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About this book:   “He’s sworn off love, but she has his heart in her sights and doesn’t intend to miss.   Stained by his wastrel father’s legacy, Jackson Spivey lives on the fringes of society. Townsfolk tolerate him since he keeps the local hotel supplied with fresh game, but mothers coach their daughters to avoid him. After tasting consistent rejection, Jackson spurns all attempts at courtship. The only things he can count on are his guns and his God.   Tessa James has been secretly in love with Jackson for ages, but trying to gain his favor only pushes him further away. When she learns Annie Oakley is traveling through Texas, Tessa seeks lessons from the famed markswoman. If Jackson’s life revolves around guns, taking up shooting might help her engage his interest. Too bad she can’t hit the broad side of a barn.   When Annie loans Tessa a custom pistol, however, things begin to change. The lore behind the mysterious weapon fosters hope that Tessa might finally hit the target of Jackson’s heart. But when danger threatens, she might be forced to use the pistol for something other than finding love.” Series: Part of the “Pink Pistol Sisterhood” series. Mentions characters from the author’s other books, “Stealing the Preacher” (review Here!) and “A Tailor-Made Bride” (review Here!).  Spiritual Content- Galatians 6:9 at the beginning; A few Scriptures are remembered; Talks about God; Mentions of God & faith; Mentions of prayers, praying, & thanking God; Mentions of those & events in the Bible; Mentions of church, church going, & a pastor; A few mentions of blessings & being Blessed;              *Note: Mentions of Cupid & his bow (mythological creature); A mention of something sounding like “hocus-pocus”; A mention of someone looking like an “avenging angel”; “For Pete’s sake” is said once.  Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘biddies’, an ‘idiot’, a form of ‘screwed up’, a ‘shoot’, a ‘rats’, four forms of ‘stupid’; A couple mentions of curses (said, not written); A bit of eye rolling; Shooting someone (self-defense and feels bad afterward, up to semi-detailed); Fighting, Being held at gunpoint, Getting shot (accidentally), Pain, & Blood/bleeding (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of thieves, a robbery, outlaws, threats, & prisons/jails; Mentions of gunfire, being held at gunpoint, getting shot, injuries, pain, & blood/bleeding (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of alcohol, drinking, & drunks (Jackson’s father); Mentions of hunting, hunters, & shooting animals for food; A few mentions of grief (a daughter); A few mentions of cigarettes & tobacco; A few mentions of lies; A few mentions of throwing up; A couple mentions of poker & playing card games; A mention of manure;              *Note: Jackson faces prejudice & rude comments because his father is a drunkard and a felon (he is in prison); Jackson’s father used to belittle him with insults which causes Jackson to wonder if he really is worthless.  Sexual Content- A bit of staring at someone’s lips; A forehead kiss, a border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed kiss, a semi-detailed kiss, and a detailed kiss; Remembering kisses (up to semi-detailed); Wanting to kiss (barely-above-not-detailed); Touches, Embraces, & Shivers (up to semi-detailed); Wanting to touch & embrace (barely-above-not-detailed); Blushes; Noticing (up to semi-detailed); Jackson feels a hunger and desire for Tessa; Book ends on a wedding night & a passionate kiss (in Jackson’s point of view); Mentions of kisses & kissing; Mentions of flirting; Mentions of reputations; A couple mentions of touches & embraces; A mention of a married couple kissing often; A mention of jealousy; A mention of a crush; Love, falling/being in love, & the emotions;             *Note: A mention of a dress hugging a woman’s figure (said by a dressmaker to a client).  -Tessa James, age 20-Jackson Spivey, age 20                                P.O.V. switches between them (first chapter in someone else’s)                                             Set in 1893-1894                                                        122 pages Pre Teens-  Older High School Teens-  I’m willing to slightly overlook the few parts with a lack of gun safety and then Tessa jumping into a dangerous situation, because the rest of the story was really cute. Tessa & Jackson were really cute together. Plus, it was neat to hear about the characters from two prior books by this author—especially Joanna & Crockett.    See y’all on Friday with a new review!  *BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.

Series: Book #2 in the “Secrets of the Canyon” series. Review of Book #1 Here! Spiritual Content- Many Scriptures are read, remembered, quoted, discussed, & thought-over; Being witnessed to (Julia) & witnessing to others (Ruth); Many Prayers & Thanking God; Many talks about God, Jesus, believing in Him, Him loving us, & faiths; ‘H’s are capital when referring to God; Ruth witnesses to Julia often; Julia doesn’t think she is worthy of God’s love & that God is too busy for her (at one point she thinks God is laughing at her); *Spoiler* Towards the end, right when what Ruth has said to her about God makes sense, there’s a spiteful voice in Julia’s head telling her that she’s a worthless orphan; She tries to cover her ears and tells God that she needs proof that He cares for her; Once she reads Scriptures that she’s been told before, she prays to God *End of Spoiler*; Many mentions of God, Jesus, believing in Him, His will, His creation, faiths; Many mentions of prayers, praying, & thanking God; Mentions of Bibles, Bible reading, & those in the Bible; Mentions of witnessing & being witnessed to; Mentions of Heaven; Mentions of churches, church going, a study group, & a preacher; A few mentions of miracles; A few mentions of blessings & being Blessed; A couple mentions of a Franciscan priest; A mention of someone saying that the biblical flood carved the river in the Grand Canyon; A mention of a godly marriage; A mention of sinners;               *Note: A mention of some people believing an orphan is from the devil.    Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘blah, blah, blah, blah, blah’, a ‘dagnabbit’, a ‘shoot’, a ‘sucker’, a ‘tarnation’, two ‘blast’s, four forms of ‘idiot’, eleven ‘dumb’s, and twenty ‘stupid’s; Seeing others who have been shot, attacked, injured, & bleeding (up to semi-detailed); Being tied up, Being beat-up, Injuries, & Pain (up to semi-detailed); Beating someone up & killing another by shooting him multiple times (done by Bobby, bluntly written, barely-above-not-detailed); A bit of sarcasm & eye rolling; Julia’s parents died when she was young, which caused her to go from home to home (*Major Spoiler* Her parents were hanged because they’d killed two people while robbing a bank *Major End of Spoiler); Because of Julia childhood (the deaths of her parents and then adoptive parents), she thinks that she’s worthless (also due to people making comments about her) and not deserving of love, so she’s sought attention and affirmation from others by telling lots of stories/lies (she’s told in the first chapter that it isn’t right and plans to do better from then on; she messes up once, but does well the rest of the book); Bobby smacks & later kills someone (barely-above-not-detailed); Bobby plans to kill anyone who gets in the way of finding the treasure (including Julia, barely-above-not-detailed); Many mentions of jail, arrests, crimes, criminals, robberies, thieves, stealing, stolen items, beating someone up, deaths/murders, & hangings; Many mentions of lies, lying, & liars; Mentions of deaths & grief (including Julia for her biological parents and adoptive parents & Chris for his grandfather); Mentions of planning to kill others to keep them away from the treasure (including trapping mountain lions to release on others; Bobby’s plans, barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of stories about others’ deaths (Julia with her parents so she doesn’t have to tell anyone what really happened to them); Mentions of gunshots, almost being shot, others being shot, & attacks (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of injuries, pain, blood/bleeding, & mountain lion attacks (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of hatred; Mentions of gossip, rumors, peer pressure, & a mean girl; Mentions of wounded animals, animals killing their prey, & a carcass (barely-above-not-detailed); A few mentions of threats; A few mentions of a child almost getting hit by a train (a story, did not actually happen); A few mentions of pipes & tobacco; A few mentions of throwing up; A few mentions of hunters & hunting; A couple mentions of a fire & deaths; A couple mentions of a woman running for her life (Book #1); A couple mentions of someone passing out; A couple mentions of jealousy; A couple mentions of a family being evicted; A mention of a kidnapping (Book #1); A mention of a child putting a snake in his adoptive mother’s bed & her getting sick (it’s implied the child is no longer with them); A mention of loan sharks coming after a person’s family & taking everything; A mention of seeing the life draining out of an animal (that attacked someone); A mention of someone’s glare being able to skin a cat; A mention of poop;               *Note: Mentions of a young Julia facing prejudice because she’s an orphan.      Sexual Content- Forehead/Temple kisses, a not-detailed kiss, and a borderline barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed kiss; Touches, Embraces, Hand holding, & Nearness (barely-above-not-detailed); Wanting to touch & embrace; Blushes; Noticing (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of an engaged couple struggling with their passion, but wanting to honor the Lord with their bodies, so they promise to only share one kiss a week (he says it’s hard to restrain himself); A couple mentions of couples kissing; A mention of a wife telling her husband that he took “too many husbandly privileges”; A mention of Chris aiming to keep his mind and body pure; A mention of flirting; Love, falling in love, & the emotions.   -Julia Schultz -Christopher ‘Chris’ Miller                                 P.O.V. switches between them, Ruth (x6), & Bobby (x9)                                       Set in 1907 (Prologue in 1889)                                                        320 pages ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Pre Teens-  New Teens-  Early High School Teens-  Older High School Teens-  font-size: 16px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;”> My personal Rating-  Our main girl, Julia, oh, goodness. I felt really bad for her. All she wants is love—unconditional love—and to have others care about her. Julia’s childhood taught her that lying and coming up with stories about herself would make others interested in her. I was glad to see someone tell her that that isn’t how she should live very

