Book Review- ICB Purple Pearl Princess Bible

 

Title: ICB Purple Pearl Princess Bible

Version: International Children's Bible Translation

Format: Hardcover

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Genre: Bibles

This hardcover Bible was made for your little princess!  The cover is decorated with purple, a tiara, glitter and 3-dimensional pearls.  There are 24 full color pages inside designed to help with further study for your little girl. 

But what makes this Bible different than other princess Bibles?  This was the first time that I read the International Children's Bible version.  I was really impressed with it for younger school aged children.  It is written at a third grade reading level yet stays completely true to the meaning of the Word of God. 

 As a fifth grade teacher in a Christian School, I can see how difficult it is sometimes for students to read from the KJV and others.  This ICB version may just be the solution to that problem!

You can buy this book on Amazon for $19.99

or 

ChristianBook.com for $13.99

Disclaimer:  I received this book for free from the Book Look Blogger Program in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review: I Will Follow Jesus Bible Storybook

 

Title: I Will Follow Jesus Bible Storybook

Subtitle: Imagining God's Story Through Motion and Play

Author: Judah and Chelsea Smith

Illustrator: Alexandra Ball

Genre: Juvenile Religious Studies/ Bible Stories

Another Bible storybook?  Do I really need another?  Isn't this going to be the same as all of the others? That is what I was thinking when I received this book to review. 

Here are the features of this book:

*There are gorgeous illustrations to accompany the Bible stories from both the Old and New Testament.

*There is a sturdy hardcover with a presentation page for personalization and gift giving

*Ribbon bookmark attached to the book 


What makes this storybook different?
 After every few stories there are pages called "I Will Follow Jesus."  These pages are devotionals written by the authors to encourage your child to apply the Bible stories that they just heard.   These pages also include a prayer to help your child get started in a conversation with God. 

This is not just a Bible storybook- it is a starting point for your child to build a relationship with Jesus! I recommend this book for preschool and early elementary aged children.
 

You can purchase the I Will Follow Jesus Bible Storybook at 

Amazon for $12.39

or at

ChristianBook.com for $12.49

 

 Disclaimer:  I received this book for free from the Book Look Blogger Program in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review: The Play-Along Bible

 

Title: The Play-Along Bible

Subtitle: Imagining God's Story Through Motion and Play

Author: Bob Hartman

Illustrator: Susie Poole

Genre: Juvenile Religious Studies/ Bibles

My almost four year old daughter Ella loved the Play-Along Bible!  

Before we even had a chance to read it to her, my daughter loved looking at it on her own during her "nap" time in her bed.  The colorful and kid-friendly illustrations invited her into the book. There were 50 carefully chosen stories from the Old and New Testament that each had a beautiful drawing to accompany it.

At bedtime, my husband always reads to my daughter.  She has several different Bibles and devotionals that we have used.   What was different about this book was the multi-sensory approach.  Each story had motions that the parent models as they are reading to encourage the child to participate with during the story. 

For example, while reading the story of Noah,  in parentheses the book guides the parent by telling them when to encourage the child to make animal noises, slap their hands on their legs to make the sound of the rain coming down, pretend they are hammering like Noah building the ark and more!

I highly recommend this book for toddlers and preschoolers. If you have children this age or know someone who does.  Purchase them this book!  It is a great way to enhance their understanding of God's Word at a young age!

You can purchase The Play Along Bible at

Amazon for $12.99 

and at 

ChristianBook.com for $10.99

 Disclaimer: I received this book for free from the Tyndale House Publishing Company in exchange for an honest review.

 

Book Review: Big Dreams Big Prayers Bible for Kids - NIV

 

Title: Big Dreams, Big Prayers Bible for Kids

Version: NIV Hardcover

Publisher: Zondervan

Genre: Bible

 

The Big Dreams, Big Prayers Bible for Kids is finally a Bible that is specifically designed for use by children in the 10-12 year old age group.  This edition of the Bible is a hardcover New International Version of the Holy Bible. 

As a fifth grade teacher in a Christian School, I have the privilege of teaching Bible class to 10 and 11 year old boys and girls. It is often difficult for children that age to fully understand what they are reading in the Bible and connect with God's Word.  

This hardcover complete text NIV edition of the Bible contains several features that make it appealing to this pre-teen age group:

*Each book of the Bible contains an introduction that explains details about that book of the Bible that are helping in understanding the verse to come. For example, Who wrote this book?  Why was this book written?  When was this written?  Where was this written? and more

*There is a reading plan to assist children in reading through the Bible.

*There are devotional pages for a more in depth study of several passages in each book of the Bible. 

*There are highlighted passages to help children understand prayer.

*There are prayer journaling pages with a space to record prayer requests and answers to prayer.

