Dancing from the Shadows

Successful businesswoman Tori St. John is haunted by the verse “To whom much is given, from him much is required.” Despite a marketing coup that guarantees her an executive management position, Tori abandons her career. Instead, she and husband Phillip adopt two children from a third-world orphanage.
At five, Lydia is sugar-coated dynamite. Two-year-old Gabe avoids eye contact, prefers a silver bowl over shiny new toys and fears the vacuum cleaner. His diagnosis of autism leaves Tori obsessed with helping her son, angry at God and at odds with her husband and daughter. 
At stake is Gabe’s future. Tori marshals the skills that made her a business diva and plunges into the special-needs world. As she struggles to defeat Gabe’s disability, Tori’s world unravels. School’s not working for Gabe, their church rejects him, Lydia’s resentment of Gabe escalates and a sultry co-worker is pursuing Phillip.
As she battles to save her family, Tori must learn how to balance a life she can’t control and embrace a different concept of normal.

I could really get into this book and it reminded me so much about my own life. I have two younger brothers with Down Syndrome and this book reminded me about a lot of the feelings and the daily struggle to get everything done and to allow everything to work in Gods way. And this book is so accurate in describing how hard it is to live with a disability in the family much less two. 
I would really recommend this book to anyone who wants to get into the life of a family that has disability in it and understand more of what they are going through. 
I received this book from the author for review, i was not made to write a good review.

Shine, How to Walk The Talk

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. Matt 5:16 The Bible tells us we need to "shine before men," but what does this mean and how do we do it? In Shine: How to Walk the Talk, Nancy Segovia lays out a series of simple steps you can to take to walk the talk: to love God above all and your neighbor as yourself. Using parables, folk tales, and struggles from her own life, she provides uplifting insights into the Christian walk that can make your first steps easier. She examines scripture for clues on what it means to shine, how to reflect God’s love, and what to do when the muddy messes of life blot out God’s light in you. You will relate to her failings, those "Duh!" moments when spiritual understanding begins to dawn. Most important, you will learn how to apply that understanding; you will learn how to turn your talk into your walk and how to help others to do the same.
This book was very well written and was soooo worth the read. it challenges you to walk the talk and to not just say you are a Christian but to live the life God would want you to live. Not to be a luck warm Christian and to shine bright to all those around you and show you the love of God to everyone to draw them closer to Him. I would highly recommend this book to all new Christain's to read to learn how to live your life fully for God. 
I have recieved this copy of the book through the author for review, i was not made to write  a good review.

Selling Simplified

Written by Michelle Moore, a real estate selling and training expert with more than 40 sales and leadership awards, Selling Simplified: 55 Fast Tips to Jump-start Your Real Estate Business shares what it takes to reach the highest levels of success in real estate. Whether you are considering getting your real estate license, are new in the real estate business, or you have been selling real estate for over twenty-five years, this book is for you! Selling Simplified is an indispensable source of information that includes fifty-five fast tips to successfully sell real estate in any market, in any city, and in any state. The book is chock-full of wisdom, proven and factual tips, tools, and techniques that are guaranteed to give you the edge you need to excel in today's competitive real estate business environment. The beauty is that they can be implemented immediately and mastered over time. Selling Simplified is for anyone who is ready to realize their goals and fulfill their highest potential and is endorsed by Bob Schultz, One of the 50 Most Influential People in Home Building - Builder Magazine.
If i was going to start my own real estate business, i would be going to this book to do it. It is very informative and very simple to figure out and to understand.
I recieved this book from the author and was not made to write a good review. 

365 Pocket Devotions

Learn to walk more closely with God each passing day! 365 Pocket Devotions is a convenient, easy-to-carry, quick-access book containing daily reflections on topics like trusting God, making wise choices, and loving others. Each day begins with an inspirational, thought-provoking reading and ends with a promise from Scripture. A new edition in the popular 365 Pocket series that has touched so many lives, 365 Pocket Devotions is created specifically for those who want daily devotional time with God. (Adapted from the perennial favorites The One Year At His Feet Devotional and The One Year Walk with God Devotional.)

I really love this little book, it has a soft, leathery orange cover and a ribbon bookmark. I love how its not written for a certain year like some devo's are which drives me insane. The devo's are short and sweet, long enough to give you a complete picture but short enough for those of us who are to busy to sit and read a whole chapter of the Bible plus a severl paragragh devo. I would recommend this cute little book to those who want a short devo, in a compact size that would fit easily into a purse or other bag.

