Impactful Books Archives - LeeAnn G Taylor

She Reads Truth Bible: Review

December 4, 2018 By LeeAnn G. Taylor

It’s the holiday season and many of us are focused on making sure all our Christmas gifts have been purchased and are wrapped up beautifully to sit under the tree as they await the grand opening of presents on Christmas morning.

While we all know it’s the gift inside that counts, there’s something to be said for beautiful packaging. A present wrapped in fancy paper with a bow tied ‘just so’ makes us feel loved and cared about in a way a present that’s hastily thrown in a second-hand bag with ripped tissue paper just doesn’t.

That’s how I feel about the She Reads Truth Bible.

This newly released Bible is the same time-honored and Holy Spirit inspired Word of God as all the others you can pick up at your local Christian bookstore. But the packaging just makes you feel like the treasured daughter of the King you are.

The She Reads Truth movement is focused on getting women in the Word every day. I’ve used the She Reads Truth app that makes it simple to follow a reading plan along with thousands of other women around the world.

But truly, there is nothing like having a physical copy of the Bible in front of you to be able to sit and soak in the words of truth.

I received this copy to review and it truly is stunning. The Bible is well-bound as a heavy-duty hardbound book in a sturdy thick case you can slide the Bible into easily to protect the binding and the pages.

Features include:

189 devotionals
66 artist-designed key verses
35 full-color timelines
20 full-color maps
11 full-color charts
reading plans for every book of the Bible
one-year Bible reading plan
detailed book introductions
key verse list
carefully curated topical index
smyth-sewn binding
two colored ribbon markers
wide margins for journaling and note-taking

This Bible is just stunningly beautiful to look at. Each book of the Bible starts out with a key verse highlighted in script art.

Each book also includes a reading plan and a “going deeper” area with additional related scriptures to read.

There is also a section that helps you place the book of the Bible within the timeline of history, gives a little background to the book, and shares a short synopsis of the book’s message and purpose.

I find this extremely helpful information to have context before I start reading.

There are also devotionals included, which I’ve found to be relevant and encouraging to my daily experience.

If you’re wanting to start the year out with a fresh new approach to Bible reading, the She Reads Truth Bible would be a good option. It’d also be a wonderful gift.

As shared in this video sharing the heart behind it, this is a Bible not just for your shelf, but for your life!

Purchase a copy on Amazon HERE.

DISCLOSURE: I was given this Bible to review for B&H Publishing by FrontGate Media. While I was given the Bible for free all thoughts and opinions are my own. Affiliate links are used in this post.

Love Does for Kids: Book Review & Giveaway

November 25, 2018 By LeeAnn G. Taylor

Affiliate links are used in this post. Thank you to FrontGate Media for providing the book for review.

Recently I was captivated by Bob Goff’s book, Love Does: Discover a Secretly Incredible Life in an Ordinary World. There were so many gems and I truly loved his perspective. I quickly read his wife Maria’s book, Love Lives Here: Finding What You Need in a World Telling You What You Want, as well, to get her perspective on their life. Both were fascinating and encouraging.

Some of my favorite stories in both books revolve around their relationship with their kids and the adventures they had together as a family.

So when the opportunity to review Bob Goff’s newest book, Love Does for Kids, I jumped at the chance.

Bob writes the book with his daughter, Lindsey Goff Viducich, and I love that! She is an elementary school teacher, so her input certainly helped shape the book to appeal to a younger audience.

The thick hardcover book is sturdy and seems to have been crafted to withstand the sometimes rough treatment books for kids often receive. The size of the book it not much larger than an adult’s hand, making it easier for children to handle.

The book is divided into 46 short stories, each about 5-6 pages long, including a page or two of illustrations to highlight the story.

This first story is entitled Mistakes. The story talks about how we all make mistakes but that the TRUTH is that God can and does use our mistakes to shape us into the wonderful person he’s crafting us into.

Each story starts out with a personal anecdote from Bob, leads into a Biblical story, often highlighting how Jesus sees us and our identity in Him, and then encourages the young person to live in a way that walks out Jesus’ love for us and others.

