PHIL WICKHAM "CHILDREN OF GOD" CD Review

Phil Wickham "Children of God" CD Review

Review:  Phil Wickham's "Children of God" CD is full of passion and praise.  I've always enjoyed his music and was stunned to find out that he had surgery to remove a vocal polyp that could have ended his professional career.  Thankfully, the surgery went well and his vocal chords healed.  The experience gave Phil a new perspective and purpose for his music.

My kids and I have listened to the CD countless times in the van since we received it.  It has been a welcome break for me from endless children's music. :) LOL.  My 2 year old son doesn't demand I change the CD and actually is engaged, asking me the names of the songs.  The music is smooth and worshipful.  It brings me joy and seems to keep the van ride calm and peaceful.  The songs are big...I could see most of them being sung in church, especially the single "Your Love Awakens Me".

I really enjoy so many of the songs that it is hard to pick a favorite.  "Doxology/Amen" is just beautiful.  There is this one note in the song that gets me every time. In "The Secret Place" featuring Madison Cunningham, Phil and Madison's voices blend really well together.  I really connect with  "As It Is In Heaven" because I want to put all my pride and ambitions aside and make Jesus the center of my life like the songs words say, even though I struggle with doing this in every area.  "Spirit of God" is another favorite.  Really I just like the whole album.  It is catchy and has a great message.

I received a free copy of Phil Wickham's "Children of God" CD from Flyby Promotions in exchange for an honest review.

Here's the Official Music Video for "Your Love Awakens Me"

You can buy the album HERE:

iTunes: http://smarturl.it/PW-COGiTunes

Amazon: http://smarturl.it/PW-COG-Amazon

Spotify: http://smarturl.it/PW-COG-Spotify

The Principle of the Path - Book Review

The Principle of the Path by Andy Stanley explores how we end up where we are in life.  Most of us have an idea of the direction we want our life (relationships, career, dreams, ect.) to go, but a lot of times we haven't reached this destination.  This books helps us understand why we aren't where we want to be in life...and how we actually can get there.

Andy Stanley is a great communicator, so his writing style is very easy to follow.  This book uses scriptures, anecdotes, and advice to help the reader evaluate their life choices.  Though it can be a bit repetitive, I think the message in this book and the wisdom gained makes it worth the read.  

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers <http://booklookbloggers.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” 

Book Review: Cast of Characters by Max Lucado

So, I've joined http://www.booksneeze.com.  It's a great site where you can get free books by reviewing them and posting your reviews on your blog and a customer retail website (like Amazon).  For my first book I choose Cast of Characters by Max Lucado.  Here's my review:

Cast of Characters is a compilation of several of Max Lucado’s books, chronicling the lives of people in the Bible.  Each chapter describes a different character, relating their story to our own.  The pages are a celebration of what an awesome God can do with the lives of common people. 

This was my first time reading a book by Max Lucado and I enjoyed it immensely.  His writing style is casual, interesting, and easy to follow.  I used it as a devotional to help me get back into reading my Bible more consistently.  For many of the characters in the Bible I knew well, the author was able to bring a new perspective to their story. The discussion questions at the end of each chapter were very helpful.  They really made me think about how I can apply the godly truths I’ve discovered within the stories.  It was also nice to be able to dig deeper in the Bible, answering questions by reading other passages that related to the topics of the chapters.  I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is searching to get an overview of many great characters in the Bible.