The Hidden Flame: a review

The Hidden Flame

by: Davis Bunn and Janette Oke

In first-century Judea, the followers of the Way have burgeoned into a vibrant, growing community that cannot be ignored. Jerusalem is in turmoil as its religious leaders on one side, and their Roman rulers on the other, conspire to stamp out the fledgling Church. And Abigail, who thought she had finally found home and safety, is caught between the opposing forces.

Two suitors desire the lovely Abigail's hand in marriage. Ezra, a successful Hebrew merchant and widower with important connections among the Sanhedrin, is looking for a mother for his children. The Roman soldier Linux is fascinated by her winsome charm and possibly could offer the sanctuary--maybe even the love--for which she yearns. But her heart has been captured by neither of these. Will her faith and courage survive a heartbreak beyond comprehension as the followers face a gathering storm of persecution they never could have foreseen?

A glimmer of hope beckons Abigail forward...

My Review: This book captured my attention right from the very first chapter! I was instantly drawn towards the main character Abigail. I enjoyed being a 'witness' to the struggles and the excitement of the early church. The Hidden Flame is Book 2 in a series, yet I thought this book was great as a stand-alone book since I haven't read the first one. Yet.

***Available January 2010 at your favorite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group***

Comments

Alright so lately I am getting bombarded with spam comments.

It's really sad when those outweigh the number of regular comments I get on my blog.

Hint. Hint.

So PLEASE!

Stop lurking and let me know every once in a while that you actually read this thing.

(If you leave the spam comments I will just delete them anyways!!)

Thanks.

STUBBORN

Brianna: strong willed; strong one

I really should have paid more attention to the meaning of my children's names before we chose them.

Had I known then what I know now, would I have chosen a name that literally means "strong willed"?

ACK!!

The 6-year-old battles are even worse than they were just a few short months ago.

Most of the time, Brie is a sweet angel.

The many times she has tidied up her room (or the ENTIRE basement) without anyone making her, just because she knew it needed to be done.

The girl who offers to give me a 'massage' before bedtime, albeit it was followed by a "I hope that this made you less angry, Mom". But she has since offered massages on days when I know that I was not an angry mom either!

So I KNOW that she has a tender heart and she wants to please people.

But some days that is difficult to remember when all we do is butt heads all day long.

Lately the hair-brushing has been an extreme challenge.

I have been reading a great book by Kevin Leman, "Have a New Kid by Friday" so I thought that I would put some of the suggestions in there to good use. The main idea is that you only ask kids once. Don't nag, don't pester them. Kids aren't stupid...they heard you the first time.

If they don't complete what you asked of them, then other privileges won't happen. They will learn very quickly to shape up and do what you ask of them the next time.

So yesterday Brie refused to brush her hair before school. I really should have taken a picture as she had a lovely little 'nest' in the back of her head. It was tangled and very messy. But she had 30 minutes in which to complete the brushing and she chose not to.

I was very reluctant to send her off, but I figured that I couldn't back down and so off to school she went. After all, messy hair isn't going to scar anyone for life.

Last night I asked if anyone commented on her hair. "Yeah, they liked it!" was her response.

Hmph. Not exactly the response I was expecting.

So then I asked if it bothered her to go with messy hair. "Nope!"

Alrighty then.....

John and I talked about it last night and we tried to come up with an alternative consequence to her messy hair. He suggested that we hold off on breakfast until her hair is done. Sounds reasonable, doesn't it?

Breakfast is Brianna's favorite meal of the day by far. She often eats 2 pieces of toast, along with some fruit or yogurt to go with it. She tends to be a somewhat picky eater and this is the one meal that she is always guaranteed to eat.

So this morning I told her that she could eat once her hair was brushed.

It is now almost 11:30 and she is REFUSING to brush her hair.

She is very hungry and getting very grouchy, but she still does not want to back down!

Seriously, what do I do with this kid???

As a baby I was also known for being stubborn, being compared with my grandma, which I don't think was supposed to be a good thing. I definitely know when to hold my ground and not back down. But I also know that sometimes we just have to pick our battles.

I just don't want to lose this one! I can't let her win. But I don't know how to survive these battles either. And if I think it's bad at age 6, I can only imagine the horrors that are waiting for me 10 years from now.

(shudder)

Any suggestions?

The Silent Governess: a review

The Silent Governess

by: Julie Klassen

Olivia Keene is fleeing her own secret. She never intended to overhear his.

But now that she has, what is Lord Bradley to do with her? He cannot let her go, for were the truth to get out, he would lose everything--his reputation, his inheritance, his very home.

