BFFB (Blogging for future books)

I have so many books my family wonder's how I am going to read them all! And thanks to the two blogging programs I am in I have more books coming in once or twice a month, so I have a lot to read, yet I still manage to run out of books. That's the only problem with being able to read so fast, you read all your books! But I hope to join two more programs!

That's right everyone Netgalley and BookLook!  I have already signed up for Netgalley, I have had a few publishers accept my requests, some have been turned down, but I hope to be reading and review these E-books soon. I am waiting for replies to my other requests, hopefully I'll get something! The one I look forward to most at the moment is The Beast Within Serena Valentino.

I haven't heard from Disney publishing group about it yet but I hope they say yes, I want to read about the beast from Beauty and the Beast. As for BookLook at the moment I am only eight short followers away from reaching the required amount of followers needed to join this program, so I could really use your help here. If you know of anyone who might be interested in my blog please urge them to come and check it out! follow me on twitter or Google+ I only need eight more people for more book reviews! So can you help a girl out?

Sucking the Life out of you

Okay, everyone knows about Vampires, they seem to be the most popular mythical creature out there, right next to werewolves. But what do vampires represent to this generation? Most see them as sexy misunderstood human's with a craving they can't control, like the two in vampire diaries, Stefan and Damon. But we're not here to talk about the fictional vampires you see in the cheesey old movies our grandparents use to watch, like this guy

I'm talking about the everyday people around you like friends and family. How are they slowly draining the precious life energy given to you, and how can you fight off this attack that is killing you without even giving a hint that it's there?

I honestly don't know for sure. There are few things I have done that have ever really gotten those blood sucker's off my back, and even then it's only for a small amount of time before they want to bite into me again. This is one of those times where we really have to trust God for help, only with Him have I felt safe from the attacks coming on all around me. I am still learning to trust Him (Yes I have trust issues!) So I pray that he will get these vampires off of me and turn these sinners to him. But sometimes they are not all sinners, sometimes these vampires are believers. They don't realize what they're doing to you, and that it has to stop. If you are in the middle of such a thing then Pray to God for guidance, a calm heart and mind, and then tell them what they are doing to you. Speak with an open mind, listen to what they have to say, and try to resolve it as peacefully as possible. Now the Devil will try his best to keep his little unknowing vampires, they are some of his greatest weapons, and he may even try to use you to get them to stay that way. Lashing out in anger won't solve the problems faced before you, it's only giving the devil what he wants, and after so many attacks from him I am sick of him getting ANYTHING! So don't let the problem grow to the point that something so little turns into a painful memory, get the little blood suckers off before you become one of them. God will help you, he will heal the bites on your body, and he will restore the blood you've lost. Keep trusting and you will never lose the fight.

"So humble yourself before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you"  James 4:7

Becoming a crazy crafter!

Yep, it's very easy to become a crazy crafter, it only took me a few days, and now crocheting has become a serious hobby of mine! I love making little critters! My first one was perry the platypus from Pheines and Ferb,

From then on i was hooked! I am also going to try making my own patterns here and there, right now I'm working on a manticore for my best friend Ashlyn. And I have a file of my deviantart page with pictures of creatures I want to crochet, so I have lots of happy working ahead of me! I also would like to work with clay to make some cute figurines and such. I want to make some of the unversed from Kingdom hearts Birth by sleep, if you don't know what Kingdom hearts is then you are missing out on the best video game series ever, and if you do know kingdom hearts and down know the unversed then here's one of them i want to make from clay

I find this rather annoying unversed very cute and think it would be fun to make it from clay. Now I didn't come here just to tell you about myself, but about other great Crazy crafters I have found online! One of my favorites is Amigurumi to Go. These crochet patterns are so cute, and I cannot help making these cute little buddies. Her latest one is a little Easter bunny and a little mouse, 

I want to make the mouse for my friend so badly. There are many other cute patterns on this website so go check it out! I have many other's, but they are kinda scattered all over my computer, so it might take me a little longer, sorry! but I will post of more awesome patters I find!

