Have A New You By Friday - by Dr. Kevin Leman

My Thoughts:

As far as self help books go, this one was pretty good. It helps you see the problem areas and gives you practical steps to changing them.
Never having read any of Dr. Leman's books before I was properly impressed with this one. The author is a great storyteller and the book overall is very engaging and interesting. I would recommend this book to those looking to make a change in their life.



You can change your life--in just 5 days!
How many times have you tried to change your own habits, only to find that changing yourself is even harder than trying to change someone else?
Now, what the bestselling Have a New Kid by Friday has done for families and Have a New Husband by Friday has done for couples,Have a New You by Friday will do for you. With his signature wit and commonsense psychology, Dr. Kevin Leman walks you through your own personal five-day action plan. You will come to

• Accept the truth about yourself
• Boost your confidence by identifying the lies you're telling yourself . . . and putting them to rest for good
• Change your life by concentrating on becoming who you really want to be

Dr. Kevin Leman is an internationally known psychologist, radio and television personality, and speaker who has taught and entertained audiences worldwide with his wit and commonsense psychology. He has made house calls for hundreds of radio and television programs, including The View,Today, Oprah, CBS's The Early Show, CNN'sAmerican Morning, and LIFE Today with James Robison. He has also served as a contributing family psychologist to Good Morning America.

A bestselling and award-winning author, Dr. Leman has written more than 30 books about marriage and family issues, including The Birth Order Book, Sheet Music, Making Children Mind without Losing Yours, and Have a New Kid by Friday. He is coauthor, with his son Kevin Leman II, of a series of illustrated children's books for each child in the family. He is also featured on 6 video series on marriage, parenting, blended families, and single parenting.

Dr. Leman and his wife, Sande, live in Tucson, Arizona. They have 5 children and 2 grandchildren.

City of Tranquil Light by Bo Caldwell

My Thoughts:

This was a fantastic book! I admit that right now in my life, as I look to the future and moving into a new position at work of leading teams of people to China for short term mission trips, I may be a little biased toward all things having to do with China. That possibility aside, the book was well written and it was a wonderful story that chronicled the lives of some extraordinary people and the sacrifices they made in order to do what God had called them to do! Inspiring! I must admit that I am glad that I did not live back in those times and had to go through the hardships that they endured. But I can say that I hope that I will have the courage to live my life as faithfully as these people did.
Thanks to Bo Caldwell for sharing such a tremendously wonderful story!

City of Tranquil Light

Author Bo Caldwell shares an inspired story of a young couple

whose marriage and faith are put to the test in Revolutionary China

Bo Caldwell’s 2001 debut novel, The Distant Land of My Father, set in historic China and based on the story of her uncle, was a critical and commercial success—a national bestseller that was loved by critics, booksellers, and readers in equal measure. In 2002 Caldwell turned to the story of her maternal grandparents who were missionaries in China in the early 1900s. For years her mother had urged her to write about them and when she dove into the research she found their lives full of conflict, danger, and heartbreak, as well as joy and fulfillment. But life, in the form of a cancer diagnosis, kept her from her writing desk until 2006. When she returned, she completed City of Tranquil Light (Henry Holt and Company), a searing love story of a man and a woman, their God, and the country they jointly loved and a deeply researched and page-turning portrait of a country in utter turmoil.

At the center of the novel are Will and Katherine, two Mennonite missionaries from the heartland who have come to China because they feel called by God to serve the poor and spread the Good News. But this is more than a missionary story; it is really the portrait of a marriage set against the backdrop of a radically shifting nation that is plunging into revolution.

