Every Body Matters by Gary Thomas

The subtitle of this book is "Strengthening Your Body to Strengthen Your Soul".  What a great concept!  I read Lysa Terkeurst's Made to Crave: Satisfying Your Deepest Desire with God, Not Food last summer and this is a wonderful companion book to that one.`

Mr. Thomas does a great job in tying our spiritual health in with our physical health and stressing the importance  of both.  Some of my favorite quotes from the book are as follows.

"Our battle is today.  Because of God's grace, yesterday doesn't count.  Because of God's hope, worry about tomorrow is inappropriate.  This moment, this day, this hour, are we being faithful toward God, honoring him with what we eat and don't eat, and taking care of our bodies accordingly?"

"Our holiness does not rest on the shape of our bodies, but on the acceptable sacrifice of Jesus' broken and bruised body.  Losing twenty pounds won't make God love you any more, and gaining twenty pounds won't make him love you any less.  The glorious truth is that our skinny, chubby, overweight, and obese bodies are all "holy and pleasing" to God because of what Christ has done (Romans 12:1)." - I have a hard time accepting this comment, but I know it's all true.

"It's important to know the difference between physical hunger, emotional hunger, intimacy hunger, relational hunger, and any other kind of hunger.  Many, many calories are consumed in response to needs and appetites that have little or nothing to do with physical hunger but rather are consumed in response to appetites that these calories will never touch." - Can I get an "Amen"? :)

"We need a new relationship with food altogether, seeing it as an aspect of life but not the reason for life... we need to remember that our use of food is something that, due to our sinful nature, can imprison us, assault us, and take years off our lives."

"Protecting your health is the same thing as protecting the vehicle through which God wants to change the world."

And my absolute favorite quote from this book that has become my mantra:

"If I'm going to hurt in this fallen world - and everyone of us will - I'd rather hurt and be sore getting in shape than hurt and be sore because my body isn't fit."

There is also a small section in the first chapter titled "Refined Souls" which struck me so much I made "Refine" My One Word for 2012!

 Check out this book and see how it changes your life!

 Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the Zondervan book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

One tough woman!

This is a review of the book, "One Call Away" by Brenda Warner

I knew Kurt and Brenda Warner were very faithful people so I was curious to read about Brenda's life experiences. This book did not disappoint! She cuts right to the chase and does not mince words about any aspect of her life. I cannot believe what this woman has been through and to keep her faith through all of it is amazing! 

This was a really eye opening book about life before and during celebrity status. The world sees a rich, confident couple, but we really have no idea what it took to get there and what personal struggles they have gone through. 
I loved how Brenda's family helped her discover nursing as a result of having a special needs child. 
Wonderful, wonderful book. I had a hard time putting it down and actually read the whole thing in 2 days! 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Book Review - "Live Loved" A Devotional by Max Lucado

As I stated in my last post, Max Lucado is one of my favorite authors and this is a new devotional book by him.  I purchased Mr. Lucado's "Grace for the Moment, Vol. 2" for my husband a year ago and liked it so much I got "Live Loved" for myself.  I love how he takes a snipet from his other books and adds a prayer and some bible verses for some quick daily inspiration for the casual reader.  These are not "deep" devotions, but are a great way to start or end your day or provide a short spiritual break during the daily grind. 

There are five sections:
     1. Loved with a Steadfast Love
     2. Loved with a Perfect Love
     3. Loved with a Wise Love
     4. Loved with a Merciful Love
     5. Loved to Love Others

The excerpts are taken from Mr. Lucado's books:  It's Not About Me, Facing Your Giants, 3:16 Numbers of Hope, Every Day Deserves a Chance, Fearless and Outlive Your Life

Overall, great devotional!  9 out of 10

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Review - "Max on Life" by Max Lucado

Max Lucado has quickly become one of my favorite authors of all time.  I love that he is a long-time pastor and the books he writes seem to talk right to me.  He doesn't write in big, theological language that I don't understand.  He writes in the language I talk.  Any chance I get to review one of his books, I jump at it.  I actually saw him in person in Cedar Rapids, Iowa at a special event for pastors on his "Outlive Your Life" book and concert tour.  Very nice man.
Anyway, in his book "Max on Life", he publishes the answers to many questions he has received over the years.  I wasn't sure what to expect with this book as it is a different type of book than I usually read.  I shouldn't have doubted.  Some of the questions are funny, some are deeply serious and Mr. Lucado answers all of them with grace.

