Set Free to Choose Right

Popular Author, Speaker, and Founder of the Josh McDowell Ministry Speaks Out on the Popular, Culturally Relevant Topic of Right vs. Wrong

Directed to parents and gatekeepers of today’s youth, renowned speaker and author Josh McDowell focuses on the how-to’s of teaching teens and pre-teens to make right moral choices.

Set Free to Choose Right will help you come to understand:

why today’s kids feel they have the right to determine what is “right” or “wrong” for themselves

how culture reinforces that there are no universal truths and. . .

where this misconception historically originated

how to motivate kids to make good choices

it is God’s character and nature that makes right, right and wrong, wrong

Engaging stories and helpful illustration are provided to model how a person (of any age) can distinguish between right and wrong and make the right choice—every time!

 Each of the 10 chapters begins with a story in the life of Aubrey, Brad, and their son Jayden. Then Josh McDowell follows up with research, scripture and suggestions as to how the situation could have been handled. There is a heavy emphasis on sexual sin, but along with this emphasis is realizing the difference between what the world says is okay compared to what God says is okay. Author Josh McDowell does a great job of giving us statistics and stories, as well as solid advice when dealing with porn. He goes beyond that and gives us tools, as well as scripture verses to go along with those tools.  He has written about the 4 C's process. This is a guide to help your children make great choices.

1. Consider the choice
2. Compare it to God
3. Commit to God's way
4. Count on God's protection and provision

I recommend it for parents, grandparents and anyone else who guides or mentors young people.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review.

I Will Love You Forever

A baby girl was born without a right or left hemisphere of her brain. Doctors said she was essentially in a vegetative state, unable to see or hear—that there was no hope for her. Relinquished under the state’s Safe Haven Law, this two-week-old unnamed baby girl found her way to Cori and Mark Salchert’s home. Despite the infant’s grim medical diagnosis, Cori knew she couldn’t allow this beautiful baby girl to spend her few days on earth alone and unloved. Cori took the baby girl home and named her Emmalynn .

I Will Love You Forever reveals one woman's decades-long quest to find healing and redemption after the accidental death of her sister as a child. God has used hospice babies—those left to live and die without family to care for them—to mend Cori's broken heart. Bringing these fragile hospice babies into their home, Cori and her family have promised to hold them briefly, until their last breath on this side of heaven, but to love them forever and always. The loving actions of Cori and her family show that we can do all things through Christ who gives us strength.

Cori’s poignant story will strengthen your faith. . . It will touch your heart.

This book is a testimony of how God shows His love through even the most broken human beings.

I Will Love You Forever reveals one woman's years-long quest to find healing and redemption after the accidental death of her sister as a child. God used hospice babies—those left to live and die without family to care for them—to mend Cori's broken heart. Cori and her family have promised to hold them briefly, until their last breath this side of heaven, but to love them forever and always. The loving actions of Cori and her family show that we can do all things through Christ who gives us strength.

I highly recommend reading this book.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review.

Raising Passionate Jesus Followers

For Christian parents, there is no greater joy than seeing their children learn to walk with the Lord. And there is no greater fear than that their children will walk away from God.

After serving together in pastoral ministry for forty years, Phil and Diane Comer know those hopes and fears well. Thirty-seven years ago, they became parents themselves. And like all new parents, they were intimidated and unsure about how to take on the task of spiritually training their young children.

Now, with all four of their children grown and establishing their own households of faith, Phil and Diane have embarked on a quest to help the next generation of parents raise passionate Jesus followers. Drawing on years of pastoral counseling, teaching, leading, and decades of watching families from the perspective of pastors and leaders in ministry, Phil and Diane instruct, guide, encourage, and offer hope and practical help to Christian parents.

Raising Passionate Jesus Followers is a manual full of practical, biblically based guidelines that parents will be able to turn to again and again through each stage of their children’s development. Starting at birth, into grade school, through the daunting teenage years, to launching them into college, and finally letting go, this book contains the why’s and the how’s parents need. This book will serve as an invaluable resource for any parent whose greatest longing is to shepherd their children into a vibrant faith in God.

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RAISING PASSIONATE JESUS FOLLOWERS is a fast read with each chapter broken up into short sections and Bible quotes. Christ is the foundation of their parenting advice and much scripture is included to guide the book’s topic. It answers so many questions and is full of biblical and practical instruction. Citing Luke 2:52 and 2 Timothy 4:2, the Comers outline three areas to intentionally focus on: character development, relationship building, and spiritual training. They offer insights into dealing with children on an individual basis and not using a one-size-fits-all approach. This book is broken up into sections according to age and the basic areas of character you are working towards in each. The main thing is that it gave me specifics to pray and practical steps to take.  The book teaches about teaching your kids through every age. I can see this being a helpful read for expectant parents as well as current parents.

