Mondays with My Old Pastor

By: Jose Luis Navajo

Mondays with My Old Pastor is about Jose Navajo, a pastor, who was burned-out from years of serving in the ministry.  On the verge of giving up he began meeting with his old pastor every Monday.  This book chronicles twelve of their Monday meetings along with an unexpected meeting.  Through stories and personal experiences this old pastor shares his wisdom gained from years of spending time with the Lord.  This is truly a heartwarming story that will make you laugh, as well as, shed some tears.

I absolutely loved this book and learned so much by reading it.  I know this book will be one that I reference often.  The life lessons were simple yet powerful.  Jose wrote the book in such a way that you felt like you were sitting right there with him and his old pastor.  I believe Jose was truly blessed by having this man in his life.  This book illustrates how much one life can impact the life of another.  Although people in ministry may be drawn to this book I believe that people who are not in ministry can also apply these principles to their lives.

*I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://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 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

She's Got Issues

By: Nicole Unice

I had never heard of Nicole Unice before but something about the introduction and summary of this book made me want to read it.  I am so glad that I did!  This book is about how many of us try to live a good Christian life but the same issues, that have tormented us for years, try to keep us from living life to the fullest.  These issues include insecurity, fear, comparison, anger and control.  Nicole explains these issues in a very relatable way.  She also includes quizzes, prayers and other self-assessment tools such as journaling exercises and group discussion questions.  I found these tools to be helpful and think that this book would make an excellent small group study or a study to do on your own.

I am so glad that I choose to review this book as it really spoke to me.  I enjoyed Nicole’s style of writing as I felt like I was sitting with a friend who really knew me and what I was going through.  Many times I found myself re-reading a sentence because it was like a light bulb went off when I read it.  This book also served as a gentle reminder of things that I know but so often overlook.  I definitely recommend this book.     

  

*Tyndale House Publishers has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book.

 Additional Resources:

Author Site: http://www.nicoleunice.com/
Video Clip: http://www.tyndale.com/video/369

Wildflowers from Winter

By: Katie Ganshert

The book Wildflowers from Winter is a wonderful debut novel written by author Katie Ganshert.  I could not put this book down.  It captured my attention from the beginning.  Please click the following link to read the first chapter.  Read Chapter One 

This fictional story is about the journey of Bethany Quinn.  She is an architect at a prestigious Chicago firm and has built a life this is far from the life that she lived growing up in Iowa.  One day she receives a call from her estranged mother regarding a tragedy that her friend, Robin, has suffered.  Although Bethany has distanced herself from Robin over the years, she decides to return to Iowa to support her friend.  Bethany plans to return to Chicago as fast she can but an unexpected inheritance ties her once more to the place she would most like to forget. 

 

I highly recommend this book.  It was well written.  The author sprinkles clues throughout the book that eventually lead you to the pain that Bethany had to endure as a child.  This book has a lot of twists and turns that will keep you wanting to read on to find out what happens next.  Along with the element of sorrow this book also contains a romance story.  It is definitely worth reading.  Also, in March 2013 there will be a second book called Wishing on Willows which will be Robin’s story.  The author mentions this in the Acknowledgements section of the book, as well as, on her website.  Please see below for additional links that you want may to check out.

*I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

Additional links:

• Author's Site
• More Info
• Author Bio