The Hobbit Devotional

For all you J.R.R. Tolkien fans and Christians looking for a great new devotional just in time with the release of the movie, The Hobbit, comes Ed Strauss' The Hobbit Devotional: Bilbo Baggins and the Bible. I was so thrilled to see what this book would contain, I knew I had to review it. Being a Christian, I was more than excited to see how chapters of the book The Hobbit would be blended together in 60 different devotional lessons that could be completed once a week.

Each devotion begins with a reading from a chapter in the Hobbit and ties in such great teaching with the Bible such as one such lesson on wisdom. In the book, the Hobbit, the elves are the race of beings that the Hobbits or even Gandalf will consult because they are basically immortal, so their wisdom comes from being around so long and their life experience. The devotion picks up and tells the reader how wise it is to use the sage wisdom that comes from parents and grandparents not because things are so different between their time and ours, but because they have been seasoned by life's experiences. It teaches us that not everything is so easily learned in our age of technology.

Sound scripture from the Bible accompanies each chapter, story and shows how in our current lives these lessons are still vital to the Christian walk. One such chapter "Checking Things Out" deals with the secrets hiding within the caves from the Hobbits and how vital it was for the party to thoroughly search the cave before deciding to stay the night. One never knew if there was danger lurking nearby or perhaps a trap set, and one time the dwarves Kili and Filir reported back they had found the perfect dry cave. Even Gandalf himself searched the cave and was assured they were good for the night. Suddenly in the middle of the night, goblins rushed out and seized the travelers and their ponies and vanished back inside the mountain.

The lesson goes on to teach how easy it is to be fooled by our present day circumstances, while some are easy to see others are difficult to expose. Con artists lurk not only in the financial world but also in religious settings. Jesus likened these deceivers to wolves in sheep's clothing (Matthew 7:15) and Paul cautioned Christians not to be "tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive." The lesson goes on to warn the readers that some traps are capable of fooling even the veterans and we have an obligation to warn others to watch out for it.

This book is filled with great lessons for the die hard Hobbit or J.R.R. Tolkien fan and is bound to be a great discussion point for youth group and church leaders as well as we near the release date of the Hobbit on the big screen. This book is bound to make learning from the Bible fun in a completely new way and makes the life lessons more relevant when you can relate them back to not only the story of the Hobbit but back to the Bible as well.

I received The Hobbit Devotional: Bilbo Baggins and The Bible by Ed Strauss compliments of Barbour Publishing and Net Galley for my honest review. My entire family have had so much fun sharing biblical insights along with our love for the Lord of the Rings Trilogy as well as the Hobbit and I can easily rate this one a 5 out of 5 stars. This book is available in paperback and eBook formats from your favorite book retailer.

For more information on The Hobbit Devotional: Bilbo Baggins and The Bible, Ed Strauss and where to pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the link below:

The Hobbit Devotional: Bilbo Baggins and The Bible by Ed Strauss

The Power of A Positive Mom

As moms the hardest thing for us to do sometimes besides finding time for ourselves if often times finding time to get our spiritual breakfast, lunch or dinner in for the day with God. I think it's critical to help us manage our day and help us deal with all the things unique to being a mom and being a success.

I've had the wonderful opportunity to review a great new devotional, The Power of A Positive Mom by Karol Ladd. I know I could use some help because as a busy mom, I find the some days I am less than a positive influence in the lives of those around me and even in my own. In this wonderful book are devotionals broken down into 52 weeks beginning each on a Monday. Of course, you could always chose to start them on any day, but its designed to give you a head start on the week ahead. What we often fail to realize is that the Bible is the perfect self-help book for everything moms and wives have to deal with. It offers insight and wisdom with powerful tools for living a full, contented, positive life as a mom whether your kids are in diapers or in high school.

By starting of each week with a motivational message designed for moms that comes straight from the Word of God, Karol's hope is that you'll find the encouragement, help, and spiritual fuel you'll need for the week ahead. Most moms want to be ones that create a positive environment of love, encouragement, and care in our homes, but we can't do it alone. This devotional offers a unique journey through the Bible that will help us tap into that power. Starting in Genesis and moving through passages in almost every book of the Bible all the way into Revelation, we will get a taste of them as we walk our way through God's Word.

Each week is broken into a Key Scripture to focus on that week, a motivational quote designed to get you in the right frame of mind, a Mom's Reflection; designed to help you apply the key scripture to your role as a mom that week, a place to record your thoughts with a great thought-provoking question, and a prayer for that week. There are also some choices to consider as you work through your study that week and further reading you can do.

I received The Power of A Positive Mom by Karol Ladd compliments of Howard Books, a division of Simon and Schuster for my honest review and could really see a difference in using this devotional in my own life. I keep it with me while I am doing things around the house, as a guide to direct me back to my key scripture when I find myself coming up short. It's almost like a reminder from God on spending 52 weeks of my life on becoming not only a better mom, but growing closer to the mom God wants me to be.

I highly recommend this book and rate this one a 5 out of 5 stars! It's a great starting point for new moms just beginning their spiritual walk in helping them get a simply Bible Study going for themselves or perhaps a mom's Bible Study with a small group in church! This makes an excellent resource for busy moms everywhere. For more information on this book, the author and where you can pick up a copy today, please click on the links below:

The Power of A Positive Mom by Karol Ladd

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