The Goodness of God

The Goodness of God
by Randy Alcorn

What a thought provoking and mind altering work!  Alcorn puts into words some of the biggest questions we as hums ask about why things like evil, natural disasters, and other bad things happen to us.  "Why did God let this happen" is a question most every person has asked at one time or another.  In his book, Randy Alcorn addresses these questions and many more as they relate to God's goodness in a world full of sin, pain and evil.  Through biblical reference as well as cultural events and personal stories, he author addresses a multitude of topics within the realm of God's goodness and it's existence though our human comprehension of events might cause us to believe otherwise.

An appropriate book for someone facing a life struggle or difficulty, this book offers sound explanations and reasons that are biblically based and comfort.  A great gift for a friend or loved one (or self) facing troubled times and looking for some peace and understanding.

Well written, easy to read with shorter chapters, one can invest a short time to complete a chapter.  Yet, each chapter contains so much information and depth that the individual headings and resulting sections could constitute a reading session themselves.  Plenty of room for possibility of a book study, small group or personal growth study.  A solid book full of ideas, thoughts and stories that will cause the reader to pause, consider their own lives and their world and begin to see things in a new light.  To realize that God is good and ever present in the bad.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.  I was not required to write a positive review and received no compensation for doing so.  All opinions contained in this review are my own.

This is Your Brain In Love

This Is Your Brain In Love: New Scientific Breakthroughs for a More Passionate and Emotionally Healthy Marriage
by Dr. Earl Henslin

Dr. Henslin uncovers the five types of lovers: Scattered Lover, Over-Focused Lover, Blue Mood Lover, Agitated Lover and the Anxious Lover.  For each type, a questionnaire is included to help readers determine where they fall.  Henslin then explains each type and some of the whys and hows of this person's brain as it relates to sexuality and spirituality.

Written with humor, the book has it's intriguing portions, filled with interesting facts and ideas, backed by science and research.  For those not into scientific reasoning, who just want to understand the basics, this book can be a little over the top with research and cited along with explanations.  While it can be an easy read for anyone, even with the extra science and research thrown in, it spoke more to my husband than myself.  I got lost in the research, medical references, brain scan pictures and discussions and the general science, only really tuning in to the basics.  This book is a bit deeper than the usual self help relationship book out there.

Absolutely written for married couples, Henslin seeks to encourage readers to understand who they are, how they tick, and how they can come together to form an even stronger bond in their marriage.  For the couples into the hows and whys, this book may be for you.  For the readers and couples into the help and practice, a little less so.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com <http://booksneeze.com/> book review 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 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The Shelter of God's Promises

The Shelter of God's Promises

by Sheila Walsh

In this beautifully flowing book, Sheila Walsh paints a picture of God's unfailing, un-ending, unconditional love for us through her words, thoughts, anecdotes, stories, biblical references and scholarly quotes.  Each chapter is broken down into short sections all contributing and flowing into the overall thought for the chapter, such as Promises.  Well written and easy to read, whether in a complete chapter all at once, or in short sections throughout the day or even week, this book offers a lot of food for thought and contemplation.

Offering insight on ten different topics under the umbrella of God's promises and the shelter and protection they provide, Walsh offers hope, joy, learning and confidence in walking daily with Christ.  I found this book difficult to put down and also found myself really reflecting upon my own life in terms of each of the ten topics, finding times where each promise was indeed visible in my experiences.  Written in a way that softly and gently reminds one of God's love and promises through some of life's most difficult times, the author brings in bible characters and their stories of struggle to illustrate His timeless promises.

I would consider this book worthy of a small group study material as well as individual reading and reflection.  Well worth the read, you'll find yourself at peace and understanding a little more deeply Christ's love for his children.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com <http://booksneeze.com/> book review 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 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Nelson's Biblical Cyclopedic Index

Nelson's Biblical Cyclopedic Index
The Best Bible Subject Index Ever
by Thomas Nelson Publishers


The most recent Biblical Index published by Thomas Nelson is a handy little resource for all students of the Bible, from novice to knowledgeable.  It is arranged alphabetically, giving reference to the book, chapter and verse for each topic.  The index provides two sources of information: the scriptural material needed for your study and an outline in the order it appears in the Bible within each topic heading.  A nice small size, it is easy to tuck into a book bag and take along.  User friendly, this book is not intimidating as some other Biblical reference texts can be.  Able to be used with any Bible translation, you get a combined concordance Biblical dictionary and topical Bible all in one little book with more than 80,000 topics and 300 word studies.

