Category: Non Fiction

Book Review - God With Us: A Journey Home (Giveaway)

11/18/2021

Author Jeremy Pierre and illustrator Cassandra Clark want to awaken children to a brave journey — a journey home. This world is not our home. We live east of Eden and short of Heaven. The earlier children understand this, the more sense they can make out of this sad, wonderful place. This storybook aims to share their vision of the world as a place in-between, to awaken them to the brave journey they must take toward their true home — their home with God.

Hardcover: (268 pages) with full-color illustrations

Buy

“This is a beautiful re-telling of the most beautiful story ever told.”
—Karen Swallow Prior, Professor of Christianity & Culture, and author of On Reading Well: Finding the Good Life through Great Books

My Review

Kids journey through the Bible toward Home...

Part storybook, part devotional, all Truth. God With Us: A Journey Home is a well written adaptation of the best love story of them all, God's love for humanity. Through the fictional eyes of two angels author Jeremy Pierre and illustrator Cassandra Clark take kids, and the adults around them, on a full-color journey through the Bible, from Creation to Revelation, that reminds them that this world isn't where we belong and God has perfectly planned our return to His perfect home for us.

Even though I am an adult I found the book compelling and a wonderful reminder of truths that are often lost sight of in the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Yes, the Jeremy Pierre's well chosen words are aimed at children, as are Cassandra Clark's vivid illustrations, but Truth is applicable for all ages.

As I read God With Us: A Journey Home I knew that it would be a great choice for parents or grandparents to read to their (grand)kids. Just a chapter before bed or first thing in the morning. Something of a devotional and definitely a conversation starter. It's a great base to start exploring Scripture as we each make our journey toward Home...

Tell Tale Book Reviews gives God With Us: A Journey Home by Jeremy Pierre & Cassandra Clark a 4 Bark rating.

Disclosure: Many thanks to Shepherd Press for providing this product/product information for review. Opinions are 100%
my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive the product in exchange for this review and post.

It's Time For A Giveaway!

Win 1 physical hardcover copy of the book

(This giveaway is limited to USA winners only.)

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Celebrate Lit Blog Tour - In His Presence by Dr. E.W. Kenyon (Giveaway)

1/10/2021

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Here, at last, is a real solution to the prayer problem!

In His Presence by E. W. Kenyon is not about who others were and what they did in prayer, but about who we are and what we can do in prayer. It lifts the curtain to the Holy of Holies and reveals our ability to enter in and stand before the presence of God.

In this book, you will discover that God’s ability is available to every one of His children. You will be challenged to climb the heights and sound the depths of tremendous spiritual realities, including the authority of the name of Jesus and how to use it.

In His Presence has been a challenge and blessing to countless multitudes all over the world. It removes the mist surrounding the prayer life, leading us out of spiritual mysticism into the true light of life.

This is your invitation to open the door…enter…and stand in the Father’s presence!

Genre: RELIGION / Christian Living/Prayer
Release Date: December 11, 2020

Click here to get your copy!

More from Whitaker House

In His Presence by EW Kenyon is not written about what others were and did, but about what we are and can do! It is a lifting of the curtain and a revealing of the holy of holies and our ability to enter it and stand in the presence of the Father. In His Presence is a discovery of the fact that God’s ability is available to every child of God. This is your invitation to open the door…enter…and stand in His presence, in the presence of the Father!

Dr. E. W. Kenyon

Dr. E. W. Kenyon (1867–1948) was born in Saratoga County, New York. At age nineteen, he preached his first sermon. He pastored several churches in New England and founded the Bethel Bible Institute in Spencer, Massachusetts. (The school later became the Providence Bible Institute when it was relocated to Providence, Rhode Island.) Kenyon served as an evangelist for over twenty years. In 1931, he became a pioneer in Christian radio on the Pacific Coast with his show Kenyon’s Church of the Air, where he earned the moniker “The Faith Builder.” He also began the New Covenant Baptist Church in Seattle. In addition to his pastoral and radio ministries, Kenyon wrote extensively. Among his books are The Blood Covenant, In His Presence, Jesus the Healer, New Creation Realities, and Two Kinds of Righteousness.

It's Time For A Giveaway!

To celebrate their tour, Whitaker House is giving away the grand prize package of
a $20 Starbucks gift card and a copy of the book!!

Click below to enter. Be sure to comment on this post before you enter to claim 9 extra entries!

https://promosimple.com/ps/10533/in-his-presence-celebration-tour-giveaway

Blog Stops

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, January 7
Texas Book-aholic, January 8
Inklings and notions, January 9
Tell Tale Book Reviews, January 10
deb’s Book Review, January 10
Locks, Hooks and Books, January 11
Abba’s Prayer Warrior Princess, January 12
Artistic Nobody, January 13
For the Love of Literature, January 14
Ashley’s Bookshelf, January 15
Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, January 16
Sara Jane Jacobs, January 17
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, January 18
Vicky Sluiter, January 19
Mary Hake, January 19
For Him and My Family, January 20

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Celebrate Lit Blog Tour - Nasty Gets Us Nowhere by Drenda Keesee + Spotlight & Giveaway

9/12/2020

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Two women who forever changed the world followed a plan to better their lives. One chose God’s design for her. The other listened to a different voice that questioned God and rebelled against Him.

Women and men today face the same decisions that confronted Mary and Eve. We can either seek the Tree of Life with God…or keep biting into the bitter fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.

Statistically, women today are less happy than at any time in measured history. This extolled knowledge of good and evil has had consequences. It’s not about equality in work, pay, or choices. It’s about women wanting to become “like men” instead of being women. It’s about women who aspire to be “nasty” and men who are confused about what it means to be a real man.
Nasty Gets Us Nowhere reveals the powerful truth behind learning to do relationships like Christ, particularly relationships between men and women. Our culture often incites rebellion, but God calls us to work together. As Galatians 5:15 says, “If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other” (niv).

In an age saturated with feminism and gender wars, ex-feminist Drenda Keesee combines her wit, humor, and life experience to unpack a powerful, timely message that sets the record straight. She reveals why men and women have conflict, what God’s plan for unity is, and how men and women can unite to create an unstoppable force. Drenda believes the pendulum is swinging and there are many conservative women and men who want to make amends and discover how to have relationships that work. There’s also a younger generation searching for keys to live a different life than what they’ve seen modeled.

Drenda says we can see eye to eye when we first see heart to heart and spirit to spirit, coming from a place of cooperation instead of conflict. God’s Spirit coupled with His plan is the only answer to the separation and relationally destructive forces at work in the gender wars. It’s time for restoration and healing, to bring men and women side by side, hand in hand. There’s much at stake. We must understand our uniqueness, our vulnerabilities, and Christ’s unalterable principles for successful working and loving relationships to experience fulfillment and lasting peace.

Genre: Family & Relationships
Release Date: September 1, 2020

Click here to get your copy!

More from Drenda

Nasty Gets Us Nowhere reveals why men and women have conflict and God’s plan to unite them for His kingdom. Coming from a feminist background, I realized that wasn’t the way God intended for me to live.

Drenda Keesee

Drenda Keesee is a speaker, pastor, daytime television show host, entrepreneur, and author of several books. She has ministered on television and radio and at churches, seminars, and conferences for more than twenty years. Drenda is passionate about bringing women into spiritual, emotional, and relational wholeness so they can live “The Happy Life,” and has founded several programs to that end.

