THE POWER OF PRESENCE

Neil Anderson has traveled the world speaking and teaching, and has written many books. Always at his side, supporting him, has been his wife, Joanne, his partner for over fifty years.

Now Joanne is gripped in a long decline, sinking gradually into agitated dementia. She depends on Neil's presence, even calling him Daddy. He has no training as a nurse, but now for long hours he sits at her bedside and cares for her every need. They do not speak much; conversation is a strain. So Neil has used the silent hours to pray, to spend time in God's presence, and to reflect on what this means.

"I have become keenly aware that God is using Joanne's illness to teach me about the power of presence. I'm learning on a much deeper level the purpose of just being there, and what it means to be still and know that He is God. There is an inexplicable peace that comes from knowing I don't have to 'do' in order to 'be' in God's will--to be in His presence--to be in each other's presence."

"It has been a peaceful time of reflection upon the presence of God, and how that has shaped me, our marriage, and ministry. My theology tells me that God is omnipresent, but we are not always aware of His presence, and yet without His presence we are not fully alive."

My thoughts...

The author shares his experiences in caring for his terminally ill wife and his time in the presence of God during these experiences. Even though we may suffer and grieve while on this earth God is always with us. Holding on to Him is what gets us through these times. I appreciate Anderson's story...the real story with the good and bad. He is an example to the rest of us.

I received a copy of this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

THE SECOND HALF by Lauraine Snelling

Mona and Ken Sorenson are approaching the best years of their lives. Mona's greatest concern is that Ken will learn of the surprise party she's planning for his retirement from his job as Dean of Students at Stone University. They've already been making plans to travel, spend limitless hours in the garden, and Ken is looking forward to working on his woodworking and fishing with his grandchildren. It's what they deserve after years of careful planning.

But things begin to unravel when Ken learns that office politics are about to destroy his department. Can he really just leave, abandoning the work he spent a lifetime achieving? Mona is eager to build her event planning business with Ken's help, but rather than supporting her, he expresses concern that the stress of the work will send her back into the depression she struggles with. Then, just days before Ken's last official day of work, their son, a Special Forces officer in the Army, learns he's being immediately deployed on a six-month mission in Pakistan. Since his wife left him, the only people he trusts to care for his two young children are his parents. In an instant, everything Ken and Mona spent their lives planning changes, and they will need to find strength, both physical and mental, to become parents once more. This is not the second half they wanted, and when their son fails to contact them as planned, they struggle to trust that it is God's plan, not theirs, that matters most.

My thoughts...

Lauraine Snelling knows how to tell a story...she has been a long time favorite author. I look forward to every new book. In THE SECOND HALF she writes about a couple nearing retirement with plans of travel and enjoying each other to the fullest when their son is deployed and they have grandchildren to raise.

Their lives change and what they thought would be their best years is anything but. I really enjoyed this novel, it's realistic, fast paced, and captivating.

I received a copy of this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

AZELEA'S DON'T BLOOM HERE

In a dark and dying world, Eugene Sulke stands on the cusp of his lifelong dream: a promotion, money, and a home in the affluent section of Old Chicago, called the Fortress, where he can watch the sun set over the azaleas. Only one thing stands in his way–his own fear that he is responsible for the terrible conditions his new home would wall him off from.

Caught in a web of intrigue and the warnings of his wife, Eugene could not see the unfolding chaos around him. Suddenly, his wife is dead, he’s in prison, and then subjected to the government’s final solution–a mind-altering technique that would change anyone from who they are to anyone they want them to be. A rescue is attempted, but Eugene’s own fears become his worst enemy..His friends must convince him to go to New America and face the shocking truth about what destroyed his world.

My thoughts...

2065. The world is dying except for the Fortress. Eugene has caused the catastrophe and is struggling with whether to join the Fortress or stay in the dying world. Things worsen and wow...you'd better hold on to your seat...this awesome novel will give you the chills. Can he trust the government or are they behind a plan to destroy those who won't go with the flow? Eugene realizes he can't trust anyone...at all.

What a fantastic read! Loved it!

I received a copy of this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Becoming a Woman of Excellence 30th Anniversary Edition

Society beckons us to succeed―to achieve excellence in our appearance, our earning power, our family life. God Himself also beckons us to be women of excellence. But what exactly is He asking? If you’re hungry for God’s perspective on success in a society that bombards you with conflicting demands, feed on the truths of God’s Word that you’ll discover in these pages. You will not only learn to “approve the things that are excellent” but will also experience the joy of becoming God’s woman of excellence. This bestselling topical Bible study has helped over one million women over the past 30 years, and is newly revised and updated so today’s women can discover who God designed them to be in this day and age. Written by Navigator author and Bible teacher Cynthia Heald, the 11 sessions in this Bible study explore what your identity in Christ is and how you can best serve Him.

