Unglued Devotional book review

I wanted to get this devotional book after reading the book Unglued by Lyse Terkeurst.  I was sent this devotional by Booksneeze so I could review it.  What an amazing devotional.  For the first time ever, I felt like someone was writing down my thoughts and struggles.  I thought I was the only one with these thoughts and to see them in writing was hard, but exciting at the same time.  I loved the way Lysa used her own struggles in this devotional, but then would have the perfect Bible verse to go with that struggle.  Each day the devotion is about a page in a half and includes Bible scripture, thought for the day ( which I've written down each day as a great reminder ) and a closing prayer.  The daily devotions were short but so effective.  I felt like it was the perfect length and Lysa did an amazing  job of giving just the right amount of guidance and suggestions to where I really felt like I could make progress without being overwhelmed.  I highly recommend this devotional if you want your emotions to work for you instead of against you.  I encourage you to do the 60 days of imperfect progress.  You won't regret it.

Love and Respect book review

I had the privilege to receive the book Love and Respect by Emerson Eggerichs from Booksneeze to review.  I have to say, I believe this book changed my marriage.  My husband and I read this book together.  What the author talks about seems so simple.  A woman needs love and a man needs respect.  When my husband and I read this, we thought, "that's it, that's what is wrong!"  Emerson gives great details and stories about other couples and my husband and I kept saying, "yep, that's us." It was great to figure out what we had missing.  It was nice knowing it wasn't just us.  We were caught up in the "cycle" the author talks about.  So, from this book we were able to identify the problem.
So the book helped identify the problem, but I feel it failed to help get out of that "cycle".  It just went on and on about how a woman needs love and a man respect, but it didn't help give us ways to do that.  I feel this book was an easy read at the beginning, but felt unfulfilling at the end when I realized it doesn't necessarily help correct the problem or gives ways to do that.  I think this would be a great book to do at a marriage conference where you can have someone lead it and have a workbook or study guide to go along with it.  I think this book is a great start, but it definitely needs a follow up.  I do encourage every couple to read this book.  This book has made my husband and I aware of the "cycle" and made us realize what we have been missing for awhile.

Long time since I've blogged!

Okay!  I'm going to relaunch my blog.  There are too many things that is going by too fast and I want to make sure I remember it.
I'm hoping my blog inspires and helps people and am looking forward to looking back and remembering these precious years.  My kids loved looking at my older postings and I can't believe some of the things I forgot.
So, here's to my next adventure of blogging---again :)

Outlive Your Life Book Review

What an inspirational book. Max Lucado references the book of Acts and tells us that God intended us to change the world by serving others. It sounds simple, but we all come up with the excuses that we are to busy, someone else is better at it then us, etc. Max Lucado uses amazing stories of people who chose to serve others and make a difference. He is not telling us it will be easy, but that is it something we are suppose to do. He uses scripture to back up his teachings.

I loved his examples he uses in this book and even some ways in which we can make a difference in someones life. I couldn't help but feel very motivated after reading this book. My family and I have decided to sponsor a child through World Vision as a result of me reading this book. I often think of this book and am reminded how sometimes just even small things like giving someone a smile can make a difference.

If you are looking for a book that is an easy read and something that will give you inspiration and motivation, then this is the book that you should read. Wouldn't be amazing if everyone would read this book? Then maybe we could all make a difference in this world.

A Christmas Prayer

I had the great opportunity to review the book A Christmas Prayer by Amy Parker for Book Sneeze after they sent me a complimentary copy of this book.

The book comes is a nice size board book and the pages are very easy to turn for little kids. The illustrations are very interesting and capture the kids interest. I loved how the book talks about the Christmas Story from the perspective of a child who is saying a simple prayer. It still gives you the Christmas message, but in an interesting way. It thanks God for all the things that led up to Jesus being born and reminds us what Christmas is really about. What a great way to tell the Christmas story.

I showed our director of our Children's program at work and she was really excited about this book and will be buying this book for the teachers to read to the kids. My older kids loved reading this book to the younger ones and they told me this is now their favorite Christmas book. I can't wait to share this book with them every Christmas.

Thank you Book Sneeze for sending me this book! I would recommend it and I hope everyone enjoys the book as much as my family has.

One Hand, Two Hands

One Hands, Two Hands

Oh, the ways we can help with our hands! by Max Lucado is a wonderful book for young children. I teach at a Christian childcare center with 2 yr olds and they love this book. The illustrations are eye catching and fun.

One Hand, Two Hands lets children know about how wonderful our hands are and all the great things we can do with them. At the age I teach it is something we talk about a lot since this age has a harder time with sharing and keeping their hands to themselves. It is a nice reminder about the good our hands can do without constantly just telling them about the bad things they can do.

This book is also fun to read. The kids love doing all the hand motions while we read the book. It keeps their interest and it is a book that they want us to read to them constantly. It also uses simple texts so the kids remember them. I love to hear them correct their friends and remind them of the good things are hands can do.

At the end of the book it also reminds them to thank God for their hands and let God use them again in a good way. It also gives the kids other ideas about how their hands can become helping hands, kind hands and loving hands. The kids love telling us the different things they can do with them. It opens the door to a lot of conversations!!

I highly recommend this book if you have young children. The other teachers have borrowed this book for the 3 yr olds and they love it as well.

The Butterfly Effect book review

I had the privilege to review The Butterfly Effect by Andy Andrews for Book Sneeze and what a privilege it was! This book is amazing. Once I started reading it I couldn't stop. It is a very easy read and only took me a short time to finish it. I will have to say it is one of the better books I have read.

The Butterfly Effect talks about how one person made a move over a century ago that still impacts us today. This person is really just an average person whose decision made a ripple that still effects us today. It goes through history to show how this was done. I found this book very exciting and really couldn't wait to see how it ended.

This book really encouraged me and showed the importance of how just a small thing can leave a lasting impression and even change lives of people you will never meet. This is a book that makes you stop and think. I highly recommend this book and am planning on giving this book as Christmas presents this year. It is a great reminder that when you leave this world it does not matter what you take with you, but what you leave behind you when you go.