The Ride of Her Life by Lorna Seilstad

This is the third book in the Lake Manawa Summers series (Making Waves and A Great Catch). This book follows Lilly Hart and her six-year-old son. Lilly has finally left her in-laws home after her husband has died, and is now a cook at Lake Manawa. While the summer season hasn't quite started, Lilly is busy cooking for the workers who are building the towns first roller coaster. But when her father-in-law wants to take her son and send him away to a boarding school, and Lilly mets a cocky gentlemen, Nick, who intercedes for Lilly, Lilly is in for some interesting times.

This was a great book! When my friend and I debated which book we like the best, we both thought the first book, Making Waves was the best, but I thought The Ride of Her Life was a very close second..

I give this book 4.5 stars.

I received this book free from Revell for the purpose of this review.

Canary Island Song by Robin Jones Gunn

Robin Jones Gunn is most known for her Christy Miller, Sierra Jenson, and Katie Weldon series', and while lovers of those series will connect to this book, because Todd's dad is in it, you don't have to know anything about any of these characters to love this book. This feels more like a Sisterchicks book, or Gunn's Under a Maui Moon.

When her sister gets remarried, Carolyn finally gets her house back after her sister and nieces have been living there for last several years. Being unsure what to do with her new freedom, her grown daughter tells her to get a life. Carolyn decides to leave her familiar routine and go visit her mother in the Canary Islands, and her mother's 70th birthday is the perfect time to go surprise her mother. She arrives just in time for her mother's surprise party, and who else is there but her high school summer love, Bryan Spencer. It's been seven years since Carolyn's husband passed, and she is now ready to find love again. Carolyn's time in the Canary Islands isn't just about finding love, but finding life again, and Carolyn does just that.

I have been looking forward to reading this book for a year. It was a great read and I recommend this to anyone looking for a good summer read.

I give this book 5 stars.

I received this book free from Howard publishers for the purpose of this review.

Break Through by Dr. Tim Clinton and Pat Springle

We all have our faults, but there comes a time when a person has a destructive pattern that has to end. We have to stop making excuses for others and exercise some tough love. Essentially, we come to a point where we say to the other person that we still love them but we can't continue to enable them. Christian counselor Tim Clinton and author Pat Springle help people to learn how to say "yes when you want to and no when you need to." But more than that, we can't always fix the other person, but we can learn to control ourselves better by not seeking to please, rescue, fix or control the other person.

This book, while it has a similar topic to Boundaries by Henry Cloud and John Towsend, it goes beyond just setting boundaries, but rather working on ones own self to make changes. We can't change the other parties involved, but we can change ourselves and work to stop our own destructive patterns. If I am always enabling another person, I can't stop their actions, but I can stop doing what I am doing to enable them.

This book is very relevant today and was very informative. It is filled with personal stories and situations so the reader can see how things can work. I give this book 4 stars. 

I received this book from PR by the Book for the purpose of this review.

A Place To Belong Lisa Troyer and Circle of Friends

It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books.  A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured.  The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old...or for somewhere in between!  Enjoy your free peek into the book!


You never know when I might play a wild card on you!

Today's Wild Card artist is:

Lisa Troyer

and the cd:

A Place to Belong

℗ 2012 LifeWay Worship

***Special thanks to Rick Roberson for sending me a review copy.***

ABOUT THE ARTIST:

 Radio personality, recording artist, speaker and author Lisa Troyer finds herself heart-deep in ministries that are changing lives forever. Her incredibly successful Circle of Friends women's ministry, formed over a decade ago, is growing in all directions. With ministry and songwriting partner Dawn Yoder, Lisa and her Circle of Friends offer women's conferences, leadership training, counseling services, worship music, life skills classes and marriage/family resources. No matter the outlet or the venue, Lisa uses her gift of encouragement, her influence and her resources to open doors for women everywhere to discover their significance and belonging through Christ.


Visit the author's website.

SHORT CD DESCRIPTION:

Every woman needs acceptance, love and a place to belong. That's the underlying theme of the new music CD, A Place to Belong (Lifeway Worship), from singer/songwriter Lisa Troyer, president of Circle of Friends Ministries. Refreshingly authentic and dynamic, the companion worship CD to Troyer's recently released book, A Place to Belong: Out of Our Comfort Zone and into God's Adventure (Barbour Publishing), tenderly draws women into a place of true freedom and belonging in the very heart of God.

To order go HERE.

Product Details:

$7.92 or $0.99 per song
Genres: Christian & Gospel, Music
Released: Mar 23, 2012
℗ 2012 LifeWay Worship

AND NOW...A SAMPLE SONG OFF THE CD:

Cd Description: Every woman needs acceptance, love and a place to belong. That's the underlying theme of the new music CD, A Place To Belong (Lifeway Worship), from singer/songwriter Lisa Troyer, president of Circle of Friends Ministries. Refreshingly authentic and and dynamic, the companion worship CD to Troyer's recently released book, A Place to Belong: Out of Our Comfort Zone and into God's Adventure (Barbour Publishing), tenderly draws women into a place of true freedom and belonging in the very heart of God.

This CD was fairly low key and mellow. It's a nice worship cd in general, but I honestly didn't care for the blend of voices. I think some people will definitely like this cd, but it wasn't for me. I tend to like more upbeat music with stronger vocals. This isn't a bad cd, but its not my style.

