EmpowerMoms

Amongst The Flames: A Contemporary Christian Romance (Embers and Ashes Book 1) by T.K. Chapin

This story was narrated by the husband, so its interesting to read a guys point of view and perspective during the book. Although it is a fiction book, it could easily have been a guy’s journal and his personal experiences.

There was a section of the book that I really liked and I’m pretty sure the title of the book came from this passage. The husband’s friend Micah shares, “Marriage is just like a fire. Each one is different and when you’re up there amongst the flames and things are heating up, you better have faith in God if you hope to keep the fire under control.”

This was relatable to the main character, Cole, because they were both firefighters and Cole was having difficulty in his marriage and was praying and seeking guidance on what to do.

I thought the story was great and had a nice pace and purpose. Forgiveness, trust, repentance and love were main themes in this book.

I did find one experience towards the end of the book pretty unrealistic-the wife was expecting her husband to immediately forgive and forget something that happened and was upset with him when he didn’t appear to trust her.

I believe thru God’s love, we can forgive others; but trust is something that can take a long time to rebuild, especially if that trust is broken repeatedly.

I received a complimentary copy of this e-book in exchange for an honest review on my blog and social media. All opinions are my own.

AMONGST THE FLAMES is book one of the Contemporary Christian Romance Series, EMBERS & ASHES. Follow the lives of the men of Fire station #9 as they face the fires on and off the job. Inspirational romance stories full of faith, hope and love that will leave you feeling inspired.

“A burning building doesn’t scare me at all compared to the thought of losing you.”

Firefighter Cole Taylor is the man everyone looks up to at Firehouse 9 in downtown Spokane. He’s been at the department for ten years and has no fear when it comes to dangerous situations.

Megan Taylor, Cole’s wife, is a stay-at-home mother of their two boys. She was everything Cole ever wanted in a woman and the perfect wife any man could ask for until one day when she decides to leave Cole.

Cole has fought hundreds of fires in his lifetime, but he had never tasted fear until he came to fighting a fire in his own home. Amongst The Flames is a Christian firefighter romance that tackles real-life situations and problems that exist in Christian marriages today. It brings with it passion, love and spiritual depth that will leave you feeling inspired. This Contemporary Christian Romance novel is one book that you’ll want to read over and over again.

Biography
T.K. CHAPIN writes Contemporary Christian Romance books designed to inspire and tug on your heart strings. He believes that telling Contemporary Christian Romance stories of faith, love and family help build the faith of Christians and help non-believers see how God can work in the life of believers. He gives all credit for his writing and storytelling ability to God. The majority of the Contemporary Christian Romance novels take place in and around Spokane Washington, his hometown. Chapin makes his home in the Pacific Northwest and has the pleasure of raising his daughter with his beautiful wife Crystal.

Contemporary Christian Romance Series – Love’s Enduring Promise
(Book 1) The Perfect Cast
(Book 2) Finding Love
(Book 3) Claire’s Hope
(Book 4) Dylan’s Faith

Firefighter Contemporary Christian Romance Series – Embers & Ashes
(Book 1) Amongst The Flames
(Book 2) Out of the Ashes (Coming Soon – October 2015)
(Book 3) Up in Smoke (Fall 2015)
(Book 4) After the Fire (Winter 2015)

** Visit his website – www.tkchapin.com
** Follow him on twitter – www.twitter.com/tkchapin
** Connect on Facebook – www.facebook.com/officialtkchapin

This book is relateable to kids because it’s told in a family, story type setting. There are bible versus through out the book which are really nice. For example; “God saw everything he had made. and it was very good.”

The Dad in the story shares with his kids things like public body parts and private body parts and what that means. I like that he mentions its even okay for kids to say “no thank you” when someone, even a family member, wants to give them a hug or kiss. No child should be made to be affectionate to others.

On the page where it talks about private parts, he does use the real body part names which I think is good, but if your child is younger you can use similar words, like “pee pee”.

The dad also talks about “secrets” and “surprises” and what they mean and what they shouldn’t mean.

At the very end of the book are 9 ways parents can protect their children from sexual abuse.

This is a very important, serious topic and I felt like this book was very well written for children in elementary school and above. The pictures and words are easy to look at and there is nothing inappropriate (like showing body parts) that you would have to worry about if younger children looking at this book.

I received a copy of this book complimentary from LitFuse Publicity in exchange for an honest review on my blog and social media. All opinions are my own.

God Made Every Part of You!

It’s easy to convey the message to children that their bodies or particular parts of their bodies are shameful. This misconception fuels confusion, embarrassment, and secrecy, and often prevents children from recognizing or reporting sexual abuse.

God Made All of Me is a simply-told, beautifully-illustrated story to help families talk about these sensitive issues with two- to eight-year-old children. Because the private parts of our bodies are private, the home is the ideal environment where a child should learn about his or her body and how it should be treated by others.

God Made All of Me starts from the fundamental truth that God created everything and applies that truth to kids and their bodies. It equips parents to talk with both boys and girls about their bodies and to help them understand the difference between the appropriate and inappropriate touch of others. God Made All of Me allows families to build a first line of defense against sexual abuse in the safety of their own homes.

