Book Review: "Life, In Spite of Me" by Kristen Jane Anderson

I recently received a complimentary copy of the book "Life, In Spite of Me: Extraordinary Hope After a Fatal Choice" by Kristen Jane Anderson from WaterBrook Multnomah as part of their book review team.

Kristen Anderson's life was going great until tragedy struck her world in only 2 short years. She lost three friends and a grandmother all in that short time. She was also betrayed by a friend she thought she could trust when he raped her. This caused Kristen to spiral into depression. At the young age of seventeen she lost all hope and one night decided to commit suicide by laying on train tracks and waiting for her life to end. After 35 freight cars passed over her at 55 mph, the train finally stopped. This is when Kristen realized that she was still alive and her legs were lying 10 feet away. This caused her to spiral into a deeper depression and suicidal thoughts until one day the life changing power of God took hold of her life. This story is heart wrenching and painful to read at times, but oh the power of God and how He can change our lives. Kristen now speaks to young people and women everywhere who are struggling with suicidal thoughts and depression. This is an extraordinary story of hope and how no matter what we may think of our lives, God is in control of them and His plans will always prevail. If you are interested in reading an excerpt of this book you can go to this link.

Book Review: "The Shelter of God's Promises" by Sheila Walsh

I recently received a complimentary copy of the book "The Shelter of God's Promises" by Sheila Walsh from Thomas Nelson Publishing as part of the Booksneeze book review program. The opinions listed below are my honest opinion of the book.

Sheila Walsh is a gifted Bible teacher and speaker for Women of Faith and has written many books to encourage Christians in their walk with the Lord. In "The Shelter of God's Promises," Sheila asks the important question of where do we turn for shelter when the storms of life occur? She goes through some of God's promises to encourage and strengthen you in the midst of a hard time and in every day life. It is divided into ten promises of God that are foundational to who God is and what His Word teaches us about His promises. He will never fail us no matter what. This book also has a 10 week Bible study guide in the back of the book to guide you along in your reading. You could do this in a small group or on your own. I highly recommend this book as a great encouragement to always trust in God and His promises to us.

Book Review: "31 Days of Drawing Near to God" by Ruth Myers

I recently received a free copy of "31 Days of Drawing Near to God" by Ruth Myers from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group as part of their book reveiw program. The opinions listed below are my honest opinions of the book.

This devotion style book was previously released as "The Satisfied Heart." This book is a wonderful 31 day journey of resting securely in His Delight and how we can truly trust and rest in God's grace and peace. Ruth Myers writes in such a way that you can truly draw near to the Lord and find intimacy with Him. I love that the chapters are divided into 31 days. It is a short enough time to get the reading done, but also in depth enough to draw me close to the Lord. This book is very encouraging that when we draw near to God, He will draw near to us as well. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking to deepen your relationship with the Lord. You can go to this link to read an excerpt from this book.

Book Review: "Nelson's Biblical Cyclopedic Index"

I recently received a complimentary copy of "Nelson's Biblical Cyclopedic Index" from Thomas Nelson Publishing as part of the Booksneeze book review program. The opinions listed below are my honest opinion of the book.

This Bible resource from Thomas Nelson Publishing is a wonderful resource for any Christian to have to use with any Bible translation. The Biblical subject index is larger than any other resource available today. This book makes it very easy to pull together a Bible study, devotion, etc. on any subject found in the Bible. It is very easy to use and has an index by subject and also dictionary references for some of the words. It combines a concordance and an index together in one easy to use resource. This book will greatly enhance my own personal Bible study time and also help my husband as he prepares for youth lessons for our teens at church. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a great and easy to use resource for leadership in the church or for personal use.

Book Review: "Radical" by David Platt

I recently received a complimentary copy of the book "Radical" by David Platt from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group as part of their book review program. The opinions listed below are my honest opinion of the book.

This book is a wonderful, encouraging, and challenging book about Christians living in today's society of American culture. David Platt explains how Christ called His followers to take up their cross and follow Him daily no matter what the costs. How many of us truly live like that though in today's society? David challenges Christians to take a closer look into their hearts and lives to see if you are truly living how the Lord intended us to live as Christians. He also uses a story of a suburban church that has decided to get serious about what Christ says about the gospel and how they have been very successful. David ends this book with a challenge to join in the Radical Experiment which is a one-year journey truly following the Lord the way He commanded to spread the Good News to our world. I would encourage every Christian to read this book as a challenge to examine your life and see if you are really living the way Christ intends for us to live.