The Gospel According to Jesus - A BookSneeze Review

I received this book as a BookSneeze member to read and review.

I'll say that when I received The Gospel According to Jesus, I expected to read accounts from Jesus' perspective, from the title of the book. When I opened the book to start reading, I felt like the title didn't seem to fit.Chris Seay, the author, right away went into the topic of righteousness. He expounds on what righteousness is NOT for several pages, and then at the end of the chapter, has a few paragraphs explaining what he feels righteousness means.

I was disappointed at this book. As I said, I feel that Seay's title doesn't quite fit with the direction of his book. At times, I felt like the direction was going a bit off. It wasn't an easy book to follow. At times, I was somewhat confused by what he was trying to say. For example, in discussion of the gospel and what it means, Seay seemed like he was going to hit the nail on the head so to speak, but there were several areas I felt he should've hit on: namely, the cross. The cross was not avoided being mentioned, nor His death and resurrection, but I felt that Seay could've expounded on this more. After all, the title of the book is "The Gospel According to Jesus".

I wish I could rate this book a bit higher, but I'm afraid that I cannot highly recommend it. I think there's a lot that is left out in "showing" the gospel of Christ. I think Seay should've focused on the gospel and have left it at that. There was too much confusing filler that left me disenchanted.

Here's the run-down of what I think of the book:

Ease of reading ................ 2/5
Supporting Details ............. 3/5
Sufficient Length .............. 4/5
Ability to hold my interest ... 3/5
Overall Impression ............. 3/5

I am a member of BookSneeze, a fabulous program through Thomas Nelson. BookSneeze sends members free books to read and keep in exchange for written reviews on a blog and on a major retailer's website (such as Amazon or Barnes & Noble).

Elmer's Crafters' Campaign - BzzAgent

I received this kit in the mail today as a campaign from BzzAgent. As a Bzzer, I am able to qualify (through my interests) for campaigns to join, such as this Elmer's campaign. If you're not a member of BzzAgent, I highly recommend it. You get free products to try just for "buzzing" (telling others) about it.

I received my box of Elmer's items today. Included in the box (as you can see from the picture) are two pairs decorative edge scissors, permanent glue tape runner, glue spots, a glue pen, a glue stick, and a corner rounder punch. I keep a scrapbook for my kids (though I rarely make time to work in them), and these tools will be handy for that. Also, I love making homemade cards, and these will also help with that!

Thanks to the Elmer's brand and to BzzAgent for these crafty items! They will definitely come in handy. :)

What in the World is Going On? - A Book Sneeze Review

I received this book as a BookSneeze member to read and review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I have never read anything by Dr. David Jeremiah (yes, I've been deprived), but I love reading about prophecy. Dr. Jeremiah touched on several different aspects regarding "end times", but his biggest focus is how what's going on in our world today stacks up against the ticking clock that will mark the end of life as we know it.

This book was published in 2008, and while much of the information is reported from the year 2007, it still remains quite meaningful. If you've paid any attention at all to world events since 2007, you would realize that we're even closer to Christ's return.

In this book, Dr. Jeremiah discusses the role that Israel has played and will play in prophecy, how he feels that the nations in Europe (and probably the US too) will unite under the emblem of the EU, the ever-present situation with terrorism, whether or not America plays a role in prophecy, the Antichrist, Armageddon, and the return of the King.

This was a very interesting read, very easy to follow. Dr. Jeremiah's thoughts and speculations are backed by scripture (not the version that I read, but hey, it gives me another opportunity to flip through my Bible, doesn't it?). I enjoyed the entire book, but especially the end where he discusses the return of the King! What believer doesn't anticipate the day when Jesus will establish Himself as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords? Faithful and True is He!

Here's the run-down of what I think of the book:

Ease of reading ................ 5/5
Supporting Details ............. 5/5
Sufficient Length .............. 5/5
Ability to hold my interest ... 5/5
Overall Impression ............. 5/5

I am a member of BookSneeze, a fabulous program through Thomas Nelson. BookSneeze sends members free books to read and keep in exchange for written reviews on a blog and on a major retailer's website (such as Amazon or Barnes & Noble).

No Girls Allowed - A Tyndale Review

I received No Girls Allowed: Devotions for Boys as a complimentary gift from Tyndale House Publishers.

No Girls Allowed: Devotions for Boys, authored by Jayce O'Neal, is a great book for young adolescent boys. At 249 pages in length, the book is divided into devotion lessons. Each lesson is four pages in length: two pages for the lesson, and two other pages with a puzzle and activities that can enrich the lesson. Topics included in the devotions: gossiping, bullying, anger, discernment, eating right, keeping the Sabbath holy. Activities include: crossword puzzles, secret codes, and word searches. There are also extender activities that can be done through the week, like helping with chores, reading specific scriptures from the Bible, being kind, etc. Also, there are quotes and verses that go along with each lesson topic to reinforce the lessons.

My two boys are ten and six, and my eldest has been reading the lesson and they've been doing the enrichment activities together. The lessons are written for boys ages 8-12, but they can definitely be used by a younger boy as well as a read-aloud. The scripture used in the book is NLT (New Living Translation). We do not use that translation, so instead I had my son read the scriptures from his Bible so that there would be no confusion.

Overall, I found this book to be a nice supplement for our family devotional time.

Here's the run-down of what I think of the book:

Ease of reading ................ 5/5
Supporting Details ............. 5/5
Sufficient Length .............. 5/5
Ability to hold my interest ... 5/5
Overall Impression ............. 5/5

I am a member of Tyndale Blog Network, a fabulous website that sends free books to read and keep if you write a review for your blog and for a major retailer (such as Amazon or Barnes & Noble). Tyndale Blog Network is through Tyndale House Publishers.

Faithful - A Book Sneeze Review

I received this book as a BookSneeze member to read and review. The author delved into controversial topics that are a problem in today's world, even among our churches: fornication and adultery.

There are three main characters in this story: Cyd, Dana, and Phyllis. Cyd is a 40-year-old never-married woman who is determined to remain pure until marriage. When she meets a bold, attractive man who certainly doesn't have the same goals as she does, she fights to remain firm in her promise to God. Dana is a married woman who finds herself facing her husband's infidelity and the image of catching her husband plagues her and threatens to push her toward divorce, even in spite of her husband's public confession and desire to make the marriage work. Phyllis is a married woman whose husband is not a believer. When he refuses to go to church, Phyllis finds herself at a college reunion meeting up with old friends, including a now-widowed male friend who is a believer. Phyllis gives in to the desire for more than friendship.

Overall, this story is well written. The author had me a bit confused at first, because it seemed that she switched characters too quickly. As I got more into the book and was more familiar with the characters, it wasn't as difficult to transition to each different character. This story was emotion-packed; it drew me to tears several times. I feel that her character portrayal was very good.

Here's the run-down of what I think of the book:

Ease of reading ................ 4/5
Supporting Details ............. 5/5
Sufficient Length .............. 5/5
Ability to hold my interest ... 5/5
Overall Impression ............. 4.5/5

I am a member of BookSneeze, a fabulous website where you can read free books and keep them if you write a review for your blog and for a major retailer (such as Amazon or Barnes & Noble).