On My Bookshelf: After Acts

                                

After Acts by Bryan Litfin

Little description:What really happened after Acts?

If you’ve ever wondered what happened to the biblical characters after Acts—from the well-known Matthew to the lesser-known Bartholomew—then this book is for you. Join Dr. Bryan Litfin as he guides you through Scripture and other ancient literature to sift fact from fiction, real-life from legend. 

Skillfully researched and clearly written, After Acts is as accurate as it is engaging. Gain a window into the religious milieu of the ancient and medieval church. Unearth artifacts and burial sites. Learn what really happened to your favorite characters and what you should truly remember them for.

• Did Paul ever make it to Spain? Was he beheaded in Rome?
• Is it true that Peter was crucified upside down?
• Was the Virgin Mary really bodily assumed into heaven?

The book of Acts ends at chapter 28. But its characters lived on. 

Genre:  Christian Living

Find the book on Amazon here.

My thoughts: 4 stars out of 5

I am taking this book not as a valuable resource of theology, but the theory of what might have happened to the apostols after Acts. Questions did rise up on the events taken place from the Judea and Jerusalem after the Pentecost. Then the History filled in the gaps between the first group of Christians til modern-day Christians. 

The author gives his insight on what happened later…even though Acts had closed the last chapter, but the lives of many continues to act, live and manifest for God’s Kingdom…

Provided by Moody Publishers as a complementary copy for my opinion and review.

On My Bookshelf: How is Your Soul

                                      

How’s Your Soul by Judah Smith

Little description:Judah Smith, New York Times bestselling author of Jesus Is ______, explores what it looks like to cultivate a healthy soul in the midst of a busy life and points readers to the soul’s only true home and place of rest and fulfillment: God.

“How’s your soul?” 

It may seem like an odd question, but it’s what pastor and bestselling author Judah Smith chooses to ask his friends, rather than “How are you?” It’s a way to look past the externals and consider what’s going on inside, in that essential part of us that is often overlooked in the struggle to make our way through everyday life.

In the rush of living moment to moment, many of us find ourselves simply surviving, struggling daily with frustration, restlessness, boredom, and ever-fleeting joy. But if we would pause, we’d find that the things that matter most in life, what we are searching for in our busyness—stability, peace, hope, love—are rooted in the health of what Judah calls the “inside you.” 

In How’s Your Soul?, Judah explores that “inside you.” Sharing his own, often humorous, mistakes and foibles, he helps us find our way through the emotional roller coasters of life to discover the soul-healing essentials of rest, responsibility, restraint, and relationships, all rooted in what he calls the soul’s only true home—God himself.

How’s Your Soul? is an invitation to find lasting emotional satisfaction and stability by bringing our feelings into alignment with God’s truth, moving beyond simply surviving, and learning how to live each day with eternal significance.

Genre: Christian Living/ Religious

Find the book on Amazon here.

My thoughts: 4 stars out of 5

What a question Judah Smith asks! A true state of our soul is important to be and to live to the fullest. He explains how the human soul operates and the vitality to keep it guarded and happy to be fruitful and successful. 

What a great reality of the soul, as Judah Smith states, it is the only true home, where God resides and moves, creating the new creature in us as the Author and Finisher of our salvation. The soul is the place of our being too. We need soul check-ups, to make it whole again, without hurt and wounds. The soul cannot prosper were wounds and thorns grow, so we need the healing touch of Jesus.

Provided by BookLook Bloggers as a complementary copy for my opinion and review.

On My Bookshelf: Born After Midnight

                                      

Born After Midnight by A.W. Tozer

Little description:Will you press into heaven at the expense of earth?

It has been said that revivals are born after midnight. This is not because midnight is a magic hour—it isn’t—but because anyone truly desiring renewal doesn’t tire at seeking it.

Born After Midnight stirs us toward renewal. Be it in the realm of money, worship, worry, or prayer, A. W. Tozer applies God’s high wisdom to our everyday living to show how sin is bitter and Christ is sweet, helping us crave heaven and lose our taste for the world.

If you will take God for who He says He is, trust His promises as true, and forsake the world in clutching for heaven, it will cost you everything. But it will give you eternity. Born After Midnight invites you to seek what cannot be lost.

Genre:  Christian Living/ Theology

Find the book on Amazon here.

My thoughts: 5 stars out of 5

A. W. Tozer was  a strong theologian, who could explain main topics of Christianity and Christian living… In Born After Midnight he wrote about faith is a journey, not a destination. What do we do after we’ve got saved? Topics like keys to life, power of God, words and deeds, lust vs spiritual, the reality of God as the Light vs the reality of devil as a shadow, our focus on God, the greatness came to serve, the power of sanctifies thought, quality of living, humble heart, refined, return the “Oh!” in our prayers, little matter the most.

Strong theological points.

Provided by Moody Publishers as a complementary copy for my opinion and review.

On My Bookshelf: Talk Yourself Happy

                                    

Talk Yourself Happy by Kristi Watts

Little description:Former cohost of The 700 Club Kristi Watts reveals the pitfalls that keep Christians from true joy and demonstrates the transformational power of speaking the words and promises of God.

How does a person bounce back after being beaten down personally, professionally, and emotionally? What impact do words, thoughts, and beliefs have in determining one’s level of happiness? Kristi Watts asked herself these questions after her marriage dissolved and she left a high-profile position as a cohost of The 700 Club. Initially excited to walk into a new season of life that she thought held the key to happiness, she soon stumbled into emotional pitfalls that left her discouraged, disappointed, and distant from God. Known as the upbeat host who was always filled with joy and laughter, she was anything but—yet she was determined to get her happy back! But how? By learning, as Kristi did, that true happiness is not simply acquired but rather cultivated.

When one’s words focus on faulty perspectives, faith is quickly derailed, but by remembering God’s blessings and verbally claiming His promises, hearts change. Using biblical principles, Talk Yourself Happy illustrates the importance of relying on God to tame our tongues and train our minds, and it exposes the hidden traps that keep Christians from living lives of happiness, empowering readers with the ultimate transformation of their hearts.

Genre: Christian Living/ Religious

Find the book on Amazon here.

My thoughts: 4 stars out of 5

Kristi Watts has a bubbly personality, but also a genuine faith in God… With her personal experience on divorce,  being a single mom, and raising her boy, she shares how she came out from being broken, worthless, lonely, and rejected to be joyful, Christ-like person who roots in the Word of God and bring encouragement into other’s lives.

Journey with her to become happy again in the fullness of it….

Provided by BookLook Bloggers as a complementary copy for my opinion and review.

The Valley of Spices

{Image Source: Courtesy of Google Image}

Whispers of the sun on the windy breeze

Carries colored blossoms through the valley. 

Sweetened scent, the very essence of youth

With mint and cinnamon hovering on the loose.

On the wings of life to gaze beyond

The melody adorns the listening heart.

Freedom to melt in the mingled spices,

With the sun rays it always rises.

Blending together

The aromas of Earth.

Embracing the sweet breath.

 A life of pungent choice to release.