Thrashing About with God: Finding Faith on the Other Side of Everything
Author: Mandy Steward
Publisher: David C. Cook
Release Date: October 1, 2013
About The Author
Mandy Steward is a writer, speaker, and blogger in the midst of
discovering her authentic Christian self. Her writing has appeared in Brio and Breakaway magazines and on
her blog MessyCanvas.com. Her work reflects her life as a wife and mother of
four and her passion for art. She lives with her family in Oklahoma
City.
Tired of Doing the Christian Thing
Are you tired of pretending?
Are you tired of spitting out right answers for others when your own well has gone dry.
Are you tired of thinking the dreams you long to step into aren't holy enough to warrant action?
Are you tired of religiously giving and sacrificing and having nothing left to feed yourself?
Mandy Steward is a pastor's wife, mother of four young children and a talented artist. This is the story of her search for spiritual fulfillment and peace.
Ms. Steward struggles with the expectations that are placed on Christians by the church and society. She questions the beliefs that she was taught as a child. She copes with the guilt, doubt and fear she feels as she questions her faith and her own identity.
Mandy Steward shares her "messy life" and quest to balance her roles as a Christian, wife, mother and artist.
My Thoughts
Ms. Steward has written a heartfelt, thoughtful account of her spiritual and emotional journey over the past several years. She questions almost everything about her life. She comes to the realization that there is nothing wrong with questioning because it is the way a person grows.
It has been several months since I have read a "Christian book." I must warn you that this is not the average book written for Christian women. This book is brutally honest, unvarnished and "messy". The author writes from her heart and expresses a very realistic view of her personal and family life.
I was very impressed by the patience and understanding that was shown by her husband and church family. This young woman is truly blessed to have a loving support system that will allow her to honestly examine her life and follow her dreams.
The good news is that questions lead to understanding and change. This book will inspire women to take a good look at their own situations and see if they are living the life "to the full" that Jesus promises in John 10:10.
My Rating: 5 Stars Out Of 5
FYI ~ I received a digital preview copy of this book from NetGalley.
Please share your thoughts in the Comments Section below.
Beewitched
Author: Julia Dweck
Illustrator: Aida Sofia Barba
Publisher: KiteReaders
Date: February 28, 2013
About The Author
Julia Dweck writes children's
stories for digital and traditional publication. Her stories span the spectrum
of humor, fantasy, and edutainment in rhyme and in prose. Julia's background in
elementary education affords her the opportunity to be in touch with what
children want to read about and what makes them giggle.
Bees Are Nice!
Beetrice adores honey bees. She knows everything there is to know about them. She even slightly resembles a bee with her yellow shirt and her huge black glasses.
One day her school class goes on a field trip to the country. While the rest of her class plays games, Beetrice watches the honey bees hover over the honeysuckle flowers. Beetrice wonders if she would have been better off being born a bee!
With a little help from some magic honey, Beetrice changes into a honey bee and learns that a bee's life is not all fun and games. Beetrice learns that the grass is not greener on the other side of the bee hive.
My Thoughts
Beetrice is a wonderful character. Her green eyes are bee-lightful and she is the local expert on honey bees. Ms. Dweck does a wonderful job mixing fiction and facts about honey bees in this picture book for children. This story is both educational and entertaining. This author does an awesome job writing "edutaining" books for kids.
Beetrice learns a valuable story about life in this story. She learns that life as a honey bee is not as wonderful and carefree as she imagined. She learns that honey bees work very hard and face many challenges and dangers. She realizes that she still loves bees but she is perfectly content to "bee" a girl.
I read this ebook on my Kindle Fire ereader. Ms. Barba did a beautiful job with the full-screen color illustrations. The landscape orientation makes this ebook a perfect fit for the Kindle.
"BeeWitched" is a great selection for spring reading. Children will love Beetrice and will learn from her experiences. Highly recommended!
My Rating: 5 Stars Out Of 5
FYI ~ I purchased this ebook during a FREE promotion on Amazon.Com. Please check the current price before ordering.
