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Searching for Sunday by Rachel Held Evans

May 14, 2015 by Suzie Waltner 2 Comments

Family Christian provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review. All opinions expressed are my own.

searching for sunday cover

Normally, I fly through books. Granted, my normal reading is fiction as opposed to non-fiction, but every once in a while, I’ll pick up a non-fiction book. Oftentimes non-fiction takes me longer to get through. Not because I’m not interested, but because the information needs to be digested. Searching for Sunday was exactly one of those books (see those blue sticky notes in the above pictures? Those were the comments that stuck with me. The ones that required further reflection).

In her book, Held Evans explores the dynamic of the church and why there is less interest today than ever before. Throughout the book she shares her own experiences as well as those of friends and readers of her blog. While surrounding her stories around the church’s sacraments (baptism, confession, holy orders, communion, confirmation, anointing of the sick, and marriage), the author delves into what the true church should look like, her personal doubts and struggles, and the times she’s glimpsed God’s design for His church. With humility, grace, and sometimes humor, the author delves deep into what’s wrong with the church and what needs to change. The book isn’t limited to one specific church or denomination. She explores the traditions of Catholicism, Evangelicals, Protestants, and more. In a word, no one is safe.

searching for Sunday quote

This book was powerful and thought-provoking. I’ve been in some of the dark places mentioned in the book—doubting the church, wondering what’s wrong, leaving a church when they’ve made me feel as if I weren’t a part. Within the first few pages, I read a comment about churches that has been my complaint for years. As a forty-two-year old single woman, I am often made to feel less in churches that focus all of their sermons, programs, and special events around marriages and families. When a church doesn’t even have a place for me to plug in with others who are in the same stage of life as me, it’s hard to connect with the body as a whole. Yet, I would miss the fellowship of worshiping with others, of coming together every week and sharing life. And at the same time, as Held Evans points out, church isn’t limited to a building, church is all around us. She writes:

“We expect a trumpet and a triumphant entry, but as always, God surprises us by showing up in ordinary things: in bread, in wine, in water, in words, in sickness, in healing, in death, in a manger of hay, in a mother’s womb, in an empty tomb. Church isn’t some community you join or some place you arrive. Church is what happens when someone taps you on the shoulder and whispers in your ear, Pay attention, this his holy ground; God is here.”

Are you struggling with the church? Perhaps you know of someone who could use some encouragement. Searching for Sunday is available at your local Family Christian store or online. Enter to win a copy of Searching for Sunday from Family Christian (valid in the US only).

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Filed Under: Book Review Tagged With: book review, Church, FCBlogger, Non-fiction, Rachel Held Evans, Thomas Nelson, what's wrong with the church

Getting Real by Gretchen Carlson

May 8, 2015 by Suzie Waltner 6 Comments

getting real blog cover

****Family Christian provided me with a copy of this book exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.****

Personally, I’m not someone who watches the news—or news channels, for that matter. Most of my news comes from the short emails from CNN in my email inbox. If it’s a story that interests me, I’ll read it. Otherwise, I’ll ignore it. So when I agreed to review Getting Real, I had no idea who Gretchen Carlson was (sorry Miss America pageant and Fox News).

Carlson details her life from childhood to present day—and it’s fascinating. Most people haven’t lived the life she did (most people, if proficient at anything, or only proficient at one thing). As a child, Carlson played violin well enough to play with professionals including orchestras and at music festivals. Her childhood was filled with practicing and recitals, not with makeup and sleepovers. She decided to give up a promising career as a violinist and pursue other dreams. When she set her sights on becoming Miss America, it became her only focus. She dieted, practiced, shopped, and studied everything about winning the pageant. And in 1989, she succeeded. After a year of speaking engagements and appearances, Carlson returned to Stanford to finish school with her sights set on her next goal—broadcast journalism. She had to fight to get to where she is today (her own show on Fox News) but when Carlson decides to do something, she goes for it without looking back.

