Book Review: Resignation of Eve

The Resignation of Eve: What if Adam's Rib is no Longer Willing to be the Church's Backbone?
By Jim Henderson
Tyndale, 2012
English, 320 pgs


Description:
Why millions of today’s most committed church members may be ready to bolt—and what to do about it
In talking with women around the country, Jim Henderson has come to believe that an epidemic of quiet, even sad resignation is developing among dedicated Christian women who feel overworked and undervalued in the church. As a result, many women are discouraged. Some, particularly young women, respond by leaving the organized church . . . or walking away from the faith altogether.

The Resignation of Eve is a field report on what women have to say about how they’ve been affected—both positively and negatively—by their experiences within the church. Listening to their stories is crucially important because, across the board, the research shows that women are driving changes in the church. What will happen if many of them resign?

It’s time to pay attention before it’s too late—time to follow in the footsteps of Jesus, who went out of his way to honor, elevate, and work through women wherever he went.

Containing personal interviews with women and surprising research from George Barna, The Resignation of Eve is a game-changing, conversation-starting book for women who have been engaged in the Christian church, as well as for their pastors and ministry leaders.

Review:
I was really interested in reading this because I have been feeling unappreciated in working for our church. I've seen lots of other women feeling this way. I didn't expect this to be a series of stories in a collection. I understand why it's written in this way, but it just wasn't what I thought it was going to be. The women in the stories are all relateable and honest and I appreciate them telling their stories.

It's my opinion that this feeling of resignation is what leads to resentment and ultimately women not wanting to be in a church. This is a very relevant book that I believe ministers need to read. Mainly to make sure this doesn't happen in their churches.

I received a copy of the book in exchange for a review. No additional compensation has been received and I was not required to write a positive review.

Book Review: Real Marriage

Real Marriage: The Truth About Sex, Friendship & Life Together
By Mark and Grace Driscoll
Thomas Nelson, 2012
English, 272 pages


Description:

Pastor Mark Driscoll and his wife, Grace, talk about sex and marriage in down-to-earth terms, hitting issues other Christian books won't.

While a wonderful wedding day is important, it's the last day of marriage that really counts. Will the last day of your marriage come prematurely through divorce? Will it be filled with regrets as you sit at the funeral of your spouse? Or, by God's grace, will the last day be a day to rejoice in the life you lived together?

Pastor Mark Driscoll and his wife, Grace, want you to finish well on the last day. From the importance of date nights to answers to the most tricky "can we do that?" sex questions, they share practical help and hope with people just like them-who entered marriage a complete mess-or who are planning to be married someday and want to avoid some sticky pitfalls.

Together Pastor Mark and Grace tackle the tough issues, such as:

• Why being your spouse's best friend changes everything and how to achieve it.
• Pornography and sexual sin inside and outside of marriage.
• Submission and respect - marriage's most misunderstood tenets-and what they should really look like.
• Honoring your spouse emotionally, technologically, and financially.
• What the Bible says about masturbation and oral sex.
• The "Can we do that?" questions you're too embarrassed to ask your pastor.
• How to deal with intimacy issues and create the joyful and fun sex life God intended you to have.
• What type of man or woman are you? What type of lover are you? And what type of marriage do you have?

Review:
I have a good marriage. I have an amazing partner and friend. I did not pick this book because something was bad and it needed to be fixed or anything like that. This is a very practical book written by one of our shared favorite authors/pastors. This would be a great engagement present for a young Christian couple. It's important to understand how to love and respect each other, and the Biblical mandate behind each one.

It does get pretty graphic with the sexual talk, but what doesn't these days? I'd rather read and understand from a Biblical/Christian perspective than from another view.

The chapter that hit home most with me was "Taking out the Trash". I can become very critical and can harbor resentments really quickly. This has taught me the error in that and I'm working on being better with my husband.

I think what I like best is that they don't hold back. They're open and honest and, most importantly, Scripturally based. It's a book that should be read together. I can't imagine doing this in a small group, although there is material available for this.

I received a copy of the book for review purposes. I was not required to write a positive review.