I give this cd 3 stars.

A Love Forbidden by Kathleen Morgan

This is the second book in the Heart of the Rockies series. This book highlights Shiloh Wainwright, who has accepted a position as a school teacher at the White River Indian Agency in northwestern Colorado. But the struggles between the Ute Indians and the US Government put Shiloh and the others working at the Agency in a very tough place, they have literally become pawns in a chess game. Not only that, but Shiloh has come face to face with a childhood friend, a Ute Indian she hasn't seen in 9 years. Several complications threaten their relationship and her future with the Agency. Will Shiloh be able overcome all these challenges and accomplish her original goal of teaching the children?

This was a decently good book that I enjoyed reading, but certainly not a favorite of mine. I liked the challenges Shiloh faced and thought the circumstances were historically accurate with some literary license taken. But the book didn't just grab and hold my attention.

I give this book 4 stars.

I received this book from Revell for the purpose of this review.

Forever Hilltop by Judy Baer

Forever Hilltop is a two-in-one book containing An Unlikely Bless and Surprising Grace. In An Unlikely Blessing, Alex Armstrong has just moved from Chicago to take two small churches in the the Hilltop Township in the wilds of North Dakota. Armstrong is taking the pastorate of Hilltop Community Church and All Saints Church, neither of which can hire a pastor on their own, so they have to share a pastor, but that is the only thing they share, until Armstrong comes. Hilltop is a unique area in that all the families that originally settled in the area back in the 1800's still have descendants living on the original property. The community was originally settled by Swedish and Norwegian immigrants and the area still reflects their heritage with the ladies making rommegrot, lutefisk, and egg coffee. Each of the characters in the book has their own unique story and background. Armstrong finds himself with much to learn both about the community in general as well as each individual person.

I found this book very slow paced. I honestly think the two books could have been condensed into one book. I enjoyed the variety of the characters from children to elderly adults and all their various stories. The variety of characters reminded me of the town of Stars Hollow on the show Gilmore Girls, but at the same time the characters of Gilmore Girls were more entertaining.

I chose this book because I had read other books by Judy Baer when I was a teenager and wanted the life one of the characters had, but this book was a bit more disappointing.

I give this book 3.5 stars.

I received this book from Litfuse for the purpose of this review.

The Pursuit of Lucy Banning by Olivia Newport

Set in Chicago shortly after the great fire, Lucy Banning is keeping secrets from her family and her fiancé, Daniel. Instead of going to help at the orphanage 3 times a week like her family and Daniel think she is, she is taking a class at the local university which is one of the few schools that permits girls. Charlotte, the newest maid in the Banning household has her own secret that only Lucy knows.

As Lucy and Daniel's relationship falls apart, Daniel gets jealous when he sees Lucy showing an interest in her brother's friend, Will. Daniel tries everything he can to get Lucy back. Will he succeed, or will he loose Lucy forever?

My favorite characters were Lucy, Charlotte and Will. They made me want to keep reading even when I was frustrated with some of the other characters and their actions. Lucy's character was entertaining and fun, and constantly full of surprises. Charlotte's story isn't complete. I wanted to know more of her background and what brought her to the Banning household. Hopefully Olivia Newport's next book, which is about Charlotte, will answer my questions about her background. Will's character wasn't as much a mystery as just refreshingly different than Daniel. I got to the point where I wanted to hate Daniel's character and all he was doing to try to win Lucy back, but fell in love with Will.

I give The Pursuit of Lucy Banning 4.5 stars.
I received this book free from Revell for the purpose of this review.

Mother of Pearl, Day 7

Welcome to Pearl GirlsTM Mother of Pearl Mother's Day blog series -­‐ a week long celebration of moms and mothering. Each day will feature a new post by some of today's best writer's (Tricia Goyer, Sheila Walsh, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Bonnie St. John, and more). I hope you'll join us each day for another unique perspective on Mother's Day.

AND ... do enter the contest for a chance to win a beautiful hand crafted pearl necklace. To enter, just {CLICK THIS LINK} and fill out the short form. Contest runs 5/6-­‐5/13 and the winner will on 5/14. Contest is only open to US and Canadian residents.



If you are unfamiliar with Pearl GirlsTM, please visit www.pearlgirls.info and see what we're all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls:

Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one of the Pearl GirlsTM products (all GREAT Mother's Day gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.



And to all you MOMS out there, Happy Mother's Day!




What I Didn't Know by Rhonda Shrock



I always knew I wanted to be a mother.  As a girl, I played house with my dollies, shushing them when they cried and kissing their plastic heads.



Looking back at that girl, I realize now that there was a lot she didn't know.  This morning over my fresh-­‐ground coffee, this mother of 22-­‐1/2 years scratched out a list of 10 things she didn't know then that she knows now.



1.  I didn't know -­‐ how could I? -­‐ just how completely a tiny, helpless scrap of humanity can capture the heart and hold it forever.  From that first whooshing heartbeat and the first butterfly brushes, a mother's heart is never again her own.  For all eternity, it enlarges, walking and pulsing and moving outside of her body; in my case, in the shape of a blue-­‐eyed boy with rooster tails.  Times four.



2.  I didn't know that the size of a mother's heart is always changing, stretching to embrace each new baby that comes, then growing again to love their friends and then their own families.



