Book Review and Giveaway: Plain Proposal by Beth Wiseman

This is a sweet, easy Amish romance.
Plain Proposal (Daughters of the Promise Book 5)
by Beth Wiseman

File Size: 872 KB
Print Length: 305 pages
Publisher: Thomas Nelson (March 28, 2011)
ASIN: B004P5NRQ0
Genre: Amish, Inspirational, Romance
My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0

Miriam secretly vows to follow Saul no matter what the future holds. She never thought that future might take them away from their Amish community.
Miriam Raber could have her pick of any of the eligible bachelors in Lancaster County. But she only has eyes for one . . . Saul Fisher. He captured her heart years ago, and she's never looked back. Even when rumors circulate that Saul may leave their Amish community to pursue a once-in-a-lifetime apprenticeship, Miriam makes a bold assertion: she will stand by him, whether he stays or goes.
Saul Fisher has experienced an inordinate amount of loss in his short life. Raising his two brothers and caring for a grieving father who privately seeks solace in the comfort of his homemade wine, Saul has kept his father's drinking from the community. But if he leaves Lancaster, the burden of secrecy will be left to his young brothers. How does he balance this with the dream that burns bright within him?
As Miriam and Saul consider leaving their lives behind, God starts revealing things to Miriam that make her think twice about what it means to be a Daughter of the Promise, and what it means to make a home.
Experience this love story with a surprising resolution by one of the most popular voices in Amish fiction.

Review:
Miriam Raber, at eighteen, is a lovely young woman who hasn’t dated in her Amish community as she is waiting for the right boy. She has believed for years that Saul Fisher is the one for her. This troubles her mother as it is well known that Saul has had a couple of rumbles and now there are rumors that he has plans to leave the community. Why can’t Miriam be interested in Jesse who is interested in her? Jesse is handsome, kind, hardworking and an excellent choice for a partner.

Miriam is looking forward to her first outing with Saul when she learns that her cousin, Shelby, has arrived from the city. Shelby is disgruntled and wary after suffering through her parents’ divorce and getting herself into a bit of trouble which has resulted in her being ‘sent away’ to her Amish cousins. The Amish farm is a culture shock for Shelby and Miriam tries her best to make her feel welcome.

Saul cares for Miriam and wants the chance to spend time with her even though he knows he shouldn’t. He has dreams that will take him to the city if only things remain smooth at his home so he can comfortably leave his younger brothers with their father. But their father is still having struggles after the death of Saul’s mother and sister. Saul is torn between protecting his family, wanting to be with Miriam and pursuing his dream.

Miriam believes that she is willing to be with Saul no matter where he goes but she doesn’t understand his moods as he seems to be pushing her away. She doesn’t yet know the extent of his dreams or his home problems. Will she still be supportive when she learns the full truth?

Initially Miriam’s mother is judgmental of Saul and later misjudges Shelby for influencing Miriam. Later her father becomes controlling as he fears Miriam may choose to leave the community.

Miriam’s parents are walking a fine line between trying to hold on to their beloved daughter and allowing her freedom to make her own decisions. Saul is hiding secrets at home rather than seeking help from others in their community. Shelby is finding her way to rebuilding her relationship with God as she discovers benefits and peace in the simple lifestyle of the Amish community.

This is a sweet story with likeable characters. It reads quickly and easily and the conflicts create a good plot. I really like the premise of what it means to be “a Daughter of the Promise”. There are several faith issues reflected and there are good discussion questions at the end. There are also some yummy recipes. (I’m eager for my hubby to make the Overnight Blueberry French Toast.) I recommend this to readers who enjoy Amish romances.

This was our Ladies Book Club read for April. It qualifies for Mount TBR and "P" in Alphabet Soup Challenge.

GIVEAWAY:

One (very gently read) PRINT COPY - US Only

ENTRY FORM HERE

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

For 3 Extra Bonus entries

(a) comment on the review, OR

(b) Visit the Author's website and tell me something you learned or like there.

* This contest is open to US for Print Copy.
* This contest will close 5 PM (Central) May 27, 2017. Winner will be announced in the Sunday Post on 2/26/17.
Winners are asked to respond on the winners form linked in the announcement or by email.

Book Review and Feature: Desert Melody by Laura Evans Serna

This story is more romance than sci fi, but involves engaging ‘cult’ society elements.

