Tuesday, September 24, 2019

About the Book

Book: Letters from Jesus

Author: Chris Palmer

Genre: Religion / Biblical Studies/History & Culture

Release Date: September 10, 2019

“In Revelation 2:2, Jesus tells the church in Ephesus something intimate—Google Street View intimate. He says, ‘I know your works’ (Oida ta erga sou). Four words don’t seem like much, but in the Greek, it packs a punch.… Jesus chooses the Greek word oida, which expresses total, comprehensive knowledge. It is intimate knowledge that comes from being up close and personal. This knowledge isn’t hazy on the details. It doesn’t struggle to remember. It preserves the particulars. In the mind’s eye, everything is sharp and clear, like a well-taken photograph.” —Chris Palmer

Letters from Jesus: Studies from the Seven Churches of Revelation explores Christ’s warnings to the seven most prominent churches in Asia Minor in the book of Revelation. These letters date back to 95 A.D., but they help us make a fascinating discovery about civilization: life hasn’t changed that much over the last two millennia.
Author Chris Palmer illustrates the truths contained in the Letters from Jesus using modern, everyday day examples. The host of the popular podcast Greek for the Week, he unpacks Greek words and phrases in these verses from Revelation with humor, joy, and biblical scholarship.

Why study Greek, even just a little bit? As Chris explains, looking at the New Testament in the original language in which it was written can offer us some beautiful insights into God’s Word. “It’s like reading the Bible in high definition,” he says. Also, “studying God’s Word in the original language forces us to approach it with reverence and awe, humbling ourselves to obey what it says, whether it’s something we want to hear or not.”

Click here for your copy.

About the Author

The Rev. Chris Palmer is the founder and pastor of Light of Today Church in Novi, Michigan, and founder of Chris Palmer Ministries. He is host of the popular podcast, Greek for the Week, seen on several Internet platforms.

Chris began in full-time ministry in 2006 and began to preach internationally in 2009, helping many congregations grow, flourish, and expand. His desire for missions is to train and educate pastors, encourage congregations, support the vision of local church, and show the love of God to the culture. He has done this successfully for a decade in over forty nations of the world in Europe, Africa, South America, Asia, and the Caribbean, working with both traditional churches and the underground/persecuted church.

Chris earned a B.A. in Pastoral Studies from North Central University and an M.A. in Exegetical Theology, magna cum laude, from Moody Theological Seminary. He is a sought-after Greek scholar for his ability to make God’s Word come alive in a unique way from the Greek. Chris is often invited to present Greek and hermeneutics workshops at Bible and ministry schools. He recently began working on his Ph.D. at University Wales, Bangor, in the area of Johannine Literature, particularly the book of Revelation.

His previous self-published books include Living as a Spirit: Hearing the Voice of God on Purpose, The 85 Questions You Ask When You Begin a Relationship with God, The Believer’s Journey, and Escaping the Haunting Past: A Handbook for Deliverance.

More from Chris

Experience the Bible in high definition and learn some Greek with fun, easy lessons from pastor/scholar Chris Palmer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhvbBaSbvuY

This book has been very informative and intense at times. I do enjoy books that look at different topics in the bible and break them down piece by piece and explain the scriptures. Have you ever heard the saying, "Well that's Greek to me?" That is how I feel sometimes when reading the Bible. This book has helped me understand meanings of words which made me look at the scriptures in a new light.

It was interesting to read about the Seven Churches that are talked about in Revelation. The author takes us through the scriptures and unlocks the words that reveal what Jesus was talking about. One example was the word lychnia which means lampstand. In the verse the author is speaking about the word that means the seven churches. How interesting that a Greek word would come to mean the presence of God in the old testament.

One of the chapters I especially like was How To Stay On Top. In this chapter the author talks about the church at Sardis. They had gotten to a place where they were lax . Jesus then tells the church "to wake up" or in Greek , gregoreo. It was time for the church to stop being comfortable and be "on alert." How many of us have become carefree in our spiritual walk? It is so easy to miss church one Sunday and then the next. Before you know it, the enemy has taken you out of your covering and made you vulnerable. God wants us to always be watching and guarding our walk with Him.

