Joni's Helping a Friend with Memory Loss

Since my parents have died, I have developed a widows’ ministry of sorts. With my online grocery pick-up, it is not trouble to shop for the ladies at the local assisted living facility. One dear friend of mine cannot remember my visits, so I bought a large calendar and ask visitors to sign in when they come. This pamphlet is very useful in knowing how to react to memory loss and dementia patients. Information on the stages of Alzheimer’s disease can be helpful in detecting symptoms early on. The statistics on the disease and the average life span were new facts to me. There were some very good suggestions on how to create precious memories. The “What not to do” list has educated me on the things I was doing that were not helpful. I loved the bible verses of hope and promise. This is a nicely done reference guide with stories of real people and their care givers.A free PDF of this book was provided by Rose Publishing for my honest review.

Denominations PPT

Much historical information was gleaned from the 225 slides of this PPT. Raised as a Baptist, I assumed all churches recognized the Holy Bible as inerrant and inspired by the Holy Spirit. Therefore the teachings by Jesus and the Revelation by John on the destination of hell for the wicked would be true in all denominations. Congregational Churches -No position is taken on the future of the wicked. Most reject the idea of eternal punishment. Lutheran Churches -Baptism is necessary for salvation; in it both adults and infants are given God’s grace. Seventh-day Adventist leader, Ellen G. White was a prophet. Her writings are a “continuing and authoritative source of truth.” Rest and worship on Saturday is an essential element of that obedience. I was surprised at that a great many denominations not only marry gays in the church but also ordain homosexual men and women to ministry. But gratefully it appeared all agreed Jesus is fully God and fully man, born of a virgin, died on a cross for our sins, arose and ascended into heaven. He is coming back again to gather His children. Rose Publishing gave me this PowerPoint for and honest review.

The Women of Easter

Liz Curtis Higgs has a wonderful way of relating the biblical encounters of the three Mary's in Jesus' life. This is a very good book to read prior to Easter. The last week of Jesus' life is fully recounted by the author through Mary of Bethany, sister of Lazarus and Martha, Mary of Nazareth, the mother of our Savior, and Mary Magdalene. The thing I liked is Higgs used many versions of the bible to choose the clearest picture for us. She is a gifted author. Thank you.

Esther, a book from the Bible

Esther is one of my favorite Old Testament heroes. Although the word “God” does not appear in the book of Esther, clearly God was a main part of the story. He is the One the Jews worshipped and the One to whom they gave allegiance. Haman the Amalekite’s fierce hatred of Mordecai and the Jewish people reveals the lengths men will go to persecute God’s people, the Jews. This PowerPoint presentation gives much historical background information revealing how the Jews ended up in Persia and highlights the main characters in this book. The cover slide is eye-catching with the title in rich purple, the prominence of the Star of David, a representation of what Esther may have looked like and the silhouette of the city. I also noticed the Cyrus Cylinder, dating to 539 BC. The background of the slides is very pleasing and different colored banners note the change of topic from Background, to the Story of Esther which has 59 slides, to Lessons from Esther.  Maps and colorful tables add to the detail of the presentation. There are a great many lessons we can learn from this short book of the Bible; lessons on the character of people, the presence of an Almighty God and His sovereignty. Rose publishing gave me this PDF for an honest review.

52 Weekly Devotions for Busy Families

This devotional was very intriguing to me because my daughter’s family is fostering two children. With two boys of their own they could use the flexibility to work around their busy schedules. The colorful border down the side or across the bottom of the pages will be inviting for the kids to look at during the devotional time. The multicultural children on the pages are important since one of the girls is bi-racial. It will comfort to have different races represented in the book. The memory verses are adaptable and can be shortened for the younger child. My favorite is the scrapbook and journaling options. Plenty of chat prompts can promote conversations among the family members. The bible story connection lasts only two minutes but it brings in biblical truths that are important for today’s youth. It was insightful of the author to include a read aloud story concerning children with food allergies. My niece’s child is usually forgotten because parents bring party items that she cannot eat. It can be hurtful to be left out. This book has fifty-two weeks of devotions suited to holidays and seasons. It is not necessary to wait until New Year’s Day to start the book. Just count the weeks of the calendar and jump right in. A free PDF of this book was provided by Rose Publishing for my honest review.