The illustrations are rich and fun and will keep kids’ attention.

The stories aren’t too long and quickly move from Bob’s story to Jesus’ story and then application.

Each story only takes a few minutes to read. I think this would make a great nightly devotional book for parents to read to and with their kids. It would also function well as a book for older elementary kids or middle school kids to read on their own.

Bob addresses kids directly in the book and there are often questions for kids to think through their answers in the middle of the text. Since the questions are interspersed, it doesn’t feel like “homework” and instead challenges kids to think through important concepts.

Would you like to win a copy for yourself or someone you love?

Enter your email address and first and last name to be entered to win a copy of the Love Does for Kids book from FrontGate Media.

Ellie Claire Art Journals: Cultivating Creativity

November 14, 2018 By LeeAnn G. Taylor

Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and purchase. Thank you for supporting free content on this blog.

The house is finally quiet and you’re scrolling through your Instagram feed when a beautifully hand-lettered quote catches your eye. The artistic whimsy of the words on the screen draws you in, allowing your mind a moment to mull over the truth contained in the image.

You think to yourself, “I’d love to create like that, but I just don’t know where to start.”

There’s an abundance of hand-lettering pens available on Amazon, but what about the paper? I’ve recently been introduced to the line of Ellie Claire gifts & paper expressions. Ellie Claire journals provide one location where you can practice hand lettering or just keep your thoughts in one place.

Ellie Claire graciously provided three different new journals for me to show you a sneak peek of each:

These journals all offer an interactive way to get creative in your quiet time but are each unique in style and function.

Faith & Lettering Journal

My favorite of the three, the Faith & Lettering Journal features:

Thick, sleek paper
Sample hand-lettered quotes in color
A variety of types of pages, including: lined, graph, and dots
Specific examples of hand-lettered quotes, including a section to trace and two areas to practice
A flat-lay design
A textured cover
A loop on the spine to hold your pen

Since I’ve been looking for a place to start with hand-lettering, this journal meets me right where I am and provides plenty of space for practice.

The colors are rich and the variety of types of pages allow for flexibility in types of hand-lettering practice. I have been intimidated to start, but the sample pages are the perfect way to let you dip your toes in the water. Also, I love that the journal provides a specific place to practice, instead of practicing on random scraps of paper.

Dating the practice pages also allows you to view your progress as you grow in skill.

The Faith & Lettering Journal would make a great gift for a friend who has mentioned wanting to try out hand-lettering!

The Illustrated Word: An Illuminated Bible Coloring Journal

Better for those interested in coloring rather than hand-lettering, this journal provides full-color illustrations from the archives of the Museum of the Bible along with coloring pages for those who want to try their hand at creating their own masterpieces.

The Illustrated Word Journal features:

a thick, sturdy textured cover with gold foil lettering
a flat-lay design
coloring pages with the full-color image on the opposite page
thick tan paper
lined pages for note-taking or journaling

My 6 yr old son is actually going to use this journal, so it’s very versatile!

He was intrigued by the detailed coloring pages and he is planning on using the lined pages for writing down what he’s thankful for or his prayers.

Illuminate Your Story Journal

This journal is specifically for hand-lettering as well, in the style of “illuminated” letters. These types of letters were used in manuscripts that are hundreds of years old and the ones in the journal are inspired by ancient lettering traditions.

The Illuminate Your Story Journal features:

a thick textured cover
a loop for your pen
a history of illuminated letters
ideas for supplies
a special pocket in the back for Keepsakes
an elastic loop to keep the journal closed

This journal is best used for specific practice with individual letters. Each letter has a two-page spread with 7 step-by-step examples of how to go from a basic letter to a full color illuminated letter, along with a spot to create your own version of each letter.

Interspersed with the letter instruction pages, you’ll find step-by-step instructions of how to make illuminated versions of owls, geese, and other flourishes.

There are also a few quotes about slowing down and enjoying the moment, reminding us to use our God-given creative expression in the day to day.

Thank you to Ellie Claire for providing these journals for review!

