NIV Bible for Teen Girls

I signed up for this Bible tour because I have a teen daughter and I wanted her to do this one with me.  We had so much fun - she went and explored the Bible on her own and then came back and showed me all the things she loved.  So I will pass these fun tidbits on to you!

*"Mom, these highlighted verses are really GREAT ones!"  Yep, they have taken the time to highlight verses that really show the gist of some passages.  Great idea!

*"Look at these intros to each book....it's like all there in one spot...and gives you all you need to know."  She is right - the intros are super.  They are filled with info that our teens want to know - all at a quick glance. 

*"The cover is just SO pretty.  I love it!"  Again, Zondervan has captured teen girls and their interests with a fun cover that is beautiful yet subdued.  SUPER design!

"These pink pages are like they are written JUST to me!"  There are blurbs throughout the Bible called "Growing in Faith, Hope and Love" where contributors have shared their thoughts and lessons learned that are so specifically geared to things our teens are feeling that they seem to hit home every time.  They are timely and hit our girls right where they are. 

So we loved this and would highly recommend it!  We could both go on and on about this one but we will let you discover more on your own with your teen!

Here is what the publisher says:
Today's teen girl needs reassurance that no issue is too big for God.  The NIV Bible for Teen Girls, designed specifically for girls ages 13 to 18, will do just that.  This Bible is packed with daily readings, highlighted promises of God, challenging insights, smart advice, and open discussions about the realities of life.  This Bible is designed to help teen girls grow in faith, hope, and love.  It is as sincere about a teen girl's walk with God as they are, helping them discover his will for all areas of their life, including relating to their family, dealing with friends, work, sports, guys, and so much more.

Features:

• DAILY READINGS by popular Christian female authors including Bethany Hamilton (Soul Surfer), Annie Downs, Christine Caine, Nicole Weider, Elsa Kok Colopy, Crystal Kirgiss, Bekah Hamrick Martin, Denise Van Eck, and more
• CHARACTER PROFILES of women in the Bible
• BOOK INTRODUCTIONS for each book of the Bible
• HIGHLIGHTED PROMISES OF GOD are verses worth remembering
• A CONCORDANCE for help in finding verses
• The bestselling NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION (NIV) of the Bible

Official Website


*I was sent a copy for an honest review by the publisher.
#NIVBibleforTeenGirls  #FLYBY

Strong and Kind

I'm sure you've heard of Duck Dynasty, right?!?!?  :)  Well, the myriad of books that have come out of that tv show has just been fun to watch - from a librarian's perspective.  Korie Robertson's Strong and Kind is no exception. This book is all about determining what you want to see in your child's life character-wise and then parenting to build those traits.  I think, as a parent, that it is key to take time to evaluate what you want to see in your children and I'm not sure we encourage that enough.  Korie Robertson's book encourages you to take that time - time to purposefully plan for your children.  And then she gives creative ways to parent to build children of character.  I thoroughly enjoyed Korie's insight and the tidbits that Willie adds as well.  The combination of the two creates a thought-provoking parenting book.

About the book: 

Hardcover; 240 pages

Publisher: Harper Collins Christian Publishing (October 27, 2015)

In her new book STRONG and KIND: And Other Important Character Traits Your Child Needs to Succeed, Korie Robertson - New York Times bestselling author, wife of Duck Commander® CEO Willie Robertson, star of A&E's Duck Dynasty, and mother of five - argues that developing good character in our children is the single most important thing we can do to help ensure they lead happy, healthy adult lives.  Robertson explores key traits and what they truly look like in action, asks readers to select the two traits that they hope to see most in their children, and shares hands-on ways for nurturing strength of character.  Written with her mother Chrys Howard and featuring stories and wisdom from husband Willie, STRONG and KIND cuts through the contemporary cacophony of parenting manuals to rediscover, unfold, and embrace the enduring wisdom that has guided the best parents for centuries.

*I was provided a copy of the book by the publisher for an honest review.

#strongandkind #flyby

Just Show Up

Kara Tippetts and Jill Lynn Buteyn have written Just Show Up - the dance of walking through suffering together.  This book is POWERFUL.  I am sure you can't think of anyone - maybe even yourself - that you know who has NOT gone through suffering of some sort.  It's everywhere and it's inevitable.  But when we suffer, Christ has a plan to give us His hands and feet here on this earth to help us - to come alongside and encourage us and help us get through.  Through Kara's personal story of disease, we learn what it is to suffer alongside someone - to give the gift of silence, the art of receiving and what it means to just show up.  I highly recommend this - for personal reading or even a study - I think sharing it with others would add much to the reading of this book.  Let's all read it and learn how to come alongside and be the Body - it is a VERY valuable resource.

To see more blog posts on this tour go to http://litfusegroup.com/author/tippettsbuteyn .



