My Review of The Final Summit by Andy Andrews

The Final Summit by Andy Andrews is the story of the last traveler, David Ponder, who is assigned to lead a summit of all the travelers to find the principle that will save humanity. I so enjoyed reading about the historical figures that were brought into the story and how the author described them. He meets with George Washington Carver, Winston Churchill, Eric Erickson, Joan of Arc, Abraham Lincoln, as well as others. I even researched some of the characters after I finished the book and found out about history I had not known. Each historical character brings a nugget of wisdom to the table and as they combine their wisdom, the puzzle pieces are put together to discover the principle that was save humanity. As each idea is discussed as to what the principle could be, the characters teach some valuable life lessons to the reader.
The Final Summit is a follow up to The Traveler's Gift and the "Five Decisions" are discussed in this book as well. As the travelers search for the principle, they are in a race against time as they watch the sands from the hour glass fall. I felt as if I needed to read the book quickly to beat the hour glass!
The Final Summit was inspiring and challenging at the same time. I loved reading this book and highly endorse it to everyone interested! I also think this would be excellent reading for high school and college students. I was provided a copy of this book from Book Sneeze in exchange for my review.

My Review of The Lightkeeper's Ball by Colleen Coble

I had not read any books by Colleen Coble, but now I intend to read more! The Lightkeeper's Ball kept me interested until the very last page. The author has a beautiful writing style. The historical time setting for the story was described very well and it was obvious that the author had researched the era in depth.
There is romance, suspense. and mystery in this story of Olivia Stewart, part of the elite society, who wants so much more than to simple be a "bauble" on the arm of an eligible man, she wants her life to have meaning and purpose. When news arrives that her sister has drowned, Olivia sets out to Mercy Falls to find out who could have murdered her. Under an assumed name in Mercy Falls, Oliva meets Harrison Bennett, her sister's former fiance and her primary suspect in the murder. Harrison is not excited about the prospect of an arranged marriage and longs to marry for love and not for money. He is weary of the polite society females who only seem interested in balls and fashion. He has a spirit of adventure and longs for an intelligent companion. As Harrison and Olivia get to know each other better, they each begin to see that the other is not who they originally thought, and that there is more to them than what appeared on the surface. As the story unfolds, there are many twists and turns that kept me guessing right up to the end.
The Lightkeeper's Ball is actually the third book in the Mercy Falls series, but it stood alone from the previous ones and didn't seem to need to reference the previous plots. I plan to read the first two now as well.
If you are someone who enjoys a classic romance, lively suspense and page turning mystery, then I would most certainly reccommend this book to you!
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Book Sneeze, however, I was not obligated to give a positive review.

My Review of Transforming Prayer by Daniel Henderson

I cannot even begin to say how much I learned from this book! Transforming Prayer by Daniel Henderson is like a breath of fresh air. The book is very well written and easy to read. Henderson speaks in every day language and shares many examples and gives stories and testimonials of others who have embraced the worship based style of prayer. The purpose of this book is to help you to overcome common barriers to praying effectively, awaken your prayer life wih simple, biblical patterns of prayer, and to enjoy Spirit led praye sparked by Scripture passages. The author is honest about how so many times we feel like we are simply praying because we feel like we are doing our Christian duty or because we feel guilty if we don't, however, most of the time, our prayer times feel like they are boring and ineffective. Rather than presenting God with our long list of needs, requests, and wants, worship based prayer focuses on giving God honor and reverence while placing us in a place of humility as we focus on who He is and what His character is.
Each chapter has a testimonial of an individual who was changed by beginning to practice worship based prayer. There are several appendex at the end of the book which were very helpful, which include: The Privileges,Possibilities and Provision Related to Prayer; Face to Face Biblical Encounters with God; How Jesus Prayed; Paul's Prayer Requests; and The Bible and God's Glory as well as chapter by chapter questions and application and discussion. Henderson thoroughly explains the reasons why worship based prayer is biblical and effective. He then gives detailed, point by point directions on how participate in worship based prayer.
As I read this book, I was so humbled by the fact that we have the honor and privilege to come before the Creator of the universe in prayer. As great and powerful as He is, He is eager to hear from us and to have a close relationship with us. I have no doubt that anyone who reads this book and puts its contents into practice will see a dramatic difference in their prayer life. I eagerly recommend this book to everyone.
I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book by Bethany House Publishers and was under no obligation to submit a positive review.

