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Persecuted by PaulMarshall, Lela GIlbert, and Nina Shea is a thorough look at Christian persecution in various countries throughout the world. The book is written like a news report, and goes through 41 different countries that are of concern as far as persecution and religious freedom infringements go.
All I can say after reading this book is: wow. I knew that Christians were persecuted throughout the world, but this book really explained the who/what/where of persecution for me, including some places that surprised me. The countries that surprised me most were India and North Korea, along with Iran and Saudi Arabia. I wasn't even aware of how much persecution goes on in India at all. And I knew that North Korea, Iran, and Saudi Arabia had a lot of Christian persecution, but I didn't realize how restrictive and severe the persecution was.
This book was very thorough and very factual, giving a lot of statistics mixed in with specific examples of persecution in each country. But even though the text itself was very straight-forward, I found myself really thinking more about Christians in other countries and the great need they have for our prayers! I'm thinking of re-reading this book and praying specifically for Christians in each country.
One other thing I got from this book is how I really don't have an excuse for not telling others about my faith in Jesus. Here are these Christians in other countries who lose their jobs, their families, their freedom, and their lives for choosing to follow Jesus - and I'm afraid to tell someone what I believe because they might give me a funny look? It really puts things into perspective.
I definitely think this is a book that every Christian should read, and praying for Christians who are being persecuted is something we all should do more of - and this book will inspire you to do that.
Note: I received this book for free from Booksneeze in exchange for this review. This is my honest opinion.
I found myself stalking browsing some friends' Facebook pages the other day, and I decided to check the page of a girl I knew several years ago. We reconnected on Facebook several months ago, and I had been thinking about asking her if she wanted to meet up for coffee or lunch, hoping to make a new friend.
But as I was scrolling on her Facebook page I found a comment from somebody she knew, and I realized that since the last time I saw her she had spent some time serving in Africa.
When I read that I suddenly felt a pang of inferiority - here was this girl, and obviously she had taken time to do some really great things for the Lord in Africa . . . and what had I really done for the Lord over the last 7 years since we had last seen each other? All I'd done was gotten married and had babies.
But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that even though I never thought I would think such a thing, I had at least partially bought into one of Satan's lies - that motherhood doesn't matter.
Over the last seven years, I've never felt like I wasn't where the Lord wanted me to be. So why do I assume the Lord would rather I had been in some other country serving Him when I believe He put me here with my husband and kids for a reason?
I think this is something that a lot of moms can lose sight of - your kids are your ministry. And if you have kids, they are the greatest ministry you have. We are called to be faithful with the little things, and even when it's hard to see the eternal impact in making macaroni and cheese and picking up little socks, what we do with this task of motherhood does matter.
I realized that I think the Lord had just called this girl and me to different things for that seven year portion of our lives. The Lord called her to be single for those years, which allowed her the opportunity to travel and serve the Lord through foreign mission work. He called me to stay here, get married, and have two beautiful children - the first steps in my lifelong mission to do my best to reach my kids for the Lord.
This isn't something to be brushed away as "not as important". It is the ministry that God has given me for this season in my life, and I think He wants me to approach it just as seriously and passionately as any other ministry. Because it is important.
I don't want to minimize it. I want to work and strive, give my kids my best, show Jesus to them, follow the call to be a missionary to my own kids, and trust the Lord to use that. I want to be faithful with these kids that the Lord has given me, and I know He can use it in ways that I can't see.
Motherhood does matter to God. He can use it even when it feels like I'm failing, or even when the work seems insignificant.
I know this is right where He's called me to be.
I recently requested to review "The Guardian" by Beverly Lewis. I've read several of her books, and I like Amish fiction, so I was happy to see this book come up!
This book starts with a little Amish girl, Sarah, falling out of her family's buggy one evening. She is found the next day by an "Englisher" named Jodi. As Jodi returns Sarah to her family she forms a connection with Sarah's family, and as she gets to know them some of her hurts over her sister's death start to heal.