I received a complimentary copy of this book through Handlebar. My comments are an independent and honest review.

Lies Young Women Believe

You have been lied to! Have you been deceived? Through a nationwide survey and in-depth discussion groups, Nancy and Dannah have listened carefully to the heart of your generation. And here are some things they’ve heard:

“I know God should be the only thing that satisfies, but if it could be Him and my friends, then I could be happy.”

"It seems like I have been struggling with depression forever. I always feel like I am not good enough.”

“I tell myself that I don’t really listen to the song lyrics, but once I hear a song a few times and start thinking about what they’re saying I realize that it's too late.  It's already stuck in my head."

"For me, the whole wife and mom thing is overrated. It isn’t cool to want a husband and a family.”

Maybe you can identify. Trying to listen to the right voices can be difficult. This book has been written by friends who will help you find the Truth. Maybe your heart is telling you that some things in your life are way off course. Certain habits and relationships have left you confused and lonely. This is not the way it’s supposed to be.

In this book, Nancy and Dannah expose 25 of the lies most commonly believed by your generation. They share real-life accounts from some of the young women they interviewed, along with honest stories about how they’ve overcome lies they themselves believed . They get down in the trenches of the battle with you. Best of all, they’ll show you how to be set free by the Truth.

The message of the book is very good. The layout is inviting and draws both teens and adults in.  It's honest, practical, and helpful. If you find yourself plagued by depression, eating disorders, bad habits, sinful desires, and so many other things, you'll find help here. You'll find the solution, because the help comes from God's Word. Nancy and Dannah provide a great rundown not only of the lies we so often choose to believe, but also of the truth that has the power to overcome them. This book takes 25 of the most-believed lies that today's teenagers commonly believe, and reveals the actual truth, backed up by God's Word.  It explains the difference between Lies and Truth. It exposes Satan's lies that many teens believe and it give Biblical Truth to combat the lies.

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Lies Women Believe

Counter the lies that keep you from abundant living.

Satan is the master deceiver and his lies are endless. And the lies Christian women believe are at the root of most of their struggles.

"Many women live under a cloud of personal guilt and condemnation," says Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth. "Many are in bondage to their past. Others are gripped by fear of rejection and a longing for approval. Still others are emotional prisoners."

In best selling Lies Women Believe, Nancy exposes those areas of deception most commonly believed by Christian women—lies about God, sin, priorities, marriage and family, emotions, and more. She then sheds light on how we can be delivered from bondage and set free to walk in God's grace, forgiveness, and abundant life. Nancy offers the most effective weapon to ounter and overcome Satan's deceptions: God's truth! 

Lies may seem harmless initially, but it sows seeds of discord, distrust, and disappointment. Going all the way back to the first sin of creation, we learn how Satan deceived Eve first, then Adam, and the whole world went spiraling downhill ever since. Deception is the #1 weapon utilized by the evil one. Once planted in our minds, we dwell on the temptation. This leads to us believing the lie. Finally, when we act on the lie, the deception is complete. The book addresses a total of 45 lies that fall into 9 areas of our lives, including lies about God, ourselves, sin, priorities, sexuality, marriage, children, emotions, and circumstances. Each of the 45 lies mentioned are described, gradually disputed, and firmly countered with biblical truths and principles.

This book is so life changing. We believe so many lies and it is refreshing to hear that we were always meant to live free! I recommend this book to all women. Some lies are so subtle that we believe. This book was very eye-opening. I love that Nance counters each lie with truth from God’s Word.

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Searching For Spring: How God makes All Things Beautiful in Time

The Bible says that God makes all things beautiful in their time, but when we look around today we see a broken and marred world. Our reality is so often the not beautiful that it's hard to trust that God can make our mess into something good. So how do we live with hope for a future redemption of all things?

In Searching for Spring, Christine Hoover takes readers on a treasure hunt for beauty in both familiar and unexpected places. Framed by the changing seasons, this journey will heighten readers' senses and awaken their affections for the creator of it all. For all who are in the midst of suffering, who find their faith withering, who are questioning whether God is at work--or even present--as they wait for something in their lives to become beautiful, this book will be a welcome reminder that God never stops his redemptive work and that there is a time for everything under heaven.

