Book Review: Every Body Matters, by Gary Thomas- a keeper, get your own copy!

I could make this a quick book review and tell you I just finished reading a great book. However, that would be a simple response for something that needs a more complex commentary. 

It re-calibrated my thinking. 

Every Body Matters, by Gary Thomas, is a keeper. He addresses an issue that my husband and I have spent many hours talking about already...the health our bodies, especially as Christians. 

You see, we hear sermons on having a strong faith, sinful behavior like dishonesty and adultery, and how to be great givers; all of which are important topics. But how many times have you heard the sermon about maintaining a healthy body in regards to gluttony? Or what about food as a idol? 

Here’s what I have taken from the book:

-Food is supposed to be a tool, a source of nutrition, fuel for our bodies.... not something we crave, obey, or think about constantly. 

-Hunger pangs before lunch or dinner aren’t life threatening. Duh, right?

-I need to have a solid, strong, and steady body (rather than a soft one) in order to complete the tasks God created me for.

Every Body Matters is not a diet book, health or nutrition manual or condemning for any reason. Thomas clarifies his understanding that we can not and must not judge the outward appearance of anyone for any reason and that fitness is not a measuring stick for faithfulness. 

About his own struggle, Thomas shares, “I sensed a stronger resistance to impatience, lust, and other sins. Confronting excessive, indulgent eating was almost like taking spiritual penicillin or antibiotics in that it seemed to cut the feet out from under other demands.” (61) “With my nutritional needs for the day met, I can focus on other things.” (85) 

He says, “One blessing of sin...is that it can usher us into a new honesty. Our frailty is exposed...[we can] be completely honest with ourselves. (181) Did opening the bag of chips, even though your conscience was telling you not to, really help you feel better thirty minutes later, or did you feel worse? Did blowing off the exercise session- even though, many times before, exercising when you didn’t feel like it made you feel renewed and invigorated- serve your long term goal of better health? Or was it simply a matter of coddling a soft spirit? There a times when it’s wise or even necessary to skip working out, but was this one of them?”(180)

One point Thomas makes that I agree and disagree with at the same time (is that possible?) is that “a soft body cannot carry a hard message; a fragile personality cannot endure a harsh response.” (200) I have met a handful of people who have weak, failing bodies; yet have strong-as-a-lion wills, capable of capturing the heart and soul of individuals many times their sizes or strengths. And on the other end of the spectrum, I know people whom are the perfect picture of health; yet are cowards inside. But I get what he is saying and I agree... I don’t want to intentionally do something to cause my physical body to weaken, hindering my ability to accomplish the tasks I have been made to do. 

Perhaps I should read this book a couple times a year... like right before the holidays! 

Zondervan gave me a free copy of this book in exchange for a thoughtful, honest review...and I am very grateful for that! 

The Voice New Testament

The Voice New Testament

Gil received a paper copy of The Voice New Testament when he went to Catalyst last fall. The Voice is a New Testament translation which reads like a screenplay. As you read, you are told where someone goes/is and what he/she has said. This makes the text very easy to follow and allows the reader to focus on the point of the scripture rather than trying to figure out points that are sometimes harder to gather.

We used his copy of The Voice for our Advent readings last Christmas and it seemed to help our daughters understand more of what was happening. Also, Gil sometimes reads this version to me at night. I love that.

I was given a digital copy to review for the publisher, so I downloaded it to my iPad. I already have another popular Bible app on my iPad, but since this was a different translation than the ones available on the app, I thought it would be nice to have access to it there as well.

Lately, I have been processing a statement I heard about the original design of the scriptures being shared orally. For generations, the scriptures were handed down orally with painstaking detail to stick to the original. when I think of the scriptures being read aloud, these words come to mind: soothing, soaking, blanketing... The publishers of The Voice say, "This translation promotes the public reading of longer sections of Scripture—followed by thoughtful engagement with the biblical narrative in its richness and fullness and dramatic flow." I love that. Hearing the scriptures read aloud brings an element of the old traditions into our modern day- a community gathering (whether large or small gathering) to hear God's word together, to process what was said/done/created/redeemed for us as a group. 

My only complaint is that when it's downloaded to my iPad, it is then stored in my iBooks apps. I would rather it have it's own app so I don't have to click through iBooks to find it. There might be a way to make this happen, but I haven't figured it out yet.

Grab yourself a copy of the The Voice New Testament- either paper or digital or both.

Booksneeze gave me a free digital copy of The Voice New Testament in exchange for an honest review of the book.

Book Review: STUCK- a keeper....definitely.

On a superficial level, I love this study. 

On a leadership level, I love this study. 

On a personal level, I love this study. 

On a spiritual level, I love this study. 

Jennie Allen nailed it when she wrote her 8 week group study entitled Stuck. The series comes with an 8 session DVD, a leaders guide, a participants guide, and a deck of cards. 

The deck of cards were my favorite. 

Allen gives group guidelines for her study. One of her rules for group discussion is to not counsel one another. If you’ve ever been in a group discussion with more than 2 women, you should know why she wants to limit playing counselor for the others. Everyone always has an idea to solve your problem, a solution to your worries and instructions on how to live the perfect life. But why the deck of cards?