My Review of Couples Who Pray by Squire Rushnell

I was eager to read Couples Who Pray by Squire Rushell and Louise DuArt. Having read several books on prayer prior to this one, I thought that the title presented a different perspective on prayer than those I have read in the past. In my opinion, this book is a great foundational book for couples who desire to go to the next level in their relationship with God and with each other. There are many examples throughout the book of how prayer made a difference in a variety of situations when couples began to pray with each other and for each other. Practical implications of how your marriage will be improved is shown and as a reader I was encouraged and challenged to deepen my prayer life as an individual and with my spouse.
I will say, however, if you are looking for a book that gives in depth, step by step instructions on how to pray and what to pray about, then this is not likely to be the book for you. At the same time, the book did not offer that claim and I felt that I gleaned what I expected from the title. Couples Who Pray serves as more of an encouragement to simply take the step to begin praying together and outlines the reasons why. I would encourage readers who are looking for reasons to pray with their spouse to pick up this book. It is easy to read and offers great examples and Scriptures to confirm the information shared. There are a couple of appendexes at the end of the book which offer surveys for the husband and wife to take at the beginning and the end of the 40 day challenge, as well as a list of encouraging Scripture verses for a variety of categories. Overall, I felt like I was challenged by reading this book and feel that it is certainly worth recommeding to others. I received a copy of this book from Book Sneeze in exchange for my review, but was not obligated to offer a positive opinion.

My Review of Regret Free Parenting by Catherine Hickem

Regret Free Parenting by Catherine Hickem was such an encouraging book. It is honestly one of the best parenting books I have read in a long time. I'm sure that I, like most moms, worry if the principles that I am teaching my children are taking root in their heart and not just their head. In this book, Hickem focuses on 7 principles that mothers should focus on as we parent our children (understanding your purpose, knowing and affirming your child, keeping vision, developing emotional intelligence, maintaining your parent position, addressing your fears, and being dependent on God.) The book focuses on an overall game plan and vision that mothers should maintain, looking past the every day moments and situations we deal with and keeping the long term goal of parenting in sight. I love that Hickem doesn't paint a picture of a "Leave It To Beaver" type of home, but she does illustrate that even in trying and difficult situations, we can be a successful parent. While not advocating that parents should be their children's "friend" instead of their parent, there is very much an emphasis on knowing and understanding your children and developing a strong relationship with them. Regret free does not mean mistake free, but even with our mistakes, we can raise our kids to be healthy adults with proper boundaries. All of the principles in this book were very attainable and doable. I left the book encoraged and with the determination to use these guidelines in my parenting. I plan to read this book again with my pen in hand. There were so many thoughts that were profound that I want to make sure I didn't miss anything. I will be suggesting this book to other moms (and dad's). I think it is a resource that every parent should own. I was given a copy of this book by BookSneeze but was not obligated to provide a positive review.

My Review of Beneath the Night Tree by Nicole Baart

Beneath the Night Tree is the story of Julia DeSmit, a single mother who lives with her 5 year old son, 10 year old brother and her grandmother. Their family is far from perfect, but they love each other and try to make the best of the life they have together. As Julia plans her wedding to her fiance, Michael, she is suddenly contacted by Parker, the father of her son who she has not heard from since she became pregnant. As Julia faces all the emotions that come with reconnecting to Parker, at the same time she recognizes that her son has a right to know his father. The characters in the story face a variety of situations that we deal with in real life every day. I appeciated the fact that the people in the story struggled with different emotions and decisions and didn't automatically say, feel or do the right thing just because this was a Christian novel. I felt that I could relate to the characters and how they felt.
I found this novel to be refreshing in that the characters don't all end up living happily ever after and all of the problems that the chacters face don't simply disappear when two people fall in love. There is not a simple or obvious answer in which everyone in the story walks away with all their dreams coming true. The story was true to life in the sense that we live with our choices and life doesn't always unfold the way that we plan. Sometimes we make decisions that are not easy and then we rely on God to help us walk through the consequences of those choices. Nicole Baart has a beautiful writing style that holds your interest and attenton from the first page. She eloquently illustrates that life is often complicated, but that we can choose to allow God to be involved in our lives and He can turn our "messes" into something wonderful. Simply put, we can trust God with our good and our bad.
I received a copy of this book for review from Tyndale Publishers and was not obligated to give a positive opinion. This book is the third book in a series and I look forward to reading the first two as well.

My Review of The Ultimate DVD Read and Share Bible

I was excited to receive a copy of The Ultimate DVD Read and Share Bible from Book Sneeze to review since I have small children. My five year old watched the DVDs as soon as the package came in the mail and loved them. She wanted to watch them over and over since then. I found the book and DVD combo to be very useful for our evening Bible story time. We read the story and then watched the DVD chapter afterwards. My husband and I both felt like it was a great way to reinforce the concepts of each story and that the lessons were retained better. The stories in the book are short enough to hold the child's attention, yet still get across the point of the story. The pictures are bright and colorful in the book and even my two year old stayed interested in the stories. The DVD simply tells each story with a narrator and a few lines from the characters in the story. As a teacher of small children in church, I think that this book and DVD set could also be used in Sunday School or Bible classes at church as an additional resource. I also liked the feature at the beginning of the book where the Contents tell where each story can be found in the Bible. My family really likes The Ultimate DVD Read and Share Bible and I have a feeling that it will be watched many times in our home. I will definitely be suggesting this book to other parents.