CAPTIVE book review

Overview:

CAPTIVE, based on a miraculous true story that drew the attention of the entire nation, is a thrilling drama about the spiritual collision of two broken lives.  When Brian Nichols - on the run as the subject of a city wide manhunt and desperate to make contact with his newborn son - takes recovering meth addict Ashley Smith hostage in her own apartment, she turns for guidance to Rick Warren’s best-selling inspirational book, The Purpose Driven Life.  While reading aloud, Ashley and her would-be killer each face crossroads where despair and death intersect hope.  

The movie stars David Oyelowo, who played Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in the recent film, Selma.

Sharing from my heart:
We're all created for a purpose but sometimes we don't find our purpose until later in life or after we've been through some type of struggle.  I know my purpose is to help others adopt, after 8 years of struggling with infertility my husband and I adopted both of our amazing children from South Korea.
If I hadn't lived that heartache and pain I wouldn't have been able to talk to others that are going through fertility issues or sing the praises of how adoption has changed our lives.
  Ashley Smith has a story about life, death, drugs, loss and courage that you won't want to miss.  Without walking that rough patch she wouldn't have been able to talk to Nichols and get through being held captive and share her incredible story with all of us.  This book was AMAZING and was such an inspiring story about redemption and faith!  A must read for everyone, it doesn't matter what you're going through in life.  We all have something that we struggle with and this book encourages you to follow your purpose and find what your purpose is in life.  I'm excited to see the movie that comes out on Sept 18th, 2015 and share a book give away with all of my readers.

I also want to encourage all of you to share your own purpose story at www.captivethemovie.com/followyourpurpose and also on social media with the hashtag #FollowYourPurpose.

SOCIAL • C O R N E R 

OFFICIAL WEBSITE  

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

AUDIO BOOK BYTE  (Audio excerpt from the audiobook format of CAPTIVE (chapter 1), read by the author, Ashley Smith.) 

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You can enter to possibly win your own copy of the book CAPTIVE by filling out the Rafflecopter giveaway below.

Thanks for reading,

 

Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”): Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway. Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post.

Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway.  If you have won a prize from our sponsor Propeller / FlyBy Promotions in the last 30 days, you are not eligible to win.  Or if you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.”

Nicole Nordeman-The Unmaking

The Story Behind the Song:

What can I build for God?

I’ve spent my life asking this.

Maybe it’s because I misunderstood what God wanted when I was young, or maybe it’s my own pride and ambition, or maybe somewhere in my heart I still secretly suspect that God measures and rates and reviews my spiritual accomplishments. I don’t even know what “spiritual accomplishments” actually means. Maybe I still want to have “something to show” for all this work I’ve done along the journey. So I want to build something for God. I’d like for it to be tall and impressive and for a whole bunch of people to take notice. Especially God.

Not too long ago, I heard a pastor friend of mine named Andrew Arndt say this, “God longs for resurrection in us…but first we have to go through some measure of unmaking.”

Unmaking? That sounded like the opposite of what I’d been trying to accomplish spiritually for years. I sat with those words for a long time.

Before things in our lives can be resurrected and given new life, certain things must die. Before beauty blooms in spring, roots must do the hard work under the hard frozen soil of winter. Before you renovate and re-build, you tear down the parts of the structure that are weak or damaged or dangerous.

Before we make, we must unmake.

This didn’t resonate with my ongoing “build something big for God” obsession. It didn’t resonate because that’s never been what God wants. It’s what we want. To make God in our own image, so that people might stop and stare and marvel at our awesomeness. I mean God’s awesomeness.

Let me tell you where God wanted to meet me these past several years.

On a pile of rubble.

He wanted to sit with me in the silence and dust, after the wrecking ball, and put his arms around me for a while. He asked for vulnerability. And for honesty. I was embarrassed about the rubble and started to explain right away. He didn’t want to hear my plans for improvement. He had no interest in my blueprints. He wanted to hold hands and dry my tears. To help me understand that the rubble is where we have to start. The unmaking is first. We sat there for a long, long time until I started to get it.

It’s hard still. I’m so performance oriented. As a performer, that stands to reason, I guess. But I’m finding that the more willing I am to be honest about the broken parts of my life that are being unmade, and not necessarily shined up for presentation, the more likely I am to build something that matters. Stacking up these stones again to build what God has really been asking for all along…an altar.

