A Love Story...How God Pursued Me and Found Me An Impossibly True Story ~ Book Review~

An overview of the book and author Samantha Ryan Chandler

Samantha tells her story of living her life without God.  Or at least she thought.  In A Love Story ...How God Pursued Me and Found Me, she tells her story of love, hatred, abuse  forgiveness, betrayal, greed, enlightenment, and fear.  Born to a pagan mother and a former altar boy living in a land of denial, she recounts how God was involved in her life even before she knew who He was.  She shares the story of her trip to the Holy Land and how her prayers at the Wailing Wall were interrupted because of a hamburger.  Yes, despite her tribulations, her life has had its funny moments as well.

Samantha Ryan Chandler was born in a colorful town in Louisiana, which helped shape her view of life  to "love life and live it large".  A series of divine interactions led Samantha to co-found a children's ministry Childspring International, formerly call Children's Cross Connection.  The organization brings children with severe deformities or life threatening illnesses to the United Stats for donated surgeries and medical care.  She now divided her time between North Carolina and Georgia.


My review:  I really enjoyed reading Samantha's story.  Her life has had many ups and downs, just like our own lives.  A reality show about her life would not even be able to do do justice to Samantha's real-life story. I so appreciated Samantha's willingness to vulnerable with her reader and yet she did not hold back in giving God the glory.  I especially liked that scriptures we shared through-out A Love Story... How God Pursued Me and Found Me.  Here is my favorite part of the book:  'I hear God so very clearly and He says to me, "You did not write the book to yourself.  I wrote it to you!!!"


Disclosure:  I received a free copy of this book/ebook/product to review.  I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.  The opinions I have expressed are my own.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC regulations.  I am a part of the CWA Review Crew.

A Thin Film of Lies ~ Book Review

Overview of the book & author C.S. Lakin

The story tells of a homicide detective, Fran Anders, whose next case throws her into the lives of Mike and Alisa Jepson, a couple whose marriage is disintegrating fast. When leads coming into the precinct point at Mike Jepson as guilty of murder, Fran watches the damage wrought on this couple, yet is unable to ignore the incriminating evidence. When Mike ends up arrested and in jail, Alisa takes comfort in a friend—Dee Dee—who moves in with her but soon becomes her worst nightmare. Mike hires a PI who uncovers clues to who is setting Mike up, but Alisa is caught in a trap before Mike can protect her. Although Fran reaches out to Alisa during her crisis of faith, she is unable to stop events from barreling toward a crash. Yet, despite the tragedies to follow, Fran sees how God has used the Jepsons’ trials and pain to bring Alisa back into His arms, with hope that Mike might follow suit.

C.S. Lakin writes novels in numerous genres, focusing mostly on contemporary psychological mysteries and allegorical fantasy. She recently completed Conundrum (her fourth psychological mystery) and the fourth book in her fantasy series: The Unraveling of Wentwater. She has also written the first book in a Young Adult sci-fi adventure series called Time Sniffers. She lives in Northern California with her husband of twenty-eight years and wants more than anything to glorify God through her writing.  You can visit her website: http://cslakin.com/index.php

My review:  I would highly reccommend A Thin Film of Lies to anyone who loves a good mystery!!  C.S. Lakin did an amazing job of drawing me in and then held me in suspense until the very end of the book.  I couldn't solve the mystery until C.S. Lakin revealed it at the end of the book.  (And believe me I tried!)  She now has a new fan!

I received a free copy of this book/Ebook/Product to review.  I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.  The opinions I have expressed are my own.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC regulations.  I am part of THE CWA REVIEW CREW.

everyday matters Bible for women ~ Book review

I love bibles!  By far, the NLT is my favorite version to read, so when I received my copy of  everyday matter Bible for women, I couldn't wait to open it up.  Reading God's inspiring word never gets old to me!  

If I need more incentive, instead of reading an additional daily devotional(s) for words of wisdom, encouragement and helpful commentaries to help me understand and apply what I'm reading to my everyday life are already included in this bible.

Cindy Crosby writes this commentary regarding simplicity on page 1385,

"So much of the time we surround ourselves with white noise.  

God wants to talk to us, linger with us, 

but we have to make a quiet space for him to come in. 

 Simplicity is making that room, cutting out the things

 that clamor for attention, if only for a little while.  When I die, I want to know 

I've paid attention to this "one wild and precious life" God's given me."

Another great feature is the 24 spiritual practices to enable us to focus on where God's heart is leading:

The one thing I wish was they had done differently is having the book names printed in a darker font.

http://www.amazon.com/Everyday-Matters-Bible-Women-Encouragement/dp/1598567055/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1350661236&sr=1-1&keywords=the+everyday+matters+bible+for+women

I received a free copy of this book/Ebook/Product to review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC Regulations. I am part of The CWA Review Crew.

Peaceful Passage ~ Book Review

I just finished reading Kim West's book, Peaceful Passage.  What a great resource this book is to have not only for myself but one that I will highly recommend and share with others who are called to care for family members when they are at the end of their life journey.  Just as the title suggests this book is an 'essential guide to navigating the emotional storms and daily logistics of an at-home end-of-life journey.'

Peaceful Passage is full of practical information and guidelines for the family member who suddenly becomes a full-time caregiver.  Kim doesn't miss a beat as she shares her own life hopes, struggles and tears on her journey she had with her own mother.  From the moment one receives the news that a loved one won't be able to return to the life everyone once knew, to the reality and finality of a loved ones  final days, Kim is able to help one keep a sense of sanity when their world becomes turned upside down.

Thank you Kim, for writing a much-needed book with such heartfelt honesty and compassion!

http://www.amazon.com/Peaceful-Passage-Kim-West-PhD/dp/0984052666/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1351725580&sr=8-1&keywords=peaceful+passage+by+kim+west

I received a free copy of this book/Ebook/Product to review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC Regulations. I am part of The CWA Review Crew.

Decision to Love ~ Book Review

I recently joined the CWA Review Crew and one of the first books I selected was Michelle Sutton's fictional book,  Decision to Love book 3 in the Sacred Vows series.  At first I was concerned that I would be lost since this was her third book, I was also concerned that the subject matter would be to graphic.

But Michelle quickly put my concerns at ease.  Once I began reading I was hooked, I was easily drawn into each of the characters lives past and present without missing a beat.  I loved how Michelle shared just enough of the past lives of Hope, Tony and Jimmy  that I was able to jump right into their current lives.

There were just a couple of places that certain details made me a little uncomfortable, but I knew that was not the intent of Michelle's writing style.  

I would recommend Decision to Love, it's a great fictional read that could easily be the non-fictional story of any of us. My warning would be there are graphic parts in this book.

http://www.amazon.com/Decision-Love-Sacred-Michelle-Sutton/dp/0983883688/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1351210450&sr=1-1&keywords=decision+to+love 

 I received a free copy of this book/Ebook/Product to review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC Regulations. I am part of The CWA Review Crew.