Clipston does not disappoint!

A Place of Peace..... Book 3 in the Kauffman Amish Bakery Series.... A Great Read!

Book Description:  Miriam Lapp returns to the Amish community she once belonged to when she hears of her mother's death. Amidst her grief and some painful lies from her past, she is forced to face the people who rejected her. Losing her once fiancé and being shunned by her father becomes an excruciating test of her faith. A Place of Peace is one story you won't soon forget.

My thoughts:  Wow!  I read Books 1 and 2 in this series and I have to say Clipston just gets better with each book.  Read my previous reviews Here and Here  I predicted that she is an author to watch as she developed her style and she has become one of my favs. 

In A Place of Peace, Clipston again gives you enough background that you are not lost if you did not read book 1 & 2.  Her main characters of Timothy and Miriam are believable and you do find yourself tearing up on occasion as you become engrossed in their lives.  Clipston does an excellent job of weaving two main plotlines of Timothy and Miriam's stories with the story of Miriam's niece.  The story keeps you enthralled from page 1 and it is an easy, fast read.  I don't want to spoil the story lines here but I do want to encourage you to read it .  There is a reason this book won all the awards below!

A Place of Peace was a CBA Bestseller, a Christian Book Distributors Bestseller, and received Romantic Times Four Star review!

I give it 4 stars!

I was given a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my fair and honest review.  As always, all opinions are my own!

Wage War!

So, I post a few days back about "Serving Roadkill"...the idea that our family has gotten comfortable with  some choices that are just not good choices.  I wouldn't say they were awful...meaning we are not sitting over here, letting our children enjoy the vices of the day.  However, we have allowed the enemy to sneak in our household in small ways....we have let our guard down.

And wouldn't you know it?  what does our pastor preach on this Sunday?  Waging War!

Rather than bore you with my paraphrase, here is a link to the sermon.....
Wage War by David Platt
Listen to it....

Musing Mondays.....

Musing Mondays is a weekly meme hosted by Should Be Reading




This week's question is....

Do you listen to audiobooks?  Why or why not?  

Yes and no....as a family, we have listened to several audiobooks. Especially when my children were younger.  But I have to clarify...these were usually radio dramas more than unabridged "true" books.

I have found that I don't like audiobooks for myself.  There is something beautiful about holding a "real book" and reading it for myself.  Maybe because I am a visual learner?  I like to READ the words...I have not been able to get use to listening to someone read to me.  But the audio dramas are so different in that there are sound effects and numerous voices and it is similar to a movie just without the picture.

What about you?  Would you like to join in this musing?

Serving up RoadKIll (we do live in Alabama)

It seems our family has been feasting on carrion.

Dead and decaying flesh.  Or something similar to it.  It stinks.

As I studied this earth-shattering revelation, I realized it was just semantics.

WE WERE COMFORTABLE WITH ROAD KILL.

EEEWWWW.

By now you are wondering how in the world did I make this discovery?


During our family time, we were reviewing Ephesians 4:29-32 which says:

²⁹ Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. ³⁰ And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. ³¹ Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. ³² Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. (bold emphasis mine) 


We have kinda skipped that part before....always focusing on "the talk" that comes out of our mouths and then v. 31, what you need to "get rid of".  


But this time, the Lord said, "You grieve me."  


What?  What do you mean?  


To grieve is to have deep sorrow.  To grieve someone is to be the one INFLICTING the sorrow.  


Ouch.  


How Lord?  How can we grieve the Holy Spirit?  (and what does this have to do with Road Kill?  hang on, you will see)


I began to search the Scriptures to find the answers....How do we grieve the Holy Spirit? 


    *By rebelling against the commands of the Lord (Isa 63:10, Ps 78:40) - that is called SIN.  (just thought I would simplify things) 


    *By resisting the Holy Spirit (Acts 7:31)  (when He leads us and we disobey His promptings/urgings....and that is called SIN...again, simplifying here)


It is easy to grieve the Holy Spirit.  He lives in us and is with us ALL THE TIME.  


And it hit me....Roadkill is in our diet.  Because see, our family has allowed the gross, dead, decaying things of this world to creep into our lives.  And the pure dove of the Holy Spirit is grieved because He does not like Road Kill. 


Matter of fact, can you invision a dove trying to eat RoadKilll?  no, it is usually a  vulture.  


Would you bring Road Kill in your house and put in on your couch?  Sit it next to your children?  stench and all it brings with it?  


Worst, would you actually cook and make a meal from it?  and ingest it?  


But that is what we are doing when we tolerate sin and choose less than God's best for us personally and as families.  We are bringing Roadkill into our homes.  We are eating it, ingesting it, picking maggots & bugs out of teeth.  AND WE MUST LIKE IT because we don't do anything about it.  


And the Holy Spirit is grieved.  Not angry.  Grieved.  Deep sorrow and angst over our hearts and over our choices.  


So, personally, I don't want to eat any more RoadKill.  I want a new diet.  I want to clean out my personal sanctuary and my home.  


Want to join me? 

As a side note, for those of you who don't believe we have been serving up RoadKill here in Alabama, check out these recipes here.

A radically different fiction book

Sunrise on the Battery is not your typcial Christian fiction book.  Beth Webb Hart brings a new, fresh perspective to writing and the story line is not one of the classics of "unsaved person(s), tragedy occurs, salvation happens, problem solved."

The story is about the Scovilles, two parents who have centered their lives around "arriving" into the elite society of Charleston, South Carolina.  Mary Lynn and Jack have diligent planned and worked toward every piece of their lives so that their three beautiful children would have a place in society, a place that neither of them had growing up.  However, Mary Lynn discovers something deeper, more meaningful than teas and luncheons.  Jack, on the other hand, is just fine without religion unless it helps them meet their "mission statement".  But something happens on their trip to Europe when all Jack has to read is Mary Lynn's Bible.

I don't want to share the rest of the story here but I do want to add that if you have read Radical by David Platt then you will be able to appreciate how Beth Webb Hart is able to weave the truths in Radical into this fiction story.  Simplified, it is like Radical in fiction-form.  In another way, Sunrise on the Battery will challenge you to consider your own life in how your Christian beliefs match what you live.  The Scovilles can hit close to home in many ways.

I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more by this author.

4 stars

I received a free copy of this e-book in exchange for my fair and honest review.  As always, all opinions are my own.