........A "feel good" Christian book - down to earth.......
343861
A "down to earth" Christian novel - makes you feel like you are there with them - just like any small town!  ENTERTAINING for me...  Just like real life or at least like it should be in this day and age!!!!!!!  Thank you Ms. Armstrong for this delightful "feel good" book.
2206394
Have I felt like giving up lately was a very encouraging book.  I have been a Christian for many years, yet sometimes I get discouraged, and this book told me to keep on keepin on.  Valuable lesson.
3719332
Ellie had many unhappy experiences, but her faith that God directs our lives keeps her going.  There are some very kind and Christian people....and some very Unkind "Christian" people that will keep you reading  to know the outcome........Clean dialog and scenes......and some fun times...like trying to cook on a "new fangled iron stove" instead of a "good old useful  fireplace" .....Just enough romantic  intrigue to keep you hopeful.  Thank you, Delia Parr for a good insightful story!
4894037
I enjoyed this book very much. I would recommend any book written by Paul E Sheppard. His style of writing is very clear and down to earth. You feel as if he is in front of you talking on a person to person basis.  He has a message to declare that is uplifting and pertinent for this time. Go buy it !!!!!
2477321
This is one if the most enjoyable, Christian books that I have read.  The characters all seem to have a great sense of humor and the book gives its Christian essages without preaching at the reader!  It gives the reader a great deal to think about, but in a humorous way.
2812039
I am avid reader and needed some new books/authors and the Lord had put in on my heart to get away from some of the more secular/ violents books I was reading. Unfortunately, some of the Christian authored books I have read in the past had seemed below par and I was not sure whom to choose. I happened to pick up the Potluck Club book and I thought it was great.

I was personally familiar with several of the struggles these characters faced.

One of the miss-concepts of some non-Christians is that Christians can't be normal.  That if you are a Christian you can't have fun or that you have to be perfect all the time. I liked this book because it portrayed Christians as normal humans with failures and struggles but it also shared grace and faith.  I think this is a great book and it was nice to see normal people in a normal setting.

I don't want to give away anything but what the pastor says at the end of the book touched me personally. And his one line runs through my mind everyday and I know he is right.

