Waiting on God by Dr. Wayne Stiles

Waiting on God.

Waiting is not easy. Often it pushes us to points we never thought we would reach.

Waiting for the traffic light to change. Waiting for our food at a "fast" food restaurant. Waiting for the proverbial "ship to come in."

Waiting on God, however, is quite a different experience. God has the power to do whatever He wants. He can desire a certain act and then make that act occur. Since this is the case, why does God make us wait?

In his book, Waiting on God, Dr. Stiles uses the life of Joseph to show how waiting, while difficult, allows God's plan to unfold so that He gets the most glory. While not our preference, waiting on God allows us to grow so that when the time is right, we are prepared.

Waiting can be difficult. God has patience for His timing; do we have such patience?

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Baker in exchange for my honest review. 

The Columbus Code by Mike Evans

What if you found out that you were related to Christoper Columbus? What if you found out that part of his history has not been taught in history books?

Mike Evans has written a fictional thriller that explores the history of Christopher Columbus and brings to light some fascinating facts about him. One of these facts: Columbus was Jewish.

Follow the story and you may be surprised about the Christopher Columbus you thought you knew.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Worthy Publishing in exchange for my honest review.

The New Pilgrims: How Immigrants are Renewing America's Faith and Values by Joseph Castleberry

Illegal immigration is something that is really popular right now. In his book,  The New Pilgrims: How Immigrants are Renewing America's Faith and Values, Castlelberry gives stories of how immigrants are bringing with them their heritage their culture and also their faith.

One thing that Castleberry pointed out that I found really interesting is the mindset of immigrants who are coming across the borders into United States. What they believe is that America needs them and some have even see it as a new Israel leaving the old Egyptian world and coming into the new promised land.

Castleberry also points out how immigrants view education recognizing that it is a bridge between what once was in the old world and what can be in the New America. I must also admit that I found it a little difficult at first but the more I read it the more recognized a understanding of what American history and heritage is and how sadly many Americans have forgotten what the Americans of the past have given for them and their freedoms.

One thing to that I was really surprised about his how Castleberry sees the Hispanic immigrants, more specifically, as being a particular catalyst that might bring about a renewal in the United States. Demand this book for individuals, specifically individuals who are interested in a Hispanic mindset or a Hispanic understanding of what America is. 

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Worthy Publishing in exchange for my honest review.

Redeeming Pleasure by Jeremy Jernigan

Preview for redeeming pleasure by Jeremy Jernigan.

In his book redeeming pleasure Jernigan has set out to show how the pursuit of pleasure mirrors are hunger for God. What he does is he takes a lot of the areas in which people seek pleasure and show how when properly understood they point us to a desire to know God more.

For example, the first chapter that he has is the pursuit how human beings pursue pleasure perhaps more than anything else. Pleasure, when properly understood, should bring someone closer to God.

God has given pleasure to humans for a variety of reasons and Jernigan brings about these different reasons in various areas to show how much seeking pleasure does not necessarily mean neglect of God.

One chapter that I found particularly interesting was the chapter on media particularly the area of movies and entertainment.Movies and entertainment are okay when used properly and in fact can be used successfully to not only encourage but also spur people on to take action against injustice is, evil, or to spur them on to do great things.

Another area that I really found interesting in the book had to do with the area of sex how that sex was given by God for pleasure but there's so much more to it and when sex is only used for pleasure it loses all of the wondrous benefit that God has given sex to accomplish.

Overall, I found this book to be an interesting read with some content I am still analyzing into my worldview. If nothing else, this books makes the reader think about pleasure in a different way.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Worthy Publishing in exchange for my honest review.

The Message 100 by Eugene Peterson

The Message 100 is a unique Bible in that it takes the story of the Bible (redemption, grace, and salvation) and breaks the major themes into 100 daily readings.

By doing this the reader sees the story unfold in an easy to follow story-line. Instead of read accounts of various people, this Bible weaves the narrative to tell one story: the story of God and His love for his creation.

While this is not ideal for studying a particular book of the Bible, it is very effective in giving survey of the Bible for personal growth.

