12 Unlikely Heros

The amazing thing about God is how he takes simple people and simple events to transform lives.  This idea is what drives me, a simple person, to be "Christ Like" every day.  God can use any moment for His glory, and you must be prepared to be Christ to the masses.

This idea is what I was looking for when I chose the book Twelve Unlikely Hero's by John MacArthur. 

First, it is important for MacArthur to point out how distorted our view of "heros" have become.  They are, or are least shouldn't be judged by their ability to hit a ball, shoot a ball, ride a bike, or sing a song.  These people are very flawed and our expectations of them will never be reached.   Instead we should be choosing those with the heart and mind of God in them.  That is the common thread throughout all these hero's, God was with them.

Don't get me wrong these hero's were also flawed, for example Jonah was very prejudice and hated those he was called to warn, however for God's purpose he was perfect.

There are imperfections in all people, but with God, and His Word, for His purpose, we too can be perfect for him.  That is the eternal hope that is found throughout all these stories.  Hope.

the lordship of Christ by John MacArthur

The Truth About: the lordship of Christ by John Macarthur is a short 132 page book that is full of Truth. This is one of the three new books that John has written to provide his core teachings in one place. This is a fast moving book that is laid out into 6 main chapters (1. Lord of the Universe 2. Lord in Our Lives 3. Daily Submission 4. Holy Living 5. Confession and Restoration, 6. Ultimate Destination)with each chapter is then divided even further into headlines. Under each of these headlines, it is backed by the scripture, usually right at the top. Unlike some of Mr. MacArthur's Theology based, this one was much easier for me to understand and not over my head.
I would say that this book is a fantastic tool of finding out what it is to be a Christian. My favorite (and most convicting) chapter is chapter 3 ( The Daily Submission). One of the hardest to swallow was the topic of priorities. I found this book thought provoking but not overstated. I think this book is definitely an eye opener and motivator to refocus priorities. One of the things I really appreciate is John MacArthur's sound use of the Bible.
I received this book free from Thomas Nelson in return for my honest review.

Farm Fresh Southern Cooking b y Tammy Algood

Farm Fresh Southern Cooking b y Tammy Algood is a great introduction to the summer season. In this cookbook there are several interesting looking categories from appetizers  to breads to canning instructions. As the book starts out, Tammy talks about farmer's markets and finding things locally grown. I must say that I did not grow up in the South, but have always been interested in their cooking. This cookbook was definitely an eye opener. These are not typical run of the mill recipes. I love the fact that Tammy post many farmer's markets locations in the South and talks a page about each one. This book had a few extreme recipes that I don't think I would try but there are several things that I want to try. There are beautiful pictures inside for most of the recipes. What I enjoyed most is that it really does span the length of the farmers market season. This cookbook covers from vegetable season to fruit season to the end with gourd season. Truly a neat cookbook.
I received this book as part of the Booksneeze review program in return for an honest review.

Larry P. Arnn's The Founders' Key

President of Hillsdale college, Larry Arnn, wrote The Founders' Key at a crucial time in American history. This book  is chalked full of the connection between the Deceleration and the Constitution. The book is a small book to begin with, but it is only part chapter book and part important papers form our history such as The Declaration of Independence, The Constitution, and a few selected federalist paper. This book is an excellent starting text for people just getting more involved in government knowledge. Dr. Arnn refers back to these 2 intricate documents and  shows how "man is placed in nature, above the beast and below God." (which I don't think could be better stated.) Dr. Arnn refers to  many events in American history and pulls them apart to show how it is all related. My favorite being the information about "limited government" actually made me laugh out loud.
I must start by saying that I currently wanted to be more knowledgeable about our government and I am getting there but I was far from knowledgeable when I started reading this book. What first attracted me about this book was that it was short but yet a quick read. I easily get side tracked when reading books that have a political nature. Not this one! It keeps you moving along through out history. The second big appeal was that the major documents were posted in the back of the book (which takes up about half of the book) and it was so easy to flip back and forth and better understand what was being said. I agree whole heartedly that if these are not "preserved" as the author states, they "Founders' Key" will be lost.
I reviewed this book for the Thomas Nelson book review program in return for an honest opinion.

Moments of Truth by John MacArthur

Moments of Truth by John MacArthur is a daily devotional that is set up for each day of the year. On top of that, they are split by month/ time of year for example: January isBeginnings, February is Love, March is the Cross and Easter. Each devotional is set up so that it is started by scripture followed by sound, truthful devotional, followed up by a thought provoking question. This would be a very typical John MacArthur kind of writing if you are familiar with his books at all. If you are looking for a devotional that is based in Biblical truth, this is the way to go.
My husband got me hooked on John MacArthur a couple of years ago. I don't think you can ask for a guy who has more straight-word, Bible talk than John MacArthur. I find the guy very inspiring and this books goes right along with his beliefs. I would say that you can get a lot of this devotional if you apply yourself and understand the Biblical principle.  The bottom line is that it isn't full of the "fluff, feel good Christian" information that is so often shoved our way. I would recommend this one to anyone seeking a deep meaning.
I received this book free from the publisher in return for an honest review.

Love Lifted Me by Sara Evans with Rachel Hauck

Wow! Love Lifted Me by Sara Evan with Rachel Hauck is an AMAZING book. If you are at all a fan of Karen Kingsbury, you won't be disappointed with this book. This book is the third book in the series ( I did not know this at the time as it reads well as a stand alone). This book grabs you from the beginning as you get to know the main characters, Jade and Max right away. They have common issues that other people have expereinced and makes it easy to be able to relate to the characters. After Max's return from his camp, I like how their is a big push on prayer! I agree with several other reviews, this book will take you from tears to laughter (so much that my husband was asking me what was wrong!)
It is hard to find a good book that grabs me right away. This one did. It is my first Sara Evans book but I definetly will be going and buying the first two to see the beginning of this series. Like a Karen Kingsbury book, this book will be the kind that you tell yourself just one more page and you look up and it's a hour later. I could relate to some of the issues they were having and it made it seem so human. Excellent read! You will not be disappointed!
I recieved this book free from Thomas Nelson in return for a honest review.

Stuck DVD based series by Jennie Allen

I was provided with a copy of Stuck by Jennie Allen free of charge from Thomas Nelson in return for my honest review. Wow was I blown away by this one. I have attended many small group series. Not many of them are as moving, thought provoking as this one. In the box you are provided with a leaders guide, participants guide, DVD, and cards. After reading the introduction and getting to know Jenni Allen's layout, I was prepared to listen to the first section. I must state that I did this study by myself, but it would be an excellent women's study (or a man's for that matter). Each of the  lessons are a short quick blurp. During these sessions Jennie changes scenes/ locations to relate with what she is talking about. These are short and fairly easy to follow. It will cause  a lot of thoughts to go off through your head. Then to follow up each session there is questions in the guide. There is also "projects" to do. These projects range from drawing a picture to filling in scale to finding your strengths in weaknesses. The discussion cards look like excellent ice breaker cards or to use in a group, but I didn't read all of them or use them in a group.
I would say this study is an excellent, quick study that will remind you where your relationship is with God. I really enjoyed the participants guide the most. I really liked the Bible verses that were assigned for the chapters and then the projects. It wasn't all based on talking and getting other peoples feedback. It was your own experience.