GHBC Teens

The Principle of the Path

2011-01-06T19:05:00.000-08:00

Living in Atlanta, I am very familiar with Andy Stanley. When I saw his book was available on BookSneeze, I immediately requested it. Overall, I enjoyed reading the book. Though there were some parts that were not applicable to my own Christian life, for the most part the book really corresponded with my daily life.

The book offered practical advice and sound doctrine that was easily applicable to situations I face on a daily basis. I would recommend Andy Stanley's book to others. I look forward to reading Stanley's other books in the future.

An Amish Love

2011-01-06T18:47:00.000-08:00

An Amish Love, by Beth Wiseman, Kathleen Fuller, and Kelly Long was a novel that I enjoyed reading. I loved how three different authors came together to write a book. The book is a must-read for any women (or men) who enjoy reading about Amish people or Amish romance. I have read similar books in the past by different authors, so I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.

The authors did a wonderful job describing the plot and setting and providing historical information that is relevant to the Amish culture. I look forward to reading similar books that are written by Wiseman, Fuller, and Long.

Then Sings My Soul

2010-11-26T11:11:00.000-08:00

I loved receiving and reading this book. I received a paperback copy, yet the pages inside were designed to look like a real, old-fashioned hymnal. I enjoyed reading the stories behind the various hymns that I grew up listening to. This would be a perfect gift for a choir director or music leader at a church.

This would also be a great book to share with friends and family members who grew up singing these old hymns.

On this Day in Christian History

2010-11-26T11:04:00.001-08:00

This would be a great gift for the history buff on your Christmas list! This book was very interesting -- providing historical accounts of things that happened within the Christian faith throughout history. I liked using this daily guide as part of my daily devotional -- it was simple to use my daily devotional and then look in this book to see what historical event happened on that particular date.

I plan to share this book with other friends and family members who love reading about history. This is the perfect history book about the Christian faith.

Living Life in the Zone

2010-10-28T13:55:00.000-07:00

So far, I have really enjoyed this devotional. It is definitely a great way to get athletic males and sports-lovers to read. It takes sports analogies and examples and applies them to biblical principles. I believe this book would be a great "stocking stuffer" for the sports fan in your life.

One thing that I did not like was the various Biblical references that were in the book. Rather than using the King James Version of the Bible, multiple versions of the bible were referred to.

Outlive Your Life

2010-10-18T14:25:00.000-07:00

I thoroughly enjoy reading books written by Max Lucado, so I was excited to pre-read a copy of his new book, Outlive Your Life: You Were Made to Make a Difference. I read the book at the same time as reading Max Lucado and Jenna Lucado Bishop's book Made to Make a Difference, written for a teenage audience. I enjoyed reading both books because they were uplifting, encouraging, and appealing.

I was able to use the information from both books to create Sunday School lessons that could be adapted for either teenagers or adults. The information in the book is helpful for people of all ages. I am glad I had the opportunity to read another of Lucado's books.

Made to Make a Difference

2010-10-02T13:00:00.001-07:00

I enjoyed reading You Were Made to Make a Difference, by Max Lucado and Jenna Lucado-Bishop. Though the book was written for a teenage audience, it can easily be applied to the lives of adults. While Max Lucado’s commentary and input is written in a more mature way that is more applicable to older readers, Jenna Lucado-Bishop’s commentary and input is appealing to a younger audience. Together, the two author’s created a work that can be inspirational to a varied group of readers.

As an adult who actively works in our church’s teen group, I read the book and thought about ways I could adapt the content and teach it in lessons. The book could be used to create lessons that address the entire heterogeneous group, or it could be taught in a small-group setting to a homogeneous group. Either way, both the teacher and the students will benefit from the information in the book. I loved how the book included stories of teenagers who truly had made a large, lasting difference in the lives of others. The examples prove that anyone is capable of making a change, and everyone was made to make a difference in the world.

