Jesus in Me: Experiencing the Holy Spirit as a Constant Companion

Jesus in Me: Experiencing the Holy Spirit as a Constant Companion

by Graham Lotz, Anne

·         Hardcover: 304 pages

·         Publisher: Multnomah

·         ISBN-13: 978-0525651048

The internationally recognized Bible teacher and daughter of Billy Graham combines unique biblical insights and her own personal stories to show how the Holy Spirit guides us in our decisions, comforts us in pain, and stays by our side at all times, enriching our daily lives.

In Jesus in Me, Anne Graham Lotz draws on her rich biblical knowledge as well as her personal journey—including her recent cancer diagnosis—to help us understand that the Holy Spirit is not a magic genie, a flame of fire, or a vague feeling. He is a Person who prays for us, guides us in our relationships and decisions, comforts us in pain, and stays by our side at all times. In this seminal teaching, she explores seven key aspects of the Holy Spirit that will revolutionize how you understand and relate to this vital third Person in the Trinity.

As Anne writes, “One of my deepest, richest joys has been discovering by experience who the Holy Spirit is in every step of my life’s journey. Each name that He has been given—Helper, Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor, Counselor, Strengthener, and Standby—reveals another aspect of His beautiful character and has provoked in me a deep love for the One who is my constant Companion . . . Jesus in me.”

Discover how to better love and rely on the person of the Holy Spirit—and embrace how much He loves you through His presence, power, and provision in our daily lives.


My thoughts:  Did you ever think of the Holy Spirit as a walking companion as you go through life?  Someone you could talk to as a friend? Someone who helps you, fights for you, prays for you, and more? I knew He was a  comforter, but honestly, I never  thought much about the rest.

In JESUS IN ME Anne Graham Lotz helps us to learn more and to better understand and rely on who and what the Holy Spirit is and is capable of. I  learned a lot just by reading  the book  through quickly but this is meant to  be studied  and maybe used in a small group setting. Recommended.

I was given a copy free. All opinions are my own.

Pre-order #JesusinMeBook https://annegrahamlotz.org/jesus-in-me/

Addressing the Ball by Julie Arduini

“Kind words are like honey–sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.” Proverbs 16:24

            My husband is an avid golfer. I tried to get into it, but frankly, the passion isn’t there. It takes technique, practice, skill, and a lot of patience. One of the techniques he talked to me about was addressing the ball. I still don’t understand it all but he factors in the wind, the club, the type of swing he needs, the distance, it’s a whole thing.

            There was a season in our marriage where things were particularly stressful for him at work. He was putting in at least 60 hours of work, so the rare times he played golf, I encouraged it because I knew it was something to help him de-stress. Still, when he was home, he was tired and unable to focus on us. His mind was on work, and his attitude was critical. That’s when I know stress is really affecting him.

            I prayed about it because I knew he had no idea. I also realized it wasn’t healthy for him to carry the stress with him, nor would his relationships flourish with him feeling like he was and focusing so much on the negatives. The picture I received in prayer was God-sent.

            It was a golf ball.

            When I found a small moment where he was home and able to talk and listen, I talked about addressing the ball. It’s a process. It takes time. If he wants a good game, he needs to put forth the effort in addressing the ball.

            It’s the same for marriage.

            I saw the light turn on as I shared. To ignore a spouse, or not put the quality time and best attitude with marriage and family, is the same as failing to address the ball. I confessed I want to give my relationships my all and work on the process, the techniques, much as there are in golf. It was a perfect analogy, and he admitted he was working hard on work, working hard on his game, and was letting go of the effort required in a marriage built on oneness. Instead of “addressing the ball,” he confessed he concentrated on what didn’t look right at home because it was easier to criticize those closest to him than take it out on co-workers. We decided to look at ways we could be intentional in taking the golf technique to our marriage. With using the commute to pray and switch gears from work to home, finding time to talk together, and sharing our stress so the other could pray, we’ve been able to enjoy a fruitful marriage---and my husband, a good golf game.

            Heavenly Father, when I’m stressed, help me be intentional with my loved ones. Let my words be kind, let my attitude be prayerful, and may I lay my stress at Christ’s feet. For Your honor, glory, and praise, Amen.

