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A Love Surrendered Winds of Change Series- #3 By Julie Lessman With heart-pounding romance, intense family drama, and emotional twists and turns, A Love Surrendered is everything Julie Lessman's many fans have been waiting for. Orphaned in Iowa, Annie Kennedy moves to Boston to stay with her spinster aunt. She longs for romance to fill the void left by her parents' death. But when she falls hard for Steven O'Connor, the man who broke an engagement to her sister, Annie is worried. Will he break her heart too when he discovers who she really is? Julie Lessman is the popular author of A Passion Most Pure, A Passion Redeemed, and A Passion Denied, as well as A Hope Undaunted, which was one of 2010's Booklist Top Ten Inspirational Fiction winners, and A Heart Revealed. Lessman has garnered several writing awards, including ten Romance Writers of America awards. She lives in Missouri. Here is my review of this terrific novel: First of all, I would like to exten...

Please forgive this rough draft format, as these are my raw study notes on the book of Joshua, although they are a bit better formatted than 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, summer 2009, things are looking increasingly bleak with the economy and unemployment, there is a renewal and increase of racism, 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 and very courageous. Encourage each other. Pray. Jesus is coming to deliver His people and judge the wicked… Stacey Take a few minutes to pray and savor chapter 6 of the Old Testament book of Joshua. Then return here and ponder the thoughts, answer the ...

In this lesson, I learned that our God is unfathomably smart! Just think about the clotting process. Google it if you must. Without this, we would have died off long ago because the slightest cut would have led to each of us bleeding to death! Have you ever had a cut that bled? Enough said. Our catalyst for teaching in this lesson was Carl Sagan’s quote: “Evolution is a fact amply demonstrated by the fossil record and by contemporary molecular biology.” This erroneous statement was thoroughly debunked as contemporary molecular biology was used to disprove evolution through the examination of DNA and the cell itself which testifies to the preeminence of intelligent design. It is sad that scientists who could be truly brilliant are so afraid to acknowledge a Creator. They don’t want to gaze at the face of God, so they choose to believe the lie in the form of theories that they themselves have disproven. Darwin even said, “If it could be demonstrated that any complex organ existe...

Here is my review of this wonderful novel: First of all, I would like to extend a heartfelt “Thank you” to Sarah Sundin and her publisher for sending me a copy of "With Every Letter" 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. Sandra Sundin’s “With Every Letter” is one of the best romances I’ve read in quite some time. Lieutenant Philomela “Mellie” Blake is a nurse who longs to serve patients onboard airplanes as they are being transported. She also longs for a real friend, but her ideas and her looks are unconventional and she simply rubs people the wrong way. Lieutenant Tom MacKilliver is having a difficult time leading his men. Because of his name and association with a convicted murderer, his life has not been easy. He longs to be anonymous, and when he receives the opportunity to do just that, he jumps into the project fully. It began as an idea to crea...

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: Joey Bonifcio and the book: The Lego Principle Charisma House (September 4, 2012) ***Special thanks to Althea Thompson for sending me a review copy.*** ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Joey Bonifacio is the senior pastor of Victory Fort. Bonifacio, a Christ-centered, Bible-based, Spirit-filled, disciple-making, mission-driven church that meets in Bonifacio Global City in Greater Metro Manila. Joey serves on the board of...

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 is: NIV Rock Solid Study Bible for Teens Zondervan; Special edition (August 21, 2012) ***Special thanks to Rick Roberson for sending me a review copy.*** SHORT BOOK DESCRIPTION: This all-new, full-featured NIV Bible is great for teens looking to grow their faith, increase meaning in their lives, and find hope for their future. The Rock Solid Bible for Teens is a timely guide for teens grappling with big questions about t...

Please forgive this rough draft format, as these are my raw study notes on the book of Joshua, although they are a bit better formatted than 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, summer 2009, things are looking increasingly bleak with the economy and unemployment, there is a renewal and increase of racism, 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 and very courageous. Encourage each other. Pray. Jesus is coming to deliver His people and judge the wicked… Stacey Take a few minutes to pray and savor chapter 5 of the Old Testament book of Joshua. Then return here and ponder the thoughts, answer the ...

Experience God's wisdom as never before and find encouragement, peace, answers, and a better life through this devotional prayer book. Many people read a chapter a day from the book of Proverbs as a regular devotional practice. They consider it their favorite book in the Bible because its daily practical guidance offers tools to make the right choices and have the inner strength to stand against pressure, size up a situation and know how to respond, make fewer careless mistakes, and avoid unnecessary trouble. In these pages, readers will find a chapter from Proverbs followed by a heartfelt prayer that includes all of the insights from that chapter. In a mere thirty-one days they can pray all of the wisdom of Proverbs for their lives. Summerside Press 2012 About John Ma son John Mason is an author with over 1.2 million books in print, including An Enemy Called Average, You're Born an Original- Don't Die a Copy, and Let Go of Whatever Makes You Stop. He is the founder and pre...

These lessons simply get better and better as this Biblical worldview course progresses! The key lesson that I gleaned from this week’s teaching is not to be afraid to look into a microscope because the evidence supports the truth of God. Hallelujah! I never really thought about it, before, but that’s the way it would have to be if God is really real. Right? The heavens declare the glory of God! Jeremiah 33:22 mentions the countless nature of the stars in the sky. In 128 BC, Hipparchus proclaimed that the stars numbered 1026 – he counted them! In 1600 AD, Kepler claimed there were only 1005 stars. WOW! In 2003 AD, the count came to 70 sextillion stars, including over 1 billion galaxies! That’s more like it. This is apparently more than the grains of sand in every desert and beach on earth, but I have no idea who counted those grains… God’s handiwork is plain to see. Romans 1:20 says, “For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and d...

