Really Woolly Easter Blessings by Bonnie Rickner Jensen

Really Woolly Easter Blessings by Bonnie Rickner Jensen ISBN-13: 9780718092566 Boardbook: 40 pages Publisher: Thomas Nelson Released: Feb. 21, 2017

Source: Review copy from the publisher through BookLook.

Book Description, Modified from BookLook:
Winter’s nap is over, and new life is all around! Flowers are blooming. Birds are chirping. And the Really Woolly characters are discovering God’s goodness all around them. Curl up with your little one, and join the fun while learning about the hope of Easter and springtime!

Adorable rhymes, sweet Bible verses, and prayer starters will make reading time a special moment for you and your child—to connect with each other.


My Review:
Really Woolly Easter Blessings is a Christian children's board book (apparently for ages 2-5 years old; I would have guessed a little older). Rather than a story, this book contains a series of rhymes. Each double-spread page contains a simple Bible verse, a fun rhyme based on that verse, and a very short prayer thanking God for that topic. The topics cover God's love and care for us (including what Jesus did for us on the cross) as well as new life and spring.

Due to the spring theme, the illustrations show the animal characters among lush, green grass and many flowers. I'm going to be reading this to a young one growing up in a city in the desert, so I'm not sure how well she'll be able to relate to the illustrations. However, I do feel that the author did an excellent job of making topics like God's forgiveness understandable to young children. Overall, I'd recommend this meaningful, enjoyable book of rhymes.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt:
"The LORD will come to us like the rain, like the spring rain that waters the ground" - Hosea 6:3

Grass of green and skies of blue,
Birds softly chirp their songs for you.
Tulips lift their sleepy heads
In yellows, purples, pinks, and reds.

We watch the seasons come and go,
But this, dear child, be sure to know:
The Lord is with you every day--
His perfect love is here to stay!


Dear God, I'm so glad Your love for me never changes or goes away.

Same Kind of Different As Me for Kids by Ron Hall, Denver Moore

Same Kind of Different As Me for Kids by Ron Hall, Denver Moore ISBN-13: 9780718091798 Hardcover: 32 pages Publisher: Thomas Nelson Released: Feb. 7, 2017

Source: Review copy from the publisher through BookLook.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
This remarkable story shows what can happen when we choose to help. Based on the New York Times bestseller Same Kind of Different As Me, this book tells the true story of Denver Moore and Ron Hall, who also created the delightful illustrations in this book.


My Review:
Same Kind of Different As Me for Kids is juvenile nonfiction--the autobiography of Denver Moore told in a simple, brief way. He started by talking about his childhood on a cotton plantation in Louisiana during the Great Depression. When he grew up, he no longer wanted to be a sharecropper, so he traveled to a city. He couldn't get a job, so he became a homeless person who felt no one cared about him. Ron Hall and others eventually reached out to him and showed him God's love. Denver Moore then worked to help other homeless people. The lesson tagged on at the end is that "nobody can help everybody, but everybody can help somebody."

The illustrations are by Ron Hall, but they look like a child drew them. They're very simple and lack detail. These vague, child-like drawings seem more suited to a made-up story or a story told by a child. Since this is an autobiography told by adults, I'd have preferred clear illustrations showing what life was really like or even some pictures of these people and places (if any existed) to help ground the story in reality.

I like reading Christian autobiographies to children, and this was worth reading once. It wasn't quite what I was expecting, though.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt: Read an excerpt using Google Preview.

God's Glory Alone by David VanDrunen

God's Glory Alone by David VanDrunen ISBN-13: 9780310515807 Paperback: 192 pages Publisher: Zondervan Released: Dec. 1, 2015

Source: Review copy from the publisher through Amazon Vine.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
In God’s Glory Alone, renowned scholar David VanDrunen looks at the historical and biblical roots of the idea that all glory belongs to God alone. He examines the development of this theme in the Reformation, in subsequent Reformed theology and confessions, and in contemporary theologians who continue to be inspired by the conviction that all glory belongs to God.

Then he turns to the biblical story of God's glory, beginning with the pillar of cloud and fire revealed to Israel, continuing through the incarnation, death, and exaltation of the Lord Jesus Christ, and culminating in Christ's Second Coming and the glorification of his people.

In light of these wonderful biblical themes he concludes by addressing several of today's great cultural challenges and temptations—such as distraction and narcissism—and reflecting on how commitment to God's glory alone fortifies us to live godly lives in this present evil age.


My Review:
God's Glory Alone is a study on "soli Deo gloria." The author looked briefly at what the reformers and those in the Reformed tradition said on the topic and then looked at the mentions of glory in Scripture. He then discussed why this declaration still matters to our lives today. I appreciate that he didn't make simple things difficult to understand or make difficult things too simple and so lose important tensions found in Scripture. Also, he did a careful study of all of Scripture rather than just picking the verses that support his ideas.

You'll probably find it easier to follow his reasoning if you've read the entire Bible through at least once. He tended to move through Scripture quickly, assuming you're familiar with what he's talking about. I agree with his overall points and could follow his reasoning, but I still paused every few pages to think over what he said because he packed so much in.

I believe the theology presented in this book would be accepted by most conservative Protestant denominations. His main focus was on God's glory and on God's attributes and actions that bring Him glory. He did look at Scripture that teaches that God will glorify believers. He pointed out that even our glorification is God's doing, not ours, so this ultimately glorifies God. To quote him (page 106), "Soli Deo gloria is about God and how he glorifies himself, but one magnificent way God glorifies himself is through glorifying us and enabling us to glorify him through faith, worship, and whole-hearted service to him and our neighbors."

I'd highly recommend this book to those interested in a deeper look at this theological theme.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

The Book of Acts by Steven Ger

The Book of Acts by Steven Ger ISBN-13: 9780899578187 Hardcover: 288 pages Publisher: AMG Publishers Released: Feb. 1, 2004

Source: Bought.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Acts reveals the successes and defeats, the conquest and tragedies of the original band of Jesus' followers. In Acts we are able to share in the joy, the loss, the frustration, the passionate debate and the ultimate triumph of these pioneers of Christianity. These are ordinary people who, through the power and enablement of the Holy Spirit, accomplish extraordinary tings in the name of their messiah.

Steven Ger is a "Hebrew of Hebrews", a fourth-generation Jewish believer, whose Jewish-Christian perspective will bring new life to your understanding of the book of Acts.


My Review:
The Book of Acts is a Bible study--well, commentary--on Acts written by a Messianic Jew. He started by describing the background of Acts: who wrote it, when it was written, what was the purpose, etc. He then went through Acts, chapter-by-chapter. You look up and read a section of verses then read his commentary on them. He talked about the cultural and historical background to the verses, some meanings of original words, the timing of various events, and so on.

His Jewish-Christian perspective was interesting and brought out some insights that I haven't read in other commentaries. At times, he stated as if fact that a verse said something, but I didn't necessarily read it that way. He didn't always explain why he read it a certain way, and he didn't necessarily convince me to his viewpoint when he did. Still, it was interesting to get other takes on what a verse might mean. Overall, I'd recommend this interesting and readable commentary.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.