Heidi's Haven

In his book  The Good of Giving Up , Aaron Damiani explains why he decides to observe Lent each year. A custom that seems harsh and controlling, Damiani describes how it actually is liberating. "Lent is an ancient pilgrimage that the Lord uses to recapture our imagination of and renew our participation in the greatest story ever told." He uses many personal examples of how Lent has changed his life and the lives of his friends, as well as Biblical evidence for practicing it, and a historical background of it. He also addresses most of the common objections to Lent and explains his answers to them. "The entire process of Lent and Easter strengthens our commitment to serve and rule in the kingdom as God always intended." What I found most interesting is the detail Damiani went into regarding fasts. I have always been intrigued by the idea of fasts, but have only been able to find small sections in other books. Damiani, however, went into quite a b

I recently received a copy of the NIV Journal the Word Bible for teen girls from Zondervan, and OH MY WORD. This is the most beautiful Bible that I have ever seen! Probably the most beautiful Bible ever made! The cover is a lovely gold with a gorgeous floral design, and the pages have ( eeee!!! ) pink dusted edges! The one that I received has a soft but sturdy imitation leather cover. As you can see, the text is written in one column, and there is open, lined space on the side for journaling right inside of your Bible.  Other than a subject index in the back, there are no study tools in this Bible. This is for teen girls to read and journal in as they go. I am completely in love with this Bible because OH MY GOODNESS is it beautiful!!! 5/5 stars without a doubt! *I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via the BookLook Bloggers review program. All opinions are my own.

"A Christianity that's one-emotional-size-fits-all simply isn't fair." At church, in a worship group, or just in our everyday life, I am sure that we all know someone who seems to be completely in touch with God. This person talks constantly about hearing God speak to them, feeling God close to them, and clear answers to prayer. These are the people who have super emotional experiences during song or worship.  When it comes to spirituality, these people seem to have it all. These are the people we aspire to be like. However, much as we try, most of us don't hear God talking to us everyday, and we don't feel His arm around us throughout our day either.  So are we missing something? Are we doing something wrong? This book is for those Christians who are left yearning, feeling there they are missing something. And, the whole book is here to reassure us that we are not alone. Brant Hanson uses humor alongside Biblical proof to reassure tho