3.  I never knew, as I changed my dolly's dress, how many reasons there are to worry when you're a mama.   Didn't know about the nighttime vigils.  Didn't know the anxiety of separation, the terror that floods when you turn around in the grocery store and they're gone.  Didn't know about the fear of the pond next door or the concern that pays for swimming lessons.  Didn't know the thousand-­‐and-­‐one reasons that keep a mother awake, whispering prayers on her pillow in the dark.



4.  No one told me that loving so much means that you will hurt hard and keen;  that what pains your child hurts you even worse.  I didn't know then that a playground taunt travels through that smaller heart and lands square in yours, stinging and burning like fire.  I didn't know that motherhood makes lionesses of us all and that there'd be days I'd have to bite my tongue and pray to not sin.



5.  I didn't know how exhausting it is, being a mother.  I didn't know that it takes everything you've got and then some.  Didn't know the bone-­‐deep exhaustion; how it strips you bare and shows how selfish you can be, but, too, that you have more strength than you know.

6.  I didn't know, playing house, how much joy mothers feel; joy so big that it makes up for the pain.  Just looking at those eyes and the curve of the cheek can make you so happy it hurts.  Watching them grow and find their talent and win at something...all the money in the world can never buy that kind of happiness.



7.  I didn't know how making babies and raising them, how it binds you to their father.  I didn't know the intimacy you feel when your eyes meet above those tousled heads, and your smiles say, "Just look at what we've done."



8.  That girl in the homemade dress, she didn't know that letting go is one of the hardest things a grown-­‐up mama will ever do.  Rocking those babies in that small rocking chair, she didn't really know that babies grow up and walk away and there goes your heart, out into the big, wide world.  No one told her that part.



9.  I had no idea how rewarding it is, being a mother.  How the happiness that comes from boy kisses and awkward hugs can't be bought or sold.  How proud you feel when you see what they're growing up to be and that all the planting and pruning and watering and feeding is finally making fruit!



10.  I didn't know how much my babies would enrich my spiritual life or how they would change the way I pray.  I didn't realize they would lead me to a deeper dependence on the Heavenly Father or how I much I would need His wisdom to raise them aright.



These are things I didn't know before I was a mother.  But I know them now.  Oh, how I know them now!  And I’d do it all again.

###

Rhonda Schrock lives in Northern Indiana with her husband and 4 sons, ages 22, 18, 13, and 5. By day, she is a telecommuting medical transcriptionist. In the early morning hours, she flees to a local coffee shop where she pens “Grounds for

Insanity,” a weekly column that appears in The Goshen News. She is an occasional guest columnist in The Hutch News.  She’s also blogged professionally for her son’s school of choice, Bethel College, in addition to humor and parenting blogs, and maintains her personal blog, “The Natives are Getting Restless.” She is a writer and editor for the magazine, "Cooking & Such:  Adventures in Plain Living."  She survives and thrives on prayer, mochas, and books.  

Exciting News – the latest Pearl Girls book, Mother of Pearl: Luminous Legacies and Iridescent Faith will be released this month! Please visit the Pearl Girls Facebook Page (and LIKE us!) for more information! Thanks so much for your support!

Mother of Pearl, Day 6

Welcome to Pearl GirlsTM Mother of Pearl Mother's Day blog series -­‐ a week long celebration of moms and mothering. Each day will feature a new post by some of today's best writer's (Tricia Goyer, Sheila Walsh, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Bonnie St. John, and more). I hope you'll join us each day for another unique perspective on Mother's Day.

AND ... do enter the contest for a chance to win a beautiful hand crafted pearl necklace. To enter, just {CLICK THIS LINK} and fill out the short form. Contest runs 5/6-­‐5/13 and the winner will on 5/14. Contest is only open to US and Canadian residents.



If you are unfamiliar with Pearl GirlsTM, please visit www.pearlgirls.info and see what we're all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one of the Pearl GirlsTM products (all GREAT Mother's Day gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.



And to all you MOMS out there, Happy Mother's Day!




He Will Walk With You by Carey Bailey



As a little girl, I loved baby dolls. Loved them! I played school, adoption agency, daycare operator and babysitter all day. I felt like I was born to be a mama. Therefore, I was a bit anxious when the ages, 22, 25, 28 and 32 came and went and there were no babies. Have you ever desired something so much and feared never getting it? That was me.



My day finally came at the age of 34. I soon realized that God knew what He was doing when He had me wait. To my shock, it wasn’t as easy as playing with dolls. I was surprised that it wasn’t the dream world I imagined it would be! I felt like life became a gigantic prayer.



“God, HELP me!”



“Please, God. Please, please, please make it all better. I can’t do this!”



“God, this feels impossible. Where are you?”

While I adore motherhood, it is harder and there are more adjustments than I expected. (I am hoping there are some nodding of heads and Amen’s being said out there in cyberworld.) Not only did I have a new life to care for, but my identity suddenly felt all scrambled up. It took me until my son was one to finally feel confident in my new role as a mother, confident that I could drop my child off at preschool without crying, confident that I could go out with the girls’ and the world wouldn’t fall apart, and confident that I could go on a date night and have conversations that didn’t revolve just around our son.



