Book Review and Giveaway: Mornings with Jesus 2012

About the book:

"Be still and know that I am God.” is one of the most beautiful verses from the Bible, but it’s not easy to practice in this busy world. Mornings with Jesus will help you do just that—“be still” in Jesus’ beautiful and powerful presence. For those who are seeking a deeper experience in their relationship with Christ, Mornings with Jesus offers a fresh perspective of who Jesus is (the Healer, the Son of God, the Comforter, the Good Shepherd) and what that means for day-to-day life. With a warm and friendly voice, 366 short devotional writings on the character and teachings of Jesus encourage readers to greet each day by drawing near to Him and inviting His presence into their day. Spend time with Jesus at the beginning of each day and experience His nearness and peace in a new way throughout the year. Each day’s selection includes: • a Bible verse • an entry based on Jesus: His words, miracles, and parables; His wisdom, compassion, and comfort; His mystery, power, divinity, and humanity • a “faith step” that will inspire and challenge readers to apply the day’s message to their lives

 

Link to buy the book:  http://ow.ly/8BbyO  

MY THOUGHTS AND REVIEW:

Spending time with Jesus is the sweetest time of my day (it doesn't have to be only mornings, either). I delight in God's Word; I still get excited whenever I open the Bible. I also enjoy reading devotionals. In fact, I collect devotionals (I currently own about 40). Mornings with Jesus 2012 is a devotional written by several well-known authors: Tricia Goyer, Camy Tang, Judy Baer, Gwen Ford Faulkenberry, Sharon Hinck, Keri Wyatt Kent, and Erin Keeley Marshall. Each day's selection is only one page long. I have read all up to today's date. So far...my favorite entry is from page 22 written by Erin Keeley Marshall. The key verse is 1 John 3:18, "Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth." As a mother of three (one is a special needs kid), I can totally relate to the exhaustion and the need to be stretched that she talks about. I love what she shares: "However, through the blessings of family, Jesus is growing another blessing in me--the ability to experience Him providing for me as I provide for others....As hard as selfless giving can be, heart growth is a sweet experience. As He blesses me, He is making me a blessing to others." I agree. I sometimes struggle to love like Jesus, but I'm thankful that I get to practice unconditional, selfless love in action everyday :). If you would like daily doses of encouragement this year, check this wonderful devotional out. This book would also make a lovely gift for women in your life.

GIVEAWAY: You can win a copy of this book. Deadline: 2/14 at midnight (Pacific time)

To Enter: Please leave a comment sharing about your favorite devotional(s), favorite Bible verse(s), or favorite author(s). Make sure you also leave your email address so that I can contact you if you're chosen (randomly) as a winner.

For extra entries (please leave a separate comment for each one you do):
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- Enter my other giveaway here.

~ I received 1 free copy of this book via Litfuse in exchange for my honest review and 1 extra copy for giveaway. To read other reviews of this book, visit here.

Mother of Pearl #1: Pearl Pins by Margaret McSweeney

Welcome to Pearl Girls™ Mother of Pearl Mother's Day blog series. The series is week long celebration of moms and mothering. Each day will feature a new post by some of today's best writer's (Tricia Goyer, Megan Alexander, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Beth Engelman, Holley Gerth, Shellie Rushing Tomlinson, and more). I hope you'll join us each day for another unique perspective on Mother's Day.

AND ... do enter the contest for a chance to win a beautiful hand crafted pearl necklace. To enter, just {CLICK THIS LINK} and fill out the short form. Contest runs 5/1-5/8 and the winner will be selected on 5/11. Contest is only open to US and Canadian residents.

If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit http://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 Mother's Day gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.

And to all you MOMS out there! Happy Mother's Day!

PEARL PINS by Margaret McSweeney

At age 49, I am a mom without a mom. This deep longing for my mother continues to surprise me. During milestone moments, I imagine phone conversations with her.

“Can you believe that Melissa is graduating from high school in June? I’m so glad you will be flying to Chicago to be here with us.” 

“Wasn’t that a fun family dinner we all had last weekend to celebrate Katie’s ‘sweet sixteen?’ I am so glad you could join us.”

“Isn’t this exciting? I just got a new book contract. Will you please edit my manuscript before I send it in?”

Sadly, this will be my eighth Mother’s Day to spend without my mother. She has missed some poignant milestones in my life and in the lives of my daughters. Both Melissa and Katie were very young when she died so they don’t have a full reservoir of memories about Grandmommy Rhea. However, they do have the legacy of faith that she helped instill in them as toddlers. She loved to send Veggie Tales tapes, Children’s Bibles and devotional books. 

Melissa and Katie were blessed to have Nana, (Dave’s mother) around for much longer. Nana passed away two years ago. A few years before Nana died, she gave me a beautiful necklace with a diamond pendant made from her wedding ring along with a pair of diamond earrings. She asked me to give these special gifts to Melissa and Katie for their sixteenth birthdays. Even though Nana wasn’t around to celebrate, my daughters were so happy to receive such special keepsakes from her. Hugs from heaven.

Last week on Katie’s 16th birthday, I discovered an unexpected blessing that had been tucked away in a cardboard container of my mother’s things. A jewelry box with three pearl pins! I gave one to Melissa as a belated 16th birthday gift, and I presented one to Katie for her 16th birthday. This Mother’s Day, I will wear my mother’s pearl pin as a tangible reminder that a mother’s love (and a grandmother’s love) is an everlasting gift from God.  

