The Family Project : How God's Design Reveals His Best For You

"The Family Project : How God's Design Reveals His Best For You" is written by Glenn Stanton and Leon Wirth, and published by Tyndale House. This book delves into the many issues that our society faces with regard to maintaining the traditional family structure. This book is over 300 pages long, with twelve chapters, each with a different piece of the family structure puzzle.

Stanton and Wirth extract the various pieces of the family and attempt to, one by one, show how each is part of God's design, and how it is beneficial to the family. The references used in this book are not strictly Biblical - there are also social science references that also affirm these theories.

This book tackles such topics as motherhood, fatherhood, non-marital sex, and marriage. There are many other topics, but these were the ones that really stood out to me. I thought that Wirth and Stanton made a lot of well connected points, using both Biblical basis and sociological evidence.

The one complaint I have about this book is that some of the material they present is dry, and hard to read through. It's relatively easy to read the Biblical references, and to focus through that connection, but at some points the sociological references and attachments seem to lose their intensity, and I felt like I couldn't really remember what I was reading because it was just dry material.

Overall I would give this book a 3.5/5. It makes some good points and observations, and I liked the Biblical connection to God's natural design for humankind. I would recommend this book if you are looking for a structured explanation of the argument for marriage and having both a mother and a father in the life of a child. Good points about those topics in this book.

FTC DISCLOSURE: I received this book for free from tyndaleblognetwork.com in exchange for an honest review.

Bible Stories for His Beautiful Princess

"Bible Stories for His Beautiful Princess" is a collection of Bible stories for girls written by Sheri Rose Shepherd and illustrated by Shelley Dieterichs. This collection of Bible stories features the most well-known Biblical stories, such as Creation, David and Goliath, Jonah, Daniel and the Lions, and the Good Samaritan. Each story is told simply, with a young audience in mind. Each story is short and easy for young children who are learning to read in one sitting. The illustrations are beautiful - vivid and colorful.

I liked that these stories were written a way that even an early reader could tackle the stories on their own. This would be a great before bed book because the stories are short, and if the little one begs for another story, it wouldn't delay bedtime by much. Every so often, a page appears with a "Princess Prayer" that offers up a prayer for the young girl to pray, as well as a "Princess Jewel", which is a main idea or lesson that the stories reinforce.

Overall I'd give this book a 5/5. I thought it was well written, concise for young children to understand easily, and the illustrations were perfect. Great book for ages 3+.

FTC DISCLOSURE: I received this book for free from Tyndale House Blog Network in exchange for an honest review.

The One Year Devotions for Women

Ann Spangler's devotional "The One Year Devotions for Women" is a book of devotions that are designed specifically for the female spectrum. With a subtitle of "Becoming a Woman at Peace", the devotions revolve around the central theme of peaceful living, finding peace, and living a faith-filled life. This devotion would make a wonderful gift for the special woman in your life - mother, daughter, sister, aunt, grandmother, or pastor. Most women are in a state of constantly moving, whether it is in their career, with their husbands or children, or in other endeavors, so this devotional helps focus in on wonderful short messages to keep God in your daily life.

The devotions are short, and can easily be read in under ten minutes. The messages are made for daily reading, for an entire year, and offer a verse from the Bible, a short message about the verse, and a prayer that you can pray at the end of the reading. The length of the devotion is completely manageable, as each one is only one page. This can easily be read with your morning coffee, on your lunch break, or before bed.

I think that this devotional is wonderful. I really think that the topic of peace in a devotional designed for women is a perfect match. This devotional forced me to take five minutes out of my day and allowed me to meditate on something more important than the dirty dishes, cranky children, or bills that came in the mail. It's a great way to really refocus your day and refresh your spirit. I would recommend this to any of the women in my life.

FTC DISCLOSURE: I received this book for free from Tyndale Publishers in exchange for an honest review.

My Mama & Me

"My Mama & Me" by Crystal Bowman and Teri McKinley is a selection of devotions for mother and child to read together. This book is unique because each page offers a new devotion, prayer, Bible verse, and a bonding activity for mom and child that are all tied together in a way that even young children can understand. With around 25 devotions, this would be a perfect way to end your day with your kids, or even to begin your day.

