Fresh Flowers Bracelet Tutorial

FRBC LiveStream Video - Walking in the steps of Jesus Series

I love our church and I'm so glad God led us to join here. Franklin Road Baptist Church in Murfreesboro, TN

How to Make a Tennis Bracelet - Tutorial

Here's another great tutorial from the Potomac Bead Company.

Sinner's Garden Book Review & Tour

About the book: In the small Lake Erie township of Benning, someone is at work cultivating a supernatural garden . . .

Andy Kemp's young life has been as ravaged as his scarred face. Disfigured by an abusive father, the teenager hides behind his books and an impenetrable wall of cynicism and anger.

As Andy's mother struggles to reconnect with him, his Uncle Rip returns transformed from a stint in prison and wants to be a mentor to the reclusive boy, doing everything he can to help end Andy's pain. When Andy begins hearing strange music through his iPod and making near-prophetic announcements, Rip is convinced that what Andy is hearing is the voice of God.

Elsewhere, police officer Heather Gerisch responds to a late-night breaking and entering in one of the poorest homes in town. She soon realizes that the masked prowler has left thousands of dollars in gift cards from a local grocery store.
As the bizarre break-ins continue and Heather pursues the elusive "Summer Santa," Andy and Rip discover an enormous and well-kept garden of wildflowers that seems to have grown overnight at an abandoned steel mill.

Soon, they realize who the gardener is, and a spree of miracles transfigures this small town from a place of hopelessness into a place of healing and beauty.

Purchase a copy: http://ow.ly/s9RuK

Meet the author: Over the course of his life, William Sirls has experienced both great highs and tremendous lows---some born of chance, some born of choice. Life lessons involving faith, grace, and forgiveness are evident in his writing. The Sinners' Garden is his second novel. His first novel, The Reason, was published in 2012. William makes his home in southern Michigan.

Learn more about William at: http://WilliamSirls.com

Follow the Tour!

My Thoughts: 
First, let me begin by saying Mr. Sirls is a good, solid writer. You can't help but care for his characters and wish the best for a couple of them and want to smack some sense into them a few times. In his biography, he is very clear that he comes from a less than pristine background and it shows in his storyline, plot, and development. Using a Robin Hood type of hero, the reader is forced to wonder several things. Is it right for the Summer Santa to break into peoples' homes to leave them much needed gifts? Or should the police seek to apprehend this person who evidently wishes to harm no one and be a blessing to as many as possible while remaining anonymous?

While this story overall was very good, there were a couple of things I wondered about and struggled with. I realize that many, (dare I say most?) Christians seem to put God in a box and have Him dancing around on a string like a Marionette puppet instead of allowing Him to be the Creator like He is. This novel doesn't do that. The characters hurt; they cry, they struggle handling real situations in the right way, and to Mr. Sirls' credit, they don't always get what they want. A huge plus in my opinion. One of the main characters has been in prison and has turned his life around. Another main character receives messages from God through his iPod and relays them to others - some are happy about it, others not so much. Here's where I start to wonder about a few things. Would God give messages that could be construed as prophetic or judgmental to a boy who isn't even sure God exists let alone have a personal relationship with Him? A boy who, at the beginning is hateful and hurtful to his mother? Yes. This is fiction, and it should be read as such. But that really stuck out to me as off and I wouldn't feel right just saying, "hey, this book is a good read. You might enjoy it"  to my reading friends.

The second thing that bothered me probably wouldn't bother as many people, so bear with me for a moment. The preacher in this book seemed to talk in circles most of the time instead of leading his members; perhaps because he didn't want to seem preachy? When I pick up a Christian fiction novel, I want to encouraged to be a better Christian. I've not found one that I've thought was too preachy, but I have found some where there needed to be more direction and leading. This is one of them. The way Rip interacted with Andy was good, that's not the part I'm talking about. I felt the preacher should have led his members a little more than he did. The most important message the book had - the part of being saved by grace - didn't roll around until almost the very end of the novel. I was disappointed in that.

Leaving book reviews is highly subjective. What one reader deems as a good book without flaws, another doesn't for various reasons. Mr. Sirls is a good, solid writer with a unique plot and storyline, and his characters are so real, they could be your neighbors. There is no swearing - another huge plus in my opinion. When Christian fiction starts sounding like all the secular books out there, I won't read them anymore. There are no sex scenes, and the novel is written in a clean manner by a man who has been on the opposing side. Kudos to him for that.

*My thanks to Thomas Nelson publishers for providing this book in exchange for my honest opinion. I was not required they be positive.* 

Hugs & Kisses Bracelet

Hugs & Kisses bracelets are everywhere and they're really not
that difficult to bead. Another great video from Potomac Bead Company.
Tomorrow, I am scheduled to review Sinner's Garden by William Sirls, so
I thought we'd do our beading video a day early.
:)

Enjoy!

Make a Crystal Heart Pendant

Just in time for Valentine's Day!

If you make this, please share a picture of your finished project ~ I'd love to see it.

Amanda Stephan~Christian Author

BooksByAmanda.com

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Smitten Book Club - Book Review & Tour

About the book: The century-old Gentlewoman's Guide to Love and Courtship is no ordinary book club choice. But for the little book club in Smitten, Vermont, it might be their best pick yet!
 

