Reading, Writing & Pondering

Smack Dab in the Middle of God's Love by Brennan Manning and John Blase is a beautifully illustrated children's book about God's love for each one of us. Willie Jaun and Anna couldn't have children of their own but their house is full of children. They show them all God's love and share their delicious sopapillas. As the title suggests, by the end of the story, all the children come to realize that they are "smack dab in the middle of God's Love." What a wonderful phrase! I found myself thinking that phrase several times after reading this book a couple of times. This is Brennan Manning's first children's book. He is a popular speaker and author who specializes in sharing God's love for His children to all his audiences. I read this book with my 9 year old son. The book is just a little young for him as it is suggested for ages 4 to 8. At first he rolled his eyes since it wasn't a chapter book. However, he still enjoyed the theme of t...

Right From the Heart: Turning Your Day Toward God by Bryant Wright is a beautiful devotional book that offers a Bible verse and reading for every day of the year. I wasn't familiar with this author but he is pastor of a large Baptist Church in Atlanta and Founder of Right From the Heart Ministries.Wright offers some meaty encouragement for living the Christian life in our world today in each short reading. He covers timeless Christian topics such as eternal security, facing trials, witnessing and just about every aspect of living the Christian life. He also offers devotions with insights on buzzword topics that relate to our world today--such as adultery, tolerance, pornography--and shares Scripture and a solid Christian view on these topics. Several devotions also include historical references showing the reader that some of these issues we have been dealing with throughout the ages. These devotions are written to provide a short meaningful time with the Lord each day. I could ...

Hurricanes in Paradise by Denise Hildreth Jones quickly lured me in as I started reading about Riley, Winnie, Laine, and Tamyra. . .Four women whose lives intersect at the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas. Of this main cast of characters, Riley is the woman in charge of guest relations at this beautiful resort. Winnie is an older Southern widow sent to enjoy herself by her adult children for a week to relax. Laine is a writer researching the resort for her next book and dealing with the story of her own life at the same time. Tamyra is looking for an escape from her life filled with pain. Together each woman learns to face fears that they didn't know they even had as they face the coming hurricane that hits the island during their stay. I enjoyed this read. . .Four women all faced different life challenges and fears. . .who of us can't relate to one of them in some way? I'm not sure I agree with every character's choices in the end but isn't that just the way life i...

I am new to Kindle reading as I just received my new Amazon Kindle less then a week ago. Kim Cash Tate's Women of Faith book called Cherished is the first book I've read through my Kindle. First I have to say that I think enjoyed the story as much as an e-book as I would have in print. As soon as I started reading this story, I was hooked and had a hard time putting it down. Kelli London is a single woman who just graduated from a Texas college and is looking for a job. She is back to her hometown of Saint Louis with her family when her brother gets married. Kelli originally dreamed of being a songwriter but that dream died years ago when things didn't work out with her boyfriend, Brian, and she made choices that she has regretted ever since. Heather Anderson has also made some choices in her life that she regrets--an affair with a married man and a one-night stand with a Christian rock band drummer named Ace. Through Kelli's sister-in-law, the two women get ...