Finding God’s Goodness in the Broken and the Beautiful {book review + giveaway}

November 3, 2017 By LeeAnn G. Taylor

When I first started writing online and chose the blog name Embracing the Mosaic Life, it was during a period of time in my personal spiritual journey where I had the realization of how God truly works in the broken pieces of our lives to turn them into a thing of beauty through the process of His redemption.

A few years prior to that, I’d read a book written by Katie Davis, an 18-year old who left her comfortable home and life in Nashville, TN to volunteer in a school in Uganda. And in an unexpected turn of events, she returned to Uganda after that first year and became a single mother, fostering and later adopting 13 girls.

It was a story that captivated my heart, as at the time, I was working through what it looked like to surrender my will and my plans to God’s will and His plans as well.

Now, over 5 years later, Katie has walked out her faith and has experienced her own set of heartaches, some of which included watching a dear friend die and losing a child she loved as her own.

In her follow-up book, Daring to Hope: Finding God’s Goodness in the Broken and the Beautiful, Katie Davis Majors shares intimately what the process of God turning her own brokenness into beauty has looked like in her life the past few years. She openly shares her doubts and struggles, connecting with most anyone who seeks to authentically walk the Christian path.

Part of her story includes her journey of founding Amazima Ministries, an organization that helps to educate and empower the people of Uganda with God’s love through relief work and community development.

In her first book, Kisses from Katie: A Story of Relentless Love and Redemption, she shares incredible stories of God working in what seems like impossible situation after impossible situation. However, as we find through the pages of this latest book, she has uncovered a truth that speaks life into all of us as busy Christian moms and women seeking to make a difference in this world.

She shares:

When I invite Him into my tiny and ordinary, even mundane moments become extraordinary. Small acts of love become whispers of His glory in the midst of our everydayness.”

While we may never move to a far away country to serve people in desperate situations, Katie’s revelation of uncovering the truth that is our heart’s deep need to glorify God in every situation strikes a chord in all of our hearts.

This is such a simple truth and yet strikes my heart in a profound way. To dwell in the place I have been given. To do the things I have been given. To love the people I have been given. This is not mysterious or far-reaching, and yet this is the truth of a God-ordained life.”

To dwell in the place I have been given.

Yes, this is what we all need to remember.

Dwell. Do. Love.

It doesn’t have to be as complicated as we make it.

Katie’s poignant memoir is an authentic telling of one faithful woman’s decision to pursue God in the everyday moments — the small, seemingly insignificant ones, the challenging and heartbreaking ones, and the thrilling, joy-filled ones.

I’d encourage you to pick up a copy on Amazon or enter the giveaway below. Giveaway ends November 11th and the winner will receive email notification.

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Advent Ideas & Children’s Christmas Books – Sharing the Story of Jesus With Kids

November 14, 2014 By LeeAnn G. Taylor

On Sunday during our fellowship time at church, a friend, a busy working mom with three kids, asked if I was planning a Christmas post similar to my Easter one, 10 Ways to Teach Kids About Easter.

The Easter post shares ten different ways parents can share the story of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection with their children using hands-on activities and books and she had enjoyed using the ideas to make the story come more alive for her kids.

Today I’m sharing similar resources for the Advent season and Christmas.

Be sure to read all the way to the end for a giveaway of an awesome prize pack of children’s Christmas books!

Celebrating Advent With Your Children

If you’re not familiar with the concept of Advent, it is simply taking the time before Christmas to anticipate Christ and celebrate Christmas, His coming to the earth. Generally Advent celebrations begin on December 1st and continue through Christmas Day.

Here are a few ways to celebrate Advent, the anticipation of Christ’s coming, with your children:

1. Truth in the Tinsel: An Advent Experience for Little Hands by Amanda White

For preschool to elementary kids, this printable gives you 24 days of Scripture reading, ornament crafts, talking points and extension activities, plus fun printables and templates! If you’re not super crafty (like me), you can download the printable ornaments for your kids to color and hang instead and read the scripture reference each day.

