Pirates on the Farm Review

by Denette Fretz

Pirates next door?  My 3 year old thinks that would be great!  But the neighbors in this story were not so sure.  These were no ordinary neighbors.  The pirates were out of place when they took over this farm.  The mom was definitely not in favor of having them right next door.  In fact, the whole town wasn't too sure.  But the father is a good neighbor as he helps them learn to shear sheep and plant seeds, etc.  He sits by them in church.  He is an example to all, especially his family, of how God wants us to love and treat others.

It was a very fun book to read with my son who seems to love pirates easily :)!  In the back of the book are some "seadog definitions" along with a discussion guide to parents to use this story.  It would make a great gift for many boys like my son.

(I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their booksneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.)

The Passionate Mom

 



I was excited to read this book - a chance to read through Nehemiah and focus on parenting at the same time.  I thought it sounded intriguing.  The author looks at Nehemiah and how he helped the Israelites rebuild the wall around Jerusalem.  She explains the steps that Nehemiah took to handle the task before him and related those to our task of parenting.  There were 10 steps or P's that she pulled out for us to focus on:  Perception, Pondering, Passion, Prayer, Patience, Preparation, Purpose, Planning, Problem Solving, and Perseverance.  I appreciated each one - a great list to think about as we parent each of our children.  

As each "P" is explained, she shares "bricks" in the wall that help us develop that area.  She also describes "gates" in the wall that are places we open to give our children more freedom as they are ready.  The author also refers to her website, imom, for more resources.

I would recommend this book.

(I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their booksneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.)

Unfinished Review

I just finished reading Richard Stearns Unfinished.  Overall, I enjoyed this book.  It's a call for individuals and the church to the Great Commission.  Stearns believes the American church has become too relaxed in living out their faith.  He believes that we have lost our sense of urgency with the Great Commission, both as individuals and as a church.  We have been left as Jesus' ambassadors in this world, but we are not rising to the mission.

My husband enjoyed his discussion of our spiritual GPS in the chapter on "Called for a Purpose" -  how we need to commit, pray, prepare, obey, act and trust.  I thought his chapter on "Outposts of the Kingdom" was a good chapter, referring to the church.

He also includes a study guide and shares ways we can live out our faith in the closing chapters.  I would recommend this book.

(I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their booksneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.)

 

Desperate Review

I love that this book, Desperate, is an exchange between two mothers - one mother that is in the midst of it all and one mother that is able to reflect, remember, and mentor.  Personally, I feel in the middle of these two women since my children range in age from 2- 18 years old.  I have some reflection and perspective but am overwhelmed some days with the challenges of the different personalities and trying to homeschool them all.

This book expresses the honest feelings and situations that mothers face.  Each chapter begins with a letter from Sarah Mae to Sally and Sally's letter back.  This is followed by Sarah sharing her challenges of mothering, her response, and how God is growing her in her struggles.  Sally also reflects on her years in the similar circumstances.  The chapters end with scripture and thought/discussion questions and "something to do."  There is also a QR code to scan for a video clip. 

This book is an encouragement.  It also speaks to the need for Godly mentors and encouragers in our lives.  I know that as I have been reading this book and mothering my littlest, who still hasn't slept through the night, I appreciate both perspectives.  I hope to be able to mentor moms as I am able.  I am thankful for the challenges recently so that I may be able to better be in touch and support new moms who may be feeling desperate.

There is a book club that just began this week hosted at the authors' websites:  Sarah Mae and Sally Clarkson.

(I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their booksneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.)

Linked with: Works for Me Wednesday, Raising Homemakers, Miscellany Monday, The Better Mom, Beauty in His Grip, Gratituesday, Mindful Mothering, Mop it Up Monday, Mama Moments Mondays, Mommy Link-up!, Women Living Well, Hip Homeschool Hop, Thankful Thursday, Winsome Wednesday, Courtship Connection, and Gratituesday, Only a Breath, Titus 2sdays, Teach Me Tuesdays.

Love You More review

Love You More: The Divine Surprise of Adopting My Daughter by Jennifer Grant was an enjoyable book! I always love books about adoption stories.  Every story is unique but has common ties to other adoption stories.  This is Grant's story of her family's adoption of a little girl from Guatemala named Mia.  It details the journey that God took her family on as they researched and waited and shared with others along the way.  Since our family has also adopted internationally, I could identify with all the emotions and the process - it brought back those emotions and memories for me.  Her writing flowed easily to share her story, capturing the details and feelings, so that others could experience it with her.
I also appreciated how she shared how God opened her eyes to caring for orphans beyond just her adoption.  The same has been true for our family.  I love to see how God tells His story through our stories.

This book also includes tips for prospective adoptive parents, resources, and discussion questions at the end.  I would enjoy reading this book with a book club some time.  I have already shared it with our adoption support group.

(I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their booksneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.)

Voices of the Faithful Book Review

This is a wonderful 365 day devotional book!  It has essays written by missionaries from across the world compiled by Beth Moore.  Each month the essays are organized by topics such as: God's character, God's word, prayer.  Each month Beth Moore writes an introduction for the topic.  Since it is written by a variety of missionaries, it offers many insights and points of view.  I found it to help me be aware of how God is working in and through missionaries around the world.  And it helps keep me mission-minded.  With that said, I kind of wanted more - to be more into the lives of these missionaries. 


