In Constant Prayer by Robert Benson

I have always been intrigued by the ancient spiritual practices.  The sense of depth and history within them draws me.  To pray without ceasing or "Never stop praying" (1 Thes 5:17) has always both interested me and intimidated me.  I knew a little about the daily office but wanted to learn more so I picked up this book.

I expected a technical or theological book (or both!) that was quite dry, that took some time to absorb but, hopefully, with very good content.  The read was easier than I'd anticipated.  Robert Benson writes as though he is speaking to a small group of people or, better yet, as though you are just sitting down with him, one-on-one, having coffee.  He is very down to earth.  I appreciated that the material presented in this book was easily accessible and actually fun to read.

Benson acknowledges that praying the daily office can be intimidating at first and suggests that you start one step at a time.  He outlines a few ways to do this and has a few recommended resources to get you started.  I found this helpful as, without these suggestions, I would probably have steered myself to the type of book that would have left me overwhelmed and discouraged with the practice.

Another point that Benson makes, one that truly stood out to me and that I have been trying to apply to my life in more areas than just prayer, is that we don't do it for ourselves.  We don't pray because of what we hope to get out of it just like we don't go to church for what we hope to receive.  Benson is quick to point our attention to the real reason why we are called by God to "never stop praying"...and it has nothing to do with us.

I found this book clearly written, entertaining to read, and an encouragement to my practice of prayer.  I would highly recommend this book to anyone, as all God's people are called to prayer.

I received this book from Thomas Nelson's Booksneeze blogger book review program and was under no obligation to provide a positive review.

Good Morning, Lord by Sheila Walsh

Good Morning, Lord by Sheila Walsh is a daily devotional book.  I began working through the book hesitantly because I often find devotional books quite basic and shallow with little to chew on and challenge me.  Initially when I wrote this review, I had been through a few weeks of devotionals and was pleasantly surprised.  I found this book to be simple enough for a new believer, yet challenging for someone who has been a believer for a while as well.  If you've been a Christian for a while and are looking for a book that will open your eyes to new truths daily, this is not the book for you.  But, if you give this book just a few minutes a day and take the time to apply it to your life, it can be a great encouragement for your daily walk with Christ. 

That said, since I posted this review initially, I did run into a few devotionals which O felt oversimplified common questions that Christians have about suffering and pain.  These are questions which I have been wrestling through personally lately and I felt that the book saying "everything happens for a reason" and "everything is part of God's ultimate plan" was a slap in the face.  I found that my questions went deeper than the book was willing to dig and it was enough to make me put this book on the shelf.

Initially I gave this book 4 stars out of 5, but after running into a few disappointing devotionals, I would now give it 1 or 2 stars.  Would I recommend this book?  Well...there are probably other devotional books I would recommend first.

I received this book, free, from the Thomas Nelson "Booksneeze" blogger book review program and am under no obligation to give a positive review.

One Hand, Two Hands by Max Lucado

I hadn't read any of Max Lucado's children's books before, but the upcoming birth of my first child has me scouting out books to share with my little one.  I was not disappointed with this one!

The book begins with fun descriptions of things that our hands can do.  As I was reading, it occured to me that it could be very easy to involve the child by doing physical actions with our hands to go along with the book.  While the book wouldn't necessarily need anything additional to keep kids' attention, doing actions might help even the most squirmy preschooler interested.  Even toddlers could enjoy this book as it is simply written without too many words and such deep content.  It is a simple, but very important message.

Toward the end of the book, the story shifts its focus to things that we can do with our hands to help others.  This is the main theme of the book: the ways we can help with our hands".  It encourages children to have helping hands and to think of ways that their hands can help people.

My husband and I will definitely be reading this beautiful book (both words and images are wonderful) with our son or daughter.  I would recommend this book to any parents/grandparents who are looking for a book to teach about being helpful and kind.  It would also be a great book for a church nursery or preschool.

I received this book, free, from the Thomas Nelson "Booksneeze" blogger book review program and am under no obligation to give a positive review.

same kind of different as me. by Ron Hall and Denver Moore

“same kind of different as me.” by Ron Hall & Denver Moore gets all five stars from me.  I finally read a book that was a great story (true, by the way) and well-written too.  This is the story of two men who grew up in vastly different worlds and had their worlds collide, resulting in a strong, family-like bond.  Though this is a book written by Christians, and includes strong themes of ministry and how one person can make a huge difference when they choose to obey God, I wouldn’t consider it a “Christian” book.  It was beautifully written in an honest, personal way that simply shares life stories and is refreshingly not cliché.  I recommend that each of you go out and get your hands on this book.  I can certainly see how it earned the title of “New York Times Bestseller.”  Well done.