Michigan, 1883 In Her Darkest Hours, Is He the Man She Needs? Lily Young longs to find her lost sister or will die trying. Heedless of any danger, she searches logging camps and towns, posing as a photographer's assistant. And then she arrives in Harrison, Michigan--and the sights of Connell McCormick. Connell is determined to increase the fortune of his lumber-baron father and figures as long as he's living an upright life, that's what matters. But when Lily arrives in town she upends his world, forcing him to confront the truth that dangerous men have gained too much power while good men turn a blind eye. Vexing but persuasive, Lily soon secures Connell's help, drawing them ever closer to each other. Will standing for what's right cost them both everything? Bethany House 2012 About Jody Hedlund Jody Hedlund is the bestselling author of The Doctor's Lady and The Preacher's Bride. She won the 2011 Inspirational Reader's Choice Award, the 2011 Award o...

First of all, I would like to extend a heartfelt “Thank you” to Dee Henderson and her publisher for sending me a copy of "Full Disclosure" 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. Dee Henderson’s latest novel, “Full Disclosure,” is well-worth the long wait! The reunion with several of the O’Malleys had my heart beating double-time! Or was it the author’s gift for crafting a suspenseful plot? Or perhaps it was learning the identities of the True Heroes cast of characters. In any case, this book started off at a run because I caught myself reminiscing over books I’ve enjoyed and characters I’ve considered friends, embraced the twist that incorporated them into this novel and invested my armchair sleuthing skills into figuring out who the Lady Shooter is. Paul Falcon is the top murder investigator for the FBI. His investigation of the Lady Shooter case has ...

Please forgive this rough draft format, as these are my raw study notes on the book of Joshua, although they are a bit better formatted than 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, summer 2009, things are looking increasingly bleak with the economy and unemployment, there is a renewal and increase of racism, 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 and very courageous. Encourage each other. Pray. Jesus is coming to deliver His people and judge the wicked… Stacey Take a few minutes to pray and savor chapter 4 of the Old Testament book of Joshua. Then return here and ponder the thoughts, answer the ...

Here are some highlights from another amazing lecture from Del Tackett, who asked: how can we define or describe God? We really can’t because we don’t even completely understand the eternal nature of God. It is amazing that He has chosen to reveal Himself to us and that He takes up residence in us. The Westminster Confession attempted to answer this critical question, and they didn’t do too badly in the amazingness of God part. But I disagree with where they said that God is without passions. So does my Pastor. God is passionate about us! So much so that He sent His only Son to die on the cross so that we wouldn’t be separated from Him. One of the incredible points that was brought up during this tour is that knowledge of God has not been destroyed but merely eclipsed – or hidden. That’s just like the enemy, isn’t it? Remember when Satan tempted Jesus in the desert? He spouted lots of lies veiled in nuggets of truth, but Jesus didn’t fall for it! So to eclipse God is like sa...

Please forgive this rough draft format, as these are my raw study notes on the book of Joshua, although they are a bit better formatted than 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, summer 2009, things are looking increasingly bleak with the economy and unemployment, there is a renewal and increase of racism, 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 and very courageous. Encourage each other. Pray. Jesus is coming to deliver His people and judge the wicked… Stacey Take a few minutes to pray and savor chapter 3 of the Old Testament book of Joshua. Then return here and ponder the thoughts, answer the ...

When Cassie Lowe goes to live with her sister in the years following the Civil War, she is reacquainted with a man who once saved her life, Tyler Atherton. But Cassie is no longer the lighthearted young woman he once knew. She is now a widow with a young daughter, and she is nursing the disappointments and hurts from a difficult marriage. Though she longs to open her heart again, she is bound by fear and mistrust. Tyler has demons of his own. Still haunted by the knowledge that his father was murdered by Comanches, he puts all his focus on reclaiming his inheritance: the ranch stolen from his family as punishment for his fighting for the Confederacy. With his affection for Cassie growing, he longs to provide a home and future for her and her daughter. Though yearning to pledge their love, both Cassie and Tyler struggle to conquer their fears. Will Indian attacks, post-war renegades, and the hardship of life on the Texas plains destroy their future? Or will they find the strength to sur...

The Anthropology Tour didn’t begin where I expected it would. It eventually got there, though, and it turned out to be another great lesson that encouraged lots of thought. By the end of the class, our Pastor-Facilitator asked if we were experiencing information overload. And the answer is a resounding YES! So, Dr. Tackett begins by writing the word “EVIL” on the chalkboard in his classroom. What is evil? Is it a bad feeling? Is it doing bad and feeling good about it? Is it creepy? Is it sin? Is it genocide? Here’s a second question: Where did EVIL come from? And a third question: Why is there evil in the world? If you exclude God, you’re left in a difficult position to answer these questions. This is why, when you ask these questions of the world, they come up empty. The Biblical view of man is comprised of several states or modes. Creation brought about the first state: INNOCENT – we were created in God’s image. The Fall brought about state two: FALLEN – evil, dead...