Smack-Dab in the Middle of God's Love by Brennan Manning and John Blase

This book is all about letting kids know how very much they are loved by God.  Smack-Dab in the Middle of God's Love is a story about a middle aged couple who has children into their home and who tells the kids about how much God loves them though stories, their actions, and telling them about Jesus.  It is a fun little story that kids are sure to love.

Throughout the book, the phrase "smack-dab" is repeated in different ways, which I found a little awkward and annoying, but I imagine it is fun for kids.  It does drive home the point that you are right in the middle of God's love...he couldn't possibly love you more than he already does!

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

Money Secrets of the Amish by Lorilee Craker

First off, let me just cheer a little because this is the first book I've read, cover to cover, in over a year!  And in two days, no less!  This past year of being pregnant and then with a new baby, I've started many books and made it about halfway through before the books just seemed impractical and I would lose interest.  (What new mom has time/energy for anything less than practical?!)  Despite promising myself that I would not review any more books with more than 20 pages (aka nothing but kids books), when Thomas Nelson's Booksneeze program was offering this one, I went back on my promise and requested it right away.  I was not disappointed.

To write this book, Lorilee Craker dives into Amish culture to see what she can learn about how the Amish deal with money.  She'd noticed that, when the rest of America was in a financial tailspin, the Amish were managing to thrive and her aim was to find out how.  Craker uncovers "secrets" of the Amish that can be pracitcal even in our "fancy" lives and that can help us put some money in the bank and live with less stress while doing it.

I found many of the secrets to be things I do already, but having grown up in a down-to-earth Mennonite home may have something to do with that.  I imagine not everyone would be doing these things already.  And despite some of these tricks not being new to  me, I still found the book inspiring and a helpful reminder to be intentional about where my money goes.

A downside to the book is that Craker is a journalist by trade and, as a result, I found there to be many "catch lines" and "hooks" that are so common in journalistic writing.  It does come across a bit cheesy at times.  It also seemed that there were a few repetitions of information in the book, almost as though Craker didn't have quite enough material to write a whole book rather than just an article on this topic.  That said, it didn't detract too much from the overall content of the book, which I found to be interesting and fun to read.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone hoping for a few tricks to help them save money, or even to anyone who just plain enjoys reading a bit about the Amish culture.

Adventures in BoogaBooga Land - Volume 2 DVD

Adventures in BoogaBooga Land is a children's DVD series with short "episodes" based on different parables.  Marty the Monkey and Gerard the Giraffe are humorous kids characters that help tell the stories.

While the idea is good (having cartoon animals sharing Jesus' Good News with children), I found that the quality is perhaps lacking - it's no Veggie Tales - and the story messages are perhaps a bit hidden.  I'm not sure that children would grasp the meaning behind the stories and may just view this as entertainment.  That is not necessarily a bad thing, but if you are looking for something that will be obviously biblical for your children, this is probably not it.

On a theological level, I wasn't sure about what I was watching.  The majority of it was fine, but the part of the story where they catapult a guest without an invitation ("sinner") to the Island of Losta Soula and have the God-character simply say "Splendid!" caught my attention.  Is God truly happy when he sees one of his children suffer?  I had a few questions rise to the surface as I watched this scene...

My son is only 7 months old, but I'm not sure this dvd will still be around when he is old enough to watch.  It wasn't terrible, but in my opinion, there are better options out there for children's spiritual entertainment.

I received this dvd free from the Thomas Nelson and am under no obligation to provide a positive review.

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.