Note Takers Bible

NASB Note-Taker's Bible

Age Range: Anyone 

Genre: Bibles

Hardcover: 1072 pages

Publisher: Zondervan

Source: From publisher via Booklook Bloggers

My Rating: 3 of 5 stars

About the Book:

Finally, a hardcover Bible that has plenty of room for taking notes during public or private worship, small group fellowships, or any other time or place readers feel the need to make comments in their Bible. No more cramped writing in tiny margins—the NASB Note-Taker’s Bible makes it easy to stay organized and neat. Readers will be able to personalize the text of God’s Word to their lives like never before and will treasure it as a record of their spiritual journey. Includes the complete text of the popular New American Standard translation.

Features:

• Deluxe wide margins for note takers
• Complete NASB text
• Double column text for easy reading
• Words of Christ in red letter

My Thoughts:
    
I have read many different kinds of Bibles all through my life. I have at least three that I use on a regular basis. That is becuase they are different  versions. I gravitate towards NLT, NIV, and ESV versions. When Book Look Bloggers had the NASB Note-Taker's Bible available for review, I decided to give it a shot. One reason is because I have been taking more and more notes in my Bible and found the Bible Journaling Community, and the other reason is to see how different it is compared to the other versions I have.

I found that the margins in the Bible, each page had at least 1.5 inches of space for notes. The space is on the left, right and bottom of the pages. The pages are thin, like a normal Bible and I was worried that if I started drawing and scribbling, painting, and gluing,  the pages would rip. 

The other thing I found was that I didn't really like the style of the wording in the Bible. I may be biased beacuse I use the the other versions, but this version of the Scripture was not to my liking. If you like NASB and like note taking then this Bible is for you. 

I recieved this Bible from Book Look Bloggers for free in return for my honest review. 

The Ecstasy of Surrender

Now...from the looks of the cover, you may be thinking that it is about sexual ecstasy. However, it is not.

If you have read "The Secret" or the "The Power" from Rhonda Byrne, this book is in a similar genre. A lot of the concepts I read in "The Power" are in this book. But Dr. Orloff goes a little deeper in depth.

Dr. Judith Orloff, MD, writes twelve ways of how letting go can empower your life. When we hear the word "surrender", we think about submission or giving up. However, that is not the case here. Surrender means of letting go...letting go of things that are holding you back from your full potnetional in life. Situations that have caused you great pain, and they have crippled your belief, esteem, spirit, and more.

The book is divided in to five sections: Power and Money, Reading People and Communication, Relationships/Love/Sensuality, Mortalitiy & Immortality: Cycles of Light, and Embracing Ecstasy. From there, the 12 surrenders are broken down into their correlating   parts.

What I also like about this book is that Dr. Orloff gives examples from her life as well as some from her patients. It shows that no matter where you are in life, no matter what you are struggling with, surrender really can be attainable.

NOTE: I received this book for free from Blogging for Books with the intent of giving my honest review. All reviews are mine, and my opinion of the book. 

10 Days Without....

What would you do if you went 10 days without something you thought to be essential? Would you be able to survive without your phone, iPad, computer...? What about shoes? Or a coat?

Daniel Ryan Day did just that...amongst many other things. He went 10 days without shoes, 10 days without furniture, 10 days without a coat....to help raise awareness for many of the world's problems. Things we take for granted. He shared his story with us and he challenges the reader to take that step and go 10 days without something.

Sounds pretty simple doesn't? I tried it and I didn't even make it one day without my shoes. JUST THE FIRST CHAPTER ALONE! It's not as easy as it sounds. In the 1st World...we are spoiled. We take so much for granted....we are so dependent on so many things.

This book should be a regular in churches, businesses, etc....to challenge people to open their eyes and help humanity.

The Daniel Plan

Without God’s power in your life, you are just running on your own energy. God never meant for you to do that. It’s like having a laptop that’s unplugged; the battery will eventually drain and shut down the computer. Why would you live like that when God created you for so much more?

This is an excerpt from the book "The Daniel Plan" by RickWarren, Daniel Amen, and Mark Hyman. I have read "The Purpose Driven Life" and "40 Days in the Word" by Rick, so I was looking forward to reading this.

For the most part, it's very similar to other healthy "plan" books. The exercises and diet regulations and advice are all very similar to so many other books out there. But it adds another element: God. God created us, God created food we eat. He did not create all the trash that most American's put in their bodies. So having this parallel with a lifestyle plan helps. I liked some the recipes that were in the book and I'm looking forward to trying it. The plan seems overall pretty easy to follow.

Samson

I'm not normally one to read books on the Holocaust, or boxing, or anything that sound remotely like a "guy's" kind of read. However, something drew me to this book.

Based on true events, Shawn Hoffman weaves a wonderful tale about a man named Samson and what he must do to save his family. He is found out that he was a previous boxing champion and is ordered to box for entertainment of those that run the concentration camp he is in. However, there's a catch. Winner gets extra rations, loser gets death in the gas chamber. An unlikely friendship between Samson and a Polish Catholic priest begins to blossom. Samson is down on his faith and wonders where is God when he needs him the most.

