A Desperate Hope - Christian Fiction Review

A Desperate Hope by Elizabeth Camden
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Eloise Drake's past comes back to haunt her as she must return to the town so near where she spent much of her childhood and the man she fell in love with so many years before. Her relationship with Alex Duval ended badly 12 years ago, but Eloise is bound and determined to keep her heart safe and follow the rules as she works for the state on a project which will demolish the town Alex grew up in and is currently the mayor of.

I really wanted to like this book, but there were too many big problems for me. As a clean read fiction I'd give it a solid 4 stars. The characters are interesting, if infuriatingly hard-headed, and the emotions are definitely rampant with everyone involved. I don't think the characters really grew enough for my liking, but I had a really big problem with people overlooking big sins and character flaws.

I will preach God's grace until he takes me home, but if that's the only part of the gospel that you get then you're in big trouble. Eloise and Alex had some youthful transgressions which are more or less brushed off as just that. I don't want characters to live in guilt, but Alex, at least, didn't even acknowledge that what they had done was wrong. It seemed justified because they were in love. The same goes for Eloise's guardian. He's not a good man. He has some redeeming qualities and acts at the end, but there seems to be no repentance for any of the characters. They brush off their sins as everyone makes mistakes and as long as you do some good deed here and there then you're all right. A very works based religion.

So if you read the book as a clean read romance then you'll probably enjoy it. If you're looking for even a hint of biblically based spiritual truth then you will not find it here. The Christianity is sparse and seems thrown in to appease the publishing house, but it would have been better off left out all together.


I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for my honest review.

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Mind Games - Christian Fiction Review

Mind Games by Nancy Mehl
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Kaelly Quinn is a behavioral analyst with the FBI. Her father was a famous serial killer which, along with her rather unique method for profiling monsters, makes it difficult for her to fit in. A journalist bent on revealing all her secrets has made her life even more difficult, but that's nothing compared to the fact that she is now the target of one of the monsters she spends so much time hunting. Working alongside fellow FBI agent Noah Hunter they race to figure out just who has a vendetta against Kaelly before anyone else is killed.

I'll admit that I wasn't too sure about this book at the beginning. Dialogue seemed awkward and there seemed to be more telling than showing, but things got much better as the book progressed, and I found myself not wanting to put it down. I had a hunch of who I thought the killer was at the beginning, but author Nancy Mehl did a good job of throwing out possibilities and red herrings. I found the character of Kaelly Quinn especially interesting. I wish she had progressed a bit more as the book went on, but as this is the first of a series, I'm not too surprised at where it ended. I'll be interested to know more about Noah as the series continues as well. I'm definitely invested enough that I'll have to read the next book in the series.

If you can get past the rough beginning I think you'll really enjoy this suspense novel by Nancy Mehl. You may be a little frustrated in the end, but in a good way. I'm looking forward to the next book!


I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for my honest review.

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A Bound Heart - Christian Fiction Review

A Bound Heart by Laura Frantz
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have read a few other books by Laura Frantz and this one was just as wonderful as the others I've read. At times it was heartbreaking and at others it was joyful, but it was never boring.

This story follows Magnus MacLeish and Lark MacDougall through a sweeping tale from their homeland of Scotland to the struggles in America. Both experience a great deal of loss and pain, but their love is a beacon of hope for their future. It was interesting to see how they both adapted to their ever-changing circumstances. There were times I wanted to shake one (or both) of them, but it was wonderful seeing them overcome their obstacles.

I hated seeing their story end, but it was a satisfying conclusion to their tale. A fan of historical fiction will definitely enjoy this one.


I received a free copy from Net Galley in exchange for my honest review.

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Code of Valor - Christian Fiction Review

Code of Valor by Lynette Eason
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

While this is not my first book by Lynette Eason, it is the first I've read from the Blue Justice series. Code of Valor is the 3rd book in the series and after reading this one I'll definitely have to go back and read the other two. It's another very good suspense by Eason.

Main characters Brady St. John and Emily Chastain are both thrown into a race to solve a deadly mystery when Brady saves Emily from being kidnapped while he's supposed to be relaxing on vacation. Brady uses his connections as a detective and Emily brings in her knowledge as a financial crimes investigator to figure out why someone would kidnap her and try to locate her missing friend.

I loved that Emily doesn't have a squeaky clean past and that she's continuing to work through many struggles with help from the Lord. Brady's spiritual growth doesn't seem as authentic, but overall he's a great character. There was plenty of suspense in the book, and the supporting characters were great. At times all the stuff going on seemed a bit much, but overall it was a very enjoyable book.


I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for my honest review.

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Becoming Us - Christian Fiction Review

Becoming Us by Robin Jones Gunn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Let me start out by saying that I grew up reading the Christy Miller and Sierra Jensen books, and I loved seeing them as secondary characters in this book. I'm not usually a huge reader of "women's lit" books, but I thought this book was wonderfully done.