She and Gary Keesee, her husband of thirty-five years, met while attending Oral Roberts University and pastor the 4,500-member Faith Life Church, with campuses in New Albany and Powell, Ohio.

The Keesees have created several successful businesses in the financial arena and are the founders of Faith Life Now, which produces two television programs: Drenda, seen daily on several networks and weekly on Daystar; and Fixing the Money Thing, airing daily on Daystar, GEB, BET, Victory, CTN, VTN, and NRB. Drenda serves as host on these programs, which reach 750 million households worldwide.

Drenda has appeared on numerous other television programs, including Joyce Meyer’s broadcast Enjoying Everyday Life, Table Talk with Joni with Joni Lamb, Marcus & Joni with the Lambs, VictoryThon, and more. She has been featured on CharismaNews.com, Hannah Keeley’s Crazy Blessed podcast, thelaundrymoms.com, and on the cover of Daystar News. Drenda also speaks at conferences worldwide and is known for her ability to inspire, empower, and encourage others to improve their marriages, raise strong children, get out of debt, and embrace God’s best for their life.
In addition to her graduate studies at Oral Roberts University, Drenda received a master’s degree in Christian counseling from Logos University and an honorary doctorate of divinity from CICA International University and Seminary.

The Keesees have five children and several grandchildren. They reside in New Albany, Ohio.

It's Time For A Giveaway!

To celebrate her tour, Drenda is giving away the grand prize package of
a $20 Starbucks gift card and copy of the book!!

Click below to enter. Be sure to comment on this post before you enter to claim 9 extra entries!

https://promosimple.com/ps/10095/nasty-gets-us-nowhere-celebration-tour-giveaway

Blog Stops

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, September 9
Locks, Hooks and Books, September 10
A Baker’s Perspective, September 11 (Spotlight)
Tell Tale Book Reviews, September 12 (Spotlight)
Godly Book Reviews, September 13
Blossoms and Blessings, September 14 (Spotlight)
deb’s Book Review, September 14
Sara Jane Jacobs, September 15
21st Century Keeper at Home, September 15
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, September 16
Texas Book-aholic, September 17
Artistic Nobody, September 18 (Guest Review from Joni Truex)
Inklings and notions, September 19
For Him and My Family, September 20
Ashley’s Bookshelf, September 21
Splashes of Joy , September 22 (Spotlight)

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E-Book Review - The Neglected C.S. Lewis by Mark Neal & Jerry Root (Non-Fiction)

8/13/2020

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Genre:
Non-Fiction / Literary

The Neglected C.S. Lewis
by Mark Neal & Jerry Root

-From Goodreads-

Readers who can quote word for word from C.S. Lewis’s theological classic, Mere Christianity, or his science fiction novel, Perelandra, have often never read his work as a professional literary historian. They may not even recognize some of the neglected works discussed, here. Mark Neal and Jerry Root have done students of Lewis a great service, tracing the signature ideas in Lewis’s works of literary criticism and showing their relevance to Lewis’s more familiar books. Their thorough research and lucid prose will be welcome to all who would like to understand Lewis more fully, but who feel daunted by books of such evident scholarly erudition.

This Book received a 4 Bark rating.

For example, when you read The Discarded Image on the ancients’ view of the heavens, you understand better why Ransom has such unpleasant sensations when first descending toward Malacandra in Out of the Silent Planet. And when you come across Lewis’s discussion in OHEL of a minor sixteenth-century poet who described the hellish River Styx as a “puddle glum,” you can’t help but chuckle at the name when you meet the famous Marshwiggle in The Silver Chair. These are just two examples of how reading the “Neglected Lewis” can help every reader understand Lewis more fully.

ISBN-13: 9781640602946

Learn more about C.S. Lewis's love of books...

This is one book that will take some for me to digest. There was just so much information and I'll confess that it has taken me longer to read The Neglected C.S. Lewis than it should have. I found myself reading a bit, putting it aside, thinking about what I had read, and then picking it back up for a little bit more.

I picked up Mark Neal's and Jerry Root's book because I have long been curious about the genius of C.S. Lewis. My second confession is that out of his works I've only read The Chronicles Of Narnia, though I've read all but one of them multiple times, so they're the only ones I feel truly familiar with. However, while reading a biography of his friend and fellow Inkling, J.R.R. Tolkein, I learned a bit more about his vast knowledge and wide range of interests, which, of course, interested me. So, I wanted to know more and The Neglected C.S. Lewis admirably fit the bill.

As I said before, I'm still digesting the contents of the book, even though it is more of an easier to understand guide to some of Lewis's lesser known, and mostly scholarly, works. But, there were a few things that really stood out to me. The one that I feel is most important, at least for me personally, was Lewis's strong belief that we do a disservice to ourselves and the original authors when we try to view historical works through a modern viewpoint. It just doesn't work and we can never truly understand, or even enjoy, those older books if we do so. Other points include: not assuming that newer is better, not looking condescendingly at historical authors just because morals have changed or new information has been discovered, that we should not place authors or books or even historical eras into neat little labled boxes, that language is fluid so it's important to know where we've come from, and that we should take books as they are written without assuming that we know better than the author what was originally meant. There is so much, much more in the book that I can't go into here or this review will be a book in itself! Suffice to say, Mark Neal and Jerry Root have done an excellent job introducing readers to more of C.S. Lewis's work.

Tell Tale Book Reviews gives The Neglected C.S. Lewis by Mark Neal and Jerry Root a 4 Bark rating.

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Celebrate Lit Blog Tour - Miracles For Veterans + Spotlight & Giveaway

6/24/2020

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Military veterans experience stress and trauma that civilians cannot even begin to imagine. No matter what branch they were in, whether they saw combat or not, their service left an indelible mark on their bodies, hearts, and minds, souls and spirits. Even those who have not suffered external injuries can be affected by post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, anger, and other issues. They need healing on multiple levels.

Joan Hunter tackles all of the problems that veterans face in her new book, Miracles for Veterans. She covers some of the root causes; the positive aspects of service, such as growth and maturity, as well as the negative effects, including physical, emotional, and spiritual injury; and the consequences of service on general and cellular memory. Joan offers guidance to those ministering to veterans, healing prayers, and insights on prevention.

Among the testimonials included in Joan’s book is that of Auston O’Neill, 71, who travels throughout the United States to play “Taps” on his bugle for any deceased veteran whose family requests it as a member of Bugles Across America.

Auston is battling terminal cancer that has spread to his lymph nodes, but his faith is strong. “You know, I believe in God for my healing,” he says. “I’m getting stronger as the days go by. I’m not getting weaker.”
Joan notes God is limitless and His Word is true. He is ever ready to heal us if we only will believe.

Genre: Non-fiction, Christian Living
Release Date: May 15, 2020

Click here to get your copy!

More from Joan

God has a plan for your life. Your previous experiences are meant to prepare you for the next chapter of your life. Whether the stress was positive or negative, God can use you! He will use all of you for His pur-pose. He will turn all negative stressful and traumatic experiences into some-thing good.

Please have an open heart and mind as you continue. Some stories in this book may make you cry while others will make you smile. All of this information will prepare you to walk in total victory and help others to do the same. God is always faithful and He hears your heart’s cry. Open your arms to your Father’s love right now and let that love heal you—body, mind, spirit, emotions, and finances.

Believe this is the day for your breakthrough, your victory. Everyone has bad days. Some have bad months, but there is SONshine coming for every-one. Just like a new recruit has to go through basic training or boot camp in order to advance in rank and responsibility, everyone has to do the same in God’s military. Learn the offensive thrust that carries you to the frontlines and through the enemy’s defenses.

