Heaven is for Real

It’s been a long time since I started to read a book and couldn’t put it down! This book was so enjoyable, and written in a way that was so easy to read. As a Christian the topic of heaven has always intrigued me. I’ve read other books about people who saw a glimpse into heaven but none affected me as much as this did. Seeing heaven through a child’s eyes was fascinating!
This book is written by Todd Burpo, a pastor as well as a father, who retells his experiences as well as his 4 year old son Colton’s. While Colton was having an emergency appendectomy he had an out of body experience which he reveals over the months and years following his recovery. Although his parents were skeptical at first, the more information he gave it became clear that God had not only saved his life but had given him a special gift, a special meeting – a glimpse into heaven! He told details about seeing his parents in the hospital while he was in surgery, meeting a sister and Grandfather that he never met on earth and relaying a message that God loved everyone. His descriptions of Jesus, the Angels, God and the Holy Spirit were majestic. I loved the way Todd added verses from the bible that lined up with what Colton had seen. I love the gift God gave to Colton’s mother of knowing that her daughter was safe and the healing in her heart from losing that child could begin. One thing that struck me however was how Colton reacted to talking about Satan, and how he described Angels with swords guarding heaven. Made me realize once again how we too need to guard our hearts and family here on earth.
This book is a great read for anyone who wonders what heaven is all about. We do learn that we will see our loved ones, interact with God and have purpose after we die. It’s really quite amazing!!

The Way Home

This inspirational DVD is a true story that focuses on a missing child, a broken family and a small rural community that rally together to find him. I loved the fact that this DVD was based on a true story. This movie will hit home to many people. Dean Cain stars as Randy Simpkins, a man who is so devoted to his job that it has caused a strain with his family. Hoping to get some family time together the simpkins prepare to leave on a trip. Randy becomes preoccupied with work and leaves his two year old son, joe, alone outside.
Joe goes missing and we see the community come together to support and help the simpkins family. Along the way we see many lives transformed and a community changed forever. This movie will remind parents how precious each moment is with their children, no one knows how long we have with our family and it drives home the message that relationships require a lot of work and time.
This is a faith based movie that is well written and directed. Our whole family enjoyed watching this video. I would recommend this movie to my friends and family. A real tear jerker!!

You Were Made To Make A Difference

Max Lucado is an amazing author. He co-wrote this book with his daughter Jenna Lucado Bishop. The book is a teen adaptation of one of Max Lucado's other books called "Outlive Your Life"
The message of the book which is, everyone can make a difference in this world, is something I am passionate about. I have two teenage daughters who read the book and really enjoyed it. As a result my daughter decided to make a difference and help out with Operation Christmas Child this year. This book helped her to realize that God can use everyone, wherever they are and at any age to make a difference.
The features of the book that my daughters liked the most about this book were the true stories of other teens that they could relate too as well as the journaling pages that allowed them to write down ideas or thoughts that came to them as they read.
I appreciate that the book was easy to read and keeps you interested all the way through. This is a must read for any teen! This book no doubt had a huge impact on how my daughters see themselves and really made them think about their purpose in this life. This 5 star book would make a great gift or teen bible study/discussion in a group!

The Boy Who Changed The World

This book written by Andy Andrews is based on the butterfly effect which is - everything we do, good or bad makes a difference. Every action, large or small, can have an affect on us and on others.
The story starts with Norman Borlaug, a boy who grew up in Iowa. After running through the cornfields as a child he began to feel a need to help hungry people all over the world. It continues to tell stories of other men who helped Norman reach his goal. It showed how each of these men needed each other to accomplish one great task - together they fed billions of people.
My 10 year old daughter read this book and she had a hard time following the story. She became confused as she read. I think this would be a great book for a parent or a teacher to read aloud to children. The message is so good for young and old to hear. The book is beautifully illustrated, butterflies appear on each page and at the end of the book there is a page full of butterflies which reinforces and reminds us about the "Butterfly Effect" message. Great book!

