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Age Appropriate For: 18 and up for violence, romance, and some intense scenes
Best for Ages: 18 and up
Description: Buying a gun to kill your wife: $3,000. Hiring Trauma Care to clean afterward: $1,500. Having that same cleaner uncover evidence that frames you: Priceless
On her way to completing a degree in forensic science, Gabby St. Claire drops out of school and starts her own crime scene cleaning business. “Yeah, that’s me,” she says, “a crime scene cleaner. People waiting in line behind me who strike up conversations always regret it.”
When a routine cleaning job uncovers a murder weapon the police overlooked, she realizes that the wrong person is in jail. But the owner of the weapon is a powerful foe . . . and willing to do anything to keep Gabby quiet.
With the help of her new neighbor, Riley Thomas, a man whose life and faith fascinate her, Gabby plays the detective to make sure the right person is put behind bars. Can Riley help her before another murder occurs?

This has been on my kindle for a while, and I picked it up when I needed a diversion. Suspense/mystery is my go-to genre when I need a distraction. This book ended up being very different than I thought it would be, but I ended up loving it!

I loved Gabby from the first page. I mean seriously, what is not to love about a crime scene cleaner who is singing possible advertisements to the tune of Broadway hits? Yes, Gabby pulled me into the story and, even when she was being crazy, stupid, irritating and stubborn, I loved her.

The mystery itself was interesting but probably would not have captured my attention as much if Gabby hadn’t been in the leading role. The mystery is very much secondary to the characters. I didn’t figure it out until Gabby did, simply because I don’t think very much information was given.

Riley and his strong faith made the perfect addition to this book. While Gabby is an unbeliever, Riley is a good witness to her without being in her face. He didn’t shy away from the tough questions or give easy answers. Without him, the story would have been devoid of true hope.

As for the romance, there is a little of an interest/love triangle, but not even one kiss that I remember. There is some talk of old girlfriends/boyfriends and mentions of affairs or possible affairs, but nothing detailed at all.

I highly recommend this book to those who love suspense, a hint of romance, and solid Christian messages.

It is a very pretty building. It was built out of red granite (though Logan insists it is pink)

The Texas Capitol has many monuments.

These are roses that were given by the city of Tyler

You will have to read the book to see why this interested Kate so much.

This is not something you excpect to see

That is right! Texas proudly displays the Ten Commandments on the capitol grounds.

Lots of law books in the library (it was a pretty boring library).

The staircases were cool!

The #1 thing we learned? Do not use the elevators when the legislature is in session.

Oh yes, we had to go to the state capitol for this

This was my favorite. Mikayla told me when she took it that this had to be my new author photo

This building is so awesome

Me with an old ink pen that was my grandfather's

Authors must pose with books, right?

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Age Appropriate For: All Ages
Best for Ages: 13 and up
Description: When you're obeying His commands and serving the Lord there is a certain satisfaction that you feel. Serving Him brings you great joy and pride. But what about giving yourself and your life to Him entirely? In giving Him your life, that includes giving Him your appearance, your attitude and your heart's desire. You are a daughter of the one true King. It's time to step into the life that God has meant for you to live; one filled with confidence in your natural beauty and grace. Let His glory shine through you, bringing His light to the world. Within these pages you'll learn to unlock your natural beauty that God has given you.

I had been hearing a lot of good about this book, so I thought I was very fortunate to be able to pick up a free copy. I opened this book on a Sunday, thinking I would just read a couple of pages and ended up reading the whole thing.

Leite has a very engaging style of writing; I could tell that when I started reading her blog. The story feels like one girlfriend talking to another. It isn’t a sermon or a lecture, just a conversation starter on a subject many have overlooked.

While this book lacked a little in style and formatting, and would have done better with a little more depth on some things, it made up for that in heart. The intention of this book seemed more to be a springboard for a person’s own study and journey of modesty than a definitive book on the subject. This would make a great small group or Sunday school tool for exploring the topic.

The best part about this book? For me it treated this topic with respect but not legalism. It showed that modesty had a biblical basis, but left the door wide open for differences of opinion. It also made it clear that we dress modestly not because we are responsible for what guys think, but for our own sakes and value.

I highly recommend this book for those who are looking for information on modesty, enjoy shorter non-fiction works, or want to start a conversation about the subject.

Note: young readers might want their parents to read this with them

This quote sums up a lot of what I think about modesty and also what I think the Bible does as well. My brother quoted it a long time ago, and I cannot find who said it or if I have it right. Although, I think he found it in the Singer trilogy by Calvin Miller.

Modesty is a very touchy issue for a lot of people. I have heard the sermons preached by well-meaning men whose words seem to pass off their guilt in lust and make it the issue of the women who are immodestly dressed. They start to talk about specifics. Super modest girls want to cry, because they do their best, but they notice that teenager giving them a dirty appraisal. The girl who is moderately modest wants to scream, but instead sits with her arms crossed and contemplates throwing out the whole modesty idea. The girls that never cared in the first place are still hurt by the sermon, but roll their eyes and move on.

Because of the misuse of the term by some guys, the prevailing thought in the culture, and the rebellion in our own hearts, modesty is often ignored and laughed at. The Bible has a lot to say about lust, modesty, and aligning our heart with God, and I encourage you to explore the topic through your own personal Bible study.

When you are searching, don’t just search for the word modesty, also look for the word lust. It is very clear from the Bible that the heart is what matters the most to God. What we do reflects the state of our heart before God. Because of this, I think that the first and most important thing when considering modesty is have you considered it in the light of what God has taught you? It is so easy to draw back when you hear the rabid modesty people talking about ridiculous modesty rules, or men blaming women for all their issues to chunk the whole idea. However, God has called us to modesty.

