Blog Archives

Review: Bethlehem Road

11/16/2014

Have you ever wanted to know more about the book of Ruth? Join Michael Whitworth as he takes you on an in-depth journey through the book of Ruth. I received this book called "Bethlehem Road: A Guide to Ruth" from Bookcrash in order to give you my thoughts on it.

I have to admit, I thought I knew the book of Ruth pretty good. But, much to my chagrin AND Delight, I learned much more about Ruth through this short book. Succinctly written, Michael continually pushes us back to seeing God at work. Even through the cultural norms of the day, Mr. Whitworth wants us to see God at work.

Ruth, loved Naomi. She loved her God. She turned from her people to become part of a new people. Lives where changed. This is redemption at work. This is God glorified. That is what the book of Ruth is all about.

I can't say I agreed with everything that Mr. Whitworth said, but he made me think. And that is what a good book about the word of God does isn't it? Helps you to take a moment to stop and think about the words that God wants you to read and know full well.

I can say this: If you want to know more about the book of Ruth... read this book. Study the book of Ruth with it in your hand and learn more of the God you serve. :)

Press Release:
Out of the moral darkness of the Judges period comes a story of romance, redemption, and hope. The tale of Ruth has inspired countless generations. But Ruth isn’t the star in this romantic drama; center stage belongs to God and his providence. Naomi and Ruth traveled the Bethlehem Road—one of famine, abandonment, grief, and loss—unaware that the Lord had gone before them to redeem their heartache. If you’ve been living with a broken heart—if bitterness and disappointment have been your travel companions on life’s road, then Ruth’s story will inspire and strengthen you for the journey ahead. More than that, it will bring you to your knees in worship of your Redeemer and King.

Product Details:
Book name: Bethlehem Road: A guide to Ruth
Publisher: Start2Finish Books
Page: 106
Age: young adult upwards
Type: bible study
I received a softcover book.

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Review: in the Company of Educated Men

11/16/2014

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I agreed to review this book "In the Company of Educated Men" written by Leonce Gather in exchange for my written opinion on it. :)   It was gifted to me by Astor + Blue.

I have to admit, when I started this book I thought, oh bummers...it's going to be another depressing introspective book ...and for the first bit that's how it appeared. Just a kid, graduating from Harvard who simply needed to grow up. Not exactly the kind of book I like to read. :)

But overtime the book intrigued me.
I wanted to know what happened that was so terrible.
What changed the course of their lives?

And so I continued to read, and eventually got my answers.
I decided the book wasn't horrible. :)    It was actually kinda good.
Would I bill it as a 'you have to read this" type of book? No.
But it's not a bad book at all, it redeemed itself for me.

The main protagonist grew up.   He remained haunted by the events that occurred but took the steps to understand what happened by talking to the others involved.

It was interesting to observe how each person involved reacted to the events as they unfolded, even in the midst of tragedy.

I have to admit, parts of the book didn't seem to fit well so I glossed over them.   Which could be why I didn't really see the racial aspects of the book.   The book touches on a variety of themes, but I can't really say it focuses on any of them in a meaningful way... just more as sad undertones to the overall story.

Press Release:
Astor + Blue Editions is proud to present the profound literary novel In the Company of Educated Men, by Leonce Gaiter (ISBN paperback: 978-1-938231-84-1, ePUB: 978-1-938231-82-7; Fiction, Thriller, Crime, Coming of Age; pub date: September 2014), an intense story of wanderlust, confused self-reflection, and resentful grudges. Gaiter, a Harvard educated African American writer, provides an incisive statement on racial and socioeconomic injustices in the United States.

Lennie Ashland is a Harvard Graduate without a plan for the future. With the mind of a philosopher, Lennie has an unquenchable thirst for meaning; for finding his ‘place’ in the world. He and his friends embark on a soul-searching road trip which quickly leads to disaster – a fine example of how one bad decision can spiral completely out of anyone’s control. They meet Jessie, an armed teenager with an abusive past and a hopeless future, and Cindy, a little girl running from a hostile home life. One thing’s for sure: this road trip is something Lennie will never forget.

In the Company of Educated Men touches upon some sensitive themes, including socioeconomic gaps, racism and hate crimes, anxiety and depressive disorders, and domestic abuse. Gaiter’s heart-pounding thriller leaves you breathless while his poetic prose induces an intensely cerebral reading experience.

