A Conversation with God

A Conversation with God: If you could ask God anything what would it be? Have you ever thought about things you want to ask God? I know that I have, so when I saw this book I decided to check it out and see what was in it.
The book is a nice addition to any collection, however I would not call it an end all be all book. This book is a nice place to start in a bible study or to explore more on your own. It is written as if you are having a sit down casual conversation with God.
The book covers questions from a range of topics, to include: God, The Bible, The Future, Humanity, Jesus, and many more. Overall the book was an easy read and I read through it fairly quickly. There are some topics I will look back to later and study more for myself, but overall this is a great opener for people who are either none believers, a college group or a small bible study group.
I would recommend this book as a starting point for discussions or as people have specific questions. I would not use this book alone as the answer however.
I received this book for free as long as I gave and honest review of the book. The opinions you read here are my own.

Curiosities of the Civil War

If you are a civil war or history buff or if you just have an interest in curious things, then Curiosities of the Civil War: Strange stories, infamous characters and bizarre events by Webb Garrison is a book you will enjoy. The book is a compilation of two books written by Mr. Garrison and is a great and easy read.
The book is broken up into parts and you can read a lot of the stories in a just a few minutes. You do not need to read the whole book to know what is being talked about from story to story. Most of the stories are short and can be read quickly. This will make a great coffee table book for people to browse through.
There are many things that most people will not know, but there are some that are general facts that those who have looked at the Civil War in depth might know.
Overall I think this book is really a nice read, gives you plenty of trivia questions with quirky answers that many will not know. I recommend this for anyone interested in the Civil War.

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/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Nelson’s Biblical Cyclopedic Index

"Nelson’s Biblical Cyclopedic Index" is a great tool for anyone that is writing a paper, studying the bible of working on a lesson or sermon. The book arrived a bit smaller then I thought when I first requested it, but it packs a mighty punch for its size.
With over 8000 subjects, names, things, places, events and more this little book is great for anyone. When you find the topic you are looking for, there are scripture references and some even have the definition of what the word meant in Hebrew or Greek.
Overall there is not a lot to say about this little book then everyone who is looking into the Word of God should have one by their side. It helps to cross reference and give sub categories of the words you are looking up. I highly recommend this book and it should be in everyone’s collection.

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/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The Lucado Life Applications Study Bible

“The Lucado Life Lessons Study Bible” is a different kind of study Bible then I have seen before. While most study bibles are mainly focused on the background information or word studies, this study bible focuses on life lessons that are included along with the passages. There are more than 1000 of these insightful lessons according to the publisher’s website for this bible.
Overall I really liked this bible and would highly recommend it as a companion to other study materials. The two color design makes this an easier read. The text is a bit small but not unreadable. This is a hard cover bible and has a dust cover for protection. This study bible is the New King James Version. Two things that are missing that you would normally find in a study bible are maps and a concordance. I don’t know that those are necessary for this study bible as it is more focused on life application as previously stated.
If you want to have a different kind of study bible that will help you to apply what you are reading to your life then this is the bible for you. I will keep this bible close by as I study the Word of God and it will take its place alongside my regular study materials.

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/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The Way Home (DVD)

Not worth of an academy award but a must see movie for guys! The Way Home, staring Dean Cain is a good movie for any men’s ministry. Now, I must put a disclaimer on this review before I get all the way into it, the acting is not the best I have seen, but the story and themes that show us we must rely on God, and that where we spend our time really does matter make this into one any man should watch.
As a guy I know that things can get busy, now I am not married so I cannot and will not speak from that dynamic but I do have many friends that are married and I have seen how they spend their time and how it influences the whole family.
The story of the Simpkin family, based on real life events, starts as Randy (the father) is asked to watch their two year old son for a little bit. He goes in to check his email and his son disappears. The search allows the family to reconnect and overcome many obstacles as they rely on their faith to guide them through this harrowing search. Randy realizes while he had good intentions, he wasn’t always doing the things his family needed most.
I recommend this movie to every man I know. It helps to put things in perspective, either married or single. Get the guys together and enjoy this movie with a little discussion to follow!

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/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Transforming Church in Rural America

I recently received a copy of the book Transforming Church in Rural America by Shannon O’Dell. At first I was kind of excited to read this book, but as I read it that excitement quickly faded. There are lots of good points in the book; however there are a few things that I have issue with when reading this book. I literally had to force myself to finish the book.
The first thing I have is that there is really no talk of the Holy Spirit at all in the book. There is talk of fleeces and congregational votes but not the Holy Spirit. I believe that it is extremely important in the time we live to let the Holy Spirit shine. The Holy Spirit is missed in so many books and it is leading to people not believing it is important. We cannot suppress the Holy Spirit in our books about leading or growing a church. When the whole congregation is allowed to vote on everything, you are also looking for trouble. That is for a whole other article however.
The other major issue I have is with this book is that it generalizes many of the statements in the book. Not all of them will apply and many of them may be overstated a bit.
I would recommend the book as an ok, tough read but it might help some people. I would have liked to know more about the Holy Spirit however. The writing style is a bit hard for the normal lay reader. There is a lot of information to push through.

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/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The Prophecy Answer Book

Have you ever wondered about the prophecies of the Bible? Do you know if they have come to pass or not yet? Would you like some answers when it comes to these prophecies? Dr. David Jeremiah has put together a book called, “The Prophecy Answer Book” and it contains answers to questions about such topics as: Current Events, The Rapture, The Tribulation, The Antichrist, The Second Coming, The Millennium, The New Heaven and New Earth, and some in conclusion.
Overall, I would recommend this little book but not as a fact book, but as a man’s attempt to answer some of the toughest questions that are out there. Since there are different view points on when things will happen, the book can hold lots of agreeable or disagreeable beliefs. The book is easily read and it does not have to be read from cover to cover, you can skip around and read about the specific prophecies or questions that you may have.

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/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”