Inspired By Fiction

Wayward Son Review

2012-01-27T12:35:00.000-08:00

Excuse the pun, but this review is way late. I apologize for that, and here it is.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Buried near Italy's Mount Vesuvius is a remarkable observatory containing artifacts dating to the earliest record of human events. Only one person-the Getty Museum's Amanda James-can unlock the mysterious doors that guard the chamber.

But once inside, Amanda is shocked to discover evidence left behind by a notorious biblical killer-who long ago wandered off the pages of history.

The first novel of a series, WaywardSon takes the reader on an amazing voyage, where epic adventures in Egypt, Greece, China and Rome collide with modern-day intrigue and suspense.

What a surprise this book was for me...totally unexpected. The book follows Cain through an immortal life following God's curse (an interesting speculation, albeit one that I do not believe!) He stows away on Noah's Ark and survives the great flood, then lives on through the decades. We see Cain through various big events in history, which I found interesting. I do like historical fiction. I also like stories about archaeological discoveries, and this was quite a discovery!

With quality writing, these authors deliver a unique story that is fun to read--remembering it is fiction. The characters are well-developed, and the plot is fast-paced. This book is the first in a series. I wonder where the next one will take us!

I received this book from LeAnn Hambly and GlassRoads PR in exchange for my honest review.

Growing Great Kids by Kate Battistelli

2012-01-24T19:38:00.000-08:00

It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour spotlight! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old...or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!

You never know when I might play a wild card on you!

Today's Wild Card author is:

Kate Battistelli

and the book:

Growing Great Kids: Partner with God to cultivate His purpose in your child's life

Charisma House (January 3, 2012)

***Special thanks to Jon Wooten of Charisma House for sending me a review copy.***

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Kate Battistelli is a wife, former Broadway actress, and mom to one of Christian music’s most celebrated new recording artists—Grammy-nominated, Christian contemporary singer-songwriter Francesca Battistelli. Kate currently writes a popular blog at TheKitchenPrincess.com, volunteers at ESTHER Single Mothers Outreach, and is thoroughly enjoying her newest role as grandmother to Francesca’s first child, Matthew Elijah.

Visit the author's website.

SHORT BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Help your child become everything God made them to be.

Successful adults don’t happen by accident. It takes wisdom to raise your children with a strong sense of their destiny in God and a deep knowledge of their gifts and callings.

In Growing Great Kids, Kate Battistelli shares what she and her husband, Mike, learned about parenting during the journey of raising their daughter—Dove Award–winning recording artist Francesca Battistelli. Using anecdotes to illustrate the insights she and her husband gained, she provides practical advice including:

* How to dream God’s big dream for your child
* The value of humility and integrity
* How to interpret God’s seasons in a child’s life
* The power of a parent’s words, and more

Product Details:

List Price: $14.99

Paperback: 240 pages
Publisher: Charisma House (January 3, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1616386541
ISBN-13: 978-1616386542

AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER:

Chapter 1: Gifts and Callings
When my daughter was little, she definitely had a flair for the dramatic. She was fun-loving but with a serious side and a true sense of right and wrong. There was a Burger King commercial on television back then and the tag line was “Sometimes you just gotta break the rules!” Each time it would come on TV, Franny would loudly shout, “No, you don’t! You don’t break the rules!”
She loved to sing and dance and change her outfit half a dozen times a day, and I began to have a sense that maybe my little drama queen was inclined toward the performing arts. So like millions of moms do every day, I signed her up for ballet lessons. To say she loved it would be an understatement. She took to it like a duck to water—loving the pink tights, the hair in a bun, and especially when Miss Gina would single her out for a word of encouragement!
As time went on I started getting the sense that maybe God had something more for her in the performing arts. That’s when we intentionally began to take steps to expose her to the arts in a variety of small ways such as seeing the annual production of The Nutcracker at Christmas, watching old movie musicals, and taking her to children’s theater productions. We didn’t take huge steps, but we made small investments to see how she responded and to see if my hunch was right. For her seventh birthday we took her to see the Broadway production of The Secret Garden, and she was completely captivated with the show and with musical theater in general from that moment on. That’s when my husband and I really began praying about her future and what more we might do to help mine the treasure in her.
Mining the Greatness
Mine (noun):
1.an excavation made in the earth for the purpose of extracting ores, coal, precious stones, etc.
2. a place where such minerals may be obtained, either by excavation or by washing the soil.
3. a natural deposit of such minerals.1
Precious metals and precious stones are embedded in rocks and have to be extracted. Metals especially don’t generally appear in nature in their pure form. Shafts and tunnels are cut into the earth. The rock is quarried and then smelted with heat to remove the dross from the ore. It’s a difficult, tedious process, and it takes time and effort. The results, however, are certainly worth the effort to tap those precious veins beneath the earth.
Our children’s gifts are sometimes buried deep. It’s up to us to mine the gift in them, extract it, and allow it to be shaped and polished to be useful in building the kingdom of God. The effort requires selfless dedication on our part and an investment of time and finances, but one that pays lifelong dividends in the life of your child.
What is God showing you about your child? What traits is he expressing? What most interests or intrigues him? Is he outgoing or introspective? Is he intellectual or athletic? Is he artistic and creative or mechanically minded and good with his hands? And what are the dreams you have inside for him? Do you have a knowing deep inside about his life? Has God given you a glimpse into his future? What do you see when you pray for him?
I believe it’s my job to find out who God made my child to be. What particular path has He set for him? What’s unique about his personality, gifts, talents, and aspirations? How do I help him find the life God has already planned for him? What is God’s purpose for his life and how do I train him to accomplish his purpose?
Psalm 139:13–16 says it so beautifully:
For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them.
He knows our paths and has already written them in His book!
I don’t claim to be an expert in child rearing, but I am an expert in raising my child. Just as you are an expert in raising your child. The fact is, no one knows your child better than you, and as your child grows and develops, his gifts and talents will be more obvious to you than to anyone else.

