Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Book Review: Friendship for Grown-Ups by Lisa Whelchel



I recieved a copy of Lisa Whelchel-Cauble (Blair from "The Facts of Life") free from Thomas Nelson Publishers in return for an honest review.

I enjoyed watching The Facts of Life growing up (YES! I am a "child of the 80s). To watch "Blair" on the screen, you would think she had it all together. Well, Blair might have, but Lisa didn't...not where friendships came into play.

This book is a fairly easy read and Lisa opens up about how hard it was for her to have true friendships growing up. The book is not a "how-to" book...Lisa just opens up about how she struggled to find those lasting friendships.

Overall, the book was good. She did quote from other authors a lot. I enjoyed it, I guess, because, as I said i AM a child of the 80s and I was interested in what Lisa had to say. Others may not find her easy writing style and "storytelling" as interesting or useful.

I would recommend the book to a friend...but probably only adult women because I don't think "most" guys would "get" some of the deep emotional parts.

Until next I type...
GOD BLESS

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Your "Plan A" should REALLY including your reading "Plan B" by Pete Wilson



Product InformationFormat: Paperback
Number of Pages: 224
Vendor: Thomas Nelson
Publication Date: 2010
Dimensions: 8.38 X 5.44 (inches)
ISBN: 0849946506

Publisher's Description

Learn how God often does His best work in our most hopeless situations.

What do you do with a shattered dream? Or an unmet expectation? What do you do when your life isn’t turning out the way you thought it would? What do you do when you have to turn to Plan B?

In Plan B pastor and author Pete Wilson uses real life stories of disappointments and hurts along with the biblical stories of men and women like David, Joseph, and Ruth to help readers come to grips with the truth that they will face situations that in themselves they are completely unable to handle but that in them God is simply trying to get them to surrender their plans so that they can receive His. He identifies our common responses to difficulties and offers hope, helping us to

-- Understand what God might be up to
-- See how surrender helps us to receive God’s plan
-- Embrace the community of believers
-- Reconcile a God of love with a life of tragedy and suffering

Wilson points readers to the cross as not just the starting line but the centerpiece of our story with God and shares that it is there we turn in our Plan B and find the undeniable relationship between crisis and our hope followed by true spiritual transformation. "God wants to live inside the questions" says Wilson and then reminds us that "the cross is proof that He does not always change the circumstance but that He always has a purpose in every circumstance. He will never let go of us. He will hold us and His cross will be an anchor for us."


My Thoughts:

I was REALLY looking forward to reading this book and was NOT disappointed. Pastor Pete Wilson really “hit the nail on the head” with this one.

I enjoyed how he intertwined Biblical stories with not only his life, but also the lives of his congregation over the years and other friends. He used characters from the Bible such as Joseph, Job, Paul, Naomi & Ruth, and Abraham.

I believe Pastor Wilson took a complex subject and made it easier for others to try and grasp the concept of (I might have changed some of the wording he used. What DO you do when “life” takes over and you have to move to “Plan B”?! Do you trust God? Do you question God? Can you still feel God’s presence? Do you feel alone? Abandoned?

Pastor Wilson shows us how different people in the Bible responded to different tests in their lives. He teaches that we all need “community”…most of the time we don’t hear about something until it has escalated (divorce, suicide, abuse, etc) without ever hearing about “underlying issues”. God not only wants to hear from us, He wants us to share with others…He wants us to hear and say, “Me, too”! (this HAD to be one of my favorite parts of the book – it “got my toes” a little – because I am one of those people who likes to talk a lot, but not really “share” a lot!).

I would DEFINITELY recommend this book…and WILL!!! It was an easy read and kept you interested…but not so easy that you become bored with it.

THANK YOU TO PASTOR PETE WILSON AND TO BOOKSNEEZE FOR ALLOWING ME TH OPPORTUNITY TO READ THIS BOOK!!!


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their 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 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Thursday, April 8, 2010

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

BOOK REVIEW: NCV Revolve New Testament Biblezine



I recently reviewed NCV Revolve New Testament Biblezine for booksneeze.com.

I was excited to get this magazine as I have a teenage daughter. Upon receiving it, however, I have mixed feelings. It did, in fact, contain the entire New Testament. There were also short articles on fashion, dating, makeup...and text messages on just about every page.

While I thought the mojority of articles were good, I also thought they could have maybe been all placed in the back instead of dispersed throughout the Bible. As for the "text messages"...I have a strong dislike for "lack of spelling correctly" among a lot of young people today, so those did NOT impress me.

Overall, I would sugest this to parents with teen daughters. I would also suggest that parents talk to their daughters (and sons) about the importance of the Bible and that they shouldn't concentrate so hard on what the WORLD says but on what the WORD says.

I appreciate the opportunity to review this "Biblezine" and am now going to look into maybe attending a Revolve Tour with my daughter.




Product Description: GOD'S WORD ROCKS…IN REVOLVE 2010! Now in its sixth edition, the Revolve series has proven effective in reaching teenage girls by featuring the Bible in a cool, magazine design. Interspersed throughout the scriptures, girls find articles and images that speak to their concerns and interests: how-to articles, lifestyle features, beauty tips, fun games and quizzes, and more. Everything about Revolve 2010 relates directly to teen girls, making it the New Testament they can understand in a format to which they can relate.

Product InformationFormat: Paperback
Number of Pages: 400
Vendor: Thomas Nelson
Publication Date: 2009

Until Next Time...
GOD BLESS!!
michelle

Monday, January 25, 2010



I have recently recieved a copy of "Beautiful Mess: The Story of Diamond Rio" from Tommy Nelson.
I have to admit I was excited about reading the book; however, I was a little diappointed in it.
The book seemed a little on the dry side to me.
Some of the members seemed a little more reluctant in sharing their life than others.
(of course, I also believe that some things are better left unsaid..."don't air all your dirty laundry").

It was, however, a good background source of the band and their successes and failiures as a group.

I WOULD recommend the book...but only to those who really just want to know the background information on the group as a group.