Desert Melody
by Laura Evans Serna

File Size: 923 KB
Print Length: 226 pages
Publisher: Laura Evans Serna; 1 edition (April 17, 2017)
ASIN: B071R1LKM1
Genre: Romance, Metaphysical, Sci Fi
My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0

For generations the Voyan have lived peacefully among Humans, blending in despite their special thought-sharing abilities and unique communal culture. But now a mysterious disease is killing Voyan babies.
Teagan is a Voyan wet nurse saving the lives of newborns. As the mother of a half-Human child, she struggles to fit into the Voyan world. When she falls for Josh, a Human man eager to take on the roles of husband and father, she starts to question her deepest beliefs about her people and her own fate.
Soon Teagan faces threats from unknown and unlikely foes. She must decide what she's willing to risk for a chance at love, security, and a future for her child.

Review:
Few Humans are aware that they share their world with two other races: the Voyans and the Ahns. The Voyans share mind thoughts and thrive in communal living arrangements. Their minds are usually busy with the buzz of thoughts which lessens their ability to study and advance in technical fields. The Voyans are struggling as a disease is killing their newborns. Teagan, a Voyan, has given birth to a half-Human child, Brianna. Teagan continues to be a wet nurse to other Voyan newborns who may only survive with healthy Voyan mother milk.

Teagan did not have a good sexual experience when she conceived and she has not been interested in finding a partner, which is unusual in her society. Teagan has a ‘disability’ as she lost the ability to thought share when she became pregnant. This has allowed her to enjoy college studies, especially science labs.

Teagan meets Josh at her favorite coffee hang out. He is attracted to her exotic beauty and is protective when he spots her trying to avoid another man. Teagan keeps bumping into Josh and soon believes that her ancestral grandmother is guiding her to be with him. They slowly become friends and, for the first time, Teagan feels drawn to a man. Her family is very unhappy with this as Voyans are supposed to find a partner among their own kind.

Josh seems to sincerely care about Teagan. He worries that she is involved in a cult group and wants to get her away from that community. Teagan’s immediate family have determined they need to move to a larger, safer Voyan community. The family is inclined to leave Brianna to be raised by her Human family. Teagan is torn as she wants to be with her family but does not want to be separated from Brianna (even though Brianna spends a lot of time with others while Teagan goes to classes and spends time with Josh). Teagan is also torn because she wants to be with Josh.

This conflict increases as the time for the move grows closer. A strong Voyan man appears claiming Teagan is to be his partner. Now she must make a choice – remain with the Voyans, sacrificing her own desires to the needs of the community, or leave her Voyan family to stay with Josh. Suddenly a terrible secret regarding Teagan’s disability is discovered and Teagan is given a warning exposing a secret about Josh. Teagan is reeling from these new facts, when her life takes a drastic turn.

I did find the cult society issues interesting but felt that the science fiction element was merely a peripheral basis for the conflicted romance. There is a lot of detail spent on the wet nurse aspects that effected Teagan’s day to day routines as well as the times of emergency when she had to help newborns.

The story is written in first person from Teagan’s view and there is a fair amount of telling rather than showing. Near the final third of the book there are twists and action which pick up the pace and make the story more engaging. I felt there were several loose ends. I would recommend this more for romance readers than hard sci fi readers.

I received this title through Pump Up Your Book Tours.

Desert Melody is
available for purchase at Amazon
and Barnes & Noble.

Book Excerpt:

I lay in bed, enjoying the morning quiet as I watched my sleeping daughter. Her jet-black hair fanned out across our pillow. Thin white drapes over the window swelled gently as the cool morning air washed over us.

I traced the scars up and down my arms and chest, my hand stopping as usual on the jagged scar across my lower back. Would I ever forget? Did I want to? Thankfully, my Brianna stirred just then, bringing me back to the present. She opened her chocolate-brown eyes and melted my heart with her smile. I sent her off into the kitchen with my aunt Eva so that I could begin my morning ritual. I pulled out my electric breast pump and set it on the dresser.

My milk has Factor K, a protein known to significantly improve survivability for weak Voyan newborns. Only about 10 percent of Voyan women produce Factor K. Even without this protein, though, Voyan milk is invaluable because many postpartum Voyan have found they can no longer produce milk. Despite the efforts of a handful of dedicated Human biochemists, no suitable formula has been developed for Voyan babies. Donors save babies from starvation.

The buzz in my head grew stronger. Unintelligible whispers sneaked in to taunt me, to remind me of my damaged state. I could no longer pick up the thoughts of my family, and they couldn’t pick up mine.