Train up a child in the way he should go [and in keeping with his individual gift or bent], and when he is old he will not depart from it. —Proverbs 22:6, amp
Parents, we are the trainers, and train is an active word! We train the whole child in the Word and godliness, in faith and biblical principles. We train them to obey and honor Him in thought, word, and deed. We train them to pursue their future careers and callings. We do them a great disservice if we take this responsibility lightly. God has given us a sacred trust by allowing us to be the stewards of our children. Here is the note on this scripture in my Spirit -Filled Life Bible: “Train up” has the idea of a parent graciously investing in a child whatever wisdom, love, nurture, and discipline is needed for him to become fully committed to God. It presupposes the emotional and spiritual maturity of the parent to do so. “In the way he should go” is to do the training according to the unique personality, gifts, and aspirations of the child. It also means to train the child to avoid whatever natural tendencies he might have that would prevent total commitment to God (for example, a weak
will, a lack of discipline, a susceptibility to depression). Hence, the promise is that proper development
insures the child will stay committed to God.2 There are many good resources available on how to raise your child in “the nurture and admonition of the Lord” (Eph. 6:4, kjv).I’m trying to convey something else in this book. If you are a Christian parent, it’s a given that you will raise your child to love God with all his heart, soul, mind, and strength. Teaching our children to know and love God and to delight in Him should be our highest aim as we raise our kids.
My goal is to inspire you to partner with God to mine the greatness that’s lying dormant in your child. Each of us is capable of far more than we think we are. I truly believe we are capable of greatness and we shouldn’t be afraid to pursue it. God will show you the gifts and talents, the callings and destiny residing in your child. For your children to become all that God has designed them to be, means you have to be willing to go the extra mile and not assume they will simply “figure it out” when they are grown.
Too many parents seem content to allow their children to drift into young adulthood and then wonder what turned them into adultolescents (a person who has physically matured to adulthood, yet still behaves like an adolescent) and why they seem to have no direction in life. Childhood is an innocent time of wonder and discovery and endless possibilities, and it desperately requires our care, nurturing, and firm direction! Helping your child to explore life’s endless possibilities will open the floodgates to dreaming big dreams. As time goes on, with your guidance, he will narrow his choices, focus on what really interests him and embark on the path to building a future in the center of God’s will for his life.
I firmly believe God shows parents from the time their kids are small what He has invested in them. He shows us their bent and our job is to dig deep and find the depth of the gifts and callings buried inside. It is important we are not too busy or distracted with life to see what God is eager to reveal to us in each of our children.
Bumps Along the Road
When Franny had just turned twenty years old she backed into a lawyer’s car, in the lawyer’s driveway, after the lawyer had warned her to “be careful not to back into my car.” Naturally she felt foolish and was extremely upset. She knew Dad was likely to ask his famous twenty questions when she got home and was not looking forward to it. As she was driving home, she began crying and praying. The Lord began to speak to her heart,
reminding her she wasn’t perfect and it was OK with Him. He made her the way she was and to just relax and trust Him. She began singing this chorus: “I got a couple dents in my fender, got a couple rips in my jeans, try to fit the pieces together but perfection is my enemy. And on my own I’m so clumsy, but on Your shoulders I can see, I’m free to be me.”3
The next day she sat on the end of her bed and played for her dad and me the finished song God had dropped in her spirit during the drive home the day before. It might sound crazy, but as soon as I heard it, I knew this was a hit song. This occurred way before Franny moved to Nashville, had signed a record deal, or had any inkling anything like that was even possible. But I knew, because God knew and was just sharing my daughter’s
future with me. Three years later, “Free to Be Me” was the first single by a female artist to hit number one at Christian radio in eight years, remaining at number one for ten weeks!
Grammy Story
People ask me all the time, “Did you ever think your daughter would do so well?” “Did you ever think you would hear her on the radio?” or “Are you surprised by her success?” The answers are yes, yes, and no! Mike and I always had a “knowing” deep inside about her career path as she got older. We sensed where God was going, and we let Him plant big dreams in us for her. From the time she was fifteen and beginning to pursue music more seriously, we would watch the televised Grammy Awards every year and every year I would say to her, “You’re going to be up there one day.” I don’t know why I said it; I just knew deep down it was true and, knowing words have creative power, I believed it important to actually speak it out.
I found an old journal recently and in thumbing through it, came across this entry. February 28, 2002:
Hi, Lord. It’s me, bugging You! Last night we watched the
Grammys and Franny’s emotions were so stirred she cried
through much of it. Mike says I set her expectations too high,
but I believe if You are going to go for something, go for the
highest. It’s not that it’s so important to win an award but
winning represents being at a level where you have respect
and acceptance. I know she is willing to work hard and
she will work hard. Show her mercy and encourage her in
all her hard work. Let her redouble her efforts and give it
everything she’s got. Show her Your favor and love. Raise
her up in the music business and let her be a shining, warm,
beautiful light. Give Mike and I wisdom with how to guide
her. Thanks, Lord!
In December 2009, seven years after I wrote in my journal, Franny was nominated for a Grammy Award in the Best Gospel Performance category for her song “Free to Be Me”! People asked me if I was surprised and truly I can say I wasn’t. I’d been praying about it for seven years! I was thrilled of course, but not surprised. It was just one more confirmation of what I already knew. She hasn’t won a Grammy yet, but I’m still praying!
My Story and I’m Sticking to It
Franny comes by her gifts naturally. She has the added benefit of parents who happened to stumble upon, believe in, and latch onto God’s principles for growing great kids. While it is certainly an unmistakable advantage to be raised immersed in these principles, successful adults can and do spring from circumstances where these principles are absent, but perhaps at play to some degree in the background. I didn’t have parents who followed these principles, yet I was able to dig down deep and define what I wanted in life and pursue it. However, I wouldn’t recommend rolling the dice with your children by failing to employ every asset in your parenting arsenal to stack the deck in favor of your child’s future.
I grew up in circumstances quite different from those I trumpet on these pages, and yet somehow found a successful future in spite of it. My life’s circumstances led me on a journey that took its inevitable detours, but it’s my life story and I’m sticking to it! Just so you have a little background and can understand better where I’m coming from, here’s my story.
I grew up in an encouragement vacuum. My parents had four kids, and I assumed my place tucked right in the middle at number three. As a child of the 1950s and 1960s and the conventional worldview of parenting in quasi-Christian homes during that era, my parents were busy with the social priorities of their all-American suburban lives.
As far as spirituality and growing up, I remember two things vividly about God. I remember being in Sunday school at maybe four or five years old and singing “Jesus Loves Me This I Know,” and completely believing it was true. Whoever Jesus was, I knew He loved me. The other thing I recall was thinking to myself when I was about six that I didn’t ever want to die and if there was a way to live forever, I was going to find it.
I grew up attending the Episcopal Church. I learned all about the life of Jesus, but I never knew Him in a personal way and I didn’t know He could live in my heart. I enjoyed church. The mystery and beauty of the liturgy, the candles and communion, the fragrant flowers, beautiful stained glass, and impressive organ music all contributed to my feeling of awe about God and awareness of my insignificance. Our church had beautiful stone
floors so your footsteps echoed as you walked along. I loved the hymns we sang and the readings from the Book of Common Prayer and the mystery of taking communion. I knew God was contained in all those things, but I didn’t sense a clear pathway to meet Him. It was His house after all, but how did you take Him home?
To her credit, my mom had us kneel by our beds every night to say the Lord’s Prayer and blessings over the family. My grandfather was a man of strong faith. He used to read Bible stories to us when we stayed over, and he would make them come alive. We would beg him for just one more! He would write in his Bible and underline scripture, something I take after him in. We could often find Grandpa stretched out over the couch in his office praying for what seemed like hours. We always knew not to disturb him during those times. He was not a perfect man by any means but those things I witnessed in him. His love for God and his devotion to his church and family have stuck with me all these years.
My childhood was pleasant with the typical ups and downs but no major traumas or tragedies. I rarely heard words that affirmed my value and potential or words encouraging me to believe the world was my oyster and I could be anything I wanted to be. There were lots of arguments between my parents and all the siblings. Expectations were high of course, but there was precious little praise and encouragement to attain them and far too much criticism. Somewhere in adolescence my self-esteem began to suffer, and I no longer felt comfortable sharing openly with my parents. My future lacked any kind of shape with no real direction. I didn’t have a clear cut path to run on with lots of support and nurturing. So I floated through high school. I floated through four colleges in two years. I was adrift with no focus and no goals.
I knew from the time I was a little girl that I loved to sing. It was my one passion, and I did what I could to develop my singing in high school. I joined the choir and did the yearly high school musical. We happened to have a wonderful and dedicated voice teacher at my high school, so I took advantage of her lessons. But I was pretty much on my own in my pursuit of music.
I asked my mom years later why she never pushed me or encouraged me in music and her response was fairly typical for her generation. She felt if it was really something I wanted to do, I’d pull myself up by my own initiative and make it happen. Actually, she was right. It’s exactly what I did, but I think I would have avoided a great many pitfalls along the way if I’d had her support.
As it happened, I discovered musical theater when I turned twenty. I began working in a local community theater where I lived in New Jersey and in two years performed in more than fifteen productions. I got a crash course in musical theater to say the least! I stumbled on an article in a magazine about goal setting and because it made logical sense to me, I started setting some practical goals. Not long after, I was auditioning for roles in New York City. I got my Actors’ Equity card and started doing lots of regional theater, actually surviving as a working
actor—barely.
I began working with an agent, and he secured me an audition for the Broadway national tour of The King and I starring Yul Brynner. My audition was for the role of the understudy for the part of “Anna,” played by Deborah Kerr in the movie. I was a young actress in my twenties, and this was by far the biggest thing that had come along for me. To make a long story short, I got the role of the understudy and happily packed my steamer trunk and went out on the road. I faithfully rehearsed my part never thinking I would ever really get the chance to perform. But when preparation meets opportunity, miracles can happen!
Life Comes at You Fast
About two months into the run of the show, I arrived at the theater around 7:15 p.m. for the 8:00 p.m. curtain only to find out the leading lady was sick and I was going on for the first time as the leading lady in forty-five minutes! I knew my part well but had never worn the costumes or handled the props, let alone been onstage with Yul Brynner! I was freaking out, but I had to focus and get ready. The night turned out well and I got to perform the role of Anna for two weeks while the leading lady was out with pneumonia. In the end, Yul Brynner (who not only starred in the show but was also one of its producers) preferred me in the role so he bought out the leading lady’s contract and offered me the role of a lifetime! It was an amazing time for me. I was privileged to play the part of Anna more than a thousand times, before more than a million theatergoers, over the next two-and-a-half years!
The best part of the entire experience though, was meeting my husband, Mike. He joined the tour about six months into the run of the show as the associate conductor and, as he likes to say, we literally fell in love across the footlights!
After performing eight shows a week for the next two-and-ahalf years, we left the tour, moved back to New York City, got married, bought a little condo in Greenwich Village and began our new life together. A year later, we found ourselves answering an altar call and giving our hearts to the Lord. Franny was born a year later, and we thoroughly enjoyed our new little family amid all the excitement of living and working in the hustle and bustle of New York’s music and theater world.
It wasn’t long, though, before we began to feel the tug on our hearts to lay down the business we had worked so hard to find our way in and follow what God had in store for us next. Bucking conventional wisdom, but following what we believed was God’s best for our family, we eventually left New York and our careers behind to embark on building a new life that included moving to the suburbs, starting a new business, and homeschooling our little girl.
Meet My Husband, Mike
Mike comes from a family without a rich musical heritage. In his case, however, his parents were very encouraging and supported his early interest in music. They purchased the finest musical instruments they could afford, drove him to weekly trumpet lessons at the Juilliard School preparatory division, and sacrificed to send him to National Music Camp in Interlochen, Michigan, during the summer. He later graduated from Interlochen Arts Academy, received his bachelor’s degree from the Eastman School of Music, and went on to earn his master’s and doctorate in music. He was a studio musician and played trumpet and flugelhorn in Broadway pit orchestras and musically directed and conducted on Broadway, on national tour, and at Radio City Music Hall. In his case, he was the first in his family who expressed any gifting in music. Often children inherit their parents’ gifts and carry on the family business, and other times they plow new ground.
With both her parents involved in musical theater professionally, you could say Francesca was destined to go into the arts, and specifically music. It was more likely in her case because of the very musical environment in which she was raised, not to mention being thrown into the deep end of her parent’s gene pool! But not every child’s course is as easy to recognize.
With our daughter, obviously she inherited gifts and talent in music and the performing arts. Our job was to take those gifts and give them shape; give her opportunities to be trained in those areas; and expose her to teachers, classes, and mentors who would take her where God called her to go. We couldn’t assume she was going to follow exactly in our footsteps. And we had to make sure she knew her gifts and talents weren’t what defined her. We were going to love her no matter what life she chose. We had to seek God for His wisdom in her unique expression of her gifts in the performing arts. Our part was to mine those gifts and talents, and her part was to be diligent with what God entrusted to her. Success doesn’t happen by accident. It takes years of hard work.
I believe if we seek Him, God is faithful to put a dream in parents’ hearts for their children. He gives us a sense as they grow. Sometimes it’s just an inkling that turns into a knowing, and over time becomes a certainty. He entrusts the dream to us and gives us the responsibility to dig it out and give it shape. Kids don’t become successful adults by accident.
Success and Environment
In Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers, he writes: People don’t rise from nothing. We do owe something to parentage and patronage. The people who stand before kings may look like they did it all by themselves. But in fact they are invariably the beneficiaries of hidden advantages and extraordinary opportunities and cultural legacies that allow them to learn and work hard and make sense of the world in ways others cannot. It makes a difference where and when we grew up. The culture we belong to and the legacies passed down by our forebears shape the patterns of our achievement in ways we cannot begin to imagine. It’s not enough to ask what successful people are like, in other words. It is only by asking where they are from that we can unravel the logic behind who succeeds and who doesn’t.4
The first place your child is from is you. You will have the biggest impact on his future. How you live, how you love, how you handle money, what you do in your free time, and the standard of integrity and honesty you set in your life—all these things and many more will shape your child into the adult he will become. You alone can give him the “hidden advantages and extraordinary opportunities,” and as you seek the Lord, He’ll show them to you.
How many families do you know whose adult children can’t seem to commit to their own future? And parents who don’t have a clue as to how to guide them? There is a culture of drift all around us—adults with no goals or dreams who are living out their lives in mediocre jobs, having little impact on society. If parents abdicate their responsibility and give it over to the school system or the church, they contribute to the drift. We aren’t supposed to be going nowhere. Destiny connotes a destination. But God won’t do it for you. You have to do it in partnership with God.
Who you are is going to shape who your child becomes. If education is important to you, you will raise your child expecting him to go to college and get good grades, barring any serious learning disabilities. If learning to manage money is important in your family then you will teach your child about budgeting at an early age and require him to earn the money to buy the things he wants and get a job when he is old enough. If parents
are extravagant in their spending their kids will be too! If sports are important in your family, you will set an example by making exercise a priority and being available to coach your child and take him to games and sporting events. If the arts are your passion, you will expose him to great music, museums, ballet, and theatrical productions. If you believe there is greatness in your child, you will find it and find ways to mine it!
It’s All in the Name
When Franny was a preteen, I became curious about what her name meant. I knew that Battistelli meant “to hit the stars” and I wondered what the name Francesca meant. So I looked it up at the bookstore in one of those baby name books. I found out the name Francesca means “free.” I was stunned! It was one more confirmation of what I was beginning to sense about her future, and I excitedly told her and Mike what I’d found. Her name
meant “free to hit the stars.” Talk about a prophetic picture! I was able to encourage her and remind her during down times just what her name meant and the destiny it conveyed.
Personality—Who Is She Like?
One thing that fascinated me when my daughter was young was the difference in our personalities. I’m pretty steady emotionally, calm, cool, and very practical and unsentimental. I love home, family, and the homemaking arts such as cooking, gardening, and so on. My husband is more of a type-A personality. He is a leader, strong-willed, and independent with a strong work ethic and a dedication to personal integrity. Our daughter isn’t exactly like either of us. She is sensitive, emotional, analytical, introverted, and a bit of a perfectionist. She has pieces of both of us but not a full distillation of either mom or dad.
God gave her a unique personality and our job was to parent who she was, not who we may have wanted her to be. Also, we had to be mindful not to superimpose our unfulfilled dreams onto her life. Remember, we had achieved a measure of success in the music and musical theater worlds. It would have been easy to assume she would follow in our footsteps and go into the theater in order to fill up some leftover longing or regret in us. Actually, in our case, knowing what we knew about that world, we purposely tried to steer her away from “the business” early on and focus her on dance. However, by the time she was eleven, she was already involved in professional theater here in Orlando, Florida. She even got mom to be in several shows with her! Often, the acorn doesn’t fall far from the tree!
If your children are young, then now is the time to really be seeking God about their future. It’s never too early to begin, in fact, the earlier the better! You probably already have an idea what their gifts and talents are. Ask God to give you a glimpse into their future. He will lead you step by step as you seek His wisdom in raising your unique child.
There is so much more in our children than we realize, and they are capable of far more than we give them credit for. There are precious metals and rare jewels deep inside your child. You will have to dig them out, but it will be well worth it when you launch them out into life knowing you did everything you could to equip them for success. And by success I mean doing what God has called them to do with passion and purpose and with Christ at the center. Perhaps God will call them into fulltime ministry as a missionary. Maybe He’ll give them a platform in Christian music to influence other young people to pursue God with passion and purity. Maybe your child is called to be a political leader, teacher, business owner, or inventor of something that will change the world. Maybe your daughter wants more than anything to grow up and be a mom, a noble and worthy goal. Whatever God shows you, believe it and get moving. Nothing is more exciting than partnering with God!
Questions to Ask Yourself
Has God given you a dream deep inside for your child?
What gifts and talents is your child expressing?What has God put in your heart about your child’s future?
What personality traits have you observed?
What practical steps can you take to train your child, both in godly principles and in helping them achieve his dreams?
Are you being proactive about your child’s future or are you letting him drift?
Do you believe that greatness resides in your child?
Prayer
Lord, I come humbly before You with wonder and amazement at the precious gift of my child that You have entrusted
to me. The course of this life is in Your hands, and I ask for wisdom and discernment in raising him. Help me to
uncover all the gifts, talents, and callings You have placed deep inside him. I know my child is fearfully and wonderfully
made, and I am excited to discover all You created him to be. Help me to be the parent he needs me to be and to have the ability to equip him to fulfill every dream in Your heart for him. Give me eyes to see and ears to hear as I raise him. Help me to be an example of integrity, humility, honesty, and diligence in all that I do. I pray this in Jesus’s name!