This is a great story. A part of history is being retold and you can't help but feel like you are part of the story. Shawn did an excellent job at having the story unfold. It's a tough story to read, but worth every minute.

Redeeming Love

When I first read the back of the cover of the book, I noticed the parallels resembled the story of Hosea and Gomer. I was also a bit daunted by the size of the book. I haven't read any book, other than a text book, over 400 pages other than Harry Potter....but, I still dove in.

I was thoroughly pleased with the writing. I was easily drawn in (I'm a sucker for romance novels and period pieces as well...) and I had a hard time putting it down. I was so drawn in to the story, the characters, the writing, the atmosphere of the book... It took me on an emotional journey-not with just the characters, but within myself as well. This book is about love and redemption. Extraordinary love. Something that I needed in a very difficult time in my life right now...to show that God is good and bigger than anything I've ever imagined. And he can take something we think is nothing and turn it into something beautiful.

31 Days...

I started reading this book at the beginning of October, (so, two days ago.) and I've only read the first couple chapters. Maybe this book wasn't for me. Maybe I didn't try hard enough to try to "get" something from it. Maybe it just wasn't my style of writing that was in it. I don't know. But I wasn't captured by it. That's just me personally. Others may find this book to be fascinating. Hence the reason God created us all with different views. Life would be pretty boring if we all thought the same. I hope that my review doesn't deter you from reading. It might be something you might be interested it. As for me, I just didn't click with it.

The Secret Keeper

I love Beverly Lewis. I love Amish Romance.

This story came close to home. The story of Jenny Burns in "The Secret Keeper" brought back many memories of me growing up. I live in a small town in Wisconsin that is surrounded by the Amish. Being an Englisher, I've always wondered what it was like to be Amish: Do they allow the English to mingle with them? Help at home? "Hang out"?

The characters in this book were very believable. I felt Jenny's struggle and her sense of failure when she wasn't able to understand certain things. I fell in love with Andrew right away. He seemed sweet, funny, caring...everything you'd ever want in a guy.

It was a nice change to finally see what it's like for someone who doesn't feel like they fit in with "this" world. I know what it's like. I mostly don't feel like I fit in with my family because I love "old" stuff. I've been called "old" before. I think I just have an old soul. :)

Wishing on Willows

When I first read the description of this book, it sounded familiar to me. I couldn't place why though. After I started reading the first chapter, I was like, "Wait a minute....Robin sounds familiar....." And sure enough; I was right. 

Wishing on Willows by Katie Ganshert was a nice little step back into Peaks with some familiar faces. I enjoyed reading Wildflowers from Winter, which was the prequel to this book. I sometimes have a hard time with series books, because I don't feel like they can live up to the first book (I've read some series recently that felt like they bombed compared to the original). However, Katie's style of writing had me drawn in once again and I felt like I got to know the characters more and meet some new characters. 

I can't wait to see where Katie takes us next. This is a good, easy, leisure read. Good, clean romance. 

Accidental Pharisees

My pastor read this book and presented it to our congregation. He said this was a challenging book. This is coming from a pastor who has read lots of different types of material. So I was happy to see that this was a BookSneeze selection. 

I agree with Pastor. It was a challenging read. It got right to the heart of things and dug in deep. Deep into scripture, deep into your heart, deep into your soul and really made you think about things. I liked the Discussion sections at the end of the each Part. This is a real eye-opening book and if you are ready to take a deep breath, jump off the cliff and learn more about God, yourself, your faith...then I suggest reading this. If you are ready to look in the mirror and acknowledge who you are, then this is the book for you. No turning back. 

Finding God in the Dark

Who hasn't been hurt by someone? Who hasn't felt the sting of doubt, fear, condemnation, guilt? I'm sure all of us can relate to something that has happened in our life where we have felt lost, alone, and in despair. I'm sure there have been plenty of times where you have felt like God wasn't around- especially when you needed Him to be.

Finding God in the Dark is a great book about learning to seek God when things don't seem to be going the way that you had your life planned to be going. I appreciate the men sharing their personal life struggles and feelings in the book. I enjoy reading books like this; it helps "bring it home" and make it more personal. The writing is easy and is a fairly quick read. It is written in a way that anyone would be able to understand. You don't need to be a philosophical genius to be able to read this and understand what God wants for you. 

Dirty God

Grace.

Dirty God from Johnnie Moore is a story of grace and how Jesus came to be one of us. I love how real he gets with the story and how relatable he makes the Scripture. This is an easy read in the sense that there are no difficult understandings to try to follow. But it is also a hard read emotionally and spiritually. This book really digs down into the soul and makes Jesus a person. A real person that you can confide in, understand, and talk to. He is not some historical figure that seems unattainable. He is real. And Johnnie does a wonderful job explaining how much God really does loves us and what he sacrificed for us. Grace. No matter how horrible we think we are, it's grace that covers us. 

Unexpected Love

Imagine for a moment living in Biblical times. Imagine even further yet being a Disciple walking with Jesus. Go even further yet to living in the time of Jesus and His Disciples as a WOMAN. What might you expect? Women weren't so revered back in the day. But Jesus had a different view of women. 

