Most Christians know the Psalm “This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it.” But—how can we be happy when we are living in a broken, fallen world. Sometimes we have so much bad news (not necessarily all in the media) that we just want to stick our heads in the sand and hide.

In LITTLE MERCIES, Ms. Coulter answers that we can be glad in Jesus. Even if we’re sitting in the radiology department in the hospital and learn that there’s a suspicious tumor and you need a biopsy. Even if your son feels like arguing and makes you want to scream, you can choose to look for the little mercies that God has given you.

Ms. Coulter is an acclaimed essayist, and she has written sixteen thoroughly engaging essays with titles like “Fly Fishing”, “Singing Behind the Plow”, and “Making Biscuits.”
She uses humor and talent to remind us about the grace of God who is in the details. The one who appears when we ignore some of the clamor around us.

I read through most of LITTLE MERCIES when I was sitting at the hospital today, waiting for blood work and other tests. I finished the rest of the book after I got home. Normally, I drag my way through nonfiction, taking several days—sometimes weeks—to work my way through it. But I can say that I read and was engaged by LITTLE MERCIES enough to want to keep reading it.

If you are looking for a pick-me-up, a reminder that God is good, that He is in the details, and that He knows the plans He has for you, then pick up a copy of LITTLE MERCIES today. You will be glad you did. 192 pages. $14.99.

“Be still and know that I am God”

MORNINGS WITH JESUS 2012 is a daily devotional with 366 days of scripture and devotions for each day of this leap year.

Each devotional starts with scripture, followed by the devotional, and then the application. They are only a page or less in length, so don’t take much time to read. Just a few minutes of time to get your focus on God, and start the day off right.

This is not a detailed Bible study for the serious scholar, or for the fifteen minutes of Bible study that the maturing Christian should have. However, it is an excellent way to begin each day by focusing on God.

The devotions are written by some of our favorite fiction authors such as Judy Baer, Tricia Goyer, Camy Tang, and some that are known for their other devotions, like Keri Wyatt Kent.

I enjoyed reading through this devotional and using it with my family each day. I highly recommend this devotional as an excellent start to the day. 377 pages. Available in kindle, hardcover, and paperback.

When the questions are hard and the answers unpopular, will you stay devoted to Christ?
Are you ready to speak the truth even when your friends roll their eyes, take offense, or walk away?

The core beliefs of the Christian faith have become today’s four letter words. Annoyed by the Christ-follower’s “narrow-mindedness,” our politically correct culture enforces a highly selective tolerance: fist-bumping any philosophical fad and moral deviation as long as it’s not in harmony with Grandma’s leather Bible.

The four letter words addressed include (but are not limited to):

 True: Its unreasonable to believe the Bible has the monopoly on truth
 Know: Science contradicts the Bible
 Pain: If God is real, He’d stop the pain
 Evil: Good and evil don’t really exist—Christians are judgmental
 Damn: Hell isn’t real
 Wait: Sex isn’t a sin

FOUR LETTER WORDS is a great resource for small groups and Bible studies, college groups, personal study, anyone wanting to know Jesus, youth groups and retreats. Discussion guide is included at the end of every book.

FOUR LETTER WORDS is one of the first fully interactive, QR enabled books on the market. You can use your smartphone to scan the codes throughout this book for more resources.

We live in a world that hates Christians. Everything is tolerated except Christianity. And when we ask for our views to be respected, people scream intolerance. This is a much needed book. Uncompromised. $13.99. 207 pages.

Title: THE MONEY ANSWER BOOK
Author: Dave Ramsey
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
May 2010
ISBN: 978-1-4041-8779-5
Genre: Money/finances

Dave Ramsey has been the top financial advisor in the world for decades. Millions listened to his radio broadcasts or went to his organization to have help in getting out of debt.

In THE MONEY ANSWER BOOK, Mr. Ramsey has taken his most asked questions and addressed them. These include:

Debt, Credit and Bankruptcy
Relationships and Money
Budgeting
Saving & Investing
Stewardship
Retirement & Estate Planning
Automobiles
Real Estate & Mortgages
College & Student Loans
and more

This is a really helpful book that reads conversationally. I read through the book in a sitting, and found the advise is really common sense, but then—common sense isn’t so common anymore. Bottom line? Debt is bad. Savings is good. But how do you get there?

Buy a copy of THE MONEY ANSWER BOOK and start reading it today. It will answer your questions and teach you how to manage your money more effectively so that your money works for you instead of you working to pay off others. Highly recommended. $12.99. 170 pages.

The world we live in believes that the more we have, the better off we are. We’re striving for bigger paychecks so we can have that fancy bass boat, the big house in the good part of town, designer shoes, and our sixteen year old daughter can dress live a diva. But all that it really does is bring more stress into our already stressed lives.

But—if you have made any of the following comments, you might want to consider reading this book:

. I’m tired of living with constant stress.
. I feel disconnected from my spouse and kids.
. I want to laugh again.
. I’m earning more, but I feel like I’m living less.
. I’m tired of rushing from one activity to another.
. I wish our family could sit around the dinner table talking and laughing.
. There are not enough hours in a day.
. There has to be a simpler way.

In LIVING WITH LESS SO YOUR FAMILY HAS MORE, the Savages help families:

. Identify a long-term vision for your family.
. Show the attitudes you need to adopt to make that a reality.
. Share action steps to make small and big changes.
. Determine if its feasible for one parent to stay home.
. How to live on one income.
and more.

