Book Review: Daddy Dates by Greg Wright

About the Book: Daddy Dates gives the average Joe easy steps to actively and successfully engage with his daughter and raise a confident woman-to-be.

When faced with the reality of raising four (4!) teen daughters, Greg Wright went on a soul quest.

He came back with a mission: Don’t Screw Up.

This funny, insightful, and relatable book poses the wildly original concept that should be a “duh” for most dads—but isn’t: In order to raise a confident woman-to-be, show your daughter what it feels like to be treated with love, respect, and true interest by a man who loves her.

Daddy Dates shows the average father how to actually do that. It is written in an original voice and will appeal to both men and women. It is the kind of action-oriented “how to” material that guys enjoy, and so many others will recommend to other dads.

My thoughts: Our culture does not respect the role of the father very much these days. In pretty much any sitcom you watch, the dad is often the butt of the jokes and simply a lazy and uninvolved parent while Supermom pulls it off without any help from Loserdad. Society has made it seem like the role of the father is not that important.

But nothing could be further from the truth. Daughters learn how men are supposed to treat them by the way their father treats them. A girl's relationship with her dad will have a huge impact on her self-esteem and how she sees herself as a person in general and a woman in particular. (A father's role in his son's life is just as vital, but the book is geared to father/daughter relationships so I'm not getting into that here).

Unfortunately, many dads (and moms for that matter) simply don't know exactly what to do. If that's where you're at, this book is for you!

A quick and easy read, this book is filled with great ideas about pursuing a relationship with your daughter.

From the book....

I believe it's the job of every husband and father to understand that his job - perhaps his most important job - is to be the pursuer. Not just at the beginning, but all the way through... Doesn't matter their age. Girls want us to discover their specialness, praise it, and treasure it.

Wright's solution was to pursue daughter knowing (getting to know her as a person, what she thinks about things - which means how she feels!) by dating them - showing them how a sincere guy treats a girl he's genuinely interested in getting to know.

The book includes date ideas, as well as a personality quiz to help father's get to know their daughters and what types of dates would be special for them, as well as their personality type's strengths, weaknesses, communication style and needs. This includes doing a lot more listening than talking. And recognizing that girls do not want their problems solved, they want to share their problems with someone they trust.

Talk + Action + Time = Trust

Once you've built a solid relationship with your kids and they know they can trust you, it will make it easier in those times when you need to exert your parental authority, especially when they are in disagreement with you.

The Wright family has determined that they don't allow dating in high school - "In high school we don't have boyfriends. We don't do ownership. We do friendship, and that's it". When his daughters turn 13 he takes them on a very special date where he presents them with "a pretty ring to wear on her left hand so she will remember that I am giving her my heart (in a parental way), promising to be her guide in life, and will take care of her financially and emotionally until she's an independent woman or married". When her future husband asks permission to marry her, that's when the ring will come off - symbolizing a "transition of care".

This book is an easy read, geared to men, and not very long. Though written from a Christian perspective, it is not preachy and would be valuable for parents of any/no faith. I highly recommend it!

Thank you to Booksneeze for providing me with my complimentary review copy of Greg Wright's Daddy Dates.

Book Review: Beside Still Waters by Tricia Goyer

About the Book: Marianna Sommer believes she knows where her life is headed. Nineteen years old and Amish, her plan is to get baptized into the church, marry Aaron Zook, and live in the only community she's ever known.

When Marianna's family moves from Indiana to Montana she discovers life and faith will never be the same. As she builds an easy friendship with local guy, Ben Stone, Ben not only draws her heart, he also gets her thinking about what loving God and living in community is all about.

As Marianna struggles to find "home", she also encounters God in intimate ways. Click here to watch the book trailers.

My thoughts: I've read a few of Tricia's books before and I've always enjoyed them - this book was no exception.

I really like the fact that her books go deeper than just a light Amish romance novel.

This book really begins to dig into the differences between the Amish belief system and the "English" Protestant evangelical faith, without being preachy or condemning in tone. It celebrates the good side of Amish beliefs while exploring its deficiencies as well.

The book also touches on issues universal to the human race including loss (both death and separation) and our response to it, as well as how our choices never affect only ourselves.

Tricia does a great job of developing the characters and making them seem real, as well as simply telling a great story.