Get prepared. Stay prepared. Don’t run away or get trampled on. Don’t be left behind.

Our motto is PUSH: Pray Until Something Happens!

Be on the offensive and go after God. He is the Commander in Chief of these end-time armed forces!

Joan Hunter

Joan Hunter is a compassionate minister, dynamic teacher, accomplished author, and anointed healing evangelist who has devoted her life to carry a message of hope, deliverance, and healing to the nations. As founder and president of Joan Hunter Ministries, Hearts 4 Him, and 4 Corners Foundation, and president of Hunter Ministries, Joan has a vision to equip believers to take the healing power of God “beyond the four walls of the church to the four corners of the earth.” Joan’s genuine approach and candid delivery enables her to connect intimately with people from all walks of life. Some describe her as “Carol Burnett with the anointing of Jesus.”

Joan ministers the gospel with manifestations of supernatural signs and wonders in healing schools, miracle services, conferences, churches, and revival centers around the world. She is sensitive to the move of the Spirit and speaks prophetically to the local body and into the individual lives of those in attendance. Joan’s genuine approach and candid delivery enable her to connect intimately with people from all educational, social, and cultural backgrounds.
At the tender age of twelve, Joan committed her life to Christ and began faithfully serving in ministry alongside her parents, Charles and Frances Hunter, as they traveled around the globe conducting Healing Explosions and Healing Schools until their deaths. Prior to branching out into her own international healing ministry, Joan also co-pastored a church for eighteen years.
Joan brings a powerful ministry to a world characterized by brokenness and pain. Having emerged victorious through tragic circumstances, impossible obstacles, and immeasurable devastation, Joan is able to share a message of hope and restoration to the brokenhearted, deliverance and freedom to the bound, and healing and wholeness to the diseased. Joan’s life is one of uncompromising dedication to the gospel of Jesus Christ, as she exhibits a sincere desire to see the body of Christ live in freedom, happiness, wholeness, and financial wellness.
Joan has ministered in countries all over the world and has been featured on Sid Roth’s It’s Supernatural, My New Day with Drs. Bob and Audrey Meisner, Everlasting Love with Patricia King, and on Marilyn Hickey’s Today with Marilyn and Sarah. Joan hosts a powerful and exciting show of her own, Miracles Happen! Joan’s television appearances have been broadcast around the world on World Harvest Network, Inspiration Network, Daystar, Faith TV, Cornerstone TV, The Church Channel, Total Christian Television, Christian Television Network, Watchmen Broadcasting, and God TV.
She is a noted author whose books include Love Again, Live Again; Healing the Whole Man Handbook; Healing the Heart; Power to Heal; Supernatural Provision; Freedom Beyond Comprehension; and Miracle Maintenance.
Joan and her husband, Kelley, live northwest of Houston, Texas. Together, they have four daughters, four sons, three sons-in-law, and seven grandchildren.

It's Time For A Giveaway!

To celebrate her tour, Joan is giving away the grand prize of a $20 Starbucks gift card!!

Click below to enter. Be sure to comment on this post before you enter to claim 9 extra entries!

https://promosimple.com/ps/fc83/miracles-for-veterans-celebration-tour-giveaway

Blog Stops

Inklings and notions, June 17
Artistic Nobody, June 18 (Spotlight)
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, June 19
Vicky Sluiter, June 20 (Spotlight)
Texas Book-aholic, June 21
Library Lady’s Kid Lit, June 22 (Spotlight)
For Him and My Family, June 23
Tell Tale Book Reviews, June 24 (Spotlight)
deb’s Book Review, June 25
My Devotional Thoughts, June 26 (Spotlight)
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, June 27
Through the Fire Blogs, June 28 (Spotlight)
Happily Managing a Household of Boys, June 29
For the Love of Literature, June 30 (Spotlight)

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Celebrate Lit Blog Tour - When Your Voice Became Mine by Celeste N. Bowers + Spotlight & Giveaway

1/23/2020

6 Comments

For all those who have lost hope and purpose, and for all those who hurt deep inside from loss, author Celeste Bowers wishes she could spare you from pain, just as she hoped she could shield her own ten-year-old daughter, Christina, from the storms.

Although she can’t protect you from life’s tragedies, Celeste can tell you this—and she is proof of this—no matter how hard you fall or how much you ache, God will lift you up with new purpose. He will carry you out of the weeping waves and safely to shore.

Celeste has been sending “packages” to heaven since her daughter passed away on May 29, 2005. What she never fathomed were the gifts sent back to deeply define her.

In a moment, Christina’s voice became hers. In that same moment, she knew “there is a mailbox in heaven.”

Genre: Non-Fiction
Release Date: November 2019

Click here for your copy.

More from Celeste

Time is such a fragile commodity. When someone we love passes away, we want the whole world to stop moving and acknowledge what truly matters at that moment—but we also want time to fly so we don’t have to endure another day without our loved ones. What helped me move gently through time was nothing that came about by my own means. Instead, I have trusted God wholeheartedly to navigate my path.

Time does not exist in heaven. Since heaven is our real home, I will not allow time to consume me here on earth; instead, I choose to use my precious time wisely. I have been sending “packages” to heaven—letters that I write to my ten-year-old daughter Christina—since she passed away on May 29, 2005. Each one is tied with my hopes, wishes, and newfound purpose. What I never fathomed were the gifts from above that would be sent back to me.
In a moment, Christina’s voice became mine.
In that same moment,
I knew there is a mailbox in heaven.

Celeste N. Bowers

Celeste Bowers has been blessed with gifts of writing, teaching, coaching, making people laugh, and being a mom. These gifts held crucial roles when her daughter, Christina, was diagnosed with cancer. Every gift Celeste received from God is tied together in her words. Packages bundled in love and filled with life lessons are sent to heaven in her first book, If There’s a Mailbox in Heaven. Christina’s testimony and Celeste’s newfound purpose are now joined together in When Your Voice Became Mine.

It's Time For A Giveaway!

To celebrate her tour, Celeste is giving away the grand prize package
of a signed copy of each of her books, along with a $25 Amazon gift card!!

Click below to enter. Be sure to comment on this post before you enter to claim 9 extra entries!

https://promosimple.com/ps/f469/when-your-voice-became-mine-celebration-tour-giveaway

Blog Stops

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, January 10
Where Crisis & Christ Collide, January 11
Artistic Nobody, January 12 (Author Interview)
For Him and My Family, January 13
Book Love, January 14 (Guest Review from Lucy Reynolds)
Through the Fire Blogs, January 15 (Author Interview)
For the Love of Literature, January 16
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, January 17
Texas Book-aholic, January 18
Abba’s Prayer Warrior Princess, January 19
A Baker’s Perspective, January 20 (Author Interview)
Inklings and notions, January 21
janicesbookreviews, January 22
Tell Tale Book Reviews, January 23 (Author Interview)

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Celebrate Lit Blog Tour - Soul Mend by Luann Dunnuck + Interview & Guest Post & Giveaway

11/14/2019

4 Comments

Restore your emotional health!

Have you felt trapped in an endless cycle of fear, anger, guilt, and other negative emotions? Has depression, anxiety, fear of rejection, or the inability to let go of past hurts robbed you of peace?

No matter how hopeless or discouraged you feel, freedom is possible. It’s time to get to the root of your pain so you can heal. In Soul Mend: Discovering Spiritual and Emotional Health, author Luann Dunnuck shows you how to uncover the source of your emotional struggles and experience wholeness with the help of God’s Holy Spirit.

