Book Review: Prancie’s Prayer by Ellen J. Pilch Illustrated by Nicolas Peruzzo

Prancie's Prayer by Ellen J. Pilch Illustrated by Nicolas Peruzzo

By now all of our readers know that we here at McClendon Villa are animal lovers. That is why we love Prancie's Prayer by Ellen J. Pilch, which was illustrated by Nicolas Peruzzo. It is such a wonderful story. It shows that animals are part of the Kingdom, too.

This story is Christian-based. It takes place around Christmas, so it would make a wonderful Christmas present, or early Christmas present, for your kids.

This very heartwarming story is extremely well-written and the illustrations are magnificent. We give it all five stars and a can of tuna. You are looking for a great gift for your young child. You could not do better than Prancie's Prayer.

We were sent a complimentary copy of this book. We are under no obligation to write any review, positive or negative.

We are disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255.



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Book Review: Fear Not: Two Weeks of Living Boldly into God’s Authentic Confidence by John Kaites

Fear Not: Two Weeks of Living Boldly into God’s Authentic Confidence by John Kaites  

Fear Not: Two Weeks of Living Boldly into God’s Authentic Confidence by John Kaites is a devotion guide to help us claim the fearless life that Heavenly Father intends for each of us.

The author does not imply that our life of fearlessness will happen overnight, or even over the course of two weeks. Instead, he offers a guide to get us on our way to the confident life that we want to live, boldly having faith in Heavenly Father, knowing there is no need to fear because He has it all covered.

Each daily devotion is short and thought-provoking. There are suggestions of things we can do to help us claim freedom from fear, as well as a prayer at the end of each devotion. There is also a section that has all of the prayers together at the end of the book.

If you need help to claim the fearless life that our Heavenly Father intends for you, Fear Not is a good guide.

We give this book five stars.

We were sent a complimentary copy of this book. We are under no obligation to write any review, positive or negative. We are disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255.  

Notice: This post contains affiliate links. If you click a link and make a purchase, we may financially benefit from your transaction, at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support.
 
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Book Review: God Inside the Fire: Revised & Expanded Edition by Greg Stelley

God Inside the Fire: Revised & Expanded Edition by Greg Stelley

We read and reviewed the original version of God Inside the Fire and we were blown away. Usually when there is a revised edition, it really does not improve the story that much. However, God Inside the Fire: Revised & Expanded Edition by Greg Stelley takes a truly awesome story and kicks it up several notches.

The miracles in the first edition were great. Stelley hit it out of the park with this revised edition as he added some dialogue that really makes the true life characters come to life for the reader. He also adds some back story to help us get the true impact of what was going on in the story.

We feel that this book is very well-written and deserves all five stars. It is a factual account of a real life event told as close to the facts as can be told.

Our Kindle ereader tells us it takes about six hours to read the book. This being the case, you might want to potty first, put on a cup of coffee, and grab a comfy place to sit because you won’t want to put down God Inside the Fire.

We were sent a complimentary copy of this book. We are under no obligation to write any review, positive or negative.

We are disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255.

Notice: This post contains affiliate links. If you click a link and make a purchase, we may financially benefit from your transaction, at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support.
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Book Review: Healing: Faith and Medicine: A Medical Professional’s Memoir of Healing and Dealing with Illness by Mark Davis

Healing: Faith and Medicine: A Medical Professional’s Memoir of Healing and Dealing with Illness by Mark Davis

Never before in our recollection have we read a book on faith that actually made cold chills run up and down our spines. Healing: Faith and Medicine: A Medical Professional’s Memoir of Healing and Dealing with Illness by Mark Davis actually gave us goosebumps.

Davis talks about how possibly the reason we don’t see as many miracles in the United States of America today as we see in third world countries is because here we have more resources to rely on. Perhaps he is right. However, here, families like us who are well below the poverty level, realize that miracles happen every day.

This book is incredibly well-written and difficult to put down. We give it all five stars. We know you will too.

If your faith needs a jump start, you owe it to yourself to read Healing: Faith and Medicine: A Medical Professional’s Memoir of Healing and Dealing with Illness by Mark Davis.