Sharing from my heart:

I love worship music and listen to it every night while I fall asleep and I wake up to it each morning.  It starts my day off with a peaceful heart and mind, I love it.  I'm always searching for new songs that speak to me and feed my spirit, with The Unmaking I've found new songs to add to my collection. I was surprised there were only 6 songs on the whole CD but once I listened to them I realized that was all she needed.  I hope you enjoy this CD as much as I am and I hope if brings peace, comfort and hope to those that need it.  I just returned from my Grandma's funeral in Colorado and the song Not To Us and Love You More have really given me comfort while I'm grieving.

 Slow Down reminded me of my children especially when she says "Don't roll your eyes at me" and it just talks about how fast our children grow up and are gone before we know what happened.  Makenzie is about to get her driver's permit, how did this happen?  My sweet little bundle from South Korea is almost a full grown woman and my little guy is taller and bigger than me.  Take the time to enjoy these days and Slow Down like the song says!

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Thanks for reading,

 

Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”): Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway. Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post.

Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway.  If you have won a prize from our sponsor Propeller / FlyBy Promotions in the last 30 days, you are not eligible to win.  Or if you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.”

TobyMac This is not a test CD review

About TOBYMAC:

Toby McKeehan(known professionally as TobyMac) is a husband, father, performer, songwriter, producer, and businessman.  Growing up in the northern Virginia suburbs adjacent to Washington D.C. helped instill his love for rap music.  While attending Liberty University during the mid 80s, Toby met Michael Tait and Kevin Max Smith and these three friends formed the Grammy winning, platinum selling group dc Talk.  Toby began his solo career in 1999 with his first solo album, Momentum, releasing in 2001.  Momentum has been followed by four additional studio albums, Welcome to Diverse City (2004), Portable Sounds (2007), Tonight(2010), and Eye On It (2012), along with his first live album, Alive and Transported (2008).  This Is Not A Test is his 6th studio album to be released.  Starting with dc Talk, and then going solo when the group disbanded, Toby still clings to such rootsy notions as hard work, persistence, patience, and - perhaps most relevant of all - the power of music, which he insists is still what keeps him going.  "It's the truth," he says.  "I still believe that a song can penetrate a heart.  I believe God can use a song to open someone's mind and heart."  

Sharing from my heart:

I've always been a huge fan of TobyMac so I was super pumped when I got asked to review his latest CD that's being released today August 7th, 2015th (my grandma's birthday)!

I listened to the whole CD and really liked the whole thing, here are a few thoughts about several songs that spoke to me and my family.

Like a Match is a catchy tune that will get you pumped up.

This is not a test is definitely my all time favorite song on the album, the music was techno hip hop which is what I'm into right now, unless it's worship music.

Lift you up had some soul and funk mixed together which made for a really cool song.

My teenagers really enjoyed the song Backseat Driver and even thought it would be a great song to dance to, they're hip hop dancers if you didn't already know this.

This Is Not A Test  (Deluxe Edition) 

1. Like a Match

2. Backseat Driver (featuring Hollyn & TRU)

3. This Is Not a Test (featuring Capital Kings)

4. Lights Shine Bright (featuring Hollyn)

5. Til the Day I Die (featuring NF)

6. Feel It (featuring Mr. Talkbox)

7. Move (Keep Walkin’)

8. Love Broke Thru

9. Beyond Me

10. Love Feels Like (featuring dc Talk)

11. Undeniable

12. Lift You Up (featuring Ryan Stevenson)

13. Fall

14. Beyond Me (Phenomenon Remix)

15. Like a Match (Garcia’s Remix)

S O C I A L • C O R N E R

OFFICIAL WEBSITE

FACEBOOK

TWITTER 

INSTAGRAM

YOUTUBE CHANNEL - Includes a 3 part video series for the song Feel It (see link on the Feel It giveaway below) 

VEVO

iTunes - 

FEEL IT GIVEAWAY (Feel It will be the 2nd single released from the new album

Now, for the fun part, another giveaway!
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Thanks for reading,

 

Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”): Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway. Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post.

Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway.  If you have won a prize from our sponsor Propeller / FlyBy Promotions in the last 30 days, you are not eligible to win.  Or if you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.”

