Sunday Words of Encouragement July 24, 2016

We had a good Sunday School this morning finishing up in Romans, Chapter 16. Our SS teacher noted that there are many ‘workers’/servants/supporters, men and women, mentioned by name as those who helped Paul in his ministry. The point is made that not everyone is chosen to be an outspoken evangelist but we each can find a way to be a support resource.

We shared communion, focusing on accepting the healing powers of the sacraments; the healing power in the blood Jesus shed for us. We honored a staff member who has been with the church almost 30 years. We also honored a young girl who was ‘crowned’ and rewarded with decorations for her dedicated learning, memorization and completion of projects in the Mpact Star program.  I found this particularly moving as we have watched this young lady grow over the past ten years that we have been at the church.

Pastor’s sermon was centered on Hebrews 4:1-13, ultimately seeking the ‘rest’ promised by God. As long as we are still in this world, we must remain diligent to pursue obedience.
We can be disobedient if we:

• Hold on to worldly friends, leaving open a door for the work of the devil.
•  Hold on to unforgiveness, which will hurt us more than the person we refuse to forgive.
•  Hold on to pet sins thinking there will be no consequence. All of our behaviors, including those ‘little’ sins are an example to our children as well as to others around us.
•  Talk against others, including authority. We are told to pray for leaders, not criticize them. We are to lead a wrongdoer gently to restoration, not speak badly about them. Our mouths can bring unrest and destruction if we do not curb the negative comments.

Pastor admonished us that we in the church body can be the ‘next generation’ supporting our new Pastor if we are obedient in our behaviors. It is our choice to be obedient or not. V11.

Once again I had a specific song in mind but I could not find it. 

Instead I was led to this song: I Come Running.

Verses for Today:
Hebrews 4:1-2, 11
1 Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it. 2 For we also have had the good news proclaimed to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because they did not share the faith of those who obeyed.
v11 Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.

I must pray each morning to follow Romans 16:19 “be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil.” I must also pray for the Holy Spirit to give me strength and courage to be obedient to God’s word and Will so that, someday, I may enter the rest He has promised.I know it is a matter of faith, but faith shows in obedience.

Sharing Beyond Books #262 Comment Giveaway July 23, 2016

Hello again and Welcome to Sharing Beyond Books, SBB!

Thanks to everyone who commented last week.

