Truth & Dare by Ann-Margret Hovsepian

Is your pre-teen daughter ready for more—more excitement, more adventure, more joy? Then dare her to discover the secret to a life that sparkles for God. Show her she’s got what it takes to make an impact on the world. Ann Margret Hovsepian’s newest book, Truth and Dare: One Year of Dynamic Devotions for Girls, is designed for girls 9 to 12 and filled with powerful wisdom on everything from godly friendships to worshipping God.



It can be easy for young girls to neglect their Bible reading. Perhaps they feel Scripture doesn’t directly relate to them. Maybe they may lack encouragement or accountability, or they may just have too many distractions in their everyday lives. This lack of spiritual food can stunt girls’ spiritual growth and make them vulnerable to the temptations and ungodly influences around them. It can also prevent them from developing a love for Scripture early in life, making it even harder to get into God’s Word when they get older.


Truth and Dare encourages tween girls to discover how exciting God’s Word can be. They will see it make a difference in their daily lives and experience the blessings that come from doing it and not just hearing it. Daily challenges (dares) based on Scripture (truth) will provide opportunities for them to make their faith come alive as they learn to serve others, build character and make a difference.


Scripture will be transformed from something learned to something lived. Girls will delight in discovering how God’s Word can become real in whole new ways as they learn to apply it with each day’s dare. It ideally suits anyone looking to inspire a young girl to boldly live out her faith. So encourage the tween girl in your life to take the dare and discover the truth! It’s her time to shine as a girl who knows what it means to live a fierce and fearless life of faith.

My review:
This devotional is for girls ages 9-12. The devotions are set up Monday through Friday and has one for the week-end. Each day has a "truth" and a "dare", followed by a journaling section to answer "how did it go?" and "what did you learn?" At the end of the week are extra things to do to cause the reader to do some more thinking.

This is a great devotional for girls in this age group. So many devotionals out there for girls are geared for teenagers, so it is nice to see one for this age group, and the author did a great job of coming up with a devotional to appeal and interest girls in this age group.

About the author:

Ann Margret Hovsepian is a published author, freelance writer and editor and amateur artist. She has published more than 210 articles for dozens of Canadian and U.S. print periodicals and has become a sought-after author of pre-teen girls’ devotional books. She has published Blossom: The Complete New Testament for Girls (Thomas Nelson, 2006) and The One Year Designer Genes Devo (Tyndale, 2007). She speaks at conferences and events and is actively involved on the board of Canadian Baptist Women of Ontario and Quebec, Canada. Hovsepian resides in Montreal, Canada.


Truth & Dare is available from David C. Cook Publishing.

Thanks to B&B Media for the review copy.

Triple Dog Dare by Jeremy V. Jones

Boys want action. They don’t want to sit around and talk—that’s for grown-ups and girls. They engage life and relationships by doing something: skateboarding, playing games or re-creating favorite movie scenes. So why should faith be any different? That’s why Jeremy V. Jones created Triple Dog Dare: One Year of Dynamic Devotions for Boys to provide the action boys need in order to grow their faith.


The Bible is full of action. Remember how David slew Goliath, Daniel faced those lions, Paul survived a shipwreck and Jesus stood up for a woman about to be killed? God made boys to take His truth and do something with it, to man up and change the world. These action-packed devotions for boys ages 9 to 12 are filled with godly truth and bold spiritual challenges that transform time with God into the adventure of the day.


Triple Dog Dare connects God’s Word to boys’ hearts and hands with real-life scenarios and activities. Each day is filled with short Scriptures, concise biblical truth and a daily dare, all challenging them to put their faith into practice. Scripture readings from every book of the Bible open up the action-packed Word of God. Whether it’s drawing comic strips of biblical battles, dreaming up a life list of goals, making snack packs for the homeless or producing Bible-based movies, boys will go on daily dynamic experiences with God, taking faith off the page and setting it into motion. Themes cover the daily realities of pre-teen males, including bullying, peer pressure, girls, sibling rivalry, honesty and more.


These exciting devotions will inspire boys’ hearts toward godly characteristics such as integrity, generosity and kindness.


Parents will appreciate watching Christ-like traits emerge as each dare is undertaken. It is a manual that will deepen boys’ friendships with Jesus as they look forward to spending time with Him every day. So if you know a boy who is up for the challenge, triple dog dare him!

My review:
This is a devotional geared for boys ages 9-12, and the author did a great job of not just writing, but designing it to appeal to boys that age. There are devotionals set up for Monday through Friday, and one for the week-end. Each day consists of a short devotional, a "triple dog dare" - 3 things to do, and a section "what did you learn, what did you do?"

At the end of each week, there is a page titled "your page" with direction given on what to write about, such as "summer is:"

Boys in this age group aren't always interested in reading, but these devotions are short and interesting enough to appeal to them, and the "triple dog dare" aspect adds to that. I'd recommend it.

