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Psalm 119:61-62

Published on by Amanda TeroLeave a comment
Psalm 119:61-62
(61)  The bands of the wicked have robbed me: but I have not forgotten thy law.
There is no excuse to forget God’s law. When trials come, it should not bring us further from God’s law, it should not cause us to doubt God, but bring us closer. What is the difference? Some people forget God’s law – that He warns us we’ll suffer trials and tribulations (“My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.”James 1:2-4). They forget that God promises rewards to those who endure (“Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.” James 1:12). Those few verses should help us to stay focused not on the enemy or the trials we’re facing, but on God, Who is sufficient through our trials.
(62)  At midnight I will rise to give thanks unto thee because of thy righteous judgments.
Here is another “night” mentioned. What am I doing at midnight? If I awaken in the middle of the night, do I turn my thoughts immediately to God in thanksgiving? Do my thoughts go to His Word?

The perfect example of midnight worship is Paul and Silas: “And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed.” (Acts 16:25-26)

Learning to See Creatively | Book Review

Published on by Amanda Tero2 Comments
Before I finished this book, I had my camera in hand and was outside taking pictures. Though I am not inclined to be an abstract photographer, the tips in this book were very helpful and got my wheels turning.
Peterson comes from his thirty-plus years of experience to address Expanding Your Vision, Elements of Design, Composition, The Magic of Light, and Photoshop. His style is very rounded out, from traditional landscapes to modern abstract photographs. The books is full of beautiful images and informative text. Though I have read through the book once, I know that I will refer back to it several times to study different images and his camera settings.
Negatives:

Being a secular photography book, there were a few images that I decided to cover up before my brothers would see the book (I actually was surprised that there were only 6-10). There were also some words that my family views as “bad words.” 
I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

More info
About the Author

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For the fun of it…
Here are some pictures I snapped after reading portions of the book. What I was specifically working on was seeing colors and contrast. Another thing that I have put on my list to work on is take my time while capturing in image.

All images completely unedited.


What is something you’ve done this week? Either learning a new craft or honing one that you’ve already begun?

O Magnify the Lord With Me

Published on by Amanda TeroLeave a comment

A passage that I have been meditating on this week is Psalm 34:1-4:

1 I will bless the Lord at all times: His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
2 My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.
3 O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His Name together.
4 I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.

And, every time that I quote those verses, one song comes to mind and I wanted to share it today.

Sure, we might be facing tough days and difficult moments, but our praise should continually be to God!

Word Wednesday #70

Published on by Amanda Tero2 Comments
For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands oft, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders. Mark 7:3
What rules am I allowing to dominate my life? rules that are not spelled out in Scripture, but I apply them for “personal holiness?”

Share a verse that God has given you today or copy the button if you’d like to join in Word Wednesdays with your blog!

 
 

Flight School | Book Review and Giveaway!

Published on by Amanda Tero3 Comments

A few months ago, I came across The Sparrow Found a House, by Jason McIntire (good news: you can get it for free from their website–read my review of it here!). So, when I discovered that Jason was needing bloggers to review his sequel, Flight School, I jumped at the opportunity!
Cover image of Flight School

Book Synopsis
On the verge of adult life, Chris Rivera is eager to get started on his career as a director of Christian movies. But he’ll have to do it without his best friend Ben, who has traded childhood toys for law books… and a very pretty study partner.

Meanwhile, Jessie is getting a lot of attention from conservative neighbor John and trendy friend Galen – each of whom, for drastically different reasons, seems a little too good to be true.

In the face of hard questions and big temptations, how do you know which choice is right? And where do you get the courage to make it?

Personal Review

*I received this book to review with my honest opinion*
As with The Sparrow Found a House, Flight Schoolbalances between the views of the Rivera children (Chris, Jessie, Moe, and Katie), their friend Ben, and occasionally other characters. This gives a very unique and full viewpoint throughout the entire story as the reader learns about the struggles and victories they each face.
Overall, I think Flight School makes an excellent family book. Though I don’t consider this a negative, some parents may want to use caution as several different Baptist denominations are discussed and could provide confusion to younger readers (personally, it intrigued me to learn about the differences).
I found myself reminded of my teen years of attempting-to-make-movies with friends, as Chris, Jessie, and Galen worked together to create movies. I did not care for what seemed to be an apocalypse theme for their movie, but could identify with the lessons they learned in the process and found the climax in Chris’s life very intense.
The first half somewhat disappointed me with not as much parental involvement as I found in The Sparrow Found a House, though the latter half redeemed this disappointment as there were several great discussions between parents and children.
Two quotes caught my eye (probably because of the insane summer I’ve had):
“She had almost forgotten how good it felt to just slow down and love individual people.”
“We should be ‘obsessed’ with only one thing: pleasing Him, whether He calls us to be insanely busy or completely still.”
I didn’t realize until after I finished the book that I needed the reminder of the lessons in it (two areas which sum up what I believe the Lord has been trying to teach me this summer)
~Am I focused on people (relationships) or projects?
~Is my solution to temptations saddling myself under more rules or yielding myself to the Holy Spirit?