If you want more time for your family and less stress, then LIVING ON LESS SO YOUR FAMILY HAS MORE is a book that you will want to read. I highly recommend it to families that are looking to cut back and live a quieter life, yet one where they can develop relationships with their family. Discussion questions are included, as well as notes. $12.99. 210 pages.

The white farmers in Africa have struggled for more than ten years to keep their land in Zimbabwe from the control of Mugabe. Under the white farmers, the farms flourished and families thrived. However, Mugabe was determined to remove all the white settlers from Zimbabwe, because of jealousy, greed, racism, hatred, or a combination of all the above. This is the horrific account and true account of what the white families went through to try to save their land.

This well-documented book is an account of the downfall of the farms, the methods the families used to try to keep their land, and the brutality of Mugabe and his followers to the white farmers.

Both the Campbell and Freeth families were able to keep their faith in God throughout the whole revolution, teaching their children to stand strong in the Lord. Freeth quotes some Scriptures and prophecies that came to pass in the land under the dictatorship of Mugabe.

MUGABE AND THE WHITE AFRICAN is not a book for those who can’t handle violence. Mugabe used that tactic against the white settlers to try to remove them from the land. This is a real story, and there is also a documentary available that covers it. Maps, appendixes with updates, and forwards by a couple archbishops are included.
$14.95. 253 pages.

Men admire men who can play hurt, who can finish the game even when injured, sick, or falling apart. So, why, when it comes to marriage are we so quick to throw in the towel?

PLAYING HURT is a ‘playbook’ that will use biblical principles for marriage that will challenge you to push forward even when your wife hurls an insult, hurts your pride, or disrespects you. It combines Scripture, questions at the end of each chapter, and stories from his own marriage.

PLAYING HURT is written for men who speak the language of sports better than they speak the language of love. It uses sports to teach the lessons, then back the lessons learned up with Scripture and questions for you to consider as you finish each chapter.

This is a book to take slowly, to read and consider each point, before trying to move on to the next. As soon as you get the first “play” down, you can learn the next. An excellent resource for most men, the ones who understand sports. $11.99. 152 pages.

Title: AMISH VALUES FOR YOUR FAMILY
Author: Suzanne Woods Fisher
Publisher: Revell
August 2011
ISBN: 978-0-8007-1996-8
Genre: Inspirational/nonfiction/Parenting

Amish seem to know what they are doing when it comes to raising strong families. They enjoy life together, work together, play together, and even have strong extended family ties. What do they do differently than us? And how can we recreate their method in our busy lives?

Suzanne Woods Fisher addresses that issue in AMISH VALUES FOR YOUR FAMILY. She tells a true story about an Amish family or someone well acquainted with the Amish, and then works in practical applications for us to implicate. That is followed by two quotes by Amish scribes in different parts of the country.

In this book, Suzanne shares how the Amish can teach us to:

. slow down
. safeguard family time
. raise children who stand strong in their faith
. prioritize what’s truly important

The book is divided up into four sections:

1. Children are loved but not adored
2. Great expectations
3. Daily bread
4. Letting go

I read through this book in one sitting, but it is meant to read slowly, so you can absorb the principles in the pages. I will be going back through this book again to fully understand some of the ideas, especially the ones that our family doesn’t already do. If you are looking for a simpler life, a closer family, and having your priorities straight, then AMISH VALUES FOR YOUR FAMILY is a book to pick up. You won’t be disappointed. $12.99. 190 pages.

Does your to-do list have footnotes? Are you imprisoned by the joy-sucking dully-funks?

If you answer yes to either of these questions, then maybe it’s time for a healthy dose of truth gift-wrapped in humor.

Debora Coty addresses common issues women face in her book TOO BLESSED TO BE STRESSED, and laces the biblical and common sense advice with strong helpings of wit and practical steps they can take to arrive at healing, refreshment and revitalization.

Topics are arranged into four different sections:

>Time management
>Develop a sense of humor
>Cultivate relationships
>Focus on faith

and all include many different situations. For example, time management includes:

. Superwoman has left the building (health awareness)
. Martha on steroids (setting priorities)
. Shoving the envelope (finding balance)
. Calendar constipation (simplify)

and many more.

If you are stressed, then definitely pick up a copy of TOO BLESSED TO BE STRESSED $9.99. 220 pages.

Title: UNCOVERED: Revealing the secrets of a sexy marriage
Author: Susie Davis
Publisher: Revell
May 2010
ISBN: 978-0-8007-3392-6
Genre: Inspirational/love and marriage

UNCOVERED is a book that shares the secrets of understanding your husband and making your marriage your top priority. Ms. Davis suggests using biblical wisdom, practical sense, and a bit a female charm.

She offers advice on:

. how to get over your naked self and love your body
. what speed sex really is
. the importance of letting your husband be a man
. how to move from roommate to playmate
. and more

Ms. Davis also had a bunch of male interviewees she calls “The Male Room” that answer questions regarding each chapter. Some of the answers are really funny and others really get you thinking.

I’ve been married twenty-five years, but some of the chapters really spoke to me. Some of the years (probably most of them) I’ve been guilty of putting my family first ahead of my husband. Well, my children still need attention. We have a large family and the youngest one is still very young. But I am going to start paying more attention to my husbands needs.

Every married woman has room for improvement in their marriage. And this book will help to make even a good marriage better. Ms. Davis says great, if you even follow half of the suggestions.

UNCOVERED is a book for any married woman – to help her rediscover the woman her husband married and be one “hot mama.” $12.99. 167 pages.