I was feeling settled in my new world and then WHAM! I discovered I was pregnant again. Can I be vulnerable with you? I actually cried when I found out. And they were not tears of joy. I feel awful saying that out loud, and I hope you will give me a moment to explain. It was not that I didn’t want another baby or feel like I couldn’t love a new life, it was just that I got scared. Discovering a little person was on the way sent a panic through me. Would my son still receive the love and attention that he deserved? How was my husband going to feel about my body changing again? Would I ever be able to pursue the vision I felt God had for me in writing and publishing? I was truly wondering if I was going to be able to handle another intense wave of identity crisis like the one I had just been through. I wasn’t sure.



God and I needed a serious talk. And in that conversation He carefully reminded me of this:



“For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11



He reminded me in our time together that I, too, am His child and He has every intention of loving me, caring for me, and giving me the future that He has planned for me.



As mothers, we can get so caught up in parenting that we forget that we, too, have a spiritual parent who loves us as His child. He loves you as much as He loves the children He has given you. He will never forsake you.  And on those days when motherhood seems too overwhelming and too impossible I step back and take a deep breath. Then I remember that this journey I am on, right now, is the one He has designed and create uniquely for me. I simply need to live in it, learn from it, and allow His love to sweep over and through me.



He will walk with me! He will walk with you! Grab His hand.

###

Carey Bailey is a recovering perfectionist, wife, proud mama, and the Family Life Director for her church in Arizona. She hosts an online community for moms called Cravings: desiring God in the midst of motherhood where she strives to make God time easier. Not less meaningful, just easier. She is the author of Cravings {The Devotional} which is a set of forty devotional flashcards for the mama on the go. Visit Carey online blog: www.cravingstheblog.blogspot. com Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Crav ingsOnline and Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/careycbailey/

Exciting News – the latest Pearl Girls book, Mother of Pearl: Luminous Legacies and Iridescent Faith will be released this month! Please visit the Pearl Girls Facebook Page (and LIKE us!) for more information! Thanks so much for your support!

Mother of Pearl, Day 5

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Welcome to Pearl GirlsTM Mother of Pearl Mother's Day blog series -­‐ a week long celebration of moms and mothering. Each day will feature a new post by some of today's best writer's (Tricia Goyer, Sheila Walsh, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Bonnie St. John, and more). I hope you'll join us each day for another unique perspective on Mother's Day.

AND ... do enter the contest for a chance to win a beautiful hand crafted pearl necklace. To enter, just {CLICK THIS LINK} and fill out the short form. Contest runs 5/6-­‐5/13 and the winner will on 5/14. Contest is only open to US and Canadian residents.



If you are unfamiliar with Pearl GirlsTM, please visit www.pearlgirls.info and see what we're all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one of the Pearl GirlsTM products (all GREAT Mother's Day gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.



And to all you MOMS out there, Happy Mother's Day!




Stepping Out on Faith by Bonnie St. John

"Darcy . . .”



“Yeah, Mom?”



I momentarily held the undivided attention of my teenage daughter. Her thumbs, free of their ubiquitous texting keypad, quietly dangled by her side. Her computer and its omnipresent Facebook page were completely out of sight. I had almost forgotten what she looked like without all these adolescent accoutrements. As we sat down together on the burgundy leather sofa in our living room, I realized this fleeting state of electronic dislocation was my chance to hatch a plan I had been formu-­‐ lating for the past several weeks. Carpe diem.



“How would you like to write a book together?”

“About what?” I asked my mom. Write a book? This was a real surprise. I felt a bit suspicious, but still curious.  I love to write, and Mom kept telling me I was really good at it. I like writing poetry, fantasy, and sci-­‐fi, though.  The books Mom wrote were all nonfiction.  I wondered what we could possibly do together.



“Well . . .” I hesitated. If I wanted her to commit to any extra work out-­‐ side her busy schedule at school—not to mention work alongside her mother—I had to make this really great. “It would be about women as leaders,” I continued, “a mother-­‐ daughter investigation into leadership styles and structures.”



“Leadership?” I blurted. It came out as if I had a bad taste in my mouth—which I did.  I couldn’t imagine a more boring topic to write about. What is there to say about leadership anyway? When you’re in charge, you just get things done, right? Who wants to talk about that?



Her furrowed brow told me I was losing her fast. “Um . . . we could find women leaders all around the world!” I said impulsively, frantically casting the ultimate bait.



“Really? Would we get to travel a lot?”  I hadn’t thought about that. Heck, I’d write about the mating habits of tsetse flies  if I got to go to Africa to do it!



But this project wasn’t just about the influence it would have on Darcy. I wanted to do something that could have a potent impact on an alarming trend I had witnessed in workplaces across the country: far too many women appeared to be making a choice not to apply for top leadership positions when presented with the opportunities to do so.



This project, then, was a bit of a Trojan horse. On the one hand, the saga of a mother-­‐ daughter journey could seduce female readers, who might never bother to read the Harvard Business School dissertations on the subject, into a meaningful conversation about leadership. At the same time, if Darcy met a series of brilliant, accomplished women— people even a cynical teen would be in awe of—perhaps they could tell her all the things I’d like her to know—and more.



And she just might listen.



But where to start? How would we make it work? I suggested we do most of our research by phone, as I did for How Strong Women Pray. My telephone interviews with a governor, some CEOs, actors, sports figures, a college president, and others yielded great stories and information. I promised my intrepid co-­‐author, though, that we could punctuate these conversations with a few visits in person to exciting and exotic places—all with reasonably priced airfares.