At the end of each chapter the author has provided a prayer, activity and scriptures for the week. I found them to be helpful and reaffirm the importance of knowing what scriptures mean. It is a well written book filled with insight that helps readers delve into the Word with more clarity.

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

Blog Stops

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, September 14

The Power of Words, September 15

Through the Lens of Scripture, September 16

Godly Book Reviews, September 17

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, September 18

Abba’s Prayer Warrior Princess, September 19

My Devotional Thoughts, September 20

Mary Hake, September 21

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, September 21

For the Love of Literature, September 22

Retrospective Spines, September 23

Texas Book-aholic, September 24

A Reader’s Brain, September 25

A Diva’s Heart, September 25

janicesbookreviews, September 26

Inklings and notions , September 27

Giveaway

To celebrate his tour, Chris is giving away a grand prize package of a $20 Starbucks gift card, copy of LETTERS FROM JESUS, copy of HEBREW WORD STUDY!!

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/e808/letters-from-jesus-celebration-tour-giveaway

Monday, September 23, 2019

About the Book

Book: Landmark

Author: Pamela Poole

Genre: Inspired Southern Fiction

Release Date: July 2019

A daydream. A dance. A dangerous rendezvous.

After graduating college and arriving home to Painter Place in the summer of 1960, a young bachelor named Wyeth Painter dreams of living a quiet life. But his father sends him to London to teach an art class where he meets and falls for model Chrissy Carnet, an American from D.C. By the time he discovers the stunning young lady’s father is a fearsome international spy who brought them together, Wyeth’s heart is in chaos.

But Chrissy is determined to follow him and daydreams of creating a home on his island. With the Island Summer Dance looming ahead, Wyeth tries to protect Painter Place from any danger her presence might bring. Will Wyeth force himself to get over her, or can both their dreams intertwine and come true?

Click here to purchase your copy.

About the Author

Inspiring Southern Ambiance

Pamela Poole’s love for the South inspires all her books and paintings. The setting for her novels and short stories in the Painter Place Saga is a fictional island between Charleston, SC and Myrtle Beach. Pamela lives life loving Jesus and her family as a wife, mother, and GiGi, and she is blessed with true friends. She and her husband Mark currently live in Raleigh, North Carolina, but she considers the Lowcounty of South Carolina “home.” Pamela is a member of various author and artist organizations.

“Now to Him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us— to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” Ephesians 3:20,21

More from Pamela

Hi, I’m Pamela Poole, and I live an amazing life as an artist and author! What makes my life amazing isn’t the things I get to do. It’s the scope of experiences, from devasating to incredibly wonderful, that are used by Christ to weave my story and make it one worth telling and living.

Have you ever noticed that people entertain themselves at the expense of the sufferring of others? What about the book you’re currently reading? Would you be interested in the story if the author didn’t drag the characters through excruciating ordeals so they could grow into a better person? We tend to pray for protection from trouble for ourselves and loved ones, then we relish reading or watching others as they cope with it. Their stories are the ones we find amazing. What irony!

In my latest novel, Landmark, I take readers back to the year 1960 to journey with the Painter and Gregoy families as they navigate through trouble on the verge of a tumultuous new decade. Their efforts to do the right things as they walk with Christ will not eliminate the valuable struggle ahead of them. Like other novels in the saga, Landmark is a nostalgic, entertaining, and wholesome story, yet it is packed with meaningful insights that encourage us as we set up our own landmarks to mark the times when Jesus was faithful through our struggles.

Landmark is the first book in the saga chronologically.

It was so nice to travel back to the 1960's and find out about characters as they grew up in this charming series. I love how the author captures the innocence and curiosity of the characters who would one day be important in the art and business world. I found it interesting that the author chose to write this story as the fourth in the series. It gives us a glimpse how the characters met and remind us of how much faith is an important part of their lives.

The beautiful backdrop of Painter's Place is the perfect setting for this enchanting saga. I loved reading about Wyeth and how he matured into a very gifted artist. His romance with Christy is quite intriguing and helped me understand the emotions they went through. It was refreshing to see how important it was to have a relationship that followed God's plan. At times I could feel the struggle they had which helps readers see that everyone faces hard decisions at times.