FIRST: The Gospel Story Bible

2012-01-13T18:49:00.000-08:00

It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old...or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!

You never know when I might play a wild card on you!

Today's Wild Card author is:

Marty Machowski

Illustrated by:

A. E. Macha

and the book:

The Gospel Story Bible:

Discovering Jesus in the Old and New Testaments

New Growth Press (December 5, 2011)

***Special thanks to Audra Jennings – The B&B Media Group – for sending me a review copy.***

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Marty Machowski is a Family Life Pastor at Covenant Fellowship Church, a Sovereign Grace Ministries church in Glen Mills, Pennsylvania, where he has served on the pastoral staff for twenty-three years. Marty leads Promise Kingdom, the children’s ministry of Covenant Fellowship. He is also the author of Long Story Short: Ten-Minute Devotions to Draw Your Family to God and the forthcoming Gospel Story Sunday school curriculum. He and his wife Lois and their six children reside in West Chester, Pennsylvania.

Visit the author's Facebook Page.

ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR:

I have never been the best at anything. This has given me the freedom to really enjoy alot of things; perfection is not on the line. So my drawing is not clean, my patchwork corners don’t really match up, and my cooking is always an adventure. I was raised by a single mom who has an exhausting amount of creative energy. My brother and I were taught how to create our own entertainment and seek adventure in the everyday.

When I was in Jr High, both my parents remarried and let’s just say things have never been boring. A foster brother, two step sisters, and a half brother were added to the mix. I have aunts and uncles who have been beyond generous and helped raise me in many ways. I have been blessed to travel overseas and even live in Prague for six months. My dad and stepmom run a special needs home in Guatemala where I have spent time and really fallen in love with the culture. My brother and his wife run a shoe company out of Guatemala. Everywhere I have been, even a dirt floor hut in the hills of Guatemala, there has been art: design and color. I believe as humans we are created in the image of The Creator, and so we all have some creative effort to put forth.

I have a BFA in Illustration because after all the studio classes one takes to finish an Art Education degree, I found what I really like to do is draw. I doodle. Alot.

Presently, I am married with two little ones, living in the Germantown section of Philadelphia. I teach art part time at a sweet little christian school, grow tomatoes and beets, and sew or draw when I get the chance.

My first illustration project is coming out in the fall, 156 illustrated Bible stories in the “Gospel Story Bible” by Marty Machowski, published by New Growth Press.

Visit the illustrator's Website.

SHORT BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Sometimes it’s easy to forget Jesus in the midst of frantic schedules, family squabbles and conflicting priorities. For many Christians, God often becomes little more than an afterthought after days absorbed and depleted by the busyness of life. But the truth is that he is the hero of every story—including the mundane, ordinary ones we experience on a regular basis. That is why Marty Machowski beckons families to take time out from the daily grind to be transformed by the message of the Good News in his latest release, The Gospel Story Bible: Discovering Jesus in the Old and New Testaments (New Growth Press, November 2011).

Based on the ESV Bible, this uniquely illustrated Bible storybook uses 156 stories to present God’s plan of salvation in Christ from its opening narrative in Genesis to its finale in Revelation. This easy-to-read storybook written for children from preschool to high school introduces readers to many captivating people, places and events from the Bible’s Old and New Testaments. At the same time, Machowski skillfully connects the individual stories to the overall gospel narrative of how God redeemed a broken world through sending his son Jesus to save his people. Each story ends by connecting to Jesus and his gospel of grace. By sharing these Bible stories with each other, young and old will learn together the life-changing habit of recognizing the presence and workings of Christ in every moment of their day.

“The gospel is deep enough to keep the oldest and wisest parents learning and growing all their lives, yet simple enough to change the heart of the first grader who has just begun to read,” says Machowski. “That’s what makes The Gospel Story Bible ideal as a storybook for a preschooler, a devotional for a grade school student, a refresher for the adult believer or an introduction for the new one. Parents and children will learn together to read the whole Bible as one story, with one hero—Jesus Christ.”

Vibrant illustrations by A. E. Macha, child-friendly discussion questions and Scripture references accompany each story to help lead families in exploring the Bible. Parents and teachers will be delighted to discover how easily even a young child can understand the original text of a story that he or she has already come to love. A companion to the family devotional Long Story Short: Ten-Minute Devotions to Draw Your Family to God and the soon-to-be-released Gospel Story Sunday school curriculum (February 2012), The Gospel Story Bible is also a great resource for churches, Sunday school classes, home-schoolers and Christian schools who want to teach their children to apply the gospel to every situation and make Jesus the most important part of their everyday lives.

Product Details:

List Price: $29.99
Hardcover: 328 pages
Publisher: New Growth Press (December 5, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1936768127
ISBN-13: 978-1936768127

AND NOW...Some Sample Pages (click images to see them larger):

FIRST: Ten by Terry Smith

2012-01-11T19:56:00.000-08:00

Today's Wild Card author is:

Terry A. Smith

and the book:

Ten: How Would You Rate Your Life?

HigherLife Publishing (November 10, 2011)

***Special thanks to
Audra Jennings – The B&B Media Group – for sending me a review copy.***

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Terry A. Smith has served as a lead pastor of the Life Christian Church for twenty years. TLCC is a nondenominational faith community in West Orange, NJ, serving the New York City metro area. Terry is a cofounder of the New York City Leadership Center and an instructor in its Leadership Fellows program. A gifted communicator, Terry speaks in a variety of venues nationally and internationally. He is passionate about challenging, developing, and encouraging leaders.

Visit the author's website.

SHORT BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Many of us dream of living a richer and more significant life—the kind of fulfilling life that, when rated on the scale of one to ten, would score a definitive ten. Inviting us to awaken to the TEN Life is the theme of a new book by Terry A. Smith, lead pastor of The Life Christian Church in West Orange, New Jersey. A gifted communicator, Terry is a national and international speaker with a passion for challenging and encouraging others, especially those who are completely unaware of their own unique power and potential.

Based on the tenth verse of the tenth chapter in the Book of John, Ten: How Would You Rate Your Life? (Higher Life Development Services, Inc) is a guide to living the life God dreams for us. “We can only know life in all its fullness,” he explains, “if we live the life God dreams for us. And part of the TEN experience is to try to figure out what that means for each of us as individuals.” Smith’s easy-going style of writing, coupled with his broad scope of reference, makes the book appealing to any reader wanting to create a richer quality of life.

Product Details:

List Price: $24.95

Hardcover: 272 pages
Publisher: HigherLife Publishing (November 10, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1935245503
ISBN-13: 978-1935245506

:

AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER:

The Future Is in You

A really cool thing happened to me recently. I was at the ESPN Zone at Times Square for a Cotchery Foundation benefit. Th e Cotchery Foundation was founded by Mercedes and Jerricho Cotchery. Jerricho is a star wide receiver for the New York Jets. He and Mercedes are friends of mine, and I was at this event to support them and the causes they care about. Oh—and I’m a big football fan.

