Finding Comfort in Jesus

The beautiful cover in shades of blue lists four topics covered in the booklet. Immediately we are informed that grief doesn’t necessarily mean a death has occurred. Grief can include loss of friends, a job, a home, or a spouse by divorce. There are secondary losses  which interrupt our lives and change our daily routines.  Sprinkled through the 14 page pamphlet are wonderful promises from Jesus to comfort us through the stages of grief.  Finding Comfort in Jesus helps us know that sorrow is normal and scripture illustrate the trials and suffering of Bible characters such as David, Jeremiah, and Naomi. Jesus is our prime example of one who endured grief, betrayal, and suffering.  The story of Job the suffering servant in the Old Testament helps answer the age old question of why God allows this. The biblical character of Joseph is enlisted to help us find meaning in loss. Greater empathy for others, developing healthier priorities, a deeper communion with God, and new and renewed relationships give us a hope and a future. A special page with bible verses explaining Heaven comforts us. To realize God has prepared our final home in our life’s journey and to realize the glorious future and reunion waiting for us on the other side is the reason for our comfort. This PDF file was given to me for my honest review by Rose Publishing.

Seven Churches Of Revelation - PowerPoint

Having taught the study of Revelation twice over the last two years and making my own PowerPoint presentation, I can verify the quality of this ppt. The Seven Churches of Revelation has a total of 135 teaching slides. The muted background with many transparent images works well with the color coded header for each of the seven cities. It has excellent photos and graphics with just the right amount of animation to add interest. One favorite part is the charts highlighting the strength, fault, and promise for each church. Another detail I really like is the slides with colorful maps which animate a circle around the name of city to be studied. Background information, praise, and challenge slides personalize each letter to the churches.  But I have to say my very favorite are the slides highlighting Jesus’ character, words, and importance to the church and the world. The slides of each of the seven churches are end with a relevant question to the viewers challenging them to make a change for a better relationship with Jesus. There are 8 pages of worksheets and handouts of all the slides to make this a fulfilling bible study. This ppt was given to me by Rose Publishing for an honest review.

Life of Samson

This Rose pamphlet titled the Life of Samson gives loads of information and facts in a nutshell through many eye-catching charts, a timeline and a map of the events in Samson life. Samson was one of the best known of Israel’s judges. Many amazing facts about Samson are given such as his miraculous birth foretold by an angel, the fact that he was a Nazarite, and his many physical acts of strengths. Until I did a study of the book of Judges, I always thought of Samson as a hero delivering the people of Israel from the Philistines. As a Nazarite Samson broke many of his vows and was selfish in his pursuit of foreign women. The mercy and grace that God showered on the children of Israel shows us how He used Samson and Israel despite their disobedience and flawed behavior. One chart compares events in the life Samson and the nation of Israel. The cycle demonstrated in the book of Judges of Israel’s disobedience, oppression, and deliverance is shown in a bold graphic. This is a nice compact study tool for information on the life of Samson. Rose Publishing gave me this PDF file for my honest review.

Miriam by Mesu Andrews.

This is the fourth book by Mesu Andrews that I have read and deeply enjoyed. Andrews research and writing process uses the scriptures to lay down the foundation of her stories. Her characters comes to life with personalities befitting their actions. Miriam, caretaker of her frail parents and healer to neighbors and strangers. She alone for so many years had a special relationship with LORD hearing His voice. Now the voice has faded and Moses returns with a personal bond to El Shaddai who now is called Yawah. Jealousy and abandonment seize Miriam as she watches Joshua and Moses travel to visit the Pharoah with a Word from God. Still faithful to tend to her parents alone with no help from her brothers she mourns the lack of communication with God. I like that Andrews characters from her earlier book, "Pharoah's Daughter" return and create continuity. The young character of Hosea begins as a companion and artfully develops into a warrior. Hopefully the author will write another book about the Exodus and include Joshua. This drama in the book was riveting and never lacked to satisfy my need to read!

Amish Christmas at North Star

On the November night of a record setting blizzard, Amish midwife Rebekah Schlabach delivered four babies in one night-three girls and one boy. When a young writer finds a 25 year newspaper article in his mom's attic retelling the story of "Rebekah Babies," he decides to track down Rebekah and all the adult children born on that night. It was a delightful turn of events when Chase and bumps into 25 year old Elle McAllister searching for her birth mother among the Amish Community of North Star.  Guiding Star, Mourning Star, In the Stars, and Star of Grace-Four stories by four extraordinary writers connect the lives of the children born on that night. I love Amish stories and especially Cindy Woodsmall because there is no foul language and sexual content. Woodsmall takes special care to be authentic and accurate in her writing of the Amish. This heartwarming collection was so interesting because they were tied together by the Prologue and Epilogue written by Katie Ganshert.

What the Bible Says about Fasting

As a teaching director of Community Bible Study we are studying the book of Matthew for 30 weeks. As an in-depth bible study our leaders’ council and our Servant Team are challenge to deepen our intimacy with the Lord through fasting. I was thrilled to see the writer of this pamphlet on Fasting using references from the gospel of Matthew. “He is not interested in empty, public displays of piety (Matthew 6:16–18). When we fast, we worship God, and he wants that worship to spring from a joyful, loving heart.” The author reminds us fasting is not only from food and drink, but also from a self-centered lifestyle driven by social media. I like the idea of fasting from the computer, TV, or phone. It is rare to shop or dine without an intrusion of texting or calling. My ladies have pledged to turn on phones during out time of study. Jesus is the Bread of Life and the Living Water. Our dependence on nourishment from Him draws us closer and allows us to hear when He speaks in a still small whisper. Our writer gives many key verses from the Bible about fasting and list well-known characters including Esther, Daniel, and of course, Jesus. Many years ago I entered a Daniel fast for healing. Prayer is vital to the preparation and endurance of the fast. It should be a private endeavor between you and God. Jesse Lipes shares valuable advice on how to fast. Included is a neat chart of fasts from Bible History telling the type of fast, the who, the why, and the outcome of the fast. Thank you Rose Publishing for giving me this PDF file for an honest review.

When Love Returns Kim Vogel Sawyer

When Love Returns, The Zimmerman Restoration Trilogy Book 3 was a satisfying conclusion to the story of Suzanne and Alexa. Kim Vogel Sawyer writes with tenderness for the plight of unwed mothers and adopted children. As a CASA court appointed special advocate for the rights and voice of the child, I was interested in Alexa's search for her birth mother. The grief, the anger, and the resolution for the characters was experienced in detail. Sawyer handled these delicate issues with a wide range of emotions for the families. The evidence of faith in God carries both mothers through the search for redemption and forgiveness. The traditions of the Old Order Mennonites community was tested by the revealing of a twenty year old secret by Suzanne and Paul. Heartfelt and compelling, the author draws the reader into the story's emotional journey of all the characters.

This paperback was given to me by Waterbrook Press for my honest review on Blogging for Books.