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Please forgive this rough draft format, as these are my raw study notes on the book of Obadiah, although they are a bit better formatted than some former efforts. I felt a great sense of urgency to publish them rather than waiting until I had the time to pretty them up. Thank you and I pray that God blesses and encourages you through this material. I’m not sure of the condition of the world at the time of this publication. But at the time of its writing, spring 2009, things are looking pretty bleak with the economy and unemployment, natural disasters, and godly principles of living being disregarded. Are these the first stages of birth pains? The last? God only knows. And He is very busy these days. Stay strong. Encourage each other. Pray. Jesus is coming… Stacey Take a few minutes to pray and savor the Old Testament book of Obadiah one final time. Then return here and ponder the thoughts, answer the questions, and be sure to leave comments about your own revelations… 16 – Drank on M...

I’m not sure what to expect from this Bible study called “Brave: Honest Questions Women Ask”. I’ve heard and read some wonderful things about it, though. In fact, it was what I read about the activities in the workbook on the Bible Café for Women blog that swayed my decision to sign up for this study over the others that my church offered this quarter. Then I was blessed beyond belief when my Pastor asked me to facilitate the study. I immediately began praying for the women that God would bring to the study and for me to stay out of God’s way so that He could teach all of us. Video : Session 1 has no viewer guide. But here is what I got out of the 12-minute video introducing the study: Things may not always go according to our plan, but God is never surprised by the circumstances in which we find ourselves. It is brave to take the adventure of walking with God. Class Activity/Discussion : We spent the better part of our meeting time getting to know each other. We took a momen...

First of all, I would like to extend a heartfelt “Thank you” to Ronie Kendig, Dineen Miller, Kim Vogel Sawyer and Marylu Tyndall and their publisher for sending me a copy of "NOVEL" to review for them. I am truly grateful for this generosity. I really appreciate the time, effort and expense it takes to make a reviewer copy available to me. “Central Park Rendezvous” is a beautifully crafted anthology of historical romance stories. Each story takes a step further back in time to follow the previous generation’s love story. The common threads running through each tale turn out to be deeper than the obvious: a city a family and a coin with a story of its own! The wounds/scars overcome in each beautifully written story are inspirational. These men and their lovely ladies transcend four engaging tales. *****The author’s fascination with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is apparent in Ronie Kendig’s present day story, “Dream a Little Dream”. (TBI is also a major plot point in her ...

First of all, I would like to extend a heartfelt “Thank you” to Janice Thompson and her publisher for sending me a copy of "The Director's Cut" to review for them. I am truly grateful for this generosity. I really appreciate the time, effort and expense it takes to make a reviewer copy available to me. “The Director’s Cut” by Janice Thompson is the latest humorous, thoughtful and entertaining read in her Backstage Pass Series. Tia Morales, the director of the hit television show, “Stars Collide,” is spreading herself too thin. With one of the shows stars about to take maternity leave and two new additions to the crew – one of which is her flirtatious sister, Tia’s work life is chaotic enough. But throw in the personal issues of hiring her brothers to renovate her house and matchmaking attempts by her family when she already has a crush on her cameraman, Jason, and you have one hilarious recipe for a terrific romance with typical Janice Thompson flavor! This delightful ...

First of all, I would like to extend a heartfelt “Thank you” to Darrel Nelson and his publisher for sending me a copy of "The Anniversary Waltz" to review for them. I am truly grateful for this generosity. I really appreciate the time, effort and expense it takes to make a reviewer copy available to me. “The Anniversary Waltz” by Darrel Nelson is a heartwarming story of marriage, romantic love and life.   It is an encouraging fiction read for romantics of all ages derived from a wonderful male perspective a la Nicholas Sparks.   It brought back memories of my own grandparents and great-grandparents as Adam and Elizabeth’s love story is told on their 60 th wedding anniversary, whose lifetime of love began with a dance.   Following the dance on this auspicious occasion, which is re-enacted as it happened the first time they danced, the family gathers to hear Adam and Elizabeth tell their love story, an anniversary tradition and a beautiful gift to their children, g...

