We Shall See God: Charle's Spurgeon's classic devotional thoughts on heaven by Randy Alcorn

Randy Alcorn has compiled 50 days of readings of Charles Spurgeon's sermons on Heaven.  The book begins with an introduction on the life of Charles Spurgeon giving you a glimpse into the life of a man who had crowds of thousands listening to his sermons.  Each daily reading has an excerpt from one of Spurgeon's sermons on heaven and then some thoughts by Randy Alcorn.  Some edits have been made to the sermons only to help clarify the english language that has changed in the past 150 years.  Randy Alcorn explains all the changes that have been made in his introduction to this book.

We Shall See God has been an interesting read.  I was excited to read this book since I had never read any of Spurgeon's writings before.   Randy Alcorn has done a great job compiling and editing the readings for this book, and I thoroughly enjoyed having my focus directed heavenward.  I don't think that we mediate enough on all that God has prepared for us in His dwelling place called Heaven.  It is too easy to focus on this world and the temporal instead of the eternal.  "In Heaven we'll at last be freed of self-righteousness and self-deceit.  We'll no longer question God's goodness; we'll see it, savor it, enjoy it, and declare it to our companions.  Surely we will wonder how we ever could have doubted his goodness.  One look at the scarred hands of our Savior will suffice, for then our faith will be sight--we shall see God." (pg. 23)  If you want to focus on the eternal rather then the temporal life,  I would definitely recommend this book.

You can read the first chapter of the book here.

**Tyndale House Publishers provided me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 

Love Finds You in Lahaina, Hawaii by Bodie Thoene

Back in February, I read a book by Bodie Thoene called Love Finds You in Lahaina, Hawaii.  I really liked this book so much that I thought I'd better do a review on it.  It was the first historical fiction book I had read in quite a while.  This book is actually part of a Love Finds You collection written by many different authors.  You can read about the books and see all of the titles here.

This book actually has 2 different stories going on at the same time.  Sandi headed to Hawaii to interview an eyewitness to history for a 50 states History Project for UCLA's masters program.  Her contact happens to be an older lady named Auntie Hannah who has quite a story to tell.  The story takes place in 1890 amidst growing unrest in Hawaii.  What Sandi finds in Hawaii is a story filled with intrigue, mystery and love that also helps her deal with battles that she is facing in her own life. 

I loved the story and thought it was so well written.  I love reading a fun story filled with actual history.  Bodie Thoene is one of my favorite historical fiction writers.  I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking for something fun to read.

**I checked out this book at my local library.

When God Created My Toes by Dandi Daley Mackall

This past week, I received the book When God Created My Toes in the mail to read and review.  I had requested the book because of the cute cover, and I really liked the title. The book goes through the different parts of a child's body pointing out each part that God made.  When I opened the book to read it, I did not find what I was expecting.  While I liked the idea of the book, I didn't care for the wording or the artwork.   For example, one page had a little girl getting into trouble with her hands and the words on the page said, "Did my fingers snap?  Did he help me clap?  Did we cheer for angel bands when God created my hands?"  Angel bands?  Not sure what the author was going for with this.  This book was disappointing and I wouldn't recommend it.

*I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review from WaterBrook Multnomah's Blogging for Books blogger program.

Love and War by John and Stasi Eldredge

I wasn't sure what I would find when I began this book, Love and War. Since it was endorsed by Beth Moore, I thought I would give it a try. The book deals with several different marital issues and it encourages couples that marriage can be done.  But then reminds couples that they shouldn't expect marriage to be easy.   One thought that I really liked from the book was: "You play the most critical role in your spouse's life.  No one will have a greater impact on your spouse's soul than you.  No one has greater access to your spouse's heart than you." (pg. 38)  It was a great reminder to me of the impact I have on my husband.
Overall, I wasn't impressed with the book.  I thought it was shallow when discussing the different topics of marriage.  I was a little surprised by the vocabulary that was used in this book.  There were phrases that I do not use in my vocabulary, and I didn't appreciate having to read it in this "Christian" book.  I was also taken aback at all the references to movies throughout the book.  I thought that they didn't add any depth to the message and were unnecessary.  I wouldn't recommend this book.

**I received this book free from WaterBrook Multnomah's Blogging for Books program in exchange for an honest review.


Below, you can read the first chapter for yourself and come to your own conclusion.
Love and War by John and Stasi Eldredge (Chapter 1 Excerpt)

The Lightkeeper's Ball by Colleen Coble

The Lightkeeper's Ball is actually a part of the series called Mercy Falls and is the 3rd book.  This book however can be read as a novel completely on it's own.  The book's main character is Olivia Stewart, who heads to California after discovering her sister, Eleanor, died a mysterious death.  The town is led to believe that Eleanor committed suicide, but Olivia is determined to get to the bottom of what really happened.  Olivia gets more than she bargained for after she is thrown overboard on her way to Mercy Falls.  Her rescuer just happens to be Eleanor's fiancee.  Is it the right place at the right time or is he behind this?  Olivia is driven to find the answers she is looking for.

I wasn't sure if I would like this author or not since I had never read any of her books.  But once I picked this book up, I couldn't put it down.  I read it in about 3 days.  This book was great!  I think that the author did a wonderful job in keeping it suspenseful.  It kept me wondering as to who had done it with all the twists and turns.  I loved how each chapter made me want to keep going to the next.  It is definitely a fun read, and I would highly recommend it!  I'm definitely going to look up her other books now and read some more of her work.

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