Same Kind Of Different As Me

This book was a great read! I love true stories and this book did not disappoint. This is a true story about two men whose lives intertwine in a unique way. Ron Hall, an art dealer from Fort Worth, travels the world buying and selling pieces of art. Although very sucessful in his career he has failed to have that same sucess with his family. He has become selfish and distant so his wife insists that he come and help out at the local homeless shelter. With a great deal of resistance he finally agrees, little did he know his life would never be the same. Here he meets Denver Moore, a black man from Louisiana, who grew up in the cotton fields and longed for a better life. He left Louisiana and came to Fort Worth where he lived on the streets and at the homeless shelter. The two men quickly became freinds and teach each other about life and faith. Each chapter Ron and Denver take turns recounting and telling their story. As a reader we see two worlds that are complete opposites come together in an unforgettable way.
This book is a journey of two hearts that will change you and leave you with a fresh perspective! It is hard to believe at times that it is a true story! I would recommend this book to everyone, the young and the young at heart, all will enjoy this book and maybe be inspired to change their world too!

A Girls Guide to Life by Katie Meier

I really enjoyed this book! It is so relevant to today’s teens and the issues they face everyday. Anything a girl ever wanted to ask or find out about is covered in this book!
The book is divided into three main sections which are Body, Mind and Soul. In Part 1 – The Mind section she covers topics such as self esteem, romance, going online and disorders. She has even included phone numbers and web sites for teens who want to get help or want more information. Part 2 – The Body she talks about beauty, fashion, body changes, sex and relationships. This is such an important section of the book, a lot of girl’s struggle with the fact that they are not a little girl anymore but not an adult either. They are sometimes caught in the middle, their bodies are changing and they often feel more emotional during these years. The author explains each topic in a way that is comforting and I feel like the girl’s after reading this book will feel that they are not alone in this journey but that every other girl is experiencing a lot of the same things that they each are! Part 3 – The Soul which covers relationships with friends and family, religion and service. One thing that I really like in each chapter is her lists of BIG MYTHS that girls fall for and then how she explains the REAL DEAL. These are fun to read!
Being a mother of teenage girl’s I think I learnt a lot from the book as well. We never had MySpace, Facebook , texting or sexting when I was a teen so I felt her information was invaluable for me as a parent. Teenage girls are such a blessing and so is this book, I would recommend this to any parent who has a teen!

Read and Share: The Jesus Series, Life and Miracles

The Jesus series is a Christian DVD that looks at the Life and Miracles of Jesus. If you are familiar with the Read And Share Bible you will recognize the characters, animals and stories straight from the pages of the book. The animation in this DVD is great, it continues it's soft watercolor theme that we all associate and love with the Read And Share Bible.
I watched it with a 2 and 3 year old and they really enjoyed it. The DVD is 30 minutes which was a perfect amount of time to keep their attention. I also printed of some coloring pages for them to color as they watched the movie. This was a great interactive experience! The kids loved showing off the pictures and trying to explain how Jesus was a part of each one. I found that the stories were told in a very simple easy to understand manner.
The DVD focuses on Jesus' life and teachings from along the shores of Galilee to the villages of Nazareth. We see how Jesus feeds the 5000 with fish and bread, learn about his disciples and about how he healed the sick. They also touch on the Lord's Supper and the importance of that event.
I think this is a great teaching tool for teachers and parents to help kids begin to understand the stories. It is so much fun to see stories come to life! I wished there had been more music throughout the DVD as kids love to sing along and it helps them to remember stories or verses if they can sing along. This DVD is aimed at any child under 5 years of age. I would recommend this DVD to my freinds and family!

