"The Book Your Pastor Wishes You Would Read" by Christopher Ash

The Book Your Pastor Wishes You Would Read by Christopher Ash is a quick read about how to be an encouragement to your pastor.  The main point is to remember that your pastor is human, not perfect.  I thought it was okay and that it gave some interesting insights.  I liked that it was short and went quick!  (Karen's review, 4 stars)

To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"Praying the Bible" by Donald S. Whitney - The Best Book on Prayer I Ever Read!

Praying the Bible by Donald S. Whitney gives a great solution for keeping your prayers fresh and your prayer time from becoming stale and boring by praying the same old thing for the same old things.  I really identified with what the author said about getting into a rut and losing the eagerness about praying every day.  This book gives practical instruction on exactly how to pray the Bible in order to keep a vibrant prayer life and actually converse with our loving Father in heaven.  It is very short, so a quick read and not at all dry or boring.  This book is life changing!  I highly recommend it to any Christian who finds their prayer time boring.   (Karen's review, 5 stars)

To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

The International Children's Bible Packs A Punch!

For my personal devotions this year, I have been using the International Children's Bible. It is especially helpful when reading through the Old Testament books.

I was brought up using the King James Version of the Bible and so memorized my scripture from that. I was always hesitant to read other versions but over time, I have come to accept the New International Version (NIV). I just think part of the charm and uniqueness of the Bible is the old English. It reminds me how old the scriptures really are and how God has protected his word throughout time.

However, here is an example of how some verses can really be more powerful when put into plain English.  This particular verse jumped out at me and then I looked it up in my KJV Bible to see if I had it marked. I did, but oh, how much plainer is the International Childrens Bible.

Here are three examples of Proverbs 18:15 so you can see how much easier the Childrens version is to understand:

KJV:

He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the just, even they both are abomination to the LORD.

NIV:

Acquitting the guilty and condemning the innocent--the LORD detests them both.

International Children's Bible:

The Lord hates both these things: letting guilty people go free and punishing those who are not guilty.

If you have children, I recommend getting them The International Children's Bible and use it yourself too for a better understanding of the scripture!

Have you seen this before? Which translation of the Bible do you prefer?

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.

"Rebel With A Cause" by Franklin Graham

Rebel With A Cause is the autobiography of Franklin Graham, son of the famous evangelist, Billy Graham. It can be a real encouragement to anyone who has some wayward kids. Franklin Graham was a rebellious teenager and did not want to be a preacher or a missionary. In the book he tells how God kept on working in his life and how God prepared him and led him to take over overseeing the Samaritan’s Purse ministry. He was both reckless and cocky growing up, but he surrendered his life to Christ and God used him to help people in great need and further His kingdom.

A couple principles he shared that I thought were helpful were these:

(1) Always leave “God room.” God room refers to the gap between what your resources are and what the need is. True faith is when you promise more than you can deliver, but trust God to provide the rest.

(2) Don’t beg for money. This is a principle that Franklin Graham used in running Samaritan’s Purse. His plan was to present the facts. Let people know the need, and then back off and let the Holy Spirit do the rest. He gives practical examples over and over throughout the book that shows this principle works.

Franklin’s life was quite an adventure! It was through this book that I first became familiar with Samaritan’s Purse. I look forward each Christmas to support Operation Christmas Child which is just one of the Samaritan’s Purse projects.  This organization is often among the first to get relief to disaster areas worldwide. 

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?
During April we will donated 50 cents for each legitimate comment on any of our blogs ($161) to Samaritan's Purse to provide relief to Japan.  During May, our charity is The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs listed on our sidebar!     

"Letters From A Skeptic: A Son Wrestles With His Father's Questions About Christianity" by Dr. Gregory A. Boyd and Edward K. Boyd

I read this book because it was recommended by Kris, a friend of mine who ministers to college students at Kent University.  I found it extremely thought provoking and interesting.

Letters From A Skeptic:  A Son Wrestles With His Father’s Questions About Christianity.  This is an unusual book because it is all letters back and forth between a father and son.  The son, Greg Boyd, is a professor of theology and an ordained evangelical minister.  The father, Edward Boyd, was raised Catholic but with numerous questions about Christianity which the son patiently tries to answer over a period of time through correspondence.  The questions fall into four major categories:  Questions about God, Questions about Jesus Christ, Questions about the Bible, and Questions about Christian life and doctrine. 

Here is a small sample of some of the tough questions the father and son discussed:

Why has Christianity done so much harm?
Why is the world so full of suffering?
Why did God create Satan?
Why trust the Gospel accounts?
How can you believe that a man rose from the dead?
Why do you think the Bible is inspired?
What about the “holy books” of other religions?
Why does God make believing in Him so difficult?
Do all non-Christians go to hell?
Isn’t the Christian life impossible to live?
How can I be sure it’s all true?

If you have questions about Christianity or know someone who does and would like to know how to answer them, I highly recommend this book.  I loved seeing how the father slowly became more open to Christianity and finally accepted Jesus as His Savior when he was 73. 

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?

