Max uses simple language while really breaking an idea down to its’ core, making a complicated idea easy to understand. In Fearless, Lucado tackles the subject of, as you can guess, fear. But it goes much deeper than fear. He covers the innate fear in humans: the fear of whether or not we matter. Do we matter to others? Do we matter to Gd? Are we good enough to matter?

But he shows us how God says, through his Word, that we are”worth more than sparrows.” He covers many fears including fear of running out of luck, whether we have enough, not protecting our children, violence & not having enough. He even covers intangible fears like global collapse and changes in our circumstances.

With each fear he shows us through God’s Word, how to trust in God and fear less. It was a very comforting book to read. I’ll be referencing it many times during my years. That I am sure of.

For anyone who wants to delve deeper into the topics of the book, Max has added a discussion guide for groups or individuals at the end of the book. Overall, I really enjoyed the book. For being a quick  218 page read, it was packed with insight we may not always be able to glean from our own study of fears or through reading the Bible. Highly recommended by this less fearful mother of five.

Thomas Nelson Publishers did a terrific job of creating this audio Bible.  It was created to help children and teens become more familiar with the Word of God.  I think, if you can get your kids to sit down and actually listen, they would get a lot from hearing the Word instead of having to wade through a confusing and wordy bible.

Although I enjoyed listening to the audio Bible, my attention often wandered to other things.  If you are the type of person who enjoys learning through spoken word, I highly recommend this product.  If, however, you are more of a reader, you may just want to stick with a Bible from Thomas Nelson Publishing.

From a group of young teens, to a married couple experiencing communication problems, to another senior who thinks her life has no purpose, Jones seems to know just what to say, just what each person needs to make powerful changes in their lives. For such a quick read, this is a very powerful story that has the potential to change your life around, if you follow the advice of old Jones. Many short stories I’ve read, don’t seem to have much substance and often, not much of a plot either, but this book is very different. The story is full of life and keeps you interested. I couldn’t put it down, and read it all in one sitting. Now Andy Andrews has a new fan. I’m looking forward to reading his other books, especially “The Traveler’s Gift”.

Rachel Joy Scott was a regular teenage girl with a heart committed to following and serving her Savior,  Jesus Christ. Reading about Rachel Joy Scott from the perspective of her parents was a heart wrenching experience.  As a parent to five children, I can not imagine the depths of despair that the parents of the twelve  slain students must have felt.  But as more and more of Rachel’s journal entries are revealed while reading,  I came to understand why her parents have turned her life into an example that others should follow. Rachel’s journal entries reveal a deep, personal relationship with the Lord that I have never seen in a grown adult raised in a religious home, let alone a young teenage girl.

The first half of the book takes you through her life before the tragedy and walks you through the day of the deadly massacre of thirteen people by two misguided teenage boys.  Accounts from kids at the school, including her brother Craig, who lived through the day and stared into the eyes of the killers as they shot and killed two friends on either side of him,  form a picture of what happened in Columbine High School that day. You’ll also read of the fear her parents felt as they anxiously waited at the library and then later at a nearby elementary school, watching buses full of students being brought from Columbine to their worried families.  Rachel never showed up.

But more than anything else, this is a book about a simple life lived by a young girl.  A girl who shared her unwavering faith with everyone simply by living a positive, uplifting life.  By sharing the light within her. By accepting everyone without judgement.  A girl who not only gave her life for her Savior  on that terrible day in April of 1999, but also for the many people she befriended and accepted for many years before her death.

I recommend this book for anyone who wants to see how living a life of  faith with a loving heart can bring about an inner peace and light for everyone to see.  Rachel Joy Scott lived a life centered around her God and it showed.

I’m happy to share that the first book I will be reviewing for Thomas Nelson Publishing is Rachel’s Tears by Beth Nimmo and Darrell Scott with Steve Rabey.  This book is going to be heartbreaking to read but I imagine also wonderful and inspirational. This books is about Rachel Joy Scott, one of the young teens that was brutally murdered at Columbine High School ten years ago.  It is written by her parents.  I can’t imagine the hurt they went through losing their daughter.  Sharing her life with us through this book must have been very difficult.

Look for my review this weekend.