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Thursday, September 5, 2019

Audible Book Review: I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore

I enjoyed this fast, easy listen.
I Am Number Four
By: Pittacus Lore
Narrated by: Neil Kaplan
I Am Number Four audiobook cover art
Series: The Lorien Legacies, Book 1
Length: 11 hrs and 6 mins
Unabridged Audiobook
Release date: 08-03-10
Language: English
Publisher: HarperAudio
Genre: Action, Alien, Sci Fi, Teen Romance
My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.0; Narration 4.0.


Publisher's Summary
Nine of us came here. We look like you. We talk like you. We live among you. But we are not you. We can do things you dream of doing. We have powers you dream of having. We are stronger and faster than anything you have ever seen. We are the superheroes you worship in movies and comic books but we are real.
Our plan was to grow, and train, and become strong, and become one, and fight them. But they found us and started hunting us first. Now all of us are running. Spending our lives in shadows, in places where no one would look, blending in. we have lived among you without you knowing.
But they know.
They caught Number One in Malaysia.
Number Two in England.
And Number Three in Kenya.
They killed them all.
I am Number Four.
I am next.
Also included is a sneak listen to the first chapter of the next book in the series. Enjoy!
©2010 Pittacus Lore (P)2010 HarperCollins Publishers


Review:
“John Smith” is one of nine young Loriens who were sent to earth to protect their race. The Loriens are aliens whose planet was destroyed by monster aliens known as Mogadorians who have followed them to earth. The enemy is killing the Lorien ‘superheroes’ in sequential order. One through Three have been killed and John is number Four. John and his guardian, Henri, have recently moved to Ohio after an accidental exposure of John’s strangeness. It is imperative that John hide his secret strengths, or they will have to move again. This would be fine except that John has arrived at the age where his power gifts-- his “legacies”-- are manifesting. It is pretty hard to hide glowing hands!

But John has met a young girl who returns his interest, and with the fervor of young love, he refuses to be pushed into moving. That is until it becomes clear that his girlfriend and other school friend, Sam, an alien enthusiast, are in danger. By then it is a little too late to run so John, Henri and some unexpected allies have to take a stand to fight.

This is a fast paced teen action. There are fun super powers and standard teen love and angst. It is a bit frustrating to read John’s current careless attitude after successfully protecting his secrets for 15 years. This reads/listens quickly with easy writing that is suitable for young teens. There are some environment comments and some issues that are unbelievable like how are the very large, albino Mogadorians not obvious on earth? Overall, the story makes for a good, clean adventure appropriate for young men and women… and for adults you enjoy a light superhero story. The reviews imply that the series gets better so I might read more someday but I’m not rushing out to get them.

Audio Notes: Neil Kaplan does a solid job with the narration. Whether it is the text or his interpretation of the characters, he captures the teen ambiance and maintained my interest. It is likely I would listen to further books in the series.

Source: 11/6/2018 Audible Daily Deal $3.95. This qualifies for 2019TBR and 2019Audiobook goals.

Wednesday, September 4, 2019

#NetGalley Book Review: The Lady in the Coppergate Tower by Nancy Campbell Allen

This was a good fantasy mystery.
The Lady in the Coppergate Tower
by Nancy Campbell Allen


Series: Proper Romance Steampunk
Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: Shadow Mountain (August 6, 2019)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1629725544
Genre: Mystery, Steampunk, Victorian
My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0


Hazel Hughes has spent her life believing she is a Medium—someone who can talk to ghosts. But as of yet, that skill has remained frustratingly elusive. She is also suffering from a reoccurring childhood dream of someone who looks almost exactly like Hazel, but this dream version of herself is slowly going mad.
Sam MacInnes is a talented surgeon who runs in the highest social circles thanks to his family’s position and history. When Sam hires Hazel to assist him with his medical practice, he is immediately drawn to her intelligence, wit, and beauty.
Their potential relationship is derailed one evening when a mysterious count arrives in London and reveals to Hazel the truth about her past: she was abducted at birth and her twin sister has fallen dangerously ill.
Hazel agrees to travel to Romania with Count Petrescu in order to save her sister, and Sam insists on accompanying her. The count has secrets, though, and the journey grows more sinister with every mile that draws Hazel closer to her homeland. Even as her feelings for Sam become deeper and more complicated, she fears she might not survive the quest to save her sister with her heart intact, not to mention her life. She must learn to draw on gifts she doesn’t know she has if they are going to ever return home again.
Hazel and Sam must fight their way past dark magic, clockwork beasts, and their own insecurities as they try to reach her sister in the impenetrable Coppergate Tower before time runs out.


