Book Review of The Great House of God by Max Lucado

Max Lucado's book, The Great House of God,  takes the Lord's Prayer in sections to give us a tour of God's house starting in The Living Room and guiding us through the rest of the rooms/parts of the house--the foundation, the observatory, the chapel, the throne, the study, the furnace, the kitchen, the roof, the hallway, the family room, the walls.

 Lucado has a writing style that is easy and fun to read.  In this book, Lucado tells us about our spiritual house (God's house) that exists to care for our souls, and he also tells us that we were intended to live in our Father's house.  The chapters that follow take us through the rooms/parts of the God's house.  One of my favorite parts was in chapter 8 (The Furnace Because Someone Prayed) where Lucado talks about Revelations 8:1 "...there was silence in heaven for about a half hour."  Lucado tells us that the silence was when someone was praying. "Heaven paused, and heaven pauses to hear the prayers of...someone." (page 80)  How awesome to know that heaven pauses to hear OUR prayers!  Such an amazing thing for me to see in writing and to ponder.  In the Postscript section of the book, Lucado suggests this: "Each day, as you awaken in his presence, remember the blueprint.  And as you talk to your Father, trace the floor plan in your mind.  It's a helpful way to enter his presence."  He also gives an example as to how the Lord's Prayer can guide our prayers.

If you haven't read this book, you need to pick it up as soon as possible because it is AMAZING!  I cannot say enough how much I loved reading it.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Book Review of Father Cry: Healing Your Heart and the Hearts of Those You Love by Billy Wilson

I recently read the book Father Cry: Healing Your Heart and the Hearts of Those You Love by Billy Wilson. This book brings attention to the need for spiritual mothers and fathers.  There are so many children growing up fatherless and/or motherless. Wilson calls the readers attention to the need for Christians to be those spiritual mothers and fathers, to truly love a child like our Father in Heaven loves us and to guide those children. Wilson shares about his own journey through life, as well as stories from others.  Wilson also talks about things being passed from generation to generation.  We need to be sure we are arming the younger generation with the knowledge they need to pass on to the next generation...this includes the love and words of Jesus Christ.

I do have to admit that I found parts of this book hard to get through, but there are many parts of the book that were easy and quick to read. Wilson definitely touched a topic that needs to be brought to the attention of every mother, father, teacher, grandfather, grandmother, etc. It is so important to remember that not every child has a person that is leading him or her spiritually, and we need to step up and be there for those children in those situations.



*I received this book from Chosen Books in exchange for an honest review.*

Book Review of The Breath of Dawn by Kristen Heitzmann

I recently read The Breath of Dawn by Kristen Heitzmann.  The Breath of Dawn mainly focuses on the relationship between Morgan Spencer and Quinn Reilly.  Morgan and his daughter, Livie are living with his brother, sister-in-law and nephew at their ranch after the death of his wife, Jill.  Quinn is hiding from someone she testified against, sending them to prison.  She is cleaning out the estate next to the ranch.  Morgan and Quinn become friends, and when Quinn runs into some trouble, he does something very unexpected to help her.  

I didn't realize that this book is actually the third Heitzmann has written that involves the Spencer family.  With that said, the first two books are really not necessary when it comes to this book.  The story is one of its own, and the characters are well developed.  Although the story line did start out a bit slow, I did find it to get a lot more interesting as I read more, and I didn't want to put it down.  If you like romance mixed with suspense, you will definitely want to pick up this book.  

*I received this book for free from Bethany House in exchange for an honest review.*

Book Review of inSignificant: Why You Matter in the Surprising Way God is Changing the World by Chris Travis

I wasn't sure what to expect when I chose to review the book inSignificant: Why You Matter in the Surprising Way God is Changing the World by Chris Travis.  What caught my eye in the description on the back of the book was actually the first two sentences--"If you're looking for a life of meaning, take hope.  God wants to use you in his surprising plan to change the world."

Being a Christian myself, I have always known that God wants to use me in his plan, but after reading this book, I gained more insight into how God can (and does) use us to change the world when we feel like what we are doing is insignificant.  Chris Travis includes his own personal stories about teaching for two years in one of the most dangerous public schools in New York.

Travis talks about how he began to use the Lord's Prayer as a guideline for praying and that once he began to focus his prayers on God and on others he saw some real power moving through him (pg.93)  He also tells us he began to pray less often for what he wanted and more often that God would give him what he needed to accomplish His will and to serve others well.

There is so much more that this book has to offer.  If you are looking for inspiration, this is definitely a book that you should read!

*I received this book from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for an honest review.*

Book Review of The Reason by William Sirls

The book The Reason by William Sirls is a story of believing and having faith in what you cannot see.  When lightning strikes the cross and St. Thomas Church and splits it in two, the minister, James Lindy, wonders how they will repair it without the necessary funds.  He hears the words "only believe."  This is not the last time that the characters in this book will be asked to "only believe."  

We will meet several characters along the way.  Macey Lewis is a young oncologist who will be challenged to believe in a higher power (God) rather than what she knows and has always put her faith in--modern medicine.  The mysterious Kenneth is a carpenter/construction worker who offers to try to help fix the broken cross and ends up giving everyone so much more.  Alex's mom, Brooke, is asked to believe that God will heal her son.  The cross brings together all of these people.

I found the first half of the book a bit slow moving, and it was hard for me to get involved in the story line.  Once I got further into the story, it began to move more quickly for me and found myself wanting to know what was going to happen next.  Overall, the book was just okay for me.  I think that it would have been better if this book had been part of a series (with books about each character coming first).

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

 

Book Review of Redemption: A Rebellious Spirit, A Praying Mother, And the Unlikely Path to Olympic Gold by Bryan Clay with Joel Kilpatrick

The book Redemption: A Rebellious Spirit, A Praying Mother, And the Unlikely Path to Olympic Gold by Bryan Clay with Joel Kilpatrick is Bryan Clay's testimony of how God changed his life from one that was leading to destruction to one that transformed him into an amazing athlete, loving husband and father.

The inside jacket of the book says, " Redemption welcomes readers to learn the potential for victory, the power of prayer, and the promise of a God who never gives up."  Clay's life story shows the reader all of these things.  I was very encouraged by his mother's devotion to praying for his future, and then seeing what God had told her unfold in Clay's life.  Despite the struggles he faced in his childhood and youth, Clay was able to rise above those with faith in God and a lot of hard work.  I really like the quote on the back cover of the book by Clay which says, "I have been put on Earth not only to win medals and enjoy the thrill of competition but also, ultimately, to point people to the faithfulness of God."  I highly recommend this book for anyone looking for some inspiration.  You won't be disappointed because Clay's life story is full of inspiration!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 

Book Review of Nothing to Hide (A Roland March Mystery) by J. Mark Bertrand

Nothing to Hide is the 3rd book in J. Mark Bertrand's Roland March mystery series.  In this book, Roland March investigates the murder of a man who was decapitated and left at the basketball court in the park.  As   March and his partner, Jerry Lorenz, begin to investigate the murder, March is called to meet secretly with an FBI agent who claims that the murdered man was an undercover asset tracking the flow of illegal arms to the Mexican cartels.  March is asked play along with the cover story, but after further investigation, he discovers the FBI is lying.  There are many more twists and turns that happen, but I don't want to give too much detail and ruin it for future readers.

I thought this book was okay.  It took me a while longer to read it than it usually does because I found the book to be very wordy that it took away from the plot.  I did like how the story unfolded, and I definitely was surprised at the end.

I received a free copy of this book from Bethany House in exchange for an honest review.