I recommend this Bible for anyone looking for a Bible fora child that is too old for a children's picture Bible and too young for a teen or adult Bible.  It is the perfect Bible for children 10-14 years old. 

You can purchase The Big Dreams, Big Prayers Bible for Kids at Amazon for $23.02.

Disclaimer:  I received this book for free from the Book Look Blogger Program in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review: NIV, God's Justice Bible- Hardcover Edition

Title: NIV, God's Justice Bible, Hardcover

Subtitle: The Flourishing of Creation & the Destruction of Evil 

Contributor: Tim Stafford

Genre: Bibles

The NIV God's Justice Bible contains the full text of the Holy Bible in the New International English Language Version.  This edition of the Bible is hardcover with a paper book jacket. 

You may be thinking that you already own enough Bibles in your house.  You may be asking, 

"How is this Bible different than other Bibles that you may already own?" 

*This edition connects the theme of God's justice throughout the entire Bible.

*Each book of the Bible contains an introduction that is written by one of 56 Biblical scholars, writers and activists from around the world that are passionate about justice.

*There are Questions for Reflection at the end of every Book of the Bible. 

*There is a relevant prayer at the end of every book of the Bible.

*There are study notes in this Bible about the problems of injustice in our world: governmental oppression, human trafficking, slavery, financial inequality and others.

I recommend this Bible for anyone that cares deeply about the injustices in the world.  The study notes and the commentaries in this Bible will address God's plan to restore His creation.  You will be able to not only learn about the scriptures but be able to look at them from a new perspective.  

This Bible is beautifully designed with images of colorful trees on the cover that also carry throughout all of the pages in the Bible. I do think that if you plan to use the Bible frequently that the paper book jacket will probably not be able to hold up long term.   That would be alright since the hardcover Bible itself also has the same design on the front. 

You can purchase The God's Justice Bible at 

Christian Book Distributors for $29.99 

or on

Amazon for $39.99

Disclaimer:  I received this book for free from the Book Look Blogger Program in exchange for an honest review.

  

book review: prayerpoints

Title: PrayerPoints

Subtitle: Praying God's Promises at Your Point of Need

Author: Ken Petersen

Genre: Devotional; Prayer

The cover of the beautiful imitation leather bound book is inscribed with

"The Lord is close to all who call on him, yes, to all who call on him in truth." 

Psalm 145:18

This book is written to be a support when someone is going through a trial or has a specific need. The book is organized alphabetically by topic.  There are 170 topics such as:

 Anger

Cancer

Chronic Pain

Fatigue

Heartbreak

Lonliness

 Sleeplessness

Unemployment 

and many more!

Each entry includes three scriptures with God's promises for you.  There is also a prayer written to help guide you through praying to God about his promises.   There is a handy index organized by topic to help you locate the entries that you are looking for when you have a specific need or hurt. 

 

 The book is pocket sized which makes it easy to carry in a purse or pocket.  It is the perfect size to keep in your desk at work or in your bedside nightstand. 

I think that this book would make a great gift for a graduating senior heading off to college!  That first year of college is difficult and this handy book will help them find the support that they need through God's word and through prayer with Him. 

You can purchase Prayer Points for $10.99 at Christian Book Distributers or for $13.99 at Amazon

Disclaimer: I received this book for free from the Tyndale House Publishing Company in exchange for an honest review.

 

 

Book Review: 365 Pocket Prayers for Mother

Title: 365 Pocket Prayers for Mother

Subtitle: Guidance and Wisdom for Each New Day

Authors: Amie Carlson, Karen Hodge, and Erin Keeley Marshall

 Genre: Devotional 

The very first line of the introduction of this book speaks volumes, 

"Becoming a mother changes us."

It is so very true.  Why do mothers need separate prayer devotional from other people, from other women?   Because being a mother makes you different.  This prayer devotional really grasps what it is to be a mother and the challenges and blessings that come with that title. We need extra encouragement and support!  Being a mom can be difficult yet rewarding.

The book is intended to be completed in a year.  The nice thing about it is that it is not written with dates on it but rather with Day titles.  With the pages labeled by Day instead of Date, there is no pressure to complete a page a day.  As moms that will be such a relief.  

I enjoyed the titles, for example, Day 143 is a Prayer about Burnout, When I feel driven to the ground.   The page then includes a prayer to help you focus your thoughts on the Lord and it also includes a scripture for Bible study.   The pages are short and sweet.   It is not intended to be a devotional for deep study of scripture.

I recommend this book to mothers of all ages.  It would apply to mothers to be, new mothers, seasoned mothers and grandmothers.  You could buy this for yourself or make it a Mother's Day gift!

Disclaimer: I received this book for free from the Tyndale House Publishing Company in exchange for an honest review.

Encouragement for when You are Experiencing Job Loss

Two weeks ago, my husband and I both lost our jobs. It was devastating news.  It was shocking to be living comfortably with both of us working and then 6 days later to be a household that is jobless.   It was/is unfathomable. 

