Tyndale Book Club Hub Giveaway and Sign-up

Tyndale House is starting a new book club e-newsletter and is celebrating that by running a 30 day giveaway on their website.  This newsletter is for people who are in or are running book clubs. It will feature suggestions, discussion guides and great ideas. To enter the giveaway you can click here and choose which book you'd like to win and fill out the form.  Remember to check back every day since each day is a new giveaway and every few days the books will change.  Right now the books to win are:

 

Attack at the Arena (Imagination Station books) by Paul McCusker and Marianne Hering

Not too long ago, I was able to review Voyage of the Vikings (Imagination Station books)  the first book in the Imagination Station series (Adventures in Odyssey).   So, I was excited to received Attack at the Arena this past week.  This is the second book in the series.  In this book, Patrick and Beth's adventure continues when they head back in time to ancient Rome.  Their mission is to find a silver cup in the hopes of helping a mysterious man named Albert.  Patrick and Beth discover a lot about ancient Rome and get into a little bit of trouble along the way. The other books in this series are: Voyage of the Vikings (book 1), Peril in the Palace (book 3), and Revenge of the Red Knight (book 4).  This series is recommended for children ages 7 and up.

I really enjoyed reading this second book in the series.  This book does a great job carrying the exciting mystery that was begun in the first book.   Also, I like the fact that this book is not only a mystery, but it also helps children learn a little bit about ancient Rome in the process.  I would highly recommend this book.

**I received a complimentary copy of this book from Tyndale House Publishers in an exchange for an honest review.

John Piper's Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist (revised edition)

I have heard a lot about John Piper in recent years, but have never had the chance to read any of his books until now.  Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist will make you think.  The book challenged me in the way I think about so many things in life.  What is my true purpose or goal?   I know that it is to glorify God, but how am I to go about doing that.  John Piper changes one word in an old creed to build his case that we are to be Christian Hedonists.  The creed says: "The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever." (pg. 17) Piper changes it to: "The chief end of man is to glorify God by enjoying Him forever."(pg. 18)  After talking about how a Christian Hedonist is created, he then proceeds to present how we are to glorify God by enjoying Him in 8 different topics--worship, love, Scripture, prayer, money, marriage, missions and suffering.  

Like with any book, I do not agree with him on everything.  I wasn't too crazy about using the term Hedonist because of how we use that word in our current culture.  But there were many ideas and thoughts that he presented that challenged me.  Piper says, " It is better to say that we pursue our joy in God than to simply say that we pursue God.  For one can pursue God in ways that do not honor Him: 

'What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices?' says the LORD; 'I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of well-fed beasts.' (Isaiah 1:11) (ESV)

Our solemn assemblies may be a stench in God's nose (Amos 5:21-24).  It is possible to pursue God without glorifying God.  If we want our quest to honor God, we must pursue Him for the joy in fellowship with Him.  Consider the Sabbath as an illustration of this.  The Lord rebukes His people for seeking 'their own' pleasure on His holy day.  But what does He mean?  He means they are delighting in their business and not in the beauty of their God.  He does not rebuke their hedonism.  He rebukes the weakness of it.  They have settled for secular interests and thus honor them above the Lord....  [here he quotes Isaiah 58:13-14]  Notice that calling the Sabbath a delight is parallel to calling the holy day of the Lord honorable.  This simply means you honor what you delight in.  Or you glorify what you enjoy." (pgs. 306-307)  This is just a taste of the things Piper makes you think through.

There is also a study guide in the back of the book to use for personal use or in a group setting.  With some of the questions, I felt as though I was just re-writing what Piper had written in his book.  There were other thought questions that were great at making you think through Scripture.  I really appreciated that the reader was encouraged to pray using certain Psalms as a guide. 

I would recommend this book.  While I don't agree with everything, I think it is definitely worth reading and contemplating the issues he brings up.  It's definitely worth your time!

**I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

Voyage with the Vikings (Imagination Station books)

I recently received Voyage with the Vikings from Tyndale house to read and review.  This is the first book in the Imagination Station series.  The imagination station is a time machine that a local inventor has at his workshop.  The machine transports the children back in time to Greenland in the year 1000 during the time of the Vikings.  They learn a lot as they work together to find a mysterious item called the sandstone that they must retrieve before going back home.  The book shows how doing the right thing may be hard, but it is always the right choice.  The book ends with another mystery that must be solved which leads into the next book of the series.  The other books in the series are: Attack at the Arena (book 2), Peril in the Palace (book 3), and Revenge of the Red Knight (book 4).  This series is recommended for children ages 7 and up. 

I really enjoyed reading Voyage with the Vikings.  This series would be great for a child to read on his own or to read it together as a family.  The plot was laid out well and the mystery makes you desire more.  I thought the ending was great in that it led to another mystery to be solved in the next book.  The books not only teach history, but they also teach good moral principles too.  I would highly recommend this series to anyone with children 7 and up.  This would also be a great series to encourage kids who are not excited about reading.  I think it would keep their attention and show them that reading can be fun!


**I received a complimentary copy of this book from Tyndale House Publishers in an exchange for an honest review.