“Why don’t we follow each subject as she goes about her daily life? That way our readers get to come along with us and get a behind-­‐ the-­‐scenes look at what happens to them. Instead of just a boring interview, we—and our readers—get to hang around with these women, see them in their natural habitat, and even see how other people treat them.”



Although I agreed it was a wonderful approach, this idea of “job-­‐ shadowing” each featured subject wasn’t going to be easy. Would these high-­‐powered, important women deign to allow us that kind of access? Would they be able to impart the kind of wisdom that would resonate with our readers and truly make a difference in their lives?  We looked at each other, both of us hooked on a crazy idea that we weren’t sure we could pull off.



“It sounds impossible, Darcy,” I said. “We might as well get started.”



And so, we stepped out . . . on faith.

###

Bonnie is a 1984 Paralympics silver medal winner in ski racing. Her education includes a degree with honors from Harvard, a Rhodes scholarship, and an M.Litt in Economics from Oxford.  Her career includes positions as an award-­‐winning sales rep for IBM and a Clinton White House member of staff. She now is a much-­‐in-­‐demand speaker, who makes nearly 100 speeches each year to corporations and civic groups. You can visit her on the Web at www.bonniestjohn.com.

Re-­‐printed with permission from How Great Women Lead by Bonnie St. John and Darcy Deane

Exciting News – the latest Pearl Girls book, Mother of Pearl: Luminous Legacies and Iridescent Faith will be released this month! Please visit the Pearl Girls Facebook Page (and LIKE us!) for more information! Thanks so much for your support!

Mother of Pearl, Day 4

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Welcome to Pearl GirlsTM Mother of Pearl Mother's Day blog series -­‐ a week long celebration of moms and mothering. Each day will feature a new post by some of today's best writer's (Tricia Goyer, Sheila Walsh, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Bonnie St. John, and more). I hope you'll join us each day for another unique perspective on Mother's Day.

AND ... do enter the contest for a chance to win a beautiful hand crafted pearl necklace. To enter, just {CLICK THIS LINK} and fill out the short form. Contest runs 5/6-­‐5/13 and the winner will on 5/14. Contest is only open to US and Canadian residents.



If you are unfamiliar with Pearl GirlsTM, please visit www.pearlgirls.info and see what we're all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one of the Pearl GirlsTM products (all GREAT Mother's Day gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.



And to all you MOMS out there, Happy Mother's Day!



What I Am Not by Tricia Goyer



Becoming a mother is a complicated thing. Not only am I trying to negotiate a relationship with my child, I am trying to negotiate a relationship with myself as I attempt to determine how I mother, how I feel about mothering, how I want to mother and how I wish I was mothered.

— Andrea J. Buchanan, in Mother Shock3

Sometimes the easiest way to discover who we are is to know who we are not.



• We are not our children. We all know mothers who go overboard trying to make themselves look good by making their children look great. I saw one woman

on the Oprah television show who had bought her preschool daughter more than twelve pairs of black shoes just so the girl could have different styles to go with her numerous outfits! Just as we -­‐don’t get report cards for mothering, we also -­‐don’t get graded on our child’s looks or accomplishments. While you want your children to do their best and succeed in life, your self-­‐esteem -­‐shouldn’t be wrapped up in your child.



Life as I See It:



My individuality will never end. There will be no one exactly like me, not even my child. She will be like me in some ways, but not at all in others. I -­‐wouldn’t have it any other way.

— Desiree, Texas

• We are not our mothers. I remember the first time I heard my mother’s voice coming out of my mouth. The words “because I told you so . . .” escaped before I had a chance to squelch them.



It’s not until we have kids that we truly understand our mothers — all their frets, their nagging, and their worries.



It’s also then that we truly understand their love.



Since you are now a mother, it’s good to think back on how you were raised. If there were traditions or habits that now seem wise and useful, incorporate them into your parenting. You also have permission to sift out things you now know -­‐weren’t good. Just because you’re a product of your mother, that -­‐doesn’t mean you have to turn out just like her. Repeat after me, “I am not my mother.”



• We are not like any other mother out there. Sometimes you may feel like the world’s worst mother. After all, your friend never yells at her son — and sometimes you do. Then again, your friend may feel bad because you have a wonderful bedtime routine that includes stories and songs. In many cases, the moms you feel inferior to only look like they have it together. All moms feel they -­‐don’t “measure up.” Instead of feeling unworthy, we should realize that everyone has strengths and weaknesses. The key is where we place our focus.



The Bible says, “Let’s just go ahead and be what we were made to be, without . . . comparing ourselves with each other, or trying to be something we -­‐aren’t” (Romans 12:5 – 6, MESSAGE).



The problem with comparison is, we always measure our weaknesses against the strengths of others.

Instead, we need to thank God for our strengths. We can also ask God to help us overcome our weaknesses — not because we want to compare ourselves, or look good in someone else’s eyes, but because we want to be the best mom out there.

###

Tricia Goyer is a CBA best-­‐selling author and the winner of two American Christian Fiction Writers’ Book of the Year Awards (Night Song and Dawn of a Thousand Nights). She co-­‐wrote 3:16 Teen Edition with Max Lucado and contributed to the Women of Faith Study Bible. Also a noted marriage and parenting writer, she lives with her husband and children in Arkansas. You can find her online at www.triciagoyer.com or at her weekly radio show, Living Inspired.

