimed God was punishing him for something but this was not true at all.  In the end, Elihu, a friend who finally spoke truth about God even though he was the youngest one.  Job never cursed God, although he did get to the point of being so depressed that he wished he had never been born.  The last few chapters, God speaks to Job and Job realizes what an all-powerful and mighty God he has.  God was angry with Job’s friends for not speaking the truth about Him and told Job to pray for them.  God also blessed Job with twice as much as he lost and gave him more children too!    After this, Job lived 140 years.

 

The first few chapters and the last few chapters of this book is the best part because the middle chapters are repetitive with each friend accusing Job and saying things that aren’t really true and Job’s rebuttal after each friend speaks.  The last few chapters is where God poses questions to Job, none of which Job can answer, showing God’s mighty power.  God never does explain to Job why he let Job suffer, but does give him even more than he had before.  There are lots of good lessons we can learn from reading this book such as, (1) even good, righteous people may suffer; (2) God is more powerful than Satan; (3) Satan cannot do anything without God’s permission; (4) people on earth are discussed in heaven; (5) not all suffering is punishment; and (6) accusing those hurting is not a good technique for comforting them.

As far as the Job study book, Trusting God in Times of Adversity by Kay Arthur and Pete De Lacy goes, I didn't much care for it.  Our Bible class quit using it about halfway through.    

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

James--Mercy Triumphs by Beth Moore (UPDATED)

James Mercy Triumphs by Beth Moore is such a great in-depth Bible study on the book of James that I was sorry to see it end. Beth’s older daughter, Melissa, also had some interesting articles included from an historical standpoint based on research she did.

 I learned so much more about James, the author of this book, than I had known before and accepted Beth’s challenge to memorize the entire book of James, which I completed on April 23, 2012.  Whew! 

This is a very practical study because the topics in the book of James are still relevant today: Patience, temptation, rich and poor, favoritism, judgment, controlling the tongue, wisdom,, our relationship with God, how to treat others, prayer. This study is fantastic! I really can’t say enough good about it. There are DVD’s that go with this that I enjoyed too because of some funny stories she shares from her experience to make her points. In particular, I especially liked hearing about her camping trip with the birds and the hair brush story at the airport. That is one I don’t think I’ll soon forget.

Other Beth Moore Studies I did were: Fruit of the Spirit, Daniel, which were good too. I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a challenge who likes a good Bible study.

Related Post:  I Did It--Challenge Completed Ahead of Time (Check out this link to see the methods I used to memorize the entire book of James)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments.

Happy Reading! During March we are donating 50 cents for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs to the American Cancer Society.

"The Tangible Kingdom Primer"

The Tangible Kingdom Primer is an 8-week curriculum for a small group Bible study that has some very challenging concepts.  The thrust of the book is to win people to Christ through action and intentionally reaching out to people like Jesus did, being His hand and feet.  I found it thought provoking helpful in getting me more involved in the community.  I did not like the formatting of this book because some of it was hard to read.  The authors used dark backgrounds and too many variety of fonts which I found annoying.  It was hard to highlight or write notes on the dark pages.
(Karen's review)
Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

"JESUS--90 Days With The One And Only" by Beth Moore

I discovered JESUS-90 Days With The One And Only by Beth Moore through a blog (unfortunately, I don't recall which one it was but think it was Reading and Life).   It's actually a devotional book by Beth Moore.  I've done some of her Bible Studies and always came away with a better understanding and a fresh perspective so was very excited to find this book.  I had a Barnes & Noble Gift Card so bought it with that.  It is a beautiful book!  I look forward to using it in my devotions and may perhaps share some things from it as I go through it on my other blog, Always Looking Up.  This is a 90-day journey so I will not keep showing this in our header here for three months even though I will be reading it.  I'm sure it will be very good!  (If it was your blog where I saw this, please let me know so I can include a link to your post--I know I left a comment that I would be using my gift card to get it.)




Have you read this one? What did you think of it? You can help Canine Lifeline (a dog rescue organization that saved our dog, Abby) by leaving a comment on any of our blogs in March. We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month.

"The Way Back To Mayberry—Lessons From A Simpler Time" by Joey Fann

The Way Back To Mayberry—Lessons From A Simpler Time by Joey Fann is a nostalgic trip back to the “Andy Griffith Show” from the 60s, but with lessons we can learn from 30 different episodes to apply to our life today.  The author, Joey Fann, uses specific episodes to illustrate a point and take it further to reflect on how God can be at work in similar situations in our lives today by sharing from his own experiences.  Each episode is connected to some scripture which the author has included to give each lesson a spiritual application.  Some churches throughout the country have used Finding The Way Back To Mayberry as material for informal Bible classes. 

