Grounded Hearts (Review)

This review is for the book "Grounded Hearts" by Jeanne M. Dickson. In this novel we meet midwife Nan O'Neil. She is a widow who happens to be hounded frequently by a local officer who continues to profess his love for her. He's really just a bother until the day that a wounded Canadian pilot on her front door. This means trouble, because Ireland is neutral in the middle of World War II, so helping either side of the war means facing imprisonment. Nan feels pity for him though, and tries to nurse him back to health. He doesn't get better as quickly as she'd like, and she not only has to fend off the interested police officer, but has to involve some of her local friends to help the pilot - which could mean jail time for them all.

I loved this book and the characters. It was unlike any other book I've read and it was interesting to think how this really could have happened. Nan is not looking for love, but she finds it, and she also finds her courage, strength and faith throughout all of this mess as well.

Thank you to Litfuse Publicity for a copy of the book.

Super Hero Kids Giveaway with David C Cook!

DOES YOUR CHILD LOVE COMIC BOOKS? HOW ABOUT SUPER HEROES?

Now is your chance to have DC and Marvel illustrator Sergio Cariello make your child's dream come true!

 

Parents!

David C Cook is proud to introduce the newest book in the Action Bible collection: The Action Storybook Bible (coming October 2017). Pre-order The Action Storybook Bible from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or ChristianBook.com to reserve your copy today. Plus click the graphic below to enter to have a chance to win an illustration of your child as a super hero by Action Bible artist Sergio Cariello (who has also illustrated comics for DC and Marvel!).

 

The giveaway is open until September 11, 2017, 5:00pm MST.  Your entry must be received by then to be eligible. Five winners will be chosen at random from eligible entrants.

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{THE ACTION STORYBOOK BIBLE}

Families see the Bible in motion and put their faith into action! The Action Storybook Bible invites families with young children to explore God’s redemptive story together. An entry point into the world of The Action Bible, it tells of the amazing creation story, powerful kings who reigned over ancient Israel, God’s miraculous gift of eternal life through Jesus, and more! God’s promise for the world is displayed throughout every page. Discover your family’s place in God’s incredible story and together put your faith into action! Interactive features include:

• Fifteen key episodes from God’s Word—each one loaded with several stories along with over 350 brand-new illustrations throughout.
• Short and easy readings—for children ages eight and under with rich, colorful images.
• Life, Faith, Action! features—conclude every episode and invite families to talk about how God moves in the stories, how to see God in life today, how to put faith into action, and how to easily talk to God with a suggested prayer.
• Hall of Fame visual index—the place to look up favorite Bible characters by discovering their icon connections and finding them in the stories.

Learn more and purchase a copy here.

Hope for the Same-Sex Attracted (Review)

This review is for the book "Hope for the Same-Sex Attracted" by Ron Citlau. Citlau is a pastor who has actually dealt with same-sex attraction in his life. In this book, he shows love and encouragement to those who have feelings of attraction towards the same sex. He does not bash them or show anger towards them. He understands it. But he also shows them that there are options such as celibacy and singleness that are biblical. He encourages people with this struggle to look at those options.

He shows how you need to be plugged into a church and a small group of people who will hold you accountable and also encourage you. He speaks to church leaders and provides ways that they can support these individuals instead of judging them and pushing them away.

Great book, and should be used to encourage those who struggle with these feelings.

Thank you to Cross Focused Reviews for a copy of the book.

Essential Guide to Prayer (Review)

This review is for the book "The Essential Guide to Prayer" by Dutch Sheets. This entire book is on the power of intercessory prayer. He begins by talking about why this is such a priority, and goes into how to be an intercessor and why this is so important. He uses scripture to show great intercessors in the Bible, and how we can use that power today. Every chapter ends with a section called "Did You Understand?" where there are discussion questions to help you think about each chapter more in depth. I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to those wanting to learn more about intercessory prayer and why it is so important.

Thank you to Chosen Publishers for a copy of the book.

Dragon Seed (Review)

This review is for the book "Dragon Seed" by Marty Machowski. I really enjoyed this book and can definitely see older teenagers, young adults and older adults enjoying it as well.

