Tyndale: The Man Who Gave God an English Voice

By David Teems

I found this book to be awe-inspiring! It makes me want to live my life more courageously as a Christian. Even though sections of the book were quite difficult for me to get through in terms of readability, I learned so much about this incredible saint of the church. Because of his drive to translate the Bible into the English language, he lived in a continual state of being hunted, hated, exiled, and deprived of comforts. As the author puts it, "His life was reduced to a kind of living martyrdom." As a homeschooling mom, born-again Christian, and a student of the Bible for the past 34 years, I have read about, and taught my children about, the bravery of William Tyndale. Yet, it has been mainly his translation of Scripture and his martyr's death that I have known about. His life, choices, and bravery are presented in such a way as to make the reader feel they really know and understand William Tyndale and the pressures and persecution he lived under. God had so wonderfully prepared and placed this man to do this work. He was an English speaking scholar of Latin and Hebrew in the Medieval years, an oddity in itself.

In addition to giving the King James Bible much of the lyrical beauty that makes it so easy to memorize, William Tyndale also had an incredible impact on the English language in general. There are lists in the book of the incredible amount of words in our language to which we owe gratitude to Tyndale (including Godly, sanctified, chastening, zealous, and so many more). William Tyndale was a contemporary of William Shakespeare. A valid and thoughtful point that the author makes is that we (English speakers) speak much more 'Tyndale' than we do 'Shakespeare', and yet it is Shakespeare who is studied and credited as a great writer. I was brought to a deep awareness of my great debt to William Tyndale for spending his life making the Holy Scriptures accessible to me. The author does an excellent job of describing the medieval times and the fear that was used then to try to control the thoughts and actions of 'heretics' to the Catholic church.

The author has painted a very complete picture of the pressures put upon Christians in the Medieval era. We see Tyndale through the words of others who knew him, such as Desiderius Erasmus and Thomas More. The book contains exhaustive references to works of the time. One of the major detriments to me in reading this book was the use of the original texts in Old English. It is a very scholarly work. I have a master's degree in education. I am no stranger to scholarly texts. Having said that, let me confess that I lost my concentration in certain deeper segments of the book, since, as a wife and mother, my life is subject to frequent interruptions and demands on my thought processes! I had expected and hoped that this book would be more accessible to the average reader. Still, I think it is good that it is written at a more demanding level. The more distracted or casual reader will certainly come away much richer for having read it, and those with more concentration will take away even more.

The peace and resolve that Tyndale showed in the face of his imprisonment, sentencing, and death are awe-inspiring. I am so grateful to this man, and even more so when I read of the calm, kindness, and care for their salvation, that he showed to those who imprisoned him and forced him to suffer such hardships, cold, indignities, pain, and terrible death. His final words were: "Lord! Open the King of England's eyes."

No matter that some of the book is so deep that I will have to read it again to uncover more of the facts, I still have come away from this book better for having read it. I am much more knowledgeable about the path of peril that brave men took to bring me the King James Bible I read daily. It is rare that I finish a book, already having made the decision to read it again (and again), but that is how I feel about this book. There is much inspiration to be gained by studying the lives of the martyrs. This book on William Tyndale is a most excellent place to begin, or continue, to study.

I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review 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 : "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising

Heaven Is For Real--DVD Based Conversation Kit

I was so anxious to receive this set, hoping to use it in small group
settings with other believers. I had read the book (twice!) and absolutely LOVE
it! This kit is such a disappointment to me. There is not nearly enough of
Colton in the DVD sessions. It was enjoyable to see him 'in person' on
the DVDs, but there was far too much extraneous stuff, and not enough just
hearing what Colton had to say. Now, I thought that the section on the DVD with Sonja, Colton's mother, talking about babies who die through miscarriage was absolutely wonderful, very full of hope for those who have suffered through this. One of the aspects of the book that offers such hope for hurting people is the description of Colton meeting his sister who had died in a miscarriage before Colton was born. The DVD does do this justice, I think. I am so happy to have this to share with women, and families, who have suffered miscarriage. The study guide doesn't seem to be geared to adults, or to born again believers as I hoped it would be. I suppose it is a good point that the questions range over a large spectrum. If you want to pick
and choose in the contents of the conversation guide, you will find questions
geared toward children, casual seekers, etc. Some of the questions seem so
air-headed, or wishy-washy that it is distracting to have to read through them.
Possibly this was done purposefully, so the set would be applicable to a wide
range of people. In my opinion, it detracts from the usefulness, or even the
pertinence of the set to the people I hoped to use it with...born-again
believers, middle school age through adult.
The bottom line, in my opinion, is that the book itself is wonderful, I HIGHLY recommend it to everyone, but this DVD and conversation guide set just doesn't live up to that standard at all (sadly). It would be better to just stick with the book, and let the book itself generate any discussion in small
groups.