Julie Arduini loves to encourage readers to find freedom in Christ by surrendering the good, the bad, and ---maybe one day---the chocolate. She’s the author of the contemporary romance series SURRENDERING TIME, (Entrusted, Entangled, Engaged,) as well as the stand-alone novella, MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN. She also shares her story in the infertility devotional, A WALK IN THE VALLEY. Her latest release, YOU’RE AMAZING, is a book for girls ages 10-100, written with her teenaged daughter, Hannah, and is book 2 in their SURRENDERING STINKIN’ THINKIN’ series. She blogs every other Wednesday for Christians Read, as well as monthly with Inspy Romance. She resides in Ohio with her husband and two children. Learn more by visiting her at http://juliearduini.com, where she invites readers to subscribe to her monthly newsletter full of resources and giveaway opportunities.

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Match Made in Heaven: A Novella by Julie Arduini

Beth Prescott wants to make a difference with the senior citizens she serves as a volunteer coordinator, but their matchmaking efforts leave her guarded. She’s experienced too much pain to make that leap again.

Dean Kellerman returns to the Finger Lakes area to help his grandfather and heal his own broken heart. He’s recommitted his life to Christ, and doesn’t want any distractions.

When his grandfather needs assistance with a senior program, it places Dean right in Beth’s path. Can these two surrender their paststo Christ and have faith in each other and their future?

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Match-Made-Heaven-Julie-Arduini-ebook/dp/B07QR29X51

Baby Steps by Lillian Duncan and #giveaway!!!

TRAPPED is my latest romantic suspense novel—heavy on the suspense but enough romance to add to the enjoyment. Being a Christian Fiction novel, there’s always a spiritual message hidden in the pages of the story as well, and this one is no exception.

Angela Matthews had the perfect life until the day she’s kidnapped and trapped in a basement with a mad man. Even though she’s rescued, she remains trapped by the memories she can’t forget.

That’s true for so many of us. Even after the “bad situation” whatever that may be is resolved, we get stuck and can’t seem to move forward with our lives. Instead, we’re angry and bitter or maybe sad and fearful or most likely a combination of all of those negative emotions.

In the story, her rescuer discovers that Angela is indeed still trapped by her horrible experience. He’s had his own share of horrible as a Chicago policeman. Because of that, he reaches out to help Angela.

One of the mantras in the story is “baby steps.” So often we think we have to go from a sitting position to a full-out run or we are a failure. This story reminds us that’s not reality. Each baby step we take toward our goal is a win. Every win brings us closer to our ultimate victory!

But TRAPPED isn’t a self-help book, it’s a suspense novel. That means there’s lots of action, not to mention twists and turns that will keep you guessing who the bad guy is until the very end!

NOTE: To save picture, right click and then save file under whatever name you choose. It works the same as if I’d sent the file separately. Thanks.

Giveaway: Two is always better than one, especially when it comes to giveaways. So, to celebrate the release of TRAPPED, I’m having two different giveaways! One lucky winner will receive a $25 Amazon Gift Card as well as a choice of one of my books (e-book only).  Click Here to enter. Another lucky winner will get an Amazon Gift Card on my website. To enter, go to www.lillian-duncan.com and leave a comment under the TRAPPED Giveaway Post.

Backcover Blurb:

Angelina Matthews has everything—riches, fame, and beauty—until the day she's kidnapped and trapped in a basement with a madman, wearing only a stained t-shirt. The dirt is his—the blood is hers. Tormented and tortured, she cries out to God.

Help comes in the form of Nate Goodman.

When their paths cross months later, Nate discovers Angelina is still trapped—not in a basement but in the memories she can't escape. Nate knows all about being trapped, and getting un-trapped. As an ex-Chicago cop he's had his own demons to wrestle, but his faith helped him to move forward. He reaches out to Angelina whose paranoid delusions have her trapped still.

But are they delusions after all?

BIO:

Lillian Duncan… turning faith into fiction.

Lillian is a multi-published author who lives in the middle of Ohio Amish country with her husband. After more than 30 years working as a speech pathologist, she believes in the power of words to transform lives—especially God’s Word.

She loves to write stories that entertain but also demonstrate God’s love for all of us. To learn more about her, visit www.lillian-duncan.com as well as her devotional blog at www.PowerUpWithGod.com.

Love is Kind / Your Spark: Celebrating the Brighter Part of You!

Love Is Kind

by 

Laura Sassi,

 

Lison Chaperon (Illustrator)

Age Range: 4 - 8 years

Grade Level: 1 - 3

Hardcover: 32 pages

Publisher: Zonderkidz 

(August 7, 2018)

ISBN-13: 978-0310754893

Love Is Kind is a heartwarming story about Little Owl who hopes to buy his grammy a heart-shaped box of chocolates for her birthday. On his quest for the chocolates, he’s thwarted at every turn, but ends up discovering the real meaning of love as described in 1 Corinthians 13. Told in simple prose by bestselling author Laura Sassi, this heartfelt and humorous picture book is a sweet reminder that real love isn’t found in a box – even one filled with chocolates. Love Is Kind takes a charming and gentle approach to teaching kids the true meaning of love, while celebrating the bonds that kids have with their grandparents, and the many forms that love and happiness can take. 

