Heidi's Haven

  Open the Bible in 30 Days  by Colin S. Smith is a journey through the Bible story. This is split into 3 parts: God the Father, Christ the Son, and Living in the Spirit. Smith goes through the events of the Bible and tell how the stories affirm each part. He also gives a timeline of these events showing the mountains and valleys (highs and lows) of the people in the stories and their relationship with God, and how that ties it all together. He explains everything very plainly in a way that is easy to understand.  I thought that this book is great as a reference or as an introduction to the Bible and the Bible story. Overall, I gave this book a rating of 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 was written in response to COVID-19, so it's very new, relevant, and topical. This 30-day devotional seeks to give encouragement to those who are struggling in these uncertain and unprecedented times. Each day includes a verse from the Psalms, devotional content, a question for self-reflection, a statement of truth, a song to listen to, and a prayer. The author uses both personal and biblical stories and examples to make her points. While brought about by COVID-19, that definitely isn't the focus of the devotions and these would be applicable is any situation the reader might be encountering. I thought this was just okay. None of the devotions really spoke to me, though I did find some things I jotted down in my journal that I liked. While this may be super helpful for someone else, I just didn't connect with the content. I gave this 3/5 stars.  *I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a review. I was not required to write a positi

  Writing for Life & Ministry: A Practical Guide to the Writing Process for Teachers & Preachers  by Brandon J. O'Brien is a guide for those who find themselves needing to write, but wouldn't consider themselves a writer. Writing has become a part of work and ministry (blog posts, newsletters, books, social media, etc.), so O'Brien wrote this guide for those who have found themselves thrust into the role of "author". His goal is to demystify the writing process and teach good writing habits, as well as how to revise your work. He also includes questions and exercises at the end of the chapters that will help the reader with the specific project they are working on. Finally, he includes a list of resources and further reader on writing.  This book would be best used when you are working on a specific writing project, however it still would be beneficial to those interested in writing, but who are not working on a specific project. The book is small and quic

In his book 52 Uncommon Ways to Unwind Together: A Couple's Guide to Relaxing, Refreshing, and De-Stressing , Randy Southern gives couples 52 fun and unconventional ways to relax and have fun together.  Each date idea includes the basic idea, ways couples can go even further with the idea, and how they can make it their own. It also includes things to talk about together to grow stronger in their relationship. They also include an application for the different love languages. For example, if you wanted to do one of the dates and your spouse's love language is acts of service, they give you ideas on how to do the date while specifically speaking that love language. Some of these ideas were fun, and some were downright cheesey. Overall, I think this would be fun for a Christian couple to flip through together. Though they may not (probably won't) do them all, they may find a few fun ideas to spice up their date nights and relax together.  I gave this 3/5 stars. *I received a

Love Riot: A Teenage Call to Love with Relentless Abandon for Christ  by Sara Barratt is a book written by one teen for another, calling them and helping them to live their lives fully committed to loving Christ. She tells the reader that God doesn't need perfect people, but he does want passionate people.  Each chapter focuses on a different aspect of the walk with Christ, and guides teen girls through how to navigate the world while still being set apart, and not being of the world. At the end of each chapter are discussion/reflection questions for the reader to use to apply the chapter to their own life.  As someone in my mid-twenties, I think this book wasn't as effective for me as it would be for a teenager, but I do think this would be a great book for a teen girl. Overall, I gave this 3/5 stars, but I do think someone older would rate this much higher.  *I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a review. I was not required t

I recently read The Basic Bible Atlas  by John A. Beck. This book goes over the geography of Biblical events, from Genesis all the way to Revelation. Full of clear and colorful maps, the goal of this book is to inform the reader about the way geography impacts the Bible story. Beck discusses how things such as climate, terrain, culture, and politics all affected the Bible story, and why God chose the places he did. This was all new information for me, so it was incredibly interesting. Geography of the Bible is not something I had thought about before, especially as it pertains to how the Bible story plays out. I really enjoyed this and I gave it 4/5 stars. I recommend this for anyone who is interested in an introductory lesson in Biblical geography. *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.

Loving Your Community: Proven Practices for Community-Based Outreach Ministry  by Stephen Viars acts as a guidebook for churches wondering how to become more involved in their community. Viars says that the greatest way that we as Christians can show love to our community (which is exactly what we are called to do) is to serve them in every way we can. He says, "Always say yes unless you have to say no." He points out that churches have facilities that usually sit vacant for 6 1/2 days a week that can be used to serve the community. He also goes over the importance of asking and listening to your community to discover the needs of the community, and also working alongside other, sometimes secular organizations to make a difference in the community, such as United Way. Finally, these services should be offered to everyone in the community, not just the churchgoers. Viars wants people to connect help with the church. When someone has a problem or a difficulty, he wants the

Good morning everyone! Today I am coming at you with another book review. This time I will talk about Holy Noticing  by Charles Stone.  This book is all about being present and noticing the things around you in a holy way. The author wants his readers to live with more awareness. This book contains guidance to engage the present moment and notice what is happening in your environment with a holy purpose. Stone says we can use this mindfulness to become more like Christ. Charles Stone seems really down to earth. He often make jokes at his own expense, which I think makes a writer more relatable and enjoyable to read. It's important for the author to show that they are not perfect, in my opinion. Unfortunately, I didn't think this book was very clear or made a ton of sense. I really love the idea of mindfulness, but I think the execution was poor. I gave up after about 125 pages. Once he introduced the idea, I didn't feel like I was getting any more new infor