Saturday, March 21, 2020

Book Review: The Bible in 10 Words

The Bible In 10 Words

Title: The Bible in 10 Words
Author:  Deron Spoo
Genre: Christian Non-fiction
Publisher:  Worthy Publishing, a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc.
Number of Pages: 189
My Rating: 2.5/5

I was intrigued by the title of this book so much that I knew I would have to read it or be forever wondering. I was skeptical that such a book would be possible to write. How could anyone reduce The Bible, a layered storehouse of spiritual riches, into just ten words? And who had the right to decide which ten words would be the best for such an endeavor? And why is Deron Spoo qualified to undertake the task (I love his unusual name)?

Spoo has been the pastor of First Baptist Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, for 20 years and is the author of another book called The Good Book: 40 Chapters That Reveal the Bible's Biggest Ideas (published in 2017). His goal was not to reduce or condense The Bible into just ten words but to choose ten words worthy of further consideration and exploration. He asks, "What if we could distill the message of Scripture, with its 750,000-plus words, into just a few that would simply but elegantly unlock its meaning?"

Spoo took up the challenge with the goal of helping us "understand God and His unstoppable love more deeply and more personally." And he has accomplished that with his choice of words, some of which I would not have thought as likely candidates. I appreciate his ability to back up each of his choices with supportive and correlating scripture verses as well as interesting anecdotes. I will tell you the first word he offers us is "light," but you'll have to read the book yourself to discover the other nine and the final perfect word that wraps it all up.

Each chapter ends with a suggested prayer to God, questions for discussion with others, and additional scripture verses that tie in with the word being highlighted, should you want to do additional study.

The only negative thing I can say about this book is that the author insisted on renaming the Old Testament the Older Testament. I am content to call the Old Testament the Old Testament, especially since I call the New Testament the New Testament, not the Newer Testament. To each his/her own.



Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Healing the Soul of a Woman Devotional

Healing the Soul of a Woman Devotional

Title:  Healing the Soul of a Woman Devotional
Subtitle:  90 Inspirations for Overcoming Your Emotional Wounds
Author:  Joyce Meyer
Genre:  Christian Devotional
Publisher:  FaithWords, a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc.
Number of Pages:  197
My Rating:  3/5

My first thought upon receiving this book for review was "What a gorgeous cover!" That alone made me excited for what lay inside, but I discovered that, as far as devotionals go, it didn't live up to my expectations.

As a woman who has experienced a lot of emotional wounding over the last decade or so, I continue to be a woman in need of healing. I hoped that Meyer's content would bring a measure of that my way. And it did, but only a small measure.

Though the individual chapter titles were appealing, in the end I felt like there was a good deal of repetition in content. Here is a sampling of chapter titles (there are 90 in all):

*The Goal of a Healthy Soul
*You Are Not Damaged Goods
*You're Not Alone
*It's Time to Let Go
*Bear One Another's Burdens
*No Longer a Victim
*Boundaries, Not Walls
*Let God Lift Your Head
*How to Handle People Who Have Hurt You

Meyer, who herself has experienced abuse in her past and who struggled with shame and guilt and doubt because of it, certainly has the right credentials for reaching out to others in the same boat. I appreciate that she opens each chapter with scripture, but her closing declarations would have had more meaning for me if they, too, were more God-focused rather than self-focused affirmations.

In summary, this is not one of my favorite devotionals, but I do think it can still be of benefit to any woman who is struggling with emotional wounds from her past. And I'm sure that I will read parts of it again from time to time to glean from Meyer's truly heartfelt insights.



Disclaimer:  I received this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.


Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Stay Tuned!

A new book review is coming to this space soon.

Thursday, April 11, 2019

Book Review: Midnight Lullabies



Title:  Midnight Lullabies
Subtitle:  Moments of Peace for Moms
Author:  Lauren Eberspacher
Genre:  Christian Devotional
Publisher:  FaithWords, a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc.
Number of Pages: 158
My Rating:  4/5

When I agreed to read and review this book, I had assumed that it would not hold within its pages any subject matter pertinent to me in my current season of life as an empty-nester, mother of two adult daughters, and grandmother of three. I had assumed any wisdom shared would be applicable only to mothers still in the trenches learning to parent and nurture children at home. Please serve me my piece of humble pie, because I was wrong.

This lovely devotional is filled with Biblical truths that are relevant to any mother of any age in any season of life. The encouragements and scriptures the author shares are universal and eternal. Eberspacher, married to a Nebraskan farmer and mother to three little ones, writes from experience, and her heart and her humor as she relates every-day events and emotions are both delightful and transparent. She is not afraid to tell it like it is.

After an invitation into her world (where she is sporting a messy bun, watching a baby play on the floor amidst piles of laundry, and she's too overwhelmed and exhausted to care about how any of it looks -- tell me that isn't honesty!), she offers up 31 chapters of solid food for the reader to digest. Chapters such as:

When the Enemy Tells You That You're Not Enough
When Comparison Sticks Its Foot in the Door
When It's Time to Put Down the Mop
When God Lets You Walk Into the Fire

I love that each chapter ends with a spiritual summary suggesting how the reader can turn the challenges being discussed into victories and a prayer to speak over the matter at hand (especially helpful if it's hard to find adequate words to offer on one's own). There is also an index in the back to aid the reader in finding content relating to a particular struggle (such as anger, cleaning, fear, husbands, joy, sacrifice, etc.).

This book would make a wonderful gift for the expectant mother, the new mother, the mother in the thick of things, as well as the mother who's already been-there-done-that. None of us needs to do this alone, and Eberspacher takes the time to remind us of this important truth.



Disclaimer:  I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Tuesday, February 5, 2019

Stay Tuned!

A new book review is coming to this space soon.

Friday, August 3, 2018

On Sabbatical

I am taking a break from reviewing books for a bit, but I will continue to update my personal reading list in the sidebar.

Back soon, I hope.

Friday, April 13, 2018

Book Review: The Air I Breathe


Title:  The Air I Breathe
Subtitle:  Worship as a Way of Life
Author:  Louie Giglio
Genre:  Christian Non-Fiction
Publisher:  Multnomah, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC
Number of Pages:  149
My Rating:  3/5

I love Louie Giglio. I love his passion for God, the Bible, the Saviour, the saved, and the unsaved. My review is not about him; it is about his book. Just want to make that separation clear.

This book, while full of truth, is a light read. There is nothing new or meaty being presented, so I'm wondering if his intended audience is the new believer. If that's the case, then his description of the purpose and the pleasure of individual and corporate worship will be helpful. Giglio's premise is that worship is not an activity reserved for Sunday mornings only but an activity that should be a daily, moment-by-moment offering by the Christian that is as natural as breathing. He states:

"Worship is our response, both individual and corporate, to God -- for who He is! for what He has done! -- expressed in and by the things we say and the way we live."

I do agree with that definition. The eight chapters of this book expand on the why, the when, and the how of worship and are followed by a section of questions for group discussion. In my opinion, much of the content of the eight chapters is repetitive, as if Giglio took a sermon topic and delivered it eight times. That said, I think the encouragement he offers to all Christians, whether old-timers or newbies, is wonderful -- that worship of our worthy God should be a joy and should be expressed what we say and what we do, 24/7, both as individuals and as the body of Christ.



Disclaimer:  I received this book from www.bloggingforbooks.com in exchange for a fair and honest review.