Easter Books for You and Your Family

 Posted by  Book Reviews, Sheila's Reviews
Mar 262010
 

With Easter rapidly approaching, I wanted to show you some books I recently found and that I am thinking about purchasing. As we try to share with our family about why we celebrate Easter, these books will help facilitate your endeavors. I hope that you will enjoy looking through them.

“Behold the Lamb of God”: An Easter Celebration (Hard Cover Book) Edited by Richard Neitzel Holzapfel, Frank F. Judd Jr., and Thomas A. Wayment

Followers of Jesus Christ since the beginning have referred to their Savior as the Lamb of God. While down by the river Jordan, John the Baptist was baptizing those who desired to follow the Savior.

When the Savior approached the Baptist, John declared, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). After John baptized Jesus, he bore record “that he had baptized the Lamb of God” (1 Nephi 10:10). The next day, when John and two of his disciples saw Jesus, the Baptist again proclaimed, “Behold the Lamb of God!” (John 1:36). Featuring beautiful artwork, this volume celebrates the life and sacrifice of the Lamb of God.

My First Story of the First Easter (Board Book) retold by Deanna Draper Buck, illustrated by Jerry Harston

Here is a wonderful way to introduce your little ones to the real meaning of Easter.

Written in language that can be understood by young readers or read aloud to preschoolers, My First Story of the First Easter tells the stories of the Last Supper, the Garden of Gethsemane, and Christ’s appearance to the Nephites, explaining the Atonement and Resurrection in simple, understandable terms.

Parents, grandparents, and teachers will welcome this newest addition to their child’s gospel library.

Easter Walk: A Treasure Hunt for the Real Meaning of Easter (Hard Cover Book) Written by Deborah Race Rowley, illustrated by Dan Burr

Follow Tyler and Amy as they take a much-anticipated Easter walk with their grandpa. Using clues from the scriptures, they find six objects that symbolize specific moments in the Easter story.

For example, they find something sharp to remind them of the Savior’s crown of thorns and something made of wood to remind them of the cross. As they walk, they learn important lessons about Easter and its particular message for their family, and yours.

This touching story beautifully illustrates the importance of the Savior’s Atonement and Resurrection as it helps us remember the true meaning of Easter. It teaches the eternal truth that families can be together forever.

The Gift of the Atonement: Favorite Writings on the Atonement and Resurrection of Jesus Christ by Various Authors

In this unique collection, some of the most important and inspirational writings from Church leaders and other beloved writer’s about Christ’s great atoning sacrifice have been assembled. Each chapter increases our understanding of this extraordinary and marvelous event, offering insights on the plan of salvation, grace and repentance, and resonates with gospel truth.

Presented as a beautiful gift book to share with family and friends, the pages of this small treasure are filled with hope and reassurance. The Gift of the Atonement will urge readers to embrace the Savior’s invitation to follow Him and claim the wondrous blessings of exaltation.
“In the gift of his Son hath God prepared a more excellent way.” -Ether 12:11

The Gift of the Atonement includes favorite writings from:
Melvin J. Ballard, Ezra Taft Benson, Tad R. Callister, J. Reuben Clark Jr., Sheri Dew, Marie Hafen, Patricia T. Holland, Howard W. Hunter, Ardeth G. Kapp, Spencer W. Kimball, Janet Lee, Gerald N. Lund, Truman G. Madsen, W. Jeffrey Marsh, Bruce R. McConkie, Joseph Fielding McConkie, David O. McKay, Robert L. Millet, Hugh Nibley, Chieko N. Okazaki, Stephen E. Robinson, Marion G. Romney, James E. Talmage, John Taylor, Brent L. Top, Wendy L. Watson, Orson F. Whitney, . . . and others.

In the Garden (Hard Cover Book) by Caralyn Buhner, Illustrated by Brandon Dorman

What happened in the Garden of Gethsemane and on the cross are difficult things for anyone to grasp, especially children.

