Heidi's Haven

Photo credit:  http://momtomompodcast.com/15/ Bible & Breakfast: 31 Mornings with Jesus  by Asheritah Ciuciu is a daily morning devotional designed to help women start each day in the word. Each day includes a quick, easy, and healthy breakfast recipe and a devotional. There are two options for the devotional: the short "Snack on the go" or the longer "Feast at the table", so the reader can choose depending on how much time they have. Readers are directed to sit down with their breakfast and their Bible and to read a short passage. Ciuciu then asks a series of questions to help the reader break down and understand the text. There also places throughout for the reader to stop and assess how the study is going, and if there is anything they can change to help them get more out of the study. At the end is a guide to help readers move forward after finishing the study.  I thought this was a very wonderful devotional. All of the recipes looked absolutely delic

"You don't have what you want because you don't ask God for it." -James 4:2 In her book Pray Big Things , Julia Jeffress Sadler, she explains how Christians today are asking too little of God. She tells us that God wants  us to ask him for the things we want, and we aren't getting big miracles from God because we simply aren't asking. Instead, she says Christians today should ask God regularly for very specific requests. In this way, we will see God doing amazing things in our lives. I enjoyed this book, and I loved the message. I also think it's really important not to be afraid to ask God for big things. However, this book was very parent-centered, so I would recommend this for women with children. I gave this book 3/5 stars. *I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own.

Faith for Exiles  by David Kinnaman and Mark Matlock explains how we are all exiles in today's culture and society. This book is a guide to living and staying in the faith as we live as exiles in the world. They especially focus on teaching our children and teenagers so they stay strong in their faith as they grow older and leave their parents house, as we are seeing young adults today leaving the faith at an alarming rate. Their goal is to redirect people from "Brand Jesus" to the Jesus of the Gospels.  I enjoyed this book. I would recommend this to youth pastors or those who work with young adults in ministry settings. I gave this 4/5 stars.  *I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own. 

This devotional by Debbie Lindell is a 31 day journey in prayer for real, imperfect women is all stages of life. Lindell answers common questions and addresses common insecurities about prayer that women have. It jumps right in with day one, and has writing space at the end of each chapter.  I enjoyed how personal and honest Debbie Lindell was in her writing. I thought the devotions were nice but not super impactful. This would be a nice gift for a woman in your life. I gave this 3/5 stars. *I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own. 

This book, A Redesigned Life  by Tracy Steel, teaches us how to deal with life when it isn't going according to our plans. As an interior designer, Tracy Steel uses illusions and references to design in order to show us how God is planning our lives and using these disappointments. She reminds us that God may not place us on center stage, but His hand has placed us wherever we are.  I didn't think this book was great, but it was a nice read. I thought the author rambled quite a bit on the points she made that could have been much more concise, and I thought a lot of her design analogies were not the sharpest. However, I did enjoy her personal stories, as I always appreciate when authors are open and vulnerable in their writing. Overall, I gave this 3/5 stars.

Take Back Your Time  by Morgan Tyree teaches readers the secrets to get more out of their day. I think we can all agree with the fact that we find ourselves out of time each day, exhausted and without checking the things we need to do off of our to-do lists. This is a guide to take back the time you have and get things done! This guide is for those in any point in their lives who desire to maximize time and minimize stress. Throughout the book, Tyree teaches the reader how to plan their days in a way that allows them to complete the tasks they need to do throughout the day. She teaches the way to organize the things you need to get done, and how to schedule them appropriately throughout the day. This was an enjoyable read, though I don't think I'll be hanging on to the book or taking any of her advice from it, though I am sure it will be very helpful for those who really struggle with managing their time. I gave this book 3/5 stars. *I received a free copy of this

When You Need to Move a Mountain: Keys to Praying with Power  by Linda Evans Shepherd is about the power of prayer-- in particular, intercessory prayer. She shares personal stories to explain each point she makes, and why it works. She shares the different kind of intercessors there are (more than you'd think!), and how we are all called to pray for others, though we are each called in a different way. I learned so much about intercessory prayer though this book! It was enjoyable to read and I feel like, spiritually, I really grew from reading this. Shepherd shares honest and compelling stories and examples of how to pray, and guides the reader though praying for others and finding the methods that work best for them.  I loved this book and cannot recommend it highly enough. I have already shared what I've learned and even loaned the book out to friends. I gave this 5/5 stars. *I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review. I was not required t

Kids Say The Wisest Things  by Jon Gauger from Moody Publishers is a collection of anecdotes of lessons he learned from things kids have said to him. From seemingly simple things kids blurt out, or misunderstandings, Gauger shares the unexpected things these interactions taught him, and how he could apply it to the way he lived his life.  This is a very short book. There are 26 lessons he shares, and each one is only a couple of pages long. Some of the stories are cute, some didn't make a whole lot of sense and I thought it was a bit of a stretch. Overall, the book was cute but nothing super impressive. I do think it would be a fun gift for the parent of a young child, as I am sure they would relate to a story of a child saying something unexpected or even that embarrasses them! I gave this 3/5 stars. *I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own.