Each day includes the essay, scripture and prayer.


I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their booksneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

The King's Christmas List

This is a sweet story of a little girl, Emma and her dog Shu-Shu.  Her daddy builds her a playhouse that becomes a door to a new world, The Kingdom.  Then the adventure begins as she receives an invitation from the King for his birthday party.  Of course she must bring a gift.  She bakes a special Christmas cake and hurries on her way.  As she travels to meet the King she encounters a grandma and grandson who are cold and she gives away her coat.  She encounters several others on her journey and has opportunity to show compassion.  She learns about how giving to others in need from the heart is how we give gifts to God.  The book also provides ways for families to give to others this Christmas season.

My girls very much enjoyed the story, especially my 5 year old daughter. She enjoyed the illustrations which really brought the the story to life.

The King's Christmas List By Eldon Johnson / Tommy Nelson

I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their booksneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

The Boy Who Changed the World

I was excited to receive this book to review.  I love children's books, especially ones that tell the story of real people.  This book tells about three boys who grow up and influence each other to make the world a better place.  Norman Borlaug develops super seeds that grew into super plants to help feed the world.  Henry Wallace was the one who hired Norman because he wanted to help people grow more food.  And Henry was influenced by George Washington Carver who taught him all about plants.  It is referred to as the "butterfly effect."  We all affect our world.  Everything we do matters.  God made our lives important.

My three children (ages 5, 12, and 16) and husband enjoyed this book.  Although it was a little hard to keep who influenced who straight as we were reading, especially for my youngest.  The pictures were wonderful, and it did make it's point clearly.

The Boy Who Changed the World By Andy Andrews

I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their booksneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

A Hole in Our Gospel Book Review

A Hole is Our Gospel by Richard Stearns:  I very much enjoyed this book and learning about Richard Stearns story of his early life and how he came to World Vision.  I read part of this book to my family, and they were eager to hear more!  Stearns challenges us to look at God's calling for Christians to respond to world poverty and injustice.  He asks,"What does God expect of us?"  Stearns proposes that we have a "hole" in our gospel when we live our lives seemingly forgetting or not seeing that pain and suffering around us and around the world.  We need to be seeing our lives in the big picture of the world.  He gives many personal stories and struggles along his journey.  The end of the book includes a section by his wife giving her side of the story.  It also has a section on ways we can respond and help other right now as we answer the question of "what God expects of us" for ourselves. 

I most enjoyed reading about Stearns life and experiences with World Vision.  I did think he generalized a little too much on the church today.  The personal accounts were much more moving.     It was well-written, and I would recommend this book to others.

The Hole in Our Gospel By Richard Stearns

I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their booksneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Gigi's Hugest Announcement DVD

I received Sheila Walsh's animated video Gigi's Hugest Announcement in the mail, and I knew my 5 year old daughter would be excited to watch it.  There are two stories on the DVD:  "The Royal Tea Party" and "The Pink Ballerina."  These are based on Sheila Walsh's stories.

In "The Royal Tea Party", Gigi, God's Little Princess wants to make a  huge announcement to her best friend Frances.  So she tries to find the best way, but many things go wrong and she almost quits.  Then she realizes that God and Frances haven't given up on her so she shouldn't give up either.  She ends up having a lovely tea party and sharing her news.

In "The Pink Ballerina,"  Gigi and Frances take their first dance lesson together.  Gigi has a hard time dancing perfectly.  She is wanting to dance for God after learning part of her Bible verse at Sunday School.  She is very frustrated.  But then learns that it is more important to show love to others and that makes God happy.

My daughter enjoyed the video and wanted to watch it again right away.  I enjoyed watching it with her because she liked it, but I found it to be a little slow and not one for me to watch again and again with her.  I wish that it had a little more depth in the storyline and something more entertaining for all ages.  She also liked Lord Fluffy, Gigi's cat who introduces and helps tell the stories.  

Gigi, God's Little Princess DVD Series #2: Gigi's Hugest Announcement

I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their booksneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Review: God's Little Princess Devotional Bible by Sheila Walsh

Lila, my 5 year old daughter was so excited when this book arrived at our house - her very own devotional Bible. When she saw the cover with a crown and jewels she felt like God's little princess before we even began to read it. This book has become a special time that both my daughter and I look forward to together.

The devotional Bible stories have a variety of features that really engage my daughter. Her favorites are:
*Take a Bow (role-playing a Bible story)- she and her older sister quickly practice the skit and then role play the story for our family.
*Bible Secrets and Tips - helps her to feel beautiful on the inside and out.
*Bible Princesses - women of the Bible.
*Activities & Songs - these reinforce the teaching from the story. I knew all the songs, but it might be nice to include musical notation for those possibly unfamiliar with a song.

She is at just the right age (4-10 year olds) to make the Bible stories her own. As we are reading this book, she feels dearly loved as God's princess and is learning what it means to be His daughter and beautiful in His eyes.

I am planning on sharing this book with my nieces and would recommend this to others with young girls.

God's Little Princess: ICB Devotional Bible By Sheila Walsh

I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their booksneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.