With Mother's Day just around the corner, Prayer Warrior Mom is the perfect gift idea for any mom in your life. Whether they are an expectant mom, new mom, or been a mom for many years, this book is sure to be one that they will reference for years to come.
I have been a mom for over six years now, and I regularly pray for my children. But I know my prayer life could use some encouragement when it comes to my kids. That is where Prayer Warrior Mom has been so great!
It is fifteen chapters of pure inspiration, giving you a ton of scripture to prayer as well as ways to prayer for children, even as specific as their ages. It has a nice balance of personal stories and scripture, and will appeal to mothers of all ages and stages. Not only would Prayer Warrior Mom be a great baby shower, or Mother's Day (hint, hint) gift, but also it would be a great small group study book, or book club book to study.
I highly recommend this book and give it a huge thumbs up!

With only a few short days left in the year, many of us are feverishly making goals, dare I say resolutions, for 2013! If one of your goals is to live a life greater according to His desires for you, then you need to read Greater by Steven Furtick! It will completely turn whatever goals or desires you have upside down and reconsider them for His glory!
As you read Greater you will discover that just as God used Elisha for great things, so God will use you! The book is very well written, easy to read, though not a huge book is packed with theologically sound points, backed by a lot of scripture. Also, the discussion guide at the end of the book is fantastic for both individual reflection (which is how I used it) or as a guide for a small group study.
If you are tired of living the "normal" Christian life of going through the motions and want to do extraordinary things for God the book Greater is a great place to start!
If you are looking for an encouraging read to push you to greater things in 2013, please pick up a copy of Greater! You will not be disappointed.
I highly recommend this book and give it a huge thumbs up!

I was first introduced to Mary Demuth's writings last year when I read and reviewed her book, Beautiful Battle and The Muir House. From that point on I have been a huge fan of her work.
With vulnerability and rawness, DeMuth brings women to a place where you need to examine your life and see if God truly is your Everything! And if He isn't, she give great practical ideas about how to truly surrender. I was truly challenged heading into 2013 to make God my everything, due in part to reading this book.
I did read Everything very quickly, as it is easy to read, but be certain I will be going back through it in order to really dig deep. I especially loved that she has a printable study guide available for Everything on her website, allowing for even deeper study individually or in a small group setting (perfect for woman's Bible Study groups).
The book itself is very well organized, using simple language yet is challenging too! Very reminescent of Max Lucado's writings in fact. It is also very Biblically sound, another important point when reading a book (in my opinion) that challenges us to have God as our Everything!

Over the last few months people have been raving about the movie Courageous, and I am one of them! This movie is changing families, marriages, men and women around the world. What "Fireproof" did for marriages, Courageous is doing for men!

I cannot say enough good about it! There is plenty of action, comedy (the Snake Kings scene was priceless) and a little something for everyone. Although a family movie, because of scenes involving gang violence and drugs, I would recommend that younger children do not watch but that said, it is a movie that will definitely spur on some amazing family discussions to be sure. I often find that Christian movies tend to come off as cheesy and forced, but this was not one of those. Christian film making has come a long way! The story lines in the movie were great and everyone can relate with the many different characters. It was refreshing to see that despite differences in life experiences the men in this movie came together for the good of their families and did what needed to be done. This movie will definitely make fathers evaluate their lives and make some important changes! A perfect tool for churches, men's ministrys and marriage ministries for sure.

On January 17, 2012 the movie was released on DVD, with a Collector's Edition that includes over two hours of extras! I have had a blast viewing these, and its been great to learn how the movie came to be, laugh until I cried at the outtakes and bloopers and learn how to pray more effectively for the men in my life. You can purchase the movie at your favorite Christian bookseller in your area.

I love Kevin Leman and have read a number of his books in the last couple years, particularly his best-selling book, Have A New Kid By Friday, so pleasantly surprised when I heard the version for parenting teens was being released.

Once again, Leman takes parents through the wonderful world of parenting teens and gives fantastic ideas for dealing with the typical discipline problems that are bound to arise with this wonderful stage of parenting.

Leman uses humor to help parents with all kinds of issues, as seen in the A to Z section of the book. This was by far my favorite part of the book, as it covers something for everyone. It is current in mentioning more complex, current issues too like eating disorders, drugs and alcohol, self esteem, messy rooms, texting and more.

In a well organized, well written and easy to read book, you will be encouraged as you parent children in the Tween and Teen stages of life. For younger children, definitely check out Have A New Kid By Friday, and check out some of his video clips on YouTube as well.

I highly recommend this book and give it a huge thumbs up!

