Intended For Evil by Les Sillars

Intended For Evil: A Survivor's Story Of Love, Faith, And Courage In The Cambodian Killing Fields is an intense story of survival recounted by Les Sillars, a journalist and journalism professor in Virginia. In this profound book, Les Sillars shares with us the life of Radha Manickam, a young Christian living in Cambodia when the Khmer Rouge took control in the 1970s. Sillars weaves Radha's personal vivid (and frequently horrifying) memories with well-researched historical information from the area during the same time period.

This book is a very thorough illustration of what millions of Cambodians lived - and died - through during the reign of the Khmer Rouge throughout Cambodia. Sillars does his best to paint an accurate picture, without trying to make it pretty or undermining the atrocities that occurred. Though it is at times rather dry and slow-paced, reading like a reference encyclopedia entry rather than a personal story, this book is by no means for the faint of heart or those lacking the ability to handle the harsh realities of human violence and the struggle for mere survival.

While this book does recount the worst of what human beings are capable of, it also serves as a very potent reminder to God's enduring love for us and His power to redeem us from even the most vile of circumstances. Though we may struggle to survive what seems like a lost battle, there are countless signs of God's presence and His plan for our lives, if we only choose to listen to His voice when He makes it known.

Having been born in the 1980s, I cannot attest to the complete accuracy of the history unfolded within the pages of this powerful testimony, but Radha's story is a lesson of faith that I will never forget. Highly recommended to those mature audiences interested in Cambodian history or stories of martyrs and others who have fought for their beliefs. 5/5 stars.

*Disclaimer: I received a free print edition of this book from Baker Books for the purpose of this honest review. All opinions are my own.*

The Best Christmas Gift Ever! by Melinda Rumbaugh

The Best Christmas Gift Ever is a bright new VeggieTales board book by Melinda Rumbaugh. In this festive and sturdy book, young readers are invited to join the Veggies as they celebrate Christmas in many traditional ways - sleighing, decorating a tree, singing carols, wrapping presents, and sharing gifts. But they quickly remind us that the greatest gift of all is the gift God gave us on that first Christmas night, and that is the real reason behind all of the celebrations.

Using bright colorful pictures, large easy-to-read print, simple rhymes, and your favorite VeggieTales characters, this delightful book is sure to capture your child's attention and help you share the true story of Christmas for years to come. 5/5 stars.

*Disclaimer: I received a free print copy of this book from Worthy Publishing for the purpose of this honest review. All opinions are my own.*

Also, visit the VeggieTales website (http://www.VeggieTales.com/) for free games, printable activities, and more!

The Prayer Of Protection by Joseph Prince

The Prayer Of Protection: Living Fearlessly In Dangerous Times by Joseph Prince is an in-depth study of Psalm 91 and its power to show us God's unfailing love and protection during life's many storms. Verse by verse, Joseph Prince shines a new light on this Psalm of protection, combining word studies of the original Hebrew texts with testimonies of its enduring strength in modern times. He demonstrates that Psalm 91 is not some sort of magical prayer, but rather a reminder and an invitation to come closer to God during hard times. No matter what you're going through now or in the future, the key is to put your faith in God. Lean on Him and trust His strength and love to get you through.

While some teach that the way to "win" God's love is by not sinning, performing countless good deeds, or spending hours locked in prayer, Joseph relates that there is no way to win God's love; He has already declared it as ours through His Son, Jesus Christ. As such, we are to be confident in God's love for us, and His desire to see us prosper. Your intimate relationship with Jesus is what enables you to see His love for you.

Joseph also reminds us that words have greater power if spoken out loud, and that reading the Bible and praying quietly are no match for the strength behind speaking God's Word, especially in times of turmoil or great adversity. This book is a very powerful reminder that, while we all fall short of perfection, we are all loved and cherished in God's sight. The prayer of Psalm 91 is a bridge to strengthen that bond when we're feeling weak.

