{Praying with the Grain}

Pablo Martinez is both a medical doctor and a psychiatrist. He has taught the Bible in Europe as well as North and South America. He currently has a private practice in Barcelona. He has studied the human mind and different personalities to write his newest book Praying with the Grain. It is about how your personality affects the way you pray. That is exactly what attracted me to this book. My personality type is about equal for introvert and extrovert. I am shy around new people, but tend to open up (more than I probably should) around family and friends.

Dr. Martinez goes into great detail about each personality type as well as the temperament of each. I appreciated the way he wrote this book. It was written for the everyday person to be able to read and understand. Basically, it wouldn't take a genius to read it and comprehend what he is trying to say. I found out a lot about my own prayer life. I find it hard to pray in large groups because I have introvert tendencies in crowds. But, in intimate settings (like at home with my husband and children) I can open up and speak freely.

I also learned that my principal psychological function is feeling. There are four of them: thought, feeling, sensation, and intuition. I tend to pray with feeling. Whatever I am feeling at the time of prayer is exactly what I pray. If I am hurt, I pray for healing. If I am angry, I pray for peace. If I am happy, I thank God for all that I have. Dr. Martinez suggests that we pray with all four. He also suggests that if we have a tendency to be depressed we have a prayer partner. Depressed people don't like to be alone (for the most part). Having someone there to pray with helps alleviate some of the anxious feelings of loneliness.

In this book, Dr. Martinez will help you understand your personality type and guide you through the best way to pray that will allow you to understand your own spiritual path. I really enjoyed reading Praying with the Grain and it has helped me to better understand the reason I pray the way that I do. Here is a list of the chapters:
1. Different Prayers for Different People
2. Overcoming Difficulties
3. The Therapeutic Value of Prayer
4. Prayer: Psychological Illusion?
5. Are All Prayers Alike?

Be sure to check this book out. You will gain so much knowledge about prayer and how our personalities impact the way we pray and what we pray for. It was very easy to understand as well.


Blessings,


Kristy

*I was given this book in exchange for my personal review. All opinions expressed here are solely my own.*

{He Chose The Nails}

Max Lucado is a best-selling novelist and Pastor of Oak Hills Church in San Antonio, TX. He has written many books and his newest one is wonderful. He Chose The Nails is an easy read that you won't be able to put down.

"Linger on the Hill of Calvary. 

Rub a Finger on the Timber and Press the Nail 

Into Your Hand.

Taste the Tinge of Cheap Wine and Feel

the Scrape of a Thorn on Your Brow.

Touch the Velvet Dirt, Moist

with the Blood of God.

Allow the Tools of Torture to Tell Their Story.

Listen as They Tell You What God

Did to Win Your Heart."

-Quote from the back of the book

Isn't that an incredible quote. When I read that I got chills down my spine. Have you ever wondered why Jesus chose to go to the cross? Have you ever wondered what it was like for Him? This is the perfect book for answering those questions and more. It's a very emotional and eye-opening book. What Jesus really did for us on the cross was extraordinary. In this book, Lucado takes us through some of the significant symbols of the cross such as the crown of thorns, the sign on the cross, the burial clothes, etc. 

Here is a small list of some of the chapters:

1. You Did This For Me?

2. I Loved You Enough To Become One Of You

3. I Will Not Abandon You

4. I Invite You Into My Presence

5. I Have Redeemed You, And I Will Keep You

6. I Have Won The Victory

7. What Will You Leave At The Cross?

Surprisingly enough, this was not a dark book. It speaks of the love that Jesus has for us. His love was enough to cover all of our sins on the cross. He alone chose to go to the cross and suffer and die to save us. I have a hard time imagining that kind of love. I mean, I love my husband. I love my children. I would die for them. But to die for strangers who have murdered, raped, stolen, abused, etc. I just can't fathom it. What a sacrifice. What grace He has given us. Forgiveness is a wonderful, powerful thing. Amazing love. That's all I can say. 

