Praying for Your Future Husband: Preparing Your Heart for His

Song Stuck on the Brain: Home by Marc Broussard

Praying For Your Future Husband:

Preparing Your Heart for His

by

Robin Jones Gunn

&

Tricia Goyer

MY TAKE:

I was 8 when Mom told me I should be praying for my future husband. I know, at 8 most kids aren't even thinking about falling in love, much less getting married. But I was a little different. I've wanted to fall in love, get married and have a solid relationship like my parents for as long as I can remember. At 8, I knew who I was going to marry. A boy I went to school and church with. I told Mom and rather than laugh, she said I should ask God if that's who He wanted me to marry. (It wasn't.)

It was something I hadn't thought of and yet made perfect sense.

Then she told me how she had almost married another man. Looking back she could see he was overbearing and controlling, life would have been very different for her. But a minister from church came to her and told her that God didn't want her to marry her fiance. It was a tough thing to hear. But after a lot of prayer she broke off the engagement. About a year later she met my dad.

I've been praying for my future husband ever since. I've kept a prayer journal with my thoughts for him. Who knows if he'll ever see it, but it's helped keep me on track. Now I have 3 young nieces that are growing faster than light and I've been sharing with them the same thoughts mom shared with me.

Tricia and Robin were truly inspired in writing this book, their openness in telling their own experiences make it unique and engaging. More importantly, they connect with young girls in an honest and straight forward manner. They lay out a plan for how to pray for "The One" as well as how to pray for yourself to grow and mature in the right ways too. Even as an adult, I found it meaningful to my own prayer life and encouraged me to see knew areas where both of us need prayer.

I'm excited to see a book that encourages girls to be God Lovers and to hold the men in their life up to that standard. This could revolutionize the meaning of real love and true commitment. Even better, it has the potential to revitalize the meaning of the marriage covenant for future couples.



ABOUT THE BOOK:

Have you ever thought about praying for your future husband?
Will it make a difference?
There's only one way to find out…

From when we were small girls, most of us dream of “The One,” our future husband. We think about what it would be like to be a bride. We wonder who that special guy is and when we'll find him. The great news is that what you do now can make a difference in your life and the life of your future husband!

Authors and good friends Robin Jones Gunn (Christy Miller series) and Tricia Goyer (author and former teen mom) believe God answers women's prayers for husbands—even husbands they may not meet for years. They invite young women to pray boldly for their future mate … while also asking God to prepare their own hearts.

In Praying for Your Future Husband, Robin and Tricia share their two vastly different experiences, including the things they did right and the mistakes they made on the path to meeting and marrying their husbands. Each chapter includes helpful Bible verses, prayers, and practical application, along with true stories of women who prayed for a husband and how God answered in remarkable ways.

God has a beautiful romance prepared for you. Prayer is the key to unlocking the love story … with your future husband and with God, the lover of your soul.




ABOUT THE AUTHORS:

Robin Jones Gunn was born in Wisconsin and lived on a dairy farm until her family moved to southern California when she was five years old. She grew up in Orange County and spent her summers at Newport Beach with friends from her church youth group. After attending Biola University and Capernwray Bible School in Austria, Robin and Ross were married and spent the next two decades working together in youth ministry.

It was the young teens at Robin’s church who challenged her to write stories for them. She hadn’t thought much about being a writer, but took their request to heart and set her alarm for 3am, three days a week. With two small children it was the only time she could find to write the first story about Christy Miller. After two years and ten rejections the novel Summer Promise was accepted for publication in 1988. Robin hasn’t stopped writing since. Over 4 million copies of her 75 books have sold and can be found in a dozen translations all over the world.

Robin and her husband now live in Hawai’i where Ross is a counselor and Robin continues to write to the sound of tropical birds chattering in the palm trees outside her window. Their children are grown but manage to come to the islands with their families every chance they get. Robin's awards include: three Christy awards for excellence in fiction, a Gold Medallion finalist, Mt. Hermon Pacesetter and the Mt. Hermon Writer of the Year award. Robin travels extensively and is a frequent key-note speaker at various events around the world. She serves on the Board of Directors for Media Associates International and Jerry Jenkin’s Christian Writer’s Guild.