About the author:

Jeremy V. Jones is an award-winning journalist who has served as senior associate editor of Breakaway magazine. He has authored several books, including Toward the Goal: The Kaka Story and Walking on Water: The Spirituality of the World’s Top Surfers. He also writes for magazines such as Clubhouse and Christianity Today. He resides with his wife and two children in Colorado.



Triple Dog Dare is available from David C. Cook.

Thanks to B&B Media for the review copy.

What Do You Think of Me? Why Do I Care? by Ed Welch

In an increasingly unstable culture, being obsessed with what others think is an escalating struggle among teens and young adults, leading to more serious consequences than ever before. Although everyone—whether they’re sixteen or sixty—works hard to win someone’s approval or ward off someone’s rejection, these issues plague teenagers and young adults with particular intensity. And how teens and young adults answer the big questions of their lives now will affect the direction of their adult lives for better or worse. In his new book, What Do You Think of Me? Why Do I Care?: Answers to the Big Questions of Life (New Growth Press, October 2011), Edward T. Welch extends hope to those weary of hiding behind a mask of performance in order to gain love and acceptance.



Peer pressure, codependency, shame, low self-esteem—these are just some of the words used to identify how young people can be controlled by the perceived opinions of others. Stand out in the right way to the right people, and you’re on top of the world. But experience failure in front of those same people and prepare for a sinking sensation in your stomach and a night of tossing and turning.


Why do you care? Why do we all care? These are questions that can’t be answered without listening to God, the One who made us and knows us better than we know ourselves.In What Do You Think of Me? Why Do I Care?Welch takes the big questions of life and shows that freedom from what people think of us comes as we learn who God is and who we are in relationship to Him. Only then will we be able to let go of our masks, stop trying to fill our leaky love cups and begin to live for something bigger than ourselves.


An interactive book, What Do You Think of Me? Why Do I Care? includes questions throughout the text for individual or group study and is especially aimed at teenagers and young adults. A corresponding website rich with controversy and dialogue, My-Big-Life-Question.com, will also offer readers a place to discuss personal needs as well as to find other resources for life’s journey and places to go for help.

My review:
Though this was written and geared for teenagers, this is a book that anyone struggling with self esteem issues could benefit from reading.

The author did a great job of addressing esteem issues and self worth. He comes from a Christian standpoint, and deals a lot with how God views us. He doesn't do a bunch of psycho babble, but really has some good advice and good things to say. There are questions throughout the book that make the reader think and get more involved in the book. This would be a great book for anyone struggling with self esteem issues, and for anyone not necessarily dealing with that. We can all use a reminder of our value to God.

About the author:

Edward T. Welch recalls two spiritual turning points in his life. The first he pinpoints as the month after his graduation from college, before entering graduate school, when his plans for his future made a complete shift. A shift for which he has been grateful ever since. In that month, he determined to complete a simple task—to read the Bible in its entirety. It was that "simple" undertaking which brought him to a deep understanding of the power of scripture. For the first time, he grasped the relevance of scripture to the simple details of our lives. God, he realized, was speaking through this book. All his plans changed, and he entered the Biblical Theological Seminary in Hatfield, Pennsylvania.


The next turning point came during his second year in seminary when he began to study counseling and was given the opportunity to observe an actual counseling session. "That first hour of being placed on the front lines of counseling redirected my life," he tells us. "In that moment I saw the Bible as alive, and I knew that I wanted people to feel understood by scripture."

After graduating from seminary in 1978, Ed went on to study at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, where he received a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology (Neuropsychology) in 1981. He currently serves as counselor, faculty member and director of the School of Biblical Counseling at the Christian Counseling and Educational Foundation and as professor of Practical Theology at Westminster Theological Seminary.

Ed is deeply devoted to his wife, Sheri, and his two daughters and their husbands, all of whom live close by in the Philadelphia area. The family has traveled yearly to the west coast to visit relatives and enjoy water sports at the beach.

What Do You Think of Me? Why Do I Care? is available from New Growth Press.

Thanks to B&B Media for the review copy.

Favorite Christmas Song #1 It's Still The Greatest Story Ever Told

The Names of God Bible, Ann Spangler

Open the door to a more intimate relationship with God



Discover the Hebrew names of God within the biblical text


Encounter God through prayers, promises, and devotional readings


Experience God's character more deeply by studying his names


One of the best ways to get to know God on a deeper level is to know his names and titles as revealed in Scripture. Now the bestselling author of Praying the Names of God and Praying the Names of Jesus uncovers the richness of God's character and love found in his names right within the Bible text.

The Names of God Bible restores more than 10,000 occurrences of specific names of God--like Yahweh, El Shadday, El Elyon, and Adonay--to help readers connect with the Hebrew roots of their Christian faith and experience a deeper understanding of God's character. Perfect for personal study, prayer, and reflection, The Names of God Bible includes these special features:


More than 10,000 names and titles of God restored to their Hebrew equivalent and printed in brown ink to stand out within the biblical text


Names of God reading paths lead readers to the next reference of the name so they can pray and study the names of God throughout Scripture


Name Pages feature


background information associated with the most important names and titles of God


key Scripture passages in which the name is revealed


devotional readings for each of the featured names


specific Bible promises connected to each of the featured names


Calling God by Name sidebars shed light on the relationship between biblical people and the specific names they called God

My review:
I snag a Bible for review any time I can. I enjoy reading and exploring new translations and new study Bibles, etc.

