Review

The Assignment by Devon Blanton {Review}

April 3, 2018 by Dana Leave a Comment

The Assignmentby Devon Blanton

Dr. Devon Blanton is a Professional Christian Counselor, a Pastor, musician and overall man with a heart for God. Dr. Blanton has taken his knowledge and shared it within several books. The Assignment is the first book I have personally read from Dr. Blanton.

The Assignment attempts to give answers to the great question that most people ask today: What am I here? What is my Purpose on this Earth? Through this study guide book, you will gain perspective on these thoughts and find reason for your existence.

The book is small enough that it can be carried along with your Bible or in your purse if you wish. There are 13 chapters. Each are short but packed with thought and information supporting Dr. Devon’s Biblical insight, as well as directing you to scripture.

The book is set up in study form so that you read the chapter, then explore more. Each chapter ends with a list of Study Words and then dives into the workbook activities. All are included in the book so you only have one copy to keep up with.

The workbook activity sections are basically study guide questions designed to help you further understand the message of the chapter you’ve previously read. This would be great for a Christian study group. The amount of questions for each chapter varies throughout the book.

If you feel lost and can’t find your purpose or reason for being here, this book is a great way to gain focus and find your way. The Assignment by Devon Blanton is available on Amazon for $8.99 with Prime shipping or $3.92 for Kindle.

You can find Devon Blanton at The Assignment Bible Study on Facebook!

Purposeful Planning {Review}

March 29, 2018 by Dana Leave a Comment

Purposeful Planningby Phyllis Sather

I’m not a planner by any means. I’m generally a fly-by-my-pants type of girl, who doesn’t do a lot of work ahead prep. I generally do my planning that month of the event and hope to get it all done by the day the event happens. I’ve been like this my entire life.

When I’ve thought of planning in the past, I’ve often wished for a weekend away where I could focus on what I needed to and really dig in and plan whatever we needed to at the time. I’ve had this vision of that in my head for many years but no idea of where to begin. Purposeful Planning by Phyllis Sather was a great help with that. Honestly, this eBook was just what I was looking for.

I loved this eBook so much that I actually purchased the Purposeful Planning Handbook to go along with it. I wanted the extra handbook to really focus in on what I was needing help to plan for in our lives. It is such a wonderful addition to the eBook itself.

Purposeful Planning isn’t a planner at all. It is an encouraging eBook that guides you into better planning for your family. It focuses on just what the title states: Purposeful Planning which means to plan for your future with a purpose.

Phyllis and her husband began to purposefully plan their lives together many years ago, including their children in those plans as they grew and developed them. They’d plan a weekend, which eventually led to a week, of just planning and being together as a family. They used this time (and still use it from my understanding) to plan for their family’s future. They set goals together for each individual in the family, as well as for the family as a whole. Goals to develop character, financial goals, family unity goals, church goals: whatever goals they needed were set at this time, and even some they didn’t know they needed at that time.

Each year, they’d reflect on their past goals and set new ones. They’d add to previous goals or develop a plan for new ones as they saw fit. Planning led them to meet the goals they wished to complete for their lives and for the lives of their children.

I was so completely impressed by the simple, yet encouraging ideals shared throughout Purposeful Planning. As I mentioned above, I purchased the Purposeful Planning Handbook and immediately began going through it. I set aside a weekend with my husband and we began to discuss some of the topics suggested in the eBook and handbook alike. It’s a work in progress but it was definitely a start. It’s my hope in the next month or two to plan for another weekend where we can complete our discussion and add to it as we see fit, using the Purposeful Planning system as a guide.

Purposeful Planning touches on everything: home life, children, finances, character development and much more. It helps you to find focus for your family and get a better vision of where you’d like to be in life. It’s designed to be used by an adult but shows ways to include your children so they also learn how to develop better planning skills for their own futures. The methods are simple, yet you gain so much.

You can purchase Purposeful Planning as a bundle package which includes the eBook, the Handbook and the MP3 for $17.95 as an instant download. You can also purchase each of these items separately. Purposeful Planning is also available on Kindle for $3.99.

You can find Phyllis Sather online at https://phyllis-sather.com/.

Veiled By Privilege by Anne Evans {Review}

March 27, 2018 by Dana Leave a Comment

Veiled By Privilege by Anne Garboczi Evans
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I’ll be honest… when I first began reading this book I thought, this isn’t for me. It was far from what I usually read but I was determined to give it my best. I am amazed by this book. Anne Evan’s writing is just outstanding. She truly knows how to bring the characters to life! I was so impressed by the whole thing.