It was fascinating to read about Carlson’s life—the struggles, the misconceptions and prejudices toward her because she is a woman, a former Miss America, or a blonde, and the people who came alongside her to encourage and grow her. She has opinions and is not afraid to share them with others. There was a mention in the first chapter about people giving her grief about sharing her faith, but I was almost to the end of the book before she mentioned her faith again (other than her grandfather being a Lutheran minister and his church). In the book, she shared a lot of hard things she had to deal with over the course of her life, but she never talked about her relationship with Christ or how he helped her through those things. More often than not, it was her pushing herself to the outcome she wanted. This fact bothered me a little bit as (at least to me) it’s more important to live your faith than to profess it. Yes, she does have a high profile and is in a great position to stand up for Christianity, but I would have liked to hear at least once in the book (perhaps with the medical scare for her daughter) that she turned to God to make it through that time. The story that touched me the most out of the whole book was the one about her daughter and her heart toward two little girls who lost their lives in the Sandy Hook shooting. This little girl is definitely living like Jesus would.

That said, Carlson seems to be a wonderful role model for women—standing up for women in the work place, balancing both a career and a family, asking the tough questions—and a woman who speaks her mind when it comes to the increasing intolerance in America toward Christianity and Christian beliefs. If you’re a fan of Carlson or maybe just want to get to know her better, this book will definitely show you the real woman.

Family Christian is offering a $25.00 Customer Appreciation Certificate to one lucky reader of this blog. To enter, do one (or all) of the following below.

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Filed Under: Book Review Tagged With: Family Christian, FCBlogger, Fox News, Giveaway, Gretchen Carlson, Memoir

Time Stands Still CD Review (Family Force 5)

April 29, 2015 by Suzie Waltner Leave a Comment

****Family Christian provided me with a free copy of this album in exchange for an honest and fair review. All opinions expressed are my own.****

When I was in college, I worked at a small Christian bookstore in our local mall. My manager and assistant manager found that I kept up with the music scene pretty well so they put me in charge of that department. And now, twenty years later, I still enjoy my music, but I have to admit that I’m way behind the times when it comes to groups that have become popular in the last decade and a half. I do, however, have three teenage nieces and a nephew who keep me up on some of the music.

family force 5

Family Force 5 (FF5) has undergone some changes for their fourth studio album, Time Stands Still. First, they signed with a new record label—Word. In addition, there is a new lead singer at the helm (they guy who used to be the drummer, and therefore also a new drummer). Fans of FF5 may find some interesting changes to this album but the changes just may bring about new fans.

Order yours online or visit your local store

There are still a few songs with the band’s signature crunk rock and crazy lyrics including “Sweep the Leg” which would be an excellent warm-up song if you were going into an MMA fight, “Raised by Wolves” which is one of the hardest rocking songs on the album, and “Jet Pack Kicks”—not as hard hitting but silly party lyrics not the less. What was surprising was the more pop/dance pop sounding songs on the album, things you might hear on Christian radio, songs with a more faith-based message than FF5 has been known for in the past. My favorite song on the album is “Walk on Water” featuring Melodie Wagner from Hillsong. This catchy tune stuck with me.

I’ll admit it took me a few listens to get past wanting to turn it off when the heavier stuff came on, but after three listens, they started to grow on me. If you have a household with different musical tastes, consider picking this one up, the variety just may interest more than one person. With a fifteen tracks, there is a good mix of music.

Interested in purchasing Time Stands Still or other music from Family Christian? Enter here to win a $10.00 Customer Appreciation Certificate that can be used in stores or online. And don’t forget to check out their wonderful sales (Mother’s Day Sale is happening right now)

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Filed Under: Book Review Tagged With: crunk rock, FCBlogger, FF5, music review, word records

Anna’s Crossing by Suzanne Woods Fisher

March 3, 2015 by Suzie Waltner Leave a Comment

****Family Christian provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review. All opinions expressed here are my own.***

Anna's Crossing

Order your copy here.