It’s been ten years. Ten years since the start of ‘Books for Christian Girls’.  Ten years of content reviews.   It’s amazing to see how the Lord has grown this blog into a passion and a ministry for girls ages 9-19. It’s amazing to see how many girls and families care about the content in a book. That’s truly been the most encouraging thing to me over these years; to know that I’m not alone in wanting good, clean, faith-filled Christian fiction.    It’s so funny to look at our 5-year anniversary post and note where this blog was at then. I said “To be completely honest, I never even imagined doing this site for so long. I was 13, turning 14 soon, when I felt called to start this ministry, and while I didn’t think I’d be doing it for a short amount of time, I definitely didn’t image doing it this long.” Look at what the Lord has done. This blog is just shy of 1,200 reviews and getting closer to a million views everyday. That’s unbelievable and it’s thanks to His blessings and y’all’s support. Thank you! Thank you to those who appreciate these reviews.   Thank you to those who support this site by sharing with others.   Thank you to those who have Philippians 4:8 values.   Thank you for being here.    With this being a big birthday, I wanted us to celebrate in a bigger way. Here’s the details: There will be 10 winners (8 on this site and 1 each on Instagram and Facebook. Check out our Instagram post and Facebook Page for the info on those giveaways!) You are welcome to enter all three ways to win!    For this giveaway, I wanted to give some options of books we’ve loved for a long time and also some more recent favorites in hopes that there maybe a few that interest everyone. I wanted to share some BFCG favorites for all ages with these book options! Reviews are linked and make some notes on which ones interest you because that will be important! 😉    This giveaway is open internationally as long as Book Depository or Amazon delivers to your country! 🙂 (Book Depository actually closes on 4/26, but all orders will be available until 6/23, so we should be covered!)     “A Match in the Making” by Jen Turano   “A Spy’s Devotion” by Melanie Dickerson   “Anomaly” by Krista McGee   A “Camp Club Girls” collection (which one will depend on what is available to your country!)   “Deadly Devotion” by Sandra Orchard   “Dog Days of Summer” by Kathleen Y’Barbo    “First Date” by Krista McGee   “Ignite” by Jenna Terese   “Heirlooms” by Sandra Byrd   “Katie in Waiting” by Erynn Mangum   “Off the Chain” by Janice Thompson (or another one in this series)   “Once I Knew” by Victoria Lynn   “Porch Swing Girl” by Taylor Bennett   “Riley Mae and the Rock Shocker Trek” by Jill Osborne   “Seeing Voices” by Olivia Smit   “Sketchy Behavior” by Erynn Mangum   ones-hollow-by-kim.html”>“The Librarian of Boone’s Hollow” by Kim Vogel Sawyer   “The Mandie Collection” Vol. 1 by Lois Gladys Leppard (or another volume in this series) “The Debutante’s Code” by Erica Vetsch    “The Uncertainty of Fire” by Stephanie Daniels       On the Rafflecopter below, you’ll see the first requirement is to list what your top three book options from the list would be. This is to give me a bit of wiggle room for our international friends, but also if two of the winners want the same book, there’s no sadness about there only being one copy!    a Rafflecopter giveaway   This giveaway and the ones on our Instagram and Facebook are open from 8th-19th (ends at midnight on the 20th) and you’re able to gain an extra entry each day on each one, if you’d like to do so!   Thank you once again for supporting this site and I hope you have an absolutely wonderfully Blessed day!

About this book:   “In 1964, a group of scientists called the Los Alamos Five came close to finishing a nuclear energy project for the United States government when they were abruptly disbanded. Now the granddaughter of one of those five scientists, aerospace engineer Elinor Mitchell, discovers that she has highly sensitive information on the project in her possession–and a target on her back.   SNAP agent and former Navy cryptologist Kekoa Young is tasked with monitoring Elinor. This is both convenient since she’s his neighbor in Washington, DC, and decidedly inconvenient because . . . well, he kind of likes her.   As Elinor follows the clues her grandfather left behind to a top-secret nuclear project, Kekoa has no choice but to step in. When Elinor learns he has been spying on her, she’s crushed. But with danger closing in on all sides, she’ll have to trust him to ensure her discoveries stay out of enemy hands.” Series: Book #2 in “The SNAP Agency” series. Review of the prequel novella Here! and Book #1 Here! Spiritual Content- A couple Scriptures are mentioned & remembered; Prayers; A hymn is sung; Talks about God & letting go of something/someone; Elinor’s grandfather would pray Scriptures over her, but when she went to college to pursue a science degree, “she ran into more opposition than her mustard seed of faith could handle, and so she let it go—walked away” (she does still pray); Kekoa is upset at God for something that happened in the past but does pray for God to help him, if He’s there;  Mentions of God (some can come across as slightly flippant) & trusting Him; Mentions of those in the Bible; Mentions of prayers & praying; Mentions of churches, church going, a pastor’s sermon, & a youth group; Mentions of a hymn; A couple mentions of Heaven; A mention of a blessing;              *Note: A villain walks into a church for a funeral & thinks that if God was going to punish him for his blasphemy, it would have happened when in walked into the church (his mother would take him to church as a child but he believes that God doesn’t care about him); A villain crosses himself & kisses a Saint Barbara medallion, believing that the saint protects him from the dangers of his job; A mention of a username containing ‘goddess’.   Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘bah!’, a ‘blah, blah, blah’, a ‘duh’, a ‘dumb’, a  ‘heck’, a ‘holy hydrogen’ (replacing ‘holy crap’ or something else, fits the context of the story), a ‘shut up’, a ‘stupid’, two ‘drat’s, two ‘OMG’s (as a science joke), and two forms of ‘ticked off’; Mentions of curses (including Kekoa almost cursing, said, not written); Eye rolling & Sarcasm; Seeing people shot (two), Being held at gunpoint, Being attacked, being choked, being slapped/hit, pain, & injuries (up to semi-detailed); Shooting/killing someone, Being shot, Pain, & Passing out (by villains, up to semi-detailed); Seeing a beaten body & killing (in a villain’s point of view, up to semi-detailed); Causing a car wreck that rolls a car & injuries (semi-detailed); Being stalked/followed (up to semi-detailed); Elinor goes to a bar with a co-worker (Elinor does not drink, but a drunk man there is handsy); Kekoa tells a few lies (because he doesn’t want to share something); Elinor felt rejected by her parents growing up because they left her to her grandfather to raise; Elinor is grieving her grandfather & Kekoa is grieving a sibling and feels guilt; All about many mentions of deaths, murders/killings, murderers, & nuclear bombs/weapons (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of bodies, how they were killed, & finding the bodies (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of a drowning (border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed); Mentions of torture, an attack, blood/bleeding, pain, & injuries (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of gunfire, being shot at, & being held at gunpoint (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of a fire & a found body (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of terrorists, treason, jail/prison, & arrests; Mentions of heists, crimes, criminals, thieves, thefts, break-ins, & stolen items; Mentions of bombs, bombings, & threats; Mentions of lies & lying; Mentions of alcohol, drinking, drunks, a hangover, & bars (side characters drink or act like they are drinking when undercover); Mentions of tattoos; Mentions of grief (for a brother, a grandfather, & a son); Mentions of throwing up; A few mentions of rumors; A few mentions of a messed-up stomach from spicy food & being in the bathroom a lot afterwards (barely-above-not-detailed); A couple mentions of a suicide; A couple mentions of an assassination attempt & an assassin; A couple mentions of (historical) treason & a beheading; A couple mentions of a woman’s children being threatened; A couple mentions of bullies; A mention of a helicopter crash; A mention of an internment camp; A mention of someone being high; A mention of a cigarette; A mention of a death of an infant son;              *Note: Both Elinor & Kekoa have tattoos; Mentions of movies, TV shows, & fictional characters (Independence Day, Cinderella, Starsky and Hutch, Grey’s Anatomy, Gilmore Girls, Mad Men, The Big Bang Theory, Blue Bloods, & Miami Vice); Mentions of car brands; Mentions of Uber; Mentions of singers, songs, actors, & celebrities (Glen Campbell, Johnny Cash, Taylor Swift, Kool and the Gang, Elon Musk, Richard Branson, Stephen King, Jason Momoa, Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan, Don Johnson, & John Travolta); A few mentions of Apple products (iWatch, iPad, & FaceTime); A few mentions of brand name items (Spam & Coke Zero); A few mentions of stores & fast food places (Neiman Marcus & McDonald’s); A mention of GQ; A mention of Disney World; A mention of social media (Instagram); A mention of a baseball team; A mention of a man saying a company wants to be “culturally progressive” and promote a woman; A mention of someone saying Elinor can be his wingwoman (as opposed to a wingman because it’s more politically correct); A mention of prejudices in the 1940/1950s; A mention of someone being a pain in another’s behind.   Sexual Content- Two forehead kisses, a blown kiss, two