I loved everything about this book. It spoke to my heart and soul.  Things are not always picture perfect in our lives. Using Ecclesiastes and the four seasons as a theme, we have this hope that He has our good and His glory in mind (Rom. 8:28) and even through suffering we have this hope: God will make all this beautiful in time (Ecc. 3:11). There is beauty amidst all our pain and sufferings. God never forgets, He has a plan, His plans are good! Even if we don't know the whys or we feel God is being silent, though He never is, He is still working and weaving to bring together His plan. Waiting is hard and often difficult to see God working in our lives and situations. That beauty is revealed in God himself. When we view him rightly and understand our position, we begin to see the beauty of every circumstance. We begin to see how God truly makes all things beautiful in his timing. 

The first way to find beauty in the winter of life is to realize God has never promised to fix everything in this life. Through the winter of life, God is a potter molding us, a betrothed pursuing us, a composer weaving beauty through the ordinary. 

I was given a copy of this book from the publisher for the purpose of reviewing it. The opinions expressed are my own and were not influenced in any way.

Sunflower Summer

It's the first day of summer in Buttercup Grove. Hooray! What a better way to celebrate than planting some flowers. Raccoon gathers his friends and they get to work digging holes for the sunflower seeds he found. But there's a big problem. Sunflowers take all summer to grow and that's a long time! It's going to take a lot of hard work and patience before Raccoon and his pals see big, bright flowers. Sometimes, the most beautiful things in life are worth waiting for. In a world of instant gratification, this story reminds us that many good things are worth waiting for - and for the sunflowers, they have to wait a very long 100 days. Of course, at the end they discover it was well worth waiting for when they see the beautiful sunflowers in full bloom. The artwork by Michal Sparks is both intricate and endearing, a perfect accompaniment to this sweet story of friendship and patience. The book finishes with a Bible verse on patience-something we can all appreciate! The illustrations are just adorable. It is a story about patience, friendship, and working together. I love the scripture reference at the end that ties the story together.

I highly recommend it for children to learn these character traits. 

 I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review. The opinion stated is my own. I have not been compensated in any way.

A Windy Spring Day

When a big wind goes whoosh, Skunk gets scared and could sure use a friend. Braving the storm to check on his best pal, Raccoon comes over for a visit and brings a big surprise--supplies to make a kite. Skunk and Raccoon work together to get the kite made and invite everyone in Buttercup Grove over to fly it, because some things are better to do with more than just two!

In the tradition of timeless classics such as The Tale of Peter Rabbit, The Many Adventures of the Winnie the Pooh,  and Frog and Toad, The Tales of Buttercup Grove series introduces young readers, ages 3-7, to the many fun adventures of Skunk, Raccoon, and the rest of their woodland friends. Along the way, your child will learn timeless Christian values, such as sharing, compassion, kindness, encouragement, and patience.

The story is one of friendship and helping others when they are afraid. Instead of staying afraid one friend helps the other find a new way to see things. Children are sometimes afraid of things, and in A Windy Spring Day, Skunk is terribly afraid of the wind outside his little house. He calls Raccoon who knows exactly what Skunk needs-a friend, some, fun, and a distraction. Together they fly a kite and soon Skunk forgets about his fear and enjoys flying his kite with the others Michal Sparks' detailed artwork beautifully illustrates this story of fear and friendship, which concludes with a Bible verse on trusting God when we are afraid. I love the illustrations in this book. They are so whimsical. This is a great character building story for children.

 I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review. The opinion stated is my own. I have not been compensated in any way.

Gospel-Centered Mom: The Freeing Truth About What Your Kids Really Need

It’s Time to Stop Trying to Be the Perfect Mom

You long to be the mom your kids need, but often you’re convinced you come up short. The label “not enough” seems to be stamped across everything you do—and yet parenting is the one thing you want most to get right.

What if the solution is simply to embrace the truth that you are not enough—but God is?

In Gospel-Centered Mom Brooke McGlothlin reveals how our entire approach to motherhood shifts when we stop chasing our vision of a perfect family and start full-out pursuing God. With refreshing candor, Brooke examines the daunting task of raising children in the light of God’s Word and challenges you to:

        · embrace your moment-by-moment need for Jesus
        · release the stress of believing everything is your responsibility
        · learn to fight for rather than against your child
        · believe that the story God is writing with your life is worth the sacrifice
        · practice the daily disciplines that lead to Gospel-centered parenting

As you learn to anchor your life in the Gospel, you’ll find increased freedom, purpose, and joy in motherhood. And you’ll discover that Jesus is more than capable of meeting every need, for your children and for you.