I was not very familiar with the God's Word translation, and though this review is not specifically geared for the translation, I do like what I have read of it. If you are unfamiliar with that translation, you can find out more about it on the website for God's Word Translation.

The Names of God Bible is very unique and unlike any Bible I have used. I, like most people very familiar with the Bible, am aware that originally there were different names for God used throughout the Bible: Jehovah, Elohim, etc, and that they were all changed to "God" and "Lord" for the most part. What this Bible does, is to change all uses of God back to the original names of God.

Before each book of the Bible in this Bible, there is an introduction to the book, and then a list of the key names of God used in that book, along with their meaning. Example from Psalms:

Yah, Yahweh...........Lord
Melek.......................King
Elyon.......................Highest

And so forth. "Yeshua" is used in the New Testament instead of "Jesus". This makes reading the Bible totally different. All too often it is easy to read over familiar passages without thinking about what we are reading. However, when  you are reading this Bible and running onto names like "Melek", it causes you to slow down, look up the meaning of the name, and think more on what you are reading.

I think this is more than a Bible. It is a valuable tool. In translating all of the names of God to "God" and "Lord", we have lost something: the meaning of the name originally used. This Bible brings that back and adds meaning to what is being read.

About the editor/commentator:

Ann Spangler is an award-winning writer whose fascination with the Bible has resulted in books that have opened the Bible to a wide range of readers. She is the author or coauthor of several bestselling books, including Praying the Names of God, Praying the Names of Jesus, Women of the Bible, and Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus. Together, her books have sold nearly 3 million copies. She has held senior positions at two Christian publishing houses and lives with her two daughters in Michigan.


 
The Names of God Bible is available from Revell, part of Baker Publishing Group.

The Bible is available in hardcover, black, and mahogany duravella.

Thanks to Revell for the review copy.

Ann Spangler talking about The Names of God Bible:




The Names of God Bible overview:

Wood Shed

Thought I'd give some friends of mine a little advertisement. They make some nice products using wood and sell them on their blog. Check it out if you need some gift ideas: Zeigler's Wood Shed. They have items such as the ones pictured below:

A Marriage Carol by Chris Fabry and Gary Chapman

This week, theChristian Fiction Blog Allianceis introducingA Marriage CarolMoody Publishers (September 1, 2011)byChris Fabry and Gary Chapman



ABOUT THE AUTHORS:

CHRIS FABRY is a graduate of W. Page Pitt School of Journalism at Marshall University and Moody bible Institute's Advanced Studies Program. Chris can be heard daily on Love Worth Finding, featuring the teaching of the late Dr. Adrian Rogers. He received the 2008 "Talk Personality of the Year" Award from the National Religious Broadcasters. He has published more than 60 books since 1995, many of them fiction for younger readers. Chris collaborated with Jerry B. Jenkins and Dr. Tim LaHaye on the children's series Left Behind: The Kids. His two novels for adults, Dogwood and June Bug, are published by Tyndale House Publishers. Chris is married to his wife Andrea and they have five daughters and four sons.

GARY CHAPMAN is the author of the bestselling Five Love Languages series and the director of Marriage and Family Life Consultants, Inc. Gary travels the world presenting seminars, and his radio program airs on more than 400 stations.





ABOUT THE BOOK

On Christmas Eve twenty years earlier, Marlee and Jacob were married in a snowstorm. This Christmas Eve, they are ready to quit, divorce is imminent. Their relationship is as icy as the road they’re traveling and as blocked with troubles as the piling snow. They take a shortcut to get to the lawyer’s office, on a slippery, no-fault path. She thinks they need to stay on the main road. He disagrees. They fight. Story of their lives and they slam into a bank of snow , spinning, drifting, falling, out of control. Just like their lives. Reluctantly, freezing cold, hungry, scared, she trudges up the hill. Paul is nowhere to be found. Her ears frozen, fingers and hands red, she comes to a house on the hillside, built like a Bed and Breakfast, a green wreath on the red door and the door-knocker is in the shape of a wedding ring.



The red door opens and the first thing she notices is the fire in the room, blazing hot, a warm, inviting, friendly place and the voice of an old man welcomes her in. There are three golden pots on the hearth, shining, glimmering things. The old man claims that they are used to restore marriages. She laughs—and begins a journey through her past, present, and future that will test how she views her lifelong love. There are two futures available. Which will she choose?



If you would like to read the first chapter excerpt of A Marriage Carol, go HERE.

Due to the books not having been shipped yet, I have not read the book and have no review to post.