ESV Men's Devotional Bible - Giveaway and Review

Our world presents daily distractions that can easily displace Christ as the center of a man's heart and life. The goal of the ESV Men's Devotional Bible is to strengthen and encourage men through the life-giving Word of God and sound devotional content aimed at nurturing godliness. With 365 theologically rich and gospel-centered devotions drawn directly from the Bible, this all-new resource was created under the editorial oversight of Dr. Sam Storms with contributions from over fifty Christian leaders. Introductions orient men to each book of the Bible, exploring its unique contribution to a man's walk with God. Thoughtful and instructive articles address the importance of sound doctrine, life in the local church, leadership, the heart, calling and a host of other relevant issues for today. The Men's Devotional Bible will strengthen men in their walk with Christ, helping them apply the gospel and the truth of God's Word in their homes, churches and workplaces. (back cover).

The biggest challenge facing men today is that they have been called and set apart by God to be leaders that in a sense report directly to God. This does not mean that they are called to dominate those underneath them but to care and love them as much as Jesus did for His church, the body of believers. Men face challenges of leading a home, being the counselor of sorts for his wife and his children, to lead a moral and ethical life in their workplaces and to help spread the gospel to the world through our daily interactions with others. This does not mean men aren't perfect and go through their own struggles and challenges as well.

The ESV Men's Devotional Bible is a two-fold resource. First and foremost it is the Word of God designed to provide the truth that men can rely on to help in their spiritual and leadership walks with God and those in their life. Along with that are 365 devotionals sprinkled throughout God's Word that men can pick up and read in any order or simply follow the guide at the conclusion of each devotional to know where to find the next one. They are designed to encourage you in what Book your are reading to help guide you in your understanding of what is taking place. These are designed as well to help you apply what you are reading to what is happening in your life today. This is my favorite aspect of this Bible, because besides reading it and looking for God's inspiration in the text but also how we can apply things from the Old Testament into our present days lives and the subjects that are likely to come up in every day situations like why is going to church important, understanding the implications of pornography, understanding a mans identify, a man's work, dealing with doubt, communion with God, singleness, marriage and fathering.

I received the ESV Men's Devotional Bible by Crossway Publishers and Propeller LLC for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation, aside from a free copy of this Bible, in exchange for my honest review. I had my husband actually write the review listed above so that you got a man's opinion of the Bible instead of my own. It is such a wonderful addition to our home and one that my husband can utilize when He is traveling on business. It is a hard cover, black letter text with an 8.5 font type and includes a dictionary of key terms. In his opinion, he easily rates this one a 4.5 out of 5 stars. The only reason from not providing it a true 5 out of 5 stars is he would have liked to have a red-letter edition so the Words of Jesus truly stand apart from the remainder of the text in the New Testament.

For more information about ESV Men's Devotional Bible, Crossway Publishers or where you can pick up a copy of this Bible today, please click on the links below:

ESV Men's Devotional Bible by Crossway Publishers

You can find Crossway Publishers on Facebook to stay up to date on all their products.

You can purchase the ESV Men's Devotional Bible through Amazon. 

Now for the part you have been waiting for, thanks to the generosity of Crossway Publishers and Propeller LLC, they are offering a giveaway of this amazing Bible to one lucky reader. Here's all you need to do to enter.

1. Be a follower of my blog, Reviews From The Heart or "Like" my Facebook page, Reviews From The Heart. 

2. Leave a comment on either place and tell me why you'd love to win a copy of the ESV Men's Devotional Bible. If you are leaving a comment below, don't forget to include your email address. You can use the words (at) and (dot) instead of the symbols. If you are leaving a comment on Facebook, no worries, I can message you if you are the lucky winner for you to get in touch with me.

3. This giveaway is open to US and Canada only.

4. I will email or message the winner of the giveaway once it ends on November 27th. You will need to respond within 72 hours or another winner will be selected.

5. Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway. If you have won a prize from our sponsor, Propeller/FlyBy Promotions in the last 30 days, you are NOT eligible to win. Or if you have won the same prize on another blog, you are NOT eligible to win again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.

Disclosure (In accordance with the FTC's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising"): Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway. Choice of winners and opinions ae 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post.

ESV Journaling Bible - Review and Giveaway

It seems if you are a fan of Pinterest or even Facebook you are probably aware of the latest trend called Bible Journaling. Thankfully quite a few Bible publishers are jumping on board to help note takers and journaler's like to be able to have a place to capture all those notes we take in church. In fact this was on my Christmas Wish list this year. So many websites are popping up helping people take part in journaling in their Bibles or ideas on what to journal in their Bible if you are the artistic type but love the look. I can even imagine how this might trend into something more permanent where they will begin publishing them this way in the future.

 Image courtesy of Flicker

I am so honored to be able to share with you Crossway's ESV Journaling Bible! It is the perfect way for you to keep a journal of your spiritual life right into the Bible that you read and study each day or even for note takers that are looking for a bit more room to take notes or capture things they want to remember from their Bible studies or commentaries. Of course, for me, it provides just the right place for a new art form known as Bible Journaling. However you wish to use this Bible, it is just perfect for any or all three of these ideas.

