Seasons of Opportunities

Winner is Rachel  For many girls it starts early. The desire to be  perfect.  The need for  approval.  The longing for  acceptance  and being  liked  by a lot of people. From bestselling author Kari Kampakis comes a powerful book for girls in the digital age. Designed to empower teens and tweens through the Christian faith, it's packed with godly wisdom and practical advice related to identity, friendships, social media, and a relationship with God. For anyone exhausted by the quest to impress - and ready to rest in God's unconditional love -  Liked   is the answer. Written succinctly with thought-provoking questions, it's a conversation-starter that will quickly unite mothers, daughters, sisters, and friends by speaking to the female heart.

When a valuable Salvador Dali painting belonging to her grandmother’s friend is mysteriously replaced by a forgery, FBI Special Agent Serena Jones is called in to investigate. Serena hopes finding the thief will also mean finally measuring up to Nana’s expectations. But when the evidence points to members of the owner’s own household, it becomes increasingly clear that Serena won’t be winning any popularity contests. The Dali isn’t the only painting that’s fallen prey to the forgery-replacing thief, raising the specter of a sophisticated theft ring–one with links to dirty cops, an aspiring young artist, and the unsolved murder of Serena’s grandfather. With plenty of edge-of-your-seat moments,  Another Day, Another Dali  gives the plucky Serena Jones–and readers–a new high-stakes case to crack.

This is how I feel sometimes when I am writing on my blog.  I have spent most of the day putting in a comma and the rest of the day taking it out. — Oscar Wilde Well... the Thanksgiving holiday is over, and now the Countdown to Christmas has begun. Thankfully this weekend, I had two little helpers taking down my fall decor and putting up Christmas stuff. Our Thanksgiving holiday was nice, plenty of food, family and fun. We also participated in our town Christmas parade Saturday evening.

Just in time for the holiday season Lee Ann Mancini has released a new book in the Adventures of the Sea Kids Series . This book focuses on the  celebrations of both Christmas and Hanukkah, as two young sea creatures learn the value of both days. Christian, the sea turtle, and his family celebrate Christmas. They decorate with lights, a Christmas tree, and baby Jesus in a manger. His friend Jacob, the star fish, helps his family decorate for Hanukkah by putting up lights and the menorah. After an argument at the playground one day, about which holiday was the most important and which provided the most gifts, their parents decided to get together to show them what each holiday represented and the importance of celebrating it. In the end they both recognize that the holidays are about God and His gifts to us, and that is why we give gifts to each other.

Days before boarding the plane to Italy for her daughter’s wedding, Julie Whitaker receives an unexpected phone call from her past. The memory of Mark Jennings, a handsome and charming Top Gun pilot, had haunted her for decades. Their fairy tale wedding was everything she’d ever dreamed of, but it quickly turned into her worst nightmare. Starting a new a life without Mark proved to be much harder than Julie had imagined. But in her darkest hour, God revealed Himself in a miraculous way, giving her the strength she needed not only to battle depression, but to face a diagnosis of breast cancer that threatened to cut her life short.

Once upon a time . . . It’s how all heroes begin their story, and you’re a hero, too! Your mama has cancer, and it’s a scary journey, but you can help your mama just by being you—special, wonderful, YOU. Your mama loves you just the way you are. You are your mama’s knight. Mama’s Knight: A Cancer Story of Love  is an emotional toolbox that can help kids and parents communicate about what it means for Mama to have cancer. The book is filled with tools and activities designed to make coping with illness easier on both parent and child, and can be personalized for each child.

In less than two years, everything has changed for Sarah Anne. Distraught and in need of comfort, once again she accompanies her elderly friend, Mr. Hoyt, on a visit to see his family; however, not long after their arrival, a terrible tragedy occurs, leaving her with a difficult decision to make. When she finally decides between the two options, a new acquaintance seeks to force her to take the alternate path. Even though there are connections, each novel in the series may be read as a stand-alone.  Available on Amazon

"Walking into Advent can be like walking through the wardrobe." With its enchanting themes of snow and cold, light and darkness, meals and gifts, temptation and sin, forgiveness and hope--and even an appearance by Father Christmas--C. S. Lewis's  The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe  fits naturally into the Advent season. As the reader seeks a storied king and anticipates the glorious coming of Christmas, these twenty-eight devotions alternate between Scripture and passages from the novel to prompt meditation on Advent themes. Each devotion also includes questions for reflection. The book also provides several resources for churches, including four sessions for small group discussion and ideas for creating a "Narnia Night" for families. Readers will ultimately come to know God better while journeying through Narnia.

