Sunday Words of Encouragement February 8, 2015

We had a good morning, moving into our Sunday School study of Romans. Our Pastor had a week off so another preacher from our church gave the sermon before we celebrated communion.
The sermon was titled: Knock, Knock Who's There?
I have tried to summarize the message but it is still fairly lengthy.

The first book of the Bible tells us that God created the earth, formed man and planted a garden. The garden of Eden was the first home of man -- a beautiful place, a paradise. The DNA of God is in man and they have a parent-child relationship. God walks with man in the garden and wants -- even seeks-- man out to have a relationship with him.

God tells man to enjoy everything in the garden, including the tree of life, but not to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. The woman is lured by the snake, the man is lured by the woman and they disobey the one rule they were given. There are consequences to all three who disobeyed. Genesis 3:14-24. God drives man out of the garden and closes the access to fellowship with God.

The law is given so man can be holy but it is not effective to restore the relationship because of man’s weakness of the flesh. Man cannot restore the relationship through his own acts or efforts.  There had to be a means of restoration. There had to be a perfect sacrifice.

The death of Christ on the cross is the sacrifice that reopens access to God. Access to provider, healer, comforter, friend and more. Jesus now stands at the door of man’s heart and knocks. When we hear His voice we can open the door to allow Him to come in to sup with us - to have that personal relationship. It is not enough to hear Him in the streets and eat in His presence. Proximity is not the same as a personal relationship.

There is coming a time when God will once again close the door of access. Those who do not have a personal relationship are thrust out of His presence just like sin caused man to be pushed out of the garden. Luke 13:22-30 and Revelation 22:14-15.  What we do with Jesus knocking is crucial to our salvation. We can accept Him and receive a renewed relationship with God or we can refuse to open the door.

I found this song video to go with the message.

You might also find this sand animation of Jesus life fascinating as I did: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73a5IE4_ZcU

A Verse for Today:
Revelation 3:20 (NIV)
Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.

I give thanks for the sacrifice of Christ and for the faith I have to believe. I am grateful for my personal relationship with God, through Jesus and the Holy Spirit. I am thankful for all the many, merciful and gracious blessings He bestows. I pray for all of my family and friends that they might hear the knock and voice of Jesus and open the door of their hearts to Him.

Sharing Beyond Books #189 Comment Giveaway February 7, 2015

Hello again on Saturday night and Welcome to Sharing Beyond Books, SBB!

I hope everyone is doing well as winter moves along. Our week here has been cold and damp so I have felt chilled all week. *Sigh* At least we have a nice fire going so I can go get toasty and then come back to the computer. :-)

Thanks to everyone who commented last week.

