Untamed: How the Wild Side of Jesus Frees Us to Live and Love with Abandon {Book Review and Giveaway}

"When Jesus added women to His entourage, it provided an aha moment for an entire culture."-Excerpt from the chapter, "A Little Pink in the Party: Our Savior is Wildly Pro-Women"


In the day of ten steps for everything this book, was “wildly” refreshing, a book about Jesus. Untamed: How the Wild Side of Jesus Frees Us to Live and Love with Abandon written by Lisa Harper is a book for the person seeking all that Jesus is. The book had me from the very beginning or more accurately, from “Brace yourself,” the first line in chapter 1. When a book opens like that, one cannot help but be intrigued as to the contents within.

Untamed is divided into twelve chapters, each focusing on a “wild” characteristic of our savior, opening with the subtitle in chapter 1, “Our Savior is Wildly Redemptive,” and closes in chapter 12 with the subtitle, “Our Savior is Wildly Liberating.” The pages in-between consist of the many other characteristics of Jesus, such as Jesus’ ability to be compelling, confident, and faithful. My favorite chapter is entitled “A Little Pink in the Party: Our Savior is Wildly Pro-Women.”

The author Lisa Harper uses wit and passion in conveying her experience in coming to know these characteristics in Jesus and how she has seen them displayed in the lives of people that are close to her. She is extremely open and frank with her own history and her love for Jesus and freedom she has found in Him is compelling.

There were many things I liked about this book. The author’s honesty was sometimes flabbergasting. I am not sure I would be so brave as to say some things that she said, but at the same time it is encouraging to those who may be struggling or need hope in a particular area. Lisa is funny, and enjoys her life. She is also very educated and her book seems to be well researched. I learned so many new things.

I highly recommend this book to young women who want to know the Lord better. At the end of each chapter are questions to help the reader apply what they have read. The book could be used in a young ladies’ group study or with people who may have just confessed Jesus as Lord. This book would also be helpful to someone who has been struggling with a religious perception of Jesus and would like to come to know Him for who He really is.

If you want to know why people came to Him so freely in the New Testament and felt loved and safe, free and healed in His presence, then this book will give you a clue. Many blessings to you as you progress on your journey to know Him more and more each day!

~Beth

To learn more about the author, Lisa Harper, or to order a copy of her book go here, www.lisaharper.net.

To read an excerpt from Untamed, go to Christianbook.com.


The Giveaway- Thanks to the publisher, I have an extra copy of Untamed! Please comment below to be entered for a chance to win a copy of this wonderful book. Contest ends at midnight EST on June 30th, and one winner will be selected at random. The winner will be announced here on July 1st. If the winner does not contact me by July 4th, a new winner will be drawn! Thanks for participating!


Disclaimer Notice: I received this book as part of a program that gives free books to bloggers at Waterbrook Multnomah. I was not required to give a favorable review. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

Goodnight Hawaiian Moon

My husband recently signed reenlistment papers, so we are scheduled to move to Hawaii later this year. In an effort to prepare my children for the move and the new location, I have started buying books on a variety of subjects, including airplanes and Hawaii. One of the books I have purchased is Goodnight Hawaiian Moon by Dr. Carolan, illustrated by his wife Joanna F. Carolan.

Goodnight Hawaiian Moon is a picture book that will help your child gain a better understanding of what life would be like while living in Hawaii. The story is filled with goodnight wishes to much of the plant and animal life that inhabit the islands.

To read more of my review of Goodnight Hawaiian Moon, go here, to Wives of Faith.

A Reluctant Queen: The Love Story of Esther by Joan Wolf

"...The business of the court was not the business of women, and that was that. Yet Mordecai believed that it was the will of God that had made her Persia's queen. In the deepest part of her own soul, Esther wondered if her uncle was indeed right. There was no other way she could find to account for the incredible events that had befallen her."


When I first began reading this book, I was taken aback by the author changing some of the Biblical facts in the novel. After some outside encouragement, I decided to give the novel another chance. I am so glad I did.

The story of Esther is one of my favorites in the Bible, probably due to the hero actually being a heroine. In the novel, A Reluctant Queen, the author Joan Wolf has created a fictional account of the Biblical story of Esther. At first glance all you many notice is the changing of some Biblical facts. But if you look more closely, you will see the author has done some thorough research. I actually learned some new things while reading the novel, because I did my own research in the Bible and on Persia to see what facts matched up with the novel. I don’t have time to list everything here, but I will give you some examples.

In the novel the Royal family takes a journey to Ecbatana, the capital city of Media. In the fictional story it is a long journey taking many days. I have looked at Biblical archaeological maps, and Ecbatana is an actual city that lies within a mountain range and it appears to be accurately portrayed as to the length of time it would take to arrive there by foot and by horse.

Also, Hatach in the novel is a eunuch assigned to attend to Esther. In the actual account in the Old Testament, Hatach is a real person and is referred to as chamberlain in the King James Version of the Bible. In my research I found out that the word chamberlain would be more accurately translated “eunuch.” This is another example in the novel of an accurate Biblical fact. I had never noticed Hatach before I believe because so much attention is always given to Hegai. These are just but two examples and for brevity’s sake, I won’t go on.

This novel turned out to be my favorite book I have gotten from Booksneeze so far. It was romantic, yes, but there was so much more to it than that. It is a fictional account, without a doubt, but the author did such a beautiful job with the story that it draws you to the scriptures. The character of the king is warm and wise, and I don’t know how she did it, but she developed him to such a point that she made him almost Christ-like. It made me wonder who the savior is in the actual account. Esther? Mordecai? Or was it Ahasuerus (Xerxes), because the Biblical account’s main objective is the salvation and preservation of the Jews?

Usually, I give a list of people I recommend this book for. Not this time. This time I just want to simply say, I recommend this book.

Many blessings to you and Happy Reading!
~Beth
Jeremiah 29:11



*Disclaimer: I received this book from Booksneeze as part of a free books for bloggers program. I am not required to give a favorable review. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

Hawaii

Hawaii by Christine Taylor-Butler is part of the Rookie Read About Geography Series. This series is composed of all 50 states plus Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico. The pages are made up of beautiful photographs and include fast facts about the state of subject. In Hawaii, the reader will learn about the state flower of Hawaii, the meaning of Aloha, animals that inhabit the islands, as well as a lot of other fun filled facts for the explorer heart within your child.

You can read the rest of my review, here, at Wives of Faith.