About the Book

Book:  I AM
Author: Diane Stortz
Genre: Juvenile nonfiction, Bible stories
Release Date: 2016

Creator, Comforter, Healer, Friend. God’s names tell us who He is, what He is like, and what He does. This beautiful book covers 40 of the Bible’s many names and descriptive titles for God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, including Jehovah Jireh, The Lord My Shepherd, Immanuel, Rabbi, and I AM.

Through Bible stories, short devotions, and prayers, children discover the meaning of each name and how it relates to their lives. As they develop understanding of God’s character and His love for them, children will grow to know, love, and trust the great I AM more and more.

“Those who know your name put their trust in you.” –Psalm 9:10

My Thoughts:

I like to read Bible stories to my children every morning after breakfast, before we start our homeschool day. We have read quite a number of Bible story books, but a new one always catches my eye. When I saw I Am: 40 Reasons to Trust God available for review, I knew I wanted to check it out. I was hoping to be sent a print copy, but one of the downsides of living in New Zealand is the cost of shipping. Oh, well. We were sent a PDF copy, and have been enjoying it. I just open the file in the computer every morning and find the next chapter.

I Am is unlike any other Bible story book I have ever seen before. It tells stories from the beginning to the end of the Bible, like most, but each one focuses on one of God’s names. The first story, about the creation of the world, uses the name Elohim, or Creator—and I’m glad that there is a pronunciation given for these Hebrew words! The second story, about the fall of man, talks about God as El Emeth, God of Truth. There are stories about Jacob, Joseph, Moses, David, and Daniel in the first half of the book, and the second half tells stories about Jesus, with three at the end about the early church and the future.

Each two-page spread is a beautiful full-color painting. They are slightly cartoon-style, but not so much that it was offensive to me. At the end of each story is a section to help children apply the truths to their own life, a prayer, a couple of points to remember, and a sentence leading into the next story. My 5-year-old loves to see what the next day’s story will be!

This is a delightful Bible story book. I would love to have a print copy of it on our shelf. I have not found any inaccuracies in it, and the pictures are the kind that my young children love to spend a lot of time studying.

I received a free copy of this book from CelebrateLit, and these are my honest thoughts about it.

About the Author:

Diane Stortz is a multipublished author who writes to make God’s wonders known to the next generation. Her children’s releases include the best-selling Say & Pray Bible and I AM: 40 Reasons to Trust God, both from Tommy Nelson. Diane’s books for women, A Woman’s Guide to Reading the Bible in a Year and Encountering God’s Heart for You, both from Bethany House, encourage women to get to know God through His Word, the Bible. Diane and her husband have two married daughters and five grandchildren—all boys! Visit her at www.DianeStortz.com.

More From Diane:

You can often guess someone’s age by considering their name. Diane, for example, was popular in the 1950s, so . . . that tells you something about me.

But God’s personal name? Well, it’s ageless. Just like Him.

When Moses met God at the burning bush and received the task of leading the Israelites out of Egypt, he wasn’t exactly thrilled at first. He peppered God with questions, including, “When I tell the people that I met you here and you gave me this assignment, they’re going to want to know your name. What should I tell them?”

The Israelites had just about forgotten who the God of their fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob was.

But God hadn’t forgotten them. Not at all. God told Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. . . . Say this to the people of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you’” (Exodus 3:14).

I AM WHO I AM. I always have been. I will always be. I will never change.

Choosing a book title is rarely easy, and choosing a title for this book about the names of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit took a long time. I couldn’t be more grateful to the Tommy Nelson publishing team who developed and settled on the title I AM: 40 Reasons to Trust God.

My prayer for every child who reads this book and every family that goes through the book together, and for myself: May we all grow mightily in our understanding of who God is and our relationship with Him! As Psalm 9:10 says, “Those who know your name put their trust in you.”

To purchase your copy, click here.

To visit more of the blog stops on this tour, click here.

To enter a fun giveaway, click here.

About the Book

Book:  Chemicals and Christians
Author: Martha McLaughlin
Genre: Non-fiction
Release Date: January 31, 2020

“Just because you’re set apart doesn’t mean you’re set aside.”

Martha McLaughlin and her husband served as international missionaries for 10 years, ministering in a variety of ways, including helping to identify unreached people groups. When her physical breakdown forced them to return to the USA, she feared it was the end of her missionary journey. But instead, God told her, “Just because you’re set apart doesn’t mean you’re set aside.”

Today Martha feels called to try to help a different kind of unreached people group: the isolated sufferers of toxic illness, a growing but largely invisible population. Yet, like the canaries once used in coal mines to detect poisonous gases, they are a wake-up call to the effects of the thousands of chemicals used daily in our modern society.

Expertly researched and written, Chemicals and Christians: Compassion and Caution is loaded with valuable information and biblical counsel for hope and avoiding harm in our increasingly chemicalized environment. It provides steps for biblical health management, offers practical resources, and shows Christians ways to help.

