He Holds My Hand

He Holds my Hand is a 365-day devotional written by Carol Kent during a period in her life when her world was turned upside down.  After learning her only son was arrested for murder, she turned to God and her Bible to find comfort.    The result of all her praying and meditating is found in this wonderful devotional. 
The devotional is splendidly written; under each day it begins with a quote followed byCarol's writings and then you find scripture to follow up the writings.

Two of my favorites are titled Gossip and Giant Slayers.  The reader will find that each devotion will speak to them personally and help them draw nearer to God.

With the attractive hardcover, in an easy to carry size, you can take this anywhere with you.   It is easy to read and to follow.

This devotional is not only for those who are hurting but anyone who wishes to draw nearer to God every day. 

This devotional comes highly recommended.

 received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review and 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.

Renewed

Synopsis:  RENEWED is a devotional providing healing for those in ministry who have been hurt in the church. 

Ministry is a privilege, but it can also be a painful experience. Unrealistic expectations, church conflict, forced resignations, and our own struggles with burnout, loneliness, and insecurity can make church feel more like a place of wounding than a place of healing. How can wounded leaders find the courage to reject bitterness and keep loving the church?

RENEWED is a forty-day devotional for women in ministry, ministry wives, and lay leaders who have been wounded by their congregations. You are not alone. God sees your pain. He knows your hurts. And he is waiting to bind up your broken heart. This forty-day journey into the healing love of Jesus will help you find the courage to stop hiding and start loving the church again.

My Review: Working in ministry can be hard, complex and difficult at times. Leigh has done an impressive job of putting in perspective what happens in ministry.  Churches are built up of people and personalities; so there will be times of conflicts, difficult people and those who wish to oppose ideas in your ministry.  

This book of devotions will help those in ministry learn to turn to God and His word for comfort and understanding.  There are topics of lamenting, forgiveness, learning to lean on Him in rough times and just giving it all to Him.   Leigh uses real people and real situations to help illustrate her writings and to show us that we are not alone in what we are going through!

This is a must-have book for anyone in ministry, especially for pastor's wives so they will know what they are going to be facing when they take on the role of Pastor's Wife and knowing that they aren't the only one experiencing those certain situations; it's comforting knowing that you aren't the only one.

This would make a lovely gift for any women in ministry, I have truly enjoyed this book and found it very useful in my life.

 received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review and 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.

  

Spurgeon Study Bible

Charles Spurgeon has been called the “Prince of Preachers.” He preached to over 10 million people in his lifetime, and his written sermons have impacted millions more since 1866. The CSB Spurgeon Study Bible features thousands of excerpts from Spurgeon’s sermons, chosen and edited by Alistair Begg in order to bring the richness of the Prince of Preachers’ insights into your daily study of God’s Word.
 
Features include: Introductory Biography of Charles Spurgeon, Study notes crafted from Spurgeon sermons, Extracted sermon illustrations placed on the same page as the associated biblical text, Sermon notes and outlines in Spurgeon’s own handwriting, “Spurgeon Quotables” inserted throughout the Bible, Book introductions with book overviews in Spurgeon’s own words, Topical subheadings, Two-column text, Concordance, Smyth-sewn binding, Presentation Page, Full-color maps, and more.
 
The CSB Spurgeon Study Bible features the highly readable, highly reliable text of the Christian Standard Bible (CSB). The CSB stays as literal as possible to the Bible's original meaning without sacrificing clarity, making it easier to engage with Scripture's life-transforming message and to share it with others.

My Review:

Everyone knows and loves the works of Charles Spurgeon; now you can have them at your fingertips with this new study Bible.  Written in an easy to read Christian Standard version, in a larger font that is easy on the eyes for those who study frequently.  The hardcover with linen will stand up to much wear and tear; that means lots of study time!
The inside pages are attractive and durable.  I really appreciated the subheadings and book introductions.  What stood out the most was the quotes from Spurgeon that you will find throughout the Bible.  

I appreciate this Bible and the work that has gone into it.  It will make a great gift for a pastor, a theologian, and students of the Bible.

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review and 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.

Vanishing Point

It's Garret Addisson's first week on the job at Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and he has his first murder case already.  It isn't only one, the murder victim is number three in a series of murders.  The strange thing is, is that at the scene of every murder there is a Polaroid  picture of each victim  at the scene.

The TBI calls in Special Agent Jordan Lambert, a woman that Garret had a relationship with in police academy.    Will their relationship be rekindled?

This is an outstanding murder, mystery romance novel that I have read in a very long time.  It was difficult  to  put down.  The author keeps you in suspense on all levels in the story line. 

Even though I had not read any of the other" Nikki Boyd "  series, it did not affect the story line at all.  I was able to really jump in and comprehend the  story line without any problems following along.

What I truly enjoyed is how the author brought God into the whole situation and helps explain that God is in everything, even if it does involve suffering; explaining that God sometimes brings us to hard things to help nurture our faith and sometimes to help bring those who are not strong in faith or don't know Him to believe.

An amazing writer I highly recommend this book.

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review and 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.

Marriage, God's Mission

There are countless marriage books telling couples how to be married--but where are the ones teaching them how to seek and serve God together? Clint and Penny Bragg believe that, just as every individual has a calling from God, every marriage has a specific mission.                          

My Review:   We live in an age of disposable everything.  When something doesn’t work, we throw it away.  Unfortunately, today that is what is happening to marriage.  People tend to give up when the trouble and tough times come.       Clint and   Penny Bragg have been working as marriage missionaries to use their past mistakes and show us how to strengthen and renew our marriages.

Together, they have written a weekly study to help focus your marriage on God’s word to learn how to seek and serve God together, you will learn that marriage requires a mission, you aren’t two independent people, but a couple working together with an assignment in mind.     Each of us has gifts that God has given us, in marriage, we find similar goals and work on them as a team.  For instance, teaching, discipling, gifts of evangelism, gifts of hospitality etc.   How do I know what my gifts are?  In chapter 3 there is a list for both to go through and find out where the common interests and gifting is. 

They encourage the reader to use God’s weapons which happen to be God’s word, verse memorization and they strongly urge couples to pray out loud with their spouses.

 You can tell it’s written by former military, it talks about “ops” and missions; Clint always refers to something from his past training in the book.    This isn’t a problem, I just found it rather tedious after a while.

All in all, a good tool for couples, it can be used together as husband and wife, or maybe in a group setting, or for premarital counseling.

About the Author

Clint and Penny A. Bragg now serve as marriage missionaries through the work of Inverse Ministries, their nonprofit organization. They share their testimony with audiences, teach seminars for couples, and equip ministry leaders across the nation and beyond. Their own story of reconciliation has been featured on multiple national and international television and radio programs. The Braggs are an active part of a nationwide network to strengthen, reconcile, and restore marriages.

Clint and Penny A. Bragg now serve as marriage missionaries through the work of Inverse Ministries, their nonprofit organization. They share their testimony with audiences, teach seminars for couples, and equip ministry leaders across the nation and beyond. Their own story of reconciliation has been featured on multiple national and international television and radio programs. The Braggs are an active part of the Ask the Experts panel of Christianity Today’s BuildingChurchLeaders.com.

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review and 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.