"When God Makes Lemonade" created by Don Jacobson

"When God Makes Lemonade" created by Don Jacobson is a compilation of true short stories which demonstrate the lemonade that God blesses us with when we experience the lemons of life. The stories range from happy to funny, and even sad, but all are inspirational.  There are a total of 68 stories most of which are but a couple of pages in length so even the busiest of readers can easily read one or two at a time. The book is 344 pages in length.

I have always enjoyed this type of book and this one reminds me of the very popular "Chicken Soup For The Soul" books. This, like the "Chicken Soup" books, is one you can pick up anytime you want an uplifting little story to read. While it is excellent for anytime of day, in my opinion, it is ideal for reading at bedtime. One nice added feature I appreciated was the addition of the author's own story.  It's always nice to learn something about an author beyond the usual  "About The Author" portion of a book.

I highly recommend "When God Makes Lemonade" to everyone. Even older children would find the stories of interest and the brevity would attract them as well.

I received a free copy of this book from Booksneeze a review program of Thomas Nelson Publishers in exchange for my honest opinion. The words are my own.

Heaven's Lessons by Steve Sjogren

  Heaven's Lessons by Steve Sjogren is about the author's "Near Death Experience" that resulted from a relatively simple operation that went wrong and the lessons he learned from it which he passes on to his readers. 

When I first began reading "Heaven's Lessons", I wondered what was I letting myself in for and I wasn't sure I would be able to finish the book.  In the very first chapter entitled, "We Live In A Spiritual World", he starts out writing about the gal bladder surgery and the complications of it which caused his heart to stop for seven minutes at which time he experienced his Near Death Experience or NDE for short. The book isn't focused on the NDE but rather the lessons he learned. What really had me wondering was some of the statements he made in the chapter when he talked about the spiritual world we live in. He mentions doing what he called, "biblical dream interpretations", saying, "God goes out of his way to connect with people, including giving them dreams about Jesus". He, then, goes on to say how there is a dark side and how he has "expelled demons out of dozens of people".  Several things he mentioned in the chapter had me wondering, what sort of guy is he?  He tells of another incident in which he was led to ask a shopper at a Best Buy store if he could pray for him and how God said he would give him one of His prayers to pray.  When the shopper gave him permission to pray for him, the author said when he took hold of his arm, he had a mental picture that told him the shopper was a medical student in class and even what he was wearing. I won't go into all of the parts I read that led me to have questions about the author. Those interested can read it for themselves.

Once I got past the rest of the first chapter, and some of the next, it was more believable, more in line with Biblical Christianity.  The remaining chapters deal with facing our fears and getting over them, why we, as Christians, needn't fear death, how God heals gradually, about perservering in the Christian life, being thankful, etc.

The author writes well so it is an interesting read but because of the initial problems I had with some of what he said, I don't know that I can really recommend the book. This is a book that the reader must judge for themselves.

I received this book free from the Thomas Nelson Publisher's Booksneeze  review program in exchange for my thoughts. The words are my own.

Six Hours One Friday by Max Lucado

"Six Hours One Friday" by Max Lucado, one of the most loved Christian Authors tells the Biblical account of Christ's crucifiction when He voluntarily gave His life to pay the penalty for our sins in our place.  Most, if not all, who read this book have read or heard about the crucifiction several times but Max tells the story beautifully, in a way that makes it really real and he makes you, the reader, feel as if he is carrying on a conversation with you. He makes plain the love Christ has for us as well as the agony and torture He experienced in dying in such a horrible way.  Max has you see what Christ did for sinners in a fresh, new way.

I highly recommend "Six Hours One Friday" to everyone. It isn't a long read-just 214 pages-and each of the 19 chapters is a good length-not too short or too long. The chapters are divided under three "Anchor Points"-- "My Life Is Not Futile", "My Failures Our Not Fatal", and "My Death Is Not Final".  Also included is a Study Guide in the back of the book that covers each chapter.

I received a free copy of "Six Hours One Friday" from Thomas Nelson Publisher's Booksneeze review program in exchange for an honest review. The words are my own. 

Grace: More Than We Deserve-Greater Than We Imagine by Max Lucado

I have read several excellent books on the grace of God and Max Lucado's "Grace: More Than We Deserve-Greater Than We Imagine" is one of them. I love reading about God's wonderful grace and if it were possible, I would read every book written on the subject! In everyone I have read, I always come away with either something new or a different way of thinking about grace.

Max Lucado received much praise for this book from several well known authors and that's not surprising. Max is a is a very talented and prolific writer. He writes like he is carrying on a conversation with the reader which makes it really difficult to put the book down.

