Tag: Review

We have a tendency to complicate Christianity. Jesus simplified it with one commandment: Love God with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength. In Primal Mark Batterson explores the four elements of Great Commandment Christianity: compassion, wonder, curiosity and power. Along the way, he calls Christians to be a part of God’s reformation, starting in their own lives.

“Is there a place in your past where you met God and God met you?” asks Batterson. “A place where your heart broke for the things that break the heart of God? In that moment, God birthed something supernatural in your spirit. You knew you’d never be the same again. My prayer is that this book would take you back to that burning bush—and reignite a primal faith.” Batterson says that that moment may have been during a sermon, on a mission trip or at an altar, but regardless of the time or place, a return to a primal faith is essential to all believers.

According to Batterson that primal faith will lead Christians to a new reformation, an overhaul of the way they love God. “Reformations are born out of primal truths rediscovered, reimagined and radically reapplied to our lives,” he says. And the importance of rediscovering the need to love God with all that we are can’t be measured. Primal will help readers live in light of what matters most and discover what it means to love God, becoming great at the Great Commandment.

“Is there a place in your past where you met God and God met you? A place where your heart broke for the things that break the heart of God?

I have enjoyed Mark Batterson’s writing in his past books and this book was icing on the cake.  Well written, thought provoking as is the norm for Batterson, who this time around is aiming to take us to new places intellectually and spiritually so that we may discover new ways of loving God.  Mark Batterson’s words flow off the paper and cause me to think outside the box.

In ways that I like to refer to as “teachable moments”, Mark Batterson uses a style of writing where he shares personal life stories that he turns right back to God.  Primal is all about getting back to the basics that the Bible has given us within the great commandment:   loving God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength. 

Obviously as a book lover – I enjoy great writing and Mark Batterson does not lack in that department!  I for one cant wait to see what Mark Patterson comes up with next!

Want to make a difference?  Make Primal the first book you read in 2010 and start your New Year off with a new kind of resolution.

About The Author

Mark Batterson is the author of Wild Goose Chase and In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day. He serves as lead pastor of National Community Church in Washington, D.C. One church with nine services in five locations, NCC is focused on reaching emerging generations. Mark has two Masters degrees from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Chicago. He and his wife, Lora, live on Capitol Hill with their three children. www.markbatterson.com

I received my review copy of this book from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group

With the scent of pine, and a rustle in the tree… this book is sure to open up a new window to the imagination… ~ Sheila

It’s a couple days before Christmas and the Ferguson’s have put the tree up and just settled into their beds for the night.   As the house becomes still there is a stir from the tree as the ornaments awake from their year long slumber.  The secrets of the Christmas Box unfold as Larry, a snowman ornament searches the tree for his brother Terrance.

The book comes alive with colorful characters which are largely played by the ornaments and the family actually are secondary characters.  Written from a unique perspective I enjoyed this middle grade (MG) read from the ornaments view.   I envision this to be a family read that can be pulled off the shelf and become a tradition each Christmas that the children could really enjoy – especially while decorating the tree.

Just this evening my son and I decorated our tree and as I brought each ornament out of box I was reminded of this book and it almost added a little something extra to this years tradition (I even insisted that all decorations went up this year and none were left in the box!)  I really enjoyed this read.

*One caution: The Secret Of The Christmas Box and what happened to Terrance could be a bit disturbing for a young child.  I would recommend that an adult read the book themselves and make a decision if this is right for the children they will be sharing this with.

I received my review copy from Partners Publishers Group

If you share a compassion for children  in need – you must read this book.  ~  Sheila

Occasionally I will open a book and be startled by what I am reading.  My main character is Nadeem.  He works in a carpet factory in Pakistan.  His parents sold him into child labor three years ago and he now works seven days a week from dawn to sundown seven days a week.

And that is just page one.

At this point I go back and read the inside flap of the book and for the life of me cant recall knowing that this is what this book was about.  And now, I am ashamed I took so long to review it as obviously there is an important message within these beautifully illustrated pages and as I read I try to imagine this book being read to or by those who the book is meant for – grades 3 – 6.   It is making me take in a deep breath… what would an 8 year old think?

As the book goes on page by page I am witness to Nadeem’s life, weaving rugs day in and day out with the occasional glimpse of the outdoors when he helps load the rugs onto the trucks.

While the story is fictional, it honors a real boy, Iqbal Masih who escaped from a child labor factory and through his work he was able to liberate thousands of child workers like Nadeem. Iqbah had been sold into child labor at the age of 4 where he wove carpet for 12 hours a day for six years until his escape.  He learned about the laws against child slavery and began to work to help others. Iqbah’s work won him the Reebok Youth In Action Award and recognition at the International Labor Conference.  Upon Iqbah’s return to Pakistan after these recognitions, he was fatally shot while riding his bicycle.  He was only twelve at the time and he had already made an impact for children all over the world.

The book made me cry to think of all the injustice out there in this world.  While my own children have been given choices all there lives, there are so many areas where this is not the case.  I will treasure this book for years to come and every time I look at it on the shelf I will remember a boy I met within its pages called Iqbah.

