Here you will find Christian Books. Mostly Bibles, Devotions, Childrens Books, Gift Books and a few Fiction will be added here as well. Hope you enjoy our reviews of the awesome books. We are just beginning, so tell all of your friends about us.
A forty-day interactive journey that challenges readers to come face to face with the reality of their life circumstances, identify the internal battles they must personally declare war on and fight through, and become the difference-maker that God created them to be.
About the Book
A forty-day interactive journey that will help you identify and fight your internal battles—so you can take back your life.
Every person has a mission and a God-given potential to impact the world, whether they recognize it or not. But life presents challenges and traps us in a helpless, hopeless loop of anxiety and fear.
In Take Back Your Life, a blend of bestselling books Through the Eyes of a Lion and I Declare War, join Levi Lusko onan interactive journey to take back your life. With biblical truth and perspective, this step-by-step journaling process will help you:
get out of your own way by learning to think right so you can live right,
find purpose by discovering that God will do great things with your imperfect progress, and
learn that your pain is not an obstacle to being used by God but an opportunity to be used like never before.
This is more than a book; it’s an intimate self-analysis tool that will help you recognize what’s weighing you down or holding you back, and equip you to embrace it head-on as you become the best version of yourself. Start thinking right, so you can live right.
Take Back Your Life is a 40 day devotional journey. It helps change your way of thinking so you can live right, according to the way God want us to live. This is the most unique Devotional I believe I have ever seen. Each devotion is about different things that will help you in growing your faith. Each chapter ends with a prayer section and a Breath Grow and Think Section. In this section it reviews what you have learned, ask questions to help you better understand what you are studying.
This is not only a great Devotional, it can be an awesome Bible Study. Each has a scripture to read or memorize, the devotions are short, just a few pages, and with the Breathe, Think and Live questions it makes a perfect discussion chapter for study. If you are a Sunday school teacher, or a small group leader I highly recommend that you check out Take Back Your Life. And I really think young adults or teens would appreciate this Devotional. Whether it be for Bible study or devotions.
A special thanks to the author/publisher for a copy of this book. I am not required to write a positive review, the opinions here are mine alone. I am disclosing this with my review in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
Product Details
ISBN: 9780785232773
ISBN 10: 078523277X
Imprint: Thomas Nelson
On Sale: 2020-08-04
Pages: 320
List Price: $16.99
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Publication Date: 2020-08-04
Category 1 :RELIGION / Christian Life / Personal Growth
Category 2 :RELIGION / Christian Life / Prayer
About the Author
Levi Lusko
Biography
Levi Lusko is the founder and lead pastor of Fresh Life Church located in Montana, Wyoming, Oregon, and Utah. He is the bestselling author of Through the Eyes of a Lion, Swipe Right, and I Declare War. Levi also travels the world speaking about Jesus. He and his wife, Jennie, have one son, Lennox, and four daughters: Alivia, Daisy, Clover, and Lenya, who is in heaven.
Book Title: The Moon Is Missing by Jenni Ogden Category: Adult Fiction (18 +), 388 pages Genre: Book Club, Literary, Women's Fiction, Domestic Suspense Publisher: Sea Dragon Press Release date: April 2020 Content Rating: PG-13 + M: No violence, mild non-explicit sex scenes, appropriate and minimal use of f--- words and a few mild cusses etc, adultery as a secret from past generations, but not between current-day characters.
"Jenni Ogden is a beautiful writer. In her newest, a tale of domestic suspense, Ogden tells the story of a neurosurgeon bedeviled by her own sophisticated brain and the memories of a long-ago tragedy that still has the power to destroy her and her family. Pick up The Moon is Missing. You won't put it down."
-- Jacquelyn Mitchard, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Deep End of the Ocean & My Only
"With gripping scenes set during Hurricane Katrina and on a remote New Zealand island, this tightly-woven family drama—fueled by long-buried secrets and a daughter’s desperate need to answer the question, ‘Who am I?’ —is ripe for book club discussion." --Barbara Claypole White, bestselling author of 'A Perfect Son' & 'The Promise Between Us'
“…Beautifully written … characters were immensely believable…Ogden did not shy away from the harsh realities of what can happen when someone in a family is experiencing panic attacks and trauma from the past. Katrina was a tragedy and I feel the novel really paid homage to the medical staff who worked tirelessly to make sure people were evacuated….a must-read for anyone who is a fan of women’s fiction, especially harkening back to the old greats such as Fern Michaels.”
