Book #4 ~ "Cross Roads"

 

Title: Cross Roads

Author: William Paul Young

ISBN: 978-1-4555-1604-9

My Review: "Under Construction"

My Recommendation: Thumbs up... more information coming soon...

Love

As quoted by Wm. Paul Young in Cross Roads

Take time to read!
~Rebecca

Israel Is Blessed

Quote is from the Woment's Devotional Bible ~ NIV (Zondervan Publishing House)
and varies slightly from the NIV text found at Biblegateway.com.

 Take time to read!
~Rebecca

Some Day

 

As quoted by Wm. Paul Young in Cross Roads

Take time to read! 
~Rebecca

A Pitiable Man

As quoted by Wm. Paul Young in Cross Roads

 

Take time to read!
~Rebecca

Moses Blesses the Tribe of Joseph

Take time to read!
~Rebecca

Book #3 ~ "The Grace and Truth Paradox"

Title: The Grace and Truth Paradox

Author: Randy Alcorn

ISBN: 1-59052-065-3

My Review: Randy Alcorn defines grace and truth and describes the differences between them as it pertains to Christianity; he illustrates the importance of achieving balance between the two components. He describes each one in detail, using numerous illustrations from various sources to emphasize his points. He helps the reader better understand how to achieve a healthy balance of grace and truth, and he illustrates the results of living with (or without) that balance.

My Recommendation: Thumbs up! This is a tiny volume, but it's a treasure chest brimming with wisdom. Its 92 pages are packed with insightful messages that have opened my eyes, causing me to challenge my thoughts and actions in an effort to be more like Jesus so that others may always see His love shining through me! 

 Take time to read!
~Rebecca

The Song of Moses

I have decided to intersperse Scriptural verses between my reviews and quotes from other books I'm reading for "The Empty Shelf Challenge" because I'm also in the process of re-reading the Bible. Each time I read through God's Word, I choose a different version in an effort to gain new perspectives, and I use multiple versions for cross referencing to broaden my study as I read. At the present time, I am reading the Women's Devotional Bible - New International Version (NIV). If not otherwise stated, the Scriptures I quote will be from the NIV. Please note that any deviation in capitalization is intentional to reflect my respect for the Lord. (For example, the NIV does not capitalize pronouns referring to God, but I feel capitalization is necessary to give God the glory and respect He deserves.)  Today's quote is taken from "The Song of Moses" - Deuteronomy 32:3-4. 

Take time to read!
~Rebecca

Be like Jesus!

Take time to read!
~Rebecca

Book #2 ~ "Turn"

My second book for this challenge is by another author whose messages I appreciate greatly.

Title: Turn

Author: Max Lucado

ISBN: 1-59052-450-0

My Review: Max Lucado does an excellent job of reminding us of the importance of living a "2 Chronicles 7:14" life.

Step by step, the author addresses each segment of this powerful Scripture, unfolding the messages in ways that illustrate the depth of God's words to us and His love for us. The reader is made aware of the lack of prayer existing in society and what a bleak prospect that situation creates. But the writer doesn't leave us in a place of futility; he provides hope through myriad illustrations and Bible verses.

My recommendation: Thumbs up! This is a small volume, and it can be read through quickly; however, I suggest taking the time to dig deeply into the messages. Read prayerfully. Look up the given Bible texts because the author chose them to emphasize the points made in his book. Reading God's Word opens our hearts to a greater understanding of the "bigger picture." For example, I would have missed a hidden message if I had glossed over one Scripture the author included.  The writer provided a very brief description of an incident (Psalm 106:30) whereby one little-known man (Phinehas) took a stand for God and prevented a plague from overtaking the people, but I would not have understood the full impact of the story had I not read the entire chapter in the Bible. What a huge blessing to be reminded that the prayers of one person can make a difference!   

Take time to read!
~Rebecca
(Scripture, 2 Chronicles 7:14, taken from 21st Century King James Bible; capitalization and punctuation modified.)

 

Book #1 ~ "Praying God's Will for Your Life"

This is the first book I (re)read for "The Empty Shelf Challenge!"

Title: Praying God's Will for Your Life

Author: Stormie Omartian

ISBN: 0-7394-2205-7

My Review: First off, I have never read a book by Stormie Omartian that I did not like. This one is no exception; I've actually appreciated its message more the second time around! The author encourages the reader to develop a closer walk with God by sharing her own experiences and prayers. She illustrates how God's will for our lives is uncovered through a deeper relationship with Him. The author does her best to respect doctrinal differences while, at the same time, revealing God's true character and His love for us.

Recommendation: This book definitely gets my stamp of approval, and I highly recommend it. Thumbs up!

Take time to read!
~Rebecca

Now IS the Time!

This quote is from one of the books I am currently reading... a book which I highly recommend! 

Take time to read!
~Rebecca

The Empty Bookcase

Many thanks to Jon Acuff for inspiring me to take "The Empty Shelf Challenge!" It has not only caused me to be more purposeful about taking time out to read, it has also caused me to clear out some clutter!

Despite the fact that I have far more books than I have shelves (and many of the publications I own are actually in boxes!), this particular bookshelf had become a catch-all for clutter. It didn't start out that way; this piece of furniture belonged to my mother when she was a very young girl, which was a long time ago because she was born in 1937. The bookcase is in great shape structurally, but I would love to refinish it someday. Meanwhile, I think my mother would be pleased to know the bookcase that held so many of her volumes as a child will once more be filled with "words." My mother loved to read, so I'm taking this challenge in honor of her memory. I look forward to exploring "new" horizons and filling these shelves as I do.

Take time to read!
~Rebecca