Be sure to read to the end of this post to find out how to win your own copy of this great curriculum or click this link and use the code MOSAICLIFE to get 20% off.

2. Unwrapping the Greatest Gift: A Family Celebration of Christmas by Ann Voskamp

This absolutely gorgeous hardback book is designed to be read year after year for the Advent season. The quality of the book is such that I can imagine it becoming a book that is passed down to future generations.The illustrations remind me of The Jesus Storybook Bible illustrations and are just beautiful!

I received a copy from the publisher Tyndale for review and am absolutely thrilled to be using this book for Advent this year for our kids (ages 8, 5 and 2).

The book starts out where all books should start out, at the beginning! From creation to the flood to the story of Abraham, each day works through the Old Testament stories and progresses toward the ultimate revelation of Jesus as King.

Each day has a “Thoughts to Discuss” section and a “Family Activity” idea.

Neither of these sections are overwhelming and provide just enough “extra” to go deeper with older children. I also love the free printable ornaments you can download from Ann Voskamp’s site that go along with each day.

3. What God Wants for Christmas: An Interactive Nativity for Children by Barbara Rainey

I’ve admired Dennis and Barbara Rainey from Family Life Today ever since I found out I was pregnant and knew I’d need some help with raising a child. The parenting process hasn’t come naturally to me and their practical advice has helped me along the way.

While I haven’t used this resource myself, it comes highly recommended online by other moms who have used it with their children to create meaningful conversations about Christ’s coming during the Advent season. The set includes nativity characters, a pop-up nativity scene, written materials, and an audio book on CD.

For more detailed info, you can listen to a conversation with Barbara and one of her children talking about how they use this resource on the Family Life Today radio show.

4. Read a Different Children’s Christmas Book Each Day in December

This was my friend Kathy’s idea and I think it’s a great one. Most kids love to sit and listen to a story being read aloud, so doing so during the days leading up to Christmas creates great time and space for creating happy family memories. Add hot cocoa and popcorn to story time and you can get almost any kid to sit and listen for a few minutes!

I’d encourage you to look for Christmas books in your local used bookstore, ask friends for recommendations, or review the list below for some ideas. If you have a bit more time and want to create some mystery and excitement for your children, wrap each book ahead of time and allow your child to pick out the book and unwrap one each day to read.

You might not already have 25 Christmas books focusing on Jesus, but if you start now and add to your collection throughout the years, you’ll soon have plenty of books to choose from during the month of December.

A Review of Children’s Christmas Books

I’m excited to share these three books with you, as they’re some of the first in my own collection of children’s Christmas books that tell the story of Jesus.

Two of these are also included in the huge Children’s Christmas Book Prize Pack Giveaway at the end of this post, so you’ll have a chance to win your own copy too! Thank you to Cross Focused Reviews and Ambassador International for providing review copies and giveaways for my readers.

The Christmas Promise by Alison Mitchell

This hardback book has absolutely beautiful illustrations and tells the story of Jesus’ birth by focusing on how God kept His promise to send His people a new King. Perfect for preschool and early school-aged children, it is short enough to keep their attention and focuses on one theme, that Jesus is “a new King; a rescuing King; a forever King!”

Both of my kids (5 and 2) listened intently, fascinated by the slightly different approach to the story of the birth of Jesus. I love books that connect the Old Testament promises to the New Testament fulfillment of those promises and this is a great introduction to that theme for young children.

A Donkey’s Little Tale by R. Mitchell Scott

Oh, I just love this sweet book! Written from the perspective of the donkey as Mary rode to Bethlehem, the book is a poem of sets of two line rhymes sharing what the donkey must have experienced that particularly special late night.

There is a tenderness conveyed between Mary and Joseph that is precious. The different perspective of the donkey along with the rhyming words keeps the kids’ attention. The illustrations are simple, inspired by the author’s own clay figures, and are quite charming.

The Manger Mouse by Sarah Martin Byrd

This book tells the story of Jesus’ birth from the perspective of a little mouse named Matty. Young and insecure about his significance in the world, with his mother’s encouragement he becomes an integral part of Jesus’ first night as a newborn on earth.

