NKJV Greatest Stories of the Bible

I recently received a book in the mail, and have enjoyed exploring it’s contents. Many of these stories are well-known to me, but the format is different—and refreshing.

The NKJV Greatest Stories of the Bible is a collection of 250 stories from the Old and New Testaments in storybook format. The stories of the scripture are divided into easy to read sections--if you just want a short piece to read to yourself or as a bedtime story for little ones, you’ve got plenty to choose from.

This is a beautiful book inside and out. The cover gives it an air of a family treasure to be passed down for generations. Each piece is titled, tells the scripture reference, and has each verse numbered as you read—this information is even listed in the table of contents for your ease. This is a good way to introduce kids to the stories of the Bible, or just a good way to read parts of the Word in a different format. This doesn’t contain the full text of the Word however. So if you’re looking for a good study Bible, this isn’t what you’re looking for.

To give you a general feel for this book:
There is a table of contents in the front that lists the title of the section, the scripture reference, and the page number. There is no concordance, only a small index in the back. Of the 250 stories, only 47 are from the New Testament. In the stories of Jesus, they include scripture from more than one book (i.e. Jesus’ Birth: Matthew 2:1-18 & Luke 2:17-39). Since this is a “storybook” of scripture, some books of the Bible aren’t included or only partially used. Some of the books not included are: 1 & 2 Chronicles, Psalms, Proverbs, Galatians, Philippians, 1 & 2 Timothy.

Max Lucado, Fearless.

“Don’t be afraid,” He said. “Take courage. I am here!”
—Matthew 14:27 NLT

What are you afraid of? Every day seems to bring a new item to our already long list of fears. But how do we overcome those fears? What can we do, even if the situation is out of our control? How do we keep fear from controlling us? How do we have peace during the storm?

Max Lucado’s Fearless is a phenomenal book. He talks about so many fears, and relates all of them to stories in the Bible. I have only read a couple of his works, and have been pleased with all of them. He writes in such a way that anyone can understand it, sometimes using mental pictures to help describe things: “as gloomy as a giraffe with a neck ache” (Can anyone say “Ouch!”) or “collapsed like a sand castle in a typhoon.” He backs up his words with scripture, and even explains things to help the reader better understand. There is also a discussion guide at the end of the book that includes study of scripture, questions, and applications.

Fear is something everyone deals with, and anyone can find something to relate to in Fearless. Therefore, I highly recommend it to everyone.

Jenna Lucado, Redefining Beautiful: What God Sees When God Sees You.

I saw this book on the review list, and knew I had to read it. Talk about the right choice.

So what is Redefining Beautiful? This book for girls is about learning what beauty is from God’s perspective. Jenna changes the focus from looking in the mirror, to looking at what God, our heavenly Father, sees when He looks at us. As she talks about each girl’s personal style, it’s not about just the outside appearance; it’s about the inside, about our attitudes, our quirks, how we view others, how we view ourselves and why we view ourselves that way. Then she takes that and compares it to what is pleasing to God.

When I ordered this book, I wondered: Would Jenna be able to relate it to girls like me, the girls without earthly fathers to help us to relate to God? And I was pleased with the answer. She does a great job in relating to girls with good dads, not so good dads, and absent dads. She uses her own story, stories from the Bible, and the stories of others to give examples. She asks questions, and then gives room for answers, which really helps in applying the things she talks about in a person’s life.

This book is something I recommend every girl read, no matter her age. It says it’s for teens, and that’s great--but I’m a young adult, and this book really touched me as well.

City of Night, book two of Dean Koontz’s Frankenstein

So I’ve recently finished City of Night. And I must say, it lived up to the expectations that began in book one.

It’s interesting to think of what would happen if Victor Frankenstein were alive in today’s world. How would we know a human from his . . . creations? And what if those creations suddenly started going wrong, malfunctioning so to speak? How would one take care of such a person and his creations? And what if Frankenstein's original creation came back to finish him?

The adventure of this book is captivating. The characters become real. And descriptions are written so that the reader can see it all.

I’m excited to see how this story ends in book three.

Prodigal Son

So I’ve never read anything by Koontz before, but have had him recommended. I never really knew where to start though. I got several opinions on that, but no one recommended the books I found at Wal*Mart: Dean Koontz’s Frankenstein. I read the back cover, and bought book one, Prodigal Son.

I finished Dekker’s Green, Liparulo’s Timescape, and then skipped Wendy Alec’s second book of The Chronicles of Brothers--I’ve waited so long for that book, I have to read the first again. But anyway, back to Frankenstein.

When I started the book, I only intended to read a few pages then go to bed. Yeah right. I read quite a few chapters, and didn't want to stop. Such a page turner!

Deucalion is my favorite character. Full of history and mystery. The whole story is intriguing, filled with great plot and characters. I love the good guys, and love to hate the bad guys.

And now I have the second book in hand. I am excited to get into it. Needless to say, Dean Koontz is now on my list of favorite authors.