Read this book and find out for yourself what the cross really meant to mankind. You will not be disappointed. 

Blessings,

Kristy

*I was given this book in exchange for my personal review. All opinions expressed here are solely my own.*

{Finding Our Way Home}

Finding Our Way Home was my first book by Charlene Ann Baumbich and I was not disappointed. Her style of writing is easy and flows very nicely. This book was charming and sweet. I could, however, predict the ending just by the title and reading the first bit of the book. It's not a bad thing for me though because I always read the last chapter of a book before I read the rest. I know, a silly thing to do. But, if the book ends bad then I can prepare myself for the tragedy.

Sasha Davis is a studied ballerina. She loves what she does and thrives as a dancer. After a tragic, career-ending injury and the death of her mother she is left feeling useless. She decides that returning to Minnesota (from Boston where her dance company is located) would help her to heal. Sasha is very limited in what she can and cannot do. She hires a live-in assistant to help her get her mother's affairs in order after her death. Evelyn Burt is the complete opposite of Sasha being "big-boned", from a small town, and very outgoing.

As Evelyn and Sasha get to know each other more and more they become close friends. They lean on each other for support. In this book grace is extended between two people who otherwise have nothing in common. They need each other to get through this time in each of their lives. Evelyn is young and engaged. She sees opportunity in every situation. As you can imagine (spoiler alert) they both find their way home. They find their way to comfort and happiness. This is a feel-good story about friendship and grace.

I really enjoyed this book and hope you get the chance to read it as well. It is very sweet and ends well (another spoiler).


Blessings,

Kristy

*This book was given to me in exchange for my personal review. All opinions expressed here are solely my own.*

{The Forgiven Duke}

England, Ireland, Iceland, and Spain. These are the countries that Jamie Carie includes in her historical fiction book The Forgiven Duke. The Forgiven Duke is the second book in a series of 3. You can read my review on the first book, The Guardian Duke, HERE. In my opinion, this book was better than the first one but you do have to read the first one in order to get the background for this book.

Alexandria Featherstone is still searching for her parents who went missing a year ago. She was told by the Prince Regent of England that her appointed guardian would be the Duke of St. Easton, Gabriel. Alex has been on the hunt for her parents for months feeling in her heart that they are still alive. She is such a lively and kind young woman that she befriends everyone she meets. The Duke cannot seem to catch up to her because of many different circumstances. Alex ends up engaged to Lord John Lemon of Dublin, Ireland. She thinks she is in love. This is where this story begins.

I just love the historical factors that come into play in these books. The descriptions of each country and place that Alex and Gabriel visit sound so beautiful. In The Forgiven Duke, most of the story takes place in Iceland. What an intriguing country. Alex travels the island in search of clues to her parents whereabouts with her fiance Lord Lemon. During this time she discovers her true feelings for the Duke. She becomes confused about what to do in this situation. She decides to confess her feelings to Lord Lemon and he does not take the news well .She tells him she cannot marry him and that she is very sorry. He becomes very angry and hostile.

Meanwhile, the Duke has been captured by the Spanish who are only one of many countries in search of the manuscript that Alex's parents were looking for before they went missing. The manuscript contains plans for a machine that could change the way countries fight in wars. The Duke talks the King of Spain into allowing him to go and get Alex to bring back to the King. The Duke, of course, has different plans to escape and take Alex back to England to keep her safe.

I don't want to give away too much of the story, but I REALLY liked this book. I couldn't put it down once I got into it. I wanted to know whether the Duke and Alex revealed their true feelings for one another. This was a very well written book and kept me on my toes. If you read the first book, you will definitely want to read this one.

Blessings,

Kristy

*This book was given to me in exchange for my personal review. All opinions expressed here are solely my own.*

{God Helps Me}

"Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it." -Proverbs 22:6




The verse above is the reason that I chose to homeschool my children. God wants us to train our children by teaching them about Him first. If we teach our children about God above all else they will develop good character. Character quality is an important part of growing up and being able to function in society without being rude, mean, angry, etc. 


