Spiritually Strong: The Ultimate 6-Week Guide to Building Your Body and Soul by Kristen Feola, © 2014

This six-week program of spiritual and physical exercises is easy to incorporate into your daily life, yet its effects will change you forever. Flex your spiritual muscles and discover the joy of living out God's calling with renewed energy and purpose ...
I promise to push you to do more than you would do on your own.
   --author Kristen Feola



Spiritually Strong reflects on the comparison of caring for our body and for our soul. Parallel in preparation ~ warmup, exercises, cooldown, and daily action challenge; to begin and stay with it. I go to a morning aerobics class followed by a stretching class three times a week. I am maintaining. Exerting more energy, walking the other days would benefit my health in these winter days. Join me in having Kristen Feola as our very own "personal trainer" in these six weeks.

Exercises in a periodized program are changed frequently to prevent your muscles from adapting to your routine.
   --Spiritually Strong, 126

The same with spiritual exercise for your heart, mind, soul, and strength; apply assigned Scripture passage, study questions, reflect on what God has shown you, and pray.

Nutritious!

Jeremiah 15:16 ~
"Your words were found and I ate them,
And Your words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart;
For I have been called by Your name, O LORD God of hosts."

These six weeks focus on Commitment, Power, Perseverance, Joy, Peace, and final week Victory, spiritually and physically ~ exercising, and meal planning too.



Part 1, The Core ~* presents the muscles of the physical and spiritual core, with an introduction to the exercises that strengthen them and a discussion about the importance of self-discipline in training.

Part 2, The Exercises ~* explains the six essential exercises for training the core: Bible study, prayer, fasting, healthy living, financial stewardship, and serving others.

Part 3, The Program ~* helps you name goals for your core conditioning program, establish a training schedule, and set the stage for your success. In this section, you’ll implement the spiritual and physical exercises during a six-week Bible study.

This book is laid out very well in sequence, first explaining benefits and how-to, followed by practical application. The Appendix has an exercise plan for each week, followed by Notes for further study references.



***Thank you to Linked-to-Lit for sending me a copy of Kristen Feola's Spiritually Strong: The Ultimate 6-Week Guide to Building Your Body and Soul. This review was written in my own words. No other compensation was received.***

Deuteronomy 30:19, 20 ~ The Choice of Life or Death
"I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants, by loving the LORD your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him; for this is your life and the length of your days, that you may live in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them."

Nourished: A Search for Health, Happiness, and a Full Night's Sleep by Becky Johnson and Rachel Randolph, © 2014

  Aren't they beauties?! When I saw the title, "Nourished," I knew I wanted to read their joy. We all can learn a pick-me-up from each other. Let's begin.

A Well-Nourished Life
To be nourished, as you suspect, is about balance; daily balance in our lives. Our body, our outlook, our giving our cares over to God for a restful, peaceful mind to relax and begin again. I love laughter, refreshment! (And... as you can tell, they cook!)

Tidbits
Search for the funny in frustrating! J~O~Y endorphins burst forth! "Think, chuckle, before reacting."
A good laugh is sunshine in the house.  --William Makepeace Thackeray

At home in your surroundings ~ I liked reading both aspects of these authors as they share what has been helpful for them, and what motivated them from each other. You will find good ideas to try yourself, "being at home" in your home.

If you don't like something, change it;

if you can't change it,

change the way you think about it.

Mary Engelbreit

Find that you are not alone; be encouraged and add joy in your day. What I liked was the section about making your home comfortable for you; bringing friends in to share a cup of tea, and having a basketful of books you have been wanting to find time to read. While your family settles in, you can be together with your interests alongside. Stress-less and love-more by slowing down and realizing today has enough for itself and tomorrow is brand new. Share laughter and listening, enjoy who you are; specially-made. Try the sharing in this book; whatever season you are in, experience joy in little things, maybe you hadn't thought of that could give you a boost to enjoy each day and those around you with a new perspective; real time-sharing. Recognition of common stressors and hope will guide you in woman-to-woman sitting together, smiling and saying, "Thanks for the gathering with encouraging, helpful, uplifting ideas together." A life lived well.

Becky's blog

What I love most about Nourishing Compromises vs. New Year Resolutions is that once you get the hang of it, you never have to put happiness on hold until some future goal is accomplished.

 


Rachel's blog

nour·ish {verb} 1. to sustain with food or nutriment; supply with what is necessary for life, health, and growth. 2. to cherish, foster, keep alive, etc.. 3. to strengthen, build up, or promote.