Anna Konig is not excited about the voyage to the New World. She doesn’t want to leave her grandparents, her home, and everything familiar, but as the only person in her small Amish church who speaks English, she feels it is her duty to accompany the group as translator. Her plans are to return home as soon as possible. Bairn is the Charming Nancy’s carpenter (third in charge after the captain and the first mate). He doesn’t know what to think of the Peculiars who are passengers on the ship. Why is he so drawn to young Anna? They have nothing in common. Or do they? Will Bairn discover the truth too late?

 

As a person who loves to read almost any type of fiction (contemporary, historical, suspense, romantic suspense, mystery, etc), the one genre I tend to steer clear of is Amish fiction. I am so glad I read this book. It was hard to put down when it was time for bed or time to go to work. I kept waiting for the main characters to figure out what I had already put together (and no, I’m not going to spoil it by telling you what that is right now). Anna is unsure of herself in a few areas but that doesn’t keep her from trying her best and caring for her people as well as others, even her enemies at times. Bairn has had a difficult past and readers will sympathize with his struggles as he comes to terms with the truth of who he is, where he’s from, and his relationship with God. Suzanne Woods Fisher’s descriptions put you right in the middle of life on the boat as the group makes their way from Germany to England and then on to America.

 

Perhaps you or someone you know would enjoy this book. Enter now to win a $25.00 Customer Appreciation Certificate courtesy of Family Christian.

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Filed Under: Book Review Tagged With: Amish Fiction, book review, CR4U, Family Christian, FCBlogger, Suzanne Woods Fisher

Live Your Life for Half the Price by Mary Hunt

March 2, 2015 by Suzie Waltner 4 Comments

****Family Christian provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review. All opinions expressed are my own****

Life is expensive. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could find ways to make it less expensive? Oh, I know what you’re thinking. “I don’t have time to clip coupons” or “I don’t want to give up my (fill in the blank).” One of the top New Years resolutions people make every year is to get out of debt. The people who are successful are those who take time to plan, the people who live within their income instead of exceeding it every month. There are so many places people can cut expenses. Some you may have heard of (clipping coupons, doing away with credit cards) and some you may have never thought of (all of those excessive charges on your cell phone bill).

live your life cover

In Live Your Life for Half the Price, Mary Hunt provides strategies for reducing your debt and spending less. From grocery shopping tips (yes, coupon clipping is involved but her suggestions and helps will keep it from becoming tedious) to saving on insurance, from cleaning out your closet and building a basic wardrobe to car buying tips, Hunt offers solid advise on how to trim your cost of living. Hunt offers readers many tools to make cutting your expenses easy (websites, phone numbers, books, recipes, and more). In addition to her suggestions, she tells her own stories. She has been where you may be now. She and her husband struggled with credit card debt, and she now makes a living helping people get out of debt. Readers don’t feel like they’re alone in their struggle to bring their expenditures within their income (Hunt suggests living on 80% of your income, giving away 10%, and saving 10%).

<em>Live Your Life for Half the Price has sound advice for anyone wanting to reduce what they are spending. You may not want to drive that old clunker another year, but what’s more important to you, driving the newest model car or providing your children, spouse, parents, etc with a future that isn’t clouded with debt?

The single greatest money-saving strategy I’ve learned over the years is this: When I run across something I think I have to own, I just wait a little while. -Mary Hunt in Live Your Life for Half the Price

Found money is always nice so Family Christian is offering one lucky person a $25.00 Customer Appreciation Certificate. Use this in stores or online. You can purchase this book to help get you started on making a plan for getting out of debt or perhaps you need a gift for something that has come up unexpectedly. Enter for your chance to win.

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Filed Under: Book Review Tagged With: Couponing, Debt Proof Living, Family Christian, FCBlogger, get out of debt, Mary Hunt, revell, Saving Money

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