We were sent a complimentary copy of this book. We are under no obligation to write any review, positive or negative. We are disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255.  

Notice: This post contains affiliate links. If you click a link and make a purchase, we may financially benefit from your transaction, at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support.
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Book Review: One Dog's Faith: How My Dog Helped Me Trust in God and Overcome Chronic Worrying by Tom Baker

One Dog's Faith: How My Dog Helped Me Trust in God and Overcome Chronic Worrying by Tom Baker

Rarely does one find an inspirational book entertain as much as One Dog's Faith: How My Dog Helped Me Trust in God and Overcome Chronic Worrying by Tom Baker In this book, we follow Mango the dog as she teaches her readers all about faith. You have heard about the faith of a child. Mango tells her readers about the faith of a dog.

Baker has a good sense of humor and treats us to what the world might look like through the eyes of a dog. Mango tells her readers about how her owner, Tom, learned to “Let go and let God.”

Throughout the book, Mango helps us to see how we, just like Tom, can give our troubles to God and sit back and enjoy the ride.

If you are struggling with faith, are at what you feel is the lowest of the low spots, you need to read One Dog’s Faith and see how one dog, and her family, learned to lean on God.

We give One Dog’s Faith all five stars. It is funny, well-written, inspired, and magical. We see how Tom goes from worrying all the time to saying in his mind, “I wonder how God is going to take care of this.” This book is truly inspirational.

We were sent a complimentary copy of this book. We are under no obligation to write any review, positive or negative. We are disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255.  

Notice: This post contains affiliate links. If you click a link and make a purchase, we may financially benefit from your transaction, at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support.

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Book Review: Healing the Nation by Tom Donnan

Healing the Nation by Tom Donnan

 

 

If your prayer life needs a little defibrillation, Healing the Nation might just be the jump start for you. You may find yourself praying for yourself, your family, your church, your community, and the nation.

Not only does Donnan tell stories of prophetic dreams, he also tells of some pretty awesome answered prayers.

We think it is a very interesting circumstance that a book on Texit is just one book away on our “to be read list”. This is either ironic or, as we suspect, God ordained. Healing the Nation speaks of a revival in the great state of Texas. It also talks about the erosion of the United States.

Healing the Nation is very well-written and obviously heartfelt. We think it deserves six stars. One thing we are very sure of is that most people who read this will find themselves praying often as they read through the book.

We were sent a complimentary copy of this book. We are under no obligation to write any review, positive or negative.

We are disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255.

Notice: This post contains affiliate links. If you click a link and make a purchase, we may financially benefit from your transaction, at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support.
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Book Review: Rising on the Wings of the Dawn by Simon R. Ninsiima

Rising on the Wings of the Dawn by Simon R. Ninsiima

If you need to have your faith revived, then Rising on the Winds of the Dawn by Simon R. Ninsiima will do it.

This is a very interesting and detailed story of a little boy in Uganda who gets polio and his family’s strong Christian faith.

We are painted a picture of the author’s early life, before polio, and then all of the struggles, hardship, and pain he and his family went through after polio.

We give Rising on the Wings of the Dawn all five stars. This is one book you just can’t put down.

We were sent a complimentary copy of this book. We are under no obligation to write any review, positive or negative.

We are disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255.





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Instagram Today

Faith. 5 January 2018. #myoneword #oneword2018 #faith

via Instagram

Instagram Today

Day 5 - I Believe. Photo Taken 5 January 2018. I believe in Heavenly Father. I believe that His only begotten Son Jesus Christ died for my sins and rose again the third day, giving all those that choose to believe eternal life. I have believed this since I was a little girl. I was saved at Orville Pentecostal Holiness Church in Anderson, South Carolina, when I was about 8 years old. #gentlejanuary2018 @susannahconway #ibelieve #holybible

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Book Review: Fighting for Our Lives: My Battle With Cancer to Save My Baby and Myself By Heather Choate

Fighting for Our Lives: My Battle With Cancer to Save My Baby and Myself

By Heather Choate

Fighting for Our Lives: My Battle With Cancer to Save My Baby and Myself by Heather Choate is probably the most emotional book that I have read all year. It is an awesome testimony of the determination of a mother and the power of faith.