***Thank you to Linked-to-Lit for sending me an Advance Reading Copy to review Nourished. This review was written in my own words. No other compensation was received.***

Remember the Lilies by Liz Tolsma, © 2015

Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. --Luke 12:27

Santo Tomas Internment Camp in Manila

Summary: "Irene and Rand come from very different walks of life. Will they find common ground in their fight to survive? Irene has grown up in the jungle as a missionary with her Aunt Anita, but now she and countless others are imprisoned by Japanese soldiers at the Santo Tomas Internment Camp in the Philippines. Irene and her aunt are safe there, and she keeps busy with her duty of delivering censored messages to the camp's prisoners, but like everyone else, she prays for the war to end and for her freedom. Rand is a wealthy, womanizing American, whose attempted escape from the internment camp has put himself and others in danger. When Rand and Irene's Aunt Anita meet one another in the hospital, Irene learns more of his story and her heart is determined to save his family. But the danger outside the walls of the hospital worsens every day, and life in this exotic place is anything but luxurious. Can Irene find Rand's family before they disappear forever? And can a humble missionary woman and an arrogant man find common ground in the face of their biggest fears?"-- Provided by publisher.

My review:
After reading the two previous novels by Liz Tolsma, Snow on the Tulips and Daisies Are Forever, I was awaiting this third story, Remember the Lilies. Interesting that flowers are intermingled with seemingly dismal places, showing hope and faith can bloom again in dust and decay of ruins.

The story begins in early December of 1941 in Manila, Philippines. The morning of December 8 began like any other morning with bird song and fair weather ~ picnic outings to be enjoyed. Until the subsequent attack following Pearl Harbor, WWII comes to the Philippines. The research by author Liz Tolsma brings us to the sorrows and future hope of surviving the internment camp as day-to-day is revealed of the atrocities of war.



I was surprised that the internment was at the university and had a hospital with camp doctors. Families and individuals were in captivity more than three years. This story tells of their lives and how they coped while being imprisoned. Regardless of where they had been materially and occupationally before the war, they were now one in their attempt to survive low food rationing and living conditions. Natural disasters occurred, with weather conditions added to by an expected lineup of prisoners twice a day, regardless of what must be endured. Weakened because of diet and lack of exercise, expectations of bowing to their captor became a hardship for many.

An important supporter in the story is by the older missionary, Anita Markham. So uplifting in trials and ill health, she clung to God and biblical truth, sharing with her niece, Irene Reynolds, and a man, Rand Sterling, she meets in an ambulance on their way to the hospital for medical care. Irene has already told her Aunt Anita about him. Irene first met him as she delivered a message she memorized while at her work in the censor office from incoming mail.

As Irene and Rand begin their attraction to each other, I am talking to them, to "tell the truth," while reading the story. Honesty and not holding back will benefit them the most. Both attempt to keep secrets they feel would separate them from the other. There are unexpected surprises in this story, but the best part how their character changes.

This is a strong story weaving history of the past, confirmed by an actual person who was interned with her family during this time.

the Philippines WWII

author Liz Tolsma

Photo by Bentfield Photography

***Thank you to Litfuse Publicity Group and Thomas Nelson Publishers for sending me a copy of Liz Tolsma's Remember the Lilies for review. This review was written in my own words. No other compensation was received.***

Liz Tolsma’s ‘Remember the Lilies’ Author Chat Party and Kindle Giveaway

This gripping new tale from Liz Tolsma, Remember the Lilies, is a must-read for fans of WWII-era fiction. When Irene is attacked by a sinister Japanese guard and their secrets are exposed, she and Rand must learn the true meaning of forgiveness—if they can stave off starvation until the American troops bring freedom.

Help Liz celebrate the release of Remember the Lilies with a Kindle Fire giveaway!

 

One grand prize winner will receive:

• A Kindle Fire
• One copy of Remember the Lilies

Enter today by clicking the icon below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on 2/19. Winner will be announced at Liz's Remember the Lilies Facebook author chat party. RSVP for a chance to connect with Liz and WWII fiction fans, as well as for a chance to win some great prizes!   

{NOT ON FACEBOOK? ENTER HERE.}

RSVP today and spread the word—tell your friends about the giveaway via FACEBOOK, TWITTER, or PINTEREST and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 19th!

Germany WWII

the Netherlands WWII

Under His Wings in A Log Cabin Christmas

  

I Choose You Today ~ nonfiction by Deb DeArmond, © 2015

With Scripture and experienced application, Deb DeArmond shares stories in this 31-week topical study how God's Word is revealed in lives yielded to Him. To love and to cherish ~ blossoming when lived in His love and open to more He has in abundance for marriage relationships; a giving heart. Each chapter is followed by Choice Questions and Prayer. A study as a married couple, an engaged couple, as a devotional, for small group, or Bible study, you will be enriched. Choose chapters that speak to you now; study them before going on. This is for you, not to race on, but to gather and apply.