I enjoyed this book. Beverly Lewis's books are always laid-back and relaxing to read, and her characters are likable. Her descriptions in this book, especially, make me want to visit Amish country! I would recommend this book (or any of Beverly Lewis's books) to anyone looking for some good Amish fiction!
Note: I received this book for free from Bethany House in exchange for this review. This is my honest opinion.
I requested A Matter Of Trust by Lis Weihl on the recommendation of a friend, hoping for something fast-paced and exciting. And I have to say, it did not disappoint!
After the recent death of her husband, Mia returns to work as a prosecutor. While talking on the phone with a friend and coworker, Mia hears a gunshot and realizes she has just been witness to a murder. She is assigned to the case and teams up with a detective, Charlie, to find out who killed her friend.
I've been watching so many mystery/crime shows on TV lately, and this book reminded me of one of those shows, only written down. It was easy to read and made me want to keep reading. I may or may not have skipped working out during the kids' naps because the book sucked me in and I didn't want to put it down.
While not overtly Christian, except for little tidbits here and there, this was a clean, exciting suspense novel, and I definitely want to check out more of Lis Weihl's books!
Note: I received this e-book for free from Booksneeze in exchange for this review. This is my honest opinion.
Last December, before I had Gwen, I spent one afternoon looking up verses that I thought would be encouraging to me for when I was in labor. I had seen a post on Faith's blog on her verses for labor, and I thought it was a great idea to focus on God's word during labor and delivery, so I got out my Bible and concordance and went to work.
I wrote my verses on little 4x6 inch notecards, and I even used colored pens to make them all fancy. Little did I know that things would move so fast that I wouldn't even have time to use them!
I do plan on keeping them and using them for my labor with my next baby (assuming we don't have another ambulance incident), but in the meantime I thought I'd share them here! The first two are from Faith's list, and the rest I picked out for myself.
Feel free to steal these and use them for your own labor (or just anytime you need some encouragement). I found that some of my favorite verses for life in general were also ones that I would want to focus on in labor, so I also suggest just grabbing your own Bible and going through all the verses you've highlighted in the past - you'll be surprised how many can be appropriate for labor!
If you want to use the images I made here, I sized them so they will fit on 4x6 cards. Just click on the images you want and save to your computer!
I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I started reading The Fourth Fisherman by Joe Kissack. I ordered because I think survival stories are interesting, but then when I read the description more closely it almost sounded like it was going to be an autobiography.
But when I started the book it sucked me right in. It turns out it was both - a survival story about three fisherman who were lost at sea and and autobiography of the author. It sounds odd when I say it like that, because it doesn't seem like the two stories would fit together, but they do. I liked how the author was able to tell both stories at once - it kept it interesting to me.
I think after reading this book, the best way to describe it would be to say that this book is a testimony. A story of how three men were lost at sea for nine months and God's faithfulness saw them through. And a story of how one man who found himself lost in life until God found Him.
I love reading testimonies of how people come to know Jesus and how God has worked in their lives, and this book was right up that alley on multiple fronts. I enjoyed it, and I would recommend it!
Note: I received this book for free through the Blogging For Books program in exchange for this review. This is my honest opinion.
Unrivaled by Siri Mitchell is a story set in St. Louis in the early 1900's. Lucy Kendall returns from a European tour with tons of ideas for a new candy that will help save her father's struggling confectionary, but no matter what she tries, it's not enough. At the same time Charlie Clark comes to town and is reunited with his father, who owns a rival candy company. Charlie and Lucy have a connection right away, but it's quickly stifled when Lucy realized Charlie is the son of her father's archenemy.
I enjoyed this book. The Christian message is pretty light in it, but it's there - the message that it doesn't matter what we have done, it matters what God has done to save us. I liked the character development in the book s Lucy realizes that she has done some things wrong and that her preconceived notions about the Clarks may not be correct.
The romance in the book was cute, and the story kept me interested. You could also tell the author did her research, which I always appreciate - I enjoyed this book! I would recommend it.
Note: I received this book for free from Bethany House in exchange for this review. This is my honest opinion.
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