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it Here
Description:
Ela Roeh of
Parne doesn't understand why her beloved Creator, the Infinite, wants her to
become His prophet. She's undignified and bad-tempered, and at age seventeen
she's much too young. In addition, no prophet of Parne has ever been a girl.
Worst of all, as Parne's elders often warn, if she agrees to become the
Infinite's prophet, Ela knows she will die young. Yet she can't imagine living
without Him. Determined to hear the Infinite's voice, Ela accepts the sacred
vinewood branch and is sent to bring the Infinite's word to a nation torn apart
by war. There she meets a young ambassador determined to bring his own justice
for his oppressed people. As they form an unlikely partnership, Ela battles how
to balance the leading of her heart with the leading of the Infinite.
I must admit that this is a hard book
to write a review for. Fantasy has never been my favorite genre, but a friend
of mine and I are going to read a book on our Kindle’s every month this year to get
through a lot of the free books we have. It was her turn to pick first. At
first, I wasn’t excited, but this book ended up being strangely compelling.
The clear faith element was interesting
at times, and at others mirrored some of my own heart struggles. Sometimes, in
fantasy and allegories, God gets lost. That was not the case in this book. The
messages were clear, and God and His power came through strong. Moreover, the
events and messages were biblically sound.
Ela was a relatable character. She
sacrifices a normal life to become a prophet, and knows that it will mean that
she dies young. She follows the Infinite’s (God’s) call on her life even with
that knowledge. Her faithfulness, even when the cost is high, is an
inspirational.
Although it is understandable, I
thought that Ela seemed to look for her death in every shadow. The fact that
she will die young seemed to be overplayed. That fact made the romance a little
awkward for me.
This book was not a favorite, but it
was compelling and kept me turning pages. I definitely will be reading more in
the series in the near future.
Now the blog tour is over and it is time to announce the winners of the ebooks!
Lisa Johnson C.
Esther (Kings Princess)
Sierra Faith
The winners will be emailed shortly!
It has been a long time since I have shared my finds of the week, because it has been a very long time since I have found the time to read blogs. I am hoping to reenter the blogging world with lots of comments, follows, and posts.
"Why sacrifice what you love in order to find a more "stable" job, especially when there are countless ways you can make money in your area of expertise?" ~ Tessa Emily Hall
"Silence was not something I wanted to be trusted with, but the Lord knows what we need when we don’t." ~ Katie
"It is discouraging. It is frustrating. It makes you angry at yourself. You made a plan, a very good plan, but it crumbles. I know the feeling, I have been there. This year has been very discouraging when it came to meeting my goals." ~ By me on Word Painters
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Description:
Lula Bowman has
finally achieved her dream: a teaching position and a scholarship to continue
her college education in mathematics. But when she receives a shocking
telephone call from her sister, Jewel, everything she's worked for begins to
crumble. After the sudden death of Jewel's husband, Jewel needs Lula's help.
With a heavy heart, Lula returns to her Oklahoma hometown to do right by her
sister. But the only teaching job available in Dunn is combination music
instructor/basketball coach. Neither subject belongs anywhere near the halls of
academia, according to Lula! Lula commits to covering the job for the rest of
the school year, determined to do well and prove herself to the town.
Reluctantly, she turns to the boys' coach, Chet, to learn the game of basketball.
Chet is handsome and single, but Lula has no plans to fall for a local boy.
She's returning to college as soon as she gets Jewel back on her feet. However, the more time she spends in Dunn,
the more Lula realizes God is working on her heart--and her future is beginning
to look a lot different than she'd expected.
My
friend and fellow author, Alicia Willis, has been telling me what a talented
writer Mateer is. So, when I was given the opportunity to review one of her
books, I was eager to try. Sure enough, I found that she is an excellent story
teller.
At
first, I thought this book was going to be very typical. Girl in man’s world
shows everybody that she is even better than the men in her field. However,
this book was far from typical. The twists and turns of this sweet story made
me feel very happy.
