The Jesus Bible, NIV

I received a complimentary copy of The Jesus Bible, NIV from BookLook Bloggers in exchange for an honest and objective review. I can honestly say, I love this Bible and so does my 10 year old son.

This Bible is designed for kids ages 9-12 and it is definitely designed well for that age range. It is hardcover Bible which is great for kids to carry around without ripping it. The design is simple but “cool” for a kids Bible.

It includes several great features to help kids see Jesus throughout the Bible. There are 365 devotions included, each with a short prayer at the end. Each book of the Bible begins with an introduction to the book which tells kids how Jesus can be found in that book.

There are also application notes called “Live Like Jesus” to help kids apply Biblical truths in their own lives. I also really like the “Hints of the Savior/Jesus Revealed” sections. This section highlights promises and prophesies made about Jesus in the Old Testament and tell you where they are fulfilled in the New Testament.

I would highly recommend this Bible but what do I know, I’m not a 9-12 year old kid. My son however had this to say about it. “Mom, when you finish reviewing that Bible, I’m going to read it from Genesis all the way to the very end”!! That statement tells me all I really need to know about it. If it encourages my son to read the word and gets him excited about it, that’s all that matters to me!!

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Goodreads Value and a Free Book Sample

A while back I decided that I was going to start reading more books than I had before. A friend of mine invited me to join goodreads. I joined just to see what it was and I did like seeing what other people were reading.

Beyond that, I really didn't see much value in it. That is until a few months ago. One of the first books I read (and posted on goodreads) was Redeemed: Embracing a Transformed Life, by Kerry Clarensau. I posted a book review on the book here on the blog if you would like to go back and read it. This book is truly a life changer if you let it sink in!

I also had read and posted on goodreads Love Revealed: Experiencing God's Authentic Love and Secrets: Transforming Your Life and Marriage both by Kerry Clarensau as well. Secrets I have not finished reading yet, but Love Revealed and Redeemed were read and rated on the site.

A few months ago, I was contacted through goodreads by someone who works at MyHealthyChurch which is the publisher for those books. She said that she had noticed my interest in those books and offered to send me The Jesus-Hearted Woman by Jodi Detrick to read and review for free as an e-book. That was a great deal for me because I was planning on reading it anyway. After I finish, I will post a review here of that book as well. That was enough for me to be convinced that goodreads was worth the effort.

After the first of the year, this same contact at MyHealthyChurch emailed me again and asked me if I was the blogger she had talked with previously about posting a sample of Redeemed on my blog. I told her that I was not the person she had talked with, however, I would love to do that if she was looking for others too also! She said that was great and sent me a pdf of the first chapter of the book.

So, if you are wondering about Redeemed here is your chance to read a sample of it. This sample includes the Forward, Introduction, and Chapter 1. Click on the image below to view the book sample.

I had my doubts about the value of goodreads, but I'm convinced now, it's worth the few minutes it takes to add the books you are reading and leave some ratings. Enjoy this sample and if you would like to purchase the book to read the rest of it, the information to do so is at the bottom of my previous book review.

UPDATE: January 21, 2014 - This book is only $1.99 through February 2 as an eBook!!

You’ll Get Through This by Max Lucado

At some time or another in life, we all will reach a point where we just aren’t sure if we are going to survive. Hard times that last over a long period of time can make us feel as though life will never get any better and things will always be hard. If you are going through a hard time in life, You’ll Get Through This by Max Lucado is a must read.

This book is a combination of the life of Joseph and Lucado’s real life experiences. He takes you on a journey through the life of Joseph, from being born the favorite and having it made, to being thrown into a pit, to coming out of the pit to be sold into slavery, to being thrown in prison and ultimately as second in command over all of Egypt.

Lucado strives to encourage us that we will survive the storms in life. As I was reading this book I thought of several different people in my own life as well as my own situations. This book literally has something in it for everyone whether you are dealing with job loss, divorce, health issues, or the death of a loved one. You name it, he covered it.

There are a few things that I really liked about this book. Lucado used one person from the Bible to draw his illustrations from. He didn’t skip from one story to another. The other thing I really liked about that was it gave me a chance to seriously dive into Joseph’s life. I learned things about Joseph I had not known before and by the end of the book could relate my life in today’s world to his. All of this while being encouraged that no matter what I’m facing, with God, I will get through it!

Before I finished the book I wrote my thoughts on a specific chapter of the book: Waiting While God Works. Feel free to return to that post for a little more information on that specific chapter.

This is really a great read for anyone! Even if you aren’t in a low point in your life, you will take something away from this book. 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com® book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255:“Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The Empty Shelf Challenge

I noticed a link shared by a friend on Facebook the other day. I clicked on it and read the short post and thought it was quite interesting. It was a reading challenge for 2014 called The Empty Shelf Challenge.

I have books that I want to read, and books that I have started reading, but I have very few books that I have actually read in their entirety. Why? Well, because I’m busy and sometimes lazy. When I find extra time at the end of my day, sometimes, I just want to watch tv or take a nap (just being honest here).

The challenge is to clear off a shelf on your bookshelf so that it starts out empty. Then you put the books you have finished reading on that shelf. The idea being that staring at an empty shelf will encourage you to read more this year than you did last year.

Ok, so why do I care if I read more this year than I did last year? A friend of mine loaned me four books last January. To be more specific, January 19^th 2013 is when these books were loaned to me. I really want to read them, however, I have read maybe a chapter from each and I still have them sitting here waiting to be read. I have several other books that I have done the exact same way. Books that I really want to read, but I read a few chapters, get busy, and then don’t finish them.

For me, this is a challenge of finishing what I start. Not necessarily of reading more, although, that will be a result from it. I am not going to put a number on how many I want to read, I just want to complete the books that I start and add them to my empty shelf.

Since I read a combination of eBooks and paper copy books, filling up an actual shelf is not realistic for me. So I created this Pinterest board to act as my empty shelf. As I finish a book, whether it is hard copy or eBook, I will post it here, possibly as book reviews on my blog.

This is not a new years resolution, because I don’t really end up keeping those. It is more of a challenge this year to not leave things unfinished.

If you decide to participate in this challenge yourself, please leave a comment and let me know. Maybe we can check in with each other and see how we are doing?

Happy New Year to you all!!