I stepped into the shower, letting the thrum of water on my head chase the mumblings away. As I got dressed, Eva peeked her head in. In the light of the morning sun, the delicate scars across her chest looked like fine lace.

“Teagan, I made cinnamon rolls. Brianna’s favorite.” Her voice was slow and sweet.

“Everyone’s favorite,” I said, winking at Eva. She turned to go but remembered something.

 “Going out?”

Eva couldn’t understand my desire to get away from my Voyan family. With the Voyan, I was deaf and mute. I was disabled. Out in the city, I could pretend to be Human.

“I was, unless you need me here.”

“Just a few moments?” she asked nervously. I knew exactly what she meant. Eva wanted me to spend time with our ancestors. Picking up Brianna, I headed to the tiny golden room behind the kitchen.

Brianna was mesmerized by the candles that lit up the small ancestor room. A few silver and gold urns sat together in a corner. I could tell that at one time the urns had engraved designs, but now they were worn from years of being touched and rubbed. They held the ashes of my ancestors as well as those of many other Voyan my family happened to meet.

I closed my eyes, listening for something I knew I could no longer hear. The air was thick, and not just from smoke. I could almost feel the voices of the dead around me, but not quite. And the more I tried to feel them, the harder it was.

About the Author

Laura Evans Serna grew up in Albuquerque wandering the Sandia mountains and enjoying magnificent sunsets each night. She was spoiled by the mountain and desert wilderness and the freedom it offered. Now that she’s lived in Oxford, Washington, DC, and Tokyo, she knows how rare and precious that kind of experience is. 

           

As a teenager Laura would lie on her concrete driveway with her siblings and friends, watching Hale Bopp slowly cross the sky. She discussed science and theology with no reservation. What are the laws of physics, and where did they
come from? What do they mean? Where do humans fit into all of this? What binds society together? Laura believes that these are the questions that make us human. They don’t belong to the scientists, philosophers, or theologians. Everyone has a right to make them their own.

        

Laura started her undergraduate degree in Chemistry at the University of New Mexico. At the time, she was tired of Albuquerque. Until she left she didn’t appreciate the unique mix of cultures or the abundance of intellectual activity of her home town. She married a man in the Air Force and followed him to Colorado, where she spent her time teaching English with Catholic Charities and finishing up a degree in math at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Next Laura moved to the UK where she had the opportunity to study at the University of Oxford. She earned an MSc in Mathematical Modelling while pregnant and experiencing motherhood for the first time. (It was a struggle, to be sure!) Laura found Oxford to be a fantastic, walkable city perfect for pushing a newborn around in a pram. Although they only spent three years in Oxford, she will always feel as if it is a home of sorts for them.

       

Laura spent periods of time teaching math and doing technical editing, but motherhood suits her more than any other hat she’s worn. Her three daughters are a constant joy. She has come to the conclusion that the world over needs more, not less, of the maternal touch, and she wants to write stories featuring strong, intelligent mothers.

You can visit her website at www.lauraevansserna.com or connect with her on Facebook.

Book Review: From Afar by Roger Thomas

This is a beautifully written, delightful fictional story of the three wise men, and it gives me goosebumps!  [This is probably the closest I will get to "gushing" in a review.]
From Afar
by Roger Thomas

File Size: 923 KB
Print Length: 187 pages
Publisher: Tumblar House (October 24, 2016)
ASIN: B01MQ507NQ
Genre: Inspirational. Religious, Historical Fiction
My Rating: 5.0+ of 5.0

The Magi, or Three Kings, of the Nativity story are among the best loved yet most mysterious figures in all history. The fleeting and sparse account in St. Matthew's Gospel raises as many questions as it answers. It has been so embroidered over the centuries that the original historical context has been almost completely buried. Yet the world of the early first century was as dynamic and intriguing as any legend - and much more perilous.
In his compelling novelization of the journey of the Magi, Roger Thomas draws on Scripture, history, and modern research. This swift-moving tale brings these shadowed figures to vivid life. You meet them as men of their time and culture: learned and noble, yet experienced with a brutal world and even violent when necessary. Come with them as they search for a King they do not understand, and seek for answers to questions lying in the deepest parts of their souls - providing they survive the dangers of the journey.

Review:
This is a beautifully rich imaging of the story of the three Magi who seek the birth of a king that was told in the stars. Melchior is the scholar; the teacher and mentor to the others. Gaspar is a warrior and strategist who hires out for selected battles as he has not yet found a noble general who seeks to serve his people rather than himself. Balthazar is the seeker of truth, trying out any religion he comes across in hopes of finding purity and true devotion. Gaspar and Balthazar meet by chance as they stop to visit their old teacher who seems a bit disheartened.

