Book Review: "The Sacred Year" by Michael Yankoski

My latest read, The Sacred Year by Michael Yankoski, is definitely getting added to my favorites list. Yankoski's engaging book was both thought-provoking and inspiring in a way that I was not expecting, but thoroughly enjoyed.

After an experience left him questioning his role and life as a Christian motivational speaker, Yankoski decides to embark on a yearlong quest to reengage his faith by practicing spiritual disciplines such as the Examen, Sabbath, Simplicity, Solitude, Gratitude, and more.

This was a personal story about the challenges, the benefits and the beauty of life intentionally spent living in pursuit of closeness with God.As a person who has been casually interested in pursuing spiritual disciplines for the past several years, this book gives such a wonderful picture of what those can look like in the life of a regular person.  I fully understand that his experiences will not be what mine will be, but that's what made this book so intriguing for me.

This was a little bit on the long side, but it is absolutely worth spending the time to finish and perhaps even use as a starting point to try a spiritual discipline or two.

Book Review: "Tables in the Wilderness" by Preston Yancey

Note: This review is based on an Advanced Reading Copy from Zondervan Books.

Tables in the Wilderness: A Memoir of God Found, Lost and Found Again by Preston Yancey was one of the coolest books I've read in a while. I was in the mood for fiction, but didn't find anything that looked appealing at the time. So I chose the non-fiction story of Preston Yancey's journey of coming to grips with his own faith and how that may or may not fit with the faith in which he was raised.

The book is a reflection of his journey that mostly took place during his college years at Baylor University in Texas.

At first I found myself wondering how deep a book this could be because of his young age, but I was wrong. The issues he struggles with – doubt, the ability to hear God, the sacraments, religious arrogance, etc. - are issues that are not age-specific, but more a function of a person who is very serious and thoughtful about his faith. It was an engaging read that I enjoyed far more than I thought I would.

There are several highlights of this book, one of which is Yancey's writing style. Tables in the Wilderness reads very much like you are being invited to hear the confession of a friend. It is written in a way that makes you feel for the author and want to know how everything turns out for him.

Another highlight is the “Suggested Reading” list he includes in the back of the book. I've already spent some time looking through to see what looks interesting to me and making a list of some I'd like to read. There is also a list of questions at the back of the book that would make this useful for a reading group.

One of the drawbacks, which may just be particular to me, was the little bit of difficulty I had in keeping track of all the other people in the book. For the most part he calls them only by their first names, and aside from the “main players,” I had a hard time remembering who was who. Truthfully, it was not that much of a hinderance, but I figured it would be worth mentioning.

While I started my book search looking for fiction, what I found was a non-fiction story with every bit the narrative satisfaction I was searching for.  

Book Review: "Wasted Prayer" by Greg Darley

I just finished Wasted Prayer: Know When God Wants You to Stop Praying and Start Doing by Greg Darley. It's a fairly quick read, coming in just under 200 pages.

The basic premise of this book is that there are times when, as Christians, we are called not to prayer, but to action. While we are certainly not called to stop praying, Darley puts forth that we are not supposed to use prayer as a way to stall from doing things we know we should do, or even things we feel God to be calling us to.

Using biblical examples from David to Paul, the author shows how there are most definitely times when we already know what to do and that not doing it, or even stopping to "pray about it" can actually be disobedient to God.

Since James 2:18 is pretty much how I live my life, "Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works," the title of this book is what initially what drew me in. I was hoping to glean some insight into how to encourage others to give that way of life a try.

While I did enjoy this book, it did have the feeling of it being a little "over fluffed" (if that's a term!) to fill up space in the pages. I am not a biblical scholar, but I'm fairly familiar with the story of David and Bathsheba, and the amount of real estate dedicated to the re-telling of the story, as well as some of the other stories, felt a little unnecessary.

Overall, not a bad book, but perhaps it wasn't quite what I was looking for. Maybe because I don't tend to pray as a way to prevent action I had a hard time connecting. However, if that is a stumbling block for a person, then I highly recommend it as an easy-to-understand lesson on "show[ing] you my faith by my works."

Book Review: "NIV Teen Study Bible" published by Zondervan

This is a great Bible for young people. My preference is for study Bibles, and this is a very user-friendly one. It is not set up like a typical study Bible, with a lot of notes and information along the bottom of the pages. This is definitely written to teenagers and is set up in a way that will appeal to them. (My almost teenaged daughter LOVES this Bible.)

What makes this NIV Teen Study Bible different from other Bibles I've seen and used (and own!) is the variety of features aimed at the next generation.

Some of the best features, according to my daughter, are "To the Point," "Instant Access," and "What do I Read Today?" In particular, the first two features make Scripture applicable to kids' lives today. They help them think through problems or situations they may be facing using God's word as a tool for making decisions.

The "What do I Read Today?" feature is a section at the back of the book that lists every chapter of the Bible with a little check box by its name, so that readers can check off each chapter as they read it.

