Book Review of Arms Open Wide by Sherri Gragg

Come near. Stop striving. The Master of the banquet has raised His glass to welcome you as His dear child.

So often Christians view Christ as someone who’s far away and can’t be approached until they have their lives in order. In Arms Open Wide, author Sherri Gragg proves that Christ is a kinder, more tender, more loving Savior than many understand Him to be.

Sherri writes in fictional narrative form while mixing biblical history with scripture, creating a setting that transforms readers back in time and places them right in Jesus’ presence. For thirty-five days readers walk with the Savior to witness miraculous healings and events, and give fresh insight into His power by thinking and feeling with people whose lives became instantly transformed by His love and grace. Readers journey with Jesus and His disciples in the most important time in history.

Hearts will be stirred and lives will be changed as readers draw near and walk with the Savior as never before. 

So much attracted me to this book. First of all, the title ... "arms open wide" has been a visual I have tried to hold in my mind of Christ. "A call to linger" ... is such a beautiful word picture of what God desires for us. Friendship. Fellowship.

Yet, as you know from your own lives, friendship does not grow out of nothing. There is time invested; hearts invested. And so that brings us to Sherri Gragg's wonderful devotional/storybook.

Basically in the simplest terms, Gragg's book is

Book Review of To Know You by Shannon Ethridge and Kathryn Mackel

This was an incredible read ... hard, challenging and also very intriguing, and inspiring. I love stories that feel real to my heart and this one ranks at the top for that.

Publisher's Blurb:

Julia Whittaker’s rocky past yielded two daughters, both given up for adoption as infants. Now she must find them to try to save her son.

Julia and Matt Whittaker’s son has beaten the odds for thirteen years only to have the odds—and his liver—crash precipitously. The only hope for his survival is a “living liver” transplant, but the transplant list is long and Dillon’s time is short. His two older half-sisters, born eighteen months apart to two different fathers, offer his only hope for survival.

But can Julia ask a young woman—someone she surrendered to strangers long ago and has never spoken with—to make such a sacrifice to save a brother she’s never known? Can she muster the courage to journey back into a shame-filled season of her life, face her choices and their consequences, and find any hope of healing?

And what if she discovers in her own daughters’ lives that a history of foolish choices threatens to repeat itself? Julia knows she’s probably embarking on a fool’s errand—searching for the daughters she abandoned only now that she needs something from them. But love compels Julia to take this journey. Can grace and forgiveness compel her daughters to join her?

In To Know You, Shannon Ethridge and Kathryn Mackel explore how the past creates the present . . . and how even the most shattered lives can be redeemed.

To be completely honest, I found the book a difficult read. While the story and plot were very enticing, the constant POV switches made it a challenge for me. The book is set up chronologically, based on a time clock. Therefore instead of POV changes lined up based on scenes, you find yourself whirling to a new plot thread based on the clock. There are also several flashbacks. Eventually, I did adjust to the transitions, but cannot say it was a smooth read for me.

That being said the powerful content of the story still bled through. There are many great characters, each with their own investment in the main plot of the sick boy, as well as their own individual plots that are compelling on their own. It is an immensely deep and invested read covering difficult topics such as infidelity, adoption, intimacy issues in marriage, and even more crucial, the concept of redemption and forgiveness. 

A great book - not a beach/weekend read. Check it out for yourself and download the first three chapters free from Shannon Ethridge's website.

Thanks to Booksneeze and Thomas Nelson for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Book Review - Intentional Parenting by S. Goff, D. Thomas and M. Trevathan

This is about you, not just your child.

Regardless of age, parenting requires a certain amount of uncertainty. But you can be certain that your children look to you to help them discover who they are. And you can only offer that to the degree that YOU know who you are.

Over the years, Sissy Goff, David Thomas, and Melissa Trevathan have helped countless families through their ministry known as Daystar Counseling in Nashville, TN. Due to the unique setup of Daystar, each is frequently counseling not only the child but the parent as well. Having both perspectives provides an opportunity to speak into some of the most common struggles that parents face in today's fast-paced society.
Intentional Parenting is built around 12 chapters that each dispel some of the most common parenting myths and reminds all parents of truths that can empower them to be not only the parents that their children need but that God has called them to be. The book helps you discover first who you are and then takes that healthy person into a discovery of being more intentional, playful, consistent, merciful, and connected to your children.

