Book Review: Don't Forget to Pack the Kids, CWA review

Don't Forget to Pack the Kids: Short Term Missions for Your Whole Family by Jill Richardson is a winner!  It's a tiny, quick read of just 134 detailed pages but it sure packs a punch!

Jill Richardson, author of Don't Forget to Pack the Kids, gives you an insightful look at traveling across the world to do missionary work with their 3 kids and this book can be considered a great resource in 'how to and why you should.'

On a personal note, my husband and I took our 4 children to Europe on a vacation (ages 9 months, 6, 8 and 10) and this book would have been invaluable at that time!  From the opening statements of "why would anyone take kids to do God's mission work, especially so far, with so many perils?"  It's simple.  It's what he asks of us!  Children need to be aware that the world out there is not always Happy Meals and X-boxes, but of those that go without, those that need to hear God's message and God willing, those missionaries with the resources and love in their hearts to deliver it.  

Richardson delivers this book in a detailed, organized format.  It's nearly step by step and check list oriented, so you can follow along with what's needed to be done and why. I love how this author gives detailed explanations and stories of why something should be done.  She covers many topics from language barriers to food to cultural dressing and more.  

One of the gifts of this book is the inclusion of the Spiritual Gift Inventory Appendix.  If I could have memorized just one section of this book, it would be this one!  It's insightful, uplifting, encouraging.  It gives so much meaning to the premise of what mission trips are all about AND walking a daily walk with faith!

5 stars for Don't Forget to Pack the Kids!

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book/Ebook/Product to review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC Regulations. I am part of The CWA Review Crew

Book Review: That Summer by Jo Huddleston (CWA review)

That Summer, book 1 of the Caney Creek Series by Jo Huddleston is that fresh summer breeze on a warm summer day - welcoming and refreshing!  

That Summer is an endearing and wholesome christian novel that deals with the subject of poverty and in a rural setting in the early 1920's.  The main character, Jim, has a violent tempered father who physically abuses him as the eldest son and causes him to leave the family and strike out on his own before he is emotionally and financially ready.  He has a good relationship with his mom and siblings, of whom he is very protective.  Through-out the trials and tribulations of this book, it is clear that their faith may wane but it never completely falters.  Jo Huddleston does a marvelous job of keeping the christian theme in the forefront of this book.

Jim becomes involved with Caroline, a girl that is rich and bored with her life, and they soon get into some trouble.  However, Jim was also sweet on Louisa - they decide to get married and later start a family.  Both situations for him bring surprises, tragedy, confusion, betrayal and ultimately, triumph.  He rekindles with his father who turns away from violence and anger by repenting with the help of his brother, Orrin, who helps him remember God's plan for our Salvation.

The father states "I can't never be good enough to deserve God's grace.  I've been mean to the core."  What struck me about that particular passage is that more than just the relationship with Jim and his father, John, is that often times we feel that way in our own lives with troubles in our hearts.  We can, and should, turn those burdens over to him and know that he will give us strength and courage to get through the trials.

This book is about fortitude, faith and renewed hope despite circumstances that are just too much to bear.  It's about a family pulled apart but mended back at the seams by the bonds of love and morality.  It's an enjoyably quick read and I absolutely  cherished the sweetness of it!  I look forward to the Caney Creek Series and Jo Huddleston's writings!  Bravo!

About the author: 

I am the author of several published nonfiction books and have published numerous articles and short stories. I have completed my first novel, That Summer, which is released in December 2012. Sign up in the left column to receive my newsletters and be eligible for book giveaways! I hold a B.A. degree from Lincoln Memorial University (TN), and a M.Ed. degree from Mississippi State University. I am a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Lincoln Memorial University's Literary Hall of Fame. Now, I'll share my non-literary side. My work experience includes: in college I worked in the dining hall, typed for professors, and worked in the office of my university's president. In my adult life I have been a high school classroom teacher, high school guidance counselor, private secretary, state-wide political campaign secretary, owner-operator of two small businesses, and a real estate agent. I love to laugh with people but not AT people. The beach is my favorite vacation spot. I don't like to see or hear about people or animals being abused. I'm a spectator fan of several sports, my favorite being tennis. I don't like being in the dark and I'm fearful of snakes! You can read more about the author on her website here! http://www.johuddleston.com/ Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book/Ebook/Product to review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC Regulations. I am part of The CWA Review Crew