Finding these gifts made me think about what I might leave for my own daughters someday. It isn’t the external value of the gift that matters, but rather the love that it represents.

Is there a special gift or letter that you would like to leave your children?

Margaret McSweeney lives with her husband, David and two teenage daughters in the Chicago suburbs.  After earning a master’s degree in international business from the University of South Carolina, Margaret moved to New York City to work at a large bank where she met David.  Margaret is the editor of Pearl Girls, author of A Mother’s Heart Knows and co-author of Go Back and Be Happy. Charity and community involvement are very important to Margaret. She has served on the board of directors for WINGS (Women in Need Growing Stronger) for over eight years. For more information, find Margaret at http://www.pearlgirls.info/ and http://www.kitchenchat.info/. 

Book Review: Mother-Daughter Duet

Summary: When a daughter is born, her mother has a thousand hopes and dreams for her, especially that they will be best friends one day. Unfortunately, even the best of intentions can go awry. There are so many challenges on the journey to adult friendship that the reality is fraught with friction and frustration. But a harmonious relationship is possible.

Award-winning author Cheri Fuller and her daughter, Ali Plum, have been there and have discovered the keys to a healthy relationship. In Mother-Daughter Duet they share their story—each from her own perspective—in which they have experienced distance and tension, growth and challenge, and, ultimately, acceptance and harmony. Filled with personal anecdotes and based on several basic principles (letting go; listening; respect; setting boundaries; and more), Mother-Daughter Duet helps moms repair the breach so that daughters want to draw close.

The mother-daughter dynamic is intense, personal, complex, and unique. But mothers and daughters can achieve mutual respect and learn to celebrate their differences when they learn the two-part harmony of the mother-daughter duet.

Authors Bio:
Cheri Fuller is a best-selling, award-winning author whose books have sold more than one million copies. She speaks to a wide range of women at women’s conferences and is a frequent guest on national radio and television programs.

Ali Plum is Cheri’s daughter, a writer and songwriter, a wife, and a mother to Noah and Luke. She and her mom have weathered the ups and downs of their relationship to find one of the most treasured, honest relationships of their lives. Ali has recorded background vocals for popular musicians, and Mother-Daughter Duet marks her debut into book publishing.

Review: My daughter and I have a wonderful, close relationship. However, we occasionally misunderstand each other and don’t always get along perfectly (we’re too much alike for our own good ). I desire to be a better mom and have a deeper & stronger relationship with her. This book helps prepare me for the near future when she steps into adulthood. I don’t agree with everything in the book but I still appreciate lots of valuable insights shared by both Cheri Fuller (the mother) and Ali Plum (the daughter). I will keep their warnings in mind; hopefully and prayerfully, by God’s grace…I won’t make the same mistakes that many moms have made.

Are you experiencing tension in your relationship, communication struggles, difficulty in letting go, etc.? I found learning from the different perspectives of a mother and a daughter very helpful. The authors share about the main ingredients in developing a stronger relationship between mother and daughter which include unconditional love, understanding, prayer, grace, space, prayer, kindness, patience, prayer, acceptance, respect, encouragement, and prayer. You probably get the point that prayer is so crucial . God is still in the business of relationship restoration. It's never too late to try to mend or improve or strengthen your relationship with your daughter or with your mother. I really like the discussion questions in the back of the book for each chapter. These are very good for mothers and daughters to discuss with each other and learn to understand each other better; they are good for mothers to ponder alone, too.

You can download and read the first chapter of Mother-Daughter Duet here.
Connect with Cheri Fuller at http://www.cherifuller.com/ .
Visit Cheri and Ali's blog at http://www.motherdaughterduet.wordpress.com/ .

~This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.

Please rate this review. Thanks so much!

I Want to Be...

I wrote the following poem more than 14 years ago on May 17, 1995.  Each year I hope and pray that I will be more like Christ than the year before.

I want to be a sweet daughterWho makes her mom laugh and smile,
Helps out when her mom gets older,
And does her best as a grateful child

I want to be a submissive wife
Who serves and supports her husband,
Loves and respects him even in the midst of strife,
Shares memories, struggles, sorrows, and fun

I want to be a caring mother
Who's always there for her kids,
Helping them grow stronger and wiser,
And become spiritually rich

I want to be a dependable friend
Who tirelessly encourages others
I want to be a cheerful giver
Who expects nothing in return

I want to be a fruitful missionary
Who wins lost souls to the Lord for eternity
I want to be a loving neighbor
Who puts above self concerns for others

I want to be a faithful prayer warrior
Who won't stop praying 'til things get better
I want to be a joyful worshiper
Who sings praises to the Lord forever and ever

I want to be a kind "Good Samaritan"
Who readily tries to meet any needs, assist anyone
I want to be a true Christian example
Who keeps trusting God through any trials and troubles

The secret lies in JESUS
Who lives within us
I want to walk in His love and in His light
I want all I say and do to be pleasing in His sight

What I really want to say is...
I want to be...like CHRIST!

"Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly beloved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God." Ephesians 5:1-2

~Please visit here for the links to other Spiritual Sundays posts. Thanks so much to Charlotte and Ginger for hosting Spiritual Sundays every week. Have a blessed day in the Lord, everyone!