See the connection between your mental and physical health. Find scriptural truths to help you work through emotional struggles. God has answers for you and declares in Jeremiah, “Is there anything too hard for Me?” Let Him do the impossible in you as you apply the concepts in this book, rely more heavily on God, and regain the joy of living!

Genre: Christian Non-fiction, Christian Personal Growth, Counseling
Release Date: April 12, 2019

Click here to get your copy.

Interview with Luann

1. What was the inspiration for this book?
The inspiration for this book was that I don’t want to see others stay stuck in emotional and physical bondages. I know first hand what both afflictions are like and the despair that is associated with a toxic mind and a toxic body. If I can give someone a lifeline to pull them out of their bondages then all the time, resources, and research has been worth pouring into this book. 😊

2. Where did your research take you while writing this book?
First, I learned the scientific research confirmed the Bible. I love when science proves what God already gave us in the scriptures. I go into details in the book on these findings. The research also confirmed what I have lived through…that our bodies are listening to our minds. The CDC, center for disease control reports that 80% of all sickness has a “stressor” behind it. If we can heal the mind then there is an 80% chance that we can heal the body!

3. What authors influenced you the most while writing about this topic?
The Author that impacted me the most while writing this book was, Dr. Caroline Leaf.

4. What demographic do you think this book will appeal to the most?
This book was written to those suffering from; depression, anxiety, guilt, anger, stress, a broken heart. This project appeals to both men and women, young and old.

5. What drew you to write non-fiction verses fiction?
Both Fiction and Non-Fiction can be inspirational. In this case I felt non-fiction would be the best tool to communicate how to recover from toxic emotions and restore physical and mental health.

Bonus; I would like to share two of my favorite quotes;

"Self-worth is not created, it’s discovered."

"Let food be your medicine so medicine doesn’t have to be your food."

More from Luann

SOUL MEND was written to break people out of their emotional chains! I know first hand what such things as anxiety, strife, guilt, and unforgiveness feel like. I know first hand how devastating these emotions can be on the physical body. After walking through some of these issues and recovering from a debilitating diagnosis I decided it was time to go back to school, get my counseling degree, and help other people!

In SOUL MEND I cover the three sources of negative thinking and how they impact our emotional and physical health. There are chapters on; a broken heart, stress, guilt, self-reproach, anxiety, and anger/bitterness. Each chapter contains study questions to help the reader identity and heal from toxic emotions. The book ends on a uplifting and encouraging note on how God created you to walk in His destiny and His goodness. There is always a purpose in your pain and the Bible is clear that what the enemy meant for evil God promises to turn around for God when we seek Him (Genesis 50:20, Romans 8:28). I am excited to go on this journey with you and help you discover the healing and destiny that awaits you

Luann Dunnuck

Luann Dunnuck is a conference speaker, author, and counselor. She has a heart for those who are seeking emotional wholeness and spiritual health. Luann earned her master’s degree in Christian counseling and a doctorate in theology, and is a licensed minister with the Assemblies of God.
Her message of hope and restoration has been heard on radio and television—including Words to Live By, produced by RBC Ministries, and Crossroads Magazine. She and her husband, Robert, have three grown children.

It's Time For A Giveaway!

To celebrate her tour, Luann is giving away a hard copy of her
book SOUL MEND, and a $25 gift card to Barnes and Noble!!

Click below to enter. Be sure to comment on this post before you enter to claim 9 extra entries!

https://promosimple.com/ps/ee22/soul-mend-celebration-tour-giveaway

Blog Stops

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, November 7
Mary Hake, November 8
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, November 9
Artistic Nobody, November 10 (Author Interview)
Library Lady’s Kid Lit, November 11
Texas Book-aholic, November 12
janicesbookreviews, November 13
Tell Tale Book Reviews, November 14 (Author Interview)
For the Love of Literature, November 15
BookofRuthAnn, November 16
A Reader’s Brain, November 17
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, November 18
Stephanie’s LIfe of Determination, November 18
My Devotional Thoughts, November 19 (Author Interview)
Inklings and notions, November 20

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Celebrate Lit Blog Tour - Finding My Son by Eric Odell-Hein + Interview & Guest Post & Giveaway

11/13/2019

7 Comments

Eric was perfectly happy being one half of a dual income, no kids family. Having the freedom to travel the world with his wife Christine, while indulging his hobbies and furthering his education and career, was a pretty sweet life.

Christine wanted to be a mom.

Though he was scared he didn’t have what it took to be a good dad, Eric wanted to fulfill his wife’s dream. After years of trying to conceive, however, the couple received a devastating diagnosis: infertility.

For Christine, adoption was the obvious answer. Eric wasn’t so sure.

In Finding My Son: A Father’s Adoption Journey, author Eric Odell-Hein offers an unfiltered view into the heart and mind of a man who has experienced the sometimes messy and often awkward process of becoming a father through adoption. Encouraging men to acknowledge the fears they don’t want to admit

while advocating a thoughtful, deliberate transparency as the best approach to even the most unnatural, uncomfortable aspects of the adoption process. Eric shares his misgivings and mistakes with an honesty that does not deny his insecurities.

A valuable resource for any man considering growing his family through adoption—or anyone seeking to understand the process—this engaging memoir is a testament to the beautiful gift of adoption and a touching account of a father’s love.

Genre: Christian Memoir, Adoption
Release Date: February 21, 2018

Click here to get your copy!

Interview with Eric

#1. What did you find the most difficult while writing this book? The most difficult part of writing this book was trying to find a balance between being transparent and authentic about such a personal experience without sharing to a point of distraction. In order to communicate effectively about my feelings and approach to adoption—both the good and the bad I brought with me—I had to share some amount of personal background, experiences, and feelings. While it was very important to me that this book be as genuine as possible, and identifying and dealing with my own flaws was an intrinsic, valuable part of the adoption experience, it was tough for me to identify necessary information versus extraneous data. In the end, I decided to start by oversharing, and my editor, Sanda Byrd, was incredible in helping me dial in the successive drafts and strike the right balance. Editors are not your enemy—they are your best friend!

#2. What do you hope your readers will take away with them when they read this book?
When making a major life decision, I think many people subconsciously start their decision-making process by launching off from of an idea of their ideal self: who they think they ought to be or aspire to be as opposed to how they actually are at that moment in time. This is something I became cognizant of as we went through the adoption process. There are so many deliberations and decisions that people are forced to make when adopting that aren’t choices they have to make through natural conception and childbirth. What medical backgrounds in the adoptive child’s family was I willing to accept?

What past history of drugs or alcohol in the father or mother? What about ethnicity—is there prejudice in my immediate or extended family? What age of child was I willing to adopt? The list of issues prospective adoptive families are forced to think about is quite long. I decided to carefully examine the reality of where I was actually at as opposed to where I ideally would be. I didn’t think making decisions based on social expectations or self-imposed pressure was best for any child we would adopt. This led to many difficult conversations and lots of self-analysis. Some people may disapprove of the choices we made, but I’m okay with that. You can’t improve your life or effectively help others improve theirs without first being grounded in the reality of how you actually are. I hope readers realize the importance of an intentional, authentic effort to identify how you actually are and what you bring to the table—both positive and negative—when starting to make significant life choices.