My Thoughts:

I have never read a book quite like Chemicals and Christians before. The description of this book caught my attention for several reasons. I know there are some chemicals that I am sensitive to, and I know some people who are very sensitive to chemicals. For many years I have been working to cut down on the amount of chemicals, especially frangrances, in our home. This book sounded quite interesting to me, and I learned a lot from it.

Martha McLaughlin has written a very interesting book about the effects of toxic chemicals, especially common fragrances, on people. Most people can handle certain amounts of these chemicals with no obvious problems—but for some people, these chemicals cause major problems. She talks about the sequence that most people with multiple chemical sensitivities (MCS) go through. First, they begin to get sick, and then they search for answers. Then, they sift through the things surrounding them and remove all they can that makes the sickness worse. Most of these people find themselves needing to separate themselves from other people just to survive. They strike out at the illness, and then sigh—grieve for what they have lost. After going through the scream and seethe stages, they salvage what they can of their life and then learn to smile where they can.

I found it incredible that many people are unwilling to stop using fragrances even when they know it bothers or harms people around them. The author makes a very good point that, as Christians, we need to do all we can to help those around us—and one of those ways is to avoid fragrances that harm them! The number of things in the environment that cause problems for supersensitive people was unbelievable. I was not surprised at some, such as driers venting out of other houses, but reroofing a house in the neighborhood? That made me pause—it was a new thought to me that that could be a problem!

I also learned some things about myself while I was reading this book. I have often, ever since I can remember, had a headache on Sundays. Is it because of the fragrances, especially from drier sheets and personal care products, that people in church carry with them? And the headaches I almost always get after going shopping—could they be from the chemicals in the supermarket and not just the stress of driving an hour or two? It’s hard to know—but I wonder.

This is a very well-written book that will make you stop and think about what is around you. What is in your life, or my life, that causes invisible harm to my family and to others? What can I do to cut down on the harm done to myself, my little children, and people in the church or community who are sensitive to chemicals? There are many helpful suggestions, and a long list of resources in the back of the book. This book is a good reference to have around and refer to when someone needs help with chemical sensitivities.

I received a free copy of this book from CelebrateLit, and these are my honest thoughts about it.

About the Author:

A professional writer since 2006 with a BS and an MEd, Martha has had more than 500 articles published. Alongside her husband, she served as a missionary in South America from the late ‘80s through the late ‘90s. A widow with two young adult sons, Martha lives in Nashville, Tennessee, and enjoys outdoor activities.

More From Martha:

When people talk about taking the road less traveled, the implication is generally that there was a choice involved. I’ve made choices at times to wander down lonely trails, such as deciding to become a missionary and move to a country in crisis. Water and electricity were rationed, grocery store shelves were empty, a cholera epidemic raged, the president disbanded congress, inflation hit 10,000 percent, and active terrorist bombing shook our house on a regular basis. Most mission organizations and all non-essential embassy personnel left the country and those of us who chose to stay found ourselves on a very sparsely populated path.

At other times in my life I’ve ended up on roads less traveled not by any decision of my own, but by circumstances beyond my control. During my decade of missionary service, my health steadily declined and I was forced to return to the States to look for help. It wasn’t easy to find, but I eventually learned that Lyme disease, mold exposure, and the chemical onslaughts of a third-world megacity had overwhelmed my detoxification system. I discovered I could climb out of bed and function if I avoided anything that would make my full metaphorical barrel of toxins overflow. I also discovered that was much easier to do in theory than in practice because of the overabundance of untested and unregulated chemicals in common, everyday products.

My health condition introduced me to a world of chemically sensitive people, all of us living isolated lives, unable to safely access most medical care, shopping, schools, and churches. I’d been deeply saddened at having to leave the mission field and wondered why God had removed my ability to serve, but not the sense of call I felt. I gradually began to understand that I still had a calling, but to a different population. I felt God asking me to speak for people who are generally unseen and unheard. I want the Christian church to not only see us, but to find ways to open their doors and provide the spiritual nourishment and connection we so desperately need.

As I was discovering the needs of the chemically sensitive population, I was also learning how quickly it’s growing and how easy it is for anyone to join. I began to understand the connection between everyday chemical exposures and common mental and physical health conditions and symptoms. So the other side of my call is to warn healthy people, or those who haven’t yet connected their chemical exposures and health complaints, that it’s wise to be careful – that being a good steward of the physical body doesn’t just mean getting eating, sleeping, exercise, and relaxation right, but that avoiding toxins is a huge piece of the puzzle.

I’m not someone who always had a burning desire to write a book. I wrote it because I had something to say and a conviction that God wanted me to say it. I want healthy people to stay that way, and I want chemically ill people to be seen, heard, and reached with God’s love. My deep desire is for Chemicals and Christians to help save people from unnecessary suffering.

To purchase your copy, click here.

To visit more of the blog stops on this tour, click here.

To enter a fun giveaway, click here.