Grace for the Moment (Large Deluxe): Inspirational Thoughts for Each Day of the Year by Max Lucado offers inspiring devotions to grow in your faith
as you embrace the hope of the Lord every day. Featuring Scripture, along with devotional writings from Max's best sellers, each day's writing is a short but powerful message to remind the reader of God's love. Although there are variances, the majority of the Scripture is from the New Century Version (NCV). The devotion for each day also indicates which Lucado book used.
This is the deluxe, large print edition of the classic devotional with a leather-flex cover,
beautifully designed pages, and a ribbon marker. It is fairly lightweight and fits comfortably in one hand if you hold it to read. The pages do not flip and are thick enough that you can highlight or make notes that won't bleed through to several pages. (I recommend using colored pencils when highlighting, though. I have used them for years.) The strong binding will ensure this book can endure daily handling and will be a treasury you can visit in years ahead. I also love the look and feel of the cover. The book is published by Thomas Nelson, a registered trademark of Harper Collins Christian Publishing. I love the book and will definitely recommend it to anyone searching for a new devotional for themselves or as a gift. These are small nuggets of truth, with an insight to give the reader something to mull over and to build upon their faith.
I received a copy of this book from Booklook Bloggers for review
purposes. A positive review was not required, and all thoughts regarding
this book are my own.
Chasing Grace, starring Michael Joiner (‘The Grace Card’), David Temple ('The Last
Passport'), Rusty Martin (‘Courageous’) and Ashlee Payne (‘Red Dirt
Rising’), tells a story of two brothers who are opposites in many ways, yet have an undeniable bond. When an unthinkable accident occurs, blame and unforgiveness tears the brothers apart and impacts the lives of family and friends. Slowly, as more secrets are uncovered, the truth emerges, but not without a lot of pain and consequences as each person deals with the loss of Grace. share a close bond,
despite the different paths they have taken, until an unimaginable
event takes place. As the story unravels, buried lies--- and truth are
both discovered. Chasing Grace is loosely based upon true events and is an adaptation of writer/director David Temple's novel Discovering Grace. This
powerful story about the redeeming power of forgiveness also stars Billy Dec, Leon Pridgen,
Mitzi Corrigan, Vanessa Ore, and Abigail Rose Cornell as Grace. It is produced by Catalyst Pictures, LLC and
distributed by Word Films.
My Review: This is another I am a bit on the fence about. I liked it, but I didn't love it. Great message, but it was a little slow in getting to the purpose of the film and I sometimes got confused during the telling of the story. Layers of the story were revealed throughout the film, but some never did make complete sense to me. Of course, part of my experience was simply a personal inability to comprehend why anyone would act or react to a situation the way they did. I needed more indepth into characters than what was provided; there was some black, white, and a few shades of gray, but not enough color to characters for many to feel a connection. The acting, music, and cinematography were all good, but my mind did tend to wander. It's more of a 3.75 for me, but I will round up and give it 4 stars.
Disclosure: I received this DVD compliments of Word Films
and Edify Media Inc for my honest review. Chasing Grace website
Grace of Godsynopsis: Having lost his faith many years ago, Detective Bill Broadly is
called to investigate the disappearance of the local church’s collection
plate. As he questions its various church members, rumors swirl as more
congregants learn about the theft.
When one unexpected church-goer confesses to stealing the funds, the confession resurrects Broadly’s views on God, and helps him see that
through faith and belief there really is rebirth and redemption. 99 Minutes // Genre: Family, Inspirational // Rating: NR (DVD back cover) My Review: Mixed feelings on this one. The good is that this is a family friendly film, although the marriage problems of the older daughter (Erin Bethea) are not for the very young. Poor decisions have been made by many of the characters, but most appear to be resolved by the end of the film and the characters are better for the changes made. The 2 main characters, Constance (Julia Parker) and Bill (Vincent Duvall), are both good actors and I wish there had been more acknowledgement of them on the DVD cover. John Ratzenberger had a small role, but was given top billing due to name recognition. Lorenzo Lamas was also a great addition to the cast as the janitor and antagonist to the private investigator.
