'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!

"Faithful" by Kim Cash Tate

Cyd's world turns upside down on her fortieth birthday - and her friends aren't having such an easy time, either. Cedric, the best man at her sister's wedding, is attractive and smooth, but he doesn't share her faith. Dana caught her husband in bed with another woman, and Phillis wants her husband to share her faith more than anything and is depressed by his unwillingness to even listen to her heart. The members of the Daughter's Fellowship hold each other up through thick and thin - but will they be able to help each other through all of this??

Cash's book was not what I expected, and at first, as each woman's life fell apart, I was disappointed by the blunt and worldly view of sex that was presented. As the plot continued, however, more of God's truth entered the picture. By the end, a realistic view of sin and how to handle temptation had been presented. Cash's characters were believable and and real. I will definitely look for her next book!

I was given a copy of this book by Thomas Nelson in exchange for an unbiased review.