My thoughts: LOVE IS KIND is an adorable children's book centered around 1 Corinthians 13. It is  not preachy so even those who object to religious content should be able to enjoy this book.   It showcases the  special love children   have with  their grandparents  and what  it means to  show love to others.  Children and grandparents will  booth love this book.

I was given a copy free. All opinions are my own.

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Your Spark: Celebrating the Brightest Part of You!

by 

Lisa Leonard

really liked it

Age Range: 4 - 8 years

Grade Level: Preschool - 3

Hardcover: 32 pages

Publisher: Zonderkidz 

(October 1, 2019)

ISBN-13: 978-0310765936

We all have a light inside us that shines brightly and makes us who we are. Artists and athletes, dancers and dreamers, jokers and gymnasts … I want to see you shine in your own unique way. Come along with me as we celebrate your spark.

Did you know that God gave you your very own spark? It’s true! And no one else in the whole wide world has a spark like yours! Your spark makes your eyes twinkle and your mouth smile. It makes your feet stomp and your voice loud. It makes you excited and curious to learn new things. It lights you up from the inside, and it fills you with wonder and dreams.

Your spark does all that and more. And author Lisa Leonard offers this picture book in celebration of you … and your spark! Lisa pours her heart into this book, bringing Your Spark to life with inspiring text and free-spirited illustrations. More than anything, Lisa wants you and children everywhere to know:

Inside your heart there is a spark.It shines bright and true, and it’s what makes you, YOU!

Your Spark:


Is written by social media sensation and jewelry-maker Lisa Leonard
Shines with the universal message of self-acceptance and is a celebration of what makes us all unique
Inspires children to shine in their own unique way
Features a tactile cover that sparkles with glitter

My thoughts:  I didn't really care for this book but I'm not sure why. Maybe it seemed too New Age - you power the universe though it doesn't  exactly say that.  I do  agree we are all individuals and unique but I don't know.  Like I said something hit me wrong but I'm not sure why.

If you are looking for a book that celebrates  that part of you that makes you unique then maybe this is for you.  Don't take my word for it.  Check it out for yourself.

I was given a copy free. All opinions are my own.

Snuggle Time Fall Blessings / Thankful

Snuggle Time Fall Blessings

by 

Glenys Nellist,

 

Cee Biscoe (Illustrations)

Board book: 24 pages

Publisher: Zonderkidz 

(August 13, 2019)

ISBN-13: 978-0310767510

Snuggle up with your little one and enjoy all the best parts of autumn together—pumpkin picking, colored leaves, hayrides, and more—with this adorable padded-cover board book. Get ready for repeated readings and lots of hugs!

Carving pumpkins. Fresh baked apple pie. Leaf piles. Jack-o'-lanterns. Featuring Glenys Nellist’s whimsical read-aloud rhymes and Cee Biscoe’s cuddly illustrations, the Snuggle Time Fall Blessings board book will become part of your new autumn reading tradition.

Whether you’re a parent or grandparent, Sunday School teacher or older bother or sister, the little ones in your life will be ready for all the joys fall can bring when they hear …

Let’s go apple picking,
Shake them from the tree.
Round and fat and juicy,
The big red one’s for me!

Snuggle Time Fall Blessings is:


An adorable addition to the bestselling Snuggle Time series, with over 150,000 units sold
Written by Glenys Nellist, the bestselling author of many children's books, including the Love Letters from God and Snuggle Time series

Perfect for bedtime snuggles with a padded cover that fits just right in little hands 

My thoughts:  Okay, this  little board book for  babies and toddlers was just too cute. I just loved every page of this adorable children's book. The illustrations are wonderful, the wording is just right and grandparents and  aunties will love snuggling with their favorite little one while reading this book.

For more conservative readers, there  is mention of Halloween.

This would make an awesome gift for a new fall baby.

I was given a copy free. All opinions are my own.