I really identified with many of the struggles that Emily, the main character, goes through. She's a very real and flawed character and I loved seeing how that affected all of her relationships. What a testimony to the transforming power of the Holy Spirit and what amazing examples of how God uses others in our sanctifying process. I totally wish I had a friend group like this!

I love Robin Jones Gunn as an author and I can't wait to read more of her books in the future. I'm looking forward to what's in store for these women next.

View all my reviews


I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Hello Mornings - Review

I always thought I was a morning person until I really had to start getting up early. Then you add kids to the mix and it seems I dread mornings now. I wake up and then waste time and have to scramble around trying to finish getting ready. Sometimes the important things like spending time in the Word, praying over my day, and taking healthy steps to be able to do what God has called me to get left behind in all the rush. Part of me feels like if I can't spend an hour in quiet time and thirty minutes working out then what's the point. So I don't do anything.

Hello Mornings by Kat Lee gives another option. She gives the reason for God Time, Plan Time, and Move Time using Scripture. And she recommends starting small with just 3 minutes each morning and then expanding from there. Two things I really liked about this book were how practical (and attainable) it is and how she continually brings the focus back to our service to God as the reason why we do anything. Many books like this often focus solely on the practical and end up being a glorified self-help book. Having a proper motivation for what we do and remembering who allows us to do it makes me want to stick with it more.

The book is not perfect but there is a lot of wisdom in it. Now I just have to get up and do it. Another thing emphasized in the book is the importance of accountability. Anyone want to join me on this journey to taking back the morning?

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley for my honest review

Hidden Peril - Christian Fiction Review

Hidden Peril is the second book in the Code of Honor series by Irene Hannon. I hadn't read the first book so I had to make sure I read Dangerous Illusions first. The series follows three childhood friends who wanted to make the world a better place. They're all adults now and doing their part to fulfill that vow. Hidden Peril is about Kristin Dane who owns a fair trade shop. A series of suspicious deaths linked to her store bring her into the path of Detective Luke Carter, and unfortunately also draws her into the middle of a deadly plot.

I enjoyed the main characters in this book, but I kind of wish both of them had been a bit more flawed. They almost seemed a bit too perfect. And Luke seemed to have exactly the skills needed for every situation which seemed a bit too convenient at times. I enjoyed the side characters and it was neat to see people from previous Irene Hannon books. The story was interesting, but it was pretty easy to guess the bad guy early on. The plot did keep me interested, and I look forward to reading the next book in the series. I'd give this one 4.5 stars.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Mark of the Raven - Christian Fiction Review

I've read some of Morgan L. Busse's books in the past, and I really enjoy her command of allegory. Mark of the Raven, the first book in The Ravenwood Saga is another great addition to her resume.

The story follows two main characters. The first is Lady Selene who is the heir to one of the Great House of Ravenwood. On the outside they look like a normal noble family, and many of the others pity them because they lost their gifting centuries before. But they hold a great secret. Their gifting of dreamwalking was never lost at all, and they use it to whatever means necessary to help their people and keep their legacy alive, even to the point of murder.

The other main character is Damien, who is the grand lord of the Great House of Maris. He follows the Light, and his desire, as well as the desire of his late father, is to see the houses united in order to protect themselves against the Empire which tore them apart so many years before. His house doesn't have secrets, except maybe just how powerful their water gifting is, and how much they desire unity.

The opposing goals of Damien and Selene's mother pit them against each other in what could be a deadly showdown. But Selene sees something in Damiene, some light which she can't understand. She just knows she wants whatever he has. But will she be willing to give up everything, including her life, to get it?

I thought the characters were well done, and I was definitely cheering for them both. And we were given enough background information on some of the minor characters to really understand the motivation behind their actions. The storybuilding was great, and I thought the allegory was well done and not too "in your face." It seemed natural for their world.

I only had two complaints, and they're pretty minor so I'd really give this 4.5 stars. One is pretty silly in that the female assassin being named Selene reminded me of a female assassin in another book with a very similar (if spelled completely different) name. While the stories and characters were pretty different, there were enough similarities that it was jarring at times. My other problem was that I found myself skipping over paragraphs here and there. I'm not really sure why because the pacing was good, and there were enough details, but not too many. Maybe it was because I wanted to see what happened next so quickly, but in order to give the book 5 stars I probably should have wanted to read every word.

This was a wonderful book. I'm very much looking forward to reading the next one, and I plan on going back to read some of her other books again.


I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

How to Be a Perfect Christian - Review

This book is Satire!

I just had to get that out of the way. Many of you have probably seen posts from The Babylon Bee, a satire "news" site similar to The Onion (spoiler alert if you didn't know they were satire too), but from a Christian perspective. It fills the hole that Stuff Christians Like left in me when Jon Acuff stopped posting there. The Bee recently published a book called How to Be a Perfect Christian: Your Comprehensive Guide to Flawless Spiritual Living. It's a step-by-step guide of how to be the best Christian possible by making sure you maintain a me-centered attitude in regards to spirituality. Remember...satire.