Every single mom needs to read this book!  Brooke lays down the biblical foundation and the how-to for raising our kids in a Christ-centered home. Parenting is really more about me than it is about my kids. She gives ten ways to fight for your kids in the ninth chapter: Tell God He can have you, Learn when to keep your mouth shut, Get in the habit of prayer, Embrace the power of the mommy time-out, Prepare ahead of time, Be Stronger, Love Harder, Be a student of your child, Think outside the box, and Refuse to give up.

The topics she covers include:

Why Enough Always Feels Out of Reach- Enough Will Always Be Out Of Reach
The Story of ME- The ME Gospel Keeps Us Focused On Ourselves
Living Out God’s Story- Following Hard After God is the Best Way to Live
Why Truth Matters- To Life to the Fullest Story God’s Given Us, We Have to Build on a Reliable Source of Truth
Daily Disciplines for the Gospel Centered Mom- Living in a Gospel-Centered Way Helps Us Overcome When Life Tries to Deplete and Defeat
STOP and Think!- With God’s Help, We Can STOP and Honor Him
Broken into Wholeness- Suffering is Part of the Surrendered Life, and It Has Significant Purpose
Eyes on the Prize- Release the Stress of Believing Everything is Your Responsibility
Worth Fighting For- Learn to Fight For, Not Against Your Child
Protect the Story- By Recognizing the Enemy’s Tactics, We Can Resist Temptation and Protect Our Testimonies

I would recommend Gospel Centered Mom to any mom who needs to be reminded of her purpose.  This book was the perfect blend of loving suggestions mixed with self-help I did appreciate was the author’s use of Scripture and emphasis about mom’s relying on Jesus, not on themselves.

I received a copy of this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest opinion. I was not required to write a positive review. All thoughts are my own and I have not been compensated.

If You Only Knew: My Unlikely, Unavoidable Story of Becoming Free

If You Only Knew: My Unlikely, Unavoidable Story of Becoming Free

What if you knew all the moments of my past that I am not proud of? What if you really knew me, the messy parts that I’ve hoped to forget and worked hard to conceal? For so long, my greatest fear was what you might think of me if you only knew the whole story.

It’s exhausting, this guarding of our stories and struggles. Fear of being found out had caused me to hide—but I wasn’t just covering my flaws, I was unintentionally blocking the beauty of God’s grace. My journey to real freedom began when I quit running from my mess and started trusting Jesus to make something beautiful of it.

This book is that story. It’s stepping out of shame and insecurity into gospel freedom. It’s  letting God turn our failures and frailties into testimonies of His faithfulness. I’ve discovered that when we quit hiding, God gets the glory and we are able to fully embrace not only our relationship with Him, but also with one another.

Transparency brings freedom, and in every moment, we'll find that God can absolutely be trusted.

 Jamie shares vulnerably about her life experiences in a way that makes her feel like a trusted friend.  In the very beginning she says, "I don't know about you, but I talk to enough women today to know that this is a place where many of us are living. Trapped in our past. Hidden deep inside our secrets. Defeated by our struggles. The sum total of our depressing parts. Pretending, not empowered. Fake, not free." She gives her readers the courage to share their own story. Jamie shares how the power of the gospel can heal all the broken parts of our past, robbing them of the shame, guilt and fear.

Here is another quote from the book that really got me…”He is more concerned with drawing our hearts toward Him, not getting us put together enough so that we’re capable of coming to Him. The reason He wants us acknowledging and repenting of our sins is so that we can follow Him, not so He can confirm why He’s rejecting us. “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. (John 3:17)” 

I highly recommend this book. It was a quick and interesting read.

Jamie Ivey believes we are all on this journey of life together and we need each other to get to the end. Through her podcast, The Happy Hour with Jamie Ivey, and blog, she takes a raw and intimate approach to her speaking and writing. Jamie's prayer and hope is for God to use her words to encourage and show others that they are not alone, while constantly pointing them to Jesus. She is mother to four kids and wife to Aaron. Jamie loves reading, date nights, Mexican food, and traveling the world with her family.

B&H Publishing provided me a copy of this book in exchange for this review, but all opinions are completely my own

The Masterpiece

New York Times bestselling author Francine Rivers returns to her romance roots with this unexpected and redemptive love story, a probing tale that reminds us that mercy can shape even the most broken among us into an imperfect yet stunning masterpiece.