For those unfamiliar with the show, Mayberry is a small, quiet town and Andy is the Sheriff.  The show was just about everyday life and experiences that happened in the small town and in the lives of the different characters.  Andy’s son, Opie, is often the one to learn the lessons, but also is the one who is first to “get” it. 

Here is a quote from one of my favorite episodes, “What’s Your Hurry?”:

Consider .. . consider how we live our lives today.  Everything is run, run, run.  We bolt our breakfast, we scan the headlines, we race to the office.  The full schedule and the split second:  these are our gauges of success.  We drive ourselves from morn to night.  We have forgotten the meaning of the word relaxation.  What has become of the old-fashioned ways, the simple pleasures of the past?

I don’t know about you, but this sure sounds a lot like our life.  The chapters are short so this could easily be used as a family devotional book.  This was a fun read for me because I used to watch the show.  Goober, the auto mechanic in the show, wrote the foreword.  I think anyone who enjoyed the "Andy Griffith Show" would like The Way Back To Mayberry—Lessons From A Simpler Time and those who haven’t seen the show would find this book wholesome and inspirational. 

(Karen's review)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"Better Together--What on earth are WE here for? by Rick Warren

Gerard and I both read Better Together by Rick Warren.  Our church used it in all the classes as a churchwide curriculum for 40 days.  There is a DVD that goes with it for small group leaders to use along with the workbook and there is a Devotional and Journal too.  The whole emphasis is to serve others as a group.  Gerard dropped out of the class and was not at all interested in the material.  I found that the devotionals were a review of what we saw on the DVD.  I think the devotional and journal book is all you need.  It was somewhat thought provoking and certainly teaches Biblical principles. 

As a result of our church going through this, my small group put together 28 shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child.  You can go to Parma Heights Baptist Church website to read about more projects other groups did.  

I would recommend this material for small group Bible Studies.

I must say, I liked it much better than his first book, The Purpose Driven Life.  (Perhaps new believers or seekers would enjoy it more than mature Christians.)


Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"The Excellent Wife" by Martha Peace

"The Excellent Wife" by Martha Peace has a wealth of scriptural advice for wives concerning their call to be a wife.  I never thought of it this way before.  The most foundational tip was to respect and be submissive to your own husband, seeking to be a "helper suitable" to him and to practice "mutual sanctification."  Any woman who wants to be a better wife should read this book and start practicing the principles discussed.   It also has encouragement and advice for Christian women who are married to unbelievers.  It makes for a good women's Bible study.

(Karen's review 1/09)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"Having A MARY Heart in a MARTHA World" by Joanna Weaver

When I saw this title, it peeked my curiosity because I have been making more of an effort to be more like Mary than a Martha.  It is a reference to a short story about two sisters in the Bible.  Martha is the busy frazzled one preparing the meal for the company and Mary is the one who visits with Jesus instead of helping Martha.  Jesus said Mary chose the better part.  I think Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World Joanna Weaver would make an excellent Bible study.  It is loaded with scripture and practical suggestions on how to have peace in the midst of our busy lives.  I loved the hula hoop and teetertotter analogies she included.  Peace is the result of spending quiet time with God each day in prayer and reading His Word, being teachable and obedient by abiding in Christ. 

Throughout Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World, Joanna draws from resources that she has found helpful, including Navigators 2:7 material.  I thought it was interesting that both the author and I were impacted by the same quote from the Navigators 2:7 material which was that “Christ is waiting for me to come spend time with Him.” 

The main point of Having a Mary Heart in  Martha World is to have a balance between our worship and service.  We should be a combination of both Mary and Martha!  Much of this book was already familiar to me but served as a good reminder to keep abiding in Christ and guarding my quiet time with Him.   Something that jumped out at me was about hospitality and being willing to help the less fortunate because I pass by beggars all the time going to or from work.  Joanna said, "As Christians, as a church, we are called to be hospitable, the very root of hospitality.  Our lives should be a refuge for the hurting, not a country club for the comfortable."  That really spoke to my heart.

This is not a book that goes fast.  There is a lot of “meat” in it and things to think through and apply to your life.  It gives you a lot to “chew” on.  In the back of Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World were discussion questions for each chapter with more scripture, a list of suggested devotional books, recommended books related to ministry, sample forms for journaling and more.  I highly recommend Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World to anyone who is feeling overwhelmed with all they have to do or who is looking for a Bible Study that is practical and will make a difference in your life.   

NOTE:  I got this in paperback from the library.  I noticed on Amazon that apparently (according to one of the customer reviews) the hardback copy they sell does not include the discussion questions in the back.  Just a warning to be careful if you order this for a Bible Study. 

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?