Facts about the author:
Raised in New Orleans, Washington D.C., Germany, Missouri, Maryland and elsewhere, Leonce Gaiter is the quintessential army brat—rootless, restive, and disagreeable. He began writing in grade school and continued the habit through his graduation from Harvard College.

His nonfiction writing has appeared in the New York Times, New York Times Magazine, Los Angeles Times, The Washington Times, LA Weekly, NY Newsday, The Washington Post, Huffington Post, Salon, and in national syndication. His noir thriller; Bourbon Street was published by Carroll & Graf in 2005. His 2011 historical novel, I Dreamt I Was in Heaven was also recently published. He currently lives in Northern California.

Product Details
I received an Ebook edition.
Title:In the Company of Educated men
Pages: 315
Type: Thriller, Crime, Coming of Age, Political.
Price: $14.95 paperback, $5.99 ebook.
Publisher: Astor And Blue

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Monday Missionary: Lillian Thrasher

11/10/2014

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One tiny baby.... Mama Thrasher begins. Years later 8,000 children raised to be good mean and women.

Click image to go to source: Assemblies of God world missions

Lillian Thrasher worked in Egypt as a missionary.   One day she received a wee baby that no one wanted to raise after the wee one's mama died. And so Lillian Thrasher become Mama Lillian over the years to 8,000 children.

No money given to support this orphanage over the years Mama Lillian saw God act in countless ways.   From children giving her enough money to buy a loaf of bread, to land being provided to put a building up. Making bricks by hand to provide housing for the children. They all worked hard to make a way for themselves.

In1919 Egypt struggled to become independent which put the lives of all English-speaking people at risk. At the time Mama Lillian was caring for 100 children, together she and the older children each took two younger children and went to hide in the brick kiln.   Once there she realized that two of the younger children were missing.    God provided a dead soldier as a means for her to safely get through to her home so she could rescue those wayward youngsters.

Lillian defied her family in order to go to Egypt even while unsure of what God would have her do. She defied her mission agency to start an orphanage.   She served the poor children of Egypt - starting out begging for money and slowly being gifted with donations with being asked. She grew to be loved by the people there as she cared for their young.

I have to admit, when i read over Lillian's story and I see the defiance she showed to her family and to her mission agency, I have to wonder if she's a good example to look to, yet I see the work that God did in her life, how he met her needs and the needs of the children, and I have to wonder if her defiance was God led?   I don't know. I can't know. What I can say is... she was a woman with the passion to follow what she saw as God's leading in her life and she wouldn't let any nay-sayers stop her.   And thus the Lillian Thrasher Orphanage began and children were given a place to be that had no other place to call home.

Her message is simple: Pray. Ask God. He will provide for all our needs.

The Lillian Trasher Orphanage is currently run by the Assemblies of God.

Resources:
Wikipedia.
Assembies of God world missions.
Lillian Trasher.

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Review: The Wolf of Tebron

11/9/2014

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Part of the Gates of Heaven series, The wolf of Tebron is written by CS Lakin.       This book came in a pile of books from a yard sale that I thought I'd check out.

It mentions on the back of the book that it is a "reinvention of the fairy tale in the the tradition of CS Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia".    I thought to myself when I read it, okay, should be a decent book, let's give her a go.

Joran loses his wife.
He's accused of her something and put her aside.
She didn't make it home to her mom, and so he headed off to see whatever happened to her.
Along the way he meets a wolf, who as one who can talk to animals, he gets acquainted with.
The wolf accompanies him on his journey.
and I won't say anything more lest I give away the story.

I have to admit, I have a hard time knowing what to say about this book in regards to recommending it or not. It was NOT my cup of tea.   I would not willingly read it again, nor would I be interested in reading another in the series. Too much "mind-stuff" going on in this book and in my opinion it was not like Narnia type literature at all.(beyond having a talking animal and good persona in it).

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Review: IXL: Math and Language Arts Curriculum

11/9/2014

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IXL is an easy program to use that I was delighted to review it for free for one whole year. It's a great program to use to see what you know and how well you know it. :) It can be played on your home computer, ipad or android devices.

IXL is a good program for doing online practice in math and language arts. One of the things I want to make a point of mentioning is that the math program can be made more country specific. I live in Canada, and we were able to do Canadian math (with metric and Canadian dollars). The language arts program is USA based.