Review:
Hazel is a gifted healer but also thinks she has skills as a Medium. She constantly dreams of a different version of herself, a young woman with different color hair who is going mad. Hazel has an unrevealed ‘thing’ for her employer, Dr. Sam MacInnes. She does not see them in the same social set so she tries to resist her feelings for him.

Sam is a talented surgeon who is attracted to Hazel, a young woman whose life he saved before she became his employee. Sam runs in the higher social circles but doesn’t let that impress him.

Wealthy and impressive Romanian Count Petrescu arrives in town telling Hazel that she is his niece who was abducted at birth. He claims that she has a twin who is seriously ill and needs her help. As Petrescu convinces Hazel to travel with him to Romania, Sam insists that he accompany her, along with his personal automaton, Eugene. Sam, who doesn’t like closed places, suffers some qualms when they realize they will be traveling by submarine.

Sam and Hazel agree that Petrescu is darkly mysterious and not to be easily trusted. He has a rough bodyguard who becomes a suspect in an attack on Hazel’s maid. The closer they come to their destination the more Hazel connects (even unwillingly) with her sister. She begins to realize her sister is trapped in a tower and her life under abusive manipulation is distressing and driving her mad.

I enjoyed the steampunk aspects of the automatons, the submarine and the wicked tower. It was easy to be drawn to Hazel and Sam who are both warm characters who are very respectful of their growing affections. Petrescu and his right hand man are appropriately villainous while Eugene makes a fun, rather smart alecky robot. The pacing was mostly good with consistent mystery even though the crisis seemed to peak as a rush to the ending. Still and all this is an engaging story and I recommend it to reader’s who enjoy steampunk, mystery and fairy tale elements.

Source: 2019 NetGalley. This qualifies for 2019NetGalley goal.