First of all, I would like to extenda heartfelt “Thank you” to Jonathan Falwell and his publisher for sending me a copyof "1000 Days: The Ministry of Christ" to review for them. I am truly grateful for thisgenerosity. I really appreciate the time, effort and expense it takes to make areviewer copy available to me. JonathanFalwell’s “1000 Days: The Ministry of Christ” is a fascinating look at Jesus’three-year ministry that puts His service into perspective for me from thetitle through to the final page! Each ofthe 15 short but deep and thoughtful chapters has thought-provoking questionsfor personal reflection and/or small group discussion. My favorite part of this book is a terrific, meaty Bible study guide withdifferent questions than those at the end of each chapter. This section includes memorizationchallenges, prayer suggestions and practical ways to put what you are learninginto action as well as offering suggestions for further study on each topic. Thereis also an a...

First of all, I would like to extend a heartfelt “Thank you” to Loree Lough and her publisher for sending me a copy of "A Man of Honor" to review for them. I am truly grateful for this generosity. “A Man of Honor” by Loree Lough is the third book of the First Responders Series. Dusty Parker is a man who has overcome a great deal in his past. Now, he is a preacher with a heart for troubled teens. Grace Sinclair seems to be the perfect partner, also having a heart for young people and a few items of her own baggage. This story has it all: romance, suspense, a thread of faith woven throughout. The characters are realistic and the plot keeps the pages turning. But I struggle to say that this was an amazing book. I’ve never read the first book in the series, but the second and third First Responders novels have not subscribed to the fantastical “Happily Ever After” type of ending. These are gritty, intense reads that feel like real life at times. I usually read Christian ...

Please forgive this rough draft format, as these are my raw study notes on the book of Obadiah, although they are a bit better formatted than some former efforts. I felt a great sense of urgency to publish them rather than waiting until I had the time to pretty them up. Thank you and I pray that God blesses and encourages you through this material. I’m not sure of the condition of the world at the time of this publication. But at the time of its writing, spring 2009, things are looking pretty bleak with the economy and unemployment, natural disasters, and godly principles of living being disregarded. Are these the first stages of birth pains? The last? God only knows. And He is very busy these days. Stay strong. Encourage each other. Pray. Jesus is coming… Stacey Take a few minutes to pray and savor the Old Testament book of Obadiah once again. It’s still only one chapter. Then return here and ponder the thoughts, answer the questions, and be sure to leave comments about your own rev...

Chairein! (Ky Rain) We’re officially done with Homework and Melissa’s Articles. If you’ve opted for that next level of participation, you’ve already written the entire book of James and you may be continuing to memorize it, like I am. (Currently, I’ve memorized 1:1 through 3:10). Our class had an extra week before the start of our next group study, so we took that week to watch the bonus material. Video Segment: The little snippets of the interview that Kelly Minter conducted with Beth and Melissa were tantalizing. But the full interview is a feast. I wish I could watch it over and over again so I wouldn’t miss anything said by these godly women. I did glean quite a bit of information if my note-taking was any indication. The theme of James’ Jewishness has been a valuable point since week one. His orthodoxy is revealed in his rabbinic style of verbally punching with honesty rather than beating around the bush with his words. James, unlike Beth, does not hail from a culture s...

First of all, I would like to extend a heartfelt “Thank you” to Kathi Lipp and her publisher for sending me a copy of "Praying God's Word For Your Husband" to review for them. I am truly grateful for this generosity. I really appreciate the time, effort and expense it takes to make a reviewer copy available to me. Kathi Lipp’s “Praying God’s Word for Your Husband” is a terrific book that I plan to use in conjunction with other books that I already use daily to flesh out deeper, more meaningful prayers for my man. I was most touched by the comments penned by the author’s husband about what her prayers mean to him. I did come away from this book with some real suggestions for how to improve my prayer life for my husband in specific areas. Many of these techniques and suggestions will be helpful when I am interceding for others, as well. This book encourages boldness and expectation regarding prayer. Those passages truly uplifted me and gave me incentive to persevere in ...

