MOVIE: The Way Home

Based on a true story: Dean Cain stars as Randy Simpkins, a husband and father torn between the demands of his job and commitment to his family. Asked by his wife Christal to watch their two-year-old son Joe for a few minutes, Randy is distracted by work and Joe disappears. Racked by guilt, Randy joins Christal in a desperate search for their missing son alongside hundreds of others from their church and community. Randy and Christal's strained marriage must now weather the ultimate test - the potential loss of a child. THE WAY HOME is the story of Randy's powerful spiritual journey back to love, faith and a Godly understanding of what must always take first priority in a man's life - his family.

This was an amazing movie! Such a strong emotional journey. Little Joe was so cute. This story is testimony to what God can do if you surrender to Him. God does answer prayers and can heal broken relationships. Everyone needs to watch this movie at least once. It really puts things in perspective. No one ever thinks these kinds of things can happen to you but they can and do everyday. Put your trust in God and pray daily and He will see you through all of the struggles in life!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this movie free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Love, Charleston by Beth Webb Hart

From the back cover: "Charleston's Anne Brumley has long dreamed of love while ringing the bells at St. Michael's, but those dreams are beginning to fade. Her sister Alisha and cousin Della encourage the thirty-six year old to move somewhere new for a fresh start. Widower Roy Summerall has happily ministered to the country folks of Church of the Good Shepherd for years. So why would the Lord call him and his daughter away to Charleston - the city that Roy remembers from his childhood as pretentious and superficial? Surely the refined congregation of St. Michael's won't accept a reverend with a red neck and a simple faith. Meanwhile, Anne's sister, Alisha struggles with her husband's ambition, which seems to be taking him further from their dreams of a happy family. And cousin Della's former fiance has returned to Charleston, making her wonder if she chose the wrong path when she married her gifted but unemployed-artist husband. Family, friendship, and faith converge in a beautiful story about how God's transforming love works in the Hold City of Charleston.

This book is beautifully written. However, I was a bit disappointed about the development of Anne's love. I thought after reading the back cover that this book would be about her and her search for love and the developing of that relationship. It seemed a bit rushed. That being said the book is written true to life and the characters deal with real life situations that many singles/couples face. Some of it was a little hard to follow but everything came together at the end. Overall a good read.


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The Boy Who Changed the World

The Boy Who Changed the World by Andy Andrews is a wonderful book for children. It shows how one small act can in fact affect the whole world. I teach Sunday School at church and will be using this book with my class. So many times we think we are insignificant and our actions don't mean much but after reading this book you will realize how little that is true. Everything we do has the possibility of influencing someone who may go on to do great things for God because of something we did. Wonderful read and I encourage all to get this book!


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The Vigilante's Bride by Yvonne Harris

From the back cover: "Robbing a stagecoach on Christmas Eve and abducting a woman passenger is the last thing Luke Sullivan expected to do. He just wanted to reclaim the money stolen from his pa, but instead ends up rescuing a feisty copper-haired woman who was on her way to marru Sullivan's dangerous enemy. Emily McCarthy doesn't take kindly to her so-called rescue. Still, she's hoping Providence will turn her situation for good, especially when it seems Luke Sullivan may just be the man of her dreams. But Luke has crossed a vicious man, a powerful rancher not used to losing, and Emily is the prize he's unwilling to sacrifice."

I enjoyed this book very much. The story is well written with action, adventure and romance. You get everything from cattle drives to shootouts to a budding romance. Emily and Luke can't stand each other at first (I wonder why... he kidnapped her afterall) and their interactions are often times humerous. Even though she's a "city girl" Emily is tough as nails and fits right in out west, which surprised me at first since she was raised in the city of Chicago. Emily and Luke go through quite a few trials which in the end draws them together. This story progresses nicely and there are never any dull moments. I couldn't put this one down and finished it in a day. Highly recommended if you like western romance. I am looking forward to more by this author in the future!

Sarah's Garden (A Patch of Heaven Novel)

This is the first book in the Patch of Heaven Series. Sarah's Garden is about a young amish woman (Sarah King)and her journey through life. She has a way with gardening and feels most at peace when tending to her plants. When she meets an Englisher and falls in love things begin to get complicated. This is a forbidden love and Sarah struggles with what this could mean and how everything can work out. Sarah insists they can never be together and she and Grant go their separate ways. In dealing with her pain and heartache Sarah begins to make a beautiful quilt. It is through this quilt that Sarah begins to heal. Will Sarah and Grant ever be together? Will someone new come along? A must read for any Amish fiction lover! I am looking forward to the next book in this series!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Jesus Manifesto by Leonard Sweet & Frank Viola

From the back cover: "Christians have made the gospel about so many things - things other than Christ. Religious concepts, ideas, doctrines, strategies, methods, techniques, and formulas have all eclipsed the beauty, the glory and the reality of the Lord Jesus Himself. On the whole, Christians today are starved for a real experience of the living Christ. We know a lot about our Lord, but we don't know Him very well. We know a lot about trying to be like Jesus, but very little about living by His indwelling life.

