Going Higher with God in Prayer: Cultivating a Lifelong Dialogue By A.W. Tozer Compiled and Edited by James L. Snyder Book Review

 

Going Higher with God in Prayer is a new teaching compiled together containing the teachings of A.W. Tozer. He begins the book by sharing the dynamics of prayer. He explained that prayer needs to be more about being in the presence of God. It doesn’t need to be rituals or repeated sayings. We need to instead believe and pray that prayer can accomplish things. He described Jacob and Esau. Jacob deceived his father and had to flee. Jacob eventually learned to communicate with God and to experience Him. He had a dream about a ladder into Heaven. He compared the message of the story to the ladder of prayer. He stated how far up the ladder we climb the closer to God we become. He described how our prayer life needs to be more on being in the presence of our Holy Savior and communicating with Him.  

 

 

I would recommend this awesome book about prayer and how we can improve our prayer life. It was interesting to read about his sermons and why he believed that the greatest curse is unanswered prayer. I liked how he looked at the three basic barriers to our prayers from being answered. This was very eye opening to read about how these can stop our prayer life. I also enjoyed reading the story about the couple wishing for corn and having their neighbors join in and believing for ten acres of corn. I liked how he related this back to James 4:2-3 and how important it is to pray and ask for it. We can’t just wish things in our lives would be different. Wishing is useless. Readers will benefit from learning how to climb the ladder into God’s holy presence. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"I received this book free from the publisher, Bethany House/ Chosen for my honest review.”

 

 

 

 

 

If you would like to purchase a copy, check it out on Amazon.com:

 

 

https://www.amazon.com/Going-Higher-God-Prayer-Cultivating/dp/0764234048/

Doing Church as a Team: The Miracle of Teamwork and How It Transforms Churches Revised and Updated Edition by Wayne Cordeiro Book Review

In Doing Church as a Team, Wayne Cordeiro explored the scopes of building up your team within your church and letting them use their gifts to help others. He has noticed how there is much more a disconnect within the church than ever before. We aren’t in tune to the needs of people. He stated that there are 35 to 40 million people unchurched right now. Some of the reasons people have left is because of their gifts not being used, the tasks given in the church aren’t challenging to grow, disconnected from other believers, or they have been hurt by others within the church. He shared how he is the founding of New Hope Christian Fellowship of Oahu in Hawaii. He shared how his church grew in numbers and how lives were changed. He revealed how the church learned to work together as a team. He explored the three categories of gifts: office, serving, and charismatic gifts. He stated how everyone has a gift and how everybody is a 10 in something. He shared what DESIGN means and how to discover our gifts and passions. He opened up about his churches nine core values that the members are expected to live out. 

 

 

 

I would recommend this life changing book to anyone who is ready to discover their gifts and passions and they can use this within the church and outside the church. I immensely loved how he has updated this edition to become more updated with the times. One of my favorite chapters was the one that discussed the difference between secure and insecure leadership. I liked how he looked at King Saul and how insecure he was towards David. I also liked how he explained the circle design and how to build your team. I enjoyed reading about the guidelines for a God-glorifying vision. 

 

 

"I received this book free from the publisher, Bethany House/ Chosen for my honest review.”

 

 

 

 

 

If you would like to purchase a copy, check it out on Amazon.com:

 

 

 

https://www.amazon.com/Doing-Church-Team-Teamwork-Transforms/dp/0764218484

 

 

The Way of a Christian: Life Lessons from Pilgrim’s Progress A 90 Day Devotional Book Review

The Way of a Christian is a 90 days devotional covering the life of John Bunyan. He was a preacher and a writer. He was jailed in 1661 for 12 years after refusing to censor his religion. His book the Pilgrims Progress has been published in over 200 languages. The devotional was rewritten to include current things to help readers to relate to the message in today’s times. The goal of the book is to assist us in the ways of being a true Christian. Each day contained a verse, devotional teaching, three questions, and a prayer. 