I don’t know a lot about life outside the US, as this is where I’ve always lived but this book brought about an interesting look at life in Saudi Arabia. The things those beautiful women go through is just shocking and truly upsetting. And they are taught that it’s okay.

This book tells the story of Kay, a naive girl who just wants to complete her PHD and Joe, a military expert who is nothing you’d expect. Kay uses a passport of a friend to get into a foreign country, completely unaware of the customs and danger she is walking into. Joe is there by military assignment and thank God for that since Kay puts herself into more danger than you can ever believe, just by being her American self. The two face danger after danger, life threatening circumstances and so much more.

You will have to read this one to find out what happens but I promise this is not a book you want to pass up. Anne Evans created an unforgettable story with this one.

View all my reviews

Enfolded In God’s Arms {Christian Women’s Affiliate Review}

March 22, 2018 by Dana Leave a Comment

Enfolded In God’s Arms
40 Reflections to Embrace Your Inner Healing
By Lisa Are Wulf

I’m often looking at devotionals to help me center my daily focus and bring God to the forefront so I was pretty excited to find this book among the reviews available through Christian Women’s Affiliate. Enfolded In God’s Arms: 40 Reflections to Embrace Your Inner Healing by Lisa Are Wulf is a wonderful collection of well written reflections that truly help get your heart into the right place.

The reflections are short, yet thought provoking. They begin with a scripture to reflect upon as you read the devotion. The devotion is a short thoughtful story that helps you to relate to the scripture. You end the devotion with another scripture, also fitting with the daily devotion.

This is followed by a set of questions to help you really get to the heart of the matter. You can dive as deep as you wish with these. There is plenty of room on the page to write your feelings and answers as you do.

Next you will find a daily prayer, followed by a place to share your thoughts if you should so choose. This is a great way to reflect yourself about how the devotion spoke to you as well as what you have learned through it.

There are 40 Reflections in all and plenty of room to write. The book is of average size and easy to carry along with you if you chose to do so. It is an Indie Book Finalist.

You can buy a copy of Enfolded In God’s Arms: 40 Reflections to Embrace Your Inner Healing by Lisa Are Wulf online for around $10. It’s a lovely book that you’ll enjoy adding to your devotional collection.

The Gardener’s Log Book {Blogging for Books Review}

March 15, 2018 by Dana Leave a Comment

Gardener’s Log Book
A 5-Year Planner
by The New York Botanical Garden

I choose the Gardener’s Log Book by the New York Botanical Garden because of my Mother’s and my Husband’s equal love of gardening. I thought this would be the perfect planner for them to use to plan out their plants over time. They both love it!

The book itself is small and able to be easily carried but not too small that you can’t read it easily or write the necessary info inside easily. It features a waterproof cover, with an elastic rope to hold the cover closed when not in use. It was shipped with cardboard inside to help hold the book’s shape and for now, we have left those in place.

The pages inside are awesome. The pages are slightly thicker so when you’re working on your garden and your hands are slightly grungy, you can easily grab a hold and make the marks or notes that you need to.

Inside, there is room to write out the names of Plants you’re interested in and mark when they grow best for your area. The book is sectioned into seasons: Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall. As mentioned above, it is a 5 year planner with plenty of room. There are note pages and grids inside to use as needed.

Both of the gardener’s in our home were really impressed with this book and look forward to using it for their needs. I’m probably going to need to order a second copy but for $16.99 the cost is not bad. If you love gardening as much as my family does, you’ll want to add the Gardener’s Log Book to your gardening supplies right away.

Tell Me About Easter {B&H/LifeWay Review}

March 15, 2018 by Dana Leave a Comment

Tell Me About Easter

B&H Kids

As a parent, I often find that though Easter is all about Jesus, and God, and their amazing love for us, sometimes Jesus’ story gets lost behind that adorable bunny rabbit. As a parent, I also know that bunny is not the center of the reason for Easter. God’s Love and His gift of His Son is. I’m always, always looking for books to share with my children, that teach the truth of the Holiday instead of the story.

Tell Me About Easter is an adorable board book with felted pages that share’s the story of God’s Love for us. The book isn’t terribly long. Just the right length for your toddler or young child. Each and every page is loaded with felted, soft texture that you and your child will enjoy.

This book builds up the story of Easter, beginning with Spring, speaking of the joys that Easter’s anticipation brings to us. It ends by sharing that Jesus died and he rose to show us God’s amazing love. It brings together all the joys and hope of Spring and of God’s love as well.

Tell Me About Easter is a B&H Kids book. It is available in bookstores and online for around $9.99. The book itself is absolutely adorable and would make a great edition to any home library.

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