Lula is
a very smart girl who loves math. Mateer made her feel very real and pulled me
into her inner struggle. Chet also was very well developed, with his own
struggles and heart aches. Their romance was a big part of the story and was
very honorable. Together, they kept me reading their story with a happy sigh at
the end.
The
setting was also so nice and different. High school basketball in during the
world war? I don’t think I have even heard of another book like that. I really
loved that some of the story was even based on the author’s family history.
This was
my first book by Mateer, but it will not be my last. Her style is so sweet and
God-honoring. It is the kind of book that leaves you feeling good, as well as
causes you to examine your own life and faith.
I highly
recommend this book for those who love historical fiction, sweet stories, and
unique plots.
I received this book from Bethany House in exchange for my honest review. I was under no
obligation to write a positive review. The opinions in this review are entirely
my own.
Most of us have them: images that will never leave us, no matter how old we get. Images that are seared into our memory. For me, one of the hardest for me is the very clear memory of watching the news with my mom on September 11, 2001. We knew something had happened in New York at a place I had seen in pictures, but had never known the name. One of the World Trade Center towers was burning. Some said it was a bomb, others said a small plane, while other said that a large plane had hit it.
Then, the life changing moment: They were showing a wide shot of the burning tower and out of the corner of the screen was plane. The image of watching that plane race toward the second tower and then hit it.
Those of you who are to young to remember missed the horror, but also the amazing things that happened after. Like a new president rising to the occasion and helping a nation grieve and reminding them we would rise from the ashes. Like a nation that for a few month was bound together by the fact that we were American's nothing more. Like flags being sold out and on back order. Every house had a flag flying or a cross out.
Then, the life changing moment: They were showing a wide shot of the burning tower and out of the corner of the screen was plane. The image of watching that plane race toward the second tower and then hit it.
 |
| Public Domain |
May we never forget the lessons we learned that day. May all of us lift our heads and be proud that we have risen out of the ashes.
 |
| One World Trade Center |
May God bless our troops, and may God continue to Bless America.
Adventure Between the Pages
Adventure Between the Pages: Colliding with Destiny: Finding Hope in the Legacy of Ruth by Sarah Jakes
1:00 AM
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Description:
The story of
Ruth is a journey of transformation. By allowing God to transform her
circumstances, Ruth went from a widow who would be excluded from society to a
wife with a secure and protected future, a future that ultimately paved the way
for the birth of King David! Her story is full of collision--loss, heartache,
poverty, even shame--but she never let her past define her. Instead, the most
painful time of her life became her most pivotal, propelling her to a destiny
she never imagined. Perhaps you have a past you're struggling to overcome. If
disappointments, whether a result of your own choices or the actions of others,
have kept you from being your true self, this book is for you. Follow Ruth's
life and discover the hope available to each of us. Your yesterday does not have
to dictate your tomorrow. Despite your past pain, you, too, can find redemption
and restoration.
This is my first book by Jakes, and I
really am impressed. She has found a great balance in sharing about her broken
past, without going into so much detail that the message of her book was lost
in the gritty details. I applaud her honesty and her message.
Ruth has always been a favorite
character of mine in the bible, second only to Joseph of the Old Testament. I was very excited to see Jakes’ take on this
story of love, forgiveness and second chances. Though not exactly what I expected, I felt she
did a good job.
Each chapter begins with some verses
from the book of Ruth. Jakes than draws from her life and crafts a lesson from
each chapter. The format, although not what I expected, was nice and made for
easy reading. Some of the lessons that she drew from the verses were a bit of a
stretch – such as, Jakes says that when Boaz first noticed her, it was because she
conducted herself confidently. However, most of the book is very biblically sound.
This book, while good, was not a real challenge
for me. It seemed to contain the same information I had read elsewhere and did
not add to my understanding of life or the Bible. I also felt the writing was a
bit weak. It wasn’t terrible, it just wasn’t as strong as I like in my
non-fiction.
I recommend this book for those who
love Ruth, honest non-fiction, and non-fiction that is easy to read.
Was this helpful? Please vote it up on Amazon.
