BUY IT: Stuck by Jennie Allen

OUTSTANDING!!! BUY THIS BOOK! I wasn't expecting a lot from this DVD. The title didn't do much for me either - Stuck. Pretty looking large box with two small booklets and one DVD. I wasn't all that sure what the book was about either. I saw people on Amazon gave it 5 stars, but anything Christian always gets 4-5 stars, so I didn't believe it. I would have guessed, I would give it 2 stars. 3 stars at the very most. But this book is 5 stars - OUTSTANDING!

This is about living for the glory of God and not wasting your life on endless to-do-lists and chores. Don't wait until your life is almost over to realize how many years you have wasted. It is SOOO biblically based. Also, I think nearly every denomination or non-denominational Christian will agree with this book. It isn't slanted. It is also, completely non-offensive. Men and women BOTH must listen to it! I never say good things about books - but this one I do!

The DVD is SOOOOO GOOD. It is Biblically right on! I was certain I was going to catch Jennie Allen teaching something out of line with the Bible and at times I was certain she was off base, but she ALWAYS pulled the story around in the end and made serious life-changing points. I am still in SHOCK. How could I have liked this THAT much? My sister and I watched it together. We are speechless. We never expected this - especially from a woman. WOW... IF THERE IS ONE BOOK YOU READ/DVD YOU WATCH - WATCH THIS!!!!!!!!!!!

Disclaimer: I received this book free of charge from the publisher but I am giving my honest review.

OKAY: The Love & Respect Experience by Dr Emerson Eggerichs

"The Love & Respect Experience: A Husband-Friendly Devotional That Wives Truly Love is a large sized, leather-like covered, devotional designed for men and women. The book covers 52 subjects (not a 365 day devotional) all based on making married life work, appreciating what you have, and treating one another with love and respect. Each chapter starts off with a short snippet from a Bible verse and ends with a Prayer and a Call to Action.

I'm not usually a fan of devotionals, but I thought this one was okay. I love the feel of the book cover - the fake leather cover is so smooth and nice. It feels like suade-leather and is very pretty to look at and the paperback/leatherback is soft to hold.

This devotional is a bit different from most. It is not only geared for women, but also husbands can benefit from it too. It's not as fluffy as most devotionals, so the men won't be turned off by pink and purple flowery designs and fluffy commentaries. All the subjects have to do with making a marriage work, so they all apply and are relevant for both men and women. But like most devotionals, this book is also full of light reading and is not deep.

The part that will probably bother Christians the most is that this book comes across as more of a psychology/family therapy devotional than a Christian/Biblically-based devotional. It's all helpful stuff and good for married couples to remind them to behave lovingly towards one another, but it may be more fluffy stuff that sounds all good in the head but harder to apply in real life. If you are into Psychology, you will probably like this book. If you are into theology and books being biblically based, you will want to pass.

I like a lot of the ideas in this book: Marriage is about getting back up/Men and women think and desire different things, but that doesn't make the others' view incorrect. They are just different/Assume your spouse has good intentions towards you NO MATTER WHAT/Once married, always married. It's up to you to iron out the kinks, because you are in this for the long run/Mistakes can't be undone, but they should be forgiven/Choose your words wisely because they can be like punches and you might just be punched back/Suppressing negative feelings isn't the solution. Talk to one another about your feelings with love and consideration/Be fair about sex and don't play games, but meet each others' needs/Don't let your problems distract you from God, but keep your focus on the Lord and He will help you with your problems/When your spouse yells cutting words, don't believe them all. They could just be venting and often don't really mean what they say in angery/Practice quick forgiveness no matter what the crime/God designed your spouse just for you, so enjoy what you have been given and be patient when times are tough/Love God, trust Him, and everything will work out.


Disclaimer: I received this book free of charge from the publisher but I am giving my honest review.

PASS: The Book of Man By William Bennett

This book is about the character of men and how our kids/sons/boys need men with strong characters as role models. Bennett believes these boys need to model themselves after real life "heroes". The hope of this book is that people can use this book to turn boys into men of strong character - a worthy goal.

The subject of the book sounds interesting, especially considering Bennett is the author of a famous book called the "Book of Virtues". The biggest problem I have with this book is that Bennett chooses real life public figures, like Presidents of the United States, politicians, military personnel, athletes and many other famous men. When picking ideal "heroes or idols" for my son, these are the guys who would be at the BOTTOM of my "hero" list. These are the most money hungry, dishonest, sleezebags in society. Sure some of them show SOME bits of character from time to time - but then so does everyone, even criminals in jail! Why should we ever encourage our kids to idolize these public figures? Their OVERALL character (in general) are terrible! And some/most are not even Christian! I don't get this book at all. Very disappointing.

Disclaimer: I received this book free of charge from the publisher but I am giving my honest review.