In Unexpected Love, the stories of Jesus and women come alive. What a wonderful way to experience nine different stories in which Jesus associated with women of his time. We are not talking royals or socialites of our day. We are talking poor, unacknowledged, and even messed up women. We get to take side seat with Jesus and spend some time with these women learning more about them and digging deeper into the mind of Jesus and what He could have been thinking. 

In closing, we bring it back to us, and how seeing these stories of these women can relate to us. None of these women were perfect. None of these women were "special" in the eyes of their world. But they were CHOSEN. Just as we are. And God loves them, just as He loves us. What a wonderful story.

It's time to grab a cup of coffe or tea, and have a conversation with Jesus and the women in His life.

 I received this book free from the publisher through the 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.”

The Respect Dare

I may not be married, but I think as a woman and as a Christian woman as well, it is very important to learn how and understand the respect it takes in a relationship. Whether it be marriage or in a friendship or family relationship. I think so many people have forgotten what it means to be respectful to others, myself included. We are so concerned about our needs that we forget about others feelings and putting their needs above ourselves. After all, isn't that what it means to serve?

The Respect Dare is about what works. It is based off many relationships of what works and what doesn't. Nina makes a few suggestions to help soak in what you will read about and learn in this book:

*Take one day at a time.

*Have no expectations of your spouses behavior, or you will experience discouragement and resentment.

*Measure your progress in terms of spiritual growth. 

*Keep a journal.

*Remember that this is a journey.

*Do the book with a few friends, and meet once a week to encourage each other.

The journaling comes in handy with the questions of meditation and thought at the end of each section. Now, I'm a journaler and I love to keep record of my thoughts so I can go back and see how I've grown or not grown and where I can improve. I think journaling is a very important part of learning and growing and I would highly recommend it as well, just like Nina did. This book covers a lot of subjects and supplies a lot of thought provoking questions. 

 I received this book free from the publisher through the 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.”

Who Do You Think You Are?

To be honest, I was so ready to read this book. I have loved Mark's videos I've seen on Mars Hill Church website as well as the videos from Right Now Media. I also thoroughly enjoyed reading his previous book "Real Marriage".

The beginning of this book crept very slowly for me. I have a very hard time getting into it and was almost ready to put it down. There was a huge history lesson about Ephesus and the people of that time. I'm not saying that was bad. But, I just finished a Bible Literature class for college that was more exciting and engaging than the first couple chapters. But, I pushed through.

The final chapters are broken down into descriptions of your identity in Christ: a saint, blessed, appreciated, saved, reconciled, afflicted, heard, gifted, new, forgiven, adopted, loved, rewarded and victorious.

The thoughts and ideas expressed in the book were not really anything that I had never heard before. For someone that has been struggling in their faith, or have never read any books on "Who are you in Christ" kind of thing, this would be a good read. This would also be good book for someone that is starting out in their faith and they have no idea where to begin in the Bible or in their walk with Jesus. For those of us that have been in this faith journey and have read many "Jesus-help" books, this is a good refresher and reminder. The text is easy to read and easy to follow.


 I received this book free from the publisher through the 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.”

I am Second

Hi. I'm Mindy. And I....am second.

" This book may not always soothe your soul, but I think it will always inspire your reflection and challenge your daily routine" How true. This is a statement made at the beginning of the book "I am Second".

God's plan for us isn't supposed to always soothe the soul, right? We are supposed to grow and change and learn from the experiences He so lovingly gives us. Those are not easy words to come out of my mouth. For I, as I am writing this, am going through a very difficult struggle.

So grateful to have gotten this book at the beginning of a new year. And so grateful to see where God will be leading me on this new 365 day journey and into many more 365 day journeys.

I love how each session begins with a video. If you have a digital edition like I have, you just click and it brings you to that video. If not, thanks to technology, you can use your barcode scanner to jump to the link (call me silly, but I get uber excited about silly little things like that. I was jumping in my seat and used the scanner to watch the video on my phone, rather than click on the link to go to the video on my Nook. Yes, yes, I know....) Back to the videos. I don't want to give too much away, but what amazing testimonies from these people! There are some surprises along the way too from certain people I've never heard of and from people I ahve heard of and was inspired by the story.

I also love how much interaction and participation is involved. This is not an easy read. This is a book that will challenge your heart and bring you closer to God. I enjoyed as well the use of social media like Twitter as suggestions to interact with others and share your own personal message and how Jesus is being put first and how you are letting yourself be second.

Thomas Nelson has been pumping out some amazing books the last year. But this? This one I can't get it out of my head. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

New Blog

Well, well, well....

I have decided to bring over my book reviews to Blogger. Hmm....me thinks that Google has found itself a new little minion. :)

The purpose of this blog, it to give honest reviews of books that I have received for free in return for the honest reviews after I had read them. I've done book blogging for a few years now and I have come across some AMAZING reads!

I just got the following book today (I ordered it on the 13th from BookSneeze and it came today!) and I've SOOOO been waiting to read this! I love his stuff.

So, look for a new review of this bad boy in the next couple weeks. Along with a few other goodies!

Cheerio for now!

~Mindy