In this book, we meet Nick, an angry teen, who is told by his mother to read a book about their family history. She is at the end of her rope in dealing with him, and hopes this book will change his heart. As Nick reads, he is introduced to the story of Lord Dragon, and how he spreads his dragon seeds. I love this allegory. We learn about how Lord Dragon has minions to spread his dragon seeds in people, which bloom into selfishness, evil, greed, etc. Unfortunately for him, there is a Prince who comes, and when a person is a follower of the Prince, the dragon seeds cannot take root in the person's heart.

I loved this story of good versus evil. I will admit the characters of Nick's family seemed a little corny to me, but the actual story about the dragon seeds was full of excitement and turmoil.

Thank you to Litfuse Publicity for a copy of the book.

Winning the Battle (Review)

This review is for the book "Winning the Battle for the Night" by Faith Blatchford. This book focuses on God's intent for nighttime, sleep, and rest. Our world is so fast-paced that many of us struggle with nighttime anxiety, insomnia, restlessness, or brains that just won't quit. We don't get the rest we need, and then we are more vulnerable to anger, mood swings, and even throwing off our appetites and desire to be healthy.

One of the best things I read in this book that I had never thought of is that the dark doesn't belong to the devil. God created the darkness, and it therefore belongs to him. I am safe in the darkness because it belongs to God. His angels watch over me during the night. These are all promises that I can rely on when I am restless or afraid at night.

I really liked the premise of this book and I think that a lot of people could really use this to reclaim their sleep.

Thank you to Chosen Publishers for a copy of the book.

True to You (Review)

This review is for the book "True to You" by Becky Wade. I think I have read nearly all of the books she has written, if not all. I love her fun style of writing. She makes it easy to enjoy reading her books. This particular book is the first in her Bradford Sisters Romance series.

We meet Nora, who is a genealogist and the complete opposite of a risk-taker - especially after a tough breakup three years ago. John Lawson is a former Navy SEAL and seems to be everything that Nora isn't. But he needs her help because he found out he has an inherited condition, and he is adopted. He asks Nora to help him find his biological parents. As they begin to work together, a relationship starts to form. But they're so different, and both of them have some qualms from previous relationships. They are going to have to work through those to form a solid relationship.

I love the characters and the plot. This book is different from any other stories I've read, so I like the uniqueness of it.

Thank you to Bethany House for a copy of the book.

Stepping on Cheerios (Review)

This review is for the book "Stepping on Cheerios" by Betsy Singleton Snyder. I have to say that this is, without a doubt, one of the funniest, most honest books I have ever read. And because of that, I can relate tremendously to it!

Snyder takes us through all the aspects of parenting - the Legos, the anxiety over your children, the lack of self-care we sometimes have, the accidents that can occur right in front of our faces... she relates to all parents, and does it in a way that makes you laugh at yourself and your past mistakes.

I highly recommend this book to all parents. We take ourselves way too seriously, and this is a great reminder that MOST of those things that happen on our watch just don't matter that much. And we can find God in the midst of all our chaos.

Thank you to Litfuse Publicity for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

Spiritual Warfare (Review)

This review is for the book "Spiritual Warfare for the End Times" by Derek Prince. I have read several books by Derek Prince and I do appreciate his perspective on challenging topics. Prince starts off by talking about what exactly evil is and how Satan works. He basically says if we don't learn how to overcome evil, evil will overcome us. He explains how Satan attempts to destroy us, but because we have victory in Jesus, we can overcome this. He goes over the church's responsibility and how we need to not only learn how to do this in our personal lives, but as a church body. It was a very interesting book and I enjoyed reading his perspective on this topic.

Thank you to Chosen Books for a copy of the book.

Pray About Everything (Review)

This review is for the book "Pray About Everything" by Paul Tautges. I really enjoyed this book, and especially the perspective of the author that prayer is proof of God-dependency. Each chapter speaks about a different aspect of prayer, such as "constant" prayer, community prayer, and who to pray for. Also discussed are things such as how to pray with thanksgiving, and remembering to include praise in your prayer - don't just make it a bucket list of things we want. He even touches on praying for our government, our elders, and how to pray when we don't even know what to pray about.