For those who will use this book regularly, it would be much better in hard cover format as the cover can be easily bent, made of fairly thin paper.  That aside, a welcome addition to any library, making the study and understanding of the Bible all the easier.


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com <http://booksneeze.com/> book review 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 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Slave

Slave: The Hidden Truth About Your Identity in Christ
by John MacArthur

An intriguing concept - to consider one's relationship with Christ as one of a Slave/Master.  In MacArthur's book, he explores this concept, backing up his thoughts and ideas with many references from the Bible and other scholarly people and sources.  A very deep and thought provoking book.

It took me some time to get into this book.  Definitely not for the light reader, it is involved and takes considerable time to thoroughly wade through all of the chapters and give thought to the concepts presented.  Also not for the reader looking for a quick read, this book took me considerable time to get through, and I consider myself a fast reader.  Deep concepts, many references listed (some taking up half a page), and fairly technical wording make for a slow read.

While the ideas are challenging and force the Christian reader to look into themselves and they way they view their relationship with Christ, this book also offers personal reflection and challenging thoughts that may not be agreed upon by all.  Recommended only to the serious reader with time for reflection, deep thought and conversation about this topic.

You can read the first chapter at here: http://booksneeze.com/blogger/download/9781400202072

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review 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.”

Shutterfly Christmas Card

The lastest Shutterfly project...  

I absolutely love Shutterfly for all of it's capablities and time saving projects that turn out so perfect every time!  The latest project I made is a Christmas card for this year with our family portrait on it.  So easy to do, step by step instructions included so I do not even have to think about it.  So many designs to choose from and layouts available, it was hard to make a decision.  I did... and this is the end result that will be mailed to my friends and family this year...

Polka Dot Wishes Holiday

Christmas cards and holiday thank you cards by Shutterfly.

View the entire collection of cards.

Looking for a quick way to make your holiday Christmas Card, or any other photo project?  Check out Shutterfly.  You can thank me later!

Shutterfly Holiday Cards 2010

Shutterfly.com is an awesome website I was turned on to shortly before the birth of my daughter in February of 2010.  A great place to go to get digital photos printed for a very reasonable price, there is so much more to offer than just basic prints. 

I have used this site to order and purchase the birth announcements for my little one and was so impressed, as were many of the recipients.  Announcements came with envelopes the perfect size and of great quality.  I've had several prints developed in 4x6 and enlarged sizes and always been thrilled with the results. 

This year, I intend to order my Christmas cards from Shutterfly.com as well.  There are so many designs to choose from, so many formats and options.  I love that I can narrow down the search by inputting how many pictures I have, the color scheme I am looking for, the portrait orientation I desire, and the size of the card, among other search paramaters.  I have no doubt the perfect card for our family is just waiting for me to add a picture and make it ours.

From the time of order to receipt of the completed order in a bright orange package via UPS is about 5 days (sometimes even less)!  Check out the links below to some of my favorite products currently being featured on Shutterfly.com...

Click here to see the latest Photo Holiday Cards.  My favorite: Polka Dot Wishes
Click here to see the latest Holiday Cards.  My favorite: Funky Holiday Lime
Click here to see the latest Christmas Cards.  My favorite: Retro Christmas

Click here to see the latest Calendars.  My favorite: Wall Calendars
Click here to see the latest New Years Invitations.  My favorite: Bubbly Bash
Click here to see the latest Mother's Day Cards.  My favorite: Mom Noir Rose

I've believe this year the design of my Christmas card will be based on Polka Dot Wishes and cannot wait to see the finished product.  Thank goodness for Shutterfly.com, I don't have to go anywhere, literally, to get great cards and other personalized photo gifts and stationary.  And, at such reasonable prices, I can't go wrong.  Thanks Shutterfly.com!