review

Game Review: The Rank Game

/ bekoepke / Leave a comment

I absolutely love to play games. Now that I am an adult, I don’t play them as much as I use to, but when I do I always have a good time. I was super excited when the opportunity to review a game came across my email feed. When I received it in the mail, even the wrapping was fun, with a sticker set up just like the game cards.

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I was pretty excited so I roped my husband to play it with me that night. The way the game works is pretty simple. Each card has a prompt and 4 options that one player will rank in order of their own preference. The other player, or players, try to guess the correct order. There is a point system so that after 10 rounds there will be a winner. It was a lot of fun to play. There are several categories of questions, and even options for expansion kits. I played a prototype game, so I had a small sampling of questions from each category. However, the actual game will include 150 different cards from all the different categories.

We had a lot of fun trying to figure out how each other would rank the cards. On one particular card, about swimwear, my husband wanted to make sure that it wasn’t going to get him in trouble. We had some good laughs over some of the cards, and actually learned a few things about each other that after 12 years of marriage, had never come up in conversation. Sadly, I lost by two points, but we did have a good time playing.

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I think that this would be a great game for a date night, family game night, or a group of friends. It worked for my husband and I to play with just the two of us, but there are also variations that you can play in a group.

To learn more about the game you can check it out at http://www.therankgame.com. You can also find out more about them on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter by searching for @therankgame. If you are interested in backing this grassroots game, go to their Kickstarter page here. If you would like to enter to win your own copy of the full game, you can enter here.

Book Review: How Great Is Our God

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If you have read much at all of my blog posts, you will know that I have 3 little girls. At the current moment my oldest is 7 1/2, middle is 5, and youngest is 3 1/2. Now that 2 out of the 3 are in school (and number 3 will start preschool next fall!!!), I feel like there have been a lot of changes as far as my role as mom. Fortunately, my girls typically all sleep through the night, say for a bad dream or tummy ache every now and then. We are also not in diapers any longer (praise the Lord!!!). We sure are full of questions though. My 2nd grader is a very smart girl and always wanting to know about the world. My younger two also follow suit. I even had to try my hardest to help my 3 year old understand what caused the electricity to go out so that her lamp wouldn’t work the other day when it was particularly windy, that was a challenge.

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That’s why I am particularly excited to introduce you to this new kids book by Louie Giglio called How Great is our God. This book is such an amazing resource for those questioning minds! There are 100 short devotions that all teach scientific information from a Biblical viewpoint. There are devotionals about nature, such as why is the sky blue and how do seeds work. There are some about the human body like how do you smell a rose and why do we hiccup. There seems to be a devotional about just about everything a young mind could come up with including space, time, Earth, weather, animals, plants, and the human body (just to name a few). img_20191112_073915_8

The best thing for us parents is that if we aren’t sure, there is even an index to look up the information we need.

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I really hope that if you have young kids, or even grandkids with curious minds, that you will check out this book. If you would like to enter to win a copy go here.

Please also take a look at this video:

How Great is our God

Book Review: Covenant Kids: Book 1 The Law

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As you know, I typically don’t review kid’s books on my blog. However, every once in a while I find one that peaks my interest. Covenant Kids is designed in comic book fashion and is a fun book that talks about the Bible from a unique perspective.

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The story starts with a decoded letter to a girl named Naomi who is going to become a member of an underground Christian organization, in a world where Christians meeting publically is illegal.  A group of kids, called the Covenant Keepers, are learning about the stories from creation through the exodus. All the while, they must meet in secret to avoid getting in trouble and put in jail.

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This is a great book written in such a fun way. If you would like to enter to win your own copy visit this site. You can also watch this video to learn more.