To celebrate the release of this book, Tricia Goyer is giving away 10 copies of this book as well as a pair of really cute Amish salt and pepper shakers. Click here for details.

Thank you to Stephanie and Amy from Litfuse Publicity for organizing this tour and providing me with my complimentary review copy.

Book Review: Money & Marriage by Matt Bell

About the Book: In this thorough and practical guide, financial expert Matt Bell helps engaged and newly married couples navigate the merger of habits, flaws, and attitudes about money so two can truly become one.

His writing is full of helpful advice, Scripture, and practical steps to gaining financial freedom together as a couple. Learn to use money in a way that minimizes disputes and maximizes marital happiness.

My thoughts: Well, we're not newly married, but we learned many of these things the book teaches on our own as we made mistakes - but thankfully not any major ones!

This book would be a fanTAStic book for couples to read as part of their pre-marital counselling and I highly, highly recommend it.

Money is often one of the biggest sources of friction in marriage - often due to incorrect assumptions, lack of awareness of our own spending habits (and/or our partner's) and lack of knowledge in the area of finances.

This book addresses all of that and more! The first section is called Decoding Each Other's Financial DNA and addresses literally every possible question about our spending habits and our money assumptions, based in large part on how we were raised and by our personalities.

The second section, A Ten-Step Action Plan for Financial Success, is chock full of financial advice to get your marriage started on the right foot and stay there.

The third section, Fostering Financial Oneness, he addresses how being one financially is a huge indicator of the health of your marriage. We also need to understand who we are and what our lives are about (our purpose!) in regards to money.

God is the owner of our money. We are not the owners, and certainly not the consumers - we are the managers or stewards. What a huge responsibility - what a priviledge!

From the book...
My prayer for you is that you will use money in a way that brings great glory to God; shows love to the people in your lives, starting with each other; and enables you to use the talents and passions God had uniquely given you to make the contribution for which you were uniquely designed. If you arrance your finances around these three God-given purposes, your marriage will be richly blessed, and I believe that one day you will hear these words: "Well done, good and faithful servants!"

Thank you to Stephanie and Amy from Litfuse Publicity for organizing this tour and providing me with my complimentary review copy.

Book Review: Lazarus Awakening by Joanna Weaver

About the Book: Getting God’s Love from Our Heads to Our Hearts

You believe that God loves the world…but sometimes you wonder if He truly loves you.

For many of us, moving the truth of God’s love from our heads to our hearts is a lifelong process. As we consider our inadequacies or grieve our shattered dreams, we find it difficult to believe that God cares for us personally.

In this life-giving book, Joanna Weaver shows you how to embrace the truth that Jesus loves you apart from anything you accomplish, apart from anything you bring. Just as He called Lazarus forth to new life, Jesus wants to free you to live fully in the light of His love, unbound from the graveclothes of fear, regret, and self-condemnation.

Love is calling your name.

Combining unforgettable real-life illustrations with unexpected biblical insights, Joanna Weaver invites you to experience a spiritual resurrection that will forever change your understanding of what it means to be the one Jesus loves. Bible study and Leader’s Guide available here. http://www.joannaweaverbooks.com/books/lazarus-awakening/

My thoughts: You'd think that after looking at the story of the death and resurrection of Lazarus twice already in her first two books (Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World and Having a Mary Spirit), that there would be no further lessons to be learned. Though I've only read portions of the first book, there are definitely fresh insights to be learned by focusing on the Lazarus. Who knew you could learn so much from one Biblical account? Just goes to show that there's always more to learn.

Joanna's conversational style of writing is very easy to read. She mixes in personal stories and applications to practically illustrate the truths she digs up from the text.

One insight that I really appreciated was this...
God wants a relationship with us more than He wants our acts of service. Obviously service is vital to our walk with God and is evidence of our faith - but it is supposed to be the result of a relationship with God, not a replacement for it.

God also wants a relationship with us more than He wants our worship. That one blew me away a bit. Here's a quote from the book....
I realize it's almost sacrilegious in some areas of today's Christian culture to suggest that God might be looking for more than our praise. We've elevated worship to a place that nearly teeters on idolatry. We've said worship is our highest calling - and important it is.