Tricia Goyer is the author of twenty-six books including Beside Still Waters, The Swiss Courier, and the mommy memoir, Blue Like Play Dough. She won Historical Novel of the Year in 2005 and 2006 from ACFW, and was honored with the Writer of the Year award from Mt. Hermon Writer's Conference in 2003. Tricia's book Life Interrupted was a finalist for the Gold Medallion in 2005. In addition to her novels, Tricia writes non-fiction books and magazine articles for publications like MomSense and Thriving Family. Tricia is a regular speaker at conventions and conferences, and has been a workshop presenter at the MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) International Conventions. She and her family make their home in Little Rock, Arkansas where they are part of the ministry of FamilyLife. Visit www.triciagoyer.com for more about Tricia and her books.



I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

Glastonbury Tor by LeAnne Hardy

Song Stuck on the Brain: My December by Josh Groban

(Yes, he did sing it. At his live concert. You can find the video on Youtube.com)

Glastonbury Tor
A Novel

by

LeAnne Hardy

MY TAKE:

A fantastic read. Authentic on every level and hard to put down. Glastonbury comes to life, alive and full of memory, it through the mists of time like only Scottland seems to do. Colin quickly becomes someone you want to see succeed in his journey. The circumstances that set him on his path may be far different from yours or mine, but the struggles in his heart and his desire to find peace is universal. I connected with him and loved every moment.


ABOUT THE BOOK:

His mother wanted him to be a monk…
His father wanted him to be a man…
A priest tempts him to pursue power…
But Colin must find his own way.

After his mother’s tragic death, seventeen-year-old Colin Hay is so consumed with anger that he tries to kill his cruel father. Running from these tormenting desires and his home, he seeks the protection and cleansing of the Glastonbury monastery, at a time when King Henry VIII is closing monasteries all over England.

But Colin’s past has followed him to Glastonbury. As he now pursues forgiveness and salvation, Colin is conflicted by the doctrines he learns at the monastery and the grace he receives from a local family with a forbidden English Bible. And then there is a quick-tempered priest whose lust for power threatens to compromise Glastonbury Abbey, and to destroy the astonishing treasure it holds—the Holy Grail.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

LeAnne Hardy has traveled the world responding to God's call to be a missionary, a call that has taken her to Africa, South America, and Eastern Europe. The diverse settings and plots in her books have been inspired by her real-life encounters there. Many of the stories and scenes from her books come from her family's experiences on the mission field or are based on true stories of others.

I received this book free from Kregel Publishing for review.

CFBA: Canary Island Song by Robin Jones Gunn

Song Stuck on the Brain: I Try by Macy Gray

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing:





Canary Island Song


Howard Books; Original edition (July 5, 2011)




by



Robin Jones Gunn

MY TAKE:

What a great story about renewing your life and finding happiness and purpose again. I love how Carolyn steps outside her comfort zone and allows God to enlarge her borders. It's scary and yet inspiring and fun. You cheer for Carolyn every turn of the page.



ABOUT THE BOOK:

When Carolyn’s grown daughter tells her she needs to “get a life,” Carolyn decides it’s time to step out of her familiar routine as a single woman in San Francisco and escape to her mother’s home in the Canary Islands. Since Carolyn’s mother is celebrating her seventieth birthday, the timing of Carolyn’s visit makes for a perfect surprise.

The surprise, however, is on Carolyn when she sees Bryan Spencer, her high school summer love. It’s been seven years since Carolyn lost her husband, but ever since that tragic day, her life has grown smaller and closed in. The time has come for Carolyn to get her heart back. It takes the gentle affection of her mother and aunts, as well as the ministering beauty and song of the islands to draw Carolyn into the fullness of life. She is nudged along by a Flamenco dance lesson, a defining camel ride and the steady gaze of Bryan’s intense blue-gray eyes.