On this night, the Cotchery Foundation was raising a lot of money for several causes, but the primary beneficiary was Pride Academy Charter School. Pride Academy is located in East Orange, New Jersey. East Orange sits in the shadow of Newark and is plagued by severe problems in its educational system—problems all too common to urban America. Th e hope is that a successful charter school like Pride Academy will make a powerful difference in the future of many kids and the future of the community itself.

So I’m standing there in a crush of people, many of them fans who had donated in order to be there. They were given the opportunity to hang out with Jerricho, some of his teammates, and other celebrities. Lots of autographs were being signed.

A woman kind of forced her way over to me. Th e two beaming young girls at her side were about ten or eleven years old. “I want to meet you,” she said, “and these girls said that you were the celebrity they want to meet tonight.” I laughed. Politely? I thought I had been confused—again—for an old retired lineman. Big guy. Shaved head. Still eating to gain weight but not working out enough anymore. Celebrity? Ha! The last autograph I signed was the signature line of a personal check.

“No,” she smiled, “we know who you are.” Then the girls introduced themselves and started to thank me. They attend Pride Academy. The woman was the principal.

So what did this have to do with me?

Well, I am the senior pastor of The Life Christian Church in West Orange, New Jersey, a fairly prosperous suburb of Newark and New York City. A young woman named Rose Mary Dumenigo attends our church. Rose Mary says that she was so inspired by the message in my weekend talks that she decided—along with three other women—to create Pride Academy Charter School.

Rose Mary was a schoolteacher in Newark. She was pouring her life into kids, as do most teachers, but felt stuck in a system that didn’t work. She wanted more. She heard me say—over and over—that we have the God-given ability to create new realities. She believed me. She started a school. Kids’ lives are being saved.

Enter Jerricho and Mercedes Cotchery. In one of our weekend celebrations, Mercedes experienced a presentation about a serving opportunity at Pride Academy. She was inspired to get involved. She started RESH 180, a mentoring program where she teaches the students values that provide the foundation for life success. She has rallied many other volunteers to serve at Pride Academy. The Cotchery Foundation has raised a lot of money to help this school succeed.

And I got to be a celebrity—at least in the minds of two beautiful kids—for about sixty seconds.

But that’s not the point. The point is that I’ve had a lot of people, though usually in less dramatic ways, tell me that the message they hear me share again and again and again has changed their lives and the lives of people around them.

What is that message? Well . . . here it is. I hope it impacts your life too.

The future is in you now.

Most of us have some awareness of the future that is in us. We have moments when we catch our breath in wonder as we briefly glimpse possibilities vastly preferred over our past and present. We intuit something great and grand and from God percolating just beneath the surface of our lives.

We can become fully awake to this future. We can bring this future from the nebulous realm of the subconscious into the world of the conscious. We can move the mystery toward the intentional. Once we do, we can partner with God to create the tomorrow He has dreamed for us—the future we were made for. We can create our God-inspired futures.

God-inspired futures are futures that are better, best, preferred. But God does not force these futures on us. He allows us to choose whether to actualize them. We can cooperate with Him in the continuing act of creating the life and the world He envisioned. And we can experience more and more what He made in the beginning, before terrible human choices messed everything up.

I want this preferred future God planned for each of us and for those we love. I’m not only referring to future generations—opportunities that only our children or even their children will be able to experience. I am talking about imminent futures, eventualities that we can all witness sooner rather than later.

I want to help you conceive and birth the futures—yours and others’— that are gestating in you but are yet unborn. Countless lives are waiting to be changed. There are always new futures waiting to live.

Dr. Thomas P. Barnett, former advisor to the Office of the Secretary of Defense of the United States, was tasked with the burdensome responsibility of studying the future of the world. He writes about the need “to imagine a future worth creating” and to “actually try to build it.”1 He says, “I choose to see it as a moral responsibility—a duty to leave our children a better world.”2

If someone has the ability to imagine a better future and holds the power to create it, then he or she is morally responsible to do just that. We all have facing us incredible potentialities that can cause an entire new reality to exist. When we consider these possibilities, common and moral sense should direct us toward purposeful action.

We must take the actions necessary to bring about the promptings in our hearts. In the New Testament, James talks about the worthlessness of knowing the good we ought to do and not doing it. He says it is a sin (Jas. 4:17). If opportunities lie dormant in our minds and are never actualized, we are living inferior lives. Purposeful inaction is a detriment to the future of our world.

Donald Miller wrote a beautiful book about how to write a better story with our lives. He said, “A character who wants something and overcomes conflict to get it is the basic structure of a good story.”3 Profound. I think “living a good story” is a loaded proposition. One part of “good” is “interesting.” We should live interesting stories. The more important part of “good” is “moral.” It is not enough to live an interesting story; there must be a moral to our story. What great story does not have a moral conflict?

Who can say what is moral? What authority determines what is good? I am a Christian. My understanding of morality is premised on the Judeo-Christian worldview. Whether or not your worldview is the same as mine, I think we can agree that there is a difference between right and wrong, good and evil. And I hope you’ll keep reading. Whether you are a Christ follower or not, I hope that we can agree that we can create a “good” future together.

Anyone who thinks one thing should be done rather than another has acknowledged a “moral ought.” Keep the law. Help the poor. Save the trees. This “ought to” is rooted in the idea that better, best, and preferred must be practiced in a moral context.

There has been a common understanding of morality throughout time even though it has been expressed uniquely through various cultures at various times. I believe, as do other people of faith, that this implies the existence of a moral lawgiver: God—the Creator of conscience. He gave us the ability to discern right and wrong.

And I believe that the future we are responsible to create must be pursued with the idea of what’s right and what’s good deeply impressed in our minds. This guarantees that our stories will be filled with moral conflict. Good.

One of the greatest moral conflicts in American history was the struggle for the abolition of slavery. William Seward was a New York state senator (1830–1834), state governor (1838–1842), and the leading candidate in the Republican Party for the 1860 presidential nomination. He was defeated by the relatively unknown Abraham Lincoln. Seward, however, decided to continue serving his country during a time of tremendous moral crisis by accepting President Lincoln’s invitation to become secretary of state.

During his earlier years as a United States senator, Seward set a moral momentum toward ending slavery by advocating an allegiance to “higher law.” He acknowledged that some believed that the United States Constitution permitted, or perhaps ignored, slavery. In a famous speech to the Senate, Seward said, “But there is a higher law than the Constitution.” He then made a future-changing argument, based on moral law, against the inglorious institution of slavery.4

President Lincoln was influenced mightily by Seward’s concept of a higher, moral law. He coupled that philosophy with his own strong conviction that the basis of American independence—that all men are created equal—came directly from God Himself. The argument against slavery was essentially a moral argument for a better future for a nation and its people. This concept was anchored in God’s mandate for the equality of every human being, a partial motive for the Civil War, which won freedom for millions of formerly enslaved people and their progeny.

When Richmond, Virginia, the capital of the Confederate States of America, fell to Union forces on April 3, 1865, Lincoln and his entourage showed up the next day. They walked dangerously through the streets of the city—now golden streets—echoing the voice of freedom as throngs of newly freed slaves flocked the vicinity of the defeated capital. The emancipated surrounded the Great Emancipator with such force and determination that the soldiers guarding him were helpless in keeping them at a safe distance. With great passion, this group sang the president’s praises, hailing him as their Messiah, shouting, “Glory, hallelujah!”

Lincoln knew better than to accept such acclamation. He responded, “Don’t kneel to me; that is not right. You must kneel to God only, and thank him for the liberty you will hereafter enjoy.”5 While Lincoln was used as an instrument to unfold the preferred futures of people who had never tasted the fruits of freedom, he knew that this better future came from God, the highest law.

So, the future is in us.

And not just any future. It is the future that God has planned for us and our world.

We are responsible to bring this future out of the realm of the unseen and into the world of the seen and lived.

And we can. We can create a better future for ourselves and others.

If we really want to.

I received the the download for my kindle a couple of days ago, so review will come soon!

Christmas Thanks

2011-12-23T08:48:00.000-08:00

I haven't posted a thankful list since Thanksgiving, so I'm a little behind!! I had started this post the first week of December.

I missed my thankfulness post last week. So here I am almost a week later and I am missing a thankful heart. This was my prayer earlier this evening...
Lord, Thank you for the chaos in my life. For three beautiful, crazy kids. Thank you that I can hold my dear baby when he is teething and over-tired and needing comfort. Thank you for microwaves, so I can reheat my cold dinner. Thank you that my 2 older ones are playing so nicely while I am distracted. Thank you for praise music that I can play while I am walking back and forth with the little one. Thank you for loving me even in my frustration and sin. Thank you for your peace.

Here is my Christmas thanksgiving list:
122. my sister in Christ, Maaria
123. courage of secret believers
124. Christmas trees
125. the smell of pine
126. Christmas lights
127. the privilege of reaching out to the unsaved
128. prayer
129. Christmas eve services
130. Having Christmas on a Sunday
131. Being able to see so much of my family over the coming holidays!
132. pecan tarts
133. buckeyes
134. magic bars
135. new recipes
136. surprises
137. dollar stores
138. memories
139. Christmas music
140. shopping with Martin
141. Laughing
142. Crosby being the perfect shopping baby
143. that pink eye only got 2 of the 5 of us, and is healing quickly!
144. shopping with mom
145. good test results for brother-in-law
146. nativity scenes
147. joyful anticipation
148. children's excitement
149. the many names of Jesus
150. the mother of Jesus, Mary's faithful and willing obedience
151. Immanuel, God with Us
152. His Peace
153. and Hope
154. Papa Claus (my dad, the kids' nicknamed him this last year)
155. freedom to celebrate Christmas
156. school vacation
...........I know that I have lots more to say, this was all written in one session!

FIRST: Everyday Spiritual Warfare

2011-12-16T07:27:00.000-08:00

Today's Wild Card author is:

Amy Barkman

and the book:

Everyday Spiritual Warfare

Next Step Books (September 8, 2011)

***Special thanks to Christy Delliskave of Next Step Books for sending me a review copy.***

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Amy Barkman is the Director of Voice of Joy Ministries, a member of the American Association of Christian Counselors, and the pastor of Mortonsville United Methodist church. She and her husband Gary live in Danville, KY and together have seven children, thirteen grandchildren, and one great grandson. Amy loves to read and to travel.

Visit the author's website.

SHORT BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Everyday Spiritual Warfare gives practical knowledge for victorious living in a fallen world. Rev. Barkman has shared this wisdom in workshops, retreats, and sermons in several states over the past few decades. Both new and mature Christians have found the material very helpful in their walk with the Lord Jesus Christ.