Sole Hope shoe cutting event

As most of you know, adoption and other cultures are near and dear to my heart because of my sweet children.  They've really opened up my world and helped me see outside of my little Oklahoma box.  One of my best friends, Christy R. has helped open my world up even wider by sharing with us about Uganda and the many needs they have for things we take for granted like shoes and fresh water.  Christy adopted a little guy from Uganda about 2 years ago and we took care of their house while they lived in Uganda for 8 weeks.  Christy just led a mommas on a mission trip back to Uganda and one day they worked with Sole Hope at a jigger clinic.  If you don't know what jiggers are then you're like me, I didn't have a clue. 

A few of the moms that went on the mission trip.

What are jiggers?

 Jiggers are sand fleas that infest the feet of people that don't wear shoes.  The jiggers are horrible, they burrow inside the skin and lay eggs that have to be removed with a razor blade or sharp pin.   

Why Sole Hope?

WARNING: Some pictures are graphic 

When the mommas got home from Uganda they wanted to share and educate on the horrors of jiggers.  They shared that at the clinic they had over 150 people come to be treated, Sole Hope is the organization that treats them.  They wash their feet, take some medical info, work on the feet and last but not least they give each person a new pair of shoes so hopefully they won't be re-infested. The sad thing was this time they ran out of shoes so of the children didn't get to leave with shoes on their feet.  After going through all the pain of digging the jiggers and egg sacs out then they could possibly have to do it all over again.  The mommas shared with us how we could help.  We can cut of the upper and side parts to the shoes out of denim fabric.  Then, they ship that to Uganda and they have employees that sew those onto old tires that are used as the sole of the shoe.

 Digging the eggs sacs out of a child's foot.

 Waiting in line

 Washing their feet

Running low on new shoes

 Thank you Kerry B for all the great pics

This child was so thankful and excited to have new shoes!

What can I do?

There are many ways you can help but one way is to host a shoe cutting party.  Everyone needs to bring some scissors, willing hands and a $10 donation (this helps pay the shoe makers).  Here's a link with more info 

Thanks for reading,

 

Pizza Ranch's Living Hope CD review and giveaway

About Pizza Ranch:

Adrie Groeneweg had a dream that started in Hull, IA, in 1981, when he was just 19 years old.  It was simple.  Why does everyone have to drive out of town to get a pizza?  With just six specialty and single topping pizza recipes developed by Adrie's mother, Lorraine, Pizza Ranch was born.  Pizza Ranch's vision and mission is to glorify God by positively impacting the world and to give every guest a legendary experience.  They have 190+ locations across 13 states including Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota, North Dakota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Nebraska, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado. 

About Living Hope CD:

On June 2, 2015, Pizza Ranch released a CD called Living Hope containing twelve songs from many of their favorite Christian artists.  Most of the songs are brand-new and written exclusively for this CD around the theme of Hope.  Artists include Colton Dixon, Francesca Batistelli, Ellie Holcomb, Sidewalk Prophets, Kevin Max, Bart Millard, Passion Band featuring Kristian Stanfill, Michael W. Smith, and Mark Schultz.  

The CD will be available to purchase for $5 plus tax exclusively in Pizza Ranch restaurants or for download at pizzaranch.com/livinghope through August 31.  

From Adrie Groeneweg, President & CEO of Pizza Ranch, Inc.:  "This album has a very special meaning for Pizza Ranch.  Although Pizza Ranch is not in the music business, many things have been happening, conversations have been taking place and doors have been opening for this album.  Through these events, I believe it was obvious that God has been behind this for His specific purpose and putting it on our hearts to collectively create this project.  As such, we call this our miracle album, Living Hope."


Sharing from my heart:

I've been to a Pizza Ranch in Atlantic, Iowa several years ago when we were visiting my husbands family.  His cousin and I like to go to town and have a little girl time of lunch and shopping.  I don't remember that much about the restaurant except that they had a buffet and they were playing Christian music.  
Now for more info on the CD, you know I love Christian music and Living Hope is no exception.  There are various artists on the CD but some well known ones are Michael W Smith, Francesca Battistelli and 10 or so other artists.  Those are two of my favorite Christian artists so I was thrilled when their songs came on!  For only $5 you can't go wrong with this CD or you can enter to win on the Rafflecopter link below.