A novel based on her grandparents wasn’t Caldwell’s idea. “I’m embarrassed to say that before I had dismissed my grandparents’ lives as too dull and simplistic. But as I reread my grandfather’s memoir and began to ask my mom about my grandparents, I learned how wrong I’d been.” As she began to see her grandparents as her mother had seen them, and to read the biographies and autobiographies of other American missionaries in China, Caldwell found similar stories. “I saw a pattern emerge in the later lives of many of these men and women. Most eventually returned to the United States, usually to be near their children (now grown) and grandchildren, but also because of illness or frailty. I was moved by the contrast between their lives in China and their later lives in the U.S. After enduring decades of war, famine, illness, personal danger, and great hostility toward their work, these people settled safely in the suburbs where they walked in rose gardens and played with their grandchildren and lived out their days. I was struck by the sacrifice that must have been involved in leaving the people and work that had been at the center of their lives, even with the reward of the comforts of modern life. I also began to feel that missionaries often get a bad rap in fiction. While there were certainly those who exploited the people they had come to serve, there were also many who poured out their lives for strangers and for their faith. And I wanted to tell their story.”

That story is one of marriage, of leaving one home and finding another, and of faith. “When I began the novel, I tried to understand my grandfather’s faith and to present it accurately,” says Caldwell. “I tried to see the world through his eyes.” Then life intervened, including a battle to quit drinking followed shortly after with a diagnosis of breast cancer. Once Caldwell returned to writing two years later, she returned as a different person. The combination of sobriety and a serious illness had affected her faith deeply, and she was no longer writing about her grandparents’ faith. She was writing about her own.

City of Tranquil Light by Bo Caldwell

Henry Holt and Company - September 28, 2010

ISBN: 978-0-8050-9228-8 – hardcover - $25.00

http://us.macmillan.com/cityoftranquillight

Choosing To See - by Mary Beth Chapman and Ellen Vaughn

My Thoughts: 
I was so incredibly moved by this book. Likely it's impact was heightened by the fact that I had just gotten back from leading a missions trip working with disabled and abandoned children in Changsha, the same town that the Chapmans adopted their children from, but it went deeper. This book is inspiring, touching, heartbreaking, raw, completely honest and so much more. The content of this book made me laugh and cry but more than that it carried some heavy life lessons, ones that I would not wish on any family and I applaud Mary Beth for putting it out there for all to see, so that others may know what God is doing in their lives. It's a bold move. I would like to thank her for all of it and let her know that it has changed my heart. 

"Every now and then a book comes along that is not only great--it's a gift. An extravagant gift. This is one of those books."--Beth Moore

From the beginning, Mary Beth Chapman's life was not how she planned. All she wanted was a calm, peaceful life of stability and control. Instead, God gave her an award-winning singer/songwriter husband, crazy schedules, and a houseful of creatively rambunctious children. Most difficult of all, God's plans for her also included tragedy.
In Choosing to SEE, Mary Beth unveils her struggle to allow God to write the story of her life, both the happy chapters and the tragic ones. And as the story unfolds, she's been forced to wrestle with some of life's biggest questions: Where is God when things fall apart? Why does God allow terrible things to happen? How can I survive hard times?
No matter where you find yourself in your own life story, you will treasure the way Mary Beth shows that even in the hard times, there is hope if you choose to SEE.

Endorsements

"Mary Beth makes the deepest places of our being easier to embrace and grasp. I felt like I was looking at my own heart exposed on the pages of this book."--Denise Jonas, mother of the Jonas Brothers

"Mary Beth has an important story to tell that starts long before the accident. It's a story of heartache, betrayal, depression, and loss. Yet her encouragement to us is that there is hope--spring is coming."--Mark (of Casting Crowns) and Melanie Hall

"Mary Beth has opened the doors of her stories to us so that our deepest fears may be overcome with hope. And so that we can all walk in a deeper trust that God is good . . . all the time."--Toby (TobyMac) and Amanda McKeehan
"When the world is telling us to suffer alone in despair and hopelessness, the Chapmans are fixing their eyes on Christ and faithfully walking each step clinging to the Lord and the hope we have in the promises in His Word."--Bart (of Mercy Me) and Shannon Millard
"This tender story will capture your heart and point you back to the One who restores, replenishes, and renews . . . even when He asks us to do hard, seemingly impossible things."--Wess Stafford, president and CEO of Compassion International
"With a balanced combination of heart-wrenching honesty and absolute grace, Mary Beth shares her 'severe mercy.' I couldn't help but sense God's presence in every sentence."--Mary Graham, president of Women of Faith
"Mary Beth and Steven Curtis Chapman are living their story in a way that brings glory to God and real, practical help to the body of Christ. You won't be able to put this book down until you've wept, laughed, and relished every page."--Chuck Colson, founder of Prison Fellowship and the Chuck Colson Center for Christian Worldview