When Melchior becomes excited by a strange alignment in the stars, they all become interested. He taught them that there are secrets that can be interpreted by watching the heavens. Melchior is convinced that the great star and surrounding planets foretell the birth of a great king. In their discussions, Balthazar shares that there were prophesies given by a Jew in exile that told of many events that Melchior knew were not predicted by any other writings. Melchior is eager to learn more of the dreams and visions of Bel’Tshazzar, also known as Dani’el. After months of study, Melchior announces that based on the teachings he believes that the year has come when a king -more than a king, but the savior of the Jews, the Mesiach - is to be born of the tribe of Judah. The three men agree to follow the path of the star to find the king.

They set out with a good-sized group of retainers and men at arms. They also take along a young slave boy, Baba, who has proven helpful, curious and eager. He is ready for his first journey away from home.

All of the journey is an adventure, but some roads are safe and others bring danger. Along the way, they have encounters where they serve others and are given, or recover, precious gifts. When they reach Jerusalem and discover there is no new born king they falter. Then they get additional information that makes them press on just a bit further to Beit-Lechem.

The author does a wonderful job creating the characters with depths and uniqueness that compliment and strengthen each other. There are other characters too who are nicely drawn and add their own elements, such as Baba and Captain Tegranes. The journey is full of action and carried through to the return to Melchior's estate with interesting details. The story is well-crafted, and the characters and events are totally believable and beautifully presented. I wanted it to be real.

Mr. Thomas uses creative situations where the Magi acquire the gifts they later give to Yusef, Miryam and baby Y'shua. The description as they gaze on "the Divine Child" is breathtaking. The author also deftly weaves in messages of mercy and forgiveness as well as references to New Testament scriptures that may be recognized by those who have read or studied the Bible.

I found this story exhilarating! It gave me goose bumps and still does as I think of it. I had planned to read it earlier in the year but reading it a few months later is fine; almost appropriate just as the Magi came months after the child was born. I plan to buy this for my ladies’ book club and hope they will love reading it as I did. I recommend this to anyone who loves the story of the Three Kings, or Wisemen, as part of the Nativity story… and also to those who may be seekers drawn by the heartstrings of a God who speaks to His people in visions and in heavenly signs.

I am thankful that I received this in December through a Goodreads offering for review. It qualifies for Mount TBR Challenge.

Just a taste of the writing that spoke to me:
Balthazar shares with the others:

“We know that there is order in the spheres of the heavens. The stars and planets step their dance with regularity and harmony.” (Location 272.)
“It is in the heavens that we find the perfect, the unchanging, the incorruptible. It is only on this earth, beneath the sphere of the moon, that we find corruption and decay and imperfection. We men strive to do things, but our doings go awry.” (Location 276.)

Sunday Post May 14, 2017/It's Monday! What are You Reading? Plus Mailbox Monday May 15, 2017

I am linking with Sunday Post at Caffeinated Book Reviewer.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading now at The Book Date.
Thank you to Sheila for the years that she handled this meme.
Thank you to Kathryn for taking up the baton.

What Are You Reading, is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week. It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list.

Another week gone by - it is hard to think we are coming up on mid year already!
Hubby is puttering along nicely with small jobs.
Our weather is running in the 90s - getting sort of hot.


I enjoyed my reading this week although I only finished one print book and one audio book. I posted three reviews plus all of my usual memes.

I visited over 30 blogs again last week.
Blog shout out this week is for Bookworm Cafe who has some good discussions on her blog.
Thank you to all the nice people who visit me.

These were last week's posts:

• Sunday Post May 7, 2017/It's Monday! What are You Reading? Plus Mailbox Monday May 8, 2017.

• ATBR- Audible Book Review: The Quilt by Gary Paulsen; Family, Children; my rating 5.0.

• eNGTBR- Book Review: Bookburners by Max Gladstone, Mur Lafferty, Brian Francis Slattery, Margaret Dunlap; Urban Fantasy; my rating: 4.25.

• Martha's Bookshelf***Friday Pick Giveaway May 12, 2017. Open Worldwide. Ending 5/18/2017.

• ABJ- Audio Book Review: The Case of the Counterfeit Criminals: Wollstonecraft Detective Agency, Book 3, by Jordan Stratford; Children, Mystery; my rating: 4.0.

