Heidi's Haven

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...

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.