Disclosure: I was provided a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

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D and I are both in our early 40’s, so we have a way to go until retirement. However, it is always fun to imagine how our life will be once we retire. In the book Reimagine Retirement, C.J. Cagle writes about retirement from a Christian perspective. When thinking about retirement, most people think of having a lot of extra free time, vacationing, etc. while being on a fixed income. In contrast, Cagle urges readers to figure out how we can use the retirement years to glorify God.

This book has three parts, including reimagaining your perspective on retirement, remimagining your plan for retirement, and reimagining your life in retirement. While Cagle does not claim to be a financial professional, he outlines a lot of the basic financial and pragmatic considerations that are necessary to take into account before retiring. I also thought the section about being a good steward of our resources: Time (serving and mentoring); Talents (calling and vocation); Testimony (character and perseverance); and Treasure (stewardship and generosity) was especially thought-provoking. Whether retirement is years away or a current possibility, Reimagine Retirement is a valuable resource.

Disclosure: Moody Publishers provided a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

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52 Uncommon Family Adventures, by Randy Southern, is a good resource for families that are looking for “hands-on” devotionals. Each “adventure” has an idea for a family activity and related conversation starters regarding Biblical principles. There is also an accompanying section called “Language of the Day” that explains which “Love Language” (a la Gary Chapman, who wrote the Introduction) each activity might speak to.

The suggested adventures are either free or relatively low in cost. Many can be done at home, while others have you explore local areas in your neighborhood. Some of the adventures that sound fun to me are Indoor Camping, Book Challenge, and Traveling Abroad in the Comfort of Your Home. If you are more of the silly fun-type, there are ideas for Toilet Paper Olympics, a lip-sync competition and pillow fights. As my children grow older, I realize that our time to make family memories is fleeting. 52 Uncommon Family Adventures helps inspire families to make the most of their time together.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own.

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Reading books with my kids when they were little was one of my favorite activities to do with them. If I had Which Shape Should I Be back in the day, I would have put it into our reading rotation. This cute board book teaches children about shapes with colorful illustrations. I like how the book is interactive in that it asks the child to point to different shapes in the pictures. However, the author, Pamela Kennedy, also weaves a more meaningful lesson about how God created us to be different “shapes”. The book ends with the Bible verse, “I will praise you because I have been remarkably and wondrously made.” -Psalm 139:14, which is a good verse for us all to remember.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own.

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

You Of Little Faith, by Ryan Thomas, is one of the most thought-provoking books I have read in a while. This book shows how financial giving to the church leads to blessing through both a Biblical and personal lens. Early in their marriage, Thomas and his wife committed to giving half of their income to their church. It is clear that the blessings that resulted could have only been orchestrated by God. Their story is truly amazing and inspirational.

One of the reasons why this book appeals to me so much is that Thomas lays it out in such a logical way. The author (who is also a pastor) has degrees in philosophy, theology, and law, and his arguments are tightly written. When questions began to creep up in my mind about certain points, he addressed them. Thomas anticipates the naysayer and explains everything in a way that just makes sense. This book has even made an impression on my twelve-year old daughter who started to read it and is able to understand it.

Finances and giving are topics that the church often avoids addressing. If these are topics on which you would like to gain some Biblical insight, I would highly recommend You Of Little Faith. It will challenge you to examine your own giving and perhaps reevaluate your motivations and the amount you give.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own.

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

I have always admired the entrepreneurial spirit. When we hear about small businesses that take off, we often do not realize how much work and failure preceded the success. In Beginner’s Pluck, Liz Forkin Bohannon gives the full story behind her business, Sseko Designs.

I like how Beginner’s Pluck offers unique advice that I have not read already in other books. For example, she urges the reader to dream small (taking the first step is the most important) instead of being overwhelmed by the big dreams that can be intimidating. Another example is that Bohannon says we need to stop trying to “find our passion” and instead working on building it.

Bohannon’s passion is to create educational and economic opportunity for women across the world. The story how she was able to do this through a sandal-making business is truly amazing and inspiring. Bohannon also has both a sense of humor and humility that make this book quite an enjoyable read. Bohannon defines “pluck” as spirited and determined courage. If you want to increase your pluck, definitely give Beginner’s Pluck a read.