He gives Miss Keene little choice but to accept a post at Brightwell Court, where he can make certain she does not spread what she heard. Keeping an eye on the young woman as she cares for the children, he finds himself drawn to her, even as he struggles against the growing attraction. The clever Miss Keene is definitely hiding something.

Moving, mysterious, and romantic, The Silent Governess takes readers inside the intriguing life of a nineteenth-century governess in an English manor house where all is not as it appears.

Julie Klassen is a fiction editor with a background in advertising. She has worked in Christian publishing for more than twelve years, in both marketing and editorial capacities. Julie is a graduate of the University of Illinois. She enjoys travel, research, books, BBC period dramas, long hikes, short naps, and coffee with friends.

Julie and her husband have two sons and live in a suburb of St. Paul, Minnesota. For more information, visit www.julieklassen.com

My Review: I enjoyed this book. It is a little longer than most christian fiction that I read (at over 400 pages), but I enjoyed the depth of the story. The author gives great descriptions of the nineteenth century and of the expected roles of people in society. This tale is full of suspense and romance...just my kind of story!

***Available January 2010 at your favourite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group***

The Gospel According To LOST: a review

The Gospel According to LOST

By: Chris Seay

An epic journey into the deepest mysteries of faith.

Lost is NOT just a television show. It has become larger than that—a massive story filled with mystery that has garnered over twenty million participants. Some might call them viewers, but one does not just watch Lost, one participates in it. It demands that you dialogue with the story, seeking theories and comparing yourself to characters. Lost breaks all the formulas for television, and in doing so has drawn together millions of people on a shared journey that explores life, faith, history, science, philosophy, hope, and the basic questions of what it means to be human. It is the seemingly infinite ideas, philosophies, and biblical metaphors that make this story so engaging.

Chris Seay's fascinating book explores each of these elements in a spinning analysis of faith and metaphor that will attract a multitude of readers who desire to go even deeper into the journey.

My Review: I am already a big fan of LOST but I admit that I was skeptical about reading "The Gospel According to Lost". After reading some other positive reviews however, I decided that it was worth trying. I am so glad that I did!

For those of you who are familiar with the show, or are fans yourselves, you will know that LOST is not a show that you can watch without fully engaging in the storyline. It has a huge cult-like following and has been the product of many conversations over the years.

I began reading this book simultaneously with re-watching Season 5 on DVD and I found that really helpful in order to remember all the details of the show.

Chris Seay does a good job finding comparisons between LOST and the bible. As he explains in his epilogue, Jesus used examples from every day life to draw parables from, so it stands to reason that the same could be done now through popular culture. He compares characters from LOST with people in the bible (old and new testament). He draws some conclusions, and at times makes some predictions. I really appreciated his insight into how this can relate to us in our daily lives.

After reading this I am even more excited for the final season of LOST which begins Feb 2!

I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com <http://BookSneeze.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Get a Chance to Win A Year's Supply of DanActive

DanActive has a great contest running right now to win 1 of 5 prizes of a one-year supply.

The value of each prize is $300.

The draw is taking place at the end of each month now until May.

To enter the contest, you need a contest code. I have LOTS so send a comment (with your email address) my way if you would like a code to enter.

My review of DanActive will follow once I can find it in stores. (I saw it a few weeks back at our local grocery store, but of course now it is not there) The joy of small-town grocery shopping is they must rotate through brands so you can't always find the one you like.

Good and Bad

Since Christmas I have been more deliberate with increasing my physical activity and decreasing any snacking.

John purchased the Wii Fit Plus for me and I've been having fun at this a few times a week lately.

This week my jeans are too loose!

What an excellent feeling.

John is also in the middle of losing weight. He is already about halfway to his goal and is still going strong. This was enough to encourage to work at it too.

So far I am about 1/3 of the way there.

YAY!

Now to learn to avoid the stress-eating....

Especially on days like today when I feel so frustrated.

I am at my wits end trying to get Brie to keep practicing piano.

She is a perfectionist. Learning how to play the right hand last year was easy. Almost too easy.

But this year she is learning how to put the left hand together with the right for these songs that she has been playing for a LONG time already.

From what I've been told, she is ahead from the average child in a Suzuki program.

But she is bored. And she hates to fail.

And I hate to nag.

But that's what it has come down to lately. Nagging and yelling.

Obviously it's not very helpful.

I am so maxed out.

I don't want her to quit, but I also don't want her to hate playing.

So now what?