Seasons of Opportunities

Counseling Through the Bible Series by June Hunt In the school of life, the Bible is our textbook for learning... and relationships are our "lab" for living. Relationships provide daily opportunities to live out what we believe about life and love, and force us to put theory into practice. God wants us to enjoy relationships filled with trust, purpose, and peace. But too often, relationships are damaged because of criticism, manipulation, and other destructive behaviours. Thankfully, the Bible abounds with guidance on how to bridge broken relationships in order to build healthy ones. This is a how-to handbook filled with restoration, healing, and hope. My thoughts: This book has been a big help!  I think most people, (I know I have) have dealt with people who are critics and manipulators. Sometimes when this occurs repeatedly, it is difficult to know how to act or react for that matter. Myself, I am usually looking for Scriptural ways to respond, but at times it ...

At the beginning of January I posted a giveaway for five books. The winners are: 1. Ruth Cox 2. Hobbies on a Budget - Sharon 3. Amanda 4. Sally 5. Marsha Cooper Thank you to all those who took time to participate.

The focus of the book is on the word Renaissance. It means re-birth with hope infused in every letter. Meg had always dreamed of going to Florence. Her father had promised to take her ever since she was a little girl. But our plans do not always work out as we would like, circumstances change, and as the book opens she has yet never been. But Meg has also not given up hope. Through a strange twist of events, Meg gets to Florence, only to find out she has been stood up and is alone. But Meg takes heart. She connects with some people she knows and makes the best of her visit. In the process, Meg learns alot about herself, her family, and renaissance.  Her hope is renewed in the process. My Thoughts: I read several other reviews before reading this book. Quite of few of them had me actually discouraged and uninterested. But some of the reviews raved the book, and since * I received this book from Waterbrook ...

Are Your Emotions Together or Coming Unglued? Lysa TerKeurst, like most women, has experiences when others irritate, disappoint, criticize, or do other things that bump into her happy. We come emotionally unglued as we stuff, explode, or react somewhere in between.  Is it really possible to make emotions work for us instead of against us? This devotional will help you: Live in the grace of making imperfect progress even on those days when your emotions throw you for a loop. Be a more positive role model to your family and coworkers as you shift from overreacting to speaking life-giving words Know with confidence how to resolve conflict in your closest relationships. It includes a daily opening Scripture, thought for the day, devotion, and closing prayer. This book will help you make progress in how you react to break the cycle of exploding or stuffing your emotions. This is a five star plus devotional. Definitely what I need on those days when I seem to come unglu...

This beautifully illustrated book is great for young  kids. A great way to teach your children about God using attention getting Bible stories. Each lesson has a short story, a verse, questions related to the Bible story and a personal application on the child's level.  At the end of each story is a a section called Hug Time. The book is most beautifully illustrated and colorful and eye catching. The cover is a padded hardback. My children are still young, but I thought this book was a little too young for them. We usually have a family devotion time every day possible, and also other story reading times during the day, but this book did not really work for that. I loved the book itself, I think it would be more appropriate for a pre-school aged child. It would be a great bed-time read for parent and child bonding time, especially with the hugs at the end of each story. I received this book from Tyndale to review and am going to give my copy to m...

Samantha Forrester has it all together. Deafness at age fifteen has not hampered her success. Life, although predictable, has hit a comfortable stride. Until. Her world crumbles when secrets of the past are brought to light. She travels to Serenity Cove to settle her birth mother’s estate and search for her true identity. Samantha soon becomes enamored with the town. And then there’s police chief Logan Delatorre who startles her pulse, and grandparents who refuse to acknowledge her. More mystery unfolds when an attack is levied against her—someone wants her out of Serenity Cove. Samantha’s faith is called into question when she stumbles over the need to forgive. Can Dr. Ellie Clarimonde help her connect the pieces of her past and learn the power of forgiveness? This book is an easy read, hope-filled novel. I enjoyed reading it. It will hook you from the start. It has just the right amount of mystery, romance, and authenticity. Samantha will capture your heart as yo...

A Dangerous Stage is the second book in the Protection for Hire series by Camy Tang. It can be read separate from the first book as a stand alone, but after reading it I think reading the first book would have been helpful to understand the background of the characters. Tessa gets caught up in a web of lies surrounding a shady singing competition. Hired by one of the contestants who has information the show is rigged, she forms a prickly alliance with Charles Britton the lawyer  who sent her to prison - to uncover the dark figures manipulating the contest from behind the scenes. Tessa's abilities are tested like never before as she is forced to balance the safety of her client's family, and her confusing relationship with Charles. In the midst of chaos she hopes to bring down the shadowy organization all the while holding on to her faith. My Thoughts: Trying to decide how to review this book. There were parts of this book I liked and some I did not. The story line was...