I received this book from Bethany House in
exchange for my honest review. I was under no obligation to write a positive
review. The opinions in this review are entirely my own.
A Different Kind of Courage blog tour is here!
September 8 ~ The Destiny of One
September 9 ~ Adventures Beyond the Horizon
September 10 ~ Perry Elizabeth and Wildflower Acres
September 11 ~ Shannon McDerrott
September 12 ~ Claire M. Banschbach- Thoughts and Rants
September 13 ~ Rachel Rossano's Words
September 14~ Jaye Knight
September 15 ~ Stardust and Gravel
September 16 ~ The Road of a Writer
September 18 ~ Into the Bookcase
September 19 ~ Christ is Write
September 20 ~ The Destiny of One
Adventure Between the Pages
Adventure Between the Pages: Dirty Faith: Bringing the Love of Christ to the Least of These by David Z. Nowell
1:00 AM
Description:
Put Your Faith
Into Action. Do you ever feel like something in your faith is missing, that
going to church, studying the Bible, and tithing just aren't enough? There has
to be more, right? What would it look like to truly "follow" Christ
and not just believe in him? David Nowell asked the very same questions, and
was led to minister to the "least of these," whom God loves deeply.
In "Dirty Faith," Nowell shares powerful stories of faith in action,
and encourages us to move with him from the sidelines to the front line, to get
our hands dirty helping the hopeless, the disenfranchised, and the poor. Loving
as God loves is central to the gospel, whether that means taking in foster
children, ministering to inmates at the local jail, or something else God has
in mind just for you. Let this inspiring book help you find what's been missing
in your faith.
I was really excited when I saw the
title and description on this book. I spend every Saturday working at the local
food pantry. Many of the people who come through the doors there would be
considered some of the ‘least of these’. God has really convicted me about
loving these people right where they are, and I thought this book would really
help.
It didn’t take long into this book for
me to start skimming. I really disliked the tone of the book. It didn’t feel
loving it all, it felt like a lecture on everything Americans are doing wrong.
All of the book I read really wasn’t about loving others, but about how selfish
Americans were. Although I agree with some of the points he was making, I really
was disappointed in the book.
The tone of this book was what bothered
me the most. The author, instead of sharing the things he has learned, came across
as thinking he had it all figured out, while we were all selfish and lazy. I do
not think that it was intended to come out this way, but that is what it
sounded like to me. He seemed to take no joy in the work he has done, but just
looked at it as something he had been required to do.
Overall, I felt this book really wasn’t
about loving the least of these, it was about trying to wake American Christians
up and get them to start putting their faith into action. Although I applaud the
message, I think it could have been done a lot better.
I received this book from Bethany House in
exchange for my honest review. I was under no obligation to write a positive
review. The opinions in this review are entirely my own.
Hi everyone! Gosh, even though I have been posting on the
blog, there hasn’t been a whole lot on the blog about me and what has been
going on, so I thought I would stop by and share.
First off, I have some amazing news! My dad is doing better!
God led my mom to an article and, as a result, my dad gave up all coffee and
carbonated beverages. Within the last two weeks, we have been seeing an amazing
improvement in my dad. Although he still isn’t back to where he was, we are
praising God for the improvement we have seen.
A sad note, we all gave up coffee and carbonated drinks with
my dad. Although my dad is seeing some wonderful health benefits, I am missing
my Dr. Pepper. A lot of people have told me how awful sodas are and how much
better I will feel without them, but that isn’t helping. I haven’t seen many benefits, but I have been
missing them a lot. Now my secret is out, I am not even close to a health nut.
However, I am determined to stick this out for at least a couple of months to
see if there really are a lot of health benefits.
On a healthy note, my sisters and I have started doing Zumba
using our Wii system. Every morning at nine for the last three weeks, at least
some of us are out there, doing the silly moves that keep us moving and leave
us out of breath. I think I have lost a couple of pounds of fat, but I also
think that it is helping to make my body stronger.
Thank you all for your prayers for my dad, keep them coming.