Book Review: What a Son Needs From His Dad

What a Son Needs From His Dad: How a Man Prepares His Sons for Life
By Michael O'Donnell
Bethany House, 2011
English, 141 pages


Description:

No one can prepare a son for life better than his father. Dads are role models and this book encourages fathers to grow into the kind of men they want their sons to become. Practical topics include preparing boys for work, marriage, sexuality, friendships, and their relationships with God. The author researches and speaks on family issues, and is also a dad himself. Originally published as How a Man Prepares His Sons for Life. Updated by the author.

 

Review:

If I were allowed a one word review, it would be...EXCELLENT! I love this book. This is my new official "congrats on having a baby boy" gift book for dads.

My husband read it too and I wasn't sure if he was going to feel like I picked this book to review because I was saying something about him or whatever, but he read it and loved it too. He has started implementing some of the lessons from the book with our sons and I'm seeing a difference in behavior.

My 5 year old is understanding better what it means to work hard. I can tell him that all day, but when Daddy shows him with a lesson, he seems to get it. They've been playing a lot more together. We've been enjoying that as a family, but I know it's important for Dad to get on the floor and play. (Living room obstacle courses are great!) We haven't quite moved on to the good citizenship and sexuality chapters, but I know they're coming...way too soon for my taste...and we'll be able to handle them when they get here.

I received a copy of the book for review purposes and was not required to write a positive review.

Book Review: The Exceptional Life

The Exceptional Life
By Stephen Arturburn
Bethany House, 2011
English, 224 pgs


Description:

Steven Arterburn, popular author, speaker, and radio host, shows readers what they need to give up in order to have God's best for their lives. After candidly sharing his give-up moment, he examines eight things that hold Christians back--including guilt and shame, resentment, ear, anger, and isolation. He then helps readers give up their lives to God, resulting in lives full of hope, love, trust, forgiveness, connection, community, and much more. Discussion questions are included for individual and small-group use.

 

Review:

This is one of the more amazing books I've read lately. It's not a long book, only 8 chapters, but each chapter is packed full of good stuff. The book deals with guilt, shame, resentment, fear, anger, instant gratification, learned helplessness, isolation and addiction and how each can harm your personal relationships. Each chapter has 5 parts to discuss how to break the cycle of each and move toward a healthier you. Each chapter discusses what needs to be given up, why, how, what you'll gain from God and what you'll be able to do and be after giving it up.

This is not a light, sit down and read it real quick book. This is a change-your-life book. It has questions at the end of each chapter for diving deeper into what you think and feel. I can see application in it for personal study as well as a group study. I also see great value in the book for professional or pastoral counseling.

I received a copy of the book in exchange for a review. No additional compensation has been received and I was not required to write a positive review.

Book Review: Going Deep

Going Deep: Becoming a Person of Influence
By Gordon MacDonald
Thomas Nelson, 2011
English, 400 pages




Review:
I found this book agonizing to read. I couldn't get into it at all and ended up putting it down, frustrated. The ideas presented are great. (According to what it says on the back of the book.) There's nothing really new to it and there's nothing hard about what is being presented.

It was interesting that this was written as a fiction book. I can see that was an attempt to make it "flow" better and to make it more presentable, but that also made it too long.

I wish there was an abridged version or a non-fiction version with just the "meat" of the book.

I received a copy of the book in exchange for a review. No additional compensation has been received and I was not required to write a positive review.

Need "homemade" cookies???

This time of year is about family and food. Come on...don't argue. You know you eat more and bake more and pass it off as "holiday festivities". Nothing wrong with that.

However, I don't bake. I'm not good at making things from scratch. I can do well with mixes and pre-made dough but they never taste good. There's always that "chemical" taste that you just can't get rid of...no matter what you do to the batters. Scratch just tastes better.

Enter Kroger brand "The Truly Awesome homestyle chocolate chip cookie"...I actually passed these off as home made. They're that good. They are made without added preservatives and with real butter. Chocolate chips are the first ingredient!

My two sons loved them. My husband thought they were really good and I probably ate more than I should have. They're a little more crispy than I prefer. The box suggests warming them and that did help a bit. I thought about putting some in a baggie with a slice of bread to soften them, but that always makes cookies taste like bread and these were just too good to "ruin" like that!