2010-08-17T07:15:00.000-07:00

With my marketing background, I was instantly interested in Elizabeth Pace's book, "The X and Y of Buy." The book was very informative, showing different ways of appealing to both the male and female genders.

I enjoyed reading the book because it made me think about the different tactics that we can use to appeal to the two different genders through advertising and marketing. Many of the tactics I read about could also be transferred to personal experiences, such as dealing with co-workers, friends, family, etc.

2010-08-17T07:11:00.001-07:00

I truly enjoyed reading Max Lucado's book, "Fearless." After receiving the book from BookSneeze, I read through it quickly. While reading through the book, I found that it was applicable to some of the things that our teenagers at church were facing. As one of the youth directors at my church, I felt that it would be appropriate to share the book's points with our teenagers.

I adapted the chapters and made a short Sunday School series where we could talk about the different fears that teenagers face at this time in their lives: dealing with parents, school, boyfriend/girlfriend, new jobs, college, etc. The teens loved hearing the lessons, and I loved teaching them.

Sarah's Garden

2010-08-17T06:36:00.001-07:00

Sarah's Garden is a novel that describes a young Amish girl's modern-day experiences. Living as an Amish young lady in the Amish Country of Pennsylvania, she is introduced to an English gentlemen who she develops a friendship with.

I really enojoyed reading this novel, and felt that it was a "quick read." The author did a great job of capturing my attention throughout the novel. I enjoyed being able to picture how an Amish family relates to the modern technology that surrounds them in the outside world.

2009-12-07T13:49:00.000-08:00

Rick and Bubba's Guide to the Almost Nearly Perfect Marriage offers the reader a humorous look at marriage and different situations that couples are faced with. Rick and Bubba are known for their comical stories and personalities, so it was no surprise that this book offered was funny. The book discussed many different aspects of marriage, including raising children, visiting the in-laws, and what to wear to social gatherings.

This book was an easy-read because it was very funny. I kept turning the pages because I wanted to read more about Rick & Bubba's personal experiences and what they would have done differently. I would suggest this book for any dating or married couple who has a good sense of humor. Many of the topics were presented in a humorous tone, yet they were all serious subjects.

Fearless, by Max Lucado

2009-12-07T13:41:00.000-08:00

Fearless, by Max Lucado is a book that gives readers simple reminders and instructions about having a fearless life. Life is filled with many fears, and many of the fears we experience are mentioned in this book. This book is applicable for anyone, regardless of their age or current situation, as fear is an emotion that everyone experiences. After reading this book, some of the ideas were adapted into a Sunday School lesson series for teenagers.

I enjoyed reading this book because the author provided many personal experiences and real-life situations about fear, and then he taught the reader how to overcome fear with biblical means. I would encourage people to read this book regardless of their current situation; whether they are in fearful situation now or it is lurking around the corners, I believe everyone can benefit from the information presented in this book.

Jesus Calling, by Sarah Young

2009-07-02T15:55:00.000-07:00

Sarah Young’s Jesus Calling began as a personal journal, but it has quickly become a daily devotional for many people across the world. The author, a missionary in Australia, decided one day to use her journal as a slate for the things she felt the Lord tell her. Jesus Calling is a small book that is filled with comforting reminders, encouragements, and thoughts that Young felt the Lord directed her to write. Each page is filled with a short message from the Lord to believers, as well as scripture references to accompany it, and each thought or statement shows the reader that God truly does love and care for them.

The thing that I liked most about this devotional was that it did not seem as though Sarah Young was imposing her own thoughts on the audience. Instead, each passage is written as those it is literally being spoken by God. My biggest complaint about the devotional was that the author referenced various versions of the bible. Unless otherwise noted, each of the scriptures that were written in the devotional was from the New International Version. Young also made reference to the New King James Version in many of the entries. I feel that Sarah Young, as a missionary and Christian, should have exclusively used the King James Version of the Bible when she wrote this devotional guide.