Our God Comes

For the next several Tuesdays I will be sharing my reviews of some CDs with  you.  Here is the first one!  

 

 

About the CD: Antioch Live, the worship band for Antioch Community Church in Waco, Texas, has signed with the new record label Clear Day Worship. As the music arm of Clear Day Media Group based in Waco, Texas, Clear Day Worship and Antioch Live debuted the new album OUR GOD COMES at the World Mandate Conference September 20 and the CD hit #2 on iTunes.

Clear Day Media Group creates products to help people see God clearly and impact the world through Christ-centered content.

The full track listing for OUR GOD COMES is as follows:     1.      Come     2.      God And King     3.      Wonderful Counselor     4.      God Who Saves     5.      How Much More     6.      I Will Raise     7.      …Response     8.      Light Me Up     9.      Awaken Us   10.     One Hundred Three   11.     …Return   12.     Savior Forever   13.     …Selah   14.     Our God Comes

 

My thoughts:
I enjoyed listening to the songs on this CD.  I had it playing as I was doing some housework and enjoyed the encouraging lyrics.  I have never heard of Antioch and have enjoyed these new songs. 

I am not sure yet which song is my favorite.  There were several that had lyrics I really liked.  I liked the sound and lyrics to Savior Forever. 

I thought the songs were well done and if you enjoy new praise songs you should check out this CD. 

This CD was sent to me by B & B Media Group for my honest review.  Thank you.
Have a day of blessings!

Book: What's Your Mark?

I have read a book called What's Your Mark? by Jeremy Cowart.

This book shares stories of 16 people who have left their mark on other lives.  These people are doing all sorts of things to touch others, some around the world in poverty stricken areas and others here in the USA. Between the stories about the people is the text of the book of Mark. 

The idea is to show that anyone can leave a mark and impact others for good.  What you do may not be known by people around the world but it is still touching lives and making a difference.  Each of us can leave a mark on those in our lives.

I enjoyed reading the stories of this book.  The layout was a bit distracting to me.  There were a couple pages of stories of a couple different people and then a section of Mark.  It was odd to me how it was randomly interspersed with no clear beginning or ending points (sometimes in the middle of sentences) or direction as to what page the text would continue.  I thought it would have been better if the text was divided by chapters with more pictures added to break it up a little bit. 

Thank you to B & B Media group for sending me this book for my review. 

 
Have a day of blessings!

My First Handy Bible

Today I would like to share with you My First Handy Bible--Timeless Bible Stories for Toddlers.

If you have a special little child in your life, you might like purchasing this storybook for them.

I found this would be appropriate for very young children for several reasons.  First, there are not very many stories and the stories are not at all detailed as some other Bible story books I've seen.  Second, this book is mostly pictures.  Third, it is a board book type so it is appropriate for those learning about books and not tearing pages.  Fourth, I believe young children will enjoy the handle and being able to carry the book around with them.  It would be great to carry to Sunday School to get them in the habit of taking their Bible. 

This is not my favorite children's Bible storybook I have seen but for very young children it is okay. 

Here is an example of an inside page. The colors are nice and the text is easy to read. 

Thank you to The B & B Media Group for sending this to me for my honest review.

Have a day of blessings!

Rock Solid Faith Study Bible for Teens

My thoughts:
I was pleased to be able to review this new study Bible.  I liked using it and reading through the various features.  I liked all the added features like the "Rock Solid Promises" and "Unshaken God" boxes.  These make you stop and think a little deeper about what you are reading.  Also, these features are all indexed which is a helpful tool.  The color maps and concordance are also nice, useful features I thought.

As far as the layout and design, I was pleased with it and thought the publisher did a good job with this.  I particularly like the size.  When looking for a Bible, some are way too big and some are much too small.  This one fits nicely in your hands and is easy to hold plus it is hardback and lays flat when you open it.  Also the font is a great size.  I liked the large numbers used to divide chapters. 

If you have a special teen in your life, check out the Rock Solid Faith Study Bible for Teens!  You can read more at Zondervan.

Thank you to The B & B Media Group for providing this for my honest review. 

Have a day of blessings!

Review: NIV Boys Bible

From the publisher:
The NIV Boys Bible was created especially for boys ages 9 to 12 and helps them grow into the young men God wants them to be. Fun in-text features help boys dig deep into the Word and learn about amazing people, facts, and stories of the Bible.

My thoughts:
I was happy to be able to review the NIV Boys Bible since I have a 7 year old boy.  I liked the hardback cover as well as the size.  Inside the font is easy to read and a blue and orange color scheme is used.  There are several added features of this Bible.  One is called "What's the Big Deal?"  These little boxes focus on a short passage of scripture and give an explanation of why this event or person is important.  Another feature is called "Makin' It Real," which is a short thought related to the scripture passage regarding something the boy can apply to his own life.  It also has verses for memorizing in "Words to Live by" boxes and some added fun facts that boys would find interesting in boxes called "Grossology."  I like how these features are scattered throughout the Bible and do not clutter up the text.  Each book also begins with a concise introduction about the author of the book, why it was written, and important parts of the book. 

From a Mom's perspective, I know this Bible appealed to my son when it arrived in the mail.  I think this would be a great Bible for a young preteen boy. 

Caleb's thoughts:
I liked that it had little boxes of words to read.  These help you understand more about the Bible.  I liked it because it wasn't in cursive.  The words were easy to read, but there were some big words too.  I like the cover because it looks like a truck bed.  This is really a good Bible.  You should read it.  There was not anything about it I didn't like.

I received a copy of this Bible from The B&B Media Group for my honest review. 