An added benefit would be to journal important aspects that stand out to you. Make it your own. Topics that you might not have thought of with potential ways you can choose, to identify areas for attention and take action to strengthen your commitment. Perhaps you each would like a copy to color-code application areas.

God created marriage; God has the answers.
   If we build our lives together on feelings alone, we will fail. Marriage at its very best always requires much more. True commitment, which is an active, demanding, daily choice, will lead us to marriage that happily lasts a lifetime.
   --I Choose You Today, 33

Not everything has to be a problem area to be a place for discussion and reflection. You will benefit sharing together wisdom brought out in this book on different subjects you potentially may, or have come across.

Adaptable ~
"... when the Lord teaches me a principle, he provides opportunities for practice."
   --Ibid., 55

Biblical applications ~
Each person made a choice to let go of a program already in progress and adapt to God's direction. Each time, God was faithful.
   --Ibid., 56

~*~

A reminder why you chose the one you married and 31 ways to choose to love them every day. Married for nearly 38 years, author Deborah DeArmond and her husband have made the spoken declaration, “I choose you today” a regular part of their communication. It’s when we least feel like saying it that we need to remind ourselves that love is a choice, not a feeling. I Choose You Today features 31 scriptural principles that support marriage and help couples develop healthy Biblically-based behavior.
    Built on an introductory anecdotal story, each chapter has an inspirational takeaway of not only what to do, but how to begin applying the principles immediately. Thought provoking questions create talking points for couples to explore their own choices and experiences in each area serve to generate open dialogue of discovery. I Choose You Today is not a book of "shoulds," but one of clearly identified choices that each individual can make to grow their marriage and align it with the word of God. Every saying ends with a conventional wisdom quote.

Deb DeArmond is a highly sought-after executive coach and speaker. Known as a relationship and conflict resolution expert, Deb is dedicated to helping others build successful solutions to the challenges they face at home and at work. She is the co-founder of MyPurposeNow, a website for Christian women 50+. Find out more at her website.

***Thank you to Litfuse Publicity Group for inviting me to be part of the blog tour for I Choose You Today: 31 Choices to Make Love Last by Deb DeArmond, published by Abingdon Press. This review was written in my own words. No other compensation was received.***

Strengthen Your Marriage with Deb DeArmond’s New Book, Facebook Author Chat Party, and Relationship Challenges

What’s the secret for hanging on to the happily-ever-after feelings from the day you said, “I do”? It could be as simple as four little words: I Choose You Today. Be sure to grab a copy of Deb DeArmond's latest release and find out how you can make the declaration “I Choose You Today” a regular part of your marriage communication.

Deb is celebrating the release of her book with a Facebook author chat party on February 3rd.

 

Along with the February 3rd author chat party, you're invited to participate in two marriage-strengthening challenges: one beginning February 1 and the other beginning in March. Don't miss out on this opportunity to build your relationship with your spouse and enter to win some prizes along the way!

The Valentine's Challenge: February 1 – 28

Tell your spouse "I Choose You" every day of the month. Sign up online at www.ichooseyouchallenge.com and receive a free downloadable February calendar to mark off the days of the challenge.

Deb will also be emailing participants 1–2 times throughout the month with giveaway opportunities and "keep going" encouragement.
The "I Choose You" Challenge: March 1 – December 31, 2015

Sign up online at www.ichooseyouchallenge.com to receive 10 weekly emails, each teaching one of the choices from Deb's book along with practical applications. This challenge is broken up into three different sessions, covering all 31 choices from the book.

There will be giveaways and opportunities to win throughout the year. Participants can decide when to join—it's not required to do all three sessions.

The Dandelion Field by Kathryn Springer, © 2014

John Moretti is absolutely the best. And... he has taught me how to take care of orchids. He has also taken excellent care of his wife and family in giving them the freedom to be who they are with huge sprinklings of love. That's how they roll!

Son and firefighter, Dan, isn't so sure of what his family is up to when his mom, Angela, invites a newcomer from church home for Sunday dinner. Actually, he has been trying to figure out his feelings ~* should he rescue Gin from the outbursts that just combust at their dinner table, or... shield himself from the flame he has been feeling?

Ginevieve and her daughter Raine are stopping over in Banister Falls ~ according to their ill-fated auto... at least until Raine graduates this year from high school. But... contingencies seem to have stalled that plan as Raine has other options keeping her grounded nearby.