The Bible, doesn’t give us a lot of rules. There is not a verse that says “And all women are to cover themselves from the collar bone the ankle, with the shoulders cover to a length of not less than three inches.” That would have made it easy, but God only called us to treat our private parts with modestly, that nakedness was for the marriage partner alone, and that our beauty should come from the inside. This leaves a lot of room for differences of opinion. Perhaps because God knew that different people at different times, cultures, and such would have different struggles.

When asking if an item is modest here are the questions I ask myself:

~ “What does it draw attention to?” If the answer is a part of the anatomy associated with sexual attraction, best to move on.
~ “Why am I interested in it?” This one is easy for me, as my closet is mainly clothes that I can work in, I am not much of a fashion girl. However, I want to always make sure I am not buying it to attract the wrong kind of attention.
~ “Would my father think it is modest?” Although my father has told me I can make my own choices, one of the ways I honor him is to dress in a way that he thinks is modest.

Let us talk about the elephant in the room: Are we as women responsible what guys think? My answer is a very quick no. We are not responsible for what anyone else thinks. I think we see clearly in the Bible that each is judged for his own thoughts. HOWEVER, we are responsible for the messages we send with what we wear. If we wear something that we know will attract the wrong kind attention (aka lust) then we have done wrong to not only God, but also to our brothers in Christ.

Modesty is a difficult issue for which I could go on for a long time. It is one that we sometimes would like to ignore, but we cannot. If you haven’t, please go before God today and seek his will for this topic in your life.

Here are just a few things that people said about the first book:

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Age Appropriate For: 15 and up for romance and minor violence
Best for Ages: 18 and up
Description: She dreams of love for others but never for herself...
Elizabeth Barrett is a published poet--and a virtual prisoner in her own home. Blind family loyalty ties her to a tyrannical father who forbids any of his children to marry. Bedridden by chronic illness, she has resigned herself to simply existing. That is, until the letter arrives...
"I love your verses with all my heart," writes Robert Browning, an admiring fellow poet. As friendly correspondence gives way to something more, Elizabeth discovers that Robert's love is not for her poetry alone. Might God grant her more than mere existence? And will she risk defying her father in pursuit of true happiness?

I have loved this whole series by Nancy Moser. I only have one left to read (Mozart’s Sister), and I am looking forward to it. Moser does her research on a character, then writes a novel that makes you feel not only like you have met the person, but also makes you feel as if you know a lot of the history.

Some people found this novel very upsetting, because they did not understand the historical context. Elizabeth’s unquestioning obedience to her very over-controlling father seems unthinkable to us in our modern way of thinking. Even I wanted to point out that some of her father’s rules were completely against the Bible. However, obedience to parents was not only drilled into children of that time, but universally expected. Unmarried children disobeying their parents were scandalous.

I loved the faith woven through the stories so well. It seemed to be a natural part, of not only the story, but of Elizabeth herself. Her failings are so human, yet she does seem to listen when she is pointed to God.

The thing I loved most about this novel? I felt I was learning as I was reading. So many real details were woven into the story. I want to give a huge thank you to Moser for this. To me, this is the best type of historical fiction, one that caused me to look up more on my own.

I recommend this book to those who like historical fiction, are interested in Elizabeth and Robert Browning, or just want a solidly good novel.

In recent years, courtship has come under heavy attack. You say courtship in a room of conservative Christians these days, and battle lines are drawn. Some see it as a system that is horrific and archaic while others see it as a godly approach to finding a spouse. Let us understand a few things about courtship:

~ There are different type,s so the word can mean different things to different people.
~ The Bible has some principles, but doesn’t talk a lot about the method for finding a spouse.
~ There are stories and scriptures to prove both sides of the argument.

With these things in mind, why did I and my family choose courtship? As I mentioned, there are different definitions of courtship, so here is mine:

A parent involved way of exploring a relationship with a prospective spouse. It also assumes, from the beginning, that a person is a possible spouse and romantic relationships are not just for fun. It also is the belief that such relationships should start out based in friendship and deep understanding, not feelings or physical touch.

The outworking of this will look different for each of my siblings. In fact, my sister Rose has had a couple of relationships. Neither worked out, but both ended because she decided it wouldn’t work out. One of them she had talk to my dad first, the other didn’t. It varies with each sibling and with each relationship that happens. I want a huge amout of parent involvement when my time comes, and some of my siblings want less. However, I think no matter what you choose to call it, having involvement from someone older and wiser than you is important when picking a spouse.

The American culture touts being independent, self-sufficient, and so smart we don’t need anyone else. The Bible says just this opposite. It calls for us to be dependent on God, to seek others' advice, and to recognize that we do not have a corner on wisdom (please, don’t take my word for it, read for yourself.) When it comes to finding a spouse, our culture says it is your own business and you are wise enough, yet to me it is clear that God never meant us to make major decision without not only seeking His counsel, but that of from those who are wiser than us.

Some of us are fortunate enough to have parents we love, trust and respect. As I am one of those people, I have chosen courtship. For those who for one reason or another do not feel comfortable with this option, seeking an older couple who can help guide the relationship and give advice is a wise step.

Does seeking counsel, or courtship offer protection against a broken heart and disappointment? Perhaps a little, but it is far from a guarantee. Feelings are still hurt, hopes are still dashed, and hearts can be broken. No method offers complete protection for these things (anyone who tells you otherwise is probably selling something). However, it is my firm belief that many long term heartaches will and can be avoided by listening to wiser voices than my own, and not entering into relationships in a careless manner.

There is a lot more I could say about this topic, but I think this is enough for now. Join me next week as I explore another topic that has been controversial of late: modesty.

I am so happy, I am actually meeting most of my goals. Slowly but surely, I am catching up and making progress. This week, a lot of editing and a lot of Taelis are happening.