Operation Worship

Operation Worship Pink Camo Bible




The Operation Worship Pink Camo Bible is a special edition New Living Translation Bible for wives, mothers, sisters, friends, and girlfriends of persons in the military.



It’s a small Bible with pieces of pink camo paper to pull out and write simple notes on, a military prayer for peace, a guide to studying the Bible, and excerpts of letters to people in the military at the back of the Bible. It’s cute.

I received this  Bible for a free review from Tyndale House Publsihers



Favorite Quote:

“O Lord, while we are apart, make us instruments of your peace.

When there is hatred let us plant the seeds of your love;

Where the is anger,..restraint;

Where there is brutality,…kindness;

Where there is fear,…courage;

Where there is pride,..humility;

Where there is blindness,…wisdom;

Lord, while we are apart, help us entrust our lives to you.

Where there is loneliness, make your presence known;

Where there is doubt, give us faith;

Where there is despair, awaken in us hope;

Where there is darkness, shine your light;

Where there is sadness, fill us with joy;



Lord, while we are apart, bless us and protect us.

Smile on us and be gracious to us.

Show us your favor and give us your peace.

And use us to plant seeds of blessing

wherever we go, whatever we do,

in everything we say.



We pray all these things

for the sake of your Name and your Kingdom.

Amen.

Learn more about Operation Worship HERE
Buy Assorted Military Bibles HERE

Rating: 5 carats

The Telling

The Telling
by Beverly Lewis

This is the third and final book in the Seasons of Grace series by Beverly Lewis. The series is set around an Amish family in Bird-in-Hand, Pennsylvania and is a story of God’s provision and redemption.



In the first two books Lettie Byler left her family without any explanation for Ohio to find the missing piece of the life she left when she was a teenager. The third installment starts with Lettie’s daughter in Pennsylvania, Grace Byler, setting out on a quest to find her missing mother and to bring her home.



Grace takes a ride with an “Englisher” named Heather Nelson who’d recently been diagnosed with cancer and is going to Ohio to attend an alternative treatment facility.



Will mother, daughter, and one seriously ill “Englisher” find what they are looking for?



Every Beverly Lewis book is good and this one is no exception. Beverly offers a glimpse into the life of the reclusive Amish people that are so easily misunderstood. The Telling is simple yet deep as it unfolds and illustrates covering up our mistakes only makes situations worse than had we owned up to them in the first place.



I listened to the audio version of this book and really liked that there was a different voice for each character. The Amish characters even had a traditional Amish accent which gave a certain authenticity to these characters.

Favorite Quote:
"Sighing, I knew in my heart I was willing to put up with any awkwardness-even fear-if it meant bringing mama home"

I reviewed this audiobook for review from Christianaudio.com
Learn about Beverly HERE
Buy the book HERE




Rating: 5 carats

Captivating

Captivating
By John and Stasi Elderegde
Captivating is set around the premise every little girl asks the questions, “Am I lovely? Am I beautiful? Am I captivating?” Throughout life we go on with the daily grind but deep inside our hearts we are still asking ourselves these questions and looking to external things to answer them. Captivating explains how God places these desires into our hearts and how ‘looking time’ can help answer the questions and what it takes to become truly captivating.




John and Stasi Elderidge talk candidly about how we all can easily fall into a fantasy world of the way we think things should be. When our lives don’t play out the way we thought they should many women escape to mindless movies, romance novels, food, or whatever else brings comfort. What many of us miss is how all our struggles and longings stem from the fall of Adam and Eve.



As the pages are turned, Captivating doesn’t promise if you do A and B you’ll get C but explains how we are beautiful because we are made by Christ and everyone’s shortcomings stem from the fall of man. The chapters are filled with thought-provoking questions of where we stand in certain areas followed by a prayer asking God to help us turn to Him and away from the lies we have believed.



I first heard of this book a few years ago when it was newly published. Friends of mine had talked about being captivated by it just as the title says. So that’s exactly what I expected - to be drawn in and unable to put the book down by the way it explains the questions all women ask. I wasn’t as captivated by this book as I thought I would be, possibly because all had I heard previously about it. However I do think there are many good points scattered throughout the pages, they just seemed hard to find. It is definitely a book to read when you want to sit down, really digest each chapter and ask yourself tough questions.

Favorite Quote:

“We have never considered that by living a controlling and domineering life we are really refusing to trust God. And it has never dawned on us that something precious in us is being squelched, diminished, or refused. Something that God has given us to bring to the world.”



