Body By Design, by Alan L. Gillen

Body By Design, by Alan L. Gillen is a high school textbook  that integrates knowledge from anatomy and physiology with biblical creation. Whether you want to learn more about the body's central nervous system, cardiac system or respiratory system- every body system is covered in this comprehensive text.  Filled with sharp photographs and classically drawn medical images, anatomy will jump out at the reader.  This is one of the best anatomy  books written for students that I have read.

Written in a graphically appealing style- sharp state of the art, up close diagrams bold fonts, and bold graphics, this informative book is perfect for kids of all ages, especially high school. This book is not only an authority on anatomy and physiology and every body system, but it is entertaining to read as well.

This book is divided into chapters or sections based body system categories.  There is the science of every body system, and organ and even the functions at the cellular level.  The plethora of information makes this so much more than an academic text, but a great resource to return to year after year.  The indepth material covered makes it a good study guide for college level science and health studies.  As a recent graduate of nursing school, I appreciated the accuracy and scholarship of research of this text.  Any reader from younger students and adults students as well, will have a well rounded experience with the combination of science and its integration with biblical truth. In this day and age of secularism, it is more important than ever to see how science and faith go hand in hand.

 The presentation of this book- its  magazine article  styled layout, photos and graphics makes this anatomy subject jump out at the reader. The biological complexity portrayed in this  book testifies to God's glory.  This unexpected way of looking at this body system is sure to leave impressionable young minds with a lasting taste of God's magnificent wonder. I found the information to be accurate and the terminology to be consistent with the subject matter.  The scientific and medical depictions and graphs are accurate as well as visually appealing. The explanations as well as the medical illustrations make concepts about the brain, spine and synapses, easy to understand.  I wish I had this book a few years ago as I was taking my anatomy courses.  The only change I would like to see is a full color version of this book. As a blogger for Moms of Master Books I received a copy of this for the purpose of writing this review.

This book is available at New Leaf Press

Visit New Leaf Press for more educational titles.
 www.nlp.com

Life Between Heaven and Earth: What You Didn't Know About the World Hereafter and How It Can Help You by George Anderson, Andrew Barone

Life Between Heaven and Earth: What You Didn't Know About the World Hereafter and How It Can Help You by George Anderson, Andrew Barone is a new book written to offer comfort to those who wish to know about what happens after death.  Written from a general spiritual perspective, this book is not a biblical perspective about life after death. This book offers a secular, or new age perspective on experiences after death.

 The author presents anecdotes of life after death from a general secular point of view. Based on his experiences as a medium, the author chronicles the experiences of a number of individuals or cases that he had the opportunity for involvement as a medium. In this book, he chronicles the accounts of grieving parents, spouses and individuals and their interactions with their deceased loved ones in the spirit world.  Using his clients' experiences, the author complies this book of stories to portray the life beyond this world.  Written in a matter of fact, reporter-esque fashion, the author presents a bit of background of each case study before proceeding to the details of the actual contact with the spirits of the deceased.  There may be many readers who will find comfort through these accounts, but I imagine many readers might be left with more questions about the afterlife.  For those readers looking for biblical answers to the afterlife- this would not be the book for you as this is written with the agnostic or secular reader in mind.  Much of the material and the accounts in this book contradict the biblical teaching of the afterlife and of heaven.  This book is for the niche market of spiritual seekers who are not specifically religious. Personally I would turn to the bible for answers about what happens after death. Considering there are many readers who are not specifically Christian or religious, this book may serve as a bridge for readers to consider the spiritual world.  I was curious about what this book and its authors had to say about his personal experiences as a medium, but after finishing the book, I simply found it to be a compendium of experiences and anecdotes.  I wanted to keep an open mind as to the ultimate source of this medium's information.  Nevertheless, not much information was provided and I remain a skeptic concerning mediums, psychics and clairvoyants.  I believe in the spiritual world no doubt, but the source of this spiritual information is questionable and personally I do not feel it is trustworthy as originating from the departed spirits of human beings as alleged. If there is a spiritual origin to these accounts, I would not discount the influence of evil spirits who seek to confuse and to lead astray those who are seeking truth and comfort.  As a blogger I received a copy of this book published by Ten Speed/ Potter/ Harmony books.