The ESV Journaling Bible provided 2-inch ruled margins for writing observations, reflections, prayers, praises, notes and journal entries, making this the perfect gift and lasting keepsake for anyone who values God's Word. Some of the features include:

Black Letter Text 7.5 font size.
Double-column, paragraph format
Cream-colored paper
2" ruled margins
One-Year Bible Reading Plan
Introductions and Section Heading for each Bible Book.

Likes: 

I love the feel of the velvet like cover. It's actually cloth over board. It makes you feel like you've spent a whole lot more on the Bible than you actually did. I love the ribbon book mark that keeps me from having to place sticky notes or fold the pages to remember where I left off. The pages are thick enough as to not have any bleed through for those using markers to color or highlight in their Bible. It weighs just 1.9 pounds and measures 7.8 by 6.5 by 1.7 inches which is perfect for most larger purses to carry. I love the ESV translation which is one I prefer over some of the other formats.

Dislikes: 

7.5 font size makes it challenging for an older person to read. I wish it had red letters to separate the words of Jesus from the rest. The lines on the margins are barely there, which is perfect for picture journaling, but not so easy for note takers looking for a bit darker lines to help keep things neat a tidy. While the Bible does contain Introductions and Headings for each Book, they are located at the end of the Bible and not at the beginning of each book, which for me doesn't make sense as they are only a paragraph longer and could have been placed along with the beginning of each book. The footnotes are in even smaller font size and for me, were a bit challenging to see.

I received the ESV Journaling Bible compliments of Crossway Publishers and Propeller LLC for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation aside for a free copy of the Bible in exchange for my honest review. I can't wait for the possibility of Crossway making something a bit larger for older readers or those with sight issues in the near future but for me, I found that using a page magnifier worked well on those passages I wanted to read for my studies. The journaling space was just perfect for note taking or picture creation and in my opinion rated a 4 out of 5 stars.

Thanks to the generosity of Crossway Publishers and Propeller LLC, they are offering a giveaway copy of the ESV Journaling Bible (Blue Flora) to one lucky reader. Here is all you have to do to enter this giveaway.

1. Be a follower of my blog, Reviews From The Heart or "Like" my Facebook page, Reviews From The Heart. 

2. Be a resident of the US or Canada. No P.O. Boxes please.

3. Leave me a comment below or on my Facebook page telling me why you'd love to win a copy of this Bible. Don't forget to include your email address in the comment box or message me with it if you are doing it through social media. You can use the words (at) or (dot) instead of the actual symbols.

I will email the winner of the giveaway once it end on November 20th. You will have 72 hours to respond before I select another winner. Feel free to enter as many times as you like.

For more information about the ESV Journaling Bible, Crossway Publishers or where to pick up the Bible today, please click on the links below:

ESV Journaling Bible by Crossway Publishers

You can find Crossway Publishers on Facebook to stay up to date on all their products.

Disclosure: This is for US or Canada only. Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising") : Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway. choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post. 

Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway. If you have won a prize from our sponsor Propeller/FlyBy Promotions in the last 30 days, you are not eligible to win. Or if you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification. 

Past Darkness

Meet Gabrielle Larson who was like every other 15-year-girl you could meet. She lived a rich life with her best friend Carmen and her parents who exemplified what being in love after many years of marriage looked like to anyone they ever met. For Gabrielle it would be the one thing she would use as a measurement of what she hoped for when she met the person she hoped she would one day marry as well. For now, the thing that united Gabrielle and her family was music. Both of her parents were people who loved to share their faith through music ministry and it wasn't long before they involved Gabrielle in it as well. Soon the entire family found joy and love through sharing it with others in churches and others venues. But soon Gabrielle overheard a conversation with her parents that they seemed to keep hidden well. That unless more opportunities became available their financial problems would become overwhelming. Still they had faith that God would provide. And He did.

At a last minute request, they were invited to sing at a local church, but Gabrielle and her friend Carmen had other plans to head to the mall. Unfortunately for Gabrielle, it would be the last time she said goodbye to her parents. They both would die tragically in a car accident leaving her to the care of her Aunt Bea and Uncle Will and require her to move to North Dakota from Chicago. What transpires through the remainder of Past Darkness by Laurel Woiwode is the story of how Gabrielle deals with loss. The loss of her parents, her home, her school, her friends and her life. It's about finding ways to move forward when it feels like all you want to do is simply give up.

I received Past Darkness by Laurel Woiwode compliments of Crossway Publishing and Christian Fiction Blog Alliance for my honest review and received no monetary compensation for a favorable one. This is such a poignant story that deals with a loss I can't even imagine. How right at the pivotable time in a teens life, her entire world is thrown upside down. How Gabrielle deals with moving to a very rural setting and living the life at a ranch instead of a big city is believable and shows us all that we all deal with loss in very different ways. I'd highly recommend this book to anyone you know who is experiencing coping with a loss of a loved one. It's short and to the point. The only thing I felt lacking was the abrupt ending. It seemed like to me, it simply needed a bit more. I felt like I was left hanging at the end of a incomplete sentence even though the story was complete. I'd rate this one a 4 out of 5 stars.

