Heidi's Haven

  75 Masterpieces Every Christian Should Know  by Terry Glaspey goes through 75 pieces of art, music, literature, and film that the author classifies as a masterpiece and an expression of Christian faith. For each piece they spent a few pages discussing the background of the piece and the artist. Glaspey states that their goal for this book is to show Christians more creative ways to share their faith.  For the most part this was enjoyable. I really enjoyed seeing the photos of paintings and sculptures I hadn't seen before, and I liked the history of the pieces and artists I was familiar with. However, due to reviewing it I read the book cover to cover. That was overall a bit much. As I read it felt like the author droned on way too much about each piece. I would recommend skimming this from time to time or skipping through to read about the pieces you're interested in. I also thought some of the religious connections or interpretations were a bit much, though I am in no ...

  How to Eat Your Bible  by Nate Pickowicz offers a new way to read and study the Bible. The author covers basic theology of Scripture and Scripture reading, then provides a plan to help you read your Bible consistently and well. He states that the goal of this book is to help people fight their Biblical illiteracy so that we not only read but feast on Scripture. When we read, he says, our focus should be on developing a long-term understanding and love for the Bible.  The author points out that we often make a plan or commitment to read the Bible, often over a year or some other amount of time. However, he suggests that we change our perspective. We should make our goal to understand  the Bible, not just get through reading the whole thing. With this in mind, Pickowicz has created the 7-Year Bible Plan. He walks you through the desired outcomes of study, what to look for, and things to identify as you read. He clearly outlines his 7-Year plan and why he set it up th...

  In the novel All That We Carried  by Erin Bartels, sisters Olivia and Melanie decide to take a week-long backpacking trip through the Porcupine Mountains in upper Michigan 10 years after the death of their parents in an attempt to reconnect. Through the many fumbles and hardships throughout their journey, the sisters attempt to connect and mend their relationship, and wonder if that is even possible after what they have gone through, meeting new people and questioning their beliefs along the way. This is very well written. The author Erin Bartels is clearly a very talented writer. My favorite part of the book was the descriptions of the places they visited. I grew up/live in Wisconsin and spent most summers visiting family throughout Michigan, so it was a joy reading about places I know so well. I could have done without all of the family drama and fighting that went on throughout the book. I didn't care for the characters very much and I found them to be extremely childish....

  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 ...