Book Review: Twisted Wolf

About the book:   Heroism. Not planned. Presidency. Comes with a high cost. Pride. Slowly rises. Temptation. Hard to resist. Is there a way out?

What if the most upright person stumbles? Oh, and that person is the president of the United States? And in the process of attempting to conceal his mistake, he is accused of treason and murder?

Army Lieutenant Josh Davis suffers a devastating tragedy while home on military leave. Trusting God for strength, he triumphs, earning the Congressional Medal of Honor. But heroism comes with consequences.

Years later, a conservative group asks Josh to run for the presidency. To his surprise, to get there, he must campaign against his father-in-law, a former one-term president. Their political and personal embattlement ends with a surprising twist of fate.

Discover what happens when Josh finds himself in the highest office in the nation. Early success leads him to seek Middle East peace. His pride increases, devours his faith, and he gives in to temptation. Observe as he attempts to cover up his sin. Witness his wife as she watches her husband's downward spiral and potential guilt. Walk with Josh as he struggles with his own inner conflict of trusting God. Is it too late to save his marriage and his presidency? Ascertain his guilt during his impeachment for treason and the murder of six Navy SEALs. Experience the twists and turns of a life seemingly out of control.

My thoughts on this book:  5 stars, hands down!  Perry Perrett writes with such intelligence and poise.  His mixture of military jargon and political writings combined with grace and faith is flawless.  The book flows beautifully yet at the same time yearns for you to read on.   From the explosive first scenes of his encounter with the bear while hunting, Josh become a character of familiarity.   He’s real and his conflicts and decisions he makes through-out are wrought with worry, tension and faith.  He trusts his God and he is an exemplary leader to his men in Afghanistan,  which pivots the tone of this book.

One Example:  In the midst of securing a position to get his men out of the line of fire and complex his task at hand, he stops and prays a prayer: 

 “Lord, help us. Give me the needed strength, and may your hand be with us. Lord, be glorified through your servant.” 

Through political entanglement, judgement and dishonor, questions of loyalty and aspiration in the political arena, this book is intriguing and thought-provoking.  On a personal note, I grew up as a military ‘brat’ and identified with this book in so many ways and found it most refreshing to review Twisted Wolf.

About the author: Perry Perrett, when not escaping reality in a story, is a husband, father, and grandfather. He is a graduate of Mississippi College and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Perry also served in the Mississippi Air Guard during the Persian Gulf War. He lives with his wife, Kathie, in Mississippi. They have two grown sons. To learn more go to www.PerryPerrett.com.

Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book to review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC Regulations. I am part of The CWA Review Crew.

Book Review: Peaceful Passage

7 years ago, my father called with the news:  "I have terminal cancer, and the doctor's have given me 3-6 months tops."  My father lived another 2 and 1/2 years, defying the odds, and giving to us precious time I will be grateful for until the end of my days.  In that time, I searched high and low for THE BOOK, the one book to give me guidance, comfort, support, wisdom and faith to know I'll make it through that journey of passing and didn't find a single one.  UNTIL NOW.    Peaceful Passage is that one book!  I had prayed for a book of this magnitude and amazement and now, thanks to Dr. Kim West, it is here! This book is simply a must have for anyone experiencing the oncoming  terminal illness of a loved one and/or their passing.

