Sunday Words of Encouragement January 1, 2017 --Happy New Year!

We opened the new year with a Sunday School lesson showing videos of two people sharing visions of heaven. I liked the thought of the involvement of angels and I will share that another day.

Our Pastor concluded his Celebrate Series.
He asked: "If we took inventory of the last 365 days, what would we find?" We can inventory areas such as health, financial, relationship, and spiritual. We can't agonize over past negatives.

In church, we tend to present our best selves. But we all have room for improvement.
Paul wrote in Philippians 1:3-6: I thank my God every time I remember you. 4 In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

God has started a good wok in you... He will continue that work.
God is continuing that work in you... Until it is finished on the day when Jesus returns.
Pastor encouraged us to read The Blessed Life which talks about giving at a ‘God Level’. Sometimes we are called to sacrifice.

1. What will be your goal for 2017?
2. What steps will you take to reach your target.
3. Each of us needs to commit with Focused intensity to reach our goal.

The Point: To be successful you need a target to receive your focused intensity.

What are you targeting for spiritual growth? Sharing Christ? Prayer? Stepping up? It is time to let God use us instead of doing something for us.

God has God-size plans for each of us and those plans are tied to His plan for the church.

I had several New Beginning songs and choose this one: Write your Story.

A Verse for Today:
Proverbs 16:3 NIV
Commit to the Lord whatever you do,
and he will establish your plans.

Lord, help me commit and stay focused on Your Will this year and always.

MBS First Book of the Year 2017

Welcome to 2017!

And once again we begin a new year of reading!

 Hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.

(I'll update the link on Sunday after church.)
Pop over to see pictures of many of our fellow bloggers 

and see what each person is reading as their First book of 2017! 

This year my choice for the first book was fairly straight forward. I actually made the selection about four months ago as I was selecting books at Christianbook.com for my Ladies' Book Club.  I tend to order in bulk about twice a year, selecting titles at good prices (usually $5.00 or less).
This book was recommended by our Sunday School teacher over the past year and I have set it as the first book for our book club group this year and my first book of 2017.

I have chosen All In: You Are One Decision Away From a Totally Different Life by Mark Batterson

From the blurb:

The message of All In is simple: if Jesus is not Lord of all then Jesus is not Lord at all. It’s all or nothing. It’s now or never. Kneeling at the foot of cross of Christ and surrendering to His Lordship is a radical act of dethroning yourself and enthroning Christ as King. It’s also an act of disowning yourself. Nothing belongs to you. Not even you.

(I remembered at the last minute on Friday to have my daughter take a picture.)

I am looking forward to seeing the titles others have chosen for their First Book of The Year 2017.
Please share with me what book YOU plan to read first for the new year!

Sharing Beyond Books #284 Comment Giveaway December 31, 2016

Hello again and Welcome to Sharing Beyond Books, SBB!

Thanks to everyone who commented over the past two weeks. I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas and will have a safe New Year's celebration tonight!