We have gone through unemployment before.  My husband lost his job in December 2012.   At that time, the news was also devastating.  I was at home with our two small children and had no income.  We were so blessed when Aaron got a new job just a month later.  

Aaron losing his job while I was at home taught me that we needed to be more prepared for financial emergencies.   So when a job presented itself, I took it.  I went back to work after being home for three school years with my babies.

We very quickly got accustomed to having two 

salaries in our household.   We settled into our routine and became very complacent.   It never crossed our minds that one of us, let alone both of us would lose our jobs.

I have to admit that I am not dealing with all of this as I well as I should.  It is really scary and I find myself feeling bitter and angry.  I need to constantly remind myself that everything is going to work out.

I wrote this blog post so that I could tell my story.  I also wanted to compile all of my favorite verses and quotes so that I could refer back to it when I was feeling defeated. 

So many of my friends have been encouraging me by sharing their favorite verses.  I am so grateful for their faithfulness.  I am definitely not holding up as well as I should and their help means so much to me.   

I know that we will get through this and that God will take care of all our needs.  My prayer is that He will use this situation to further His will.

Quick to Listen, Slow to Speak...

Last weekend I was upstairs folding laundry and running around like the usual maniac that I am on a Saturday afternoon.   As a working mom, I catch up on all of the cleaning and laundry on the weekends.  It is a busy life but we are in a rhythm as a family. While I was upstairs, Aaron (my husband) was downstairs with the little ones.  

It was almost nap time so I asked him to straighten up and bring them up for a nap.  By time he did that, I would have their sheets changed, clothes put away and room straightened up.  I cleaned up and waited for them to come upstairs.  When they didn't come up, I went downstairs to see what the hold up was.

I walked into the kitchen and saw a huge mess.  I did not remember  James 1:19...

I did not stop and listen to what they had to say about their mess.  I just started yelling at my husband for not cleaning up and not bringing them upstairs for their nap.  I was tired and cranky but I should have been slow to speak.

There was a mess because they were using the cookie cutters to spell out a message for me in Play doh...

As it has before, my bad mood affected my words.  I immediately apologized and realized that I need to loosen up on the weekends and be kinder to my family.  Yes, it is important to have a clean living space but it is more important to excuse the mess when the kids are having fun with their dad. 

I may need to tattoo James 1:19 onto my forearm to remind me to hold my tongue.

Middle School Bulletin Boards

I went back to teaching this year after three years home with my children.  I spent the first 12 years teaching as an elementary school teacher in the public schools and now I teach middle school science at a Christian school.  I don't have to tell you that there are a lot of differences between the two!  

One of the differences is the bulletin boards.  If you are a teacher you know what I am talking about.  In the elementary school, bulletin boards are sacred.  The teachers spend hours designing and making the most beautiful creations.  It is in their blood.  In the middle school and especially the high school, bulletin boards can be an after thought.  

I was excited that my colleagues in my middle school were open to some creative bulletin boards.  We spiced it up in the middle school building this year.   One of my colleagues created an amazing display for Christmas on the names of Jesus.

Here are the bulletin boards that we have created recently: 

I got the idea for this from Pinterest and then adapted it for us.  The teacher next door to me drew the Bible and chose the verse- Isaiah 34:16.

One of the student teachers in our building designed this winter themed board.

She used cups and paper towels.

It was fully three dimensional!

This simple board outside my room displayed some goals and resolutions for the new year that kids in my study wrote.  There is paw print border because our mascot is the TIGER.

Maybe She is Listening After All

I try to set a positive example for my soon to be 8 year old daughter, Sydney. 

 I want her to be a kind and compassionate person.  I try to reinforce what the Bible says about helping others:

"Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God." 

Hebrews 13:16

"Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also the interests of others." 

Philippians 2:4

"In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in Heaven." 

Matthew 5:16 

As hard as I try to instill these values in her, I wonder sometimes if she is listening.  Does she understand what I am trying to teach her?  Sydney goes to public school here in town and I hope that she is "salt & light" in her classroom.

For a St. Patrick's Day activity, Sydney's teacher had the children answer this writing prompt:

  

What would you do if you caught a leprechaun and he gave you a pot of gold?

This was Sydney's response:

 

 If you have trouble reading second grade handwriting, she wrote

If I caught a leprechaun and he gave me a pot of gold, I will give things to people who need them.  I will give toys and food to them.  I will give them lots of things.  I hope they like them.  I will get new houses for them too.  The houses will be very big.  I hope that they will be very happy.

 I would have guessed that she would have used the gold to buy toys and pets for herself.  I was so excited to see that she thought of others instead of herself.  Maybe she does listen to me sometimes!

Verses of Encouragement