You Were Born for This: Seven Keys to a Life of Predictable Miracles by Bruce Wilkinson

          
          What if you missed a miracle yesterday?  Do you believe that if God still works miracles, He only works them through a select group of people-not you? Then it's time to discover the truth. You were created to help others experience personal miracles on a regular basis. You were born to accomplish God's work by His power.

            This book will touch your heart. How often can you find a book that will help you discover that God wants you to be in the miracle business?

            When Wilkinson suggested that we begin each day by praying for God to use us to do a miracle in someone's life, now a decision to set aside your agenda for God's agenda. Asking God to use you today, not sometime, but today requires you to demonstrate radical trust and sacrifice. Perhaps the reason we see so few miracles is that so few of us are truly available to God.
           

            You Were Born for This not only opens our eyes to miracles we may otherwise ignore, but it teaches us to actively accept God's requests for us to carry out His supernatural miracles in the natural world. The book's emphasis is on delivering miracles to others, not about asking for miracles for ourselves.  Wilkinson provides a guide for inviting God to use oneself to deliver miracles.

            This is a good book about how God uses people to deliver his miracles. We tend to put God in a box which then squashes the things he can do through us. Written in an easy to read style, a reminder to be open to what God wants to do through all of us if we let him. I liked the practical ways the author gives to help others with where to start with being a miracle deliverer. I recommend this book if you want to discover ways to please God.

I received this book through the Blogging for Books Program from WaterBrook Multnomah for my review.

1000 Days: The Ministry of Christ by Jonathan Falwell

An opportunity to meet Jesus Christ like never before.

            Have you ever thought that when Jesus Christ came to earth more than two thousand years ago, he could have simply given us salvation-period and never done another single thing? Jesus Christ could have chosen to be born of a virgin, live for 33 years in relative obscurity, die on the cross, be buried, and rise from the dead three days later, and still give us the opportunity for salvation without doing any of the things we read about in the gospels.

            What Jonathan Falwell does in this book is really delve into those 1,000 days and applies it all to us today. He brings the accounts and stories of the four Gospels into one book.  This book is one that shows us how Christ lived and then challenges us to live like He did. Early in the book we see how Jesus called His disciples and leaves us with the perfect question to ask ourselves, "Their response to Jesus' call was to forsake everything and follow Him. What will be your response?"  As we gain more insight and understanding of how Christ lived during his three years of public ministry, will we follow Him and live like He did?
Jonathan Falwell endeavors to answer these questions as he leads the reader down the path has walked before us. God did not use super men as his workmen, but uses ordinary people to do a divine job to build up His kingdom

            1000 Days should make you consider, “To Do as He Did” if someone wrote about the last 1000 Days of your life, what would be the story? Would you be  ashamed that it would be about the mundane, routine minutia that consumes your time? Jesus spent his final days helping others and ministering to those who persecuted him. No matter who picks up this book, it's sure to inspire.

            There are questions at the end of every chapter that can be used for individual or small group study. There is also a Bible study guide at the back of the book to help you with further study.

     I received a free copy of book from Thomas Nelson as part of their Booksneeze Blogger program.

The Black Madonna by Davis Bunn

Antiques expert Storm Syrrell heads to Europe to investigate the clandestine trade in religious artifacts. She dismisses superstitious tales of miraculous healings and divine omens. Yet when an obsessive Russian oligarch calls - just as her friend Harry Bennett vanishes - all assumptions must be cast aside. Storm seeks answers in a medieval monastery. There, the scarred visage of an icon provokes even more startling questions. Is she prepared to confront both earthly and spiritual powers? Storm remains haunted by lessons in love and betrayal that lie just outside her grasp, but hesitation now holds mortal consequences.

 In "The Black Madonna" Emma and Harry go all over the world in chase of various ancient religious icons. It is full of international intrigue, mystery and suspense - who are the good guys, who are the bad guys? Who is behind the sudden outrageously high priced items at auction? Will it tear Europe apart when it’s discovered that the Black Madonna in Poland has been replaced with a fake? Who bombed Harry? Who wants Storm dead? This book will keep you on your toes to the end!

 This amazing new novel takes you all around the world, while Storm and her friend, Emma who works for Homeland Security begins to unlock the secrets in the antiquities that are being auctioned off and just what their true motives are in obtaining religious items especially one item that has claims to stop time.

 

The Black Madonna is just the book for you adventure fans. A great historical adventure with a little political intrigue. I recommend this book

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Heaven for Kids by Randy Alcorn

In a language kids can understand, Randy Alcorn explores Biblical answers to the questions kids often have about heaven. 

 Alcorn addresses questions and answers based on scripture in a style relevant to today's kids. The book also has a summary of the Gospel for those who want to be sure they are going to Heaven someday. Randy encourages kids to live “in Light of Heaven.”how More

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Examples are entertaining and the answers are always backed up with Scripture references and Biblical principles. It also deals with secular misconceptions such as people becoming angels or ghosts when they die and sitting on clouds, etc. Absolutely one of the best books for children ever published.

Heaven for Kids is well-written, thought-provoking, and based on scripture. The book is not intended to be the definitive word but intended instead to challenge the reader to give hope and a promise for a better tomorrow.