As an adult, the feature I appreciate the most is probably "We Believe." On one of the first pages of this Bible is printed The Apostles' Creed. The next page lists the Creed line by line with the corresponding Scripture reference that supports it. Then throughout the rest of the Bible are pages that go into greater detail to explain what each line means. At the bottom of each of these pages is the location of the next "We Believe" page, allowing the reader to go from beginning to end of the Creed without having to go back to the beginning of the book each time.

This is a great resource, but I would say that this book is geared more toward younger teens than older ones. However, since my daughter is still on the younger side of things, I'm sure she will get a great deal of use out of this Bible.

Book Review: "Arms Open Wide: A Call to Linger in the Savior's Presence" by Sherri Gragg

In Arms Open Wide: A Call to Linger in the Savior's Presence, author Sherri Gragg gives us a pretty cool way to see some of the more familiar stories from Scripture through the eyes of the people in the stories, with particular emphasis on the cultural significance of some of the elements you may not have understood before.

This is a book of 34 devotional stories that starts with a brief introduction and ends with a glossary of terms that may be necessary to better understand some of the terms that may be unfamiliar to the reader.

The introduction is where Gragg explains why she wrote the book and how her stories are "fictional narrative based on research." Having read the devotionals, her cultural research shows in the little details of each story.

The devotionals are all set up in the same manner, the devo title, an OT scripture related to the story you are about to read and then "read first" section that gives you the Biblical account of the story you are about to read.  The stories range from 4 to 7 pages long, and are very easy to read and imagine yourself either in the scene, or almost as if you're watching it on TV.

Each story ends with a prayer written by the author called "cry of my heart," but I would venture to say those prayers are relatable to most readers.

Overall I liked this book, but I enjoyed it more from the point of view of learning about the culture Jesus came into, and how what he did and how he did things impacted the thoughts and attitudes of the people around him. As a devotional, I personally didn't get a ton out of it, but that's not to say other people wouldn't. I just tend to prefer my devos a little more "head" centered than "heart" centered. I do, however, think this would be a great gift for the "feelers" in your life!

Book Review: "New Spirit-Filled Life Bible: Kingdom Equipping Through the Power of the Word" NIV

This is a review of the NIV version of New Spirit-Filled Life Bible: Kingdom Equipping Through the Power of the Word, published by Thomas Nelson.

This is a different sort of review for me. This isn't the kind of book you sit down and read cover to cover and then tell how it affected you. This is the Bible! I've used a variety of Bibles before, but this is one I have never used. (According to the book's introduction, the original Spirit-Filled Life Bible was first printed in 1991.) There are a few things that make the New Spirit-Filled Life Bible different than other Bibles I have and regularly use.

Kingdom Dynamics - These are brief articles written around recurring themes in the Bible that are "essential for the dynamic spread and effective advance" of the gospel of God's kingdom on Earth. There are 41 articles grouped into nine related topics throughout the Old and New Testaments. They are linked together in "chains" with the preceding and following Scriptures cited at the end of the article.

Word Wealth - As a lover of etymology, these little pink boxes are probably my favorite part of this Bible. They are basically mini word studies on words taken from a nearby Scripture verse. The study gives insight on the Greek/Hebrew origins of the word and what a more accurate translation really means to the verse being studied.

Truth in Action - This is an interesting part of each book of the Bible. There is a summary of a truth being offered in the preceding book, as well as scripture references for the location of where the author found it and why it was included. Alongside of that is the Action section, giving the reader a list of actionable items based on reaction to the truths just presented.

Study Notes - My regular Bible is an NIV Study Bible, so I compared several of the notes in that Bible to the notes in this one. Hands down my old NIV had better notes. They were much more comprehensive in scope for what I am looking for. Having said that, the notes in the New Spirit-Filled Life were pretty good. They are user-friendly, and easy to read and understand.

And as a lover of books, the actual feel of this Bible in my hands was another plus. The font was a little bigger than my old NIV, which, the older I get the more I appreciate it. I really like this version of the Bible and will definitely add it to my NIV Study Bible and use the two together.

Book Review: "The God First Life: Uncomplicate Your Life, God's Way" by Stovall Weems

Note on this review - I received an Advance Reading Copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest review of the book. My review is based on the ARC. I don't know what things may be different in the published version.

For such a small book, there is a ton of helpful information in here. The God First Life: Uncomplicate Your Life, God's Way by Stovall Weems took me by complete surprise. Truth be told, I was not expecting all that much  when I started this book. I figured it would be just another "7 Steps to [fill in the blank]" book, but it really wasn't that at all.

As opposed to a checklist of how to live God's way, this little book was really more of a hand-holding (in a good way!) guide to HOW to put God first in your life and what that practically looks like. For me personally, practical advice is so much more helpful than theory. And this book was full of practical, down-to-earth, do-able advice.

While I was reading this book, I kept having the thought that it would be a great read for a fairly new believer. One of the things I struggled with as a new believer was how to approach the Bible. I didn't know where to start or what to make of it. Weems offers great advice for how to read the Bible and get the most of out the time you spend there.

The God First Life would also make a great class/discussion group book. I was hoping that Weems would write a study book to go along with it, and what do you know? In looking up the cover image for this post I saw that he does, in fact, have a study guide and a DVD.