 

 

One of my favorite devotionals was the one that discussed the fire alarm. He shared a story about how a group of business men hearing the fire alarm go off. The senior manager thought the alarm was a false alarm. He stayed inside the building and everyone else followed suit. Then there was an explosion. He used this story to compare it to how many Christians are ignoring the warning signs of God’s wrath and judgement. We have to make our own decision on if we will follow Christ and His teachings. 

 

 

I would recommend this awesome devotional on the teachings of the Pilgrim’s Process. I immensely loved how they included current things to help us relate to the book. It made it easier for readers to connect with the message that many probably haven’t heard before. This was the first time in reading about John Bunyan and his writings. I liked how he covered the topic of a better expectation. We can let our major disappointments cause us to go into a deep depression or we can hold on to better expectations. We can instead believe that a new day is coming and that God has given us a sound mind. We can have hope for a brighter day. This will help you in the ways of becoming a better Christian. 

 

 

 

 

"I received this book free from the publisher, Bethany House/ Chosen for my honest review.”

 

 

 

 

 

If you would like to purchase a copy, check it out on Amazon.com:

 

 

 

https://www.amazon.com/Way-Christian-Pilgrims-Progress-Devotional/dp/080076241X/

First Impressions: Off-Screen Conversations with a Bachelor on Race, Family, and Forgiveness by Matt James with Cole Brown Book Review

In First Impressions, Matt James opened up about his personal life story and how he became the first Black Bachelor on the hit reality tv show, The Bachelor after two decades of it being on air. He explained how he led a prayer to God at the start of the first episode and this led to controversies. In the book, he shared how his mother accepted Jesus as her Savior. Most of it was because she saw her coworker life and how joyful she was. He explained how his mother married his dad and how unfaithful he was in their marriage. She stated how she never trashed him in front of her two children. She chose forgiveness towards him and Matt revealed his personal struggle with forgiveness and seeing it as a weakness. He explained how he grew in his own personal faith and how his brother stopped believing later on after he went to prison a few times. In the book, he also opened up about being half white and how people viewed him differently when they learned that his mother was white. He opened up about his experiences growing up and how his own grandfather treated him differently. He also discussed the topic of racism, the wrongful death of George Floyd, and the protests that occurred. In the book, he also shared how he became an NFL athlete and the experiences he faced during that. 

 

 

 

I would recommend this awesome book to anyone who enjoyed watching him on the Bachelor. I don’t watch this show personally but I enjoyed reading about his personal life and how he is a Christian trying to assist others through his nonprofit, ABC Food Tours. I loved how in his Bachelor book he focused more on his roots and Christian values. I was deeply touched by his story of his grandfather and how he refused to tell his brother, John and him that he loved them. He also shared how he wouldn’t help John with his math homework and judged him for his grades. Even though he has a degree in chemical engineering. He would show the other grandchildren more love and attention then John and Mark. I also love reading about how all that changed when his grandfather needed help after falling down. This story is a wonderful example of forgiveness and change.

 

 

"I received this book free from the publisher, Hachette Book Group/Faithwords for my honest review.”

 

 

 

 

If you would like to purchase a copy, check it out on Amazon.com:

 

 

 

 

https://www.amazon.com/First-Impressions-Conversations-Bachelor-Forgiveness/dp/1546002081/

On the Edge of Hope: No Matter How Dark the Night, The Redeemed Soul Still Sings by Mark Chironna Book Review

On the Edge of Hope, Mark Chironna explored the darkness and the suffering and how we can get our hope back. He opened up about how he spent three and a half years going into a deep darkness. He felt anxiety, depression, and tremendous pressure from life. He compared his pain to that of his experience with kidney stones. He shared how he felt he lost his voice and the pain he experienced. He lost about twenty pounds because he stopped eating as much and had to force himself to eat. He shared how he lost his own personal power. Before his breakdown, he was traveling a lot and speaking 4-5 times a week and he had a hectic schedule. He was a pastor and did coaching. He shared how we believe that all of our thoughts are accurate because we are thinking them. These can be positive or negative thoughts or even a mixture of them. In the book, he looked at the story of Job and how he suffered and he dealt with feeling like a bus hit him. Mark shared how he also went through a period of darkness and what he learned along the way. 

