Search This Blog

Saturday, February 5, 2022

 

The Well of the Soul (2)

About the Book

Book: The Well of the Soul

Author: Doug Powell

Genre: Action/Adventure/Suspense

Release date: October 15, 2021

The Well of the Soul (1)A list of hiding places on a strip of papyrus found inside a mummy mask thrusts Graham Eliot, Ancient Near East scholar, into a hunt for the treasures of the second temple. The list has already cost the life of a colleague, and now he is being pursued as he races to recover what has been lost for almost 2,000 years.

As he literally digs into Jerusalem, he is haunted by the recent deaths of his wife and daughter, which have left him doubting the existence of God. His spiritual and archaeological struggles become more entwined as his life is repeatedly threatened the longer the work continues. When he reaches the final site—the cisterns below the Temple Mount, a network of caves and tunnel no one has entered in 150 years and that no one has ever explored—Graham discovers far greater treasure than he ever imagined.

 

Click here to get your copy!

 

About the Author

Doug-Horizontal-1Doug Powell is the best-selling author of more than a dozen books on Christian apologetics, a speaker, musician, songwriter, graphic designer, and a very amateur magician. He has performed on Late Night with Conan O’Brien, and has been featured on CNN and NPR, and appears on two songs he co-wrote with Alan Parsons for the album The Secret. He lives outside Nashville, Tennessee.

 

More from Doug

In December 2013, I attended a private event where an Ancient Near East scholar demonstrated a method he had developed for deconstructing certain kinds of mummy masks. He explained that many mummy masks were made with an early form of papier-mâché called cartonnage. Instead of paper as we know it, the material that was molded and shaped was papyrus, an early form of paper made from the leaves of a papyrus plant. However, papyrus was too expensive to justify using it for mummy’s. So a funerary attendant would collect discarded books, letters, and documents—whatever he could find—and use them construct the mask.

 

The scholar then explained that if a mask could be found from the right location and the right time period, then it might contain fragments of biblical manuscripts. The problem was how to dissolve the adhesive to separate and extract the individual fragments. After much trial and error, he had hit on a solution—a liquid key, of sorts—to unlock the mask. He then went to the pantry where the event was taking place and turned on a camera mounted above the sink that fed video back to the auditorium where I watched the big screen along with more than a hundred other apologists and scholars.

 

He submerged the mask into what look like bubbles from dishwashing liquid, narrating what was happening as he worked the solution into the mask. After a few moments, he announced something had just come loose, then pulled a hand from the bubbles, an ancient fragment pinched between his fingers. He repositioned it in this palm and identified the text as Coptic. He set it aside to dry, then repeated the process, pulling fragments more quickly as the mask disintegrated.

 

The mask yielded several dozen fragments, many with writing on them. After letting them dry, the scholars who had watched the demonstration then tried to read and identify each of the texts on the fragments by entering the words they could make out into a database of ancient writings. Full disclosure: out of the entire batch, I could read only one word, which was and. So I didn’t exactly do any heavy-lifting to help move the body of scholarly knowledge forward. By the end of the next day, five fragments from the New Testament had been identified, and one from Jeremiah.

 

As fascinating as the experience was, I found myself wondering, What would be the craziest thing that could possibly be found inside the mask? At the time, I had no plans to write a novel. But somehow the question was a seed that grew in the dark, given that I didn’t actively pursue it. Years later—quite unexpectedly—I found an answer to the question. And I realized I was sitting on a premise to a novel. The presentation became the first scene in the book that became The Well of the Soul.

MY REVIEW 

This is a very different kind of book that offers intrigue as well as historical facts. The beginning is what drew me in. I wanted to know what was found on the mask . Like the people in the audience I was glued to the screen in anticipation of an ancient find. What happens next starts the book on a journey to a foreign land where danger is well known in the country.