As with the other books in the series, we get an added bonus of a mystery that was fun to follow. The addition of Christy's dad as a spy was indeed a twist for me. How would you like to be in a family where bodyguards were always around? It was hard for Christy to be alone with Wyeth as she always had someone watching. This part of the story brought a unique look at a family that had secrets to hide. I wonder if Wyeth knew what he was getting into when he started dating Christy?

The story is emotional, filled with faith and gives readers a glimpse inside how it all started in this well written series. You can tell over the last three books how much the author has grown in her craft. Each book is stronger and never sways from details that make you feel as if you are there watching the story unfold. I love how she has become more creative and descriptive in the stories. This is a book you will want to read and get inspired by the faith element in the story.

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

Blog Stops

Moments With Mercy, September 17

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, September 18

My Devotional Thoughts, September 19 (Author Interview)

Reflections From My Bookshelves, September 20

Pause for Tales, September 21

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, September 22

Texas Book-aholic, September 23

janicesbookreviews, September 24

Maureen’s Musings , September 25

Blossoms and Blessings, September 26 (Author Interview)

A Reader’s Brain, September 27

Artistic Nobody, September 28 (Spotlight)

Inklings and notions, September 29

Godly Book Reviews, September 30

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Pamela is giving away a grand prize package containing a Kindle, unique coastal kitchen towel, and an original 4×4 mini painting, “Atlantic Tides” (painted by the author)!!

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/e980/landmark-celebration-tour-giveaway

About the Book

Book: Hashtag Rogue

Author: Chautona Havig

Genre: Fiction / Contemporary / Suspense

Release Date: August 20, 2019

Something is terribly wrong in The Agency. Again.

Flynne Dortmann: computer specialist extraordinaire. The right arm of every agent in The Agency. And totally untrained for agent duty.

So when no one takes a threat seriously, Flynne does the only thing she can think of.

With money she has no authorization to use, a gun she’s never fired in her hip pocket, and more zip-ties than any agent should be allowed to carry, Flynne takes on protective detail for an unwilling client. #Rogue.

Mark Cho hasn’t had a chance to get used to being Marco Mendina—head of the Eastern US Agency. Not only that, every sign points to someone knowing he isn’t who he appears to be. His agency is in trouble. His agents may be in danger, and with an office girl gone rogue, deciding what problem to tackle first is a problem in itself.

Not to mention, he misses his office assistant with her emoji-speak, killer tech skills, and sharp instincts.

About the Author

Chautona Havig lives in an oxymoron, escapes into imaginary worlds that look startlingly similar to ours and writes the stories that emerge. An irrepressible optimist, Chautona sees everything through a kaleidoscope of It’s a Wonderful Life sprinkled with fairy tales. Find her on the web and say howdy—if you can remember how to spell her name.

Read an Excerpt

Erika ordered her eyes to open. They declined the offer. Once more, and with as much of a mental drill sergeant tone as she could muster, she demanded the possibility of sight.

Neither eyelid gave so much as a twitch.

Resigned, she then tried to ascertain the reason for said incorporation by the lids of her eyes. Her brain, too, had gone AWOL. White noise replaced rational thought, grit, replaced natural eye moisture, and if the sensation coming from her tongue could be trusted, she’d transformed into a cottonmouth.

Except that I can’t slither. I know I can’t.

That, Erika decided, was improvement. It just had to be rational thought. Oh, God please.

A question arose. Do I pray? The moment she asked, Erika nodded—inwardly, anyway. I do. Not sure since when… maybe that’ll come next.

Clarity formed when a voice broke through what might or might not have been consciousness. “Oh, thank whatever you’re supposed to thank—don’t want to be, like, totes offensive if I’m not supposed to say, ‘God,’ but I was afraid you had flat-lined.”

“Flynne?”

“Yay! She lives!”

Why do I feel like that’s supposed to be “He lives?”

“So, can you sit up if I help you?”