I really enjoyed this book and recommend it as a good read.

Thank you to Cross Focused Reviews for a copy of the book.

My Daughter's Legacy (Review)

This review is for the book "My Daughter's Legacy" by Mindy Starns Clark and Leslie Gould. This is part of the Cousins of the Dove series. In this book, we meet Therese Jennings from Virigina, 1864, but we also meet Nicole Talbot, of present day Virginia. As we read the story we are finding that their lives are intertwined.

I really liked this book because it tied together historical fiction (with romance and suspense) in with a present-day mystery (and romance). We know Nicole's story and what she's dealing with, but as we read the book, we realize how much Therese's story ties in with Nicole's - and we find out a lot of answers.

The characters are great and the story is interesting, so you won't get bored!

Thank you to Litfuse Publicity for a copy of the book.

The Kindness Challenge (Review)

This review is for the book "The Kindness Challenge" by Shaunti Feldhahn. I absolutely loved this book. I cannot WAIT to put it into practice. In this book, the reader is challenged to think of a relationship that is tough, or strained, or could just be better in general. Feldhahn asserts that we can make small steps to improve these relationships.

What is really amazing is how much this book made me self-reflect. I consider myself a very kind person, but I realized that I can definitely improve in a lot of areas, especially towards my husband and children. For example, one of the chapters talks about thanking my husband for the little things - washing my car, mowing the lawn, etc. These are the things I take for granted that he does. But when I thank him, it's an affirmation of love for him. I also realized that there are times I will thank someone in my family for something and then show exasperation right after. For example, "Thanks for changing the baby's diaper, but I really like for the tabs to be fastened this way", or "Bonnie! You know we don't do it that way!" These things make us lose perspective.

I could go on and on about the tips found in this book and the realizations I've had from reading it, but it would make this review really long. Please grab this book and try it for yourself.

Thank you to Waterbrook Multonah for a copy of the book.

His Guilt (Review)

This review is for the book "His Guilt" by Shelley Shepard Gray. Gray is one of my very favorite fiction authors, so I was excited to read this new book of hers. This is part of her Amish of Hart County series. In this novel, we meet Mark Fisher, who was wrongly accused of assault and left Hart County. We also meet Waneta Cain, who is unsure of Mark's innocence, but is willing to give him a chance to prove himself. They work together, so they start to form a relationship. Unfortunately, it isn't long before an Amish girl is attacked. Everyone in the community believes it's Mark because of the accusations from years ago. The community is afraid and Waneta wonders if she's right to trust Mark.

This is a great book about second chances, trust, building relationships, learning how to love, and getting over your past. I really like the characters and I'd love to read the rest of this series.

Thank you to Litfuse Publicity for a copy of the book.

The Good Book (Review)

This review is for the book "The Good Book" by Deron Spoo. In this book, the author goes over forty chapters in the Bible that reveal the biggest ideas from the Bible. I absolutely loved this idea and was really excited to read it. I really was not disappointed and found this book very interesting.

For example, the author discusses Genesis chapter 3, where "everything broke". Judges 16 which proves that God can use your failures. Matthew 6 which tells us not to worry. Acts 10 which proves that God loves the people you can't stand.

Every chapter actually has the chapter from the Bible, then the author's commentary on why this is such an important chapter, and then questions for reflection. I definitely found this book interesting and don't know that there is another book of its kind out there. I would highly recommend it.

Thank you to Litfuse Publicity for a copy of the book.

Counterfeit Comforts (Review)

This review is for the book "Counterfeit Comforts" by Robia Scott. This book was so, so good, and talked to me about something I didn't even realize I needed help with. Scott points out that we all have a familiar go-to stress reliever - a glass of wine, ice cream, a television show, online shopping, etc. These are fine for temporary relief, but none of them can leave us with a lasting satisfaction. And some of them lead to harmful and addictive behaviors.

In this book, she talks about overcoming her own counterfeit comforts and encourages readers to make it past these temporary "feel-good" situations and find more permanent peace. Sometimes that means letting go of people, changing your thought process, and self-evaluate. She gives really great steps on how to do all of these things and find a more permanent comfort in your relationship with God.

Thank you to Chosen Publishers for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.