Let Hope In 4 Choices That Will Change Your Life Forever By Pete Wilson

This is a must read book. Hurt people will hurt other people but freed people will free other people. How brilliant and simple did he put it!!! Wilson encourages us to turn back to the Bible and consider what they went through when they were up against a wall. We struggle and we forget what God can do; we give in to the devil when he whispers in our ear that we are doomed to failure. We believe the lies that we are alone and abandoned and in a world that we are not capable of succeeding within. But that is all a lie; we are children of God. We are loved and watched and God will come to the rescue every time we call on Him. Wilson also makes a point to let the reader know that it wont be a fast or easy process to heal our pains and let hop we in but he promises that it will be beneficial and well worth the efforts. I think he is a wonderful writer and this a book that will remain in my permanent collection. Pain that is not transformed becomes transferred to someone else. We must learn trust; trust in God and that he has a plan for us! Trust that we will be hurt in life and that is ok, just like a child will fall down and skin those knees! It will happen but we do not have to let it cripple our souls or stifle our souls! We must have hope! Hope is the great path to letting go of the shame and guilt of our past lives, of our short comings and failures. This is just a fantastic book. I found this to be a remarkable book, worthy of group study. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher through the booksneeze program in exchange for writing a review of the book. This is a five star book. Hope can change your life and make everything better. This writer pushes hope. I have rarely read a better book than this one. He outlines 4 steps or ways of looking into our situations to see the best possible end not the most likely. The writer does this by looking at some really bad situations in the Bible when it looked like it was curtains for Gods people but God brought them through their struggles and he will do the same for us. It is very hard to write a review without analysis of the 4 step plan used by the author to literally outline to process of developing hope and learning to give it time to work. Hope can can disarm guilt, shatter shame, and put your past behind you where it belongs. But you have to make the choice to let hope in. We serve a God who promises over and over again that anything is possible. Wilson, gives a look at the power of healing through hope, revealing 4 unique choices that have the potential to change your life forever. Let Hope In explores accounts in the Bible illustrating God’s ultimate plan for healing by letting hope fill the dark places.

NIV INtegrated Study Bible and chronlogical by Thomas Nelson Publishers



I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for writing a review. I enjoyed the chronological approach as it makes it easier to understand what is going on when the books are written. I got a more life like feeling; as if I were there watching the events happen first hand, like I was remembering something that I had seen happen, not like I was reading a book. The NIV language is easier to understand than the older King James editions. This book brings the Bible to life. It gives it a more complete picture of what was happening in the towns and villages and big cities when the events unfolded and came to life. I enjoyed reading Daniel and feel like I BETER CAN SEE HOW DANIEL AND HIS FRIENDS LIVED. I got the feeling like I was there and the book of Daniel made more sense to me. It will open you eyes because it is easier to understand what was going on when the books were written.  Passages of Scripture arranged in their sequential order, but so also are individual events, and includes multiple interpretations. This edition shows the Bible unfolding in a new way as the landmark events are set in parallel. It’s more than just a chronological Bible—not only are passages of Scripture arranged in their sequential order, but so also are individual events. And multiple interpretations allow for deeper revelations. For instance, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John’s telling of Jesus feeding the 5,000—presented in four columns right next to each other—take on a new life. David’s story about hiding from Saul in the wilderness is paired with the relevant psalms. Features include: •The entire text of the NIV translation with the order of events arranged chronologically •General and sectional (e.g., Pentateuch, History, Prophets, Gospels) introductions on chronology and dating, including comparative charts of major systems and schemes •Brief commentary in the form of transitions to help navigate the chronology

Youll get Through This by Max Lucado - a 5 star book!!!!

This book is a perfect example of why I love to read Lucado. He is without exception by favorite modern author. Lucado once again speaks to the masses with this book - inspiring millions at a time of economic upheaval and financial crisis on a global scale. People are afraid and do not know where to turn or if they will survive. Lucado once again, offers hope to the masses! God has gotten others through way more than any of us are living through and HE will save us too and bring us through to a good place! What do we do when something awful happens to us? We think we will never recover. I know I do. We focus on why good people do bad things. We focus on pain. Well, in this the best of all his books so far, Lucado uses the story from the Old Testament about Joseph to remind us that God will use what the devil tries to destroy to make something wonderful and powerful and fantastic - all we have to do is hold on and wait for God to do His miracle in our lives. What a powerful message of hope! Joseph was betrayed by his brothers because his father loved him most. But Joseph was gifted by God to have an understanding that was unpatrolled and he was gifted by interpretations: God had Joseph a better man. Daniel, has the same story. Daniel was taken from Judah to Babylon as a castle slave, but God gave Daniel an understanding; and Daniel was excelled above all others to third in power over all of Babylon. There is no limit to what God can do and if you don't get anything else from this book get this: THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A HOPELESS SITUATION IF WE TRUST IN GOD. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher through the booksneeze program in exchange for writing a review of the book. That in no way earned this book a good review - Lucado's work always stands on its own merit. This like all of his other works, is a great investment!!

Chasing Hope by Kathryn Cushman

Chasing Hope by Cushman, is an excellent read. I read it in a day, and it came on the heels of the lady swimming from Cuba to the US in 50ish hours. When the lady completed her dream, which she has been actively attempting since the 1970s, she said, 'never give up on your dreams'. It was hard to understand her, since her tongue was swollen from the sea water. She said that she kept the theme to the Beverly Hillbillies playing over and over; 2000 times in her head.


