Knowing God By Name by Jaynes, Smith, & Southerland

Knowing God By Name is designed to be an 8-week devotional.  Each week contains 5 devotions that each highlight a name of God.  That is followed by a "Now It's Your Turn" section on Day 6 which can be used for personal study/reflection or in a small group setting.  The purpose is not to list every name of God, but to provide insight and opportunities to reflect on who God is and grow closer to Him.

The three authors take turns in presenting the names of God.  In each reading we learn the Hebrew or Greek name and what it means, where we see it used in the Bible, and what that name has meant to the author.  It is followed by a prayer.  I thought the presentation was very good and helped me to focus on that one attribute of God each day.  I would have liked the pronunciation to be provided for each name within the chapter.  While that wasn't done, there is a pronunciation guide in the back of the book.  There is just something cool about praying each name in the original language.

Day 6 for each week is more in-depth.  There is a section entitled "Time for Reflection" that would be perfect for a small group.  There are verses to look up and questions to answer related to that weeks readings.  There are also links to worship songs and a page or two for journaling your thoughts.  Another group resource can be found on the Girlfriends in God website...free brief videos by the authors to introduce you to each week of readings.

While anyone can benefit from this devotional, I think it will have the most impact if done in a group setting. So get your girlfriends together and get started!

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Multnomah Books in exchange for an honest review.

Little Book of Great Dates

My husband and I have been married for 13 years.  While we have several date nights in a month, we typically do the same things.  I decided to take a peek at this little book to see what kind of ideas I could get for varying our dating routine. 

Greg and Erin Smalley have put together 52 ideas for great dates.  Each entry consists of a few paragraphs explaining a theme (such as listening, traditions, simple gifts, and trust), followed by a suggested activity and conversation starter questions.  There are also ideas for Valentines Day, Anniversary, and other special occasions.

Many of the activities are fairly typical date suggestions.  Living in a small town somewhat limits what is available for us to do.  I did find a few new ideas such as picking out a new recipe and cooking something together, or playing hide and seek in a mall and texting your spouse clues to find you.  The thing I like most is focusing on a theme for the date and having questions to discuss over dinner.  It will be a nice way to keep conversation focused on our relationship.

So if you need some date ideas, or even just some topics for conversation, give this little book a try!

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Tyndale Publishers in exchange for an honest review.

Forgiveness by Matthew West

Matthew West, a popular Christian musician, invited people from all walks of life to share with him their stories of forgiveness.  The result is this small book and several songs that the stories inspired.

The stories are divided into sections: Forgiving Others, Asking for Forgiveness, Forgiving Yourself, and Embracing God's Forgiveness.  After each story is shared, the author writes a few pages expanding on the theme and sharing his own experiences and Scriptures.  I was very impressed with the way the book was organized and how well it flowed!  Forgiveness is a tough topic, but I think it was presented here in a way that was easy to understand and interesting to follow.  I'm sure every person can relate to at least one, if not many, of the stories laid open on these pages.

The story that spoke the loudest to me was written by a pastor's wife.  She says "I never expected the sources of my greatest hurt in life to come not from people in the world, but from people inside the walls of a church."  After being a pastor's wife for only 3 months now, I could relate so well and was able to benefit from the lessons she and her husband learned.  Her husband (also Matthew West's father) shared with him these words, "Son, people will let you down.  Even God's people will let you down.  Your mom and I will let you down.  But you must keep your eyes on God at all times.  You cannot let your view of God be tainted by the imperfections of His people." Amen.

For fans of Matthew West's music, this book will explain what inspired several of his newest songs.  Songs like "Forgiveness", "Restored", "Hello, My Name Is", and "Love Stands Waiting" were all written in honor of a person's story.  Hearing those stories forever changed the meaning of the music for me. 

I highly recommend this book to anyone who struggles with or wants to understand more about forgiveness.  It really can set you free.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from BookSneeze in exchange for an honest review.

Raising Boys By Design by Jantz & Gurian

Since I have 3 boys, ages 6-10, this book got my attention.  Of course I want my sons to thrive and "grow into the strong loving men God created them to be."  The question is...did this book help me as a mother?

While I can't say that I learned much new, I can say that this book took information that I've heard from various sources and combined them all into one resource.  In one book, these authors provide info on how boys develop and think differently than girls, what they need emotionally from mom and dad, important character qualities to encourage, sexuality issues, school performance, technology, rites of passage, and faith.  Whew!  Each chapter concludes with action steps to take.