• Sharing Beyond Books #303 Comment Giveaway May 6, 2017. Open Worldwide. Ending 5/20/2017.

• Sunday Words of Encouragement May 14, 2017.

Finished Reading:

1. Print (Ladies Book Club TBR)

Plain Proposal (Daughters of the Promise Book 5)
by Beth Wiseman
This is an easy read and sweet.
I will post a review with giveaway this week.
Click on book title for full description.

2. Audible/mp3 (iRead Tour)

Old Loves Die Hard: A Mac Faraday Mystery
Written by: Lauren Carr
Narrated by: James C. Lewis
I enjoyed this mystery.
iRead Book Tours review date May 23.
Click on book title for full description.

Currently reading:

1. eBook/Kindle (Pump up Your Book Tour)

Desert Melody
by Laura Evans Serna
I am at 80% in this.
Pump Up Your Book tour review to post on May 17.
Click on book title for full description.

2. Audio/mp3 (ABJ)

Dead on Ice: A Lovers in Crime Mystery
Written by: Lauren Carr
Narrated by: Mike Alger
I enjoy this author's mysteries so I am looking forward to this.
Received through iRead Book Tours for review 5/24.
Publisher's Summary
Spunky Cameron Gates is tasked with solving the murder of Cherry Pickens, a legendary star of pornographic films, whose body turns up in an abandoned freezer. The case has a personal connection to her lover, Joshua Thornton, because the freezer was located in his cousin's basement. It doesn't take long for their investigation to reveal that the risqué star's roots were buried in their rural Ohio Valley community, something that Cherry had kept off her show business bio. She should have kept her hometown off her road map, too - because when this starlet came running home from the mob, it proved to be a fatal homecoming.
©2012 Terri Lynn Zaleski (P)2016 Terri Lynn Zaleski

3. eBook/Kindle (NGTBR)

Best Kind of Love:
A Reunion Romance Novella
by Rebecca Talley
This sounds like a sweet romance.
I received this title in December through instaFreebie.
Brynn Sawyer is a successful project manager in Houston. When her best friend from high school convinces Brynn to attend their ten-year reunion, Brynn hopes she’ll have the chance to reconnect with Troy Richards, the guy who stole her heart back in middle school.
Craig Dawson, an attorney in San Diego, is in a relationship that’s going nowhere and wonders why he can’t seem to commit. When he sees Brynn at their reunion, he thinks he might finally understand why. The only problem—she’s still infatuated with Troy what’s-his-name.
Will Brynn find the love she seeks with Troy, or will she realize the best kind of love has always been right in front of her?

May 14 2017 - I up to date in the One Year Bible; reading along with my husband and others from our church. I hope to take more time this year, staying on the day and listening to the companion commentary online.

Some of my reading time is going to a Wednesday night study we are doing called Freedom Course.

I completed two books and posted three reviews; this means I have three reviews current and one for later release.
I am at 14 NetGalley Titles and still at 10+ author titles in my queue.

We're working on a children's story for next upload at eTreasure's NetGalley page.

Welcome to Mailbox Monday.

Mailbox Monday is a gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week and explore great book blogs. This Meme started with Marcia at A Girl and Her Books (fka The Printed Page) and after a tour of hosts has returned to its permanent home at Mailbox Monday. Thanks to the ladies sharing hosting duties: Leslie of Under My Apple Tree, Serena of Savvy Verse & Wit and (yours truly). Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.
I picked up two books for Ladies Book Club.
I bought two Audible Daily Deals and one Kindle ebook.
I picked up one free Audible and more free kindle titles again. (Note these are in my Amazon library, NOT on my Kindle until I download and transfer them.)

Are your mailbox and TBR piles blooming?

Review Titles

Ladies' Book Club Choice for May; Discussion June 10. (I got the print books on bargain at Christianbook.com)

As One Devil to Another: A Fiendish Correspondence in the Tradition of C. S. Lewis' The Screwtape Letters
by Richard Platt (Author), Walter Hooper (Preface, Contributor)
I read the original Screwtape Letters and thought this would be a fun and different read for the ladies.

I had purchased this book in print last year for Ladies' Book Club. Two of us are going to read it to decide if the Ladies should read book one before book two which I got at bargain price.

The Evidence (Mars Hill Classified Series Book 1)
by Austin Boyd
"As millions fearfully watch menacing spider-like craft advance on the unmanned Earth Rover that has just landed, the aliens offer a surprising gift, and John realizes that this is the moment to which God has called him. This is where he will make his mark; he was made for such a time as this."

