Book Reviews

Making Sense of the Bible

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Making Sense of the Bible: How to Connect with God Through His WordMaking Sense of the Bible: How to Connect with God Through His Word by David Whitehead

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

“I want to read the Bible, but where do I start? The Bible can seem like an intimidating book, but it may be easier to understand than you think. Making Sense of the Bible will teach you how to enjoy studying it on your own.”

As the Author, David Whitehead, says right in the introduction – “The goal in reading the Bible is not to simply read the Bible. The goal in reading the Bible is to get to know and interact with the God of the Bible.” This is such a true statement.

I just finished reading this book and what an interesting book this turned out to be. It truly starts off by answering the simplest, yet so often asked question… why are there so many translations? Such an innocent question that I’ve heard asked many times. This book takes on that question and so many others.

By walking us through an overview of the various books of the bible – both Old and New Testament – we get a broad overview of the author, the message, the location, the culture, and the audience to whom the book was written.

The Bible is a big book, but it can be read and understood. This book would be an ideal addition to a Bible study for both a new or seasoned believer.

About the Author: David Whitehead has been helping people connect with Jesus Christ for more than 30 years throughout the U.S, and abroad. He is the pastor of Grace in Manhattan and a Church-planting coach for Redeemer City to City.

*Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book through the Bethany House Blogger Review Program, in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own, and no monetary compensation was received for this review.

*Reviews of this book were posted at the following locations:
Amazon, Christian Book, Deeper Shopping, and Goodreads

View all my reviews

This book is available online at
Deeper Shopping Books and Bibles

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You Don’t Have to Live Crazy

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Radically Normal by Josh Kelley –

You Don’t Have To Live Crazy To Follow Christ

Truer words were never spoken.  How often do we really wonder if we are “doing enough”… “good enough”… “sacrificing enough”… “suffering enough… are we even enough?  I’ll be honest, I wonder that at times.  I wonder if I’m supposed to be doing more, studying more, praying more, giving more, more more more.  Should I not watch that hour of television in order to pray more?  Am I too radical… not radical enough?  Sometimes it’s all too much.

Am I missing the joy of the journey that God has set before me in order to make sure that I’m 10000% ready for the “grand prize”. Continue reading →

The Impressionist

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I don’t often read fiction, but the title of this little book intrigued me.  Is it fiction?  It says so…  but it’s really so much more.

The ImpressionistThe Impressionist by Tim Clinton

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

“Middle aged, disappointed and self-loathing, Adam Camp is anything but the picture of a successful man. With his wife threatening to leave him and their son addicted to drugs, Adam teeters on the verge of absolute despair – questioning his own existence and purpose for living.

After an explosive argument with his wife, Adam searches for an escape as he sets out on a journey that will dramatically recolor his world.” Continue reading →

Become a Doer of the Word

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Not Just a Hearer But a Doer V2Not Just a Hearer But a Doer V2 by Yolanda Shanks

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

“Have you ever held on to dangerous thoughts and feelings? And have you ever assumed that since you weren’t hurting others, those thoughts and feelings were okay? Think again.

Building off her successful devotional study, Not Just a Hearer, But A DOER, Yolanda Shanks offers thirty–one more days of practical, scriptural insight that will have you shedding bad habits and replacing them with Biblical behaviors.”
Continue reading →

Demystifying the Book of Revleation

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This is an amazing book that I had the privledge to read. I would strongly urge you to consider reading and studying this book.  I will let the review speak for itself…

The Book of Revelation Made Clear: A Down-To-Earth Guide to Understanding the Most Mysterious Book of the BibleThe Book of Revelation Made Clear: A Down-To-Earth Guide to Understanding the Most Mysterious Book of the Bible by Tim LaHaye

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

“The Bible’s final book, Revelation, can seem intimidating or downright impossible to comprehend, even for serious students of the Scriptures. Filled with complex imagery, vivid depictions of violence, and challenging spiritual references,, Revelation is often set aside by readers in favor of more straightforward, easier-to-digest biblical material. Yet the capstone of the canon need not remain a mystery.

Continue reading →

If God is Good, then

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If God Is Good: Faith in the Midst of Suffering and EvilIf God Is Good: Faith in the Midst of Suffering and Evil by Randy Alcorn

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

“Every one of us will experience suffering. Many of us are experiencing it now. As we have seen in recent years, evil is real in our world, present and close to each one of us.

In such difficult times, suffering and evil beg questions about God–Why would an all-good and all-powerful God create a world full of evil and suffering? And then, how can there be a God if suffering and evil exist?