 

 

 

I would recommend this awesome book to anyone is going through a period of darkness and they are looking for a ray of hope. I appreciated how open Mark was when he shared how he dealt with his darkness and how he was able to turn his life around and come back into the light. I also liked how he shared a personal story about his grandfather and the struggles he endured. I liked how he shared that when his own father lost his own brother it changed him and influenced how he raised his own son, Mark. I immensely love how he explored Job and what we can learn from his own hardships. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"I received this book free from the publisher, Bethany House/ Chosen for my honest review.”

 

 

 

 

 

If you would like to purchase a copy, check it out on Amazon.com:

 

 

https://www.amazon.com/Edge-Hope-Matter-Night-Redeemed/dp/0800762576

Gigi and Nate New Movie in Theaters September 2!

Short Synopsis: 
Nate Gibson’s life is turned upside down after he suffers a near-fatal illness and is left a quadriplegic. Moving forward seems impossible until he meets his unlikely service animal, Gigi – a curious and intelligent capuchin monkey – who helps Nate find what he needs most: Hope.

 

 

 

I’m really excited to see this family friendly movie. It’s based on a true story. The movie appears to have a great message about never giving up and always having hope. Gigi, the monkey brings peace and helps him relearn how to enjoy life again after experiencing a life changing event. They face opposition from the community about having a monkey in the area. I also loved seeing that Jim Belushi was in this movie I loved him in Underdog and According to Jim. I’m sure he will add fun humor to the film. I liked seeing that Marcia Gay Harden was in this movie. I loved her in The Morning Show, Code Black, and Flubber. I’m curious to watch Nate and Gigi’s story. 

 

 

 

 

 

Official Website:

 

https://www.gigiandnate.com

Instagram: @gigiandnate

TikTok: @gigiandnate

In the Shadow of His Wings: 40 Uplifting Devotionals Inspired by Birds by Roslynn Long Book Review

In The Shadow of His Wings, Roslynn Long has written a beautiful book enclosed with colorful photos of birds. The book explored God’s creativity in designing the birds and the lessons we can learn from them about God. Each page included a photo of a different bird. She begins the book by sharing how in the Old Testament, the Israelites set up stones where they witnessed God’s incredible deliverance. Samuel set up a stone and called it, “Ebenezer” and this means stone of help. That’s where she come up with the idea to do a book devoted to small reminders of God’s love. She begins the book by looking at the sparrow and how numerous they are and have been around for generations. They used to be used as a sacrifice by poorer worshippers. You used to could get two sparrows for about 1 penny. Jesus used an illustration about how if one sparrow falls to the ground God is aware and how He cares for them. She used this example to teach readers how God hasn’t forgotten about us and how important we are to Him. 

 

 

 

I would recommend this awesome colorful devotional to anyone who loves nature and looking at God’s beautiful creations. I loved reading about the indigo bunting and how this blue one really isn’t blue and there is no blue pigment at all. It is more invisible. She explained structural coloration and related it back to how God is invisible to our eyes but we can still believe in Him. Another favorite thing, I learned was about the hummingbird and how they have a fast metabolism and how they have to eat every 8-10 minutes. They even have to take the time to rest. She compared us to a hummingbird and how we all act very busy. She explained how important it is to rest and on the seventh day we are commanded too. There are tons of teachings we can learn from birds and this book will help strengthen your faith. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"I received this book free from the publisher, Bethany House/ Chosen for my honest review.”

 

 

 

 

 

If you would like to purchase a copy, check it out on Amazon.com:

 

https://www.amazon.com/Shadow-His-Wings-Uplifting-Devotions/dp/0764239481

Be Joyful: 50 Days to Defeat the Things that Try to Defeat You by Joyce Meyer Book Review

In Be Joyful, Joyce Meyer explored the teachings of Paul and how we become more joyful. The book is meant to be studied daily like a devotional. She begins the book by sharing how Saul became Paul and was a changed man. He first was strongly against Christians and would put them in prison. She begins by looking at how Paul would begin a lot of his writings with the saying of grace and peace from God our Father. She instructs us to try and live in peace daily. 