God Made All of Me is the first children’s book written by Rid of My Disgrace authors Justin and Lindsey Holcomb. Parents of young children themselves, the Holcombs regularly counsel victims of sexual abuse and are profoundly aware of the dangers kids face. Their simple and relatable story, designed to help children protect their bodies, will be an important resource for every family with young children.
Simple, relatable story for two- to eight-year-old children, designed to help them protect their bodies.
Includes colorful, age-appropriate illustrations.
Conveys a clear message that God made every part of the human body and that every part is, therefore, good (the doctrine of creation.)
Gently opens the conversation about sexual abuse that every family needs to have.
Facilitates open conversations about appropriate and inappropriate touch.
Overcomes confusion, secrecy, and embarrassment about bodies with truth.

You can purchase a copy of the book here:

From the Author
Dear Parent or Caregiver,

We wrote God Made All of Me as a tool so you can explain to your children that God made their body. Because private parts are private, there can be lots of questions, curiosity, or shame regarding them. For their protection, children need to know about private parts and understand that God made their body and made it special.

We want parents and caregivers to be smarter and better prepared than those who would want to harm the child you love and want to protect. Education is important in prevention against inappropriate sexual behavior or contact. By teaching children about their body and discussing appropriate and inappropriate touch, you are helping them understand their ability to say No to unwanted touch, which will help them if anyone ever tries to hurt or trick them.

Please consider taking the time to read this book and talk to your child about it.

Thank you,
Justin and Lindsey Holcomb

Bathsheba: Reluctant Beauty (A Dangerous Beauty Novel) by Angela Hunt

“Bathsheba” is another book in Angela Hunt’s “Dangerous Beauty” novels.

“Esther: Royal Beauty” was released earlier this year and “Delilah: Treacherous Beauty” will be released next year.

This story spans almost the entire life of Bathsheba through out the 384 pages of this book. I read it over the course of a couple days, and found the story line very intriguing and enjoyable with a good pace. Of course this story is biblical fiction, but there are alot of historically correct biblical figures and events mentioned during the entire book.

I really enjoyed reading Bathsheba’s story from her point of view. I like that the chapters alternate between hers and the prophet Nathan’s story and view of events.

I was so saddened by Bathsheba’s tragic losses in her life. This story really helps you realize how one person’s sins and decisions can affect so many people’s lives.

Love, lust, adventure, death, and deceit all intertwine together to make up this clean, christian story about Bathsheba. It does contain adult content and situations, so I would not recommend to younger readers-this is an adult book.

I really enjoyed reading it and have already started reading “Esther” by the same author. I would highly recommend this book!

I was given a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group, in exchange for an honest review on my blog and social media-all opinions are my own.

A Vivid and Moving Portrait of a Reluctant Queen

After sending his army to besiege another king’s capital, King David forces himself on Bathsheba, a loyal soldier’s wife. When her resulting pregnancy forces the king to murder her husband and add her to his harem, Bathsheba struggles to protect her son while dealing with the effects of a dark prophecy and deadly curse on the king’s household.

Combining historical facts with detailed fiction, Angela Hunt paints a realistic portrait of the beautiful woman who struggled to survive the dire results of divine judgment on a king with a divided heart.

You can purchase the book here:

About the Author
The author of more than 100 published books and with nearly 5 million copies of her books sold worldwide, Angela Hunt is the New York Times bestselling author of The Note, The Nativity Story, and Esther: Royal Beauty. Romantic Times Book Club presented Angela with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006. In 2008, Angela completed her PhD in biblical studies in theology. She and her husband live in Florida with their mastiffs. She can be found online at www.angelahuntbooks.com

“The Sugar Strike” FREE Webinar presented by Kate Horney, creator of www.BeyondFitLife.com

Tuesday, Oct 6th
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SIGN UP HERE:
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This DVD is meant to be used as a five week study for believers, nonbelievers, Bible study groups, etc. It comes with a study guide with questions, Scriptures, and conversation suggestions for each of the 5 videos.

The videos are of real people who live in London and each week has a theme: expectations, rest, disappointment, trust, and control. The videos are short (4-5 mins) so there is plenty of time to watch it and have discussions and questions without losing group interest.

This DVD was put together nicely and I enjoyed listening to each segment. The stories were relatable and thought provoking. I can’t wait to share this DVD with my friends and possibly hold a study group at my house.

I received this DVD complimentary from LitFuse Publicity in exchange for an honest review on my blog and social media. All opinions are my own.

About the DVD:

Follow the journey of five individuals as they tell authentic stories of circumstances that have forced them to examine how God might fit into their lives.

This five-week small group resource helps spark spiritual conversations. Starting spiritual conversations with those outside of the church is a worthy, yet often difficult and intimidating task. Intersect was designed to help overcome those barriers. It is an easy-to-use resource, perfect for sharing with co-workers, friends, neighbors, and family to enter into meaningful conversations.

Each film is accompanied by thought-provoking questions designed to encourage participants to examine the world in which they live and the life they are pursuing, always ending with a conversation on how Jesus intersects the current topic. Allow this powerful new film resource to engage those you are in relationship with and then propel them forward in their next step with Jesus.

You can purchase a copy here:
http://www.awakenmovement.com/store/intersect-dvd-study-guide

About the authors:

Rob Peabody is the cofounder and international director of Awaken, a nonprofit that exists to resource the church for action. Awaken creates resources that inspire, educate, and equip local churches to live as Kingdom-bringers in their communities. In 2011, Rob and his wife, Medea, along with their two boys left his position as a lead campus pastor at a megachurch in Texas to pioneer and lead a church seeking to engage unreached 20s and 30s in northeast London. He is the author of Citizen: Your Role in the Alternative Kingdom.

Cris Rogers is a writer, pastor, speaker, and church visionary. In 2010, he planted a church in the poorest area of London with a dream for it to be an explosion of joy within the tower block estate in which he works.