A successful LA artist, Roman Velasco appears to have everything he could possibly want―money, women, fame. Only Grace Moore, his reluctant, newly hired personal assistant, knows how little he truly has. The demons of Roman’s past seem to echo through the halls of his empty mansion and out across his breathtaking Topanga Canyon view. But Grace doesn’t know how her boss secretly wrestles with those demons: by tagging buildings as the Bird, a notorious but unidentified graffiti artist―an alter ego that could destroy his career and land him in prison.

Like Roman, Grace is wrestling with ghosts and secrets of her own. After a disastrous marriage threw her life completely off course, she vowed never to let love steal her dreams again. But as she gets to know the enigmatic man behind the reputation, it’s as if the jagged pieces of both of their pasts slowly begin to fit together . . . until something so unexpected happens that it changes the course of their relationship―and both their lives―forever.

The characters are well-developed. The book did well with the storylines, dealing with the problems in the Foster Care system, gang involvement, and the turmoil that children face when their parent or parents die young and/or are abusive. This book shows us how God creates his Masterpiece through our lives. The Masterpiece is a deep story of brokenness and redemption, of joy and laughter and of the great glorious grace of Jesus. 

I would recommend this book. I have enjoyed each of Francine river’s book. She never diasappoints.

Tyndale House Publishers has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book for review.

Phoebe's Light

Phoebe Starbuck has always adjusted her sails and rudder to the whims of her father. Now, for the first time, she's doing what she wants to do: marrying Captain Phineas Foulger and sailing far away from Nantucket. As she leaves on her grand adventure, her father gives her two gifts, both of which Phoebe sees little need for. The first is an old sheepskin journal from Great Mary, her highly revered great-grandmother. The other is a "minder" on the whaling ship in the form of cooper Matthew Macy, a man whom she loathes.

Soon Phoebe discovers that life at sea is no easier than life on land. Lonely, seasick, and disillusioned, she turns the pages of Great Mary's journal and finds herself drawn into the life of this noble woman. To Phoebe's shock, her great-grandmother has left a secret behind that carries repercussions for everyone aboard the ship, especially her husband the captain and her shadow the cooper. This story within a story catapults Phoebe into seeing her life in an entirely new way--just in time.

In this brand-new series, bestselling author Suzanne Woods Fisher brings her signature twists and turns to bear on a fascinating new faith community: the Quakers of colonial-era Nantucket Island.

Phoebe's Light shows the severe persecution the Quakers endured when they first came to Massachusetts. The book follows a young Quaker woman named Phoebe, back in the mid 1700's on Nantucket Island. I love the history of the whaling ships and the Quakers. Suzanne Woods Fisher has definitely brought to light the fierce differences between the Quakers and the Anabaptists. The story is actually two stories in one, one being set in 1658, and the other being set in 1767.  Set in the 1700’s following the life of Phoebe and 1600’s by a journal following the life of Mary Coffin. 

 Phoebe’s Light is the first in the Nantucket Legacy series. I can hardly wait for book two in the series to release in July, Minding the Light.  I highly recommend Phoebe's Light. History lovers will love it, but so will those who aren't the average history buff.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a copy of this book free from Revell Publishing for a blog tour. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The Sea Before Us

In 1944, American naval officer Lt. Wyatt Paxton arrives in London to prepare for the Allied invasion of France. He works closely with Dorothy Fairfax, a "Wren" in the Women's Royal Naval Service. Dorothy pieces together reconnaissance photographs with thousands of holiday snapshots of France--including those of her own family's summer home--in order to create accurate maps of Normandy. Maps that Wyatt will turn into naval bombardment plans.

As the two spend concentrated time together in the pressure cooker of war, their deepening friendship threatens to turn to love. Dorothy must resist its pull. Her bereaved father depends on her, and her heart already belongs to another man. Wyatt too has much to lose. The closer he gets to Dorothy, the more he fears his efforts to win the war will destroy everything she has ever loved.

The tense days leading up to the monumental D-Day landing blaze to life under Sarah Sundin's practiced pen with this powerful new series.

The Sea Before Us is a great start to the Sunrise at Normandy series! It is the perfect blend of history, faith, and romance. Sarah’s books leave you feeling like you know the characters personally and you want to learn as much about them as you can. All of her novels are set during WWII, but she manages to make each unique and fantastic! With rising anticipation as D-day draws near, possible scandal in the business world, and the loss and renewal of family relations on the home front are all part of the plot in this book.

This is a book I would recommend to anyone who loves history and romance. I can’t wait for the next book in the series. 

**I received this book from the publisher as part of their book bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Special thanks to the Revell Reads Blog Tour program for the advanced copy of The Sea Before Us!