Understanding your child. Understanding you.

*****

I absolutely loved the idea of this book. A healthy parent produces healthy children, right? I had no idea the depth this book would go in with its 229 pages. You are paying for a book to sit on your shelves, refer back to at times as well as your own mini counseling service. It was extremely insightful.

Each chapter focuses on a different aspect of parenting from the general sense. Most parenting books have

Book Review - Desperate by Sarah Mae and Sally Clarkson

Attention Moms everywhere!  
There is hope for the mom who needs to breathe!

I have found a fantastic book for moms that I wish I'd had seventeen years ago when my kids were young. Sarah Mae and Sally Clarkson have discovered a heartbeat of moms that I haven't seen much on book shelves.

This book is different because it isn't one woman telling other moms how to be a "better" mom.  There are no lists of ideas to try, or new recipes that all kids will eat, or discipline that works!  This book is DIFFERENT.

My favorite thing about Desperate is Sarah Mae's crystal-clear honesty.  She shares her heart openly - even the stuff we don't like to say out loud.  Like,

• "I just can't be a mother today."
• "I just want to be alone ..."
• "Lately it's been easier to put on the T.V. than put on being a good mother."
• "I am so selfish!  Every day I see it in myself more and more."
• "When my life feels overwhelming, I escape to the Internet."

The second thing I love about Desperate is Sally Clarkson's

Book Review of A Year of Biblical Womanhood

It isn't ironic that as a New Year begins and I reflect back on the past year that I can write a book review for the best book I read in 2012!

It filled all  my reader wants - humour, intrigue, love and of course learning more about my Saviour.  All in one book.

Rachel Held Evans wrote a book about her journey to follow the instructions to women in the bible literally for one year.  When I requested the book I was on a journey of my own - questioning who I was as a mother, wife, pastor's wife and friend.  I felt like I had not only missed the boat, but I had never made it to the right dock.  I thought maybe this book would point me in the right direction.  Who says you can't learn new tricks at 40?

So I ordered the book, opened it and was amazed at this woman who most likely changed my life without changing my direction one bit.

 Here is the Publisher's blurb:

Strong-willed and independent, Rachel Held Evans couldn’t sew a button on a blouse before she embarked on a radical life experiment—a year of biblical womanhood.

Intrigued by the traditionalist resurgence that led many of her friends to abandon their careers to assume traditional gender roles in the home, Evans decides to try it for herself, vowing to take all of the Bible’s instructions for women as literally as possible for a year. Pursuing a different virtue each month, Evans learns the hard way that her quest for biblical womanhood requires more than a “gentle and quiet spirit” (1 Peter 3:4).​ 

It means growing out her hair, making her own clothes, covering her head, obeying her husband, rising before dawn, abstaining from gossip, remaining silent in church, and even camping out in the front yard during her period. With just the right mixture of humor and insight, compassion and incredulity, A Year of Biblical Womanhood is an exercise in scriptural exploration and spiritual contemplation.

What does God truly expect of women, and is there really a prescription for biblical womanhood? Come along with Evans as she looks for answers in the rich heritage of biblical heroines, models of grace, and all-around women of valor.

Overall, I recommend this book to any woman.  The content is light-hearted and filled with wit, while teaching context and depth to the biblical scriptures related to womanhood.  Rachel puts all our fears to rest as she comically works through the ideals and traditions that tend to plague women.

I thoroughly enjoyed her writing style - honest and real.  She admitted her failures and mistakes and made my heart feel at ease.  I cried when she failed and I cheered when she succeeded. Her year long project covers topics such as homemaking, motherhood, marriage relationships, purity issues and social justice to name a few.

Just to give you a teaser I will share one of my favorite parts of her book.  In the month of May Rachel tackles the large looming issue of motherhood.  She had reservations about if she should start a family, when she start a family and so on.  So, she tackled it head on by ordering an electronic baby from Virginia. During the project she blogged about her experiences and her thoughts, receiving a wide array of comments.  This particular time she shared her fears about motherhood and was amazed at the comments she received.  They were from real life moms struggling with real life mom issues - not ideas and tactics from a parenting book.  She concludes:

"There's a certain security that comes with feeling like you've found a magic text, be it authored by Sears, Ezzo, or God Almighty, that tells you exactly when to have children, exactly how to raise them, exactly how to love them and exactly how to be a good mom ... right down to the last detail.  But no such text exists because faith isn't about having everything figured out ahead of time; faith is about following the quiet voice of God without having everything figured out ahead of time."