I received sample boxes of the cookies through BzzAgent for the purpose of a review and spreading the word about the product. No additional compensation has been received and I was not required to write a positive review.

Book Review: A Wedding Invitation

A Wedding Invitation
By Alice Wisler
Bethany House, 2011
English, 312 pgs


Description:

After returning home from teaching English at a refugee camp in the Philippines, Samantha Bravencourt enjoys her quiet life working at her mother's clothing boutique in Falls Church, Virginia. When she receives an invitation to a wedding in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, she looks forward to reconnecting with her college friend. Instead her life collides with Carson, a fellow teacher and the man who broke her heart, and a young Amerasian refugee named Lien who needs Samantha and Carson's help to find her mother before Lien's own wedding. When the search for Lien's mother reveals surprising secrets from the past, Samantha must reevaluate her own memories and decide whether to continue to play it safe or take a risk that could change her life.

 

Review:

I was excited to get to review this because I really liked Wisler's book Hatteras Girl and wanted to read more from her.

I couldn't get that into it though. It takes a long time to get to the heart of the story and I'm never a big fan of a lengthy introduction. There's nothing wrong with giving background information, but if it doesn't really seem to fit with what's been told in the story so far, it's just confusing.

I gave it as long as I could before I just didn't want to read anymore. There are a lot of personal touches from the author in the story and those are sweet, but the circumstances around them didn't seem to fit with the flow of the story.

I wish I could have liked it. Hatteras Girl has been a book I compare others to for reviews. I hope the next book from Wisler is better.

I received a copy of the book in exchange for a review. No additional compensation has been received and I was only required to be honest in my review.

Book Review: 40 Ways to Get Closer to God

40 Ways to Get Closer To God
By Jerry MacGregor
Bethany House, 2011
English, 189 pages


Description:
Sometimes faith demands action. This practical book gives Christians ideas for how to adjust their hearts to get closer to God.

Each chapter contains a unique challenge and a brief explanation that puts the challenge in context. Exercises include acts of service to others, extended prayer, Scripture memory, fasting, a day of gratitude, media fasting (no TV or Internet), evangelism, and much more. The challenges are broad in scope, allowing people with varying personality types and learning styles to benefit from them.

Review:
This book is really simple to read. It provides a challenge each day to put your faith into action. It requires you to get up and do something. You can't grow just sitting still, you have to move and do.

You can still get information from the book without doing the challenges, but you won't be growing and you won't be truly learning.

I think this book would be great for a small group or a prayer circle to use within itself. Of course, it's perfectly fine to do it by yourself too. I won't say that the challenges are easy. Some of them require you to get uncomfortable and do something outside of what you're used to doing. Again...growth...

I received a copy of the book for the purpose of a review. No additional compensation was received and I was not required to write a positive review.

Book Review: The Comforts of Home

I am so happy to be hosting a blog tour for Jodi Thomas's new book in the Harmony series: The Comforts of Home. Here's a short bit from Jodi about the book (my review will follow):

 

I’m very happy to announce the birth of my new book.  It’s been a long labor of love, but I know you’re going to enjoy the next Harmony book, THE COMFORTS OF HOME.  I want readers to feel like they are walking the streets of a small town.  You’ll laugh at some of the people, worry about others and fall in love with a few as they find their way through life.

 

In THE COMFORTS OF HOME  I wrote about people who probably live all around us but we never take the time to know.  One was Ronelle Logan.  She’d lived and worked at the post office without anyone noticing her.  She solved the funeral home’s crossword puzzles before she handed over the magazines, but no one complained.  Tyler Wright, the funeral director, just brought her a huge crossword puzzle book.  He was a kind man who tried to help everyone he came across.  In the lives of these people now and then, wonder happens, brightening the world around.

 

THE COMFORTS OF HOME is about the people in a small town who come together to celebrate life.  They care about one another.  Many nights when I sat down in my study to write I felt as if I was stepping into a world, a place that was as real to me as my life.  I never think of my people as characters in a story, but always as people.   They walk though my life and make it a richer place and I hope they’ll do the same for you as you read THE COMFORTS OF HOME. 

