Women of Christmas

From the publisher:

God Reached Down from Heaven with the Best Gift of All
 
A sacred season is about to unfold for three women whose hearts belong to God. 
Elizabeth is barren, yet her trust in God remains fertile. Mary is betrothed in marriage, yet she is willing to bear God’s Son. Anna is a widow full of years, yet she waits patiently, prayerfully for the Messiah to appear in the temple courts.

Following in their footsteps, you too can prepare for the Savior to enter your heart, your mind, and your life in a vibrant, new way. Best-selling author Liz Curtis Higgs explores the biblical stories of Elizabeth, Mary, and Anna, unwrapping each verse with tender care and introducing you afresh to The Women of Christmas.

Once again Liz Curtis Higgs has developed an amazing Bible study for women.   Ms. Higgs takes us through the “Women of Christmas”, Elizabeth, Mary, and Anna.   How appropriate for this study that it is the season of our Christ’s birth. 

Throughout the book are thoughts from women that stop and make you think about what you’ve read and about what God has done in our lives.

This is a great study, either on your own or in a group setting.  There is a study guide in the back of the book, where you are given a reading and then have a set of questions to answer.  I would love to see and will use this in a group setting to see other women’s thoughts on the study.

I received this book free from the publisher (WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group)  . 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.”

  Authors Bio

Author's Website






Sample Read of Chapter One

Beyond Resolution

When you say don’t judge a book by its cover that definitely refers to the novel Beyond Resolution.    This is a story about a nurse/model who made some very bad mistakes in her life.  Her choices (like many of us) led her down a road to self-destruction.  It isn't until she finds the Lord and accepts Him that changes are made.   

This novel has a mixture in it; it is a romance, suspense all in one.  It is very well written, easy to read.  It’s a novel that is hard to put down.   It shows that broken people can find God, and it teaches all about forgiveness.

The only thing I didn't like, is that some of the “romantic” scenes were a bit to explicit for a Christian novel.

I received this book free from bookcrash . 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.”

Ragamuffin Bible

Do you believe that God not only loves you, but that he also likes you?
It's just one of the soul-searching questions posed by bestselling author Brennan Manning who confesses he has been 'John the beloved, Peter the coward, and Thomas the doubter all before the waitress brought the check.'
The NIV Ragamuffin Bible offers a collection of Manning’s raw, painfully honest, yet grace-filled devotions, meditations, and reflections of his journey limping back to---like the prodigal son---his overjoyed father. When you journey through this Bible, you will likewise find yourself returning to your Heavenly Father, basking in the knowledge that God not only loves you, he delights in you.
Features:* Complete text of the world’s most popular modern-English Bible, the NIV* 104 Devotions guide you into a deeper connection to God and his Word * 250 Reflections help you understand what it means to be a child of God* 150 Quotes offer short but thoughtful insights into God’s kingdom.

I love Bibles,  and when this one came a long I was naturally curious.  I am amazed has a beautiful cover and the print is easy to read.

The uniqueness of this Bible is that is has the thoughts of Brennan Manning throughout; giving us glimpses of God's unconditional love.   You will be reading along in the Bible and there is a thought from Mr. Manning there for you to ponder and think about.   Very attractively put together, I think that this is a winner.

About Brennan Manning:

Brennan Manning spent his life and ministry helping others experience the unconditional love of Jesus Christ. A recovering alcoholic and former Franciscan priest, his own spiritual journey took him down a variety of paths, all of them leading to the profound reality of God’s irresistible grace. His ministry responsibilities varied greatly – from teacher, to minister to the poor, to solidary reflective. As a writer, Brennan Manning is best known as the author of the contemporary classics, The Ragamuffin Gospel, Abba’s Child, Ruthless Trust, The Importance of Being Foolish, Patched Together, and The Furious Longing of God.


I received this book free from The B&B Media Group . 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.”