"Flight To Heaven--A Plane Crash--A Lone Survivor--A Journey To Heaven and Back" by Captain Dale Black

Flight To Heaven:  A Lone Survivor--A Journey To Heaven and Back is an amazing true story about Captain Dale Black who was the lone survivor of a plane crash.  He wrote about how he recovered and what he went through which is the essence of this book.  What a testimony to his faith in Jesus this book is.  Flight To Heaven is a remarkable read.  I enjoyed it very much! 
(Gerard's review)

I never read a book like this before.  It is Captain Black’s true story about his Flight to Heaven—a plane crash…a lone survivor…A Journey To Heaven—And Back.  At age 19, he was the lone survivor in a plane crash.  His body was wrecked and he was in a coma for three days, during which time he experienced a bit of heaven.  His story is both interesting and amazing!  The book takes the reader through his spiritual journey as well as his physical one of making a recovery to fly again just a year after he crashed and became a pilot giving God the glory!  It was when he surrendered his will completely to God and let God be the “pilot” of his life instead of the co-pilot that his ankle was healed.  Dale Black shares his personal testimony about his faith in God, the time of testing he went through and how he came out with a deeper desire to take them along on the flight to heaven.  My favorite quote from this book is “. . . although I am small, I am connected to a very big God!” 

Flight to Heaven by Captain Dale Black is a fantastic story that I highly recommend to anyone.  It was interesting to me that he said love from and for others is the closest thing on Earth to heaven.  I liked that this book looked at his life on two levels, not only the physical recovery but also his personal spiritual journey.  This one is a "must read."

(Karen's review)

visit www.flighttoheaven.org
Related Review by The Parchment Girl

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

"In A Hearbeat" Leigh Ann and Sean Tuohy

If you read The Blind Side and saw the movie, then you have to read In A Hearbeat by Leigh Ann and Sean Tuohy.  What I loved about In A Hearbeat is that each member of the family told their story and the actors who played their parts in the movie told their story too.  The true stories are very interesting!  It is a fast read and an amazing story about an ordinary family who helped out Michael Oher, a homeless teenage boy who became an NFL football player, by letting him live with them.  An example of Christianity in action!


Here's our thoughts about the movie, "The Blind Side" about Michael Oher.

Who are your top five favorite authors? Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"Never Blame The Umpire" by Gene Fehler

Never Blame The Umpire by Gene Fehler is a teen book about a Kate, a 16yr.-old girl who learns her mother is dying of Cancer.  She uses poetry to express her feelings and blames God for letting her mom get Cancer.  The author was an English teacher and in this book, there is a lot about Kate’s English class.  You can pick up some techniques about writing poems by reading this book. 

 

Kate and her brother, Ken, are both on the same baseball team and I thought it would be more about baseball based on the cover.  It really only mentions a couple highlights of a couple games.  Kate’s mother helps Kate deal with her death by comparing God to an umpire.    

This is a touching story.  It may be a book that someone in this situation could learn from.  It is written using first person from Kate’s perspective and I could certainly put myself in her place and understood how she felt. 

 

Personally, I did not care for all the poems and was glad when I finished it.  It was a touching story and I cried at the end.

(Karen's review)

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

"Sophie's Heart" by Lori Wick

Sophie's Heart is a contemporary, heartwarming Christian romance about a grieving widower and his three children who hire Sophie, a Christian immigrant from Czechoslovakia, to be their cook and housekeeper. It's a fun journey seeing how the family comes to love Sophie and how she slowly becomes more Americanized. Throughout the book, the author reveals Sophie's heart through her prayers and one can see what it means to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ by reading this book. I enjoyed Sophie's interaction with her friends, her driving instructor, Alec but most of all with his children. It was refreshing to see how the oldest one, Rita, helped her instead of resenting her. This book gives great insight into what Christian living is all about!  One of my favorites.
 (Karen's review 5/1/09)

Please tell us: What categories of literature do you like? What are you reading now? Who are your top five favorite authors? Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

A Bible Reading Challenge For You

 I just discovered this morning that Mom's Toolbox:  Tools For Real Moms Growing In Christ is starting a blogger Bible reading challenge to read the Bible through in 90 days.  It just started yesterday so hurry over there to sign up. 


I read the Holy Bible through once.  It's a wonderful book that can really make a huge difference in your life if you accept it as God's Holy Word and ask God to show you the truth and speak to your heart as you read it.  It is not a text book and should not be read as one.  It is inspired by God.  It is like no other book broken down into two main parts:  The Old Testament (the time before Jesus came to earth--the old covenant between God and man) and the New Testament (the time about Jesus life on earth and the acts of his disciples and his teachings--The New Covenant between God and man.)  The entire Bible is broken down into 66 books with chapter and verse references. 


There is something for everyone in the Bible.  Basic major groupings of the books by category include:



Books of the Law (aka Books of Moses), history, poetry, major prophets (major because they are longer), minor prophets (minor because they are shorter, not less important), gospels, church history, Letters by Paul, other letters, prophecy.
Gerard and I both love this book because it is life changing and thought provoking.  It is truly unique, like no other!  We highly recommend it!

Please tell us: What categories of literature do you like? What are you reading now? Who are your top five favorite authors? Have you read this one? What did you think of it?