Category: Christian

Author: Rachel C. Swanson
Publisher: FaithWords
Genre: Christian
ISBN: 978-1-5460-1344-0
Pages: 272
Price: $15.99

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If you’ve ever wondered Why does this Christian life feel so empty?, Rachel Swanson can sympathize. After years as a happy and fulfilled Christian, she sought answers for why she felt distant from God. Refine & Restore offers us a glimpse into her life story, and how she came to be in the place she suddenly found herself in.

Reviewing her life, Swanson realized that some of her own actions contributed to her unrest. Unhealthy friendships, body wars, lust, anxiety and depression are just some of the issues she faced in her past. But with prayer and faith in God, she made the decision to turn back to Him for healing. As she shares her own story, she gives us guidance and hope in moving away from the damaging worldly influences in our lives.

Swanson holds nothing back as she shares her own missteps along this journey. Refine & Restore is a breath of fresh air to those who also are living ordinary, mistake-filled lives – not the airbrushed, holy ones we often read about.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Author: Laura L. Smith
Genre: Christian devotional
Pages: 60
Price: $10.00

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God may have created us, but do we really know who we are? We may know our personalities, preferences, and occupations, but do we know who we are deep inside? In this 30 day devotional, Laura L. Smith guides us through an exploration of what the Bible says about who God created us to be.

Each of these thirty devotions is designed to be completed in one day. On one page, we’re given a Bible quote, followed by the author’s musings on the topic presented, and a probing question for us to ponder. The second page offers a reflection opportunity with lots of blank space for recording our thoughts. Finally, the devotion ends on a nugget of truth for us to hold onto as we go about our day.

The Bible offers so many great affirmations about our worth to God. This 30 day devotional will help us hold them close in our hearts. I highly recommend True Reflections.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Author: Mathew P. John
Publisher: David C. Cook
Genre: Christian
ISBN: 978-0-8307-8074-7
Pages: 208
Price: $17.99

The Mosaic Course
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God created humanity, and it’s no surprise to find that He’s active in all religions – not just Christianity. In The Unknown God, author Mathew P. John shares his perspective on these world religions and how they all point to Jesus as Messiah.

Having grown up in India, John has a unique perspective of witnessing several religious practices in his home country. He looks at Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, Muslim, Jewish, and Christian beliefs in an attempt to show how Jesus appears in each, and how God is still using those religions to bring his people to Christ.

God sent a Gentile group of Wise Men in search of his beloved Son on the eve of his birth. These men had no Jewish upbringing, yet they knew that a Savior was to be born, as they set off to follow the star. The Unknown God provides a wonderful explanation as to how He’s still reaching the people who don’t yet know Him.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Author: August Turak
Illustrator: Glenn Harrington
Publisher: Clovercrost Publishing
Genre: Christian living
ISBN: 978-1-945507-94-6
Pages: 48
Price: $19.99

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When answering the question, “What is the Purpose of Life?” in an essay for the Templeton Prize, August Turak shared an encounter with a Trappist monk named Brother John. His essay won the contest and went on to be published in two anthologies. Readers reached out to him over the years, telling how the story had inspired them. But as it grew harder to find, Turak realized it was time to publish it as a book of its own.

Brother John is a simple, humble man who manages much of Mepkin Abbey, a 3000+ acre property run by the Trappist monks. There is no task he considers beneath him, and he’s always there to lend a hand for anyone who needs it. As Turak spends time at Mepkin, he encounters Brother John holding an umbrella one rainy Christmas Eve, waiting to walk with anyone who had forgotten his own. Struck by the way that Brother John lives his life, Turak examines his own, questioning if he has the ability to be so selfless in his giving.

Brother John offers a gentle reminder that Jesus asks a lot of us, and many of us aren’t willing to take the risk to give more of ourselves to others. What is the purpose of life? No answers are given, other than to look things square in the face and do the work we know we must do.

Turak receives a wonderful message from his spiritual director: You would not seek Me if you had not already found Me, and you would not have found Me if I had not first found you. May we all find Him in our own lives.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Publisher:  Zondervan
Genre:  Bible
ISBN: 978-0-310-76355-0
Pages: 1472
Price: $34.99

Free coloring pages
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This beautiful NIV Bible is pink hardcover with a leather-like feel, and the book lays flat when open for ease of coloring. The pages are thick enough to hold up to colored pencil or crayon coloring, but not thick enough for markers. There are hundreds of coloring pages scattered throughout, and they are simplistic in style, suitable for younger girls. Other pages have blank lined sections for note-taking.

I colored four images in colored pencil, pictured above, and had fun doing them. They weren’t overwhelming in detail, and took less than a half hour each to color. For more artistic girls, I recommend the Complete Guide to Bible Journaling to add even more personalization to this Bible. Girls will really enjoy making this Bible their own through color.

Please be sure to enter the giveaway going on from December 2-16. I received a copy of the NIV Beautiful Word Coloring Bible for Girls from Zondervan (HarperCollins Christian Publishing) for this review. This post is sponsored by Zondervan.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Author: David Green
Publisher: Zondervan
Genre: Christian / Stewardship
ISBN: 978-0-310-45257-7
Pages: 176
Price: $18.99

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David Green began Hobby Lobby in a garage in 1972, and he never dreamed it would end up as successful as it is. But along the way, he realized that he needed to make some important decisions about the company. How could Hobby Lobby best leave its legacy in the world, while also helping to support his family?

A Generous Life shares some of Green’s thoughts on managing a successful business while also living in a way that glorifies God and benefits other people. These ten steps to living a life money can’t buy include recognizing that everything is God’s, putting people before profits, and developing a vision for generosity, as well as many others.

Hobby Lobby is a multi-billion dollar enterprise, and Green had to make decisions that the majority of people will never face. Readers may struggle to relate to some of the issues that arose for him, but overall, they will get the message that it’s possible to be more generous no matter what their circumstances.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Authors: Rankin Wilbourne and Brian Gregor
Publisher: David C. Cook
Genre: Christianity
ISBN: 978-0-7814-1333-6
Pages: 288
Price: $22.99

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For many today, living a good Christian life means having everything they want and need. They reason that God will reward them for their good behavior. But is that what Jesus actually taught? Didn’t he ask his followers to take up their cross and follow Him?

We seem to be hard-wired to follow our bliss. But do we even know what that might be? Is it possible to give up everything in the name of Jesus, only to find out we didn’t even need anything but Him? Rankin Wilbourne and Brian Gregor have shared a compelling argument that we will be happier once we give up the notion of having it all, and instead, try to imitate Jesus on his journey to the the cross.

The Cross Before Me is not an easy read, as it invites us to look closely at how we live our lives and attempt to reform our thinking from within. One read was not nearly enough for me to absorb the depth of these concepts. I highly recommend it to all those who are seeking true peace and happiness.

Reviewer: Alice Berger