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A little girl learns that if you want to be a star, you should be happy with who you are. "Twelve Dresses, One Star; A Silly Picture Book About Being Who You Are, by Robert Stanek, is a delightful ebook that will build self-esteem and self-acceptance in young children.
About The Author
Robert Stanek wrote novels for more than ten years before he ever tried to get published.
While he wrote those other books, he wrote many, many
stories and books for his kids, and he collected them for a few decades, until at
his children's urging he set out to get them published for others to enjoy.
Twelve Dresses
A young girl learns that it doesn't matter what you do, what you like or what you wear. The important thing is that you accept yourself and that you "be you, every day, in every way."
The girl is wearing twelve different dresses in the full-page color illustrations. Children will enjoy counting the dresses and comparing the styles and colors.
My Thoughts
I really like the message in this book and I think it is an important concept to teach young children. This book could be used to teach lessons in self-esteem, self-discovery and self-acceptance. Children are never too young to learn that they are special and they are loved just for being themselves.
I viewed this ebook on my Kindle 3 (black and white illustrations) and I was very pleased with the formatting. Each illustration fills the screen and there is one or two lines of text at the bottom of each picture. The illustrations of the young girl are large and the facial expressions are excellent.
I also view the book on my Kindle for PC application (color illustrations). I loved the colorful pictures and it was much easier to distinguish the differences in the twelve dresses in the color pictures.
I think pre-school children will find this ebook fun and entertaining. It is an excellent choice for young girls and boys. I think children will be happy to listen to this story over and over again.
My Rating: 5 Stars Out Of 5
FYI ~ I ordered this book from Amazon.Com when it was offered as a free digital download. Please check the price before ordering.
Please share your thoughts in the Comments Section below.
Pigtastic!, by Scott Gordon, will entertain and teach children to accept people for who they are. Self-esteem and acceptance are the key themes in this picture book. This ebook is designed for young children between the ages of 3 and 6 years old.
About the Author
Scott Gordon is the author of several children's books, including My Little
Pet Dragon, My Crazy Pet Frog, Pigtastic! and A Little Book About You. Currently
he is hard at work on his next project, Baby Bee.
All of the proceeds for My Little Pet Dragon, My Crazy Pet Frog and Pigtastic!
are donated to the family of Alyssa Mowery. Last October, Alyssa, her sister
Rain and Amelia "Mia" Decker were struck by a car while crossing an
intersection. Alyssa was put into a coma, and nearly died from her injuries. Two
weeks later she awoke and spoke her first words since the accident. Her recovery
is a miracle, but she still has a long way to go.
We Are All Pigtastic!
This 25-page picture book features a very cute pink pig. The pig teaches children that we are all different and unique individuals and that we are special and fantastic in our own ways.
The pink pig tells us that the way we look on the outside or the amount of money we haven doesn't matter nearly as much as what is in our hearts.
My Thoughts
I really like the computer-generated illustrations in this book. Children will be drawn to the close-up views of the pink pig. The expressions on his face complement the text and I love the pictures of the pig with angel wings. Each page contains a large illustration and two to eight words of text.
The message in the text is important for children to learn. All people are different but we all have traits and talents that make us special. We should not judge others by how they look or what they have, we should look at their "hearts of gold."
I suggest that parents use this ebook as a read-aloud story for bedtime or quiet time. The illustrations will keep the attention of very young children. Older children will be able to read the text and understand the message that the story is advocating. I think we need to take advantage of every opportunity that we have to teach children how to accept others and value the things that really matter. This book is a winner in the game of life!
Rating: 5 Stars Out Of 5
FYI ~ I ordered this ebook from Amazon.Com when it was offered as a free digital download. Please check the price before ordering.
Please share your thoughts in the Comment Section below.
I heard Brene Brown speak for the first time last night on a local public television fund-raising program. She spoke about cultivating a "Wholehearted" lifestyle and receiving the gifts of imperfection. I was fascinated by her presentation so I purchased The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You're Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are
this morning and I read it today.
Dr. Brene Brown is a research professor at the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work. She has spent the past ten years studying vulnerability, courage, authenticity, and shame.
