Unstoppable by Nick Vujicic

This is a great inspirational read. I like how Nick uses his abilities to help inspire others to faith. His testimony is quite touching and I love the fact that he has come to a place of being very thankful that God made him the way He did. The main theme of this book is "faith in action".  It's used everywhere. What a great theme to have, sounds quite familiar to another book - James. He gives many excellent examples of people who have different degrees of pain and trials in their lives and how they have overcome through faith in Christ. It doesn't mean their pain or their trials go away, they just now have hope and a purpose. This is a very practical book that gives practical answers to sometimes difficult questions. He really reaches out to the reader to do something, like putting your faith into action. It's a no excuses book. We all have talents and abilities that God has given us, we are called to use them. Very good read.

I received this book free from Waterbrook Multnomah in exchange for my review.

Men of Sunday by Curtis Eichelberger

I love football so was intrigued to read how faith plays out in the NFL.  It's easy to read, has really good examples, and wasn't quite what I expected.  I admit I thought I'd read how Christianity made these guys great football players.  Definitely wasn't that.  It really focused on how coaches and players dealt with faith within the football environment.  It was broken down by chapters that dealt with various subjects and used faith examples within the chapter to illustrate.  I thought the stories were touching and not every story was about someone who was a born-again believer.  It was also interesting to read about some players that I didn't realize were Christians.  Definitely a good read!

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

Sinner's Creed by Scott Stapp

I really enjoyed Scott Stapp's memoir. It was definitely revealing and from the heart. I was impressed with his writing. You can tell he is a poet and and his heart is in the writing. The environment he grew up in was quite terrible and its no wonder he was confused with who he was and who God really was. Having a father who beats you and puts himself in a position of him and God being one and the same would definitely cause some confusion in one's life. Scott sure has a firm knowledge of the Bible. He kept trying to reconcile the God He knew from the Bible and the God that was displayed through his step-father and Christian's he knew. I love that his song writing reflects his knowledge of the Scripture. I do find it interesting that their band took so much heat for being called a "Christian" band just because of some of his lyrics. It's so clear to me that his lyrics were filled with brokenness and searching. He is very candid about his struggles with addiction, depression and not being the Christian he knew he should be. This is a great read for anyone who has struggled with depression or feeling like you have to be perfect in order to please God. After reading this book, I had to get my old Creed music out! I'm glad to know the band is back!

I received this book free from Tyndale publisher in exchange for my review.

The Orphan King by Sigmund Brouwer

This is Book One of Mr. Brouwer's Merlin's Immortals Series. I found this book to be just ok. I really wanted to love it. I like fantasy, I like books about Merlin but there was something lacking in this book. I like the concept of the orphan king setting off to capture the mysterious Magnum. I like the various characters in the book but I wanted more from them. I felt like there was a previous book I was supposed to read before I read this one. That being said, I would definitely read the next book in this series, mostly because I want to know more about the characters portrayed in the book. I give this book 3 stars because of the lack of plot development but I liked the concepts and characters in the book.

I received this book free from Waterbrook Multnomah in exchange for my review.

The River by Michael Neale

The River is a very touching story about a boy who lost his father to a drowning accident while he was trying to rescue a kayaker. The story chronicles his life and how this event affected his life. The River is the central theme as he begins his early life loving The River as it was his father's love as well as job guiding tours down The River. Once his father dies, the boy becomes fearful of The River but is drawn to it as well. I really appreciate the symbolism in this story and the way the boy became a man and has to face The River again. This is a beautiful story of forgiveness and breaking free from fear to be the person he was made to be. Well done, Mr. Neale on your debut novel!

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

The Girl's Still Got It by Liz Curtis Higgs

This is a great refreshing new look at the wonderful book of Ruth. I really enjoyed how the story and scripture was woven throughout the entire book. I didn't even realize I was basically doing a Bible study until the end and there was a study guide! The book is very easy to read and has a great flow that really allows you to understand what's really going on in the book of Ruth. I also appreciated the real life quotations at the end of each chapter that put into perspective how real life relates to what we can learn from Ruth and Naomi and Boaz. This is a great way to study the book of Ruth. I really recommend it.

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

No Greater Love by Levi Benkert

This was an emotional story. There was a lot in it I could relate to. Levi tells his story of how he enjoyed great business success and the financial gains that come from that success and then the resulting downfall created by the recession. His family ends up going to Ethiopia to help with an orphanage and they end up staying there. This was a very touching story. I appreciate the emotion and honesty of running away from life's problems and calling it ministry. There's no question they love the children and people of Ethiopia very much and what may have started out as running away, God turned into a passion and love that is changing children and widow's lives. Levi does a really great job describing the incredibly emotional spiritual journey their family has been on over the past few years. This seems to be an amazing ministry and I encourage you to check out their website at www.bringlove.in
I received this book free from Tyndale publishers in exchange for my review