Search

Search only in certain items:

QD
Quilted Devotions: 24 Biblical Blocks
Lisa Cogar | 2010
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Quilted Devotions: 24 Biblical blocks by Lisa Cogar
Genre: craft, quilting, art
Rating: 5

 

Lisa Cogar has assembled 24 beautiful quilt blocks, each representing parts of the Bible. Some are traditional and have been used over the years like Jacob’s Ladder, and others were created by Cogar such as Joseph’s Coat, Hosanna, and Crown of Thorns. Each block has a Bible verse with it. There is a world of possibilities—and stories—to explore within the pages.

This is an awesome quilting book. It’s designed for intermediate to experienced quilters. The patterns and graphs are very easy to follow, and the blocks are beautiful and inspiring.

Recommendation: Intermediate to experienced quilters.

~Haleyknitz
  
A Very Blessed Christmas Coloring Book
A Very Blessed Christmas Coloring Book
Robin Mead | 2016 | Children
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
A Very Blessed Christmas Coloring Book by Robin Mead brings scripture into coloring, while allowing me to color in a relaxed quite moment.

The images are a mix of secular and religious, all related to the Christmas season. There are some beautiful Biblical quotes related to the season too, surrounded by artwork to color.

This book has a section for Christmas crafts such as cutouts to make ornaments, bookmarks or even gift tags. I love that this coloring book is unique and is perfect for everyone. It is inspirational, filled with beautiful pictures of angels, snowflakes, trees, stocking, nativity and so much more.

I received this book from FaithWords via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
  
The Heart Of A King: The Loves Of Solomon
The Heart Of A King: The Loves Of Solomon
Jill Eileen Smith | 2019 | Religion
10
8.7 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
When it comes to Biblical Fiction, I’ve said it before, I am a picky reader. Only a select few can truly take a Biblical story, keep it true to the Bible and add in in the fictional elements and make it come to life. Jill Eileen Smith is one of those authors. She has been a long time favorite author of mine and will forever be one. So, when I got the chance to read The Heart Of A King, I jumped on it. I was not disappointed!

Her characters, once again, are chiseled beautifully. Full of depth and emotion. Every emotion they felt became mine while I read this. I fell in love with Solomon and didn’t want his story to end. The love he had for our God, the love he had for his wives, was beautifully portrayed in the words of Smith’s writing.

With tenderness and hopefulness, this story will wrap you up and put you in the center of a time, that is only read about in the Bible, of a time many have forgotten to remember. The rich historic detail is vivid and captivating and Smith has once again managed to make me fall in love with yet another amazing book. This is beyond 5 star worthy and I hope you, too, will fall in love with the story of Solomon and his loves.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Revell and was under no obligation to post a review, positive or negative.*
  
A Tale of Love and Darkness
A Tale of Love and Darkness
Amos Oz | 2005 | Biography, Religion
(0 Ratings)
Book Favorite

"Essentially an autobiography tracing the author’s own family’s move from Europe to what is now Israel and the disappointment of immigration. His mother killed herself, and he’s spent much of his life creating scenarios of why that happened. The process of meditating on her life makes him into a writer. The book is also about the birth of a language. He talks about his great-uncle, who was one of the architects of modern Hebrew, and how there didn’t used to be a word for shirt until he created it, because Hebrew had been a biblical language. It’s so interesting to think about what comes before the process of naming something—how you struggle when you don’t have the words to say what you feel."

Source
  
Noah (2014)
Noah (2014)
2014 | Action, Adventure, Drama
Biblical epics never seem to translate well from paper to the big screen. Mel Gibson’s 2004 misfire, The Passion of the Christ, showed just how difficult it was to turn promising source material into silver screen gold.

Now, 10 years on from that, Black Swan director Darren Aronofsky breathes new life into the biblical genre with his take on the classic ‘Noah’ tale. But can his sixth attempt behind the camera reverse the ailing genre’s fortunes?

Unfortunately, the answer is no. From lacklustre special effects to dreadful acting, Aronofsky’s biblical epic fails from start to finish, with only a few key scenes lifting it above The Passion of the Christ.