Exciting News – the latest Pearl Girls book, Mother of Pearl: Luminous Legacies and Iridescent Faith will be released this month! Please visit the Pearl Girls Facebook Page (and LIKE us!) for more information! Thanks so much for your support!

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Mother of Pearl, Day 3

Welcome to Pearl GirlsTM Mother of Pearl Mother's Day blog series -­‐ a week long celebration of moms and mothering. Each day will feature a new post by some of today's best writer's (Tricia Goyer, Sheila Walsh, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Bonnie St. John, and more). I hope you'll join us each day for another unique perspective on Mother's Day.

AND ... do enter the contest for a chance to win a beautiful hand crafted pearl necklace. To enter, just {CLICK THIS LINK} and fill out the short form. Contest runs 5/6-­‐5/13 and the winner will on 5/14. Contest is only open to US and Canadian residents.



If you are unfamiliar with Pearl GirlsTM, please visit www.pearlgirls.info and see what we're all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one of the Pearl GirlsTM products (all GREAT Mother's Day gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.



And to all you MOMS out there, Happy Mother's Day!



She’s...My Everything by Suzanne Woods Fisher



“A mother is one who can take the place of all others, but whose place no one else can take.”

-­‐-­‐Cardinal Mermillod 

Just a few more months. My mother was hoping Dad would hang on long enough so they could celebrate their sixtieth wedding anniversary in April. But on January 1st, as the sun rose on the new year, my dad’s worn out heart beat its last. Dad had battled Alzheimer’s Disease for ten years. As many of you know, AD is a long, hard journey. Hard on the one afflicted with the disease, hard on the caregivers.


But not without its blessings.



Four years ago, as I began researching stories for Amish Peace: Simple Wisdom for a Complicated World, my path crossed with a handful of Plain families who were coping with Alzheimer’s. It was just about the point when Dad’s illness was shifting from early to mid stages AD and the timing was a divine accident. I learned so much as I observed the calm acceptance of these families. Rather than waste time shaking a fist at God for allowing this disease to take their loved one, they put their energy into trusting God’s sovereignty. They didn’t deny the difficulties and complications and sadness of Alzheimer’s, but they didn’t dwell on them. “God has a plan,” one woman told me. “He always has a plan.”  

Something else I noticed was how privileged my Amish friends felt about caring for their loved one. Caring for the elderly, they believe, is the time to give back to them.



Those encounters shaped my perspective of Dad’s illness. I started to pay attention to how God provided answers to new wrinkles created by Alzheimer’s, just in time. God may be slow, but He is never late.

I started to cherish special moments or good days with Dad—just as he was at each point in his illness. Not mourning the past, not dreading the future.



I really miss my dad. I miss his scratchy whiskers and the way his eyebrows would wiggle at us, even as words failed him. Yet I have such peace in my heart that he was well loved and well cared for, right to the very end. And as hard as Dad’s end of life has been, it isn’t the end. We will meet again. As the saying goes, “Some may see a hopeless end, but as believers we rejoice in an endless hope.”



There’s a beautiful story that illustrates my parents’ 59-­‐year marriage. This event happened about a year or two ago. My sister had accompanied our mother to the doctor appointment for Dad at the Stanford Memory Clinic.



Dad had declined quite a bit that month. He was weak and lethargic, even to the point of whispering, as if it took too much energy to project his voice. During the doctor's appointment, the doctor told my mother and sister that Dad was now in late stages of Alzheimer's. Dad didn’t have much vocabulary left, but when the doctor asked him who mom was, he whispered something back. The doctor looked at Mom and asked, "Did you hear what he just said?"



Mom shook her head.



"When I asked him who you were, he whispered, 'She's...my everything.'"

###

Suzanne Woods Fisher is a writer of bestselling fiction and non-­‐fiction books about the Old Order Amish. Her interest in the Plain People began with her grandfather, W. D. Benedict, who was raised Plain. Suzanne is the host of Amish Wisdom, a weekly radio program on toginet.com, and writes a bi-­‐monthly column for Christian Post. Suzanne can be found on-­‐line at

href="http://www.suzannewoodsfisher.com/">www.suzannewoodsfisher.com .





Re-­‐printed with permission by Cooking & Such, www.sherrygorebooks.com.







Exciting News – the latest Pearl Girls book, Mother of Pearl: Luminous Legacies and Iridescent Faith will be released this month! Please visit the Pearl Girls Facebook Page (and LIKE us!) for more information! Thanks so much for your support!

Mother of Pearl, Day 2

Welcome to Pearl GirlsTM Mother of Pearl Mother's Day blog series -­‐ a week long celebration of moms and mothering. Each day will feature a new post by some of today's best writer's (Tricia Goyer, Sheila Walsh, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Bonnie St. John, and more). I hope you'll join us each day for another unique perspective on Mother's Day.

AND ... do enter the contest for a chance to win a beautiful hand crafted pearl necklace. To enter, just {

y=dFgzaHdzWnRyZ3Z5M1BLVkJ5aGVYSnc6MQ#gid=0" target="_blank">CLICK THIS LINK} and fill out the short form. Contest runs 5/6-­‐5/13 and the winner will on 5/14. Contest is only open to US and Canadian residents.