—Readers’ Favorite, 5 star review.
Book Description:
A daughter who cries “Who am I?”
A mother who can’t tell her…
A hurricane called Katrina…
A family secret exposed…
An island at the bottom of the world.
From Jenni Ogden, author of multiple-award-winning A DROP IN THE OCEAN, comes a page-turning tale of family secrets and mother–daughter conflict set in London, New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina, and on a remote and spectacular island off the coast of New Zealand.
Georgia Grayson has perfected the art of being two people: a neurosurgeon on track to becoming the first female Director of
Neurosurgery at a large London hospital, and a wife and mother. Home is her haven where, with husband Adam’s support, she copes with her occasional anxiety attacks. That is until her daughter, 15-year-old Lara, demands to know more about Danny, her mysterious biological father from New Orleans who died before she was born. "Who was he? Why did he die? WHO AM I?” Trouble is, Georgia can’t tell her. As escalating panic attacks prevent her from operating, and therapy fails to bring back the memories she has repressed, fractures rip through her once happy family. Georgia sees only one way forward; to return to New Orleans where Danny first sang his way into her heart, and then to the rugged island where he fell to his death. Somehow she must uncover the truth Lara deserves, whatever the cost.
Jenni Ogden and her husband live off-grid on spectacular Great
Barrier Island, 100 kms off the coast of New Zealand, a perfect place to
write and for grandchildren to spend their holidays. Winters are spent
near a beach in Far North Tropical Queensland. Jenni’s debut novel, 'A
Drop in the Ocean', won multiple awards and has sold over 80,000 copies.
As a clinical psychologist and neuropsychologist, she is well-known for
her books featuring her patients’ moving stories:'Fractured Minds: A
Case-Study Approach to Clinical Neuropsychology', and 'Trouble In Mind:
Stories from a Neuropsychologist’s Casebook'. Please visit her author
website, sign up for her e-newsletter, and friend and follow her
everywhere!
Join us for this tour from Oct 26 to Nov 13, 2020!
Book Details:
Book Title: The Way to Remember by Martha Reynolds Category: Adult Fiction (18 +), 341 pages Genre: Women's fiction, general fiction Publisher: Independent Release date: June, 2020 Content Rating: PG-13 +M. There are a few swear words, and sex is more suggested than explicit, but there are one or two moments that are provocative.
Book Description:
Set
in New England at the time of the American Bicentennial, The Way to Remember is the poignant story of a displaced young woman struggling to figure out who she is within the context of her hometown and the carefully masked dysfunction of her family. "Everything can be fixed by writing a check." Words to live by for Robin Fortune's wealthy father, until he can't buy her way back into college after she's expelled for dealing pot. Now he chooses not to speak to her anymore, but that's just one of the out-of-whack situations Robin's facing. At nineteen, she feels rudderless, working in a diner by day and sleeping with a buddy from high school by night - all so strange for her because she was always the one with the plan. While her college friends plotted how to ensnare husbands, she plotted a novel, which she scratched out into a series of spiral-bound notebooks she hides in the closet. But now, there's nothing. No vision, no future, no point. In fact, the only thing she feels she has to look forward to is that her favorite author, Maryana Capture, is paying a visit to the local Thousand Words bookstore. Robin surmises that if she can convince Maryana to help her get her novel published, she'll finally get herself back on track. Except that life never takes a straight path in this intensely satisfying coming-of-age novel.
I didn't read this book when it was published under a different name, but I am so glad for the opportunity to read this one, The Way We Remember. Arthur Martha Roger's creates characters that are realistic and believable, and each scene in the book was told so smoothly and expertly it seems like a real life story. The author deals with real life issues, things happening in colleges at that time in history. And even though Robin's family had money, her dad didn't cut her any slack for her getting in trouble in college. Which taught her valuable lessons. Another lesson here is having money doesn't keep a family from problems, in fact they have more problems here because of it. Writing a check doesn't solve all of your problems. I appreciate the way the author weaves this throughout the story in several different ways. This is a story well worth your time.
