"God Gave Us..." Books by Lisa T. Bergren ~ A Review

Recently, I had the opportunity to review two awesome children's books by Lisa T. Bergren. She's written other "God Gave Us" books, like "God Gave Us You," "God Gave Us Two," and "God Gave Us Heaven." You may be familiar with them. If not, and you have young children (or grandchildren like me), you should really check these books out! They are wonderfully written and also beautifully illustrated by Laura J. Bryant. Since I often work in our church nursery, I brought them along with me on Sunday, to share with the little ones there.

I love the way the author has Mama Bear explains to her daughter, Little Cub, that God is so much more important than Santa...and that God gave us Christmas by sending His son to us...which of course, is the greatest gift ever given. She doesn't say there is no Santa, or put the tradition of him down in any way...she just points out that God is the one we should be seeking, instead of the jolly old elf, himself. That's a good reminder to all of us, this Christmas season. If you would like to read more about this book, you can check it out at RandomHouse.com.

The latest book in Lisa's "God Gave Us" series is, "God Gave Us Love." Again, this is a very heartwarming story with a biblical principal that we could all use a reminder of from time to time. In this book, Grampa Bear illustrates to Little Cub, how we all need to love others, even when they're not being very lovable...like those pesky otters who keep scaring the fish away while they're fishing...and even Little Cub's baby twin siblings at home, who can also be rather pesky and annoying at times. My grandson and the children I read these books to at church, really loved them. Do you have a young child or two on your Christmas list? I would highly recommend both books, and they would make excellent gifts for any child on your list. God Gave Us Love can be purchased from RandomHouse.com for $10.99.

These books were provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.

In God Gave Us Love, Little Cub and Grampa Bear’s fishing adventure is interrupted by mischievous otters, and the young polar bear begins to ask questions like why must we love others . . . even the seemingly unlovable? Why is it easier to love those we like? Where does love come from? And why does God love her so much? Grampa Bear patiently addresses each one of Little Cub’s curiosities by explaining the different kinds of love we can share: the love between friends, the love between families, the love between moms and dads, and the love for God.


He also assured Little Cub that because of the love God has given her through his Son, there’s nothing she can do to make God love her any more or any less. Through Grampa Bear’s encouraging Little Cub to love others with a “God-sized love,” children will be inspired to love others and to be patient, gentle and kind, so that in every way, they too can demonstrate God’s love.

In God Gave Us Christmas, as Little Cub and her family prepare to celebrate the most special day of the year, the curious young polar bear has something on her mind: “Who 'vented Christmas?” she asks. “Is God more important than Santa?”
Her questions reflect the confusion of so many children during the holiday season. And this heartwarming story takes them on a wonderful journey of discovery—right to the heart of Christmas. Through Mama’s gentle guidance, Little Cub learns that God loves her and everyone— polar bear, moose, or human—so much that he gave us Jesus, the very best gift of all.

Lisa Tawn Bergren is the award-winning author of nearly thirty titles, totaling more than 1.5 million books in print. She writes in a broad range of genres, from adult fiction to devotional. God Gave us Love follows in Lisa's classic tradition of the best-selling "God Gave Us You." She lives in Colorado with her husband Tim and their children, Olivia, Emma and Jack.

It's The Most _____Time of the Year!

You fill in the above blank. What word comes to mind for you? Busy? Crazy? Frantic? Hectic? Stressful? Of course, we all know it's supposed to be the most WONDERFUL time of the year, or at least that's what the popular Christmas carol tells us. But after a long day of running from store to store, trying to find that perfect gift for Aunt Agnus, Uncle Jim and everyone on your Christmas list, don't you sometimes wish you could just slink yourself down into a nice deep bathtub full of bubbles? I sure do.

We recently moved into an old farmhouse, and while I was taking a bath in my ordinary tub, (which is way too shallow to cover most of me with water), I was thinking that it would be really nice if this old house had one of those old fashioned clawfoot tubs to go with it. That way, I could fill it almost to the rim, and have nothing but my head and neck sticking out of the water. Wouldn't that feel great right about now?

But then, it occurred to me, that one of the things I really miss about the house we used to live in, is the whirlpool tub we had there. If I had one of those, it could surely work out the kinks I'm feeling in the back of my neck and shoulders at the moment. And then, the thought actually crossed my mind, that it would be totally awesome if someone made an old fashioned-looking clawfoot tub, with the modern technology of today's whirlpool bathtubs! Now, that would be just way to good to be true, right? Wrong! I found the bathtub of my dreams at SimplyBathtubs.com. Seriously! Here it is:Wouldn't that be the coolest thing ever? The website says this tub is made of "Acrastone" which is naturally warm to the touch, stronger than cast iron, and durable enough to carry a lifetime warranty. This bathtub features a "Champagne Massage system", which means that it has strategically placed air jets, that are said to give you a better "therapeutic effect" while you're bathing. I think I'm going to put this bathtub on my Christmas list, and hope that Santa can deliver. And speaking of delivering things, they even offer free shipping with no sales tax, (unless you happen to live in the state of CA).

Simplybathtubs.com also carries a variety of walk-in bathtubs, that are a great solution for anyone who has trouble getting in and out of a regular tub. They carry a line of discount walk-in bathtubs too. And for today only, they are offering an additional 10% off this Deep 30 Inch Walk In Bathtub: