About Treasured:
Cigar boxes. Refrigerator doors. Scrapbooks and sock drawers and top shelves. These are the places we store our treasures–the keepsakes that tell the story of whom and what we’ve loved, how we’ve lived, and what matters most to us.
God is a collector, too, whose treasures are tucked securely into the pages of his book: a golden bell here, an olive leaf there, a scarlet thread, a blood-stained cloth, a few grains of barley. Each of these saved artifacts reveals a facet of his heart and tells the story of a Father whose most precious possession is…us.
In Treasured, Leigh McLeroy considers tangible reminders of God’s active presence and guides us in discovering evidence in our own lives of his attentive love.
About Leigh McLeroy:
She is the author of The Beautiful Ache and The Sacred Ordinary. An avid collector and recorder of everyday moments, words, and wonders, Leigh’s keen eye for God’s presence in ordinary life infuses her writing and living with a deep, insistent joy. A frequent conference and event speaker, the author makes her home in Houston, Texas.
My thoughts:
If you've ever felt under-appreciated, insignificant, or just plain overlooked, this book would be such an encouragement to you.
I was amazed at how Leigh McLeroy chose so many seemingly insignificant things in the Bible that you or I may just skip over as we read and tells a story of the higher purpose that God had in mind for them. Her own personal stories in each chapter of how God has chosen things in her life to show her how much He values her also serve as a reminder of something I've heard spoken many times...God doesn't always use the spectacular when He reveals Himself to us. He doesn't always do the things that we might expect or in the way that we might expect them when we ask Him to work in our daily lives. God knows that we're all different, and He chooses to work in our individual lives in His own way, because He loves us and wants to show us that He sees us as not only unique but treasured.
About God Gave Us Love: As Little Cub and Grampa Bear’s fishing adventure is interrupted by mischievous otters, the young polar bear begins to question why we must love others… even the seemingly unlovable.
In answering her questions, Grampa Bear gives tender explanations that teach Little Cub about the different kinds of love that is shared between families, friends, and mamas and papas. Grampa explains that all these kinds of love come from God and that it is important to love others because…"Any time we show love, Little Cub, we’re sharing a bit of his love."
This sweet tale will warm the hearts of young children as they learn about all the different sorts of love, while the gentle explanations of each provide a valuable opportunity to encourage children to share with others a “God-sized love.”
About God Gave Us Christmas:As Little Cub and her family prepare to celebrate the most special day of the year, the curious young polar bear begins to wonder… “Who invented Christmas?” Mama’s answer only leads to more questions like “Is God more important than Santa?” So she and Little Cub head off on a polar expedition to find God and to see how he gave them Christmas. Along the way, they find signs that God is at work all around them. Through Mama’s gentle guidance, Little Cub learns about the very first Christmas and discovers that… Jesus is the best present of all.
This enchanting tale provides the perfect opportunity to help young children celebrate the true meaning of Christmas and to discover how very much God loves them.
About Lisa Tawn Bergren:
She is the award-winning author of nearly thirty titles, totaling more than 1.5 million books in print. She writes in a broad range of genres, from adult fiction to devotional. God Gave Us Love follows in Lisa’s classic tradition of the best-selling God Gave Us You. She lives in Colorado, with her husband, Tim, and their children, Olivia, Emma, and Jack.
My thoughts:
I really enjoy Lisa Bergren's book for kids because they are so full of beautiful illustrations and the timeless truths of God's Word written at a level where young children can understand. Look for these books to become some of your children's favorites.
In God Gave Us Love, we learn that love comes from God, because God is Love. He helps us to love others because He put that love in our hearts, and when we share that love, we are sharing God's love. God loves us all, no matter what, and we can show our love to God by loving others around us - even when people do things that make it difficult to love them.
In God Gave Us Christmas, I appreciate that while the book mentions Santa, the focus of the story is on God, and the gift of His Son Jesus. So often the Christmas holidays are centered on Santa and getting gifts - and many children never know the true meaning of Christmas. Another good message in this book - God is not hard to find, and when we seek Him we will find Him.
Find out more on the web:
Leigh McLeroy
Wednesday Words Blog
Lisa Tawn Bergren
Laura J. Bryant - Illustrator
David Hohn - Illustrator
These books were generously provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.
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