Signing intoIXL is an easy process and if you ask the computer to do so, it will remember your password. Therefore when you start the program you will first see this screen (on the left) and then the screen on the right. Makes is easy enough for a nine year old to sign himself in for practice time.

After you get past the signing in screens, you come to the overview page. You can pick what grade you want from the different levels available. this is handy if you have a child who is ahead or behind in the different areas in math or in language arts. Not all children develop or learn everything at the same rate of speed. So it's nice to go back or push ahead according to the needs of the individual student.

Next you can either click on the side tab (those coloured bubbles) or you can click on the grade level itself. This will bring you to a screen where the individual areas of learning language arts or math are delineated.

From here I would let me son for the most part choose what area he wanted to practice. Occasionally, when he was feeling lazy or mischievous he would smile and say "I know, I'll go and do some kindergarten work mom:" Boys do have to be silly once in a while don't they? :) Most of the work we did was in the grade 3-4 range. We ventured a little bit into grade five and backtracked once into grade two as my lad was just frustrated by one of the practice sessions. My son was frequently heard to say "YEAH" when he got this screen after a harder question.

He would be somewhat less than excited to received this screen, particularly if it was due to the program needing perfect answers. (no missing hyphens need apply). I needed to explain to my son more than once that computer don't know that you meant to put in the hyphen, or that you didn't mean to put a wayward "s" in your answer, it needs your exact answer. It's just reminding you to pay attention to all the details.

My son learned to check his answers carefully and did well once he remembered to do so. The practice sessions require you to get to 100 points before you are finished, and when you are done it either tells you that you received a medal or that you won a prize. My son was unimpressed with the medals, but quickly learned that you can move the prizes around and enjoyed do that, having seals chase hockey sticks and what not (what can I say..he, like his mother, is a storyteller at heart). :)

IXL is, in my opinion, a good program to supplement your math or language arts material. Being available online gives it great portability. It teaches you what you did wrong when a mistake is made. It's decently affordable, covers all the areas of a given math year, broken down into pieces easily managed by a child, and as a bonus to parents (and to some children) sends out a weekly report via email as well as providing online access. The reports can be broken down so you know just how your student is really doing.

Product information in a Nutshell
Vendor: IXL
Product: IXL Math and IXL Language Arts.
Age Range:Math: PreK through grade 12. Language Arts: Grade 2-8.
Price: Information can be found here. In a nutshell you can have a monthly or a yearly membership. They start at $9.95/month or $79/year. Additional children do not need to pay the full price. For instance: an annual subscription for one child for math is $79; for math AND Language Arts, it would be $129. For two children for math, it is $99 for the year; for math and language arts, it would be $149.

You know that I like the this online math and language arts program, but you may wish to know what others think. Please click on the banner below to learn more. :)

Find IXL on Social Media
https://www.facebook.com/IXL
https://twitter.com/IXLLearning
https://plus.google.com/+IXL

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Five Minute Friday: Turn

11/8/2014

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Hey all, it's that time of the week again, and yes I KNOW... I'm one day late! Oh my...

Anyways, you all know the rules for FMF right? You go to Kate's blog, find the prompt, return to YOUR blog and then write for five minutes of pure writing.. not worrying about the edits and what not.. just writing. Then going back to Kate's for linking up and then doing what is SO important....taking the time to encourage the person who has linked up before you. Simple eh?

And seriously.. it's fun.

Three Two one Go 1014
I have to admit, I"m starting this post feeling a bit vexed.
Yesterday was an exhausting day, and I wanted to write my post at the end of the day but was simply too tired to focus. I thought the word I'd be writing on tonight was True and was pondering it all day.   Came home after a camp fire with hubby looked the word and said ARGH!!!   The word is TURN!!   What do I write on that?

That's when I realized that in my frustration with myself therein lay my answer.

My nine year old has a bit of a problem with turning from his frustration to something else. He says vexed and fixated on the source of his vexation and yet to learn to turn from it.

I had a choice... I could stay vexed with myself about not reading the word correctly last night, or I could make a choice to turn from that vexation and possibly even use it for good.   Analyzing why I get vexed about silly things like that and if it would help me to understand my boy a tad better.