Plan B by Pete Wilson

Plan B is writen by Pete Wilson, a pastor, who asks the question - "What do you do when God doesn't show up the way you thought he would?" I must admit when I read the cover of the book I wasn't really very interested in reading it. I have read a lot of self help books before and thought how will this book be any different! As I started reading the book I became fascinated with how he explained simple bible truths like I had never heard them before. He asks the question "What is your plan B situation? Where is God asking you to take a seemingly impossible step of faith. He explains how when we feel as though our life isnt turning out the way we had hoped we end up feeling as though God has abandoned us. We tend to assume that the road to God given dreams is going to be smooth and lined with grace.He uses real life people and situations as well as biblical stories throughout his book to show us how others have had to resort to a Plan B for their lives and overcame hardships as well as learnt valuable lessons along the way. What impacted me the most is when he talks about how in this life many of our questions will not have answers, but through it all; God himself will never change. This is why our faith must rest in his identity and not necessarily his activity. This book would make a great bible study book for men, women, couples and even teens. There are questions for each chapter at the back of the book that could be great for group discussions. Definitely worth reading!!

Book Review for Bibleman DVD - Combating the Commandment of Confusion

I watched the DVD with my 2 nephews who are 4 and 6. They enjoyed watching the movie as there was plenty of action to keep them entertained. After the movie ended we watched the bonus features which included "The Word of God" song with actions and behind the scenes footage of sword training.
The video centers around "The Armour of God". It is a good versus evil plot line that is easy to understand and action filled. The lesson of the video is taken from Ephesians 6:111 "put on the full Armour of God so that you can fight against the devil's evil tricks" This is re-enforced when the villian plots to steal the Armour of God but Bibleman uses his scripture to defeat him and save the day! The movie is filled with Godly principles that I believe children will walk away with.
For adults that may be watching it with their children it may be something to "grin and bear" The video is shot in front of a live audience with what seems to be a somewhat inexperienced Camera Man. However if you can get past the lip synching being off, the cheesy costumes and somewhat bad acting you can still take something away from it!

Book Review for Kaleidescope - Patsy Clairmont

I met Patsy Clairmont a few year ago at a Woman of Faith Conference in Minneapolis. She was so funny and insightful to listen to that I was really looking forward to reading her book. Kaleidoscope did not disappoint, it has a lot of humor and real life stories in it that everyone can relate to and will love. This book is broken up into 33 chapters with questions at the end of each chapter. It would make a great devotional book, as the chapters arent too long, or a bible study book for a womans study. The questions are thought provoking and would bring out a lot of great discussion in a group of woman.
I really enjoyed the fact that she has faults and is not afraid to admit them, instead she takes joy in knowing that God can change her or help her through them. As a woman it it refreshing to hear that we do not need to be perfect nor do we have to pretend we are! This book also helps us to check our emotions, self esteem and pride to make sure that we are living Christ centered and not worldly lives. The title Kaleidescope fits this book well, at times I felt like my emotions were a Kaleidescope. Laughing at times, crying because something hit close to home and other times in awe of finding out something new in myself. A must read for anyone!

Revolve 2010 Book Review

As a mother of 2 teenage girls I was really excited about this book/magazine. It has the look and feel of a teen magazine that you would find at the bookstore or supermarket which young girls love to read. My daughters loved taking the quizes as well as reading the make-up and hair tips! The book covers the complete New Testament Bible in an easy to read format. There is an overview given at the beginning of each section that summerizes what you will be reading. In each chapter the headings are different colors which makes it easy to read small sections at a time. This was great for my daughter who doesn't like to sit and read for long periods. It was great to see some famous teens like Corbin Bleu and Jordin Sparks share their faith and be proud of it. My daughter really liked the stories of everday teens with real issues that affect teens today. The book also includes an Ask Jenna section where kids can write in and get answers to their questions about their body, make-up, parents, boys as well as many other topics. I think that one of the best part of the book is the free downloads for teens, it gives them a chance to hear new artists and get a taste for their music. And lets face it it is rare to see kids without an Ipod in hand, so if they are going to be listening to music they may as well listen to some great artist who share a message and a great love for God! I do appreciate that the cover makes it very clear about what is inside, it does not try to hide the fact that it is the New Testament, instead celebrates it and that will make the young girls excited to read it! I will be sure to buy the book next year again!