And now for the giveaway!!! 🙂

Or go ahead and order the book on Amazon. It’s $2.99 for the Kindle version, or $9.99 for the 256-page print edition.

Jason McIntire
About Jason
A 2005 homeschool graduate and partner in family business ventures, Jason McIntire writes as a hobby. His Christian stories are built around solidly biblical ideas, but packaged in his own light-hearted, often humorous style.

Psalm 119:59-60

Published on by Amanda TeroLeave a comment
Psalm 119:59-60
(59)  I thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto thy testimonies.
When was the last time I stopped to reallythink about my ways? I shouldn’t think about them to see if they’re “okay” with me, but if they’re “okay” with God. And, when I realize that any part of my way was not“okay” with God, do I turn my feet to His testimonies? Do I correct that which is not in line with His Word by then being a doer of the Word and not a hearer only?
Some verses to consider about our ways:
“Doth not he see my ways, and count all my steps?” (Job 31:4)
” I said, I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue: I will keep my mouth with a bridle, while the wicked is before me.” (Psalm 39:1)
“O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes!” (Psalm 119:5)
“I have kept thy precepts and thy testimonies: for all my ways are before thee.” (Psalm 119:168)
“Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.” (Psalm 139:3)
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9)
 (60)  I made haste, and delayed not to keep thy commandments.
Haste – OT:2363 chuwsh (koosh); a primitive root; to hurry; figuratively, to be eager with excitement or enjoyment:
Delayed – OT:4102 mahahh (maw-hah’); apparently a denominative from OT:4100; properly, to question or hesitate, i.e. (by implication) to be reluctant:

To make hast to keep God’s commandments gives an idea of hurry. But this hurry isn’t because of fear or to “get it done with” but excitement, eagerness, enjoyment! Do I find that attitude towards keeping God’s commandments. “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.”(1 John 5:3) Grievous: weighty, burdensome, grave – which gives the idea of the “delay” mentions in Psalm 119:60 (question, hesitate, be reluctant). For the child of God, their attitude towards His commands shouldn’t be grief or delay, but excited haste!

Pass Me Not and I Love Thee | Book Reviews and Giveaway

Published on by Amanda Tero2 Comments

Here we are again with two more novellas from Miss Faith Blum!


Pass Me Not
Another simple and sweet story from Faith Blum. “Pass Me Not” juggles the viewpoint of both Timothy and Abigail as they pray about a “marriage of convenience.” Louise adds a little spicy touch to the story.

Again, as a novella, it is well-paced and doesn’t get bogged down at any point.

Back Cover:

Let me at Thy throne of mercy
Find a sweet relief
Kneeling there in deep contrition
Help my unbelief

Timothy is at his wit’s end. His twelve year old half-sister has run off five housekeepers in almost a year. Since their parents died, she has grown wilder than ever. What can he do? As he looks for a new housekeeper, his eye catches sight of a mail order bride advertisement. One young lady has a younger sister and sounds like a God-fearing woman. Could this be the answer to his dilemma or will Louise run her off, too?

Approximately 18,000 words


I Love Thee
Following the story of Cole Baxter as he suddenly finds himself rather to his four nieces and nephews, “I Love Thee” is a short and sweet story. Though stories with challenging kids are fun, I enjoyed the four well-behaved children portrayed in this story (part of what leads me to sum this up as “sweet”). The kitchen scene with Rhoda and the kids was adorable! I also liked getting to know some characters briefly mentioned in Faith’s novel, “Amazing Grace.”

As the third of Faith’s novellas that I have read, the story flows nicely and does not take long to read and enjoy.

Back Cover:

Mom and Dad dead STOP Please come STOP Gage

When his sister dies, leaving him with four children ages 8 and under, Cole Baxter gets desperate. He decides he needs a wife. He writes to a mail order bride before realizing he almost through away the best woman he could have.


Approximately 18,000 words
About Faith:

An avid reader, Faith Blum started writing at an early age. Whether it was a story about the camping trip that summer or a more creative story about fictional characters, she has always enjoyed writing. When not writing, Miss Blum enjoys reading, crafting, playing piano, Captaining on the Holy Worlds Historical Fiction Forum and playing games with her family (canasta, anyone?).
As a history enthusiast who has been fascinated for years with the Old West, Faith has endeavored to create a clean, fun, and challenging Western story. Faith lives with her family on a hobby farm in the Northern Midwest, where she enjoys the many cats they have.
You can find Faith on her Website, Blog, Facebook, and Twitter


See where else Amazing Grace has appeared on the web here.

If you want to know a little more about Faith, I interviewed her here.

