book reviews!

The intro to this devotional book, Voices of the Faithful book 2 by Beth Moore is great as the author shares the purpose for the book. I was drawn to the book because I have been involved in missions, but loved that she stresses that one of the goals is to connect Christians everywhere and "ditch the 'us and them' mentality." another goal is to motivate others to serve missions if one feels a call, but also reminds us that as christians, some are called to other areas of service. wherever we serve, we need the support of other Christians and that is offered in the book! Both introductions note that the book is a great place to begin to pray for missionaries serving now, to have a specific person and place to pray for each day as one reads the devotion. Imagine if all of us reading this book would pray for each author as we read! What an amount of prayer for these amazing missionaries! The devotions are short, less than a page each, with a scripture verse and a simple guide to prayer. They are separated by month into themes, such as prayer, God our loving Father, divine appointments, etc. devotions bring you into the lives of missionaries for a tiny taste of their service. This is a great devotional guide for those with a heart for missions, whether you have served or not, and those who want to focus your prayer life on missions and make a difference in the lives of missionaries today! I would definitely recommend this book, whether you are just beginning to attempt daily devotions, or just want to add a missions focus to your current devotional time.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The Charlatan's Boy by Jonathon Rogers was a funny, sweet story of an "ugly" boy and his journey through life as an orphan found by a showman trying to make money off a gullible public. It has a great ending I didn't expect at all! And Grady is a wonderful character, with a sweet, friendly heart yet lonely and wondering where he fits in and being betrayed by his only "family". I would recommend this book to any age reader! I enjoyed it as an adult, and think even younger readers would enjoy it as a read-aloud. I agree with other reviewers that though published through a Christian publisher, it's not an overtly Christian book and I think could be popular among secular readers as well, though I think if you read it with a faith perspective there are parallels that could be drawn. Overall an enjoyable book.
I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.
 
While the World Watched by Carolyn Maull McKinstry is a great book to learn about racial injustice in the south through the story of a young girl who witnessed the bombing of her church and the deaths of 4 of her friends. This is a very readable history of this woman's life and how she was personally affected by the treatment of blacks in the south. I did not feel like the author wanted me to feel guilty for being white, but more like she wanted to get readers thinking about what we do now to love others around us (of any race!). I would recommend this book to anyone interested in stepping into the shoes of someone who lived these injustices; it is simply written and appropriate, I believe, for even younger readers to use as an introduction to the subject.

Tyndale House Publishers has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book for review