I really enjoyed this story. The author was good at keeping my attention, I could hardly put it down until I found out the ending. This is the first book I have read of Ms. Roger's and I am looking forward to more from her in the future. I give this one Five Stars. Anyone wanting a good historical read will love this one. Check it out today!
A special thanks to the author/publisher for a copy of this book. I am not required to write a positive review, the opinions here are mine alone. I am disclosing this with my review in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
And now here is a fascinating GUEST POST from author Martha Rogers!!
Stuck on an Island with Only Five Books!
What a dilemma! If you can imagine, there was actually a time before cellphones and the internet. I’m old enough to remember, because I lived through it! But even for me, it’s difficult sometimes to realize how dependent we’ve all become on technology.
So, this topic had me thinking. I’m on a deserted island with only five books to keep me company. Naturally, I have food, water, and plenty of shade (haha!), but for entertainment, all I have are five books. So, what do I choose?
How often do I reread a novel, even a great one? Not often. Hardly ever. But I’m stuck on this island, and I can use a book to escape to another place, so I’m going to bring A Room with a View by E.M. Forster. It’s a novel from 1908 set in England and Italy, about a young woman who fights the constraints of the time in which she’s living.
I’m so accustomed to looking everything up online that I can hardly remember how I used to learn things. Okay, I’m exaggerating a little, but you know how easy it is to just Google what you need to know that instant? I can’t do that on the island, so I’ll bring along Britannica’s 250th Anniversary Collector’s Edition. Growing up, we had a 25-volume set of encyclopedias in our house. This one volume will cover 1768-2018, so it’ll keep me busy!
I know I’ll need help on the island – I don’t even know how to catch a fish. So How to Survive on a Tropical Deserted Island needs to go in my bag. Yes, this is actually a book.
Another must-have book is 300 Days of Grilled Fish. Yes, I’ll become a pescatarian by necessity.
Finally, for introspection, I will choose The Essential Rumi. Rumi was a 13th-century poet and mystic whose writings are timeless. Here’s just one: “Move outside the tangle of fear-thinking. Live in silence.” Well, I imagine I’ll be living in silence all the time, so perhaps Rumi will help me embrace it.
This is a great exercise! I encourage others to think about it. And you’ll notice I didn’t bring along any of the nine novels I’ve written – not that I don’t think they’re good, but I know all of them so well, I think they live inside my head!
Martha Reynolds
MEET THE AUTHOR: Martha Reynolds was raised in Rhode Island, spent a year of college in Switzerland, and is always planning a return visit. She completed an accomplished career as a fraud investigator and decided it was time to do something she really liked.
She now writes full-time and has set a personal goal of releasing a book a year until she dies. Her writing has appeared in Magnificat magazine and her very short poem was read by journalist Connie Schultz during NPR's Tell Me More poetry challenge.
Her novel VILLA DEL SOL won the 2018 Book Award in Literary Fiction by the Independent Publishers of New England.
Book Title: The Goose on the Roof by Sarah Sommer Category: Children's Fiction (Ages 3-7), 40 pages Genre: Picture Book Publisher: Sarah Sommer Release date: January 2020 Content Rating: G. Children's picture book with no adult topics or language
Book Description:
When one little girl trie6s to solve a big problem involving a goose on her roof, she enlists the help of her animal friends. Despite her best efforts, things don't go as planned, and she ends up with additional challenges to navigate as well. The Goose on the Roof features rhymes, animal characters, and a theme of problem-solving. The order of the characters can serve as a memory game as the story builds up and unwinds. Children may also be encouraged to come up with their own ideas for how to solve the issue of the honking goose on the roof and the predicaments created by the other animals. Winner (1st place) of the 2020 Purple Dragonfly Book Awards in the animals/pets category (ebook), this children's story highlights animals in a wholesome and engaging way.
The Goose On the Roof is such a cute story. The Goose is honking and honking on the roof and as you can imagine it gets annoying. And friends are not much help. I can see this book being really good for discussions in a classroom, or library. The story one each page has a different friend to help and there can be lots if things to talk about. The author does an amazing job writing this sweet story and I know children will love it.