The thick, leathery tome Heather pulled out of the dusty cardboard box was definitely coming home with her. Not only was The Gentlewoman's Guide to Love and Courtship an appealing curiosity by virtue of its title; it was also written by Smitten, Vermont native Pearl Chambers, a local gentlewoman from three generations back.

Little did Heather know the repercussions this little curiosity would have on her and her friends' romantic exploits.

When Heather and her fellow book club members begin passing the book around, their respective interpretations are unleashed on their respective love lives . . . for better or for worse. Is it a mystery? An idealist fantasy? An intimation of Jane Austen? As romantic love finds its way to each woman, the Guide proves itself both surprisingly prescient and hilariously irrelevant.

What's more, a handwritten inscription indicates that the arcane book might hold the only extant clues leading to buried gold---exactly what one of the members needs to keep her house. How could they not go treasure hunting?

In this remarkable collaborative novel, besties Colleen Coble, Kristin Billerbeck, Denise Hunter, and Diann Hunt tackle the tale of the Gentlewoman's Guide by writing for one book club member apiece. Smitten Book Club is a hopeful, hilarious story of friendship and healing, written by friends for friends.

Purchase a copy: http://ow.ly/t7BO1

Meet the authors: 

RITA-finalist Colleen Coble is the author of several best-selling romantic suspense novels, including Tidewater Inn, and the Mercy Falls, Lonestar, and Rock Harbor series.  

Christy Award finalist and two-time winner of the ACFW Book of the Year award, Kristin Billerbeck has appeared on The Today Show and has been featured in the New York Times. Her books include A Billion Reasons Why and What a Girl Wants.  

Denise Hunter is the award-winning and best-selling author of several novels, including A Cowboy's Touch and Sweetwater Gap. She and her husband are raising three boys in Indiana. 

Diann Hunt has lived in Indiana forever, been happily married forever, loves her family, chocolate, her friends, her dog, and, well, chocolate. Diann lost her courageous battle with cancer in December 2013.

Follow the Tour!

My Thoughts:
What happens when four of the best novelists out there get together and write an anthology? A wonderful, full-length novel you're sure to enjoy for years to come emerges. 
Each author, writing in her own style and voice, writes life into each distinctly different character and shows the reader her respective talent. This is the way I prefer to be introduced to a new-to-me author. I've read books by Colleen Coble and Denise Hunter, so I knew I'd like this novel. Throw in new to me authors Kristen Billerbeck and Diann Hunt and wild horses couldn't have stopped me from grabbing a copy.

Love by the Book - Single mom Heather, written by Colleen Coble, is beautiful, bright, and loving, but she has past regrets she wishes she could erase from her memory. Not the least of which involves handsome Paul. Will she allow her past mistakes ruin something that perhaps was meant to be after all? Or is she doomed to live a life of a single mom raising a son?

Shelved Under Romance - Librarian Abby, written by Kristen Billerbeck, is shy, timid, and definitely NOT the adventurous type. But good-looking Wyatt wants to prove that she's more than she thinks she is and he's willing to take every single trick he's got to show her how special she truly is.

A New Chapter - Elliana's story touched my heart. When the man she's loved since childhood comes back to Smitten, she realizes that he may never grow to love her in return. How true to life is that?! Come on, remember that first crush you had? Just think, what would happen if he suddenly returned and wanted to regain that friendship? Would it be easy for you, or would you have reservations about losing your heart all over again with the possibility that things would never come of it? Yeah. Me too. 

The best for last. In Happily Ever After, written by Denise Hunter, we are introduced to spunky, plucky Molly who is recovering from the loss of her husband Curtis. Juggling being a single mother and trying to get Curtis's dream business up and running, she runs into problem after problem. And one of those problems is the handsome and charming Gage Turner who just happens to be her competition - and Curtis's old nemesis. Will she be able to get over the past or will she hold the grudge without knowing the reason why? Will she be able to make a go of the business, or is she doomed to fail?

Meet Heather, Abby, Lia, and Molly. Four women, each with her own set of problems, trials, and triumphs, will show that life goes on. That they may have been knocked down, but they're not out for the count. After mistakes have been made, after regrets have been vanquished and pasts forgiven, these women show that courage doesn't mean you have to do everything on your own. That God gives us friendships - a truly special gift. Sharing their grit and determination to be what God wants them to be, these four embrace their destinies and encourage each other along on their own respective walks. Everyone needs friends like these. This book will not only touch your heart, but it will encourage you to be a better friend and to look past your own hardships and reach out to someone else.


  

How to leave a Clickable Link in comments

Whether I'm researching something, reading a blog, or just leaving a comment in the comment box, I like the clean, aesthetic look of a clickable link rather than something I have to copy and paste. Call it the OCD in me, or just call me nuts. That's just how I roll, I guess. That and coffee. Lots of coffee.

Anyway, here's a quickie guide on how to leave a clickable link.

<a href="the URL address of where you want your visitors to go">Your Spiffy Title Here</a>

and that's it! Super easy!

Amanda Stephan~Christian Author

BooksByAmanda.com

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