Heart Mender giveaway WINNER

I had Eli randomly pull a number out of a pile and as a result, Ann K. is the winner!

Book Review: The Heart Mender (and Giveaway!)

After I requested this book to review I went to the book's website to check it out. You can read the first two chapters online, so I did. I LOVED them! I was so excited to get the book, but of course I had to wait a week for it to be shipped. I truly enjoy a good love story and I expected to find one! Once my book arrived I was reading something else and had to finish it. Then I dug right in.

The book is split into three parts. In Part One, Andrews tells how he discovered this decades old story of mystery and love. Part Two is the story retold and Part Three is simply amazing. I would tell you about it, but I am not a storyteller like Andy Andrews and I would just ruin it. This book deals with resentment and anger and then forgiveness and the peace that accompanies it.

Andy Andrews was digging up an old dead tree in his back yard on the gulf coast of Alabama. He discovers a vegetable can that contains three photographs and a pile of German naval buttons from WW2 era. He researches all he can about the the buttons and what they mean, and talks to the old locals about why pieces of a Nazi uniform would be in Alabama. What he finds is a piece of history that got left out the media in 1942 and a love story to rival any fiction!

Josef Landermann is shot and thrown off a German submarine by the Nazi Party Representative on board. Helen Mason, a woman embittered by the death of her husband by the Nazis, finds him washed up, half dead on the beach by her house. She is at a loss of what to do when she discovers the man is an enemy.

The characters are funny and easy to relate to. The writing is poignant and interesting. The message is necessary.

The best part of this book- you can have one too! Thomas Nelson sent me an extra copy to giveaway! To enter leave a comment telling me what your favorite book is! This giveaway ends Sunday, May 23 at midnight!

I was provided this book for review by the publisher. My opinions are my own and I was not compensated in any other way.

The Myth of the Perfect Mother

A book I am reading.

I. need. this.

I cannot tell you if I agree theoloically with this book (I am only in the first chapter), but the few pages I have read have made me say, "Yes! Exactly! This is how I feel!"

Carla Barnhill says, "The real toll of motherhood often blindsides women who grow up believing that becoming a mother will be the greatest thing ever to happen to them. Instead of floating along in a sea of motherly bliss, many of us find ourselves conflicted, depressed, guilt-ridden, lonely, even suicidal. Sadly when these feelings begin to creep in, the last place many of us feel comfortable talking about them is in our churches."

I don't know what this lady is going to recommend, but at least someone understands me now.

Book Review: Jane Austen by Peter Leithart

I am not well read in Jane Austen books, so that may be the reason that I did not find this book interesting. The author was told stories not just of Jane but also of her family and friends. There were so many names I began to get confused, but also included in the back of the book is an appendix of the Austen's family, friends, and neighbors. This biography is not just a story of Jane Austen's life, but of how God and Christianity was entwined in her life. You learn of Jenny Austen's literary influences and the world she grew up in. I struggled to finish this book, but I did it! And while the book was well written, it is not one I will be keeping in my personal library, but I will pass it along so someone else can enjoy it! Jane Austen's work is still influencing literature and film 200 years later and I now know more about the woman behind the book.

I was provided a copy to review from Thomas Nelson Publishers. The opinions expressed are my own and I was not compensated in any other way.

Book Review: Plan B

Thomas Nelson Publishers sent me Plan B by Pete Wilson to review. The opinions expressed in the review are my own and I was not compensated in any other way.

I found myself thinking about this book over the weeks I read it. It would pop up in my mind during women's Bible study or in conversation with friends. Pete is a pastor of a growing church in Tennessee and he addresses an issue that occurs in everyone's life: what do you do when things don't go according to plan? Sometimes our plans go awry because of our poor planning or sin, but sometimes it seems we did nothing wrong, but still nothing goes right. Where is God in that? Has He abandoned me? Those questions and more are discussed in Plan B.

Pete shares stories from his own life as well as those he has pastored and counseled. Most importantly, Pete opens the Word of God and relates it to life! The 'hero's of faith' in the Bible all fell on difficult times; was God abandoning them? Pete shows that God was faithful to Job, Abraham, Mary, David, and others and that He is faithful to His children today. Even when Plan A has gone out the window, there is a Plan B, and often, that plan is better than we could have ever imagined! I would recommend this book to anyone who feels lost or abandoned. If you have been a believer in Christ for many years or are searching for hope, God will meet you in this book.

Good, Better, Best

This is the story of two sisters who were both excited about the guest coming to dinner at their home, but the way they showed it was different. One hurried around getting things ready, distracted by her preparations. The other sat and listened to the guest excited just to be near him. Perhaps the first sister grew a little bitter and resented the second. Here she was doing all the work, and her sister just sat! She asked that her sister help, but the guest said the sister who was sitting had chosen the one thing that was necessary.

I imagine many of you recognize the account of Martha and her sister Mary who received a visit from Jesus in Luke 10:38-42. I struggled with this story as I am sure many other women do. I think, Martha was doing good, they had to eat, isn't it important to serve. This week as I studied that passage I noticed something. Verse 38 says that Martha welcomed Jesus, she was glad he was there, she truly loved him, but later in verse 40 she became distracted by all she had to do and her focus was no longer on where it should be- her Savior and her God! Martha was not wrong in her kitchen prep, she was wrong in her attitude and her heart. She was over-occupied and too busy. Who does that happen to? Being over-occupied and too busy? Not me I am sure ;) Martha only remembered her service and forgot the One she was serving! She forgot her purpose, her one thing.

Jesus told Martha that she was worried and bothered about so many things but only one thing is necessary and Mary had chosen that! (verse 42) Mary understood the 'good, better, best' concept. Getting supper ready was good, doing it with a happy attitude would be better, meditation, devotion, and worship is the best. Mary's time spent at the feet of Jesus would last for eternity, would not be taken away from her.

Ken Guire says in his book, Intimate Moments With the Savior, "Jesus says something extraordinary about what Mary did: it would become a permanent part of her life; it would count for eternity. Quite a promise. And what did Mary do? All she did was sit. It was where she sat that made the difference."

So how do I apply good, better, best in my life? I remember that there will be time to pick up toys and vacuum another day. It means that I do not have to make every meal homemade. It is okay to miss a class or meeting. What is good and better will be different for every person, but the best always is resting at the Savior's feet. When I focus on the one relationship that matters most, mine with my Lord, the other relationships do not be come less, they become better and more fulfilling! I love better as a wife, mother, daughter, friend.

What is your One Thing? Has something 'good' has replaced the best in your life?

Cloth Diaper Blogs and Helpful Sites

All About Cloth Diapers- lots of reviews and giveaways

Dirty Diaper Laundry- Video reviews and giveaways of those diapers, this is great because you can see how cloth diapers actually work!

The Cloth Diaper Report- reviews of diapers and other maternity and baby products, giveaways

The Cloth Diaper Whisperer- lots of giveaways and general info on using cloth

Diaper Pin- your cloth diaper questions are answered

Diaper Jungle- resources on 'how to' and FAQs