A Great Man of God Speaks Out

Review of a Truly Inspirational Book:
"Nearing Home - Life , Faith and Finishing Well"
                      By Billy Graham
I have always admired this man of  God, Billy Graham. I recall , when as a young child , my parents would have the family sit around the television to hear one of his life changing crusades. The music , the sermon, wisely preached by this Godly man touched me as no other has ever been able to. His alter call, at the end of the service drew many closer to the Lord.


This book is Billy Graham's attempt to help us to prepare for our later years in life and he does a magnificent job of leading us through the steps of growing older , continuing to walk along with the Lord.  His use of scripture to explain his points, are clear examples of a man who has studied the Bible , until he has become one with it. It is part of him.


Billy fully explains some difficult events that will occur for all of us some day, not all happy ones, however, he  uses Bible passages to keep us encouraged and true to the faith.  I loved his use of the Golden Years, not truly being so golden!! Health issues, losing loved ones, even retiring from a much loved job are described with accuracy. He does not try to influence your thinking that all will go smoothly, BUT Billy does explain how to best deal with these challenges .  What a gifted man he is. At his age, he is still caring about others and using his life experiences to help us. 


This book was an enjoyment to read, as well as being useful. The many scriptures reflect Billy's strong beliefs in the afterlife and give us all hope . We may lose loved ones, but we will see them again. Our bodies will become whole and healthy.  


A wonderful, encouragement to all of us!! Well done!

"Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.
Available at your favourite bookseller from Thomas Nelson"

The Twelve Days of Christmas- Pearl Girls

Enjoy these Christmas "Pearls of Wisdom" from some of today's most beloved writer's (Tricia Goyer, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Shellie Rushing Tomlinson, Sibella Giorello and more)! Please follow the series through Christmas day as each contributor shares heartfelt stories of how God has touched a life during this most wonderful time of the year.

AND just for fun ... there's also a giveaway! Fill out this simple {form} and enter for a chance to win a beautiful pearl necklace and earring set ($450 value). Contest runs 12/14 - 12/25 and the winner will on 1/1. Contest is only open to US and Canadian residents. You may enter once per day.

If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit www.pearlgirls.info and see what we're all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one of the Pearl Girls products (all GREAT gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.

*** 

Advent By Sibella Giorello

Consider the bride's walk down the aisle. We all know where that woman in the white is going but somehow waiting for her to arrive at the altar is an essential part of the ceremony. In fact, the waiting is so essential that even cheapskate Vegas chapels include wedding marches.

Why?

Because the wait adds meaning to the moment.

At Christmas time, we tend to forget this essential truth about anticipation. We're lost to shopping malls and checklists, rushing toward December 25th so quickly that we forget the quiet joy of the month's other 24 days -- and then we wonder why we feel so empty on the 26th, amid ribbons and wrapping paper and our best intentions.

Because the wait adds meaning to the moment.

And that is why Advent is so important to Christmas.

I'm as guilty as the next harried person. This Advent was particularly tricky because just six hours before it started, I was still trying to finish a 110,000-word novel that was written over the course of the year -- written while homeschooling my kids, keeping my hubby happy, and generally making sure the house didn't fall down around us.

It's an understatement to say my free time is limited. But waiting adds meaning, and Advent is crucial to Christmas, so I've devised several Advent traditions that are simple, powerful and easy to keep even amid the seasonal rush.

When my kids outgrew the simple Advent calendars around age 7, I stole an idea from my writer friend Shelly Ngo (as T.S. Eliot said, "Mediocre writers borrow. Great writers steal." Indulge me.)

Here's how it goes: Find 24 great Christmas books, wrap them individually and place then under the tree. On the first day of Advent, take turns picking which book to open. When we did this, we would cuddle under a blanket and read aloud -- oh, the wonder, the magic! We savored "The Polar Express," howled with "How Murray Saved Christmas," and fell silent at the end of "The Tale of The Three Trees" (note: some of the picture books I chose were not explicitly about Christmas but they always echoed the message that Jesus came to earth to save us from ourselves and to love us beyond our wildest imagination. In that category, Angela Hunt's retelling of The Three Trees definitely hits the Yuletide bull's eye).

This Advent tradition lasted for about five years. It gave us rich daily discussions about the season's real meaning, without being religious or legalistic, and it increased family couch time. But like the lift-the-flap calendars, my kids outgrew the picture books.

Because the wait adds meaning, and Advent is crucial, I prayed for another way to celebrate anticipation of Christmas. By the grace of God, last year I found an enormous Advent calendar on  clearance at Pottery Barn. Made of burlap, it has large pockets big enough to hold some serious bounty.