Did Jesus fell a lot of pain? Was he all alone? Why did he have to go through that experience? How did he die? When was he resurrected? And why is all of this important to me?

 True to the sciptural accounts, this tender and inspiring book follows Jesus in his journey from the Passover to the Garden of Gethsemane and from Golgotha to the Resurrection. Beautifully written and illustrated, it will help children better comprehend the most significant events in the history of the world – the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ and his becoming the Savior of the World.

Though this is a very short list of Easter books that are available, these are the ones that caught my eye. If you are interested in any of them or other books about Easter, you can find them at these websites or at the actual bookstores. The most important thing is to make The Savior the center of our Easter celebration. These books are one way to help us in doing so.


–Deseret Book


–BYU Bookstore


–Seagull Book

Love Your Body by Brooke Parker, R.D. – Book Review

 Posted by  Blog Tours, Book Reviews, Shanda's Reviews, Special Features
Mar 042010
 

Title- Love Your Body: A Diet-Free Approach to Balanced Eating
Author- Brooke Parker, R.D.
Published Date– 2009
Published By– Walnut Springs Press
ISBN#- 978- 1-935217-37-4
If the message of this book could be summarized in one word, it would be awareness.

Awareness is empowering, and so are the lessons and messages found in Love Your Body. Brooke takes a deeper look at why women struggle so much with loving themselves and their bodies. She uses her experiences with counseling young women about their body image to help her readers understand how Satan is using sneaky tactics to trick them into worrying about and focusing on how the world views their body.

Using quotes from apostles and prophets as well as the Scriptures, Brooke encourages women to see themselves as Heavenly Father sees them.

The opening line in “Section 3: Your Body is a Gift,” brought about a big A-HA moment for me: “One of Satan’s most powerful methods for taking the influences of the Holy Ghost away from a woman is to create self-hate.” Brooke goes on to say, “He puts his foot in the door by convincing us that we need to become physically perfect according to the world’s standards.”

Most women know what it means to be “physically perfect according to the world’s standards.” But have we ever really thought about what it means to be as close to physically “perfect” on the earth as we can be according to Heavenly Father’s standards? Nobody knows our weaknesses better than our Father in Heaven, and I believe He gives us a lot of credit for doing our best. If doing our best pleases our Heavenly Father, shouldn’t it please us as well?

Brooke gives some good tips as far as dealing with food, reminding her readers throughout that “deprivation doesn’t work.” I think her strength, though, is in how she teaches women to talk to themselves. We would never allow someone else to talk to a spouse, sibling, child or other loved one the way a lot of us talk to ourselves.

In Chapter 12, there are a few body image tests I decided to take and actually wrote my answers in the book (I usually don’t do more than underline a thought here and there). The answers were very telling: I learned that I don’t really care what others think about how I look, but I’m actually very hard on myself and have unreachable (at this point) expectations. Going forward, I can set attainable goals instead of setting myself up for failure, and I can celebrate my smaller accomplishments more often which will encourage me to continue making better choices for myself.

I will be reading sections of Love Your Body with my preteen daughter who has recently started showing signs of concern about her body image.

When I ask my daughters if they think they are beautiful, my 8-year-old answers “Yes!” quickly and with confidence. My 12-year-old answers “Yes,” as well, though not nearly as quickly and with the tiniest amount of doubt in her voice. If I can help them avoid feeling about and talking to themselves they way I have to myself over the years, this book will be worth it’s weight in rubies.

I recommend Love Your Body as a good starting point for everyone, and encourage girls & women of almost any age to read it. Please seek further help if you find yourself unable to stop certain behaviors or need help dealing with any kind of eating disorder.

Heavenly Father knows we are beautiful, and He loves us so much! Let’s resolve to free ourselves from Satan’s grasp and learn to accept, love and see ourselves as our Father in Heaven does.
The publisher of Love Your Body is doing a blog tour giveaway. For more information, keep reading!