Two commenters didn't know about Yahoo Groups and another seven do not belong to any group. Nine of us belong to some groups ranging from two (not book related), to a few and up to many. No one seems to be particularly active on the groups although a couple check the digests.

~~~~

The Winner from SBB #188 comments is: #11 Booklady who can make a GC choice if international or book choice from the Updated ARC/Review titles or (not yet updated) Love titles - all linked near the end of the post. I'm hoping to update the book choices this week. Please let me know your choice by completing the (new) WINNER FORM.

WEEK #189 (One Question.)

Q1. bn100 asks:   If you read an excerpt or blurb with a lot of grammatical errors or typos, would you still read the book??

A: It does turn me off of a book to see typos in a blurb or excerpt but there are still circumstances where I would read the book. I often get ARCs and books through NetGalley that clearly state they may contain errors so those I overlook. I have also seen a typo or two on a blurb at a bookstore. Since I know this can occasionally happen I wouldn't not read for one, maybe two, typos. However if the grammar was clearly wrong on a blurb I would probably think twice before getting the book. Further, if there were several errors in an excerpt I might well pass depending on my mood - see answer continued below the first image. 

 Image found at LearnHowTo Blog.

A. continued: On the other-hand, maybe we should be more forgiving and just smirk about it since it is interesting to know that most of us can read this: 

Image found at Thinking Through Our Fingers

Thanks to those who are sending in Questions. DON'T BE SHY! Surely everyone has a Q or two you'd like to ask. Input suggestions in this Suggested Question Form. At the end of each month I draw from the suggestions I used during the month and that person will get a book choice or GC. I thank everyone for submitting questions. Thanks for sending in questions! We still have a supply of questions but from the same people so hopefully others will send more in -- even if they are duplicates I'll weed through or try to modify to use.

Your turn to share:

Q1. bn100 asks: If you read an except or blurb with a lot of grammatical errors or typos, would you still read the book??

SBB Comment Winners can choose a selection from the  Valentine and "Love" books or the February 2015 Newly Updated ARC/Review List. (My daughter pulled several of the Christmas titles to give with gift bags we made up for the nursing homes. I still have to go back and update that list with what is left and a few new titles to add.)

SBB Rules:
a) Must be a follower.
b) Share a comment on either of the two questions above.
Open internationally and an international winner may get a smaller book or a $5.00 GC if I decide the mailing is too much.
I will pick a Comment winner from all comments made through Saturday February 14, 2015 at 5 PM  central.

February 2015 - Updated ARC and Review Book Lists for Giveaways

7-30-16 I have to update this list soon. I think I have marked out chosen titles but I am not positive.
THIS IS NOT A GIVEAWAY POST but a list of titles available to select from for winners from Sharing Beyond Books weekly comment giveaway and occasionally other comment giveaways.
I have taken NEW pictures of the ARC and review boxes which are now in three groups. Christian and 'clean' titles and other Mixed Genre titles.
(If you want to see the older pictures, in case they seem clearer to you, they are at the old Updated ARC post linked HERE (July 2012 updated to May 2013) and HERE (June 2013 updated to May 2015).

Christian Titles Box 1

An ** means I reviewed it and you can do a Search on my blog from the left hand side bar. I will link all titles as I get the chance. (Don't hold your breath for that since it has been two years.)
1. **A Match Made in Heaven
2. **Goodbye to Yesterday by Wanda Brunstetter (small book on top) SBB May 2015
3. **His Love Endures Forever by Beth Wiseman
4. **The Last Christian by David Gregory
5. **Lonestar Secrets by Colleen Coble (found another copy)
6.  Mayhem in Maryland Anthology SBB July2015
7. New Mexico Weddings  Anthology
8. **Nipped in the Bud by Sleeman (2) now 1 SBB Dec 2015; SBB
9. **The Perfect Match by Hanna SBB
10.**Prairie Rose by Catherine Palmer
11. **Rest in Peace by Francis Devine
12. Rhode Island Weddings Anthology SBB
13. Shadow of Doubt by Terri Blackstock SBB pick
14. Sword of Silence by Carol D. Slama
15. **Stand-In Groom by Kaye Dacus
16. **These Boots Weren't Made for Walking by Melody Carlson (found another copy)
17.**Unwilling Warrior by Andrea Boeshaar
18.  Race to the Altar Anthology (larger book on top)

Christian and other "Clean" titles Box 2

1. **Paper Angels by Billy Coffey