Is it too late for Carolyn to trust Bryan? Can Carolyn believe that Bryan has turned into something more than the wild beach boy who stole her kisses so many years ago on a balmy Canary night?

Carolyn is reminded that Christopher Columbus set sail from the Canary Islands in 1492 on his voyage to discover the New World. Is she ready to set sail from these same islands to discover her new life?

If you would like to read the first chapter of Canary Island Song, go HERE.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Robin Jones Gunn was born in Wisconsin and lived on a dairy farm until her family moved to southern California when she was five years old. She grew up in Orange County and spent her summers at Newport Beach with friends from her church youth group. After attending Biola University and Capernwray Bible School in Austria, Robin and Ross were married and spent the next two decades working together in youth ministry.

It was the young teens at Robin’s church who challenged her to write stories for them. She hadn’t thought much about being a writer, but took their request to heart and set her alarm for 3am, three days a week. With two small children it was the only time she could find to write the first story about Christy Miller. After two years and ten rejections the novel Summer Promise was accepted for publication in 1988. Robin hasn’t stopped writing since. Over 4 million copies of her 75 books have sold and can be found in a dozen translations all over the world.

Robin and her husband now live in Hawai’i where Ross is a counselor and Robin continues to write to the sound of tropical birds chattering in the palm trees outside her window. Their children are grown but manage to come to the islands with their families every chance they get. Robin's awards include: three Christy awards for excellence in fiction, a Gold Medallion finalist, Mt. Hermon Pacesetter and the Mt. Hermon Writer of the Year award. Robin travels extensively and is a frequent key-note speaker at various events around the world. She serves on the Board of Directors for Media Associates International and Jerry Jenkin’s Christian Writer’s Guild.

CFBA: Shadows on the Sand by Gayle Roper

Song Stuck on the Brain: Gilligan's Island theme song

Angel and I were singing old sitcom themes to my niece. We covered Beverly Hillbillys, Green Acres, Brady Bunch and Gilligan's Island. Gilligan got shipwrecked on the brain and now Professor and Mary Ann are permanant residents.

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing:


Shadows on the Sand
Multnomah Books (July 19, 2011)


by


Gayle Roper




MY TAKE:

I'm sorry to say I haven't had a chance to finish this one yet, but it's been fantastic so far. I know I can't go wrong with Gayle and this book is just more evidence to that fact. I'll post more when I've had a chance to finish the book, but don't wait around for me. Go find a copy of your own, it's a pretty safe bet you'll like it.




ABOUT THE BOOK:

Carrie Carter’s small café in Seaside, New Jersey, is populated with a motley crew of locals although Carrie only has eyes for Greg Barnes. He’s recovering from a vicious crime that three years ago took the lives of his wife and children—and from the year he tried to drink his reality away. While her heart does a happy Snoopy dance at the sight of him, he never seems to notice her, to Carrie’s chagrin.

When Carrie’s dishwasher is killed and her young waitress disappears, Greg finds himself drawn into helping Carrie solve the mysteries … and into her life. But Carrie has a painful past, too, and when the reason she once ran away shows up in town, the fragile relationship she’s built with Greg threatens to implode from the weight of the baggage they both carry. Two wounded hearts struggle to find a way to make one romance work. Failure seems guaranteed when Carrie locates her waitress but is taken hostage...

If you would like to read the first chapter of Shadows on the Sand, go HERE.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Gayle is the award winning author of more than forty books. She has been a Christy finalist three times for her novels Spring Rain, Summer Shadows, and Winter Winds. Her novel Autumn Dreams won the prestigious Romance Writers of America's RITA Award for Best Inspirational Romance. Summer Shadows was voted the Inspirational Readers Choice Contest Book of the Year (tied with fellow author Brandilyn Collins).