For more information about Past Darkness, Laurel Woiwode or where to pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

Past Darkness by Laurel Woiwode 

You can find Laurel Woiwode on Facebook to stay up to date with all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on Past Darkness on the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance Book Tour, please click here.

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Crossway (April 2, 2013)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1433535181
• ISBN-13: 978-1433535185
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.4 x 8 inches 

This novel is available at your favorite retailer in paperback and eBook formats. 

The Gift

The Gift Trailer from Crossway on Vimeo.

The people of the 21st century nearly destroyed the earth in a global nuclear holocaust. This is the story of what God did next.

The horrific war followed a viral rampage that began in the year 2042. Together the biological threat and the human conflict reduced the earth's population to a tiny fraction of its former size. The survivors viewed those who lived before the Great War of Destruction as an ancient culture whose ways were now lost. Clawing their way back from brutal chaos, the people of postwar centuries recalled some of their former technologies and learned other skills anew. Thus, in a strange rewinding of history, the society of the 25th century became medieval once again. Men rode on horses and fought with swords; they sailed ships without engines and built civilizations without machines. And what about their religion? That too they rebuilt with little reference to the distant past - until a young soldier and a beautiful farm girl stumble upon an ancient book.

The alpine kingdom of Chiveis had forges a noble society when Captain Teofil of the Royal Guard's Fifth Regiment and Anastasia of Edgeton found themselves swept up in their great adventure., Anastasia was kidnapped by outsiders and relinquished all hope of retuning to her home. Everyone in Chiveis feared she had been lost forever - everyone, that is, except one soldier who believed in action more than fear. Teo set out alone to find Ana in the Beyond, snatching her from the outsiders at her most desperate moment. They galloped away on a single horse into the black forest around the outsiders' village.

Hidden in a cathedral, they discover the Sacred Writing of the one true God. What they come to discover is the truth hidden in the first half of the book. The New Testament pages were dissolved by water. (Pg 13).

Opposed by enemies called the Exterminati who do not wish to see the religion of Deu return to the world, Teo and Ana set out on a journey to discover the last missing piece of the book that they believe will restore the land once more. But will they be willing to die for this new found faith?

In the book, The Gift, by Bryan M Litfin, the reader will find themselves in the future in a world that has lost it's sense of all faith and religions. Instead of going forward, they return once more the dark ages, where shamans and evil men who are masters in secrecy and occult powers.

Yet hidden throughout the land are people who are willing to see the faith restored in Iesus Christ or Deu as some call him. When Teo and Ana go searching for the truth, they find both enemies and allies along the way that will test them in ways they never imagined.

I received this book compliments of Christian Fiction Blog Alliance for my honest review and savored every page. What an great adventure the reader will find themselves on as they battle the powers of good and evil along the way. There are princesses, kingdoms, heroes, pirates and more found in the beautiful action packed adventure. I can't wait to pick up the first book as well as the third coming soon in this Chiveis trilogy. So if you love books like Lord of the Rings or Chronicles of Narnia, then this one book you won't want to miss. This one is a perfect 5 out of 5 stars.

Here's even more great information about this book, the author and where to get a first chapter sneak peek inside:

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing The Gift Crossway Books (April 30, 2011) by Bryan Litfin ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Bryan earned a bachelor’s degree in print journalism from the University of Tennessee as well as a master’s degree in historical theology at Dallas Theological Seminary. From there he went to the University of Virginia, taking a PhD in the field of ancient church history. He is currently professor of theology at Moody Bible Institute in downtown Chicago, where he has been since 2002. He teaches courses in theology, church history, and Western civilization from the ancient and medieval periods. He is the author of Getting to Know the Church Fathers: An Evangelical Introduction (Brazos, 2007), as well as several scholarly articles and essays. Bryan has always enjoyed epic adventure stories as well as historical fiction, but most of his reading these days is taken up by academia.

Today Bryan lives in downtown Wheaton in a Victorian house built in 1887. He and his wife Carolyn are parents to two children. For recreation Bryan enjoys basketball, traveling, and hiking anywhere there are mountains. The Litfins attend College Church in Wheaton, where Bryan has served on the Board of Missions and as a deacon. He also helped start Clapham School, a Christian primary school in Wheaton using the classical model of education.

ABOUT THE BOOK

The Chiveis Trilogy takes readers hundreds of years into the future. War and disease have destroyed civilization as we know it. Much technology has been discarded and history is largely forgotten. Slowly, the few survivors have begun to build new communities, and kingdoms now prosper in a kind of feudal order. But the Word of God has been lost for centuries.

After the finding of an Old Testament in book one of the trilogy, The Gift picks up the story of Teo and Ana. Exiled from their homeland and trying to survive in unknown and dangerous lands, they search for any record of the missing Testament.

Their journeys lead them into the region we know as Italy. An elite society welcomes Ana, who finds she must choose between her new life and her dream of returning to Chiveis. Will Teo and Ana’s relationship withstand the circumstances and new enemies pulling them apart? And can Teo keep ahead of a powerful and mysterious force opposing his search for the New Testament?

If you'd like to read the first chapter of The Gift, go HERE.