Giveaway

Faith is giving away prizes to two people. The first prize winner will receive:

~A paperback of the novel that started the novellas, Amazing Grace (or novel of choice)

 ~One handpainted bookmark (painted by the author’s sister)
~A silver pen nib bookmark

First prize

The second prize winner will receive:
~An ebook copy of Amazing Grace (or ebook of choice)
~Two handpainted bookmarks (painted by the author’s sister)

Second Prize

Sales

From August 24-28 only, I Love Thee will be free! Also on sale during the blog tour are A Mighty Fortress which will be$0.99 from August 23-30 and Be Thou My Vision which will be $0.99 from August 30-September 6.

Tour Schedule

Monday, August 24

Tuesday, August 25

Wednesday, August 26-RELEASE DAY!

Thursday, August 27

Friday, August 28

Saturday, August 29

Sunday, August 30

Monday, August 31

Redeemed | Book Review and Giveaway

Published on by Amanda Tero6 Comments
Novella Blog Tour


I am thrilled to review Faith Blum’s new novella (you might remember it from the cover reveal)! Today I am joining her for the Overall, it was a short and sweet trilogy as I re-met some characters mentioned in her Hymns of the West Series and met some new ones.

Redeemed
As chapter after chapter progressed with Alex’s scheme to “feign a marriage,” I was like, “This isn’t really happening?!” and couldn’t stop because I was so intrigued. The end of chapter six, especially, had me shaking my head in disbelief. How was it all going to turn out? When would Alex’s and Mona’s eyes be opened?

“Redeemed” was a very easy-paced and easy-to-read novella and had an enjoyable plot with a satisfying ending.

Back Cover

Mail Order bride seeks wealthy Western man. Write Mona Sommers, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Alexander Granger is tired of his father’s lectures and sermons. It’s time for payback. His plan is to pretend to marry a woman and scandalize his father when he finds out they aren’t really married. Will Mona accept his offer? Can Alex get away with his plan?

Approximately 14,000 words.

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Come back on Saturday, as I review Faith’s other two novellas! 🙂


About Faith:

An avid reader, Faith Blum started writing at an early age. Whether it was a story about the camping trip that summer or a more creative story about fictional characters, she has always enjoyed writing. When not writing, Miss Blum enjoys reading, crafting, playing piano, Captaining on the Holy Worlds Historical Fiction Forum and playing games with her family (canasta, anyone?).
As a history enthusiast who has been fascinated for years with the Old West, Faith has endeavored to create a clean, fun, and challenging Western story. Faith lives with her family on a hobby farm in the Northern Midwest, where she enjoys the many cats they have.
You can find Faith on her Website, Blog, Facebook, and Twitter


See where else Amazing Grace has appeared on the web here.

If you want to know a little more about Faith, I interviewed her here.

Giveaway

Faith is giving away prizes to two people. The first prize winner will receive:

~A paperback of the novel that started the novellas, Amazing Grace (or novel of choice)

 ~One handpainted bookmark (painted by the author’s sister)
~A silver pen nib bookmark

First prize

The second prize winner will receive:
~An ebook copy of Amazing Grace (or ebook of choice)
~Two handpainted bookmarks (painted by the author’s sister)

Second Prize

Sales

From August 24-28 only, I Love Thee will be free! Also on sale during the blog tour are A Mighty Fortress which will be$0.99 from August 23-30 and Be Thou My Vision which will be $0.99 from August 30-September 6.

Tour Schedule

Monday, August 24

Tuesday, August 25

Wednesday, August 26-RELEASE DAY!

Thursday, August 27

Friday, August 28

Saturday, August 29

Sunday, August 30

Monday, August 31

Word Wednesday #69

Published on by Amanda TeroLeave a comment
But Jesus said unto them, They need not depart; give ye them to eat. And they say unto him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes. (Mark 14:16-17)

The disciples saw what they had physically, without the power of Jesus. What is it Jesus is asking me to do, but I am relying on what I can physically see, not on Jesus’ limitless power?

Share a verse that God has given you today or copy the button if you’d like to join in Word Wednesdays with your blog!

 
 

Psalm 119:57-58

Published on by Amanda TeroLeave a comment
Psalm 119:57-58
(57) Thou art my portion, O LORD: I have said that I would keep thy words.
In this life, we tend to expect certain “portions” (allotment). But for the believer, we should realize that HEis our portion. Can we, like the Psalmist, say, “The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou maintainest my lot.”? (Psalm 16:5) If we recognize God as our portion, perhaps we would be more inclined to keep His Words.
(58)  I intreated thy favour with my whole heart: be merciful unto me according to thy word.

Similar to verse 41 (“Let thy mercies come also unto me, O LORD, even thy salvation, according to thy word.”), there are promises “according to [God’s] Word.” It is amazing to think that those of us who have obtained God as our portion (through salvation) now have access to God’s favor and His mercy – according to His Word.