Heidi's Haven

On a recent trip to Milwaukee, I spent a day wandering around the Milwaukee Art Museum. First of all, the architecture of the building is incredible. The "wings" of the roof are opened up each morning and closed at night, and they "flap" closed and open again each day at noon.  And really, you just can't beat that gorgeous view of Lake Michigan! The art inside was truly incredible. We spent the entire day looking at all of the pieces. Luckily, I went with my sister, who studied art in college, so she was able to point out important artists and tell me about their work and the movements they were involved in.  By far, the coolest thing was a piece of interactive art. It was literally just a light in a room and a fog machine, but we spent such a long time playing with the effects in this room.

The Baker Compact Dictionary of Biblical Studies is exactly what is sounds like. A though Z, it details and defines Biblical terms that aid readers and scholars alike in understanding the Bible and other Biblical texts. For each term, we get the definition, some places where it is mentioned in the Bible, and some context. Even though I am not a Biblical scholar, it was still very fun and interesting just to flip through, and I did find myself reaching for it a time or two while I was just reading my Bible at home. I have a friend who is a Bible student, and I think this would be a perfect gift for her! This small and compact resource is packed full of information, and I would recommend it to scholars who are looking for a resource to carry around with them! *I received a free copy of this book from the publisher to review. I was not required to write a positive review.

"Heartrending truth all wrapped up in mind-blowing grace. A piercing embrace. That is our Jesus." Pierced and Embraced  by Kelli Worrall is all about the piercing love of Christ. It is a love that is sometimes painful, with "grace filled jabs"that show us the truth. With this book, Kelli Worrall shows us the love of the Lord in His wonderful combination of truth and grace. He pierces our heart and soul while bringing us into an embrace.  She uses examples of how Jesus interacted with women in the Bible. Through these stories, we see Jesus interact with women, show them a truth in their life that is painful to them, and embraces them with love and grace. Then, we see how this is reflected in our own lives.  What I loved the most is how much Kelli Worrall really delved into the details of each story, which made it make much more sense for me, and made it so much more impactful.  Both the author and I would recommend reading this with a journal nea