The cute friends that stop by to help are so adorable looking. That's because of the adorable illustrations by Martina Terzi. The covers are bright and vibrant, making each page pop out when the pages are turned. Even a small child who can not read can make up their own stories from the illustrations. I love to hear little ones do that. The hardcover book is pretty good size, so this gives you a really nice addition to your child's library. And I think every elementary school should have this in their library. I highly encourage you to pick up this precious book and check it out.
A special thanks to the author/publisher for a copy of this book. I am not required to write a positive review, the opinions here are mine alone. I am disclosing this with my review in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
Meet the Author:
Sarah Sommer enjoys working with words in a way that makes the story feel musical and rhythmical, which is a reflection of her first career in music as a professional clarinetist. She is passionate about animals and enjoys nature, the arts, and dark chocolate.
Join us for this tour from Oct 19 to Nov 13, 2020!
Book Details:
Book Title: Animals at the Office by Sarah Sommer Category: Children's Fiction (Ages 3-7), 40 pages Genre: Picture Book Publisher: Sarah Sommer Release date: October 2020 Content Rating: G. Children's picture book with no adult topics or language
Book Description:
It's Gator's first day at his new office job, and he is surrounded by quirky personalities like the slow slug, the obedient dog, the aggressive hawk, and the chatty chicken. He is eager to fit in with his new co-workers, so he tries to be like them. But acting like everyone else doesn't work out for him, and he learns a valuable lesson about himself instead. Featuring hand-drawn illustrations, vibrant colors, and rhymes, Animals at the Office sparks dialogue regarding first-day jitters, fitting in with new crowds, and embracing one's own special traits despite being surrounded by others who are different. Adults may relate to the featured characters based on their own experiences at an office and can use the book to talk more with children about their own job and what going to work means for them.
After her mother’s untimely death, Emma Monroe’s dreams to become a teacher are dashed. She takes a job as maid and cook at the local Stratton Ranch, where she endures humiliation and hardship in order to provide for her ailing father and younger brother. Only Riley Stratton, her childhood friend and heir to the Stratton fortune, sees her heart. When she’s asked to care for Skye, the young half-Indian girl most family members refuse to claim, Emma finally finds the purpose she craves.
Riley Stratton has it all, or so it seems. Growing up as the youngest son of the rich and powerful John Stratton, Riley stands to inherit a legacy of greatness in the Stratton Ranch. On the surface, his family looks like they have it all, but manipulation, deceit, and an ever-present quest for power leave him desperate for change. Yet his father has made it clear: do things the Stratton way, or face alienation and disinheritance. As Riley and Emma choose between honor, dreams, and expectations—not to mention the love they can no longer deny—their first steps prove how quickly the situation can spin into danger. When their best efforts threaten the lives and hopes of those closest to them, it becomes clear the decisions they make will change the course of their lives forever.
A special thanks to the author/publisher for a copy of this book. I am not required to write a positive review, the opinions here are mine alone. I am disclosing this with my review in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
About the Author
Renae Brumbaugh Green is an ECPA Bestselling Author, award-winning humor columnist, and wannabe superhero. She lives in Texas with her handsome, country-boy husband, four nearly-perfect children and one nearly-perfect son-in-law, and far too many animals. When she’s not writing, Renae teaches online classes and tries to be rugged without chipping her nail polish.
More from Renae
I’ve been writing this book for more than a decade!
In 2008, my dear friend and writing mentor, Chip Ricks, shared a book idea with me. Loosely based on her own family history, she wanted to write a story about two brothers—one who chose to live for Christ, the other who didn’t. She wanted to follow that family through the generations, to show the impact of that one choice, on the people who came behind.
She just had one problem. Chip was a brilliant writer, but she wasn’t a fiction writer. “Will you help me write this book?”
Now, Chip was in her 80s at the time. She was a mother, a grandmother, to me in the faith. If she’d asked me to paint the moon pink, I’d have given it my best shot. For several years, Chip and I worked together on several versions of the book. We only ever got through the first few chapters, and we’d change our minds about the characters or the situations. Finally, one day she smiled at me. She said, “You know, Renae. This is your book. I know I whispered the idea to you, but I always wanted you to be the one to write it. I’m getting too old to work on this . . . please take it. It’s your story.”
