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Showing posts from October, 2011

Heaven Is For Real

I recently read Heaven Is For Real by Todd Burpo. I will admit, I came into reading this book with a large amount of skepticism, expecting to find an unbelievable story. However, I finished reading this book, not only believing it, but being touched by it. The story of Colton Burpo is the tale of a young boy nearly dying from a ruptured appendix, but miraculously being healed, and coming back with an astonishing story of having been to Heaven while on the operating table. It sounds fantastical, but he came back with pieces of information that were impossible for him to know. This book didn't dwell on "what Heaven is like" so much as it told the story of this young boy and his family through the many trials they experienced throughout this illness and many other things. I did expect a bit more detail about Colton's experience, but the book and story itself was touching, heartwarming, and very interesting. I would definitely recommend this book - it is a wonderful s

Out Of A Far Country

I just finished reading Out Of A Far Country by Christopher and Angela Yuan. To be completely honest, I wasn't really looking forward to reading this book and selected it someone reluctantly, thinking I probably wouldn't like it very much. However, I was definitely proven wrong! The story got my attention from the very first page and I just had to keep reading, wanting to know the whole story of this prodigal mother and son. This book has a somewhat unorthodox format, alternating chapters between Christopher and Angela's first-person viewpoint. I quickly adapted to the style and actually rather enjoyed hearing the story from both viewpoints back and forth. This is a story of a gay man and his mother trying to get him to accept Christ, however, it is much more than that. I don't want to spoil the ending, but it is a touching, heartwarming story of a prodigal mother and a prodigal son both finding Christ. My only complaint with this book is that although it detailed A

Wings Of A Dream

I have another new book to share with you all! Wings Of A Dream by Anne Mateer is a historical  romance  novel set during the Spanish  Influenza  outbreak. Historical romance doesn't tend to be my absolute favorite genre, so I started this book with some hesitation, but was immediately captivated on the first page. This is unlike any other hisorical romance I've read. The setting, characters, and storyline were all fresh and interesting. It was an authentic and refreshing story as Rebekah grappled with love, loss, faith, and trusting God. My only disappointment with the book is that I wish it had given us a little bit more at the end, perhaps an epilogue, to tell us a bit more about the end of Rebekah's  story . It seemed to end a bit abruptly. However, it does leave the door open to write a sequel! I think Anne Mateer is an author to watch and am sure we will see more wonderful books from her soon! I give this book 5 stars and would recommend it to anyone who loves

The Corruptible

The Corruptible by Mark Mynheir is a Christian suspense novel, which happens to be one of my favorite genres. With that in mind, I was very excited to read this book. The Corruptible is a part of the Ray Quinn series, of which I haven't read the first book, so I was starting a little late in the game. However, that didn't seem to matter as I didn't feel like I was missing crucial details that weren't provided in this book - ie, enough backstory was given as to where I felt this could be read as a stand alone book. This book is about a  private investigator , Ray Quinn. He is trying to track down information about a shady cop for a high paying client. I don't want to say too much for fear of ruining the story, but this was a fairly fast paced, intriguing mystery that kept me reading. It started off a bit slow, but once I got into it, it was definitely a page turner. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a good mystery/suspense novel with Christian theme

Love Your Husband, Love Yourself

I know I am on a roll with reading lately, but I have another wonderful book I just have to share with you all! I have just finished reading Love Your Husband, Love Yourself by Jennifer Flanders. This was an excellent, amazing book. I could not put it down (I say this a lot, but it's true!). This is one of the most candid, honest, beautiful books on marriage I have ever read. I appreciated her willingness to lay everything out with such honesty. I was absolutely fascinated by the research showing the links between the marriage relationship and health. This is the most in-depth book I have read on the subject of Christian sexual intimacy. The book is also chock full of Scriptures on marriage and intimacy. It was so refreshing to read a wonderful, Christian book on sexual intimacy within the marriage relationship. This book also includes chapters on letting your husband lead in your marriage, building up your husband, watching your husband grow, celebrating your differences, foster

{w}hole

I just finished reading {w}hole by Lisa Whittle. This book gripped me from the first page and wouldn't let go. Lisa Whittle intertwines her life story with compelling writing about holes in your own spiritual life and how to let God fill them to become whole. I was touched, moved, and pricked by this book. It made me want to recharge my relationship with God. She details her hurtful life experiences, including the experience of her father having to  step  down from his ministry, and how it effected her life and made her realize her own life was full of holes. Her writing on how she realized she was addicted to religious experiences and rituals rather than truly trusting in and having a vibrant relationship with God was both thought-provoking and convicting. I appreciated her ability to not blame the church for her difficult life experiences, and in fact, still love the church deeply. I have been inspired to cultivate a deeper relationship with Christ through this book and not a

Stained Glass Hearts

I recently read Stained Glass Hearts by Patsy Clairmont. This book was fairly good, but not quite what I expected based on reading the description. I thought it would be more of a self-help, practical type of book, but it was more of a sharing of life experiences and thoughtful book. I thought the format was interesting, in that it was divided into various chapters, all relating to stained glass. Chapters included Stained Glass Prayer, Stained Glass Books, Stained Glass Redemption, and more. At the end of each chapter Patsy gave suggested artwork, poems, prayers, Scripture verses, other reading, and even YouTube videos to watch. I thought that was a rather innovative and interactive format. It was definitely different than anything I've ever read before! The personal stories from Patsy's life were interesting, heartfelt, and at time funny, but the chapters sometimes felt disjointed. Overall I enjoyed the book, yet some portions just didn't resonate with me. I was prov