"Indivisible" by Kristen Heitzmann

Chief of Police Jonah Westfall typically fights only small-town crime in Redford, Colorado, but a series of animal mutilations and a rising drug problem bring about new challenges for his small  force.  Westfall struggles to hold onto his sobriety while he continues to make peace with his past, which includes Tia Manning - a childhood friend with whom he shares a stormy history.  Can Westfall restore peace to his beloved town - before someone gets hurt?

I LOVE the way that Heitzmann weaves this story!  The cast of characters grows slowly, as do their connections, which truly brings to life each person and their own personal story.  The characters each have his/her fatal flaw, which serves to make them seem real, instead of packaged and plastic.  Each one has his or her own well-developed style and story to tell, yet all cause the reader to ponder one main question: how do we deal with the pain of being hurt?  Each character in the story reacts in a different way to past pain, and seeing the consequences of each can be eye-opening.  Past mistakes are not glossed over or seen as 'acceptable' sins, but are viewed for what they are - dark problems with far-reaching consequences.

For a Christian book, there is very little so-called Christian 'stuff' here.  There is no preaching or outright teaching, but the faith of the author - and the characters who have it - is evident in the twist of the story.  Manning and Westfall do discuss their faith a few times, but those discussions are used more as a springboard for solving relationship issues and understanding the choices they had made in the past few years.  Someone looking for a Bible verse on every page should, perhaps, look elsewhere; but for someone who wants to read an incredible, suspenseful, realistic story about people who have faith, this is the book to read.

I received a free copy of this book from Multnomah's Books for Bloggers program in exchange for an honest review.

'Sun Stand Still' by Stephen Furtick

Several thousand years ago, God held the sun still for a full 24 hours in answer to Joshua's audacious prayer and His own promise.   Pastor Stephen Furtick of Elevation Church in Charlotte, North Carolina believes He'll do the the same for us today - we need only ask Him.

Based on stories of miracles throughout the Bible and those who believed that God would make them happen, Furtick's book details how to activate your own audacious faith soundly.  He explains how to pray using God's own Word and how to fully realize God's plan for your life.

Furtick is young and it shows in his writing.  His style is easy to read and grabs your attention with his blunt word choice, but his passion for God clearly shows how strongly He believes in his God.  The book is full of stories that he personally vouches for about how strongly active God is today, and despite his age, Furtick has a wealth of experience and has well researched his topic.

This book will definitely captivate you and want you to dive deeper into your relationship with God.  I would definitely recommend this to anyone!

I received a free copy of this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for an unbiased review.

Fiber Information

One of the health tips we discussed last night was proper eating - including eating enough fiber.  This website lets you choose the foods you've eaten in what amounts and then calculates how much fiber you've consumed.  No math for you to do!

The Wake Forest doc said we women should eat about 25 grams of fiber each day.  How are you doing?

'Made to Crave' by Lysa TerKeurst ....

has hit the New York Times bestseller's list!  I can't wait to read it.  :-)

Our first MTC meeting will be tonight at 8:15 PM at Isabelle's.  We'll talk about this week's webcast and work our way through the DVD series when it arrives.  If you missed this week's webcast, you can catch the next one at her website over here on Monday at 8 PM.  It will re-air on Tuesday.  Check the website for times.

Hope to see you tonight!

"An Amish Love" by Beth Wiseman, Kathleen Fuller, and Kelly Long

An Amish Love is actually three novellas in on book - and since all take place in one town with overlapping characters, it's easy to transition from one to the next.  Each story is about someone who has left and how they find their way home again.  Each story includes faith, love, and forgiveness as themes.  Naaman Lapp left his wife at home while he went to visit relatives, only to return nearly one year later, facing distrust and confusion from his family.  Abby Kauffman wants a way out of her father's silent household so badly that she tricks a newcomer into marriage - realizing too late what she's done.  Ellie Chupp was jilted after an accident left her blind - can she forgive those involved and learn to love again?

The writing styles of each author make the stories flow smoothly.  Set within the same Amish community, with the same peripheral characters and locations mentioned, this set feels more like one work.

I enjoyed the writing style of these authors and the questions that each story raised in my mind.  If blinded, could I easily forgive?  If my husband left, could I welcome him home with open arms?  Am I careful and thoughtful in my dealings with others?

I definitely enjoyed this book and would recommend it to others.

I received a free copy of this book from Thomas Nelson in exchange for an impartial review.

'The Way Home'

Randy Simpkins is a worksholic husband and father who's trying to appease his wife with a family vacation. Starting behind the eight ball by having gone in to work when he was supposed to be packing, the day gets worse when their youngest son, two-year-old Joe, disappears only minutes later.

It is difficult to remain impartial in the beginning of this movie as each parent presents a timeless, valid viewpoint for their recent actions that most married parents can identify with. As the movie progresses and the search for Joe continues, the plot deepens to include their struggles not only with each other, but also the scope of their faith. At times the action is maddeningly slow as it seems that the search will never progress, but at those times the emotion of each parent is most real. The entire movie forces the viewer to evaluate how s/he parents and if s/he is intentional and purposeful with the time given to them as parents.

I will definitely recommend this movie to my friends. Every parent can use a reminder of the preciousness of their children's lives, and this movie provides that in spades.

I was provided a free copy of this movie by Thomas Nelson in exchange for an unbiased review.

Purim

Here's a webpage that is written from a Jewish perspective that describes Purim - it's background, modern customs, and even contains a recipe for Hamantashen, a traditional cookie eaten during this celebration. I thought you might find this interesting!