THE GOOD BOOK

The Good Book offers a user-friendly guide to the Bible's biggest ideas.

A chapter from the Bible accompanies each chapter of the book, which helps readers understand the context and content of the Scripture passages in a way that can open the whole Bible.

Designed as a forty-day journey through forty key chapters of the Bible, The Good Book will appeal to those who already love and read the Bible regularly as well as to those who are just beginning their Christian journey.

The Good Book:

-is a great evangelism tool for explaining the major themes of Scripture to those who want to know more about God, Jesus, and the core beliefs of Christianity;

-gives new believers an overview of the Bible and lays a framework to help them understand Scripture passages;
-helps longtime Christians rediscover the basic themes of Scripture and experience these truths in a new way; and
-encourages Scriptural literacy as it pushes readers to read both one chapter of the book and one chapter of the Bible each day for forty days.

The Good Book is great for individuals, and it can also be used by small groups in an eight-week church-wide program or a forty-week journey that focuses on one Bible chapter each week.

My thoughts...

This is a great tool to use as you study the Bible or read it alone. It breaks the bible down to where it's easy to understand what's being said. I like the historical information the author adds as well as the stories he shares. He has highlighted forty chapters and points out how the things that happened years ago are still relevant to us today.

I received a copy of this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

LOCAL POET

A horrific road accident is just the start of a journey into the dark past of the local poet. Rob doesn't know Laney Grey. But when she deliberately steps out in front of his van and dies on impact, his life will never be the same. The police declare him innocent, but how will he deal with the guilt?

Now Rob is driven to know who she was, why she chose to die, and why he had to be part of her death. To understand her, he must read her poetry. To know her, he must unravel the mysteries of her past. As Laney's dark secret starts to come to light, and Rob's innocence is questioned, he must learn the full truth. But truth comes at a cost. Will Rob be the one who has to pay the price?

My thoughts...

This book is oh so good! What a great storyline, it's one of those you can't wait to finish. Rob is determined to find out all about the woman he hit and killed with his car and why she deliberately stepped in his path. Sometimes it's best to just let things go but for Rob, he couldn't do it. What unwinds is a murder mystery with an ending I wasn't expecting. Kudos to the author...good job.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

'The NKJV Woman's Study Bible'

The Woman's Study Bible poignantly reveals the Word of God to women, inviting them to receive God's truth for balance, hope, and transformation. Special features designed to speak to a woman's heart appear throughout the Bible text, revealing Scripture-based insights about how godly womanhood grows from a woman's identity as a Christ-follower and a child of the Kingdom.

Now with a beautiful full-color redesign, The Woman's Study Bible reflects the contributions of over 80 women from a wide variety of ethnic, denominational, educational, and occupational backgrounds. Since the publication of the first edition of The Woman's Study Bible under the editorial guidance of Dorothy Kelley Patterson and Rhonda Harrington Kelley, this landmark study Bible has sold over 1.5 million copies.

My thoughts...

First off, I love the color design throughout the Bible, the articles that are very informative, the topical index and concordance. This is a great study bible, lots of information along with the scripture makes understanding easy and if you like to dig deeper like I do, there's history, links, and helpful tidbits.

What I didn't especially like about the bible is the cover, I'm not a fan of hard covers but what's inside makes up for it. The large print is perfect, there's still room for notes and prayers. I'm a fan of the NKJV, it's truly a great study bible any woman would enjoy.

I received a copy of this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

You're invited to receive God's truth for balance, hope, and transformation in the fully revised and redesigned The NKJV Woman's Study Bible. The new edition features a beautiful, full-color redesign and poignantly reveals the Word of God with Scripture insights and the contributions of more than eighty women from a wide variety of ethnic, denominational, educational, and occupational backgrounds. Special features designed to speak to a woman's heart appear throughout the Bible text, revealing Scripture-based insights about how godly womanhood grows from a woman's identity as a Christ-follower and a child of the Kingdom.

This spring, cultivate your heart's spiritual roots and enter to win the Grow in the Word Giveaway!

One grand prize winner will receive:

• A copy of The NKJV Woman's Study Bible (winner's choice of design)
• A decorative plaque
• A rose gold Tree of Life necklace

Enter today by clicking the icon below, but hurry! The giveaway ends on April 27. The winner will be announced April 28 on the Litfuse blog.

A FRAGILE HOPE by Cynthia Ruchti

Hope grows when seeds are planted—even in the muddy middle of life.

Josiah Chamberlain’s life’s work revolves around repairing other people’s marriages. When his own is threatened by his wife’s unexplained distance, and then threatened further when she’s unexpectedly plunged into an unending fog, Josiah finds his expertise, quick wit and clever quips are no match for a relationship that is clearly broken.

Feeling betrayed, confused, and ill-equipped for a crisis this crippling, he reexamines everything he knows about the fragility of hope and the strength of his faith and love. Love seems to have failed him. Will what’s left of his faith fail him, too? Or will it be the one thing that holds him together and sears through the impenetrable wall that separates them?