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Thankful

by 

Eileen Spinelli,

 

Archie Preston (Illustrations)

Age Range: 4 - 8 years

Grade Level: Preschool - 3

Hardcover: 32 pages

Publisher: Zonderkidz 

(September 1, 2015)

ISBN-13: 978-0310000884

Thankful, by bestselling and award-winning children’s author Eileen Spinelli, combines charming rhymes and whimsical illustrations to convey the importance of being thankful for everyday blessings. Like the gardener thankful for every green sprout, and the fireman, for putting the fire out, readers are encouraged to be thankful for the many blessings they find in their lives. Spinelli exhibits her endearing storytelling with this engaging poem, reminding children how blessed and special they are. Meant to be read aloud, this heartwarming picture book will be a treasured keepsake for parents and children alike.

My thoughts: THANKFUL is a cute board book  that lists things various people might be thankful for.  It would be a good conversation starter to having your child list things he/she is thankful for. With Thanksgiving approaching, this would be a great "I'm thankful for you"  gift for your favorite child. 

I was given a copy free.  All opinions are my own.

The Amish Christmas Matchmaker (Indiana Amish Brides)

The Amish Christmas Matchmaker 

(Indiana Amish Brides) 

Mass Market Paperback – ebook

September 17, 2019

by Vannetta Chapman  (Author)

• Mass Market Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Love Inspired; Original edition
• ISBN-13: 978-1335479433

She’ll find him a wife for Christmas…Which of these Indiana Amish Brides is next?

With her wedding business thriving, Annie Kauffmann could never leave her beloved Amish community. So when handsome Amish cowboy Levi Lapp tries to convince her father to move the family to Texas, she must put a stop to it. If Annie finds Levi a wife, he might forget his dream of moving…but can she keep from falling for him herself?

My thoughts (Reviewed by Marilyn Ridgway):  Vannetta Chapman’s creativity with an Amish matchmaker who had a catering business brought a twist to her Indiana Amish Brides series with Love Inspired. Annie Kauffmann and her English partner were busy with weddings. Their business was doing well and she didn’t consider having a courtship herself.

Levi Lapp was full of himself with his cowboy hat and boots coming to Goshen. Levi was working at the Kauffmann farm part time while busy recruiting Amish families to join him and move to Texas. His childhood dream of living there was his focus. Annie knew the only way to rid him was to find a match for him. She had no desire to leave Indiana for Texas with her business growing. The ups and downs proved challenging then an accident that threaten a life might be a blessing in disguise. This was a delightful story which shows how opposites might attract when they pay attention to their hearts and God’s will for their lives. I’m glad there was an epilogue three years later to show how the characters were doing.

I received a complimentary copy of the book from the author. I was under no obligation to write a positive review, but have expressed my sincere thoughts. I’m never disappointed when I read one of Chapman’s books.

A Christmas Haven: An Amish Christmas Romance 

Hardcover – ebook

September 24, 2019

by Cindy Woodsmall (Author), Erin Woodsmall (Author)

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: WaterBrook 
• ISBN-13: 978-0525653295

For fans of holiday romances and Amish life comes a new Christmas tale of surprising expectations and discovering miracles.

Old Order Amish Ivy Zook is wrestling with her need to shed her community's ways so she can grow the business of her dreams: planning parties. As long as she's stuck living without modernization, she can barely get her business on its feet. But if she leaves too soon, she'd cause trouble for her sister, Holly, who is planning her wedding to Joshua Smucker. All of their plans become twice as complicated when an old car crashes into the storefront of Greene's Pharmacy, carrying a Swartzentruber (ultra-conservative sect) Amish man, Arlan, and his very ill sister. 

The Zooks take in Arlan and Madga, tending to the woman's illness and Arlan begins helping around the family farm. Ivy and Arlan are on different tracks, one wanting to leave her community and the other to return to his. But both young people are trying to discover what God has in store for their futures and what miracles might lie around the corner this Christmas season.

My thoughts:  A CHRISTMAS HAVEN is kind of a sequel to The Amish Remedy and readers will want to read them in order to get Holly and  Josh's story - and the pharmacy.  

I enjoyed getting to know Ivy and Arlan and hope for a future story about Red and Magda.

A CHRISTMAS HAVEN is  heartbreaking with the way Arlan and Magda were treated and I was so glad Arlan had compassion for his sister and got her much-needed help. I also loved the family dynamics of Ivy's family with their  closeness  and sense of  humor.

Cindy Woodsmall is one of my top three favorite Amish authors and I especially love her Christmas novellas. They've become a holiday tradition.

If you love Amish romance Christmas novellas, you will  want to read  A  CHRISTMAS HAVEN.

I was given a copy free. All opinions are my own.