About this book:   “Dreamwalker. Nightwatcher. Lady of Ravenwood.    Lady Selene Has Come into Her Family’s Power. But Has She Inherited a Gift or a Curse?    Lady Selene is heir to the House of Ravenwood and the secret family gift of dreamwalking. As a dreamwalker, she can enter a person’s dreams and manipulate their greatest fears or desires. Soon after the gifting, however, Selene discovers that the Ravenwood women have been secretly using their gift to gather information or to assassinate those responsible for the fall of House Ravenwood to the Dominia Empire hundreds of years ago.    As she becomes more entrenched in Ravenwood’s dark past, Selene longs to find out the true reason behind her family’s gift, believing that its original intent could not have been for such evil purposes, but she is torn about upholding her family’s legacy—a legacy that supports her people. Selene’s dilemma comes to a head when she is tasked with assassinating the one man who can bring peace to the nations—but who is also prophesied to bring about the downfall of her own house.    One path holds glory and power and will solidify her position as Lady of Ravenwood. The other path holds shame and likely death. Which will she choose? And is she willing to pay the price for the path chosen?” Series: Book #1 in “The Ravenwood Saga”.  Spiritual Content- Prayers (to “the Light” from Damien and to “the Dark Lady” from others); Selene prays for any of the gods to help her, if they’re real & later says another prayer, wondering whom it is towards; Damien believes that the gifts of each house are from the Light & prays to the Light before using his gift; Both encouraging and negative voices appear in Selene & Damien’s minds (Good vs Evil); Mentions of prayers, praying, & Thanking the Light (mentions of prayers to the Dark Lady as well); Mentions of monks, an abbey, & a Father; A few mentions of priests & a temple; A couple mentions of miraculously healing & a House being able to heal people by touching them; A mention of a House being blessed; A mention of someone looking like an angel;              *Note: Each of the seven Great Houses have a special gift (some control water, others fire or the earth, and Selene’s house is able to get into others’ dreams) and some believe in gods of some form, the “old god/god of old ways”(called “the Light”), and others believe in “the Dark Lady”; To keep people from sharing house secrets, they are “bounded” to their house (and consort as well) and if they go to speak of the secrets with someone else, now words will come out of their mouths; Selene slips into others’ dreams, talking on the form of a raven (she is told to never touch the orb in the dream as that is the person’s soul); In the opening chapter, Selene is at a sanctuary with her mother and sister praying to “the Dark Lady” (who is the patroness of their House) while a “dark priest” speaks in an old tongue; Later, Selene’s mother receives a message from the Dark Lady via the priest; Prior to getting her gift, Selene was a “doubtful—but dutiful— follower” of the Dark Lady (she picks up her string of beads to pray, but is unable to, feeling like her lips have been sealed; she starts questioning about the Dark Lady about halfway, thinking that she knows the Dark Lady exists, but wonders about the other god, “the Light”, and who actually gave them their gifts; Later, Selene prays for the Dark Lady to help her but is met with silence); After seeing a soul that is a bright light, Selene desperately wants to touch it, wonders how somehow has a blazing light, & wants to have it as well (*Spoiler* It seems to be connected to how someone believes, the person who’s soul she sees is a follower of the Light *End of Spoiler*); Selene wonders what’s after death, thinking that her soul is too dark for a good place and the Dark Lady will make her pay; It’s said that the Dark Lady exists “where she is given power”; Selene’s mother doesn’t want to think that the Dark Lady is bound “by a higher power” or inferior to the Light as her house has trusted her; Mentions of how those who are followers of the Light’s dreams are harder to manipulate; Mentions of souls & some being dark and some being light (in the dream world, Selene’s mother says the pure ones are the most dangerous to them); A mention of Selene thinking that her destiny will “paint [her] soul blacker than hell”; A mention of the Dark Lady blessing the House of Ravenwood; A mention of keeping demons away (thoughts); A mention of a devilish smile; A mention of a rumor of someone being cursed.   Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘bah!’, an unfinished ‘what the—‘, and seven ‘dart’an!’, (used as an exclamation); Curses that go with the gods of the book: a ‘Light’ and two forms ‘Dark Lady’ (all used as the start of a sentence or could be a replacement for taking God’s name in vain); A tiny bit of sarcasm; Selene receives her “gift” of being able to walk into others’ dreams and her mother teaches her to be able to manipulate the dreams to find out the dreamer’s fears, secrets, or possible guilt or even kill them (Selene is unsettled by this and doesn’t want to do it, but believes she has to because her mother will train her sisters if she doesn’t and Selene doesn’t want that for her sisters, so Selene tries to lock away her heart and emotions); Selene’s mother orders her to kill others (some to practice her gift & another who is in the way in her plans), which Selene does not want to do, but finds herself wondering if she’s turning into a killer (up to semi-detailed on the planning); Selene’s mother puts her and her sister against each other (which

About this book:   “When a group of Kansas women start a Frauenverein, a benevolent society devoted to aiding widows and orphans, life changes for more than just the hurting people they seek to help in this heartwarming romance inspired by historical events—from the bestselling author of Freedom’s Song .    With classes paused for the planting season, Alexandertol’s schoolteacher Augusta Dyck is glad for some meaningful work to occupy her time. She even knows exactly who their town’s benevolence society should help quiet, reserved widower Konrad Rempel and his young twin sons.   Konrad Rempel, however, is adamant that he doesn’t want help. His boys are mischievous but good-hearted. And though Konrad may be struggling, he doesn’t want anyone else sticking their nose in and telling him what his sons need. Or what he needs.   For her part, the charity’s founder Martina Krahn is relieved to have a reason to spend time outside her unhappy home. It even occurs to her that she may, through her work, encounter a boy in need of a family and so find a son for her husband since they have no children of their own.   Augusta, Konrad, and Martina each have deep needs and desires, and each imagines how they should be by reaching out or by being left alone. But God, indeed, knows best. Will the competing agendas of Alexandertol’s residents prevent them from receiving God’s help? Or will the members of this small Mennonite community find the answers to their prayers in the very last place they expect—in one another?” Series: As of now, no, a stand-alone book. Spiritual Content- Hebrews 4:16 at the beginning; Scriptures are quoted, mentioned, remembered, & read; Prayers; Church going; Talks about God, Heaven, praying, & sins; ‘H’s are capital when referring to God; Martina wonders how long God will answer her selfish prayers and if He will stop listening to her because of them (she’s been mad at God for a while, but starts praying later for others); A man thinks that God hasn’t given him a child because he’s weak and God doesn’t trust him; Mentions of God, Jesus, His will, trusting Him, & leaning on Him; Mentions of Bibles & Bible reading; Mentions of those in the Bible; Mentions of prayers, praying, praising God, thanking God, & blessings over food; Mentions of churches, church going, services, worship, hymns, sermons, & a reverend; Mentions of a benevolence society aimed to take care of the widows and orphans; Mentions of Heaven; Mentions of blessings & being Blessed; Mentions of sins; A couple mentions of being baptized; A couple mentions of a Christmas program; A couple mentions of miracles; A mention of a Bible study.  Negative Content- Minor cussing including: Two ‘dumb’s; Some eye rolling; Martina’s husband is “drowning in his sorrow” (with alcohol, which she feels like it is her fault as she’s been unable to give him a child; she is talked to about this towards the middle that it’s not her fault; *Spoiler* Passed the halfway point, her husband gets rid of all of his wine making equipment *End of Spoiler*); Mentions of deaths & grieving (a wife, a husband, children, parents, & a beau); Mentions of an accident & burns/scars (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of alcohol/wine, drinking, & drunks (Martina’s husband); Mentions of jealousy; Mentions of gossip; A few mentions of stealing & stolen items; A couple mentions of a hunting accident & death (Augusta’s husband); A couple mentions of being bullied & teased (Konrad as a young boy because of his scars); A mention of a frozen solid body; A mention of cigars;              *Note: Augusta & Konrad are both widowed; Konrad is self-conscious because of his scars.   Sexual Content- A hand kiss, two head kisses (both between married couples), five barely-above-not-detailed kisses (three between married couples), and a semi-detailed kiss (between a married couple); Touches, Embraces, & Hand holding (up to semi-detailed, x2); Blushes; Noticing (including muscles, barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of kisses, kissing, kissing being intimacy between a married couple, & the needs of a married couple; Mentions of reputations & making sure someone isn’t alone with the opposite gender; Mentions of jealousy; A couple mentions of embraces; A couple mentions of blushes; A mention of a husband wanting to spend time with his wife (implied intimacy); A mention of Augusta longing for “a man’s strong presence, tender attention, companionship, and even intimacy”; A mention of Konrad wondering if men and women can be friends as maybe temptations could spring up; A mention of a man’s desires; Love, falling in love, & the emotions;             *Note: Martina and her husband are childless & she wishes she could give him a son (She feels to blame for it and calls her womb “useless”; Trigger Warning: miscarriages *Spoiler* They miscarried six times; He felt guilty because of getting her pregnant due to “his needs” and would drink to forget *End of Spoiler*); Martina doesn’t want the benevolence society to minister to men because it could “lead to impropriety” (but later changes her mind); Augusta was 16 when she married her 30-year-old husband; Mentions of a wife dying in childbirth & the stillborn baby (Konrad’s wife); A mention of a couple conceiving a dozen years into their marriage.  -Augusta Dyck, almost 40-Konrad Rempel, age 41-Martina Krahn                                P.O.V. switches between them                                             Set in 1897                                                        305 pages ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Pre Teens-  New Teens-  Early High School Teens-  Older High School Teens-  My personal Rating-  While not my favorite book by this author—it’s hard to top the wonderful book that is “The Librarian of Boone’s Hollow”, after all—it was still a really sweet book. Slower than I would have prefer, but sweet, nonetheless.  I absolutely adored Augusta’s daughter, Juliana. She was such a dear! I would love to see her story in a separate book.  I’ll admit that Martina did annoy me at the beginning. She’s one of those characters—like a real person in this way—that can’t see anything outside of her goals and her wants, not paying attention to how she’s hurting others. I didn’t like her much, but did enjoy seeing the character development. Because we do see the point of view of a married woman,

