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I was so intrigued by the concept of four well-known, talented, and unique authors writing a series of short stories together. In the introduction, the authors explain that the stories were written independently yet joined together with an overarching storyline in a manner similar to a tv series. I have read novels by all four of the authors and their writing styles are quite distinct. I had no idea that they were friends… fun. With the combined creativity of these authors, it is no surprise to me that they came up with such an ingenious concept.
So, while I found myself intrigued I was also dubious. Could the series be cohesive with the distinct writing styles of four different authors? Would it be confusing?
I have taken FOREVER to write this review. I read The Shattered Vigil months ago and have returned multiple times to write this review. There have been many iterations and at one time my review was almost 2000 words long. I thought that might be a wee bit excessive ;). I can't imagine that you want to read a comprehensive treatise rather than a book review. If you do, I would really love to meet you,
To Love Anew begins with our heroine, Hannah, losing her precious mother to the sweating sickness. Hannah’s mother provided her with a strong foundation of faith in God, a sweet and loving spirit, and skilled hands that aren’t idle. As can only be, Hannah grieves for her mother and life is never the same again.
Hannah’s situation is one that most of us will never experience. Without her mother’s skills as a seamstress, Hannah very rapidly becomes homeless, alone and defenseless in a harsh and cruel world. The reality of young women without means in 19th century London.
The adventure continues as Jelena and her crew fail completely in their attempt to “just” deliver cargo. Jelena has a huge debt to pay off and so she really needs lucrative cargo runs. Government bills for repairing blown-up space stations are expensive!! Trouble seems magnetically drawn to Jelena and her crew though so there is no “just” for them. This is to our benefit… the world that they live in is never boring… so you will never be bored ;).
Hitler’s Cross is fascinating, enlightening, and downright terrifying. It is a book that I was meant to read. Erwin W. Lutzer covers an extremely dark subject matter in a clear, concise, and compassionate manner. I believe that the state of humanity is such that burying or hiding from our history is dangerous. Instead, truthful evaluation and personal introspection are imperative in order to avoid repetition of humankind’s greatest atrocities. We must not forget the atrocities committed nor can we forget the unfortunate fear, lack of faith, and lack of response that was exhibited by the Christian church during WWII. Hitler’s Cross is an excellent resource for the church to use in understanding this period in our history.
God Loves Daddy & Me and it’s companion book God Loves Mommy & Me just bring a smile to my face. God Loves Daddy & Me points out positive attributes of a God honoring father loving his child as THE Father loves them both. Laura Watkins’ illustrations bring such light and adorableness to the story. The raccoon daddy and child are so cute! You’ll love that the child is not stated as being male or female so daddy and son or daddy and daughter work equally well.
I unabashedly love Lindsay Buroker’s writing. Her stories make me laugh, are fast paced, and are just plain fun. The Rogue Prince doesn't disappoint. I do recommend that you read the Fallen Empire series first. I didn't. Fortunately, I had no problem enjoying The Rogue Prince as Buroker provides enough backstory for the newbies like me (and reminders for those who read the Fallen Empire series awhile ago) to keep the story moving without leaving us in the dust. I'm off to pick up the Fallen Empire books and get to reading.
What a priceless children's book! I'm so in love with the absolutely adorable animals, the rhymes, and the affirmation of God's purposeful and perfect creation. With no holds barred, I recommend that you find a copy at the library or from your favorite book vendor and enjoy this colorful, creative, Christian story with your favorite little one (or a brood of them). This would make a wonderful addition to your churches toddler's ministry.
Mommy loves me so much! She cheers me up when I’m sad, she kisses my boo-boos, she sings me lullabies at bedtime, and she prays for me. I love Mommy, and God does too!
I love documentaries! I watch a lot of them. I can unabashedly say that Patterns of Evidence: The Exodus is at the top of my favorite documentaries list ever. It is powerful... a filmmakers genuine and honest journey to investigate the controversy surrounding the biblical exodus. His findings are balanced and fair.
This film was so engrossing that while my husband and I were watching it, my kids (ages 8, 10, and 18) started peeking their heads in to see what we were watching. It wasn't long at all before they joined us, and they really added to the experience as they asked really good questions throughout (mark one homeschool lesson finished). As we watched my husband and I kept looking at each other and found ourselves saying things like WOW! I had no idea! That's incredible! Are you kidding me!?!
Here are a couple of my thoughts as to what makes a documentary great?
- The topic is one that is worthwhile of deep investigation (a question or controversy that is engaging).
- The film's journey is undertaken by an investigative journalist with integrity.
- The documentary takes me somewhere that I cannot go on my own.
- The documentary opens up a subject matter that I may know nothing about and leaves me informed.
- The documentary goes deep. It takes the needed time to fully investigate the story (in this case, 12-years).
- The filmmaking, editing, narrating, etc. should be excellent. Clean, sharp, pleasing to the eyes and ears.
- Most importantly... it should keep you ruminating over it long after it is over. (My husband and I have had so many discussions about this film since we finished it.)
On every point Patterns of Evidence: The Exodus knocks it out of the park - hits the nail on the head - pick your favorite idiom. Watch the short trailer below and then scroll down to enter my giveaway for one copy of the DVD. If you don't win the giveaway... don't worry... I also have a discount code for you .