Graham is still having issues with his wife and daughter’s death so I wasn’t sure he was the right person to send overseas to recover an historical treasure.  Maybe being there he will find his relationship with God restored. The author provides in depth details relating to Biblical times. It was like being placed back in time to witness what had taken place many, many years ago.  

As the dig starts Graham is met with gun fire. Someone is out there to stop him from discovering a hidden treasure. I don’t blame Graham from wanting to stop and go home. I don’t think he signed up for risking his life to uncover a deep secret hidden for centuries.   I did enjoy the action in the story and how quickly Graham and his team were discovered. Whatever the artifact is someone is willing to do harm to retrieve it from Graham. At times I wondered who could be trusted. 

The story is good and I think for me I was more interested in Graham finding his way back to God. During his time looking for the treasure he had moments where he knew his life was in danger. It reminds me of when you face a crisis you cry out to God for help. Graham knew the only way he would survive the men who were after him was to believe that God was there to protect him. The book is not so much of a mystery as it is more of historical facts that I really liked reading about. The ending is good  and wraps up everything nicely. 

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.

Blog Stops

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, February 3

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, February 4

Texas Book-aholic, February 5

Pause for Tales, February 5

Inklings and notions, February 6

For the Love of Literature, February 6

For Him and My Family, February 7

deb’s Book Review, February 8

Locks, Hooks and Books, February 9

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, February 10

The Sacred Line, February 10

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, February 11

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, February 12 (Spotlight)

Blogging With Carol, February 12

Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, February 13

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, February 14

Gina Holder, Author and Blogger, February 15 (Author Interview)

Mary Hake, February 15

Little Homeschool on the Prairie, February 16

Giveaway

To celebrate his tour, Doug is giving away the grand prize package of a $50 Amazon gift card and a signed copy of the book!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/19bc3/the-well-of-the-soul-celebration-tour-giveaway


Thursday, February 3, 2022

 

Free at Last

About the Book

Book: Free At Last

Author: Marcel Becker, with W.A. Fulkerson

Genre: Memoir/Inspirational

Release date: July 2, 2021

FAL-eCover-FINALAbused and isolated, Marcel Becker ended up on his own at the age of 15, and his descent into the cycle of addiction, crime, and incarceration followed the typical pattern. He became, in his own words, a “prolific offender” – an outlaw biker, a criminal mastermind, and the sole target of a multi-agency federal task force. When Marcel received custody of his children, however, he knew he had to make a change or the consequences would fall on them. Breaking out of his old life was full of struggle, uncertainty, and setbacks, but it proves that anyone who is willing can find true freedom and escape the dark cloud of the ex-con.

A United States Congressman once called Marcel’s life a story “of redemption and triumph,” and so it is.

 

Click here to get your copy!

 

About the Author

Marcel 3Marcel Becker is a businessman, a designated community leader, and a motivational speaker. Once a five-time offender, Marcel turned his life around over twenty years ago, and since then has served on innumerable boards, political campaigns, and civil causes, finding great success in all of his endeavors. He is currently the Vice President of Propulsion Controls Engineering, a Job Force Motivational Speaker, has received several certificates of congressional recognition, has had two resolutions introduced in the California Legislature honoring his service to the community, and received a “Hero” award from California State Senator Joel Anderson for his efforts with the Second Chance Program.

Marcel shares stories of his life before and after taking the high road to success in order to encourage others to be the best they can be. He lives in San Diego, California.

 

More from W.A.

If Marcel Becker sat down next to you in a coffee shop today, you would assume him to be a respectable, mild-mannered business man, and you would be right. What you would not think is, “I bet that guy has done time – and a LOT of it.”

And yet, he has. Marcel Becker was one of the most notorious criminals to come up from his neighborhood of Oceanside, CA during the eighties and nineties, when his activities landed him behind bars on federal charges five times. His activities also earned him a lot of scars, plenty of fear and admiration among the criminal class, and admission into one of the most dangerous biker gangs in the country. He’s done eighteen months of solitary confinement in a single stretch, been labeled a flight risk and an extremely dangerous martial arts expert, and the government tried to use his rival gang to illegally execute him. His nickname on the streets and throughout police precincts and prisons?