Most of us acknowledged that we didn't make 'life plans' but we are happy, and several of us are thankful, for how life turned out. I loved the Douglas Adams quote that Natalija shared: "I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be."

~~~~~

The Winner from SBB #261 comments is:#13 Elizabeth 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 - maybe the beginning of next year, lol.] Please let me know your choice by completing the WINNER FORM.

WEEK #262

(One Question.)

bn100 asks: If you don't like a book cover, would you still look buy or read the book??

I think my primary decision is the description (and sometimes the author) so, yes, I will sometimes read a book even if I don't like the cover. That said, engaging covers do get my attention more than boring ones.

Image Found at Board of Wisdom.

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! The supply of questions is dwindling so share some if you think of any -- even if they are duplicates I'll weed through or try to modify.

Your turn to share:
bn100 asks: If you don't like a book cover, would you still look buy or 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. One of these days I will get together a new box of Christmas titles.)

SBB Rules:
a) Must be a follower.
b) Share a comment on the question 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 July 30, 2016 at 5 PM central.

Audible Book Review: Enforcing Home: The Survivalist Series, Book 6 by A. American

I started this sixth book in the series and although calmer than prior books, I found it hard to put down.

Enforcing Home: The Survivalist Series, Book 6

Written by: A. American

Narrated by: Duke Fontaine

Length: 11 hrs and 10 mins

Series: Survivalist, Book 6

Unabridged Audiobook

Release Date:01-19-16

Publisher: Podium Publishing

Genre: Post Apocalyptic, Sci Fi

My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0

Publisher's Summary
Morgan has managed to get through a lot. Having made it back to his family and dealt with the issues of unscrupulous neighbors, he then had to deal with the presence of the federal government and their nefarious activities. But with the help of his close-knit group he prevailed. Life is settling into a familiar routine. And with the help of the US Army, they are starting to rebuild their community. But just when Morgan thinks things are assuming some kind of normal, another surprise lands in his lap. He's made sheriff.
Harkening back to a time when law enforcement was a local face in the community, Morgan is forced to step up and be that face, much to his chagrin. With the help of Thad, Danny, and the rest of the crew, he accepts the challenge and tries to make a positive impact. But he's in for yet another surprise. New foes will arise, and old ones will return to conspire to destroy his efforts.
Morgan's group will suffer loss, injury, and constant assault. His new position has made him a target as well as those he loves. The peace and tranquility that the group has fought so hard for will continue to elude them. The fight, as Morgan soon learns, is just beginning.
©2015 A. American (P)2016 Podium Publishing

Review:
Morgan is now sheriff of his community and the local town. He isn’t thrilled but agreed to accept the responsibilities with several of his friends as deputies. His own community is experiencing a time of rebuilding and peace but that doesn’t last. There are many who are hungry and unrest is spreading especially as bullies try to take from others by force. These are local problems, but not the worst Morgan has to deal with. Stragglers with children who are coughing badly pass outside the neighborhood gates. Some of the community children do not realize there may be danger playing with these sickly waifs.

Morgan’s friends learn that the corrupt federal DHS forces never made it to the army base where they were being sent. Instead they escaped and are building forces with plans to eliminate Morgan, Sarge and the rest of the ‘resisters’. A stranger wander in and, although it is not clear if he can be trusted, he slowly becomes part of the group.

Fortunately, Sarge and Morgan have friends in high places. They are able to get the supplies for a field hospital flown in as well as getting some heavy power equipment that will be useful as the skirmishes with the DHS scoundrels intensify.

I was glad to be back with the familiar characters and I was pulled right into the story. The author addresses issues relating to the society reorganization as well as dangers of disease and lawlessness. This episode moves forward with daily concerns and not all the action is in fighting… there is enough of that too to keep things interesting. There are moments of humor and almost happiness as the community and nearby town look to reestablish a firm footing.  But Morgan becomes more of a target especially for the oncoming threat of a major attack by the DHS forces.

There was a bit more male crudeness and some rather brutal torture in this book. There was also some repetition but it didn't have a noticeable impact on my enjoyment. I found this engaging and I look forward to more action in this series.

Audio Notes: Duke Fontaine has certainly become the voice of these characters for me. His clear narration enhances the engagement in the stories and makes this a fast listen.

My prior reviews in the series:
Book 1, Going Home
Book 2, Surviving Home
Book 3, Escaping Home
Book 4, Forsaking Home
Book 5, Resurrecting Home

This was a 2016 selection for my own Audible library.

Martha's Bookshelf***Friday Pick Giveaway July 22, 2016

Happy Friday!
Hubby continues to get better and will be released to home next week. :-) We are hunting down PT services either for home care or outpatient. 
I hope everyone is enjoying their summer (or for a few, winter) time.
(I just have not had time to get a picture of the latest book group, nor pull books from the last several weeks. I hope to get this done this weekend and have my clerk prepare for mailing early next week.)

TO ENTER FRIDAY PICK