An amazing account of Ltg (Ret. William G. Boykin's 36 year U.S. Military career, particularly his time in Delta Force. This book has many tales and I am sure William Boykin could tell you even more. Even with the superior writing style and the amazing situations that Boykin found himself in, the thing that stood out to me was his amazing faith in God, and how it brought him through some very difficult moments.

What an wonderful example of what happens when one fights for their faith and freedom. Thank you to the author, as well as all the others who have served in military companies around the world!

This is a book that I highly recommend and give a huge thumbs up!

In the last year I have had the opportunity to read many books that have challenged everything that I had thought about my faith in Jesus Christ. Some have been scripturally sound, others not so much. Some have been to-the-point blunt in their delivery, others very sugar coated. But all have touched me and taught me much. Now I get to introduce you to another great book that will challenge you as never before.

McManus writes in his book Unleased (a re-release of The Barbarian Way) that we are not on this Earth to live comfortable lives, in neat little boxes, to do the status quo. We are called to live our life out loud for the Lord. To get dirty, uncomfortable and "unleashed" for our Lord. Too many times we, as Christians in general, just go through the motions. Living our lives because "that's the way our parents, friends, etc do it. Each of us is given specific life circumstances and gifts to do God's work here on Earth. If we were all meant to live in a box and be all the same, life would be boring.

McManus explains that church today is not the way that Jesus intended. Its not supposed to be easy, pretty and comfortable. Living our life for Christ is such that we are living our life differently, in the world but not of it! If you want to keep living your life as the status quo, do not read this book. However, if you want to be challenged to live your faith out loud then I highly recommend you read Unleashed! This is definitely one book I will read again more slowly (read it very fast for sake of review) as it is full of great nuggets! A small book, at only 141 pages, but it definitley packs a punch!

"Jesus leads us into the heart of the dark kingdom, into the soul of what is most evil. He takes us where mankind has chosen to live. He calls us to where the darkness has made those who wander there desperate for light. He leads us as warriors of light to risk our lives for the deliverance of others. Again, our own weapons are love, hope, and faith, and they are our only defense. Yet we above all know that they and only they liberate us and fulfill the deepest longings of our soul.

If you choose to live your life in this way, if you make the insane decision to live your life for the sake of others, if you choose to follow the One whose barbarian path led Him to the brutality of the Cross, and if you embrace His invitation to take up our own cross and follow Him, then it has begun. If you dare allow God to unlock your primal spirit, He will unleash the raw and untamed faith within. Then you will know you have chosen the barbarian way out of civilization." (p. 140-141 from Unleased)

This was a great read! Full of suspense, romance and a page turner right to the very last page, I was drawn in from the beginning. Davison writes in a very fluid, easy to read manner, and address some really difficult topics in a very sensitive manner. The unique manner of a spirit narrator made for an interesting read that at first I did not like, but eventually did get used to. A definite read that I would highly recommend from this talented, Canadian reader. I actually think The Watcher would make for a great movie! The characters were all likable and very relatable.

If you enjoy suspense, mystery novels you will for sure enjoy The Watcher.

I had the pleasure of reading the original edition of The Treasure Principle a few years ago, so when I had the opportunity to review the updated version, I jumped at it.

In The Treasure Principle, you will learn six principles that will show you how to Biblically handle your money and use it for His glory. Of course, Alcorn goes into much more detail, but here are the six principles:

1. God owns everything. I am His money manager

2. My heart always goes where I put God's money

3. Heaven, not Earth, is my home

4. I should live not for the dot but for the line

5. Giving is the only antidote for materialism

6. God prospers me not to raise my standard of living, but to raise my standard of giving

I will tell you right now, this book is life-changing! It has really allowed me to look at giving in a much more positive manner. Instead of being an obligatory thing, I am finding it a much more joyful discipline. A very scripturally sound, quick read (only 118 pages) about stewardship that I recommend all Christians read. Throughout reading The Treasure Principle I was reminded that joy and satisfaction can only truly come from God. More of Him, and less of stuff is what I took from this book, and how I will walk through the rest of my life. A huge eye-opener to me about how to give and live. I look forward to one day viewing the DVD and study guide as well.

I highly recommend this book and give it a huge thumbs up!

This is a stunning treasury that would be a fantastic addition to all homes with young children. The truth's that are taught in each book are timeless and even older children will enjoy the lessons taught throughout each book. Little Cub is just like any child, asking many questions and he knows, just as our children do, that wise adults can answer them. Although tough questions are asked in each book, the answers given are very easy for children ages 3-7 (which the books are designed for) to understand.

The illustrations are beautiful, soft colored and engaging and caught the attention of both my 2.5 year old and 4 year old. In fact my youngest sat through the books with full attention. I know that these books will be read and looked at for a long time to come in our home.

I highly recommend this book and give it a huge thumbs up!