As a task oriented person, the cards make my heart soar. Each week has 10 cards which correspond to the week’s topic. Each card is different and ranges in activities from reading a scripture to the group, asking a discussion question for the group, answering a thought provoking question or some other task. The cards give the group participants some authority as to how much she shares with others and the level of participation. Having a card in your hand is much like having a table in front of you....it’s a little piece of safety from the invasive feelings some experience when sharing personal information. Cards also give the quiet ones a chance to speak if they wish and prevents trampling from too-well-known Chatty Cathy. 

Allen’s DVD is enjoyable and she is easy to listen to. The settings are different each week and she positions herself as if she is talking directly to you- across the table, in the grocery isle, etc. Each clip is about 8 minutes long. While watching, I became so interested in what she was saying, I lost track of time and always wanted her to keep going. Her sweet spirit shines through and I wish I knew her personally- she would be a deep and valuable friend. 

As for the topics covered in the study, Allen writes/talks about places we get STUCK in our relationship with God- broken, mad, discontent, scared, overwhelmed, sad, unstuck. For some of these topics, I felt it didn’t apply to me BEFORE I listened and read.....but each time, I found that I saw myself in the discussions. Her questions, her personal stories, the scriptures she used.....they all pulled something out in me that resonated so clearly in my own heart. Ouch. 

Because of the way her study is organized, I feel this would fit any level of intimacy a group currently experiences- a newly established group would benefit from the use of the cards and the optional input exercises, while a group that deeply knows one another can press farther with the hard questions and personal stories. 

Thanks Thomas Nelson for a chance to read and review this study in exchange for a free copy! If you want to snag your own copy, click here. 

You can check out Jennie’s site @ http://jennieallen.com/projects/stuck or catch a glimpe of one her videos, right here:

Book Review: The Christian Writer's Market Guide 2012- a keeper

Imagine being a writer and needing to know who to call for editors, publishers, contests and not knowing where to look. Your searches on Google end up with the crafty business person’s eye-catching website and writing classes for the local middle school age homeschool co-op. Frustration oozes from your fingertips. This amazing article hibernates on your hard drive while potential periodical editors hunt for something great to publish. How can the two become one? Is it possible for the perfect match to be found? Unlikely....Possible....Maybe?

*Cue end of drama.*

This heavenly made match can be completed with the help of Jerry Jenkin’s 2012 Christian Writers Market Guide. Jerry B. Jenkin’s Christian Writers Guild compiled information from hundreds of publishers, agents, contests, writers’ groups, conference locations and dates and topics of interests. This book is like the White Pages of the writing world. I bought my first copy in 2009 and used it as a guide to navigate new territory. By flipping through the pages, I was able find useful information for publishing....but I also found encouragement to write. This tool is 552 pages of potential outlets for writing. Even though the publishing world seems to be caving in right now, there are still writers landing jobs! It’s motivating to skim through the Guide and see the areas on interest still available for writers. 

If your amazing article or book is still hibernating on your hard drive and you’d like to wake it, grab yourself a copy of The 2012 Christian Writers Market Guide. It’s somewhat pricey ($24.99), but if you look at it as an investment in your yearly writing career, then it isn’t so bad. 

Thanks Tyndale for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! 

Book Review- Thank You, God, for blessing me (ebook)

I recently snagged a copy a copy of the ebook Thank You God, For Blessing Me by Max Lucado, part of the Hermie series. 

I like the little poem about different things to be thankful for. That’s it. Perhaps it was due to glitches in the ebook world, but the book turned out to be only 3 pages and had very tiny pictures. It seemed that several regular pages had been smashed into one with shrunken pictures. Despite the pictures being small, they were cute. My kids liked them. 

The poem was short and my kids (3 & 5) could have sat longer for a more in-depth story. So, this book would best be for much younger kids...maybe even in a chewable format for the littlest babies to teethe on! 

My kids also wished the book read out loud to them, as some other ebooks do. Maybe Tommy Nelson can add that feature to their children’s ebooks? 

If you get the book, get an actual copy of it- not an ebook version! 

Thanks Booksneeze for this free download. I gave my honest opinion in exchange for this review. 

Book Review: Night, Night Blessings (ebook version) good story

This was my first e-book download....and to my surprise, I really liked it. Last week, I downloaded a copy of Night, Night Blessings by Amy Parker onto my IPad. I was a little hesitant. I have maintained my membership in the real-paper&ink-book-in-hand club, but I was pleasantly surprised. 

Parker did a great job with her poetic, thankful blessings to be read before bed. My girls loved it and loved swiping through the pages on my IPad. Additionally, her pictures were  sweet and gentle. (Can a picture be gentle? I think so. Anyway....) 

Great story. Get it digitally. Read it to your kids. 

Thanks BookSneeze for a free book download in exchange for an honest review.  

Book Review: Faith & Culture: buy 2 copies- one for yourself and one for someone else

Faith & Culture (by Kelly Kullburg) is another great resource to add to your booklist and bookshelf. This book was a collection of 15 weeks worth of devotional readings which cover weekly themes in the areas of literature, art, history, science, pop culture, etc. The writing was tight and thought provoking. At the end of the page or two for each reading, questions were provided for further thought. 

I feel this text would best be accepted by younger adults and college students...or anyone with heart for or similar to them. 

I loved that within weeks of reading the book, I found myself coming in contact with people or topics mentioned in the readings. This isn’t some dusty relic hoping to be rediscovered. This is fresh, current, and real stuff. 

Grab a copy for yourself and another young person you know.  

Zondervan provided a free copy for me in exchange for an honest and real review. Thanks Zondervan. You can pick up your own copy here. 

By the way, I also love the old and dusty relics!