The Scribe's Portion

  "NIV Beautiful Word Bible Journal-Mark" Zondervan Let me start off by saying that I'm not an NIV user, I stick to the KJV but I saw that these, what looked liked, beautiful Bible journals were available for review and decided why not. As there are no KJV Bible journals around that I know of, I have been using the ESV and NKJV Bible journals to take notes and have found them to be helpful when studying a specific book.   I wasn't counting on how girly and juvenile these Bible journals would be. I prefer the "bland" or plain ones as I'm more of a practical person but I guess it's my fault for not taking a hint with the flowery cover. I think these journals are better for girls or teens. Every other page has a pretty verse illustration on the side, which may appeal to some, but it's not my cup of tea. Although it claims to have a 9.5 point font it looks smaller and the text is too squished in.   The good; the paper is nice, thick, creamed colored ...

"A Great Cloud of Witnesses: A Study of Those Who Lived By Faith" by Trillia J. Newbell I'm not big on studies like these, they don't do much for me but I wanted to give this one a try because Hebrews 11 is one of my favorite chapters in the NT. I haven't done the study yet but flipping through and reading sections has motivated me to try it. This is a 6-week Bible study focusing on God's faithfulness toward the Hebrews and distinct men and women mentioned in Hebrews 11 who remained faithful to God through thick and thin.  Each week is made up of 5 days and centers on a specific topic from the chapter then it's broken down into 5 subtopics. There are 2-4 daily verses to read and a short 1-page devotional and a few questions at the end for meditation. The introduction for each week can be used for a 2-day study as it contains a longer section to read and more questions to answer, thus, you can easily turn the weeks into a 7-day weekly study.  I'm actual...

  "The Military Guide to Armageddon: Battle-Tested Strategies to Prepare Your Life and Soul for the  End Times" by Col. David J. Giammona & Troy Anderson Easy 5-star book! Let me start off by saying that this is not what I had expected and I'm glad it's not. I thought this was going to be your typical end times/prophecy book with a cheesy military theme/tie-in but it's nothing like that at all. One of the authors is a retired military colonel and using his expertise in the field, gives you a fresh perspective into warfare (both spiritual and physical). He uses personal experiences he's had to draw his points on several key messages. It makes the read so much easier to get through, I find his style very engaging and not at all dry.  The authors discuss how to prepare your spiritual life, mindset, and even physically for battle, this takes up most of the book. I love how Col. Giammona uses his military experiences to explain the spiritual aspect of end-times...

  "Discipleship: What it Means to be a Christian" Collected Insights by A.W. Tozer I think this is the second book I have given the full 5 stars in this Tozer collection series, the other being the one on prayer- all others I gave a 4. This collection on discipleship is all I hoped for; Tozer being typically blunt but also encouraging. In this collection, Tozer tackles the Christian life. What does it mean to be a Christian? How should a Christian behave? What characteristics should a Christian possess? These questions and others are answered in these writings.  Tozer discusses how a true Christ-follower should be and also what a nominal Christian looks like. Tozer's tone is always very direct, making you feel very convicted, and that's good! There's no doubt that he had the gift of exhortation. His passion can be felt within the pages and his words always pierce the heart. This collection on discipleship was very well put together and gives you much to meditate u...

  "Church: Living Faithfully as the People of God" Collected Insights from A.W. Tozer You can never go wrong with Tozer. In this compilation on the subject of church, with his usual directness and zeal, Tozer, makes the call to Christians to unity and true worship. He discusses what the purpose of the church is and how she should behave as ambassadors for Christ. As usual, Tozer emphasizes the importance of the Holy Spirit in the life of a Christian and how it helps shape the church. This is what I like the most about Tozer's writings.  This book in the Tozer collective series was a great addition and takes on a topic that is very crucial to us today. Understanding the work of the church and the Christian character that is needed to do Kingdom ministry is very relevant to us. Tozer's tone is always corrective but also encouraging and this goes well with this subject and is exactly what need to hear.  I received a copy of this book from Moody in exchange for an honest ...