Won

NONE

Purchased

I purchased two Audible Daily Deals this week, $3.95 each:

The Last Season
By: Eric Blehm
Narrator: Jonathan Davis
Duration: 12 hrs and 35 mins

and

The Secrets of Wishtide
By: Kate Saunders
Narrator: Anna Bentinck
Duration: 10 hrs and 35 mins



I purchased one Kindle title for $.99
Destiny Rising - A Hard Military Space Opera Epic: 
The Intrepid Saga - Books 1 & 2
M. D. Cooper
Just say "space opera" and I find it hard to resist.

Free

I picked this Audible title up for free:
FREE: Ponzi Supernova
By: Steve Fishman
Narrator: Radio/TV program
Duration: 2 hrs and 38 mins


I picked up Week Three SYNC Audio titles:
BRONX MASQUERADE by Nikki Grimes, Narrated Jessica Almasy, Cherise Booth, Kevin R. Free, Marc Damon Johnson, Sisi Aisha Johnson, Melanie Martinez (Recorded Books)
TEENAGE DIARIES: THEN AND NOW by Radio Diaries, Hosted by Joe Richman (HighBridge Audio)

Here are just some really good sounding books I got for free - all new to me authors again:

Nemesis: Book One: (Nemesis Series 1/6)
by David Beers
(almost 5 star rating)

Somewhere In-Between
Books 1-3: Season One Dystopian/Paranormal Romance Box Set
by C.E. Wilson
(5 star rating)

Treasure Harbor Complete Series
by Leah Atwood, Belle Calhoune, Patricia Pacjac Carroll, Kristen Ethridge, Angel Moore
Christian romance/small town.
(5 star rating)

The Seekers (Order of the Lily Book 1)
by Cait Ashwood
Fantasy/Coming of Age
(5 star rating)

I added 52 free Kindle titles to my library this week. Titles found linked through Bookbub, Bookfun, Ereader News Today, Free Par-tay, Ignite Your Book, Inspired Reads, Pixel of Ink or Kindle ebooks.

Sunday Words of Encouragement May 14, 2017

This morning was a nice Mother’s Day lesson in Sunday School and Church. Our Sunday School teacher shared thoughts he had during the week based on the story of Hannah and the birth of Samuel. 1 Samuel 1. Hannah was the favored wife but she had no children which impacted her value in the Jewish community. Elkanah’s other wife, Peninnah, had children and taunted Hannah. 

Hannah got to a point where she prayed in anguish and sorrow, out of desperation, asking God to give her a child and stating that she would give the child back to God. God heard her prayer and she gave birth to Samuel. Once he was weaned she took him back to the temple to be raised by Eli the priest as God’s servant.

Samuel was a prophet chosen by God. God’s hand was in the situation as He waited for Hannah to become desperate in her prayers. Only then did she promise to return her child to God and God was able to train Samuel to become the prophet He had destined him to be.

How often do we pray in anguish and sorrow; in desperation; from our heart and soul instead of just from our heads? Perhaps we need to be more committed in our praying.

Pastor’s message followed the lesson. He spoke how mother’s juggle all that they do. Moms play a unique and significant role in lives of children. The primary concern should be that their children come to know Jesus. Moms are amazing and powerful. Pastor shared the story of one mother, Jochebed, the mother of Aaron, Miriam and Moses. Jocabed saw that the baby was special. She took the risk of setting her child in a basket in the wild Nile river. Exodus 1:15-22; 2:1-10. Jochebed was a mother who took a risk to meet God's plan.

The Point: Position your family to be in the will of God, and it is always worth the risk.

There is a repeating theme in the Bible: Honor Your parents. We are to honor our mother and father, with no qualifiers. We are to pray for children and grandchildren. Pray that God's will is made clear. Pray to be a mom who can be used in someone's life.

Our SS teacher shared this song. 

I think it would be wonderful if I have taught this faith to my children!

“Even If.”

1 Samuel 2:8-9 NLT
8 "He lifts the poor from the dust
and the needy from the garbage dump.
He sets them among princes,
placing them in seats of honor.
For all the earth is the Lord’s,
and he has set the world in order.
9 “He will protect his faithful ones,
but the wicked will disappear in darkness.
No one will succeed by strength alone…”

Lord help me to become more desperate in my prayers, especially for the lost in my family, community and across the world.