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.

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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.

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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.