Soon after, she moved across the country to live with her daughter. We stayed connected via phone calls and Facebook, until eventually, she stopped responding. We lost touch. I continued to write the book—Chip’s book. Now my book. I’d work on it a while, then put it away for several months, even a few years at one point. In 2017, I finished what would become the first final draft. I fiddled with it more, here and there, but I hung onto it until I met Misty Beller, my publisher at Wild Heart.
I submitted the book to her, and she accepted it, right away! Then the editor got hold of it. God bless Erin Taylor Young! She was brutal, in the best possible way. I spent weeks (months?) making the suggested changes, and each one made the book so much better. The day I turned in those final edits to my publisher, I opened up Facebook. There, on Chip’s FB page, was a note to all her friends.
From one of her children.
She’d gone to see her Heavenly Father.
I sat there, frozen, looking at my screen, big fat tears tracking my cheeks. How was it possible that on the day the book was complete, I learned of her death? She was so instrumental in my walk of faith, and in my path as a writer. It was almost like the Holy Spirit wanted me to know . . . this particular journey was now complete.
I hope you enjoy this book, book one in a trilogy, for it is very close to my heart. And I hope you learn from the actions of two brothers, so many years ago, that our choices have an impact on our own lives, and on the lives of those who follow us.
Paula was broken, traumatized, and bound by many addictions, but today she is free. And that is God’s desire for you, too!
Paula Jauch’s life was controlled by trauma and addiction. Born into neglect and addiction, she inherited self-destructive patterns and emotional prisons she could not escape. She experimented with crack at age thirteen, became pregnant at fifteen, was initiated into a Hispanic gang, and bore her second child by the time she was eighteen. Starved for acceptance and worth, she began cutting her body, and developed a near-fatal disorder for twenty years.
Cross Addicted follows Paula’s raw, stumbling journey toward freedom. You will find renewed hope and practical steps of recovery.
Recognize that there is nothing wrong with you.
Learn how to forgive yourself and others.
Understand addiction and trauma and the healing process through recovery.
Find freedom by understanding what Jesus did on the cross.
In "Cross Addicted" author Paula Jauch shares her journey through addition, with the most raw emotions. Not growing up and having dealt with these issues, I cannot say I know how she feels because I don't. But I can praise this brave author for telling her story. I believe stories like Paula's is essential today because there are so many who face these same issues and addictions. And I think it is awesome to have books such as this one for those facing addictions.
"Cross Addition" is a book I will refer to, and it is a book I plan to keep on hand in case I need one to give to someone dealing with these issues. The main reason I like and appreciate this one is because it will show the person how to find the freedom that can only be found in Jesus and His death on the cross for us.
A special thanks to the author/publisher for a copy of this book. I am not required to write a positive review, the opinions here are mine alone. I am disclosing this with my review in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
About the Author
Paula Jauch’s life experience enables her speaking and writing to empower people from all walks of life. She shares her inspirational story all around the world through speaking and radio. Her goal is to carry this message to the forefront. She loves encouraging and motivating her audiences to live a life of freedom in Christ. She is a happily married mother of four and a proud Nana. In her spare time, you might find her at a favorite Mexican restaurant. Paula lives in West Michigan.
Paula’s work experience led her to realize she needed healing from childhood trauma after growing up in abuse and addiction. After she graduated from an alternative education high school and had two children by age eighteen, her heart was drawn to jobs to help children like herself. She worked seven years at the Juvenile Court Schools in Las Vegas, Nevada, and five years at the Clark County Department of Family Services, as a juvenile service assistant, working with troubled teens. In 2004 she relocated to Terre Haute, Indiana, where she worked for two years at Gibault Inc., as a youth specialist, working with teen boy sex offenders. After leaving the Gibault home, she worked a few months at the Vigo County Courthouse as a bailiff, but decided to leave her job when it became uncomfortable, because her family name was well known in the court system.
What she learned through all of her work experience is that if these kids didn’t get the proper help they needed, they would get involved in a gang, addicted to drugs or alcohol, land in prison, or even face death. Paula knew she was being called to take a step of faith and action and get the help she needed so she could help others who experienced similar childhoods.
Even though Paula’s story and passion centers around youth, men and women of all ages will be inspired by her story of restoration. Connect with Paula www.paulajauch.com or follow her on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter @paulajauch.