This book definitely had some funny parts, and I found myself laughing out loud on more than one occasion. And if you're willing, the satire will even challenge you on what you think Christianity is all about. The Western culture tries to make everything about the individual, and unfortunately, Christians are also affected. From the prominence of impersonal megachurches to the need to post every spiritual act on social media, Christianity in America is often not to far from the caricature presented in the book. My sarcastic self loves the use of satire to point out the ridiculous things we see in our culture and also cringes when I see some of those things in myself.

Unfortunately, while satire can open our eyes to the hypocrisy of the world around us, it doesn't do a lot to really direct us towards doing better. The last chapter stated the gospel, but it needed to do more towards showing a better way. A lot of people can't appreciate sarcasm, especially when it's directed their way, but for those who can, I would definitely pick up this book.

Some people may read this book or something else by The Babylon Bee and think the church is too broken. I've seen people comment on their articles with things like, "this is why I don't go to church anymore." That's the wrong response. Because the church is filled with sinners, it's inherently imperfect. Instead of shaking our finger at the problems with the church, we should be working to fix it from the inside with the help of the Holy Spirit. I wrote a post on the Church a while back so if you'd like to know more check it out.

I received a free copy of this book from WaterBrook & Multnomah and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Some of the links in the post above are Amazon referral links. I may receive money or products from them, but it's at no cost to you.

A Defense of Honor - Christian Fiction Review

A Defense of Honor was the first book I've read by Kristi Ann Hunter, but it won't be my last. I very much enjoyed the first book of the Haven Manor series.

Kit FitzGilbert is in trouble. But there's nothing new there. She runs into Graham, Lord Wharton, at a London ball and he assists her in escaping the predicament she's found herself in. Graham is intrigued by Kit, but he can tell she's trouble. Kit can't help but be drawn to Graham, but she has people counting on her, and she can't allow her own desires to hurt the people she cares for...again. Between Graham's friend's missing sister and the enigmatic Kit, he doesn't think he'll be struggling with boredom anymore.

Kit has been hurt by past mistakes, both hers and those of others. Even worse, her best friend was caught in the cross-hairs. They now live outside of society and try to help others who have been hurt by the same social injustices that hurt them. She see's it as penance for her past mistakes. Kit has grown up a lot over the past decade, but she still has a lot to learn, especially about God's grace.

Graham has spent most of the past decade in one adventure after another. Knowing it's time to settle down, he returns home. But his restless spirit keeps him from being able to enjoy the London society around him. He is drawn into adventure once again when he meets Kit. He starts to care for her, but when certain truths come to light, he has a hard time showing grace. He also begins to see that even with his current discontent, not everyone has had the many advantages he's been afforded.

It was good to see both characters grow and mature through A Defense of Honor. The chemistry was there between them, but they had some of their own issues that needed to be dealt with before they could be together.

Honestly, some of the secondary characters were my favorite parts of this book. Hunter did a good job of giving you just the right amount of details that you couldn't help but be excited for the other books of the series. I could have used a few more details on the pasts of the main characters, but overall, Hunter did a great job.

This is a sweet story, but it doesn't shy away from some of the harder details of life in the Regency era. I'm definitely looking forward to the next book to read the stories of the characters I met in A Defense of Honor.


I received this book for free from Bethany House in exchange for my honest review.

Some of the links in the post above are Amazon referral links. I may receive money or products from them, but it's at no cost to you.

Unimaginable - Review

What would the world be like if Christianity never existed or if it ever ceased to exist? This is a question Jeremiah Johnston seeks to answer in his book Unimaginable. Some might say the idea of counterfactuals (alternative history) is pointless and even impossible to know. But Johnston argues that looking at what the world was like before Christianity and looking at parts of the world where there is little evidence of Christianity can help us draw some conclusions about a world without Christianity.

Unimaginable is divided into three parts. I. The World Before Christianity II. The World Without Christianity and III. The World With Christianity. It's not hard to look at the world around us and see that many cultures which were previously defined as Christian are becoming more and more secular. Johnston makes the point that even though people are more educated today than they've ever been, we don't learn from history and what Christianity has done for the world.

He works through what the world was like before Jesus walked on the earth and we can see the hardships many suffered and the atrocities men committed against each other. Then he focuses on the dangers of more modern ideas (think Marx, Freud, Nietzsche, etc) and the horrors these ideas brought on mankind (Hitler, Mussolini, etc). These ideas are utterly counter-Christian and the consequences were devastating. In the last section, Johnston looks at the good Christianity has done in the world. When people are valued as created in the image of God, the world transforms.

Johnston did a wonderful job of gathering information. Sometimes it was even overwhelming. He obviously did his homework. He makes it easy to see the good Christianity has done over the last 2000 years, and it's not hard to imagine how much worse off we'd be if it hadn't been a prominent force in the world. He even makes it personal in the last chapter so you can see the impact of Christianity on your own life.

I had two main issues with his arguments. The first issue is that he ignores or glosses over some of the horrible things people have done in the name of Jesus. I think his argument would be that those weren't actual Christians and they would have committed those horrors in some other name if Christianity wasn't around. I agree with that, but I also don't think you can simply ignore things like the Crusades and those who justified slavery with Scripture.