From Walnut Springs Press:


We will be giving away 5 copies of Love Your Body: A Diet-Free Approach to Balanced Eating as part of the online book tour. The contest starts February 17th and will close on March 5th at midnight, MST.

Entering the contest is easy–all you have to do is blog, tweet, follow, or comment and then fill out this little form here.

So exactly how do you blog, tweet, follow, etc. Here’s how.

1. Become a follower of our reviewers blogs. You can follow one of our reviewers or you can follow all of them. Remember that each blog you follow gives you another chance to win, so
why wouldn’t you choose to follow them all? But what if we are already following a them ask? Well lucky you because you get an entry for that too.


Walnut Springs Press
Brooke Parker RD
Of Writerly Things
Random-ish by Nichole
Queen of the Clan
Rachelle Writes
The Write Blocks Ronda Gibb Hinrichsen
Tangled Words and Dreams
*Tristi Pinkston, LDS Author
Why Not? Because I Said So!
LDS Women’s Book Review
 Cami’s Book

2. Post a comment on the reviews. .

3. Blog about the contest or one of the reviews. Spread the word. Just remember that the blog post either needs to link to the contest or to one of the reviews.

4. Follow us on twitter. Maybe you use twitter, maybe you don’t. But if you do, you should follow us.

http://twitter.com/walnutspringspr
 http://twitter.com/brookeparkerrd
http://twitter.com/camichecketts
http://twitter.com/valerieipson
http://twitter.com/Rachellewrites
http://twitter.com/LDSWBR
http://twitter.com/nicholegiles
http://twitter.com/TaDaFerguson

5. Tweet about the contest or one (or all) of the reviews. Yep, 144 characters or less is all it takes to enter.

6. Become a fan of Love Your Body on facebook. Brooke is constantly updating her fanpage with articles, recipes, and helpful hints.

7. Post about the contest on Facebook.

8. Anything else you can think of that will spread the word. If you mention it on goodreads, shelfari, google buzz, or any other social media site, or make it your status on gmail chat, MSN or yahoo messenger let us know. We want to reward your creativity with an entry.

Also, here is the blog tour schedule, so you can find the reviews on the correct days.

February 22
Of Writerly Things Valerie Ipson

February 23
Random-ish by Nichole Nichole Giles

February 24
Queen of the Clan Danyelle Ferguson

February 25
Rachelle Writes Rachelle Christensen

March 1
The Write Blocks Ronda Hinrichsen

March 2
Tangled Words and Dreams Alison Palmer

March 3
*Tristi Pinkston, LDS Author Tristi Pinkston


March 4
Why Not? Because I Said So! Sheila Staley
LDS Women’s Book Review Shanda Cottam

March 5
Cami’s Book Cami Checketts

American Girl Books: The Feelings Book and The Care & Keeping of You

 Posted by  Book Reviews, Sheila's Reviews
Feb 192010
 


Since I have been figuring grades, doing report cards and Parent Teacher Conferences, my reading has been at a minimum. I am in the middle of reading six different books that are Whitney nominated books. So, I really did not have a finished book to review. Instead, I wanted to share with you a series of books that help Tween Girls between the ages of 9-12. The books are from the American Girl company. I love their motto:


” American Girl celebrates a girl’s inner star-that little whisper inside that encourages her to stand tall, reach high, and dream big. We take pride and care in helping girls become their very best today, so they’ll grow up to be the women who make a difference tomorrow.”

The other day me and my daughter had a disagreement and I lost my cool and yelled at her. About 2o minutes later, she came downstairs with her “The Feelings Book: The Care & Keeping of Your Emotions” in her hands. She had turned to the chapter about anger and a section called, “Keeping Your Cool” and said, “Mom I think that you need to read this.” Here is what the book said, “It might help me stay calm if you would___________ (not point your finger, stop and listen to what I’m saying, ask how I am feeling) I have to say I was very impressed! She had found a way to explain how she was feeling and what she would like me to do. This is why I love this book!

