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Sunday, February 17, 2019

Book Review: Sovereign Hope


I chose to do a review of Claudia Barba's Sovereign Hope:  A Study of the Minor Prophets.  As I prepare for a Bible study on the book of Hosea, I was looking forward to using this as a resource.

Barba does an excellent job of presenting the central themes of each book of the Minor Prophets.  She gives a brief overview of each book and highlights some things that can be applied to daily life.  In each chapter, Barba poses several questions to guide the reader in their study and does a great job of  incorporating supporting Scripture.  If one is seeking a book to give main ideas an a general overview of each book of the Minor Prophets, this book is an excellent starting point.

Covering 12 books of the Bible in approximately 140 pages does not allow for much depth.  I would have loved to see Barba cite her sources, in order to use them for further study.

Thanks to NetGalley for making this book available for an honest review.

Rachel's Rating:
★★★☆☆

Thursday, February 14, 2019

Book Review: Becoming Us

Robin Jones Gunn's Becoming Us is a novel about a woman named Emily, who recently moved from North Carolina to California with her husband and daughter.  After years of living in close proximity to her in-laws, Emily's small family is now learning how to be on their own.  This story takes you through the highs and lows of Emily's life, much of which is impacted by Emily's newfound friendship with several women in the area.




This story is uplifting and encouraging.  I loved how the author addressed many heart issues women face today.  Several times, I found myself wiping away tears and thinking, "I feel the exact same way".

Although I did not realize it when I chose to read this book, I read Gunn's Sierra Jensen series as a teenager.  I now look forward to re-reading that series and many others by this author!

Thanks to NetGalley for making this book available for an honest review.

Rachel's Rating:
★★★★☆

Sunday, February 3, 2019

Book Review: No Little Women


I first heard about Aimee Byrd's No Little Women a few years ago, and I quickly downloaded an e-version of the book. For various reasons, I never did finish reading it.  I always wanted to though, so I chose this book as the second for my 2019 reading.
Byrd begins her book by pinpointing the problem of "little women" in the church.  This phrase refers to 2 Timothy 3:6-7, where Paul warns of false teachers "who creep into households and capture weak (little) women".  Byrd warns that, "in many cases, women's ministry becomes a back door for bad doctrine to seep into the church".  She asserts that women need to have good theology.  However, as Byrd points out, so many devotionals targeted at women slyly distort the truth.

How does one solve this problem and avoid becoming one of the "little women" mentioned in 2 Timothy?  Byrd encourages women to develop discernment.  "Do the hard work of learning his Word and becoming so familiar with it, through time and study in it, that we know him and his character well".  Then, we will be able to discern whether what we are reading is consistent with Scripture.  Byrd encourages women to read more, read well, and read from trusted sources.  "A vital skill for becoming a competent woman is learning how to read well.  We need to be alert and equipped, because Christian bookstores don't have genre labels like 'fluff' and 'I may look like I have my life together more than you, but I'm about to wreck your theology'."

I loved this part of Byrd's book.  I agree with her assessment of women's devotionals and her cry for discernment.  As a woman who is currently involved in choosing and leading women's Bible studies, I take this very seriously.  What our church group studies must be consistent with the beliefs taught in our church.

Along with Byrd's encouragement, she also lists some examples of writings that are not doctrinally sound.  While I agree with the majority of her assessments, I did feel there were times she focused too much on the specific wording of an author rather than his intent. 

The remainder of Byrd's book addresses the role of women in the church, how pastors and church leaders can encourage women to develop good doctrine, and gives examples to practice discernment skills.

Overall, I really appreciated Byrd's book.  There is a lot to glean from her writing, and I would recommend it especially to women involved in women's ministries, and to men who are leaders of the church.

Rachel's Rating:

★★★★☆



 

Book Review: Kat Makes

Kat Makes is a cute, easy-to-read book in Brenda Ponnay's Kat Can series.  I enjoyed listening to this 8-page book being read by my kindergartener.  The repetition of the words "Kat makes" helped my kindergartener remain confident in her reading.  The quality illustrations provided useful clues when she stumbled across unfamiliar words.
 
 
This book was a quick, easy read.  It was enjoyable, and the ending brought a smile to my little reader's face.  This book is set to release on February 15, 2019.  We hope to see more from Brenda Ponnay in the future!
 
Thanks to NetGalley for making this book available for an honest review.