WORD up!

Here is my review of this enjoyable anthology: First of all, I would like to extend a heartfelt “Thank you” to Colleen Coble, Kristin Billerbeck, Diann Hunt and Denise Hunter and their publisher for sending me a copy of "Secretly Smitten" 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. “Secretly Smitten” is the second anthology of novellas taking place in the romantic destination town of Smitten, Vermont.   In this set of four love stories, a common thread of mystery is woven through the tales of love.   The Grandmother of three of our leading ladies apparently has a past which is exposed in the form of a set of military issue dog tags found in Grandma’s attic that do not belong to their deceased Grandfather.   These entertaining stories come together beautifully and offer hours of heartwarming entertainment. ***“Love Between the Lines” by Colleen Cob...

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: Cherie Calbom and the book: The Juice Lady's Big Book of Juices and Green Smoothies Siloam (January 8, 2013) ***Special thanks to Althea Thompson for sending me a review copy.*** ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Cherie Calbom, MS, is the author of The Juice Lady’s Turbo Diet, The Juice Lady’s Living Foods Revolution, and Juicing for Life, which has nearly two million books in print in the United States. Known as “...

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 23 of the Old Testament book of Joshua. Then return here and ponder the thoughts, answer the...

What I learned from the homework – This week, we begin drafting our will.   It was quite interesting to do research to find examples of Christian preambles for inclusion in my will.   I could not find any Christian wills online, but I remember my BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) Teaching Leader mentioning the will of JP Morgan during a lecture last year, so I looked it up again.   Take the time to look it up yourself.   As a Christian, we can include a testimony in our last will and testament that leaves a legacy to our children and has the potential to bless everyone within earshot!

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 22 of the Old Testament book of Joshua. Then return here and ponder the thoughts, answer the...

What I learned from the homework – Ants are wise:   storing up food in times of prosperity for use in leaner seasons.   Just like the story of Joseph and Pharaoh’s dream of fat cows and lean cows… What I learned from our class discussion – We need to do our homework on our investments and not put all of our eggs in one basket.   We need to diversify our investments.   But, most importantly, we need to trust God more than the investments we choose.   Ultimately, all prosperity comes from Him! What I learned from watching the video – It was suggested that, once the student reaches Destination 4 on the Money Map, they begin to save and invest regularly. Changes I have made/need to make – I haven’t been terribly faithful with the saving part, but my investing part more than makes up for it.   However, since my investing is mostly in a work-sponsored 401(k) that can’t be touched until retirement age, I need to increase my habit of saving to my ac...

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 21 of the Old Testament book of Joshua. Then return here and ponder the thoughts, answer the...

First of all, I would like to extend a heartfelt “Thank you” to Anita Higman and her publisher for sending me a copy of "Texas Wildflowers" 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. Anita Higman’s anthology, “Texas Wildflowers” is a touching and engaging collection of four romantic novellas chronicling the lives and loves of the four McBride sisters (Rosy, Lily, Violet and Heather).   This charming book makes for heart-warming reading on a cold winter night.   Just curl up in front of the fireplace with some cocoa and a blanket.   Although each tale felt a bit rushed rather than developed, this got me thinking that this is how the Lord pursues us:   full-throttle and with complete abandon.   Each story is rated individually below. ***After being left at the altar, Rosy McBride returns to Galveston Island to heal in “Everything’s Coming Up...

What I learned from the homework – God intended work to be a blessing.   The concept of work was instituted in the Garden of Eden PRIOR to the fall.   So, this should tell us that work wasn’t meant to be a punishment.   Work was made more difficult after the fall, but it was part of God’s plan for man and woman from the beginning. Re-reading Proverbs 31 has taught me this week that women in the workplace was part of God’s plan.   I have wasted too much time resenting the fact that I have never been able to be a career homemaker.   Now, I can tell you that God has completely orchestrated my career path and every job I’ve ever held.   I have gotten to know Him in unimaginable ways because of work.   And, after experiencing 13 months of unemployment several years ago, I appreciate work so much more. Changes I have made/need to make – This week significantly impacted our entire class.   Granted, our group is very small, and that lends itse...

In her newest romantic-suspense novel, critically-acclaimed author Irene Hannon asks herself what would happen if the victim of a deadly car crash on a secluded country road simply disappeared? Vanished is the gripping first novel in Hannon’s Private Justice series. It opens with a shadowy figure caught in the beam of reporter Moira Harrison’s headlights – followed by a solid thump before she loses control and crashes into a tree. But when Moira regains consciousness, the victim is nowhere to be seen. The police say the disappearance never happened, but Moira can’t forget the look of sheer terror she saw on the person’s face in the instant it was caught in the glare of her headlights. Now her only hope of discovering the truth is a former police detective turned private eye—and her own investigate skills. As often happens for Hannon, the genesis of this story came out of the blue, triggered by a simple incident. ...

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 20 of the Old Testament book of Joshua. Then return here and ponder the thoughts, answer the...

What I learned from the homework – Tithing and giving to the poor are two separate things.   I didn’t have this wisdom previously, but I have been practicing the principles for years.   My husband and I give tithes and offerings regularly to our church and we have been sponsoring children through a Christian charity.   I pray that you will consider doing something similar if you aren’t already. What I learned from our class discussion – This was the week that I volunteered to lead the group.   I really like that part of the Crown Financial Study that helps to identify future group leaders.   The group gets to experience a variety of leadership styles and the students may consider a ministry that they never thought about before. Memorizing Scripture – Acts 20:35 reminds us that Jesus said it is better to give than to receive.   Isn’t that the truth?   Even as a child, when I was old enough to have a “Christmas Club” Account at the bank (rem...