“This is a helpful manual that reminds the Body of Christ of the tremendous responsibility and awesome power we have through the Holy Spirit. Enjoy this book from Amy Barkman and be empowered to step out and up in Faith.” - Dr. Stephen and Kellie Swisher, Kenneth Copeland Ministries

Product Details:

List Price: $12.99
Paperback: 246 pages
Publisher: Next Step Books (September 8, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1937671003
ISBN-13: 978-1937671006

AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER:

Spiritual Warfare Principles I

Praise the Lord for His mercy endureth forever.

II Chronicles 20:21

I came up out of the baptismal waters with eager anticipation. Rising to newness of life - what a relief. But as soon as I got to the changing room it was obvious that my extra twenty pounds rose with me. And the straight auburn hair I’d longed for all my life had not replaced my curly brown tresses. Within an hour there was no question about the desire to smoke a cigarette passing away; it didn’t. By the end of the month the blood test proved that my triglyceride level was still as high as ever. “Hey God, what happened? I thought you said all things would be made new.”

There’s a story in the Bible that reminds me of the way I felt after my baptism.

The Nation of Judah settled in the land that God promised them. And most of their enemies were destroyed in battle. But one day three armies showed up to surround them.

King Jehoshaphat called a fast and they all went to God in prayer. They said, in essence, “Hey, God, what happened? Here are three armies come to destroy us. They are from the three tribes you wouldn’t let us destroy when we came into this land. We don’t have any power against them so we’re looking to you. You do something!”

One day, many years after my disappointing baptismal experience, I was reading this story and the Holy Spirit whispered to me, “Look up the meaning of the names of those three armies.” So I did. The three armies are Moab, Ammon, and Mt. Seir.

Moab means “of the father,” Ammon means “tribal,” and Mt. Seir means “goat or devil.” Light dawned into my mind concerning the plight of the reborn, new creature in Christ that is the true Church.

We who accept Jesus Christ as our savior are born again. We begin a brand new life – the promised land. And just by that act of receiving Jesus as Savior, we defeat more enemies than we can imagine. But there are three enemies that are left in our promised land. Three armies that come against us to destroy.

Moab, “of the father," is symbolic of the genetic conditions we inherit in our bodies and personalities. When we are born again we do not get a new body but are stuck with the DNA given to us.

Ammon, “tribal,” is symbolic of the cultural situation into which we are born.

When we are born again, we are not transported into a perfect society but are bombarded all our lives with the evils in the world around us.

Mt. Seir, “goat or devil,” is symbolic of the forces of the devil who comes to kill, steal, and destroy. When we are born again, we are not automatically placed out of reach of the enemy.

We are born again children of God with the new life He promised but these three armies want to destroy us. And here they are – right in the promised land – genetic inheritance, cultural surroundings, and the devil with his destructive forces.

You may ask, “Why doesn’t God get rid of these enemies for us?” The answer is simple. He will. God did not leave these three enemy armies here so they could destroy us. He says to us, just as He said to His chosen people centuries ago, “… Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s” (II Chronicles 20:15).

His plan is to overcome them.

Paul wrote “… we are more than conquerors through him that loved us” (Romans 8:37).

What does it mean to be more than a conqueror? The Greek word means preeminently victorious, or a winner before you even enter the battle. Wow! That’s good news indeed. And that is what God wants us to understand and practice.

But the way of winning battles through God is not the way of the world. “The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds” (II Cor. 10:4). There are some basic principles of spiritual warfare and we have to learn them if we are going to be winners in life. The first, and most important, principle is:

ONLY GOD CAN SUCCESSFULLY DEFEAT EVIL

This doesn’t mean there is nothing you can do. God’s Instruction Book, the Bible, is full of exhortations such as, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you” (James 4:7) and “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil” (Ephesians 6:11). You are to resist the devil and stand against his schemes.

But did you notice? When your battle against the devil is mentioned, your relationship with God is also mentioned. You can’t win against evil in your own strength. But God won’t win in this physical realm without your cooperation.

When the nation of Judah sought the Lord for help against the armies that came to destroy them, they were told to present themselves but not to fight. Their response was to put a group of singers in the forefront of the army. Order of presentation was a way of protection in ancient times. The strong men, who were trained and able to fight, were at the forefront when meeting an opposing force, with the women, children, elderly and weak at the rear in the place of protection.

This time, however, the strong fighting men were among those being protected and the singers and praisers, which may have included women and children, went out first. We are told that when they began to sing and to praise God for His mercy, the Lord Himself caused the three armies to be defeated.

This story illustrates several principles of spiritual warfare. The first is evident and stated above … only God can successfully defeat evil.

“Through God we shall do valiantly: for he it is that shall tread down our enemies” (Psalm 108:13).

The second basic principle of spiritual warfare is:

PRAISING GOD BRINGS HIM ON THE SCENE

This principle is illustrated in the story we just examined. When the tribe of Judah praised God for His mercy to them, He showed no mercy to their enemies but caused them to be destroyed. “And when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten” (II Chronicles 20:22).

King David, from an earlier time in the history of God’s people, mentioned this principle in several of his songs. He sang, “I will sing praise to thy name, O thou most High. When mine enemies are turned back, they shall fall and perish at thy presence” (Psalm 9: 2, 3). When David sang praises to the name of God, He showed up in person.

What does it mean to sing praises to the Name of God? In today’s society, we have largely lost the understanding of names. When ancient men talked about the name of something or someone, they were talking about its or their essential nature or character.

God revealed Himself to Israel throughout the centuries by His Names through His actions. He revealed Himself, His essential nature, His character, as

Jehovah Jireh – the Lord your Provider

Jehovah Rapha – the Lord your Healer

Jehovah Tsidkenu- the Lord your

Righteousness

Jehovah Rohi – the Lord your Shepherd

Jehovah Shalom – the Lord your Peace

He revealed other aspects of Himself through names and eventually revealed Himself as Jesus – the Lord your Salvation.

When we praise His name, we are to be praising that aspect of Himself that we need to see active in our situation. Jesus quoted Psalm 8: 2, “Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings has thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.” He quoted it on the occasion that we know as Palm Sunday when the chief priests and scribes were upset because the children were crying out, “Hosanna to the son of David” (Matthew 21: 15,16).

Hosanna is a word which means “Save.” By shouting out that word to Him, the children were recognizing Jesus as the Messiah, the Savior - and the religious people didn’t like it. Jesus then quoted Psalm 8, but instead of saying, “out of the mouths of children you have ordained strength”, He said, “out of the mouths of children you have ordained praise.” Jesus equated strength and praise, validating this principle that your battles are won by God as you praise Him for His mercy toward you in that area.

Some people say “Praise the Lord!” a lot. And there is certainly nothing wrong with saying that, but think about it. If you are going to praise a family member or friend, you don’t just say “Praise Richard!” or “Praise Tracy!” You say “Richard has a wonderful sense of humor.” Or “Tracy is very generous and kind.” So it should be with God. To truly praise Him is to announce gratitude for His specific acts and attributes. And most often it will be as the army of Judah proclaimed, “Praise the Lord for His mercy endures forever.”

One problem in our society that keeps us from understanding this principle is our picture of God as separate from us, doling out punishment or reward from outside our world. Many see God as an old man sitting on a throne pointing a finger downward toward earth and shooting lightning bolts to affect the physical realm. We can’t praise Him if we don’t really understand what He is like.

The apostle John opens his gospel by giving us the true nature of God. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). God is Spirit, Jesus tells us in John 4:24. He is Person who defines Himself by concepts and ideas. The very meaning of the word Word is “thought expressed.” WORD becomes flesh and has ever since God defined and spoke the physical universe into existence with the concept “Light!” Light energy is the basic component for all physical existence. God and His Word are the source of all Life. When we understand that, we can praise Him for being the ongoing Creator.

This concept of God as Spirit and Word is too big for our finite minds to understand completely all at once. But when we plant the seed of understanding and let it grow, we will one day know why Jesus told us that the parable of the sower sowing the Word was necessary for understanding all He teaches (Mark 4:13, 24). God is Spirit and He defines Himself in words. Those spoken words change our circumstances. To praise Him for specific actions and attributes is to bring those actions and attributes into the physical realm. “It is the spirit that quickens; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I speak to you, they are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63).

We need to recognize that the devil and his followers are also spirit – evil spirits. They convey evil concepts - ideas and concepts that are contrary to the thoughts that God expresses to you through His Word. Just as we know God is not an old man sitting on a throne, the devil is not a man in a red suit holding a pitchfork, and evil spirits are not gargoyles. The Spirit realm, both good and evil, wants to affect the physical realm.

The more we understand God’s nature, the more we will praise Him, and the more we praise Him, the more we will see Him active in our lives.

The story of Jehoshaphat and the battle against the three armies illustrates a third principle.

EVIL ATTACKS ON THREE FRONTS

We’ve already looked at those three fronts in the account described in II Chronicles 20. Remember that in the Bible, names are very important because a name designates the nature of something. We often miss a lot of information that God wants to convey to us in His Word by not discovering what a person or group or place symbolizes.

The first thing I noticed the day the Lord was teaching me from this passage was that the third army is not mentioned at the beginning. “It came to pass after this also that the children of Moab, and the children of Ammon, and with them other beside the Ammonites, came against Jehoshaphat to battle” (II Chronicles 20:1).

Moab, representing our genetic inheritance, and Ammon, representing our cultural situation are identified right away. The third army is only mentioned as “and with them, other besides.” The group that came along with the first two armies isn’t named until verse 10.

“And now, behold, the children of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir, whom thou would not let Israel invade, when they came out of the land of Egypt …” Mount Seir comes along with those things that attack us through our birth and cultural situations in life. As we saw earlier, the name Mount Seir means “goat or devil” and represents evil spirits, devils, demons, messengers of the enemy.

Spiritual enemies, evil spirits or devils, cannot just attack you physically – they have no bodies; they come in with the inherited and cultural enemies of your perfect happiness and your perfect good. When something has been established in you through your family heritage or cultural situation, then spiritual evil comes along with it to create and insure a stronghold.

My father’s family has a history of blood lipid disorder so out of balance that it was reported in medical journals. My brother and sister and I were the subjects of experimental research to develop drugs to reduce blood lipids. I inherited this disorder as extremely high triglycerides. With medication and moderate obedience to dietary good sense, my triglycerides stay at a healthy level, for me. Without medication and eating right, I get very sick.

The proclivity to high triglycerides is a genetic thing (Moab); the wrong diet is a cultural thing (Ammon); and the enemy (Mount Seir) comes along with those things to kill, steal, and destroy my life and the ministry that the Lord Jesus wants to accomplish through me. But when I praise Him for His mercy and thank Him that He is my life and my health, I receive His health and restoration, even when I have been unwise.