If you are unfamiliar with Pearl GirlsTM, please visit www.pearlgirls.info and see what we're all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one of the Pearl GirlsTM products (all GREAT Mother's Day gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.



And to all you MOMS out there, Happy Mother's Day!




Joy Comes from Perseverance by Sheila Walsh



One of the most important lessons I have learned in my own life is the joy that comes from perseverance. Eugene Peterson, borrowing a phrase from Friedrich Nietzsche, wrote his book  “A Long Obedience in the Same Direction ...Discipleship in an Instant Society.” He points to the Psalms as the way believers have always learned to pray what they live and live what they pray but it is not a short journey. It is an intentional commitment to keep walking even when you are worn out.




*If we want to see lasting results in any area of life it’s important to keep walking in that direction.



*If we want to have a better understanding of the Gospel of John then it takes time and commitment to dig deeper day after day.



*If we want to be thinner this summer than last summer then the work begins now not then.

So too in our relationship with Christ.....



*If we want to know Him at a more profoundly intimate level, that also takes an intentional seeking after Him every day.



As a grown woman I have come to love the beauty of this gift. Passing this “mined treasure” onto my son on the other hand has been an interesting challenge.  We live in such a fast paced, attention-­‐challenged culture where the latest thing can be delivered to your doorstep by tomorrow for a few dollars more. But, as you know, by the time it is delivered it has already been replaced or updated!

How do we speak then into the lives of our children to help them understand and value perseverance?



For me...part of the puzzle meant a large piece of poster board, scissors, some photos and a bottle of Elmer’s glue. My son, Christian and I spread everything out on a sheet in the game room as I explained our project. “We’re going to make a family faith-­‐tree,” I said. “These are photos of family on your dad’s side and on mine. Many of them have gone on to be with Jesus but the seeds they planted into our family continue to grow.” Then we wrote down their names and when they came to faith in Christ (as many as I knew).  It was quite something to see when we were finished.



“Your life matters Christian. Running your race well matters.”



That night we read these words from the writer to the Hebrews,



“We are surrounded by a great cloud of people whose lives tell us what faith means. So let us run the race that is before us and never give up.”

Hebrews 12:1 (NCV)

###

Sheila Walsh is a Bible teacher, speaker, singer, and best-­‐selling author with more than 4 million books sold. Sheila Walsh is the creator of the award-­‐winning Gigi, God’s Little Princess® and her new series, Gabby, God's Little Angel. Meet Gabby in Gabby's Stick-­‐to-­‐It-­‐Day. As a featured speaker with Women of Faith®, Sheila has reached more than 3.5 million women by artistically combining honesty, vulnerability and humor with God’s Word. She resides in Dallas with her husband Barry and son Christian. Visit www.sheilawalsh.com for more information about Sheila, her other books or Women of Faith.

Exciting News – the latest Pearl Girls book, Mother of Pearl: Luminous Legacies and Iridescent Faith will be released this month! Please visit the Pearl Girls Facebook Page (and LIKE us!) for more information! Thanks so much for your support!

Mother of Pearl, Day 1

Welcome to Pearl GirlsTM Mother of Pearl Mother's Day blog series -­‐ a week long celebration of moms and mothering. Each day will feature a new post by some of today's best writer's (Tricia Goyer, Sheila Walsh, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Bonnie St. John, and more). I hope you'll join us each day for another unique perspective on Mother's Day.

AND ... do enter the contest for a chance to win a beautiful hand crafted pearl necklace. To enter, just {CLICK THIS LINK} and fill out the short form. Contest runs 5/6-­‐5/13 and the winner will on 5/14. Contest is only open to US and Canadian residents.



If you are unfamiliar with Pearl GirlsTM, please visit www.pearlgirls.info and see what we're all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US

and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one of the Pearl GirlsTM products (all GREAT Mother's Day gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.



And to all you MOMS out there, Happy Mother's Day!



Priceless Treasure by Cindy K. Stiverson



We've heard it said and often find it true:

You don't know the value of a treasure until you're without it. 


We take for granted the things in life that seem so readily available.

   A paperclip or rubber band, to hold things together.

   A tissue or napkin, to wipe our nose to clean our face, to absorb our tears.

   A Bible to speak words of wisdom and instruction and life and love.



And a Mother, who is all these things and more.

   She is readily available.

   She holds things together.

   She wipes our nose, cleans our face (and our fingers, and, well...everything else!)

   She absorbs our tears and calms our fears.

  "She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue." (Proverbs 31:26)

   She loves.



Within hours after my mother passed into the gates of our heavenly home, I was missing her. Her quick wit...humor...charm. Her warm smile and melodious laughter, which served her well to the very end, as did our Lord Jesus Christ, who so graciously allowed her to slip quietly and peacefully into His arms.



She simply stopped breathing.



As I stood at her bedside in those priceless moments after her passing, I wanted to touch her skin as much as possible while there was still warmth in her body; to nuzzle my nose against her head and breathe in the scent of her hair while she was still there. Priceless treasures I was guilty of taking for granted, clouded by unmet needs. I was so consumed with what she was not, that I never fully appreciated who she was. It’s like I was blind, but now I see!

I see her strength, her commitment. Her perseverance...sacrifice...her unspoken love. I see how much she meant to me, how much she did for me, how much she taught me, and how much of the good in me was modeled by her.



