Jesus Storybook Bible

I recently had the opportunity to review The Jesus Story Bible: Every Story Whispers His Name written by Sally Lloyd-Jones and illustrated by Jago. Wow! I was impressed! This is a hardcover book with about 350 pages. The book is divided into 43 stories. At the top of each chapter is the Scripture reference where the story came from. The stories are very easy to read. There were some artistic liberties (like God said, "Hello light") but I didn't think it took away from the story. The best part of the book, is that it truly does show how the story of Jesus is woven the Bible. This weaving starts with creation and the fall....

Before they left the Garden, God whispered a promise to Adam and Eve; "It will not always be so! I will come to rescue you!...."

After the Tower of Babel, the thread goes on....

People could never reach up to Heaven, so Heaven would have to come down to them. And, one day, it would.

After telling the story of Abraham offering Isaac, the story continues....

Many years later, another Son would climb another hill, carrying wood on his back. LIke Isaac, he would trust his Father and do what his Father asked. He wouldn't struggle or run away. Who was he? God's Son, his only Son--the Son he loved. The Lamb of God.

Throughout the book, the Story continues. The illustrations are very well done. The colors are vibrant, and the pictures are varied. Some pages just have "portraits" with the character names underneath. Other pages have illustrations that cover the entire two page spread. Every so often, you have to turn the book sideways because the two page picture is tall instead of wide. That said, the style of the illustrations are not really my style. I don't like the faces. But my kids loved the pictures. The night I received the book, I sat down with my kids (11, 5 and 3) and started reading. After finishing the first story, we looked through the pictures. The kids were able to identify most of the stories from the picture. Each night since, we have read one chapter. (Well, some nights it was two because they begged for more!) Every time a statement was made about The Secret Rescue Plan or some other reference to Jesus' birth, my kids (well, the 11 and 5 years old, at least) were able to tell me what it meant. My kids have a pretty good Biblical foundation already, but they enjoyed this retelling. My 11 year old did correct a few things, but he still asks for "one more story!" My 5 year old has gotten the most out of the stories. The 3 year old doesn't like to sit still for anything, but he did pay attention. Last night he wouldn't let me read until he was settled. I think this Storybook Bible would also be appropriate for someone with a limited (or no) experience with the Bible. The Jesus Storybook Bible retails for $17, but both ChristianBook.com and Amazon had it for less. Thanks to Faith Approved for this review opportunity.

Kissing and Cooking

Recently, I did something I had never done before. I contacted an author and asked to review her book. I first "met" Kim Reutzel when I answered a HARO request to interview couples who have been happily married for more than 20 years. I answered her questions, but before I submitted them, I decided to check out her website. It turns out she is an author, speaker and pastoral counselor. As I checked out her website, I saw references to a new book: Kissing and Cooking I was intrigued. So I wrote Kim a note. I reminded her how I "met" her, and told her my husband and I are marriage mentors for our church. And I asked her if she would be interested in sending me a copy to review. I also gave her the option of sending a copy to giveaway. She did one better. She included a 3rd copy to give to our pastor who heads the marriage mentoring ministry. Kissing and Cooking (which was released on December 30, 2008) is a small book (about 5" x 7") with 230 pages. It is an easy read. The book is divided into two parts: There are seven chapters with recommendations to spice up your relationship followed by twelve date night recipes. Each chapter is broken into subsections that are short bites (1-3 pages long) so it was easy to read a section at night, even if I didn't have time to read an entire chapter. (I absolutely hate putting a book down in the middle of a chapter!) I read the book over about a week before going to sleep. I think someone could actually read the seven chapters in 2 or 3 hours, if there were no interruptions. (If you are like me, you rarely--if ever--have 2 or 3 hours uninterrupted!) I read through most of the recipes in one sitting. The chapters include faith based biblical advice on subjects such as: communication, turning conflict into compromise, controlling your thoughts, having realistic expectations, building on your differences, spending time together, and love. One chapter, Let's kiss and make up!, focuses on fighting fair. "Conflict is inevitable; compromise is a choice". In this chapter, Kim gives some helpful tools to use to help resolve conflicts. Kim encourages you to focus on the issues, our temperament, our feelings and the real need to reach a healthy compromise. I like how Kim compares compromise to a golf game that is scored "best hole". For each hole, the team member who has the best score provides the score for the entire team. When you come up with a workable solution, you both win. "You either both win in marriage or you both lose". (p. 102) The second half of the book includes detailed recipes and instructions for date 12 nights. The recipes vary from full 4 course meals to movie snacks. Each menu includes a shopping list (divided into three categories: pantry, produce, other); an open-ended question to answer during dinner; detailed cooking (and kissing!) instructions for each menu items (with kissing quotes mixed in); a Scripture passage; a table prayer; table topics (discussion items); The Marriage Planner's advice: and advice from other couples. This would be a great gift for any couple: newlywed to long married. For the newlywed, it would be great to help them get their romance off to a good start. An "old" married couples could use a new spark to rekindle the romance. Want to buy it? Price $14.99 includes free shipping and free audio download of book. Visit Kim's store. (There are some other fun things there too!) Want to win it? I have an autographed copy of Kissing and Cooking for one reader! To enter, leave a comment with one way you spice up your marriage (keep it G-rated please!). It doesn't have to be something you've tried yourself. Want some extra entries? (leave a separate comment for each) * Visit Kim Reutzel's website and tell me something about her or her products. * Follow me on Twitter. * Add my button to your blog (code on the upper right) * Follow my blog (on blogger, Google (or anther reader), or my RSS feed) * Blog about this contest. (leave the link) * Tweet about this contest (leave the link) * (Shameless plug for my husband's new ministry!) Visit Mac4Missions and post something that you learn there. Entries will be accepted until Thursday, January 15th. I will contact the winner by e-mail. (Make sure your blog profile is public, or include an e-mail address in your comments.) Winner will have 3 days to respond or another name will be drawn. (US shipping address only.)