This workbook from Moody Publishers takes the student through the Old Testament, starting at the very beginning with Genesis. It is full of questions for students to answer, information about each lesson, and questions to stimulate thought.  The note at the beginning states that completion of the workbook is not the goal. The goal is that the questions and notes inside would stimulate the student and guide them in searching and knowing the Bible. This was designed for a high school course but has also been used successfully in adult Bible studies.  My favorite thing about this workbook was the fact that it comes with holes punched in the side for a three ring binder. The pages are also perforated to easily be removed.  This would be the perfect workbook for a new Christian or a Bible study to go through together.  I would give this workbook 5 stars.  *I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review. I was not required to write a positive review. Al

This devotional is structured so the reader spends 10 minutes each day reading an excerpt from John (which the reader has to look up themselves), with some devotional material, and a prayer after. This 10 minute approach was made for those of us (all of us?) who feel like they don't have enough time each day to spend with God. This is meant to help readers find that time to spend with the Lord, even if it's just 10 minutes. The creators at Zondervan chose the book of John because it allows us to get to know Jesus and learn about Him from someone who loved Him and was eager to testify about Him.  This is a nice little devotional and would make a nice gift. However, I didn't enjoy this one quite as much as I've enjoyed others in this series.  Overall, I gave this 3/5 stars. *I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own.

This Bible from Zondervan is designed for those who want to study God's Word, but don't know how or where to start. Included thoughout are notes, Q&As, definitions, context notes, Bible truths, key verses and terms, and spotlights on individuals of the Bible, to name a few. I think this would be an awesome tool for someone who is new to the faith. I'll be handing this off to a friend of mine who told me she wanted to read the Bible, but didn't know how to go about it. I'm sure there are tons of people in that situation. The only thing that I disliked about this Bible is that it's a pretty big and bulky hardcover. So while it's very sturdy, it's really heavy and a real pain to carry around. Otherwise, this is a really nice Bible. Overall, I'm giving this 4/5 stars. *I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own.

Settle my Should: 100 Quiet Moments to Meet with Jesus  by Karen Ehman and Ruth Schwenk is a devotional for busy women who struggle to find the time each day to connect with Jesus. For each day, the authors give a short devotional that puts something new into perspective for readers. Then a short prayer, some questions for reflection, and a little bit of space for journaling.  First of all, this book is absolutely beautiful. It's a white floral hardcover with a blue ribbon to mark your place. But I also really enjoyed reading it, too. I did a lot of journaling as I read and it really made me think.  The only thing that I didn't like about this book was that it often didn't give much room for answering the questions, sometimes only as much as 2 lines. So, if you do read this, I would have a journal nearby rather than writing in the book itself. They really should have extended the writing space onto the next page in order to allow readers the space to fully thin

In her book Joyful Surrender , Elisabeth Elliot talks about the disciplines that believers should follow in living a believer's life. She also explains to the reader how to be able to follow those disciplines. This includes having discipline over your mind, body, possessions, time, and feelings, how to overcome anxiety, how to change poor habits, how to trust God in the hard times, and how to let Christ have control over everything. Overall, Elisabeth Elliot stresses self-discipline in all areas of life. I enjoyed this book, as I've enjoyed other books written by Elisabeth Elliot. She has a way of talking to the reader in a way that is very kind, and not at all condescending. Everything she tells to the reader, she's learned from experience. She's very humble and down to earth.  Overall, I gave this book 3/5 stars. *I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own. 

This adorable little Bible was created for brides in mind. It's the NKJV Bride's Bible from Thomas Nelson. It's an adorable little white Bible, with a leather cover and an imprinted floral design on the front. It comes in a little box to keep it protected! Inside, it's a Bible just like any other. Not much to expand upon there! There aren't any study materials or extra information in this Bible. What is different about this Bible is that there are pages in the front for brides to fill out. This includes the date, time, and location of the ceremony, memories from the day, a page to list the wedding party, the story of how you met, the proposal story, and details from the bridal shower.  This would be a really great gift for a bridal shower! I think I am going to give it to my best friend at her shower! Overall, this Bible gets 5 stars. *I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review. I was not required to write a positive review