God's Redeeming love

Hello everyone I have a review for you all of this wonderful, wonderful book Redeeming love by Francine Rivers!

“When the lord first began speaking to Israel through Hosea, he said to him “Go and marry a prostitute, so some of her children will be born to you from other men. This will Illustrate the way my people have been untrue to me, openly committing adultery against the Lord by worshiping other gods” Hosea 1:2. 

I believe this is verse has to be the bases of Redeeming Love, a wonderful retelling of the book of Hosea.

Michael Hosea is a normal farmer who loves God and worships him everyday, and while selling some of his harvest to store owner in Pair-A-Dice, Joseph Hochschild. And in the midst of this a beautiful young woman passes by, and Michael’s heart goes wild “This one, Beloved” (Pg. 53) that is what the Lord tells Michael. Joseph sees his friends gaze and inform just who the woman is; A prostitute named Angel. Michael can’t believe this is the one God has chosen for him, but after a small debate Michael decides to gather up his gold dust and go see Angel.

Now Angel has a very tragic back-story, but I won’t spoil that for you. But she was taught by her mother’s maid that God’s truth was that everyone used the other to get what they wanted and you just had to deal with it the cards you were dealt in life. When sold a horrid man named Duke she believed that and gave up what little faith she had in God. Reading all of this made me weep, what child should be put through that? It only made me feel worse to think it happens more often in this day and time then it did in the 1850’s. Angel escaped Duke, but only to get robbed stuck on a ship half-sunk and then end up in the clutches of a woman named Duchess, falling back into prostitution. All she wants is freedom, a little cottage in the woods where she could live out the rest of her day. Then the last customer of the night comes in, and he just wants to talk.

Things really pick up from there, the more Michael tries to talk to Angel, the more she pushes him away, and after some ill spoken words to some of the other girls working for duchess Michael finally leaves.

Angel struggles with him leaving, going over how he called her angel for the first time, instead of Mara (which means bitter) for that’s what he saw the bitterness in her. Michael brewed over his anger, saying God had sent him the wrong woman and that he didn’t want someone without feelings. A big mistake there.  Angel tried to get the money she’d earned from duchess, but that didn’t work out, the duchess sent her bodyguard upstairs to teach her a lesson, Angel had other plans. So many wonder why some want to commit suicide, and how feelings could bring you into such a state, reading that chapter gave me great insight, and I was given great insight into her mind and heart, I cried again for this young woman. She taunted him until at last he beat her to within an inch of her life. Michael came into the saloon as the doctor was treating Angel’s injuries, and that’s when Michael made his choice and asked Angel to marry him. “Why not” was her reply, and so the two became one.

“But then I will win her back once again. I will lead her into the dessert and speak to her tenderly to her there. I will return her vineyards to her and transform the valley of trouble into a gateway of hope. She will give herself to me there, as she did long ago when she was young, when I freed her from captivity in Egypt” Hosea 2:14-15. And the Lord kept his word. Angel tried to run from Michael, even with the help of his brother-in-law once, so many times I began to wonder if he would give up on her completely, but the Lord sent him after her, though Michael took his time doing it a couple times. Then there was a time God asked Michael to let her go, and to give Angel the opportunity she needed to turn to Him, and Michael obeyed with a heavy heart. This story is all about God’s redeeming love, and each page shows more how far His reach is, and no matter how far we fall he will always pick us back up.

I love how Francine Rivers added a sort of side story to the main one, it flowed perfectly and again showed how much God loves us and what it can do for us. Paul, Michael's brother-in-law, had quite a few problems he refused to take reasonability for, and instead shoved the blame onto Angel. He couldn’t see the woman behind the stone walls and the icy glares and only saw the prostitute he and many others had slept with. But in the end God helped him see the truth, and helped bring Angel home.

This is a very beautiful story, and I recommend it to anyone, to those who’ve lost their faith it will inspire them to get it back, for those who still have their faith then it will only strengthen it. 

WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group provided this book to me for free in exchange for my honest and unbiased review as part of their Blogging for Books program.