 

 

She also looked at how worrying about things causes us to lose our joy. She compared worrying to rocking in a rocking chair and how it will lead us nowhere. In Philippians 4:6-7 we learn four ways to combat worrying. One of these ways in pray and let God handle whatever problems we are facing. Joyce explained how we need to replace our worried thoughts with thoughts about God has come through for us before. 

 

 

 

One of the most powerful teachings in the book is the topic of who we are in Christ. I liked how Joyce explained how she was a Christian for many years before she understood this truth. She saw a big change in her life when she realized who she was in Christ. Some of these included, “alive in Christ, mind of Christ, can do all things through Christ, new creature in Christ”, and much more. We could see our lives improve greatly if we really believe these scriptures verses and live them out. 

 

 

 

I would recommend this life changing book about Paul’s teaching to anyone who is living their lives burden down by their worries and they aren’t living a joyful life. I personally believe the whole world is losing their joy and they I immensely loved how she devoted two days to the scripture verses, Philippians 4:8-9 and this one discussed what we need to be thinking about. If we would focus on these thoughts our minds could change. I loved the lessons she taught in this book that are also found in scripture verses and they are all geared to help us to live a better life filled with true joy. 

"I received this book free from the publisher, Hachette Book Group/Faithwords for my honest review.”

 

 

 

If you would like to purchase a copy, check it out on Amazon.com:

 

 

https://www.amazon.com/Be-Joyful-Days-Defeat-Things/dp/1546029281/

The Case for Heaven Movie Review and Giveaway

 THE CASE FOR HEAVEN is based on the new book by best-selling author Lee Strobel, who wrote The Case For Christ.  

• Featuring interviews with best-selling author John Burke, world-renowned pastor Francis Chan, the late Evangelist Luis Palau and more.  

• THE CASE FOR HEAVEN will be exclusively on Pure Flix starting July 15th!  

• "Viewers will be surprised, captivated and encouraged by 'The Case for Heaven,' a beautiful and compelling film. It will dispel many of their misconceptions about the afterlife. I’m thrilled with the enthusiastic reception the documentary has received so far – and I can't wait for an even wider audience to experience it.” -Lee Strobel  

• Synopsis: We all want to know what happens after we die. In THE CASE FOR HEAVEN, best-selling author and investigative journalist Lee Strobel explores the evidence for the afterlife in order to address man’s biggest fear: death. Inspired by his own brush with death, Strobel searches for answers to the most profound questions we all have, about heaven, hell, and Near-Death Experiences. Featuring interviews with experts and skeptics, THE CASE FOR HEAVEN will challenge, encourage and inspire as Strobel dares to probe the most important question. If there is a heaven, can we prove it?  

• We are curious by nature. Taking on the big questions about heaven, hell and the afterlife, The Case For Heaven—a documentary based on the best-selling book by Lee Strobel—invites you to carefully investigate the knowable and respond with faith to the unknowable. 

 

My Review: 

 

I would recommend this awe-inspiring documentary about Heaven, hell, and what happens when we die. I liked hearing of Lee Strobel’s personal story about his near-death experience. The doctors told him, “You’re one step away from a coma, two steps away from dying.” He was diagnosed with hyponatremia. I liked how he spend most of the film exploring death and what we can learn from others who experienced near death experiences. I liked hearing about some of their experiences and it makes you wonder what Heaven will really be like. I liked how the film shared insights from Luis Palau, Francis Chan, a few scientists, and everyday people. Some of them even became believers. One of my favorite interviews presented in this film was the original lead singer of Hawk Nelson, Jonathan Steingard. He was in the band for about 16 years. It was interesting hearing how he chose to give up on God. He wrote many of the Hawk Nelson songs and to see him fall away from his faith was heartbreaking. I was honestly surprised to hear why he decided to post why he stopped believing in God. The post doesn’t appear online any longer. He also shared his thoughts on the reality of hell and death. I will admit I didn’t really listen to a lot of Hawk Nelson growing up and I have only heard a few songs on the radio. But the ones I have heard I’m surprised how he just stopped believing especially when he so wrote some of the lyrics. I loved this documentary and it will be very eye opening and it helped encouraged you to hold fast to your faith until you get to the other side. 

