Special!

When my son orders a Chick fil a chicken sandwich, he gets it without pickles. It comes out with a sticker like this one on the package.  This little sticker tells the customer that this chicken sandwich isn’t like all the others. There is something different about it.

One time I kept the sticker and put it in our thankful book. Another time Caleb took it off and gave it to me cause he thought I’d want to keep it. I like to see it by my mirror.

Today I am posting over at Laced With Grace.  I hope you will join me.

Have a day of blessings!

The Berenstain Bears--God Shows The Way

Book Description:
Now in a convenient 3 stories in one collection, young readers will learn from the Berenstain Bears just how important it is to serve and love one another. Written in level one of the I Can Read standards, this bind-up of stories from the Berenstain Bears Living Lights I Can Read series is sure to please young, emergent readers as well as parents and grandparents looking for good quality reading that will help practice early reading skills as well as teach lessons about serving and caring for others. Included in this collection are the following titles: Faith Gets Us Through Have No Fear, God Is Near Piggy Bank Blessings.

My thoughts:
I've always enjoyed the Berenstain Bears and the cute stories that always teach a lesson.  This book is three stories in one hardback book.  All three have a religious theme with a Bible verse at the beginning and another in the story. 

This book is appropriate for early readers, those who are beginning to read on their own.  These are written at a much simpler level than other books in the series. As you can see on the cover it is Level 1 reader.

While I liked the simplicity of the stories of these well-loved characters and the values taught through the stories, I always have an issue with books that include "scary" topics such as monsters, shadows, etc.  This is just a personal preference I've always had not to read books related to such topics to children.  I never would read these type of books to my son because he wasn't afraid of such things. I didn't want him to read these books and think he should be afraid of them!  Now if you had a child already scared of such things, this book would be fine. Both the first two stories talk of such things and your child could learn from how Sister Bear handled her fears.

Have a day of blessings!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Thankful Thursday

It has been a busy week for us as is evident by no blog posts. I thought I'd do the Hodgepodge yesterday and didn't have time.

It's been a good week though.   Here is my week of what I'm thankful for...

~ my husband working for our family. He has had a very hard week at work, and I'm thankful for the things he does and goes through.  Say a prayer for him if you think of it. Next week is the anniversary of the death of one of his coworkers, and it is hard on all of them.

~ my sweet boy having a fun week at his art camp at a local museum. He's made some neat projects which I look forward to seeing all of them tomorrow on the final day of the camp.

~ having my Mom come for a visit. She took my boy on the annual birthday shopping trip. While he was in art camp, we went shopping and also got pedis (the first time for us to get them together). The shopping was fun, and we both found new things. We stopped at Goodwill too where I found a bag of note cards for $0.49 which was so exciting to me. Then the next day at another Goodwill store I found more cards. They weren't as cheap but still a lot of cards for $3.

~ continuing to get tomatoes from our garden. The rain last week was a blessing and perked it up. I'm not sure how many days of 100 degree temperatures it will last!  I'll be thankful for what we have!

~ having our AC in the car/truck and house on these hot days. And snow cones to eat too in the hot days of summer!

Have a day of blessings!
 

Thankful Thursday

It was dark this morning, and the rain was gently falling. I loved hearing it as we opened the back door. I know our little garden loved it and the cooler temperatures too. 

Today I am thankful for....

~ eating Mexican food with my husband while our boy spent the night with my Mom. It was yummy!  

~ my boy and I going to a program at the library. It was about training your pet, and he enjoyed it. 

~ a more relaxing week. I do want to say slow down summer! 

~ my new mop. 

~ getting some stuff done for my boy's birthday party. We got the invitations just about ready to out in the mail!  They are so cute I think! 

Teen Study Bible

Book Description:
The bestselling NIV Teen Study Bible has an all-new updated design to appeal to the next generation of teens. Packed full of study features that help today's students learn more about God, the Bible, and how God's Word relates to their lives, this Bible includes the following features:

• "We Believe" unpacks the Apostles' Creed to reveal the biblical foundation of faith
• Topical indexes help with in-depth Bible study
• Book introductions provide an overview for each book of the Bible
• Bible promises highlight Bible verses worth remembering
• Q and As test Bible knowledge
• 4 color pages include a presentation page and information about the Apostles' Creed
• 8-page full-color map section
• Biblical advice about friends, family, school, and other issues
• Complete text of the bestselling New International Version (NIV) of the Bible

With over 3.5 million copies sold, the NIV Teen Study Bible continues to be a teen's top resource for discovering the foundational truths of the Bible.

My thoughts:This NIV Bible has an appealing front cover and uses both the color and emblem on the front throughout.  It begins with the Apostles' Creed at the beginning and then throughout the Bible these are broken down line by line and explained with the text to back it up.  Another feature I liked was called "Instant Access" which is short little thoughts related to a particular scripture passage.  It helps the teen apply the verse to their own lives in a way that they understand.  "Dear Jordan" is another feature, which is like an advice column where someone writes a question and then Jordan writes a response.  These are about a wide variety of topics and seem relevant to teens  I liked reading these too.  There are other features too which are helpful like the maps at the end and a reading guide. 

Personally, I think teens (boys or girls) will enjoy using this Bible and find the layout and extra features helpful and interesting.   I know when I was a teenager I liked having a Bible with little "extras" tucked throughout that I enjoyed reading as I read God's Word.  I hope teens today will be in the habit of reading the Bible and find this is a great tool for parents to get their teens involved in daily reading. 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Have a day of blessings!

Do you have a church family?

Last week we had two members of our church pass from this life to their heavenly home. We had been praying for these two individuals for some time and expected they did not have much time left here on earth. On the days of their services the church family provided meals for the grieving family members. Everyone came together to provide the meals and offer support to these two families.

Looking back at the week, I have been thinking how it is such a blessing to have a church family. This is just one example of the love and support that a church family can provide. 

Join me over at Laced With Grace today for the rest!

Have a day of blessings!
 

Love Not the World

About the book:Having every one of us been in bondage to sin, we readily believe that sinful things are Satanic; but do we believe equally that the things of the world are Satanic? Many of us, I think, are still in two minds about this. Yet how clearly Scripture affirms that "the whole world lieth in the evil one" (1 John 5:19). Satan well knows that, generally speaking, to try to ensnare real Christians through things that are positively sinful is vain and futile. They will usually sense the danger and elude him. So he had contrived instead an enticing network, the mesh of which is so skillfully woven as to entrap the most innocent of men. We flee sinful lusts, and with good reason, but when it comes to such seemingly innocuous things as science and art and education, how readily do we lose our sense of values and fall a prey to his enticements!

My thoughts:
I listened to the majority of this book as we were traveling on our vacation.  At times I had trouble following along and paying attention...I do not know if that is due to the fact I was tired or what. 

I am not familiar with Wathchman Nee. I found interesting that this book was from speeches done many years back.  The thoughts he presents will make you stop and think.  One chapter I liked was about being lights and what this means. 

The book was narrated by George W. Sarris.  He did fine with the narration.

I did not enjoy listening to this book overall so I did not give it more stars.  Maybe I would have enjoyed it more if I had read it myself and could focus more on the text.
I received this audio book from the christianaudio Reviewers Program for my review. 

Have a day of blessings!