US Entrants: Leave a comment and tell me WHICH BOOK you would like to get from the Friday Pick lists.
INTERNATIONAL: Leave a comment indicating "Gift Card" (see further comments near the end of the post.)

CUT OFF TIME IS THURSDAY NIGHTS AT 9:00 PM CENTRAL so I do not have to stay up too late to do the winner post! I will randomly pick two winners to announce Friday mornings with the next Pick post.

Thank you to all who entered the July 15 Pick. There were no automatic wins this week. Automatic wins are those who requested the book four times without other people asking for that book during those weeks. There were no titles blocked.
AUTO: none

CONGRATULATIONS
to Random.org picked Winners from July 15 Pick:
RUVYNREBA gets the Joan Johnston pair

Marjorie gets a GC

All winners please fill in the Winner's Acceptance Form or email me to confirm your win, send your snail mail address information and let me know if you would like bookmarks - sensual, sexy or sweet bookmarks. {The form is new because Google changed their forms and the old one wasn't letting me print out the responses.}

This looks fun but I would probably like audio while riding! 

Image found at RealSimple

New Book Group #66 June 25, 2016
(I will post a picture later. *Four of these books are very old; pulled from a box of gothic novels I have had for many years. They may not be wanted by anyone and if so, I will donate elsewhere in time.)
Sandra Brown: Above and Beyond and Honor Bound (my copy is 1986 edition with a different cover
Joan Johnston: Faron & Garth: The Cowboy and the Princess / The Wrangler and the Rich Girl and Sweetwater Seduction
SINGLES:
Swan for the Money by Donna Andrews (new- hardcover)
*Maggie – Her Marriage by Taylor Caldwell (1953 very old, yellowed pages, some stain damage doesn't effect reading)
*Witch’s Hammer by Caroline Farr (a 1967 yellowed pages - different cover)
*Mistress of Mount Fair by Jane Gordon
Once an Angel by Tammy Hilz
Bound By Temptation by Lavinia Kent
Fire Dancer by Ann Maxwell
On Fire by Carla Neggers (1999 version with different cover)
Breathing Room by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Waiting for Nick & Considering Kate by Nora Roberts
*She Came Back by Patricia Wentworth (1981 yellowed pages)
Freedom's Stand by J. M. Windle


New Book Group #65 April 29, 2016

PAIRS:
Jayne Ann Krentz: Gift of Gold and Man with a Past (spine creased) 
Linda Howard: Cover of Night and Strangers Night
SINGLES:
A Dangerous Fancy by Tracy Cozzens
The Bodyguard and the Snitch by Christy Tillery French (autographed)
When Dashing Met Danger by Shana Galen
The Champion by Heather Grothaus
Never Marry a Cowboy by Lorraine Heath
Just The Way You Are by Donna Jordan
The Second Chair by John Lescroart (hardcover)
What a Rogue Desires by Caroline Linden (spine creased)
Violets are Blue by James Patterson
The Bequest by Candice Proctor
A Perilous Attraction by Patricia Francis Rowell (spine creased)
So Wild A Kiss by Nancy Richards-Akers


New Book Group #64 March 4, 2016

SINGLES:
Short Straw (Ed Eagle Novel) by Stuart Woods Hardcover
First Things First by Stephen R. Covey- Audio Cassette
N is for noose by Sue Grafton -Cassettes
Regretsy: Where DIY Meets WTF by April Winchell


New Book Group #63 January 22, 2016

SINGLES:
Wayward Winds by Michael Phillips - Audio Tapes

New Book Group #62 November 6, 2015
All Gone

New Book Group #61 October 30, 2015
After I noticed the trend I went on a hunt for “bride” titles. I even pulled a couple from some of my long time collections(*). (But they are not getting read on my shelves.)

SINGLES:
Bride of Lochbarr by Margaret Moore (*)
The Ideal Bride by Stephanie Laurens (*)
A Necessary Bride by Debra Mullins
Border Bride by Deborah Hale

New Book Group #60 September 18, 2015
A set of "haunting" tales and a few mysteries for October!

Shannon Drake –  Realm of Shadows (Alliance Vampires#4) 
SINGLES:
The Shadowing by Joan Overfield
The Renegade Hunter by Lynsay Sands
Trilogy Of Mysteries Audio Book Shadow Prey, There Was A Little Girl, Smokescreen Audio Cassettes (NOT CDs)


New Book Group #59 July 31, 2015
A few more summer titles, historicals and mysteries!

SINGLES:
Cruise to a Wedding by Betty Neels

New Book Group #58 June 26, 2015 -- All Gone
SINGLES:
Servant, The Awakening by L.L. Foster

New Book Group #57 May 1, 2015 -- All Gone


New Book Group #56 March 20, 2015
(I'll try to get the rest linked another day.)

SINGLES:
The Sweetheart Dance by Patti Ann Colt
Raintree Haunted by Linda Winstead Jones (spine creases)

New Book Group #55 February 5, 2015 -- All Gone

New Book Group #54 December 26, 2014

SINGLES:
Ender’s Shadow by Orson Scott Card - Tape Cassettes


BOX 4 2015 (reboxed from Boxes 47-53)

The Hidden Truth of Cytech's Randall Forty byVickie Kennedy
First to Fight Anthology
Jezebel by Katherine Sutcliff
The Commander by Kate Bridges
A Garden of Friends by Penny Pierce Rose
Undateable by Ellen Rakieten & Anne Coyle


BOX 3 2015 (reboxed from Boxes 39- 47)

Shetland Summer by Janet Lynnford
Breakfast in Bed by Sandra Brown - Audio Cassette Tapes (link is for mass media version)
A Lady of Consequence by Mary Nichols
Sweet Talking Man by Betina Krain


BOX 2 2015 (reboxed from Boxes 24- 38)

Thinner by Stephen King
Foundation (Foundation Novels) by Isaac Asimov
Magic: The Gathering Distant Planes, An Anthology
The Willful Widow by Valerie King (spine wear)
An Honorable Man by Rosemary Rogers (spine creases)
A Courtesans Guide to Getting Your Man by Susan Donovan and Celeste Bradley -- NOTE This book has dog bite damage; it is missing half back cover and the edges of pages in the back third of the book... it does not effect the text but I will understand if no one wants this one
Tara Taylor Quinn: Father: Unknown and McGillus v.Wright
The Trailsman: Texas Lead Slingers by Jon Sharpe
Anthology: Something Borrowed, Something Blue - this book has spine creases and minor water damage...I thought I had read it and liked it but now I realize it was another anthology I read with Elaine Barbier.


BOX #1 2015 (reboxed from Boxes 1- 23)