2. **Between Sundays by Karen Kingsbury
3. **Hood by Stephen Lawhead
4. **White Picket Fences by Susan Meissner SBB Dec 2015
5. **The Confident Woman by Joyce Meyers
6. ** Every Skull Tells a Story by Anne Patrick SBB
7. **Scorned Justice by Margaret Daley
8. **Illuminations of the Heart by Joyce DiPastena
9. **A Man of Honor by Loree Lough SBB
10.**The Return of Cassandra Todd by Darrel Nelson
11. The Silent Gift by Landon & Kelley
12.**Love Finds a Home by Wanda Brunstetter
13.**Sunshine by Janet Spaeth SBB
14.**Blind Fortunes by Joanna Waugh SBB

Mixed Genres, Many Mysteries Box 3

Titles to be listed soon.
Forever Knight SBB
Coming Back
Deadly Codes
Alex Cross's Trial
Death Mill Mansion
The Woman He Loved Before SBB
Talon
Spinning Forward SBB
Russian Roulette SBB
Tween Heaven and Hell  January SBB 2016
Synarchy Book 2
Circle of Souls
Eureka Point SBB
We Are the Destroyers
Hilltop Sunset
Severed Thread

 Romance and Other Titles - Old box -- 
I need to get an updated picture of those that remain.

All of these have been reviewed and can be found through search on my blog or through the title link.
A = ARC; otherwise it was a Review Book:

1. A - A Season of Seduction by Jennifer Haymore (one ARC, one review)
2. Angels Landing by Rochelle Alers
3. A - Embracing the Highlander by Anita Cleanney
4. Never a Gentleman (The Drake's Rakes Series) by Eileen Dryer (2 copies - one ARC, one review)
5. Relentless Pursuit by Sara Orwig 
6. A - Two Lethal Lies by Annie Solomon (2 1 ARC)
Along the side of the box:
7. Miss Hildebrand Wore Brown 
8. Notes To Stephanie: Middle Aged Love Letters And Life Stories by Jeffery W Turner -- May 2015 SBB
9. A -  Soul Catcher by Leigh Bridger
10. A - What in God's Name

Available but not in the picture:
11. The Maverick's Greek Island Mistress by Kelly Hunter SBB
12. A- The Duchess Hunt by Jennifer Haymore
13. A- Accidentally in Love with...A God? by Mimi Jean Pamfiloff  SBB Feb 2015
14. A- Accidentally Married to...A Vampire? by Mimi Jean Pamfiloff
15. A - I Own the Dawn by M.L. Buchman

Book Review and Giveaway: Saving Hope: The Men of the Texas Rangers - Book 1 by Margaret Daley

This is wonderful, gripping Christian romantic suspense.

Saving Hope: The Men of the Texas Rangers - Book 1
(The Men of the Texas Rangers series)
by Margaret Daley

• File Size: 584 KB
• Print Length: 336 pages
• Publisher: Abingdon Press (March 1, 2012)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B0071OOB1M

Genre: Romantic Suspense
My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0

Book Description
Publication Date: March 1, 2012
When a teenager goes missing from the Beacon of Hope School, Texas Ranger Wyatt Sheridan and school director Kate Winslow are forced into a dangerous struggle against a human trafficking organization. But the battle brings dire consequences as Wyatt's daughter is terrorized and Kate is kidnapped.

Now it's personal, and Wyatt finds both his faith and investigative skills challenged as he fights to discover the mastermind behind the ring before evil destroys everyone he loves.

Review:
Kate Winslow is a daughter of society who has opened the Beacon of Hope School, a home for young girls rescued from the streets. These are teens who were either run-aways or lured into drugs and prostitution. The girls have lived under the manipulating, demanding, frightening thumb of those who use abuse and fear to control the girls and keep them quiet. Even with Kate’s sincere hope, faith and love, and a supporting staff, it takes a long time for the girls to trust.

Wyatt is a Texas Ranger who has volunteered for a special task force to fight a child prostitution ring. Wyatt's investigation into the death of a young girl leads him to the Beacon of Hope School. Wyatt joins Kate to help find Rose, who has gone missing from the home.

Kate’s mother has never liked her daughter’s involvement with ‘those girls’. When she hears of the missing girl she pulls the funding she has given the school. Now Kate has to worry about finding alternate funding while she copes with finding Rose and the fragile condition of the other girls.

Meanwhile Wyatt is coping as a single parent with a 14 year old daughter, Maddie, and a mother who has trouble with keeping to any project or boyfriend for any length of time. Maddie is at an age where she views her father as overprotective, especially with peer pressure pushing her to seek independence.

There is plenty of tension and suspense as Wyatt and Kate ferret out clues that bring them closer to the local leader of the prostitution ring. But Wyatt and Kate have no idea how close to home the bad guys are.

