Ordering Your Private World (Revised and Updated) - A Review

Ordering Your Private World. That was the phrase that grabbed my attention when the opportunity for this review came my way. Like so many others, order, in both my public and private life, often seems elusive. I can't tell you how many planners, calendars, and other organizational tools, have found their way into my shopping cart. Oh, my intentions are good, and I often keep up at least a semblance of neatness and harmony. But...it never lasts.

I don't think anyone would disagree that our society tends to focus on the superficial aspects of life. Christians are not exempt from that way of thinking. When I open my email in the morning, it's common to see several various planners being advertised. They claim that "this" organizational resource will be the only one you ever need.

Why oh why is it such a struggle to get there? The answer is as close as the book's title (a book by the way, that I received for free, in exchange for my honest opinion and review.)
While we may assume that when a person appears to have it all together on the outside, the heart often reveals a different story.
Ordering Your Private World challenges the reader to consider that what needs to be transformed is the internal world, the private world.

Gordon MacDonald started this book with a preface which provided the back story for the material. It's powerful, and it's relatable. He tells of the instance where he "hit a wall", and God commanded MacDonald's attention. For me, it offered a promise of hope. If an important man like Gordon MacDonald was at a point where, in spite of all of his outward signs of togetherness, he was forced to recalibrate, maybe I could as well.

This book is rich with biblical wisdom, offered from the viewpoint of one who has walked the road of superficial order. Using personal anecdotes, colorful word pictures, and examples straight from the Bible, MacDonald takes you on a journey to attain a change of heart, a spiritual order.
He contends that it is only when a person deals with the chaos of the heart, and realigns with God's Word, will order be reached and sustained.

This updated version features a study guide at the back of the book. Use it for personal devotions, or with a small group.

This is a fantastic book. I appreciate the fact that the content within came from MacDonald's personal  journey. Someone compared his tone  as that of a father's, and I agree. It is an honest account pointing the reader to rest in God, where real order is found. My husband has put in his dibs to be the next in line to read it.

As far as I'm concerned, this book should be on every believer's personal bookshelf.
Until next time, go get a copy!

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Brave Beauty by Lynn Cowell - A Review

If you have visited my blog before, it won't take you long to figure out that I love to review books and homeschool resources. It really is a privilege, and fun! My daughters are also big review fans, and its easy to see why; they are often the recipients of some pretty cool products, including this book, Brave Beauty by Lynn Cowell, which I received free in exchange for my honest review.

Written for the tween girl audience, more specifically ages 8-12, this is a devotional book divided into 100 mini chapters. Lynn Cowell has a great way of speaking "tween language". She is relatable and helpful. No condescending to the younger set here.

Each devotion has a title theme, for example, Being A Part Of God's Family, Salvation etc.. She begins with a story or example to get the objective across. Then follows the section called Becoming Brave, which asks a question, and leaves a space for the reader to write out their thoughts. The chapter or lesson ends with a Courageous Call, which is a prayer to live out God's call. The lessons tackle subjects that this age can identify with, including bullying, peer pressure, going against the crowd, and choices.

Brave Beauty can be read daily, weekly, whatever works well with your schedule. The end of the book contains a topical index, to help your tween look up specific subjects.

This is a beautiful book. It is appealing with bright, colorful foil décor on the hardcover. The pages themselves have pretty, muted, illustrations of flowers, nice for the girly girls.
More important than the looks however, the text is friendly, practical, and full of biblical wisdom for tweens (and even grown ups).

The arrival of Brave Beauty was timely for our family, as there were several topics that came up for one of my daughters. We had talked about biblical ways to deal with these situations, but there is something about someone outside of the family coming alongside with the same principals that can help solidify a point. That was the case for us, when after reading a particular devotion, my daughter proclaimed, "That's what you said to do Mom!" We're all familiar with the term "Girl Power", but this books puts the emphasis on God's Power.

As for my daughter, she gives her seal of approval. From the pretty cover and pages, the encouraging principles presented in each chapter, and the write in sections, Brave Beauty is a winner for her.

We're definitely keeping this copy for ourselves, but I know we'll be purchasing this book for gifts very soon. Maybe you should get a copy too!

Brave Beauty by Lynn Cowell

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(Mostly) Wordless Wednesday

We've been exploring the various sites, fests, and attractions in our new city. This weekend, we had a really good time at an Alpaca farm and mill. Here are a few pics.

Tasty Tuesday - Caramel Apples!

A Fall day. A need for tonight's dessert. Two restless kids. The answer? Let's make caramel apples! I love that my girls are now older, and love to learn to cook. And, they've been begging to make these for weeks. Today was their chance, and they had a blast. So I present to you, the tastiness.

                                                             Gathering our ingredients.

The youngest has an artistic flair for arranging, lol.

                                                                     Melt the caramels.

                                                                  And then we dip.

Add some peanuts.

                                                                    Done, and yum!

A New Season

When my husband asked me how I felt about moving late last year, I was all in. A new city, a new county, a new season.
Fast forward six months. The stress of the move is behind us. The prepping, painting, and staging is but a memory. We are in our new home that we love.

We have a new home church, our children have new homeschool co-ops, a new youth group. It's interesting though. While we didn't move terribly far, it's...different. Not in a negative way, in fact a few things are even better than we expected.

We lived in our last city for over 20 years. Wow. Seeing that in print makes me feel old, lol. Anyway, our hometown was in the middle of a busy, well populated, happening kind of area. Our new city is different. Two blocks down the street from us is farm country. As in, cows, horses, and corn. Lots and lots of corn. It's beautiful, but still an adjustment.
I never realized how much of my identity was wrapped up in where I grew up. I've been surprised to find myself feeling a little out of my element.