More from Paula
Why did you write the book?
After graduating from an alternative education high school and having two children by the age eighteen, my heart was drawn to jobs to help children like myself. I started out by working seven years at a Juvenile Court Schools in Las Vegas, Nevada, and five years at the Clark County Department of Family Services, as a juvenile service assistant, working with troubled teens. In 2004, I relocated to Terre Haute, Indiana, where I worked for two years at Gibault Inc., as a youth specialist, working with teen boy sex offenders. After leaving the Gibault home, I worked a few months at the Vigo County Courthouse as a bailiff. However, I eventually decided to leave my job within a few months because it became uncomfortable since my family name was well-known in the court system. My work experiences led me to start asking questions and made me realize I needed my own healing from childhood trauma after growing up inabuse and addiction.
What I learned through all of my work experiences and my own life struggles is that if kids don’t get the proper help they need, they will either get involved in a gang, become addicted to drugs or alcohol, end up in prison, or even death. I knew God was calling me to take a step of faith and action to get the help I needed, so I could help others who experienced similar childhoods.
Trauma may be the greatest mission field of the 21st century, and the most misunderstood issue of our day.
My healing journey began when I could no longer pretend everything was okay. After being stuck in my trauma and my own addictions for years, I knew I needed to write a book and let others know there is a way out. My book was birthed out of my healing process. Cross Addicted: Breaking Free from Family Trauma and Addiction offers a hopeful path to recovery for those who are hurting and traumatized.
One in four U.S. students will witness or experience a traumatic event before the age four, and more than two-thirds by age sixteen.
Broadview is attired for Christmas. Oklahoma heiress, Adelaide Fitzgerald, is hosting two young girls who have chosen to celebrate Christmas with Auntie Addie rather than their family in Colorado.
Adelaide must give these girls a Christmas like no other. Has she thought of everything? What would top off this holiday in an extraordinary way?
The answer lies just the other side of Rock Creek. But what will it take for her to realize it is the Christmas topper she’s been seeking?
It’s 1912, and Adelaide Fitzgerald’s view of Christmas is about to emerge as a tale for a lifetime.
It has been a long time since I read Little Women but remembering how much I loved the book I really wanted to read this one. I grew to love the cast of characters here, and I love that this is a Christmas story set in 1912. I always love reading books in this era because it's fun for me to think about what my grandparents were doing during this time in their young lives. And what kind if Christmas they had the Christmas of 1912!
Addie was a special character for me. With her wanting to help a family in need during this Christmas shows the tender heart she has toward others. And I appreciate the way author Linda Brooks Davis shows the real spirit of Christmas in the character of Addie and shows the Love Jesus has for each of us. This one gets 5 Stars from me! If you are looking for good books to read during Christmas time, this is a great one to add to your collection!
A special thanks to the author/publisher for a copy of this book. I am not required to write a positive review, the opinions here are mine alone. I am disclosing this with my review in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
🎃
About the Author
Linda Brooks Davis is a lifelong Texan who devoted 40 years to special education as a therapist, teacher, and administrator. She retired in 2008 and now writes full time.
Linda’s debut novel, Amazon best-selling The Calling of Ella McFarland,Book One in the Women of Rock Creek series, is set in 1905 Indian Territory prior to Oklahoma statehood. It won Jerry Jenkins Operation First Novel in 2014 and subsequently, ACFW’s Carol award for debut novel 2016. The sequel novella, A Christmas to Remember, is set in 1908 Oklahoma. A second novella, A Christmas Measure of Love, is set in 1910 and is the prequel to Linda’s second full-length novel, which is set in 1914, Amazon best-selling The Mending of Lillian Cathleen, Book Two. The third novella, A Christmas Tale for Little Women, releases in 2020 and is set in 1912. It is a prequel to Book 3 in The Women of Rock Creek series, The Awakening of Miss Adelaide, which is set in 1918.
Linda and her beloved husband Al worship and minister at Oak Hills Church in San Antonio and dote on six grandchildren. Readers may contact Linda through her website, www.lindabrooksdavis.com.
More from Linda
Everyone worked at my home on a South Texas farm near the U.S. border with Mexico.