My thoughts...

If you're wanting to deepen your relationship with God this book is a step in the right direction. Great for group or individual studies for women of all ages. Inside the pages of this study are memory verses, devotionals, and of course the questions for us to ponder. I found it an interesting study.

I received a copy of this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

DISTANT GOD: Why He Feels Far Away...And What We Can Do About It

There comes a time in every Christian’s life when God feels distant. This feeling can be confusing, discouraging, or even dangerous. Distant God meets us in the middle of this struggle. It helps us think rightly about what we’re experiencing and gives practical ways for drawing near to God. It answers questions like:

What does it mean that God is always with me?
What role do works (like devotion, confession, and repentance) have in all this?
How should I handle spiritual lows and seasons of doubt?
When we feel distant from God, we need voices of truth speaking into our lives. Drawing from the story of the prodigal son, Chris Nye takes us through various reasons why we may feel this way and offers encouragement along the way.

This is not a book of trite answers or easy solutions, but it offers specific ways of drawing near when God feels distant. It also includes stories of Christians throughout history who have faced this issue in similar ways.

Distant God is a biblical and pastoral answer to why God might feel far away and what we can (and cannot) do about it.

My thoughts...

Have you ever felt far away from God? Sure you have, we all have at one time or another. I enjoyed this book very much, they author explained why and what causes us to feel this way. Though difficult to remember that He is always near it's up to us to keep our focus on Him.

A few of the things I found encouraging are the disciplines we sometimes lose interest in...Nye tells us to preach to the choir! The key is...abiding in Him.

I received a copy of this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

THE INTERCESSOR'S HANDBOOK

Why don't I see more results when I pray?

In this important book, experienced intercessor Jennifer Eivaz offers a practical guide to effective supernatural prayer. Using biblical principles and her own experiences of spiritual breakthrough, Eivaz shows you how to shift your practical needs to the spiritual realm, take hold of your authority and pray in a way that actually makes a difference.

Practical and to the point, The Intercessors Handbook is full of helpful tools for beginners and seasoned intercessors alike. Learn to take your prayers to the places where the real battle is happening--and experience the victory and results you've been seeking.

My thoughts...

A much needed book in the church today...people struggle with prayer daily and the authors of this book have presented insight and a practical how to change your prayer life. There are testimonies that are encouraging...this would make an excellent training manual.

I received a copy of this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

FOREVER BEACH

One woman struggling to hold on to what she has.

One woman learning to forgive.

Their lives entwined by one little girl.

Sarah Hargreave is anxious to finalize the adoption of her foster daughter Leila. Once a foster child herself, Sarah longs to become Leila’s “forever” family and give her all the love and stability she was denied in her own childhood. When Leila’s biological mother suddenly reappears and petitions the court for the return of her daughter, Sarah is terrified she’ll lose the little girl she loves to the drug addicted mother who abandoned her.

Having grown up in foster care, Ilona Cartwright fights for the rights of children who have no one to fight for them. But to Sarah she is Nonie Blanchard, who grew up in the same group foster home as Sarah. They’d promised to be best friends forever, then Nonie was adopted by a wealthy family, and Sarah never heard from her again. Sarah still hurts from the betrayal. But Nonie harbors her own resentment toward the past.

Mistrustful of each other, the two women form a tenuous alliance to ensure Leila’s future, but when Leila’s very survival is on the line, they’ll have to come to terms with their own feelings of hurt and rejection to save the child they both have come to love.

My thoughts...

One would think by the books cover this is one of those great summer reads...well, it is a great read but not a cozy beach read. Shelley has not written her usual style but has given us a raw look at child abuse and neglect. Things that are very realistic...having worked with children who have suffered abuse at the hands of their parents, family members, etc., I can assure you the author has done her research. Not for the weak at heart but I wish everyone would read it and get involved in stopping abuse.

I received a copy of this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

THE SPIRIT CONTEMPORARY LIFE

How would your world change if you regularly experienced the miraculous? And what if this happened everywhere you went—in a way that attracted people to Jesus? It wouldn’t just make a difference in your world...it would make the world different.

It might sound too good to be true...but that’s the Spirit Contemporary life.

While working as a first responder in an ambulance, Leon Fontaine longed to see God’s power at work outside the four walls of the church. He learned through many life-changing experiences that we can all unlock the miraculous in a way that works anywhere—at home, in a hospital, at work—with anyone!

The Spirit Contemporary way of life involves communicating with others as Jesus would...using their language, stories, and settings. Leon draws on biblical truth and personal stories to reveal how this dynamic first-century faith can be yours when you live so in tune with God that you’re guided in ways that are both natural and supernatural.