I was very happy to be chosen to review a new bible for children. It is called God Helps Me Bible. It is re-written by Juliet David in a way that small children can understand easily. The book is illustrated by Clare Caddy. The pictures are very eye catching and simple. There isn't too much detail to make your imagination run wild (which I really liked). The stories that are used are ones that include one person helping another. Most of them are God helping someone with a problem. 




My husband and I read the bible to both of our boys just about every night. We have other bibles for them, but chose to read this since it was so cute. It is small enough for little hands to handle it. The only thing I don't particularly care for is the spiral binding. My copy has actually come apart. It would be more helpful (and sturdy for little ones to handle) to be put together like a board book. That being said we have really enjoyed having this wonderful little book. Bear (my 3 year old) asks to read it every night before bed. He cries if he can't find it right away. 


Bear's favorite story is "A man comes through the roof". It is the story about the man who was paralyzed and some people cut a hole in a roof to get to Jesus. Jesus healed the man and he could immediately walk. Bear thinks it is amazing that Jesus could perform miracles like that. 


I recommend this book to anyone with children. It is a wonderful addition to our book collection and homeschooling resources. We will be using it as long as Bear and Ducky are little enough to appreciate it and then we will have more little ones who will love it too. 

Blessings,

Kristy

*I was given this book in exchange for my personal review. All opinions expressed here are solely my own.*

{The 5 Love Languages of Children Review & Giveaway}

What is my child's love language? What is a love language? Why do I need to know what my child's love language is? How do I fill my child's love tank?

All of these questions and more are answered in The 5 Love Languages of Children by Gary Chapman and Ross Campbell. I learned a lot from reading this book and intend on reading it a few more times just to make sure I don't forget any of the information. The two authors explain how your child doesn't know you love them until they really feel your love. Every child feels love in different ways. There are 5 love languages that make them feel loved in a way your child will understand. They are gifts, quality time, words of affirmation, physical touch, and acts of service.

There is a chapter for each of the love languages explaining exactly what it is, how to show it, how to know your child has this love language, etc. At the end of each of the chapters there is a list of ideas to help the parent show that love language more effectively to their child. I absolutely loved the lists. I am a list person so when I saw these at the end of each chapter I was thrilled. The ideas are wonderful and most of them I would have never thought of on my own.

At the end of the book there is a love language mystery game to help you figure out what love language your child/children speak. Both of my children are too small to take the quiz (they are 1-1/2 and 3-1/2). It is meant for children starting at age 5 and up. Reading this book, I did discover through observation that my 3-1/2 year old has the love language of quality time. My husband and I began to notice more that he loves to be around us both. He follows us around the house, he loves to help daddy in the garden and mommy in the kitchen, he loves to just sit and have us read to him, and he likes to just BE with us. It doesn't matter what we are doing or not doing he is right there. Before reading this book I thought he was just bored or something. I thought maybe he wasn't independent. After reading this book, I better understand why he does the things he does...he loves quality time with us. My 1-1/2 year old is still too small to tell. But, in a year or so he will start to develop a more solid love language. Right now he is content to just play or read.

The authors also want the parents to realize that a love language is not set in stone. Just because Bear (my 3-1/2 year old) loves quality time does not mean he doesn't love gifts or physical touch as well. They have a primary love language as well as others that help support the primary LL. The LL's can also help you to effectively discipline your child. After you discipline your child, love on them so they feel love even when they have done something wrong. If they only feel loved when they do something right or live up to your expectations (which can be unrealistic) they will grow up to have low self esteem, anger issues, and relationship issues. I can relate to this personally. I know there were times growing up that I did not feel loved by my parents when being disciplined. I have self esteem issues, anger issues, and relationship issues. Coincidence? I think not. Gary Chapman and Ross Campbell hit the nail on the head with their research on this subject.

