Review: Bound Together by Chris Brauns

When reading the byline of this book "how we are tied to others in good and bad choices," I thought it would be an interesting topic to explore. Upon reading this book, I discovered that it tells me something I already know. The negative way we are all bound together is through Adam's sin, which in turn made us all corrupt by nature. The positive side is that these bonds were broken and new bonds were created with Christ when he died for us. These are the new bonds that bind us together. This is great news!

The great news discussed above is revealed within the first three chapters of the book. In my opinion, the book could have stopped after three chapters. In the later chapters, I found this book dry. It reminded me of philosophy texts I had to read in college. This book may be ideal for a theological scholar (which I am not) or a pastor trying to get some ideas for a sermon on this topic, but I did not find it at all interesting. I'm surprised I read as much as I did. I may look up some of the Bible passages the author referenced, but other than that this book was not appealing to me at all.

I receive these books free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers 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 Epically Awesome Award of Epic Awesomeness!

I've been nominated for another award! YAY! Dawn at Delectably Dawn nominated me for the Epically Awesome Award of Epic Awesomeness. This is yet another award in which bloggers recognize other bloggers for their, well, epic awesomeness!


The rules for The Epically Awesome Award of Epic Awesomeness are:

1. Display award logo
2. Link back to the person who nominated you
3. State 10 things about you
4. Nominate 10 other bloggers

Here goes - 10 things about me (and I am running out of things...)
1 - I am currently looking for a new job. It's not a secret. I want to break into the counseling field as I'm getting my Masters degree in Clinical Counseling. Keep me in your prayers as I look for something that will suit me and pay enough!

2 - I have been breastfeeding my baby for almost 6 months now, which is more than 4 months longer than I was able to with my first child! So proud of me! :)

3 - I love to watch The Voice. (Check out my previous post about The Voice and why it inspires me here.)

4 - I am a Christian. I think you already know that if you're reading my blog.

5 - I can't drive. Yes. I will admit it. I may even write a post about my struggles someday. Essentially, I think it is because I have sensory processing disorder. I just get overwhelmed by everything and I can't process it all and I "flip out".

6 - I am trying to lose weight but I'm not very successful at the moment. I need to get off my butt and do something but it's hard when I work full time and don't get enough sleep. I'll get there, I will. I already weight 40 pounds less than I did before I got pregnant.

7 - I have very small feet. Size 6. Well, they are short but kind of wide. Weird feet.

8 - I like sci fi shows like Star Trek, The X-Files, Fringe, and Stargate.

9 - I like to wear dresses when it's warm enough. I would rather wear dresses than pants.

10 - I don't like to wear socks if I can help it. Of course, I wear them most of the time but in the summer I like to wear sandals which means no socks of course!

Random enough for you??

And my blogger nominees are:

I didn't find 10 because I'm running out of blogs to nominate. Guess I need to follow some more blogs!

Rockin' Autism Mom
My Life as Lucille
Among Many Blessings
Devote and Seek
The Wild and Wonderful World of Gingersnaps
This Life's Beautiful Moments
Clothed in Love

Review: The Christian Parenting Handbook by Dr. Scott Taransky and Joanne Miller

I recently read The Christian Parenting Handbook by Dr. Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller. Turansky and Miller are the founders of the National Center for Biblical Parenting and it shows! The strategies in this book are what they call "heart-based" strategies which basically means that the children will be changing not only their behavior but their hearts. I want this for my children. I do not want them following simply out of obedience, but also because it is the right thing to do. I don't seem to get a lot of resistance from my daughter, but I do get some whining so I love the chapter entitled "Teach Kids to Be Solvers Instead of Whiners". I like how the chapters are structured. They are short and to the point. They often have biblical verses to back them up and include some real-life examples. The real work is left to the parents, but these are some great jumping-off points when a parent may be at a loss for what to do. I would recommend this book to any parent who is struggling to parent their child based on biblical principles or just doesn't know where to start.

I think I'm through reviewing parenting books for a while. It's frankly getting a little repetitive so look for something new on my next book review!

I receive these books free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers 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.”