The unlikelihood of repeating her life, Gin nails down and fervently supports Raine and her decisions bringing them both to another side they wouldn't have imagined of acceptance, love, and peace just waiting for them.

My people will live in peaceful dwelling places, in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest.
   --Isaiah 32:18

Gin and Raine find true friends and those that care about them, far beyond what they could have imagined. Steadfast, dependable, everlasting, from brokenness, despair and hearts that remember acceptance they so desperately needed in their young life. Joy found in honesty and trust in God for their now and their future.

The dandelion field is all about love and what truly matters. Others.

You are going to love these characters as they jump off the page and into your hearts. You will want to turn the next page, and the next page... but, they are all read. You've come to the end; they have come to the beginning.

Congratulations to author Kathryn Springer. You have loped it out of the park! Graciousness and consideration for the love spilled from bound up hearts. Thank you.

Kathryn Springer website

Kathryn Springer, winner of the 2009 ACFW Carol Award (Family Treasures), grew up in a small town in northern Wisconsin, where her parents published a weekly newspaper. As a child, she spent many hours sitting at her mother’s typewriter, plunking out stories, and credits her parents for instilling in her a love of books – which eventually turned into a desire to tell stories of her own. After a number of busy years, when she married her college sweetheart and became a stay-at-home mom, Kathryn rediscovered her love for writing. An unexpected snow day from school became the inspiration for a short story, which she submitted to Brio magazine. She went on to publish over a dozen more short stories for Brio, but it wasn’t until her youngest child started school that she decided to pursue her dream to write a novel. In August 2004, her Love Inspired® debut novel, Tested by Fire, was published. Encouraging women in their faith journey is the reason Kathryn loves to write inspirational fiction. She hosts a women’s Bible study in her home and volunteers in a local MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) ministry. When she isn’t at the computer, you’ll find her curled up with a good book, spending time with family and friends or walking on the trails near her country home.

***Thank you to Litfuse Publicity Group and TNZ Fiction for sending me a review copy of The Dandelion Field by Kathryn Springer. This review was written in my own words. No other compensation was received.***

Get ready for Valentine's Day with a new story of romance and falling in love in Kathryn Springer's The Dandelion Field. The handsome firefighter makes a living “coming to the rescue,” but Gin is used to fighting her own battles. Can a woman who doesn't believe in happy endings take a chance on a new beginning? 

Celebrate a second chance at love and family with Kathryn by entering her Kindle Fire giveaway!

One grand prize winner will receive:

• A Kindle Fire
• The Dandelion Field

Enter today by clicking the icon below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on February 15th. Winner will be announced February 16th on the Litfuse blog.

  {NOT ON FACEBOOK? ENTER HERE.}

"Give Books, Not Roses" ~ Love Gently Falling © 2015 by Melody Carlson, and Keys of Heaven © 2015 by Adina Senft

Valentine's Day Two Book Giveaway + cHoCoLaTe!!!

Hachette Book Group is offering a "Give Books, Not Roses" Valentine's Day Giveaway of two books and a Southern Artisan Chocolate Bar from Olive & Sinclair Chocolate Company to one winner from Lane Hill House blog. Drawing will be on Sunday, February 8, 2015, to allow time for the shipment. Leave a comment below with your contact ...[at]...[dot]com information (U.S. only, this drawing).

   

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner! The crisp, cool air feels a little sweeter and stores are filling their shelves with greeting cards and candies. But instead of sharing the usual gifts, the way to someone’s heart can be through a story (and maybe a little bit of chocolate).

   --Christina Boys, Editor of Love Gently Falling by Melody Carlson and Keys of Heaven by Adina Senft

 

Southern Artisan Chocolate is hand crafted by Native Nashvillians in the heart of Music City. Olive and Sinclair is proud to be the original bean-to-bar chocolate maker of the South. Slow roasted and stone ground in small batches, select single origin beans are combined with pure brown sugar for a smooth and robust flavor that's unique to Southern Artisan Chocolate. A combination of traditional methods, modern European technique and classic southern flavors make Olive & Sinclair the new old fashioned chocolate. ~*net wt. 2.75 oz.*~ 

Keys of Heaven by Adina Senft ~*

Red valerian, sometimes called "keys of heaven" or "Jupiter's beard," often grows in rocky places where other plants don't flourish, such as in stone walls or against fences. But adverse conditions can produce a beautiful plant, brightening hard places with its sprays of red flowers.
   There are people like this, too. They grow in hard places where others wouldn't flourish--staying where God has put them, even if they might not have chosen to grow there. But they stay because they're needed, because their spirit transforms the hard place and makes it beautiful...
   --author Adina Senft