Some of the great chapters included in this book are
-The Brain, the Body & Butterflies: In this chapter it discusses Brain Power, Why You Cry, Feeling out of Control and Holding it All In.

-How Do You Really Feel? : This chapter talks about What’s Your Reaction, Sorting it Out and Talking it Out.

-The Voice Inside: This chapter includes Thinking Smart, Learning Who You Can Trust and Clearing away the Clouds.

-Help!: This chapter is the best. It includes, I’m Scared, I Feel Anxious, I’m So Jealous, I’m Angry, I’m Lonely, I’m Really Sad, I’ve Been Disrespected, I’m Grieving and I Don’t Feel Safe.

-Feeling Positive: This includes The Good Stuff, Look Around and Keep it Up.

This book has colorful illustrations, small chapters and sub-chapters and is an easy to read format. You can pick the book up and open to any section and find what you are looking for without having to read it straight through. This book is so valuable in that it helps girls understand their emotions and handle them in a positive way. I learned also it is a good tool for parents to learn from our kids and how to help them.
The other book I bought my daughter was ,”The Care and Keeping of You: The Body Book for Girls.” This “head-to-toe” guide answers all a girl’s questions about her changing body, from hair care to healthy eating, bad breath to bras, periods to pimples, and everything in between. ” It makes talking about the facts of life an easy job for parents.



My daughter has been reading this book a lot the past two years. She has been up to date on all of the changes her body has been making. She comes to me often to discuss things and ask questions. We have had some wonderful talks together.

This series also includes the “Care and Keeping of YOU Journal” This journal is a sensitive, interactive companion to The Care & Keeping of You. It includes a period tracker and mood recorder, plus tips, quizzes, and checklists to help girls keep in touch with their changing bodies.
There is also , “The Feelings Journal” that girls can write in.

If you go to their website you will see many other books that could help your daughters/granddaughters. Todays world is a much harder place to grow up in than what we had to deal with. I feel any good resource, such as these books, are beneficial in assisting parents as they raise their children. There are also many books out there that help your boys learn about their changing bodies. Head to Amazon.com to see what books are available.
Good luck with any “tweens” in your life.








Of One Heart: Being Single in the LDS World by Valerie J. Steimle

 Posted by  Book Reviews, Sheila's Reviews
Jan 292010
 


I have been reading one of the most fantastic books! It is on being single and gets to the heart of what it is like. The author of this book is Valerie J. Steimle. She has lived the hard life of being a single Mom, after her husband died in his sleep, and left her to raise their nine children by herself. After reading that in the first chapter, it made my burden feel so light, in that I am only single parenting two children instead of nine.


Here is a good synopsis for the book found on the back of the book.

“In the LDS world (or the world of The Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) most adults are married with children. It has only been in the last ten years that bein
g single in the church has become much more common. Unfortunately, marriages are failing everywhere and there are now one third of the adults at church who are single.

Whether by divorce, death of a spouse or never married at all, there are challenges to being single in a predominately married wo

rld. Challenges I had never realized until I became single myself when my husband of 25 years suddenly passed away leaving me with nine children at my charge. A daunting task to say the least.

This book was written to help all those who are single, all those who have single friends and all those priesthood leaders with single members under their jurisdiction. I have written this book to help others understand what it is like to be single and included writings from other singles on how they feel about being single. “


From the beginning of this book I felt like…Valerie “gets it”. Another thing I want to say, is that this book was not published by the big companies that normally publish LDS books. This is a good thing, because I feel that Valerie was able to be more open and honest than if this book had been published by one of them. For example, she writes one whole chapter on “A Note to the Priesthood”. Basically, she outlines for Priesthood leaders things they should know and how they should learn to understand their role in helping the singles in their ward. This is done respectively, but bluntly. The number one things that most people don’t understand is this point she brings out, “Understand that many worthy single adults feel uncomfortable at Sunday meetings because of their situation.” I still feel this way at times. I was once a part of a couple and now I am alone sitting there with my children. The weekends they are with their Dad, I feel even more uncomfortable sitting there. I have appreciated those who have put forth the effort to make me feel wanted and sat by me or asked me to come sit with them and their family.