Jesus Calling- My First Bible Storybook By Sarah Young and illustrated by Antonia Woodward

For those who loved Jesus Calling for Little Ones, there is a new children's poop to accompany it: Jesus Calling- My First Bible Storybook By Sarah Young and illustrated by Antonia Woodward.  Just like the original book for children, this new bible storybook is a new little board book based on the well know "Jesus Calling" series. Written on the first person, as if God is speaking directly to a young child, each colorful two page spread features a simple reflection and a biblical verse to go along with a well known bible story.  Stories include the creation, Noah's ark, the birth of Jesus and Jesus Calms the Sea.  Brightly colored art is featured on every page- with literally no dead white space.   Woodward's inviting drawings bring the bible stories to life.  The art is better quality than what you would expect from a small board book.

This is a perfect introduction to the bible for toddlers and preschoolers.  The stories are short yet capture the important themes.  Illustration go along with the story to put a face to the bible accounts. My two youngest loved the first board book and now they enjoy this second book.  As a blogger for Booklook I received a copy of this book published by Tommy Nelson, an imprint of Thomas Nelson publishers for the purpose of writing this review.

Punderdome by By daughter-father duo Jo and Fred Firestone, creators of Punderdome 3000!

Punderdome is a new compact card game by By daughter-father duo Jo and Fred Firestone, creators of Punderdome 3000! This little box features everything you need to have a fun get together with a friend or group of friends.  Even if you never heard of Punderdome- which is a game show on TV, anyone who enjoys jokes, riddles, charades or puns will enjoy this game. The beautifully designed package makes this boxed game a perfect housewarming gift or host gift for a party.  Everything you need to play the game is included in a compact, sleek package.

Although not specifically related to the game, it is worth noting that this game is made with attention to detail, using high quality materials that will last with years of use.  Unlike other mass produced board games on the market, attention to detail and quality was put into producing this game.  Although one might take the quality of a board game for granted, if you have recently purchased mass produced board games, as I did when I purchased a new monopoly set last year-  you will see many card games and board games at big box retailers have a thin flimsy quality.  The cards are thin and easily fold.  Even the game board and the box contents are cheaply made and easily torn.

This unique game is worth a try for anyone who enjoys solving jokes, riddles and puns.  The quality of this game will stand up to the scrutiny of the most strict of game enthusiasts. Unlike other newer mass produced games, the cards and the container of this game will stand up to years of wear and tear. The game comes with 200 game cards, small note pads for writing and instructions. This is certain to be a party favorite as well as a good choice for a wholesome family game night. As a blogger I received a copy of this game made by Clarkson Potter of New York, part of the Crown publishing group.

I Believe in Jesus By John MacArthur

I Believe in Jesus By John MacArthur  Published by Thomas Nelson is a new picture book featuring beautiful., bold pictures, that delivers the lifesaving message of salvation to young children.  This large sized picture book is perfect for reading to a young child.  It is like an outreach pamphlet but in a storybook format for children.  The beautiful cartoon art by Dominique Mertens stands out from the usual cartoons seen in story books.  The artwork is oprigonal and unique, especially the creation scene oon pages 6 and 7 depicting a view of the newly created earth from the vantage point of outer space.

As far as the gospel message- it is simplified, yet true to God's word in explaining the gospel message of salvation.  For those readers or older children wanting more information, biblical verses as well as references for more information are included.  Parents and their children alike will enjoy this book.  This is a crucial book.  Unlike bible story books- this takes the bible's message further in delivering the life saving message of the Bible.  Most bible story books fall short in this area and simply resemble a book of bedtime stories.  As a blogger for Booklook I received a copy of this book from Thomas Nelson for the purpose of writing this review.

Nursing School Tip #1 There is no such thing as a silly question.... This is FALSE

this does not apply to nursing students.....when you are in nursing school..... When in doubt, do not ask it.  Do whatever you can to avoid asking a question... read all 500 pages of your Med Surge text, read the 200 page student manual.... do anything you must, just do not raise your hand to ask a question in nursing school.  I learned this the hard way during my first semester of nursing school. It makes you seem unprepared when you ask a question.  Most likely the answer can be found in any of these sources: textbooks, handbooks, memos, emails, announcements etc.  Better yet, keep your trap shut and maybe one of the other students will ask the question.

My Lice Scare and the Stages of Grief

If you are a nurse, there is no doubt you have heard of stages of grief  as well as Elisabeth Kübler-Ross  and her 1969 book “On Death and Dying”.  Whether you were introduced to the stages of grief during your behavioral health clinical rotation or when covering end of life issues, it is evident that the emotions and grief when faced with terminal illness, death and dying are extreme.  It is also true that individuals go through the stages of grief when faced with less severe life stressors as well including chronic illness, job loss, and the ending of relationships. Even the little stresses of life  may elicit the stages of grief as well.  

