10 Myths of Teen Dating (Review)

This review is for the book "The 10 Myths of Teen Dating" by Daniel Anderson and Jacquelyn Anderson. This is a really cool book because it is written by a father and daughter. It is so interesting to see their different perspectives on the teen dating world. I think this book is a must-have. These dating myths are so accurate and so many teen girls fall for them, such as "I'm in love", "Love and sex are the same", and "If I had a boyfriend I would be happy". I think a lot of us ladies would look back at our teen years and cringe about something in our past. Let's use that when talking to our daughters or girls in our community! Each chapter touches on a different myth, and then some discussion questions as well as experiences from the perspective of the father and daughter authors. It is such a great book and it just really rings true. I highly recommend this book if you have a daughter who is about to hit puberty or is in her teen years already.

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

From the Pen of Pastor Paul (Review)

This review is for the book "From the Pen of Pastor Paul" by Daniel R. Hyde. This book is a detailed, in-dept study on 1 and 2 Thessalonians. I absolutely love Paul's letters in the Bible, and I love reading commentaries to get another perspective on the scripture. This book really broke the two books down verse by verse. I would love to read more books by Hyde in the future. I love it when I can tell that an author does his homework and studies diligently. It is also important that the book is written in a way that I can understand it and gain knowledge from it, and that is definitely true about this book. It is a great resource to have in your library.

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

A Bird, A Girl, and a Rescue (Review)

This review is for the book "A Bird, a Girl, and a Rescue" by J.A. Myhre. Almost exactly a year ago, I was reading the first book by the fabulous J.A. Myhre. I remember reading it in just a few hours because I couldn't put it down, and I walked around for weeks hailing it as one of the best young adult fiction books I had ever read. I recommended it to everyone who would listen. So obviously I was stoked to read her latest novel! In this story we meet Kiisa, an 11-year old who doesn't even realize she is about to be sent on the mission of her life. She is sent to boarding school, and while she is there she meets a fantastic bird named Njili who is about to be her closest companion. The story contains adventure, danger, and bravery like none other. It is captivating and I can almost guarantee that not only will you love it, but so will your sons and daughters. This is a book that will stay on my shelf so my kids and I can read it over and over - and that doesn't happen very often.

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

Sister's Wish and Amish Family Christmas

I recently read two of Shelley Shepard Gray's Amish fiction novels. I have read several books written by her and I am never disappointed. This particular books follow her series "Charmed Amish Life" about the city of Charm, Ohio. If you have read any of the other books in this series, the characters will be very familiar to you. If you have not read any of the other books, it will not be difficult to figure out who is who and the relations. Gray does a great job of putting in background information while keeping the story fresh.

In "A Sister's Wish", readers follow the same characters from other Charm novels. We are looking at the story of Amelia Kinsinger and Simon Hochstetler in this book. Simon is originally from Charm, but ran away from home to get away from his abusive Amish parents. He ended up surrounded by bad people who introduced him to drugs and alcohol, and he ended up in prison. He has been the subject of many rumors since coming back to Charm and repenting and joining the church. Amelia doesn't really care about his past. His tattoos and prison stories don't startle her or make her feel judgmental. The hardest part is convincing her family that Simon is deserving of her!

In the Amish Family Christmas book, Levi Kinsinger is feeling lost since his father died in a tragic accident. Julia, his widowed neighbor, asks for help with a Christmas project, and he is excited to finally have a purpose. It doesn't take long before he is starting to develop feelings for Julia as well as her sweet daughter. But for some reason he just isn't sure about her past. He is going to have to figure out how to trust her and she is going to have to figure out how to trust him as well. What happens is a great story of two people coming together to lean on one another and find love.

I received these books from Litfuse Publicity.

https://promosimple.com/ps/a725

 

The Wish (Review)

This review is for the book "The Wish" by Beverly Lewis. I have read dozens of her books and I have never been disappointed with one of them. This is one of her standalone novels. In this story, we meet Leona Speicher and Gloria Gingerich. They are two Amish girls who come together and soon become like sisters. Leona even dreams of leaving her family and becoming part of Gloria's seemingly perfect family. But soon, something happens, and overnight the entire Gingerich family moves away unexpectedly. Gloria doesn't contact Leona for several long years. When she does, the family has left their Amish roots far behind. Leona desperately wants to pull her friend back into the Amish community. Her fiance is worried that she is biting off more than she can chew, though.