These are ancient questions, but also modern ones as well. Atheists such as Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, and even former believers like Bart Ehrman answer the question simply: The existence of suffering and evil proves there is no God.

In this captivating new book, best-selling author Randy Alcorn challenges the logic of disbelief, and brings a fresh, realistic, and thoroughly biblical insight to the issues these important questions raise.” Continue reading →

Are You Ready to Transform History

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Are you ready to transform history?  This is the HUGE question that is posed by author, William L Ford III, in his book “Created for Influence“.

This is a powerful book that doesn’t pull any punches.  I knew from the first page of the first chapter that I was in for an interesting and challenging read.

“Abdicating our responsibility of preserving the customs, institutions and general moral conscience that prevent a society from decaying will leave the culture to rot all around us.  At times the Church stares in sickened fascination at what is decaying, longing for the Rapture, as God — and even creation– longs for our Savior to be manifest on the earth through us.”  Created for Influence page 17. Continue reading →

The Global War on Christians

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The Global War on Christians: Dispatches from the Front Lines of Anti-Christian PersecutionThe Global War on Christians: Dispatches from the Front Lines of Anti-Christian Persecution by John L. Allen Jr.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Global War On Christians – Dispatches from the Front Lines of Anti-Christian Persecution. As a Christian living in the United States of America, the title of this book caught my eye. We’ve all known for some time that Christians around the world have been, and continue to be, persecuted for their beliefs. We read from time to time their stories, and hear about the tragedy’s that befall them in their mission work. It is through my own naïveté, that I assumed that this was because these folks were “going into the mouth of the lion” when they headed to areas of the globe that were clearly anti-Christian. Little did I realize that so much of the Christian persecution that occurs is not just in those areas of the globe that we might deem hostile to Christians.

This book, a raw as it is in its descriptions of the horrors, clearly opened my eyes to what is going on around the world. While we here in the US are battling with legal challenges for our nativity’s and religious freedoms, more than two-thirds of the world’s 2.3 billion Christians who live outside the West, and are the minority of most regions, are battling far more persecution than any of us could ever imagine.

This book does contain graphic retelling of the stories of these martyrs. If you are sensitive to this, this might not be the book for you. Otherwise, I highly recommend this book as a must read.

About the Author:
JOHN L. ALLEN JR. is the senior correspondent for the National Catholic Reporter and the senior Vatican analyst for CNN, and writes for other national and international publications. He speaks at nearly fifty engagements a year and is the author of seven previous books, including his most recent A People of Hope: The Challenges Facing the Catholic Church and the Faith That Can Save It.
For more information about the author, go to: http://ncronline.org/authors/john-l-a…

Click here to read Chapter One of The Global War On Christians – http://www.imagecatholicbooks.com/sne…

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/wa… : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

*Reviews of this book were posted at the following locations:
Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Deeper Shopping, and Goodreads
View all my reviews
This book is available online at
Deeper Shopping Books and Bibles

The Singing Quilt

~ Ann Cuddy-Sullivan ~ Leave a comment

Every once in a while a book comes along that touches your heart.  The Singing Quilt by Kathi Macias is one such book.  It is not often that I read fiction, but I have to say that I did not want this book to end.  I wanted to know more about the lead charecter… I wanted to follow along with her new life in Christ.  Sadly though… the book came to an end.

Below is my public review of this book

The Singing QuiltThe Singing Quilt by Kathi Macias

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

“Can another woman’s courage inspire the impossible? Jolissa Montoya, a shy, young Hispanic girl, believes God is calling her to work with disadvantaged children in the inner city. She is convinced that what God has spoken to her heart is impossible. Until one day when she shares her concerns with a confidante who shows her a quilt – a quilt that depicts the life of a courageous woman.” Continue reading →

Hope Runs

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Hope Runs: An American Tourist, a Kenyan Boy, a Journey of RedemptionHope Runs: An American Tourist, a Kenyan Boy, a Journey of Redemption by Claire Díaz-Ortiz

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

“She went to Kenya to climb a mountain. But God has other plans. When Claire-Diaz-Ortiz arrived in Kenya at the end of an around-the-world journey, she decided to stay the night, climb Mount Kenya, and then head back home. She entered an orphanage, seeing it as little more than a free place to spend the night before her mountain trek. Hope Runs is the emotional story of one American tourist, one Kenyan orphan, and how one day became one year that would change the course of both their lives forever.” Continue reading →