The commonly accepted five stages of grief are as follows:

1. Denial and/ or Isolation

2. Anger

3. Bargaining

4. Depression

5. Acceptance

These stages may or may not progress in that order.  Also, even when progressing or completing a phase, it may be revisited again.

The story that I am about to share is not intended to belittle the extreme grief of those who are facing death or terminal illness.  The grief associated with death or illness cannot easily be quantified.  

Although true, the following account is written primarily to illustrate the similarities of emotion to the stages of grief that may be experienced when facing any unexpected stressor. 

  In my own life, I can recall a  recent circumstance when my husband experienced these stages of grief when faced with a particular unexpected stressful experience.  Over a year ago, during my second semester of nursing school, we had been in the midst of an unusually rough winter with a record number of snow storms.  During one of these snow storms, when there was a state of emergency in place, we were relaxing at home  in the living room, enjoying the day off.  I was holding my toddler on my lap, running my fingers through her long, wavy hair, admiring her golden highlights.  My heart skipped a beat when I spotted a teeny tiny particulate that appeared to jump from her scalp.  As my heart feverishly was beating, my nimble fingers assessed her scalp and roots.  The worst thought crossed my mind- it was every parents dreaded nightmare: lice! Not only was I upset about the idea of lice, I dreaded the fact that I had to break the bad news to my husband.  

Using the techniques I learned about end of life care and oncology clinicals about   breaking bad news, I wanted to make sure my husband was comfortable.  I asked my husband who was sitting less than 5 feet away from me on the opposite couch, if he was seated comfortably.  I proceeded to preface my conversation by telling him that I had to break some bad news and that he may need to prepare himself.  In professional textbook-like fashion, that would have made my psych clinical instructors proud, I proceeded to tell my husband in a calm and matter of fact tone, that I believed our daughter had lice.  The events and reactions that quickly unfolded, although incredible,  were a classic case of the stages of grief.

1. Denial - my husband responded in disbelief and anger when he immediately demanded that I explain to him what I meant by "lice".  "What is Lice?....I don't know what Lice is...." he simply stated with a blank look in his eye as if he had never heard of lice. Perhaps by denying the definition of lice, he was denying the possibility that our daughter had become infested with a case of head lice.   I proceeded to slowly and calmly explain to him what lice was so as to clarify what I meant by the term lice.  Immobilized,  he stood in front of me with a glassy stare. He responded that she could not possibly have lice since we were in a middle of a snow storm.

2. Anger- Shortly after, my husband's voice became louder as he yelled that we were in the middle of a snow storm and that it was the worst possible time to have lice.  He yelled at me for telling him she had lice. He ranted and raved,  demanding why I chose this particular time to tell him she had lice.

3. Bargaining- Then he began to argue that it was not possible to have lice, telling me I had to be mistaken.  He questioned ,y perceptions telling me it must be something else- dust or dandruff.  When I insisted it was lice, he  tried to convince me that I imagined it. 

The events that followed were strange and unusual - almost unbelievable in fact.  The following account can not be neatly classified under any specific stage.  The next thing I knew was that my husband was sitting down with the toddler on his lap. In classical ape-like fashion, he was started combing through the  strands of hair with his fingers, and with his fingers he appeared to be picking something from her head.  He proceeded to inspect  what he found, squinting his eye for a better look.  With a look of satisfaction and accomplishment, he proceeded to put his fingers in his mouth. What he was eating, I could not tell.  It was imperceptible to the naked eye.  Strand by strand he meticulously picked through the hairs of her scalp, grooming her like a Sliver Backed gorilla from the zoo, inspecting what he found before carefully  placing it in his mouth.  I had no words as he was exclaiming triumphantly and confidently, "see....see! ....If this was lice, would I be eating it?!?" I watched without judgment.  I could only imagined the stress of the idea of lice had caused a mental breakdown. 

4. Depression- At some point my husband grew silent and was also at a loss for words.  Several minuets of uncomfortable silence elapsed. 

