Book Review: Bridges on the Journey

Bridges on the Journey: Choosing an Intimate Relationship with Jesus
By Gigi Busa, Ruth Forbes, Judy Miller and Vollie Sanders
NavPress, 2010
English, 96 pgs


Description:
Bridges on the Journey will help you and your discipleship group learn the basics of the Christian life—Bible study, living in community, sharing your faith, memorizing Scripture—that will keep you going for a lifetime of relationship with Jesus.

Through fundamental spiritual disciplines, you’ll get started on the right path to begin a discipling process in your life and the lives of other women.

Written by several Navigator authors especially for women, this Bible study will help you form habits and attitudes that will result in a deeper relationship with God and spiritual growth.

Review:
I got this book because I'm going to start a mentoring/discipling relationship and I didn't really know where to start. I love it. It's a basic beginning for us to get to know each other and to learn about Jesus together. This is set up with 6 sessions, which we will do weekly separately and then meet to discuss. It starts so simply with "How do I come to know Jesus?" will move (through the other two books in the series) into how to mentor someone else. I like that there are leader guidelines and a personal journal area in the back. I'm looking forward to working through this so much, I bought a copy for her!

I received a copy of the book from NavPress in exchange for an honest review.

Weekend Coupon Preview

You can see the list of coupons for this weekend HERE. Good Advil and Dunkin Donuts coffee coupons.

Book Review: A Rush of Wings

A Rush of Wings: A Novel
By Kristen Heitzmann
Bethany House, 2010
English, 382 pgs


Description:
When fragmented images and unfocused panic force Noelle St. Claire to flee her wealthy, sheltered life in New York, she gains sanctuary on a ranch in the Rocky Mountains. There Noelle finds solace in the breathtaking scenery she paints. But as the attentions of two brothers, Rick and Morgan Spencer, breach the wall she hides behind, the past she yearns to escape becomes a menacing threat from which she can no longer hide. Award-winning and bestselling author Kristen Heitzmann has skillfully created a story resonating with emotion and depicting a poignant spiritual journey.

Review:
It took me a while to get into this book, but once I did, it was hard to put down. Noelle is running from memories which are surfacing, even though she has no idea what they are or why she's having them. She runs to Colorado and finds there are two places in the whole town to rent. She takes one on a horse ranch and begins to integrate herself into life in the mountains.

There really isn't anything new to the story line, but it's still a good read and there are quite a few places where I wanted to read ahead to see how it turned out.

I received a copy of the book from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review: A Year With God

A Year With God
By R.P. Nettlehorst
Thomas Nelson, 2010
English, 400 pgs


Description:


A 365-day devotional featuring the actual spoken words of God as presented in the Bible.

Too many times the impact and grandness of the actual words God spoke, as recorded in the Bible, are lost in the telling of the story. In A Year with God the primary focus is to allow the scriptures that contain God's dialogue and the revelations of himself to uniquely speak to the reader. The author follows each reading with insights and applications to help explain the context and nuances of the text. The unique titling of each meditation and the nontraditional themes and organization help bring God to our daily lives. Topics include:

• Hope and Fear
• Love and Hate
• Perseverance and Quitting
• Faith and Doubt
• Loyalty and Betrayal
• Companionship and Isolation
• Mercy and Judgment
• Forgiveness and Anger
• Joy and Sadness
• Peace and Conflict

Review:
I think my favorite aspect to the book is that it's broken into sections as described above. It makes it easier to find something quickly. I requested this book with the expectation of the devotions being easy to read. I also intended it to be a gift for a friend. I'm happy to give this as a gift and I'm happy that it is so well written and is so thoughtful. The devotions don't come across as "preachy" but as an explanation of the Scripture. I like it a lot.

I received a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review from Book Sneeze. No additional compensation has been received.

Mattel Shop Holiday Savings

The Mattel Shop is offering 15% off orders and FREE shipping on orders over $75. Looks like some great items are on sale too!

Fisher Price Store FREE Shipping

For the next couple of days, you can get FREE shipping on your order from the Fisher Price store. This is great for us because my son loves GeoTrax and I can't get them anywhere around here.

Campbell's Coupons

Go HERE to print out some really great Campbell's coupons. There are coupons for the above pictured items and much more.

Chili's Holiday Offers

If you check daily HERE on the Chili's Holiday calendar, you can print out a coupon for the special of the day! Today is FREE Chips and Queso. The rest of the week has: FREE Brownie Sundae, FREE Chips and Queso, and 10% off gift card order over $100.

Site Review: CSN Stores

I have no problem saying I'm doing most of my shopping online for Christmas. I've been able to get exactly what I want without having to elbow my way to a good deal! My favorite site right now is CSNStores.com because I'm able to find items in their over 200 stores. They have over 1 million products, and that number is rising!

I did find myself one little "me gift" too! I do not like to be cold. Ever. I sleep in long sleeves and pants and socks. I wear sweatshirts and pants and socks all day. Blankets are all over the house. But I've noticed that I'm still cold in the car, so I was looking for a small-ish blanket to keep in the car. This is what I found:

It's a Daniadown Sherpini blanket, in chocolate. It's suedy on one side and fleecy on the other. It's so wonderfully soft and warm! It's a great deal too at $27! I've been using it in the car since my 4 year old insists on looking at "oohs" (Christmas lights) and trains almost every night. When it's on the couch (because I bring it in and just can't stop using it!) I have to almost fight the 4 year old off of it because he loves it too!

I received a credit to CSNStores in exchange for a review. I was allowed to pick my own item and was only required to be honest. No additional compensation has been received.

Book Review: Angry

Angry: A Novel
By Laura L Smith
NavPress, 2010
English, 160 pgs
(Young Adult)


Description:
Emma is angry. She’s angry at her siblings, who she always has to baby sit; her parents, who are divorcing and ruining her life in the process; and herself for not measuring up to anyone’s standards.

With her simmering feelings ready to spill over at any time, Emma's self-worth plummets. Her faith in God is tested in the face of overwhelming hurt that threatens to send her over the edge. Can she turn back in time?

Online study guide companion available.

Review:
This is marketed as Young Adult. I recommend parents read it first before handing it to their teen. I'm sure (geez, it's been a long time...) the teenage years are harder now than they were "way back when",  and I'm sure Emma doesn't feel anything a "normal" teenager wouldn't feel given all she goes through. However, I'm not convinced this story does a good job of showing that Emma "turns to God". She argues with Him and basically doesn't think He's caring for her until she gets a part in a play she loves. I'm not even sure what the author's intent is in the book. It's ended abruptly and gives a lives-happily-ever-after feel in a relatively short amount of time to struggle. Emma is a typical self-centered teenager and is actually well written. I just wish the author would have gone into a salvation experience, a youth group, a worship service or something. She talks about "youth group" once and states that it wasn't the week to go. The youth group at my church meets twice a week. There is nothing in the story to suggest any reverence for family, marriage, sobriety or God. I'm quite disappointed.


I received a copy of the book from NavPress in exchange for a review. No additional compensation was received and all that was required was to be honest.