I wouldn't want someone who has been a believer for a long time to think this book doesn't have anything to offer them. In my own reading, I found that my decision to join a church and be involved in the life of that church was confirmed in a powerful way. I also learned how to change my way of thinking about God in order to give him top priority in my life in a way that I have not been doing. I may pick up a copy of the study guide and see about approaching my church about running a book study...

A Quest for an Organized Home

It's been a long cold winter in New England this year. Now that it's April, spring is finally on the horizon. And with (slightly) warmer temperatures and longer days, I have set my sights on the disaster that is the current state of my home. Yikes! The hallways are are closing in on us, the dining room (which is used for homeschooling my two kids) is overflowing with an almost-finished year's worth of stuff: books, art supplies, papers... And I don't even want to think about the laundry room. A person takes her life in her hands when entering that room. It's not a pretty sight.

All of which brings me to my Quest for an Organized Home. Now, I'll be totally honest here - my attempts at said Home have, so far, been an abysmal failure. I was really excited about the 40 Bags in 40 Days challenge and I printed out my list. I filled in the first ten days of places to "decrapify" and set to work. I got through Day 1 and that was it. (I'm not kidding!) The program gives you Sundays off, so when I explained that to my 8 year old son, when he questioned why the calendar didn't have all the dates on it, his reply was, "Hmmm - it looks like every day is Sunday for you, Mom." ...sigh...

I realized that even that was too ambitious a task for me while our homeschooling year is still in full-swing. Some people can do lots of things at once and do them well. I am not one of them. So I decided to start small. The first thing I wanted to do was get our weekly menu/grocery list organized. I had been writing each night's menu on a little square of a printable calendar and scratching my list onto an index card on the way out the door to the grocery store each week. This was a place I could make a quick improvement.

A quick visit to Pinterest brought up a plethora of home organization tools, lists, and calendars. At first I was a little overwhelmed, but then found an organizer that I liked. It wasn't perfect, but I liked it. Now that I've been using it for a few weeks, and knowing what works for our family, I decided to create my own. I've included them here if anyone wants to use one. This one is a blank template and this one is pre-labeled from Monday through Sunday.

I used the same basic set up as most of the other planners, but I added a little section next to each day to jot down anything I need to be aware of that could change what I make for dinner that night. (Spaghetti and sauce would be a good choice for a night when we have music lessons at 6:30, and homemade pizza is a good option when we have the whole night at home together.) I have the Grocery List section right next to the meal planner and then added a Notes section at the bottom. I found that I want to try a recipe and then forget where the recipe came from. The Notes section is a great place to write its location so I don't have to try to remember it when it's time to cook!

Thus begins my humble Quest for an Organized Home. I know it won't be quick (or likely very easy!) but small steps in the right direction are better than every day being a "Sunday"!

Book Review - "Thrive: Digging Deep, Reaching Out" by Mark Hall

It's been a while since my last book review, but the stuff I have to do can sometimes get in the way of the stuff I want to do.

I am a fan of the music group Casting Crowns. I knew their lead singer, Mark Hall, is a pastor, but until recently I had no idea he is also an author. It probably stands to reason, then, that I have not read his other books, but after reading Thrive: Digging Deep, Reaching Out, I can honestly say I would be interested in reading his other books. Hall writes in an easy-to-read style that is also highly relatable. Even if for no other reason, his horror movie story makes this book worth the read. Luckily though, there is a lot more to be enjoyed and learned from Thrive.

The book is laid out in two separate sections. Part one, "Digging Deep," Hall speaks to the need to get out of "survival mode" and dig our roots down into Jesus in order to thrive as we are meant to. This is not a Prosperity Gospel teaching, but a way for people in the real world to thrive, wherever they are, in Jesus.

In part two, "Reaching Out," we see what it can look like, through examples, as well as imagining what could be, by reaching out to others from a place of deep faith.

All in all, I enjoyed this book quite a bit. My first reaction to it was that this would be a great book for someone who is new (or at least newer) to the faith, or someone who is not currently engaging their faith in a meaningful way. It's a quick read, but one I recommend.

(There is also a Thrive Challenge that goes with the book, but I did not investigate it.)

Sewing to Give Away

I love to sew. Even more than I love to sew, I love to give away what I sew. Don't get me wrong, I love having my etsy shop, and the money I make through it helps to support my sewing "habit." But when it comes down to it, I love to give stuff away.

So it's nice for me when I receive requests from various people asking for doll clothes. Most often the clothes are going to be sold or auctioned off to raise money for various charities (and once to help raise money in support of a family adopting a child from overseas). But the latest request came from a young blogger who was looking for some doll clothes to use for a giveaway on her blog. Me being me, I said yes. After waiting a few days for the extremely cold weather to abate I shipped off a handmade robe and two-piece pajama set.

Earlier this afternoon I received a note from her telling me that she had completed a photo shoot of her dolls at the spa and used the bathrobe I sent for it.

When I clicked over to see it, I was thoroughly impressed. Clearly she put a lot of time and effort into the feature and I loved to see that she had created most of her props. And they looked great!
So if you want to see the work she did and the bathrobe I made for her to give away, click through to see her blog post. I'm sure you'll enjoy it. :)