Wholehearted living is about engaging in our lives from a place of worthiness. It means developing the courage, compassion, and connection to think; No matter what gets done and how much is left undone, I am enough. It's going to bed at night thinking, Yes, I am imperfect and vulnerable and sometimes afraid, but that doesn't change the truth that I am also brave and worthy of love and belonging.
Dr. Brown presents the following ten guideposts in this book;
- Cultivating Authenticity: Letting Go of What People Think
- Cultivating Self-Compassion: Letting Go of Perfectionism
- Cultivating a Resilient spirit: Letting Go of Numbing and Powerlessness
- Cultivating Gratitude and Joy: Letting Go of Scarcity and Fear of the Dark
- Cultivating Intuition and Trusting Faith: Letting Go of the Need for Certainty
- Cultivating Creativity: Letting Go of Comparison
- Cultivating Play and Rest: Letting Go of Exhaustion as a Status Symbol and Productivity as Self-Worth
- Cultivating Calm and Stillness: Letting Go of Anxiety as a Lifestyle
- Cultivating Meaningful Work: Letting Go of Self-Doubt and "Supposed To"
- Cultivating Laughter, Song, and Dance: Letting Go of Being Cool and "Always in Control"
How I Tried To Be Perfect But Goofed Up Instead
I play the piano at our church on Wednesday and Sunday evenings. I took piano lessons as a child but gave up my musical interests as I grew older. A couple of weeks ago, I accidently started the introduction to a song on the wrong notes. I was so messed up that I had to just stop and start over. This was very unusual for me because I try to live up to the the perfect standards that I set for myself. I was really beating myself up for making such a big goof. When I sat down beside a family member he whispered to me, "What was up with that ~ You picked the song, didn't you?" A feeling of shame came over me and I felt like I was a total failure.
This book taught me new ways to deal with shame, guilt and trying to be perfect. The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You're Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are
offers many practical ways to live the wholehearted life. I highly recommend the book. I read it on my Kindle
.
Please let me know your thoughts in the comments section below.
It will soon be Valentine's Day and love is in the air. Unfortunately, many people have given up on love and the hope of finding that special person to share their lives with. Laura Lee Carter, the Midlife Crisis Queen, has written a new book about believing in love again....after divorce and well into the midlife years. How To Believe In Love Again; Opening To Forgiveness, Trust and Your Own Inner Wisdom
is based on experiences from the author's professional and personal life.
In 2004, the author found her long-time career as a librarian coming to an end. She was 49 years old and divorced with no children. She had a graduate degree in counseling psychology, so she decided to start a professional matchmaking service. She interviewed hundreds of midle-aged singles who came to her service looking for love. The problem was, most of these people were putting all their focus on finding the perfect date instead of working on themselves and their attitudes toward love.
Ms. Carter has written an inspiring book about how to clear your mind of the negativity that you have toward love and being loved. She asks readers to take a "Love Quiz" in the first chapter to better understand why it is necessary to adjust our thoughts and attitudes toward finding a love partner. She emphasizes that self-love is the first step towards believing in love again. We must all find that self-loving place inside before we begin to bring others into our life. Emotional and spiritual healing is needed before we can believe in love again.
The author gives many practical ways to go about healing. She tells about her own journey to find self-love and self-acceptance. She expains that journaling, positive affirmations, reading books, watching movies with positive messages about love and listening to music are all ways to increase self-esteem. The important thing is to spend time alone and really get to know yourself. The author asked, "Are you the kind of person that you would want to be married to?"
Ms. Carter provides another quiz at the end of the book, "Have Your Beliefs About Love Changed?" Yes, I think my thoughts about love have changed since reading this book.
This book is not just for middle-aged singles who have given up on love. I married my soul mate almost 20 years ago but still found a wealth of useful information in this book. Yes, even married people have a need to believe in love again.
There is an awesome list of books in the Bibliography of this book. I would love to read every book on the list. The author has made a YouTube video to promote this book. The book is available from Amazon.Com in both paperback and Kindle edition
.
I would like to wish everyone a Happy Valentine's Day! It is never too late to believe in love.
Disclosure: The author provided me with a free digital copy of this book to read and review.
