Moments 'til Midnight by Brent Crowe

Moments 'til Midnight by Brent Crowe ISBN-13: 9781462787777 Paperback: 240 pages Publisher: B&H Books Released: Sept. 1, 2018

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Author Brent Crowe imaginatively retells the last twelve hours of Paul's life. With no more letters to write, no more churches to plant, no more sermons to preach, and no more missionary journeys to embark upon, Paul awaited his death sentence. What were his final reflections on life? How did he view the race he had run? How should you view the race set before you? Readers will be encouraged to live with purpose, to redeem the time, and to embrace the awesome reality that they too are on a sacred journey.


My Review:
Moments 'til Midnight is a Christ-focused Christian living book. The author used the premise of what Paul might have thought about in his last hours as a way to tie the varied topics of the various chapters together. He started with some historical information about Paul's life and some speculation about his last hours in prison before his execution.

The rest of the chapters were about things that Paul talked about in his letters or might have thought about in those last hours. Each chapter had modern stories that tied into the topic and also quoted Scripture (usually Paul) about the topic. The writing was easy to follow. The chapters talked about: grace, living with a purpose, the value and role of friendship, having a heavenly mindset (pilgrim mentality), clothing ourselves in virtues (based on Colossians 3:12-14), our family in Christ and unity, how God empowers us, communicating clearly, living life to God's standard of excellence, overcoming failure and regrets, leaving a legacy, and dying well.


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 Speaks Your Love Language by Gary Chapman

God Speaks Your Love Language by Gary Chapman ISBN-13: 9780802418593 Paperback: 240 pages Publisher: Northfield Publishing Released: Sept. 1, 2018

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Do you realize that the God of the universe speaks your love language, and your expressions of love for Him are shaped by your love language? Learn how you can give and receive God’s love through the five love languages: words of affirmation, quality time, gifts, acts of service, and physical touch.

The book includes a brand new chapter on “Getting Out of Your Comfort Zone” which will teach you the joys of speaking a love language you’re not used to with God. No matter what love language you prefer, you will become more deeply connected with God and watch this bond transform all of your relationships. Contains personal reflection questions and a study guide for groups


My Review:
God Speaks Your Love Language talks about how the 5 love languages apply to our relationship with God. The author briefly talked about the 5 love languages. He then looked at each love language (words of affirmation, quality time, gifts, acts of service, and physical touch) and discussed how God has shown His love to us in each of these ways. He also provided stories about how people with that primary love language felt most connected to and loved by God (like through studying the Bible, prayer, giving, serving others, or worship). He then challenged readers to show love to God by using the other love languages, too.

I was surprised to realize that I already do enjoy expressing my love to God using all five love languages, but I did learn some interesting insights into how people differ in how they feel most loved by God. While you get a general idea from this book, it helps if you already know your primary love language. Overall, I'd recommend this book.


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.

The Kindness Challenge by Shaunti Feldhahn

The Kindness Challenge by Shaunti Feldhahn ISBN-13: 9781601421227 Hardback: 224 pages Publisher: Waterbrook Press Released: Dec. 20, 2016

Source: Bought.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Think of your toughest relationship. Think of a relationship that is good but could be great. Would small actions make that big a difference? Yes!

After years of extensive research, Shaunti Feldhahn has concluded that kindness is a superpower. It can change any relationship, make your life easier and better, and transform our culture. But how does it work? And how can you show kindness when you don’t feel like it?

In The Kindness Challenge, Shaunti explores….
* Three simple acts that make all the difference in any relationship (with a spouse, child, co-worker, brother-in-law…)
* Whether kindness is ever the wrong approach
* The seven ways you may be unkind and never realize it
* Eight types of kindness—and which might be the best fit for you
* Ten sneaky obstacles that get in the way of giving praise
* Practical ways to persevere when kindness is tough

With self-assessments, day-to-day tips, a 30-day challenge, and specific kindness ideas, The Kindness Challenge can make your toughest relationships better and your good relationships great—starting today.


My Review:
The Kindness Challenge looks at how kindness can transform all types of family and work relationships. The author talked about the benefits we receive from being kind and ways you might be unkind to others and ways to be kind to others (some of which you might not have thought of). She provided details about the three actions you are to do each day for the 30-day challenge. At the end, she included prompts for each day--usually a suggestion of a kind act to do. Overall, I thought she made good points which will help with most people.


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.

Less Than Perfect by Ann Spangler

Less Than Perfect by Ann Spangler ISBN-13: 9780310341727 Hardcover: 384 pages Publisher: Zondervan Released: Aug. 7, 2018

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through BookLook Bloggers.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
What can the Bible’s most flawed men and women reveal about who God is and how he reaches out to less-than-perfect people? Whether considering the murderous Herodias, the scheming Jacob, or the doubting Sarah, Ann Spangler approaches both familiar and lesser known characters with fresh eyes. We meet each of these individuals again as if for the first time as Spangler offers a dramatic retelling of their lives, insight into the historical and cultural context of their time, and key takeaway points for our lives today. Each chapter includes questions for discussion or reflection, making Less Than Perfect ideal for individual or group Bible study.