I loved this book. I loved the characters and the friendship. I loved how Leona encouraged Gloria and supported her even when she had obviously left her Amish traditions in the past. This is a great story of friendship and finding your way home.

I received this book from Bethany House Publishers.

Habit Changers (Review)

This review is for the book "Habit Changers" by M.J. Ryan. This book is filled with 81 game-changing mantras to mindfully realize your goal. Each mantra is short and sweet and easy to remember, such as "Presume goodwill" or "Mind the gap". After the mantra is given, a short essay is written to help you understand the mantra and explain how to put it into play in your life. There are a lot of real-life examples to help you also. This book is awesome for business owners, entrepreneurs, and people at high levels in their companies. I had several really good takeaways from reading this book that I plan on putting into practice!

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

Experiencing God Through His Names (Review)

This review is for the book "Experiencing God Through His Names" by Sheryl Giesbrechet. I have always been interested in the names of God and where they are found in the Bible. I was really looking forward to reading this book and being able to study the names of God. I liked the layout of this book a lot. Each chapter focuses on one name of God that is found in scripture. Giesbrecht talks about something in real life that applies to the name, and she shows scripture throughout the Bible where the name is found and used when referring to God. This book is really easy to read and I suggest reading it with a notebook beside you. I took a lot of notes because this is stuff I do not want to forget. Giesbrecht also includes a prayer at the end of each chapter that you could pray after you let the words of the chapter resonate with you. I really enjoyed this book and definitely recommend it.

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

Marry Wisely (Review)

This is the review for the book "Marry Wisely, Marry Well" by Ernie Baker. This is a truly awesome book for all couples, whether you are just now engaged, or have been married for 30 years. Obviously I would probably be more likely to recommend it to people who are thinking of marriage, because some of the books speaks on how to choose the right mate. If you have been married for decades, it's a little late to change your mate!

In this book, Baker starts at the foundation of marriage. He talks about the wisdom that God will give, and His design for marriage. There is a lot of scripture to back up what Baker says, and he ends each chapter with some really good, thought-provoking discussion questions. These are great questions to ask yourself to learn more about yourself, but there are questions for a potential spouse as well, which is so important. Honestly, it is so important to ask these questions of a potential spouse - even if just in your own head. Such as: "Is this person committed to God's purposes for marriage", "What amount of school loans and other debt does this person have?", and "How would you rate his or her communication and conflict resolution skills?" This book is so detailed and intimate, I would highly recommend it for premarital couples. It is easy to read and stands on the Bible.

I was given a copy of this book from Cross Focused Reviews.

Download Your Free How-To Guide for Bring Your Bible to School Day


 

Our thoughts and prayers are with those who are preparing for Hurricane Matthew to hit. For students in hurricane-affected states who are facing school closures but still want to participate in Bring Your Bible to School Day, the alternate date is Thursday, October 20.




This brings about a good point: Any day can be a day you organize your friends to bring your Bibles to school together!




By signing up during the month of October for Bring Your Bible to School Day (even if you missed the official celebration), you can download a free how-to guide for teens, parents, pastors, and elementary students. It's full of helpful information that will help you organize a day to take a stand for religious freedom and bring your Bible to school with your fellow classmates.




(Sign-ups must be received by midnight (MT), Oct. 7, in order to be automatically entered into the Newsboys giveaway.)

Plus Bring Your Bible to School Comes to Adventures in Odyssey

 

Getting used to a new school isn’t easy, especially for someone as paranoid as Buddy Norman. In “A Predicament of Biblical Proportions” he envisions wacky worst-case encounters with townsfolk who seem like mobsters, snoops and fairy-tale tyrants—until he gets to know them. He’s also a little confused about Bring Your Bible to School Day. What’s it about? Should he participate? See Odyssey through Buddy’s eyes in this witty celebration of religious freedom.




Listen to this story through a two-week trial only on the Odyssey Adventure Club.

Punderdome (Review)

I recently was able to check out this really cool game called Punderdome. I love card games, I love board games, I love games that make you think, and I love family games. This one game has ALL of those things! Apparently it is based on a live game show, but I have never heard of the game show before. This game is for three or more players who are age 12 and up. You grab two prompts and then race to make bad puns that connect those two prompts. There is a judge who will decide which one is the best (worst?) pun to win the round. I guarantee this game will bring loads of laughs to your next family game night!! I received this game free of charge from Penguin Random House LLC.