A challenge from Beth Moore to memorize the book of James in her latest study "James: Mercy Triumphs" is continuing to teach me long after the last session video has played.

First of all, I would like to extend a heartfelt “Thank you” to Annette Reeder and Dr. Richard Couey and their publisher for sending me a copy of "Treasures of Healthy Living" to review for them. I am truly grateful for this generosity. I really appreciate the time, effort and expense it takes to make a reviewer copy available to me. “Treasures of Healthy Living” by Annette Reeder and Dr. Richard Couey is a Bible study unlike any other and it has reached my hands at the absolute perfect time, as God’s appointments do in my experience. Sadly, the review for the book is due in only nine days, so I will barely get the study started before I must critique it. So I skimmed the workbook. I like the format. The idea of the Bible containing a treasure map for how to eat well excites me. I noticed a website (designedhealthyliving.com) listed in the introduction to the study, and visited it. There are great recipes and health resources, evaluations and videos. I immediately down...

Please forgive this rough draft format, as these are my raw study notes on the book of Obadiah, although they are a bit better formatted than some former efforts. I felt a great sense of urgency to publish them rather than waiting until I had the time to pretty them up. Thank you and I pray that God blesses and encourages you through this material. I’m not sure of the condition of the world at the time of this publication. But at the time of its writing, spring 2009, things are looking pretty bleak with the economy and unemployment, natural disasters, and godly principles of living being disregarded. Are these the first stages of birth pains? The last? God only knows. And He is very busy these days. Stay strong. Encourage each other. Pray. Jesus is coming… Stacey Take a few minutes to pray and savor the Old Testament book of Obadiah for the second time. Then return here and ponder the thoughts, answer the questions, and be sure to leave comments about your own revelations… 6 – But ev...

First of all, I would like to extend a heartfelt “Thank you” to Jill Marie Landis and her publisher for sending me a copy of "Heart of Glass" to review for them. I am truly grateful for this generosity. I really appreciate the time, effort and expense it takes to make a reviewer copy available to me. “Heart of Glass” by Jill Marie Landis is a romantic epic of the old south. Kate Keene loves her childhood best friend’s plantation home – where she grew up. She also had the biggest crush on her best friend’s brother, Colin. But things are different now that the Civil War has ended. Belle Fleuve is in shambles, the Keenes and Delanys are all gone, and when Kate arrives at Belle Fleuve, she encounters a very broken Colin Delany. Because of her love for the Delanys and Belle Fleuve, Kate wants to honor their memory by restoring the house using her architectural gift. But that will be difficult since Colin doesn’t want her around. This beautifully crafted story brings the post...

Chairein! (Ky Rain) Homework: What a way to end a study! This week’s homework gave us our final glimpse of James in Scripture and spoke about the dilemma of the Jerusalem church in accepting the offering that Paul collected from the Gentile churches in Asia. We learned about James’ death and the aftermath of his murder. And I was completely moved by Day Five after studying all of what I mentioned earlier in the week. Mercy Triumphs is definitely one of my favorite Bible studies. Melissa’s Articles: In the first of this week’s articles, “Theology of the Collection”, Melissa discusses the dilemma of James and the Jerusalem Church in receiving the gifts collected for the poor by Paul from the Gentile churches. Gentiles sharing the spiritual blessings of Jews have a responsibility to minister to them. Paul believed that the Gentiles “owed” the Jews for their spiritual heritage. “So, Who Took the Reins?” is a fascinating article about who succeeded James as the bishop of the Jeru...