Bile churned in Erika’s gut. Her eyes felt like they bugged, but she wasn’t even confident she could see anymore. Then Flynne’s purple, green, and blue hair came into view. She glared, wrestling her mouth into contortions and fighting back the urge to vomit. “Please!”

It came out more like, “Mmmweeeeeffff”

“Can’t understand you.” Flynne’s eyes narrowed.

Perspiration formed on Erika’s forehead, neck, and in every other uncomfortable place. Cold, clammy perspiration.

“Do you promise not to scream if I take this off?” She tapped the tape.

Erika just nodded with vehemence that nearly lost her what breakfast she’d eaten.

Again, Flynne’s eyes grew even narrower than the first time. “Okay…” Eyes wide, the girl ripped off her high-top converse and pulled a sock from her foot. “So help me, if you scream, I’m stuffing this in your mouth—supes gross.” She wriggled it for effect—just in case Erika didn’t catch the utter disgustingness of it.

Once more, Erika nodded and pleaded. You’re so going to regret threatening me with that.

If Satan wanted to recruit torturers to relieve demons, Flynne would have been perfect for the job. She worked the tiniest corner of the duct tape free. Erika choked and grimaced. She jerked her head hard to the right. Flynne stared. Once more, she jerked it.

“You want me to rip it off? That’ll hurt!”

But the moment Flynne said “rip,” Erika began bobbing her head fast enough to ensure she drowned in vomit within seconds. Flynne had mad ripping skills, however. In less than three seconds, the tape jerked free—and so did the contents of Erika’s stomach.

All over Flynne’s bare foot and Converse shoes. The moment she stopped heaving, Erika glared up at the girl and moaned, “That’s payback for this.”

The battle of the glares began. Flynne broke the silence that followed first. “If you weren’t Keith’s girlfriend and religious, I’d swear at you. Consider yourself cussed out.” Before Erika could choose between the half-dozen scathing remarks fighting for preeminence, Flynne froze. “Wait. You called me, like, every name in the book. I thought you religious people couldn’t do that!”

The churning began again. “I did?” If she could have gagged, she would have. If she could have puked she might have. “Do I want to know what I said?”

Without hesitation, Flynne rattled off every inappropriate word Erika had spent the last few months working to eradicate from her vocabulary. “Then you got all sesquipedalian on me.”

“Sesquatch-what?”

Flynne turned a little green herself as the stench of partially digested breakfast assaulted her olfactory system. “Sesquipedalian.” At Erika’s doubtful look, Flynne went into action. She removed her other shoe, disappeared outside, returned with clean feet and ready to do business. “For your information it’s a big word that means, ‘a big word.’”

“No offense, Flynne, but you aren’t exactly known for your erudition.”

The girl gave a fine imitation of a puppy cocking its head—a blue, green, and purple-haired puppy. “That’s not one of the word-of-the-day words I’ve had. C’mon… let’s get you cleaned up and inside.”

She peeked her head outside, scanned the area, and looked back at Erika. “No one’s in the neighborhood that I can tell, but you’d be smart not to go all screamo on me or anything that would call the cops.”

“And why’s that?”

Flynne tried to be surreptitious, but Erika caught her eying a white Camry on the other side of the garage before answering, “Because I can get you out of here before they arrive, and you don’t want to be awake when I’m driving fast.”

Something deep in her gut—something other than the renewed churning that hinted she might lose what was left of the contents of her stomach—hinted that Flynne might not be exaggerating. But I’m not going to let her know that. It’d serve her right if I puked all over that car. What’d she do with hers, anyway?

After throwing a dark look at her, Flynne stalked from the garage and returned a few minutes later with a roll of duct tape slid over her arm like a grunge bracelet gone wrong. “You’re already in hot water with the Big Guy for your potty mouth, so don’t add lies. Stuff it or stick it?”

“If you tape my mouth and I vomit, you’ll be responsible for my death. Just sayin’.”

“Then don’t make noise.” Flynne glared at her. “I’m just trying to help here. Just sayin’.”