I am so glad I got to review this book while my children are young. It has helped me to see love through their eyes. How I react and speak to them is how they feel loved. If I scream and yell and them all the time, they don't feel loved. A child is quoted in the book as saying "My parents yell and scream at me to stop yelling and screaming." Wow! I don't know about you, but it was an eye opening moment for me. Have I ever done that to my children? If so, I hope to not do that again.

As parents, we should be continually filling our children's love tanks. If they don't feel loved and we discipline them they will feel rejected. It is hard to recover from rejection. Before we demand good behavior from our children we have to first make sure they feel that we love them. Otherwise, the discipline will only make them feel unloved. Chapman and Ross also came to the conclusion that the volume of your voice determines your child's reaction. If you are screaming for them to clean their room, they will feel like it is a bad thing to clean their room. If you speak kindly and give them instructions, they will be more obliged to do whatever you ask of them.

I am telling you this is a MUST READ for every parent or parent-to-be. Even if you have older children, it's not too late. There have been cases in which the parents started later in giving their children what they needed (their LL) and the child responded positively. If you have more than one child keep in mind that not all of your children will have the same LL. They will probably all be different. I recommend this book to anyone with children in their life. Whether you are a mommy, daddy, grandparent, aunt, uncle, children's minister, librarian. It doesn't matter, if there are children around, they need to feel loved. The way they feel when they grow up depends upon how they were loved as children. Read this book today to learn different ways to speak your child's love language.

Here are more resources about The 5 Love Languages of Children:
5 Love Languages of Children: http://www.5lovelanguages.com/resource/the-five-love-languages-of-children/

The 5 Love Languages: http://www.5lovelanguages.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/5LoveLanguages

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/drgarychapman

 

If you would like to WIN this book simply leave a comment below telling me how many children you have in your life (whether your own or your grandchildren, etc.). Don't forget to leave your email address so I can contact you if you win. I will announce the winner 1 week from today (that is April 17th).

Blessings,


Kristy

*I was given this book in exchange for my personal review. All opinions expressed here are solely my own.*

{Simple Secrets to a Happy Life}

When I chose to review Simple Secrets to a Happy Life by Luci  Swindoll I fell in love with the front cover. At first glance I thought it was a book about organizing your home. I really need help in that department. Then I saw that it was by Luci Swindoll and she is funny, smart, and a woman of God. That made it even more appealing to me. So, I chose it right away.

Well, I was surprised in a good way when I got the book in the mail and discovered it was really about how to be happy in your everyday life. There are 50 chapters all together. They are short, about 2-3 pages each and include a little story or two about that particular piece of advice from Luci. Her sense of humor is so wonderful and refreshing. She has lived life to the fullest and shares how she got through some hard times and some funny times.

Some of her secrets, honestly, are not really secrets. Here are some that I thought were things we should know, but tend to forget:
Honor your father and mother
Value the things you have
Write down the important things
Disregard what isn't your business
Forgive others over and over
Invite people to your home

I found a lot of them very helpful. I found that I needed reminding of how to really live for the Lord and make the most of every single day I am given. Here are a few of the chapters that I really enjoyed:
Take Jesus with you everywhere
Read your bible every day
Find contentment in doing without
Think before you say it
Communicate often with loved ones
Fight resentment before it festers
Celebrate the life you're given

These all convicted my heart so much. With some recent events in my life, I needed the encouragement to be happy. Life's circumstances should not shake our faith or our belief in God. We should lean on God in our struggles and ask Him to take our burdens. He can handle them and help us to handle them. He gives us strength and helps us to endure during hard times. I really enjoyed reading this book and I know you will too.

It is one of those books that you can put on the coffee table and read a little here and there. The chapters are short and you can gain so much from just 5 minutes of reading. You could use it for a devotional as well. It is a delightful little book filled with lots of good, Christ-centered advice for any stage of life.


God Bless,


Kristy

*This book was given to me by Booksneeze in exchange for my personal review. All opinions expressed here are solely my own.*