Share First Communion stories and get into a discussion!!

As many of my readers may know, I am a book reviewer with  Aquinas and More Catholic Goods.   They have asked their blogger friends to share some news about their current promotions.  Here they are:

1) One of our affiliate sites, First Communion Stories (www.firstcommunionstories.com) is running its yearly "First Communion Story" contest.

Readers can submit a story about making their First Holy Communion. The contest started May 1 and is accepting submissions until May 21.

Then from May 22-29, readers can vote on their favorite. The first place winner of our contest will receive a $100 gift certificate to Aquinas and More. 2 Runner-ups will be given a $25 gift certificate.

2) Another of our affiliate sites, Catholic Book Discussion (www.catholicbookdiscussion.com) is gearing up for its annual Catholic Summer Reading Program.

Catholic Book Discussion is a forum to discuss Catholic books, and one of the threads is currently soliciting suggestions from participants for summer reading. You can join the discussion with your book ideas. We would really like to have more input from readers to help make this year's 2012 Summer Reading Program the best yet.

Being authentically Catholic is important to us at Aquinas and More. We wish to help grow a Catholic culture in our society. Talking about the Eucharist through our First Communion Stories site, and engaging in Catholic reading, learning, and discussion through our Catholic Book Discussion site are two ways we can do that online. 

Check these places out!!

Blessings!

Praying Scripture of our Children ~ 4 Book recommendations

Praying Scripture is praying God's words... God's promises... back to Him.

As we approach the end of our 6th year of homeschooling, I am encouraging my 4 students to finish strong! And I am doing so today using this verse...

Dear Lord, may ___ be strong and courageous and get to work. May ___ not be frightened by the size of the task, for You, Lord God are with ____; You will not forsake ___. You will see that everything is finished correctly. (1 Chronicles 28:20)

There are times when every parent needs to find a quiet prayer spot to bring to the Lord the needs and worries on their hearts in regards to their children. These are 4 of the books I go to for those prompts and to remind myself of His Word...my need for trust...

 Praying the Scriptures For Your Children 

 Praying the Bible For Your Children 

Powerful Prayers For Your Family

The Catholic Parent Wisdom Book

A book like this, beside a bed, is a wonderful reminder each night to pray for our children. What are your favorite prayers or resources for praying for your children? Please share them in the comments.

Also, let the children know. In a one-on-one moment, we should tell them we are praying for them and what scripture we are using .... in hopes that the verse will become meaningful to them.

In +JMJ+, Allison at

The Consuming Fire: A book review for Tiber River

At first glance Consuming Fire is a big book, but of course the Old Testament is a rather large compilation of books, 46 depending on which bible you have. Dr. Duggan has updated and revised this book from its original twenty years ago to include a total reworking of the Pentateuch, the Deuteronimistic history, Ezra-Nehemiah and Chronicles for the history of the texts and further examination as more research and understanding evolved during these twenty years.

What the book lacks in brevity, it is rich in content and details worthy of a class to accompany the reader.  I wouldn't recommend this as an individual study unless the individual is a self-starter.  I found myself taking notes, rereading chapters and certainly gleaning much from Dr. Duggan's opinions and facts. 

 

This is not a Catholic book, it is what it is, a Christian guide, Duggan pays respect to the Jewish heritage by referring to the  B.C.and A.D.  periods with the recent adaptation of B.C.E. (before common era) and C.E. (common era) of which I was not fond of and if its called a Christian guide, it should recognize Christ in the time eras.  Another revision Dr. Duggan is YHWH the tetragrammation for God or Lord in the Hebrew bible, however the Vatican in 2008 denounced this use in all liturgy and liturgial music citing that:  "such pronounciation violates long-standing Jewish tradition."  So the Jewish community doesn't use this term or title.  Again, this is not a Catholic editon, but if Dr. Duggan is using this terminology in respect to the Jewish, it seems a bit outdated.

 

Irregardless to the above thoughts, the text is full of historic details and maps for each book that will prove to be a great resource in bible reading.  I do recommend this as a textbook for a class.

 

I wrote this review of The Consuming Fire for the free Catholic book review program, created by Aquinas and More Catholic Goods, your source for Baptism Gifts and First Communion Gifts.
Tiber River is the first Catholic book review site, started in 2000 to help you make informed decisions about Catholic book purchases.
I receive free product samples as compensation for writing reviews for Tiber River.