The last three pages of this book has many resources of information you can link to on line about childrens rights, other child advocates like Iqbah, things you can do with your children and more.  I highly recommend this book.

Child Labor In Depth

International Labor Organization If you are curious to know more of the facts about child labor, this kid-friendly site will help you learn more about how much child laborers earn, what work they do, and how much time they spend at their jobs. There are also links to many other useful sites on child labor, and some ideas of actions you can do to make a difference.
http://www.ilo.org/ilokidsnew/index.html

Time Magazine Discover the facts by reading articles on the issue of child labor online. See what other children’s news organizations write about child labor today.
http://www.timeforkids.com

Scholastic News Zone This news site has lots of information including a map of children in the labor force, country close-ups, voices from the field and ways to help.
http://www.scholastic.com

Other books on this topic:

Listen to Us: The World’s Working Children by Jane Springer

Stolen Dreams: Portraits of Working Children by David L. Parke

Free the Children: A Young Man’s Personal Crusade Against Child Labor by Craig Kielburger

The Kids Guide to Social Action: How to Solve the Social Problems You Choose And Turn Creative Thinking Into Positive Action by Barbara Lewis, Pamela Espeland, and Caryn Pernu

I won my copy of this book from a fellow blogger

There are no perfect marriages or perfect spouses. We know having a good marriage requires effort and hard work. Yet we often don’t know how to continue to love when we are angry, hurt, scared, or just plain irritated. Nor are we sure what that kind of love is supposed to look like. Should we be patient? Forgive and forget? Do something else entirely? In this book, you’ll find the answers to these questions, differences, and sins of your spouse to help you become more like Christ. Acting right when your spouse acts wrong will not necessarily result in a more satisfying marital relationship, nor will it automatically make your spouse change his or her ways – although both could occur. It will, however, teach you to respond wisely when wronged and lead you into a deeper relationship with Christ as you yield your will to his plan for your life and learn to be more like him.

In My Opinion

I like reading books like this and picking up bits and pieces of information I can apply in my own life.  I am not saying here that my husband is doing wrong – or that I am doing wrong and he is standing behind me pointing at me hoping I don’t see.  BUT the beauty of a book like this is I think any marriage can benefit from it.  There is a little something for everyone (as I turn and make sure that Al is not standing behind me and pointing).

Reading through this book there is a theme of not only committing to your marriage but committing to your spouse. Through chapters and topics such as Stop Reacting and Start Responding and Recognize Your Power To Choose, author Leslie Vernick brings scripture  as a reminder that how we treat one another as husband and wife is all part of  God’s plan and in His words.

Choose To LOVE ….       Rather than hate

Choose to SMILE…         Rather than frown

Choose to BUILD…         Rather than destroy

Choose to PERSEVERE… Rather than quit

Choose to PRAISE… Rather than gossip

Choose to HEAL… rather than wound

Choose to GIVE… rather than grasp

Choose to ACT… rather than delay

Choose to FORGIVE… rather than curse

Choose to PRAY… rather than despair

* CHOICES: ‘Our choices reveal what we love the most, what we fear, what is of ultimate value to us, and what we think we need in life–in other words, our choices expose the dominant desires of our heart.’

While you (and I ) may look at these choices and think of course, these are no brainers…. look at them again.  How often do we (I) tend to forget that how I act, how I respond to any and all situations is a choice.  A God given choice.  I have often reminded myself that each hard situation we go through, every obstacle in our lives is a chance to grow to learn.  I like to look at this life as a training ground for whats to come and Leslie Vernick brings God’s word through this book as reminder to use the tools that we naturally have, but sometimes forget we do.

About Leslie Vernick

Author Leslie Vernick is a licensed clinical social worker who has her own private counseling practice and more than twenty years of experience counseling individuals and families from a biblical world view. She is also a popular speaker for women’s groups, couple’s retreats and professional seminars.

This was book was provided for review by WaterBrook Multnomah.

A fictional fantasy  where the past becomes part of the adventure!  ~  Sheila

journey through haunted forests, through dreams and time.
A story of love, magic and the power of forgiveness.
A Tzanatzi outcast and an Einache shaman are on the trail of an ancient curse.
Will they save their people from destruction?

In My Opinion:

I like a good fantasy adventure.  Following Rom and Yldich through the pages of this book looking for an ancient curse was a wild adventure that I slowly picked up on the rhythm of the book.  Sometimes language can throw me off and words such as erstwae and Daydach proved to be stumbling blocks for me and in the beginning of the book I had a hard time with these words.  Thank goodness author Wendy Gillissen put the definitions (any many more words like them) in the back of the book for reference!

As our two characters travel North together there are a series of dreams that deeply trouble Rom and cause quite a plot for this read.  I found it interesting how Wendy wove a deeper meaning into these dreams and how a troubled past can truly effect your present if not dealt with.  For what I would call a YA read, this book was a bit deeper than I had anticipated.

About the Author:

The urge to write and her love for the world of castles, elves and ghosts stem from the time she was five years old and her parents first took her to the ancient hills of England, Scotland and Wales.

Inspired by a journey to the Greek island of Kefalonia in 2005, Wendy began writing ‘Curse of the Tahiéra’.

I received my copy for review from the author, Wendy Gillissen