Tuesday, September 3, 2019

MBS August 2019 Reading List Wrap Up

MBS 2019 Reading List - AUGUST
Code for the list is:
A = Audible; ABJ = Audiobook Jukebox; ABB = Audiobook Boom
e = eBook; eA = eBook from Author; eT = eBook from Tour
NG = NetGalley
P = Print; PT = Print from Tour
LBC = Ladies Book Club
TBR = From the TBR shelves prior to 2019
I still have five reviews to post and link after posted. 
Favorites for August:
4.75 titles: The Ethereal Squadron and Death Cloud
4.5 titles: No Other Will Do; Preserving Liberty; The Beekeeper's Apprentice; The Lady in the Coppergate Tower; and The Beginner's Guide to Raising Chickens.
  1. The Mueller Report The Findings of the Special Counsel Investigation
  2. NG2019- #NetGalley Book Review: Spring Skies Over Bluebell Castle:(Bluebell Castle, Book 1) by Sarah Bennett; Genre: Contemporary, Romance, Sweet Romance; My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0.
  3. ATBR- Audio Book Review: No Other Will Do (Ladies of Harper's Station Series, Book #1) by Karen Witemeyer; Genre: Christian Romance, Historical Romance; My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.5; Narration 4.5.
  4. NG2019- #NetGalley Book Review: The Girl in Red by Christina Henry; Genre: Fairy Tale Retelling, Post-Apocalyptic, Sci Fi; My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0
  5. ATBR- Audible Book Review: The Ember War, Books 1-2, by Richard Fox; Genre: Sci Fi, Space Fleet, Space Military; My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.25; Narration 4.5.
  6. ATBR- Audible Book Review: Sleeping Tiger by Rosamunde Pilcher; Genre: Novella, Romance; My Rating: 3.0 of 5.0 Overall; Story 3.0; Narration 3.25.
  7. NG2019- #NetGalley Book Review: You Don't Belong Here by Sean O'Toole; Genre: Novella, Romance; My Rating: 3.0 of 5.0 Overall; Story 3.0; Narration 3.25.
  8. ATBR- Audio Book Review: Sins of the Past: A Romantic Suspense Novella Collection; Genre: Christian, Mystery, Romantic Suspense; My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.0; Narration 4.0.
  9. eBTBR- Book Review: Preserving Liberty by Candice Sue Patterson; Genre: Clean Romance, Romantic Suspense; My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0.
  10. ATBR- Audible Book Review: The Collapsing Empire by John Scalzi; Genre: Galactic Empire, Space Opera, Sci Fi; My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.0; Narration 4.25.
  11. NG2019- #NetGalley Book Review: The Ethereal Squadron: A Wartime Fantasy (The Sorcerers of Verdun) by Shami Stovall; Genre: Action, Historical Fantasy, Historical Military; My Rating: 4.75 of 5.0.
  12. ATBR- Audible Book Review: The Beekeeper's Apprentice (Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes #1) by Laurie R. King; Genre: Detective Mystery, Historical Mystery; My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.5; Narration 4.5..
  13. ATBR- Audible Book Review: The Importance of Being Earnest (Dramatized) by Oscar Wilde; Genre: Drama, Humor, Theater, Victorian; My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.0; Narration 4.0.
  14. NG2019- #NetGalley Book Review: The Lady in the Coppergate Tower by Nancy Campbell Allen; Genre: Mystery, Steampunk, Victorian; My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0.
  15. ATBR- Audio Book Review: Death Cloud by Andrew Lane; Genre: Detective, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Young Adult Ages 12+; My Rating: 4.75 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.5; Narration 5.0.
  16. ATBR- Audible Book Review: I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore; Genre: Action, Alien, Sci Fi, Teen Romance; My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.0; Narration 4.0.
  17. ATBR- Audible Book Review: Roman Holiday, The Chronicles of St. Mary's. Book 3.5 by Jodi Taylor; Genre: Drama, Humor, Theater, Victorian; My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.0; Narration 4.0.
  18. NG2019- #NetGalley Book Review: The Beginner's Guide to Raising Chickens by Anne Kuo; Genre: Animal Husbandry, How To, NonFiction; My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0.
  19. ATBR- Audible Book Review: The Coming Storm by Michael Lewis; Genre: Environment, Political/Policies, Science & Technology; My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0 Overall; Story 3.75; Narration 4.0.
DNF:
Total read = 19, +1DNF; TBR = 12; New Authors = 15
Audio/Audible = 11 (11 TBRs)
eBook = 1 (1 TBRs)
NetGalley = 7 (0 TBRs)
Print = 0
Review books (other than NG)= 0

Goal Progress:
20 ahead on Goodreads Goal of 150
Total Read to Date: 120 of 150
TBR to Date: 58 of 100 total (I need to push this and the ebooks)
TBR ebooks: 10 of 24
Audio to Date: 65 of 75
NetGalley to Date: 42 of 40
Author Reviews: 5 of 12
Nonfiction: 7 of 12

• ebTBRs: 1 +2 +2 +2 +1 +0 +1 +1
• Author titles: 1 +0 +3 +0 +1 +0 +0 +0
• New to me Series: 5 +5 +8 +10 +8 +9 +9 +7
• Continuing for me Series: 3 +1 +2 +2 +2 +1 +2 +2
• Title with Month in it: 1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +0 +0 +0
• Seasonal title: Winter 1; Spring 2;
• Alphabet letters covered: 12 Jan + 3 Feb + 5 March + 2 April + 0 May + 1 June + 1 July + 1 August
(One letter left: X)

Sunday, September 1, 2019

Sunday Post September 1, 2019/It's Monday! What are You Reading? Plus Mailbox Monday September 2, 2019

Sunday Post #318 Chairs, Compliance, and Storms
I am linking with Sunday Post at Caffeinated Book Reviewer.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading now at The Book Date (at Wordpress).
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.