The illustrations are done with beautiful pastels and are big and bold, good for little ones listening along with the story but not able to read yet.

In addition to the basic story of Jesus’ birth, there are so many lessons that can be drawn from this short story about the importance of our gifts, no matter how “small”, how God uses the unlikely to accomplish the important, and having courage in the face of uncertainty.

Children’s Christmas Books Prize Pack GIVEAWAY!

update: this giveaway has ended

Some of my blogging friends and I have gathered together to offer a huge prize pack of children’s Christmas books. Enter the giveaway for a chance to win all 8 books plus the Advent resource, Truth in the Tinsel: An Advent Experience for Little Hands.

If you win, you’ll be well on your way to building an awesome library of Christmas books for your kids to enjoy year after year.

We are all so excited to share these books with you!

LeeAnn is giving away: A Donkey’s Little Tale, The Manger Mouse, and Truth in the Tinsel: An Advent Experience for Little Hands

Gennie is giving away: The Polar Express

Ashley is giving away: The Berenstain Bears – The Joy of Giving

Susana is giving away: What is Christmas?

Britta is giving away: The Adventure of Christmas – Helping Children Find Jesus in Our Holiday Tradition

Nelle is giving away: The Story of the Nutcracker Ballet

One lucky person will win them all!

To have a chance to win, enter using the rafflecopter widget below. (Click here to enter if you can’t see the widget.) Giveaway is open to U.S. residents and ends Monday, November 17th.

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This post contains affiliate links {full disclosure}.

Sharing with Faith & Fellowship, Advent Ideas Linkup, The Missional Weekend, Mommy Monday, and The Mommy List.

Parenting With Purpose – Day 16: How To Be An Undivided Mom

October 19, 2014 By LeeAnn G. Taylor

Today I’m excited to share an interview with author and blogger, Kayse Pratt. I connected with her last year when she launched her book, Undivided Mom. The 14-day devotional was just what my momma-heart needed at the time and I’m thrilled to share my interview with her with you today.

If you’ve ever felt pulled in a million directions as a mom and are craving some focus, you’ll want to read on! Be sure to read to the end for a special coupon code for The Mosaic Life readers.

{Also, today, Sunday, October 19th is the LAST DAY to enter the giveaway for the Seeds Family Worship entire 9 CD collection including a bonus copy of each CD to share with a friend. ENTER HERE.)

First off, here’s a bit about Kayse so you get can to know her heart before we dive into the interview:

Kayse Pratt is a teacher turned stay-at-home mom of two, married to her favorite musician. She is a lover of books, freezer cooking, date nights, and all things chocolate. Kayse writes to encourage women, leaving them refreshed by truth, strengthened by honesty, and encouraged to live out God’s purpose in their lives and homes. You can find her hanging out on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, or writing about faith, family, and real life on her blog, KaysePratt.com.

Interview with Kayse Pratt, Author of Undivided Mom: Finding Christ in the Chaos of Motherhood

Hi Kayse! Please introduce us to your family and your online home.

Hi! I’m Kayse, wife to Jon & mom to Emily (my spunky almost four-year-old) & Nathan (my happy almost one-year-old). I am blessed to be able to stay home with them, and I’m so grateful for that. I write a few times a week (or every day in October!) about faith, family, & real life over at KaysePratt.com. You’re all welcome there!

What was the catalyst that led you to write Undivided Mom: Finding Christ in the Chaos of Motherhood?

There was one day when I was finishing up a writing project at the same time that my daughter was needing my attention. I kept telling her, “Just a minute, Mommy is almost done!”, but the minutes just kept ticking by. Instead of throwing a fit, she walked over to me, closed my computer, and said “Mommy, would you talk to me? I really just want to talk to you.”

Talk about breaking my heart!

I realized then that my priorities were not where they should be, and that I needed to make some serious changes. My “job” as a mommy comes first, my kids come first – before work, before my to-do list, before anything else. They are the work God has given me, and I needed my daily life to reflect that. That’s where Undivided Mom was born.