Life throws some very upsetting punches in Heather’s direction. Imagine being told that you have breast cancer at age 29...while you’re 10 weeks pregnant, with your 6th child. Any one of these things can be overwhelming, but to have them all on you at one time - and thrive - takes one strong, determined woman, a devoted husband and family, and faith in a loving Heavenly Father. Heather is, and has, all of those.

Fighting for Our Lives brought me to tears on more than one occasion. There are smiles and even a giggle or two along the way. Though I have not been diagnosed with breast cancer, I could relate to Heather’s feelings on many occasions. It is an emotional story, but she has a positive attitude and her faith is evident throughout the book.

This book is written like one would write in a diary or journal. Some days are skipped along the way. Some days just have a line or two. Other days, Heather pours out her heart in words that engage your heart, leaving you wanting to reach through the pages and give her a hug, as you both bawl your eyes out.

Fighting for Our Lives is an inspiring story of faith and hope.  It is a story of being scared, but doing it anyway, because not doing it would mean the end of the story.

This book earns all 5 stars. I highly recommend it to anyone going through a tremendous test of faith, even if it isn’t cancer. You may cry an awful lot as you read it, but you won’t be sorry that you did. You may just find a revival of your own faith within the pages of Heather’s story.

We were sent a complimentary copy of this book.  We are under no obligation to write any review, positive or negative.

We are disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255.

Notice: This post contains affiliate links. If you click a link and make a purchase, we may financially benefit from your transaction, at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support.
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Book Review: Pizza With Jesus (No Black Olives): Finding Home and Grace Amid Hardship and Grief By P. J. Frick

Pizza With Jesus (No Black Olives): Finding Home and Grace Amid Hardship and Grief

By P. J. Frick

Pizza With Jesus (No Black Olives) by P. J. Frick is the rather sad story of one woman’s journey through grief.  It would seem that she is blasted at every turn with some new challenge.

If you want to read a book that will hit you like a ton of bricks, this is it.  We see God in every page.  We see Jesus with arms wide open.

This book is well-written and impactful.  We see how when the author, P. J. Frick, was at her lowest points, God sent furry little angels to rescue her.

When you sit down to read Pizza with Jesus, you will want to have at least one giant economy-sized box of tissues with you.

We give this book all five stars.

We were sent a complimentary copy of this book.  We are under no obligation to write any review, positive or negative.

We are disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255.

 




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Press Release: A Medieval Voice of Faith Speaks to the Modern World

A MEDIEVAL VOICE OF FAITH SPEAKS TO THE MODERN WORLD

                       

New online resource explores the life of Hildegard of Bingen,

                       

12th century German saint regarded as most influential woman of her time

                       

                       

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (Oct. 17, 2017) – For many, modern life is busy and filled with distractions, but what if we could turn down the noise and listen to a voice from a quieter age, one with a worldview in which faith, reason, nature, humanity, and God are harmoniously interconnected? That voice belongs to St. Hildegard of Bingen, the 12th century German writer, composer, healer, prophet, visionary, and leader, regarded as the most influential woman of her time.       

                       

Hildegard's holistic message of spiritual truth, natural healing, and caring for the earth has never been more relevant than today. As St. Hildegard herself said, "the light you are seeking longs to shine forth from within you." If we listen closely, she can not only teach us about the Middle Ages, but show us how to overcome the frustrations of our own modern world.       

While women played critical roles in medieval society, individual women rarely had influence as public figures or the leaders of visible institutions. Those who did were usually noblewomen who had political significance because of family connections or the alliances their marriages could create.       

                       

St. Hildegard was unique because her influence came from her professional accomplishments, already recognized in her day. There were other women who ran convents of nuns, but Hildegard's writing, composition, and public speaking gave her visibility and earned her recognition far beyond other women of her era. Nearly 500 years before Gutenberg's press revolutionized book publishing, Hildegard's prolific writing on theology and natural science, as well as her musical compositions, were widely copied and read. She was also a popular and widely traveled public speaker on a variety of topics.   