Our last week got very busy with everyone trying to close before the end of the month. My plan to get some new foreclosures and probates filed as well as some will signings all got pushed off till next week.
I'm hoping to have a little relaxing time on Labor Day although our situation is dependent as we watch the path of Hurricane Dorian.

I realized I am behind in my TBR goal so I have been pushing TBR audiobooks. Getting the TBR eBooks is not going to happen anytime soon.
I had another fun week of reading/listening. I finished six titles: 4 audiobooks and 2 ebooks. I posted four reviews and my usual memes.


I only visited 15 blogs last week.
Shout Out this week to Rachel's Random Reads. Rachel has a fun book blog and also book tour blog. Check it out!
Thank you to all the nice people who visit me.

These were last week's posts:
  • ATBR- Audio Book Review: Death Cloud by Andrew Lane; Genre: Detective, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Young Adult Ages 12+; My Rating: 4.75 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.5; Narration 5.0.

Finished Reading:
1. eBook/Kindle (NG2019)



The Lady in the Coppergate Tower
by Nancy Campbell Allen

This was a good fantasy mystery.
Source: 2019 NetGalley.
Click on book title for full description.



2. Audio/Smartphone (ATBR)
DEATH CLOUD


DEATH CLOUD
by Andrew Lane
Narrated by Dan Weyman
(Macmillan Audio)
This is another fun Sherlock ‘spinoff’ listen.
Another TBR listen.
SYNC August 1 – August 7, 2013
Click on book title for full description.



3. Audio/Smartphone (ATBR)
I Am Number Four audiobook cover art


I Am Number Four
By: Pittacus Lore
Narrated by: Neil Kaplan
Length: 11 hrs and 6 mins
Release date: 08-03-10
Hubby and I had recently watched the movie so I pulled this as another TBR.
I enjoyed the fast listen.
Source: 11/6/2018 AUdible Daily Deal $3.95.
Publisher's Summary
Nine of us came here. We look like you. We talk like you. We live among you. But we are not you. We can do things you dream of doing. We have powers you dream of having. We are stronger and faster than anything you have ever seen. We are the superheroes you worship in movies and comic books but we are real.
Our plan was to grow, and train, and become strong, and become one, and fight them. But they found us and started hunting us first. Now all of us are running. Spending our lives in shadows, in places where no one would look, blending in. we have lived among you without you knowing.
But they know.
They caught Number One in Malaysia.
Number Two in England.
And Number Three in Kenya.
They killed them all.
I am Number Four.
I am next.
Also included is a sneak listen to the first chapter of the next book in the series. Enjoy!
©2010 Pittacus Lore (P)2010 HarperCollins Publishers



4. Audio/Smartphone (ATBR)



Roman Holiday
The Chronicles of St. Mary's
By: Jodi Taylor
Narrated by: Zara Ramm
Series: The Chronicles of St Mary's, Book 3.5
Length: 1 hr and 12 mins
These are always fun listens. I am pushing to get in more TBRs.
Source: November 2015 Audible Free title.
Publisher's Summary
Another rollicking short story from the Chronicles of St Mary’s author Jodi Taylor.
Question: What sort of idiot installs his mistress in his wife’s house? Especially when that mistress is Cleopatra VII Thea Philopator, queen of Egypt and the most notorious woman of her time? Answer: Julius Caesar - poised to become king of Rome. Or as good as.
Question: At this potentially sensitive point in your political manoeuvrings, who are the last people you’d want crashing through the door, observing, recording, documenting...? I think we all know the answer to that one.
Roman Holiday - an epic, standalone tale set in Ancient Rome, 44 BC, featuring, in no particular order: an attempted murder; stampeding bullocks; Cleopatra, queen of the Nile; a bowl of poisonous snakes; a smallish riot; Julius Caesar; and Mr Markham’s wayward bosoms.
Jodi Taylor is and always has been a history nut. Her disinclination to get out of bed for anything after 1485 can only be overcome by massive amounts of chocolate and sometimes, if it's raining, not even then. She wanted to write a book about time travel that was a little different and, not having a clue how difficult this would make her book to classify, went ahead and slung in elements of history, adventure, comedy, romance, tragedy, and anything else she could think of. Her advice to booksellers is to buy huge numbers of her books and just put one on every shelf.
©2014 Jodi Taylor (P)2015 Audible, Ltd



5. eBook/Phone and Kindle (NG2019)
The Beginner's Guide to Raising Chickens: How to Raise a Happy Backyard Flock by [Kuo, Anne]


The Beginner's Guide to Raising Chickens
by Anne Kuo
I enjoyed this informative book.
Source: 2019 NetGalley.
Click on book title for full description.