Family friendly and weaves matters of faith effortlessly through-out the story is the positive. While grace is freely given to the thief, and I do understand why, it did seem to fall a bit flat. Some of the story just did not seem to flow right and small things would bother me. Maybe part of the problem was that I correctly identified the thief very early on. But the reactions of people often did not make sense either. I felt like I was missing part of a conversation that would link it together. Goodness knows real people don't always make sense either, but that was not my only issue with the story. There was mention of it being a large church and many people having access to keys to the safe. Yet the sanctuary did not look very big or crowded. The score was also inconsistent with the action at times.
It's an average film. There are too many of my own pet peeves with films in this one, but they were annoyances that may not trouble others. Since I don't want to do "spoilers", I won't elaborate. There is an audience for this film; I have friends who genuinely like it. I can also see it generating discussion about matters of faith. The marketing of "A Story of Easter Traditions" and "Based on the Ten Commandments" is true, but mostly in the broad sense of Christianity. I thought it was pushing it a bit, but I also understand promoting films and trying to reach your niche market.
GIVEAWAY!! To be entered into a random drawing to win a copy of Grace of God, please leave a comment. Contest ends Wed., April 22, 2015 at Noon (CDT)
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in Advertising”): Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for
providing this prize for the giveaway. Choice of winners and opinions
are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did
receive a sample of the product in exchange for this
review and post.
Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway. If
you have won a prize from our sponsor Propeller / FlyBy Promotions in the last 30 days, you are not eligible to win. If you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible
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Several have posted memories of Kennedy being assassinated 50 years ago today. My parents, brother, my best friend, and I had come to Alabama for a few days. This photo of Sandra, Paul, Debbie (my cousin), and I was made about that time. I know I was sitting on my grandparent's front porch when my mom came outside crying, telling us that President Kennedy had been shot.
At the time, I did not truly grasp the enormity of what had happened. Since Daddy was in the Navy, I know we immediately had to return to where he was stationed in Goose Creek (near Charleston), South Carolina. All I remember about the trip back was my parents sitting in the front seat, quietly taking, and Mom continued to have tears streaming down her face. Of course, I cried because Mom cried.
Caroline, Jackie, & John Kennedy
11/25/63
At first I thought she was upset because we had to end our Thanksgiving vacation early, but reality sank in once we got to a television and I witnessed the sights and sounds of what had and continued to happen. Images of a grieving widow, and 2 kids brought it into a sharper focus. These kids no longer had a daddy. John-John's daddy was being buried on his 3rd birthday! Caroline's was just 2 days later, and she was the same age as my little brother. Suddenly, my world expanded beyond my circle of family and friends.
I remember when Thanksgiving came a few days later, I was more aware than ever of the blessings I had received from God. I knew that Thanksgiving was a day we thanked God. We always prayed before eating anyway, but Thanksgiving Grace was for more than just the food we were about to eat. When it was my turn to ask the blessing, I always used the standard, "God is great, God is good, Let us thank Him for our food.", but I think I matured a little between Nov. 22, and Nov. 28, 1963. That Thanksgiving I asked permission to ask the blessing. I still remember getting to the table early with my Bible because I wanted to read Scripture too. That is when I discovered a Psalm about thanksgiving! Psalm 100 immediately became a favorite and I remember reading it before asking the blessing and thanking God for all of the blessings I had received and could look forward to receiving from Him for all eternity. So, more than just a "Where Were You When...?" moment, this expanded to a week of where I experienced the grief of others as we mourned as a nation, realized how much I had to be grateful about in my life as the Kennedy family received the gratitude of a grateful nation for their sacrifice, and realized there was more to saying grace and thanking God for my food. I could also experience God's Grace and He became very real to me that week.
EPIC GRACE: CHRONICLES OF A RECOVERING IDIOT by KURT W BUBNA
God never wastes
anything--our strengths, our successes, or our mistakes. In this
collection of true stories, Kurt Bubna, a self-confessed "recovering
idiot," chronicles his own honest, heartfelt, and often hilarious
missteps along the path to grace. You'll discover what it means to
experience the "unconditional" love of God, regardless of how often you
stumble, and you'll gain a fresh view of how to find God's purpose for
your life. Learn from Kurt's trials and triumphs that God is indeed the
God of second chances--and His epic grace can transform even the most
imperfect life into something priceless. (publisher's description)
Epic Grace: Chronicles of a Recovering Idiot is a title I just could not resist, and I am glad I did not. I have a long way to go on my road to recovery and it was good to know that there are others on the same journey. This is one of those books I did not want to put down once I started reading it. Bubna's stories of failures and struggles resonated with instances in my own life and were a good reminder of the grace God extends to each of us. There is nothing we do to deserve it, but He loves us enough to grant it anyway. Written in a humorous, self-deprecating style that I love, there is also a raw honesty that helped to put a soothing balm on some of my own wounds I continue to reopen. I have gone through some of the same things that Bubna has and, through this book, I have remembered the grace God extended to me and am reminded that God will use the shattered portions of my life.
