Saturday, March 20, 2021

Broken to Beautiful

What do you do when life is unfair, all hope is lost and God seems absent?

Life does not always turn out the way we hope. It is often unfair, filled with hurt and rocked by disappointment. Even as Christians we find ourselves wondering if God is really there.

Jeannine Bennett is no exception; she understands all too well the struggles of life that hit so hard they take your breath away and leave you broken. But she’s also discovered that our greatest trials in life are always used by God for good, nothing we experience is ever wasted. In Broken to Beautiful, Jeannine invites us into her journey of how God captured her heart. With vulnerability, tenacity and humor, she helps us to recognize that brokenness is not the end of our story. God has a plan for each of us and it is beautiful. No matter how great your struggle, your loss, or your disappointment, God is still in control and his promises are real. She helps us understand that it’s not just our story its God’s story too.

My thoughts: This book was so encouraging! I love how Jeannine Bennett opens up about the really hard things that have happened in her life that have come as a result of living in a fallen world and how God has turned those heartbreaks into something beautiful. I really appreciated her approach with this book and how she shares from personal experience. This is a wonderful book to pick up!

I received this book from Celebrate Lit. This is my honest review.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Jeannine Bennett is a wife, mother, and grandmother. She is also the founder and CEO of Vision to Purpose, located in Virginia Beach, Virginia, an adjunct faculty member in the School of Business for Liberty University Online, and an executive coach for The Honor Foundation.

To those who know Jeannine, she is simply a woman who loves Jesus, is devoted to her family, and struggles with life’s challenges like the rest of us. She is not immune to bad hair days, shrinking clothes (weight gain), or sleepless nights. She loves learning and sharing the knowledge acquired to help others learn too. Her favorite ice cream is a toss-up between butter pecan and mint chocolate chip. And, although she has lived in Virginia for more than 30 years, she still calls a water fountain a bubbler. A term she grew up saying in her hometown of Racine, Wisconsin.

More from Jeannine

“To Be a Light for Others”

People often ask why I chose to share such personal details of my life. Truth be told, to be a light for others. For years I wanted to write a book. It took me a long time to grow the courage necessary to begin the journey. Since I was sharing my testimony, I had to be okay with being vulnerable. I needed to be strong enough to reveal those intimate life details with others. The process became easier once I realized my story was God’s story, too!

Everyone goes through struggles in life, but those trials do not have to leave us broken. We can find hope, peace, and restoration with God, even in the most difficult of circumstances. Nothing we experience is ever wasted. God uses everything.

In Broken to Beautiful, you will find a series of events that read like a tragedy, comedy, drama, and horror show. It is full of hurt, deceit, grief, heartache, and devastation. However, thanks to God, it is also full of great joy, many blessings, countless rewards, lots of love, and a whole bunch of never-ending hope.

It is my sincerest desire that this book serves as a blessing to those who read it.

In Christ,

Jeannine

Blog Stops

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, March 11

Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, March 12

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, March 13

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, March 14

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, March 15

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, March 15

Library Lady’s Kid Lit, March 16

Locks, Hooks and Books, March 17

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, March 18

Texas Book-aholic, March 19

Mary Hake, March 19

Rebecca Tews, March 20

Inklings and notions, March 21

For Him and My Family, March 22

Godly Book Reviews, March 22

deb’s Book Review, March 23

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, March 24

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Jeannine is giving away the grand prize of a $25 Amazon gift card!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/10938/broken-to-beautiful-celebration-tour-giveaway

Tuesday, March 16, 2021

Texas Target Standoff

A sniper lurks closer…

and only a navy SEAL can save her.

When psychologist Shelby Warren suddenly becomes a sniper’s target, navy SEAL Paul Avery springs into action to protect her. He needs her evaluation to get back to his team…and rescuing her might finally give him the redemption he’s been searching for. But when danger follows them to his family’s Texas ranch, keeping Shelby safe could be his most difficult assignment yet.