Overall, I'm rating this book as 4/5 stars. While I do like the enthusiasm that Joseph Prince has for teaching and sharing his insights, the first portion of the book is lightly salted with references to other books he's authored. Having never read any of his other books, this gave me too much of an info-mercial feel, and distracted me from really connecting with those parts of the book. I'm glad I read the rest of the book, and definitely found it to get better as it went on. But some may catch themselves wondering if this book is just a lead-in for other materials.

For further study, Joseph Prince offers a free 30-day prayer plan for Divine Protection available here: http://www.faithwords.com/divineprotection.

*Disclaimer: I received a free print copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for this honest review. All opinions are my own.*

How To Talk To Your Cat About Gun Safety by Zachary Auburn

How To Talk To Your Cat About Gun Safety And Abstinence, Drugs, Satanism, And Other Dangers That Threaten Their Nine Lives by Zachary Auburn, presented by "The American Association of Patriots" is paws-down the most informative book written on these crucial subjects. This book is a compilation of eight brochures on how to keep our cats safe during these perilous and dangerous times. The brochures are done mostly as a Q&A format, with lots of pictures to illustrate the dangers of not talking to your cat about these things, as well as reinforcing the pawsitive effects of having these serious conversations before it's too late.

As a mom to several felines, I found this book very eye-opening and I learned a lot of things that made me realize how great the need is for more books like this. We don't talk to our cats often enough or early enough about the very things threatening their existence and our way of life. What would we, as a society, do without our cats by our sides?

Pawsitively impurrtant takeaways from this book:

Gun Safety
- the importance of teaching you cat proper gun safety
- the best age to start teaching them about gun safety
- how your cats can safely use a gun while hunting
- the most common reasons to get them their own gun (dogs, burglars, ghosts, and foreign threats)

Evolution
- the best way to make sure your cat is well indoctrinated in sound Biblical theology is to leave multiple copies of the Bible laying around open to Genesis for their napping and reading pleasure (my cats found this advice to be purrfectly sound and very effective)
- explains why cat fossils aren't found in lower layers of rock
- the dangers of your cats socializing with other cats outside, at the vet, or even the new cats that you bring into your household

Abstinence
- explains why abstinence-only sex education is right for your cat (even when all their friends are already doing it)
- the difficulties faced by kittens of pre-marital sex (did you know that they're more likely to abuse catnip and other drugs?)
- the birth control controversy and plots by providers such as Planned Purrenthood to steal our cats' souls
- the best way to ensure that your cat doesn't engage in premarital sex (it's simpler than you think)

Online Safety
- threats your cat faces on the internet, and why their access to the internet is even an issue
- what to do when your cat asks for a smartphone (they're all getting one these days)

Drugs
- the dangers of newly refined strains of catnip entering the U.S.
- how to tell if your cat's been using drugs

Puberty
- the development of girl kittens vs. boy kittens - and how to deal with both
- bullying, masturbation, sexting, video games, and homewsexuality are all addressed directly

Postapocalyptic Survival
- preparing your cat for the collapse of civilization
- skills and equipment needed, as well as specific scenarios to make sure your cat is prepared for the inevitable

Satanism
- how we know Satan is real, and how he lures young cats into his fold
- the dangers of books, dungeons & dragons, video games, television, magic, and music
- how to tell if your cat has become involved in the occult or possessed by a demon

I strongly urge any fellow cat owners/lovers who are concerned about the future safety of their cats and our society to get and read this book. Do you really want to be caught off guard when your cat cuddles with your favorite gun, starts running around with the neighbor cats, or doesn't know how to protect itself from the ghost in your living room? These are very dangerous times for us, our nation, and our cats. Please protect yourselves, before it's too late.

5/5 Stars. *Disclaimer: I received a free print copy of this book from Blogging For Books, in exchange for this honest review. All opinions are my own.*

Purchase links:
    Gun Safety For Cats
    Amazon