For example:  #128 Our family is exhausted.  We run from one event to the next.  How do we slow down?  Answer:  Jesus understands  He knew the frenzy of life.  People back-to-backed his calendar with demands.  But he also knew how to step away from the game.  Mr. Lucado goes on with biblical quotes and how to relate them to our busy lives today.

Example 2:  #57 Why is there so much chaos and evil in the world?  It seems that no one cares about what God wants, and humanity is imploding.  Answer:  Sin works proportionately to the number of opportunities it is given.  As communication and technology grow, sin expands with it.  So while the world appears to be spinning out of control, it is only behaving as expected.  He goes on with his answer, but you get the idea.
Overall 8 out of 10

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler

This book by E.L. Konigsburg is a children's literary classic.  It was written in 1967 and I believe I read it around 3rd grade which would have been 1980.  I remember this being the book that got me completely hooked on reading so when I saw it come up on one of the kids' Scholastic book order forms I promptly ordered it to share with them.  Tori & I just finished reading it together.  I don't think it touched her quite as much as it did me, but she really enjoyed it.



Book cover from http://www.amazon.com/


When suburban Claudia Kincaid decides to run away, she knows she doesn't just want to run from somewhere she wants to run to somewhere--to a place that is comfortable, beautiful, and preferably elegant. She chooses the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Knowing that her younger brother, Jamie, has money and thus can help her with the serious cash flow problem she invites him along.


Once settled into the museum, Claudia and Jamie, find themselves caught up in the mystery of an angel statue that the museum purchased at an auction for a bargain price of $250. The statue is possibly an early work of the Renaissance master Michelangelo, and therefore worth millions. Is it? Or isn't it? Claudia is determined to find out. This quest leads Claudia to Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, the remarkable old woman who sold the statue and to some equally remarkable discoveries about herself.

Have you read it?  If so, what was your favorite part?  My favorite part was what Claudia discovers about herself at the end of the story.  If you haven't read it yet, why not pick it up?

It was a nice break between 39 Clues books for Tori & I.  We were waiting for our library to get book 8 in and there are actually a lot of similarities between the two.  Tori pointed out how Amy and Dan Cahill are a lot like Claudia and Jamie Kincaid.

Happy Reading!!

Review: The Boy Who Changed the World by Andy Andrews

Book Description:

Did you know that what you do today can change the world forever?
The Boy Who Changed the World opens with a young Norman Borlaug playing in his family’s cornfields with his sisters. One day, Norman would grow up and use his knowledge of agriculture to save the lives of two billion people. Two billion! Norman changed the world! Or was it Henry Wallace who changed the world? Or maybe it was George Washington Carver?
This engaging story reveals the incredible truth that everything we do matters! Based on The Butterfly Effect, Andy’s timeless tale shows children that even the smallest of our actions can affect all of humanity. The book is beautifully illustrated and shares the stories of Nobel Laureate Norman Borlaug, Vice President Henry Wallace, Inventor George Washington Carver, and Farmer Moses Carver. Through the stories of each, a different butterfly will appear. The book will end with a flourish of butterflies and a charge to the child that they, too, can be the boy or girl who changes the world.
My thoughts:  This is a beautiful children's book!  I did think that the writing would be hard for younger kids to follow so I would say this should be geared towards kids ages 9 and up.  The message is clear and good for adults too.  I especially found it interesting as we live so close to Mr. Borlaug's birthplace.  I do plan to use it for a children's sermon illustration soon.  Thank you Mr. Andrews for sharing such an important, inspiring story!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”