Another aspect that I needed to read and sink into my heart was this advice. It is about how to cope with being single.

-Make sure to pray and have scripture /reading study. We must keep the spirit with us always regardless of our circumstances.

-Attend your church meetings every Sunday. Valerie says,”Even if you just sit and feel the Spirit, that time helps you for the rest of the week and it will refill your emotional cup.”

-Church Service: Ask your priesthood leader if you want a calling and do not have one yet. It does feel good to serve others and this takes your mind off or your own problems.

-Support the singles program: this is something that I should do more of. Truthfuly, I just haven’t had much time to do many things besides parenting, teaching full-time and reading. ;)

-Keep a Song in Your Heart. I just love what Valerie said here,”When experiencing great tribulations and having to take one day at a time, it is so very difficult to have joy; in fact many times it is painful. Whenever you can: remember that Heavenly Father loves you. There are many looking down on you that love you and want you to keep a song in your heart.”

I feel that every member of the church, male and female should read this book. This book was written for those church members, who are single and over thirty years old. It was also written for those wanting to know how to help their friends and family members who are single. She has included as much information as possible, to help others understand, life from the single perspective. I also liked how Valerie pointed out one more reason all members should read this book.

“As my stake president so wisely counseled: ‘Everyone will eventually be single sometime in their life.’ Whether you are taken and leave a spouse behind or your spouse is taken and you are left behind; whether you have never had the chance to marry, or find yourself divorced:Everyone will be single.”

I wish that I could share more from this book because it has given me such strength to carry on in my single life. Valerie list many resources, helpful websites, articles and books about coping with single life and single parenting. This book was needed in my life. It speaks to the world in ways, we singles would like to but sometimes can’t express, but gives us a voice to share our lives and struggles with others.

I am grateful for Valerie listening to promptings of the Spirit that she should write this book. This book needed to be out there. I appreciate her sending me a copy to review; but I am more grateful for her sending the book to lift me up and increase my faith and not lose hope.
This book is available at Amazon.com. I recommend that every Priesthood & Relief Society leader in the church read this book. If you know someone in your family who is single, buy this book for them. (Read it first though, so you understand how you can help them through this trial.) If you are single, especially raising children on your own, you must have this book in your life. I promise you, that it will bring amazing light and knowledge in your life and you will not feel so alone in your journey.

I also highly recommend you visit Valerie’s website here. It is called, “Strengthen Your Home” and you can read about another wonderful book she has written called, “Home is Where The Heart Is”. This book gives you 60 articles about the strength of the family. There are many aspects of life that affect the family and Valerie J. Steimle touches on the strengths and distractions of what is so great about your family.

Have you ever asked yourself what is missing in your life? There is much commotion in the world and people are looking for fulfillment. Families are so important. They are what stabilizes us. We become so distracted with finances, work, entertainment and government that we don’t pay attention to what is really important: our families.






Mission 2 B :) by Michael McLean – Book Review

 Posted by  Book Reviews, Shanda's Reviews
Jan 192010
 

Title: M2B:) (Mission to be Happy)

Author: Michael McLean

Publisher: Deseret Book

Published Date: November 2009

ISBN#: 978-1-60641-203-9

Hardcover, 88 pages, full-length CD included


It’s hard to NOT feel happy looking at that cover.

Author/singer/songwriter Michael McLean, well known for his Forgotten Carols, has written a handbook for those who are ready to go on a Mission 2B:) with him. Not only has he written the handbook, he has also composed a number of songs to go with it.

So many things are working to bring us down these days – poor health, economic problems, environmental issues, relationship troubles – and Michael McLean offers a bit of brightness with his short encouraging chapters and the upbeat music included with the Mission 2B:) handbook. He’s also started a blog, missiontobehappy.com, to document his experiences on his own “mission.”