When the people of Judah went to God with their plea for help, they reminded Him that He would not let them invade and destroy these three armies at the time they entered the promised land. He left these possible enemies in the land.

In the same way, when you became a Christian you did not get a new body with a new genetic makeup. You were not translated into a perfect society with perfect cultural habits.

You were left with your genetic and cultural situation in a place where evil spirits operate through these things to kill, steal, and destroy all that God has promised you. In other words, you are in a war against the flesh, the world, and the devil. And you can’t win.

But God can.

THINGS TO REMEMBER

Principles of Spiritual Warfare

Only God can successfully defeat evil.

Praising God brings Him on the scene.

Evil attacks on three fronts.

Scripture Truths
“Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s.” II Chronicles 20:15
“In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.” John 1:1

“And when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord sat ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten.” II Chronicles 20:22

“Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings has thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.” Psalm 8:2

“I will be glad and rejoice in thee: I will sing praise to thy name, O thou most High. When mine enemies are turned back, they shall fall and perish at thy presence.” Psalm 9:2,3
HE SENT HIS WORD AND HEALED THEM AND DELIVERED THEM FROM THEIR DESTRUCTIONS.

Everyday Spiritual Warfare

© 2011 by Amy Barkman

Published by Next Step Books, P.O. Box 70271, West Valley City, Utah 84170
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise – without written permission of the author, except for brief quotations in printed reviews.

All Scripture quotations are from the King James Version.

Barkman, Amy

Everyday Spiritual Warfare

ISBN-13: 978-1937671006

ISBN-10: 1937671003

Review to Come...

The Amish Nanny

2011-12-14T18:24:00.000-08:00

By Mindy Starns Clark and Leslie Gould

Ada Rupp grew up with an illness that held her back. Now she is 24, and her illness is under control. As she travels across the US for her sister's wedding, she likes the feel of freedom. She gives up hope of marrying her life-long love, Will Gundy, and loses the teaching job that she had her heart set. Ada then takes the opportunity to travel to Switzerland, to her ancestor's land with Daniel, a Mennonite who is fighting to save the land. While there she meets her birth mother and tries to figure out who she is and what she want in life.

I enjoyed this book. I am not one to read any and every Amish novel. I like them; I just don't seek them out. This book gives some great historical information about Amish and Mennonites; however, it also includes travel and non-Amish activities. This makes it very unique. The characters are very well developed, and I really liked all of them. I loved the travel and historical information included, and the love story was sweet and authentic. I would recommend this book without reservations!

FIRST: God Gave Us Love

2011-12-12T11:38:00.000-08:00

Today's Wild Card author is:

Lisa T. Bergren

and the book:

God Gave Us Love board book

WaterBrook Press; Brdbk edition (December 20, 2011)

***Special thanks to Laura Tucker, WaterBrook Multnomah Publicity, for sending me a review copy.***

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

LISA BERGREN is the best-selling, award-winning author of more than thirty books, with more than two million copies sold. A former publishing executive, she now splits her time working as a freelance editor and writer while parenting three children with her husband, Tim, and dreaming of the family’s next visit to Taos.

Visit the author's website.

SHORT BOOK DESCRIPTION:

As Little Cub and Grampa Bear’s fishing adventure is interrupted by mischievous otters, the young polar bear begins to question why we must love others… even the seemingly unlovable.

In answering her questions, Grampa Bear gives tender explanations that teach Little Cub about the different kinds of love that is shared between families, friends, and mamas and papas. Grampa explains that all these kinds of love come from God and that it is important to love others because…

“Any time we show love, Little Cub, we’re sharing a bit of his love.”

This sweet tale will warm the hearts of young children as they learn about all the different sorts of love, while the gentle explanations of each provide a valuable opportunity to encourage children to share with others a “God-sized love.” Now in a sturdy format, ideal for the littlest hands at storytime, bedtime, or anytime. Would make a great Christmas gift!

Product Details:

List Price: $6.99
Reading level: Ages 0 and up
Board book: 22 pages
Publisher: WaterBrook Press; Brdbk edition (December 20, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0307730271
ISBN-13: 978-0307730275

Here's an excerpt from the first book in the series: God Gave Us You (Board Book). (Click on images to see them larger):

This is a heartwarming conversation between Little Cub and her Grandpa polar bear. It teaches a powerful lesson about God's love for us. The fun illustrations follow the two bears throughout their day. There are many beautiful reminders in the book, and it is nice and colorful to share with little ones. I enjoyed reading this with my kids.
I received a free copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

Sneak Peak

2011-12-09T17:56:00.000-08:00

The Christmas Singing

An Amish Christmas book is a great way to get into the holiday spirit. You can read the first chapter here.

La Belle Christiane by Lyn Cote

2011-12-08T16:23:00.000-08:00

La Belle Christiane is set during the Revolutionary War. Christiane is the young and beautiful daughter of a famous French courtesan. She flees her life in France and travels through Canada and the United States meeting many hardships. She lives on the frontier, on a farm, on a battlefield, and among both the British elite and American leadership, eventually becoming a companion for Lady Washington herself. She is headstrong and restless: will she ever find lasting love and peace in this new world?

Lyn Cote is a talented author who not only writes stories but also paints vivid pictures of people and places. Reading this book was like watching a movie!
Honestly, though, I did not like Christiane's character. She is selfish and impulsive, and her rash decisions often led to turmoil for her and others. She leaves her infant son for years, while she is searching for a better life for herself, partly because she wants certain luxuries! As a mother, with an infant son, I cannot relate or understand that decision and at times Christiane's actions seemed unjustified or inconsistent with her character. In the Kindle edition that I read there were some typos and other inconsistencies. There was very little Christian theme or message.

I did enjoy the story. I loved the historical setting and the historical characters included. All of the historical detail (about places, people, clothing, etc) is extremely interesting. The story moves along quickly with a lot happening. The minor characters were as vivid as Christiane, and I liked all of them. My favorite scene is when Emma, a young lady with a hare lip, discovers that she is loved. The conversation was honest and heartwarming. I also appreciated the Quaker characters and the love they portrayed.

This one was good, but not my favorite. It is definitely worth reading for the historical aspect and it is only $2.99 on Amazon. I would recommend Lyn Cote's other books as well. See my review for Her Inheritance Forever.

My thanks to Lyn Cote for provided an e-copy in exchange for my honest review.

My Favorite Bible Giveaway

2011-12-07T11:28:00.000-08:00

Winner Chosen December 14
With the vibrant illustrations and engaging text in this Bible storybook, you can enjoy sharing the best-loved stories of the Bible with the children in your life and encourage a life-long love for the Word of God. My Favorite Bible is a book of exciting Bible stories and activity pages that guide children through the foundational truths of Scripture.

Each story is fully illustrated and includes a simple narrative full of things kids love: repetition, rhythm, and energy, along with a key biblical theme, a key Bible verse, and discussion questions to help adults introduce children to the Bible.

The colorful illustrations will capture the imaginations of children ages 4–8, and the stories will help adults to pass along the most important truth in life—the Gospel. Families will cherish this time as they read, listen, learn, and love, growing closer to one another even as they grow closer to God.

Thanks to Donna Hausler and Baker Publishing Group for providing the giveaway copy.
To enter giveaway just leave a comment with contact info.
I will use Random.org to pick a winner December 14.

Humbug by Lee Baker: MediaGuests Tour

2011-12-06T19:07:00.000-08:00

Lee Baker is the president of Sandman Studios, a visual effects and animation company. He has taught courses at UCLA Extension, Loyola Marymount University and the University of Utah. He is the author of the illustrated books "Humbug, A Christmas Carol" and "Beau and the Beanstalk," and now his latest thriller "Speed of Light." Lee lives in Utah with his wife and five children.

When I saw Humbug, A Christmas Carol on the list to review, I was excited. I love Christmas stories and thought this one looked like a fun one to share with my kids. We received the book yesterday and read it as soon as we opened the package. Mimi, a small orphan girl, comes to Winterton, a cold town with no love and no Christmas. She brings her little friend, a Humbug. The humbugs humming is said to attract Santa's reindeer and bring Christmas to the town, but the people must believe. Will Mimi and one little bug be able to spread the belief and bring warmth back to Winterton?

This is a great secular Christmas story with a strong message of warmth, belief, love and caring for others. We enjoyed the illustrations; with each turn of the page, my kids would say "look, she's smiling," or "now she's crying," and "oh no, he can't hum anymore." I am sure that we will be reading this book over and over again through this season! And I am sure that I won't mind. It is a cute story with interesting illustrations. You should definitely check it out!

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Full Tilt: Mediaguests Tour

2011-12-03T13:31:00.000-08:00

Creston Mapes's second installment of the Rock Star Chronicles, Full Tilt starts right where book 1 ends. At the end of Dark Star, Everett Lester is free from all criminal charges and his prior bondage to drugs. His band has dissolved, and he is planning to marry Karen Bayliss, the young lady who so faithfully witnessed to and prayed for him. So at the beginning of Full Tilt Everett and Karen are married, and Everett has started a new band that he plans to use to share what God has done in his life. The old man is gone; he is new in Christ and wants to show the world how Jesus saved him.

The problem is that the enemy does not want that to happen. Lester has a powerful testimony, and God wants to use it to save more lives. This is a book about battles: spiritual battles, battles with the flesh, even battles with other people. I haven't finished it yet. I mixed up my dates and thought I had a couple more days to read it, so I'm still in the first half of the book.

I have to admit that although I had been intrigued about these books from the first I saw them a few years ago, I like them so much more than I thought I would. They are just so different from what I normally read, and yet they are powerful, inspiring, and entertaining. Creston Mapes is an author with a skill for grabbing the reader and pulling her into the story. I empathize with the characters; they are real and three-dimensional. The story is suspenseful, yet down to earth. It is fast-paced and emotional with a strong Christian theme. Again I would highly recommend this author and this series.

You can pick up the kindle editions of these books on Amazon: Dark Star is $.99, Full Tilt is $2.99, and Nobody is only $2.99 right now as well.
Thanks to Creston Mapes and Mediaguests for providing my review e-copy in exchange for my honest review!

Holy Stable: Celebrate the Miracle

2011-11-30T16:52:00.000-08:00

ABOUT THE BOOK: Holy Stable: Celebrate the Miracle, restores the tender joys of the season! Discover how sharing the gift of Jesus’ love blesses relationships, as you enjoy the magic of children’s narration, original music and song. Mary and Joseph’s devotion to God and sublime caring for each other will bring you to experience the story of Baby Jesus’ birth as never before.