This book is a great read, easy and fun to wade through the adventures and mishaps Rachel finds herself in.  The book also includes comments from a journal kept by her husband during the year and lots of links to more information and details on line.  A fantastic book for anyone ... woman or not!

This book was provided to me free of charge in exchange for my honest review.  I was not required to review it positively.

Book Review - Live To Give by Austin Gutwein

An amazing message to live by!

Our pastor just spoke this last Sunday about how one man can change a nation.  He was referring to Elijah.  Yet, his challenge was to everyone listening - including me.

Austin Gutwein is a young man who has chosen to live the life as one who can change his world. In his second book, Live to Give, he inspires an entire generation to do the same.  Through his books and his own dream, Hoops For Hope, Austin is making a difference.

"Jesus proved that no gift is too small when He used five loaves and two fish to feed a crowd of thousands. And if no gift is too small, too ordinary, or too random, there is no limit to what the youth of today can accomplish!  A teenage philanthropist who has built a high school, two medical clinics, and a dormitory in Africa—all before the age of 16—Austin Gutwein shares how to take what may seem like the simplest of talents, gifts, and interests and use them for something Jesus can use to move mountains."

Live to Give is a powerful book for people of all ages to read and be challenged to give more of themselves to the world around them.  Like the boy in scripture who gave his small lunch, we too can give a small amount and let God make it profound.  The writing of this book is definitely intended for young people but its message is timeless.

There are countless scripture references to back Austin's life philosophy as well as the proof that he walks what he talks.  He actually got up off his butt, left his ninetendo behind and started to change the world ... by giving of himself.  He learned that God is waiting for our willingness; He will supply the rest.  No more excuses.

My favourite part was Gutwein's challenge to push through the hard parts, the "smoky" parts because ...

"God is always right beside us, ready to help us out and hand us the oxygen.  The oxygen for us is His word."

Read it.  Be inspired.  Then go change the world.

"Book has been provided courtesy of Thomas Nelson and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. Available at your favourite bookseller from Thomas Nelson". 

Book Review - I Am Second by Doug Bender and Dave Sterrett

If you have followed my blog for any amount of time you will know I love the organization I Am Second.  The videos are inspiring and powerful.  Now you can get a taste of it in book form.


Doug Bender and Dave Sterrett have compiled stories from famous people and everyday, ordinary people who have all met God in a deep and difficult place in their life and chosen to place Him FIRST in their lives.  If God is FIRST then, by definition ... I Am Second.

Publisher's Blurb: We've all hit bottom at one time or another. The important thing is what you do afterward. For the people who share their stories in I Am Second, coming to the end of themselves brought them to the feet of Jesus. Whether famous or unfamiliar they've dealt with the dark and painful consequences of issues such as addiction, infidelity, violence, racism, and abortion, to name a few. You'll read the testimonies of Josh Hamilton, Michelle Aguilar, Bethany Hamilton, Brian Welch, Anne Rice, Tony Dungy, and many others. From pastors to beauty queens, pro baseball players to single moms, they all needed the gospel of Jesus Christ. In turn, they've discovered the life-changing power of putting God first, boldly proclaiming "I Am Second."

This book is an easy read but not a light read.  The words will dramatically change your views, your perspective and possibly your life. Each chapter is a different person and a different story all concluding to the same ending.  God is a powerful God and He longs to be intimately involved in our lives.  These folks are living proof of that.  Concluding each chapter are QR scanning codes and url links to similar stories.  It is a little like the "If you like this item, then you might like this..." links we find on many sites, like Amazon.

Reviewing this book has been a challenge because every person who reads it will get a different nugget from it.  However I think I can honestly say you will definitely get something out of it.  Even if you are familiar with the videos, the book seems to go deeper into the story, offering more insight and detail.  (Click here to see what the people in the book have to say about it.)  The book is a valuable purchase.  It would also make a great gift.  An excellent coffee table conversation starter.  And a powerful witness.