About Jodi:
Jodi Thomas is the NY Times and USA Today best-selling author of 34 novels and 11 short story
collections. In June 2011, WELCOME TO HARMONY won a RITA, the highest award for contemporary fiction. Jodi currently serves as the Writer in Residence at West Texas A&M University in Canyon, Texas. You can check out her other books at www.jodithomas.com 

Publishers Weekly Review:
In her third Harmony novel, Thomas takes readers back to that Texas town where a number of romances come to a head after a tornado strikes. Funeral director Tyler Wright struggles to profess his love to Maj. Kate Cummings. Aspiring rodeo star Noah MacAllen keeps returning to Harmony and his best friend (and beloved) Reagan Truman. Reagan, whose “uncle” Jeremiah (he’s her foster father) is dying, wrestles with her feelings for Noah and local firefighter Brandon Biggs. Meanwhile, shy Ronelle Logan meets angry, lonely Martin Winslow, who helps her emerge from her shell. Despite their passion, Claire Matheson has trouble committing to Denver Sims. The tornado leaves each character wondering if loved ones have survived, and this uncertainty forces them to action. Even for readers new to the series, the intricate relationships between these affable men and eccentric women are easy to follow and even easier to love. Thomas skillfully juggles the many subplots, and the relationship between Ronelle and Marty, which inspires both to trust again, is especially touching. 

My Review:

This is my fourth book to read and review for Ms. Thomas. I'm hooked on her storytelling. The Harmony series is so real. Maybe it's because I'm from a small Texas town and I can see a lot of the people I know and (sometimes) love in the characters. It was really a great book and I love that new characters are explored while not forgetting the characters from the first two books. 

Beyond all the romance-y parts, my absolute favorite character in the books has been SaraLynn. I love the interaction between her and Tyler. I actually found myself saying, at one point in the book, "what a sweet girl she is" and then had to laugh because I had made her into a real person in my mind!

Reading these books is like sitting around catching up with old friends. I actually find myself thinking about the characters and what I hope happens to them. When Autumn was introduced, I started wondering where the character was going to go. (Jodi does far better by the characters than I do in my head!)

I'm glad that Tyler got a main story line in this book. He's a great character in the first two and he deserved a "leading role". He's one of those people in your community that goes without being noticed for a long time, yet is so integral to the workings of the town that he would be sorely missed.

I can't wait for the next book. Jodi leaves you wanting more, yet not frustrated at everything not being tied up with a little bow.

You can pre-order the book at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or at Jodi's Site. While you're there pick up some of her other books. You will not be disappointed in any way by the stories. The fourth book in the series, Just Down the Road, will be released in April 2012.

Book Review: Three Cups

Three Cups
By Tony Townsley
Tommy Nelson, 2011
English, 32 pages


Description:

Teaching children how to save, spend, and be charitable can be as simple as 1, 2, 3.

All parents want to teach their children good money habits from an early age. Many start by giving them an allowance. But it's equally important to teach children a positive, generous attitude as they learn to use money responsibly.

Filled with warm, memorable illustrations by award-winning painter, April Willy, Three Cups is the story of one family's unique and effective method of teaching personal financial management-and how one boy reaped first the small, then the immeasurably great rewards of the lessons he learned.

Families will be delighted with the heart-warming tale and want to integrate the three-cup system in their own children's lives.


Review:
Our big boy just turned 5 and we've been trying to decide if he's old enough now for an allowance and how to handle teaching him about tithing and saving. I'd considered getting a separated style piggy bank, but I don't want to have to give him coins for his allowance. I'd considered envelopes, but they would likely get misplaced in his room.

I like the story and lesson in Three Cups. It's about a little boy who is given 3 cups for his birthday and is taught how to use the cups for giving, saving and spending. The art work is superb and I really like that there is a Getting Started Guide in the back of the book.

I fully intend to use this method with our sons. It's a visual reminder that may help teach a lesson that is truly important to learn at this age.

I received a copy of the book for the purpose of a review. No additional compensation has been received and I was not required to write a positive review.