Jack Countryman and Amy Parker present a small volume of verses in one of the latest entries in the "God's Promises" series: God's Promises for Boys.
The formula is simple: create a list of scenarios that a boy might encounter, add relevant Bible verses, sprinkle with whimsical illustrations to attract the eye and speak to the heart. The result is a charming book that makes a nice gift for an older preschool or young elementary-aged boy.
Each 2-page spread focuses on a different topic. For example:
God's promises when you are happy, when you are worried, when you are angry
God's promises about the man you'll grow up to be, about being a good brother, about being a better friend
I shared this book with my own preschool-aged boys, who looked at the pictures while I read selected verses that I thought they might grasp. Whether they understood or not, they sat thoughtfully looking at the pictures as we talked about God's promises when you're afraid and when you need to be a good sport. I like that this book celebrates and uplifts boys (God Needs Boys, Stay Strong, Wear His Armor) while teaching Biblical truths that apply as much to parents as to children.
I plan to leave this on their bookshelf: to pick up when we need a discussion starter or an encouraging verse to help them navigate the sometimes rough seas of childhood.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
My blog has been a bit empty lately, except for book reviews, for one reason. I started writing a column (now 2) at Examiner.com. I'm now the "St. Petersburg Frugal Family Examiner" and the "St. Petersburg Frugal Living Examiner."
I have no plans to get rich doing this. The pay is roughly $1 per article, if the article has a local focus (not too difficult to do). Examiner is a little vague about how all the page usage translates into payment, but it appears that it's roughly a penny a page view (assuming the viewer lingers on the page long enough to read part of it, and isn't just passing through).
I'm enjoying the writing aspect of this: figuring out the best way to communicate to a web audience, crafting headlines that are search engine friendly, planning what stories to cover and when. It keeps me in the discipline of writing, which has made writing articles for submission to other publications easier. I love the research aspect: finding press releases, clipping items from the newspaper, rediscovering all the places where information is posted on the web. I feel like I'm back at the reference desk.
But the most rewarding aspect has been saving my family money--which is why I picked the "frugal" topics over the others. I've discovered new ways to stretch our budget. I've visited some new resale shops in our town. I've enjoyed talking with local shop owners, bankers, clerks, and other moms. I'm doing what we moms do anyway--figure out how to get the best deal on anything. Only now I'm sharing it with the world. Well, my little Internet corner of the world.
How's it going? So far so good.
The subtitle of this latest book by Michelle McKinney Hammond is "How to Still be Fabulous When You're Broke" and she is pretty fabulous. But girlfriend, I have mixed feelings about this book.
Michelle McKinney Hammond has written an overview of how to live large on a small budget. She gives some sound advice: shop at discount stores, separate your wants from your needs, clip coupons, don't buy more than you can afford. She encourages women to focus on their relationship with God over their relationship with credit cards.
More autobiography than advice, some of her tips are definitely big city, single gal: make dinner out of cocktail hour snacks in hotel lobbies. This won't work for the mom schlepping it out in the suburbs. Never having had the lifestyle Ms. Hammond once enjoyed, I found my self thinking "I already knew that" through most of the book.
However, she has an incredibly warm and engaging style that makes me want to read more of her writing or hear her speak at a conference. I'd recommend this book for Divas whose fortunes have fallen with the stock market. For the rest of us middle class folks, I say "Girlfriend, we're way ahead of you."
Divanomics: How to still be fabulous when you're broke, by Michelle McKinney Hammond, Tyndale House Publishers, 2010.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Tyndale House Publishers as part of their book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