#3. How has writing about this particular topic changed your own life? The process of writing this book forced me to look back at the series of events and choices that shaped my life—both my own decisions and the impact of decisions that other people made—and find a coherent string of connectedness. In turn, this has helped me structure my own thoughts and shape my story, which I in turn get to share with other people who are considering adoption. A few months ago I was on a business trip where I delivered privacy training to key members of a video game studio on down in Newport Beach. During one of the private meetings, an employee mentioned that adoption was something he or she was considering. Because I had gone through the process of organizing my thoughts and writing this book, I was able to share valuable insights in a concise and effective fashion, as opposed to what would have otherwise been loosely connected personal rambling.

#4. What demographic do you think this book will appeal to the most?
I think there is value for anyone who has adopted or is considering adoption as well as for people who were themselves adopted. Really anyone with an interest in families or parenthood will find the material appealing. My own son has read the book and loves it, and my extended family has been surprised by the amount they were able take away from reading it even though they were there for the actual events described in the book. From outside my family, I’ve received a lot notes describing how accurately this book represented their own adoptive parent experience and helped them process their own feelings.

#5. What drew you to write non-fiction versus fiction? As a child, I wanted to be a storyteller and world-builder in the vein of J.R.R. Tolkien. But in my late twenties and early thirties, I discovered a love of non-fiction and instructive writing while working through my various degree programs. As a result, I discovered some level of aptitude in writing non-fiction with an emphasis on academic analysis. I started out by authoring two books based on my master’s thesis and doctoral dissertation (Recovering Lost Treasure, Systems of Evil). The first was an attempt to bring academic analysis of ancient religious patterns down to a semi-popular level. The second was strictly academic and targeted for serious researchers and academics. Finding My Son is my first book that is truly meant for a general audience. I still harbor a desire to write a work of fiction, but my true love is to write things from which people can derive practical value. If anyone in any location is able to find something in one of my books that impacts their life, then my journey as an author has been worthwhile.

Bonus. Share with us a thought, Bible verse, whatever is on your mind/heart. John 1:51 has become my favorite verse: “And He [Jesus] said to him, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see the heavens opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.’" To get an idea of the significance of this passage, read the story of Jacob’s dream back in Genesis 28:10-22. Jesus explicitly points to himself as the ultimate hierophany and axis mundi: the point of connection between heaven and humankind. I just love this.

More from Eric

Adoption was a scary prospect for me. My mother and all her siblings are adopted, and the family dynamic for them was challenging. So when my wife decided we should adopt, I initially responded with a flat-out “no.” But my heart changed, and I am strongly convinced that our son, who joined us via adoption back in 2008 when he was just two days old, is the greatest child in the entire world. If you knew where I was emotionally prior to adoption compared with where I am now, you would marvel at the change. My adoption book is for people like me, particularly men, who struggle with the enormity of the choice to adopt and the constant challenges of the process.

On a lighter and more personal side, when people learn about all the various aspects of my life, they often have to stop and process the seemingly incongruous pieces. Some people know me as a guy who has spent more than two decades in software and entertainment, primarily in various aspects of behind-the-scenes video game technology and management. My entire family plays games, and more often than not, when I get back home in the evening, I find my wife and son online with other members of the extended family playing Minecraft. Sometimes we’ll all get in an online session together, each one of us at our own TV on our own Xbox, and take on bad guys together in one game or another.

Other people know my intellectual side, where I have earned several degrees in areas of theology and religion, including a Ph.D., as well as serving as president of Columbia Evangelical Seminary. I previously published two books on academic topics (evil among world religions, religious symbology) and have more in various stages of development, the next one being a focus on the ancient Near Eastern (ANE) cosmogonic/chaos-order symbolism in baptism. As a teaching pastor, I have a reputation for sermons with an intense ANE contextual emphasis that are part sermon and part seminary course. Check out my most recent four-part series on the Odell-Hein Books Facebook page here.

I was born in Germany to an American family, and while my German-language skills have deteriorated, I love German music. I’m very excited that my favorite group, Juli, has a new album coming out later this year. It’s mild stuff compared to most of the rock or industrial music I listen to, but they’re good. Check out the first single from their upcoming album here. I’ll be one of the small handful of Americans who purchase the album on the day it first releases in the US.

When not working or playing games with the family, I read primarily academic ANE books. When we’re in the car, I love to subject the family to my go-to podcast, the Naked Bible Podcast. No, it’s not what it sounds like. If you want to hear a serious scholar tackle the ANE context for the Bible, start with Dr. Michael Heiser’s Exodus series (it begins with episode 255).

Eric Odell-Hein

Eric Odell-Hein (PhD, MDiv, MRS, ThB) is the president of Columbia Evangelical Seminary. The teaching pastor at Summit Evangelical Free Church, he is also the author of Recovering Lost Treasure: Finding Christ in Ancient Myth, Symbol, and Ritual and Systems of Evil: A Study in Comparative Theodicy. Eric lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest with his wife Christine and their son Ephraim. All three are passionate travelers.

It's Time For A Giveaway!

To celebrate his tour, Eric is giving away the grand prize package of a
$50 Amazon certificate and a signed copy of each of his three books!!

Click below to enter. Be sure to comment on this post before you enter to claim 9 extra entries!

https://promosimple.com/ps/f00a/finding-my-son-celebration-tour-giveaway

Blog Stops

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, November 5
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, November 6
Vicky Sluiter, November 7 (Author Interview)
Just the Write Escape, November 8
Abba’s Prayer Warrior Princess, November 9
Simple Harvest Reads, November 10 (Author Interview)
Texas Book-aholic, November 11
janicesbookreviews, November 12
Tell Tale Book Reviews, November 13 (Author Interview)
A Reader’s Brain, November 14
Inklings and notions, November 15
By The Book, November 16 (Author Interview)
Book Love (Featuring Gail Hollingsworth), November 17
Through the Fire Blogs, November 18 (Author Interview)

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2018 Favorites (Print)

1/6/2019

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Favorite Print Books From 2018

Here is a list of Tell Tale Book Reviews' favorite books read and reviewed in 2018.
You can find all of these reviews and many more by visiting our Book Review List page

2018 Reviews

Fiction

Isaiah's Daughter

Lone Star
Christmas Witness

The Innkeeper's
Daughter

Mind Games

Lady Of A Thousand Treasures

A Rumored Fortune

Beneath The
Surface

The Reckoning At
Gossamer Pond

Caught By
Surprise

A Sparkle
Of Silver

The Great Lakes
Lighthouse Brides
Collection

A Light On
The Hill

Top Secret Target

Dead Drift

Kappy King And
The Pie Kaper

My Heart Belongs
In Glenwood Springs, Colorado

Fugitive Spy

The Backcountry
Brides Collection

The Amish Quilter

Flaw Abiding
Citizen

Amish Christmas
Emergency

Who I Am With You

A Refuge Assured

A Secret
To Die For

The Sea Before Us

Secular Fiction

The Key-Lock Man

The Secret Of
Mirror Bay

My Brother Michael

Non-Fiction

Staying Stylish

The Three Faces
Of Nellie

Joy To The World
Adult Coloring Book

We are excited to start reading and reviewing in the
new year and hope you will be joining us for...