Max's book is comprised of 11 chapters and a conclusion. Following the conclusion is a Reader's Guide with sections for each chapter of the book and questions for the reader to answer. Every chapter is worth reading, and it's hard to say what my favorite chapters are because they're all good and hold your interest. He has such a beautiful way of putting words together. An example I really love is: "Let grace happen, for heaven's sake. No more performing for God, no more clamoring after God. Of all the things you must earn in life, God's unending affection is not one of them. You have it. Stretch yourself out in the hammock of grace. You can rest now", which comes from page 49 of chapter four.

Max makes God's grace so easy to understand. It's like he's talking to a friend. I highly recommend that everyone read this book, whether you are a new Christian or a seasoned one and especially if you are not, yet, a Christian and are seeking God.  It's not a book you'll soon forget.

I received this book free from the Thomas Nelson Booksneeze review program in exchange for my honest review of the book.

When Your Parent Becomes Your Child by Ken Abraham

Because I lost my Dad two years ago, "When Your Parent Becomes Your Child" by Ken Abraham really hit home.  Much of the book, while excellent as far as readability, was difficult for me to get through, yet, at the same time it was hard to put down.  Ken tells a first person account of his mother's dementia and the eventual hospice care and death. He writes very well and I really appreciated his honesty in regard to his feelings during his mother's illness.  A lot of the book was familiar to me because much of what Ken went through with his mom, I experienced with my dad, although, my dad's symptoms weren't as severe as his mother's were. 

Ken wrote the book in a story form, including conversations with his mother and others and recounts events that were comical and sad, which I thought added so much, making it more personal and interesting.  In addition, he explained about the financial aspects of assisted living facilities as well as nursing homes and admitted to the guilt feelings that many have when they must place their loved ones in places for specialized care.  I could really relate to that because I had to place my dad in an assisted living facility where he spent the rest of his life.

Several times, while reading the book, I had to stop reading because the tears that were evoked blurred the words until I could no longer make them out.  So much of Ken's story brought back so many memories of my dad it was over-whelming. 

I highly recommend this book to anyone with elderly parents. Actually, everyone should read it to get an idea of what it's like and what all is involved in dealing with the elderly who have dementia. Ken's story is well told and he gives pertinent information that one should consider "When Your Parent Becomes Your Child".

I received this book from the Thomas Nelson publisher's book review program in exchange for an honest review. The words are my own.

The Gaither Homecoming Bible--Bill and Gloria Gaither

The Gaither Homecoming Bible is a very nice Bible in the NKJV.  I found it quite interesting and helpful.  It is different from other Bibles due to the inclusion of short devotionals with accompanying Scripture verses by Bill and Gloria Gaither, as well as the many contributors. Included are nice color photographs and a brief biography of each of the contributors. I really appreciated that as I always like to know something about the authors of any material I read.  Another very nice feature is a 60-Day Gaither Homecoming Bible Reading Plan.  In addition to the Bible reading plan is an index of several songs, some by Gloria Gaither, as well as other well known hymns by John Newton (Amazing Grace), etc.  Not only are the words to each song included, but a bit of history about the songs, which I especially enjoy.  I very much like this Bible and highly reccommed it. The only regret I have is that Bill and Gloria Gaither's song, "The King Is Coming", which I love was not included. 

Cruel Harvest by Fran Elizabeth Grubb

My first response after reading this book was, WOW!  What a tragic, but powerful story.  That Fran was able to come away from such a horrendous childhood of abuse with the ability to forgive her abuser is a wonderful testamony to what the Lord is able to do in our lives. 

The book is just 255 pages-not long-but it tells the story well.  Fran tells the story of her life with her siblings of how they were subjected to unbelievable mental and physical, and sexual abuse at the hands of her alcoholic father as the the family went from place to place as migrant farm workers, never having a decent place to live.  Not only were the children severely abused, but their mother endured terrible beatings as well, yet she did her best to care for her children the best she could.  Fran's mother did tell her about God which little Fran clung to and which helped her survive, despite being dirt poor and having little to no food, hardly any clothes, and only small, shaby and cramped housing on the properties of the migrant farms.

Those of us who haven't experienced abuse, may find it difficult to believe that any human being could inflict such terrible pain on another person, especially their own children, but, tragically, it does happen more often than we know. 

One of the most touching parts of her story was when she, along with her wonderful husband, went to the grave site of her father and said, "I forgive you, Daddy."  That brought tears to my eyes.

I highly recommend it, although, it isn't for young readers due to the explicit details of the abuse Fran and her family suffered.  Otherwise, it is a story that needs to be told.  Everyone needs to be aware that severe mental, physical, and sexual abuse does, indeed, happen and we all need to do what we can to stop it from continuing.

I received this book from the Thomas Nelson Booksneeze program in exchange for my honest review. The words are my own.