Jesus Manifesto presents a fresh unveiling of Jesus as not only Saviour and Lord, but as so much more. It is a prophetic call to restore the supremecy and sovereignty of Christ in a world - and a church - that has lost sight of Him. Every revival and restoration in the church has been a rediscovery of some aspect of Christ in the precess of answering the ultimate question that Jesus put to His disciples: "Who do you say that I am?" Read this book and see your Lord like you've never seen Him before."

Just ask yourself this simple question "Who do you say that Jesus is?". If the answer is I don't really know or I think... but I'm not really sure. You need to read this book. Even if you think you know who Jesus is this is a great read. It will open your eyes to the real Jesus. You will start to see Him in a new light and realize how you should be living. It will change the way you view worship and even your prayer life. With so many churches now days preaching the "health and wealth" message and not preaching on the Bible and Jesus and the need for salvation this book is a much needed read. This is a good reminder that we are not to follow Christianity but follow Christ. I encourage all self proclaimed Christians to read this book. Our focus should always be on Christ and nothing more, this book helps us as Christians to get back to that main focus and realize that without Christ we have nothing but in Christ we have everything! Nothing is more important than Christ and our relationship with Him! 

"So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness." Colossians 2:6-7


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Books on Ebay

For anyone who is interested, I am selling my "The Courtship of Nellie Fisher" book series on ebay. It is definately a great read! View Auction Listing

The Longing (The Courtship of Nellie Fisher, Book 3)

From the back cover: "Although she still thinks of Caleb Yoder, Nellie Mae Fisher has broken up with her beau, choosing instead to follow the ways of the New Order. Yet her yearning for a husband remains, and new possibilities beckon, taking her heart by surprise. A tragic accident binds Caleb once more to the father who so opposed his affection for Nellie... and to the farm that will no longer be his. As he longs for freedom, Caleb soon discovers he cannot foget the only girl he's ever loved."

This was my favorite book in the whole series! Caleb is reunited with his estranged family due to a tragic accident affecting his father which results in a surprising outcome. We also see Rhoda's life as she fully embraces the world. Will she find the happiness she is so desperately searching for or will she realize that she had that happiness in the simple life she once lived? And Nellie Mae finally finds love in the end, but with who? We also finally get to see some closure for Rosanna and Elias King. I really enjoyed reading this book. Beverly Lewis weaves a beautiful story in this whole series. If you haven't read any of the books in this series I suggest you do!

Without a Trace by Colleen Coble

From the back of the book:  "When a plane carrying Bree Nicholls' husband and son disappears, her life changes forever. Her relentless determination to find them starts an investigation that links their disappearance to a violent crime threatening to tear the peaceful town of Rock Harbor apart.    Mystery fans will love this romantic suspense novel from best-selling author Colleen Coble. Set in the untamed beauty of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, the Rock Harbor novels draw readers into the life and adventures of a canine search-and-rescue team as it unravels the secrets of an enchanting wildreness."

I love reading mysteries and had been searching for a Christian mystery book. I happened upon this book on sale at my local bookstore and decided to give it a try. I was a little skeptical at first as to how God would be tied into a mystery but Colleen Coble does a wonderful job of this. I was surprised at how much I enoyed this book. I couldn't put it down. We follow Bree Nicholls as she searches for the plane wreckage of her husband and son, along with her trained search-and-rescue dog Sampson. Colleen writes this book in a way that draws you in to the characters and keeps you guessing until the end. I don't want to give too much away because it is a great read so if you like mysteries you need to read this one! I am planning on going out and getting the rest of the books in this series.

The Forbidden (The Coutship of Nellie Fisher, Book 2)

From the back cover: "Caleb Yoder's father has forbidden him to court Nellie Mae Fisher, but words alone cannot stop Caleb's devotion. Yet if he continues to pursue Nellie, he risks losing everything. Nellie, too, is torn. She longs to marry her Old Order beau but cannot ignore the gentle pull she feels toward the faith of her New Order family. Can she and her beloved satisfy the expectations of the People while remaining true to their hearts?"

This is book #2 in The Courtship of Nellie Fisher series. This book picks right up where the last one stopped which I really enjoyed. The continued struggle between the Old Order and the New Order families is carried throughout this book. I enjoyed watching the characters develop as they grew in their faith. Poor Nellie Mae and Caleb are stuck right in the middle of this struggle. Will they continue to court in secret? Or will Caleb follow his father's wishes? While this book did seem to go at a slow pace at times, I enjoyed it immensly. We also continue to follow the story of Rosanna King and husband Elias who adopted cousin Kate's twins. As Rosanna and Elias get more involved in the New Order church cousin Kate begins to have second thoughts. Will Rosanna and Elias be able to keep the babies? And, how will the church split continue to divide families? And don't forget about Rhoda who seems to be drawn more and more to the "fancy" world. What decisions will she make? If you read book one then you won't want to miss book two. I do recommend reading book one first however, you may be a little lost if you jump right in to this one.