The Miracles of Archangel Gabriel

Archangel Gabriel is the famous messenger angel from the Christmas story of Luke. In this compelling book, Doreen Virtue offers more information on the history and characteristics of Gabriel, to increase your knowledge of and connection with this remarkable angel. Gabriel is still with us, helping people be messenger angels—including teachers, writers, musicians, and artists—and helping parents conceive, adopt, and raise their children. You’ll read true stories of people who were miraculously aided by Gabriel, and learn how you, too, can receive assistance with your messenger work and parenting.

This is a very attractive book written by Doreen Virtue (Author of “The Miracles of Archangel Michael”).  Inside we find some very colorful illustrations from the great masters.

We also find an in-depth study of the archangel Gabriel.  Ms.  Virtue has done her study on the angels.   Anyone who is interested in angels might like this book.   There are some things that do concern me in the book, Ms. Virtue gives a lot of faith to the angels rather than to God; from what I gathered she believes that we talk directly to angels rather than to our heavenly Father.  The Bible does tell us that angels are messengers from God, and I believe they are there to assist us.

This would be a great gift for Christmas, as chapter one begins with the birth of our Lord and Savior.

 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.”

Ministering to Problem People in Your Church

Marshall Shelley has written an amazing book “Ministering to Problem People in Your Church”.  In his book, Mr. Shelley helps us visualize problem people, that is well meaning Christians,  as “dragons”.  We can either slay the dragon, or we can work to deescalate our situations.   The most obvious is to deescalate. 

Mr. Shelley has given the reader  true life situations that can and will happen in any church, and shown how pastors have handled each one. 

This is a book that all pastors, leaders, deacons and elders need to read!   Well intentioned Christians can be dragons in any church, and in this book they are characterized, recognized and shown how to work with these people.

I highly recommend this book, it was an easy, informative, quick read, which will remain on my book shelf for future reference.

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.”

The Advent of Murder

Faith Morgan, former policewoman and vicar of the small English village of Little Worthy, goes to visit one of her parishioners at his farm, only to discover the house surrounded by police cars. A body has been found in the local river and farmer Markham is charged with murder.

Though busy with preparations for Christmas, Faith is called on to investigate when it’s found out that the victim is also a member of her congregation—Lucas Kemp, a member of the choir.

Faith’s informal inquiries lead her to uncover a hotbed of tensions and romantic rivalries in the choir, questions about drugs, and a run-in with an unsavory uncle—which leads to a dramatic rescue by Ben, Faith’s former detective partner and ex-boyfriend.

An interesting story, suitable for this time of year.  A suspenseful and easy to read novel that you won't want to  put down.   The story line keeps you guessing until the very end.    Some are not going to like what I say here, but My own thoughts keep are that I feel that women should not be in the head position of church.  Other than that, the story is wonderful.

I received this book free from the publisher  http://www.kregel.com . 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.”

Women Living Well

Women desire to live well. However, living well in this modern world is a challenge. The pace of life, along with the new front porch of social media, has changed the landscape of our lives. Women have been told for far too long that being on the go and accumulating more things will make their lives full. As a result, we grasp for the wrong things in life and come up empty.

God created us to walk with him; to know him and to be loved by him. He is our living well and when we drink from the water he continually provides, it will change us. Our marriages, our parenting, and our homemaking will be transformed. 

Mommy-blogger Courtney Joseph is a cheerful realist. She tackles the challenge of holding onto vintage values in a modern world, starting with the keys to protecting our walk with God. No subject is off-limits as she moves on to marriage, parenting, and household management.

 This is a book I truly enjoyed reading.  While the author was on the “Rachel Ray” show, she was shown to be a “timewarp wife” as it was put.   The world is offended by the Proverbs 31 woman of the Bible.  A woman who respects her husband, and loves her family.  If more women read this book and followed the examples there would be less divorce and unhappy marriages and a lot more happy husbands! 

“I wonder: why is it noble to help men in the workplace, help orphans, help widows, help your pastor, help the neighbors, or help your parents, but degrading to help your husband—your groom, your lover, and your best friend?” a great quote from the book on page 64.

What more can I say about this book, I feel that every woman, married, single or soon to be married should read this book!  

I received this book free from booksneeze.com . 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.”