Winners are: Becky Ann Williams Do you wish you could be the perfect parent? Are you disappointed at your shortcomings wondering if you'll ever get it right, or how your children will turn out? In Praying Circles around your Children, Mark Batterson quotes "You'll never be a perfect parent, but you can be a praying parent ." Mark talks about leaving our children a prayer legacy. In his book, he introduces Honi and the Legend of the Circle Maker. Mark gives five ways to circle our children in prayer. He quotes scripture, and shares promises from God's Word along with personal experiences from His life and the lives of others who have prayed. My Thoughts: I keep some type of a prayer journal. Some of these concepts are already in my personal journal, others I am yet to include. The important thing that author stresses is TO PRAY!! Don't give up because you don't see your answers immediately. Trust God to be faithful to His promises. Your pra...

This is a great article, used with permission, if you have time to read it. I’ve met a lot of people who knew what it was to burn plows and set out to live for God but didn’t know what to do next. They prayed, they made a commitment—and they got stuck. As a pastor, I’ve seen it over and over again. As a man trying to live for God, I’ve experienced it over and over again. I’m guessing you’ve made plenty of resolutions about stuff you needed to start doing or stop doing. Maybe you were going to start praying or reading your Bible more. Or maybe you were going to stop smoking or boycott carbohydrates or stop looking at pornography or stop saying mean things about family members behind their backs. Maybe you decided to break away from a relationship you knew was unhealthy for you. The way I see it, there are two major reasons why well-intentioned people like us get stuck after we burn our plows. One, we don’t think big enough. Two, we don’t start small enough. I’m not try...

How would you feel if you inherited a house on a beach made just for you? Oddly enough, it reflected your personality? Would you be excited?  What about, if this house came from an uncle you never really met, and this uncle was the family weirdo? Still excited?  Well... I'd think that I would be ecstatic... until, maybe living there made feel like I was losing my sanity. Micah Taylor, inherits a home from his long been dead Uncle Archie. An uncle he has never met. Micah is the owner of his own soft ware company and a multi- millionaire. His life revolves around work and his upscale lifestyle.  At first he is not sure he wants to go visit the home in Cannon Beach, where he put his past to rest. But curiosity gets the best of him. He is determined to see it and put it up for sale. But God's plan is different. Micah feels drawn to the home, and Cannon Beach. He meets some amazing people there. Slowly he begins to see his life in a diff...

I am going out on a bit of a limb this year and joining up with the 52 books in 52 weeks challenge. Last year I was able to read 42+ books. So I am thinking maybe I could squeeze in 10 more this year. And I am not sure I counted every one that I read last year. I was blog hopping over on Marsha's Spot , where I found a link to the Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks . So I hopped on over to look at it, and was inspired to join the challenge for the year. Basically, you read one book a week, and review it. I guess you can link up your reviews. I am not sure how well I will keep up, but it sounds like fun! I have never made a specific book goal before as far as I can remember so this should be interesting. I am hoping it will not feel stressful.  I am almost done with my first book for the year and we are on week 1, so I am off to a good start. Do you have a book goal for 2013?  I would love to hear how many you plan to read.

My books are piling up... I love to read, but sometimes am not sure what to do with my books when I am finished. I usually donate my books to our church library, and loan them out to friends, but thought it would be fun to start the year with a book giveaway. I have found at least 5 books that I can include. These books are great! Below you will find a picture of the book and a description. I may add a few more if I find any before this giveaway is up! To enter to win one of these books, 1. Leave me a comment telling me which book you think you would like . If you want extra entries 2. Leave a comment on one of the other posts on my blog. You get one entry per comment. 3. Share with a friend and let me know you shared . I will pick 5 winners. I will match winners with books in the order they are chosen. So you may or may not get your favorite book.   Giveaway will end January 28, 2013 Open to US entries ONLY Thanks! Have fun!  Sc...

This is a MUST READ for the New Year! This book covers the most amazing love story any author has ever written. And the best thing is, no matter who you are, this book is for you.  You will never read another one like it.  Are you looking for romance, love, adventure, drama, excitement, horror, history or science? You will find all in here. It's a classic and has stood the test of time. There is something for everyone. You can read this book many times over, there will always be something new. It works for any age, any time of life, any mood your in. So whether you have read it before, or never tried it. Picked it up, and put it down... This one should be at the TOP of your 2013 list! Get started! I am planning on reading my Bible through from cover to cover.  I have a chronological Bible and I have always wanted to read the Bible in order, so I am starting today. It may take me all year? Who knows... but I am setting it as a goal. What are some of ...