Debbies Digest: June 2013

The Book of Hours by T. Davis Bunn
324pgs.
started reading - June 01, 2013
finished reading - Jun 09, 2013

My rating:

A crumbling English manor slowly gives up its secrets...
That is what the small white box on the cover says.

This was a great book. I loved it from cover to cover. Secrets, intrigue, a spiritual message, great characters, a wonderful house, and lives changed for the Lord. Oh, and throw in a little romance... very tastefully done with charm and respect as Bunn always does. I don't want to give away to much of the plot away so I will just share a couple of my favorite quotes with you to give you an idea of the quality of the book.

"The strongest prayer is not one of asking for earthly needs, though too many people feel that is the only reason to pray at all. The greatest petition we can place before the holy throne is the request to be brought into the presence of our Lord. Seek Him, and in your seeking find your own way forward. Let Him show what is to come next, not by asking for guidance, but rather by begging Him to enter and dwell within you." pg 224

"Prayer then becomes a doorway to what lies beyond the pain and the fear and the past. Prayer will reveal to you the wonder of life in Jesus. To arrive at this deeper purpose, you must develop prayer as a regular discipline. You must make it a constant in your life, and not just a sometime act. Prayer will grant you a very special distance, allowing you to step back from life and view everything more clearly-both the internal and the external, both the good and the bad. So my challenge to you this day, my dear, is to see prayer as a continuing surrender. Little by little, relinquish all that separates you from god. Your grief, your woes, you fears, your worries, your unfulfilled desires. Not every time of prayer will provide consolation or fulfillment. but only through the preparation of this discipline will you become ready for that holy moment when it does arrive. You must be brought face-to-face with the shadowy vista within yourself where God is not. Then you shall be ready to climb the glorious Jacob's ladder toward the miracle of a heart renewed in God." pg. 242

"Every moment can become a moment lived in God's light. Everything we own, everything we touch, can be found to contain the divine presence. but only if we so choose." pg. 316

"In the distance came the sound of a single bell being rung, over and over." pg 316

"The bells are a way to remind each and every one of us that the kingdom of god is hourly, constantly near. It calls us to a perpetual holy walk along the straight and narrow way. It reminds us in our daily life that God is the God of now." Trevor paused as a sixth set of bells began to chime, the air filled with the song of centuries. "Heed their call, and seek the Lord. Time is fleeting, life is passing. Seek Him now." pg 317

Great book huh. And it is not a non-fiction spiritual book, it's a fiction book. A book that tells a story and has a great message. A message I needed to hear. A message that God is near and involved in our daily lives. That all I need to do is seek him... Now.

How to Write Great Blog Posts that Engage Readers by Steve Scott
56pgs
started reading - Mar 31, 2013
finished reading - Jun 12, 2013

My rating:

This book has great tips. Have I applied any of them yet. No. But I want to. I liked the fact that it had 19 ideas for blog posts, especially "Massive Value Posts" (content that others would normally sell). I need to write some of these. I have let my blog go more than I want. Sometimes I think I don't have anything to say. My life seems boring to me. Also, 12 elements of engaging blog posts, not topics to write about but things I should include in each blog post as well as how to improve the quality of my blog content.

Organic Homemade Cleaning Recipes: Your Guide to Safe, Eco-Friendly, and Money-Saving Recipes by Kelly T.Hudson
started reading - Jun 12, 2013
finished reading - Jun 12, 2013
Not rated because I have not tried any of the 'recipes' yet.

Lots of 'recipes' for natural homemade cleaning supplies made with gentle chemical free ingredients. No, I have not had time to try any of these yet but if some of them work I will write another post about it, here on my blog. Lots of vinegar, paper towels, and baking soda... as well as other things.

Rally Round the Flag (Tales from Grace Chapel Inn, #20) by Jane Orcutt
246pgs.
started reading - Jun 13, 2013
finished reading - Jun 14, 2013

My rating:

Book #20 of 49. This one has a patriotic theme with veterans and an important football game. One of the veterans, a young man, feels guilty for having been honored as a hero and having survived his time in the Gulf War when he friend gave his life to save him. Also, one of the sisters helps a friend through a health issue. I just love these books and if I need to catch up on my reading these will surely do it for me as I read them... as you can see... in a day or 2 at the most.

The Revelation by Beverly Lewis
397pgs
started reading - Jun 09, 2013
finished reading - Jun 18, 2013

My rating:

The last in the series of Abram's Daughters... book 5. This family has had many trials. Will things finally work out for them all? I have wished and wished for good things, especially for Leah and Sadie. Good things do happen... finally. I just won't tell you what in case you are reading or want to read this book. Of course there have been good things, even through the hard trials. But things are really looking up for Leah.

Praying God's Word: Breaking Free From Spiritual Strongholds by Beth Moore
352pgs
started reading - Apr 02, 2013
finished reading - Jun 19, 2013

My rating:

Strongholds. That is the word that comes to mind when I think of this book. That and prayer of course. What strongholds do you have in your life. I found that I have many more strongholds than I thought I did. This book is set up with a description for each stronghold and then lots of prayers based on scripture. I have finished reading the book but I am still praying the prayers. I will be referring to this book over and over and over. I love Beth Moore. She is so real and such a wonderful teacher. "...nothing is bigger or more powerful than God! Absolutely nothing! Not even the strongest addiction or overwhelming feeling of rage. One of the purposes of this book is to help you downsize anything that has a hold on you until you have, in effect, commanded it to bend the knee to the authority of Christ." pg. 4 " Our chief purpose here is to develop the mind of Christ in areas that seek to hold us captive." pg. 9 We need the mind of Christ. We have a very different perspective on life here on earth. Satan is our ultimate enemy. He knows Christ is coming soon and he is pulling out all the stops. "So, do we run scared? God forbid! We put on the full armor of God, take our stand, and fight the good fight. Satan's already been defeated." pg. 15 "Satan is most effectively rebuked by the believer taking his or her stand in the Word of God." pg. 16 "God generally prioritizes one of two objectives: showing us His supremacy or teaching us His sufficiency." pg. 17

The Spirit of the Season (Tales from Grace Chapel Inn, #21) Corbit, Dana
24pgs
started reading - Jun 22, 2013
finished reading - Jun 29, 2013

My rating:

What is the Spirit of the Season of Christmas. The Spirit is one of giving... of thinking of others. The sisters were expecting a quiet Christmas at home with no guests at the inn, But they thought that before. One of the sisters takes an unexpected trip with their Aunt to help a married couple they are friends with. Will the sisters even be together for Christmas??

I just love these books. In each one there is a problem to solve, people to help and the Love of Christ to share with others... in the community and guests at the inn. I highly recommend this series... but you must start with book #1 Back Home Again by Melody Carlson. It is amazing that so many great women can write books in this series and yet keep the continuity of the stories and the personality of the characters stays the same.

According to Goodreads I have read 24 books toward my goal of 55 books. At my current pace, I'm 3 books behind schedule. I was 4 books behind when I did my May review of books but that was because I was way late getting my post up. My goal is 55 books.. that is one book a week plus a couple extra for the year. That is just over 4 books a month. This month I read 7 books... so I read 3 more than I needed to for the month and am working hard to catch up.

note: my star reviews are out of a possible 5 stars

See my Goodreads book lists