Flash. Because if you mess with him, he’ll knock you out immediately.

When Marcel talks about his past (and shows the newspaper articles to prove it), the experience is quite a rollercoaster ride.

To make a long and fascinating story short, at the height of his life of crime, Marcel became responsible for his two children, and he had to make a change fast. He started at the bottom as a grunt laborer on the docks, and eventually he rose through the ranks to become a majority owner of a ship repair company and a serial entrepreneur. Today, he is a titan of industry, a civil servant, a friend to mayors and senators, and a living testimony that anyone can turn their life around.

When I’ve expressed regret for a boneheaded decision I’ve made and some wasted time, Marcel reminds me that he spent his youth in and out of prison. If he focused on how terrible his mistakes were, he would never have done anything else. The message is, ‘If I can get past my mistakes, so can you. Move forward, hombre.’  I could give example after example like this – knowing Marcel is a real blessing, and he offers more than just interesting stories. He offers hope and encouragement, a reminder of God’s grace and the masterful plan of redemption awaiting us all if we will only turn to it.

You wouldn’t think that this man sitting next to you at a coffee shop was once tormented by an abusive upbringing, a brilliant master of crime, and public enemy number one.

But that’s sort of the point, isn’t it?

 

  • W.A. Fulkerson, Co-Author of Marcel Becker’s memoir Free at Last: Trading a Life of Crime for Family, Faith, and Success in Business
Merry 


MY REVIEW 

This is a hard hitting in your face account of a man who rose from the depths of uncertainty to a place where God used him to reach others. It is not an easy story to read. In fact at times I wasn’t sure if he would survive. Sometimes you have to reach the bottom  of the pit before you ask for help. His life was hard and at times his reaction to a situation was to fight or die.  His time spent in prison made him tough and scary to some. He wanted to control his destiny and didn’t want anyone to have any power over him. 

As you read the book it goes into detail about his criminal past with honesty and transparency. I appreciate how he never sugar coats the life of a criminal. The turning point for him was the day his ex-wife dumped his two children on the doorstep and walked away. Now he had to get clean and provide an environment where his children were safe and loved. This part of the story is very important as it shows that anyone can change if they want to. A few times in the story the words used may be uncomfortable for some. 

His experience in going to church is not surprising to me. There are churches that preach one thing, and do the opposite. It was unfortunate that he experienced a person who was a leader in the church who was blinded by the love of money. For us as Christians we need to be aware of what our church represents. We need to make sure that everyone feels welcomed and loved. Im glad he was able to come back to God and find a church where he felt welcomed. 

The ending is an overview of how he came to Christ and learned that God had a purpose for his life. Let his testimony be an example that God can use anyone,  even those who have sinned. The author illustrates that his life was a journey down a dark road where hope  seemed lost. There in the midst of his darkest moment, God showed him unconditional love and forgiveness.  He found freedom where he thought his chains were never going to be removed. He witnessed redemption when he felt worthless. Most importantly of all, he felt God’s breath breathe new life into him. 

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.

Blog Stops

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, February 1

Girls in White Dresses, February 2

Lots of Helpers, February 3

Texas Book-aholic, February 4

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, February 5

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, February 5

For Him and My Family, February 6

Inklings and notions, February 7

Locks, Hooks and Books, February 8

deb’s Book Review, February 9

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, February 10

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, February 11

Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, February 12

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, February 13 (Spotlight)

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, February 13

Spoken from the Heart, February 14

Giveaway

To celebrate their tour, W.A. and Marcel are giving away the grand prize package of a $50 Amazon Gift Card and an autographed copy of Free at Last!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/193e8/free-at-last-celebration-tour-giveaway

Wednesday, February 2, 2022

 

Victory Over Anxiety Kick-Off Package

Victory over Anxiety

About the Book

Book: Victory Over Anxiety

Author: Dr. Andrea Ganahl

Genre: Self-Help

Release date: June 17, 2021

Victory Over AnxietyΓÇô529x800Victory over Anxiety: Take your Anxious Thoughts Captive provides a realistic blend of relaxation exercises and clinically proven cognitive techniques to help reduce anxiety. Victory over Anxietyalso integrates information on nutrition, exercise, and restful sleep, as it pertains to mental health.