Can Father Gilbert, who traded in his detective’s badge for an Anglican priest’s collar, champion the truth in time to stop more people from dying? Find out in  Death in the Shadows , Paul McCusker's new book releasing November 27.  Pre-order a copy of Death in the Shadows and check the mystery-lover off of your Christmas list. Join Paul in anticipation of Death in the Shadows  by entering to win two books in the A Father Gilbert Mystery series ( The Body Under the Bridge and  Death in the Shadows )! Five winners will be chosen to receive the two-book sets. Click the image below to enter to win.

The Radical Book for Kids is a fun-filled explorer's guide to the Bible, church history, and life for boys and girls age 8 and up. Kids will read about men and women who learned to trust Jesus and stand for him---displaying radical faith---even when everything seemed against them. They will learn about ancient weapons (and how to make one), learn about jewels, create pottery, discover ancient languages, use secret codes, locate stars, tell time using the sun, play a board game that's 3,000 years old---and more---bringing the Bible and the Christian faith to life. Designed to skip around or read straight through--however a child chooses to explore it-- The Radical Book for Kids will open new vistas for their imagination and help to make straight paths for their feet.

Girls are going to love this glittery cover and the five princesses named Joy, Grace, Faith, Charity and Hope, as they celebrate the holiday season and learn about how to share the love of Christ. My daughter is nine and we had fun reading this together. Five princesses are focused on decorating for Christmas with a big bang! They go all out, thinking only about themselves, getting more decorations, and what presents they will be receiving; until a band of marauders invades the town the night before Christmas and steals most of the Christmas cheer. The girls learn to share their Christmas joy with others less fortunate and in the end find true happiness that comes from helping others.

What Sinister Secrets Lurk in the Shadows of Yesterday? Natchez, Mississippi —Private Investigator Nate Price and his new wife, Isabelle, need a vacation. Their coworkers generously team up to surprise them with a belated honeymoon…but the happy trip turns sour when Izzy spies her ex-husband, who appears to have taken up his gambling addiction once again. While the boss is away, Price Investigations remains in the hands of Beth Kirby, a former police officer, and Michael Preston, a former forensic accountant. Hardly a dream team, as Beth resents working with a man who has no experience in his new job.

Delight thyself also in the  Lord : and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Psalm 37:4 I started writing this post last Monday (on Halloween) but it never got posted because I spent all day sewing sequins on my daughters costume. She wanted to be one of the "American Sweethearts" from the Cowgirls and Angels movie. This is as close as were able to come, but thankfully she loved it. And as a mom, that made me happy. This from last week: I want to share an amazing answer to prayer with you, because I am so overwhelmed this morning by God's goodness, even though its something minor and we don't deserve it. Several weeks ago, 18 days to be exact, my son settled on his Halloween costume. Now, normally we don't buy costumes, we kind of make our own,

My son read the first book in the series several months ago and anxiously (impatiently) awaited the release of book two. Needless to say, he is already pestering me about when book three is coming out! That is how much he likes this series. So far this is one of his favorite series ever! Here is what he had to say... • "The book starts in Ahoratos with Rook saving one of Poneros prisoners [ Finn ] from the Fortress of Chaos. Then Xaiver, Evan, Brianna, and Levi get their shields and their helmets from Ruwach and fight the invisible Ents.  I liked that their shields could only activate when they had faith. I also liked that it had the original characters that were in the first book. My favorite character was Rook, because he was just awesome.  I was excited to read the first chapter in book 3 at the end, but now its even harder to wait until it comes out."

Bestselling children’s author Diane Stortz has sold nearly 300,000 books—Bible storybooks, devotionals for children, and more. This brand-new title,  Say  &  Pray  Devotions , is the perfect beginner devotional for little ones. Parents who already know and love the  Say  &  Pray  Bible  will love  Say  &  Pray  Devotions  as it helps their youngsters continue to engage their faith in a personal way. Featuring the same fun style of artwork and the educational elements as  Say  &  Pray  Bible , this devotional for little ones will teach the basics of identification and comprehension while sharing biblical principles for life. Each devotion offers a topical message to help little ones learn and follow biblical principles. Perfect for beginning readers and even verse memorization!

In November 1860, Jonah Ashton boarded the Providence with a plan to escort his family to their new settlement in South America and then return to medical school in Pennsylvania before rumors of Southern rebellion erupt into all-out war. What he didn’t count on was getting lost at sea and falling in love. When they finally reach land, Jonah makes a startling discovery that changes everything, but will it change his heart? To purchase your copy, click  Here .

A shy little crab who has a servant' s heart, makes a great helper and a good friend. In her book, A Servant Like Jesus, Lee Ann Mancini reminds kids the importance of serving like Jesus. On Charlie's first day of school, he has a hard time adjusting because he is shy. He hides in the corner until some of the other sea creatures get in an argument. After using his multiple eyes to help the teacher discern "who started it", Charlie becomes the teacher's helper.