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App Review: Courage For Life Bible App

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It has finally been done! The very first female voiced audio Bible app has been released! It’s called Courage For Life Bible and it is available for free in both the itunes and google play stores.

appGrab.jpgThis app has been created by author, speaker, and Bible Teacher, Ann White to reach women in a new way. You can learn more about her story by watching this video. Right now the audio Bible is New Testament only, each book also recorded with an introduction. However, there is also a ton of resources on their website (which is linked in the app). There are devotions, blog posts, and Bible studies, to name a few of the resources. This app is free, but you are able to donate to the ministry if you decide to do that. I hope you will check it out!!

The creators of the app will also be giving away a copy of Ann White’s Devotional, She is Strong and Courageous. Click here to enter for your chance!

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Video Series Review: Healing the Healers

/ bekoepke / 1 Comment

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Tragedies strike communities far too often in the world that we live in. When they happen, everyone in the community is impacted in some way. So often, people turn to their pastors, bishops, or other faith leaders for comfort and answers. Pastors often wear many hats; counselor, teacher, and hospital visitation, just to name a few. Not to mention that many ministers also work full time jobs to supplement their incomes. It can’t be easy always pouring yourself into others. So who pours into the ministers? Who can they turn to if they need support or counseling? What can a church congregation do to help support their ministers?

Healing the Healers hopes to answer some of those questions. This series focuses on ministers who were impacted by the Sandy Hook School shooting in Newtown, Connecticut that happened in 2012. They address some of the hard questions faced by ministers of communities who deal with intense tragedies. They also talk about how the ministers themselves are affected by these tragedies.

This is a very interesting video series that deals with a subject that many people, myself included, often don’t think about. When tragedy does strike we tend to think about how evil the person who performed the act is, how sad we are for the families impacted, and how angry we are at the situation. However, we sometimes forget about the ministers who work with and counsel the people and how much they carry on their shoulders. You can check out this trailer of the video.

I want to start out with the one Con I saw in the series. They focused a lot on gun violence. One of the ministers talked about how he used to think he needed to learn how to shoot a gun before he could speak out against them, however he decided that he didn’t need to touch a gun to learn all he needed to know about them. If you know me, you know that shooting guns is a big part of my life. I know first hand the good side of guns, and have competed with them over the years. The anti-gun message bothered me simply because they talked about guns without bringing in the heart of the men who committed these acts.

Now to the Pros. First, I think that speaking out about what pastors experience is extremely healthy for the church as a whole. Ministers are often forgotten and just expected to be there no matter what. People often don’t think about what the ministers need. I also think that hearing from ministers themselves gives us good insight to know what they need from us.

I hope you will check out Healing the Healers for yourself. You can find more information about the series here. You can also enter to win a $50 Fandango gift card here.

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Book Review: Mended

/ bekoepke / Leave a comment

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Relationships are tough. Anyone who has been in a relationship would have to agree with that. This latest review book is a wealth of knowledge on how to relate to others. It is written with mothers and daughters in mind, but I think that it is applicable to every relationship we may encounter. My absolute favorite thing about this book is that every bit of advice comes from a combination of personal experience from the mother-daughter author duo and verses right from scripture.

Another thing I enjoyed about this book is the scriptures the authors gave that are amazing ones to pray over your children. That is one of the things that I have really been trying to do. I have really tried to start praying for the gifts that I see in my girls, as well as the struggles I see within my girls. Another thing I pray for my girls is for their future spouses. I love finding new ways to pray for them.

I hope you will get ahold of your own copy of this new book by Blythe Daniel and Helen McIntosh. If you would like to win a free copy, you can enter here. There are also a lot of cool freebies on the author’s website here.

Book Review: More For Mom

/ bekoepke / Leave a comment

Being a mom is a harder job than I ever imagined it could be. Now, don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love my girls. I love their individual personalities, the silly things they do, and how much they are growing and learning each year. What can prove to be a challenge though, is the daily grind. Each day, getting 3 girls and their hair ready, going to work, getting supper on the table, homework done, baths taken, and back in bed can be exhausting. For many women, that daily grind also includes athletic events, appointments, and all sorts of extracurriculars. As moms, we give so much of ourselves every single day, but often don’t take the time to enjoy the grind.