Circle of Stars by Anna Lee Waldo
Alien Chronicles - The Crimson Claw by Deborah Chester
Ghost Writer (Shivers #3) by M.D. Spenser


If you saw the pictures posted of my bookshelves and boxes you know I do have lots of books! And that doesn't include the other eight or so boxes at my office!! And more books as I find deals too good to pass up! I am sharing my book bounty by these Friday Pick Giveaways.

I started Friday Pick on November 27, 2009 and in almost six years I have posted 62 groups of 16 (992) books to find new homes! (as of November 6, 2015).

I am happy to say that so far about 978+ books have found new homes! YAY. I have to update my print out to check the exact number sent out - a few were never claimed. I periodically update the lists - deleting those won. You can still go to the Friday Pick list link to see older posts and the older lists book pictures if you want!

Note rules here regarding international entries.

Because postage to overseas can be prohibitive I am willing to give a $5.00 book certificate to international winners - Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Borders, ARe, TWRP, ClassAct Books, eTreasures, Desert Breeze, etc....you tell me where and I'll set it up. So for my overseas visitors your comment may indicate a smaller book and I'll check postage or note your choice of gift card.

I learned that The Book Depository does not ship to everywhere. The postage for some of the books to far away places runs between $7.00 and $10.00 and up. Since I would award $5.00 for The Book Depository to an international winner, as an alternative you may choose a smaller book and we will hope the postage will not exceed $6.00. If the postage is more, or if you want to pick a larger book and you are willing to pay any extra postage beyond the $6.00 I will work with you on that. This may not make a difference to many but if it helps one or two of you to give one of my books a home that will make me happy too. :o)

Repeating this helpful blog tip: You can right click on a link and you will be given the choice to open the link in a new window or tab so you do not navigate away from the screen you are on!! I use this all the time!

Guest Post: REGINA SHEN WORLD by Lance Erlick

REGINA SHEN WORLD by Lance Erlick

The seed of the idea for the Regina Shen stories and her world was a challenging realm of the future that tested a resilient young woman every step of the way. In fact, the budding scene was of the outcast, Regina, adrift in a storm with no safe port.

In the story’s mythical past, abrupt climate change, rising seas, famines, and wars caused a collapse of the old order. In the final days, an all-female militia rose up, denying men procreation rights until they became extinct. The heroic, three-century-old Grand Old Dames saved the world and created an all-female society, vowing that there would be no more wars and no more gender strife. They created the World Federation to restore peace.

Before the Grand Old Dames took over, they were able to perfect fertility research to enable two women to have a child without men. This enabled them to make this a foundation for building their new society. Then, as a means to maintain order and control, they introduced a defect into the human genome so that only regulated Federation fertility clinics could bring forth new life. Only those who receive the blessing of the new order are allowed to have children.

This gave the new leaders complete control over the people and their futures. Then something happened so that the process began to decay and fail until there were no live births. For unknown reasons, Regina Shen’s DNA does not have the defect; she was not the product of a Federation clinic. Now the Federation is hunting her down to control her genes amidst a power struggle over a successor to the dying World Premier.

Because of desperate times after the worldwide collapse, the Federation adopted a caste system to help maintain order and to fill the necessary roles in society with Working Stiffs on the bottom, Professionals and Elites in the middle, and the Grand Old Dames at the top. Outcasts like Regina Shen were thrown over massive barrier walls built with slave labor to hold back the rising seas. The outcasts were left to fend for themselves, and fend they did, becoming stronger and more resilient than citizens of the Federation. In fact, many are captured as slaves to work the toughest Federation jobs.

The Federation created the Department of Antiquities in its early days to find and destroy all evidence of life before the Federation. The Grand Old Dames banned all print books and took control of their mesh, a future version of the Internet with one distinction. All information resides in Federation cloud-type databases and can be rewritten or purged in support of Federation goals. Rising in power and requiring military resources, the Department of Antiquities became the police and military rolled up into one, enforcing the laws of the Federation.

It is the Department of Antiquities that discovers Regina Shen’s DNA, turning her into a pawn of a worldwide power struggle.

Author's Bio:

He was raised by a roaming aerospace engineer, growing up in various parts of the United States and Europe, as well as traveling through Asia. He took to stories as his anchor, including the works of Asimov, Bradbury, and Heinlein, and has been writing since age eleven.

Growing up, he was inspired by his father’s engineering work on cutting-edge aerospace projects to look to the future.

In an ideal world, Lance would find time loops where he could step out for a week at a time to read and write. Then he would return to the moment he left, without life getting in the way. Of course, since everyone would have the same ability, he suspects life would still sneak in.

Lance is also the author of short stories and novelettes.

Connect with the author:  Website   Twitter   Facebook   Goodreads

I have found the series engaging. My reviews of the four books (and giveaway links) can be found through this link.