Disclosure of
Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the
BookSneeze.com book review 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 : "Guides
Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising

 

 

Review of :

Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo with Lynn Vincent

This book is just the most incredible story. It is a very quick & enjoyable read, too. You won't be able to put it down. Colton, is the 4 year old son of a pastor, who has a near death experience and, over time, begins to tell his parents small bits of what he experienced. The writing completely captures the sweet innocence of the little boy who seems to believe that his experience it not out of the normal at all. His parents, of course, are quite at a loss with what to do with Colton's new knowledge. Without letting him know they are fishing for information, and without feeding him leading questions, they begin to piece together the whole story.

Colton is able to describe deceased relatives he had never met or even heard about. One very moving part of the story involves his parents' quest to find out what Jesus looks like. His father begins nonchalantly showing Colton each photo of Jesus he comes across. All of them are dismissed by Colton as being all wrong for various reasons. Then, his father comes across the drawing of Jesus done by a Lithuanian-American young girl named Akiane, the daughter of athiests, who begin having visions of Heaven at the age of four. With her phenomenal artistic talent, she was able to translate her visions into paintings. This picture of Jesus, Colton pronounced as being exactly right. I now have that photo, by Akiane Kramarik, displayed in my home. It is just unbelievable to me to think that I am able to know exactly how Jesus appeared to these two little children! One of Colton's pronouncements about Jesus was that He "really, really, really loves children!" and He must indeed to make Himself so tangible to these two small children, and to all others now who read this book.

 

You will have chills when you read the descriptions of Heaven and Jesus as related by this innocent little boy. He tells of a horse that only Jesus can ride, and describes Jesus' garments, as well as angels. Colton is able to come up with details about people he has never met or heard about, but that his parents can personally verify, and all in the sweetest child-like way.

I plan to give this book as a Christmas present to anyone on my list who has not yet read it. It is THAT good! Do yourself, and anyone you love, a big favor and buy this book. You won't be disappointed!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review 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 : "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

The Wonder of Your Love

by Beth Wiseman

I can't wait for the third book in this series.   This was such an enjoyable book. It had its moments of predictablility, but the sweet love story made it all worthwhile. The book pulled me in from the very first sentences with a very surprising and un-Amishlike beginning, and then provided such an engaging read for the two short days it took to finish it. The book is set in Caanan, Colorado, in a small, insular Amish community. The main character is Katie Ann Stoltzfus, she is an older woman who has been married for quite a few years, and is tragically widowed before her first child, Jonas, is born. She is asked to defer her own very human feelings in order to help someone who has wronged her. She has suffered several terrible hardships leading up to that point, that left her feeling very hesitant to place her trust in people, especially men.   

I loved the parts of the story line that involved Katie Ann being an older first time mom, in new surroundings and having lost her mother, and finding herself being wronged by her husband, whom she thought she could trust. I think this book will speak to a great many women in ways that will stay long after the novel has been finished. Seeing Katie Ann go through her struggles and then come through them better and happier gives the reader hope in the midst of her own struggles. While it doesn't always seem like it, God does provide a way through all the circumstances He allows into our lives. Katie Ann's answer in part comes in the form of Eli Detweiler. He is in a very different season of life and of parenthood than Katie Ann. The first time Eli sees Katie Ann with her tiny son, he is convinced she is the boy's grandmother since he has grandchildren about that age also. Eli is much more outgoing and gregarious than Katie, which also bothers her. The two meet by chance at an Amish wedding. There are sparks of attraction right away, but both of them have reasons to hold themselves back. Eli has been widowed for many years and his children are all grown, so he isn't really interested in starting over with young children. After all that Katie Ann has been through, she is very hesitant to give her heart, or her trust, to any man.    