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Book Review - NKJV Spirit-Filled Life Bible

12/23/2018

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Genre:
Christian Non-Fiction / Bible

NKJV Spirit-Filled Life Bible

-From Amazon-

Encounter the power of the word. Walk in the freedom God intends. Experience the Holy Spirit. For the NKJV Spirit-Filled Life Bible, Jack Hayford, founding pastor of The Church on the Way and chancellor of The King’s University, assembled a team of respected, Spirit-led scholars to produce this resource of solid biblical truth. Now in a full-color third edition with new contributors, it is even more dynamic. With over 2 million copies sold, the NKJV Spirit-Filled Life Bible continues to equip God’s people to live in his kingdom, exercise gifts of the spirit, and lay hold of God’s promises.

This Book received a 4.5 Bark rating.

Features include:

Word Wealth - More than 650 word studies (including over 100 new ones) shed light on key terms, drawing important meaning from the original Greek and Hebrew.
Kingdom Dynamics - Dozens of biblical themes are addressed in notes by Spirit-filled preachers, teachers, and writers, including many new contributors for this edition
Truth-In-Action – Handy, helpful thematic charts provide practical application from every book of the Bible
Praying the Word - 192 guided prayers based on significant passages throughout Scripture
Detailed book introductions and outlines help you to learn each book’s historical background and appreciate its teachings
Verse-by-verse study notes explain each passage and illuminate your understanding
Includes a new full-color design with updated maps and charts, a detailed NKJV concordance, and in-depth articles about the Spirit-filled life
Designed with the exclusive Thomas Nelson NKJV Comfort Print® typeface
10-point print size

ISBN-13: 978-0529100146

A lovely easy to use study Bible...

My first impression when I saw the NKJV Spirit-Filled Life Bible was WOW! It's been quite awhile since I last bought a Bible and that one was a very basic edition. This Bible is very nice, from the layout of the text and special features to the sturdy hardcover that lies flat very nicely when left open.

If you are looking for an easy-to-carry-to-church Bible this is probably not the right one for you. The NKJV Spirit-Filled Life Bible is big and a bit heavy but what makes it so, is what makes it the perfect study Bible. This is the Bible you want to lay out on the table with a notebook and pens to just dig deep into the Scriptures.

There are so many features in this Bible that it will take awhile to utilize them all. One of the features that I really liked right off is the addition of maps within the book you are studying, no more having to flip to the back searching for a map of the Promised Land and then by the time you find it you've forgotten why you wanted it in the first place. My second favorite feature is the Word Wealth sections that have everything from the Strong's number to other places the same word is used again in Scripture. The introductions to each book are also very fascinating in and of themselves.

The only possible downside is that you may or may not always agree with the personal opinion of the Bible scholars that appears in the notes.

Overall I am very impressed with the Bible, though I know it's going to take me some time to fully discover and use all of the neat study aids. It's getting harder to find study Bibles in either of the two Bible versions that I prefer, the King James Version and New King King James Version, so the fact that this one is available in NKJV is a real bonus for me. I definitely plan on using the NKJV Spirit-Filled Life Bible for just reading, for studying, and probably even with my Bible coloring journals.

Tell Tale Book Reviews gives NKJV Spirit-Filled Life Bible a 4.5 Bark rating.

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Celebrate Lit Blog Tour - The Three Faces Of Nellie by Robynne Elizabeth Miller + Review & Guest Post & Giveaway

12/15/2018

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Whether you love her, hate her, or love to hate her, Nellie Oleson is one of the most recognizable literary figures of the 20th century. But Laura Ingalls Wilder, author of the Little House on the Prairie series in which Nellie appears, had a secret. . .Nellie wasn’t a real person! Instead, she was a composite character created from three girls Laura knew in childhood: Nellie Owens, Genevieve Masters, and Estella Gilbert.

The Little House character of Nellie Oleson is one-dimensional: snobbish, selfish, and thoroughly unpleasant. But what about the real women behind Laura’s creation? They were an intriguing mix of the not-so-nice and the unexpectedly redeemable. In short, they were human.

Discovering the true stories behind Nellie, Genevieve, and Estella has been a fascinating journey. All three ended up on the West Coast at one point. . .true westward movement! One was widowed twice, one ended up divorced, and one

died way too young. Two only had one child, and one had three, though she outlived her youngest by a very long time. There’s even some “Nellie-like” drama in there: Embezzlement. Lying on censuses. Shady land deals.

But there are some beautiful things, too. . .like the enduring love of a husband after his young wife died. Or the rare closeness of a mother and daughter who shared their lives as adults. Or the strength of a young widowed mother who not only cared for her son, but headed out west, in true pioneer fashion, while she did so.

Laura Ingalls Wilder did a masterful job of creating the character of Nellie Oleson. But the three real-life women behind that iconic character are, in my opinion, infinitely more intriguing.

Genre: Non-fiction, Historical
Release Date: November, 2016
Publisher: Practical Pioneer Press

Click here to purchase your copy!

My Review

The three women who inspired a villainess...

Nellie Oleson, probably one of the most recognized villainesses from out childhoods. Generations have grown up reading the Little House books and watching the TV, either when it first aired or in reruns. Though, I was born after the TV show was long into reruns I was first introduced to Laura, Mary, Ma, Pa, Carrie, Grace, Almanzo, and, of course, Nellie Oleson, when my mom started reading the Little House books to me as a little girl. Later on I read them again for myself and loved them just as much.

Cue The Three Faces Of Nellie, as soon as I read the blurb I knew it was a book I wanted to read. As wonderful as Laura Ingalls Wilder's books are I knew that they were fictionalized and she had taken artistic license in their writing so I was intrigued by the idea of learning the real story behind the story.

Author Robynne Elizabeth Miller has well researched the real Nellies; Nellie Owens, Genevieve Masters, and Estella Gilbert. That last name I find a little ironic since the actress who played Laura on TV also had the surname of Gilbert. Citing sources from Findagrave to censuses in more than one country, from Polk Directories to newspapers, this book paints a fascinating, and frequently tragic, story of the three women who would inadvertently go down in history for their jealousy, spitefulness, and just plain childish meanness.

A fairly quick and easy read, I was finished in just a couple of hours, this book is perfect for any fan of the Little House series. You'll get the chance to find out what happened to them later, who their parents were, and where their children went. If you loved the books and/or the TV show this is a book you won't want to miss!

Tell Tale Book Reviews gives The Three Faces Of Nellie by Robynne Elizabeth Miller a 4.5 Bark rating.

(I received a copy of this book from the author. All opinions are entirely my own.)

Guest Post

from Robynne

Nasty Nellie Oleson. One of the most iconic literary characters in literature. Whether you loved her … or hated her … or loved to hate her, she probably left a lasting impression on you. At least if you were a fan of the Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder like I was growing up!

As a young girl, I loved Wilder’s tales of wagons, prairies, and grand westward adventures. Strangely, growing up didn’t change my love for all things Little House one tiny bit. But I did become deeply curious about the real life people behind some of the more fascinating Little House characters.

Namely, Nellie Oleson.

As I began to research Nellie, I learned a ton of interesting things. She wasn’t one person, for example. Laura Ingalls Wilder wove three girls she knew in childhood into one composite character for her books. One of the first “Nellie’s,” Nellie Owens, did have a brother named Willy, but did you know that he went blind from two separate incidents, one in childhood and one in adulthood? And did you know that all three of the “Nellies” ended up on the west coast at one point? Talk about true westward movement! One married a man who eventually went to prison for embezzlement, one did some shady land deals, and one shouldn’t have been a “Nellie” at all.

I suppose I was hoping for a good, old-fashioned redemption story. Wouldn’t it have been wonderful if the mean girl in Wilder’s stories grew up to work with orphans or rescue unwanted animals? Alas, that’s not exactly what happened. But the stories of these three women were fascinating all the same.

