Rhonda's Doings !

Written by best-selling and award-winning author Glenys Nellist,  Good News! It’s Easter!  is a playful and joyful introduction to the gift of new life through Jesus. With its vivid imagery and stories of both nature and Jesus coming to life, this book will surely delight young readers and intrigue them to learn more about the salvation message. There’s new life to be found!    The Easter season is an exciting time of growth and reflection as both nature and our human hearts anticipate the hope of new beginnings. Through playful illustrations in nature, best-selling and award-winning author Glenys Nellist introduces children to the gift of salvation.   The whimsical rhyming stories ultimately lead to the rebirth of Christ who “steps free from the cave” to  “live and love and save!”  MY BOOK REVIEW:   4 Stars **** 4/5 stars Cute book with lovely illustrations.  The book is more about spring and new life than about the traditiona...

Grace Anna Sings:  A story of hope through a little girl with a big voice by Angela Ray Rodgers Book Description:   Grace Anna: A Heart Song that Inspires the World Often in life we feel beat down. Life has lost its joy and we want to give up. Then there is a light—a light from someone unexpected. A story so inspiring, we begin to wake up and dream again. Before the birth Grace Anna, Angela experienced heartbreaking loss that left her seeking God’s guidance and healing to make it through each day. After Grace Anna’s birth, Angela went from being a science teacher to an advocate for her daughter. The Rodgers have gone through incredible highs and heartbreaking lows. But through it all, God has been their refuge and has blessed them with amazing, joyful lives. Grace Anna will inspire you to: Be the best you can be no matter your circumstances. Make the choice to live, not just exist. Be bold, be brave, and step out courageously. Seek joy where there appears to be only...

Hagar:  Rediscovering the God Who Sees Me by Shadia Hrichi Book Description: You are "The God Who Sees Me." Discover a close relationship with God no matter the pain or suffering in your life. Witness the depths of God's compassion through the eyes of Hagar, a runaway slave who meets the living God in a desert of despair, where she gives Him the name El Roi, "The God Who Sees Me." A largely forgotten Old Testament character, Hagar is actually one of only a few people who have ever spoken directly with the LORD. Through this seven week study, you will find that when you surrender your life into God's hands, your trials and triumphs serve a magnificent purpose: to draw you into the arms of the faithful God who sees you.   MY BOOK REVIEW: Can you imagine being "chosen" to be a handmaiden for a woman and giving birth to the man's first child,  a son, and then being rejected and hated by the man's wife?  Where would you turn?   How would...

The Celebration (Amish Cooking Class #3) by Wanda Brunstetter Book description: Return to Holmes County, Ohio, for Amish style cooking class.   Lyle and Heidi Troyer have taken in a brother and sister, who were orphaned when their parents were killed in a car accident. Hoping to help the children adapt and make friends, Heidi decides to hold a series of cooking classes for kids. But kids are always accompanied by an adult—and that is where the trouble arises. Miranda Cooper is living the life of a single mom to her two kids while separated from her husband, but Trent is trying to worm his way back into her heart. Denise McGuire’s life as a wife, mom, and real estate broker is full and spilling over. Darren Keller, single dad and firefighter, and Ellen Blackburn, single mom and nurse, find a few things in common. Will hearts be healed over plates of Amish food? This is the third book in The Amish Cooking Class series. Book #1:  The Amish Cooking Class - The...

Review of The Face of Heaven by Murray Pura Following on the heels of The Wings of Morning, the first book in Murray Pura's Snapshots in History series, comes this compelling saga of the Civil War. In April 1861, Lyndel Keim discovers two runaway slaves in her family's barn. When the men are captured and returned to their plantation, Lyndel and her young Amish beau, Nathaniel King, find themselves at odds with their pacifist Amish colony Nathaniel enlists in what will become the famous Iron Brigade of the Union Army. Lyndel enters the fray as a Brigade nurse on the battlefield, sticking close to Nathaniel as they both witness the horrors of war--including the battles at Chancellorsville, Fredericksburg, and Antietam. Despite the pair's heroic sacrifices, the Amish only see that Lyndel and Nathaniel have become part of the war effort, and both are banished. And a severe battle wound at Gettysburg threatens Nathaniel's life. Lyndel must call upon her faith in God ...

