A to Z Challenge, Book Review, "A Chocolate Life; Savoring God's Sweet Grace"

“A Chocolate Life; Savoring God’s Sweet Grace”

By Deb Burma

Review by Shelly Burke

Who doesn’t love at least a bit of chocolate once in a while? Deb Burma’s new devotion book, A Chocolate Life; Savoring God’s Sweet Grace, shows readers how life can be like chocolate—sweet, bitter, light and smooth, or dark and lumpy. In devotions with titles that include Chocolate-frosted Grace, Hot Cupcake Aromatherapy, Chocolate Gifts, Choice Morsels, and Not by Chocolate Alone, Burma takes examples and illustrations from her life and shows us how we can apply them to our own lives. In every devotion (there are 30 devotions in the book) she shows us how God sustains us, forgives us, and provides us with His endless grace. As an extra treat readers will find nine chocolate-based Burma family recipes in the book. YUM!

One of my favorite devotions is Chocolate Gifts. In this devotion Burma relates how her kids sometimes hoard the chocolate gifts they’ve received…only to find later that the months-old stash is stale and hard. She reminds us to not to do the same with God’s gifts to us, but to use them and share them! God’s gifts will never spoil but, as Burma points out, “if we don’t use them, other people will miss out on the rich blessings and grace of God that they could receive through us.”

The devotions are quick to read and packed with God’s Word and meaning. Burma encourages us to take in “nuggets and morsels of God’s Word (and chocolate)” and make Him a priority in our lives—just as each of us is a priority to Him. She encourages us to make God’s Word available at all times—by having a Bible handy, written verses or passages posted around our homes, and a devotion book in our car or purse to read while waiting.

A Chocolate Life; Savoring God’s Sweet Grace  is the perfect size and price (quantity discounts available) to wrap up with a candy bar or other chocolate treat, or tuck into a greeting card and give as a gift on a special occasion or “just because.” Every reader of A Chocolate Life will “Taste and see that the Lord is good.” (Psalm 34:8)

To read more by Deb Burma, check out her blog at Fragrant Offerings .

(Now that I’m done writing this review, I’m going to go find…some chocolate!)

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To purchase A Chocolate Life; Savoring God’s Sweet Grace devotion book, magnets, or Scripture cards, ask at your Christian bookstore or go to www.cph.org (Concordia Publishing House).

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Are you looking for a Valentine's Day gift for your daughter? "His Revolutionary Love" would make the perfect gift!

Are you looking for a Valentine's Day gift for your daughter? "His Revolutionary Love" would make the perfect gift! 

Book Review "His Revolutionary Love"

(This review appears in the February issue of the Nebraska Family Times. The mission of the Nebraska Family Times is to "inspire, encourage, and motivate you in your Christian walk." For more information about the Nebraska Family Times or to request a FREE sample issue go to www.nebraskafamilytimes.blogspot.com.)

His Revolutionary Love

By Lynn Cowell

Review by Shelly Burke, Editor

Like all of us, author Lynn Cowell experienced the ups and downs and anxieties of having crushes as a teen. However, during a nine-month Bible school training program she discovered the revolutionary love of Jesus. As she learned she realized that His love is the opposite of everything she had been pressured to believe about love.

His Revolutionary Love is written for teenagers who are facing pressures from friends, books, magazines, popular culture, and “what everyone else is doing” regarding relationships with boys.  

Cowell’s book is divided into three parts. Part 1, His Heart Toward Me,outlines how and what God is communicating to the reader. Part 2, His Path For Me, shows what our behavior should be to show our love to God. Part 3, His Hopes for Me, explains what we can do when we know about God’s revolutionary love.

The message throughout the book is that nothing—not boys, sex, drugs, sports, friends—can truly fill our hearts; only the revolutionary love of Jesus can. And Cowell reassures readers that Jesus loves us no matter what we are like inside and no matter what we have done. There are consequences for our actions, but God shows us His mercy when we ask for forgiveness. Cowell truly relates to teen emotions and “real life.”

Cowell is realistic in saying that some days we’ll feel closer to Jesus than other days, and that friends might not share in the readers’ passion for Him. She encourages readers to continue spending time with Him anyway.

Cowell recognizes the difficulty of remaining sexually pure and in no uncertain terms warns teens of the dangers of not doing so. She encourages readers to play out situations in their mind so they’ll be prepared to deal with those situations in “real life.”

His Revolutionary Love is a must-read for teenage girls; it will give them the confidence to make good decisions about setting boundaries and protecting themselves. Moms who read the book will find natural lead-ins to discussion with their daughters. (Hint to moms: download the FREE Leader’s Guide at www.lynncowell.com. Many of the suggestions and questions would be perfect for a one-to-one discussion with your daughter.)

Lynn Cowell is a youth worker and the mother of three teenagers. She is a member of the Proverbs 31 Ministries’ speaking team and works with teens one-on-one mentoring, leading small groups, and teaching at conferences. To read more go to www.lynncowell.com.  At the site you’ll also find a FREE Leadership Guide for those who feel moved to lead a group through the study of His Revolutionary Love. 

I love to read, and I love to write about books I read. I recently read She Makes it Look Easy and reviewed it for the Nebraska Family Times newspaper. I wanted to share the review with you. If you have books you'd like to suggest for review, or if you've written a review of a Christian book, please share it with me at shelly@shellyburke.net.   She Makes it Look Easy      By Marybeth Whalen Review by Shelly Burke, Editor and Publisher She Makes it Look Easy is not a typical “everything-works-out-perfectly-in-the-end” Christian novel. The book delves into the lives of three families and the impacts of the choices husbands and wives make. You might find yourself shocked to find that some of the outwardly “perfect” Christian characters make very bad choices…and you might find yourself closely identifying with several of the characters as well. I was immediately drawn into the lives of the characters in She Makes it Look Easy. The story is told from the alternating views of the central characters, Justine and Ariel. Justine Miller makes it all look “easy” with her perfectly clean home, perfectly groomed children, and perfectly organized life. Under the “perfect,” however, are dark motives and desires. Ariel Baxter’s family is “moving on up” when they move into Essex Falls, an upscale neighborhood. Justine quickly introduces herself to her new neighbor Ariel and offers to help Ariel organize her life. Soon, however, Ariel suspects that Justine has motives beyond helping a new friend. When she delves deeper into Justine’s actions she discovers a secret that Justine has been keeping. Justine and Ariel both face difficult choices, and you’ll be wondering until the final chapter if they’ll do the right thing. She Makes it Look Easy reminded me of several things; first of all, when I find myself too eager to please someone who makes me feel bad about myself, that person is not a friend. Second, I was reminded not to judge people who seem to “have it all together;” they might be hiding a secret, or they might need a friend. And third, no matter how much I want to be a friend, there are times that doing the right thing is more important than a not-so-true friendship. Even if you usually don’t enjoy fiction, I encourage you to read She Makes it Look Easy. To order go to Proverbs 31 Ministries. To read more by Marybeth Whalen go to http://www.marybethwhalen.com/.