Music Mondays! Halloween week

With this being the month of Halloween I figured I would give you guys a few good remakes from one of the best Halloween movies ever; The Nightmare before Christmas. This movie had some awesome songs, and these artists have made some awesome versions!

 

Fun Figgy Friday! Thriller week

With Halloween coming up I thought some stories to get us hooked and our hearts racing was the best thing. So let us begin!

First up is Run by Cassandra wood


                                               

In this story we meet Gia Santi, a young girl who's been in juvi, now in the Itali she meets two very strange men, both angels of heaven! Not only that but Gia herself is a Power Angel, one of the very few left. Now she must defeat the one who has killed all the other Power Angels; Venustas The first born son of Satan himself. Why he is taking them out no one knows, their fate rests on Gia's shoulders


Next is Golden Machines by K. A. Lesinski


                                           

In this steampunk fiction it is the Golden age, or so they say. Automatons make up the army of The golden League, only generals are human in their ranks. Emeline Arkwright is a rouge, a rebellion of the Golden League and their Golden Age. Having been stripped of her family she learns that the automatons are not as helpful as they are lead to be, quite the opposite. Having received a letter from her father Emeline leaves her childhood home to journey to New York, where she will join the Alliance to put the Golden Age to an end.

Last is The queen of Dragons by Martina Dominique


                                            

Aryn Teffani is not human. She is not phaerie. What exactly she is, she has never known, but she has managed to live a normal life in the sleepy town of Jurad in Argor under the care of her also non-human guardian, Lovestone. All that changes one night when she buys an amulet that glows at her touch from the local black market. In this amazing world of dragons and phaeries This young thief will have her world turned upside down, accused of stealing the precious and powerful Keystone she is forced to flee her home. To learn more of this amazing girl and her journeys through a dangerous world go to Figment.com

That's all I've got for you this week, come again and let's see what page we'll land on next.

Little things

The little things are what add up in our lives, few people seems to know this, and it's honestly very sad to think of. Little words we say here and there don't seem so bad to us at the time, but to someone else that can be the final nail on their coffin. There are many verses in the Bible that speak about the power of tongues, and even if you are not a religious person listen to these words.

"Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits." Proverbs 18:21

"For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” Matthew 12:37

"Whoever restrains his words has knowledge, and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding." Proverbs 17: 27


Many books speak about bullying, 13 reasons why by Jay Asher is a perfect example how our actions and words can pile up on one person and push them to their limits, take the time to looks at and read it, you'll get a good bit of insight from it. Also try The veritas project Hangman's curse by Frank Peretti, that's what inspired this little post.

"the popular belief is that Lawrence's girlfriend was mabel johnson" Mrs. Aimsley pointed her out in the year book "but she wasn't murdered; she died of influenza. Lawrence my have done away with himself out of grief but..." She reflected a moment "I think he had other problems in his life. He was homely, gaunt, from a very poor family. I can just imagine what kind of treatment from the other kids who had better clothes, shoes to wear, better abilities." She sighed and placed her hand mournfully on the picture of Lawrence's Matthews' picture "I've seen many Lawrence's come through this school, Mrs. springfield, and sometimes I've wondered how they ever survived when all the other kids worked so hard to convince them they couldn't-- Or even shouldn't" The Veritas project, Hangman's curse by Frank Peretti.

How have we let it come to this? Why do other kids bully those under them? It's a hard thing to grasp, but we need to show each other better. God calls us to care for the poor and weak, those who are not fortunate as us, yet sometimes without realizing we throw stones. Please watch what you say, watch your actions, for every little thing adds up, becomes another brick they have to carry on their backs. Help lift their burden, even a little can change the course of someone else's life. This will be the last I have to say for this post, then I'm finished; Love your fellow man

This song is what most kids feel inside, they may have one person in their life who cares if they're alive, or they may have no one. Listen and take in the hurt in this song. For the kids being hurt listen to this song and note the three lyrics that stand out to me most "nobody but You" God is with you and he loves you more then anyone.

