'Money Secrets of the Amish' by Lorilee Craker

With the past several years of tough economic times, the book 'Money Secrets of the Amish' by Lorilee Craker interested me. My wife enjoys reading Amish fiction, so I knew she would be interested in information from the book as well. I already knew that the Amish live simple lives, and these days we can use all the help we can get in cutting our expenses.

I thought 'Money Secrets of the Amish' would be a dry, fact-filled book. I was very wrong about the dry part! It is full of humor, and was hard to put down. Along with money saving ideas and hints on how the Amish thrive in their simple ways, there are many humorous stories throughout the pages. Ms. Craker has a fun, flowing style to her writing that made a potentially boring subject a fun read! I have post-it notes on several pages to go back and reread-there are some great tips in this gem of a book. Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Book Review: The Truth About Dating, Love & Just Being Friends by Chad Eastham

My daughter recently turned 16 and began dating, so I was very interested in reviewing this book when it became available. The official title is actually: 'The Truth About Dating,Love & Just Being Friends...and how not to be miserable as a teenager because life is short, and seriously, things don't magically get better after high school and lots of other important stuff, but we'll get to that later...'by Chad Eastham. I decided that I would read the book first, and then give it to my daughter. She just began reading it, and likes the idea of it being written by a guy. I liked the idea of it coming from a Christian standpoint.

Mr. Eastham does a great job at speaking directly to the teens about the basics of dating in a very relaxed, fun way. He discusses both positive and negative reasons for dating, gives many statistics, quizzes to take, and letters he has received from teens. I believe both young men and women would benefit from this book. I was looking for something deeper, but this is a good start for my daughter. This is a light, fun book about dating with some practical information in it. I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their Booksneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Book Review-Nelson's Biblical Cyclopedic Index (BCI)

January 7, 2011-Nelson's Biblical Cyclopedic Index (BCI) is an incredible resource. Whether you are preparing for a sermon, a lesson, a bible study, or doing your own personal bible reading and study, this will be an invaluable tool. The BCI originates from The Open Bible, but is designed for use with any version of the Bible. With more than 8,000 subjects, names, places, concepts, events and doctrines, the BCI has more word listings than any other Bible resource available. This index combines the best features of a concordance, topical index, and Bible dictionary in a small paperback book. The listings are arranged alphabetically giving the book, chapter and verse where every reference in this index is found. I am very impressed with Nelson's Biblical Cyclopedic Index, and I am already getting plenty of use out of it. I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their Booksneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Review of ICB Big Red Children's Bible with 3D art

I was excited to get the ICB 'Big Red' Holy Bible for children with 3D art-" The translation children can read and understand". I had no prior experience with this version of the bible, and I have an 8-year-old son who I wanted a bible for that wasn't just bible stories, but a real bible. I was disappointed that the bible was not hard cover. It already has bends and creases just from me reading through it carefully. Especially with a bible meant for kids, I would have liked it more durable.

This bible contains some nice features. In the back following the old and new testaments are a dictionary that is quite extensive. Next is "Where do I find it?", which is an alphabetical listing of people and events and where to find them in the scriptures. "Memory Verses for My Life" is an assortment of about 21 verses focusing on things such as love, patience, worries, and kindness. Last are maps-Abraham's Journey, The Desert Wanderings, Jesus' Last Week in Jerusalem, and Palestine in Jesus' Life.

The illustrations in the bible are amazing-vivid, colorful, and eye-catching for kids. I found that I do like this ICB version for kids-it is written in a simple, easy to understand wording. I think the print is too small for a younger reader like my son, but I could see a 11-12 year old or older having no problem reading it. I look forward to reading this bible with my son for now, and his being able to read it independently within the next few years. I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their Booksneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Book Review-'Your Money God's Way' by Amie Streater

I recently read the book 'Your Money God's Way' by Amie Streater. I am always interested in learning more about money management, especially from a christian standpoint. However, I was somewhat skeptical as I am a Dave Ramsey follower. I was immediately put to ease when I read in the author's preface that she used Dave Ramsey's plan as well.

There were many things I liked about the way this book was organized. At the end of each chapter, there is a prayer based on what the chapter was focusing on. Then there is 'God's Way', which reviews the most important points to take away from that chapter, and finally 'Solution Steps', which are simple steps to help you overcome the problem(s) that were focused on in that chapter.

The book included the basic fundamentals of money management, with plenty of interesting real-life stories, including the author's experiences. What I was impressed with throughout 'Your Money God's Way' was the amount of scripture reference and how to apply it to your life managing your money. Instead of just the nuts and bolts of how, this book really emphasized the scriptural 'why' of managing your money responsibly to God's glory. Even if you have read many budgeting books in the past, this book is a valuable resource for Christians.

I received this book free of charge from Thomas Nelson publishing in exchange for writing this review.

Book Review-'The Butterfly Effect'

'The Butterfly Effect-How Your Life Matters' by Andy Andrews is a hard-backed gift book. It begins with an Author's Note of how he came to write this book. The concept of the book is quite intriguing: "In 1963, Edward Lorenz presented a hypothesis to the New York Academy of Science. His theory, stated simply, was that: A butterfly could flap its wings and set molecules of air in motion, which would move other molecules of air, in turn moving more molecules of air-eventually capable of starting a hurricane on the other side of the planet.' Basically, everything you do matters. The story follows a string of people responsible for creating a super-seed that saved billions of people from starvation. Who among them saved all of these people? Was it the man who actually created the seed? Or was it the man who hired him to create the seed? And so on.... There is another example in the book taken from the Gettysburg war that is quite fascinating as well.

You can't go wrong with this book as an interesting, inspiring read for yourself, or as a gift for someone else. It has nice illustrations, a variety of fonts, and is easy to read in one sitting.

I was given this book free in exchange for my review by Thomas Nelson publishers.

Book Review of 'The Heavens Proclaim His Glory'

'The Heavens Proclaim His Glory', created and compiled by Lisa Stilwell, was quite a surprise. I expected more of a 'coffee-table' type picture book. It was much more than that. Yes, the pictures were amazing, but along with the beautiful pictures you learn about science and creation, as well as reading scripture from the bible and inspirational quotes from great speakers and authors. Some of the contributors were Anne Graham Lotz, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, John Macarthur, Abraham Lincoln and Max Lucado.

The book was full of information on the beautiful sights in space and how they are created, with the pictures having been taken from the Hubble Telescope. There was also a lot of information on the telescope, which was very interesting as well. "The Heavens Proclaim His Glory" was a great book, and I feel I came away inspired, as well as educated on our night sky. This book would be a great gift for a wide range of ages, from school-age up.

I received this book free from Thomas Nelson publishers as part of their Booksneeze program, in exchange for reviewing it.