Book Review: Choose & Choose again by J. Kevin Butcher

Book Review: 

Choose & Choose Again 

by

 J. Kevin Butcher

 

Some books are outstanding reads because they blow your mind. Others are fabulous because they write about something the reader agrees with, this book doesn't fall in any of those categories. It stands alone with the numerous stories that hit close to everyone's hearts. Love poured out on person after person. The Jesus this man shows to people he has no ability to relate to and the result! It is easy to write in a book that 8 years after spontaneously kissing a harden criminal in a prison visiting room, that man prayed the sinner's prayer, but much harder to walk along side that man for those 8 years.

Chapter after chapter Butcher takes you on a journey. Not his journey as much as Christ Journey through him. People screaming at him in the middle of his sermons. Members of the congregation stepping in and sharing their hurt in a way that starts the healing process. Love, coming from numerous people, helping pull the lost from the very clutches of the devil.

It is an amazing book.

"What does God Really Promise?" book review!

 Another book review!

This is a different book than the kind I usually pick up.

Written by Carolyn Lassen and Illustrated by Amylee Weeks it is a book that answers 101 Questions about God's promises, the church and the future.

Each answer is shown on a single page with a Bible verse to back it up.

 A very sturdy book, the color will grab your attention.

It is broken up into various chapters, or title pages.

 I admire the attempt to answer 101 questions about three very...questiony topics!

They author did well at answering hard and easy questions with one page answers. From why churches accept contributions to if there are different levels of punishment in hell. Seriously, this book goes for broke on answering the questions.

The main thing I thought about with this book was I'm not sure where to put it. It is kind of one of those, read a page every day book, but it asks such a variety of questions I wouldn't just want it on my night stand. Maybe it would be good for a church lounge room or a waiting room etc.

It is very pretty but I'm not sure I would give it to someone because the answers are so basic the deep questions, obviously, need more than a page. Maybe it would be a good book for someone not used to our culture or the church culture, a bit of an eye opener.

So there it is. It is a book full of information, I'm just not sure for whom. If you grow up around christians than these are answers you are familiar with, but it is never a bad idea to refresh your memory!

Tyndale House Publishers has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book.

Gratitude: a prayer and Praise Coloring Journal book review

Not only I by all my girls were thrilled when this book came in the mail!

I've now not only spent some down time coloring but also some quality time with my girls! 

There are places to write and add thoughts, I'll probably do that as I go along. Right now we are just having fun coloring and spending time together!

Despite the hard cover this book lays remarkably flat!

 It actually seems to be a soft cover with a hard cover glued on to the top and bottom but not the sides!

 It makes it lay very flat and works wonderfully for moving your hand all across both pages without hinderences! I know it is a little thing but that is important for me! Maybe because I'm not a die hard coloring fan...well, or I wasn't!

Some pages are just to be colored and some have places to write on. There is a little bit of coloring done on a few of the pages if you want help choicing colors! Others are just black and white.

This book seems perfect for the journaling type interested in trying coloring or the coloring type who's interested in journaling!

The book is ready for whatever mood you are in, no pressure to do it page by page! My 12 year old loves it and wants one of her own, the verses, prayers and titles are smattered through the book just perfectly!  It's a gem of a book to own! Or to gift!

 Here is a link to some more journaling ideas:

·         Tyndale’s Inspire Creativity board on Pinterest has downloadable samplers and sharable coloring pages from our coloring and Bible journaling line, the Living Expressions Collection!

·         Check out www.livingexpressionscollection.com for the latest news and information on our coloring and journaling products.

And for the technical part: This book was provided for me to review by Tyndale Blog network & Tyndale House Publishers. Thanks guys! 

Book Review: The 9 arts of Spiritual Conversation

I'm not sure what I expected from a book of this topic but I was pleasantly surprised. It is a guide book on how to share your faith without condemning or bowling over others. Written by Mary Schaller & John Crilly, two people who take friendships seriously, as if each one is God-given investment. Their life-style reflects their faith and the lives they have for others. It all comes out in this book

It doesn't just give you a way to answer people. It works on a total new mindset that takes you to a place that Jesus took his disciples. A place that loves people first and then teaches them about Christ.

With a step by step guide this book should be a requirement on how to share your faith without scaring off people. Guiding others to find out about the Kingdom without driving them away. We study before we take a driving test or an entrance exam, why not that much more before sharing the most important thing in our lives? Our faith. How to do it? Check out this book!

Review For Road Trip to Redemption

An impacting story about a family, who seems like they are doing fine discovering that fine, by the world's standards, wasn't what they wanted at all. By listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit they start finding their way to the Father's "fine" for their lives. It is a good read and an excellent way to realize everyone is working on figuring out God's plan for their life.
Sometimes as parents we can feel like we are missing something or if we miss something it may mess up our kids forever. Here is about a family who missed somethings, and had somethings they caught not get taken seriously.
From a dad's perspective it gives a lot of hope and light to how they handled their issues and how you can make it through yours!

Don't miss this read!

Another Craig List sale!

Remember the bunk bed and dresser I got?

 

 That dresser started out wayyyyy ugly but it was free if my pregnant self in my new mini van could load it up!

It was the first time I was ever thankful for how light fake wood was!
But it cleaned up nicely!

 The bunk bed was a $20 purchase that I didn't really need but 3 going on 4 kids later and some awesome quilts...it has served us well.

 But alas the time has come to depart. My husband is going to make beds that 1.2 hang from the ceiling/ 1/2 hang from the wall. I'm not totally sure what it will all look like but I know it will be AWESOME!
So it is my job to get rid of the bed and I've already replaced the dresser with one he was given on a job site (Solid wood, 5 ft tall...AMAZING! Who GIVES something like that away?)
So today I listed the bed and dresser for $240 baring a new coat of paint. I said I would skip the paint and take off $50 if they wanted. My phone lit up. Exploded. Calls, texts, emails...WHAZAM.
Blown away.
So I've taken the dresser apart, taken the mattresses off, and am waiting for my husband to get home to take the bed apart. The first call said I didn't need to repaint it but could I deliver? For $230 I think I can do that. I feel pretty confident with 3 people as back up plans if the first one falls through. I might be buying and painting bunk beds after this! I'm sure selling the mattresses and having a matching dresser has something to do with it. I did get one email just complimenting my quilts! ha!

Toy storage from Popcorn tins!

 

We like to have a room available to host people/family who need a place to stay. Right now our home is a 3 bedroom house and we have 3 (going on 4!) kids. So that means the office is also the guest bedroom and the kid’s sleeping room is also their playroom! Though many times the play room ends up being the living room!

So in order to keep the toys orderly I devised this organization system that cost me mere dollars.

I got some boy scout popcorn tins at 2 different garage sales and one thrift store:

These tins are a little shorter than the normal popcorn tin and since they all matched I didn’t have to worry about one being skinnier than the other etc…

And they are boy scouts so they are fairly easy to find. They ranged from 10 cents- $1

First I spray painted them metallic.

Then I used my mom’s Cricut to cut out the letters. I could have stenciled them on but this was handy.

 

She was given, as a teacher, the black vinyl so I didn’t even have to buy that!

 

Then I filled them with the toys. I tried to do this with the tried and true toys that have many parts. Like Lincoln logs.

It was like giving the kid’s new toys! They played and played with them. And it was such easy clean up. And easy to say, “Well, put that tin away and then you can get the other one out.”

 

Also it keeps the pieces from being lost.

I have noticed some of the paint chipping off. I did several coats so I’m not sure if I need to do some sort of clear coat on it to help protect it or what. I’ll see how they hold up!