Lord, I Give You This day by Kay Arthur

This is a wonderful daily devotional to have. I thoroughly enjoy the daily insights as well as verses that accompany the thought and challenge. Ms. Arthur does a great job in such short paragraph's to challenge us to start our day with prayer and dependence on God. I love all of Kay Arthur's Bible studies and this devotional has her touch all over it. The questions she challenges us with really stir the heart. There is the right mix of challenge and encouragement. I recommend this to anyone looking for a short daily devotional.

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

Draw the Circle by Mark Batterson

I really enjoyed this book. This is a book that will spur you on to increase the quality of your prayer life. It is very challenging yet at the same time very encouraging. There are many examples throughout the book of how God has answered prayer. Even though the answers were not always what the person was asking for you can see the hand of God at work. In this book Mr. Batterson encourages us to continue praying and not give up. That's the point of drawing the circle, it's another way of explaining the parable of the persistent woman. God wants us to be persistent in our prayer life. I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to have a better prayer life. It's a wonderful devotional that will make you want to stop and get on your knees and get praying.

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

One Nation, Under Attack by Grant Jeffrey

This was an interesting read. Mr. Jeffrey is presenting a case for the collapse of the American economy. It was full of statistics and some of them were quite confusing. The national debt figure kept changing between the government reported figure, the unfunded liability figure and then the sum total of all future liabilities like social security. One quote that struck me was from Representative Darrell Issa (R-CA), "If you spent a million dollars a day going back to the birth of Christ, that wouldn't even come close to just one trillion dollars." That concept seems inconceivable. Either way you look at our debt figures, they are astronomical. Mr. Jeffrey also talks about China and their growing influence on our economy since they are our biggest creditor. He also points out that due to costs, we will not be able to be the world's police force for much longer. This leads to losing our influence in the world. The writing style is quite into the scare tactic but his facts are footnoted with resources to do your own fact checking. Which is something he really encourages you to do. He also argues that this nation was founded on Biblical principles and as we move away from the principles it is speeding up our decline. I enjoyed the quotes from past president's as they recognized the need for God. This book does make you think about the state of our country.

 

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

I Still Believe by Jeremy Camp

I am a big fan of Jeremy Camp and his memoir was one that I could not put down. I was somewhat familiar with his story but I had never heard his testimony firsthand. This was a very touching look at his life growing up and then his relationship with his wife who died from cancer 3 months after they were married. The story of "I Still Believe" is so inspiring I will now be crying every time I hear that song. The faith and trust in God that Jeremy displayed while going through an incredibly painful time in life is a wonderful testimony that God is who He says He is. I appreciate that Jeremy shares his testimony through music and is still willing to share on stage what he went through. His wife is also an inspiration in understanding what he went through as well as making their ministry about God, not getting caught up in wanting to forget the past. His songs are truly full of worship and those who listen to them are pointed straight to the glory of God. This is a must read for anyone who loves Jeremy Camp's music.

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

Running for my Life - A review by Brynna Hughes

“Running for my life” is the autobiography of Lopez Lemong, the Olympic track runner.  His story traces him from a small impoverished village in Sudan to the 2008 Olympic games in Beijing; a story that could have only happened by the grace of God.  God brought Lopez through Sudanese prison camp, the fields of Sudan running barefoot, and eventually to the United States to fulfill his dreams of getting an education and running in the Olympics.  He is now using his fame and partnering with World Vision provide education for Sudanese children. The story of how he had overcome obstacles to reach his dreams is nothing short of inspirational; it proves that with God there really is no such thing as impossible.  He relates his life to the life of Joseph in the Bible.  Just when it seemed like God had left him, God pulled through and blessed him, even more than he could ever imagine.  This book was great; it was a fast read and kept my attention through the entire story.  It was easy to get emotionally attached to Lopez through his journey, it definitely tugs heart strings.  I’ll be honest, for the past couple days since I finished it I’ve had dreams about the book. I definitely think it is a book that I will read again later in life when I need some encouragement.

The Legend of the Monk and the Merchant by Terry Felber

This book is a wonderful resource for those who will not be in vocational ministry. The author does a fantastic job showing us that no matter what we do vocationally, we are all in ministry and are serving the Lord no matter what our "day job" is. We should not be separating these two things. The story of the monk and the merchant is enjoyable and there are so many practical applications in it. There are many great principles to live by and I like the fact that the study guide includes scriptural basis for those principles. I can see why Dave Ramsey has all his employees read this book within 90 days of hire. This book helps those who choose not to be the "monk" to realize they have just as vital a ministry in their own workplace. It also encourages the "monk" and the "merchant" to work together, as one body. The only part of the book that had a slight "red flag" was it could possibly be viewed as "health and wealth" doctrine. Meaning, follow these principles and you'll be rich. I don't believe that is what the author is saying but I can see how some people could see it that way. God's blessing does not always involve material wealth. There are many forms of God's blessing. He does, however, provide for all your needs. That being said, I think this book is geared toward business minded people or those who already have material wealth and what the Biblical response should be to that particular blessing.  I thoroughly enjoyed this book and have already recommended it to several people to read.

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

Twelve Unlikely Heroes by John MacArthur

This is an interesting book on "unlikely heroes" of the Bible. It was very well done and there is much to be learned from these people of the Bible. I particularly enjoyed the section on Esther. I appreciated his insights about how God is never mentioned in the book but the events that take place make one wonder about how it is possible for all that to be coincidence. I also enjoyed the reference to the story being a chess match between God and Satan. In every chapter you can see the shortcomings of man but God uses each and everyone of them for His glory. An encouraging book for any believer.

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