About this book:   “Nine-year-old Ethan Cooper has managed to keep his family together for a year in a Pennsylvania orphanage. Now he and his siblings are boarding a train headed west. He can’t help but worry: Mr. and Mrs. Rush in Nebraska have agreed to adopt all four Cooper children, but what if they change their minds?   In the meantime, Ethan and his siblings encounter their first dust storm, explore train cars, and watch friend after friend leave with new parents. The children dream that soon they will have a new ma and pa too.   Based on the story of a real family, this second book in the historical Beyond the Orphan Train series reminds us that God never leaves us, no matter how far we journey to find home.” Series: Book #2 in “The Orphans’ Journey” series. Review of Book #1 Here! Spiritual Content- Proverbs 20:7 at the beginning; Scriptures are read, quoted, ; Prayers & Blessings over food; Retelling about events from the Bible; Going to church (once); Talks about God; ‘H’s are capital when referring to God; A child says that he doesn’t know Jesus (which the Matron says that they want him to know about Jesus and tells him about Him); Mentions of God, Jesus, & trusting Him; Mentions of Bibles & Bible reading; Mentions of those & events in the Bible; Mentions of prayers, praying, thanking God, & blessings over food; Mentions of churches, church going, services, pastors, sermons, hymns, & Sunday school; Mentions of Christians & a Christian duties; Mentions of a Christian children’s home; A few mentions of a mission society & missions; A couple mentions of spreading the Gospel; A mention of Heaven; A mention of being Blessed; A mention of a man doing “what he thinks the Bible tells him to” (about child rearing and teaching them to obey);              *Note: A mention of someone saying a couple doesn’t have children because of the Lord’s blessing as they don’t have a heart between them.  Negative Content- A bit of eye rolling & children bickering; Mentions of deaths, a child falling through a frozen pond, & grief (for a son, all up to semi-detailed); Mentions of a mortician & taking care of the bodies (barely-above-not-detailed); A few mentions of a family dying in a fire (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of (adopted) children being punished (by a new father, because that’s how he was raised (obedience and not sparing the rod being mentioned and someone else saying the new father will make a strong-minded boy feel low); Mentions of gossip & rumors; A couple mentions of smallpox & deaths (a man’s wife and son); A couple mentions of kidnapping; A couple mentions of stealing; A couple mentions of jail & arrests; A mention of a tavern;              *Note: There are many prejudice comments about orphans (quite a few mentions of people sending the kids back if it doesn’t work out, replacing a child who has passed away, having them as unpaid servants, called “street kids” and thinking they may have diseases, some saying about not knowing where the kids come from or not wanting to let them into their homes; some of the comments or attitudes are corrected by others); A few comments from the hired help for a family complaining about the daughter of the family (calling her good-for-nothing and not wanting the family to adopt because it will be more work for them); Mentions of some children living on the streets & eating food from the trash or stealing it; Mentions of a wife complaining a lot (& her husband spending a lot of time out in the field because of it); A couple mentions of fighting Indians; A mention of a woman saying that her adopted daughter is “not very pretty” and hopes that she’ll grow out of it.  Sexual Content- N/A. -Ethan Cooper                                P.O.V. switches between many different characters                                           Set in 1908                                                       192 pages ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Pre Teens-  New Teens-  Early High School Teens-  New Roman”, serif; font-size: 16px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;”> Older High School Teens-  New Roman”, serif; font-size: 16px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;”> My personal Rating-  New Roman”, serif; font-size: 16px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;”> {Could possibly be triggering for adoptees} I do think this particular book could possibly be trigger or a hard read for adoptees due to all the prejudice comments made from people in different towns the orphan train is coming to. I would say it was about 60/40 on what was said about the children (negative vs kind/compassionate). While it’s easy to note based on the writing that the person is in the wrong (such as their words or actions with their comments being rude or hoity-toity), not all of those comments or thoughts are corrected. Unfortunately, it’s part of history—no matter if it’s hard, uncomfortable, or just plain wrong, it’s something orphans heard during this time (and sometimes nowadays still) and were treated as less than others or as servants. It definitely makes you compare the difference from then to now in how adoptions happen.  Because we are many different points of view, including the family that’s supposed to adopt the Cooper kids, there were cute moments and then moments that I felt a bit stressed! Especially towards the ending, and I’ll admit that it didn’t end how I was hoping, but hopefully the next book will make up for that. My jury’s out on the new family. This series has been cute so far and I’m looking forward to continuing it, though, I am concerned about the new family.     See y’all on Friday with a new review!  *BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.

New Teens-  Early High School Teens-  My personal Rating-  {Not for those sensitive to murder or torture} I’ve never been a fan of the “lost in the wilderness” trope (perhaps because that feels like camping and I am absolutely nota camping girl), so I was a little less than excited about this plot, but decided to give it a try because I recently read another trilogy by this author and enjoyed it.  The setting of this book felt like another world. I’ll be honest and say that a lot of the Alaska and diving and areas/places and cold weather things didn’t always make sense to me so I was lost and had to reread quite a few parts. This book reminded me of something I already knew: I’m a Texas girl through and through, who likes hot weather.  Besides those elements, I think my main struggle with this book is the fact that the reader is left out on knowing so much. His background, her family past. And when they finally tell or get told info, it gets cut off or the chapter ends without telling us anything but their reaction. I don’t like being left out in my suspense books. I want to be in the action and reveals with the main characters, right in the thick of it, but that’s definitely not how this book worked. I don’t feel like I got the answers I wanted until 70% in, so it was a struggle to stay interested in the plotline. I feel bad giving it a two-stars for my personal rating, but that means it was “okay” and that’s how I would describe my feeling for it.    See y’all on Friday with a new review!  *BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.

