Core 52: A Fifteen-Minute Daily Guide to Build Your Bible IQ in a Year by Mark E. Moore

Pastor and Bible teacher, Mark Moore, has written a great tool for all Christians, new and mature.  Core 52 is a year-long guide to the Bible.  It enables a new Christian to get a good grasp and overview of the Bible and the mature Christian to grow deeper in their understanding of the Bible.  For all Christians it is a one-stop-shop for memorizing key Scripture passages and a practical daily devotional. 

Core 52 is divided into, you guessed it, 52 weeks.  Each week starts out with a question such as Why am I here or Who do you say Jesus is or How can I reduce worry?  Great questions!  Then Moore proceeds to answer that week's question with solid Biblical essay (teaching), about 5-6 pages long.  He ends each essay with several Key Points to summarize it and help the reader remember it.

Day 2 of each week is memorizing a Bible verse that is a core text for that week's topic.  Day 3 is reading another passage from the Bible that helps illustrate that week's text.  Day 4 is meditating on (thinking about) 3 more Bible passages that connect to the first.  Day 5 is a call to action, a step to take to put that week's lesson into action. Finally, Pastor Mark gives an "Overachiever Challenge" for those who want to take it even further, with an additional Scripture to memorize and a "Bonus Read" in the form of helpful book to read by another author. His intent is that each day would take about 15 minutes.

Each lesson builds on the previous and takes the reader all the way through the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation.  If he or she is faithful to complete the entire year, they would have a great overview of the Scriptures and a wonderful framework for understanding God's Word.  I obviously did not go through every lesson yet, but as I skimmed through the book and read several of them, I especially enjoyed  "Election and Predestination", "Baptism" and "Overwhelming Worry".

I received an uncorrected proof of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

The Jesus Who Surprises: Opening Our Eyes to His Presence in All of Life and Scripture

The Jesus Who Surprises is a wonderfully complete Bible study .  It includes not only 6 weeks of Bible study, with lessons for 5 days each week but also lots of supplemental material.  Each week's lesson begins with a teaching from the author, Bible teacher Dee Brestin.  There is also an optional video testimony on Dee's website for each week as well as a suggested sermons on YouTube from well-known pastors such as Tim Keller and R.C. Sproul for those who want to take an even deeper dive into the material. 

Dee starts the book off with a chapter on how to use the book and study and even includes an optional Get-Acquainted study for groups who want to schedule that before they jump right into the study.  She ends the book with more extra material for leaders or group facilitators. Brestin even gives different ideas for a group prayer time each week. Really, this book includes both a leader's and member's manual right in one handy package.

But all that is just pretty packaging if the study isn't solid.  No fear with that here!  This is good stuff!  I love the topic: opening our eyes to the presence of Jesus in all of life and Scripture.  I'll talk about the Scripture aspect first.  The main passage for this study is from Luke 24, where Jesus appears on the Emmaus Road after his resurrection to 2 disciples.  They don't recognize him at first so he breaks down the Old Testament to them, showing them passage by passage how he is the Messiah. Dee also takes us through the Bible, passage by passage, showing us Jesus.  First in the first 5 books of the Bible, then in the Psalms and Isaiah. 

At the same time, Brestin teaches us to look for Jesus in all of our own lives with a method called God Hunt, intentionally looking for signs of Jesus in our everyday lives. This is a concept I learned and practiced years ago through a Bible study by Karen Mains.  It was a gift to me then and I'm certain would be a blessing again.

I have not yet done this study with a group, but am excited to do so.  There is some wonderful, substantial Biblical teaching here that I am certain would enrich the lives of those who commit to the study.  I did receive an Advanced Readers Copy of this book from the publisher in return for my honest review.

Hearing God: Eliminate Myths. Encounter Meaning. by Nathan Finochio

Hearing God is for those who don't hear God or aren't sure if they hear God or for those who doubt that God still speaks.  Nathan Finochio, a teaching pastor at Hillsong New York City, addresses six common reasons why a person might not be hearing God.  Each reason or myth, as Finochio calls them, comes with real-life examples, Scripture backup and then a succinct point to remember.

This is such a great quote from the end of the first chapter that I think sums up the book very well: "I'm telling you that God, by the Holy Spirit, is speaking His formative words over you from so many angles, but you're just not hearing them yet (emphasis mine).  You will, though.  You'll recognize His patterns.  You'll learn His language. You'll figure this out, and you'll grow.

Maybe what we need to do is lean in.  Draw close.  Ask the Holy Spirit to draw us to Himself, to show us who we are in Him.  And then listen when we need to listen and speak when we need to speak.

Just like in a conversation."