No study notes, no reference column, no concordance.

Just the Bible laid out as if someone was telling it to you.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Tyndale Blog Network in exchange for my honest review.

I also received this free from www.tyndalerewards.com. If you are not familiar with Tyndale Rewards I recommend taking a look.

Seven Women And the Secret of Their Greatness By Eric Metaxas

In a follow up book to his book - Men and the Secret of Their Greatness, Eric Metaxas has written Seven Women and the Secret of Their Greatness. In this book Metaxas lists seven women who have inspired many many people because of their hardship they faced, what they believed in, and the resiliency to never quit. Of the seven I really had a good time reading about Rosa Parks, Saint Maria of Paris, and Susanna Wesley.

One thing I noticed of the three women that I've mentioned,  all of them had to face some sort of hardship and as a result had a strong courage to stand up for what they believed in and to maintain their faith no matter what.

Overall book was about how greatness is not something that is given at birth but rather is achieved by continually working hard, staying true to what one believes, and pursuing God with all that they are.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson in exchange for my honest review.

Through a Man's Eyes by Shaunti Feldhahn & Craig Gross

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Multnomah in exchange for my honest review.

I am going to start off with a fact: most men are visual creatures. I think I just heard a "duh" from my audience. While most would agree with that many women do not have an understanding of what that means.

In her book Through a Man's Eyes, Shaunti Feldhahn's goal (with help from Craig Gross) is to help women understand what that means and by doing so, deepen the relationship with her spouse and any male children she may have.

While this book is written for women, I found myself internally proclaiming, "Finally, a woman is trying to explain how God created us."

God made men visual for a reason and Feldhahn explains to her female audience that the men in her life are not weird or pigs; they are men. They struggle with temptations and thoughts and must bring those temptations to God and pray for strength to fight them off.

This yet another book of Feldhahn's that I HIGHLY recommend for any woman, married or single, as a guide on how to love men as visual beings and encourage them to fight the temptation to turn God's design into disaster. 

America the Strong by Bill Bennett

*I received this book from Tyndale Blog Network in exchange for my honest review.

America the Strong is a book about what the next generation of Americans must consider for America to remain a strong nation. By using the acronym F.L.I.N.T. which stands for:

-Free Enterprise
-Limited Government
-Individual Liberty
-National Defense
-Traditional Values

Each section discusses various subject within the five major topics. I found each topic to very engaging and intellectually stimulating. The arguments were well presented and easy to understand. What was also present was a logical extension of some bad ideas taken to their conclusion.

I highly recommend this book for anyone entering the political science and would encourage all others to read this if you must take a general education course on government or something akin to it.

The Foundation Study Bible (NKJV)

I enjoy using study Bibles. There is something about reading Scripture and having learned men explain difficult passages that really deepens my desire to read God's Word.

The NKJV Foundation Study Bible is a nice study Bible for personal study. It is not too heavy and the typeface makes for an easy read. Also the study helps are located nicely at the bottom for less distracting reading of the main text.

While this Bible is not a robust study Bible, it does a nice job of delivering a Bible for study that is easier to carry and still maintains a lot of the helps of heavier study Bibles.

*I received this Bible from BookLook Bloggers in exchange for my honest review.

God Speaks by Dr. Craig Evans

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Worthy Publishing in exchange for my honest review.

God Speaks.

If God were to speak to you in an audible voice, what would He say?

While audible communication is something that God has done, He also speaks to us through His Holy Word: The Bible.

In his book, God Speaks, Dr. Craig Evans gives an overview of the Bible, its major elements, and also gives instruction on how to make sure one is reading The Bible properly.

What I also appreciated were the sections on questions about the Bible. Dr. Evans gives evidences for why we can trust the Bible. He also gives aid on how to make sure that the reader of the Bible knows what he/she is reading. By doing both of these things, Dr. Evans lays the foundation for trusting the Bible and studying it properly.

This is a nice resource to have. It is a little light on theology but has some great helps for deepening a person's theology to know and love the God of whom they read.