Didn’t know you had that much grit. The woozy, stomach-revolting-on-every-side feeling returned in time for Erika to make a decision. “I’m not going to scream. I don’t want to puke in a cop car, either. But if you don’t get me inside where I can be comfortably horizontal with a bowl by my side, I’m going to puke all over you and enjoy every second of it.” Her stomach rumbled. Mostly.

That perked Flynne up for reasons Erika couldn’t fathom. She hooked her tape-free arm under Erika’s and said, “Then let’s go, Kokomo!”

That’s way too old-school—like fifty years old school. A vague memory poked through the cloud cover of her mind. “I think Keith gave me vitamins or drugs to combat after-effects. I think I need those.”

Not until Flynne had her tucked up on a couch in the family room, a bright red mixing bowl on the floor beside it and a glass of water on the coffee table, did Flynne bother to answer. “Sorry. I was freakazoiding when I left the Agency and just got what I thought I needed to get you safe. I’m not trained for this.”

“Then call Keith. He’ll come. He is trained, and he’ll take care of me.”

Even as she said it, Erika knew it was futile. Flynne had it in her head that this was necessary. So, she could wait. The Agency would take care of her job, her bills, and Flynne could learn that being an agent wasn’t a good career choice. Everything would be just fine for a few days—until Flynne got over herself.

The first epithet marched across the stage of her mind, stepped up to the mic and tapped it, ready to let loose. Erika groaned.

As if propelled by itself, the red bowl appeared at her lips. “I’m sorry! I don’t know what I’m doing. The stuff these guys have to do—totes amazeballs!”

“I was groaning at my language. Can you be quiet for a minute or two while I pray? It’s totes impossible to take repentance seriously when you’re puffy hearting your cray-cray amazeballs.”

“Coolio. Sure thing.”

I just lost fifty IQ points. I know it. Let’s start with prayers for rejuvenated little gray cells and move onto repentance after that. Okay, Lord?

Let me get the biggest part of my opinion of the story out of the way. Flynne is by far the sassiest, one of a kind character I have ever read. Her own little quirky vibe is contagious. Not only is she smart but she has adapted this lingo that is so funny I rolled on the floor laughing. Okay maybe I didn't roll on the floor but I did laugh out loud several times. This computer genius pulls off the coolest plan ever known. No one takes her serious when a threat comes in. The Flynne I have come to love does what most couldn't. She risks everything to keep the person in danger safe.

Now I can't say that she used common sense, or that she is good at the spy game but she has a good heart. Nothing will stop her from protecting Erika. The time these two women spend together is like a comedy show. At the root of the story is real danger that Flynne has put herself in. It is a cat and mouse game as people scramble to help Flynne while trying to catch whoever is plotting to harm Erika. I love how the author weaves faith throughout the story. Several characters question if God is real and finds themselves turning to Him when crisis hits. Isn't it just like us to cry out for help but don't acknowledge Him when we are content.

I like the intrigue in the book and the guessing game the author provides readers to figure out who is the real threat. The story weaves back and forth while enticing readers to follow an unlikely young woman who is all about keeping people safe while proving a point. I wonder why they didn't take Flynne seriously? Could it be that they felt she wasn't trained as an agent and was overreacting?

There are others characters in the story that are vital but I have focused on Flynne because her character is brilliantly written and is dedicated to her purpose. Never underestimate someone who feels in their gut that something is not right. God gives us those feelings as a warning and Flynne took it seriously.

The book has several scenarios that keep the story moving at a good place. Seems like the agency has several threats to investigate and people to protect. Will Flynne be able to pull off the riskiest mission in the agency? Can Erika learn to trust Flynne and know that God has everything under control? Oh the banter between Flynn and Erika is priceless as Erika says , " Please, Lord. Make it stop. maybe I should find Brent Knupp and beg him to off me now." Maybe Flynne is going a little overboard as she continues to outsmart the bad guy, but Erika is getting a bit unraveled. Hang on Erika, I'm sure help is on the way. If not, Flynne is there to save the day.

Get ready for a story that captures espionage at its best with characters that jump off the pages. It is an action packed ride with danger at every turn. The author hints at another story coming soon and I can't wait to read it.

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