I hope you have as much fun discovering the real stories behind the famous Nellie Oleson as I did!

-Robynne Elizabeth Miller-

Robynne E. Miller

Robynne Elizabeth Miller is a speaker, writing coach, and author of multiple books, articles, and essays. Her larger projects include From the Mouth of Ma, Pioneer Mixology, The Three Faces of Nellie, and Nonfiction, Memoir, or Fiction? Dissecting the Works of Laura Ingalls Wilder.

Robynne speaks nationally at writing and historical venues and teaches at writer’s workshops and conferences. She also serves as the Board President of Inspire Christian Writers, as well as their Director of Leadership, and leads two Northern California critique groups.
She holds an undergraduate degree in English Literature from Westmont College and a Masters of Fine Arts in Creative Nonfiction and Fiction from Ashland University.

She lives with her wonderful British husband and the youngest of their four cheeky children in the snowy woods of the Sierra Nevada mountains. When not writing, Robynne loves singing, felling trees, and making bacon from scratch.

It's Time For A Giveaway!

To celebrate her tour, Robynne is giving away a grand prize of a Little House Treasures basket that includes an authenticated piece of the original Loftus Store is De Smet, authenticated sand from Laura’s Plum Creek in Walnut Grove, a Loftus Store slate and slate pencil, chokecherry preserves from De Smet, a Christmas Tree ornament from De Smet, a corn-cob doll kit, a tin cup, maple syrup, a set of pioneer recipe books, Laura Ingalls Wilder’s actual gingerbread recipes, and other treasures from various Little House sites!!

Click below to enter. Be sure to comment on this post before you enter to claim 9 extra entries!

https://promosimple.com/ps/d774/the-three-
faces-of-nellie-olson-celebration-tour-giveaway

Blog Stops

December 6
Reading Is My SuperPower
Blogging With Carol
December 7
multifarious
Carpe Diem
December 8
Bibliophile Reviews
The Morning Chapter
December 9
Just the Write Escape
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy
December 10
A Reader’s Brain
Abba’s Prayer Warrior Princess
December 11
Maureen’s Musings
A Baker’s Perspective
December 12
Girls in White Dresses
December 13
Artistic Nobody
December 14
Connie;s HIstory Classroom
Jeanette’s Thoughts
December 15
Tell Tale Book Reviews
Pause for Tales
December 16
Book Bites, Bee Stings, & Butterfly Kisses
Texas Book-aholic
December 17
Stories Where Hope and Quirky Meet
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations
December 18
Janices book reviews
margaret kazmierczak
December 19
Lots of Helpers
Bigreadersite

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Book Reviews - Faith & Lettering Journal - The Illustrated Word: An Illuminated Bible Coloring Journal - Illuminate Your Story Journal (Non-Fiction)

11/21/2018

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Genre:
Non-Fiction / Journal / Art

Faith & Lettering Journal

The perfect resource to discover and develop your own personal style for lettering and illustrating your faith.

The Illustrated Word: An Illuminated Bible Coloring Journal

Glorious illustrations from ancient manuscripts recreated as line drawings for the reader to color.

Illuminate Your Story Journal

Use this almost-lost art of illuminating letters to enhance your writing, Bible journaling, or sermon note-taking.

Faith & Lettering Journal

What a beautiful journal! I was totally blown away by the beauty of the cover alone. I'll be the first to confess that I am not an artist, not in any sense of the word. I have, however, long admired the lovely illustrations people have created around Bible verses. There was no way I could ever attempt it on my own. Then I saw this book and thought that now was my chance to learn. I'm still very much in the practice stage, I haven't even dared use color yet, just pencil that is easily erasable WHEN, not IF, I make mistakes. I'm very pleased with the journal itself, there are lots of hints and tricks, plus practice space. And speaking of those mistakes I mentioned earlier, I found that the paper lends itself to erasing quite well. Some papers will quickly wrinkle and stain but not this paper at all. The special practice pages are really nice as well, you can use the faint grid lines and dots to help keep your project properly oriented. I'm actually quite pleased with my first attempts using this book and I can't wait to feel confident enough to use color and to start freehanding drawings of my own.

Tell Tale Book Reviews gives the Faith & Lettering Journal a 4.5 Bark rating.

(I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are entirely my own.)

The Illustrated Word: An Illuminated Bible Coloring Journal

I am so in love with this book! Not only does this journal have plenty of space for my own thoughts as I read through the Scriptures as well as some lovely pages to color, but, it also gives a little snippet of information about each of the illuminations to color and a small thumbnail of the original. As a person who LOVES history those little snippets are right up my alley and I really enjoyed that little bit of learning. The layout of journal is pretty simple and the cream color paper is a nice touch that makes it a little easier on the eyes than stark white. I decided to test out the coloring pages with more than one medium, choosing markers, colored pencils, and crayons. While the Sharpies (markers) were the prettiest I did notice that they bled a little through the page. My Crayola colored pencils did pretty well, no bleeding, but I did have to keep them sharp to avoid going outside the lines. My Crayola crayons were pretty but it was hard to stay inside the lines because of the thickness of the point. As soon as I track down my Prismacolor colored pencils I will be trying them out and I suspect that they will probably be my tool of choice in the future.

Tell Tale Book Reviews gives The Illustrated Word: An Illuminated Bible Coloring Journal a 4.5 Bark rating.

(I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are entirely my own.)

Illuminate Your Story Journal

I have long been fascinated with the art of illumination. While I've never seen any in person I have admired the beauty of historic manuscripts through pictures. The idea of learning how to do illuminations myself was very appealing and I was pretty excited to get this book and start in on it. This book has plenty of space for my thoughts and includes little encouraging quotes at the top of each journaling section. But the part that attracted me the most was how to do the illuminations. The book starts out with a brief historical description of several types of illuminations and then goes into some simple instructions on what tools you need and how to use the journal. Step-by-step instructions for each letter and areas to practice are very helpful. Again, with this one I am still in the pencil stage and will work my way into adding color after I can start drawing cleaner lines. Eventually I'm hoping to have the confidence to use these new skills elsewhere and maybe use my Sharpies. A sturdy hardcover, that is just as pretty as the inside, the ribbon marker, and a handy pen/pencil loop are added bonuses to an already very nice journal.

Tell Tale Book Reviews gives the Illuminate Your Story Journal a 4.5 Bark rating.

(I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are entirely my own.)

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Book Review - The Spirit Of God Illustrated Bible + Giveaway

9/19/2018

3 Comments

Genre:
Children's Non-Fiction / Bible

The Spirit Of God Illustrated Bible
Over 40 Stories of God's Power and Presence

The Spirit of God Illustrated Bible brings to life more than 40 Bible stories that help readers understand that God’s Spirit has been with us since the beginning of time and continues to be with us today. From the glory of creation through the powerful letters of Paul, God’s Spirit is living in his people. Old and New Testament stories such as Adam and Eve, Abraham, Joseph, the Baptism of Jesus, and Pentecost come alive with dramatic illustrations by Fernando Juarez and moving text by Doris Rikkers. This is a special storybook Bible that will appeal to both children and parents alike.

ISBN-13: 978-0310749738

A Bible storybook for the whole family...

This Book received a 4 Bark rating.

Visit The Website

What a lovely Bible story book! I would have seriously loved this book as a child. The stories come in a simple, easy to read format and the illustrations are bright and eye-catching. I read it straight through and I found myself enjoying the familiar Bible stories and even some I didn't remember.