 

 

Click here to get your copy!

 

About the Author

Dr. Andrea Ganahl is a licensed clinical psychologist specializing in anxiety. She teaches classes on how to reduce anxiety at churches, women’s groups, and college campuses. Andrea is the author of Victory over Anxiety: Take your Anxious Thoughts Captive and has written articles for Focus on the Family Magazines.

 

More from Dr. Andrea

I wrote Victory over Anxiety: Take your Anxious Thoughts Captive, as a path to my own healing. I have struggled with anxiety much of my life. As I researched the most effective techniques to combat my anxiety, and found how beneficial they were, I decided to write this book to help others learn practical tools, so they may also experience victory over anxiety. All the exercises I share are research based and filtered through a biblical perspective.

Not only will you learn everyday exercises to reduce your anxiety, but you will also begin to understand how and why your anxieties developed and how to rid yourself of those anxieties at their core. In addition, you can apply these principles to any emotional struggles, not just anxiety.

MY REVIEW 

I knew as soon as I saw the title of this book this would be one I need to read. The beginning hit me in the face with truth that I needed to read. I’m great at worrying. In fact I could win first prize in the worry contest. My family constantly hears me say” why can’t I do better, what if my son doesn’t get the job?” The what if’s and why’s continue in my head twenty-four hours a day. No wonder I’m so exhausted everyday. I’m trying to do things on my own, and leaving God out of the decisions. When  you have anxiety one of the reasons could be because , “We have inaccurate thoughts: we believe something with no evidence to back it up.” In our minds the things  we are fearing seem real, but are not. I struggle with these thoughts along with depression. 

The author does give an example of anxiety by illustrating a large dog  approaching you. Most of us would be a little anxious  but says when a little chihuahua approaches you wagging your tail you should not have any fear. I have to disagree because those little dogs can bite at anytime. I understand the author’s thought process of irrational fear but as a person who lives with anxiety those thoughts are real to me. I have been bitten by a chihuahua before  when they were wagging their tail.I do appreciate how the author gives a description of the  different types of anxiety and how they affect us. 

The book at times does  take a more scientific approach and uses phrases I am not familiar with. When the author goes into these explanations I become a little disinterested. However there is enough Biblical insight in the book that I did receive some valuable  tools to help me. I liked the section on sleeping and eating better. All those play  a part in the struggle with anxiety. I never realized that the word anxiety or fear is said more than three hundred times. One of the best things  said in the  book is, “We can take our anxious thoughts captive and think about Godly things.” 

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.

Blog Stops

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, February 2

Texas Book-aholic, February 3

Life, love, writing, February 3

An Author’s Take, February 4

Inklings and notions, February 5

deb’s Book Review, February 6

Locks, Hooks and Books, February 7

Mary Hake, February 7

For Him and My Family, February 8

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, February 9

Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, February 10

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, February 11 (Spotlight)

Cats in the Cradle Blog, February 11

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, February 12

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, February 13

Splashes of Joy, February 14

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, February 15

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Andrea is giving away the grand prize package of a $50 Amazon gift card & signed copy of the book!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/19bbb/victory-over-anxiety-celebration-tour-giveaway


Tuesday, February 1, 2022

 

Everyday Prayers for Joy

About the Book

Book: Everyday Prayers for Joy

Author: Gina L. Smith

Genre: RELIGION / Christian Living/Devotional Journal

Release date: January 4, 2022

9781641238267Jesus promises us that the world will give us trials and tribulations, but our hearts should not be troubled. James urges us to “count it all joy…when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.”