My thoughts: Pick this book up when you have a fair bit of time to sit and read, since you are going to want to just sit and binge read this whole story! When Shelby decides to go and assess Paul Avery to see if he is ready to return to duty, she comes into the cross hairs of an unknown assailant. The story doesn't let up with the suspense and action as the two bond together to try and figure out how the would be killer is tracking Shelby and what they want from her. This is a fantastic, suspenseful read! It is part of a series that revolves around Paul and his brothers, but you can read it as a stand alone.

I received this book from Celebrate Lit. This is my honest review and is in no way influenced by receiving a complimentary copy.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

virginia-vaughan-HR-2 Bestselling author Virginia Vaughan writes inspirational romantic suspense. Blessed to come from a large, southern family, her fondest memories include listening to stories recounted by family and friends around the large dinner table. She was a lover of books even from a young age, devouring gothic romance novels and stories of romance, danger, and love. She soon started writing them herself. A former investigator for the State of Mississippi, Virginia utilizes her criminal justice background with her love or writing to transform words into powerful stories of romance and danger.

More from Virginia

As writers, we discover many new and interesting things while researching a story. For TEXAS TARGET STANDOFF, I decided I wanted the hero to have a dog so I started looking at different photographs of dogs online until I found the one image I wanted to use—a sweet little border collie I named Bullet. He helps my navy SEAL hero find comfort and friendship while he’s recovering from injuries at his family’s ranch. But looking at dog photos on the internet did more than help my character grow, it also inspired me to adopt a dog of my own.

My home had been pet-free for many years since my beloved dog Miss Duchess died from cancer five years ago and, although the ten-year-old nephew I’m raising had been asking for a dog for about a year, I hadn’t reached the point of pulling the trigger and bringing another one home. Only the research I did for this book reopened that desire inside of me for canine companionship. In September of 2020, my son and I searched the shelters in search of a family dog and, when I spotted this adorable border collie mix, I knew we had to bring her home. We named her Ivy and, since joining our family, this sweet girl has brought us lots of love and laughter, plus a new adventure—dog training. I’ve never trained a dog in my life and little Ivy is a stubborn one. I’ve scoured YouTube for videos, taken classes, and worked daily on the simplest of commands like sit, wait, lie down. Slowly, we are making progress although barking, jumping, and walking on a leash are still some areas where we’re struggling.

I’d love to hear about your pets or your best training tips! To learn more about my family, including my training journey with Ivy, follow me on Facebook or subscribe to my newsletter at the links below. And look out for the next book—little sister Kellyanne’s story—in my Cowboy Lawmen series coming June 29, 2021.

Blessings!

Virginia

Blog Stops

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, March 12

For the Love of Literature, March 12

Through the Fire Blogs, March 12

Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, March 13

Bizwings Blog, March 13

Texas Book-aholic, March 14

Bigreadersite, March 14

Fiction Book Lover, March 14 (Guest Review from Donna Cline)

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, March 15

Genesis 5020, March 15

Hebrews 12 Endurance, March 16

For Him and My Family, March 16

Artistic Nobody, March 16 (Guest Review from Joni Truex)

Inklings and notions, March 17

Reviewingbooksplusmore, March 17

Older & Smarter?, March 18

deb’s Book Review, March 18

Book Bites, Bee Stings, & Butterfly Kisses, March 18

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, March 19

Blogging With Carol, March 19

Locks, Hooks and Books, March 20

Betti Mace, March 20

Mary Hake, March 20

Lighthouse Academy, March 21

Tell Tale Book Reviews, March 21

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, March 22

Blossoms and Blessings, March 22

Labor Not in Vain, March 22

KarenSueHadley, March 23

She Lives To Read, March 23

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, March 23

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, March 24

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, March 24

Pause for Tales, March 24

Gina Holder, Author and Blogger, March 25 (Author Interview)

HookMeInABook, March 25

Simple Harvest Reads, March 25 (Guest Review from Mindy Houng)

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Virginia is giving away the grand prize package of a $25 Amazon gift card and a copy of Texas Target Standoff!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/1095e/texas-target-standoff-celebration-tour-giveaway

Monday, March 15, 2021

The Feeler

The Scriptures give us a full-color picture of a God who is moved by emotions such as yearning, love, and compassion. Our human emotions reflect the emotional qualities of our Creator, who made us in His own image. Feelings have a vital place in any believer’s life, not just in those who have a more sensitive nature due to their personalities.