Holy Stable is more than just a Christmas “play”! It has everything an actual pageant has and is a perfect highlight to our Christmas season!

Holy Stable brings about inspired memories, the play adapts for a few participants or a larger group and for use with or without your own vocal talent. Harp, wooden flute and violin instrumentals come with and without vocals and narration and are coordinated with the innovative script, including tips, which are offered to you as a downloadable bonus gift at www.holystable.com.

Holy Stable: Celebrate the Miracle includes a beautiful booklet and CD. I am listening to the CD as I am typing this. It is peaceful and reflective. The narration is clear and the child's voice is heartwarming. It would make a beautiful Christmas play/pageant, and if my Sunday school class were just a little older, I'd try to do the actual play. As it is, I am planning on playing the CD/story for them as a special treat closer to Christmas. The book is gorgeous with wonderful illustrations and a poetic retelling of the birth of Christ, including poem and song. It would make a great addition to your personal Christmas collection and to a church library. My family and I enjoyed it, and I'm sure yours would as well.

I received a complimentary copy of the book and CD from Heidi Hanseen and Mediaguests in exchange for my honest review. Thank you!

Names of God Bible

2011-11-27T18:45:00.000-08:00

I firmly believe in the premise for this type of Bible. Everyday we need to strive to know God better. A great way to do that is to study His name, make each one real to us. This Bible is a great tool in doing just that. There is some great information included, but I have to explain that I have been a little bit spoiled when it comes to the names of God. Our last pastor did a series every year about God's names and encouraged us to individually choose a name each year to study and embrace, to know Him intimately as Father, Provider, Shepherd, Refuge, Healer, etc...

Here is a list on his prayer website with around 600 names of Jesus and some related scriptures.

That being said, I was slightly disappointed with this Bible because it only addresses about 70 names. Also, throughout the text, the English names are replaced with the Hebrew and/or Aramaic names. This was slightly distracting because I did not know the meaning of all of the names by heart, so I would have to leaf back to the list of names and find the meaning before continuing with my reading. The Bible is written in God's Word Translation which is very readable, but it may not be the best version for in depth study.

I do like the special features associated with the names though. These special features include an alphabetical list of the names and a list of Hebrew and Aramaic names; reading paths--to give you the next reference with that name for studying a particular name and an index with scripture references associated with each name; introductions to each book of the Bible including a list of key names in the book; name pages--with history of name, a devotional, and a prayer associated with the name; and a topical prayer guide to help pray for specific needs using His names.

One of my favorite features are the name pages. Each one provides a wonderful short devotional on a specific name, with interesting information about the name, promises associated with the name, a story to make it more relevant, and a suggested prayer.
I also like the prayer guide and how it associates different Names of God with common prayer requests.
I have not chosen the name of Jesus that I am going to focus on this year, but when I do I plan to use this Bible as one tool for my study. I believe there is great insight to be taken from it.

I received a complimentary copy of the book from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group in exchange for my honest review.

The Brotherhood:A Precinct 11 Novel

2011-11-27T12:14:00.000-08:00

To be honest, I didn't expect to like this one as much as I did. It seems to be quite a guy book. In it, Boone Drake is a officer of the Chicago Police. He has a beautiful wife and loving son. His dreams are coming true, but then disaster hits. He struggles with a reason for living. After losing so much, only his career matters until that is threatened as well. Through desperate prayers and the ministry of the local pastor, Boone seeks solace in his faith--faith that had lacked passion in the past. Currently, God continues to show Himself to Boone and Boone lands a new assignment that can only be from the Lord.

The horror at the beginning of this book left me sobbing-to put it lightly. The hope that Boone Drake finds then lightened my heart. His spiritual journey is realistic and transforming. Many of the secondary characters touched my heart as well, and I actually would have liked to know more about them. This is the first of a trilogy of "Precinct 11" novels, which is promising. It makes a great series. The Brotherhood is a fast-paced story including suspense, spiritual growth, discipleship, and a little romance. It is easy to read with descriptive language and I would recommend it.

BOOK REVIEW: The House of Hope

2011-11-25T06:58:00.000-08:00

About The House of Hope: One couple’s powerful ministry to some of China’s most vulnerable children

Robin and Joyce Hill lived in a gated community in Beijing. Their family’s life was marked by luxury and the security of Robin's job as an engineer. Then one day, as members of their church, they had a chance to tour a state-run orphanage. Haunted by the needs of the children they saw there, for thenext four years they tried to help the institute in meaningful ways.

In 1998 the Hills planned to leave China, but instead felt a sudden call from God on their lives. They left their gated community--reserved for only non-Chinese residents--moved their family into a small apartment miles outside of Beijing and immediately began to take in foster children.

They took in any child, but especially those that needed extra care—terminally ill children that couldn't receive care elsewhere, and those that needed complicated and expensive surgeries that the Hills soon began to coordinate and sometimes pay for out of their own savings.

What began as Hope Foster Home is now New Hope Foundation. As they continue their work, theHills enjoy support from major corporations and high-profile philanthropists as well as the trust of theChinese authorities. The Hills' story is an inspiring example of God's care and provision for those whom society does not value. Learn more about Hope Foster Homes here:http://www.hopefosterhome.com.

What an amazing book! It was wonderful to hear about how God has led Robin and Joyce Hill from the beginning: how he has provided for them and walked with them through it all. It is like a present day George Mueller story. This book is both heartbreaking and heartwarming. "In this world you will have trouble, but take heart! I have overcome the world! (John 16:33)" Many of the orphans in the book came from seemingly hopeless situations and the Hills (through God's strength and leading) were able to bring hope to them. Not only did they touch the lives of countless orphans, but the community around them were also moved and many became involved. You can visit their website here. I strongly encourage you to read this book and buy it for your friends. You will be inspired and awed. I also encourage you to pray for the New Hope Foundation--for the orphans, for the workers, for all the organizations and doctors who help, and for the communities that surround them.

100% of the proceed of this book go to fund the work of Hope Foster Home. You can purchase it through their website.

The publisher is sponsoring a $50 "GET / GIVE" GIVEAWAY: One winner will receive a $50 Amazon.com gift certificate for themselves AND $50 will be given in the winner's name to HopeFoster Home. The giveaway is open to both you and your blog readers.

To enter all you have to do is send a tweet (using #HFH) about The House of Hope or share about it on Facebook!

If you tweet we'll capture your entry when you use #HFH. If you share it on Facebook or your blog, just email us and let us know (ckrumm@litfusegroup.com). Easy.

(All Litfuse bloggers who post a review are automatically entered and do NOT need to email us.)

Not sure what to tweet/post? Here's an idea:

TWEET THIS: Couple gives all to rescue babies in China! 100% proceeds go to #HopeFosterHomehttp://ow.ly/7qR3e RT 4 $50 to @amazon & $50 to #HFH

(must use hashtage #HFH to be entered)

FACEBOOK THIS: The House of Hope: One couple abandons a comfortable life to rescue abandoned children. Robin and Joyce Hill have helped over 1300 Chinese orphans with severe medical problems. Purchase a copy for everyone you know - the book is a gift that gives a gift. 100% proceeds to help support the work at Hope Foster Home! Learn more here: http://litfusegroup.com/blogtours/text/13438821 Share this for a chance to get a $50 Amazon.com GC and $50 in your name to Hope Foster Home! Click For Details.

All of the pictures have been taken from the New Hope Foundation Website. I received a free review copy in exchange for my honest review...but I am planning on buying a copy for at least one friend!!

Thanksgiving Thanks

2011-11-24T16:25:00.000-08:00

Today I give thanks to our Maker, the author and finisher of our faith. I thank and praise Him for all that He is and all that He does and all that He has given me.
I give thanks for:
100. pizza
101. baby food
102. rain
103. sanctification
104. wisdom
105. and understanding
106. missionaries around the world testifying about the Risen Lord
107. Camp Sequanota (where Martin and I met)
108. sweet memories
109. my loved ones who are no longer able to share holidays with us...looking forward to celebrating eternity with them!
110. libraries
111. panda bears
112. happy children
113. dancing
114. holidays with family
115. crisp autumn days
116. obedience
117. technology to keep in touch with loved ones far away
118. Thanksgiving dinner
119. pies
120. fudge
121. email prayer reminders

The Home of Thankful Thursday is Grace Alone...
It is hosted this month by Women Taking a Stand

I've also linked up with One Thousand Gifts.

FIRST: Live Abundantly and Live Reflectively

2011-11-22T08:32:00.000-08:00

Today's Wild Card authors are:

Lenya Heitzig
and
Penny Rose

and the books:

Live Reflectively: Lessons from the Watershed Moments of Moses

David C. Cook (November 1, 2011)

and

Live Abundantly: A Study in the Book of Ephesians

David C. Cook; 2 edition (November 1, 2011)

***Special thanks to Audra Jennings, Senior Media Specialist, The B&B Media Group for sending me a review copy.***

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Lenya Heitzig is an award-winning author and popular Bible teacher. She and her husband founded Calvary Church of Albuquerque—one of the fastest-growing churches worldwide. She is the author of Holy Moments: Recognizing God’s Fingerprints on Your Life and also contributed to the best-selling New Women’s Devotional Bible. Heitzig serves as Executive Director of She Ministries of Albuquerque, overseeing weekly Bible studies and yearly retreats. She and her husband Skip live in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Penny Rose is the award-winning author of numerous books. Penny thrives on teaching at conferences and retreats nationwide. She lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico, with her husband, Kerry, a pastor at Calvary of Albuquerque.

Visit the authors' website.

SHORT BOOK DESCRIPTION:

The Fresh Life series was created for women who crave a profound experience of God’s Word without an overwhelming time commitment. Bible teachers Lenya Heitzig and Penny Rose challenge readers to dig deep into Scripture by using a directed study method that only requires twenty minutes a day. With a fresh approach to studying Scripture that gives newcomers as well as seasoned students deep insight into God’s Word, the latest two additions in the series explore the life of Moses and the riches in the book of Ephesians.

Live Reflectively: Lessons from the Watershed Moments of Moses (Heitzig) is an engaging Bible study on the life of Moses. He was saved from death on the Nile and raised as an Egyptian prince. He met his wife at a Midianite well, witnessed the birth of a nation as the Red Sea parted and watched water gush from a rock with one touch of his rod. He died overlooking the Jordan River. Through viewing the water moments of Moses’ life, readers will be encouraged to consider the moments in their own lives that shape who they are and who they are becoming.