Like him I dislike wasting time by making mistakes and I can get angry with myself. I see this in my boy as well. Understanding myself helps me understand him better.

And you know what?   I just had an epiphany! God understands us. He calls us to be like him.   He knows us full well and wants us to know him full well. Studying him (like I would analyze myself in order to understand my son)... helps me to know myself better and then hopefully (as I would aim to assist my son in his character development) help me with my continued character development.

Neat huh? :)

And done....1019

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Five on the fifth, well perhaps the eighth, okay.. the ninth....

11/8/2014

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click image to go source: Ben and Me

Marcy would to have us do five favourite posts on the fifth day every month. Five posts from the previous month that we enjoyed.   Doesn't matter the type of post, just matters that we liked it. :)

So here we go.
First up.. Ann Voskamp with this post on happy parents.

Whenever laughter broke through, it reminded me that God was with us.

Jesus tells us that our faith ought to resemble that of little children. I wonder if our laughter ought to resemble theirs too. And I wonder if laughter—holy laughter, laughter that brings us together and emerges out of love—is the soil for faith.

The next post is NOT an easy post. My niece Ange comes from some hard places in life and she writes an all too real blog. NOTE: this blog is NOT FOR CHILDREN!   This post made me just want to give her a hug and hold her close and tell her it will come around right in the end.   To be reminded of patience is a good thing no?

I guess what I’m saying is, give yourself, and the people you love, the freedom to be in pain, let them hurt. Give yourself, and others the time they need, to process. Of course it’s important to edify, to speak life and to support someone. But, there’s something to be said, about patient silence. Just sitting with someone.

This post..from Lextin Academy. oh.. it made me shake my head in relief. :)   There are times that schooling my boy drives me insane, but I only have one lad so it mostly works just fine for us, but there are always "those days" don't you know? :)

When I walked downstairs to begin lunch I saw that it had been snowing in the kitchen.

Last Friday's Five minute prompt on Leave brought me to this blog with a quickly worded post that was well done.     leave me alone.

I’m not saying that these are bad things, but they can definitely be used as an excuse to just be selfish – to look out for number one rather than for the important people God has placed in my care.

I was looking for the post I commented on about things to do for your pastor and his family and I couldn't find it. Argh!   BUT I did find this post which gives some ideas and it's good to think on these things.

October is Pastor Appreciation Month! Make some plans as a family to serve your pastor in the next few weeks. It will not only bless your pastor, but will be a great bonding and learning experience for your kids any month of the year!

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Review: Scholastic Pocket World Atlas

11/7/2014

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One of the things I like to do with my lad is read through 'countries of the world" type of books. I don't know how much he retains, but i know i am learning a lot and I do know he is starting to remember continents better and he sometimes asks good questions about some of the different countries we cover.

This book was laid out differently than what i am used to. Generally world atlas type books are laid out by continent and then discuss the different countries in that continent. This book lays it out by regions. So for the USA we learned about the Deep South (as a group of states). We learned about France and her neighbours in a rather generic manner.

I have to admit, that though the methodology threw me off at first it gave me a different perspective on how the world is laid out into groups. It helped both of us gain a better appreciation of Canada is divided up. My son asked many questions when we got to our own country....which was different then usual.

All the flags of the world are located at the end of the book.

This is a good book to give a brief introduction to the different areas of the world and the continents they are located on. Give it a read if you have the time. :)

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Christian living Bundle, not that many days left.....

11/7/2014

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Who among us doesn’t want to lead a life worth emulating?

With great kids, a loving marriage, a successful career or business and a closer, faith-filled walk with the Lord. But for many of us, making that a reality is big challenge!

Balancing life’s priorities can seem a bit overwhelming at times. The pressures of work, the need for finances, the demands of parenting and the resulting strain on marriage can leave us weathered, weary and wondering what really works in life?

That’s where the Ultimate Christian Living Bundle comes in. Ultimate-Bundles.com called in some best selling authors, leading experts and top business professionals to address the most common challenges faced by families and individuals today – all from a solid, Biblical foundation.

For the ridiculously low price of just $34.95 (for the PDF version) or $39.97 (for the eReader version), you can get access to a carefully curated collection of eBooks and eCourses with a total combined value of over $1,140 that addresses these issues with stunning clarity and practical application.

