Get Your Story Straight

Get Your Story Straight: A Teen's Guide to Learning and Living the Gospel Paperback – October 13, 2015

by Kristen Hatton  (Author)

What's your story?

We all tell stories to each other---stories about what happened when we were kids, stories about last night, and stories where we dream about the future. Some stories are funny, some are amazing, others are sad, but they all have something in common---each of us is the hero of our own story. Our thoughts, feelings, hopes, and dreams take center stage. But when it's all about you, it's also all up to you. You have to make life work, find meaning, and hope for the best even when you mess up or things go badly wrong.

But what if we were made for something different? What if the main character in our life story isn't us, but it is the God who became like us and is now with us? What if being fully human means knowing him and growing to be like him? What if the way to be fully alive is to be caught up in Jesus's story?

This 52-week devotional book and small group resource is designed to help you live with Jesus in his gospel story---the good news that your sins are forgiven, your future is assured, and following him is the only meaningful way to live. No matter your age, where you live, who your family is, or what your past, God wants you to experience the freedom that comes in being secure in his love.

Divided into three parts, starting with creation, each section progressively explores the idea that the whole Bible is the unfolding story of Jesus. Through this grid, who Jesus is and why we need him will shape your understanding of freedom and grace and how you grow to be like him. This yearlong study for teenagers and young adults is designed for individual devotional times, but a small group discussion guided by a mentor would help participants to absorb and live out the truths of each week's teaching.

Purchase a copy: http://bit.ly/1i9Ccq4

About the author:

Kristen Hatton is a native Texan now putting roots down in Edmond, OK with her church-planter/pastor husband and their three children. With a public relations background from Southern Methodist University, Kristen has a wide array of professional experiences, none of which she counts as important as the job of being a "present" mom. Through leading a small group Bible study of teenagers, she has discovered her passion for teaching and writing about God's grace.

Find Kristen online: website, Twitter, Facebook

My Review; This book is a devotional and study guide for teens. Each day it provides several related scriptures to read with question following. It helps you think how the Word of God applies to your daily life. For an example in the book it ask the question, " What does it mean that Jesus is your whole "life"?"  It also encourages you to keep a journal about how you used these scriptures in your own life and journal your prayers is also encouraged.

I like how you can use this bible study guide for devotional time for the whole family. Of course I would strongly encourage the study guide as a gift for the teen in your life. It would make a wonderful Christmas gift!

I was given a copy of this book by Litfuse in exchange for my review.

The Photograph

by: Beverly Lewis

About

He studied the picture more closely, finding it curious that the young woman looked so boldly into the camera while wearing a white prayer Kapp shaped like a heart--the characteristic head covering for the Lancaster County Old Order Amish. 
Why would a devout girl have her picture taken?

When her sister Lily disappears only months after their widowed mother's passing, Eva Esch fears she has been wooed away from the People. Yet Lily's disappearance isn't Eva's only concern: She and her sisters must relocate once their older brother takes over the family farmhouse. Then Jed Stutzman, an Amish buggy maker from Ohio, shows up in Eden Valley with a photo of a Plain young woman. Eva feels powerfully drawn to the charming stranger--but the woman in the forbidden photograph is no stranger at all. . . .

My Review:

The story revolves around 3 unmarried sisters who are uncertain about where they will end up after the death of both parents. The youngest son of the family is to inherit the family homestead. This means the sister will have to find new places to live or soon marry. The youngest of these three unexpectedly runaway leaving her family and community heart broken.

Meanwhile a young Amish man on the way by train to visit this community finds a book tucked in his seat. When he opens the book he finds a photo of a young Amish woman. Will this photo lead to the where about of the missing sister? What role will this young man play in the lives of these three sisters?
I always enjoy Beverly Lewis' books!

I received a copy of this book by Bethany House in exchange for my review.

SUMMER'S LIST

Summer's List (River North, June 2015)

A dying wish alters the course of a young woman's life.

Life hadn't been easy for Summer Snow. In acts of selflessness---caring for her ailing parents and running her grandmother's bookstore---she had forfeited her youth and dreams for the needs of others. And the only tries she had at love . . . didn't turn out. She had the bookstore, she had her beloved granny, but she was missing something---or someone.