Tyndale House Publishers provided me with a complimentary copy of this book for review purposes. No expectation were made for a good review and all opinions are my own. For further info on the subject of Grace, check out the following links:
Real
life is long on law and short on grace—the demands never stop, the
failures pile up, and fear sets in. Life requires many things from us—a
stable marriage, successful children, a certain quality of life. Anyone
living inside the guilt, anxiety, and uncertainty of daily life knows
that the weight of life is heavy. We are all in need of some relief. Bestselling author Tullian Tchividjian is convinced our world needs a fresh encounter with grace. (publisher description)
“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.”
One Way Love by Tullivan Tchividjian is on a subject we sing about...and how Amazing it is, read about, and experience without always truly grasping the concept: GRACE. We live in a world of reciprocity and find it much easier to understand the concept of law---you do this, and that is your reward or consequence. But grace is unmerited favor that is undeserved. Using a variety of anecdotes from his own life, literature, celebrities, and familiar people from the Bible, Tchividjian gives us examples to bring home his point in a manner that makes it more easily understandable. You know how we exhaust ourselves trying to please God (and others) to prove we are worthy. There are also those (and I have been guilty) who defiantly break the rules, and are surprised when shown grace anyway. Tchividjian reminds us that God's grace is here for us to accept. When we try, and when we fail to live up to our own expectations of what we should do, God's love for us does not increase nor does it diminish. God's grace truly is sufficient. This is a really good book and I do recommend it.
CONTEST: Flyby Promotions has a copy of this book to send out to one of my readers. Simply leave a comment letting me know you would love to be entered by Oct. 31, 2013 by 10am (cdt)
William Graham Tullian Tchividjian (pronounced
cha-vi-jin) is the Senior Pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in
Ft. Lauderdale, Fl. A Florida native, Tullian is the grandson of Billy
and Ruth Graham. He is a visiting professor of theology at Reformed
Theological Seminary, and a contributing editor to Leadership Journal. He is an ordained minister in Presbyterian Church of America. He is the author of six books; including the best seller, Jesus + Nothing = Everything that won Christianity Today’s 2011 book of the year. He travels extensively, speaking at conferences throughout the U.S. (Photo Credit Mike Meyer).
We talk
as though we understand the term. The bank gives us a "grace" period.
The seedy politician falls from "grace." Musicians speak of a "grace"
note. We describe an actress as "gracious," a dancer as "graceful." We
use the word for hospitals, baby girls, kings, and pre-meal prayers. We
talk as though we know what "grace" means.
Graceis also the title of Max Lucado's latest best-seller. I have been a fan of his writing for many years, so I knew to expect a book that would touch my heart and deepen my understanding of a topic that some find difficult to understand. This isn't my favorite of his many books, but I was by no means disappointed. In fact, once I started reading it, I couldn't put it down. Max has a way of simplifying a topic in a way that makes it easier to understand, and punctuates his illustrations with anecdotal material that further illuminates.
Grace is defined as the love and mercy given to us by God because God wants us to have it, not because of anything we have done to earn it. But that is still hard for some of us to understand, especially if you were raised that good behavior is rewarded. So, I really love the subtitle of the book: "More Than We Deserve, Greater Than We Imagine". Max stresses the point that we are adopted into God's family and accepted...despite our faults. One story in particular stood out to me about a child who was separated from her family, yet reunited with them years later. We may wander, but God's grace calls us back Home to Him. His love and mercy give us a strength we wouldn't have on our own.
In summary, this isn't my favorite, but it is a good solid book that I would recommend to anyone. His style is very appealing to one who wants a basic grasp and a down-to-earth look at grace (or any of his other topics). Also, I love that he includes a Reader's Guide in this book (as usual) for those who want to do a more indepth study.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I
received this book free from the publisher through the 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."
