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Showing posts from March, 2011

In Need of Some Revisions?

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Revise Us Again A call to revisit and return to God’s original script for living Every person follows a script for living, a life-guide that offers cues for our behavior and direction for our choices. As believers, the Word of God gives us a script for experiencing life as God intended. Yet our scripts are often distorted by our environment, our culture, and our religious traditions. As a result, all of us are in constant need of revising the scripts by which we live, and we want those lines of script that are incompatible with the teachings of Jesus revised and re-visioned to match the heart and mind of Christ. Revising is a process, and best-selling author Frank Viola’s latest book, Revise Us Again: Living from a Renewed Christian Script , encourages believers to take an honest look at their relationship with the Lord. This process begins by opening our hearts and minds to the possibility that the script we have been given in life is not perfect. We must further recognize that ou

Getting the Word out in public high schools

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The Life Book Movement nears the half-million mark in books distributed Are we trading in our right to free speech, especially our freedom of religion, in exchange for being non-offensive and politically correct? Separation of church and state may restrict public prayers in schools, but there is still an avenue for high school students to rightfully distribute God’s Word in their schools. Founded by The Gideons International, The Life Book Movement is an innovative strategy to reach high school students with the Word of God. The movement is a Christian mission centered on The Life Book , a unique presentation of Scripture designed to engage high school students with the truth of God’s Word, created by Carl Blunt, president and CEO of The Life Book Movement . The Life Book presents a brief overview of the Old Testament and the Book of John using an interactive format with honest student comments and real-life questions in the margins. Readers are drawn into the only story that can

Denise Hunter explores whether the truth can really set us free

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Lassoed by a Cowboy’s Love Do the secrets from our past affect who we become in the future? Can the hurts we’ve experienced really prevent us from finding true fulfillment? In her newest novel, A Cowboy’s Touch , award-winning author Denise Hunter will explore these questions, and readers will discover that “the truth really can set us free.” Abigail Jones has a secret—a secret from her childhood. This secret has shaped who she has grown to be—an investigative reporter known as “the Truthseeker” at Viewpointe Magazine in Chicago. With her blood pressure out of control, the editor, who happens to be her mother, sends her on a three-month sabbatical to check on her great aunt in Moose Creek, Montana. Wade Ryan may have been voted as the “Sexiest Man Alive,” but he has sworn off women forever. Four years earlier, the rodeo celebrity gave up his identity to protect his daughter Maddy. Now he is safely settled on a ranch in Big Sky Country, living in obscurity with his heart guarded b

Liz Johnson's Code of Justice

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God Bless regular bloggers. Especially ones that review books. Each day, I work with many, many of them. I have no idea how they read so many books in the midst of every day life. Sure, I've posted PRs and book tours about books I'm working on, but I don't really know the last time I posted a book review of a book I read just for the fun of it. I've had a sticky note on my desk here at home for months listing out books that I have read that I should post books about. Judging by the note, it must have been around Christmas when I wrote it. I need to update it because it lists a couple of books that I took on vacation last October. (Which reminds me, I really need to finish that scrapbook on Shutterfly from that vacation.) There are a couple of additions to make from the past few months. I would love to just sit down and read for a while, but I think I'd fall asleep if I tried that tonight. I seriously have 19 books across the room on shelves that I plan to read a

The feeling is mutual

For those of you that thought it was interesting and exciting that was actually talking to a member of the opposite sex, I am back to my ever boring self. Fu Ming (no, that's not his real name since he isn't actually Chinese) and I have mutually decided that yeah, we're not into it. We haven't actually had that conversation though. We've mutually talked to his sister. It's kind of comical really. Even his sister thought so. There were things he said that made me think that he was more interested me than I was in him. I even started screening phone calls quite honestly. That was because I really wanted to watch the finale of The Bachelor . Last Friday night, I was logged into Skype, and Fu Ming called. I was too tired to think coherently and carry on much of a conversation. I ended up suggesting that we call in his dear sister for a conference call so that I didn't have to carry on a conversation. From start to finish, the whole conversation was awkward

Would you like to have Randy Singer visit your book club?

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If you would like to have Randy Singer in person or via Skype at an upcoming book club meeting to discuss False Witness , we have a contest for you! The first 10 groups that sign up will have the opportunity to have Randy appear either live or via Skype for a 1-hour discussion with the group. (In order to qualify, groups must have at least 20 members and have the ability to use Skype.) The first 50 groups that sign up will receive a special book club package that includes a DVD, a reading group guide, and an assortment of Randy’s backlist titles from Tyndale House Publishers.   ( False Witness releases May 1) Click here to sign your book club up! About False Witness :   Clark Shealy is a bail bondsman with the ultimate bounty on the line: his wife's life. He has forty-eight hours to find an Indian professor in possession of the Abacus Algorithm—an equation so powerful it could crack all Internet encryption.   Four years later, law student Jamie Brock is working in legal

A little bit of Luck(y) - check out the first chapter of Glenn Packiam's latest

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Thanks to everyone who participated in today's tour! It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old...or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book! You never know when I might play a wild card on you! Today's Wild Card author is: Glenn Packiam and the book: Lucky David C. Cook; New edition (March 1, 2011) ***Special thanks to Karen Davis, Assistant Media Specialist, The B&B Media Group for sending me a review copy.*** ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Glenn Packiam is an executive pastor at New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where he oversees spiritual formation and serves as the teaching pasto

Not meant to meet a Picker

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Last October when we went Iowa, one of my dad's must sees was stopping in LeClaire, home to Antique Archaeology. that is the home base and shop of the American Pickers from the History Channel. When we arrived in town, we found the small shop that used to be a gas station. If you go around the block, signs say "Keep Out - We aren't the Pickers." I guess lots of people come visit. Well, there were several cars along the narrow road out front the day we were there from several states. And it was a random Thursday in late October. That day, there was a sign out front, leaning against their van "Closed for taping." My dad was crushed and we spent about four hours in that town in the hopes they would reopen. We went to the visitor's center and came back.We went to lunch and came back. Alas, Dad did not get to see Danielle and all her tattoo glory. At the time, I had only seen one episode, so I was not nearly as disappointed. Since that time, I have bec

And the award goes to...

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Due to a series of events, I just really needed a night out. A chance to girl talk, eat out and see a movie. Have I mentioned that I love my Jenny? And in a way that only girls do, we were trying to decide what movie to see based not on the storyline or previews but the guy factor. And the nominees are... Matt Damon in The Adjustment Bureau Do we control our destiny, or do unseen forces manipulate us? Matt Damon stars in the thriller The Adjustment Bureau as a man who glimpses the future Fate has planned for him and realizes he wants something else. To get it, he must pursue the only woman he's ever loved across, under and through the streets of modern-day New York. On the brink of winning a seat in the U.S. Senate, ambitious politician David Norris (Damon) meets beautiful contemporary ballet dancer Elise Sellas (Emily Blunt)-a woman like none he's ever known. But just as he realizes he's falling for her, mysterious men conspire to keep the two apart. David learns

A Preview of Handle with Prayer

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Thanks to everyone who participated in today's tour! It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old...or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book! You never know when I might play a wild card on you! Today's Wild Card author is: Charles Stanley and the book: Handle with Prayer David C. Cook; Reprint edition (March 1, 2011) ***Special thanks to Karen Davis, Assistant Media Specialist, The B&B Media Group for sending me a review copy.*** ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Dr. Charles F. Stanley, senior pastor of the First Baptist Church of Atlanta and founder of In Touch Ministries, demonstrates a keen awar