The book is slightly larger than a standard jewel case, an ideal size for slipping into a purse or briefcase. The hardback cover ensures durability and provides a place to store the CD.

Michael McLean was kind enough to do an email interview with me, and I’m glad to be able to share it with you below. My review and a sample song from the CD follow the interview:

SHANDA: Once you decided to write the M2B:) handbook, how long did it take you to complete the project?

MICHAEL: I started consciously pursuing the idea of M2B:) back in February of 2009. While waiting for the songwriter bailout package (which never arrived by the way. I only got a note from the government that said I, unlike Chrysler and AIG, was NOT too big to fail) I wondered what kind of an “Inspirational Stimulus Package” I could offer myself and my friends to get through difficult times. My first draft of the book and the corresponding collection of songs was submitted on June 11th, and then there was tweaking through the summer with the goal of an early release in time for the FORGOTTEN CAROLS tour, and then a full blown released starting January 1, 2010.

SHANDA: Did the subject/chapters for the book or the music & lyrics for the songs come first?

MICHAEL: The title track and a few of the other songs were written and scattered about without being given any particular focus until I started writing the book in earnest. Then, with the idea firmly in mind for a handbook, I mapped out chapters that begged for songs to accompany them. As I wrote more I found new ideas for songs and as I explored songs I’d been thinking about they would often inspire chapters. What I love about the CD that accompanies the book is that after reading the book (and it’s a short read) all of the songs are put in context SO when you’re jogging or driving or sitting on a plane somewhere the songs can remind you, over and over again, what the book was trying to communicate.

SHANDA: Which song did you have the most fun writing?

MICHAEL: All the songs were fun to write because I needed them to help me get over some of the obstacles a middle aged, clinically depressed, type 2 diabetic faces. I chose fun, upbeat, toe tapping, make-me-smile-knowingly or laugh-out-loud songs to make the point. The song WITH PAUL AND JOHN was a hoot to write and even more fun to record because we tipped our hat at all the Beatle-esque signature production ideas. I still crack up when I sing the “ooohs” in concert.

But the TOODLE-OO song and the PILLS song were super fun as well.

SHANDA: Which chapter or song holds the most meaning to you personally?

MICHAEL: Since every chapter in the book comes from a very real chapter in my life they ALL have deep personal meaning EVEN WHEN it’s approached in a light hearted tone. Read between the lines and the real power of the book reveals itself. But as of this writing I believe Chapter 6 on FAITH and the song I DON’T NEED A SIGN THIS TIME would be my answer. Next week might be different. That’s the joy of creating a handbook that needs to be adaptable to your life as you life. (or maybe I should say “your M2B:) as you experience it”)

SHANDA: What do you feel is the most important message for readers to come away with after reading Mission 2B:)?

MICHAEL: I hesitate to answer this because I gave the first copy of this book, hot off the presses, to a friend of mine and asked for his feedback. He wrote me back after a week of listening and it was clear that what he got out of it was very meaningful and profound BUT NOT what I thought to be the most important message. His big “ah ha” moment and song were so meaningful for him at that moment that I’m glad I hadn’t defined for him what I wanted him to receive.

I can tell you that one of the things that motivated me to see this project through was my own experience of “missing” so many great moments in my life because I believed the real happiness I desired was going to happen sometime in the future. I’ll be happy when (this or that happens)…or…I’ll endure this challenge so sometime in the future I’ll get a great reward….or….Won’t it be easy to find happiness when I’ve got more money, when we get through this crisis, when my meds kick in, when I’ve lost 10 pounds, when I write that big hit song, when my musical makes it to New York, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. The happiness, the real, authentic happiness, has got to be in this moment. If I can’t find it in writing you these words, expressing myself and answering your questions right now then I’m never going to find it because this moment is all I’ve got. If I think that my joy will come AFTER I write you these answers and maybe you share my answers as part of something you’re writing and then somebody reads it and they decide to check out the missiontobehappy.com website and maybe take a chance and buy the book and CD and listen to it and it’s something they love and so they write me a thank you email THEN, maybe then, I’ll be happy. If that’s how I’m living (and I’m embarrassed to say I’ve done that too often in the past) then I’m missing it.

