A Salute To Service by Mike Radford {GIVEAWAY}

A Salute to Service: The Rebirth of Patriotism by Mike Radford

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

MY REVIEW:

A Salute To Service is a wonderful book in which Mike Radford shares his passion for patriotism. He talks about his Hall of Heroes project and shares how you can start one, too. But this book is not a "how-to guide", it's a compilation of stories that will inspire you, encourage you, move you to tears, bring you to laughter.

You will read about the American G.I., teachers who truly taught, what a real patriot is, old-fashioned values that are really not old-fashioned, and so much more. This book will remind you of America's roots and why it's so great to live in the good ol' USA!

Reading A Salute to Service would be a great way to celebrate the 4th of July. It will remind you to be thankful for the things we so easily take for granted. This book would be a great one to keep on the shelf to browse through every so often, or to leave on your coffee table for guest to be encouraged by, or to give to a veteran as a small token of gratitude for their service.

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This review copy was provided courtesy of New Leaf Publishing, but the opinions stated are strictly that of my own.

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GIVEAWAY

In honor of the men and women who have fought to pay the price of freedom for my family and I, I want to thank someone who has served by making this giveaway for past and present servicemen and women only. 

Please leave a comment and I will draw a winner on July 13th.

God Strong by Sara Horn

God Strong by Sara Horn

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

MY REVIEW:

I can't imagine how hard it is to be a military wife, but I do know that I am extremely thankful for each wife who sacrifices for me by facing the challenges on the home front while their husbands serve the USA. I am also very thankful for Sara Horn and her excellent resource of encouragement, hope, and help in the low times for the women who do know what it means to be a military wife.

God Strong is a 238 page spiritual survival guide for women who have a husband who serves our country in any military capacity. This guide addresses real issues and challenges that a military wife faces in 10 easy-to-read chapters. Each chapter is then followed by Strength Builders which gives quick access to verses pertaining to the topic at hand as well as Strength Trainers which provide questions for thought and application of the topic. I especially liked the Survival Sisters section which gives real life stories and comfort from other women in the trenches of military wife life.

I give this book 4 stars for being a solid friend and comfort for those women facing the challenges known only to them as wives military men.

BOOK OVERVIEW:

Currently, more than one million military wives care for their families and their homes, often while their husbands are deployed out of state or overseas for months at a time. These women can experience a roller coaster of emotions including disappointment, loneliness, and fear. Sara Horn, the wife of a navy reservist, understands the challenges these women face. She knows how to talk about faith and spiritual truths through the filter of military life. In her encouraging book, Horn shares her personal stories, as well as wisdom and anecdotes of other wives from all branches of service. She reminds readers that: • God is in control. • You can have joy, no matter what. • Superwomen get grace, too. • God knows where you hurt. Horn’s reliance on Scripture and confidence in God’s comfort during difficult times will remind military wives they don’t have to be an army of one when they are God Strong.

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This review copy was provided courtesy of Zondervan, but the opinions expressed are my own.

A Prayer Journey Through Deployment by Donna Mull

A Prayer Journey Through Deployment by Donna Mull

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

MY REVIEW:

I don't know what it's like to find out my spouse or family member is shipping out for active duty. But if I did know what that was like, I think I would make sure Donna's book was on the top of my nightstand reading stack.

A Prayer Journey Through Deployment is a simple book that will aid you in the most powerful resource you have - prayer. Each chapter is a topical prayer and can be read for encouragement, as a prayer prompt, or both. It would be a great tool for either personal use or a group setting.

I appreciate the simplicity of this book yet the depth in which it will minister to those dealing with being apart from their loved one. This is a great gift to give anyone with a family member serving our country.

BOOK OVERVIEW

"I just received orders for deployment to Iraq."

Such words have the power to make you weak in the knees and bring a parade of disturbing images to your mind. A sense of helplessness and dread forces you to your knees but you can't seem to get beyond the repetitive cry, "Keep them safe, Lord." Such was the paralysis Donna Mull felt when her son was deployed. Her heart ached for his family. Determined to surround them with prayer, she wrote weekly military prayer devotionals and emailed them to a network of friends and family to encourage focused, faithful prayer. What followed was a year-long journey that led far beyond the generic, "Keep them safe." An excellent source of hope, comfort and Scripture-based prayers, A Prayer Journey through Deployment gives voice to the heartfelt needs of soldiers and families like loneliness, fear, guidance, unity, loss, endurance, perspective, courage, etc. A compilation of 52 devotionals chronicles the journey of prayer through this experience of deployment. Even if you have no military connection, you may find that the prayers minister to you in the midst of your own "life battles."

AUTHOR BIO:

"Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands...." 1 Thessalonians 4:11 is a good descriptive life verse for Donna Mull—quietly going about the work of serving children and families as a pediatric home care nurse. That is, until life presented a challenge completely outside her realm of understanding. Her son received orders for deployment to Iraq. She felt compelled to pray and engage others to pray concerning a world she knew little about. The one essential qualification she had was a deep love for her son and his family. The equipping and understanding God would provide when she committed to this assignment.

Donna lives in a picturesque RI town with the oldest, longstanding 4th of July parade honoring civic and military servants (224 successive years). She has two married sons and four grandchildren. Donna enjoys walking, biking, outdoor concerts and the brief "mini" vacations of sitting beside the Narrangansett Bay before heading off to work. Best of all is spending time with her grandchildren, for whom she created a scrapbook to help them deal with some of the extraordinary challenges of having a deployed parent. Donna also has the unique privilege of developing long-term relationships with some exceptionally courageous families as a Home Care nurse for medically fragile children.

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This review copy was provided by WinePress Publishing. The opinions expressed are purely of my own.

John: The Wiersbe Bible Study Series by Warren Wiersbe

The Wiersbe Bible Study Series by Warren Wiersbe

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

MY REVIEW:

In a unique blend of Scripture, excerpts of his own commentaries, and probing questions, Wiersbe digs into the Bible book of John in a thought provoking depth you will not soon forget.

Twelve lessons walk you through the book of John in great depth, yet in an a surprisingly simple fashion. Starting with a brief overview, you step into the lesson through the Going Deeper section that alternates questions based on the passage you read in the opening with portions of commentary that will jump start your meditation on the passage. The Looking Inward section guides you to personal application and is followed by the Going Forward section that walks you to putting that application into fleshed out action.

This Bible study takes longer than the average study guide - probably 30 to 60 minutes per lesson when done as an individual. However, this comprehensive study is worth every minute you will spend. I really liked the combination of both challenging depth and simple explanation woven together to make learning intense and enjoyable.

BOOK OVERVIEW:

Developing an intimate relationship with Christ is a life-long process, and the study of His Word is one of the primary avenues through which we learn and draw closer to Him. Dr. Warren Wiersbe’s ability to explore and explain the Bible has been a foundational resource for many during this life-long pursuit, and now his well-loved “Be” commentaries are available in a series of eight-week Bible studies. These small-group studies will enable readers to reach deeply into the riches of God’s Word and gain a clearer understanding of who Christ is and how He taught His followers during His ministry here on earth. Each eight-week study includes an introduction to the particular book of the Bible, tips for small group study, self-introspective questions, and practical applications. Throughout the study, portions of Dr. Wiersbe’s “Be” commentaries are included to provide greater insight and to encourage those participating in the study to continue to deepen their study of God’s Word. Students of God’s Word may then decide to explore Dr. Wiersbe’s commentaries more completely as they move through individual books of the Bible.

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This review copy was provided courtesy of The B&B Media Group. The opinions expressed are purely my own.