Heidi's Haven

Megan lived with a heart disease for many years, until another family's tragedy gives her a new heart and a second chance at life. Megan's twin sister, Crystal, lives the perfect, successful life. When the family of Megan's heart donor contacts her, they give her their daughter's journal, containing a bucket list of things she wanted to do before she died. Along with her sister, Megan goes on a journey to complete all of the items on the bucket list. I am completely in love with this plot, but I felt that the writing wasn't at 100%. This gave me such intense wanderlust, which I loved, but I wished the author hadn't skipped so much of the travel. I wanted to hear everything about each place they went! Instead, the author skipped over a few places and items on the list, and went on to a later one. It was kind of cheesy sometimes, but probably because of the travel and the fact that they go to Scotland (Scotland rules!), I couldn't help but love ...

"Every Christian is either a missionary or an impostor." -Charles Spurgeon This book by Dustin Willis and Brandon Clements is about using hospitality to change the world. They argue from a Biblical perspective that hospitality-- inviting people into your home, taking people in, taking care of people, talking to people-- is the best way to change the world. By doing this, we are following God's order to every single person on earth: to be a disciple and show others the love of God.  They tell the reader that we must see that our ordinary lives are significant. When we invite someone in and show them love, and allow them to see our crazy and imperfect lived that are lived for Christ, we can show them the love that Christ has for us. They use the point that it is much more likely that someone will come over if you invite them for dinner than if you invite them to a church event. These two authors were so relatable, funny, and vulnerable, it was truly a joy...

I received this adorable children's Bible from Thomas Nelson to review. Printed in the ICB translation for kids to be able to understand, this Bible focuses on teaching kids about prayer. This Bible includes 160 pages of special prayer articles that highlight beloved prayers throughout the Bible. Also included are 64 color pages of poem prayers, praying the Scripture, and Q&A's from kids detailing the most asked questions about prayer. In my opinion, the most helpful tool included is this matching prayer journal, for kids to write out their prayers and document them, as well as for documenting anything they learn or any answers they receive. The Bible also includes pages for documenting prayer requests. The book itself is a sturdy, well-made hardcover. I just love the navy and gold cover designs. There is a blue ribbon inside for marking your page. I would highly recommend this for any kids looking for their first Bible. 5/5 stars. *I received a fre...

I picked this book up because it promised a way to create a 3 minute morning routine that would change my life. I was immediately intrigued, and as someone who is decidedly not  a morning person, I will take any advice that promises to make mornings better. This book is the secret to creating a 3-minute morning routine. Who doesn't have three minutes each morning? This can be done while you eat breakfast, shower, or brush your teeth.  Here is the outline for the perfect 3 minute morning routine: 1. Read/memorize/pray Psalm 143:8 2. Look at your calendar for the day 3. Drink a glass of water With this simple recipe that combines God time, plan time, and health time, you can easily work to get your 3 minute routine down, and then be able to build on it. Your morning routine doesn't have to be complicated to be impactful. This is about seeking progress, not perfection.  The author is super funny and sweet, and she's very relatable. At the end, she ...

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...