I was used to busy streets with stoplights at every block. Now, I see gigantic tractors, moving by slowly, and also, a lot more silos.

We've traded in our view of the city, for farms, and we're up for the adventure. Here's to a new season, and all that God has for us!

MATTHEW WEST - ALL IN - A Review

Attention Matthew West fans! The wait is over, and his new CD, All In is here! I was over the moon to have the opportunity to receive a copy of this album, in exchange for my honest opinion.

I confess that I stalked my mailbox for days, in anticipation of its arrival. The day of delivery had my 11 year old (and me) cheering. We wasted no time in getting it in the CD player, and held our breath as the first notes filled the room.

Before I tell you what we think of Mr. West's new project, here's a little "behind the scenes" blurb regarding his thoughts about this work:

Matthew’s heart behind the album:

Matthew wrote his new album All In with the goal of encouraging himself and others to

get up off the sidelines of their faith and really live it out – to go all in in your time with

God, all in with your family, all in with your community, and all in battling your fears that

may hold you back from becoming who God made you to be. Along that same theme,

Matthew will be launching a 6-week All in Challenge on his social media starting 9/18,

and each week Matthew will be challenging his fans to go all in in a different part of their

lives. What does it look like when a heart that knows Jesus takes a step and holds

nothing back? How can we go All In in the places that mean the most?

Social Corner:

Broken Things Music Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwKuz8a8Jnk

Broken Things (story behind the song): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BipPAfDq9ns

All In Lyric Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0RwDpnKIvUI

All In (Story Behind The Song): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmjVt4zkkRo

Buy Link:Buy Link:

HashTags to use: #ALLIN & #FlyBy

Alright, I'm back. So, after listening to this album quite a few times, the verdict is...

Fantastic! It's fantastic! I am always amazed at the talent of a recording artist like Matthew West. How is it that he can put out album after album, with each one being not only great to listen to, but spiritually meaningful? There are the faster paced songs like the title song, All In, that motivate you to turn up the volume LOUD, and songs like the 4th track, Amen, that have you ready to jump out of your seat and dance.

Mercy Is A Song is one of the slower songs that resonates with me. The melody is beautiful, the lyrics are simple but powerful, and the message is, well, Hope.

This album also features Matthew West's daughter, Lulu, on a couple of songs. She has a lovely voice too! And speaking of daughters, I'm thrilled that this is an album that my kids love to listen to with me. He reaches across the age boundary, and appeals to young and old(er).

My daughter wholeheartedly agrees with me, this album gets our seal of approval. We'll be listening to this one for a long time to come.

Go and have a listen!

“Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255:  “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”):  Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway.  Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation.  I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post. Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway.  If you have won a prize from our sponsor Propeller /FlyBy Promotions in the last 30 days on the same blog, you are not eligible to win.  Or if you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again.  Winner is subject to eligibility verification.

The NIV kids' visual Study Bible

        "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth." ~ 3 John 1:4

This, this verse above says it all. As a Christian parent, my highest desire is that my daughters would cultivate a growing, fervent love for the Lord.

I am so far from perfect, and I fail more than I would like, but I do try to use those times to point out my (and every person's) desperate need for Jesus. It is a humbling thing to know that your kids are watching you, modeling your behavior, good and bad. There are many ways that a parent, guardian, teacher, etc., may encourage a child in his or her walk with Christ. One of those ways relates to their devotional, or quiet time, reading the Bible. It should go without saying, that studying, and meditating on the Word of God, is vital to our spiritual health.
For this reason, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to review the NIV kids' visual Study Bible. (I received a free copy of this Book in exchange for an honest opinion.)

For about a week or so prior to hearing about this review, my 11 year old had been talking about her need for a new Bible, having outgrown her current one that is written for younger ages.

Needless to say, she was over the moon with happiness to help in the evaluation process.

So, let's talk about this Bible!

First, a general overview. The NIV kid's visual study Bible is designed for kids aged 8-12 years old. This is a lovely, colorful version with over 700 photographs. Each book features a quick introduction with key facts, and photos. Every page has a yellow sidebar, with illustrations, and study notes about various Scriptures. There is also a handy ribbon attached, to easily bookmark a place. You'll also find an index to maps.

While the target demographic for this Bible is the pre-teen/tween set, it is the same NIV translation made for adults. Nothing watered down. 

How about a few photos?

I like this Bible! I love study notes, colorful pages, and miscellaneous information that takes me deeper into the Word. Those aspects are effective in drawing in the reader, and making Scripture come alive.

My daughter spent plenty of time using this Bible, and she was happy to offer her list of pros and cons.

The positives:

She found the extra features informative, and interesting. She liked the photos and illustrations, as well as the sidebar study notes. The sidebar also provides room to take notes during personal reading, and while listening to sermons at church.

The not so positives:

The list for the cons is small. In fact there are only two. The first, relates to font size. It's pretty small, and can feel like it's necessary to strain to read at times.

The other concerns the sidebars. They appear on every page, although not every sidebar has any text at all. While that does leave extra room for taking notes, my daughter felt that it created wasted space, and that perhaps if they were not there, the text could have been printed in a larger font.

Her final rating? 4.5 out of 5 stars. I agree completely. Great Bible, great version. Two thumbs up, check it out!

NIV kids' visual study Bible

Published by Zondervan

Find it on Amazon right now for $21.26

Find it at Barnes and Noble for $21.99