Heidi's Haven

  In A Field Guide for Genuine Community , Ben Connelly describes the need for a spiritual family that lives life together, and shares ways to find that and put it into practice. We are designed to gain in each other's strengths and learn in each other's weaknesses. The family needs you as much as you need them.  This book was written to help the reader deconstruct their individualistic and experiential views that are prevalent in our culture. Each chapter ends with a few ways to practice genuine community, a story of a strong spiritual family, and a discussion guide. The author states that this book is best worked through with your spiritual family so you can all learn and grow together. In my opinion, a lot of what the author said was true, but a lot was also just really cheesy. The 101 ways to practice family were often super specific and really only geared toward those with kids who hang out with those with kids. Overall, I didn't think this book was super impactful, an...

The Nature of Small Birds  by Susie Finkbeiner is the story of a family. The story is told from the perspective of the father (Bruce), mother (Linda), and one of the daughters (Sonny) in three different periods of time. We see their relationships with each other and their other family members. As their life story is told, the book revolves around the adoption of their daughter Mindy from Vietnam after Operation Babylift, and adult Mindy's search to learn more about her past.  Throughout the book, Bruce loves to watch birds and pay attention to nature. Throughout the story, the birds become a metaphor for his daughters growing up and flying away.  This is a really sweet story. I enjoyed reading through each characters' perspectives--I wouldn't say there were certain chapters I dislike reading more than the others. It's a very fast and easy read, and the story keeps your attention. My biggest critique is that the story just....ends. I turned the page and was shocked when ...

  The Visual Word: Illustrated Outlines of the New Testament Books  by Patrick Schreiner and illustrated by Anthony M. Bendetto is designed to be a tool for visual learners to help them learn about the Bible. They want their readers to be able to not just read the New Testament, but to be able to visualize it.  For each book of the New Testament, they create a layout describing each section of the book by subject, and include an illustration to help the reader remember and connect it.  Personally, this book was not helpful to me. While I enjoy visual tools for learning, I didn't think that their illustrations were any clearer than the summary they provided for each book. They threw a lot of info at the reader at once, but nothing was sticking. While a cool concept, I personally didn't think the illustrated timelines were beneficial. However, someone else may find that this was a very helpful tool for them.  Overall, I gave this 3/5 stars. It didn't work for me b...

  You Get Me: Simple, Romantic Ways To Speak The 5 Love Languages  by Gary Chapman and Jen Mickelborough is a small, short book (more like a booklet) that gives the reader a few ideas in how to show love to their partner in each of the 5 love languages. Some are little things you can do any day, some require a little more planning. Things like sending a letter, writing a note, going for a walk, and making dinner.  At the end of the book are blank and lined pages to record your own ideas to share love in your partner's love language, taking notes on the gestures you've tried and your partners reaction, or any other notes. This was a cute little book. It only took a few minutes to read through it. It might be nice to have on hand if you are looking for new ways to show love to your partner in their love language. However, I think most of this could be found online. Overall, I gave this 3/5 stars. *I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review. I was not requi...

  In his book When Faith Is Forbidden: 40 Days On The Frontlines With Persecuted Christians , Todd Nettleton shares 40 stories of meeting with Christians in persecuted countries through his work with The Voice Of The Martyrs. He shares the stories of their steadfast faith and genuine love for God in the midst of horrible, unimaginable persecution, loss, and even torture.  I find stories of persecuted Christians so inspiring. To see their faith in such unimaginable circumstances in the face of such hardship really puts your own problems in perspective.  Whether you are looking for inspiration and hope or to learn about life for Christians in persecuted countries, this is a really interesting read. The stories and circumstances you can learn about is really fascinating. I gave this book 5/5 stars and I definitely recommend it. Each story is around 5 pages which makes it a fast read.  *I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review. I was not required to w...

  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...