But my husband and I didn't want the kids focusing only on the materialist stuff for Advent -- we already fight that on Christmas day. We decided to fill the daily pockets with simple necessities and small gift cards. We also printed out the nativity story from Luke 2:1-21 in a large-sized font and cut each verse out. From Day 1 to Day 21, there is one verse to read aloud. The kids memorize it, then get to open their present (again, on alternating days for each person). Then we tape the verse to the wall in order. By Day 22, all the verses are on the wall, in order, and the kids now try to recite the entire nativity story from memory. That's not as difficult as it sounds because they've been memorizing one verse each day. Still, the entire recitation -- verbatim -- usually requires Day 23 and Day 24. Whoever does memorize the entire thing -- without mistakes --  earns a bonus gift of $25.

Does that sounds extravagant?

It is.

Because we want our kids to understand that God came down and humbled himself and taught us about love right before He suffered and died on behalf of the undeserving -- which is every one of us.

"That's" extravagant.

And in the waiting, we find even more meaning.

***

Sibella Giorello writes the Raleigh Harmon mystery series which won the Christy Award with its first book "The Stones Cry Out." She lives in Washington state with her husband and children, and often wishes there were 36 hours in a day.

Pearls of Wisdom for the Christmas Season

Welcome to the 3rd Annual Pearl Girls™ 12 Pearls of Christmas blogging series!

Enjoy these Christmas "Pearls of Wisdom" from some of today's most beloved writer's (Tricia Goyer, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Shellie Rushing Tomlinson, Sibella Giorello and more)! Please follow the series through Christmas day as each contributor shares heartfelt stories of how God has touched a life during this most wonderful time of the year.

AND just for fun ... there's also a giveaway! Fill out this simple {form} and enter for a chance to win a beautiful pearl necklace and earring set ($450 value). Contest runs 12/14 - 12/25 and the winner will on 1/1. Contest is only open to US and Canadian residents. You may enter once per day.

If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls, please visit www.pearlgirls.info and see what we're all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one of the Pearl Girls products (all GREAT gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.

***

A Christmas of Kindness

By Suzanne Woods Fisher

"You can give without loving, but you can¹t love without giving." Amish proverb

I do it every year.

I plan for a simpler, less stressful Christmas season and, every year, by Christmas EveŠ I'm exhausted! After our delicious and very-time-consuming-to-make traditional Swedish meal to honor my husband¹s relatives (think: Vikings), it's time to head to church. I'm embarrassed to admit it, but the last few Christmas Eve's, I have sent my husband and kids head off without me. The pull to spend an hour of quiet in the house feels as strong as a magnet.

It's odd. My children are young adults now. Wouldn't you think that Christmas would be simpler? Instead, it's just the opposite. Jugging schedules to share the grandbaby with the in-laws, trying to include our elderly parents at the best time of day for them, dancing carefully around recently divorced family members whose children are impacted by the shards of broken relationships.

The thing is: you can simplify your to-do list, but you can't really simplify people. We are just a complicated bunch.

Here's where I borrow a lesson about simplicity from the Amish. It's easy to get distracted with the buggies and the bonnets and the beards, but there's so much more to learn from these gentle people if you're willing to look a little deeper.

Yes, they live with less "stuff" and that does make for a simpler, less cluttered life. But it's the reason behind it that is so compelling to me: they seek to create margin in their life. Not just empty space‹but space that is available to nourish family, community, and faith. Their Christmas is far less elaborate than yours or mine, but what they do fill it with is Šoh so right.

Christmas comes quietly on an Amish farmhouse. There is no outward sign of the holiday as we know it: no bright decorations, no big tree in the living room corner. A few modest gifts are waiting for children at their breakfast place settings, covered by a dishtowel. Waiting first for Dad to read the story of Christ's birth from the book of Luke. Waiting until after a special breakfast has been enjoyed. Waiting until Mom and Dad give the signal that the time has come for gifts.

Later, if Christmas doesn't fall on a Sunday, extended family and friends will gather for another big meal. If time and weather permits, the late afternoon will be filled with ice skating or sledding. And more food! Always, always an abundance of good food. Faith, family, and community. That is the focus of an Amish Christmas.

And it's also how the story begins for A Lancaster County Christmas, as a young family prepares for Christmas. A winter storm blows a non-Amish couple, Jaime and C.J. Fitzpatrick, off-course and into the Riehl farmhouse. An unlikely and tentative friendship develops, until the one thing Mattie and Sol hold most dear disappears and thenŠ. Ah, but you¹ll just have to read the story to find out what happens next. Without giving anything away, I will say that I want to create a Mattie-inspired margin this Christmas season. Mattie knew inconveniences and interruptions that come in the form of people (big ones and little ones!) are ordained by God. And blessed by God.