She was a virtuous woman, as described in Proverbs 31 of the Bible.

“Her children stand and bless her... a woman who fears the Lord will be greatly praised. Reward her for all she has done. Let her deeds publicly declare her praise (vs. 31).”



This last verse of the poem serves as an epitaph for the woman of virtue. It speaks of the legacy she leaves in her passing. It spurred me to write a personal epitaph for my mother, which I read at her funeral.

We publicly declare your praise today, 

and in the days to come,

for you deserve to be praised and blessed,

"We honor you, Mom, for all you have done!"

In my earliest of memories, 

You worked so hard, striving for the rest.

You persevered through great trials

and did your very best.

I know you are being rewarded

in ways far beyond our reach.

We honor you now by practicing what you've taught,

and even what you preached!

You've stood for us for all these years,

Today, we stand for you!

I pray that our applause on earth

will reach your heavenly ears.

With the reading of this poem, I asked everyone to stand. We clapped our hands in celebration and praise of the life of my mother, Margaret Alice Stiltner.



Imagine our surprise to discover that she had left a poetic epitaph for us! She had clipped it from an old magazine and framed it. I found it when I was cleaning her home, on a nightstand by her bed. My mother was never versed at expressing emotion. This was her sweet way of kissing us good-­‐bye: a priceless treasure to remember her by.

###

Cynthia (Cindy) Stiverson is a speaker, writer, and artist.  In 1998, she founded Woven: Women of Virtue Network, a spiritual formation and friendship ministry. She pastors the women at Newark Church of the Nazarene in Ohio. She is currently working on her fourth Woven Workbook, and also a book for mothers and daughters on the subject of sexual abuse. Cindy considers raising her daughter, speaker/author Nicole Braddock Bromley, to be her greatest achievement. She loves the men in her life, hubby Mark, grandbabes Jude and Isaac, and son-­‐in-­‐ law Matthew. You can find more of Cindy at www.WovenWomen.blogspot.co m and www.CynthiaStiverson.com

Exciting News – the latest Pearl Girls book, Mother of Pearl: Luminous Legacies and Iridescent Faith will be released this month! Please visit the Pearl Girls Facebook Page (and LIKE us!) for more information! Thanks so much for your support!

Operation Six Continents: A Collection of Family Moving Advice by Phoebe Liedstrand

This is an open and honest look at one family's experiences living around the world, and particularly the moving and getting settled parts. Phoebe shares about her family's first move to Santiago, Chili, how they managed to spread their family out over 6 continents at once, tips to know before becoming a family-on-the-move, and even tips to raising "well-balanced" kids-on-the-move.

The saying, the proof is in the pudding, is true for this book. I met two of the Liedstrand kids in college. Their love for their family and for the places they had lived was evident. This book isn't just a nice story, but it is an account of how one family has lived their life. This is  very short book that won't take you long to read. I easily read it in under an hour.

I give this book 5 stars!

Travelers Rest by Ann Tatlock

Jane Morrow is engaged to Seth Ballantine and looking forward to their wedding day. But when he comes home from Iraq as a quadriplegic everything has changed. Seth doesn't want to see Jane, but Jane is still holding on to her dreams of marrying him. She is determined to honor her commitment by marrying Seth and taking care of him. But when she continues to go see him, it is not as much Seth who changes, though he does, but its Jane who changes as she meets a lawyer who plays the piano in the VA hospital, and a retired doctor who finds out that it is never too late for forgiveness.

While I wasn't totally sure what this book was about when I first looked at it, he cover is what made me what to request it. And this book did not disappoint me. I fell in love with the story. Tatlock wrote a great story that had subtle connections that I didn't totally see coming until she revealed them.

I give this book 4.5 stars.

I received this book from the author herself for the purpose of this review.

Covenant Child by Terri Blackstock

I saw this book when i was in college, but didn't read it then. Boy was I missing an amazing book! This is a reprint of the original published in 2002

Kara and Lizzie were born heiresses to a huge fortune. But their mother died when they were infants, their father and paternal grandparents died when they were three, and their stepmother lost a custody battle because their adoption was in process, but not final. Kara and Lizzie are sent to live with relatives who only tolerate the children to get a piece of their fortune, while their step-mother, Amanda, is not allowed to have contact with them. Kara and Lizzie grow up feeling like they are worthless and seeking anything to make them feel special. After being fed lies all their life, they are finally told the truth on their 18th birthday. Will the allow the truth to change their lives?

Christians and nonChristians will enjoy reading this book. It gives a clear picture of what God did for us, but is also a moving story. This is quite easy a new favorite book. I give this book 5 stars.

I received this book from Booksneeze for the purpose of my review.

Bringing Up Girls by Dr. James Dobson

After Dr. Dobson wrote Bringing Up Boys, parents were asking when Dobson would write Bringing Up Girls. Well, here it is. In it, Dobson takes a look at the struggles girls face in this world today. From the need to have a caring daddy, and questions about self image and beauty, to puberty, adolescence, and bullies.

This book is filled with personal stories and letters written to Dr. Dobson. It is not a step by step guide to raising daughters, as that would not work. But it is general information and advice on a whole host of topics that will help parents in raising their daughters.

I give this book 4 stars.

I received this book from Tyndale for the purpose of this review.