In Everyday Prayers for Joy, author Gina L. Smith shares the life-changing lesson she learned to lament in prayer in order to find joy during hard times and changing circumstances.

When she found herself in a difficult season and cried out to God, “He opened my eyes to the fact that often I find joy in the blessings He has provided for me more than I find joy in Him, the provider of the blessings. I needed to begin the process of learning what it meant to find joy in Christ alone.”

Biblical joy, Gina explains, “is something that exists even when we are suffering or going through a heavy trial because it’s based on the knowledge that God is present, walking with us in our trials, and is producing good fruit in us as we go through them.”

In this thirty-day devotional, Gina offers powerful prayers of lament to move past our problems and focus on the source of all love and goodness.

“The prayer of lament is the prayer for a suffering soul,” she says. “It is our fight with our soul to remember there is a future.…God gave us the prayers of lament to help us process the suffering we face in this life. When we don’t use or understand them, we’re actually missing out on the experience of going to the One who loves us most and can actually heal our hearts and help us to get to the point where our gaze breaks through to eternity. Lamenting is the way we come to God when life is overwhelming.”

Each daily entry includes something to think about, space for journaling thoughts, prayer, and praise, and questions for deeper reflection.

 

Click here to get your copy!

 

About the Author

ginaSMITHGina L. Smith is an author, podcaster, and a prayer mentor for Million Praying Moms.

Gina and her husband Brian have been married for more than three decades. They served as the on-campus parents at a Christian college for more than twenty years while Brian was a professor and dean of students. They mentored hundreds of college and seminary students as well as young couples over the years.

Gina has a degree in Bible studies from Washington Bible College/Capital Bible Seminary. She has written for several organizations, including Million Praying Moms. She is also the author of Grace Gifts: Practical Ways to Help Your Children Understand God’s Grace.

Gina and Brian have two grown children and reside in the metro area of Washington, D.C. To connect with Gina, visit www.ginalsmith.com.

 

More from Gina

I am excited about what God has been teaching me and am looking forward to what He has in store as I move forward, one day at a time, following His leading in the most amazing calling I could ever imagine! Won’t you join me?

Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God. Titus 2:3-5

MY REVIEW 

Wouldn’t it be nice to be joyful everyday? Just think how we could spread joy to others if we practiced it ourselves? It is hard to find joy when you are going through a difficult time in your life. The scripture says, “Count it all joy…” even when we are going through trials. In this devotional the author gives us insight into how to be joyful by praying and asking God to help us as we struggle. 

I like how the book is set up with a reading from one of the books of the Bible. There you can explore what the topic of the chapter is and see what God says about it.  The author includes stories we can relate to and ends each chapter with questions and a prayer. I enjoyed going through the book and soaking up the wisdom of what God says about joy. Each day brings new revelation as you do the devotional. I love that there are extra scriptures to study at the end of each chapter. The author has done a good job of covering a subject we all need to have more of. 

“Ge will never grow tired of hearing from you and He wants you to pour out your heart to Him.”

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.

Blog Stops

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, January 31

For Him and My Family, February 1

Texas Book-aholic, February 2

Inklings and notions, February 3

Book Butterfly in Dreamland, February 3

deb’s Book Review, February 4

Locks, Hooks and Books, February 5

By the Book, February 5

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, February 6

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, February 7

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, February 8 (Spotlight)

Mary Hake, February 8

Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, February 9

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, February 10

Cats in the Cradle Blog, February 11

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, February 12

Splashes of Joy, February 13

Stephanie’s Life of Determination, February 13

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Gina is giving away the grand prize package of a $20 Starbucks gift card and a copy of the book!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/193d0/everyday-prayers-for-joy-celebration-tour-giveaway