The drawback to touching on all these issues, and the authors being a psychologist and a counselor, is that I found the book to be dry.  These was an occasional story here and there, but most of the text was slow moving and I had a hard time staying focused and interested.

The one new idea that I really liked is providing the adolescent boy a "rite of passage" which allows him to go on a journey toward manhood and connect with older men as mentors.  Tim Wright has developed a curriculum that churches can use to offer this program called Following Jesus: A Heroic Quest for Boys (www.heroicquestforboys.com).  I would love for my boys to participate in something like this when they are at the right age.

Would I recommend this book?  It depends.  For someone who doesn't read much and wants an overview of all these topics and how they relate to boys -go for it.  There is good info in these chapters.  However, if you like to read and would rather read multiple books that are more enjoyable (rather than one that is a bit slower), I would keep searching.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from WaterBrook Press in exchange for an honest review.

Sweet & Simple Moments With God Devotional

Kim Newlen has written a devotional for the new year full of sweet insight and simple thoughts to dwell on throughout the day.  There is a one-page devotion for each day of the year.  Each one begins with a Scripture verse, is followed by a few paragraphs, and concludes with a key thought or action to take. 

One thing that I like about this book is that the devotions are tied to the day they are intended to be read on.  For example, today is September 11th.  The verse referenced is Psalm 119:11 I have hidden your word in my heart.  Kim writes about where she was when those terrible events unfolded in 2001.  She remembers being comforted by His Word that had been hidden in her heart..."When I am afraid, I will trust in you (based on Psalm 56:3)".  In that time of need she drew strength from those words and was able to comfort others.  The devotion concludes by encouraging us to pray for comfort for those families who are still mourning.  It was a very fitting way to start my morning.

Another thing that I found helpful was the Scripture Index at the back of the book.  From Genesis to Revelation, the Scriptures mentioned in this devotional are in order and linked to the "day" in which they appear.  This would be a great tool if you use a daily Bible reading plan and want to find some devotions to go along with the Scriptures you are reading. 

Sweet & Simple is a good description of what you will find in this book...thoughts to help us set our mind on things above and opportunity to connect with God.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Tyndale Publishers in exchange for an honest review.

Encouragement for Today

100 days of encouragement...from one woman to another.  This book is a collection of devotions written by various women.  Each devotion is two pages long and includes a point to remember, a question to reflect on, a suggested way to respond, and related Scriptures to look up.  If you have just 5 minutes, you have time to receive a small dose of encouragement from one of the readings.

I personally like having the variety of different authors.  If you can't relate to one woman and what she has experienced, just turn the page and maybe the next one will speak into your situation.  What I've found is that these devotions touch on topics all women face: maintaining a thankful attitude, being content, not over-committing, navigating friendships, overcoming insecurity, etc...  Starting off your day with one of these readings can give you a thought and a Scripture to set your mind on during the day ahead.

There is a Table of Contents listing each devotional title, but no topical index (which I think would have been a nice addition). 

While this book would be great to give as a gift or read anywhere, there is also a way to get daily devotions from this same team of women electronically!  Simply go to the Proverbs 31 Ministries website (click HERE) and read or sign up to have the devotions sent to you each day.  Either way, you will be blessed by the words of wisdom and encouragement. 

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from BookSneeze in exchange for an honest review.

Worship Together Bible

Being the wife of a worship pastor, I was excited to get the opportunity to review this Bible.  My husband and I are frequently looking to identify which Scriptures inspired various worship songs so that he can reference them during the service.  Many of the songs highlighted in this Bible are ones that we sing or have sung at our church.

Within this Bible there are 2-page devotions for 50 songs.  Each devotion displays the song lyrics, the Scripture that inspired the song, a few paragraphs giving the song background (usually including quotes or thoughts from the songwriter), and a short devotional thought.  These devotions are what makes this Bible unique.  The Song Index near the back lists each song, the Scripture reference, and what page it is located on.  I think these devotions will be a great tool for my husband in preparing his heart for leading these songs.  They are also great for anyone wanting greater insight into why the songs were written.

The thing that I didn't like was the way the devotions were organized in the Bible itself.  It seems they were randomly placed throughout the text.  I expected that if I were to be reading in the book of Job that I would find the devotion for the song Blessed Be Your Name (taken from Job 1:21) to be found there.  Instead, it is found in the book of Genesis!  Why put these devotions within the Bible if there is not going to be a rhyme or reason behind where they are placed?  I would much prefer a book with these song devotions (and others) only, and then use it in conjunction with a study Bible.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from BookSneeze in exchange for an honest review.