Peaceful Passage is truly the essential, all-in-one guide to handling every aspect of caring for a dying loved one and yourself on their final journey. Included are guidelines for partnering with hospice, the how-to of daily care, confronting fears and emotional issues, navigating marriage, family, children and career, working through inner conflicts with faith and handling the myriad details and arrangements of an at-home death. With this book as the guide the reader can find peace in this most heart-wrenching and heartwarming of journeys.

This book is filled with 15 insightful, poignant chapters of emotionally charged and need-to-read information.   The 15th chapter is an optional one in which Kim West talks of her journey with her own mother's passing and absolutely is essential to the writing of the book.  Dr. Kim West isn't just an author kinda sorta talking about a subject - she has walked the same journey and speaks from the depths of her heart and soul.  

You will need tissues.  The entire box.   Her writing will touch you, sooth you, heal you.  One of my favorite parts of this book was the workbook sections.  With a pencil or pen, and this book, you can not only jot down 'things to do', even things you may not have even thought of, as well as take personal notes.  

My father had a wonderful veteran organization working with us the last 3 weeks of his life and can I just share:  I wasn't ready.  You never really are when it comes to saying goodbye.  But at a time when I was completely lost, losing my father way too young to cancer, this book would have been the breath of fresh air I needed and the support I wished I could have had.

I HIGHLY recommend this book to any, and all, people experiencing facing a terminal illness ~ the best book BY FAR.   Thank you, Dr. West, for a book that I found highly valuable and most encouraging during the hardest of my life.  Your book is invaluable!

*5 stars!*

Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book to review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC Regulations. I am part of The CWA Review Crew.

Book Review: Amazing Love

Amazing Love is a book of a curious kind ~ written a a christian, fiction style with drugs, sex and prostitution thrown in.  I received this e-book for review and I can tell you, this book conjured up feelings of surprise, mostly from myself!

Amazing Love is a contemporary version of the Hosea and Gomer story from the Bible.

Gabe Knight, a pastor in a small coastal town, finds his life is turned upside down when Dee Dillow arrives and hires him to remodel an estate she's inherited from her aunt. Dee dashes his plans for wedded bless when on a drunken binge, she divulges that she's the highest paid call girl in Nevada and part-owner of the ritziest brothel in the state.

Gabe falls in love with her, but can't believe he's hearing the voice of God when a still, small voice tells him to marry her. After much questioning, they marry and he is deliriously happy. Until, Dee betrays him. 

Gabe soon discovers just how hard it is to have the unconditional love God calls him to have for his wife, the kind of love God has for his children. When faced with losing her, Gabe realizes what true love is, how much it hurts, and just how much God loves and is willing to sacrifice for his children.

While this book is a quick read, K. Dawn Byrd develops a story that draws you right in.  I cheered when Gabe never faltered from his relationship with God nor turned away from the one woman he deemed God meant for him to love and marry.  Love like his for Dee doesn't come along very often.  The characters in this book are so rich and colorful.   Dee will have you combinedly want to say "You can do it, girl!" and "what is wrong with you!"  Their love remains strong, and Dee is constantly put through many trials, even after marriage - from the jealously of Tricia, to the sad loss, to returning to prostitution - and this book should be considered as mature material only.  

Above all things, the message that I walked away with from this book:  Do 
not judge.  Proverbs 31:9 taught us: "Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy."  And that's just what Gabe did for Dee, showing amazing love indeed.

Disclosure: I received a free copy of Amazing Love by K. Dawn Byrd to review.  I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC Regulations. I am part of The CWA Review Crew.

Book Review: The Oldest Enemy

If I was to read just a few book this year, The Oldest Enemy would be at the tip-top of my list!   Once started, this book is impossible to put down.  
This is my first novel by this author, Michael J. Webb, and I am impressed beyond measure.  I received a copy of this e-book to review and could not be more thrilled with this happenstance.  Mr. Webb's writing style is simply over the top, destined to be a name in lights in the literary world!