How will moms benefit from setting aside time to work through this 14-day devotional when life is already so busy?

Well, first of all, the devotions are SO SHORT! You can read them in the school pick up line, or before you go to bed at night, or while you’re hiding from the kids in the bathroom. It won’t take long.

And really, if you’re a mom, you’re exhausted. You need something funny, relatable, & true to feed your soul, to refocus your day, and to give you the strength to keep serving your kids. It’s my hope that the devotionals in Undivided Mom will do that.

What are your best tips and tools for setting boundaries around social media and screen time so moms can use their best energy on their priorities?

Well, first, I have to be honest and tell you that this is not something I’m perfect at. I still struggle with this every day. There are a couple of apps for your browser, like StayFocused, that allow you to set timers for certain sites, like Facebook or Twitter – that way you’re limiting your time on there each day.

I also love the idea of a Social Media Sabbath, which is something I learned about from my Life Coach, Carey Bailey. The idea is that from sundown on Friday to sundown on Sunday, you take a rest from social media in order to be really present with your family. My husband and I are talking about starting this for our own family.

Sometimes, though, our work IS social media! If you’re a blogger, a virtual assistant, or anything else where your business is online, setting these boundaries can be difficult, because there are times when you really do need to be online.

In those cases, I highly recommend setting office hours. Whether that’s when your kids are sleeping, or if you need to have a sitter come in to watch your kids for a few hours a week, you do what you need to do to get your work done without splitting your attention between your kids and your online life. We just hired a babysitter to come in for 4 hours a week so that I can do this, and let me tell you, it’s changing my life!!!

What benefits have you seen in your own life from putting some of these boundaries in place when it comes to your relationship with your children?

Again, I’m not perfect at this. But when I do it well, when I set aside social media and focus on my kids, THEY NOTICE.

Their behaviors improve, there are less tantrums, less arguments, and more snuggles. Everyone is happier, including me! Whether we realize it or not, social media really takes a toll on us. As moms, we already have SO MUCH on our plate, that to add facebook and twitter and pinterest on top of that, as more things we need to “keep up with”, it’s exhausting.

Now don’t get me wrong, I love social media as much as the next person, and sometimes you can find me in the bathroom, hiding from my kids and scrolling through my newsfeed!

But I think everyone is happiest when the boundaries are in place, our life is simplified, and we don’t feel stretched so thin. For me, simplifying the things that demand my attention, and saying “No”, or “Not right now” to the things that don’t fit into my priorities as wife & mom, really makes a difference in my overall peace & happiness when it comes to my everyday life. And I’d say the same thing is true for the kids!

Ready to Get Your Own Copy of Undivided Mom: Finding Christ in the Chaos of Motherhood?

PDF Version – $3.99 using coupon code

If you’re the kind of person who loves to print out your devotional material, make notes, or just have paper in front of you, the PDF version is the best way to go. You’ll receive a download right to your email.
This option is also a good one if you have a laptop or desktop computer and you often sit with your computer to read.
If you’re looking for a Christmas gift for a friend or relative who already has plenty of “stuff”, this is a great option. Just print out the PDF version in color, hole punch and put in a nice binder. Add a special touch by writing notes to her in the margins as encouragement.

You can download a copy here. Be sure to use the coupon code UMSPECIAL20 for 20% off through October 31st.

Amazon Kindle Version – currently on sale for $2.99

If you have a Kindle, this version is your best bet. With Amazon’s 1-Click buying, you’ll have the devotional delivered to your Kindle in seconds and ready for your morning quiet time tomorrow!
If you don’t have a Kindle, but would love to have the option to read the devotional on your smartphone, tablet, or laptop, this is a great option too. Click the banner below and you can download the free Kindle app to read this and other ebooks anywhere. Did you know you can find thousands of free ebooks on Amazon too? You’ll need this Kindle app to download them, but they’re really FREE!

Looking for more ideas and resources for Parenting With Purpose as you create a God-centered home? You can find the whole series here.

This post contains affiliate links {full disclosure}.