It is not surprising that the majority of commentors were looking forward to visiting with or at least communicating with family. Several are looking forward to new experiences in the new year.
Rubynreba's family has a lovely tradition of reading the Christmas Story. I'll have to see if we can get the grandkids to do that next year.
Linda was looking forward to spending time with a new dog; bn100 was looking forward to the food. My prayers have been with Miki as I know it must be hard to go through the holidays after the loss of a loved one.

~~~~~

The Winner from SBB #283 comments is: #10 Marjorie 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 #284

(One Question.)

I decided to ask the first question as we go into 2017 (last question for 2016). So MaryP and Poetry will both get a prize for their questions in December.
My Question tonight: Do you have a reading list ready for 2017 and what is your anticipated reading goal for 2017??

I have my first book set up with the post for tomorrow morning. I have already lined up a handful of tours for January, February and one so far in March. I have my list of NetGalley titles (12), my author list (10+), and I have set up a tentative list for 2017 Alphabet Challenge with Audible titles and ebooks. So I do have some lists but they are not written in stone (except for tour dates).
I felt like I had to push a little this month to finish my challenges, including the Goodreads challenge which I had set at 175 and finished at 178. Knowing other tasks I have, I think I will set that goal at 160 for the new year, allowing for 3 books a week plus a few spares.

Be Safe and Happy New Year to One and All!

[May 2017 be a special year!]

Image Found at Quotesgram..

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: My Question tonight: Do you have a reading list ready for 2017 and what is your anticipated reading goal for 2017??

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 January 6, 2017 at 5 PM central.

Book Review: Zombies at the Door: Planning for the Inevitable by Charlie Pulsipher

Sometimes you just need to read something funny - this fits the bill.

Zombies at the Door: Planning for the Inevitable

by Charlie Pulsipher

File Size: 661 KB
Print Length: 68 pages
Publisher: Singular Books; 2 edition (August 18, 2011)
ASIN: B005I3ZZR2
Genre: Parody, Humor, Zombies
My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0

*Get ready for a funny Advice & How-To guide to the coming Zombie Apocalypse using humor and practical knowledge together to help you survive*
We all know it can happen, will happen. Be prepared and have a laugh at the same time. This basic manual will make sure you are ready to face the zombie hordes and walk you through where to meet, find weapons and food, and set up camp. It may even give you hope as you huddle in the bathroom stall at the mall.
Seriously though, don't go to the mall!
Learn the glow stick technique to distract zombies or how a paper bag might save your life or at least keep you from seeing the bitey end that's coming. Are dentist offices safe? Can the game of baseball stop the zombies from attacking? Is petroleum jelly something you should have in your zombie kit? Find out now....

Review:
Just read the blurb and you can’t miss the tongue-in-check humor. Actually, the prep info is nicely set forth and would be helpful for other (more likely) disasters like losing power due to hurricanes, tornadoes or blizzards. Just remember – don’t go to the mall! And plan ahead for an escape route just in case you are out shopping at a mall when a catastrophe strikes (and sadly, nowadays, that could happen more often than we’d like to think).

Zombie books often bring fear and stress. There is a little of that in this one, but along with that there is a big dose of laughter. The book includes stick drawn illustrations that made me chuckle. This is a very fun read and perfect for a “Z” in Alphabet Challenge at the end of the year. Pick it up and get some grins; share it with friends so you will have some other survivors as companions (or bait?). I hope to read something else by Mr. Pulsipher as I enjoyed the style.

This is from my Kindle library; 2012. It is a TBR and "Z" for my Alphabet Challenge.

Book Review: Halcyon (The Complex Book 0) by Demelza Carlton

A Complex of blended races -- a chance for peace or revenge?
Halcyon (The Complex Book 0)
by Demelza Carlton

File Size: 5173 KB
Print Length: 168 pages
Publisher: Lost Plot Press (December 10, 2016)
ASIN: B01MXN7KKW
Genre: Sci Fi, Alien Invasion, Fantasy
My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0

A Lone Planet. One Complex.
Unlimited Chaos.

Catch a siren. Stop the storm. Whatever the cost.
Allie, sick of war and grief, signed up as a lowly maintenance worker for the Complex in the hope of securing a lasting peace between the Metas and Humans. However, the girl has her own secrets, not least of which is her assignment from the Lorn government to monitor the Complex for signs of a suspected saboteur.
Galen, the only survivor of the Poseidon shipwreck, didn't join the Complex for peace. He wants vengeance on the siren Halcyon, the mysterious Mer whose terrorist tactics single-handedly killed more humans than any other Meta. His sources say that Halcyon is on Lorn, and he'll happily kill every Mer in the Complex until his parents' murderer is dead.
Can they catch the terrorist before the Complex is destroyed?

The Complex Book Series:
A Lone Planet. One Complex.
Unlimited Chaos.

After a brutal war between Humans and Metas an uneasy truce is declared in the Seldova solar system. At the conclusion of the treaty signing, the Complex is created on the lone planet, Lorn. The Complex is a blended community of Humans and Metas, all sent to test the waters of a more peaceful existence between the two races. Living under a domed community can only mean one thing for the Humans and Metas. Chaos.

Review:
Allie has chosen to become a maintenance worker in the Complex for personal reasons as well as political ones. She is tired of the war and the loses. The community project at the Complex is designed to put humans and Meta (other beings) living together so they can find a way to peace.

Galen was only a teen when he became the sole survivor of an attack by the Mer siren, Halcyon. That devastating attack started the Meta war. Now he is the chief engineer for the Complex. Although the Complex has been developed to promote peace, Galen isn’t done with the war yet. He has heard that Halcyon is at the Complex and he intends to revenge the death of his parents, as he has planned for years.

Galen is immediately drawn to Allie, even as he tries to keep his focus on his primary goal. Meanwhile, Allie is secretly hunting for the terrorist threat without realizing where that search will end.

The story was engaging, with a bit of a twist. I enjoyed the intelligent characters, particularly Allie. I enjoyed following her quirks. This is a novella but it is a full story with an engaging plot. There was suspense and budding romance. The dialogue was natural, the writing flowed well and the story read quickly with good pacing. I would be willing to read more by Ms. Carlton.

I was given a free copy of this title from the author with no obligation to review.