The story with the most impact for me was actually the foreword explaining the rival quarterbacks (Colt McCoy and Sam Bradford) and the impact their story had on the people of Dallas Texas. Check it out.  Another favourite one was Jeff and Cheryl Scruggs, a story of love lost and re-won through the power of a loving God who works in His timing and in His way, if we are obedient.

"Sometimes what gets lost in the whole debate is that God is a personal God and these are the stories of people who have personally interacted with Him and their lives have been radically altered because of that."  Doug Bender, co-author

If you want to get a feel for the book, check out this YouTube video promoting it.  I have posted several of the videos from the website on my blog, but you are best to go right to the source - www.iamsecond.com  If I haven't convinced you yet, check out this video to tell you the story of where it all comes form.

GET THE BOOK!  Share the book with your friends, family or leave it behind at a coffee shop.

Book has been provided courtesy of Thomas Nelson and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.
Available at your favourite bookseller from Thomas Nelson.

Book Review - Love Does by Bob Goff

Love Does ... some amazing things.  You need to read this book!


Bob Goff is a lawyer with an office in Disneyland, who sees the world differently than I do - for certain.  But I want to see it his way.  He says, "I wrote Love Does to capture some of the stories of hope, joy and whimsy that have helped to shape the way I see Jesus," says Bob Goff. "What I've realized is that I've learned a lot more about who He is from what people have done with their faith than I have from what they've said about their faith." 



The Publisher describes the book this way: 

As a college student he spent 16 days in the Pacific Ocean with five guys and a crate of canned meat. As a father he took his kids on a world tour to eat ice cream with heads of state. He made friends in Uganda, and they liked him so much he became the Ugandan consul. He pursued his wife for three years before she agreed to date him. His grades weren't good enough to get into law school, so he sat on a bench outside the Dean's office for seven days until they finally let him enroll. 

Bob Goff has become something of a legend, and his friends consider him the world's best-kept secret. Those same friends have long insisted he write a book. What follows are paradigm shifts, musings, and stories from one of the world's most delightfully engaging and winsome people. What fuels his impact? Love. But it's not the kind of love that stops at thoughts and feelings. Bob's love takes action. Bob believes Love Does.

When Love Does, life gets interesting. Each day turns into a hilarious, whimsical, meaningful chance that makes faith simple and real. Each chapter is a story that forms a book, a life. And this is one life you don't want to miss.

Light and fun, unique and profound, the lessons drawn from Bob's life and attitude just might inspire you to be secretly incredible, too.

Do you need a shot of caffeine added to your walk with God? How about a dose of whimsy?  I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I read it in small doses to absorb the deep and profound truths held behind the veil of his crazy stories.  Each chapter is only a couple of pages and I often read it in 5 minutes or less but Bob knows how to use a few words to say a lot.  I especially enjoyed the comparisons at the beginning of each chapter.  They represent the lessons he'd learned and was now teaching to me.  For example, 

• I used to think people needed more answers; but now I think they just need more truth
• I used to think I needed an invitation to get into most places, but now I know I’m already invited.

Each chapter is a gift inside a lesson, wrapped inside an amazing story, enveloped inside a nearly unbelievable event that Bob and his family or friends got into.  You might be watching a wedding cake spill all over a parking lot, or allowing a young love-struck man take over your home and property or even letting your children suggest foreign policy. No matter what it is you can be certain it involves action. Because, "I used to think being loved was the greatest thing to think about, but now I know love is never satisfied just thinking about it."

There are no doctrinal debates in this book, such as the age old issue of faith and deeds. Bob isn't try to change your religion at all. He is zeroing in on a way to look at life through the eyes of how Jesus sees us.  To love more, but more importantly to let that love do more.  


I recommend this book to anyone - Christian or not - to challenge yourself to be a little more active in your love.  Put some shoes on it and see what happens because remember ... "love is never stationary."


"Book has been provided courtesy of Thomas Nelson and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.
Available at your favourite bookseller from Thomas Nelson".  


Another great review of this book that I agree completely with is here.  Or here.  Or to hear from Bob himself on Donald Miller's blog here.