My thoughts...

The title is perfect for this book, hope can be fragile...one of the hardest things to hold on to. The people that surround Josiah certainly teach him this truth as they endure their own struggles. Spending your days and nights in an ICU waiting room you meet others going through similar emotions. Though they're similar each one is unique, Josiah learned his wife was leaving him, she was pregnant, and that the babys father was killed, all on the night of the accident. Being in a relationship where communication is poor can lead to very wrong impressions...Josiah was very wrong in his thinking. Though it takes time for him to learn the truth he puts himself through unnecessary agony as well as hurt those who love him.

There's heartbreaking loss during this time which turns him to God and as he begins to understand what really happened and where things went wrong he untimately starts to become a better person. There's tears and unepected surprises throughout this beautiful story. Another awesome book by one of my favorite authors.

I received a copy of this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

HOME by Ginny Yttrup

Melanie runs away. From conflict. From pain. From reality.

When novelist Melanie Vander faces a looming deadline, she decides it’s time for an escape to an inspiring, novel-worthy locale. She’s not running away. Really. She just needs time to focus. But as she disappears into her writing, she encounters a man whose tenderness leaves her reeling. Engaging and wise, psychologist Elliot Hammond tempts Melanie to question everything, including her marriage.

But that’s ridiculous. Dr. Hammond isn’t even…real.

Melanie’s husband, Craig, has his own problems, including a recession that’s threatening his business. Waning finances, a looming home foreclosure, and a wife who’s checked out emotionally, has Craig feeling as though he’s carrying his burdens alone. When his client, the beautiful and single Serena Buchanan, offers him a solution to his financial woes, he’s tempted by more than her offer of a business solution.

At a crossroads, Melanie and Craig seem headed in opposite directions.

As Melanie runs away from her problems by escaping into her own fictional world, Craig dives into his struggles, seeking God for strength and healing for his marriage. Ultimately, Melanie must choose whether she’ll check out completely, or allow her characters to lead her home.

My thoughts...

As I followed the lives of the four main characters I experienced waves of emotions, each one going through their own struggles just like each of us. I got to know and understand the people in HOME and often thought that I wouldn't mind having neighbors like Jill and Marcos or Craig and Melanie. Their friendships were strong...stronger than Craig & Melanie's marriage it seemed. Craig didn't think he was to blame for anything that had gone wrong with his and Melanie's relationship...she, on the other hand, was tired of being alone even when they were together in the same house. Ginny really hits the nail on the head with how men and women view things differently...relationship is what it's all about. Relationship with our Lord and with each other. If only that word was truly understood it would make a difference in each of us.

Ginny's books always leave me thinking about what truths I've learned from reading them and how I can apply those truths in my own life. I haven't read a book of hers that I didn't like.

I received a copy of this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Prayers for a Simpler Life: Meditations from the Heart of a Mennonite Mother

Do your quiet times with God feel disconnected from the rest of your overflowing days? Shouldn't our devotions affect how we live our lives? In this 90-day devotional for women, plain Mennonite mother and wife Faith Sommers helps connect your moments with the Lord to the rest of your life. Steeped in the faith of Amish and Mennonites, who maintain that how we live is as important as what we say, Sommers' words hold gentle warmth and wise nudging for readers tired of disjointed living. Offering daily devotions, prayers, journal prompts, and ideas for how to simplify your life and strengthen your faith, Prayers for a Simpler Life guides readers toward a deeper commitment to the way of Jesus.

My thoughts...

Spiritual truths are plentiful in this wonderfully written book...sometimes you just want to know God is near and these devotional readings and prayers remind me of just that.

I am also reminded of His mercy and love and how life can sometimes be overwhelming, a simple prayer to the Father is all it takes...I feel His Presence and know that I will get through this.

This book is on my nightstand where it will stay within reach at the end of the day.

I received a copy of this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

THE SUPERHEROES DEVOTIONAL

About the Book:

For more than 75 years of comic book history and dozens of gigantic cinematic releases, Superheros have captivated our imagination--filling our senses with heart-pounding adventures, riveting plots, and spectacular special effects—and sometimes they have profound messages woven into them. Often the underlying themes reveal a Judeo-Christian influence, and even when it isn’t intentional, you can still draw deep lessons from them. Whether it’s the self-sacrifice and humility of Captain America and the Hulk’s struggles with anger or the parallels between Superman and Jesus or between Black Widow and a ruthless Bible heroine, your favorite heroes and heroines (and even villains) have much to teach.

My thoughts...

"The Superheroes Devotional" is more than I expected. Full of adventures with exciting characters this devotional is great for boys and girls who enjoy superheroes, the best part is that they get a spiritual feeding each day explained in a way that youngsters will find exciting and can understand...I learned a few things also.

Colorful and inspiring is how I would describe it. A great teaching tool.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review.