I liked this story of sharing what we know. A simple solution to us, is an aid to another. Sarah Yoder, continuing from book 1 in A Healing Grace series, Herb of Grace, is beginning to take patients by word of mouth to share her knowledge of healing plants she cultivates. When is it appropriate to pass on information in another's life when the whole story is not known, nor appreciated by the receiver? Sarah finds that it seems simpler to be on the outside looking in than it is to experience it herself. As it is a three-part story, the community and characters expand from their previous days. Growth is seen; beneficial to all?
Author Adina Senft is very expressive in her descriptions and draws us near to the thoughts and feelings of the characters you might meet in daily life. An excerpt intro to book 3 in the series, Balm of Gilead, is placed in the back, along with a reading group guide for Keys of Heaven and a glossary of words used.

I love this photo of the author! Obvious that she enjoys her flock of diversified rescued chickens.

Love Gently Falling by Melody Carlson ~*

Melody Carlson has been a favorite author of mine since reading her Back Home Again, the first book in the Grace Chapel Inn bed-and-breakfast series, and then on to her stand-alones. I like that she writes wholesome stories for a wide variety of age groups.

Love Gently Falling is a novella, shorter than Melody's novels, but just as absorbing. Rita Jansen is flexible and organized at the same time. In the opening, I like how she interacts with her roommate, Aubrey, and the relationship she has with others. Eager to help her, Aubrey makes arrangements for Rita's travel back home upon hearing of the illness of her mother. Rita is a giver too, and flows from a heart of respect and honor for others. The story is very fluid, as if you are there with their conversations. Flying from California's mild weather to opening the door to Chicago's windy city, is just the beginning of changes ahead for Rita. She sets herself aside to help her family. A very engaging story of communication and love that will be an encouragement to any day! What I liked most is the conflict resolution.

Also included within is the first chapter of Once Upon a Winter's Heart, for a further Valentine's Day read!


***Thank you to Hachette Book Group Faith Words for sending me the surprise chocolate bar and copies of  Love Gently Falling and Keys of Heaven for review. This review was written in my own words. No other compensation was received.***

Secrets of a Charmed Life by Susan Meissner, © 2015

"Our life is what our thoughts make it."

––Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

~*~

Upon reading the last paragraph revelation of Part One, Chapter One; yes, I am here for keeps!

Wordsmith Susan Meissner captures historical fiction in a way that readers will be a recipient firsthand with interviewer Kendra Van Zant, as an elderly woman reveals her pain and remembrance in the throngs of war and its effects upon those near to her heart. An impact to me was the sweet longing of hoped-for children fulfilled for Charlotte Havelock, the woman who took in the two sisters in the story during the evacuation of the children from the terrors of the London Blitz in the early 1940s. A history comes alive to 2015; actions considered together, unable to be undone, whether originating from self or others.

~* Quotes *~

"Fear does not start to fade until you take the step that you think you can't."

~*~

"There are days that are neither good nor bad. There is a kind of day that is something else entirely. On those days, you are restless for something. And that fidgety feeling doesn’t make your good days bad or your bad days good. It just makes you hungry."

~*~

"Truth is a strange companion. It devastates one moment and enthralls the next. But it never deceives. And because of that, in the end, it comforts."

~*~

"If I know anything about time, it is that it stretches to walk with you when you grieve. The rest of the world may zoom past at breakneck speed, but when you are learning to live with loss, time slows to the pace of your breathing."

~*~

children labeled with their destination

The reminiscence of the teller brought to the present, is it accurate through her point of view? From London to the Cotswolds, the excursion was as bewildering to those sent and those selecting within a distanced countryside, hoping for safety and acceptance. During sirens, blackout curtains, and the fear of demolition, Emmeline Downtree desires to resume her post as a hoped-for designer apprentice connected to Mrs. Crofton's London Primrose Bridal shop. Emmy sketches bride dresses hoping to create a future clear from the life she has known. Her younger sister Julia just wants to be where Emmy is, protected and cared for, the only stability she has really known. Connect with the perils and dreams, set aside to what is.

Susan Meissner has brought a true glimpse of a war-torn country and the devastation brought forth for decades; façades covering a turbulent time.

I have loved reading Susan Meissner's then and now novels ~ her two time period stories. My first reading became a favorite ~ Lady in Waiting, about the two Janes... and Lucy (needing her own continued story). I like the connection made between the past and the present, in a tangible way. Susan's novels bring me right in to walk near them.

***Thank you to author Susan Meissner for inviting me to be a part of her pre-read team and sending me an Advance Reader Copy of Secrets of a Charmed Life. This review was written in my own words. No other compensation was received.***