The second issue is, I think, inherent in arguing counterfactuals. And that's knowing the difference between causation and correlation. Some of the good that has come from Christianity that he mentioned most likely was caused, at least in part, by something else entirely. The biggest example I saw was that students who attended private Christian schools were more successful. While I'm sure faith in schools makes a huge difference, studies have shown that high socioeconomic status and parental involvement play a large part of the success of students. These things are more common for those who can afford private school, but they are not always a result of Christianity (especially the wealth). There are just too many factors in some of these examples for them to be clear cut.

Overall, I thought Unimaginable was very well done. Some of the information was new to me, but a lot of it was just a good reminder of what I already knew. And the more we know about history, the better decisions we can make in the future.


I received this book for free from Bethany House in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

**Amazon affiliate links where appropriate. Thank you for supporting this blog.

Falling For You - Christian Fiction Review

Disclosure: Some of the links below may be affiliate links. That means I may earn money or products from the companies mentioned in this post. Please read my full disclosure here.


Falling for You by Becky Wade is the second book in the Bradford Sisters series. I was definitely looking forward to this book after being introduced to the characters in the first book. It's about model Willow Bradford and former NFL star Corbin Stewart. When we met them previously we found out they had been in a relationship a few years ago, and it ended badly. Apparently, very badly. Somehow they both get wrapped up in a decades old missing persons case and are forced to face the reasons their relationship ended as they work together.

I thought Willow's fears within relationships rang true given her past, and I enjoyed seeing her deal with real struggles like guilt and unforgiveness. I thought Corbin's character was interesting as a new believer, but my heart hurt that there wasn't anyone discipling him. His understanding of the gospel seemed pretty self-focused (what does God do for me), and I really hope we can see him continue to grow in the future. In fact, the biggest thing that bothered me was how manipulative he could be, and it was never really addressed to my liking.

The other part I had a hard time with was the missing persons story. I can't quite figure out how three amateurs are able to uncover all this new evidence when no one else had been able to. And why wouldn't Corbin (who clearly had a lot of money) just hire investigators? I had to suspend disbelief a bit here, but it didn't detract too much from the story.

I'll definitely be reading the next book because Becky Wade has done a fantastic job of setting up the main characters. I really enjoyed this book and read through it quickly. Hopefully the next one will be even better!

I received this book for free from Bethany House in exchange for my honest review.

Some of the links in the post above are Amazon referral links. I may receive money or products from them, but it's at no cost to you.

April Recap

Disclosure: Some of the links below may be affiliate links. That means I may earn money or products from the companies mentioned in this post. Please read my full disclosure here.

April was definitely a busy month for me, but I got a lot accomplished which I am excited about. Here are my updates on my April goals.

Starting a Podcast
I did it! I technically took The Collective Perspective Podcast live on May 1, but I was able to get a lot done in April.

• Record the first few episodes - After figuring out the equipment I was able to record the Introduction episode and the first official episode. I'll post those two in consecutive weeks, but then I plan on having an episode air every other week.
• Finish setting up Facebook page and Instagram - I wouldn't say that social media is exactly my forte, but I've got something set up that I'm happy with. If you haven't yet, you should check them out.
• Get hosting set up - I set everything up with my podcast hosting site, but I'm still working on getting it to all the podcast apps. You should be able to search for it on iTunes and Google Play, but Stitcher is being fickle.

If you're at all interested in listening to the podcast I'd really love it if you would check out my website and/or take a listen to the introduction episode. I'm really looking forward to seeing how God uses this.

Personal Growth

I managed to get a bit of reading done this month. I met my nonfiction goal of reading two books this month which puts me at 9/15 towards my 2018 goal. As usual, I've linked to my personal reviews for some of the books.

• Non-fiction
• The Explicit Gospel by Matt Chandler (review)
• 936 Pennies: Discovering the Joy of Intentional Parenting by Eryn Lynum (review)
• Fiction
• First Impressions: A Contemporary Retelling of Pride and Prejudice by Debra White Smith (review)
• A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle (review)

Health & Fitness

• Still continuing to incorporate healthy meals that everyone enjoys. One night when Lee was out I made this Instant Pot Teriyaki Chicken that was good.
• I was finally able to get up early on some of the days I work to reach my workout goal. Yay me! Now to keep it up.

Home Improvement

• My garden is (almost) done! Lee worked like crazy to help me get it ready and I got almost everything planted. We didn't get mulch on everything because we ran out, but we'll get to that when he gets back in town. Hopefully now I can keep everything alive!

Connection

• I kind of fell off with the dates with the girls. Every weekend has been packed so I'm really hoping to get back to it this month. Plus, now that it's warm we can do some one-on-one time at the park! Oh, and snow cones. Don't forget the snow cones.

Anybody else still keeping up with their goals? How is it going?

Some of the links in the post above are Amazon referral links. I may receive money or products from them, but it's at no cost to you.