But listen! The angels already provide God with praise. They surround the throne of God 24/7. You and I were not created to add voices to the angelic choir. We were created to enjoy an intimate relationship with the King of the Universe. (emphasis mine)

Another point that really grabbed me - God is our Friend. And He fulfills His role as our Friend perfectly. But are we a friend to God? Do we treat Him like a close friend, a true friend (the Greek word philos - the term used by Jesus when He called Lazarus "friend")? Or do we treat Him like a genie, only our friend for what we can get from Him? Are we selfish comrades, groupies, unfaithful and deceptive friends (the Greek word hetairos - the term used by Jesus when He called Judas "friend" when he betrayed Him)?

What kind of friend are we to Jesus? Lazarus or Judas?

For these, and many more insights, I highly recommend that you pick up a copy of this book!

Thank you to Stephanie and Amy from Litfuse Publicity for organizing this tour and providing me with my complimentary review copy.

Book Review: A Suitor for Jenny by Margaret Brownley

About the Book: When looking for a husband, it’s best to go where the odds are in your favor.

And that would be Rocky Creek, Texas, 1880. But Jenny Higgins's plan to find husbands for her two sisters hits a snag when enthusiastic applicants fail to meet her stringent requirements.

Rejecting her sisters' choices for mates and riding herd on her growing feelings for Marshal Rhett Armstrong, she refuses to give up.

Jenny thinks choosing a husband is not a job for the heart. It'll take one strong and handsome marshal to convince her otherwise.

My Thoughts: A light hearted historical romance with no surprises, this was an easy, yet enjoyable read.

Though fun, and downright funny at times, the author also manages to tackle some serious issues such as poverty, child abuse, alcoholism, and the difference between guilt and godly sorrow, to name just a few. This is also a story about rebuilding faith and learning to trust God with the future.

I did not like how Mary Lou's eventual husband treats her during their "courtship" - assuming she knew what she wanted and needed, and basically telling her that he was the one - and that it was supposed to be seen as romantic. He was a stand up guy in all the other areas of his life (integrity, hard worker, overcame learning disability, risks his life for another, etc), but this one thing irked me. Other than that though, it was an enjoyable read.

Though this is the 2nd book of the series, it works well as a stand alone.

Thank you to Booksneeze for providing me with my complimentary review copy of Margaret Brownley's A Suitor for Jenny.

Book Review: The Mountains Bow Down by Sibella Giorello

About the Book: Everything's going to work out. Time away always makes things better ....

That's what FBI Special Agent Raleigh Harmon believes as she boards a cruise to Alaska. A land of mountains and gems and minerals, The Last Frontier is a dream destination for this forensic geologist who's hoping to leave behind a hectic work schedule and an engagement drained of romance.

But when a passenger goes missing and winds up dead, Raleigh's vacation suddenly gets lost at sea. The ship's security chief tries to rule the death a suicide, but Raleigh's forensics background points to a much darker conclusion: Somewhere onboard, a ruthless murderer walks free.

Engulfed by one of her toughest cases yet, Raleigh requests assistance from the FBI and receives her nemesis-perpetual ladies man Special Agent Jack Stephanson. As the cruise ship sails through the Inside Passage, Raleigh has five days to solve a high-profile murder, provide consultation for a movie filming onboard, and figure out her increasingly complicated feelings for Jack-who might not be such a jerk after all.

And that's only her work life. Family offers even more challenges. Joined on the cruise by her mother and aunt, Raleigh watches helplessly as disturbing rifts splinter her family.

Like the scenery that surrounds the cruise ship, Raleigh discovers a situation so steep and so complex that even the mountains might bow down.

My thoughts: A murder mystery that takes place on a cruise ship to Alaska? How could I not like this book?!

In all seriousness, the fact that this book took place on a cruise ship fascinated me, because we love to go on cruises (we've done 4 now). We've never gone to Alaska, but would like to someday - for now, we're sticking with the Caribbean. And I was not disappointed - her descriptive writing style brought me right back to the ship. And the descriptions of the Alaskan scenery definitely tempts me to go there someday!

I loved Raleigh the main character - she was real, refreshing and intriguing - as well as all her counterparts in the FBI. Giorello does a really nice job of fleshing out the characters.

And the plot is fantastic. It was a murder mystery and it kept me guessing till the end. I enjoyed this book immensely!

Though this is the 4th book of the Raleigh Harmon series, it definitely works as a stand alone book - however, you're likely going to want to pick up the first three after reading this one!