 

^• Watch The Case for Heaven on Pure Flix today! 

Buy Links:  

Website: https://www.pureflix.com/movie/the-case-for-heaven 

Trailer: https://youtu.be/74sng-Lmir8 

Giveaway: 3-month subscription to Pure Flix 

Disclosure:  

Many thanks to Pure Flix for providing a sample of the product for this review. Opinions are 100% my own.  

a Rafflecopter giveaway

A Hole in the World: Finding Hope in Rituals of Grief and Healing by Amanda Held Opelt Book Review

In A Hole in the World, Amanda Held Opelt opened up about how she had to learn to survive in our trying season of her life. In the book, she shared how she experienced three miscarriages. She lost her sister, Rachel Held Evans (blogger and New York Times best-selling author) unexpectedly passed away due to the flu at age 37. She had a few brain seizures. She shared how her last post was right before lent and she promised to post some more post and never got the chance to. She left behind her husband, her 11-month year old daughter, and three-year-old son. She also had a miscarriage shortly after her sister’s death. In the book, she explored the twelve rituals of bereavement. Mostly she looked at the Western culture and Abrahamic.

 

 

 

 

One of my favorites that she looked at was the one on casseroles and how this relates to the body and grief. We may feel fatigue, experience headaches, joint pain, changes in our sleeping cycles, eating habits, and much more. Grief can cause us to have higher levels of cortisol and experience stress. We could be more prone to cardiac risks and reduced immune systems. We also have a 40% chance of death when we lose a spouse. She opened up about her pregnancy and how she had a miscarriage and everything she felt. She explained how when someone dies there is a typically a big meal provided by family and friends. The Jewish include rolls to portray the staff of life, hard boiled eggs to symbolize nature of life. In Switzerland, men carry lemons to place on graves to symbolize sharpness and bitterness of death. She looked at many more examples in other countries. Eating at a funeral helps to remind us that we’re still alive. She shared how when Jesus raised Jairus daughter from the death the first thing he told them was to feed her. 

 

 

 

I would recommend this amazing book on handling grief to anyone who is currently experiencing grief or will in the future. I liked how the book explored 12 different rituals of bereavement and they can all assist us in getting through our pain and hurt. I was touched by reading about her life story throughout the book and how she had to experience grief in different times in her life and how she was able to heal, manage, and still live her life. I loved how she came up with the idea of looking at different counties and cultures and how they process grief. It was very interesting and I learned a lot of knowledge I didn’t realize what other countries did. 

 

 

"I received this book free from the publisher, Hachette Book Group/Faithwords for my honest review.”

 

 

If you would like to purchase a copy, check it out on Amazon.com:

 

 

https://www.amazon.com/Hole-World-Finding-Rituals-Healing/dp/1546001891/

The Beast or the Lamb: Discerning the Nature that Determines Your Destiny by Derek Prince Book Review

In The Beast or the Lamb, Derek Prince discussed the topic of the Antichrist, mark of the beast, and how Jesus is the Lamb. The spirit of the Antichrist is more present today than ever. This is the sign of the end times. He explored the marks of the Antichrist and how he will associate with Christians and the church. He will deny the relationship with the father and son. He will state that Jesus didn’t come from the Flesh and he will not confess Jesus. Derek shared how he believed that the first spirit of the Antichrist, we saw happened when the crowd was deciding between Jesus or Barabbas. They freed a murderer and a political figure. He strongly believes that they crowd was overtaken and influenced by the spirit of the Antichrist. They were controlled by angry, jealousy, and rage. The book looked at historical examples of the spirit including, Judaism, Islam, Apostate Christianity, just to name a few. 