936 Pennies - Review

I just recently finished reading 936 Pennies: Discovering the Joy of Intentional Parenting by Eryn Lynum. This book really challenged my thoughts on parenting and gave me the encouragement to make some changes to how I interact with my girls.

The author, Eryn Lynum, was given a jar of 936 pennies on the day of their baby dedication at church. Each of the 936 pennies represents one week out of the 18 years that child will hopefully live in their home. Each week, she would take one penny out as a reminder to use that time wisely. The purpose of the book, 936 Pennies, was to help parents see how to invest the time a child lives in your home in an intentional way so that when they leave the home, they are prepared to live their lives according to the god-honoring example set during each of those weeks.

Eryn presents realistic and practical ways of "investing" those pennies in a child. From spending more time outdoors and less in front of a screen to relying on God when fears in parenting threaten to overwhelm us. Through stories with her own children she shares insight into the ups and downs of parenting.

As I mentioned before, many parts of this book really challenged me. I know I'm not always intentional with my time. I give into my laziness and selfishness and don't take advantage of enough opportunities to spend quality time with my children. I've recently found myself saying yes to my kids more often when they ask me to play with them because I know that is time I'll never get back. This book was a great reminder of the blessing my kids are in my life, and I would strongly recommend it to any parent.

The main issue I had with this book was how child-centered it made the family. And while she mentions the need for Jesus in parenting, she still sometimes makes it sound like how your child turns out completely relies on your parenting. What a terrifying thought! She wouldn't say that, I don't think, but she could have made it more clear in some cases. (For more of my thoughts on how important Jesus is in our parenting, see this post.) In spite of that, I highlighted many parts of the book, and I look forward to seeing how I transform my parenting through the principles I learned.

Have you read 936 Pennies? If so, what did you think? Do you have any other awesome parenting books to recommend?



I received this book for free from Bethany House in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

**Amazon affiliate links where appropriate. Thank you for supporting this blog.

Unity Vs Uniformity

Some of you know that I've been a part of a virtual group in BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) this year. I'm a big fan of the model of BSF so I was excited when they opened it up virtually for those of us who can't make it to a physical class. We've been going through Romans and I've loved being able to discuss this book from Paul with people from around the world. Being a part of such a unique group has hammered home the idea of unity in Christ.

One of the things the book of Romans shows us is that if the Jews and Gentiles could be unified in the redeeming work of Christ on the cross, then anybody could. God had chosen the Jewish people, not based on their own merit, but because of his mercy. They were a set apart people and they had God-given rules to keep them holy (set apart). But they took God's gift of being his people and allowed sin to warp it into hatred for anyone who wasn't like them. They added even more rules and spit in the face of those Gentiles who did want to worship the one true God (Jesus getting crazy in the temple). They assumed that if God was going to reconcile the Gentiles to himself (which he promised over and over in the Old Testament) that he would make those Gentiles into Jews. What he did instead was something totally different.

God's plan was a new covenant. One in which Jews and Gentiles were on even ground at the foot of the cross. This was difficult for some of the Jews to understand, but with the power of the Holy Spirit, bitter enemies became brothers and sisters. That same Holy Spirit lives in all believers today, so why can't we get along with our neighbor whom we have way more in common with than the Jewish and Gentile peoples? Why do we find ourselves so divided when all Believers are part of the family of God?

A couple of phrases that I liked from the BSF notes for Romans 15:1-13 are these: "Christian unity does not happen automatically" and "the diversity of the Church is not accidental." I think these two statements represent two big misconceptions about unity within the church.

Intentional Unity
Unity in the church doesn't just happen. If the church weren't made up of a bunch of sinners then it would. But it IS made up of a bunch of sinners. Unity takes effort. Romans 12:16 says, "Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight." These statements require effort on our part. Earlier in the chapter is one of the places in Scripture that it talks about parts of ONE body. But unity is not something we do on our own either. Romans 15:5 says, " May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus." God is the one who enables unity. And it's not just for our good either. It goes on to say in verse 6, "that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." Our unity is for His glory!

The book of Romans is full of practical ways to move towards unity. One is to "Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor." (Romans 12:10) Truly loving one another leads to unity. All of Chapter 14 is about not judging other believers on disputable issues. Allowing for everyone to be in a different place in their journey with Jesus is critical in building unity. And Chapter 14 goes on to discuss giving up Christian liberties for the benefit of others. Unity requires action to achieve and to maintain.

Purposeful Diversity
The flip side to unity within the church is the diversity of its members. None of the verses mentioned above say to build unity by striving for uniformity. In fact, some of the verses (especially the ones on the body in Chapter 12) speak to the fact that diversity is necessary within the church. If we were all the same, then we wouldn't be as effective in reaching others for Christ. We shouldn't expect the members of the Church to all look, act, or think the same. God has a purpose for differences within the church and we should seek out a church that models that.

How do we get diversity in the church? Make sure others feel welcome to be there and to be themselves. Find ways for people to use their giftings within the church and celebrate what God is doing in and through them. Make it a priority. But remember, the goal is to glorify God. So we aren't to strive for unity at all costs. Especially if that cost is sin.

