As Silver Refined by Kay Arthur

This is Kay Arthur's re-release of her previously published "As Silver Refined" She does an excellent job showing us how our disappointments are really "His Appointments". I really appreciate her practical and realistic approach to life in light of who we are in Christ. She begins the book with a beautiful picture of the Refiner and how he tends his fire to make sure his silver is perfectly refined. I love that picture. Knowing that our Refiner is tending to us just right so that when He looks at us He sees His image.

I enjoyed the real life letters and examples she includes of lives that have been changed by the word of God. The examples didn't always include people who had whatever the disappointment was fixed. In fact, most of them included people who's worst nightmare came true but were walking in the power of the Holy Spirit and depended on God to get them through and recognized the sovereignty of God in it. There is much to learn in this book and am glad there is a study guide at the end. I think you could definitely spend a lot of time on each chapter to reflect on your own life and ask ourselves how well am I handling this disappointment?

I received this book free from blogging for books in exchange for my review.

The Grace Effect by Larry Alex Taunton

First of all, I thought it was a great book and I loved reading Sascha's story. I was drawn into the emotions of what it must have been like to go through the frustrations of dealing with such a corrupt country. I appreciated the history provided to better understand where Russia and the Ukraine are coming from and it truly is a sad story. I though Mr. Taunton did a great job showing us how grace can change people. At some points I was having trouble connecting the two but separately I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I enjoyed the interaction between him and Christopher Hitchens as well as the viewpoints of other atheists around the world. I think this story is well worth the read.

I received this book free from booksneeze.com in exchange for my review

Adrift by Steven Callahan

Great book. I love sailing and being on the water and identified with his love. The difference is he set out to sail always! I felt like I was set adrift with Steven Callahan! Find out how Callahan survives, his fears, and if he ever returns to sailing. For those that like inventions, Callahan gives detailed descriptions of how he makes items that help him survive. But they are set in the story in such a way that, if you are only reading for the adventure, the details are easy to skip. Although you may not want to and learn something in the process... never know when you'll need to survive!

Son of Hamas

Son of Hamas is a gripping account of terror, betrayal, political intrigue, and unthinkable choices. Anyone who is interested in or studying Islam or the Middle East and it's conflicts should read Mosab Hassan Yousef's real-life account.

Dug Down Deep

I thought this book was great. It describes doctrine in an understandable way. In fact, you wouldn't even know you were reading about all the different doctrines except he tells you. The examples he gives are down to earth and make sense. There's humor as well as humility in the writing. I like that in the end he gives statements of I am wrong but its through faith in Jesus I can be made right before God. I appreciate the message he's getting out in this book. We need to know what it is God wants from us and how else can we do that except to study His word. We need to build a solid foundation and this book helps to understand that. I recommend this book highly.
I received this book free from blogging for books in exchange for my review.

Z for Zachariah

Supposedly ‘middle school’ fiction, the librarian highly recommends this for anyone.  Ann Burden survives for a year alone after a nuclear war destroys the world … until a stranger comes along.  Face the challenges and decisions Ann makes as this new person enters her small world.  Danger, intrigue, suspense!  And then there's the question always present ... what would you have done in Ann's situation?

When Helping Hurts

Review by Brynna Hughes:

I have recently read the book “When Helping Hurts” by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert.  “When Helping Hurts” is all about how to alleviate poverty without hurting yourself or others.  Simply giving food to homeless people or giving the poor money will not alleviate poverty, often times the people will end up worse than how they began.  Most Americans believe that by giving material things to those in poverty they can solve their problems, but Steve and Brian disagree.  They believe that by giving the people things, we can do more harm than good.  They suggest lack of food, money, and shelter is only the surface of the real problem.  The real problem lies behind all of that in how the community is run, and their relationship with others.  The real way to alleviate poverty is to help the people rather than give them everything, work alongside them and establish a relationship with them; do the work with them rather than for them. This book truly challenged me to contemplate how I do ministry and to take a step back and see the big picture of poverty.  The love that Steve and Brian have for those in poverty became very apparent as I read this book.  He uses lots of good examples that certainly help to establish his point and make it easier to understand. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has a heart for ministry and missions.  I guarantee this book will change your view on poverty as you read it, it sure did mine.