This is the second book in Beth Wiseman's Land of Caanan series. The reader will have no trouble starting right in with this book, but will probably find herself wanting to read book one immediately following finishing this book to find out more about the characters. I can't wait for more in this series to find out what happens next. The characters are well-developed enough that you feel like you 'know' them, even the secondary characters like Katie Ann's outspoken non-Amish friend, Martha. I haven't found one of Beth Wiseman's books that disappointed me...this one certainly didn't! I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Amish fiction, and a good, uplifting love story, too.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review 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 : "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

The gift apron is a perfect fit!

Having guessed at the right size to make this little apron for the little daughter of a friend, I am so happy to find out that it is a perfect fit in all ways. She loves it! I wanted to show the photos I received today of little Michala wearing her apron made of vintage sheets. I'll be making more of these, for granddaughters and other little girls we know.

Little Girl's Apron Made From Vintage Sheets

I can't wait to show the project I've been working on this week. It took me most of an afternoon what with making the pattern from scratch, but it had no cost investment at all. A wonderful friend of mine who happens to be our former pastor's wife, mentioned to me that her sweet little 6 year old daughter wanted an apron. Well, an opportunity like that just doesn't come along every day!





I went right to work looking at photos of children's aprons and drew up a muslin pattern of what seemed to be an apron of about the right size. It retrospect, the circular ruffle could have been a bit more full.

For a couple of months I have been collecting vintage bed sheets, hoping to use them to make quilts for all of my children and grandchildren and some other special people for Christmas 2012. With the help of my teenage daughter who is blessed with lots of creative ability, I chose three of the sheets that looked cute together to use to make the apron. I also chose ones that were pretty much 'new' so the material would have more body. I couldn't resist making a little potholder to go into the apron pocket. I even quilted a little heart into the center of it. Then, we added a couple of fun cooking extras to make it even more exciting for her. In trying to get the lighting just right on this cold, wet day in the Midwest, I took photos in a couple of different locations in my house.

The apron is going in the mail today to the sweet little recipient. I hope to get a photo of her wearing the apron to add to the blog at a later time. Almost immediately after seeing it finished, I thought of several other little girls in the family who are certain to be needing a cute apron, so I guess I'll be making several more. I'm just thrilled with how it turned out, and I hope my friend and her daughter will be also.

Not really sure how to do this, since I've never tried it before, but I'm going to try to link this post to The Shabby Nest's Frugal Friday link party, and Made By You Mondays at Skip to My Lou. Wish me luck with that : D

A perfect book for gift-giving, although you will want to keep it for yourself!

Right From the Heart
Turning Your Day Toward God
By Bryant Wright

First of all, let me say that I was very pleasantly surprised with the quality of this devotional on a number of fronts. I have read a great number of devotional books, including the ones that I give away long before the book is finished. The content of Right From the Heart is meaty enough to satisfy even one who has been a Christian for quite a long time. I do believe it would be just as helpful for a new Christian, and not intimidating in its content at all. Doctrinally, I was quite satisfied also, although I found the use of such a large number of Bible translations for the daily verses to be distracting and the least pleasing part of the devotional for me.

While it may seem trivial to mention, since I am supposed to be reviewing the content of the book, the tactile and aesthetic quality of the book are lovely. The cover is just beautiful, and the paper used is very nice quality. Even the font seemed to add to the 'ambiance' of the book (can the word even be used that way?) It has a feeling of luxury and permanence about it, like an heirloom book would feel. This would be such a fine gift book for a beloved teacher, mentor, friend, or relative.

Obviously, I didn't read the devotional the way it is meant to be read, a page a day. I think it would be a very pleasant way to start one's daily devotions. The author likens the reading of a daily devotional to the warm up exercises done before physical activity. They limber the athlete and ready him or her to get the most out of the workout, just as reading a daily devotional puts one in an excellent state of mental readiness for ones daily Bible reading. I do think this volume would be excellent to use as a family devotional as long as the children were middle elementary and up in age, in order to have the lessons understandable for the children.


This is a book that will be remaining in my personal collection. I have made a note on my Christmas planning list that this would be a great gift for several of the people on my gift list. I give the book 5 out of 5 stars, and wish a higher rating was possible!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review 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 : "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.