While it doesn't replace a real Bible, my parents gave me my first full Bible when I was about 5, The Spirit Of God Illustrated Bible would be perfect for devotions or bedtime reading with young kids or grandkids. It would also be a great one to have around when those kids start reading on their own.

A quality hardcover book with nice glossy pages The Spirit Of God Illustrated Bible would make a good addition to any family's book collection. Even as an adult I enjoyed the simple stories with the accompanying direct quote Bible verses and the lovely illustrations. And the overarching theme of God's power and presence is a good lesson for children to learn young as well as a good reminder for any adult.

Tell Tale Book Reviews gives The Spirit Of God Illustrated Bible by Doris Wynbeek Rikkers a 4.5 Bark rating.

Author Bio:
Doris Rikkers is a freelance writer and editor who has written many bestselling children’s books and Bibles. Although she loves the ocean, she lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan, surrounded by her books, her flower gardens, and her family and friends.

Illustrator Bio:
Spanish artist Fernando Juarez illustrates children’s books and works as an art supervisor at the Madrid studio Ilion Animation. The company produces 3D feature films for children. Fernando has three kids himself, and if he has any time left after work and family, you might catch him playing guitar in a rock band.

It's Time For A Giveaway!

USA ONLY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

“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 a prize from our sponsor Propeller/FlyBy Promotions in the last 30 days on the same blog, you are not eligible to win. Or if you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.

#SpiritofGodBible #FlyBy

3 Comments

Book Review - A Light So Lovely by Sarah Arthur (Non-Fiction)

8/30/2018

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Genre:
Non-Fiction / Biography

A Light So Lovely
The Spiritual Legacy Of Madeleine L'Engle
by Sarah Arthur

-From Amazon-

Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time has captured the imagination of millions - from literary sensation to timeless classic and now a major motion picture starring Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, Storm Reid, and Mindy Kaling. A Light So Lovely tells the story of the woman at the center of it all - her imagination, her faith, her pattern of defying categories, and what readers today can learn from her legacy.

Bestselling and beloved author Madeleine L'Engle, Newbery winner for A Wrinkle in Time, was known the world round for her imaginative spirit and stories. She was also known to spark controversy - too Christian for some, too unorthodox for others. Somewhere in the middle was a complex woman whose embrace of paradox has much to say to a new generation of readers today.

A Light So Lovely paints a vivid portrait of this enigmatic icon's spiritual legacy, starting with her inner world and expanding into fresh reflections of her writing for readers today. Listen in on intimate interviews with L'Engle's literary contemporaries such as Philip Yancey and Luci Shaw, L'Engle's granddaughter Charlotte Jones Voiklis, and influential fans such as Makoto Fujimura, Nikki Grimes, and Sarah Bessey, as they reveal new layers to the woman behind the stories we know and love. A vibrant, imaginative read, this book pulls back the curtain to illuminate L'Engle's creative journey, her persevering faith, and the inspiring, often unexpected ways these two forces converged.

For anyone earnestly searching the space between sacred and secular, miracle and science, faith and art, come and find a kindred spirit and trusted guide in Madeleine - the Mrs Whatsit to our Meg Murry - as she sparks our imagination anew.

ISBN-13: 978-0310353409

A light in the darkness...

This Book received a 3 Bark rating.

Sarah Arthur

Author Website

I'll admit that I don't read a lot of non-fiction, and definitely not as much as I should, but when I read the blurb on this book and found that it was about the author of one of my absolute favorite characters of all time, Meg Murry, I knew that this was a book I wanted to read.

To be completely honest, my reaction to this book when I finished it was quite mixed. On the negative side, conservative Christians and believers in young earth science may find themselves fairly irritated as they are painted in a rather unflattering light by the author's personal opinion. On the positive side, I found the insight into Madeleine L'Engle's life, faith, writing, and the impact she has made on other authors, to be simply fascinating. I was first introduced to the Murry family, and Calvin O'Keefe, as a little girl when my dad read A Wrinkle In Time and A Wind In The Door aloud to my younger brother and I. I truly fell in love with plain Meg Murry who never seemed to fit in anywhere but found herself called to act in extraordinary circumstances. To find out that she wrote about so much more came as a surprise as did the magnitude of the opposition she faced from Christian and Secular circles alike. Who would have ever thought that one of childhood's best loved books had so many people clammering for it to be banned.

The look into Madeleine's faith was especially enlightening and the positive impact she has had on 3 generations of children as well as being a bit of a pioneer in fantasy/sci-fi fiction, especially in the Christian realm, not to mention to impact she has had on a wide variety of authors, the author Sarah Arthur included, proves over and over that Madeleine was indeed A Light So Lovely.

Tell Tale Book Reviews gives A Light So Lovely by Sarah Arthur a 3 Bark rating.

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Book Review - Jesus Calling Adult Coloring Book by Sarah Young

3/22/2018

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Genre:
Non-Fiction Coloring Book

Jesus Calling Adult Coloring Book:
Creative Coloring and Hand Lettering
(Coloring Faith)
by Sarah Young

-From Amazon-

Experience Peace in the Presence
of the Savior Who Is
Always with You

Relax and reflect on Scripture and quotes from #1 bestselling Jesus Calling® while coloring intricate illustrations and hand-lettering selected passages to remind you of God’s love. This one-of-a-kind adult coloring book features coloring pages as well as a simple hand-lettering tutorial and templates so you can participate in the hand-lettering trend.
Special features:

More than 100 intricate, beautiful illustrations
Perforated pages on heavy stock
Unique addition of hand-lettering template pages
Foil-embellished cover

Experience a deeper relationship with Jesus as you focus on His words of hope, guidance, and peace.

ISBN-13: 978-0718091262

Bring your creativity and your faith together...

This Book received a 4.5 Bark rating.

Sarah Young

Website

I've been a happy colorer, colorist, whatever the word is, since those first Crayola crayons when I was a little kid. I graduated up to bigger and bigger boxes of crayons and have only recently started using Prismacolor pencils and Sharpie markers. In that time I went from only being able to find kids coloring books to finally seeing the meteoric rise of Adult coloring books. And then Christian coloring books popped out on the market and I fell in love. There is something peaceful and wonderful about coloring Bible verses and inspirational thoughts within pretty pictures or reading short devotional-like phrases paired with matching coloring pages. Enter the Jesus Calling Adult Coloring Book: Creative Coloring and Hand Lettering book.

I really enjoyed coloring the floral images with my Prismacolors. So far, none of the details have been too tiny for pencils as long as I keep them sharpened. The color laid down beautifully and the paper is good quality. The pages are double-sided so I didn't try my markers but I think they would have looked really nice with the images. I also haven't tried the hand lettering part of this book yet, I need to look up some instructions first, but those pages are very lovely as well.

If you are looking for a good, quality, adult coloring book that feeds your creativity and your faith the Jesus Calling Adult Coloring Book: Creative Coloring and Hand Lettering is one you should really try!

Tell Tale Book Reviews gives Jesus Calling Adult Coloring Book: Creative Coloring and Hand Lettering by Sarah Young a 4.5 Bark rating.

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Illuminate Your Story Journal

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Over 40 Stories of God's Power and Presence

A Light So Lovely
The Spiritual Legacy Of Madeleine L'Engle
by Sarah Arthur

Jesus Calling Adult Coloring Book:
Creative Coloring and Hand Lettering
(Coloring Faith)
by Sarah Young