The Feeler by James W. Goll delivers a remarkable biblical perspective on our emotions and how they help us to discern and act on God’s voice. We experience the love, joy, and presence of God with our feelings. Our emotions have an impact on our bodies, our level of holiness, our relationships, and our decisions.

The Bible tells us we need to have our “senses trained to discern good and evil” (Hebrews 5:14 NASB). What are we training? Both our natural senses and our spiritual senses. Our physical senses, with the addition of “knowing,” correspond to our spiritual senses in these ways:

Eyes (sight): visions and dreams
Ears (hearing): voices and sounds
Heart (touch): emotions and feelings
Tongue (taste): good and evil
Nose (smell): good and bad
Mind (knowing): divine thoughts and impressions

This book will show you how to listen for and recognize the often subtle ways God’s Spirit speaks to believers, as well as how to discern good and evil spirits. With consecrated gifts and senses, you can reach out to the body of Christ and to the world at large in both spiritual and practical ways, making you much better equipped to fulfill your role as an ambassador of the gospel.

My thoughts: I never really put a lot of thought into emotions and how they are one of the many ways that we are made in the image of God. I love how this book focused on the feelings we experience and how we can use them to listen to the Spirit's still small voice. I thought that this book did a great job of getting me to think more and to appreciate the emotions side of worship and listening to the Lord. This is a wonderful book to pick up!

I received this book from Celebrate Lit. This is my honest review.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

DR. JAMES W. GOLL is the president of God Encounters Ministries, formerly known as Encounters Network, and has founded numerous ministries including Prayer Storm and Women on the Frontlines. He is a member of the Harvest International Ministries (HIM) apostolic team and an instructor for the Wagner Leadership Institute and Christian Leadership University.
With great joy, James has shared Jesus in more than fifty nations, teaching and imparting the power of intercession, prophetic ministry, and life in the Spirit.
James is a prolific author. Among his books are The Seer, The Discerner, Strike the Mark, Releasing Spiritual Gifts Today, Passionate Pursuit, The Coming Israel Awakening, The Lost Art of Intercession, and the award-winning The Lifestyle of a Prophet. He has also recorded multiple classes with corresponding study guides and full curriculum kits.
In the spirit of revival and reformation, James desires to facilitate unity in body of Christ by relationally networking with leaders of various denominational streams. His passion is to “win for the Lamb the rewards of His suffering.” Praying for Israel is a burden of his heart as Israel fulfills her role in the consummation of the ages.
James and Michal Ann were married for thirty-two years before her graduation to heaven in the fall of 2008. James has four adult children, Justin, GraceAnn, Tyler, and Rachel, all of whom are married, and a growing number of grandchildren. James makes his home in the rolling hills of Franklin, TN.

More from James

THE FEELER is a fascinating biblical look at how to receive divine direction through your God-given emotions. Though not part of an official series, THE FEELER completes a trilogy [The Seer and The Discerner] that stimulate our spiritual senses in hearing and acting on God’s voice.

Blog Stops

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, March 13

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, March 14

Texas Book-aholic, March 15

Holly Jo Morris, March 15

Inklings and notions, March 16

For Him and My Family, March 17

Locks, Hooks and Books, March 18

Transformation Journey, March 18

Abba’s Prayer Warrior Princess, March 19

deb’s Book Review, March 20

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, March 21

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, March 22

Spoken from the Heart, March 23

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, March 23

Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, March 24

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, March 25

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, March 26

Mary Hake , March 26

Giveaway

To celebrate his tour, James is giving away a $20 Starbucks gift card and copy of the book!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/1093b/the-feeler-celebration-tour-giveaway

Saturday, March 13, 2021

Painted Memories

She moved on when the love of her life died in the war, but what will happen when she finds out he’s alive?