6. Audio/Smartphone (ATBR)
The Coming Storm audiobook cover art


The Coming Storm
By: Michael Lewis
Narrated by: Michael Lewis
Length: 2 hrs and 27 mins
Release date: 07-31-18
I have been meaning to listen to this as another quick TBR. I didn't realize how timely it would be as another hurricane is heading towards Florida and the East Coast.
Source: 9/8/18 Free Audible Originals.
About This Audible Original
Tornadoes, cyclones, tsunamis…Weather can be deadly—especially when it strikes without warning. Millions of Americans could soon find themselves at the mercy of violent weather if the public data behind lifesaving storm alerts gets privatized for personal gain. In his first Audible Original, New York Times best-selling author and journalist Michael Lewis delivers hard-hitting research on not-so-random weather data—and how Washington plans to release it. He also digs deep into the lives of two scientists who revolutionized climate predictions, bringing warning systems to previously unimaginable levels of accuracy. One is Kathy Sullivan, a gifted scientist among the first women in space; the other, D.J. Patil, is a trickster-turned-mathematician and a political adviser. Most urgently, Lewis’s narrative reveals the potential cost of putting a price tag on information that could save lives. Please note The Fifth Risk includes the entirety of The Coming Storm.
© 2018 Michael Lewis (P) 2018 Audible Originals, LLC



Currently Reading:
1. eBook/Kindle (Ladies Book Club)
27830287


It Started with Goodbye
by Christina June
I am just starting this for Ladies Book Club.
meeting September 14, 2019.
Source: Print books discounted through Christianbook.com. I picked up the Kindle version this week.
Click on book title for full description.



2. Audio/Smartphone (ATBR)
An Accidental Death: A DC Smith Investigation Series, Book 1


An Accidental Death: A DC Smith Investigation Series, Book 1
Written by: Peter Grainger
Narrated by: Gildart Jackson

I like the beginning of this detective story.
I'm working on more TBRs that are  under 10 hrs.
Source: February 2017 Audible Daily Deal $2.95.
Publisher's Summary
The story opens with the apparently accidental drowning of a sixth form student in the Norfolk countryside. As a matter of routine, or so it seems, the case passes across the desk of Detective Sergeant Smith, recently returned to work after an internal investigation into another case that has led to tensions between officers at Kings Lake police headquarters. As an ex-DCI, Smith could have retired by now, and it is clear that some of his superiors wish that he would do so. The latest trainee detective to work with him is the son of a member of his former team, and together they begin to unravel the truth about what happened to Wayne Fletcher. As the investigation proceeds, it becomes clear that others are involved - some seem determined to prevent it, some seem to be taking too much interest. In the end, Smith operates alone, having stepped too far outside standard procedures to ask for support. He knows that his own life might be at risk but he has not calculated on the life of his young assistant also being put in danger.
©2013 Peter Grainger (P)2016 Tantor



3. eBook/Kindle (NG2019)
42075423


Storm Rising
by Ronie Kendig
I like this author and am 
looking forward to reading this.
Source: 2019 NetGalley.
Mentioned in the pages of the Septuagint but lost to history, the Book of the Wars has resurfaced, and its pages hold secrets--and dangers--never before seen on earth.
Tasked with capturing the ancient text, former Navy SEAL Leif Metcalfe is finally given command of his own team. But their best efforts are ruined when a notorious Bulgarian operative known as "Viorica" snatches the volume right out from under them.
Iskra "Viorica" Todorova is determined to use the book to secure the thing that matters most--freedom. But a series of strange storms erupts around the globe and the coming dangers foretold in the text threaten crops, lives--entire nations. Though both are haunted by secrets of the past and neither trusts the other, Leif and Iskra must form an uneasy alliance to thwart impending disaster. However, the truth hidden in two-
thousand-year-old words could unleash the storm of their own destruction.