For the family…

The bundle contains 10 wonderful books focused on incredibly inventive ways you can craft the marriage you signed on for. To complement that subject, they added 8 more books focused on parenting and passing on your faith to your kids. That wouldn’t be complete without books just for kids so they also included 8 children’s books that parents can read with their children. To close out the content for family life, the highly praised Singing Bible MP3 version was added (a $25 value all by itself). It actually teaches children the story of the Bible not just random stories.

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You will find John Muratori and Michael Pink’s six -hour Christian Wealth Building course ($77 value) which was complemented with Bob Lotich’s 31-day devotional Managing Money God’s Way. There are a total of 14 business related books and courses including Zig Ziglar’s powerful Born To Win course (that Seth Godin and Dave Ramsey rave about), Dr. James B. Richards, Wired For Success – Programmed For Failure and Untold Secrets for Creating Wealth by Brig Hart and John Beehner. You’ll even find one of the best selling Christian business books of all time, The Bible Incorporated – In Your Life, Job & Business.

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But it still gets better…

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So now you know…

For as little as $34.95 you can receive over $1,140 worth of valuable eBooks and eCourses that address the issues of life most of us face at one time or another, from a profoundly Biblical worldview. The BONUS GIFTS alone are worth more than four times the price of the bundle! So, if you want to ignite your faith, strengthen your family and help your professional life, there’s no better place to start! All the hard work has been done for you…

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When? 8 a.m. (EST) Wednesday, November 5 until 11:59 p.m. (EST) Monday, November 10 (or until 18,500 bundles are sold)

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Click here for more info or to buy now.

Remember, this bundle is available for 6 days only, from 8 a.m. (EST) on Wednesday, November 5th to 11:59 p.m. (EST) on Monday, November 10th (or until 18,500 bundles are sold).

Disclosure: I have included affiliate links in this post. Read the fine print about this bundle and read the answers to frequently asked questions about the bundle.

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Review: A Lifelong Love

11/5/2014

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Lifelong Love....isn't this what everyone who marries aims for?
Do you struggle in your marriage? or is your marriage good and you just think it could be better?
Here's the book for you.
It's a well-written, focused on God book.
Put God first, lean on God for everything, and your marriage will improve.
Marriage is for more than our happiness, it's for our holiness. But ... that doesn't mean that as we strive more after God that we don't become happier in our marriages.
It works! See God more, see yourself less and watch your marriage blossom.

Written by Gary Thomas, published by David C. Cook, this book is primarily a marriage book, but it is also a how do you live your life as a christian book. Calling us repeatedly back to seeing God as GOD, as we has his disciples. The more we live for God and the more we focus on God meeting our needs, the more our marriages will be as God wants them to be. Not to be compared with how other folks are married. Not to be dimished or pedestaled, just God-honouring and other-serving. Improve your marriage, improve your life, live as God calls you to.

Three main secions
Part one: The Magnificant Obsession (8 chapters)
Part two: Growing Together (7 chapters)
Part three: The Journey Toward Love (6 chapters)

Questions are asked throughout the book, followed by a time of prayer. These questions are designed to make you ponder about your relationship with each other and with God.
Questions like "How can you and your spouse fulfill the teaching in Hebrews and stimulate each other toward good works?"

I actually enjoyed reading this book.
It didn't feel like your average, do this and do that type of marriage book.
It was a think your way through it and talk about it book.
If you and your spouse are willing to go this book together, you will most likely deepen your relationship with each other, but even if you go through it on your own.... it will be a good book for you, and that will be helpful in your marriage.

So the details.
How much will this book cost? Selling on Amazon.ca for 15.87. Also available in other formats.
Pages: 329
reviewed for: FlyBy Promotions

Gary Thomas is writer-in-residence at Second Baptist Church in Houston, a frequent guest on Focus on the Family and FamilyLife Today radio, and a popular speaker. His award-winning books, including The Sacred Search, have been translated into over a dozen languages and together have sold more than a million copies worldwide. Thomas and his wife have been married thirty years and have three children.

Official website: www.alifelonglove.com
Gary Thomas’ website: www.garythomas.com
Follow Gary on Twitter: @garyLthomas Facebook: www.facebook.com/authorgarythomas

The fun part
I have a givewawy for you! Closes November 12

"Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”): Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway. Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post.

Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway. If you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.”

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