In the introduction to this book author Mark E. Moore tells us that eighty percent of people who attend church desire to know the Bible better and that sixty percent who aren't connected with any church also want to be better educated in the Bible. Core 52 is certainly a great place to start because Moore has devised a plan that will help us build our Bible IQ in one year. Each week he shares specific Bible scripture, an essay to go with it, and tips to help you further your understanding of…

This is an easy book to read but be prepared to devote a lot of time to it because you will often feel the urge to return to a previous chapter. There is so much wonderful information in The Women Who Met Jesus and there are so many sections that deserve a second reading. You may also find youself highlighting paragraphs and even full pages and the margins will probably also be filled with thoughts that you don't want to forget!

Author Dorothy Valcarcel devotes twenty chapters…

When you begin reading this book, please be aware that you will need to pause often so that you can wipe your eyes and if you're like me, you may experience a tightness in your chest during some of the described events. No, it wasn't a heart attack but it was an attack on my heart strings!

I was aware of Dietrich Bonhoeffer and his determination to keep the true gospel message alive during the nightmare of Adolf Hitler's evil regime but I didn't know about the deep love that he…

'The numbers marched across the page in a glory all their own.'

Margot De Wilde has a mind that most of us can't really comprehend and it is amazing to see how she can analyze and solve mathematical problems. Knowing that she has been blessed with such mathematical genius prompts Margot to volunteer to help break the codes that are being used in German telegrams during WWI and she spends long hours in a secret room, Room 40.

The Number of Love…

Elsie Brookes dreams of being a teacher and for the past four years she has worked as a maid during the tourist season at Yellowstone National Park to save money for her college tuition. It is now 1933 and the Depression has affected everything, including the tourist business, and Elsie fears that she may lose her job. If this happens she knows that this will cause another delay in her goal to become a teacher. And then, a group of young men arrive at Yellowstone as a part of President…

I love historical fiction novels because they tell of times and events that I didn't actually experience and I always learn something new. As I read All Manner of Things I realized that for many readers this might be considered historical fiction but for me...it was more like a journal of my youth. It covers the months from June 1967 through the Spring of 1968 and author Susie Finkbeiner has completely captured that time in America. A young man enlisting to fight in the…

From the first words "Good morning Mr. Sunshine. How'd you sleep last night?" to the final words 'Now I sing "Good morning God! Thank you for everything!"', the little girl in this book acknowledges everything that is a part of her world. Over and over she repeats the words "Good morning" as she names the objects that are so familiar to young children.

Good Morning, God has everything that a child loves: colorful illustrations, an easy to read story, repetition, and a rhyming…

Oh, if only this book had been available a few years ago! For many years, it was my ministry to offer a short children's sermon each Sunday morning to the young people in our church and I was constantly in search of ideas and subjects to be used as object lessons. The Very Best, Hands-On, Kinda Dangerous Family Devotions is a new book by Tim Shoemaker and even though he has targeted family devotions, there are many suggestions that could be adapted for a group of children. In each of the 52…

Oh, if only this book had been available a few years ago! For many years, it was my ministry to offer a short children's sermon each Sunday morning to the young people in our church and I was constantly in search of ideas and subjects to be used as object lessons. The Very Best, Hands-On, Kinda Dangerous Family Devotions is a new book by Tim Shoemaker and even though he has targeted family devotions, there are many suggestions that could be adapted for a group of children. In each of the 52…

I am always eager to have the chance to review a devotional or a Bible study guide and I can't begin to describe my appreciation of Unexplainable Jesus, a new 8-week Bible study of the New Testament book Luke. Rediscovering the God You Thought You Knew is the subtitle and author Erica Wiggenhorn shares eight "unexplainable topics" to help us understand the true Jesus. The eight chapters of this book are titled Unexplainable Beginnings, Unexplainable Birth, Unexplainable Introductions,…

PTSD, depression, anxiety and suicidal urges are some of the serious issues in Living Lies and the author suggests that our society can harshly judge people who suffer from these illnesses. In this new book Natalie Walters has created several characters with mental health problems who become part of a serious crime. The suspense revolves around the unsolved murder of a teenage girl in Walton, Georgia and the assumption that she was killed by a former soldier who had served in Vietnam. Lane…

The King's Mercy can be labeled an epic historical read for more than one reason--it is 388 pages long and it is a story filled with lots of descriptive detail and numerous historical facts surrounding life in the mid 1700s! From the moment that Scotsman Alex MacKinnon is granted mercy from hanging and handed a seven year sentence to be an indentured servant there is unlimited excitement and drama. Through the author's vivid descriptions I felt like I was traveling with Alex to North…

Before reading this book I was vaguely familiar with the story of Georgia Tann and the Tennessee Children's Home Society but I had no concept of the evil that occurred in this agency over the course of 26 years. There were over five thousand children kidnapped during that time for the sole purpose of being sold to the highest bidder. Parents in Memphis had to make sure that their children weren't left alone because of this dangerous woman who wasn't above kidnapping a child as they walked…

Abigail Kemp is an excellent baker but she can't have her own business because of a city council ruling that says that only a man can own a business in Honey Grove, Texas in 1896. She realizes that the only solution is to find a husband and she finds the perfect candidate. Marriage is the farthest thing from her perfect candidate's mind but suddenly, Zacharias Hamilton finds himself married to Abigail Kemp!

As we read Abby and Zach's story we see how their initial liking of each…

Some women might enjoy being the only single woman in their community and having several young men pursuing them but Martha Detweiler isn't one of those women. She knows that she needs to be thinking about marriage but this isn't the way she wants to get a husband. Seth Yoder is the only bachelor in Birch Creek who isn't after Martha and he feels no need to claim a wife. At the suggestion of a beloved older member of the Amish community Martha and Seth begin a little deception: they will act…