These devotionals are designed for younger kids to easily understand, and are even written in rhyming schemes to make them even catchier! I would recommend this book for moms of kids ages 3 and up. The illustrations are colorful and relevant; Devotionals themselves offer great truths for children, such as Jesus is God's son, God keeps you safe, and being kind to others. My 5 year old really enjoyed this book, and the little bit of special time that we were able to create every day. Highly recommend this one!

FTC DISCLOSURE: I received this book for free from Tyndale Blog Network in exchange for an honest review. I was not obligated to write a positive review. 

Bedtime Stories and Prayers : Blessings for Bedtime

"Bedtime Stories and Prayers: Blessings for Bedtime" is a compilation of four different stories, written by Dandi Daley Mackall and Kathleen Long Bostrom that would make the perfect pre-bedtime story for your young child. I would recommend this book for children ages two through six, as the language is very simple, often repetitive, and very easy to understand. Illustrations in this book are done by Elena Kucharik, and she does an excellent job using bright colors and beautiful illustrations to connect the text to the pictures.

This book offers wonderful pre-sleep reminders of God's love and blessings, as well as reminders to be thankful to God for all He gives us, as well as God's majesty and wisdom. There really is nothing in this book that I can offer a bad review about. I have a five year old, and think that this book is wonderful for her, and I love the idea of sending her off to sleep with these wonderful messages.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone with small children. I thought it was a wonderful addition to the bedtime story rotation for my daughter, and I am sure you will too. 5/5!

FTC DISCLOSURE: I received this book for free from Tyndale House Publishers in exchange for an honest review. I was not obligated to write a positive review.

Whit's End Mealtime Devotions

"Whit's End Mealtime Devotions" is a compilation of 90 devotions based around family mealtime, put together by Focus on the Family. Each devotion offers a prayer for mealtime, which is short and perfect for young children who can learn to memorize some of their favorite prayers. Each devotion then offers an "appetizer", which is some fun fact(s), trivia, or a short story/activity that relates to mealtime.

Each devotional also offers what is labeled as the "main course", which discusses how Biblical principles or a particular Bible story can be tied into your life. It offers a story, suggests reading, and offers follow up questions that the whole family can take part in. Then, there is also the "table talk" section of the devotionals, that offers discussion questions based on the earlier sections in the devotional. Lastly, the devotional offers the "vitamins and minerals" section, which is a bible verse that coordinates with the topics discussed in the devotion.

What I thought was great about this book is that is encourages family time, and open discussion. The devotions are well written, and are simple enough for even young children to be able to understand and take part in. I also liked the Bible verse at the end of the devotion, which encourages memorization for children as well as adults.

I would highly recommend this devotional to any family looking to incorporate a devotion into their daily routine. What's great about this book is that it helps children learn a variety of mealtime prayers, and also encourages family interaction over the Bible!

FTC DISCLOSURE: I received this book for free from Tyndale Publishers in exchange for an honest review. I was not obligated to write a positive review.

The Briarpatch Gospel

"The Briarpatch Gospel" by Shayne Wheeler is a book that challenges you to go where you normally wouldn't in order to experience God's grace, healing and love. Most of us understand that life isn't always sunshine and roses, and that sometimes following God's plan for us means experiencing pain, disappointment, and failure. What I took away from Shayne Wheeler's book was that it is these experiences that allows God to really show us what we are made of, and that we need Him. Wheeler covers topics such as doubt, courage, faith, and truth through this book, revealing through personal experiences God's plans still exist even through our own suffering and disappointments.

What I liked about this book was that it was written on a topic that we can all relate to. We all know suffering and disappointment and have experienced it on some level at one point or another, whether it be financial, spiritual, professional, or in our home lives. I thought that the premise of the book was well constructed, and well thought out. I would have liked to see more Biblical tie ins to support the book, though, honestly. I also thought that at times the thoughts in the book were detached from one another.. From chapter to chapter at times, it doesn't feel like the book is connecting.

Overall, a good book with a good premise. I would give this one a 3/5.

FTC DISCLOSURE: I received this book for free from Tyndale Publishers in exchange for an honest review. I was not under any obligation to write a positive review.