Olivia Jernigan never thought she’d get over Grady. But three years after his death, she’s on the verge of marrying Kenneth Wade when she receives a new painting by her deceased fiancé. Olivia flees home to learn what really happened to the man she thought died in the Korean War. The man she thought loved her enough to come home for her.

Grady Barnes woke up three years ago in a hospital room with no knowledge of his identity. The only memory to resurface is the image of a woman he can’t stop painting. When she suddenly shows up at his painting class, she may help him discover where he really belongs or she may disrupt the life he was building for himself.

Olivia and Grady have a history. But now, they wonder if they still have a future … or perhaps, their love is just a painted memory.

My thoughts: I thought that the premise of this story was a very different one than what I have ever read before, with a couple torn apart by war and memory loss, and to find out that the man that you thought you lost is still alive. That would be quite an emotional roller coaster to be on! I love how the author told the story from both the past and the present, giving the reader a fuller picture of what it would be like to be in Olivia's shoes. I loved the message of the story and highly recommend picking up a copy of this book!

I received this book from Celebrate Lit. This is my honest review.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

AMHeath Besides being an Indie Author, I’m a wife, mother of four, children’s Sunday School teacher, sweet tea drinker, history fanatic, romantic, bubbly, lover of broccoli, and a retired cake decorator who has a soft spot for Christmas trees, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, and sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ.
What I’m not is a laundress (or at least not one who keeps up very well), a duster, tall, or patient in a doctor’s office.

More from A.M. Heath

The Blessing of Unexpected Research

With any novel, there’s always a measure of research involved. While historical novels are more in-depth, even contemporary novels need research when the characters are involved in a job or a setting the author isn’t familiar with. Research can feel so random at times. It’s almost comical the strange topics you end up spending an hour or longer digging into online.

As I sat down to write Painted Memories, I was already well into the first drafts of Dance With Me and Yesterday’s Christmas, so the 1950s setting wasn’t as foreign to me as it once had been. But there were newer aspects involved.

For example, I recently found myself researching long-distance calls during the 1950s. And I often look up commonly misspoken phrases/words.

One of the ways I love to research is to imagine myself in the character’s shoes. Sometimes I have opportunities to play pretend. Maybe a little red lipstick or a new hairstyle to help me get into character. Visiting a historical home to get a feel for the lifestyle from long ago. A walk in the rain might be an opportunity to imagine the weary march of a soldier. A bad case of strep was once inspiration for a character on their death bed.

But, by far, the most memorable research experience was given to me by surprise. It was one of those things that I didn’t ask for and I wasn’t thrilled with when it happened but, even at that moment, I couldn’t help noticing the timing of it all and the big way God would use it for good.

I forgot the PIN to my debit card.

We all forget things from time to time. But this was a PIN that I used multiple times a week for nearly twenty years.

YIKES!

I was standing at the register when “poof” the code disappeared from my brain. I remember standing there in panic because nothing came to mind. I punched in a couple of combinations but neither was correct.

I spent the next couple of weeks trying to remember it but I never did.

It was confusing and scary. I remember searching my brain but there was only empty darkness. Yet, I could feel it. I could practically sense it right on the edge of my mind, but I never could bring it any closer.

I was amazed at my sudden connection to Grady. When I wrote for him, I put myself in his shoes and imagined what it would feel like. But when a small piece of my memory suddenly disappeared, I had a new understanding. When I wrote his scenes where he talks about sensing a memory close by but never being able to bring it any closer, I wrote that from experience. That’s exactly how it felt for me.

I had started the first draft about 2 weeks before I forgot my PIN. So instead of being angry, I couldn’t help being grateful. I thanked God and put my experience to good use. It was all I could do.

Sometimes we’re not dealt with the easiest hand. But if we’re willing to let Him, God can still use it for our good and His glory. In the book, Grady and Olivia talk about how God redeemed the time they thought was lost. That time when they thought everything was ruined and nothing was going right, God was using in a subtle but remarkable way.

The Christian life is often like that. We tend to think that something has lost all purpose but God is redeeming it and making it into something beautiful.

I’d love to hear from you. Is there a moment in your life when it seemed that all was lost but looking back you can see how God was using it for good?