Creating margin probably means that I won't get Christmas cards out until the end of January, and my house won't be uber-decorated. After all, something has to give. But it will mean I make time for a leisurely visit with my dad at his Alzheimer's facility. And time to volunteer in the church nursery for a holiday-crowded event. And time to invite a new neighbor over for coffee. Hopefully, it will mean that my energy won't get diverted by a frantic, self-imposed agenda. Only by God's agenda‹the essence of true simplicity.

And that includes taking time to worship Christ's coming at the Christmas Eve service. You can hold me accountable! This year, I will be there.

***

Suzanne Woods Fisher is the bestselling author of The Choice, The Waiting, The Search, and The Keeper, as well as nonfiction books about the Amish, including Amish Peace. Her interest in the Anabaptist cultures can be directly traced to her grandfather, W. D. Benedict, who was raised in the Old Order German Baptist Brethren Church in Franklin County, Pennsylvania. Suzanne is a Christy Award nominee and is the host of an internet radio show called Amish Wisdom and her work has appeared in many magazines. She lives in California. www.suzannewoodsfisher.com.

Enter another contest!!!   Wonderful prizes by marvellous authors!

Amy Clipston Books: Winners & Another Contest!

amyclipstonbooks.blogspot.com

To see a wonderful book trailer of Cindy Woodsmall's Amish Fiction book, "The Christmas Singing", click on the following link :    http:// http://bit.ly/vvg9mc

A True Winner in Amish Fiction

"An Amish Wedding"    (a novella)
By: Kelly Long, Kathleen Fuller and Beth Wiseman


These fabulous authors of Amish fiction have  succeeded again in producing a novella that all Amish fans will definitely not want to miss reading. Kathy and Beth have collaborated in previous novellas, but this time, Kelly has joined the crew!   What a wonderful example of three books in one, tied together by  the theme, Amish weddings, as the title tells us, using connecting characters in all of the stories, bringing unity to to the book.
   Each author uses their unique style to successfully keep you entranced throughout the book.  One story just leads into the next so smoothly that you hardly realize that a new author has taken over the story line. Each of these authors has the ability to describe their characters so well that each one becomes part of you. You feel their hurts, their challenges as well as their joy.  Although the main characters are all Amish, they experience the same  challenges, love and loss that the rest of us do.  It is all about how they use their faith to deal in a time of crisis , as well as in times of joy.

Kelly Long, the author of "A Perfect Secret", does a marvellous job of catching our attention at the beginning of this book. Her story's main character, Rose starts out the story by bursting out disapproval at Luke's proposal!! Not an ounce of romance in this man, she thinks!!  Does she really know Luke?  Mysterious things begin to happen in the community, things are missing and  Rose's fiance is right in the middle of the confused happenings.  Will this wedding ever come to be?? So many things are going on !!  Can God handle this challenge??  I can tell no more, without spoiling the book for perspective readers.


The second story, "A Perfect Match" by Kathleen Fuller, continues the saga of the wedding theme with her main character , Naomi,  who is trying her best to make a match for her friend, Margaret. Zeke is the handsome young man who is in the area for his cousin's wedding.  Naomi quickly takes on the role of a matchmaker.  But is she trying to match the correct couple?    Zeke is quickly falling in love, but not in keeping with "the plan".  Naomi  is falling in love but should she be??? Is it in God's plan for her life? Obstacles appear. Will there  be a wedding in the near future for Naomi?


The third novella is by Beth Wiseman, who also outdoes herself again, in her story, entitled "A Perfect Plan".  Priscilla is the young woman who is being matched up this time and Naomi, her sister, plays matchmaker again. Chester is invited to Priscilla's birthday party, unknown to her and decides to pursue her. They have one thing in common, they both want to go skydiving!!!  Naomi is successful and the wedding finally is planned , however obstacles appear- poison ivy, a destroyed wedding dress plus a failed celery crop. Can it get much worse than this??? Is God sending a special message to stop this wedding from happening?? 


These three Amish ladies have a common bond- An Amish wedding is to take place! Problems, YES!! Can God prepare their hearts for marriage, in spite of the challenges?
The three authors have done an outstanding job in pulling together a common theme with connecting characters. You feel  like you are a member of the family, waiting for the next move! All I can say is "WOW!"


This book is a winner !!!  Humor is used as well as heartache! What wonderful talent is exhibited by these three authors.  Well done!

Ebook provided by Booksneeze free of charge in exchange for a review.

Win a neat prize from Amy Clipston- a fantastic Amish Author!!

Amy Clipston Books: Enter the first post-book tour contest!

amyclipstonbooks.blogspot.com