What’s happened to me since I’ve tried living this way is that I’m finding joy in the process as I never have before, and taken the time to celebrate the unexpected joys that manifest themselves in my life everyday.

Plus, for the first time in my life, I’ve got a CD of my own songs that I love to work out to.

Thanks Shanda for the questions and your willingness to help people discover my M2B:).

SHANDA: You’re welcome. Thank you so much for taking time to answer my questions and for sharing your talent with us!

Here is the title track from the CD. You can find the rest of my review below:

What worked for me: As I read the book for review, Chapter 7- “Your Happiness, Your Way” stood out to me. It’s a chapter about deciding who we will allow to influence us, as well as trusting in Heavenly Father. I really liked one sentence in particular: “He invites us to worship Him because He knows we become like what we worship, and He wants us to share in His incomprehensible joy.”

I also like that there are journal pages provided for recording personal experiences.

A song that quickly became my favorite is #4 on the CD, titled “You Don’t Know (How Long This Thing is Gonna Last)” – with vocals by Rick Logan; produced by Michael McLean and Guy Randle. It’s headed straight to my playlist.

What didn’t work for me: My first time through the CD, as I followed along with the lyrics in the book, I wasn’t sure it would be something I would listen to repeatedly. But as I listened to the CD again in preparation to write this review, more of the songs started to really grow on me. The upbeat rhythms and tone of the music is pretty catchy- exactly what Michael McLean was aiming for, I’m sure.

Rating: 4 out of 5 (I appreciate the positive messages)
Would I read it again? There are a few chapters I wouldn’t mind revisiting from time to time.
Would I recommend this book? Yes; especially for those who need encouragement from someone who can relate.
Would I read more of Michael McLean’s books? Sure.

FTC FYI: LDSWBR received a free review copy of this book from the publisher. It did not affect my review of the book.

Means Justifies the End by Rick P. Avery

 Posted by  Book Reviews, Hillary's Reviews
Jan 132010
 

Hello Friends!
I decided for my book review today, I would review the book “Means Justify The End”, a book that was sent to us from the author, Rick Avery. I reviewed it briefly on one of our podcasts, but it was near the end, and I don’t feel like I did it justice:) So here you go!
Rick’s book is in first person and is written about his life experiences, growing up in a family which made sure that he learned about God and believed in Him. He writes interesting life stories and thoughts about his childhood regarding the concept if the means justify the end. His point is how by having the right attitude he made his life better, and by having the wrong one, his life was more challenging.
One of the saddest, yet poignant chapters I liked was about how his sister married this guy, who was perhaps not the best choice for her. They decided to take her little brothers camping. The boys, including Rick, were under 9 years old. They found a place to camp, left Bonnie, his sister there to hold the spot, then try to drive around to get a good place to park the car. Unfortunately, the brother in law didn’t have the greatest amount of common sense, or sense of direction and basically killed the car in the wrong area. By this time it had gotten dark. They started on foot to find Bonnie, carrying their sleeping bags. The brother-in-law got angry and would swear at them with them for keeping a slow pace (hello! they were little!!) until finally the boys decided to say a prayer to ask for help. Sure enough, along came a police officer who had been looking for them because Bonnie had flagged him down to ask for help. Rick learned an important lesson “My mom taught us all to pray, and I thank my Father in Heaven for a mom like mine. I find it interesting that [brother-in-law] Jack used the Lord’s name in vain , and all it did was make things worse. We called upon the Lord in praise, and it made everything right”. Interestingly enough, Bonnie divorced him and married a good man.
I liked this and quite a few other stories he tells in his book. I think it is a good, quick to read book that both men and women would enjoy reading. It also gives a good message and gives you things to think about. It is easy to find online and would be worth the read!
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