International mezzo soprano Linn Maxwell brought the saint's writings and music to life for the 21st century. Now a new online resource, www.hildegardofbingen.net, has been created for others to explore the life and lessons of St. Hildegard of Bingen and the issues she addressed that are even more relevant in the 21st century, including the environment, natural medicine, the role of women, and the church.

                       

The website highlights St. Hildegard’s story and includes a list of films about her life: St. Hildegard: Trumpet of God, and Hildegard of Bingen and the Living Light, a one-woman play created and performed by Maxwell. There is also a collection of music by the Hildegard Singers, featuring a number of Hildegard songs, medieval instrumentalists, liturgical chants, and Christmas carols from the Middle Ages and Renaissance.

                       

Included in the online resource is a seven-part study guide to help others discover the Middle Ages through the eyes of the St. Hildegard. Topics include medieval worldview, monastic life, the medieval church, saints and doctors, medieval intellectual life, geography and chronology of St. Hildegard.

                       

                       

For more information visit: www.hildegardofbingen.net.

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Book Review: How the Spirit Shapes Prayer: Research findings for Traditional Christians By David S. Luecke

How the Spirit Shapes Prayer: Research findings for Traditional Christians

By David S. Luecke

 

This is a short book that takes a while to read.  The reason it takes a while to read is because it is both a report on an academic research project and a commentary on how effective prayer is.

How the Spirit Shapes Prayer: Research findings for Traditional Christians was written by a Lutheran Clergyman, David S. Luecke.  So, all the findings are from the Lutheran point of view.  

Almost all Holiness denominations have no question that prayer actually changes things.  The author seeks to provide the results of his research, along with his personal findings, regarding answered prayer, starting from the point of no preconceived notion one way or the other, regarding whether God still answers prayer or not.

The book is very well-written.  From the point of view that the author wanted to find out what Lutherans felt regarding prayer, the book was very well-researched. We give How the Spirit Shapes Prayer all five stars.

It would be interesting if Luecke were to continue his research and include other denominations.  This book would make a great gift for any Christian scholar on your list.

We were sent a complimentary copy of How the Spirit Shapes Prayer.  We are under no obligation to write any review, positive or negative.

We are disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255.

 


Notice: This post contains affiliate links. If you click a link and make a purchase, we may financially benefit from your transaction, at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support.
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I respond to all comments on this blog, ideally within 24 hours.  Please check back here for a response to your comment.  Thank you!
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Book Review: My Journal: Remembering and Growing | A Biblical context to life’s journey, Edition 1, By Dan L. Bragg Ed-D

My Journal: Remembering and Growing | A Biblical context to life’s journey,  Edition 1

By Dan L. Bragg Ed-D

  

If you are struggling trying to find your purpose, you may want to take a one year journey with My Journal: Remembering and Growing| A Biblical context to life’s journey, Edition 1 by Dan L. Bragg Ed-D.

Bragg takes fellow travelers on a journey of discovery and growth by giving his readers inspiration to journal about their spiritual journey. Mr. Bragg is our tour guide as he challenges us to think and grow in our faith.

We think that churches may want to create a small Bible study class to come together once a week to discuss their journaling and uplift one another in prayer.

Whether you take this journey alone or with a group of fellow Christian friends, you will enjoy the devotions and learn much as you read and ponder the scriptures.

We found this devotional to be well-written and well-thought out.  We give My Journal: Remembering and Growing all five stars. Please be sure to visit Dan L. Bragg over at his blog Biblical Leadership Enterprise.

We were sent a complimentary  copy of My Journal: Remembering and Growing.  We are under no obligation to write any review, positive or negative.

We are disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255.

 






Notice: This post contains affiliate links. If you click a link and make a purchase, we may financially benefit from your transaction, at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support.
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I respond to all comments on this blog, ideally within 24 hours.  Please check back here for a response to your comment.  Thank you!
 
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