Thank you to Stephanie and Amy from Litfuse Publicity for organizing this tour and providing me with my complimentary review copy.

Start the series fresh with this great deal! Pick up a copy of Book 1 for your Kindle or Nook for only $2.99! The Stones Roll Away is the critically acclaimed award winner that kicked off the Raleigh Harmon series.

About the Cruise Giveaway: (contest begins 3/15, no entry until then.) Sibella’s celebrating the release of The Mountains Bow Down by giving away a Cruise prize pack worth over $500.00!

One Grand Prize winner will receive:

• A $500 gift certificate toward the cruise of their choice from Vacations To Go.
• The entire set of the Raleigh Harmon series.

To enter go here!

Then tell your friends. And enter soon - the giveaway ends on 4/1! The winner will be announced at Sibella’s Raleigh Harmon Book Club Party on FB April 5th, 2011! Don’t miss the fun – prizes, books and gab!

To Lent or Not to Lent - that is the question

To Lent or not to Lent - that is the question.

Well, obviously it's not the question anymore cause that would be WAY too late!

I have never observed Lent before. By that I mean that I have never sacrificed something for the 40 day period before Holy Saturday (day between Good Friday and Easter Sunday) in order to focus and prepare my heart for Easter, identifying (in a very small way!) with the sacrifice and suffering of our Saviour.

In truth, due to growing up in Evangelical Protestant churches, I hadn't really ever heard much about Lent. But there has been a growing trend to "give up something for Lent" and the more I heard about it, the more I found the idea of heart preparation and focus on Jesus to be an appealing one.

With two of our daughters having March birthdays, my own being in April, Spring Break thrown into the mix, and the fact that Easter is always at a different time each year - I find that the Easter season just sneaks up on me and is over almost as soon as it's begun.

(OK, I just about got myself on a rabbit trail there, and I so do not have time for a post that long right now, so I'll save it for another time. Look for an upcoming post titled "Easter Beats Christmas!")

But what I liked even more than giving something up for Lent, was reading in my cousin Tammi's post about purposefully taking on something new and adding deliberate acts of generosity and kindness to the observance of Lent (see Love Life Live Lent for more details on this philosophy).

Sidebar: Technically the period between Ash Wednesday and Holy Saturday is more than 40 days because Sundays are supposed to be a "day off" so to speak.

So, I had decided I wanted to do it, now what exactly was "it" going to be?

Well, I considered giving up desserts or something like that. But in all honesty, the pretty big side benefit to giving up desserts is losing a couple pounds and quite frankly, made that seem less than altruistic to me. So that one was out. (Note: I'm not accusing anyone else of less than pure motives, just saying that my own would be)

In the end, I decided to pretty much copy my cousin Tammi (us Tammy/i's are pretty smart after all!). I decided to give up any extra-internet use (Facebooking, blogging, surfing, etc) unless I had completed my goals for the day. I'm obviously still doing my Bible blog (as that would be part of the goals for the day!), and I do check email (need to for business, plus that is simply one way people get ahold of me, and is honestly not my time-waster). But other than that - no internet usage until goals have been accomplished.

Now you know why you haven't seen me around here or Facebook much lately!! (except when we were on our little family holiday - not many goals on those days, ha ha!) I may as well have banned myself completely - which shows that either my goals have been way too high, or I've previously been wasting way too much time on internet frivolity. Most likely it's probably a combination of the two - giving me future food for thought.

In keeping with Love Life Live Lent, I have also been doing a little something extra for somebody every day - whether it's simply putting a note in the girls lunches, bringing bread to a neighbour or inviting someone over for dinner. Not necessarily big things. But something.

And last, but certainly not least, I have also been following along with a special Lenten Bible study hosted by Nancy Leigh DeMoss on Revive Our Hearts Radio, using the 31-day devotional book The Incomparable Christ, by J. Oswald Sanders. I jumped on this one pretty late, so I still haven't received my book, but the devotionals have been fantastic even without it. I have really been enjoying this series and am so glad I decided to follow it.

So, in regards to the original question - to Lent is the answer!

Do you observe Lent? If so, what are you doing (or should I say, not doing)?

Emma'isms

Emma's answers to some schoolwork questions about the Olympics....