My Review:
Less Than Perfect is a Bible study that mainly consisted of a narrative retelling of the lives of 30 people. Each chapter focused on a different person, but sometimes the stories overlapped--like the story of Adam and the one for Eve--and some things were repeated. The facts from the Bible create the bones of the story, but cultural details and potential motives were also woven in as the events are described by the person the chapter is about. Each short story was followed by a few pages describing cultural and historical background facts that provide insights to the events. Finally, there were 3-5 questions to prompt the reader to think about the person, what happened, and how we might act in a similar way. These questions can be used in a group study, but the book reads like a personal study to me.


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.

Love Like That by Les Parrott III

Love Like That by Les Parrott III ISBN-13: 9781400207817 Hardcover: 240 pages Publisher: Thomas Nelson Released: Sept. 4, 2018

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through Amazon Vine.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Dr. Les Parrott writes a viable prescription for becoming more loving with family, friends, coworkers, and even strangers. In his trademark approachable style, Dr. Parrott takes the latest findings from psychology and sociology and blends them with biblical teaching to reveal five transformative ways of relating to people demonstrated by Jesus himself: being mindful, approachable, grace-filled, bold, and self-giving. With questions to ponder, self-assessments, and insightful quotations, Love Like That will revolutionize every relationship in your life—especially the ones that matter most.


My Review:
Love Like That is about how Jesus loved others and what stands in the way of our loving like he did. Being focused on achieving our own agenda gets in the way of seeing the needs of others. Pride and the desire to be part of the "in" crowd stands in the way of people feeling like they can approach us. The desire to feel like we're better than others stands in the way of our showing love to those who don't deserve it. Fear and the desire to be accepted stands in the way of our telling the truth and living transparent lives. Selfishness stands in the way of our thinking about others before thinking about ourselves. He ended by explaining that loving like Jesus is impossible in our own effort and how to allow Jesus to love others through us (through the power of the Holy Spirit).

The author described studies that illustrate how people act. He also quoted Scripture (in a paraphrase version) and summarized events in Jesus life to illustrate his points. I didn't like that he sometimes slipped his own speculation about motives and such into his summaries without pointing out that these were his ideas and weren't actually stated in the Bible. However, I would recommend this easy, quick read because his main points were good and useful.


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.

New Light on the Difficult Words of Jesus by David Bivin

New Light on the Difficult Words of Jesus by David Bivin ISBN-13: 9780974948225 Paperback: 208 pages Publisher: En-Gedi Resource Center Released: Sept. 1, 2005

Source: I bought this book.

Book Description from Goodreads:
What if we could step back into the first-century world of Jesus and walk on a dusty road with him as one of his first Jewish disciples? Here we examine Jesus' lifestyle as a first-century Jewish rabbi and look at how his words would have been understood within the larger framework of first-century Judaism. His words will grow in clarity and depth when seen in the light of their original setting.


My Review:
New Light on the Difficult Words of Jesus looks at the first century, Jewish context of Jesus to better understand his teachings. Each chapter explored a specific topic, like what a rabbi was, what was expected of their disciples, what Jesus meant by his "yoke" or his reference to not destroying but fulfilling the Law. The author looked at cultural contexts unknown to modern Christians, idioms that have lost their meaning in translation, and Scripture references made by Jesus which we might have missed. He referred to rabbinic sayings that originated from around that time and Second Temple-period Jewish literature. The book was very informative, especially if you haven't read similar books. I have read this type of book before, and I learned some new points that I hadn't heard before.


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.

Devotions from the Lake by Thomas Nelson

Devotions from the Lake by Thomas Nelson ISBN-13: 9781400309160 Hardback: 224 pages Publisher: Thomas Nelson Released: April 24, 2018

Source: Review copy from the publisher through BookLook bloogers.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Life has a way of slowing down and simplifying when you’re by the water. Enjoying long walks, ice cream cones, and watercolor sunsets with your family and friends is a way of life on lake days . . . wouldn’t it be a dream to live like that year-round?

Devotions from the Lake includes 100 devotions and beautiful photography.It is a wonderful way to start each day at the lake with quiet devotional time as you gain deeper insight into how God meets us through rest and play and how to bring all the best parts of “lake life” to everyday life.


My Review:
Devotions from the Lake has 100 devotions loosely based on things that you might do or see when staying at a lake. Each devotion started with a verse. The author reminisced about the theme--skipping stones, popcorn, coffee, shells, etc.--then tied in the verse and provided a very short prayer. There's also a full-color picture of the theme, but only a few were lake scenes.

Most of the themes were only loosely connected to the accompanying verse. For example, for Isaiah 53:4 ("Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows."), the author initially talked about hearing mourning doves in the distance. Then "...mourning doves are commonly found sitting on telephone wires. This reminds us that when mourning stirs anew, we can find comfort in a phone call to a friend who understands..." Only the last three sentences referred to the verse and Jesus.

However, some of the devotions used the theme to illustrate the principle in the verse. For example, the one on Psalm 32:9 with the horseback riding theme talked about a horse that is responsive to its rider and how we should likewise be responsive to a nudging from God. I enjoyed these, but I felt like most of the devotions were more focused on the reminiscing than on God.


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.