About this book:   “A surprise inheritance. A cache of family secrets. A choice that will change her life forever.   Lillian Doyle has lived her entire high-society life with her widowed mother, believing her father died long ago. But when news arrives that her estranged father only recently passed away–in jail–Lillian is startled to find that the man has left a business and all of his possessions to her, making her a rather unusual heiress.    When she goes to take possession of her father’s house in a backwoods Georgia town, the dilapidated structure is already occupied by another woman who claims it was promised to her son, Jonah. In her attempts to untangle the mess, Lillian will discover not only a family she never knew she had but a family business that is more than meets the eye–and has put a target on her back.    To discover the truth and take hold of the independence she’s always dreamed of, she’ll have to make friends with adversaries and strangers–especially Jonah, the dusty and unrefined cowboy who has secret aspirations of his own.” Series: As of now, no, a stand-alone novel. Spiritual Content- Psalm 32:8 at the beginning; A few Scriptures are remembered & quoted; Prayers & Thanking God (including one by a criminal); Talks about God, His will, & wondering why bad things happen; ‘H’s are not capital when referring to God; A couple characters (Jonah & his mother) ask God why nothing is easy for them (she takes it in stride, but he feels like a failure because of all of his plans not working out); Jonah feels like God thwarts him and his plans at every turn (he feels bitter for the majority of the book, *Spoiler* but after a discussion with his mother about there being opposition if we’re following God’s path and praying, he releases the bitterness and feels like a new man *End of Spoiler*); Lillian prays for guidance but doesn’t receive any & later asks why God is punishing her (*Spoiler* she later realizes that God has a plan for her that included those trials *End of Spoiler*); Jonah’s mother (Melanie) says people learn about God’s plans for them in three ways (they receive a vision or an angel comes to visit them, by a quite sense from the Holy Spirit usually while immersed in the Bible, and thirdly, someone else tells them; Jonah wonders how she really knows anything about God’s plans); Mentions of God, His will, following Him, & having faith; Mentions of prayers, praying, & blessings over food (including Lillian wondering why God would give the answer to her prayers to Melanie instead of her); Mentions of churches & church going; Mentions of blessings & being Blessed; A few mentions of those & events in the Bible; A few mentions of prophets; A mention of something feeling like a godsend; A mention of a miracle;              *Note: A mention of Jonah thinking he has rotten luck; A mention of alcohol being called the “devil’s brew”.  Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a form of ‘confounded’, a ‘stupid’, a ‘what in the dickens’, two unfinished ‘what in the—‘s, two ‘what in tarnation’, and three ‘shut up’s; Mentions of curses (said, not written); Fighting, being shot, being held at gunpoint, being attacked by an intruder, being tied-up, being locked up in jail, injuries, pain, & passing out (up to semi-detailed); Thinking that an officer might be dirty; A few lies (said by Lillian due to how her mother raised her with wanting society’s approval, though Lillian corrects a couple of them); Lillian and her mother have a strained relationship (her mother wants society’s approval and for Lillian to marry into a rich family; Lillian feels like her mother’s affection is always just out of reach and that if she receive it if she obeyed or accomplished something her mother wants (Lillian is glad for her independence while handling the inheritance); Lillian’s mother says “good riddance” to her father’s death; Many mentions of bootleggers, alcohol, & someone being drunk; Many mentions of intruders, a break-in, stolen items, stealing, & vandalism; Mentions of deaths, a possible murder, & possible poison; Mentions of fires, a family losing everything when their house burned down, & a criminal threatening to cause a fire; Mentions of criminals & crimes; Mentions of prisons/jails; Mentions of someone being shot, blood/bleeding, & gunshots (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of being attacked, being tied-up, screams, injuries, pain, & passing out (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of lies & lying; Mentions of tobacco; A few mentions of being threatened with harm & death; A couple mentions of threats; A couple mentions of a father drinking to soothe his aches and his family not liking how he was on those days; A couple mentions of rumors; A mention of murder; A mention of hatred;              *Note: Mentions of the deaths of infants (*Spoiler* a side couple has buried four babies and announces at the end that they are expecting *End of Spoiler*); A mention of some men thinking that women have no place in business.   Sexual Content- Staring at someone’s lips; An almost (semi-detailed) kiss, a forehead kiss, a barely-above-not-detailed kiss, two semi-detailed kisses, and a detailed kiss (mentioning his desire for her); Remembering kisses (up to semi-detailed); Wanting to kiss (up to semi-detailed); Touches, Embraces, Hand holding, Nearness, Electricity, & Smelling (up to semi-detailed); Wanting to touch & embrace (barely-above-not-detailed); Blushes & Winks; Noticing & Staring (including muscles, up to semi-detailed); Lillian was born out of wedlock (she has always been told her mother was a widow and her mother tells her that he couldn’t accept the responsibility of being a father *Spoiler* In a letter, her father tells her that their affair was short lived and her mother’s parents disowned her when finding out she was pregnant and Lillian is hurt by her grandparents not wanting her *End of Spoiler*); Mentions of Lillian being an illegitimate child (she is embarrassed by it, but thinks that it wasn’t her fault);  Mentions of kisses, kissing, & a couple being caught kissing (or that

About this book:   “Gwendolyn Gonzales would do anything for her best friend. Even allow herself to be dragged through Macy’s dreams by a British coffeeholic who claims to be Macy’s Dream Guardian. The rules of the Dream are simple: blend in and don’t die. When Macy’s dreams take a turn for the worst, following the rules may be harder than it seems. And may end in deadly consequences.” Series: As of now, no, a stand-alone novel. Spiritual Content- Mentions of prayers (including Gwen correcting herself that instead of hoping something goes well, praying that it goes well as they need something stronger than hope); Mentions of a pastor at a funeral & him reading from his Bible; A couple mentions of Bibles; A couple mentions of churches; A couple mentions of a Designer & Heaven (both are capital); A couple mentions Dream Guardians who have died going to “dwell with of the greatest Guardian of all”; A mention of blessings;              *Note: Mentions of a Santa toy; A mention of someone’s “sermons” on a topic they are passionate about; A mention of a ghost that haunts someone’s dreams.   Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘freaking’, a ‘jeesh’, an ‘oh my gosh’, a ‘shut up’, an unfinished ‘what the—‘, two ‘dang it’s, two forms of ‘drat’, two ‘suck’s, three forms of ‘blast it’, six forms of ‘heck’, seven ‘crap’s, nine forms of ‘dumb’, ten ‘idiot’s, and twenty-three ‘stupid’s; A handful of mentions of curses (said, not written); Sarcasm & Eye rolling; Seeing a death & Thinking a loved one died (twice, in a dream, up to semi-detailed); Fighting wolves, giant spiders, shadow-like creatures, monsters, & Nightmares (semi-detailed); A car crash, gunfire, & seeing someone shot (in a dream, up to semi-detailed); Earthquakes & Fires (including someone being burned, up to semi-detailed); Almost drowning, Being thrown off a cliff, Being held at gunpoint, Being shot, Being choked, Being attacked, Being drugged, Being held hostage, Injuries, Pain, Passing out, & Blood/Bleeding (up to semi-detailed); Seeing someone jump off a building & Gwen follows her (in a dream; Gwen prays that her family will be all right without her as she steps off the edge, up to semi-detailed); Gwen thinks she’s been kidnapped & might be killed (she’s not actually been kidnapped, but thinks through how to safely get away from the “kidnapper”, up to semi-detailed); Gwen has to herself out of a panic attack (being unable to breath and panicking, barely-above-not-detailed); The book opens at a funeral & has a lot of grieving (for a friend); There are Nightmares (villains) that feed off of the dreamer’s fear (described as creepy & one uses winged skeleton heads to aim hateful words at Gwen); *Big Spoiler* Gwen was in a car wreck and is actually in a coma for the majority of this book, there are a couple scenes of her being resuscitated) *End of Big Spoiler*; All about many mentions of nightmares & the possibility of someone dying in their dreams (including by drowning and choking, up to semi-detailed); Many mentions of fighting, attacks, passing out, pain, injuries, & blood/bleeding (up to semi-detailed); Many mentions of grief & grieving (for a friend, a brother, a son, and a father); Mentions of deaths, car accidents, a coma, & sirens (including Gwen being concerned about someone possibly being in a car wreck, up to semi-detailed); Mentions of Dream Guardians being killed in action & having to retrieve the bodies (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of gunfire, someone being shot, & dreaming of someone being held at gunpoint and being shot (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of being kidnapped, a kidnapper, & being drugged (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of wolves attacking someone (border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed); Mentions of lies, lying, & liars; Mentions of a bar-like place & drinking non-alcoholic drinks; Mentions of bullies & gossip; A few mentions of a nightclub & clubbing; A couple mentions of a prison; A couple mentions of a drunk driver; A couple mentions of jealousy; A couple mentions of horror movies (not named); A couple mentions of cigarettes; A mention of the mafia; A mention of someone stalking Gwen;              *Note: *Big Spoiler* Gwen’s father is deployed and it’s said at the end of the book that he was killed in action *End of Spoiler*; A Nightmare (villain) threatens Gwen that if she doesn’t listen to them, they will make her become “a vegetable to rot” in her world; Dream Guardians are able to shift their faces or wear a mask to look like someone their Dreamer cares about; Being stung by bees & mentions of someone being allergic to bees (up to semi-detailed); A couple mentions of a car brand; A mention of vampires; A mention of a movie (Pride & Prejudice).   Sexual Content- A hand kiss, a cheek kiss (in thanks, not romantic-based), and two head/hair kisses; Touches, Dancing, Hand holding, Tingles, & Nearness (barely-above-not-detailed); Blushes & Winks; Noticing & Staring (barely-above-not-detailed); Gwen has to stay at Solomon’s place (they sleep in separate rooms and nothing happens); Gwen falls into Solomon’s lap (once, not meant to be romantic and no details); Mentions of seeing couples kissing & cuddling; Mentions of dating, dates, boyfriends/girlfriends, couples, & cheating; Mentions of crushes & flirting; A few mentions of catching someone making out with another & cheating on the person they are dating; A few mentions of jealousy; A mention of a blown kiss; A mention of ogling someone; A bit of fove, falling in love, & the emotions;             *Note: A few mentions of butting into a conversation, butting heads, & wanting to kick someone’s butt.  -Gwendolyn “Gwen” Gonzales                                1st person P.O.V. of Gwen                                                         414 pages ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Pre Teens-  New Teens-  Roman”, serif; font-size: 16px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;”> Early High School Teens-  Older High School Teens-  My personal Rating-  This was a wild ride and a very interesting plot!  This book was kind of all over the place, but that’s how dreams can be, so it fit the concept well. It kind of had an Alice in Wonderland feel because of the dreams. Dreams can be crazy and this book definitely showcased

