Thief of Glory

This book took me a while to get an idea of what was going on. In fact you do not determine the reason for the title until the last chapter. Historical fiction describing life in a jappenkamp, a Japanese-run internment camp for civilian during World War II. The description is vivid and very graphic regarding treatment by the fictional Japanese commander, Nakahara. It was difficult for me to comprehend such cruelty. Japanese invasion of the Dutch East Indies flipped the world upside down for Jeremiah and his family. The men and teens were removed from the family, leaving ten year old Jeremiah to care for his younger brother and sisters as well as his fragile mother. The theme throughout the book is the love of Jeremiah for Laura and the circumstances of their final meeting. The book starts in the present then plunges us into the past reliving the years when met and parted and then remarkably both ended up in the horrendous condition of the  jappenkamp. Their faith in God and Jeremiah's determination to take care of his family held them together until their release. Years later the couple meet in America to spend what is left of their life together. The ending was part I enjoyed the most. I like the idea that Brouwer built the story around the love story of his own parents Willem and Gerda. The author includes photos of his family bringing the story to life. This book was given to me by Waterbrook Press to review for Blogging for Books.

Discovering Who You Are and How God Sees You

I received a pdf file of this book about Discovering Who You Are and How God Sees You from Rose Publishing for an honest review. God is not only the creator he is the orchestrator. Do you believe in coincidence? I believe in divine intervention into our lives whether we notice it or not! Only God could “park” a file on my computer and the supernaturally share it as I am looking for images for this week’s lesson.

The book opens with a woman who by outward appearance has it all; wearing the right clothes, carrying the name brand purse and draped in a designer scarf. When she entered the counselors’ office the façade is dropped and she exhibits her fragile identity.   

Many identity losses are felt because the foundation we base our identity on is shaky. Who are you? As a youth you may have depended on your looks or you personality to join the “right” group of friends. In college I became a little fish in a big pond. After college we are our profession; marriage 

offers new titles-wife then mother. Living alone at the moment I know who my foundation is built. 

Jesus is my rock. My song for the week has been How Firm a Foundation. I know, right!God is so good.I have learned that who I am is not tied to physical abilities and roles and emotional ties in life. Who I am is determined by my creator, my potter, sovereign LORD. Who I am is determined by “Whose I am!”

The author has created a book for your Christians who may not have attained the wisdom and knowledge to realize their identity is not tied to their work, their family, or their social status. Their beliefs of where they receive their significance are out of focus. There is space in several chapters to write down what you believe about yourself. Chapter three is the meat of the text: how to let go of your false identity and accept the grace we receive through Christ. We need to know what the Bible says about our identity. There are several scriptures in the third chapter which are valuable to know and memorize to maintain a belief that we are a treasured possession and Christ’s death has paid our debt in full. Now we can approach the Father complete in Christ.

Jesus' Family Tree: Seeing God's Faithfulness In The Genealogy Of Christ

I had the privilege of a sneak peek of the first chapter of this title from Rose Publishing. It is organized well with colorful charts and lineage posters. All those year of reading the "begots" in the Old Testament were not that interesting to me until I discovered the importance of learning the heritage and lineage of Jesus. One page shows genealogy from the books of Luke and Matthew from Adam through Jesus. The attractive chart sharing the different viewpoints from each of the four gospels was simple and understandable. I enjoy the segmented table because it shows all the brothers and their offspring. Genesis means beginning.  We are lead through the story of Adam and Eve in the garden. Full color photographs pepper each page. One large chart showing the traits of God in a comparison with the traits of Jesus illustrates that Jesus was divine and as well as human. Another page compares Adam and Jesus. The sins of the parents and the sins of the Cain are shown in parallel. Descendants for Cain and Seth are well done.  It is so wonderful of God to share His plan from the beginning for our salvation through Jesus Christ.

from the Publisher:

Packed with REPRODUCIBLE pages, timelines, family trees, and simple summaries, this incredible reference book gives a fantastic overview of 30 key people in Jesus' ancestry. Perfect for students, pastors, Bible study teachers, and those interested in seeing God's faithfulness throughout the Old and New Testament.

The remarkable heroes and heroines in the ancestry of Jesus teach us a lot about God's faithfulness over the centuries. Each character in Jesus' family tree gives us a glimpse of how God works all things—even the tragedies and missteps—together for good.

Enjoy Covering 30 Key People from Jesus' Family Tree!

Looking at the dozens of names listed in Jesus' genealogy (family tree) can be quite overwhelming—and it can be hard to know what's important. Now you can easily dive into the fascinating lives of 30 key people from Jesus' family tree, including Adam, Noah, Abraham, Ruth, David and more with this full-color reproducible book.

• See how God fulfilled his promises through the generations—despite the strengths and weaknesses of each individual.


• Deepen your understanding of how Jesus fulfilled Old Testament prophecies regarding the Messiah's ancestry—he was from the family line of David, from the seed of Abraham, from the stem of Jesse, and more.


• Find out fascinating facts, such as why 5 women were mentioned in Jesus' family tree (when they were usually never mentioned).


• Enjoy having quick overviews that will add depth to any study on Jesus Christ and his link to the Old Testament, starting in the Book of Genesis.


• Get incredible charts, maps and time lines showing hundreds of facts at a glance.

BONUS! Genealogy of Jesus Diagram: A fold-out family tree from Adam and Eve to Jesus Christ. Shows every person in the Bible who is listed in Jesus' direct ancestry.

Help for the Hurting Teen

Being a grandparents I did not choose this book but Katelyn ask me to review this new author. Suffering through the teenage years as a single parents, it seemed I could review with some credibility. This book is so perfect for our times. Two days ago an eleven year old girl got of the bus and a shot was heard. Her mother found her daughter dead when she arrived home. Helping you Hurting Teens applies to any Middle School age or older child. My grandson just turned eleven but I readily saw ways to help the communication between my daughter and her son. Conversation starters and how to talk/listen to teens. Different way they grieve and why they grieve. I could see this so clearly in my grandson entering Middle School and playing on a  sports team. Being rejected by peers or not winning a game is a BIG DEAL. They cannot see past the pain of today. It brought back to me the crisis felt by my teenage daughter and trying to do something to help. Parents, teachers, grandparents buy this book