Disclosure: Moody Publishers provided a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

I do not homeschool my children, but it has always been a topic that is interesting to me. I have friends that homeschool, and I admire them for doing it. I know it is not easy. I think it would be difficult for me to deal with the negative comments from well-meaning and not-so-well-meaning sources, as well as self-doubt. Homeschool Bravely (How to Squash Doubt, Trust God, and Teach Your Child With Confidence) is a book that I would recommend to all homeschoolers, as well as those considering homeschooling. Jamie Erickson is a veteran homeschooler who has a lot of sage advice for fellow Christian homeschoolers.

The book is divided into three parts:

• Part 1: The Fear
• Part 2: The Struggle
• Part 3: The Solution

Each part consists of chapters devoted to specific issues that may come up with homeschooling. For example, Part 2 has chapters devoted to teaching with kids who are “outside the box”, teaching kids who struggle with academics, teaching older kids while also taking care of a toddler, and homeschooling through a life crisis. I like how Erickson provides specific ideas for keeping toddlers busy, as well as a list of ideas and activities to “sneak learning” into those crazy days that are bound to hit all of us at one time or another.

However, Homeschool Bravely goes deeper than just providing ideas for teaching at home. Erickson has a sincere heart for homeschooling and is passionate about God’s calling to homeschool her children. This book will be sure to encourage the homeschooler that may be feeling defeated or questioning God’s calling to homeschool.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own.

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

If you struggle with overwhelming worry and anxiety, Breaking Anxiety’s Grip by Dr. Michelle Bengtson is a book you need to read. It is filled with Bible-based wisdom regarding how to overcome feelings of anxiety using the power that God has given to each of us. The subtitle, “How to Reclaim the Peace God Promises” is key, as God’s peace is the ultimate anecdote to anxiety.

The author shares many several personal experiences with her own feelings of worry. A significant source of her anxiety stems understandably from her husband’s cancer diagnosis. Dr. Bengston is in a unique position as a board-certified neuropsychologist in that she has the professional training and experience to help others with their mental health problems. However, even with her extensive head knowledge about mental health, Dr. Bengston is not immune to the worry that can creep in when a crises hits. It is this vulnerability that makes this book feel authentic and helpful.

Breaking Anxiety’s Grip is filled with Bible verses that are a great reminder to us of God’s faithfulness through all of life’s circumstances. This book is a valuable read because it offers pragmatic ways to gird our faith in God’s plan and to equip us with strategies to fight back against anxious thoughts.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in order to facilitate this review.

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Before reading Nice: Why We Love To Be Liked And How God Calls Us To More, I never really thought about being “nice” as a problem. However, according to the author, Sharon Hodde Miller, God did not call us to be merely nice people. Miller explains how niceness can become an idol, and defines niceness as “the ways we make ourselves pleasant, agreeable, acceptable, or likable in order to get something.” When a Christian’s ultimate goal is to be “nice”, Miller shows how the result can be inauthenticity, corruption, cowardice, cynicism, self-righteousnes, or sentimentality.

Miller is careful to emphasize that as Christians, we are still called to kindness, gentleness and love. In no way is she advocating that we abandon niceness in favor of harshness, meanness, mud-slinging or name-calling. I really admire how the author is able to weave personal stories as well as stories from the Bible to illustrate the ways in which striving to be “nice” can actually lead to strife. Nice is a book that really made me reevaluate my own motives and ultimate goals for being nice. I would encourage anyone who thinks of themselves as a “nice” person to read this book and see if it challenges his or her notions of niceness as well.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own.

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

The subtitle of Take Back Your Time, by Morgan Tyree, is what piqued my interest in this book: Identify Your Priorities, Decrease Stress, and Increase Productivity. Yes, yes, and yes! Time is often talked about as the most valuable commodity in life. Everyone is given 24 hours a day, but what we do with those 24 hours can vary greatly. With a God-centered focus, Tyree offers practical advice about how to make the most of each day by studying your own personality, season of life, priorities and capacities.

The main lesson I learned from this book is that we should look at our time as being in one of three zones.

• Green Time Zone: Focus Time (check the box, get it done)
• Yellow Time Zone: Flex Time (work on several simple tasks at once)
• Red Time Zone: Fill Time (personal restoration time)

Frustration can set in when these these three zones are out of balance. I found Tyree’s advice regarding time management to be pragmatic and helpful. With the start of the new school year, a new soccer and basketball season, scouts, etc., it feels like our schedules become so busy. If you are facing a similarly busy season of life, Take Back Your Time may help you do just that.