A Metrical Psalter: The Book of Psalms Set to Meter for Singing. Julie and Timothy Tennent. 2017. 379 pages. [Source: Bought] First sentence: The Book of Psalms–it has been loved, cherished, memorized, prayed, and used as a solace and comfort throughout the history of the Christian church and the Hebrew people. Portions of the psalms have been the source for countless anthems, hymns, and choruses. Somehow, we inherently recognize that the psalms were meant to be a means of grace in our lives, and they were meant to be sung.  I’ve been reading the Psalms monthly for several years. The psalms have become familiar–mostly. When the book of Psalms is your friend, well, it becomes an even more lived-in book. I can never get enough–personally.  Still the idea of SINGING the psalms seemed a little too ‘out there.’ True, not historically speaking. Traditionally, the psalms have been THE songs of the church. It would be out of place not to be singing the psalms. But I’m going to guess that many contemporary/modern churches don’t sing the psalms. And probably even fewer sing the psalms in their own homes in private devotions. Emphasis on SING. I think plenty of Christians do READ the psalms in church and do READ the psalms in their private devotions. I think some/many do memorize psalms as well.  There is a BOOK (which I do have a copy of) and a WEBSITE (which I actually used). The advantage of the website is that there are sound files that play the TUNES on repeat. But perhaps I’m jumping WAY ahead of myself.  EACH of the 150 psalms have been written into a metrical psalm. There are a handful of meters–more than just common meter was used. Each psalm has a list of suggested tunes for that meter, that psalm. There’s an index of tunes for each meter.  The website doesn’t always have functioning music files. (In particular, Nettleton (Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing) is completely missing. Fortunately, I know every note of that one.) A handful of times, a file will play in one place, but not another. (For example, sometimes Ode to Joy (Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee) would play just fine, and other times it would be completely missing. Again, I know every single note of that one.)  Singing through all 150 psalms–there are some tunes that you see VERY frequently. It would be an option to sing that tune over half the time. Other tunes only showed up two or three times tops.  The website is great in that it allows you to use unfamiliar to you tunes. I wish I could say that repeated singing allowed me to memorize tunes if not perfectly…at least well enough to function with the book alone. But sadly, I was still mostly dependent on the website for new-to-me tunes. Again, the tunes I knew, I knew well. New-to-me tunes I was insecure with singing a cappella. Quotes: In essence, this book of the Bible is a book of 150 separate journeys. We need to take every one of those journeys, and to sing our way through them regularly. The steady practice of singing through all of the psalms is a spiritual discipline that forms us in our Christian pilgrimage. Some may seem more relevant to our present lives than others, but every psalm is laying the tracks for some journey in life that we will eventually encounter, or that we will walk through vicariously with another, or that has been taken by another pilgrim in another time or place with whom we stand in solidarity. Every psalm is teaching us something about the character of God and the posture of God’s people, who live amid the tensions of a broken world.  © Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

The Nicene Creed: An Introduction. Phillip Cary. 2023. [March] 248 pages. [Source: Review copy] First sentence: The Nicene Creed originated because ancient Christians were appalled. A teacher in one of the most influential churches in the world was trying to get them to speak of Christ and say things like “there was once when he was not” and “he came to be out of nothing.” They had good reason to be appalled.  What you see is what you get: an introduction to the Nicene Creed. Phillip Cary walks his readers through the Nicene Creed. He does so–in part–by sharing his new translation of the Nicene Creed into English. Cary walks phrase by phrase through the Nicene Creed. He focuses on the original languages, the historical context, the theological/philosophical ramifications of the statements (what the Creed IS saying and what it is not saying; what it includes and what it excludes). For the record, Cary’s Nicene Creed is the expanded confession formulated at the Council of Constantinople in 381. (As opposed to the Creed of Nicaea from 325). He at times discusses traditional renderings and translations of words and phrases. Occasionally he branches out into stories of word origins and associations. [The languages most referenced are Greek, Latin, and of course, English]. He points off by reminding readers that the Nicene Creed was a DEFINITIVE NO, NO, NO to the heretical beliefs creeping into churches. It was affirming what they held to be true, what they held to be biblical. It was denying what they held to be false, what they felt to contradict Scripture’s teachings. He writes, “to say no is to draw a boundary and say: We’re not going there, because that’s not who Christ is.”  Quotes: We believe [I believe] in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible; and in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, who was begotten of the Father before all ages, [God from God,] Light from Light, True God from True God, begotten, not made, having the same being as the Father, through whom all things came to be; who for us human beings and for our salvation came down from heaven, and was incarnate from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and became human, and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered and was buried, and rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures, and ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father, and shall come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, of whose kingdom there shall be no end; and in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of Life, who proceeds from the Father [and from the Son], who with the Father and Son together is worshiped and co-glorified, who has spoken through the prophets; in one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church. We confess one baptism for the forgiveness of sins; we look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the age to come. Amen.  © Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Current Bible plans and projects: Seedbed Psalter. There’s a book. There’s a website. The website plays the instrumental music, so that’s what I’m using. (My mom has the book which she’s using). So essentially, Dr. Timothy and Mrs. Julie Tennent have created a (new) psalter. It is a metrical psalter so that the psalms can be song to various tunes (that match up with the meters). I’ve committed to singing the Psalms for the month of March using the Book of Common Prayer psalms calendar. This week I’ve read/sung Psalm 119:105-176; Psalm 120-150. St. Columba (The King of Love My Shepherd Is) Dundee (God Moves In a Mysterious Way) New Britain (Amazing Grace) Morecambre (Spirit of God, Descend Upon My Heart) Winchester Old (Come, Holy Ghost, Our Hearts Inspire) Psalm 125 Psam 126 Ode to Joy (Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee) Azmon (O For A Thousand Tongues to Sing) Ellacombe (Hosanna, Loud Hosanna) Dundee (God Moves In a Mysterious Way) Morning Song (My Soul Gives Glory to My God) Trentham (Breathe On Me, Breath of God) Aurelia (The Church’s One Foundation) Winchester Old (Come, Holy Ghost, Our Hearts Inspire) Nettleton (Come, Thou Fount) Psalm 136 Psalm 137 Psalm 138 Psalm 139 Psalm 140 Psalm 141 Psalm 142 Psalm 143 Psalm 144 Psalm 145 Ode to Joy (Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee) Beecher (Love Divine, All Loves Excelling) Forest Green (I Sing the Mighty Power of God) Hyfrydol (Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus) Aurelia (The Church’s One Foundation) Richmond (O For A Heart to Praise My God) NIV Rainbow Study Bible. Psalm 1-8. Proverbs 1.  Job 26-42. Exodus. Leviticus 1-11. Luke 1-15. 1 Peter. 2 Peter.  Wycliffe New Testament. John 13-21. Romans. 1 Corinthians. 2 Corinthians. Galatians. Ephesians. Philippians.  NRSV XL. Ezekiel 1-37.  BSB M’Cheyne. Exodus 37-40. Leviticus 1-4. John 16-21. Psalm 1-2. Proverbs 13-19. Ephesians 6. Philippians 1-4. Colossians 1-2.  Growing 4 Life. March was Mark 9-12. I read it in the NRSV. April is Mark 13-16. I read it in the ESV, KJV, 1599 Geneva, and NIV 2011.  Currently reading: Cultural Counterfeits: Confronting 5 Empty Promises of Our Age and How We Were Made For So Much More. Jen Oshman.  Mornings with Tozer by A.W. Tozer  © Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Wycliffe New Testament 1388: An edition in modern spelling, with an introduction, the original prologues, and the Epistle to the Laodicieans. William R. Cooper, ed. 2002. British Library. 528 pages. [Source: Bought] ETA: I believe this is the third time I’ve read (and reviewed) the Wycliffe New Testament. I do love it. It isn’t one that I read for understanding/comprehension. It is more of a burst of flavor. I like some of the phrasing, some of the archaic peculiarities. It was a delight to spend time with this one again. Can you imagine NOT having a Bible in your own language? Today we’re used to dozens and dozens of translations to choose from–all in English, of course. But this wasn’t always the case. This New Testament is a translation from the Latin into English–the first of its kind. It was translated not by John Wycliffe himself, but, by his followers, the Lollards. The 1388 edition was published after Wycliffe’s death in 1384. Essentially, the Lollards placed great value in the authority of the Scripture, and wanted the Bible to be translated into English so everyone could read it for themselves. The Bible was not for the religious or academic elite, but, for everyone. After the initial translation was finished, talented scribes set to work copying out the Lollard text. With the dangerous associations of Lollardy, both Church and State sought its elimination, and in 1401 a statute was issued banning the Later Version upon pain of death. Lollards were prosecuted for their beliefs and their ownership of forbidden texts. The efforts, however, failed to stop the reproduction of the texts, and scribes continued to copy faithfully the Lollard texts, risking great danger to themselves. (vii) Is this a translation for each and every believer? Probably not. But it is a joy and treat for some I imagine! Is it reader-friendly and accessible? Yes and no. Your knowledge of the New Testament + the glossary + the context of the verse/passage = readability and accessibility. For God loved so the world that He gave His one begotten Son, that each man that believes in Him perish not, but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world that He judge the world, but that the world be saved by Him. He that believes in Him is not deemed. But he that believes not, is now deemed, for he believes not in the name of the one begotten Son of God. And this is the doom, for light came into the world, and men loved more darkness than light, for their works were evil. (John 3:16-19) Therefore Jews grouched of Him, for He had said, I am bread that came down from heaven. And they said, Whether this is not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we have known? How then says this that, I came down from heaven? Therefore Jesus answered and said to them, Nil ye grouch together. No man may come to Me but if the Father that sent Me draw him, and I shall again-raise him in the last day. (John 6:41-44) Nil ye deem, that ye be not deemed. For in what doom ye deem, ye shall be deemed, and in what measure ye mete, it shall be meted again to you. But what see thou a little mote in the eye of thy brother, and see not a beam in thine own eye? Or how say thou to thy brother? Brother, suffer I shall do out a mote from thine eye, and lo, a beam is in thine own eye? Hypocrite! Do thou out first the beam of thine eye, and then thou shall see to do out the mote of the eye of thy brother. (Matthew 7:1-5) Therefore, brethren, I beseech you by the mercy of God, that ye give your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, pleasing to God, and your service reasonable. And nil ye be conformed to this world, but be ye reformed in newness of your wit, that ye prove which is the will of God, good and well-pleasing, and perfect. (Romans 12:1-2) For by grace ye are saved by faith, and this not of you, for it is the gift of God, not of works, that no man have glory. (Ephesians 2:8-9) And do ye all things without grouchings and doubtings, that ye be without plaint and simple as the sons of God, without reproof in the middle of a shrewd nation and a wayward, among which ye shine as givers of light in the world. (2.14-15″ data-version=”esv” href=”http://biblia.com/bible/esv/Philippians%202.14-15″ target=”_blank”>Philippians 2:14-15) Joy ye in the Lord evermore, eft I say, joy ye. (Philippians 4:4) Savour ye those things that are above, not those that are on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. (Colossians 3:2-3)  Did I love it? Yes, I loved, loved, LOVED it. This is actually the second time I’ve read this one. I read it the first time in 2009, I believe? It’s been a while. But it was a great way to start off the new year!!! © Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