Have a day of blessings!

Book review: Twilight's Last Gleaming

I recently shared information on a book called Twilight's Last Gleaming by Dr. Robert Jeffress.  Now I would like to share my review as I finished reading it earlier this week. 

I appreciated this book and the stand the author takes for truth in a world where many are afraid to offend someone so they remain silent on important issues.  He spends one chapter discussing tolerance, its definition, and what the Bible says about judging others.  Another chapter focuses on four questions that Christians can ask themselves to help them decide which candidate to vote for.  This book serves as a reminder that Christians need to be preparing themselves for persecution and gives examples of those already being persecuted for their beliefs.  He brings up the Constitution and relates it to things happening in the world today as well.    

As I shared in my previous post, it is important for Christians to realize they are the lights in the evil, dark world in which we live.  We as Christians need to take seriously our role as salt and light.  This book focuses on that fact. 

Thank you to B & B Media Group for providing this book for my review. 

Have a day of blessings!

Review: The Accidental Bride

I would like to share with you a book I recently finished called The Accidental Bride by Denise Hunter. 

Shay Brandenberger has lived a hard life.  She wants something different for her own daughter, Olivia,   but she has a difficult time making ends meet as a single mom.  She's fearful of losing her family's ranch, a ranch that has been in the family for three generations.  Shay is asked to play the bride in her town's Founder's Day re-enactment.  She doesn't realize until she walks down the aisle that the group is Travis McCoy, her old high school sweetheart who left her at the altar years ago.  Shay makes it through the ceremony and thinks it will all be forgotten until she finds out that, due to a mistake by the preacher, the pretend ceremony was actually real. She is now married to Travis. 

This was a cute book and easy to read.  I enjoyed reading it, like the characters, and look forward to more books from this author.  As I was reading, characters seemed familliar to me.  I realized that this book is in the Big Sky Romance series.  I have previously read A Cowboy's Touch and reviewed it here. 

One part that has stuck with me after reading this book is how Shay was always worried about what others thought of her.  Her friend reminded her of a verse from Galatians 1:10--"Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ."  This was a great reminder for me personally as I think of what I do and why I do it.

This book was provided to me for my honest review by Audra Jennings and the B & B Media Group.  Thank you.

Have a day of blessings!

Book: Live Reflectively

Are you looking for a book to use in your devotional time at the start of this new year?  I'd like to share one with you called Live Reflectively  Lessons from the Watershed Moments of Moses by Lenya Heitzig. 

I got an email about this book being available for review at the same time I was teaching lessons about Moses to my four year old class on Sunday mornings.  I was excited to read and use this book during my daily quiet time.  I really have enjoyed studying Moses and felt I learned a lot about him from this study.  In the past I've requested devotional type books to review, and I have just read them instead of using them in my quiet time (not looking up the verses or answering all the questions).  I gained a lot from this study because I read the book as well as took time to think about and answer the questions, making the study more meaningful for me.    

The set-up of the lessons are easy to use and follow.  They are divided into 10 weeks with five lessons per week.  Each week begins with an overview of what is coming.  Each days' lesson is divided into sections following an introductory thought:  Lift Up is a short prayer.  Look At is the full text for the day from the Bible and some questions about the text.  Live Out includes application type questions to get you to think about the text in relation to your life. Listen To is a short quote to end the lesson.  These lessons are designed to be completed in 20 minutes a day.   

Oh and one more thing...the pretty purple cover makes me smile.  : )

Thank you to Audra Jennings at The B & B Media Group for sending this book for my honest review. 

Have a day of blessings!

Book Review: Megan's Secrets

Megan's Secrets by Mike Cope is a wonderful book I'd like to share with you today. 

This is a touching book that will speak to your heart.  Author Mike Cope shares the secrets he learned from Megan, his mentally disabled daughter.  One thing that struck me was to read of the people who connected with Megan during her time here.  Megan was on the earth for only 10 years, but he shares how in her short time on earth Megan touched countless lives.  Now the reader of this book will be another of the many lives touched by Megan! 

The writer has challenged me in my own life by sharing what he learned from his daughter.  The end of this book was a great reminder to me that this life and the things that happen here are not the end.  We have to keep looking forward to our eternal home. 
You can just feel the love everyone felt for Megan as you read the stories of her life and thoughts shared by friends and family members.  This is an inspring book that will be a blessing to the reader.  I hope you will enjoy it as I did. 

Have a day of blessings!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from The B & B Media Group, Inc. book 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."

Book reviews: Two children's books

I have a pair of books to share with you today:  The Spirit in Baseball and The Spirit in Football by Kathryn Nixon and Ana Boudreau.

 From the publisher:
Sometimes, when we think about little league sports, the first thing that comes to mind are pushy coaches and over-competitive parents.  However, there are many positive character qualities that children can develop while playing team sports.

The books are based on Galatians 5:22-23, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”

My thoughts: 
I was excited to receive these two books to read with my little boy since he enjoys sports.  The books are similar in that their format and illustrations.  They have unique examples to exemplify each of the fruit. 

As far as the illustrations, my son thought it was fun to find the hidden fruit on each page.  The layout is such that the name of the fruit is listed with a Bible verse on one side and the opposite page has a picture with an example of that fruit in action.  Like for patience in the baseball book it says "I am Patient and happy to wait until it is my turn to bat." 

These books would be nice for your church library or personal library if you enjoy sports. 

Thank you to Audra from B & B Media Group for sending these for my review.  I received them a while back and thought in my head that these reviews aren't due until July.  Well here it is July and I forgot to get them up! 

Have a day of blessings!