Opportunity strikes when Granny sends Summer on an unexpected adventure with one Martin Langtree, a kind but gangly young man from Summer's past. A childhood friendship is rekindled, a romance is sparked, and mysteries are solved in one magical Texas summer. Will Summer strike out on love again, or will things finally go her way?

Purchase a copy: http://bit.ly/1GKqprL

About the author:

Best-selling and award-winning author, Anita Higman, has over thirty books published (several coauthored) for adults and children. She's been a Barnes & Noble "Author of the Month" for Houston and has a BA degree, combining speech communication, psychology, and art. Anita loves good movies, exotic teas, and brunch with her friends.

My Review:
Summer's Granny is sick and dying. Before she dies she  wants Summer  to experience things she missed out on by caring for her parents. Granny has a list of adventures for her.One of the request her Granny has is for her to do is find her childhood friend Martin and have him help her to complete the list. You will have to read the book to see how the list changes Summer's life.
The writing style of this book is not the best. I also found the story line of Martin's life a bit unrealistic. Still I think some people will enjoy this book.

I received this book from Litfuse in exchange for this review.

TWO ROADS HOME

About the book: 
Two Roads Home (Abingdon Press, June 2015)

What if it's too late for dreams to come true?

Minor---but-nagging setbacks continue to sour Grant and Audrey Whitman's initiation into the world of innkeeping, but larger challenges brew when an innocent flirtation leads to big trouble for the Whitmans' son-in-law, Jesse. Jesse Pennington's friendly, outgoing personality has always served him well, especially in a career that has earned him and his wife Corinne a very comfortable lifestyle. But Corinne and Jesse are both restless---and for similar reasons, if only they could share those with each other. Instead, too many business trips and trumped-up charges of harassment from a disgruntled coworker threaten their marriage and possibly put their three precious daughters at risk.

With their life in disarray, God is tugging at their hearts to pursue other dreams. Can Corinne and Jesse pick up the pieces of what was once a wonderful life before it all crumbles beneath them?

Purchase a copy: http://bit.ly/1BdaEcG

About the author:

Deborah Raney's books have won numerous awards, including the RITA, National Readers Choice Award, HOLT Medallion, and the Carol Award, and have twice been Christy Award finalists. She and her husband, Ken, recently traded small-town life in Kansas-the setting of many of Deborah's novels-for life in the (relatively) big city of Wichita, where they enjoy gardening, antiquing, movies, and traveling to visit four children and a growing brood of grandchildren who all live much too far away.

Find Deborah online: website, Twitter, Facebook

MY Review:
This book was interesting even though I did not read the first book in the series. The grandparents, Audrey and Grant struggle to adjust to running the Chicory Inn. One of their daughter's is struggling with infertility another is having marital problems. When problems arises at Jesse's job it changes the course of his family;s future. Audrey struggles with balancing  a career and worrying about her grown children.
To find out how God works in each of their lives you need to read the book.

I received this book from Litfuse in exchange for my review. 

AS WATERS GONE BY

About the book: 
As Waters Gone By (Abingdon, May 2015)

How can a marriage survive when separated by hundreds of miles and impenetrable prison walls?

Emmalyn and Max Ross may have to endure the fight of their lives to mend the tattered fabric of their marriage. His actions ensured she could never be a mother and put him in prison, giving their relationship a court-mandated five-year time-out. On a self-imposed exile to beautiful but remote Madeline Island, one of the Apostle Islands of Lake Superior, Emmalyn has just a few months left to figure out if and how they can ever be a couple again.

Nudged along by the exuberant owner of the Wild Iris Inn and Café, a circle of misfit people in their small town, and a young girl who desperately needs someone to love her, Emmalyn restores an island cottage that could become a home and begins to restore her heart by learning what it means to love unconditionally. Yet even as hope begins to find a place within the cottage walls, Emmalyn still wonders if she's ready for Max's release. She may be able to rebuild a cottage, but can she rebuild a marriage?

About the author:

Cynthia Ruchti has more than three decades of radio broadcast experience with Heartbeat of the Home radio and currently serves as Professional Relations Liaison for American Christian Fiction Writers.