One of the best parts of Finochio's style for me is his sense of humor.  This is obviously a serious topic, but the way he injects humor makes it so much more readable and pleasurable.  I also appreciate the last chapter of the book, which gives response ideas for each of the six myths.  The ideas are short, easy to implement ways to overcome your own obstacles to hearing God and to move into deeper relationship with Him.

I received an uncorrected proof of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review. 

Eat Live Thrive Diet: A Lifestyle Plan to Rev Up Your Midlife Metabolism by Danna Demetre and Robyn Thomson

Being a middle-aged woman, I was very interested to read Eat Live Thrive Diet and was fortunate to receive a copy from the publisher in return for my honest review.  The cover of this book is very eye-catching.  The authors, Danna Demetre and Robyn Thomson, are featured in sleeveless tops.  They are both 55+ and look really great. I really enjoyed reading both of their stories and how they had struggled with weight, body image and health issues.  Danna and Robyn are both Christians and weave Scripture and Biblical principles throughout their book, which I appreciated.

This book lays out a great plan for changing your lifestyle: diet, exercise, sleep, and body image.  Danna and Robyn use proven principles that have worked for them personally.  They suggest modifications along the way for those with limitations or special circumstances and have lots of FAQ's.  The Diet really is well thought out and thorough.

All that being said, I have not really attempted the program myself.  I lost 35 pounds on Weight Watchers 2 years ago and don't really need to lose weight.  However, there is still plenty of great material in the book that I could use.  There are delicious-sounding recipes, exercise tips, nutrition advice and  suggestions for an over healthy lifestyle that would make the book more than worthwhile. 

If you too are a middle-aged woman who is looking to improve her health and well-being, I would definitely suggest checking out Eat Live Thrive Diet!

American Omens: The Coming Fight for Faith by Travis Thrasher

American Omens: The Coming Fight for Faith is not the type of book I would normally read but since I had the opportunity to receive a copy from the publisher, I decided to give it a go.  And surprise!  I loved it; it was a true page turner! 



This fascinating read is a fiction thriller, but the premise is sadly not at all hard to imagine.   Author Travis Thrasher spins an exciting tale where he imagines a future in the United States where churches and Christians have been forced underground due to laws that declare it to be a religion of hate.

One of the most enjoyable aspects for me personally was that this book was partially set in the Midwest and several times referred to West Michigan where I live.  I really got a kick out of that!

 I also appreciated that the characters were genuine people, not just happy shiny pollyanna-like Christians.  The believers I know, myself included, sometimes struggle with their faith, are angry at God, and have a hard time trusting his sovereignty. Those are the kinds of characters I relate to and those are the kinds of characters in American Omens.

 If you enjoy suspense, adventure and a bit of futuristic fantasy, you'll enjoy this book as I did.

The Minimalist Home: A Room-By-Room Guide to a Decluttered, Refocused Life by Joshua Becker

If you are new to the idea of decluttering your home, this would be a great book for you.  If you have already read other books or blogs about decluttering, then I'm not sure you'll find a lot new here.  I am in the latter category, so while this book was good and could be a definite help to anyone looking to pare down their belongings, I can't say really say that I would recommend The Minimalist Home over others like it.

Joshua Becker goes room-by-room instructing the reader how to minimize and declutter each space, including the closets and storage areas, even the furniture.  He includes a checklist in each chapter with questions to ask yourself about your belongings, so he is indeed thorough in his approach. There are also testimonies from people who have followed his methods and found freedom in minimalism.

There were two things I didn't like about the book: The first is that I thought he talked down to the reader a bit from his high horse.  He considers minimalism to be the best way to live and thinks everyone else should too.  The second is that I really didn't find it speak from a Christian perspective.  Mr. Becker does occasionally mention Christianity, but puts it on an equal plain with every other religion.  Actually, I wouldn't have known the book was written by a Christian unless I had read the last chapter in which he proclaims himself to be a Jesus follower.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Of Fire and Lions: A Novel by Mesu Andrews

I am a big fan of Mesu Andrew's Biblical fiction and very much enjoyed her newest, Of Fire and Lions. Mesu has a gift to make Bible characters come to life and leap off the page, and she certainly hit it out of the park with Daniel!  I loved learning more about Daniel and the time period in which he lived.  The background and history of what was going on in the Middle East politically, socially, economically, historically, was fascinating and really contributed to the story. 

The reader needs to understand that this is fiction.  Yes, it is based on what the Bible tells us about Daniel, but Mesu has also taken liberties to tell a full, rich story of his life.  As anyone who has ever read the Bible knows, we often only get a few details about a characters life (and often yearn for more).  Ms. Andrews gives us just what we are looking for. 

If you are interested in Old Testament history, Daniel in the lion's den, or just enjoy good historical fiction, you'll surely like this book!

I received an Advanced Reading Copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.