Noah follows the story of the titular hero played by Russell Crowe as he sets out on a mission given to him by the ‘Creator’ to rid the world of its evil and to start afresh. Jennifer Connelly plays Noah’s wife Naameh and Ray Winstone portrays his arch nemesis, Tubal-cain.

The story is like the tale we all know, but on steroids. Gone is the subtlety of the bibleNoah-poster version and in its place is a stark environmental message as Noah tells his family and those around him that humans have destroyed the planet and that we ourselves, must be destroyed. From stone angels sent to watch over the human race, to the addition of numerous characters, Noah rids the story of its depth in favour of poor special effects and anti-climatic battles. It’s a real shame as Aronofsky has proven himself to be utterly talented behind the lens.

The performances are also well-below what we expect from such gifted actors. Emma Watson’s take of Ila, Noah’s daughter-in-law is laughable at best; a world away from the talent we saw towards the end of the Harry Potter series. Jennifer Connelly is outstandingly poor and Russell Crowe seems to be on auto-pilot as he spouts meaningless drivel. Only Anthony Hopkins leaves his fine reputation in tact as Methuselah, though he is in the film for less than 15 minutes.

Moreover, the best and most memorable part from the bible story, the animals, is completely misguided. Not only are they playing second fiddle to the ridiculous rivalry between Noah and Ray Winstone’s idiotic villain, they are rendered in such poor CGI, you never truly believe that they are there. The elephants and snakes in particular are very shoddy.

Thankfully all is not lost. Being a Darren Aronofsky film, Noah is a beautifully shot film. The cinematography is outstanding with stunning vistas of a huge variety of landscapes and the inclusion of an exciting Genesis featurette in the latter half of the picture are real highlights.

At 138 minutes Noah is a true bum-number and there’ll be lots of shuffling about in your seat as you struggle to digest each and every part of information the film shoves down your throat.

Unfortunately, a promising marketing campaign and some good trailers mask a film which never rises above average. The special effects really needed much more work and the acting is very poor. Only a few stand-out scenes stop it from falling below The Passion of the Christ as another biblical turkey.

https://moviemetropolis.net/2014/04/14/noah-review/
  
The Centurion's Wife (Acts of Faith, #1)
The Centurion's Wife (Acts of Faith, #1)
Davis Bunn | 2009 | Fiction & Poetry
8
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
This book was a wonderful surprise in both its accuracy in utilizing the Biblical account, as well as its mastery in enlivening the recorded events pulled from the Bible by weaving in the fictional story of Leah. I have read these parts of the Bible more times than I can count, but this novel made the events fresh and exciting, as if I were living in the time period and watching them first hand. It made me realize as I read it how much I take for granted in having the completed Bible, which those first believers did not have. I could relate quite easily to some of the characters, especially the portrayal of Mary Magdalene. I also especially loved how the authors described the scene at Pentacost, as well as the allusions to the wedding in Revelation using Leah's wedding plans.
This book is the first book in the series Acts of Faith, which I like because not only are all the loose threads not accounted for, but also because I would love to see other Biblical characters portrayed by these authors, such as Paul. I look forward to continuing the series with the next book, The Hidden Flame.
This is how Christian fiction should be written, in my humble opinion. The beliefs and doubts of the characters are real and believable - even to the point of looking messy and contradictory. Their faith hasn't been softened and molded by political correctness, too afraid to quote more than a few fee-good verses from Psalms or even use the name of Jesus. A Christian is not a one-dimensional type-cast description, and neither should the characters in a Christian fiction novel be.
  
40x40

Awix (3310 KP) rated Battlestar Galactica (1978) in Movies

Mar 17, 2019 (Updated Mar 17, 2019)  
Battlestar Galactica (1978)
Battlestar Galactica (1978)
1978 | Adventure, Sci-Fi
Theatrical version of the pilot episode of Glen A Larson's Mormons-in-space Star Wars knock-off (Lucas sued). Somewhere 'beyond the heavens' the Twelve Colonies of Man are betrayed to the evil Cylons; leader Adama (Lorne Greene) must get his Charlton Heston freak on and lead the survivors to the Promised Land (i.e., Earth).