Ms. Daley pulls the reader in with the natural, true to life characters and the strong, suspenseful plot.  I enjoyed how Kate continually looks to the Lord for help and shows that faith to the girls.  The writing is crisp and reads smoothly. All of the ladies in book club agreed that this is one of the best books we have read in a while. I had read the third book, Scorned Justice, in this series two years ago and enjoyed it too. I highly recommend this series and this author to those who like Christian based, romantic suspense.

I picked this book up  in print for my Ladies Book Club. I have had the ebook in my Kindle library since July 3, 2012. It qualifies for my COYER event, TBR Double Dog, and as Author I Really Like in my 2015 Full House Challenge.

ENTER THIS GIVEAWAY 

to win gently read PRINT COPY

ENTRY FORM HERE

(Don't forget to fill in the form for entry!

I have noticed a few commenters who forgot to enter through the Form.)

For 3 Extra Bonus entries comment on the review, OR

visit THE AUTHOR'S WEBSITE and tell me something you like/learned there.

* This contest is open to US only for Print Copy.
* This contest will close 5 PM (Central) February 15, 2015.
WINNER WILL BE ANNOUNCED after February 15, 2015.
Winners will have 72 hours to respond on the winners form linked in the announcement or by email.

Audio Review: Enchanted by Alethea Kontis

This is delightful and entertaining.
Enchanted
by Alethea Kontis
Read by Katherine Kellgren

Listening Length: 7 hours and 51 minutes
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Audible.com Release Date: May 8, 2012
ASIN: B0081CDUII
Genre: Fantasy
My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0

Audie Award Nominee, Best Teens Category, 2013
It isn't easy being Sunday's child, not when you're the rather overlooked and unhappy youngest sibling to sisters named for the other six days of the week. Sunday's only comfort is writing stories, although what she writes has a terrible tendency to come true. When Sunday meets an enchanted frog who asks about her stories, the two become friends. Soon that friendship deepens into something magical.
One night, Sunday kisses her frog goodbye and leaves, not realizing that her love has transformed him back into Rumbold, the crown prince of Arilland - and a man Sunday's family despises. The prince returns to his castle, intent on making Sunday fall in love with him as the man he is, not the frog he was. But Sunday is not so easy to woo. How can she feel such a strange, strong attraction to this prince she barely knows? And what twisted secrets lie hidden in his past - and hers?
©2012 Alethea Kontis; (P)2012 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Review:
Enchanted is a charming story of the woodcutter’s seven daughters and sons, focusing on the youngest daughter, Sunday. The story incorporates features of many well known fairy tales, including the frog prince, the bean stalk, Cinderella’s lost slipper and many more.

Each of the girls relates to the character traits stated in the old name rhyme. Sunday generally lives up to being 'bonnie and blithe and good and gay' even though she doesn’t always want to be good and gay. She wants more than sitting at home and doing chores. She loves the stories her father tells and writes her own thoughts and stories in a journal. She is careful to write the history of her family as there is some suspicion about what happens if she writes about possible future events.

Sunday finds a frog in the woods and begins a friendship, reading him her stories. She kisses him a few times but nothing happens. One day she kisses him and rushes home not realizing that the spell has finally been broken by their love for each other.

Prince Rumbold, restored from his frog state, returns to the castle where he has learn to live again as a young man. He also has to face the dark forces that included the spell. The Prince wants to go after Sunday but he knows her family resents the King and everyone at the palace. Can the Prince and his friends stop the evil before another of Sunday’s siblings is lost? Will he be able to convince Sunday to love him as a human and leave her family to be with him?

I really enjoyed this fun fantasy. There were twists and turns and varied interesting talents of Sunday and her siblings need to use to defeat the dark magic. The whole story was entertaining.

Audio notes: Katherine Kellgren does a wonderful job of narrating this tale. She uses inflection beautifully to enhance the sensitive, sweet moments and the intense, suspenseful dangers. I highly recommend this story in Audio.

I received this audiobook through the SYNC Audio Program in August, 2013, paired with the Classic: THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS by Lewis Carroll, Narrated by Miriam Margolyes (Bolinda Audio).

This is part of my 2015 Audiobook Challenge, the 2015 TBR Pile Challenge and the TBR Double Dog Dare.