I just finished this book and was excited to see a second one available.
1122229
This was our first to read Henry and Mudge books. This was a good 'homey' feeling feel good child's Christmas book. Henry a little boy has a HUGE dog (about the size of him) and apparently they are best friends and do everything together. In this story they make cookies together, Mudge cleans up; they go caroling together, and in the end they celebrate opening gifts and eating dinner with extended family that come to visit. A nice Christmas story to read to your little person. (NOTE there is no reference to any religion in this book... only that the holiday is Christmas they bake gingerbread and they have a tree and exchange gifts. So if you are looking for a 'Christian' book there is no reference to Christianity or vice versa if you want a book without reference to Christian this has none.)
98172
of seeing God in everyday life!  I wish that title section was longer!
Anyway, I've kept coming back to this title on Amazon and I'm very surprised no one has written a review for this book yet!  I read it back in  October and was waiting for someone else to write that first review.  But  they haven't and it's time for all you Amazon browsers to know about this  wonderful book!
Chris Fabry and his wife Andrea have a large family in  the suburbs of Chicago.  Chris used to be the co-host of "Mornings  with Greg and Chris" on WMBI in Chicago (great Christian radio station  - both teaching and music).  Even though he hasn't been on the air for  close to a year now, I still miss him and was thrilled to hear that he  would be writing more books!
This book is the kind of book that you can  pick up and read a chapter and put it down for a day, a week or a month,  and pick it back up and you won't have lost anything because these short  vignettes are complete unto themselves.
Having said that, however, I  believe I read the book in 2 sittings!  Chris's style in his book is warm  and friendly - his way of telling about his wife and children (and other  family members) really makes you feel like you know them.
But this book  is not just a book of warm fuzzy stories.  Chris has shared some of his  experiences of seeing God in the everyday, mundane situations of life we  all have.  Just be reading the book, you will be better able to see the  hand of the Lord of the universe in *your* life!
Some of the stories  really hit me hard.  Chris writes very honestly about his own feelings and  makes himself vulnerable, which is a very very brave thing to do.  I must  add that when Chris was on WMBI and his wife Andrea was hosting the best  Christian syndicated call-in show in the country, they actually were on  MidDay Connection together talking about their marriage, including a real  close hard look at some difficult times in their marriage.  I really  admired them for that.
Back to the book... Most of the stories had my  laughing and crying within the same 2-minute period.  Not everyone can  write like that!  Parents especially will enjoy this book.  My own children  are older now, and this book reminded me of some of the similar times we  had when they were little.
I was just looking through the book again  trying to pick out highlights.  It's really hard - the whole book is great,  but here's the topics of a few: Chris taking his daughter on her first  date, a trip to the pediatrician (boy, could I identify with that one - we  wanted them to install a drive-through window whereby you could stick the  child's head out the window and the doctor could check ears and throats, at  the next window you'd pay and get your prescription for the inevitable  amoxicillin that Chris talks about in his book).
Another wonderful  story was one of the first ones in which Chris and Andrea were going for a  walk and Chris was... er... hmmm... not really paying attention.  And  there's a classic where daughter Kristin (who used to say  "Jofuss" instead of Joseph when telling the Christmas story from  Luke 2) got "God bless you" in her Rice Krispies and that raised  the question - what do *we* do when something comes and messes up our day,  our week, our life?
And one of the most touching stories is called  "I Didn't Even Know Her Name" which was about an apparently  homeless woman who hung around the office building where the radio station  had their offices.  The story talks about how we tend to hang around with  people like us.  We tend to avoid people who are different, whether their  clothes tattered, or they're smelly, or their conversation is somewhat  fragmented.  Didn't Jesus come to minister to those people too?  Chris is  very honest about his feelings in this story and they changed at the end.  Really makes you think.
Thanks Chris, for letting us into your life and  your home, and your thoughts.  When is the next book coming out?
As for  people reading this review, order several copies!  It would make a great  gift to have on hand!
445084
As with the other things Matt has written this is an uplifting, God filled book, I have come to Know my Jesus in a personal wonderfully Deep way  by reading his writings and applying them to my life and thought prossess.....so many things he has written about i have experienced in my 75 years of life..... some confusing me, some irritating me etc  now i know that Jesus loves me, that He's always been there , loving , forgiving and protecting me since i was born.  And When i gave my life to Him at 12  i became His,  by HIS Grace I was and still am forgiven.....
 if you have doubts, questions  or just want uplifted every day with words from and about Jesus  buy these books  or borrow them from some one who has one or two or three..:)
4271903
This is not a popular self help, feel good, solve your problems in 5 days life book. It is one of the few books written in the past 40 years that has substance and the depth and feeling of the early church fathers.
Tozer talks about some of the essential underpinnings of meaningfull Christian life and experience. It assumes historic Christianity which also means a liberal unbeliever will get nothing out of it. It is written to and for Christian believers.