Question: Think about it..... Will athletes keep breaking records forever?
Emma: I think they will! But then again, one athlete might break a record that can never again be broken! (if it does happen, then I hope it's a girl!)
(Female) Teacher: Me too! :)

Question: Give 3 reasons why Pierre de Coubertin was important to the Olympics.
Emma: 1. The Pierre dude was important to the Olympics because he thought competing in sports was better then warfare.
2. Pierre dude practicly started the Olympics.
3. Pierre dude promoted the idea of reviving the Olympics. Thanks Pierre Dude!
P.S. Pierre Dude! What a riot!
Teacher: Yes, I laughed as I read this.

So did I! :)

Spring?

It's middle of March, which in some places means it's springtime. Where I live? Not so much.

Well, I guess that's not totally true. We have had some days where the thermometre has managed to crawl above zero (celsius), but we've also had days of -40!! It is spring, it's not spring, it is spring, it's not spring - the back and forth of the weather is definitely not my favourite part of spring. And it doesn't make for fabulous road conditions either.

But what it does do, is provide a light at the end of our long winter tunnel. Though the days of wooden swing sets, slurpees and venturing outdoors jacketless seem far off, they ARE coming. And they're coming sooner today than they were a month ago.

In the meantime, I'm gonna go bake some more bread, stay warm and maybe read a book or two! :)

Book Review: A Trail of Ink by Mel Starr

About the Book: An excellent medieval whodunit by the author of The Unquiet Bones and A Corpse at St Andrew's Chapel.

Some valuable books have been stolen from Master John Wyclif, the well known scholar and Bible translator. He calls upon his friend and former pupil, Hugh de Singleton, to investigate. Hugh's investigation leads him to where he again encounters Kate, the only woman who has tempted him to leave bachelor life behind, but Kate has another serious suitor. As Hugh's pursuit of Kate becomes more successful, mysterious accidents begin to occur. Are these accidents tied to the missing books, or to his pursuit of Kate? One of the stolen books turns up alongside the drowned body of a poor scholar. Another accident? Hugh certainly doesn t think so, but it will take all of his surgeon's skills to prove.

So begins another delightful and intriguing tale from the life of Hugh de Singleton, surgeon in the medieval. Masterfully researched by medieval scholar Mel Starr, the setting of the novel can be visited and recognized in modern-day. Enjoy more of Hugh's dry wit, romantic interests, evolving faith, and dogged determination as he pursues his third case as bailiff of Bampton.

My Thoughts: Even though this is the 3rd book of a series, it works very well as a stand alone book (I hadn't read either of the 2 previous works).

Historical fiction is one of my favourite genres and this one, set as it is in Medieval times, was thoroughly enjoyable. It was a fun mystery and an easy read.

Since I enjoy reading books, I also enjoyed reading about this book mystery and particularly about John Wyclif.

I also enjoyed the style of the author's writing. It gave you the feel of being in Medieval times, and yet it was still easy to understand. An example from the very first lines of the books...

I had never seen Master John Wyclif so afflicted. He told me alter that it was as onerous to plunder a bachelor scholar's books as to steal another man's wife. I had, at the time, no way to assess the accuracy of that opinion, for I had no wife and few books...


Thank you to Stephanie and Amy from Litfuse Publicity for organizing this tour and providing me with my complimentary review copy.

Contest: Kregel Publishers is graciously donating a $50 Amazon.com gift card for the Litfuse Blog Tour Contest! Woo-hoo (thanks Kregel!) All you have to do to enter is either tweet (see TWEET THIS below) or share the book on Facebook using this link: http://www.amazon.com/Trail-Ink-Chronicle-Singleton-Surgeon/dp/1854249746/ref=sprightly-20

TWEET THIS: A Trail of Ink by Mel Star. An excellent medieval whodunit. RT for a chance to win a $50 GC to @amazon! http://ow.ly/45c2k #litfuse - (and be sure to use the hashtag #litfuse to be entered into Amazon.com gift certificate drawing and no need to email that you tweeted - we'll be able to track it via the hashtag.)

FACEBOOK THIS: A Trail of Ink by Mel Star. An excellent medieval whodunit. Share on your wall for a chance to win a $50 GC to @amazon! http://ow.ly/45c2k (email info@litfusegroup.com to let us know you 'shared'