 

 

 

I would recommend this awesome book on Revelations and the Antichrist to anyone who wants to understand the end times and what is to come. I immensely loved how Derek explained how important the Lamb is and what it meant in the Passover. I liked how he went into detail about the number 666 and how to calculate it. I thought this was interesting that he looked at the Greek and Hebrew example. I also loved how he looked at the Holy Spirit in both testaments of the Bible and the aspects of Him. This book will help readers to decide which one they want to follow in the last days- the Lamb or the Beast.

 

 

 

 

"I received this book free from the publisher, Bethany House/ Chosen for my honest review.”

 

 

 

 

 

If you would like to purchase a copy, check it out on Amazon.com:

 

 

https://www.amazon.com/Beast-Lamb-Discerning-Determines-Destiny/dp/0800762533/

Raising Emotionally Strong Boys: Tools Your Son Can Build On for Life by David Thomas Book Review

 

In Raising Emotionally Strong Boys, David Thomas helps parents in understanding how boys are wired and how to raise them. He has been counseling boys for over 25 years. The book shared how men are more prone to substance abuse, suicide, infidelity, and pornography. He explained how emotionally strong boys are resourceful- able to work through emotions, aware- knows his strengths and weaknesses, resilient- ability to cope, and empathetic- able to understanding feelings. In the book, he shared how boys are more prone to physically- hitting, biting, kicking, and screaming. He discussed the importance of having a space where they can release their energy and intensity. This could be a kick stand, punching bag, stress balls, pull up bar, trampoline, yoga mat, just to name a few. Boy also struggle with showing their emotions since this is a sign of weakness. Many of them have been taught to convert their fear, sadness, and disappointment into anger. He looked at Jesus and how he was a man. He displayed compassion, humility, love, and more in the face of being tempted and betrayed. 

 

 

 

One of my favorite chapters was the one on anxiety and depression. He shared how he hates when boys tell him that they don’t know when answering a question. He shared how firstborns are more likely to experience perfectionism as a way to handle their anxiety. One of the things he teaches boys is how to properly breathe. He makes them try combat breathing for three minutes. He first instructed them not to use screen time at all and they don’t use technology at first- apple watch or apps. I think this is a wonderful thing to try. I also liked how he looked at depression. One of the most shocking things is the topic of suicide and how one man dies every minute on average. 

 

 

 

I would recommend this awesome parenting book to anyone is raising boys. He did an excellent job at exploring the emotional sides of boys and how we can navigate through anger, anxiety, depression, and much more. I immensely loved how he looked at models and mentors and how we need to make sure we identity who is in our top five circles in our son’s lives. I loved how he encouraged parents to spend time with the adult figures in their son’s lives to understand how they are influencing our kids lives- ex: coaches or youth group leaders. I also liked the topic of habits and practices and how he included tips to build new habits. 

 

 

 

 

 

"I received this book free from the publisher, Bethany House/ Chosen for my honest review.”

 

 

 

 

 

If you would like to purchase a copy, check it out on Amazon.com:

 

 

 

https://www.amazon.com/Raising-Emotionally-Strong-Boys-Tools/dp/0764239988/

What's Big Starts Small: 6 Ways to Grow Great Faith by Mike Novotny Book Review

In What’s Big Starts Small, Mike Novotny explored the things that are keeping us stuck in our faith. The book explored Matthews 13 which is about the Sower, seed, and the soil. The book covered the six threats of found in the parable. This included pain, worries, wealth, wants, and not waiting. Each chapter also contained key study questions to answer. 

 

 

One of my favorite chapters was the one on wealth. He looked at 7 promises that having more money make to us. Some of these included, more comfort, more respect, more security, more rest, and much more. He also looked at thing’s money didn’t tell us. This enclosed, gaining stress to deserve me, exhaust efforts to maintain me, busy trying to manage me, worry about losing me, and much more. Most of us are on the search for a better life and we fall into the torns and traps set before us. He explained the deceiver, the deceived, and the deceivable found in the parable. 

