Am I the only one who misses the Martha Stewart television show?  Yes, I heard she was doing another show with Snoop Dogg, but I never watched it since we do not have cable.  I have a subscription to her magazine, but it just does not feel the same anymore.  However, I still consider Martha the homemaker extraordinaire, and she has another book that shows that she still deserves that title.  Martha’s Flowers, A Practical Guide to Growing, Gathering, and Enjoying, showcases Martha’s classic style and is quite informative.  The photographs are gorgeous–this is a lovely book to have on display.  It is currently living on my stack of coffee table books.

This book is divided into sections by season: spring, summer, and early autumn.  Each section is then divided into chapters by flower, such as daffodil, tulip, rose, and dahlia.  There is a good amount of information on each flower, including ideal growing zones, how to plant, water, fertilize, prune, and arrange.  There are also photographs of each flower while they are growing, and featured in various arrangements.

I do not have a green thumb at all, but I found this book very inspiring.  We recently cleared out some overgrown plants in our backyard, so now we have some room for planting.  How lovely would it be to have a cutting garden?  Right now it seems like only a dream, but at least I now have a solid resource to go to when I get serious about it.

Flowers really do have the power to cheer us up, whether growing outside or inside, in a vase!

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I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

Tyndale House Publishers has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book.  All opinions are my own.

There are many life lessons that can be learned through playing sports.  As I watch my kids play team sports, I see them developing both their skills and their character.  In Always Fall Forward, Todd Gerelds recounts the many lessons that his father taught him, as well as all of the football players he coached over the years.  His father, Tandy Gerelds, was the football coach featured in the movie Woodlawn.  After reading this book, I see why a movie was made about his life.

The book consists of 52 short chapters,  Each chapter begins with an applicable Bible verse and ends with additional verses and questions to think about.  The advice is practical, yet profound.  For example, in the chapter with the same name as the title of the book, the author remembers his dad coaching him and all of the ball carriers to “always fall forward,” in order to get every inch out of every play.  He relates this to Paul’s determination to continue on despite adversity and suffering and to not look back.  I could see this being a great book to go through over the course of a year for anyone who is interested in sports.  It also contains a lot of good teaching points for coaches that want to develop their players on a deeper level.  There are also applications to working in the corporate world and life in general.  Now I want to go watch Woodlawn!

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We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

It is a fact that in this fallen world, we will all face trials and hardships.  Find Your Brave is a book that offers Bible-based wisdom in making it through the storms of life.  The author, Holly Wagner, shares openly about her life’s struggles, including a battle with cancer.  She offers advice and encouragement that can be applied to a variety of problems that people face: e.g. loneliness, lack of finances, divorce, illness or death of a loved one.  The chapters are entitled:

1. Rising in the Darkness
2. Brace Yourself
3. Let It Go
4. Keep the Main Thing the Main Thing
5. Get Your Hopes Up
6. Courage is a Decision
7. Anchored
8. Don’t Quit
9. Stronger
10. The Other Side
11. When You Make Your Own Storm
12. The Shore

At the end of the book, Wagner includes a section dedicated to Bible verses that offer comfort in difficult times and that remind of us God’s promises.  There are also some group discussion questions for each chapter.  I can definitely see this book being helpful for those who are in the midst of the storms of life.  It could also be helpful if you know someone else going through something and you want to offer help.  However, even if you are not currently struggling, reading this book can instill truths that can offer hope if and when you do face challenges.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Before reading Be the Hands and Feet, I had heard about Nick Vujicic, but I did not know much about him.  Nick (after reading this book, you would feel comfortable calling him by his first name too, because he comes across as so personable!) was born without arms and legs.  However, he has not let his physical body limit him in any way.  He is an evangelist, motivational speaker, author, and the director of Life Without Limbs.   He travels around the world and has spoken to and touched the hearts of millions of people.  After reading his stories, and all that he has struggled through and accomplished, one would definitely call Nick “amazing”.  But, I bet that if you said that to him directly, he would quickly point to God as being the One who has allowed him to live such an amazing life.

This book is centered on a quote that is on the first page of the book: “If God can use a man without arms and legs to be His hands and feet, then He will certainly use any willing heart!” –Nick Vujicic.  This is so true.  We might think we have limitations that prevent us from sharing the Gospel with others, but God can empower anyone.  Nick’s unbridled love for God and others, as demonstrated throughout the stories in this book, is truly inspirational.  He lives in Southern California with his family now, so I am definitely going to be on the lookout for opportunities to hear him speak in person.

I was curious to learn more about Nick after reading this book, and discovered that he and his wife have twin girls that were born just last month (in addition to their older two sons)!  This was not mentioned in the book (probably due to the timing), but what an awesome blessing!

https://www.facebook.com/KanaeVujicic/posts/209695082925884

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

Tyndale House Publishers provided me with a complimentary copy of this book.  All opinions are my own.

D and I have been married for 13 years now.  We have been a couple for over 20 years…that is half of my lifetime, which is strange to think about.  Over the years, we have learned a lot about each other.  Yet, conflicts still arise and we still need God’s grace in our lives and relationship with each other everyday.

In the newly published book, Enter The Ring, D.A. & Elicia Horton, a husband and wife, write about how it is important to fight together for a “gospel-saturated marriage”.  D.A. Horton serves as a Pastor at Reach Fellowship, a church plant in North Long Beach.  I like how the Hortons are remarkably candid in sharing their relationship struggles, both past and present.  They do not claim to have the perfect marriage, but God’s work in their lives is plainly evident.  The book alternates between D.A. and Elicia’s voices, so the reader receives both a husband and a wife’s perspective.  Enter the Ring addresses practical topics such as communication, finances, and home life, all in a Biblical context with plenty of verses to back up their advice.  I would recommend this book to any couple, whether newly engaged or married for fifty years.  We all need to fight for our marriages in a world that is so eager to tell us it is easier to just give up.