I have read many Amish fiction books, and I enjoy escaping to a place where life seems calmer, more family-centered, and people are honest and hard-working. In April, my husband and I visited Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, and spent the day touring and learning more about the Amish lifestyle. Although I know I would never be able to adhere to the Amish way of life, I do believe that all of us would benefit from incorporating some of their attitudes into our busy schedules. In her new gift book, Amish Proverbs: Words of Wisdom from the Simple Life, Suzanne Woods Fisher provides a collection of wise Amish sayings that all of us can heed and treasure. Suzanne Woods Fisher's interest in the Amish community stems from her own family heritage. Her ...
Category Archives: Christian
On-the-Go Devotional: Joy
Joy: A Godly Woman's Adornment is the latest offering in Lydia Brownback’s series of On-the-Go Devotionals. I read and reviewed Contentment so I was excited to be offered the opportunity to read Joy. Like Contentment, Joy is compact, a mere 104 pages. There are 42 devotions, each of them obviously brief, perfect for the woman “On-the-Go.” However, do not mistake brevity for a lack of spiritual depth or instruction. Also like Contentment, Joy will totally get in your business, exposing the real reason for our lack of joy, and carefully pointing the reader to the only source of true and lasting joy: Christ alone. In the Introduction, Brownback writes: Some of us find a perverse satisfaction in our gloom, much like a baby pitching a tantrum to get what she wants. But God doesn’t respond to tantrums. Our moodiness dishonors ...
It Starts at Home
It Starts at Home: A Practical Guide to Nurturing Lifelong Faith is exactly what it suggests it is - practical encouragement for living out your Christian faith within the four walls of your home. My husband, Jonathan, beat me to reading this book and so we both ended up giving this one a read. This book makes the point that simply sending your children to Sunday School without living out faith at home is not going to produce a committed Christian for life (should that be your intent.) Authors Kurt Bruner and Steve Stroope are here to remind parents/guardians that it is what children see lived out at home that will most effectively impact them during their life walk. With that in mind, the authors address Christian parents ...
A Different Kind of Storytelling — Audrey Assad Christian Music CD Giveaway
When you are drawn to the story, as I am, you can be touched by any sort of story -- a "reality" show (because, really, we all know that a lot of that "reality" is created in the editing room, right?), a TV series, a movie. But music tells a story as well. In fact, I think that many musicians are our modern day poets. For that reason, I decided to feature a contemporary Christian music CD giveaway that I was offered over at my personal blog right here. Audrey Assad's debut work The House You're Building is awesome. Seriously, I love it. It's somewhat mellow, it sometimes rocks, it's original, and the lyrics are introspective but not overly deep or convicting. Listen to the songs at her myspace or
What Is the Gospel?
One would think that, for Christians, answering the question “What Is the Gospel?” would be fairly straightforward, if not obvious. As author Greg Gilbert notes, “the gospel of Jesus Christ stands at the very center of Christianity, and we Christians claim to be about the gospel above all else. It’s what we intend to found our lives upon and build our churches around. It’s what we speak to others about, and it’s what we pray they also will hear and believe.” So, why a book attempting to address this seemingly obvious issue? Gilbert responds by asking: how firm a grasp do you think most Christians really have on the content of the Christian gospel? And, bringing it home: how would you answer if asked what’s so good about the good news of Christianity? In fact, Gilbert asserts, and rightly so in my opinion, that many ...
Asking for Trouble
Life is tough for Savannah "Savvy" Smith. The 15-year old and her family have moved from Seattle to London. Savvy's left behind her friends, family, and an opportunity to work on the school newspaper. With no friends at Wexburg Academy, she's a fish out of water. And is that really English the kids are speaking? After failed attempts in the science and art club, Savvy hopes to break into the Wexburg Times clique by misrepresenting her writing experience. As the title of Sandra Byrd's newest teen fiction book states, Savvy is Asking for Trouble. Savvy tries to plead her case, but the cute Editor, Jack, isn't sure that her American sense of humor and style will reach the students at Wexburg. A chance to write an anonymous column just might give Savvy the popularity she's coveted. Or will it?
Rescuing Ambition
I’ll be honest with you: I began reading Rescuing Ambition with something of a chip on my shoulder. I was afraid it would read like many other books masking self-centered self-fulfillment in terms of finding one’s purpose. Also, too often those types of books focus on vocational pursuits, leaving stay at home moms like myself feeling left out, purpose-less and ambition-less. I was wrong and I’m so glad I was! Rescuing Ambition, in contrast, offers a healthy dose of encouragement for believers of all walks and callings, stay at home or otherwise. Dave Harvey introduces his book by recapturing the essence of godly ambition for the believer. Ambition tends to carry with it negative connotations yet Harvey asserts that we were created hard wired for ambition. In other words, we were made to pursue glory. Our problem is that our ambition is corrupted. ...
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Jennifer Donovan
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