I completely forgot to tell you all in yesterdays post about the fact that you could WIN a free Biblical Hebrew level 1 course. The same course that Darrell is currently taking. Nine months of in-depth online learning with an instructor who lives in Israel and with English speaking students from all over the world. Just by entering you get a $100.00 tuition reduction!
It isn't everyday as a blogger that you get tossed an opportunity to review a Biblical Hebrew course. When the opportunity popped up in my email box I immediately thought of my husband. He is a pastor with a Bible college education but he has yet to learn either Greek or Hebrew. I asked him if he would like to take the class and he immediately snatched up the opportunity.
There are many important milestones in a person's life... graduation is one of them. A big one! Whether it be from high school or college the graduation right of passage leads our babies off into the relative unknown. They seem to race off full steam ahead towards an independent life. Believers, we know it and I know that you have raised your children to understand that there is only one unchanging truth... one compass... Christ. But do you have as hard a time as I do remembering sometimes? I can get all twisted and turned around. And trust me, the "world" will bombard your graduate with false information as Satan desires to snatch them away from the truth of which they have been raised. As our babies graduate it's time to pull out the parental toolbox and exchange a few of the tools. One tool that will never change... prayer! We will get camel's knees from praying that our children will remember who reigns. Then the question is, what else do you put in your toolbox?
I want to introduce you today to a pregnancy-resource ministry called Embrace Grace. I hadn't heard of this ministry prior to being contacted to review the ministries Love in a Box pro-love initiative (more on that to follow). I'm impressed from what I see to be the heart of this ministry. Learning about this ministry on their 'about us' page my heart soared when I read that "the primary goal of Embrace Grace is to empower churches across the nation to be a safe and non-judging place for the girls to run to when they find out they are pregnant, instead of the last place they are welcomed because of shame and guilt." (emphasis mine). This is how we have been called by God to respond to these girls, their boyfriends, and their families.
I am pro-life and I applaud the efforts of others to turn people away from the very sad and sinful choice of abortion. The church needs to do even more in the fight against abortion and to spread the gospel, which is the only true way to change the human heart. While I really want to support this movie I feel that there are some doctrinal issues that cannot be ignored therefore I cannot recommend this movie.
I had a great experience watching The JESUS Film using Christian Cinema's streaming service. As an Apple TV owner I was thrilled to discover that Christian Cinema has an Apple TV app, launched in July 2016. I had crystal clear reception without any delays. The quality of the video was excellent, the new musical score in Dobly 5.1 surround sound was evident, and the movie was vividly colored. It was a top-notch viewing experience
Treasure Toons was an unexpected blessing. Treasure Toon is not cotton candy christianity for kids. You know… cotton candy is sweet, it draws kids in, it tastes great, but it isn’t substantial. Treasure Toons is substantial! It is biblical scripture set to music with fun graphics for kids.
The International Justice Mission (IJM) produced a groundbreaking short film, SuperMaarko, about how one boy survived cybersex trafficking. SuperMaarko has been nominated for a Webby Award, called “the Internet’s highest honor” by The New York Times. Maarko’s story has been recognized in the Best Video (Public Service+Activism) category. With your help, there is a strong possibility that SuperMaarko can win!
Today is the 44th anniversary of the Supreme Court's landmark decision in Roe v Wade. In these past 44 years, many believers have gathered together each January to emphasize the value and the dignity of human life. As such, I have posted two reviews to date and have a couple more coming before the month is over. Please please start by reading the Bible, as it is the truth upon which all other ideas must be held up to. Then I pray that you will take a look through these offerings and use them as a springboard to help inform your understanding of the cultural and political issues surrounding abortion. The news is often bad but the hand of God is evident working throughout the tragedy.
I named my blog Blessed and Bewildered as the name, in essence, mirrors my emotional state. I know that I am incredibly blessed yet I am often bewildered at my reactions to life in general and adversity in particular.
Hello, everyone. Since beginning my blog I have been writing mostly books reviews, which is obvious at just a glance through my site. ;) Books have been a love of mine for as long as I have been able to read. Long time folks!
I told my husband that for the first time I am fascinated by the book of Numbers and Deuteronomy. He quipped back "well there's hope for you yet". Ha!
I have read Numbers more than once over my lifetime and I feel as if I am trudging through it each time. My wise husband always reminds me that the book of Numbers was placed in the Bible for a reason. It was placed there by God's divine will. That means that there is something there for me to learn.
Life is bewildering!
Sometimes it feels overwhelming.
Life is a beautiful blessing!
I stand in absolute awe of God's creation, His holiness, His glory, His omniscience, His righteousness, His authority, His gift, His faithfulness, His forgiveness.
This is why I love books so much. They carry me away on adventures...they broaden my vocabulary...they make me laugh.
The Noble Servant is a lovely medieval fairy tale romance. It has been said by other reviewers that The Noble Servant is reminiscent of The Goose Girl by the Brothers Grimm. I’ve not read the story so I can’t speak to that. I can say that The Noble Servant is a modern fairytale. I find in our two primary characters qualities that are reminiscent of Cinderella and the prince in the classic fairy tale Cinderella by Charles Perrault. The Noble Servant isn’t a copycat book by any measure though; it retains a distinctly unique style that is wholly Melanie Dickerson.