I am absolutely in love with my latest review book, More for Mom Living your Whole and Holy Life. The author, Kristin Funston, approaches the world a lot like I do. She uses a combination of common sense and humor to tackle many of the issues ALL women face (even those many of us won’t admit). She talks a lot about the mental games that so many of us women play, present company included. Sha also uses scripture to walk through the errors in some of our thinking, and to embolden us to live a whole and holy life.

My favorite thing about this book, and really the reason I think you might want to get ahold of it, is the sheer vulnerability of the author. In the “Christian” world, vulnerability is not always easy. Admitting faults and shortcomings, is not an easy thing to do. I try to be as honest as I can, but often find myself falling short of full vulnerability. I think that we need more of that in our lives. There is nothing more refreshing than having an honest conversation with other women about real life issues. Sadly, us women don’t often have those conversations.

I really hope you will check out this book and share it with all your girlfriends. I love this book so much that I will be giving away a copy of More for Mom on my Facebook page. Click here to enter.

Book Review: Night Night Bible Stories

/ bekoepke / Leave a comment

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I have 3 children age 7 and under. I live in a world of sight words, learning to read, and bedtime stories. During the school year it is a struggle to get beyond simply getting dinner, reading our AR books, doing homework, and getting to bed. Because of the craziness of the school year, we often don’t really get many books read aside from what is assigned at school. I was pretty excited at the opportunity of getting a copy of this particular book to review.

Night, Night Bible stories is broken down into 30 stories , fifteen from each the Old and New Testaments. Each story is based on stories from the Bible, but are written in an easy to understand way. Stories include creation, Noah, Samuel, Joseph, Esther, and many about Jesus, just to name a few. All stories are beautifully illustrated to help your kids visualize the stories. Each story is 10 pages or less, that are the perfect length to tell before bed.

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One of my favorite things about this book of bedtime stories is at the end of each story. There is a short prayer and little rhyme that goes with every story. I am excited to go through theses stories all summer long with my girls.

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You can enter to win your very own copy of this adorable book by going here.

 

Movie Review: Chonda Pierce Unashamed

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I am a big fan of Chonda Pierce! When the opportunity came to see her new film before it comes out in theaters, I had to jump on it. My favorite thing about her is the down to earth way she looks at the world, along with her honesty about the struggles she deals with in life. If you don’t know much about Chonda Pierce, she is a Christian stand-up comedian, who has had a pretty rough life. Like many comedians, she uses the tragedies of her past as a springboard to some of her best material.

Her newest movie, Unashamed, is a great opportunity for women to unwind, laugh, cry, and think. Throughout the movie, she talks, in her own endearing and often hilarious way, about how important it is to live out our faith, regardless of the pushback from society. She interviews several prominent Christians, including the Benham Brothers, Mike Huckabee, and others about their experiences with the consequences of living out their faith.

Unashamed is going to be coming to select theatres on May 7th and 9th at 7 pm. This would be a great movie to take your mom or grandmother (or possibly both) to and celebrate Mother’s Day a few days early! While you are at it, don’t forget to enter here by May 6th to win an 8 disc Chonda Pierce Comedy collection to keep mom laughing through Mother’s Day.

Book Review: God I Know You’re There

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As a mother of 3 girls who all love books, I am always looking for books with a good, easy to understand Christian messages in them. I was excited when I saw this book and knew I had to check it out.

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I love the idea of this book. Each page takes an aspect of our world that cannot be physically held, but we know that it is there. For instance, it talks about things like the wind, the moon, and thunder just to name a few. All of these things lead us to the fact that even if we can’t see God, we can know that He is there.

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My girls loved the rhyming pages of this book and the beautiful pictures. What I loved is that it is not hard to read, my 1st grader knew most of the words and could read it to her sister.

 

 

If you would like to enter to win your own copy of God I know You’re There go here.