Mary Beth Chapman is the wife of Grammy and Dove Award winning recording artist Steven Curtis Chapman. Together they began Show Hope, a nonprofit organization dedicated to caring for the world's most vulnerable children by providing financial assistance to families wishing to adopt, as well as increasing awareness of the orphan crisis and funneling resources to orphans domestically and internationally. Mary Beth serves as president of Show Hope and is a speaker for Women of Faith 2010 with her husband. She is also coauthor with Steven of the Shaoey and Dot series of children's picture books. Mary Beth and Steven have six children: Emily, Caleb, Will Franklin, and adopted daughters Shaohannah Hope, Stevey Joy, and Maria Sue, who is now with Jesus. The Chapmans live in Tennessee.
www.MaryBethChapman.com

Ellen Vaughn is a bestselling author and inspirational speaker. Her recent books include It's All About Him with Denise Jackson (wife of Alan Jackson), which debuted at #1 on the New York Timesnonfiction list. She is also coauthor with Chuck Colson of Being the Body. In addition to her nonfiction work, Vaughn is an award-winning novelist. She lives in the Washington, D.C., area with her husband, Lee.

Recent info on Little Town of Bethlehem

Nationwide Launch of Film on Palestinian-Israeli Nonviolent Movement

Film Director Jim Hanon guest on FOX News HQ Sunday

Click here to view interview

Oklahoma City, OK—EthnoGraphic Media (EGM) marked the United Nation’s International Day of Peace by kicking off a 12-day launch of its latest documentary, Little Town of Bethlehem. The standing-room-only event at Boston College was hosted by the Faith, Peace and Justice Program in the Department of Sociology. The film director, Jim Hanon was interviewed on FOX Americas News HQ with Shannon Bream on Sunday September 26th.

Fox News anchor Shannon Bream introduced the film as a documentary that imagines peace in the Middle East.  Showing several clips from the film, Bream and Hanon discussed the need to reach people, especially college age people with the message of nonviolence.

The film is being screened on campuses nationwide and internationally this fall, and as part of the nationwide launch, the audience was given an opportunity to dialog with the film’s director as well as representatives from both sides of the conflict. Sami Awad, one of the film’s subjects commented on the audience response, “Students less familiar were clearly moved to learn more about the conflict and what they personally could do. Conversely, some who were growing weary after decades in the struggle for peace in the region were reenergized.”

About the film.

Filmed on location in the West Bank, Tel Aviv, and Jerusalem, Little Town of Bethlehem brings awareness to a growing nonviolent movement in the Middle East that rarely, if ever, makes international headlines.

Sami Awad is a Palestinian Christian whose grandfather was killed in Jerusalem in 1948. Today he is the executive director of Holy Land Trust, a non-profit organization that promotes Palestinian independence through peaceful means.

Yonatan Shapira is an Israeli Jew whose grandparents were Zionist settlers that witnessed the birth of the Israeli nation. Today he is an outspoken advocate for the nonviolent peace movement, both in his homeland and abroad.

Ahmad Al'Azzeh is a Palestinian Muslim who has lived his entire life in the Azzeh refugee camp in Bethlehem. Today, Ahmad heads the nonviolence program at Holy Land Trust, where he trains others in the methods of peaceful activism.

Little Town of Bethlehem was produced by EthnoGraphic Media (EGM), an educational non-profit organization exploring the critical issues of our time. For more information visit www.littletownofbethlehem.org

Little Town of Bethlehem a documentary from EGM Films

My Thoughts: 

This documentary was amazing! It was well done, concise, interesting and engaging. I can honestly say that I learned something from this. It was interesting to get the story from all sides and have a deeper understanding of the difficulties that have gripped the Middle East for centuries. I was so very thankful for this information and will be actively looking for more information regarding this topic of violence in the Middle East and how peace can be brought into the situation.

Thank you so much B&B media group for supplying this copy for me to review. 