I received this book as a review copy for free from Thomas Nelson Publishers
Learn about John and Stasi's minstry HERE
Buy the book HERE
Rating: 4 carats

Peculiar Treasures

Peculiar Treasures by Robin Jones Gunn

After attending her best friend’s wedding Katie Weldon begins to wonder about her own life. As she juggles her friendships, her sort-of boyfriend, Rick, ponders whether to take a job as a Resident Advisor, and contemplates declaring a major, Katie starts to constantly question what she is doing with her life and where she wants to go.

This is the first book in the Katie Weldon series and is a continuation of the Christy Miller and Sierra Jenson series by Robin Jones Gunn. I've only read a little bit of the Christy Miller series but I can definitely see how these characters have grown in depth and become more dimensional as they have progressed through college.

Katie is sweet and relatable to almost any 20-something girl who has wondered about life. Robin Jones Gunn has a fantastic way of lightheartedly and captivatingly sweeping you up into her stories, leaving your heart filled with warmth. I think the only way to describe her writing is from a quote in the middle of the book, "What I appreciate about you is your freshness and honesty. You say things I would never think of saying and you say them in a way that makes me think."

There is nothing peculiar about this treasure!

Favorite Line:
"I wonder if being willing is a just as good in God's eyes as being ready. Especially since it’s kind of difficult to be ready when you don't even know where you're going in the morning."

Rating: 5 carats

Browse Robin's website and online store HERE

Buy the book HERE

Three Weddings and a Bar Mitzvah

by Melody Carlson

Three Weddings and a Bar Mitzvah is the fourth and final book in Melody Carlson’s 86 Bloomberg Place Series. The four roommates are now busy planning weddings for Lelani and Kendall but the families of both girls are making everything difficult. As the wedding planning gets underway both Megan’s and Anna's lives start falling apart even though they try to conceal it to be happy for Lelani and Kendall.

This book is written as all Melody Carlson books are, lighthearted and realistic. I enjoy how the friendships grew and strengthened throughout the book and how they became one another’s family when they had no one else to turn to. The ending is sweet and wraps up the whole series perfectly in an airy, peaceful way.

Favorite Line:
"God had known what they needed all through the ups and downs of life. Through the heartache and growing up God used their friendships to touch them. He truly knit their hearts together."
Rating: 4 carats

Look at Melody's website HERE
Buy the book HERE

Not a Sparrow Falls

Not a Sparrow Falls by Linda Nichols

Not a Sparrow Falls

A carefully planned escape helps Mary Bridget Washington run from an abusive relationship and a circle of friends to start her life over in Alexandria, Va. She takes on the name Bridie and begins working as a nanny for a Pastor with three children whose wife died two years ago.

Samantha, the Pastor’s oldest daughter, reaches out to Bridie in a note one night at dinner. Although Bridie is lost and confused herself, she remembers her childhood with her grandma and the godly way her grandmother lived her life. As the words of Bridie’s grandmother float through her mind, Bridie looks to the Lord and decides to do whatever possible to help Samantha. Little does Bridie know that reaching out to someone else will completely change and restore her view of life.

This book was a little strange because I didn’t always know if it was contemporary or old fashioned, even though it is listed as contemporary romance I’m not even sure where the romance was. The book felt very heavy and dark, even the scenes that were supposed to be uplifting. However it is a story about God’s forgiveness and how He stays with us all the time no matter how far we run from Him. Hence the title Not a Sparrow Falls.

I received this book free for review from Bethany House Publishers.

Favorite line:
"The arm of flesh will fail you," Bridie's grandmother had been fond of reminding her, especially after she'd started dating, bringing home this one and that one, going on and on about them. "Love with all your heart, but don't look to anybody but the Lord to fill up your empty spots. There's never been a man born who can do that, and I don't care if he's the finest thing since store-bought pickles.""

Visit Linda's website HERE

Buy the Book HERE
Rating: 3 carats

The Last Song

The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks

Ronnie Miller and her brother, Jonah, are shipped off to spend the summer with their estranged father. Ronnie is still angry at her father over her parents’ divorce. When her parents’ marriage ended she stopped talking to him and now is livid with her mother for forcing her to spend the summer with him.

From the moment she arrives, Ronnie puts distance between her and her father by spending the first night away from his home. As Ronnie runs from him she meets Will and Blaze. It’s this night that ultimately changes her summer.

If you are a Nicholas Sparks fan, you won’t be disappointed. The Last Song is perfect to his form of telling emotional love stories with spiritual themes that don’t preach and show that even the darkest clouds have silver linings. If you just like a good romance or an emotional journey you’ll like this book as well.

From the moment I started reading this book I could clearly picture Miley Cyrus playing the part of Ronnie with her mannerisms and the way she talks real loud. I can’t wait to see the movie!

Favorite Line:
“Life, he realized, was much like a song. In the beginning there is mystery, in the end there is confirmation, but it's in the middle where all the emotion resides to make the whole thing worthwhile."

Rating: 5 carats