The Peace of Christmas: Quiet Reflections with Pope Francis by Diane M. Houdek

The Peace of Christmas: Quiet Reflections with Pope Francis by Diane M. Houdek

by Carol3 Comments
The Peace of Christmas: Quiet Reflections with Pope Francis is a fine devotional for Christmas. Each devotion starts with a reflection from Pope Francis followed by a "Christmas Reality" where Ms. Houdek expands a bit on the reflection and talks about how it applies to her life and, by extension, ours. At the end of each is a "Christmas Gift," which could be something like get rid of something on your to-do list in order to spend an hour with God, or visit a variety of nativities and notice the differences. I'm not Catholic, but you don't have to be to appreciate the Pope's words. I think most Christians will find something meaningful here. I do with the piece from his writings/speeches was longer. Houdek's comments were fine, but I picked up the book to read the Pope's reflections, not hers. Most of the "gifts" are thought-provoking, asking us to look honestly at our lives, our values and our responses to...
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For the Love by Jen Hatmaker

by CarolNo Comments
For the Love is more a collection of essays, and random funny bits, centered around loving ourselves and loving others, rather than a unified book. I wasn't expecting that, so it kind of put me off at first, but once I got into the groove I found a lot it relatable and funny and occasionally inspirational. I really enjoyed Hatmaker's voice. For a Christian writer, she is hilarious and hits on some of the exact things I feel. The book is pretty light overall, in part because of the amusing tidbits and asides. It's about loving others, near and far, but there isn't really much new in it. At the same time, her love of Jesus, of the church, of people shines through. Some things that stood out for me: "We need to quit trying to be awesome and instead be wise." (7) "If it isn't also true for a poor single Christian mom in Haiti, it isn't true." (19) Two of the later chapters were...
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Baseball Faith by Rob Maaddi

by Carol1 Comment
Baseball season is just around the bend, and I'm a baseball fan, as is my husband, so Baseball Faith grabbed my attention. It's a good book, a nice devotional for baseball fans, especially maybe teenage boys who are into the sport. The setup is well done. Each player's piece starts with a scripture quote and is followed by the player's thoughts on why that scripture is important to him or about how faith and the Bible are important in his life. Each devotion can be read in less than 2 minutes. The following two pages contain some of the player's stats and an interesting fact, like "McCutchen cut his dreadlocks before the 2015 season, and proceeds from the sale of his hair benefited Pirates Charities." Yeah, we're Pirates fans around here. And have been for ages, even when we were absolutely terrible. I was glad to see our McCutchen in the book. The devotions are short and simple. I like that many of...
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Love Does by Bob Goff

by CarolNo Comments
I picked up Love Does on the recommendation of a friend. On the one hand, I can see why she liked it, on the other hand I expected more from it. Love Does is about getting out there and doing things, not just talking about them or wishing them. It's about going big. To illustrate this, Goff uses a story from his life - and man does he have some stories, and connecting it to a Biblical truth. Sometimes those connections are stretching a little and some of his stories are not necessarily as amusing or relatable as he seems to think. I am glad i listened to the audio, which is narrated by Goff. It's like he's telling you the stories himself. In print some of them may have come off as bragging, but from his voice he seems honest and like a truly good guy who takes advantage of any and all opportunities life gives him and makes his own....
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Advent Illustrated: A Bible Journaling Challenge by Sara Laughed

by Carol3 Comments
I'm new to Bible journaling but I love the concept. Within the past six months or so, I've taken to carrying around a notebook to jot things down, quotes, things I need to remember, sermon notes. For me, Bible journaling is an artistic extension of that. It's another way of interacting with scripture, of responding to what I read, of highlighting what strikes me, of enjoying concepts or images. I'm not good at drawing, but that's not the point. Bible journaling is for me, not to impress anyone. Advent Illustrated is a good beginners book. She talks a bit about journaling and about basic supplies but I never felt like I can't do this. It's an encouraging book, even for those of us who are not as talented at drawing or painting as others. She makes it approachable. It is not a devotional, don't expect it to be. Each day has a short verse, usually a sentence or two, and a couple...
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7 Simple Choices for a Better Tomorrow by Bob Merritt

by Carol2 Comments
The sermon series at our church during Lent was based on 7 Simple Choices for a Better Tomorrow, which is why I picked up the book. The seven choices do sound simple, but each takes work and dedication. Give it one more day Manage you loads Give yourself time Find you rhythm Have barbed-wire discipline Try things you can't do Avoid the fall It gave me a lot to think about. It makes you really look at what you're doing and encourages you to make spiritual disciplines a part of your life. He encourages you to evaluate. I like Merritt's style. He's down to earth and has a lot of true life stories to illustrate his points. I think while I got a lot out of it, my husband would too, if he reads it. Merritt is a hunter, a fisherman, a guy's guy, at least it seems like it. I'm just going to share a couple of passages I highlighted to give you an idea of what the...
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