Find Cynthia online: website, Twitter, Facebook

My Review:

In the beginning of reading this book it was hard for me to get into if you know what I mean. But then I started to really enjoy it. The way the author describes the people and place made me feel like I was there.

The author weaves a story not only about Emmalyn and her husband but of others on the island. I really enjoyed the stories of Cora and the owner of the Iris Inn. As you read you will find how God works in the lives of other and if willing we too can be used by God to do the same for others.

I would recommend this book to my friends. 

I received a free copy of this book from Litfuse in exchange for my review.

AMISH PROMISES

Amish Promises (Neighbors of Lancaster County) Paperback – May 5, 2015

by Leslie Gould  (Author)

Journey Down a Quiet Lane in Lancaster County Where Love and Heartache and Friendship and Healing Meet
When Joel and Shani Beck arrive at their new home, they're looking for peace. Shani is thrilled to have Joel back from Iraq, but he needs time to heal, and the quiet of Lancaster seems just the place. They can't imagine any trouble with their Amish neighbors, the Lehmans, but things get off to a rocky start when their son is involved in an accident that injures one of the Lehman boys.
 
Eve Lehman has run her brother's household ever since the death of his wife, but Tim's a stern patriarch. Despite his protests, she's drawn to the new neighbor, Shani, and the two begin to form a strong friendship forged on faith and family. Things seem like they've quieted down until Joel's single and handsome army friend Charlie catches Eve's attention--a man unlike any Eve has ever met. Suddenly life for both families becomes more complicated than any of them could have ever imagined.

My Review:

This book was a nice love story between an Amish woman and a English (non Amish) man. But it was more than that. It was a story of love, promises, death, war and PTSD. Life is not easy whether you are Amish or an Englisher. The book centers on two neighbors and their friends. The Amish neighbor is a widower with several kids. His never married sister lives with him to take care of the kids. She had promised her sister-in-law on her death bed that she would always care for her children.

The other neighbor is a family whose husband was injured while serving in Irag. He still recovering from his injuries and having problems coping with what happened in Iraq. His wife is expecting their second son and trying to work while caring for her family. 

While reading this book the story involves other people into both family lives. There are struggles and pain but loving your neighbor solves a lot of life difficulties. 

I received a free copy of this book from Bethany House for my review.

HUTTERITE DIARIES

HUTTERITE DIARIES BY LINDA MAENDEL

Author: Linda Maendel

Few outsiders know anything about the Hutterites, a Plain Christian group related to the Amish and Mennonites. Maendel’s story, Hutterite Diaries, invites readers into deeper understanding of this community of faith, calling us to take seriously the example of Jesus and the early church in our daily living. Hear straight from plain Christians as they write about their daily lives and deeply rooted faith in the Plainspoken series.

What would it be like to share all your possessions and live in Christian community?

In Hutterite Diaries, Linda Maendel offers a rare glimpse into the daily routines and communal faith of her people, the Hutterian Brethren. From stories of working together to bring in the fall potato harvest to laugh-out-loud tales of sisterly love laced with revenge, Maendel invites readers into her Bruderhof, or colony, nestled on the prairie of western Canada. Here children and adults work, play, eat, and worship together, crafting a community of goods and living out an alternative to the individualism and consumerism of mainstream society.

Few outsiders know anything about the Hutterites, a Plain Christian group related to the Amish and Mennonites. Maendel’s story invites readers into deeper understanding of this community of faith, calling us to take seriously the example of Jesus and the early church in our daily living.

My Review:

This book was interesting. I had never heard of the hutterites  before reading this book. The author lives in a Hutterite Colony. She shares the lifestyle and the ways of  the community life.
They do share everything in common but each family lives in their own homes. they share all meals together and have church services each day. They believe they are living the life of the early church as described in Acts of the bible..While the author goes in more detail of their way of life, I ways left wondering what was their true belief in Jesus and His Word.
I wish I had heard of the hutterites years ago because I found out I once lived close to one of the colonies.

I received a review copy of this book from Litfuse in exchange for my review of this book.