All My Knotted Up Life. Beth Moore. 2023. 304 pages. [Source: Library] First sentence: We were river people. All My Knotted Up Life is a memoir by Beth Moore. I thought I’d start with where I’m coming from as a reader and what bias I might be bringing to my reading. Chances are when you hear the name Beth Moore you have a strong reaction one way or the other. I’ve read so little that I don’t have a strong, solid reason for my meh-ness to her work. I’ve definitely been exposed–a bit out of context at times–to paragraphs of her works [either from her books, her studies, her video teachings, her tweets] with commentary critiquing her theology. I didn’t pick up this book as a hater or a lover.  The first third of the memoir covers her childhood and teen years. The middle third covers her marriage, becoming a mother, and very early years in the ministry. [DID YOU KNOW SHE TAUGHT CHRISTIAN AEROBICS???? DID YOU EVEN KNOW CHRISTIAN AEROBICS WAS AN ACTUAL ACTUAL THING THAT CHURCHES OFFERED????] The last third covers her rise to fame, if you will, her partnering up with publishers, her Living Proof conferences, her living in the public eye, her disagreements with the Southern Baptist Convention, her eventual parting of ways with the SBC.  I thought it was a rough start. The first few chapters were especially rough. I’ve thought about why that might be. It couldn’t be easy to start a memoir. To throw readers into your life story. Where do you start? Do you start with your strongest memory? the one you feel will be most compelling? the one that perhaps has shaped you? Do you start like a more traditional biography? When you’re covering your earliest family memories…how do you orient strangers [us readers] with YOUR family? Every family is unique and has its own inside language, its own way of being. Memories have a way of being disjointed, random. The writing was odd to me. Strange metaphors and use of imagery. It didn’t stay that way. It just started that way. The more I read, the easier it became to read. I am glad I read it. As a memoir, it focused more [and rightly so] on personal stories, memories, impressions. It didn’t do deep dives into theology. It stayed in ‘shallow waters’ in terms of politics, theology, culture. I think that’s mainly a good thing. Obviously, the last third goes into the very ‘muddy waters’ of her falling out with the SBC. And readers–lovers or haters–will already have thoughts and opinions on that.   © Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Mornings with Tozer: Daily Devotional Readings. A.W. Tozer. 2008. 416 pages. [Source: Bought] First sentence: Men and women without God are helpless and hopeless human beings. We do well to remember that sin is to the human nature what cancer is to the human body! Can can argue with the fact that sin has ruined us? I can be harsh when it comes to devotions. I can. But I can’t be harsh with a TOZER devotional. One of my main issues with many devotionals is that devotionals tend to be shallow, story-oriented, light on Scripture, focused more on warm-fuzzies than on teaching truth. Tozer is almost always substantive, thought-provoking, tell-it-like-it-is, zealous and passionate for God’s glory.  I love, love, love A.W. Tozer. I love his zeal, his passion, his enthusiasm. This book is a collection–366 devotions? 365 devotions–of quotes from his sermons and published works. Each entry was short–about one and a half pages–but substantive. I definitely recommend this one.  Quote:  I hope that if I am remembered at all, it will be for this reason: I have spent my efforts and my energies trying to turn the direction of the people away from the external elements of religion to those that are internal and spiritual. I have tried to take away some of the clouds in the hope that men and women would be able to view God in His glory. I would like to see this sense of glory recaptured throughout the church—too many Christians do not expect to experience any of the glory until they see Him face-to-face! © Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Reading for the Love of God. Jessica Hooten Wilson. 2023. [March] 208 pages. [Source: Library] First sentence: Imagine you are resting in a cave on an unpopulated Greek island.  I love the premise of this one–reading as a spiritual discipline, a spiritual practice. I love the idea of embracing reading as more than a hobby, more than a distraction. I love reading. I do–obviously I do. Always have, always will. I have three book review blogs. My love of reading is not in doubt. I went into this one expecting one kind of book and I got another kind of book. It just wasn’t the perfectly perfect fit I imagined. The book is definitely more academic, more scholarly, more “elevated” for lack of a better term. I felt the author was up in the clouds with her narrative–in other words, so much going zoom, zoom, zoom right over my head. The act of reading is not complicated. (Usually). So why does reading books about reading have to be so incredibly complicated??? I wanted the book to be conversational, written for the lay person, a fellow book lover that loves, loves, loves reading. I wanted to find a kindred spirit–not be lectured and judged and judged and lectured. I did find myself agreeing in parts–at the very least–with some of what she was saying. In particular, I think reader response theory is a bit overrated. When that is the one and only way that is “acceptable” to approach READING, and reading in all aspects of life. It’s one thing to have a light reader-response philosophy when it comes to reading say, poetry, or something. Quite another when it infests–manifests in???–your reading when it comes to say the Bible, or theological books. For decades this has been the primary theory being taught. And it’s problematic…because then as a believer you have to say, well, when I read x, y, and z this is the way to do it…but when I switch over to this then I have to throw everything I know about reading out the window and approach this completely differently. And you *can* do that. Hopefully most realize that you should be approaching the Bible differently from any other text.  Just to backtrack a bit, reader response theory for those who don’t know the term is something like this: The author doesn’t create the meaning. The text doesn’t create the meaning. The meaning comes when I the reader read the text. I bring the meaning. It doesn’t matter what the author meant when he/she wrote the text. It doesn’t matter what the literal meaning of the words on the page mean literally. The text means what I *feel* it means. Without the reader there is no meaning. And since every single reader brings or potentially brings his/her own meaning to the text–there is no one “right” way to read the text. Everything is subjective. Not just I like this, I don’t like that. Reactions can be–and often are–a hundred percent subjective. But meaning, well, meaning that’s a different story.  I thought the book was not as clear as it could have been, should have been. I felt the author never clearly and emphatically defined exactly, precisely what she meant by her words–special vocabulary. She used specialized words throughout. And I was left trying to puzzle out my own definitions based on context, context, context. Which is a reading skill. Some words might have been helpful to go to an actual dictionary, but others I feel are too specialized to find help. For example, one of the things this book is about–learning to spiritually read, reading spiritually, approaching all reading as a spiritual practice. I don’t know that any dictionary could help me puzzle out precisely what she was talking about. In most basic building-block terms–what do you mean exactly. She talks of finding truth and beauty in ALL types of books–even those with off-putting vulgarity. She talks of the importance of not hunting for moral lessons in reading, or over-hunting, I guess.  She also occasionally would say things that I found slightly worrisome. I don’t want to assume that I know her intent as an author. I don’t. And I don’t want to assume that the meaning I took away from reading the text lines up with her intent. (I’m willing to admit the confusion may be more on my end than her end.) But when she said things like you have to learn to read other books so that you can read the Bible. I was stumped. I don’t know if she means that at its most literal–you must learn to read Go, Dog, Go and Cat in the Hat before you can come to the Bible. Or if she has somehow elevated the Bible too much. I’ll try to explain. I believe the Bible is the Word of God. 100% I believe the Bible is accurate, authoritative, breathed-out and inspired, infallible, inerrant–all the things. But I also believe that the Bible is for everyone. The Bible is not “elitist” reserved for the highest intellects, the brilliant, genius scholars. EVERY person regardless of education level can read the Word of God and read it well. By read it well, I mean read it with spiritual eyes. It is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit that enables readers to READ the Word of God in any meaningful way. Without the Holy Spirit indwelling the reader, without the new birth in which the Spirit gives spiritual eyes to see, spiritual ears to hear, spiritual heart to respond, then there is no reading of the Word. No matter how brilliant, how intellectual, how academic, how perfectly-perfect you understand grammar or language or original languages–without the Holy Spirit GIVING and graciously giving you understanding, it is all in vain.  The Bible is not a book for some–the super-smarty-pants–and too difficult, too complex, too weighty for the rest of us. Everything that is necessary for salvation is clearly illuminated–for believers–in the Bible.  Instead

