izzy's pop star plan

Izzy's pop star plan is a book about a 14 year old girl who dreams of being a pop star. She lives in Hollywood with her dad and brother. Izzy's mother died and we see her struggle with that throughout the book. Izzy gets a chance to live out her dream of being the worlds next singing sensation when she competes on the hit TV show International Pop Star Challenge. As she travels and performs we see God at work in her life. Izzy's faith is tested throughout the book and we see how her freinds and family help her get through it. The lesson that she learns is that being faithful to God and serving him should always come before personal success.
I love the fact that this book is a devotional book that is short and easy to read. Izzy blogs about each day, there is a verse to go with each page as well as a prayer. Her prayers are short and sweet, and to the point. The bottom of each page includes comments that are posted by her friends, it gives more insight as to what is happening in Izzy's life. The kids can also go online and watch videos of izzy, great idea and really connects the kids to her character.
This is a great devotional that I would recommend to any 9-12 year old. Our kids are living in a "Stardom" age. With all the reality shows like American Idol our kids are bombadred with the wrong messages. What better way to teach them about choices and success than through materials they can relate to like this great book!

girl talk with God

Girl talk with God is a fresh new devotional for girls that teaches them how to talk to God through prayer. Susie Shellenburger gives examples of intimate conversations that young girls may experience when they open up and listen for God's voice. The book is broken up into 23 chapters or "talks" with a variety of issues facing girls today. These issues include things like cutting, sex, eating disorders, divorce as well as many other topics that our teens face today. My 15 year old read the book and really loved it, it made her think of God like a friend and helper, someone she could go to with her problems. I wish this book would have been available when I was younger, but even now this book has given me fresh insight to how kids think and how God's grace covers them. We often tell our kids to pray, sometimes even give them repetetive prayers and expect them to know what to do. Unless we equip them with examples and tools we don't help their prayer life develop. This book does just that! What an amazing tool for young girls to have! This book reveals real conversations with real answers from a God who is compassionate, full of Grace and Love but who at the same time challenges our teens to live as he has commanded. This is a great book that I would strongly recomend for anyone with teens or who works with teens.

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!