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SOCIAL • C O R N E R  

Twitter:  @PizzaRanch @PRServes

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/PizzaRanchRacing

Official Website:  http://www.pizzaranch.com/livinghope/

YouTube Channel (features images and videos of the artists talking about the story behind each song):  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCE9lEnxuNzMyLfRyX8_tiLA

Press Release with additional information about the Living Hope CD project:  https://t.e2ma.net/message/7tnbk/7l1cgr

"Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”): Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway. Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post.

 Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway. If you have won a prize from our sponsor Propeller / FlyBy Promotions in the last 30 days, you are not eligible to win. If you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.”

Thanks for reading, 

Passport to Purity Getaway Kit-review

 About the getaway kit:

(1) Tour Guide for the parent, (1) Travel Journal for the preteen including 25 follow-up devotions, and (8) CDs containing 5 sessions, scripture memory songs and down loadable MP3s:  Session 1: Beginning the Journey - Challenges, Traps, and Choices; Session 2: Running With The Herd - Friendships and Peer Pressure; Session 3: Ready For An Upgrade? - Changes in Him, Changes in Her; Session 4: Destination: Lé Pure - Setting Boundaries; Session 5: Crossing The Date Line - Seeing Dating Differently 

Your child begins the journey into adolescence in a world of sexting, bullying, online stalking and moral defiance.  Innocence is under attack, and you cannot win the battle with a single awkward talk or a strict set of rules.  The primary defense for your child is a strong relationship with you and with God.  FamilyLife developed Passport2Purity (P2P) to assist you in building heart-to-heart communication with your preteen while laying a foundation of purity that will prepare him or her for the turbulent years ahead.  Through the shared listening experience, object lessons and guided conversations of a P2P weekend getaway, you can set your son or daughter on a journey of moral integrity - and strengthen the bond between you.  It is designed to be used by a mother and daughter or a father and son when the child is a preteen.  It is suggested that the materials be completed over a weekend away from home, as the child may be more open to discussing the topics away from his or her normal environment.  If this isn't possible, the material can be completed over a period of four or five weeks.

Passport2Purity from FamilyLife® on Vimeo.
Learn about the traps your preteen will soon face as a teenager and how Passport2Purity will help you to guide your teen through those difficult years.

Sharing from my heart:

Makenzie and I had a great time on our mommy daughter getaway.  We just finished having a bunch of company in from Houston and then our friends from St. Louis came and stayed with us for Korea camp so we were pretty worn out.  I decided to see if my hubby could get us a room at the Hard Rock Hotel because it's only 5 miles away, has great rooms, several restaurants and a wonderful swimming pool.

We headed over and decided to have some dinner at the Route 66 diner and then take a dip in the pool.  Afterward, we headed upstairs to our room and got comfy in our PJ's and started off by praying that God would open doors and knock down any boundaries that might arise. Makenzie is a little old for this since the target age is pre-teen.  She actually just turned 15 last month, we've kept open communication with children about anything they want to talk about and of course things they don't want to discuss like sex.  I felt like this would be a great bonding opportunity for us (we're actually very close) but more as a young lady and mom, not the little girl/mom relationship.  We had so much fun!  I encourage you to do all the projects, even though she's 15 she still enjoyed them and she almost beat me on the puzzle!

There's no way I can cover everything we heard on the CD's, talked about from the projects and shared from our hearts with each other and much of it is too personal to share with anyone, BUT I do highly encourage you to buy this kit and take the time to connect with your pre-teen/teen.  If you can't get away then just do a spa night at home.  Pop some popcorn, get out some nail polish and start listening to the CD's and working on the projects together. Wonderful bonging time that will be a memory for both of you.

Now, that we've finished I feel so much closer to her and like we've developed and an even closer bond.  I hope to have many more girl getaways with her for the rest of our lives.  These precious moments will last forever in my heart and mind.  Now, Kevin and Kylan are thinking about doing the same thing and using the Passport to Purity Getaway Kit for a guys night away.

Notice the play doh, that's one of the projects and they include a detailed checklist so you don't forget anything on your special weekend!

Our project bags

This was the Too Close for Too Long project

Spending a little time together and you still rub off on each other

Spending a lot of time together and becoming exclusive and you can risk destroying each other. This was a great example!

S O C I A L • C O R N E R

Official Website - http://www.familylife.com/passport2purity

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Passport2Purity-Getaway-Kit-by-FamilyLife-Version-3/278981062285397

Twitter: @FamilyLifeToday @DennisRainey @BarbaraRainey 

Official Website to Purchase: https://shop.familylife.com/p-1988-passport2purity-getaway-kit.aspx?utm_source=FL&utm_medium=image&utm_campaign=hpresource

Thanks for reading,

 

Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”): Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway. Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post.

Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway.  If you have won a prize from our sponsor Propeller / FlyBy Promotions in the last 30 days, you are not eligible to win.  Or if you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.”

Texas Farm Girl: Reap What You Sow- book review

About the book:

AMAZON BEST SELLER and endorsed by The Dove Foundation as family Approved! Released January 6, 2015! Texas Farm Girl learns from her PawPaw what Reap What You Sow means when she makes a big mistake on the farm planting corn. The lesson learned from Texas Farm Girl, Reap What You Sow can be applied to all of us so that we can overcome adversity and Shine Like a Lone Star Pearl. Book comes autographed by the Author!

My Thoughts:
This book could very well be called Oklahoma Farm Girl or Iowa Farm Girl because it reminds me of living in Oklahoma and also of heading up to Iowa to see my husbands family.  Most of the Iowa family are all farmers so this book really resonates with me.  I love how she talks about goofing off and messing up and then working hard and it pays off. That's a life lesson that many people aren't learning today and I think it's sad.  Most of the time we learn such a huge lesson when we make a mistake and if we're wise then we use it to grow and become a better person.  This would be a wonderful book for a young girl (ages 5 and up) just learning how to navigate life's curves it's beautifully written and the illustrations are colorful and are sure to hold your child's attention for many years.  This is definitely a book with a purpose.

About the Author:

A life-long resident of the Texas Panhandle, Rebecca Crownover grew up in Sunray, Texas, a small farming community. Her grandfather was a farmer and through junior high and high school years, she worked on the farm driving tractors and irrigating crops through row water irrigation.

Rebecca left her farm roots to attend Texas Tech University to obtain a business degree in order to pursue a corporate career as a technology consultant, traveling around the world. She ultimately found herself back in her farm roots by marrying a farmer and living the adventurous life of a farmer once again.

Tragedy struck in 2009 when her husband passed away from a head injury incurred in an ATV accident leaving behind herself and their 2 ½ year old daughter. Searching for guidance, Rebecca attempted to find a book that could help her daughter understand the loss of her dad. When she was unable to find a book written at her daughter's level of understanding, she decided to write her own children's book. The result was My Daddy Is In Heaven With Jesus.

My Daddy Is In Heaven With Jesus became an award winning book that helped many children around the world find comfort in a time of loss. It continues to be a life inspiring book for children and adults that have lost a parent today.

Moving on from the hardest experience of her life and giving back through tragedy through her first book, Rebecca found yet another way to impact children through her life experiences. Being the entrepreneur that she is, she launched a brand and children’s book series, Texas Farm Girl. Texas Farm Girl’s purpose is to educate, entertain, and inspire children through farming. She has produced children’s books, apparel and even partnered with country rock artist and songwriter, Billy Dawson (childhood friend) to produce Texas Farm Girl's very own song and country music video.

From Texas to Los Angeles, Rebecca has been featured in national media outlets. She has been featured in Progressive Farmer Magazine, Successful Farming Magazine, Texas Farm Bureau’s national marketing outlets in agriculture, and a number of radio and local TV shows. She was also on William Shatner’s Moving America Forward TV program where she was interviewed by Doug Llewelyn (always remembered from his People's Court days) and given the prestigious "Moving America Forward" Award, by Retired Rear Admiral Kevin F. Delaney. This award is given to innovative entrepreneurs that have distinguished themselves in their industry and, as a result, are "Moving America Forward".

Rebecca continues to be a business partner with her in-laws in their family farm. Her commitment to agriculture and educating those around her about agriculture is a passion. As a single mom and only parent, Rebecca has found her life to be a true blessing. Tragedy in her life has only spawned a deeper appreciation for it. Life is so precious and if she can be an inspiration of strength to others through her experiences, then her life purpose is being fulfilled.

Want to book Rebecca for an event? See an example list of events below, but certainly not limited. Programs can be tailored to the specific audience. Contact her through the contact page if you would like to have her out for your next event! 

Texas Farm Girl info:

Facebook 

Twitter

iTunes

Google Play

Amazon MP3

Click here to purchase the book

Thanks for reading,

 

Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”): Many thanks to PR By the Book

The Old Fashioned Way book and devotional review and giveaway

Remember my review of the movie Old Fashioned?  Here's a link to refresh your memory Old Fashioned Movie Well, today I'm sharing the book and devotional with you and offering a giveaway of all 3!