To view the movie trailer click the link below:

http://littletownofbethlehem.org/

Is Peace in the Middle East Really Possible?

New film shares true stories of hope in the midst of violence

There is no shortage of opinions, emotions, and actions regarding finding “peace in the Middle East.” While some are familiar with the issue and others are personally impacted by the conflict, many more are unaware, uninformed, and unconcerned about this critical global issue. Little Town of Bethlehem is a groundbreaking new documentary that shares the gripping story of three men—a Palestinian Muslim, a Palestinian Christian, and an Israeli Jew—born into violence and willing to risk everything to bring an end to violence in their lifetime.

Filmed on location in the West Bank, Tel Aviv, and Jerusalem, Little Town of Bethlehem brings awareness to a growing non-violent movement in the Middle East that rarely, if ever, makes international headlines.

Sami Awad is a Palestinian Christian whose grandfather was killed in Jerusalem in 1948. Today he is the executive director of Holy Land Trust, a non-profit organization that promotes Palestinian independence through peaceful means. Yonatan Shapira is an Israeli Jew whose grandparents were Zionist settlers who witnessed the birth of the Israeli nation. Today he is an outspoken advocate for the non-violent peace movement, both in his homeland and abroad. Ahmad Al' Azzah is a Palestinian Muslim who has lived his entire life in the Azzah refugee camp in Bethlehem. Today, Ahmad heads the non-violence program at Holy Land Trust, where he trains others in the methods of peaceful activism.

Little Town of Bethlehem honestly and respectfully shares Sami’s, Yonatan’s, and Ahmad’s stories. With all three men referencing both Martin Luther King, Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi during individual interviews, it is clear that their words, thoughts, and actions on nonviolence are still profoundly impacting today’s nonviolent movement. The images of these three men standing firm in the face of overwhelming opposition are inspirational, but Little Town of Bethlehem is not just about inspiring viewers. The filmmakers also raise the question, “Can the cycle of violence be broken?”

Little Town of Bethlehem was produced by EthnoGraphic Media (EGM), an educational non-profit organization exploring the critical issues of our time. Other feature films and documentaries from EGM include The Grandfathers (2009), Miss HIV (2008), and the award-winning End of the Spear (2005) andBeyond the Gates of Splendor (2002).

Like all EGM films, Little Town of Bethlehem was created with a global youth audience in mind. But this film will connect with any viewer who desires a deeper understanding of conflict resolution. “The major themes in the film are universal and timeless. The desire to end violence through nonviolence is not a demographic phenomenon, though often it is youth that mobilize. The theme of this film is appropriate for anyone who deals with conflict. This hopeful message of equality is for all,” says Jim Hanon, chief creative officer at EGM and the film’s director. “Little Town of Bethlehem doesn’t focus on who’s right or who’s wrong. The focus is on three men from different places and with different backgrounds who struggle together toward this common goal through nonviolence. We feel that the nonviolent approach promoted by the film is a humanitarian message with the power to transcend religions, nations, politics, languages, and cultures.”  Watch the trailer at http://littletownofbethlehem.org/.

Follow EGM on Twitter @EGMfilms.

To request a review copy, contact:

Audra Jennings

Senior Media Specialist

The B&B Media Group

1-800-927-0517 Ext. 104 -  ajennings(at)tbbmedia.com

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The Bishop - by Steven James

My Thoughts:

A brilliant book!!! The characters were amazing the story lines were riviting and the case, although decribed in graphic detail which I was warned ahead of time would be as  such, was very well handled. It was so well done it was like I was watching it on screen, not just reading. Very well done!! 


Thinking about it after, if I had not know it was graphic content and just stumbled onto content like this I may have been alarmed, however that was not the case. I found that the content was not sensationalizing anything but was just describing what was going on. 


So without giving anything away, if you like crime scene tv shows or movies then I think you will like this book. It is easy to get wrapped up in so clear some time from your schedule! It's a thick book to get through. 