Getting the little Devil off your shoulder

How many times do we have to swat away the little devil on our shoulder before he finally leaves us alone? How much pain do we have to go through before we finally get to the happy place? These are questions I ask myself every day, last night the devil used people very close to my heart to attack me, and at the time I didn't know what to do, I was so shocked it happened.  I wasn't sure what to pray for, strength, understanding, an unbroken heart? I didn't know so i asked for all of the above Learning to live in Christ has pealed away layers of my defensive walls I had up to protect my heart from from verbal attacks, but now that they have been stripped away I find my heart much more open to these attacks, and the devil is trying to use that as much as he can. But removing those layers has helped me turn to God even more, and the devil is kinda confused about that

He's use to my walls, and now he trying to get at me, but with the lord I am safe, reading His word I am reminded how close he is to me and all of the promises he has made to me! I read the book of Esther, and felt comforted that God did not let the plots of the wicked play out, instead everything they had built to take down the jews had been used for their own destruction. I like something Ashlyn and  said earlier when that little devil was trying to mess with me

"trying to get this darn devil off my shoulder, guess he's yelling cause I'm ignoring him" Me

"Mean Devil!!! *smacks him with flyswatter*" Ashlyn

"Thanks! I was just about to get the bug spray (The bible) out to make him shut up!" Me

The devil didn't like that part, but it helped make my day brighter, so thank you Lord for giving us Your Word to battle the devil, and thank you Ashlyn for swatting that nasty devil off my shoulder so i could get out the bug spray!

Caught in the middle of this review!

Here's my first review for the Bethany house blogging for books program!

                            

Caught in the middle wasn't all what I was expecting, it was much much better. I expected a quick read that was a bit rushd, but it wasn't. Caught in the middle brought about a great revelation for me, and I honestly believe God is trying to speak to me, making sure that I know that sometimes to do His will I will have to give up what I want, but always with the promise of something much better on the way. 

Anne was a tormented soul, haunted by the abuse of her dead husband and the lack of attention from her father. She became a buffalo hunter to escape the confines of a home. What she didn't expect was their cook to abandon her son with her! The experiences Anne faced throughout the book forever changed the young woman.

Nick wants a good life, a comfortable life. But such things can get us, as the title says, caught in the middle. Being is such a spot gives us the means to hear God's voice and to make the right choice, even when it could cost you everything you've known.

I think the verse that would suit the story that would fit this story the best would have to be Ecclesiastes 3:1 "There is a time for everything, a season for every activity under heaven." Everything that that happened to Anne in the present time of the book there was a very good reason for it, all of them leading her down the path she needed t take to make sure she found The One she needed most. The story is paced well, giving you enough detail to keep you hooked, but not to bore you out of your mind. Prepare for a few tears closer to the end, so have a tissue box near by. I would definatly give this book a five star rating and highly recomend it to all of you!

I have gotten this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review, which I have given

Kim Vogel Swayer's Through the Deep Waters

I'm here to review another amazing book by Kim Vogel Swayer

I normally start out my reviews with a verse to help give a glimpse of the little gifts the story has waiting for us, today I will start a little differently today. I would to say that this is Kim Swayer's greatest book I have read so far, sure to bring a tear or two to anyone's eye. When I first came to Christ I wondered why the story of Dinah (See Genesis chapter 34) was put in there, it was such a sad tale, and we never knew what happened to her after such a horrifying experience. Did she find love? Did she get over what happened to her? Only God has those answers, but I feel that this story can give comfort to those who've ever wondered about Dinah.

"Now Dinah the daughter of Leah, whom she had borne to Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land. And when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, prince of the country, saw her, he took her and lay with her, and violated her." Genisis 34:1-2 NKJV

Dinah (Not the biblical Dinah) was born and raised in a saloon, being such a child brings with it many troubles, and as she neared womanhood it became harder to keep the men who visited the saloon away from her. The owner told Dinah that her mother was fatally ill, though she wasn't suppose to, to get Dinah to sell her purity. Dinah didn't know what she was meeting the man for, but fifty dollars was enough to care for her mother and to get out of the saloon, when Dinah finally understood she wanted to leave but the man would not have it, leaving deep emotional scars on Dinah's souls. Things like this happens right under our noses most times and I wish there was something I could do to change it, and there is something we can all do, pray for them. We all have scars from the past, though not as horrific as Dinah's they can still leave us scared, bitter, and distrustful of the world around us.