I could pull from many other verses to talk about unity and diversity within the church (and I have included just a sampling below). They are just as relevant today as they were in the first century church. So what are you doing to seek out unity and diversity within your church?

This very idea is one of the reasons I wanted to start a podcast. I wanted to hear from individuals who are unified under the cross but are being used by God in different ways. It is critical to have honest yet gracious conversations with people about topics that are important to us. If you're interested in hearing such conversations then stay tuned because it's coming very soon!

Other verses about unity:
John 17:20-23
1 Corinthians 1:10
Ephesians 4:3-13
1 Peter 3:8
...and many more


**All verses quoted are from the English Standard Version (ESV)

First Impressions - Christian Fiction Review

Disclosure: Some of the links below may be affiliate links. That means I may earn money or products from the companies mentioned in this post. Please read my full disclosure here.


First Impressions by Debra White Smith

Lawyer Eddi Boswick lands the role of Elizabeth Bennet in her small town's production of Pride and Prejudice. Playing opposite of her as the famous Mr. Darcy, is none other than Dave Davidson, the most arrogant, rich (and handsome) man in town. As their initial disdain turns, to friendship and eventually love, they find their lives mirroring the characters in the play more than they bargained for. With many of the other characters in Jane Austen's story represented, you'll soon be drawing the conclusion that sometimes, life really does imitate art.


First Impressions is a bit more explicit in the moral failings of the characters than Austen's original book. Sometimes, the connections between the two stories was a bit too on the nose for my taste. In some cases the characters seemed to realize their real lives were following along with the play, such as the relationship between Eddi and Dave. Other times they were completely oblivious, like with Eddi's younger sister and the Mr. Wickham character, Rick Wallace. I didn't find myself having some of the same strong emotions towards the character's in Debra White Smith's book as I did in the original story. I think she did a pretty good job of modernizing the characters and situations, but it's always tricky when you're working with a classic.

It was an enjoyable book, but I would have preferred either they completely acknowledge the connection to the original tale, or not acknowledge it at all. That's just my personal opinion though. Also, the book is from a Christian publisher, but I personally thought the themes were so subtle that I'd classify it more as a clean read than a Christian fiction. The book, First Impressions, was originally published as part of a series with a different publishing house, so there will probably be other Jane Austen favorites coming out. So, if you enjoy all that is Jane Austen, check this series out.

As a side note, I've really enjoyed these Pride and Prejudice related stories:

• Lost in Austen is about a modern woman named Amanda who suddenly finds herself in the shoes of her favorite book heroine, Elizabeth Bennet. Unfortunately, she manages to mess just about everything up.
• I recently watched Death Comes to Pemberley and I enjoyed it more than I thought it would. I haven't read the book, but if you have Netflix the movie is currently on there.

Do you have any Pride and Prejudice or other Jane Austen favorite retellings?


I received this book for free from Bethany House in exchange for my honest review.

Some of the links in the post above are Amazon referral links. I may receive money or products from them, but it's at no cost to you.

In Places Hidden by Tracie Peterson - Christian Fiction Review

Disclosure: Some of the links below may be affiliate links. That means I may earn money or products from the companies mentioned in this post. Please read my full disclosure here.

In Places Hidden by Tracie Peterson

Camri Coulter is in San Francisco in 1905 to find her missing brother. Her family hasn't heard from him in months and so her parents encourage her to take the trip from Chicago to see if she can discover what has happened to him. Along the way she meets two women, Kenzie and Judith, who have come to San Francisco with stories of their own. They've decided to work together as they seek their answers. Camri runs into difficulty trying to find her brother and in a town filled with corruption she doesn't know who to trust. She's hoping she can trust Patrick Murdock whom her lawyer brother helped defend against false murder charges. But as the lies (and murders) begin to mount, she doesn't know if she can trust anyone.

I saw a great deal of myself in Camri. She values education and truly believes it is essential for people to better their lives. What she learns as she makes new friends in Kenzie, Judith, and Patrick is that not everyone has the opportunities she's had and not everyone wants the life she does. While I cringed at a lot of the thoughtless things she said at the beginning of the book, she took her humbling in stride and really began to see the people behind her cause. I thought Patrick was a good character, but I would have liked to see him fleshed out a bit more. We were told what he thought and felt it, but I wanted to feel those things as well. I also thought Kenzie and Judith were good supporting characters and I look forward to continuing their stories in the next books.

I thought Tracie Peterson did a good job of highlighting some of the issues of the time such as racism, classism, and government corruption. How unfortunate that we continue to deal with these same issues today. It was also a good reminder that we too can carry around a good deal of pride that we don't recognize until we open our eyes to what's going on around us.

I enjoyed this book a lot. It didn't shy away from some of the harder things that fluffier books often avoid. While I thought the ending was a bit rushed and too convenient in some ways, I would definitely recommend this book to those who enjoy historical fiction and who have liked Tracie Peterson's other books.