Here's a synopsis of this 40 day devotional

 Contrary to popular opinion, being “old fashioned” doesn’t mean you’re dull or unromantic. In fact, a true old-fashioned relationship can be more exciting and romantic than anything you’ve ever experienced! So what does it mean to do things The Old Fashioned Way? Sure, it means opening doors, holding out chairs, and taking things slow. But a true old-fashioned romance goes much deeper than that. Inspired by the motion picture Old Fashioned, this book will show you how to reclaim the lost art of romance by introducing you to romantic love as God intended it―for all of us. Regardless of your past experiences, where you’ve been, or where you are now, you can find and create a love that will last a lifetime.

As you work your way through this 40-day journey of inspiring readings and questions for reflection, you’ll discover all the unique and amazing benefits of doing things the old-fashioned way and be well on your way to creating a love story for the ages.

My opinion:

I really enjoyed reading the devotional.  I'm married and have young teens so a lot of the devotions didn't really apply to me because they were about dating and romance (ok I guess everyone can use some romance).  I think this will make a great devotional for my children as they are coming up on the dating or courting ages.  One of the things that I personally enjoyed were the "conversation starters" at the back of the book.  My hubby and I went through all of them and think they'll be great for when our own children think they've found the one.

Author: 

Ginger Kolbaba is on a journey to embrace joy in every moment. She doesn't always succeed (she's a recovering cynic, after all), but she loves to learn from the adventure of the pursuit. She loves a good laugh, a ready smile, a dog's smooch, great food (vegetarian, thanks), growing faith, and remembering that love is all-powerful. She also claims one of her greatest gifts is ranting (good-naturedly, of course).

An accomplished author, Ginger has written, ghostwritten, collaborated, or contributed to more than 20 books, including her upcoming The Old Fashioned Way, set to release in January 2015. 

Ginger also teaches and speaks across the country. She's appeared on national venues such as HLN's Nancy Grace, as well as Family Life Radio and Moody Radio's Midday Connection. A former professional editor of several award-winning national magazines, including Today's Christian Woman and Marriage Partnership, she continues editing for both individuals and major publishing houses. 

When she isn't chained to her computer, Ginger enjoys spending time with her husband motorcycling through the countryside, visiting Yellowstone National Park, walking her Doberman, reading good books, and contemplating the deep meaning of life--as well as trying to figure out how to get her husband to give her a donkey or a duck for Christmas. She believes one of her greatest accomplishments would be dusting off her piano and treadmill and using them both--at least once this year.

Visit her at www.GingerKolbaba.com.

 Old Fashioned-a novelization of the motion picture

Former frat boy Clay Walsh has given up his reckless lifestyle and settled down to run an antique shop in a small Midwestern college town. Determined to put his partying ways behind him, Clay has become notorious for his lofty and outdated theories on love and romance. But when Amber Hewson, a free-spirited woman with a gypsy soul, rents the apartment above his shop, Clay can’t help being attracted to her spontaneous and passionate embrace of life.

New to the area, Amber finds herself surprisingly drawn to Clay and his noble ideas, but her own fears and deep wounds are difficult to overcome. Can they move beyond their differences and their pasts to attempt an “old-fashioned” courtship?

My opinion:

I liked the novel a lot and thought it went exactly with the movie.  That doesn't seem to happen that often so I was very impressed.

Author:

Rene Gutteridge is the author of eighteen novels, including Escapement, Possession, Listen, Never the Bride (2011 Carol Award Winner), The Boo Series, The Storm Series, The Occupational Hazards Series and My Life as a Doormat, a Women of Faith selection for 2006. She has a degree in Mass Communications with an emphasis in screenwriting and twenty years of experience writing, directing and publishing comedy sketches. She writes in both comedy and suspense genres. Her upcoming releases from Tyndale House Publishers: Heart of the Country, Misery Loves Company and Old Fashioned. From B&H Publishers: Greetings from the Flipside co-written with Cheryl McKay.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks for reading,

 

Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”): Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway. Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post.

Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway.  If you have won a prize from our sponsor Propeller / FlyBy Promotions in the last 30 days, you are not eligible to win.  Or if you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.”