My thoughts...

This book will change the way you live...it will wake up the church of Jesus. God is ready to use you regardless of where you are in your faith walk. The author presents examples from his life and church that prove Christians can experience the Spirit alive in them.

Very easy to read, inspiring & encouraging, it left me realizing how weak the church is because we are living without the power God has given us. Well worth reading & rereading!

I received a copy of this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

A Haven on Orchard Lane

Famed actress Charlotte Ward stepped away from the Victorian London stage five years ago. Now in desperate circumstances, she tries to restart her career--only to experience a complete collapse. Against her better judgment, Charlotte's estranged daughter, Rosalind, comes to her mother's rescue and moves her to a quiet English coastal village where her mother can evade the gossip columnists, at least for a time.

Charlotte is grateful to re-establish even tenuous family ties with Rosalind. As one with regrets over her own romantic past, she's happy to see love blossom for her daughter. For Rosalind, however, it's time away from teaching, and now she must care for the mother who wasn't there for her. And what could possibly be more complicated than romance?

But there can be no permanent escape from the threats of recent months. As the privacy they seek is threatened, mother and daughter must make some difficult decisions--ones that jeopardize those they care about most.

My thoughts...

A story of a once famous actress that left the fame and fortune to marry the man of her life. All was well until aher husband suffers a financial crisis...Charlotte gives her love her entire fortune. What happens next is an intriguing tale of a woman trying to escape being a prisoner in her own home...after her husband has control of her finances he becomes a different man. What Charlotte goes through is terrible but she emerges victoriously. Great characters, great setting, a really good book.

I received a copy of this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

SEA ROSE LANE

Two people starting over . . . in a town known for second chances

After a devastating layoff, attorney Eric Nash heads back to Hope Harbor--only to discover that his childhood home is being transformed into a bed and breakfast. Instead of plotting his next career move in peace, he's constantly distracted by noise, chaos--and BJ Stevens, the attractive but prickly blonde architect who's invaded the house with her motley crew. As for BJ, her client's son might be handsome, but after a disastrous romance, dating isn't high on her agenda. Yet when they join forces for to help Hope Harbor seniors, might they also find healing, hope, and a new beginning themselves?

Come home to Hope Harbor--where hearts heal . . . and love blooms

My thoughts...

Hope Harbor is a delightfully charming seaside town that the author depicts in such a way you want to be there! This book has really good true to life characters dealing with many issues. The main characters are Eric and BJ whose meeting begins with a bang. It's a sweet light romance that anyone will enjoy.

I received a copy of this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

THE GREAT CARP ESCAPE

Based on a true story, Maddock shares an inspirational fish “tail” of love and discovery for all of God's creation. Abandoned by her mother at age four and raised by a working father, Maddock was left to care for her one year old brother. Her book, a quiet allegory of the Gospel of Jesus, is a celebration of God’s redeeming love in her life.

First released in Canada, The Great Carp Escape has garnered 10 literary award placements. Maddock hopes to spread her message of positive values to children through knowledge and discovery.

“Acceptance of all of God's creatures is beautifully portrayed in this delightful story!” - Henry K. Ripplinger, Bestselling Author

Maddock has been a newspaper columnist, been featured in Reader’s Digest, and on broadcasts including: 100 Huntley Street, CHBC Television, and CBC Radio.

Her children’s title, The Great Carp Escape, is available as a fundraiser for schools, churches, charities and ministries in need and has already raised over $1000 for such causes. As a member of Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, Independent Book Publishers Association, Inscribe, and The World Guild, Maddock would like to continue to do something about those ideas that get downloaded into her brain at 2AM.

My thoughts...

We all know a carp is not a beautiful fish...neither are they fit to be eaten. The author has taken the least desirable and woven a tale that is wonderful for teaching children that we are to love and care for all God's children...no matter what they look like. This book is delightful, beautifully written, and illustrated. It isn't just for children, I think it would be good for adults as well to take us back to what God's love is all about. This story would make a great film. I highly recommend it!

I received a copy of this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

SPOTLIGHT "BLOOD SYMETRY"

Clare Riordan and her son, Mikey, are abducted from Clapham Common early one morning. Hours later, the boy is found wandering disorientated. Soon after, a container of Clare's blood is left on a doorstep in the heart of London.

Psychologist Alice Quentin is brought in to help the traumatized child uncover his memories, with the hope that it might lead the authorities to his mother's captors. But Alice swiftly realizes Clare is not the first victim… nor will she be the last.

The killers are desperate for revenge… and in the end, it will all come down to blood.

