Reviews
I enjoy reviewing books, cds, and other miscellaneous items to help others decide whether they want to purchase these items or not. Often I have the privilege of giving away one of the items I've reviewed, which I love!
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Courageous Women of the Bible by Latan Roland Murphy Book Review
by Heather Bock Read to the end to see how you can win a copy of this book yourself! I don’t consider myself to be a very fearful woman, but I don’t consider myself to be very courageous, either. Although I’m a bit paranoid around children and deep water, I don’t normally think out all the tragedies that could happen to my children. If I watch suspenseful movies (and even the old tv series Lost falls in this category for me), I will go down the path of fear, mulling over the disturbing images, imagining bogeymen and monsters lurking in dark shadows. Generally, though, I stay away from this kind of…
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Review of Quiet My Soul by Juliana Boudreaux
by Heather Bock I have a short review today of a short devotional written by Juliana Boudreaux called Quiet My Soul: Devotionals for the Single Mom. Now, I am not a single mom, but I’m all for getting the message out about a book with the purpose of aiding single mothers in their sometimes very difficult journey. Juliana has a heart for helping single moms understand who they are in Christ, and this book reflects that desire. This devotional has an entry for 31 days of reading with a very short message and a few related Scriptures per day. It can take less than five minutes to read each entry.…
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The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson Book Review
by Heather Bock When I first started reading The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson, I was taken aback. In fact, my mind filled with doubt. Batterson begins with a chapter called “The Legend of the Circle Maker,” which is a story in the Talmud also recounted by Josephus, the ancient historian, about a man named Honi who lived in the first century BC. The tale goes that rain had not fallen for more than a year, and Honi decided to intercede by drawing a circle in the dusty dirt around him. After he finished, he swore to God that he would not move from the circle until God showed mercy to His…
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Preoccupied with Promise by Courtney J Strong Bible Study Review
by Heather Bock My life is full. My life is busy. My life can be quite difficult at times. Sometimes under the stress of it all and when everything becomes challenging, I can find my joy slipping away. Even as a born optimist, the negatives can flash such bright lights that it’s hard not to focus on them. However, how important it is to keep the fruit of joy growing in abundance in my life. Courtney J. Strong, in her Bible study, Preoccupied with Promise, wants her readers to reclaim contagious joy in Christ no matter the circumstances. The picture she gives for most of the study is the Samaritan…
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Believe Boldly by Erica Willis Book Review
by Heather Bock Don’t miss my drawing for Passion’s new cd, “Whole Heart.” Details are below. I long for more in my relationship with God. I have begged Him for more evidence of His Spirit in my life. I want to experience more of Him and know Him deeper. I know this is possible because for one, God is infinitely greater than the evidence I’ve seen of Him in my life. Don’t get me wrong. He has worked in my life in many ways. He’s answered prayers, He’s changed my heart, and He’s provided me with many blessings. However, I know He can do bigger things for the second reason:…
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Passion “Whole Heart” CD Review
by Heather Bock Don’t miss a chance to win a copy of this cd–see below! In the past month or so, God has been doing a new work in my heart. He has a whole curriculum set out for me perfectly tailored. You can be sure I will be writing about some of the books He’s been using and some of the lessons He’s been teaching me soon. Through this time, God’s been drawing me deeper into relationship with Him and has ignited my passion for Him all over again. I know He won’t be satisfied until He has my whole heart. As God has been calling me to worship…
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Dreaming with God by Sarah Beth Marr Book Review
by Heather Bock Do you have dreams? I have big dreams and small dreams. I have dreams God’s helped me attain, dreams that have come undone, and dreams for which I still wait. Sometimes it feels like I’ll never reach those waiting dreams. Right now, I dream about being able to run injury-free again, publishing the Bible study I wrote, and adopting a child. I’m not sure if I’ll get to do any of these things, but I’ll keep dreaming about them until they either come true, or I realize they’re never going to happen. After all, I’m pretty stubborn about my dreams. Sarah Beth Marr is the author of…
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Talking to Jesus: A Fresh Perspective on Prayer by Jeannie Blackmer Book Review
by Heather Bock Do you want to talk to Jesus as if He were a friend? Do you want to talk to Him like He’s standing right in front of you? Would you like a new perspective on prayer? If you could answer yes to any of these questions, you might be interested in Jeannie Blackmer’s book Talking to Jesus: A Fresh Perspective on Prayer. I do already talk to Jesus as if He were a friend, and I often think of Him as if He were standing right in front of me, but I always love to hear a new perspective on prayer (like this one I read and reviewed…
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Can We Earn the Pleasure of God?
by Heather Bock See below for a chance to win a beautiful Art Journaling Edition Illuminated Bible that would make an amazing Christmas present for someone. Every Tuesday in my homeschool, we do an “art project.” Art is definitely my weakness, which is why we only do it once a week (and on Wednesdays when it’s being taught in their homeschool community). Unfortunately, as our days are packed with other subjects like math, English, history, and geography, art usually takes a back seat. My poor five-year-old son, JP, loves art and would like to paint every day. He tried to ensure this for himself by asking his grandma how to…
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God’s Big Plans for Me Storybook Bible by Rick Warren Book Review
by Heather Bock Read to the end to find out how you can enter my drawing for one of these Bibles. It would make a great Christmas present for any young child you know. My five year old son and I recently finished reading a storybook Bible together, and I knew he was ready for a more mature one. Around that time, I was given the opportunity to review Rick Warren’s new storybook Bible based on his bestseller The Purpose Driven Life, called God’s Big Plans for Me. It was great timing, and I was excited to be able to offer a quality children’s Bible to one of my readers. I started reading…