The game is on.
FBI Special Agent Patrick Bowers's cutting-edge skills are about to be pushed to the limit. When a young woman is found brutally murdered in Washington DC, her killers continue a spree of perfect crimes in the Northeast. But with nothing to link them to each other, Agent Bowers faces his most difficult case yet--even as his personal life begins to crumble around him.
The Bishop is a gripping, adrenaline-laced story for readers who are tired of timid thrillers. Strap on your seat belt and get ready for a wild ride.

Endorsements

 What everybody is talking about
"Be warned--James's books are not for the timid."--Mitch Galin, producer, Stephen King's The Stand
"Impossible to put down."--Kathleen Antrim, bestselling author,Capital Offense
"An intense, intelligent thriller. . . . Riveting!"--Karen Dionne, International Thriller Writers website chair
"James tells stories that grab you by the collar and don't let go."--Norb Vonnegut, author, Top Producer
"Absolutely brilliant."--Jeff Buick, bestselling author, Bloodline
"As thrilling and unexpected as any five-star action movie."--John Tinker, Emmy-award-winning writer

Critically acclaimed author Steven James has written more than twenty books, including the bestselling thriller series The Bowers Files. One of the nation's most innovative storytellers, Steven developed his skill as a performer at East Tennessee State University (MA in storytelling). He lives in Tennessee with his wife and three daughters.

"Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. 

Available at your favourite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group".

Healer by Linda Windsor

My Thoughts:

I loved this book! It was well written and so very engaging, by the end I felt like I had become good friends with the main characters. Through all of the twists and turns it was not totally unpredictable but it was a great Summer fun read, even though it took me till September to read it. 

I was also excited to see that this is actually the first in a series of books!!! I always hate when a good book ends so now I just have to be patient until the next one comes along. 

I would highly recommend this book, if you like old world Celtic books especially!!

A Mother’s Dying Prophecy. . . A Daughter’s Living Hope

An epic story of healing amid the chaos of warring clans

Sixth-century Arthurian Britain provides the backdrop for Linda Windsor’s latest novel,Healer. First in The Brides of Alba Series, Healer gifts readers with the story of Brenna of Gowrys, a woman orphaned during a twenty-year blood feud and destined to spend her life in hiding with only her wolf and her faith in God as companions. Brenna flees as much from her mother’s dying prophecy as she does from the clan that seeks her life and clings tenaciously to her faith in Christ amid the lonely hills of Scotland. When a stranger is left to die surrounded by the carnage of a nearby ambush, Brenna rescues him from certain death. However, the stranger’s delirious rants leave her to wonder if his spirit will survive the darkness that enshrouds him.

Brenna’s life is trapped between an enemy clan that wants her dead and her own clan who is seeking a warrior queen to lead them to military victory over their oppressors. The stranger who enters her life makes her believe that she has found the answer to her deep loneliness. Raised by a Sister of Avalon, Brenna harbors a firm belief in Christ and His forgiveness. Yet the more she learns of her wounded guest, the more she is left to wonder how God expects her to fulfill the strange destiny prophesied by her mother those many years ago. How can she possibly “bring a peace beyond the ken of [her enemy’s] wicked soul”? Unknown to her, the wandering mercenary to whom she administers her healing finds that his own heart is softened both toward Brenna and her God. The relationship that grows between them will provide answers that both of them seek.

Award-winning author Linda Windsor creates an epic tale of two desperate and lonely people whose destinies have been engineered by the church to preserve the ancient Davidic and holy apostolic bloodlines and their Judeo-Christian faith. This well-researched tale will introduce readers to little known facts of British church history, as well as provide information for an effective witness for family and friends misled by New Age and Wiccan theories. Fans of Celtic and medieval tales as well as lovers of Arthurian legend and Lord of the Rings-like settings will find much to enjoy in Windsor’s latest novel. Healer is a story that reveals God’s hand in the lives of broken hearts and wounded souls and the grace that will heal a land and a people, replacing darkness with His light.

The Healer (Book 1 in the Brides of Alba Series) by Linda Windsor

David C Cook/June 1, 2010/ISBN 978-1-4347-6478-2/351 pages/softcover/$14.99

www.davidccook.com ~ www.lindawindsor.com 

Book has been provided courtesy of The B&B Media Group

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