Healing Love book giveaway!     by Laura V. Hilton  Enter now by leaving a comment with your email.  For extra entries, follow my blog, share on facebook, or twitter.   You can leave one comment telling me what you did to enter.  Good luck!    Contest ends at 12:01 a.m. on November 18, 2012.  Review will follow announcement of winner!!!    Life gets a lot harder for Amish midwife Kristi Lapp when a buggy wreck lands her in the hospital and leaves her with a pronounced limp. Among her biggest concerns is the well-being of her dog, Chinook, as she is no longer able to keep up with the high-energy Siberian husky. Adding insult to injury, she fears she’ll never marry for love, for what man would willingly wed a woman who needs help with even the most basic of household tasks?   Shane Zimmerman moved to Seymour for a fresh start. The veterinarian is still reeling from the loss of his young wife, who died in childbirth—an ...

Everyday Matters Bible for Women, NLT Review for Christian Women's Affiliates   LLC Hendrickson Publishers Marketing| Everyday Matters Bible for Women ISBN-10:  1598567055 | ISBN-13:  978-1598567052 | Format: Hard Cover  | Pages: 1603 Today’s Christian Woman is so busy handling the challenges of day-to-day life that spending time in the Word can easily become yet another ‘should’ buried in that growing list of daily ‘musts.’ Created in partnership with Kyria.com, Christianity Today’s  women’s magazine, the  Everyday Matters Bible for Women  is designed to help women develop  spiritual  practices that will make their lives richer, not harder. It offers practical encouragement and tools to renew, reinvigorate and restore meaning to everyday life. This Bible features twenty-four disciplines—or practices—that position us to receive power and strength to do those things that we cannot possibly do on our own and mak...

Review of The Quilter's Son by Samantha J. Bayarr Liam Yoder has been leading a double life ever since his dad was killed in a buggy accident.  Will a chance encounter with his mother cause him to rethink his decision to leave the Amish community behind? What about Lucy, the bakery owner he left behind when they were teenagers? Will she be able to convince Liam to change his mind?  Find out in this tale of bittersweet love. My thoughts about The Quilter's Son: This is a sweet Amish Christian romance which left me filled with hope and a huge smile on my face and in my heart!   Samantha Bayarr never fails to tug at my heartstrings with her stories.   I found this to be a beautiful story of hope and forgiveness.   Love never fails and I definitely felt that way as I read.  There are so many families today who need reconciliation and forgiveness within their relationships, and this story offers a chance to those families.   It shows that it c...

Review of Mrs. Drew Plays Her Hand by Carla Kelly After her husband’s death, Roxanna Drew is faced with the daunting task of providing for her two small girls on her own. Pursued by her lecherous brother-in-law, Roxanna knows her only hope is to escape his grasp by moving into a derelict cottage, owned by Lord Winn—a man known to his tenants only by his checkered reputation. But when fate brings Lord Winn to her door in the middle of a snowstorm, Roxanna’s not sure which to fear more: letting him into her home or into her heart. A strong-willed heroine, perfectly paced plot, and plenty of humorous moments make this one of bestselling author Carla Kelly’s most beloved Regency romances. Discover the magic of a love story you’ll want to read again and again. My Thoughts on Mrs. Drew Plays Her Hand:    What a simply delightful book to read!!!  I finished this book with a big smile on my face and a sense of peace that all is right with the world!   I wa...

Anessia's Quest:  Restoration of a Shattered Life, Fulfillment of a Profound Destiny By Karen Arnpriester Follow the life of a young girl into adulthood. Celebrate the journey and her choices that change a heartbreaking situation into a glorious life of love, truth, compassion, and joy.   Pagne finds the love of God and the support of her Heavenly Angel through life's emotional roller coaster.  An angel that protects, leads and assures Pagne that she is not alone by using an unusual method of communication (assaulting and delighting the senses).    Pagne shares healing, tears, and laughter with a group of broken people that become her family.   She discovers the purpose of her life and the revelation of God's destiny for her.  Pagne will eventually understand the powerful ripple she created as she lived her life.   She was not an accident, she was placed on Earth with divine intent. ****************************************************...

From the Heart of a Woman  Love Letters to My Lord by Sylvia Hensel book review  So many times when author Sylvia Hensel bows in prayer, she finds herself transported to another place. She feels herself being lifted up on arms of love to a realm of oneness with her Lord. She feels as though she is the bride in the Song of Solomon. He comes to her in the midnight hours and calls her to Himself. Every nerve of her spiritual being is in tune with Him as He whispers words of love in her ear. He takes her in His arms, and they dance across the heavens while He sings over her. She is enraptured by His exquisite love for her. In those moments they share their intimate thoughts with one another. It is when His presence is lifted that she finds she has written much of what was said, and she is awestruck at the beauty that had transpired during the time they shared. These are her personal love letters to Jesus. For many years He would not allow her to share them, but...