First of all, I would like to extend a heartfelt “Thank you” to Loree Lough and her publisher for sending me a copy of "Honor Redeemed" to review for them. I am truly grateful for this generosity. I really appreciate the time, effort and expense it takes to make a reviewer copy available to me. Loree Lough’s “Honor Redeemed” is Book 2 in the First Responders Series. Although I have not read Book 1 “From Ashes to Honor,” this novel reads well as a standalone. Honor Mackenzie is a dedicated Search and Rescue team leader in Baltimore. Matt Phillips is an equally dedicated father of twin boys. He is also a widower and a reporter who gets under Honor’s skin. Each has their own reasons for not wanting to become involved in a romantic relationship. But those reasons disintegrate a bit at a time as their admiration for each other grows. This novel is full of action, adventure, friendship and romance. The adrenaline junkie that lives in my brain would have liked a bit more in t...

Please forgive this rough draft format, as these are my raw study notes on the book of Obadiah, although they are a bit better formatted than some former efforts. I felt a great sense of urgency to publish them rather than waiting until I had the time to pretty them up. Thank you and I pray that God blesses and encourages you through this material. I’m not sure of the condition of the world at the time of this publication. But at the time of its writing, spring 2009, things are looking pretty bleak with the economy and unemployment, natural disasters, and godly principles of living being disregarded. Are these the first stages of birth pains? The last? God only knows. And He is very busy these days. Stay strong. Encourage each other. Pray. Jesus is coming… Stacey Take a few minutes to pray and savor the Old Testament book of Obadiah. It’s only one chapter. (We will spend 4 weeks here, and read the book through each time. You will get to know Obadiah really well.) Then return here a...

Chairein! (Ky Rain) Homework: This week’s homework is a life-changer from word one! At least it was for me. Beth’s guidance led me through some soul searching and realizations that changes need to be made in my life in the areas of greed and patience. It also led me to ask myself questions like: What would I do if God took away all I had? Would I curse Him? Does what I’ve seen and heard about God keep me faithful to Him when I have no current physical evidence of His wonderful character? The homework also led me to recognize God’s lavish blessings and taught me about letting my “yes” be yes. Melissa’s Articles: In this week’s first article, “The Elephant in the Room”, Melissa talks about how James 5:1-6 could be speaking about any of three groups of people: ANY rich people who abuse wealth and live self-indulgent lives; rich Christians who abuse wealth and live self-indulgent lives; or rich non-Christians who live that way. What this article taught me – in a timely way ...

First of all, I would like to extend a heartfelt “Thank you” to Deborah Raney and her publisher for sending me a copy of "After All" to review for them. I am truly grateful for this generosity. I really appreciate the time, effort and expense it takes to make a reviewer copy available to me. Deborah Raney’s “After All” is an emotional life-after-tragedy novel that is more thought-provoking than entertaining. Complex characters stand strong in the foreground of this story of love, betrayal and forgiveness that culminates in second chances for some and denial for others. The multi-dimensional plot keeps the reader engaged with the story on many levels as tough issues are confronted. The poignant story poses difficult circumstances that beg for the readers’ reflection. Susan Marlowe is a recent widow: her firefighter husband losing his life on the job with four other heroes. But what Susan discovers after the funeral casts a shadow upon the hero she buried. She is not the ...

Please forgive this rough draft format, as these are my raw study notes on the book of Ephesians. I felt a great sense of urgency to publish them rather than waiting until I had the time to pretty them up. Thank you and I pray that God blesses and encourages you through this material. Stay strong. Grow in your faith in Christ. Live in the Spirit. Encourage each other. Pray. Jesus is coming… Stacey Take a few minutes to pray and savor chapter 6 of the book of Ephesians. Read it with the thought in mind that this is Paul’s instruction to new Gentile converts in Ephesus. Then return here and ponder the thoughts, answer the questions, and be sure to leave comments about your own revelations… Chapter 6 – May 31, 2005 I see chapter 6 as a progression… Child → Parent → Bondservant → Warrior We are preparing for battle here on earth. 6:1 – children are under the protective umbrella of their parents. (See 1:20; 5:22-25) (Creative Correction – Lisa Whelchel) 6:10-18 – to prepare for battle...