My Mother's Wish

Ellee sets out to distinguish herself from everyone else in her small town. She does not want to settle for the proper life her mother envisions for her. She rebels in small ways: the backwards direction she writes in her diary, the way she writes across the lines, and shortening her name to Ellee from Eleanor. All of it fits the best word she knows, “contrariwise.”

In My Mother’s Wish her father accepts her the way she is yet her mother is disappointed in Ellee’s constant need to be different. Strife ensues and we find Ellee taking off for parts unknown. I felt like there were pages missing because in one chapter she is leaving Missouri in July and in the next we find her at a truck stop diner in Nebraska just before Christmas. She misses home. A waitress shows concern, a truck driver offers her a ride which she readily accepts, and lo and behold, drops her off at her home without her revealing any details about herself. She returns to find her mother accepts her at last, as demonstrated by the fact that she has written Ellee instead of Eleanor on the Christmas list tagged to the refrigerator, and her mother’s lone wish is to have her back.

A very quick read, I found this little book too cute. There was no meat to it. Assuming the author is using this short narrative to get across the idea of unconditional love that God gives to each of us, this does not cut it for me. Give me the real Christmas story any day.

Published by WaterBrook Press and written by Jerry Camery-Hoggatt.
If you are curious, I have three books to give away.

Books can also be purchased from:

www.Amazon.com
www.ChristianBook.com
www.FamilyChristian.com

Me, Myself, & I AM

Ever think about what your life was like before Christ? Ever wonder about your current focus? Ever think about where you are headed in the future? Want to understand your relationship with God in a deeper way? Me, Myself, & I AM is a tool you could use to help you as you sort through these questions and myriad others. It’s like a ready made journal, asking pointed questions to get you started thinking and giving you a place to log a concrete record of your journey in life.

Some of the questions assume a cultural literacy on the part of the reader, such as:

If your life before you became a Christian were a movie, its title would be:

Animal House

As Good As It Gets

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

It’s a Wonderful Life

The reader is encouraged to be transparent and answer questions honestly; not as you think they should be answered but your own current assessment of you.

You can go in order or skip around to whatever interests you at the particular time you choose to examine your thoughts and actions. Fun, serious, or thought-provoking, Me, Myself, & I AM can be a springboard for either your own spiritual walk or group discussions.

Co-authored by Matthew Peters and Elisa Stanford.
Published by Multnomah.
Available for purchase at www.Amazon.com, www.ChristianBook.com, or www.FamilyChristian.com.

I have two extra copies if you are interested.

How Would Jesus Vote?

Jerry Newcombe and the late D. James Kennedy of Coral Ridge Ministries examine political issues that voters face not only now, in the 2008 presidential race, but those that are ongoing.

The authors drawn attention to the fact that voters with a traditional Christian worldview see issues and their solutions differently than other voters. At least, the authors believe we should, since our beliefs should be based on what the Bible says.

Some issues addressed are abortion, the death penalty, war, education, and economics, to name a few. Kennedy and Newcombe challenge the reader to vote from an informed view by applying faith and obedience in the ballot box.

Published by WaterBrook Press, you can purchase it here.

Bon Appétit

Lexi leaves her Seattle area home to pursue her dream of becoming a pastry chef. She switches places with the daughter in the Delacroix family, owners of not only the bakery where she worked in Seattle but also two bakeries in France. She settles into spending her working hours supervised by members of the Delacroix family at each of their bakeries, creating delicious pastries as directed.

Her education at L’École du Pâtisserie, sponsored by the family, begins just a few weeks after she arrives. She will have 16 weeks to prove herself and earn her diploma. In order to do so, she must end up in the top ten percent of her class. Will she pass the final exhibition of her baking skills?

Lexi cautiously makes friends, develops a devotional time where she is not only feeding her body but also her soul, and looks to God for help in sorting out what direction she should take. Good food, new friendships, a little romance…will she stay in France or decide to return to America? Authored by Sandra Byrd, the novel delightfully portrays Lexi’s struggles as she tries to find her way. There are even a few recipes included!

New from WaterBrook Press, this is the second book in Sandra Byrd's French Twist series.
I have two copies to give away to an interested party.