5. Acceptance- Finally at lightening speed, with renewed purpose, my husband ran up to the bathroom. Without delay I heard the shower.  Less than 5 minutes later he ran down, wet. and red as a beet, proudly stating he took a hot scalding shower.  At this point I felt he had accepted the conclusion that our daughter had lice, and in his own way, he was attempting to self medicate himself in the even he too had lice, not realizing that lice and nits are not killed by hot water alone.  

These events lasted the course of about 30 minutes at most as he cycled through the phases of grief in response to a stressful situation.  I am happy to say that my daughter did not in fact lice as my eyes had probably been playing tricks on me.  Perhaps in my concern and fears about lice, I had gone overboard in jumping to conclusions.  Another careful look through her hair I could not find any evidence of lice or nits.  

Starter Bible Published by Thomas Nelson

The Starter Bible Published by Thomas Nelson is a small sized padded bible perfect for preschoolers.  The brightly illustrated full color bible features sturdy board pages and a plastic handle.  This bible is perfect for young children to carry around. As soon as she saw it, my three yer old was very excited to receive this as a present.  Even for those too young to read, this is a perfect accessory to carry around and to have as an introduction to bible story.  The publisher's description mentions that a major appeal of this bible is the affordable price of $9.95 making this a great choice to give as a gift. Well know bible stories are integrated into this simple bible story book. One thing I would change is the title, "Starter Bible" which seems more appropriate as a description or subtitle.  As a blogger for Booklook I received a copy of this bible published by Thomas Nelson for the purpose of writing this review.

NIV Beautiful Word Bible by Zondervan

NIV Beautiful Word Bible by Zondervan is a beautiful new bible that is made to not only accommodate personal journaling, but it also features 500 full color verses.  The special featured verses are scattered throughout this bible.  Some of the featured verses cover a full two page spread while others are placed witin the margins. With the popularity of the new genre of jounaling bibles and adult coloring books- this bible combines the best of two world.  Creativity is a new way to express faith while also building one's knowledge of the word of God.  This bible can easily become a treasured keepsake, passed down generation to generation, once it is personalized.

Generous sized margins feature ample space for writing notes, or even for creating your own doodles.  There is no limitation to this bible as it allows flexibility for anything.  To get some ideas of how to decorate or personalize a journaling bible there are many videos on the internet.  This bible will appeal to a wide audience including scrap bookers, artists, journalists  and writers.

One unexpected feature is its smaller size. Depending on who you are, this may or may not be a positive feature.  This bible is portable and light- and easy to read while holding in one hand.  Unlike heavier, bulky bibles, this bible is easy to read sitting up in a chair, or with one hand right before bed.  With its portable size, comes a smaller font.  The text size is slightly smaller  than the standard font size of Zondervan bibles.  The font is still readable, just not as much as the standard font.  Once again this is to allow extra wide lined margins on just about each page to allow for personal journal entries and notes.   This is not a devotional or study bible.  There are no extra articles or devotions which is a good thing as nothing stands between the reader and God's word.  I also found many of my favorite passages had been featured in illustrated full color verses!

Now that I have this bible, the hardest thing is to figure out what to do with it since there are so many possibilities.  I can not decide if I should take notes, draw doodles, highlight passages or add stickers- or maybe all these things.  As beautiful as this bible is, I may just want to leave it as it is and not add anything. So, I'm probably going to take a few days reading this bible until I decide if or how to personalize it.  Maybe I will watch a few more videos for inspiration.   As a blogger I received a copy of this bible published by Zondervan.

NIrV Minecrafters Bible, Hardcover Contains Published by Zondervan

The newly published NIrV Minecrafters Bible, Hardcover  edition, Published by Zondervan Contains is the perfect bible for school aged boys and teenagers.  Featuring 24 full color pages of unofficial Minecraft themed bible comic strips, this bible is impressive.  I gave this bible to my 10 year old.  He was instantly impressed and without a doubt found it to be a cool bible.  The beautifully designed cartoon inserts feature bible highlights with the characteristic Minecraft block action figures and the box like background.  This bible is beautiful in its design and the integration of Minecraft into the cartoon inserts is simulates the video game.

The bible text itself is a standard small sized black and white font.  The modern NIrV is easy to read and understand, but the pages of small text might not be inviting for younger readers,  Nevertheless, the vivid and original color inserts featuring Minecraft styled bible characters will certainly draw in all Minecraft fans.  I can not imagine a better outreach method for gaming fans.  This is a great bible and is the must have bible for any Minecraft fan.  As a blogger for Booklook, I received a copy of this bible for the purpose of writing this review.