Because it is a bit more recent, it is more relatable to modern Christians. It should be given to every new Christian.
2325476
This is a clean, Christian romance. I bought this book thinking it was going to be a quick, feel good book. Boy was I wrong. There is a lot of substance in this novel. Choices, consequences, pride, soft love, tough love, redemption, forgiveness, second chances and happy endings. This is a love story as the general description states. It also tackles the difficult subject of state mandated foster care for child endangerment from the viewpoint of the foster parent and also the biological parents. Thankfully the author took care to weave the story with a solid thread of faith and a generous helping of humor. There are just a couple of editing errors and I read one logistical error where ice cream sundaes were delivered by a car hop but the trash and dishes were pushed to the center of a table. It's a minor error and does not affect the integrity of the story. There are a lot of characters in this book and they are introduced quickly. It took a while for me to follow the who's who. That probably wouldn't have been a problem if I had read the first book of the series. Other than getting familiar with all the names, this book works easily as a stand alone with no hooks or cliffhangers
. It's well written. The romance delivers some of that '...sigh' factor, and the ending leaves you with a satisfied smile. I recommend this book.
1914194
I stood in a Christian bookstore a few days ago, depleted of joy and hope, desperately seeking the face of God, knowing He heard me but I was obviously deaf to Him.  I walked up and down the aisles, picking up one book after another, skimming paragraphs and then laying down each book in turn.  I was praying to find something, anything... I picked up this book, not for the pretty picture or even the title but for the small words written at the top ' a dare to live fully right where you are'  I was needing that message..I began reading somewhere in the middle of the book, just a few pages.. I bought the book and began reading it before I even left the parking lot.  I drank it in like water..the words were lyrical.. a song to my senses and the message spoke to my heart.  There was nothing annoying about this book to me. I think some of the criticisms are much ado about nothing.. Why are some so willing to be offended by the insignificant but fail to see the whole.. I have heard 3 main criticisms for this book..A) the writing style. B) the possibility of mystic tones C) Sexual context . Oh my.. To me, the style is beautiful and descriptive.  I could see as she saw and feel what she felt as she told her story. I felt the skin soft.. my lungs ached as she ran for the moon... It was not always easy to understand but then I would reread what I did not understand. If I wanted a quick and easy read I would have picked up some modern fiction.  This book required me to think, meditate, reread certain passages in order to absorb everything.  I didn't want to miss a fraction of it... Should we always be spoon-fed? Are we that lazy that we cannot put effort into something worthwhile?  When people start mentioning the mystical references.. I almost hear conspiracy theory type of thinking.. if you quote something that is not by a Christian author does that mean you are not a Christian? I felt that there was some judging going on about the author's beliefs although she clearly is a believer of God and Jesus. And the whole uproar about sex? Really?? The Bible is full of the intimacy we should share with God.. Yes, I am in love with God.. I want to feel it more and more.. it is the ultimate joy..Does anyone really think that the author is talking about real physical sex with God as we experience it here on earth in the flesh?  Surely not.. I find it hard to even fathom that one could either be so depraved or so ignorant. This said..to each his own.. But don't take my review in favor as the ultimate reason to read it but also don't be so simple as to take a review against it to decide for you, either.  In conclusion, this book has opened my eyes to certain aspects of my relationship with God.  I glorify Him daily by recognizing all that He is...and giving thanks.
4625605
I thought that this was a truly wonderful book. It was a down-to-earth book with a down-to-earth character. I loved this book. It was heart warming and inspiring. It again restored my faith in the human race and mankind. If you are feeling kinda low and down, this is just the book to cheer you up.
1198205
Excellent, a feel good book. A simple read with an good plot, good ending and depth into feelings. Characters that you can relate to. Characters that  are people with strength and weaknesses, successes and failures,. They are role models for the average person to be able to acheive greatness and lead a successful life without the dollar sign necesserly being present but more importantly greatness and sucess for being yourself. Thank you Ms Geary
1890783
Why I Choose this Book:

It's a constant aim of mine to love more. It's so easy for me to be motivated by goals, by achievement, by need, and by guilt, but I want to be driven by love. I want my life to shower those around me with the love that God has so freely given to me.

What I Thought About this Book:

Mr. Willis is really down to earth; in fact, I would liken his style to that of a friendly email. I know that probably sounds weird, but there was one point where I actually subconsciously thought I was reading an email... Something that I don't think has ever happened to me while reading a book before. I enjoyed the style - it was real and easy to breeze through, yet packed in a lot of good information.

The book was practical and very Biblically based, backing up many of the statements or ideas with verses. I appreciated that. Mr. Willis also uses examples from his own life and that of his family to help drive points home and make them stick. He's a pastor (something I hadn't realized going into the book), and that was evident: He sounded like a joking, easy-going pastor.

There were a lot of suggestions of ways to be more loving, as well as a list of discussion questions at the end of each chapter. (Although, I maybe didn't quite read all of the discussion questions... Oops.)

Conclusion:

There were a few of his examples I didn't exactly appreciate and maybe 100 % agree with, but other than that I found the book helpful and encouraging, as well as inspiring and convicting, as the case may be.

Rating:

I'm giving The Seven Laws of Love four stars out of five, and seven out of ten.

*I received this book for free from BookLook in exchange for an honest review*
404152
It was a pleasant up lifting read. If your down, the stories in this book are positive affirmations of peoples faith.
217644
I just finished this book. I thought it was wonderful. It was interesting cover to cover. For those critics who are complaining that this book is "too Christian:" I thought the book description was pretty obvious in the fact that it was Christian fiction- sorry you felt "fooled."  However, as a Christian myself I don't enjoy overly conservative Christian books- and I didn't think this book fit that description at all. I thought this had just enough references without being over the top. Honestly if I wasn't a Christian I can't imagine being that offended after reading this book. Unless you are really looking to be offended.... I don't know, just my opinion I guess. Either way, I thought this was a great read. Buy it!