Reading for the Love of God. Jessica Hooten Wilson. 2023. [March] 208 pages. [Source: Library] First sentence: Imagine you are resting in a cave on an unpopulated Greek island.  While I haven’t changed my overall rating of the book. I have done a quick check of all the notes I made while reading the book. There were many points that I found thought-provoking. These points got overlooked in my initial review earlier today. I might have made the book seem more “negative” than I think is fair. Quote: If we were to read the Bible on its terms, we would become different people, converted by the practice. Christ’s vision would become our vision. Why and how we read matters as much as what we read.  Agreed. I don’t know that the average reader reads the Bible with transformation truly in mind. But the Bible not only records past miracles, but is used by the Holy Spirit today to bring about the new birth. The Word–written, spoken, heard–is the primary means for reaching the lost. How wonderful it is and yet how rare it is to truly keep experiencing the Book with awe day after day. Quote: It is not enough to read the Bible; you must eat the book. You must delight in its honey. Suffer in your gut. And then prophesy. If you want to know how to eat the book, learn how to read–not only the Bible but other great books as well–as a spiritual practice. In reading other books, we practice reading the Bible; and in reading the Bible, we read other books by that lens. I like the [Scriptural] imagery of eating the Book. Not sure exactly what she means by “then prophesying.” This next is important for understanding the purpose of the whole book. But it still strikes me as slightly fuzzy and vague. I think the “other great books” is probably the books that make for a classical education, a traditional “classic” education. I don’t think she means just any book, or even any old book. I have an idea–perhaps falsely–that she has a snooty definition of what literature is and isn’t, of what is LITERARY and what isn’t. I am not at all sure that in reading other books we practice reading the Bible. I’m not sure what this translates to in practical, actual terms. I do agree wholeheartedly that “we read other books by that [the Bible] lens.” It makes sense to view the world through a biblical lens. It makes less sense to bring other books…to the Bible…and view the Bible through the lens of other books.  Quote: Augustine compares reading pagan writers to the Israelites carrying gold out of Egypt…Augustine claims that we may find truths within pagan literature. We must sift through the superstitions to claim the moral goods. I agree in part. I think the key is to be well-grounded in the Word of God so that you can read with discernment. To discern between gold and fool’s gold, you need to know the real deal. Not just have a vague, fuzzy, general idea of what truth is–but be well grounded in it. So much of the false has veins of half-truths or semi-truths running through it. It isn’t always clear as day what is TRUE and half-true. If you lack a foundation, reading books with things that sound true but aren’t really true can be very dangerous to your world-building. Quote: We also must admit that the Holy Scriptures are difficult to understand. Perhaps, then, we consider outside reading as preparatory for reading the Bible.  Here’s where I think I got super-confused and flustered. I remembered this one line no matter how much more I read. But rereading it in context, it is more clear that she was referring to the actual mechanics of reading. There is a growing process–you grow from identifying and sounding out letters to reading words, then stories, etc. You keep learning new skills and techniques. And these basic building blocks of deciphering text you do carry with you no matter what you’re reading–including your reading of the Bible. But I do still find it a slightly odd inclusion to this book. “We practice how to read well and increase our ability to read so that we can know the Scriptures better.”  Quote: Even literature that does not necessarily teach us spiritual truths can be loved for its beauty. Beautiful things still draw from that eternal fount, which is God. True. Or mostly true. I would say that there are instances–for example–the lyrics to a song, a poem–that can *sound* beautiful, but are so false that the beauty is tainted. But that is neither here nor there.  Quote: If we are going to read–the Bible included–we should learn how to read well. We should become readers who do not read for our own gain but who read as a spiritual practice, always open to how the Lord is planting seeds in our heart, teaching us more about him, and showing us ways of living more like Christ in the world. I think she’s saying that God isn’t restricted to using only the Bible. God can use other texts, other books, to “plant seeds” and “teach.” We can be inspired by other texts to “live more like Christ.” Quote: While we need such practices of silent reading and meditation, our current culture distracts us from this practice. We are losing our patience for sustained, silent reading….We should protect space in our days for silent reading with the same fervency with which we should clear out our schedules for prayer and devotion. Time spent reading might be fertile ground by which the Lord shows us who we are. With that time, the Lord can weed out the lies of culture, convict us of our fallenness, and reveal to us our higher destiny in him. Whereas we may be deformed by hours of screens, we can be recast in his image by the practice of

Currently reading: Cultural Counterfeits: Confronting 5 Empty Promises of Our Age and How We Were Made For So Much More. Jen Oshman. 

In Her Sights (Pink Pistol Sisterhood #1) Karen Witemeyer. 2023. 108 pages. [Source: Borrowed] First sentence: Every legacy started from a single act of courage. Premise/plot: Tessa James, our heroine, has a huge crush on Jackson Spivey. His hobby is guns and shooting. To try to catch his eye, Tessa wants to immerse herself in that world. So, of course, she just happens to seek out the show starring Annie Oakley [aka Mrs. Frank Butler.] If she can “catch a man with a gun” maybe she can too. Meanwhile, in the prologue, Annie Oakley [aka Mrs. Frank Butler] had been gifted a gun–a pink pistol–by a grieving father. [To be honest, I’m not sure if his daughter died by her own hand or if it was natural causes. But her heart was broken when she was disappointed by love/lust.] At her discretion, she is to gift this “courtship” pistol to a young woman who needs some help with hope–hope in finding true love. When Tessa admits openly, hey, I’m here to learn how to shoot because I want a man, well Annie’s job is over. She’ll pass this pink courting pistol on….with a special note in its case. Will Tessa’s new pistol bring her good luck when it comes to winning her crush? Happily ever afters have to be earned even in wee little novellas. My thoughts: I have zero interests in guns or shooting–pink or not. I did like the musical Annie Get Your Gun, so there was that at least. (Though I’m not absolutely positive that musical was historically accurate. Did she really catch her man with a gun??? Maybe. I just thought it was a catchy song.)  I think in a full-length novel the balance between character development, relationship development, and melodrama [aka CONFLICT] is naturally better. I felt in this novella, at least, the balance was off. There was just as much melodrama as if it was a full-length novel but not nearly as much to balance it out in terms of character development. It was a very short journey in terms of relationship development. Like SO short. And then almost after the fact there was conflict added.  I do typically love, love, love Witemeyer’s novels. (Yes, even her novellas.) But I was more meh with this one than I usually am. I think a full-length novel would have had time to win me over.  © Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible