Your God is Too Glorious: Finding God in the Most Unexpected Places by Chad Bird

Your God Is Too Glorious: Finding God in the Most Unexpected Places by Chad Bird
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to review a free digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is a gold mine! Do not let the title fool you - when I first saw the title, 'Your God is Too Glorious' - I immediately thought... No He's not!! He is completely glorious! - What kind of heresy is this??? But then the rest of the title says, "Finding God in the Most Unexpected Places". I would say that the 2nd part of the title is the true title. The author takes the reader through his own broken experiences, the broken experiences of others he has met, and some Bible characters to show us what most of us Christians already know - that we really experience who God is during the trials and the "yucky" times of our life. I spent time both laughing and crying while reading this book. I think Chad Bird is an amazing author. I look forward to reading more of his books.

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Understanding your Child’s and Teen’s Behavior: Simple Steps and Resources to Guide You Through the Journey - Read!

Understanding your Child’s and Teen’s Behavior: Simple Steps and Resources to Guide You Through the Journey by Angie Rumaldo
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to have a free digital ARC in exchange for an honest review of the book.

I think every parent wonders if their child is "normal". This book gives a good assessment of normal and not so normal behaviors that children exhibit in all stages. The author is an experienced licensed social worker. She explains very clearly what steps you, as a parent, can take if you are concerned about certain behaviors in your child. She even explains what you can do to advocate for your child in school. I found the section on 504 plans and IEPs very informative.

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Wicked River by Jenny Milchman - Don't read

Wicked River by Jenny Milchman
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to review this book. I am torn with this book. It was semi-interesting. The plot was pretty interesting, but the big drawback is that the characters are pretty shallow. I have a hard time getting into a book when I don't feel connected to the characters. If you like a good fast-moving plot, you may enjoy this one.

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Enough by Sharon Jaynes

Enough: Silencing the Lies That Steal Your Confidence by Sharon Jaynes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for a free ARC digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I read this book very slowly. I loved the way it was organized. The author listed the popular lies that women believe and then countered them with truth from the Bible. She used numerous personal testimonies as well as testimonies from people she has encountered along her ministry.

This is a book that will speak to your heart time and time again. It will be a good book to keep handy to go back to in times of need.

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Bring Me Back by B.A. Paris

Bring Me Back by B.A. Paris
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to have a free digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Another great book by B.A. Paris!! I love this author's writing. It took me a little while to get into. I don't normally empathise with male characters in 1st person point of view. This book was another fast page turning novel that was extremely hard to put down near the end. I think I got a slight case of whiplash from going back and forth so much in my mind about how this one was going to end. Highly recommend!!

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Fledge by Brenda Yoder

Fledge: Launching Your Kids Without Losing Your Mind by Brenda Yoder
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

"To fledge" has a double meaning. First of all it speaks of baby birds who are growing wings and about to fly. Secondly, it speaks of fledging an arrow. "To fledge an arrow means to put feathers on it to prepare it to fly toward a mark." Author Brenda Yoder does a wonderful job in this book of explaining the trials and heartaches of nudging our children out of the home nest as well as how to equip them to fly toward the mark that God has for them.

She writes from her own heartbreak and wisdom. She shares her mistakes as well as her successes. Personally, as the mom of a 15 year old, I can emphathize with many of the author's experiences as well as taking to heart wisdom for the future years. This book will certainly be a "go to" book in the future as I personally fledge my own child from the nest.

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This I Know by Eldonna Edwards

This I Know by Eldonna Edwards
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to receive a free digital ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book is going to be hard to review. This is not a book you can literally critique, this is a book that you feel. Grace is one of 4 daughters of a pastor's family living in the 70s. She had a twin brother who died during birth. Her mother is suffering from postpartum depression after the birth of her last baby. Aside from the previously mentioned hardships, Grace's life is pretty normal except for one important thing. Grace has what she calls "The Knowing". Grace believes that she can still hear her dead brother talk to her. She can see things about people that other people would not know. She can touch objects of a missing person and know what has happened to him. Some people would call what Grace has a gift from God and others think it's of the devil. Her father's opinion is the latter. There is a real struggle throughout the whole book between Grace, who only uses her "gift" for good, and her father's opposition to it. The reader is left pondering his own beliefs about "The Knowing".

As I said before, this is a book that you feel. You feel for Grace as she grows up with practically no mother to guide her through her teenage struggles. You feel for Grace as she desperately wants her father's approval, but feels like she will never get it. There are also many tragedies throughout the book that tug at the heartstrings. There is a missing girl at one point in the story, a girl who was raped, a missing son in Vietnam, and a homeless man who was wrongly accused. The reader sees all of these tragedies through Grace's eyes. As a Christian, I really don't know where I stand on such things as clairvoyance or ESP. God is a big God and it certainly would be within His power to allow certain people to be able to sense things more than others. I do believe such matters are very sensitive matters because such powers could definitely be evil as well.

I would have rated this book as a 5, but there were a few scenes in the book that I would have rather not read (I actually skipped over them) due to their graphic nature. All in all, this was a great book that will make the reader really think - which I believe is the highest qualification of a good book!

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