David Lighthouse was once a hard-hitting investigative reporter for the Denver Post-back before he was accused of the brutal murder of his fiancée and his life unraveled. Now, six years later, he is the assistant pastor of a small church in Florida. Armed with faith, sobriety, and a resurrected sense of purpose, he's putting together a new life. But when one of his young parishioners is murdered, David's old instincts reemerge. Once again the prime suspect, he fights to clear his name even as disturbing clues at the crime scene reveal a haunting connection not only to his fiancée's unsolved murder but to his estranged father's secret past. David suddenly finds himself the target of sinister, supernatural forces as he tracks down a conspiracy to release an ancient evil upon an unsuspecting world. Along with his father, the murdered girl's sister, and a fierce Auschwitz survivor, David faces hell itself to prove his innocence and stop a reclusive German billionaire from unleashing a worldwide holocaust. 

What sets this book apart from other page-turning thrillers of like kind are the interspersed biblical mentions and undertones.  This is to be considered a christian thriller, however, the biblical aspect is not overbearing and balances out beautifully.  There are many quotes in this novel that I marked to remember, specifically: "God's ways are higher than man's ways; that He always takes what the Enemy intends for evil and turns it to good."  Lauren's love for her sister and her diligent quest to find out who murdered her, and why, is a driving force.  The irony of David helping support and console her while having experienced the same loss with his fiance' is moving and enticing to read.  Mr. Webb's writing style is rich and intelligent, bringing the reader in from the prologue.  This novel is written with thought and care to the plot, good verses evil.  As he writes "The Bible says our battles are not with the flesh and blood, but with principalities, powers, spiritual wickedness in high places."  

5 stars for The Oldest Enemy!

You can read more about the author and his work here ~   http://www.michaeljwebbfiction.com/

Disclosure: I received a free copy of this ebook to review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC Regulations. I am part of The CWA Review Crew.

Thanks for stopping by!
~Kelly Santi

A Love Story: How God Pursued me and Found Me

Title: A Love Story

How God Pursed Me and Found Me-An Impossibly True Story

By: Samantha Ryan Chandler

ISBN # 9-781615-077618 

A Love Story:  How God Pursued Me and Found Me ~ An Impossibly True Story  by Samantha Ryan Chandler is the story based on the author's account of her triumphs and trials in her life's walk.  This book is not only a personal account of her life but it speaks from the heart.  As you read, you feel the pain and anguish of this author come through.   In her own words, the author writes "I am a child of God, and I win."  Amen!

Excerpt from the book:  "Those who grow up with the knowledge of God's love know that He is there to guide them in their life.  Even in the bad times, they know that God will help them see things through and come out better when the trials have ended.  But what about those who have not been raised with God in their lives?"

There so many small lines and sentences that jump out at me as a reader that tell you, this author writes from a place many of us don't know.  From the ashes, from the flames she has risen and shares with us the profoundness of loss, sadness, deflation in status and wealth, fear and beyond.  I dog-earred many pages in this book and look back on them with a calm reflection.   I speed through it in under an hour when it arrived in my mailbox.  It's colorful and rich and descriptive in ways that you often feel you are there in the pages described by the author.  

However, there were points to this book that took it from high expectations to a let down.  I wasn't particularly a fan of her constant mentioning of being married to money or her travelings to exotic places.  It was disheartening to think that someone's trials and tribulations in life consisted so freely about spending money on expensive trips to Europe and Hawaii and Mexico, to name a few.  Trials and tribulations, I think, are not enough food on the table and wondering if you'll have enough to pay the rent.  Abjectly, I was highly offended by her use of the words "seat Nazis" in a description of traveling and having a sick child and not being able to sit in the front seat where she would have been better suited.  In her own words, all she had to do was ask and it was granted ~ such language, in my humble opinion, does not belong in a christian based book. 
   
As you read, you feel the pain and anguish of this author come through.   The book has an overall theme of  'hope for the hopeless'. God won't just find you - you'll be reminded that he was always there.


Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book to review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC Regulations. I am part of The CWA Review Crew.