This novel, is also the story of reaching those dreams when the protagonist thought that her time was past.

The cover feels like rubber. Its about telling yourself that its time to forget the past and trust in God and allow Him to build your future.

I would slow to say it but the story is sorta like Cather in the Rye meets Jessie Owens. Its about a lady who gave up on her own dream when she could no longer run and she trains/coaches a troubled youth to get the child to change the course of her life.

Its a fantastic fictional work. A story that glorifies God. It moves fast and it will keep you hooked.

Stranded by Dani Pettrey

Spoiler alert!!
There is no way to do a review of this book without a spoiler! I will try my best to keep it to a minimum!!
I have not read the first two book and this book is third in a series. I believe from the end of the book it is the final installment as it wraps up all the loose ends.
The author has only published these 3 books so far, but she is a very gifted writer and the genre is fiction, Christian mystery/suspense. i normally do not care for fiction but have never read from this genre so I thought I would have a go of it. The author is also a home schooling mother of two children.
I enjoyed the way her character set has a coming to Jesus approach. The story takes place in Alaska and opens with her friend beibng taken hostage. THe book has a happy ending and a sex slavery ring is broken. Basically the travel agency was screening women to abduct them and it was a Russian tie-in.
I did not care for the topic. But the writer did a good job. She closed all the doors and left nothing dangling and best of all; she had all characters give credit to God. I love to see that happen, I think we all do.
It is a thick book but the print is large and I read it in a day. The main character of course falls in love and it comes to fruition in the final passages of the book.
The writer does a great job. If you enjoy romance and suspense or mystery, you are in for a real treat with this author.

Wounded by Gods people by Anne Graham Lotz

This book gets a permanent spot in my book collection. it is an easy 1 day reader of only about 230 pages with large print.
I decided to read this book solely based on the fact that I really enjoy reading Billy Graham, and have always loved to watch his televised events; what an amazing man of God. This topic Anne, chose also sparked my interest. It is a look into the life of Hagar, and how she was mistreated. The hand maiden of Sara, she was asked by Sara, to have a child with Sara's husband Abraham, because the angels said that he would have a son and Sara, was in her 80s and thought that she could not carry a child. however, when Sara, did become pregnant, Hagar, was cast out of the family and home. Some thanks for being a good maid!! No wonder Ishmael grew up to hate and be filled with bitterness. The author dives into that abyss of bitterness many Christians feels, who feel like they have been wronged in life by a church or Christians in a church. Anne talks openly about how she feels she has been wounded by Christians who did not live as they should be living.
The authors advice basically, is that everyone makes mistakes and we often think of these incidence as deliberate when they are in fact very accidental. After all, we are emotional creatures. The author talks about how god can renew our hearts and heal the tears and bruises if we allow Him to do so for us.
An interesting note; I just finished reading a blog page that talked about how God can heal our hearts and how we must safe guard what we allow into our hearts. It goes right along with this book, which is interesting because noone knew I had selected this book, so only God could have been driving.
God loves both the hurt and those who hurt, or the wounded and the wounders. This is a book about finding the strength to forgive. The author says, 'Maybe you are among those sho have been so deeply hurt by the church that you no longer want anything to do with God.' The author believes that the grace of God can heal any wound. So do I.
  Psalm 147:3 God heals the brokenhearted &  binds up their wounds
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for writing a review. If you think that in any way earned this book a favorable review then you might want to read some of my other reviews.

NIV Worship Together Bible By Thomas Nelson Publishers

 

Heres what the publisher says:

Worshiping God is one of the believer’s highest callings. Music and song have been a timeless way to glorify God throughout history. Scripture itself is full of musical and poetic praises dedicated to the Lord. Using a unique combination of songs and reflections, the NIV Worship Together Bible blends modern-day worship and culture with the beloved Word of God. This Bible helps you embrace God as your loving Father and shows you how to exalt him through song and reflection. The musical inspiration in this Bible will remind you of the importance of constantly striving to be Christlike. As Pastor Jack Hayford, the author of the song “Majesty,” once put it: “Worship changes the worshiper into the image of the One worshiped.”
Features:
The complete text of the world’s most popular modern-English Bible, the NIV

• Lyrics to the top 50 worship songs
• Song notes and reflections from the songwriters
• Simple chord charts for the Top 20 worship songs
• Essay that explores the purpose and history of worship music
• Foreword by Matt Maher
• Index to organize songs by scriptural reference

As for me, I think it is the perfect Bible for any worshiper who loves music. It also might be the perfect Bible for anyone who does not worship but who loves music.
I enjoy the songs and history behind the songs.
I sat down with hte Bible while it was raining and lit up a few sea salt candles and fluffed the old feather pillows and I sure njoyed reading Exodus. Something about a man with the guts to stand up to the king of all Egypt, and say to him, God says for you to....
Doesnt really matter what God wanted from the Pharoah; matters that Moses had the courage to tell the king what god instructed Moses to tell him. Maybe Moses thought people would think him crazy; who knows?
But Moses did what god told him to do.
It got me thinking, do I have that kind of courage?
I felt really comfortable with this Bible. Like it was made for me. I love music. I love God. It is a natural fit.