Book Review: Let There Be Light

'In the very beginning, God's love bubbled over when there was nothing else---no trees, no birds, no animals, no sky, no sea---only darkness.' Let There Be Light combines the love and warmth of Nobel Peace Prize Winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu with the extraordinary talents of bestselling author and illustrator Nancy Tillman. This retelling of the biblical story of creation vividly portrays the wonder and beauty of God's creation on each of the seven days. Using Archbishop Tutu's lyrical text from the Children of God Storybook Bible and Tillman's remarkable illustrations, Let There Be Light brings the story of creation to life for readers young and old.

My Review:

Ahh... this book is gorgeous!  The pictures are so beautiful and the story is so simply told.  This is a wonderful book that draws everyone in.  It is definitely going to be a favorite in our house.  The story is very close to the Biblical version and I appreciated that very much.  I highly recommend this book for every family.

I received this book for free in exchange for my honest opinion.

Book Review: Celebrate Recovery Bible

This softcover Bible is an ideal, real-life spiritual guide for anyone looking for hope in the face of difficult circumstances and the negative habits they are trying to control. Based on eight recovery principles found in Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount and on the underlying Christ-centered twelve steps of the proven Celebrate Recovery program, this Bible lifts readers up and shows them how to walk, step by attainable step, on a path of healing and liberty.
Featuring a foreword by Rick Warren, the NIV Celebrate Recovery Bible offers hope and encouragement to all who feel powerless and stuck. Through developing a relationship with Jesus Christ, readers will be empowered to rise above their hurts, hang-ups, and habits.




Features:

• Full text of the world’s most popular modern English Bible—the New International Version (NIV)
• Articles explain eight recovery principles and accompanying Christ-centered twelve steps
• Over 110 lessons unpack eight recovery principles in practical terms
• Recovery stories offer encouragement and hope
• 30 days of devotional readings
• Over 50 full-page biblical character studies are tied to stories from real-life people who have found peace and help with their own hurts, hang-ups, and habits
• Book introductions
• Side-column reference system keyed to the eight recovery principles
• Topical index

My Review:

I am not in recovery for anything so it might seem strange that I ordered this Bible to review.  I thought that there would definitely be someone who I could give it to and so I thought it would be a great resource to have.  I was right.  The Bible is amazing on its own, but this one is full of little extras that make it that much more enriching and easy to understand.  I love all of the features this Bible has.  I highly recommend this Bible for anyone, but the reflection aspects are more geared toward those in some kind of recovery.

I received this book for free in exchange for my honest opinion. 

Book Review: Accidental Saints

New York Times Bestseller | One of NPR's Best Books of 2015


What if that person you've been trying to avoid is your best shot at grace today?

And what if that's the point?
In Accidental Saints, New York Times best-selling au­thor Nadia Bolz-Weber invites readers into a surprising encounter with what she calls “a religious but not-so-spiritual life.” Tattooed, angry and profane, this former standup comic turned pastor stubbornly, sometimes hilariously, resists the God she feels called to serve. But God keeps showing up in the least likely of people—a church-loving agnostic, a drag queen, a felonious Bishop and a gun-toting member of the NRA. 

As she lives and worships alongside these “ac­cidental saints,” Nadia is swept into first-hand en­counters with grace—a gift that feels to her less like being wrapped in a warm blanket and more like being hit with a blunt instrument. But by this grace, people are trans­formed in ways they couldn’t have been on their own. 

In a time when many have rightly become dis­illusioned with Christianity, Accidental Saints dem­onstrates what happens when ordinary people share bread and wine, struggle with scripture together, and tell each other the truth about their real lives. This unforgettable account of their faltering steps toward wholeness will ring true for believer and skeptic alike. 

Told in Nadia’s trademark confessional style, Accidental Saints is the stunning next work from one of today’s most important religious voices.

My Review:

I was really intrigued  by this book and the author but I was not as impressed with this book as I thought I would be.  It is a very easy, enjoyable read and the author sounds like a lot of fun.  I enjoyed everything in the book except that the stories were... just not doing it for me-I'm not sure why.  The stories are about ordinary, imperfect people who influence us and "show" us a bit of God.  The stories were touching but so much of the story was spent on the author continuing to tell about her imperfections.  I appreciate reading that so much, but only so much, I guess.  I am excited to gift this book to someone who I think will easily relate to the author.  

I received this book for free in exchange for my honest opinion.