           This book has lots of Biblical answers about Heaven and it is easy to read & understand. I recommend Heaven for Kids to any and all children who want to know what Heaven is all about.  Reading about what heaven is about should make you more determined than ever to reach the lost.

I received this E-book for my review.

UP, Down or Sideways: How to Succeed When Times Are Good, Bad, or In Between by Mark Sanborn

Predicting the future is easy; predicting it correctly is very hard. Since we can’t be certain of what the future holds, what should we always be doing to ensure our success regardless of what happens?

In today’s economic climate of hardship, downsizing, unemployment and government bailouts, here comes this terrific book, based on sound principles, to help us thrive. This amazing resource could have not come at a better time for the working people of America. “Up, Down or Sideways” focuses on things we should do and keep doing to be successful. The principles and lessons, presented by Mark Sanborn give insights on how success does not equal your net worth. Success should be measured by health, meaningful work, relationships, service, learning and faith. The author talks about faith, but he doesn’t go into detail about his beliefs. The book applies to anyone who wants a well-lived life. A potentially life-changing read.

Sanborn shows us how life has its twists and turns, but we tend to be surprised when downturns hit. When times are good, we act as if they will never change and when times becomes sideways, we often become complacent. Through sharing his own series of downturns, Sanborn identifies the mindsets and methods that will help readers discover opportunities in both good and bad and sideways years. Sanborn also shows us how to prepare for these cycles and events in order to make the most of those situations.

Sanborn’s success model is based on nine principles which are divided into three sections in the book. The sections are: 1. See -  and is about attaching meaning to what you see. 2. Think - and is about intentionally developing mindsets to deal with challenges and opportunities. 3. Do - and is about doing the right thing, for the right reasons, in the right way and doing them consistently to create sustainable success.

This is a good book on how to face adversity with positive attitude. If you want a refreshing and relevant book that provides an actionable blueprint for success in times of uncertainty, encouragement and ideas about how to succeed. I recommend Up, Down, or Sideways.

I received copy E-book for my review.

A Treasury of Praise by Ruth Myers

Worship is our greatest privilege, the highest thing we can do.

In genuine spiritual worship, we bow before the Most High God, the most merciful and reliable and winsome of all beings, and we crown Him as Lord of all that we are. We consent to His gracious, transforming work; we agree that He can work in us so that we’ll be willing and able to do His will. In other words, we choose to let Him be God in our lives.

Worship includes yielding to God as our Lord and Master. We see this in Romans 12:1, where God asks us to offer Him our bodies, our lives, our entire person. This, He says, is true worship.

— Excerpted from Treasury of Praise by Ruth Myers

How can you spend time in true worship today?

The world I never made by James LePore

The book starts out with Pat Nolan flying to Paris to identify the body of his estranged daughter, Megan. She seemed fine when he spoke to her on Christmas Day, and her suicide several days later does not make sense.    

Pat tells the police it is his daughter, even though the woman is not his daughter. He realizes his independent daughter must be in over her head, if she took the time to fake her death. It soon becomes clear that on one of her globe trots she made some powerful enemies in Morocco.  With the help of beautiful French detective Catherine Laurence, they follow every possible clue available, racing against time to get to his daughter.  

An international mystery/thriller that pulls you in from the first page and holds you captive until the very end. Terrorism is dealt with in a real and uncomplicated way. Characters and their obstacles are believable. A suspense story of power and treachery, broken relationships and redemption. Interweaving the two story lines of Pat and Megan throughout the book  that weaves into it lessons on love, selfishness as it adds impact as they head toward a stunning conclusion.

This book had the right amount of romance, mystery, intrigue, and suspense to make it an interesting read. I would recommend this book.

I received this ebook for my nook.

Blind Hope by Kim Meeder An unwanted dog. An emotional rescue. Two lives forever changed.

   Laurie's dreams had been shattered before she came to work at Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch—the ranch of rescued dreams—where broken horses and broken children encounter healing every day. In an attempt to soothe her aching soul, Laurie reached out to save a dog in need; she began to realize that the dog was rescuing her.
     Blind Hope reveals poignant life lessons Laurie experienced from her ailing, yet courageous canine friend. Despite the blindness of her dog—and her own heart—Laurie uncovered what she really needed most: authentic love, unconditional trust, true acceptance, faults and all.
     As Laurie and her dog, Mia, both learned to follow the lead of a master they couldn’t see. Laurie discovered the transforming power of God’s grace even for imperfect and selfish people. Laurie experienced a greater love than she had ever known.
      Blind Hope is not what I expected, but better than expected. I love stories about pets that in the end teach you about the love of God. This story of a mangy, abused blind dog who transformed a young woman's life and led her to understand God's love.

           A very touching story about faith, love and hope. This is a good read. An abused and homely dog brings so much joy and happiness to his new owner. Laurie understands her own life so much better because of things she learns through her dog and his handicaps.

    I enjoyed reading it on a pleasant afternoon and would recommend this special story to all pet lovers and anyone who enjoys a good story about how animals teach humans.

I received this book from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing in their blogging for books program for my review.