What does friendship look like in the midst of changing life seasons, loads of laundry—and even cancer? Kara Tippetts and Jill Lynn Buteyn teamed up to write Just Show Up, a story of their close friendship and walk through Kara's battle with terminal cancer. Whether you are eager to be present to someone going through a difficult time or simply want inspiration for pursuing friends in a new way, this eloquent and practical book explores the gift of silence, the art of receiving, and what it means to just show up.

Celebrate the gift of friendship with a Tried & True Friendship giveaway—a prize for you and for a friend!

 

One grand prize winner will receive:

• A copy of Just Show Up
• Two Ombre Layer Necklaces—one for you and one for a friend

Enter today by clicking the icon below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on October 23rd. The winner will be announced October 26th on Jill's blog.

Is one of your friends going through a tough time—maybe you need some encouragement? Stop by Kara and Jill's author page, click on the reviews bar, and read through some bloggers' stories of how their friends got them through suffering.

*I was sent a review copy by the publisher for an honest review on my blog.

Messy Grace

Caleb Kaltenbach is a boy who grew up with a lesbian mom and a gay father and becomes a pastor.  He KNOWS the gay and lesbian community and he knows what he is talking about in his book, Messy Grace.  I found this book to be very eye-opening.  It was a constant challenge to me- to put aside pre-conceived ideas and just learn.  Caleb shares in a direct and honest way - not condescending or preachy, and yet so faithful to what he thinks need to be shared with Christians today in how to deal with the gay and lesbian communities.  I appreciated so many things about this book - my copy is marked up and I plan to refer back to it often.  What I saw over and over is how easy it is for Believer's to turn off the LBGT community and never have an opportunity to share with them.  If we want to be salt and light - we need to be willing to love everyone without compromising truth and Caleb shows us ways we can do just that.  He doesn't promise it will be easy - in fact, he reminds the reader over and over that it will be messy - but it can be done.  I appreciated the honesty and tactfulness with which this topic was handled....I would recommend it even if there may be parts one could disagree with personally, overall it was a wonderful challenge, and one I feel is very needed today.



*I was sent a review copy by the publisher for an honest review on my blog.

Pass It On

When our children were growing up, I read almost every parenting book I could get my hands on.  I just wanted my kids to be strong children, capable of functioning as strong adults, but also children who loved their childhood and would look back with fond memories on their spiritual upbringing.  This book, Pass It On, by Jim Burns and Jeremy Lee, would have been on my list had it been around back then!

Burns and Lee have crafted a book that gives parents practical ways to teach their children at home and share their faith grade by grade as their children grow.  I love that they have put time into finding appropriate activities for your child as he/she is capable of understanding them.  From a Bible presentation in second grade to a blessing ceremony in seventh grade - there are just a multitude of ways to teach your child and build on a solid biblical foundation. 

This will be a wonderful resource for our young families - to treasure and use as their children grow and mature in Christ.



*I was sent a review copy by the publisher for an honest review on my blog.

Chronicle Finds....

Chronicle Books sent me a box today! I will share these fun titles.

Peek-a Boo! by Nina Laden is an adorable board book in their series Peek-a.... The simple cut-out pages for little ones as you guess which animal could be hiding behind that small hole.  This title is all focused on Fall and will be a fun addition to our fall board books.


I Can Play and I Can Dance are both by Betsy Snyder and are board books that I can just see our little ones enjoying!  Each title has two small holes for fingers to come through and be the legs on the characters.  They are adorable!


Big Bear Little Chair by Lizi Boyd is such a fun picture book.  It is a "study" of size and shape and being able to figure out which items will go together.  The opposites are shown in such a fun way and the illustrations are AMAZING!  This will be a fun book to share with our little ones!


Ninja Baby by David Zeltser is one that just made me smile.  It's about Nina - the baby that was just born a ninja.  I mean really - if a baby can karate chop the doctor, plan sneak attacks on her parents, and obliterate applesauce - what other kind of baby could she be!?!?  You will LOVE this one and your kids will too!  AND if I knew anyone having a baby - THIS would be their shower gift!  Everyone should have a ninja baby!!


**I was sent review copies by the publisher for an honest review on my blog.

The Not Very Merry Pout-Pout Fish

I just don't know how you can not LOVE the Pout Pout Fish books.  But just in case you need convincing....Deborah Diesen's latest, The Not Very Merry Pout-Pout Fish, is simply splendid!  Pout Pout Fish was born with a frown on his face - making him appear quite pouty....but he tries very hard to overcome this pout.  In this book, Mr. Fish is trying to find presents for his friends - but he seems to be striking out at every turn and time is running out before Christmas.  He ends up giving the best gifts of all, using his own two fins!!  The rhyming aspect of this book is such a fun, non-forced rollick that kids adore these books.  And who can resist a fish with a Santa hat, anyway!?!?!



*I was sent a copy of the book for an honest review by the publisher.