Music Mondays

Hey music lovers, I’ve got a special treat just for you! MAD MUSIC MONDAYS!!!  Every other Monday I will showcase three songs that have really stood out to me during that time! This week I have three special songs for you, each one is from one of the Kingdom hearts game series, but what really makes them special is that this youtuber named Lizz wrote her own lyrics to match the music and sang them herself. She has a beautiful voice and a talent for lyrics. So press the like button on youtube.com if you like these songs


Xion’s theme

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbLMOAOoqvk

Roxas' theme

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSRucPLYvhY

Namine’s theme

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Gzmba4F8CA

Fun Figgy Fridays!

Welcome to the marvelous and spectacular "Fun Figgy Fridays!" every other Friday I'm going to showcase some great new stories from writers on the awesome website Figment.com The first week of Figgy Fridays will be all about fairytales, fall just made it's way here and it's the perfect time for a spot of romance, and a little humor. We all need a taste of it before the cold sets in!

 First off is: Untouchable by Rachel Danielle

                                         
In this story a young woman named Rosalie Dustin is untouchable, her body so fragile that a little bump on the chin causes the largest bruise. But Prince Stephen cares for none of this, all he sees is the wonderful girl who loves to pick flowers, write letters, and help those she can. Their love for each other grows quickly in this short story, but all flows nice and neatly. This story not only shows the love two people can have for each other, and how the devil can try to drive them apart in many ways, but also how God's love is limitless and how he always has a plan, even for what we believe to be the unexpected.


Next up: The stepsister by Frank Weasley

                                        

In this comical retelling of the well known classic Cinderella just before the wicked Anastasia is about to head off for the ball with her mother and sister she searches the attic for a set of jewelry she sees in her Great-grandmother's portrait, instead of that she finds a book, The story of Cinderella, and she doesn't like the outcome. Finding a green feathered quill Anastasia is able to change the outcome. Read to find out if this fairy tale has a happily ever after... for the right person.

Last story for this week is: The Beautiful Beast by Addison Brookes

                                          

In this wonderful retelling of Beauty and the Beast the classic tale has been spun around a little, instead of the beast being a selfish and handsome prince it's a lonely girl, believing the lie told to her that she is ugly, so she gets a potion form a sorceress to make her beautiful, but this potion only works on the outside, and the long-term side effects of the potion are horrible. A young man name Cyrus stumbles upon her castle in the middle of the woods, and stays with her for three night, but then he returns to his family and his fiance. Years pass, poor Cyrus does everything to support his ill mother and younger sister. Teased for his tale of the Beautiful Beast, his hard work unnoticed, finally Cyrus has had enough and rides into the woods to escape his troubles, and that is where he finds the Beautiful beast's castle once again. Things are different there now, and this time the beautiful beast has an offer for him, one that could free him from the worry of his family's care. Will he take the deal or not? Read to find out.

That's it this week for Fun Figgy Fridays, come next time to see more fabulous stories.

Welcome one and All

"Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me." Revelations 3:20

Welcome to my blog, there is so much to talk about! but first of I shall introduce myself; I am Miss Birdy Belle, AKA Kaitlyn. I am a daughter of Christ, the youngest of three sisters, a book fanatic, music lover, TV movie watcher, and so much more. From the time I was a little girl with unmanageable curls I have had a huge imagination and with so many great stories in my life, from cows jumping over the moon, to a little mermaid at the bottom of the sea with big dreams, my imagination just got bigger. As I got older stories took shape in my head, but I didn't know what to do with all of them! One day I was telling my oldest sister one of my stories, and she suggested that I start writing them down, and that was the day I became an author. Many years, and movies and songs, later my dad found a website for writers. Knowing how much his girls wrote on the computer he asked if we would be interested in signing up, soon enough we did and I was posting as much of my writings as I could and finding new stories to read, and many good friends along the way.

I hope to find and share many new exciting little adventures with all of you, from new songs, aspiring authors, and great new movies (or old ones) Good tidings to you all!