Live Abundantly: A Study in the Book of Ephesians (Heitzig and Rose) challenges readers to dig deep into the book of Ephesians to find the spiritual treasure God has for them. The book of Ephesians is God’s “last will and testament” that bequeaths his spiritual treasures to His beloved children. Covering topics such as living in God’s will and receiving peace no matter the circumstances, it reveals the magnitude of every Christian’s inheritance—a gift “exceedingly abundantly above” what you could ever ask for.

The Fresh Life series teaches readers to:
· Lift up...a prayer
· Look at…God’s Word (answering questions concerning what the passage says)
· Learn about…what the passage means (sidebars define words and profice background information)
· Live out…what they have learned (personalizing the text and learning how it can impact their daily life)
· Listen to…quotes from well-known figures to build on the truths uncovered in Scripture

Readers will develop a deeper intimacy with the Lord and walk away feeling inspired to move forward in their walks of faith. Live Abundantly and Live Reflectively continue the rich biblical tradition of the Fresh Life series. They offer wisdom that will leave readers encouraged in their present situations and hopeful for the spiritual journey ahead.

Product Details:

Live Reflectively: Lessons from the Watershed Moments of Moses

List Price: $17.99
Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: David C. Cook (November 1, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0781405939
ISBN-13: 978-0781405935

Product Details:

Live Abundantly: A Study in the Book of Ephesians

List Price: $17.99
Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: David C. Cook; 2 edition (November 1, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1434703304
ISBN-13: 978-1434703309

My Thoughts:

I have skimmed through both of these and started working through Live Abundantly. I love what I've done so far. These books provide a wonderful way to delve into the scriptures. Combining prayer, reading His Word, studying it, and applying each scripture to daily living, these books add excitement to daily Bible study. These are powerful studies, and I look forward to continuing to work through the books. I am planning on buying more of the series as well. A friend of mine just bought the Joshua study, Live Fearlessly. My thanks to Litfuse for providing my review copies in exchange for my honest review. As I finish the study I plan to post an update!

AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER My Thoughts: (Click on images to expand):

Live Reflectively: Lessons from the Watershed Moments of Moses

Live Abundantly: A Study in the Book of Ephesians (Click on images to expand)

My Salon Doll: Christmas Giveaway

2011-11-21T18:33:00.000-08:00

My Salon Doll is no typical 18" doll. It is the first and original doll with real hair, so you can curl and style it any way you like. The doll is vinyl so it can take a real bath. There are currently 3 girls to choose from: Brynn, Malaree, and Kendrey. My daughter has been asking about American Dolls this year, so I just know that she would love these dolls. I know I would enjoy them too--I can just imagine teaching her how to style the hair and trying new things.

My Salon Doll is hosting a Christmas giveaway.
Enter to win a your very own, MY SALON DOLL.
The First and Original Doll with Real Hair.

TO PARTICIPATE: For a chance to win you must complete the following three (3) steps below between November 7, 2011 and December 15, 2011 to qualify;

Step 1: Visit www.mysalondoll.com and get to know the three different dolls: Brynn, Malaree, and Kendrey. Then decide if chosen, which doll you’d like to win.

Step 2: Send an email to contest@mysalondoll.com with your first name, last name, email address, doll of your choice, and share where you heard about the contest.

Step 3: “Like” the My Salon Doll Facebook page

CONTEST DATES: The contest will be active from November 1, 2011 through December 15, 2011.

GIVEAWAY RULES: Open to USA and Canadian residents, age 18+ to enter, one entry per household. Winner announced on Facebook on December 16, 2011. No purchase necessary. Thanks for entering and good luck! Winner selected through random.org and notified by email.

Blog, Tweet or Share on Facebook about the giveaway and be entered twice in the contest. Make sure you leave a message on the My Salon Doll facebook page letting us know that you’ve done this.

FIRST: Truth Tats

2011-11-18T10:32:00.000-08:00

Today's Wild Card is developed by:

Jeff Sheets, product creator
for Broadman and Holman Publishers

and the Advent idea:

TruthTats: The Christmas Story

B&H Publishing Group

***Special thanks to Susan Otis of Creative Resources, Inc. for sending me a review copy.***

SHORT PRODUCT DESCRIPTION:

Truth Tats: The Christmas Story
Celebrating the Season of Advent with Truth Tats

Designed just for the season, Christmas Truth Tats present a new way of telling the story of Christ’s birth. Truth Tats are temporarily on your skin, permanently on your heart.

This is a five week program leading up to Christmas day, each packet of Truth Tats includes a family devotional booklet that kicks off each memory scripture of the week. The twenty accompanying Scripture tattoos are a visual way to continually applying and memorize God’s word. Each week opens with a set of four identical Scripture tattoo designs so that each family member can have his or her own tattoo! Week two, there is a new Scripture for memorization and four new tattoo designs, again identical designs so each person is memorizing the same Scripture.

For over 1,000 years Christians worldwide have been celebrating Advent, a time of spiritual preparation for the birth of Jesus Christ. The word “advent” comes from the Latin adventus meaning “coming toward”. So it is entirely appropriate that the four weeks prior to Christmas we will be preparing our hearts for His Advent.

Truth Tats are a unique way to celebrate the season as well as to “show and tell” God’s word to others. This is ideal for the classroom, family devotion time, and in personal Scripture memorization

Product Details:

List Price: $3.99
Unbound
Publisher: B&H Publishing Group
Language: English
ASIN: B005LDDJ1S

My Thoughts:
Advent actually has not started yet, so we haven't used any of the tattoos, but we are very excited to start.
I think this is a creative idea that will definitely generate conversation and encourage Scripture memorization. I read through the devotionals and look forward to sharing them with my family. My kids checked out the tattoos and cannot wait to get started. They are nice-looking and easy to use. There is a new set coming out on December 1, that is a 13 week series. I think they are a great tool for memorizing and studying the Word. Be sure to check out the website. I received the Christmas TruthTats free in exchange for my honest review.

AND NOW...WEEK ONE OF ADVENT (Click on pictures to enlarge):

Thankful Thursday: November 17

2011-11-17T15:28:00.000-08:00

This week I am especially thankful for early mornings with My Lord!!!

And here is my list, I am thankful that

81. Martin is off for Thanksgiving this year! (last year he worked a double)

82. of Missions focus at church last week

83. and that the children were touched by the missionary visits

84. God is moving in our church

85. and in Gabon

86. and in Hamtramck

87. our current freedom to worship Christ

88. and to share the good news here with others

89. that in the midst of severe persecution the church is still growing in restricted nations

90. for half days of school

91. and good report cards

92. sweet potato casserole

93. good role models for my kids

94. for a clean sink :)

95. a good parent teacher conference
96. joyful kids
97. baby squeaks
98. good role models for me
99. and I'm thankful for HOPE!

The Home of Thankful Thursday is Grace Alone...
It is hosted this month by Women Taking a Stand

I've also linked up with One Thousand Gifts.

Gratitude Giveaway

2011-11-16T21:19:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the Gratitude Giveaway Hop hosted by I Am a Reader, Not a Writer and All-Consuming Books. At the end of my post you will find a list of all of the hundreds of participating blogs!! Last I checked, there were over 300!! See the linky at the end of this post...wow, lots of chances to win!!

Here at Inspired by Fiction, you will have 4 chances to win. First 2 winners get to pick 2 books each and the second 2 get to pick one book. Here are the choices:

Adelaide Piper by Beth Webb Hart
David and Goliath by Bryan Hathaway
The Lightkeeper's Daughter by Colleen Coble
ARC of The Canary List by Sigmund Brouwer
ARC of Someone to Blame by C.S. Lakin
The Prophet by Frank Peretti
The Oath by Frank Peretti
Dakota Born by Debbie Macomber

This is a gratitude giveaway to thank my followers (new and old), so to enter you must be a follower and leave a comment with your book preferences. That is it! To keep the cost of shipping down, this giveaway is available to U.S Mailing addresses only. Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

Here are the other participating blogs:

REVIEW:Remembering Christmas by Dan Walsh

2011-11-16T18:48:00.000-08:00

I actually thought that I posted this review a week ago, so I'm a little late! I enjoyed this book.
Book Description:
Rick Denton lives his life on his terms. He works hard, plays hard, and answers to no one. So when his mother calls on Thanksgiving weekend begging him to come home after his stepfather has a stroke, Rick is more than a little reluctant. He's never liked Art and resents the man's presence in his life, despite the fact that his own father abandoned the family when Rick was just twelve. When what was supposed to be just a couple days helping out at the family bookstore turns into weeks of cashing out old ladies and running off the homeless man who keep hanging about, Rick's attitude sours even more.

Still, slowly but surely, the little bookstore and its quirky patrons--as well as the lovely young woman who works at his side each day--work their magic on him, revealing to Rick the truth about his family, his own life, and the true meaning of Christmas. With skillful storytelling, Dan Walsh creates a Christmas story will have readers remembering every good and perfect gift of Christmas.

The characters are rich and authentic. The love and faith is true and evident. The storyline moves along quickly. The transformation in Rick's life is powerful and heartwarming. All the perfect ingredients for the perfect Christmas book. I would definitely recommend this book, and I've read one of Dan Walsh's other books, so I would confidently recommend the author as well!

Available September 2011 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

Thanks to Donna Hausler and Baker Publishing Group who sent me a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Dark Star: Confessions of a Rock Idol

2011-11-15T13:30:00.000-08:00

About the Author:

Creston Mapes is from northeast Ohio, so we are practically neighbors! He also graduated from Bowling Green University which was the only other college that I seriously considered. He has been writing for over 30 years and has edited and ghost-written numerous non-fiction books. He has published three novels, finished his fourth, and is working on his fifth. To read more about Creston Mapes visit his website.

About the Book:
Everett Lester is a world famous rock star in the band, DeathStroke. With his fame, he falls headlong into drugs, sex, and the search for power. He hires his very own psychic (dangerous stuff), but he also has his very own prayer warrior--in the form of a young lady driven by the Lord to pray for and write to Lester. Who will win this battle for Lester's soul?

Kindle Edition is currently only $.99!! Click over to Amazon to buy it now.

My Thoughts :
The thing that struck me while reading this novel was the voice. Written in Everett's point of view, the story alternates between his present-day court case and flashbacks of the days that led up to this trial. The narrative has a very compelling voice. It is like sitting down at the table to chat about his life--very real and readable. The characters are vivid. The plot moves quickly and is both disturbing and touching, moving from occult scenes to evangelizing. It is gritty but sentimental, and very unique. The story is unlike anything that I have read.

This book challenges me. I want to be like Karen and pray unceasing for someone's salvation. I want to shine a light in the world around me, just by the way I live. I want others to see Jesus when they look at me.
I am looking forward to reading Book 2 of the Rock Star Chronicles, Full Tilt. I will be reviewing it on December 3.