September 1, 2019 - I am still enjoying the devotions and readings with the One Year Bible plan through You Version App. I will complete a 3 day plan today: Morning Has Broken. [You can check out audio of the One Year Bible Plan on the companion commentary online.]


I completed six books and posted four reviews so that puts me with five reviews to post.
I have been adding newer reviews to NetGalley, Goodreads, Amazon and Audible. (Eventually I will add older reviews.)
My NetGalley shelf is now at 10 unread. I have pulled/read titles released and on my list before July. Next week I expect to start titles I received in July. [Plus I have 4 old titles (2012-13.)]
I have three author ebook titles left in queue. I plan to get caught up on these too- I better start soon.
Still many titles through InstaFreebie and many new author requests I haven't replied to.

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 my second review title this week for Ladies Book Club. 
I resisted daily deals again this week. I did pick my second Audible Originals for August.
I selected 13 free kindle titles this week. (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
The second summer book for Ladies Book Club:
25669067. sx318 One Paris Summer
by Denise Grover Swank
"While the summer Sophie dreaded promises to become best summer of her life, one person could ruin it all."




Won
NONE

Purchased
NONE ( I am eyeing the 3 for 2 credit sale in Audible so I might have those books soon.)

Free
8/28/19 August 2nd Free Audible Original
Foreverywhere audiobook cover art
Foreverywhere
By: Steve Burns, Steven Drozd, Gabe Soria
Narrated by: Steve Burns, Carly Ciarrocchi, Stephanie Mayers
Length: 3 hrs



8/28/19 August VIP Free selection at Audiobooks.com
Midnight Crossroad, Charlaine HarrisMidnight Crossroad
By Charlaine Harris
Narrated By: Susan Bennett
Duration: 9 h 31 min


13 free titles were added this week to my Kindle library. 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 September 1, 2019

We shared prayer concerns this week and then our Sunday School teacher shared a lesson based on the story of Gideon in Judges 6 and 7. The youth led an engaging time of praise and worship.

Pastor continued his sermon series on Culture Shift.
The first we looked outside the church to note the Point: We must lead people by our lives, to the real Jesus of the Bible. Last week he discussed the need for shift within: the Point: Every person most positively contribute to a culture of KINDNESS.

Pastor recalled when he and his wife were young newlyweds that had very little. They were more than happy to accept the hand-downs from family and friends. After a number of years they decided they could upgrade by replacing grandma’s slow cooker with a new one. They had three yard sales where they got a lesson on the value of their items. It became clear that their time was more valuable than the amount they gained at the sales.

We have to make choices every day on how we use our time. Some choose to go to Sunday School as more important than staying in bed. Some choose to go to Church as more important than going to the beach. (Some could choose to go to church on the beach.)

What value do we give to God? Do we truly worship our God or do we push Him to the sidelines and only seek Him when we are desperate? Is our promise of satisfaction in God or something or someone else?

Church events are only part of worship. When do we commit to unconditional worship? Nothing compares to God and being in His presence. Can we, will we remove what hinders our unconditional worship?

John 4 tells the story of Jesus meeting a Samaritan woman. The woman asks about worship in v19 and Jesus discusses worship in v20-24 concluding: “God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” John 4:24.

A lifestyle of worship. We need to hear God's voice. It has been said: Worship is an expression of God's worth in our lives.

The Point: The only way to truly worship God is to find all our satisfaction in Him.

Paul urges us to offer our “bodies as a living sacrifice,…” Romans 12: 1-2.
We may have to change how we think. We did to commit that God is above everything else. It may change our values, our priorities.
Everyday we have a choice.
Do you need to adjust your priorities in your life? Who or what do you find satisfaction in before God?

This was one of our worship songs this morning and it certainly fits the message: 
Build My Life.
Verses for Today:
Romans 12:1-2 (NIV)
12 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.


I pray Lord that you will help me every morning to remember that You alone deserve the first place in my life and time.






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