My playmates were children of Hispanic laborers. Language never hindered playing la casa, making mud pies, or rocking los bebés. Frijoles and tamales served from stewpots over open fires tasted delicioso in either language. I learned outside their homes a broom works great on hardened soil.
Daddy paid workers on Saturdays, some by the hour, others by production. Lining up, they extended their hands, and he laid cash across their open palms. They checked the figures they had scribbled on paper scraps, trusting el patrón to correct discrepancies. Humble, grateful people, they showed respect.
My father verified immigration paperwork for those whom he housed. Others lived in the shadows, arriving around sunup and disappearing before sundown. Each evening a car or truck would rattle alongside the field, and the shadow worker would slip inside. Then the vehicle would clatter toward the horizon. And returned another day.
Occasionally, however, an alarm shouted in Spanish would sound across the field. Dropping his cotton sack, a worker would dash toward the cotton trailer in the turn row. Like hounds burrowing under a house, he and a compadre would leap over the trailer’s sides and dig a hole in the freshly picked cotton. The first crawled in, and the other covered him.
The immigration officer making his rounds would walk into the field and occasionally stomp around inside the trailer, searching for man-sized lumps. I never witnessed the discovery of a shadow worker, but I heard about them on other farms. Worst of all, I heard about tragedies. With very little oxygen between tightly packed fluffs of cotton, a man could suffocate and occasionally would. I wondered what would lead a man to take such chances and how my law-abiding, God-loving father justified his complicity. So, I asked, and he answered, “Desperation, sugar. All they want is work. A man wants to provide for his family wherever or however he can. I can’t turn them away.”
Sounded like work was a gift. Huh? my ten-year-old brain asked itself.
Years later, I understood this principle. The second chapter of Genesis shows us that God created man not to laze around all day, but to work.
The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. Genesis 2:15
Therefore, not only in “the beginning,” but on our farm in 1956, a man’s strength to work was God’s gift. The opportunity to work was Daddy’s gift to the men. The fruit of each man’s labor was the gift he sent home each week and the fulfillment of his need to provide for his family.
At Christmas we enjoyed preparing bushel baskets of meats, fruits and vegetables, candy and nuts, and toys for each family. I wondered about those who stayed around for a single day. Would their children find fruits, nuts, or even a piece of candy on Christmas morning?
Answers evaded me then—-as they do now—-but as a writer in my eighth decade of life, one truth I hold onto is that the strength for each day of writing and less pain in my arthritic hands and back are gifts from God. Each opportunity to write is an opportunity not only to entertain but to inspire readers to seek God in their everyday lives. Each word, unique turn of a phrase, or plot idea . . . is my gift to Him.
Protecting our safety is a far more complicated endeavor in 2020 than it was in 1956. Threats arise like none presented five decades ago, but work is still a gift. God wired it into our DNA. Come to think of it, the ideas for A Christmas Tale for Little Women and the subsequent novel—one set in the southern tip of Texas, a story about a loving, destitute man who wants only to provide for his family—are gifts.
Those diligent workers of 1956 and other years deserve a story that honors them. My gift to them and to Him is A Christmas Tale for Little Women.
To celebrate her tour, Linda is giving away the grand prize package of all 6 eBooks in the The Women of Rock Creek Series!! (The Calling of Ella McFarland, A Christmas to Remember, A Christmas Measure of Love, The Mending of Lillian Cathleen, A Christmas Tale for Little Women, and The Awakening of Miss Adelaide)
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.
If you scroll down you can read the interesting interview by the author of "This Is the Earth" by Deedee Cummings.
Book Details:
Book Title: This Is The Earth by Deedee Cummings/illustrated by Charlene Mosley Category: Children's Fiction (Ages 3-7), 32 pages Genre: Children/ Holiday Publisher: Make A Way Media Release date: April 2019 Format available for review: print (USA and Canada), ebook (PDF) Tour dates: Oct 12 to Dec 4, 2020 Content Rating: G. Children's Holiday Book.
