NIV Teen Study Bible- Girls: Growing in Faith, Hope, and Love

I love getting Bibles. One can never have too many, especially when you are jotting notes down all the time. Over time though, it can be hard to review it, when you've read the same thing over and over again.

What I like about this Bible, is that it is geared to the young girl. The book includes, Book introductions, character profiles of the women of the Bible, daily reading geared specifically for teen girls by popular Christian Author/sArtist, Concordance, and highlight verses for promises from God.

Even though this Bible is geared towards teen girls, as a thirty-something woman, I found that a lot of the extra "goodies" tucked in between God's Promises, was well worth the wait on receiving this.

Lazarus Awakening

Awhile back, I was given the book, "A Mary's Heart in a Martha World" from Joanna Weaver, from a friend because I was struggling with some very uneasy feelings in my heart and no matter how I prayed about it, they wouldn't seem to go away. I loved that book.

When I was given the chance to receive a copy of the Lazarus Awakening Study Pack from Blogging for Books, I was excited.

The Study Guide is very well put together and is usable for either personal/single study or group study in eight week sessions that are easy to follow. I decided to give it a go on a personal study level first.

The bundle does not include the actual Lazarus Awakening book, and at first I was concerned that I would need the book to go along with it. I started the first week and felt that it was not necessary to have the book to work with the companion study guide,  but I think it might explain things a lot better if you had that as well. 

Each chapter has a short lesson and then a Bible verse to memorize. Then there is a section called "Word Time" which is a one-page tidbit on applying the Bible to our lives and ways to understand it better. Next is "Israel Moment" which describes a little bit of life in Bible times. After this, there are a few reflection questions, and then the actual study where you will use your Bible to look up answers to the questions. The chapter closes with a "Who I am in Christ" statement and another video clip.The DVD is filmed in Israel with exquisite scenery that brings you into the moment, without distracting from the teaching.

I would recommend anyone to read this, study this, and be embraced by this. 

7 Secrets to an Awesome Marrigae

7 Secrets...

I am not currently in a marriage, or a relationship for that matter, but it does not hurt to learn about how a marriage should work, right?

I was hoping the best for this book. To me, it felt like all the other "self-help" marriage books out there, just broken up into 7 different categories. I didn't feel like there were any secrets that have not already been discovered by other authors, or the Great Author himself.

This is just my humble opinion.

Second Street Nation Review

I like reading all sorts of books. I like reading historical fiction...as long as it is historically accurate. I had a hard time getting through Second Street Nation because Mary Hadley is a modern woman in 1888, however her vulgar language reminds me that of a woman of the 21st century or a poorer ranking woman in the 19th century. She also lives in a one bedroom apartment with running water (she turns the faucet on to soothe a burn while cooking). I don't remember there being running water in an apartment, especially that of a bad side of a town.

I really wanted to like this book considering this is Lawrence Levy's first novel. However, do to the discrepancies, it was difficult for me to get through without making some sort of comment every few sentences.

The Good, The Bad, and the Grace of God

I was never really a fan of Duck Dynasty. I did, however, admire their faith in God and willingness to share it. Especially being on television where religious views aren't always openly accepted. It was a breath of fresh air to read this and learn about the family behind the popular television show. I have a new found respsect for the Robertson clan.

Jep Roberston, the youngest member of the Dynasty family, and his wife, Jessica, open up about their marriage, their family, and their faith in God. Most biographies I've read have been very "on the surface", but the Robertson's were not afraid to open up about their lives. It's a quick read, and anyone would learn something about themselves.

Infuse (Oil, Spirit, Water)

For awhile now, I've wanted to learn how to infuse olive oil. It all started when I made a stop at a friend's house. We decided to have a salad along side dinner and she told me she got a bottle of Lemon Infused Olive Oil to try, so we decided to put it over the luscious greens. I was in Heaven.

Along came infuse. I was blown away by the different varieties of recipes for the oil, spirits, and water. I got excited when I read them because I wanted to try a lot of them. Now, some of them are super easy and only take a few hours to maybe a day to do. Some..take a little longer (we're talking weeks here, people). I haven't tried those yet.

My only downfall with this book is the fact that they have a special lid to use for a lot of them. Since they are made in mason jars (and I have 5 kazillion of them because I drink out of them like they are going out of style), I would have to purchase the lid. Or, I could cheat and use other containers that had the shaker lids. I haven't personally made any of the recipes yet, but I borrowed the book to a friend of mine that does a lot of her own mixed drinks. She said the recipes were really easy and easy to follow. She also mentioned that the pictures alone were making her hungry (or thirsty).

Looking forward to trying a lot of these myself and contiuing on my journey with being all domestic-y and making things myself instead of buying into Big Box America.

*NOTE* I received this book in return for an honest review for Blogging for Books. The views in this blog are my own personal opinions on product. I am not receiving any compensation for my reviews. 

James: Faith Becomes Real

This has been an interesting journey through James for me. Each chapter of James is broken down into multiple devotions that are a quick easy read, yet at the same time intriguingly profound. James is spelled out in a way that is easy to understand and brings events into today's life. At the end of each devotion, are a couple questions to ponder on from the reading that you just finished. Some of those questions really dig deep into the soul and stick with you all day long, reminding you of what you just read. Even though the questions may be simple, it's the Holy Spirit that is pulling at your heart and helping you connect to the Word in ways you never have, even if you've read the words over and over.