"Dear brothers and sisters, you are foreigners and aliens here. So I warn you to keep away from evil desires because they fight against your very souls." 1 peter 2:11

There was one character in this book I could relate to very well, Ruthie. She is the eldest daughter of the town's pastor, and I think like a lot of us do she struggled with her own feelings, most of all jealousy. She tried to become friend with Dinah when she became a chambermaid and her roommate, but Dinah's aloof nature made it hard to do so. When Amos, a man Ruthie was smitten with, showed feelings for Dinah instead of her it became a war inside her soul. She battled with the unwelcome feelings she knew she had no right to bare. But the devil is a crafty fellow. I find it easy to connect with this character the most and I was glad to see such a character in Kim Swayer's book. I hope she makes more characters like her in future books.

"For I know the plans I have for you," says the LORD. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11

The book ended well, like many of her others, though a little slow at some points, I will say that it was well worth it. I look forward to another novel by this great author!

I received this book from blogging for book for a honest review, which I have given

Read Chapter 1

Our time is Now

Faith is ever growing, and God is giving me the stepping stones to getting to the faith he wants for all of us. Speaking to Him through prayer has been hard for me, I've never been really good at talking to people aloud, so one of my friends suggested I write to Him, it was my way of telling him everything. But We're not here about that today! Today we are here to talk about trust and faith.

As Christians we are called to trust the Lord with everything we have and everything we are, to believe He can do anything and that He will do what is for our best. It's hard to remember God holds so much power in his hands, the power to do ANYTHING! more then we could possibly ever imagine. I have kept my prayers short and simple, thinking I couldn't ask for much else, but God can do the impossible, He can make any prayer I have come true in the most unexpected and glorious way possible. Recently I read the book Sinner by Ted Dekker while reading Sun Stand Still by Steven Furtrick (Which I will do a review on later) 

                            

But reading Sinner brought my eyes opened to a brand new world that's very much like ours, frighteningly so. In the book the first amendment, the freedom of speech, is altered! So that speaking outside of the church about your religion is considered Hate Speech, and therefore against the law. But what really got me was this one old lady near the end of the book, Holly, though was under the influence of a great power, still held strong

"The woman was trembling head to foot, as were five others, hands to their mouths, without being able to fully comprehend where the extreme emotion was coming from. Without realizing it, they were facing more then the simple fear of the National Guard

      "they're coming for you" Darcy said "You're all terrified for good reason, and you're going to demand that Johnny take you out of here" She gave them a gentle smile and stopped ten feet from them "Aren't you?"

      "Leave?" One of them asked. A thin brute.

      "Yes leave this valley"

      "No" Said Holly. She was crying earnestly now "No, you don't understand, we can't leave"

Darcy blinked "Oh? but you will leave"

       A moment of silent stalemate

       "No!" The woman screamed 'No, you can't make me leave. I will not be silenced! I will not deny the love of my Christ! Take my head, take my home, take my husband, but you won't take my heart!"

       Darcy was too stunned to reply. The woman was resisting her? Her brain scrambled for reasoning. Surely she could find and act on the morsel of doubt in this woman's mind. That sliver of fear. 

       That spot that resented God, even.

       "You've betrayed Christ before" She said

       "Yes!" The woman's hands flew to her face and she wept bitterly. "Yes! And I can't betray him again. Never!"" 

                    An expert from Sinner by Ted Dekker

After reading this one little scene I saw a glimpse of the strong faith that was more common in biblical times. It was the strong faith that I wanted in myself. I prayed to God, not in written letters, but in my heart and soul, for the faith Holly had even when slapped with the fact that she had betrayed Christ before. I feel He is giving me what I asked for, strengthening my faith with new tests, and though some of them have been very hard I more then happy with how I am becoming stronger through Christ.

Here's just a little verse I read that thought fit one of the characters, Black, in the story very well.

"He will use every kind of wicked deception to fool those who are on their way to destruction because they refuse to believe the truth that would save them"  2 Thessalonians 2:10

Another very interesting thing about the story of Sinner is the chapter of the bible Ted Dekker drew inspiration from Matthew 24. After reading that one chapter I saw what Dekker was trying to show us in his story. Jesus' love cannot be silenced. I will continue to speak of the love Christ offers to all his children, we shouldn't wait to speak up when it becomes a problem, our time to speak is now. Share the love you have been given, we don't know the day Christ will return, but every second on this earth counts for something. Don't wait too long, don't be silenced, and don't be discouraged. The Lord is with you and with Him all things are possible

None of the artwork belongs to me