Book Description:
A recent Purple Dragonfly Award First Place winner, Cummings uses bold and bright illustrations in This is the Earth to share a message of peace, love, respect, compassion, inclusion. Published in early 2019, the book’s message bears repeating: peace is meant for all of us and it is everyone’s responsibility to care for each other like the united family that we really are. This exceptional and timely book shares the reality that we are all sharing this world that we call home instead of acting as though each continent, each, country, and each neighborhood is like a completely different planet. Within the pages of This is the Earth, readers will discover thought and conversation-invoking concepts on issues and struggles that has our world at odds with each other. Kids and adults will love the lyrical message and thoughtful artwork that reinforces the fact that every human being is our neighbor on Planet Earth; a place also known as Home.
This is the Earth is another really good book from author Deedee Cummings. I love this children's book because of the lessons it teaches children. It her unique way, this author uses simple words to show kids everywhere that we are all different, be it color, race, physical disabilities, it doesn't matter because we can all live together in this world peacefully. In these times, I feel it important to teach children of all ages the words of this book.
And again Charlene Mosley has so uniquely created the most wonderful illustrations to capture each word of this book. This is a beautiful book inside and out that would make a great addition to your child's library!
A special thanks to the author/publisher for a copy of this book. I am not required to write a positive review, the opinions here are mine alone. I am disclosing this with my review in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
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Author Interview with Deedee Cummings
How difficult was it to write In the Nick of Time?
In the Nick of Time was not a tough story to write because the overall message was on my heart. There is one twist in the story I did not think of initially- it came to me later. I was watching a TV show and the character’s last name was Saint. I thought of naming the character Nick Saint just because of that TV show. Sometimes I feel as though I am meant to see things and that was definitely one of those moments. That one idea alone made the book so much better. The overall story just came to me as a great idea and as a story that was missing and needed.
Why do you like to write children’s books?
I love writing for children because they still believe in the power of anything. Kids believe that you can fly on the wings of a butterfly or that you can tunnel your way to Australia straight from your backyard. That kind of thinking alone is kind of magical. Children’s books lift me up and remind me of the beauty and simplicity of the world. And a lot of times they leave me with the feeling that I can do anything I want too.
Do you ever get writer’s block? What helps you overcome it?
I get writer’s block all the time. It mostly comes when I am being forced to write something or if I am asked to write something specific. I have no problem just freely writing whatever message is floating on my mind. I can write all day like that. But one of the most important things I have learned over the past few years is that for people to find you, you really need to have a consistent blog. It is this type of writing I find the hardest because it feels forced. I know I have good stories to tell, but does anyone really care what I think about what it takes to be an author? To remove the block I just step away from it. I take a walk or finish some other project. The content comes to me, but it feels like I have to plant it like a seed in the ground in my mind first. It sprouts later.
Where do you write?
My absolutely favorite place to write is the beach, but I live in Kentucky so…. If I go to the beach I can write pages of work. It helps me generate ideas that I can more fully explore at home. I love the beach because my problems feel so small there. I get a sense of clarity at the beach that I cannot get anywhere else. I love the beach so much one of my earliest books is called My Trip to the Beach and it is all about how you can visualize a trip to the beach to help calm and focus you, even when you cannot actually get to the beach.
Meet the Author: Deirdre “Deedee” Cummings believes literacy is a fundamental human right. She is the founder of Make A Way Media, It Pays to Read & the Louisville Book Festival, as well as, an attorney, therapist, and CEO of Abi Behavioral Health in Louisville, Kentucky. Abi is an intensive therapy agency that works to prevent the placement of children in out of home care, such as foster care, hospitalization, and incarceration. Deedee attended Bennett College in Greensboro, North Carolina, one of only two all-female Historically Black Colleges in the country. After graduating from Bennett, she earned a master’s degree and a law degree from the University of Louisville. All of her writing focuses on sharing inspiring messages that remind us all it is never too late to begin again. Deedee encourages the children she works with to write as a way to process emotions, document their journey, and express themselves more clearly. In addition to presenting on multiple topics around the country, Deedee donates hundreds of books and volunteer hours every year to families, children, churches and the local school system. She is excited to announce the launch of her tenth children’s book, This is the Earth. The inspiration for this book came from overwhelming negative media coverage about race relations in our country and across the world. This is the Earth is a book about peace, respect, and diversity inclusion: a message that must be heard and repeated often. She and her husband Anthony live in Louisville with their three children Kayla (an actress in New York), Anthony (a college student and athlete), and Nick (in elementary school).