I received this book for free from Bethany House in exchange for my honest review.


Some of the links in the post above are Amazon referral links. I may receive money or products from them, but it's at no cost to you.

March Recap

Disclosure: Some of the links below may be affiliate links. That means I may earn money or products from the companies mentioned in this post. Please read my full disclosure here.

I'm a few days late in posting on my progress towards my March goals because of Easter and some other stuff I had going. Better late than never right? Here's my recap of March.

Starting a Podcast
So, I really wanted to hit the ground running on my podcast this past month. Unfortunately, that didn't happen. I did get a few things accomplished though, and I'm looking forward to building up momentum in April.

• Set up website ✅
• I did get this one done. It's pretty much finished minus a bit of tweaking. I'm looking forward to launching it with my podcast.
• Record introduction episode 🗷
• I wrote the script for this, but I haven't actually recorded it yet. I plan on releasing a short introduction episode first and then the main episodes soon after.
• Contact guests for first episodes 🗷
• Didn't get this one complete yet either. I know who I want to be my first guests, but now I actually need to ask them.

Personal Growth
I didn't get as much reading done this month, but I'm still pretty happy with the progress. I finished 2 non-fiction books which puts me at 7/15 towards my goal. And I only read one fiction book because it took me forever!

• Non-fiction
• I Am a Church Member (review)
• A Lifelong Love (review) I loved this book!
• Fiction
• The Scarlet Letter (review) You can get it for free for the Kindle or Kindle Reading App. I never read it in high school so I got it in my head to read it as an adult!
• Kids (Technically the girls got these for Easter, but I'm counting them for March anyway)

• The Garden, the Curtain, and the Cross (for Callie - good story with beautiful illustrations which walks through the gospel)
• My Day with Jesus (for Letty - the triumphal entry told through the point of view of the donkey Jesus rode)
• The Story of Easter (for Sophia - a basic telling of the Easter story, but she LOVES the handle on the book which makes it easy to carry around)

Health & Fitness

• I did pretty well with incorporating healthy meals in my day. But that Easter candy was a hurdle for sure!
• I ended up doing PiYo for my workouts. I did some of these workouts while pregnant, and let's just say they're a lot easier now!

Home Improvement

• Our crew went to a lawn and garden show, but I didn't find it that helpful. It might have been easier if hadn't been so distracted by trying to keep tiny people from running off and/or breaking things.

Connection

• I managed to get my one-on-one dates with each of the girls. I ended up taking each of them to breakfast and/or shopping before appointments that they had. My girls LOVE to eat, but now that it's (hopefully) getting warmer we can branch out to other activities.
• Lee and I did another Datebox. Here's a review I did on our first one. Unfortunately, the second box was a tad disappointing. I think we'll give it another try this month to see if they improve.

How are you doing on your goals?



Some of the links in the post above are Amazon referral links. I may receive money or products from them, but it's at no cost to you.

We Can't Save Them

I recently read on article titled Homeschool Will  Not Save Them. In this article, a woman shares her story of how she had made some assumptions when deciding to homeschool her children. She did all the things she thought a Christian parent was supposed to do and assumed God would save her children because of them, but in the end, her daughter turned away from the Truth. It's a heart-breaking, but eye-opening read. My post is not about homeschooling, or schooling at all. Because there are plenty of other things we do with the misunderstanding of "If I just do this, my child will grow up to be a Christian." Ultimately, we think we are our children's savior.

In our family, we go to church pretty much every Sunday unless someone is crazy sick. We read our Bible stories before we go to bed. We pray before we eat. And still I think, I could be doing more. And I probably could, but that's not the point. I know my salvation is not based on my works, why would I think my children's would be? There is absolutely nothing I can do to save my children. No church activity, at-home devotional, schooling choice or gospel presentation can force my girls into an understanding of their need for a risen Savior.

This doesn't mean I don't have a responsibility of course. I am to "train up [my] child in the way [s]he should go," (Proverbs 22:6) but ultimately it is God who will guide her steps. We are not to "provoke [our] children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord."(Ephesians 6:4) But in the end, it is the Holy Spirit's job to work in their hearts and give them a deeper understanding of God. I am to fulfill my responsibility to teach, train, correct, discipline, etc because God has given me the gift of these children, and I want to "steward" that gift well. But I am not a savior to my children, Jesus is.

This is GOOD news! Or at least, it should be. I am not perfect and if it were left up to my own works none of my children would be saved. No one would be saved. But how hard is it to leave the futures of our children in someone else's hands? It wouldn't be, if we always remembered how powerful and loving our God is. He is the only one who CAN save them, and he wants what's best for us and our children.

Does this mean that all of our children will be saved? Unfortunately, no. God, in his sovereignty, chooses those whom he will save and we are called to respond. So, what does that mean for us as parents? We are called to be faithful and obedient. Obedient in our walks as believers, and by extension, our roles as parents. Faithful in our roles as prayer warriors for our children and for others. Faithful, and obedient.

