The Christian Mama’s Guide to Having a Baby by Erin MacPherson

The Christian Mama’s Guide to Having a Baby by Erin MacPherson is a step-by-step guide to what a mom (and even a dad) should expect during pregnancy.

Erin covers every detail – from an overview of each trimester, to who to call for advice, to what to shop for, to how to exercise. Included throughout her book are sections titled “Time-Out for Mom” in which MacPherson offers Bible verses and a prayer to comfort the anxious mom.

Reading MacPherson’s book made me more confident in the knowledge that one day I could handle having a baby. I appreciate MacPherson’s candid advice and instruction about what happens during the sometimes dreaded nine months that no mother seems willing to tell a woman who has yet to be pregnant. Her Biblical references were peaceful and relevant and were a large part of what made this book intriguing.

MacPherson’s humor and detail made the book enjoyable to read, and I found myself laughing out loud many times; the greatest of all was in response to this statement: “Since I have absolutely no experience with pushing – I had C-sections – me telling you about pushing is kind of like your husband telling you about multitasking. You can’t explain what you’ve never done” (217).

As I went through the first few chapters, I thought MacPherson was much too verbose, and I found myself thinking of ways to write the book in half the number of pages. While I do still think that the book could be shorter, by the middle of the book and through to the end I found myself reading every word – not wanting to miss any detail or skip over any funny parts.

The book is well organized and can easily be used as a manual. Through her language and tone, MacPherson creates a bond and a friendship with the reader that definitely will draw me to reading more of her guides.

I recommend this book to other readers.

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The publisher has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book through BookSneeze®. I was not required to write a positive review.

 

 

 

 

Tyndale: The Man Who Gave God an English Voice by David Teems

Tyndale: The Man Who Gave God an English Voice is a compelling biography of Tyndale’s time translating the Bible into English.

Teems’ sense of humor and authentic tone swiftly propel this biography. Teems creates a hero out of the martyr. He writes, “Tyndale’s target audience has long been under a different influence . . . To the general believer, the Scripture is still remote, inaccessible. The Church alone is the higher perception. Tyndale challenged that perception” (56). Teems’ clever prose never disappoints: “Tyndale was not so fortunate. We will cover the details of Tyndale’s imprisonment in a final chapter, but he was confined to a dungeon, and with all the adjectives your darker imagination can supply” (196). While retelling Tyndale’s purposes, Teems, through his own prose, also opens the readers’ to new scriptural insights: “The image was a huge fish, but Jonah was swallowed up by the monster of his own resistance” (212).

By showcasing some of Tyndale’s translation, “I am the light of the world,” “Blessed are the poor in spirit, “God is love,” etc. Teems makes his audiences esteem and thank Tyndale for the language and truths he has revealed even to the modern age (60).

In the margins of many pages, Teems strengthens his argument with other voices of authority: “Tyndale did not simply translate the Bible. In the sense of restoring its sweep and drama, he recreated it” (66).

Tyndale’s life was not glorious. Although the two never met, Sir Thomas More took it upon himself to persecute Tyndale. Because Tyndale was introducing truth to a state whose authority wanted to deceive its people, Tyndale was a heretic, described as “the hairball they were desperately hoping to cough up” (79). Despite opposition, however, Tyndale continued to pursue truth. “He had all the rare advantages of a man who was certain, both of his place in the world and his function within it” (165).  The reader is left with no option but to admire Tyndale: “Hate was simply not a way Tyndale chose to regulate his passion. He lived by a higher rule. It was one of the many things he did not have in common with the age” (199).

This book educates its audiences of the challenges and rewards of Tyndale’s work. His impact is lasting. I recommend this book with highest praise.

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The publisher has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book through BookSneeze®. I was not required to write a positive review.

Thunder Dog by Michael Hingson with Susy Flory

Thunder Dog tells the story of Michael Hingson, who is blind, and his courageous guide dog, Roselle, as they are confronted with confusion.

Hingson boldy and confidently leads the reader through the terror of the events on September 11, 2001. Hingson and Roselle come face to face with death while at work in the North Tower when a hijacked airplane deliberately crashes into the tower. As Hingson and Roselle descend on stairs beginning at the 78^th floor, the reader instantly becomes a cheerleader for the duo and is left  hoping and pleading for their cause as they infiltrate the silently-panicked environment with humor and poise, and shuffle into the panic-ridden streets of Manhattan.

This book offers perspective to the events of 9/11 and the days following, and it gently educates the Sighted on how to gracefully live with the Blind. Hingson’s poignant style causes the reader to pause, to grasp, to yearn, and to seek. Hingson’s writing is captivating and honest. He enlightens and challenges the reader to plead for humanity and to seek to understand and embrace each other.

I recommend this book with highest praise. Come – meet Roselle, Michael Hingson, the aftermath of 9/11, and the mind of the Blind.

http://booksneeze.com/blogger/resources/9781400203048

The publisher has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book through BookSneeze®. I was not required to write a positive review.

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