The Ink Blots by Damion Searls

The year was 1917 and a young Swiss psychiatrist named Dr. Hermann Rorschach developed a experiment of 10 designed ink blots designed to reveal the inner thoughts and feelings of the human mind. He was a contemporary with Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud and wrestled with their theories as well. He himself was an artist and his premise was that who we are is less a matter of what we say than what we see.

Dr. Rorschach died young of a ruptured appendix at the age of 37 so this book was less about his life and more about the history of the Rorschach test itself. After his death, psychiatrists in the United States began making use of this test and it reached the height of its popularity in the 1950's. Even though there is more scientific evidence of its value as a diagnostic tool and therapeutic method, it is being given less often.

This is a thoroughly researched and well documented book about the development and history of the Rorschach test over the years. I was looking for more of a biography and less about the test itself. Any serious student of psychology would appreciate this work.  

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

The Hum of Angels by Scot McKnight

Scripture is filled with references to angels, bur would you recognize one if you saw one? Scot McKnight writes about how to recognize these messengers of God all around us and helps the reader to understand how God might be using them to affect our lives.

The author discusses the following topics: In defense of angels; God's loving presence in angels; God's loving advocacy from angels; and God's loving transformation through angels. Angels are not sent to us for the thrill of the moment or to prove we are spiritual. Angels dwell in God's presence and are sent to us only if and when God's sends them on a mission for our redemption.

The core Bible teaching about angels is that: God is Love. All that God does is loving. God sends angels to us because God loves us. Love is a rugged commitment to be with, to be for us so that we can progress unto Christlikeness. Angels are sent to express God's love by being God's presence with us, by being God's presence for us in guarding us, and to lead us into the redemption of Christlikeness.

This book uses Scripture to help the reader understand the importance of angels in the Christian's life as well as illustrating the presence of angels with some personal examples. Makes for thought provoking reading in furthering the understanding of the role of angels and to listen for the hum of angels.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review
. 

The Simplest Way to Change the World by Dustin Willis & Brandon Clemens

Biblical hospitality as a way of life is the subtitle for this book. The authors challenge everyone who calls themselves a Christian to be a missionary. In other words, in following Jesus He challenges us to go out into the world, not meaning necessarily going to the other side of the world, but just reaching out to our neighbor next door.

Both of the authors share from their own experiences of meeting their neighbors and inviting them into their homes for a meal. In our culture of busyness and isolation, this is a much needed practice. Many of us do not even know our neighbors, much less invite them into our backyards or homes. What a difference it would make for a few Christians on each block to extend themselves and get to know their neighbors. Barriers would be broken down and people would have the opportunity to experience real Christian community outside of the walls of the church.

This book explains the biblical basis for hospitality and includes many practical ideas of how to practice the art of hospitality. I would highly recommend this for anyone who needs encouragement to meet their neighbors and to take the first step in inviting them into their home.

I received this book from Moody Publishers for this honest review.

The Chilbury Ladies' Choir by Jennifer Ryan

It's 1940, in the village of Chilbury in England. World War II is just beginning and the town has lost most of its men who have gone off to war. The women of Chilbury decide to form their own Ladies' Choir. The bond that they form and the interweaving of their lives makes for enjoyable reading.

Through letters and journals of five choir members you encounter romance, intrigue, as well as matters of life and death. This is a heartwarming and inspiring story which demonstrates the strength of these women on the home front.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.


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Adorned: Living Out The Beauty of the Gospel Together by Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth

This book is an in depth look at the second chapter of the book of Titus regarding older women mentoring younger women. As an older woman presently mentoring a younger woman, I was eager to read this book and I was not disappointed. The major thrust of the book is to address specifically how the beauty of the gospel is demonstrated in the lives of both older and younger women and how they live that out together.
The author encourages women to live out the Word of God, to live out our Christian faith so that others will not be able to accuse us of something we are not and to live in such a way that our lives reflect the inherent beauty of the message of the gospel.

The book is divided into three sections: A Woman under God; A Woman under Control and a Woman under Her Roof. At the end of each of the 14 chapters there are some questions for older women and some for younger women. This makes it a wonderful resource to use as a group study or to use in a one on one mentoring situation.

I received this book for free from Moody Publishers for this review but also purchased another one to pass along to a friend who is mentoring younger women.

The Good of Giving Up by Aaron Damiani

I grew up observing the season of Lent in the church so I was familiar with it. This book opened my eyes to a whole new way of thinking of the season of Lent as well as practical ways to observe it. The book is divided into three sections: The Case for Lent; The Path of Lent; and Leading Others Through Lent.

In the first section the reader understands the history of Lent including how early church leaders called their people to a regular season of fasting, prayer and sacrificial giving to enable themselves to grow in maturity in their Christian faith. These practices are not legalistic exercises, but to aid the individual Christian to experience the grace of God. The purpose is to reorient  ourselves and to turn our focus away from ourselves and towards God.

The second section of the book examines the practices of Lent including fasting, prayer, almsgiving, and confession. Again the purpose of these disciplines is to allow God to change your character and make you holy. Practicing these disciplines causes the individual believer to realize what he or she does not have control over and to surrender that control to Christ.

The last section is for those leading others through Lent including a chapter on families with small children. It also has information on leading churches through Lent which would be helpful for any church leader or pastor.

I recommend this book for anyone desiring to grow in their understanding of the meaning of Lent and its practices. I received this book from Moody Publishers for this review. 
  

Is The Bible Good For Women? by Wendy Alsup

"Is it possible to embrace the inherent dignity of womanhood while still cherishing the Bible?" is the question posed at the back of this book. The answer is a resounding yes! Wendy Alsup does a excellent job of explaining Scripture through a Jesus-centered understanding. She takes the reader through the Bible and answers questions such as "How did Jesus approach the Bible?"; "What was good in the beginning?"; "How did it all go wrong?"; and "Are Peter's and Paul's instructions good for women? " Emphasis is placed on the need to start from the beginning of the Bible to understand God's heart and purpose for women.

I found this well researched and timely book to be very informative
. There are questions at the end of the book to use it in a small group setting. I would recommend this to anyone who is uncertain about how God views women and the feminism that the Scripture models.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.