I received this book from the Thomas Nelson Booksneeze book review program and am under no obligation to give a positive review.

"Mind Your Own Mortgage" by Robert J. Bernabe

I have always been fascinated by all things finance.  Well, ok, that might be a bit of an exaggeration.  But when we're talking personal finance, I'm in!  I saw that this book was up for review and I jumped at it.  I absolutely soaked in the first few chapters.  It describes how mortgages work, what sorts of things to watch out for when purchasing a mortgage, and what you should be focusing on when shopping for a mortgage.  When my husband and I purchased our mortgage a few years ago, we really didn't know what we were looking for beyond cash to buy a house.  This book explains the ins and outs of mortgages and helps both the beginner and someone who has had a mortgage for years understand what is happening in the industry.

After the first few chapters, the book shifted into more specific advice about shopping for a mortgage and about managing your mortgage.  I found this section a bit repetitive and felt that I'd already grasped the principles being applied here when they were outlined in the first section.  Overall, it is a fairly straight forward book and I will certainly use parts of this book for reference the next time my husband and I are shopping for a mortgage.

Being from Canada, there were times when I wasn't sure how relevant the book was for me.  I wasn't familiar with many of the "antics" surrounding mortgages and wasn't sure if Canadians have the same options as Americans do.  If I was looking at purchasing a book to guide me through my next mortgage, I would probably steer more toward a book written specifically for Canadians.  But that said, this book does have a lot of general information that would be helpful to anyone, no matter where they live.

At times, I felt that the author leaned a bit too far toward the conservative side.  There were a few comments in the book about using discretionary income to pay down your mortgage instead of buying a new tv (or whatever else).  While this is a good thought, it is unrealistic to think that every home owner will completely pay off their mortgage before buying things like new furniture or a big screen tv.  If taken with a grain of salt, the underlying principles are good ones, and would be valuable if applied in any credit situation, not just with mortgage debt.

Overall, I would recommend this book especially to Americans who are thinking about buying a house or who already own a home but feel that they would like to be mortgage free sooner.  It is well-written and the author is obviously knowledgeable about this topic.

I received this book from Thomas Nelson's Booksneeze blogger book review program and was under no obligation to provide a positive review.

"Sixteen Brides" by Stephanie Grace Whitson

I have had this thing lately about wanting to read books that I would have loved to read back in junior high.  Old books about prairie brides.  So when I keep receiving offers to review these types of books, I jump at the chance and end up bored out of my mind.

Sixteen Brides is an interesting idea for a book. It is set in the late 1800's. Sixteen war widows are conned into becoming mail-order brides when promised free land and a new start out west. It is the tale of these women who sacrifice everything they have in life (which, admittedly, is very little for most) for a chance at a new beginning.

I felt like this book would have served to entertain me well at 11 or 12 years of age, but after reading books with much more challenging themes since my preteen years, I felt that it was alot of fluff, not to mention quite predictable. Now, if heritage prairie, Christian novels are what you enjoy, I would absolutely recommend this book to you. It is exactly the sort of book you would expect to find in your church library. But if you enjoy picking up on underlying themes and reading between the lines, searching carefully for what the author may (or may not) be saying, then this book is not for you. This book is written at the level on which it is meant to be understood, which makes for a great Sunday afternoon read for some, but it is definitely not for everyone.

This book was received from Bethany House Publishers and I was under no obligation to provide a positive review.

Captivating by John & Stasi Eldredge

The book Captivating, by John & Stasi Eldredge, is a good,  read that encourages you to look at your own past and deal with what you find there.  It is an easy read academically, while at the same time challenging your heart and spirit.  John and Stasi Eldredge have written this book to shed light, using Scripture, on the way that the Enemy has attacked women's femininity and to pour truth on the lies that we, as women, have been led to believe.  Every woman is captivating, and this book helps the reader find confidence in her own, unique, captivating beauty.

I would recommend this book to every woman, but especially those who have been hurt or abused, and who have a hard time finding themselves worthy or beautiful. 

I received this book from Thomas Nelson's Booksneeze book review program.  I am under no obligation to provide a positive review.