I don't think this just applies to our children, either. This applies to anyone we desire to come to know the Lord. Spouses, parents, siblings, friends. We are called to live our lives in accordance with his will and to share the Truth of his great salvation plan with the people around us. We are to feel the burden of the lost in our lives, but we are to trust the burden of their salvation to the Savior. Trust in the One who saves.

Do you have kids who don't yet know Jesus? Or are there others in your life you are trying to lead to salvation? Don't give up! Share that burden with others. What a blessing it is to know there are other people out there who are praying for your loved ones. Who are showing the truth of the gospel to them. Let's be the church!

Living Well Planner Review

Disclosure: Some of the links below may be affiliate links. That means I may earn money or products from the companies mentioned in this post. Please read my full disclosure here.

Does anyone out there use a physical planner to keep track of your day? I used one throughout college to keep track of my assignments but since then I've always used a digital planner (Google Calendar). And once I got Lee on board with Google Calendar it made things a whole lot easier because we could keep track of each other's activities as well. This is especially helpful since we both have had times where we forget to tell the other person about an important event. Oops.

This year, I wanted to try something a little different. I've seen people post about their cute physical planners and I've gotten a little jealous. I like the convenience of a digital calendar, but I felt like writing things down helps keep me on track a bit better. The problem then became, which of the many planners should I choose from? No planner is going to have everything I want (and nothing I don't). I know a lot of people are using a bullet journal to make their own planner, but I know myself well enough to know that would add more stress and not less. Eventually I landed on the Living Well Planner. I've been using it for about 2.5 months now so here's my review.

What is it?
Living Well Spending Less is a blog which according to their site has a mission "to eliminate overwhelm in the lives of women everywhere by simplifying the necessary in order to make room for the essential." This planner contains the necessary planning aspects of a calendar, but also really focuses on setting and meeting goals. Here's what the planner does according to the website.

• Identify your biggest long-term goals and priorities, then provide a comprehensive framework for breaking them down into manageable bites.
• Gain an overview of your year at a glance, so that you can plan out the big picture & avoid the tyranny of the urgent.
• Set monthly and weekly goals in order to move you closer to your long term plans.
• Establish a monthly cash flow budget so that you can tell your money where to go.
• Plan your meals and your shopping list, right on the same page as your weekly schedule so that you can see your whole week at a glance.
• Keep track of expenses, birthday, important phone numbers, and even prayer requests all in one place.
• Become more purposeful with your time by eliminating overwhelm, getting all those details out of your head and into one place.

They also send you a series of emails when you order the planner to show you how to use it.

The good

Like I mentioned before, I really like the focus on goal planning and not just activity planning. I made quite a few goals this year, and I really wanted something to help me accomplish them. The planner has a place for long-term goals, monthly goals, steps for accomplishing goals, and planning specific projects. These have all been very helpful for me to keep track of what I want to accomplish and how I'll go about it. There are also separate sticky pads for weekly and daily to-dos towards each goal. To make things even more fun and organized, I use these multi-color pens to write everything out.

There's the normal monthly calendar and a weekly calendar as well, with each day broken down into 1 hour blocks. The "Must Do" section is also really helpful because it provides a quick look at the essential tasks for each day. I also really like that there's a place to write out your meal plan and grocery list for each week. I have found meal planning to be essential to our family's sanity and budget.

Another plus for this planner is that it's undated. It takes a bit of time, but you fill in the months and dates for the calendars. This means you can start the planner at any time and it doesn't have to be used within a certain year!

The bad

The biggest critique I have of this planner is the size. It's huge. The pages are 7.5x9.5 inches. I'm not sure how much it weighs, but I wouldn't exactly call it super portable. Because of this I don't always carry it around with me. Since I still have my Google calendar this isn't a huge deal, but it sure would be nice to be able to fit it into a reasonably sized purse.

Another drawback are there are several pages I don't use or don't know how to use. I don't use the Monthly Budget  or Monthly Expenses pages because I do all of my budgeting through a spreadsheet and Mint. Another page that I haven't used but probably should is the Thoughts & Thanks page. I like the idea of keeping track of the things and people I'm thankful for I just haven't done it yet. I also got some sticker sheets which I think are fun, but I haven't gotten in the habit of using yet.

One thing I wish the planner had is some way of habit tracking. Keeping track of books I've read, days I've worked out, money saved, etc, all in one place would be a good visual reminder of my progress on some of my goals. One final problem is pretty minor. The weeks start on Monday. It's not a huge deal, but I sometimes forget and I write things down on the wrong day.

My conclusions

I really do like this planner. And I've seen a definite difference in the days/weeks I use it like I should and when I don't. It's a little piece of accountability which is helping me reach my goals. If there was a way to make it smaller and customize it to fit exactly what I need then I think this would be the perfect way to organize my life. I will hopefully continue to use it throughout the year and I'll be able to really see how well it helped my meet my goals.

What do you use to plan out your life and keep track of your goals? Have you found a planner or some other method(s) which fit all your needs?

Some of the links in the post above are Amazon referral links. I may receive money or products from them, but it's at no cost to you.