7 Steps To Knowing and Doing the Will of God

More teenagers than ever before seem to be spinning their wheels a long time before gaining any traction in life. Based on the world-renowned Experiencing God teachings of Henry Blackaby, Seven Steps to Knowing and Doing the Will of God for Teens provides students with relevant spiritual direction as they move toward adulthood.

Throughout, authors Tom, Mike, and Daniel Blackaby (Henry Blackaby's son and grandsons) utilize fun formatting with cartoon illustrations (Cory Jones), jokes, real-life stories, and graphically engaging treatments to bring strong focus to a message teenagers need in their often random settings.

 I received this book from Shelton Interactive at no charge to me in exchange for a fair and honest review. 
  
Although I am well past my teen years, I enjoyed reading this book myself. The stories, both Biblical and personal anecdotes, are written in a manner that is both easy to grasp and very relatable to others. I also loved the cartoons and bits of pop culture included. The 7 Steps:

1. God is always at work around you
2. God pursues a love relationship with you 
3. God invites you to become involved with Him in His work
4. God speaks by the Holy Spirit
5. God's invitation leads to a crisis of belief
6. Adjustments
7. You come to know God by experience as you obey Him and He accomplishes His work through you

 By giving examples and asking questions, each step is explained---not in a formulaic pattern, but as a process for the reader to have a deeper relationship with God. I have teenaged grandchildren, and this is a book I think each of them needs to read...and one I believe they will enjoy reading. Very well done!

Hey God, I've Got Some Guy Named Jonah In My Stomach And I Think I Am Going To Throw Up!

Hey God, I've Got Some Guy Named Jonah in My Stomach and I Think I'm Gonna Throw Up! is a fun new book for kids written by Troy Schmidt and illustrated by Cory Jones. Nearly everyone is familiar with the story of Jonah--- There is an entire book in the Bible devoted to his story and how he tried to run away from doing what God asked. Now we hear about this from another point of view. The whale tells how he tried to escape when God told him to swallow a human. Yukky!!  This is one fish story that you will not want to miss!!

This book, for kids 4-8 years old, has bright, colorful illustrations, and tells a story that is sure to capture the imagination of even the younger kids. The older ones will be entertained with the humor, but will also learn a lesson in obeying and trusting God that is very easy to swallow. The "Parent Connection" feature in the back will help adults make this even more entertaining with fun things to do, plus Scripture and questions to help the child think about what really happened and the importance of relying on God. There's even a free online app to make this story even more animated and interactive.

Really good book and is the first in a series! Other books available include Hey God, Can You Stop the Rain so I Can Get off Noah's Smelly Ark? and Hey God, I'm Having an Awful Vacation in Egypt Thanks to Moses!

 I only have 2 negatives to say. One is that Nineveh was misspelled on a sign (but I can fix that with a pen.) and the other is from the standpoint of a former librarian who had to enter media into the computer and print labels: long titles drive me nuts!! :) So, the 2 faults are my own little idiosyncrasies and will not distract most people.

Facebook: Troy Schmidt and BH Publishing

Twitter: @troyeschmidt

Website:  BH Publishing

About the Author: 
Troy Schmidt has writing and video production credits ranging from assignments with Disney (The Mickey Mouse Club) and Nickelodeon to Max Lucado's Hermie franchise. He is currently the lead writer for The American Bible Challenge hosted by Jeff Foxworthy on the Game Show Network. Troy and his wife have three sons.

"Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. 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."