 

 

I would recommend this awesome book about the sower, seed, and the soil parable to anyone is ready for greater faith. I immensely enjoyed how he broke down the whole story told in three chapters of the Bible where readers could understand it. I loved how he shared the four areas that threatened our faith: shows, sports, apps, and news. He stated how we need to ask ourselves if this is causing us to be fruitful in our walk with God. This book will guide you in overcoming the six areas and provide you with techniques. 

 

"I received this book free from the publisher, Bethany House/ Chosen for my honest review.”

 

 

 

 

If you would like to purchase a copy, check it out on Amazon.com:

 

 

https://www.amazon.com/Whats-Big-Starts-Small-Great/dp/076424003X

Kingdom Values: Character Over Chaos by Tony Evans Book Review

In Kingdom Values, Tony Evans has a written a book to call believers back into following Kingdom values and character. He begins the book by searching and describing what truth really is. Truth is the foundation of character. He explained how we are being deceived by the devil and how culture is busy feeding us lies. He looked at how satan was able to trick Eve into eating the forbidden fruit. He stated how the chaos in the world is the effect of people believing and following the devil’s lies. He shared how critical it is for us to know the truth where we don’t fall for satan’s lies. He revealed how the world is trying to cancel God and His Word. They are trying to cancel genders, morality, families, and whatever else they can think of. People reject the Bible mainly because it contradicts how they are choosing to live their lives.

 

 

 

The second part of the book looked at the components of Biblical character. One of my favorite topics was on gentleness. He stated how most men would hate this discussion. He explained how many relate it to weakness. Many believe you can’t have an opinion or speak up and you must become a doormat. He reminded readers that gentleness is controlled strength. He explained how we need to surrender to God and submit to Him. We need to have self-control. He described how Moses displayed meekness. 

 

 

 

 

One of my favorite stories, he shared was the story about the farmer who got tired of his neighbors stealing his watermelon. He decided to outsmart them and he made a sign that said, “one of the watermelons is poisoned”. They came back the next day and crossed out one and added the word two. The farmer ended up losing his whole crop because he believed they poisoned a watermelon and he didn’t know which one they poisoned. I liked this humorous story. Another favorite story was of the 95-year-old man and the story of the golf club. I liked how he used this example and how we can have a wrong view of our abilities. 

 

 

I would recommend this awesome book on focusing on our character and values and living them out like Christ did. I loved how he looked at many different components of our character and how we can grow each one. I immensely loved the discussion on truth and how satan is the author of confusion and how many of us are falling for his lies. I also loved the idea of the kindness challenge that he included at the end of the book to encourage readers to bless others each week. 

 

 

"I received this book free from the publisher, Bethany House/ Chosen for my honest review.”

 

 

 

 

 

If you would like to purchase a copy, check it out on Amazon.com:

 

 

 

 

https://www.amazon.com/Kingdom-Values-Character-Over-Chaos-ebook/dp/B09B2PRR4B/

I Can Be Your Friend by VeggieTales Book Review

I Can Be Your Friend is a VeggieTales story about how to be a true friend. The characteristics of a friend is someone who listens, cares, laughs, shares, and plays with you. They are there for you in the rain and the sun. The book teaches how we must forgive our friends. They might spill things, mess up, or get mad at us but we must choose to forgive them. We also should care for them when they are sick by drawing them pictures and reminding them that they matter to us. In the end, we must remember that God is our best friend who will always be there for us. 

 

 

I would recommend this very touching friend’s book to anyone who is ready to become a better friend. All children need to read this book and be taught the lessons on how to care and reach out to others. I loved how it discussed forgiveness and how we must truly forgive others for their shortcomings and mistakes. It also had the important message of taking turns sharing to be the line leader, playing music, and dancing. This book contained a wonderful message on being a true friend and caring about others. 

 

 

 

 

 

"I received this book free from the publisher, Hachette Book Group/Faithwords/ Worthy Kids for my honest review.”

 

 

If you would like to purchase a copy, check it out on Amazon.com:

 

 

https://www.amazon.com/I-Can-Be-Your-Friend/dp/1546002146/