Gayle has won the Holt Medallion three times for The Decision, Caught in a Bind, and Autumn Dreams. The Decision won the Reviewers Choice Award, and Gayle has also won the Award of Excellence for Spring Rain and the Golden Quill for Summer Shadows and Winter Winds. Romantic Times Book Report gave Gayle the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Her Amhearst mystery series, Caught in the Middle, Caught in the Act, and Caught in a Bind, originally published by Zondervan, was reprinted in 2007 by Love Inspired Suspense with a fourth original title added, Caught Redhanded. Another original single title, See No Evil, was also released. Caught in the Middle has been optioned for film.

For her work in training Christian writers Gayle has won special recognition from Mount Hermon CWC, St. Davids CWC, Florida CWC, and Greater Philadelphia CWC. She directed St. Davids for five years and Sandy Cove CWC for six. She has taught with Christian Leaders, Authors and Speakers Services (CLASS), serving for several years as their writer in residence. She enjoys speaking at women's events across the nation and loves sharing the powerful truths of Scripture with humor and practicality.

Gayle lives in southeastern Pennsylvania where she enjoys her family of two great sons, two lovely daughters-in-law, and the world's five most wonderful grandchildren. When she's not writing, or teaching at conferences, Gayle enjoys reading, gardening, and eating out.

CFBA: Falls Like Lightning by Shawn Grady

Song Stuck on the Brain: I Wish I Were An Oscar Meyer Weiner.

I woke up around 3 am singing this song in my head. And it had nothing to do with my dreams, because I was dreaming about a house in the country that had a huge pond in the front yard full of giant bass fish. Before I woke up, a giant bass was leaping up to the bridge and grabbing my sleeve to pull me into the pond. It was like Jonah and the big fish big. My dreams just got weirder the rest of the night. You'd think I had been reading fantasy novels for days on end, but I haven't. Go figure.

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing:


Falls Like Lightning
Bethany House (July 1, 2011)


by


Shawn Grady

MY TAKE:

I could practically smell the smoke rolling off the page and I may have even singed a finger turning pages. You can tell that Shawn Grady lived this life. Great romantic elements and the action is off the charts in my opinion. The opening fire scene had me holding my breath. Another fantastic job by Mr. Grady.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

When hotshot smoke jumper Silas Kent gets his own fire crew, he thinks he's achieved what he's always wanted. But a lightning-sparked fire in the Desolation Wilderness of the Sierra Nevadas has his team in a plane before they can even train together.

Pilot Elle Westmore has been called up to drop the crew into the heart of the forest infernos. A single mother of a mysteriously ill six-year-old, she can't imagine her life getting any more complicated.

It doesn't take long for things to go very wrong, very quickly. A suspicious engine explosion forces Elle to make an emergency landing. Silas is able to parachute to safety but soon discovers his crew can't be trusted. They're hiding something, and now Silas is on a race to save himself and Elle from the flames--and from a more dangerous threat: his own team.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Falls Like Lightning, go HERE

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Shawn Grady signed with Bethany House Publishers in 2008. He was named “Most Promising New Writer” at the 39th Annual Mount Hermon Writers Conference. He is the author of the novels Through the Fire, Tomorrow We Die & Falls Like Lightning.

Shawn has served for over a decade as a firefighter and paramedic in northern Nevada. From fire engines and ambulances to tillered ladder trucks and helicopters, Shawn’s work environment has always been dynamic. The line of duty has carried him to a variety of locale, from high-rise fires in the city to the burning heavy timber of the eastern Sierras.

After graduating from James Logan High School in Union City, California, Shawn attended Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego as a Theology undergrad. There he found clarity of direction and proceeded on to acquire an Associate of Science degree in Fire Science Technology as well as Paramedic licensure through Truckee Meadows Community College in Reno, Nevada.

Shawn currently lives in Reno, just outside of Lake Tahoe. He enjoys spending time in the outdoors with his wife, three children and yellow Labrador.