Looks great for the first ten minutes, until it becomes apparent that they only have about three minutes of special effects which are going to be endlessly recycled. The actual story weaves between the tone of a cod-biblical epic and a fairly cheesy soap, but not unengagingly. The fact this is made up of about three different episodes stitched together is obvious, though. It's all kind of clumsy, but still oddly charismatic and enjoyable; more fun than the version with Bob Dylan.
  
CSB Worldview Study Bible
CSB Worldview Study Bible
Anonymous | 2018
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
The CSB Worldview Study Bible features extensive worldview study notes and articles by notable Christian scholars to help Christians better understand the grand narrative and flow of Scripture within the biblical framework from which we are called to view reality and make sense of life and the world. Guided by general editors David S. Dockery and Trevin K. Wax, this Bible is an invaluable resource and study tool that will help you to discuss, defend, and clearly share with others the truth, hope, and practical compatibility of Christianity in everyday life.

Features include:

Extensive worldview study notes
Over 130 articles by notable Christian scholars
Center-column references
Smyth-sewn binding
Presentation page
Two ribbon markers
Two-piece gift box, and more
General Editors: David S. Dockery and Trevin Wax

Associate Editors: Constantine R. Campbell, E. Ray Clendenen, Eric J. Tully

Contributors include: David S. Dockery, Trevin K. Wax, Ray Van Neste, John Stonestreet, Ted Cabal, Darrell L. Bock, Mary J. Sharp, Carl R. Trueman, Bruce Riley Ashford, R. Albert Mohler Jr., William A. Dembski, Preben Vang, David K. Naugle, Jennifer A. Marshall, Aida Besancon Spencer, Paul Copan, Robert Smith Jr., Douglas Groothuis, Russell D. Moore, Mark A. Noll, Timothy George, Carla D. Sanderson, Kevin Smith, Gregory B. Forster, Choon Sam Fong, and more.

The CSB Worldview Study Bible features the highly readable, highly reliable text of the Christian Standard Bible (CSB). The CSB stays as literal as possible to the Bible’s original meaning without sacrificing clarity, making it easier to engage with Scripture’s life-transforming message and to share it with others.



This is a wonderful Bible that not only gives us God's word but teaches through credible editors about the Christians view of the world. There are articles that show us the Biblical view of that issue; such a: the Biblical view of music, Personal Finances. Ther is an article on how Christians should relate to the government along with various other interesting articles.



This is a great study Bible for new believers, for discipling, for those interested in how God's word relates to issues around us today. How we as Christians should respond to a world that is turning against Christians.



This is a beautiful Bible, that is easy to read and has full-color maps. This will be a great addition to anyone's library.

CSB Worldview Study Bible





 I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review and 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.”
  
The writing is well done, and very easy to understand. The descriptions of the world are good, especially when discussing social aspects. The world is built well, with enough history given, but without overloading with too much information or facts. Although the writing is good, the character development is mediocre. The main character never really learns her lesson until it is much too late, and is hell bent on revenge before anything else. There isn't a lot of opportunity for growth, though she struggles in the beginning, it would be more empowering to see her 'fall' be a little more dramatic as far as her standards she was used to. It's mentioned but I feel that her emotions could've been better explored. For a 'biblical fiction' I enjoyed the story and historical information.

I was provided a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
  
Storm Rising (Book of the Wars, #1)
Storm Rising (Book of the Wars, #1)
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I absolutely LOVED this book (and so did my husband, who rarely likes reading) it had action, Biblical mystery, swirling relationships (Which hopefully we get to see in the next book) and many daring spy type stunts. A great book that pulls you in and does not want to let go, I read it a week ago and I still keep thinking about the possible scenarios. It was so hard to put down. If you have never read anything by Ronie Kendig this is a great one to start with, and one I highly recommend putting on your summer TBR Pile.

I give this book a 5 star rating for the many adventures, the depth of the characters, and for making me feel as though I was right there experiencing all of it first hand. Can not wait to read the next one in this series !!