The Scribe's Portion

"Epic Devotions: 52 Weeks in the Story That Changed the World" by Aaron Armstrong Illustrations by Heath McPherson This is a wonderful and beautifully illustrated devotional for kids! Wow, I was thoroughly impressed with the quality of this book. It features 52 devotions from the most popular stories of the Bible.  Each devotion has a short summary of the story, questions, a short life application and a verse to memorize. The illustrations are amazing, I'm an adult and I loved looking through them, the kids will absolutely love it as well! The recommended ages are 8-12 but kids as young as 5 can easily understand the devotions with an adult's explanations. This makes for a great gift! I will be gifting this to my nephew. I received a copy of this book from B&H in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

"After Acts: Exploring the Lives  and Legends of the Apostles" by Bryan Litfin After Acts is a short volume that follows the lives of the Apostles after the book of Acts ends. As a fan of church history, I was excited for the opportunity to request this book for review. I had previously studied the lives of the Apostles after chapter 28 of Acts so let me tell you that the information packed into this book is especially helpful for the novice. If you were expecting a long and detailed research on the lives of the Apostles you will be disappointed. I was expecting a little more myself. Nevertheless, this is perfect for new students of church history.  Liftin address most of the Apostles including Paul and Mary. I hadn't studied much about Mary so it was interesting to read about her. I don't know that I agree 100% with all of the author's opinions but he does a great introductory job.  If you're looking to learn about the fate of the Apost...

"God's Hostage: A True Story of Persecution, Imprisonment, and Perseverance" by Andrew Brunson This is the true story of Andrew Brunson, a missionary to Turkey amongst Muslims for over 20 years. Unjustly, imprisoned along with his wife after being accused of being a spy, Andrew recounts his experience as a prisoner for 2 years.  I don't know that I would have called him a hostage but rather a prisoner. Although he was able to maintain limited contact with his wife he struggled with doubt, depression and suicidal thoughts. This biography is a little different than others in that the author focuses more on his internal problems and struggles than he does on his condition in the prison. I understand his reason for doing this and others who have found themselves in similar situations can relate but I feel like there was a bit of praise missing.  Don't get me wrong, I admire and am greatly encouraged by his faith. Even through all his struggles a...

"Stories Behind the Songs & Hymns About Heaven" by Ace Collins This is an interesting little book containing the background stories of 30 popular hymns and songs about heaven. Each chapter tells the history behind one hymn or song and starts off with a verse and a brief introduction paragraph. Many of the stories of how some of the most popular hymns were inspired and came to be are very encouraging and interesting. I didn't know the story behind most of these, maybe only Amazing Grace so I enjoyed getting to know what inspired the writing of these hymns. This would make a great 30-day devotional and a perfect gift for those in music ministry or those who simply enjoy reading inspirational books of this nature. I received a copy of this book from Baker in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed here are entirely my own.