Book Details:

Genre: Thrillers, Crime
Published by: Witness Impulse
Publication Date: July 12, 2016
Number of Pages: 368
ISBN: 1444785605 (ISBN13: 9781444785609)
Series: Alice Quentin #5
Purchase Links: Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Blood-Symmetry-Alice-Quentin-Rhodes/dp/0062444085
Barnes & Noble http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/blood-symmetry-kate-rhodes/1122821907?ean=9780062444080
Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27246452-blood-symmetry

Author Bio:
Kate RhodesKate Rhodes is the author of four previous Alice Quentin novels, Crossbones Yard, A Killing of Angels, and The Winter Foundlings. She is also the author of two collections of poetry, Reversal and The Alice Trap. She writes full-time now, and lives in Cambridge with her husband, a writer and film-maker.

Catch Up:
Kate Rhodes's website http://katerhodes.org/Kate_Rhodes/home.html
Kate Rhodes's twitter https://twitter.com/K_RhodesWriter
Kate Rhodes's facebook https://www.facebook.com/katerhodeswriter

ENTER THE GIVEAWAY HERE!

LIKE A RIVER FROM ITS COURSE

The city of Kiev was bombed in Hitler's blitzkrieg across the Soviet Union, but the constant siege was only the beginning for her citizens. In this sweeping historical saga, Kelli Stuart takes the reader on a captivating journey into the little-known history of Ukraine's tragedies through the eyes of four compelling characters who experience the same story from different perspectives.

Maria Ivanovna is only fourteen when the bombing begins and not much older when she is forced into work at a German labor camp. She must fight to survive and to make her way back to her beloved Ukraine.

Ivan Kyrilovich is falsely mistaken for a Jew and lined up with 34,000 other men, women, and children who are to be shot at the edge of Babi Yar, the "killing ditch." He survives, but not without devastating consequences.

Luda is sixteen when German soldiers rape her. Now pregnant with the child of the enemy, she is abandoned by her father, alone, and in pain. She must learn to trust family and friends again and find her own strength in order to discover the redemption that awaits.

My thoughts...

Learn intimate details about people during WWII, the author must have spent years researching for this book. It's fabulous. I plan to read it again. The people we meet have stories to tell and those stories are raw...they will tug at your heart. The events were horrific...at times I had to put the book down and just thank God that I am so blessed. Reading this novel has left an impression on my heart that won't go away.

I received a copy of this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

DWELLING PLACES ~ A Devotional

Do you long for serenity and refuge, peace and hope? Are you seeking a deeper spiritual life through a closer relationship with God?

If you're tired of dwelling in busyness and noise, then perhaps one word a day can change your life. Award-winning author Lucinda Secrest McDowell knows that if you spend time each day turning to God's Word for wisdom and guidance, your faith can flourish and grow.

Through short and inspiring readings, McDowell unpacks a single word---such as mercy, beauty, gratitude, or grace---to reveal a biblical blessing or challenge relevant to where you are. Full of stories and illustrations to empower you to live the word you have just read, each devotional ends with a benediction, written as if God were speaking directly to you.

These "dwelling places" that offer the joy of God's promise and presence cover four seasons: fall, Advent, Lent, and summer. Whether in the midst of busy holiday schedules, holy days, ordinary moments, or changing seasons, a deeper faith can be as simple as a single word.

My thoughts...

I have fallen in love with this devotional...what a wonderful refreshing way to start your morning. It left me feeling loved by God and gave me thoughts to meditate on throughout the day that just seemed to be what I needed. God definitely speaks through these lovely words. DWELLING PLACES is encouraging and a blessing, a rejuvenating summer devotional. I'm looking forward to the other three seasons in the book.

I received a copy of this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Murder Mezzo Forte

He is a reclusive history professor with musical hallucinations, she a headstrong professor of religion, a converted Wiccan. Earlier, they solved a campus murder, but now police say they formed two-thirds of an illicit love triangle with a newly-murdered female colleague and they're probably guilty of her murder. A leak of the alleged scandal to the college administration threatens their jobs. Their desperate attempt to prove themselves innocent of the triangle and the murder plunges them into a tangle of unsavory corporate relationships among college trustees. And it puts their lives in danger from a mysterious criminal organization that seems to have tentacles everywhere.

Can this ill-matched pair's stumbling efforts succeed against the entrenched forces of the police, the college's incompetent administration, and that powerful but unseen criminal organization? If not, they may end up unemployed, in prison, or suffering a fate much worse . . .

My thoughts...

Preston and Mara are at it again in this murder mystery that also has a bit of light romance and some humor that definitely brings a smile to your face. This is a good read and is the second book in the series which I would highly recommend. Preston has auditory hallucinations (musical) and though it could become an interference in the story this one didn't. He is witty and fun. Love these characters.

I received a copy of this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.