I received this book for review from Tyndale House Publishiers.

Redeeming Love

California’s gold country, 1850. A time when men sold their souls for a bag of gold and women sold their bodies for a place to sleep.  Angel expects nothing from men but betrayal. Sold into prostitution as a child, she survives by keeping her hatred alive. And what she hates most are the men who use her, leaving her empty and dead inside.   Then she meets Michael Hosea, a man who seeks his Father’s heart in everything. Michael obeys God’s call to marry Angel and to love her unconditionally. Slowly, day by day, he defies Angel’s every bitter expectation, until despite her resistance, her frozen heart begins to thaw.   But with her unexpected softening comes overwhelming feelings of unworthiness and fear. And so Angel runs. Back to the darkness, away from her husband’s pursuing love, terrified of the truth she no longer can deny: Her final healing must come from the One who loves her even more than Michael does…the One who will never let her go.   A powerful retelling of the story of Gomer and Hosea,Redeeming Love is a life-changing story of God’s unconditional, redemptive, all-consuming love.Includes a six-part reading group guide!

This book was, wow! I thought it was going to be different but you really could feel the emotions that the characters feel in the story. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who loves a great story of Gods amazing love.

The outcast

Raised in an Old Order Mennonite community, Rachel Stoltzfus is a strong-willed single woman, content living apart from mainstream society until whispers stir the moment her belly swells with new life. Refusing to repent and name the partner in her sin, Rachel feels the wrath of the religious sect as she is shunned by those she loves most. She is eventually coerced into leaving by her brother-in-law, the bishop. But secrets run deep in this cloistered community, and the bishop is hiding some of his own, threatening his conscience and his very soul. When the life of Rachel’s baby is at stake, however, choices must be made that will bring the darkness to light, forever changing the lives of those who call Copper Creek home.
This book was okay, not really that great. I couldnt get into it, not sure why normally I love amish fiction, just not this one I guess!

The winnowing Season

IRhoda shoved her to-do list into the hidden pocket of her apron and slipped out of the summer kitchen. A brief glance assured her no one was around to see her. She needed a few minutes, however fleeting, without anyone tugging at her. Her shoulders and arms ached as she walked into the orchard.She breathed in, and the heady scents of fall and ripe apples helped soothe her frayed nerves. After nearly two months of nurturing the tornado-ravaged orchard, she found the view both uplifting and disheartening. Despite theirlong, hard days of cleaning up felled trees and mending broken ones, the oncevibrant orchard looked like a battlefield strewn with injured, defeated soldiers.Would all of her and Samuel's tending restore the wounded trees? Or simply prolong their dying?How strange that she found comfort in walking among these wounded trees. Much of the orchard lay dormant, waiting for late winter, when new trees would be planted.But she wouldn't be here for that.A ladder rested against a tree where she and Samuel had grafted tree limbs from storm-damaged trees into healthy ones, hoping their grafts would take. It wasn't the right time of year for such work, but they were giving this orchardtheir all before leaving it behind tomorrow.A wavering, misty image stepped out from behind an apple tree.Emma.The vision appeared real enough, but it wasn't actually her little sister. Emma had been with God since the day she was murdered, since the day Rhoda all but sent her teary-eyed sister to that convenience store by herself at exactly the wrong time. Emma often formed in a visible way, as if Rhoda's guilt over her death was burned so deeply into Rhoda's soul that she would see her sister the rest of her days.And maybe she would, but Rhoda dared to hope the move to Maine would end the haunting reminders.Emma held out her arms, and Rhoda wished her little sister were truly here to embrace, but all Rhoda could do was watch. And pray.Not long after she met Samuel King of Kings' Orchard last summer, he asked if she'd partner her canning business with his family's apple farming business. When she finally agreed, she did so hoping for several things to come from the agreement. One desire was for the aberrations to remain at home in Morgansville, some thirty miles away--and where all memories of Emma had been made.But whether Rhoda was here at Kings' Orchard or at home with her family, she had yet to be freed of Emma's constant reminders that Rhoda had failed her.Would Maine be an escape?Emma stretched a hand toward her. "Don't let me go. Don't be afraid to hold on."Rhoda's heart rate increased. Did it do any good to speak her sorrow out loud? "I have to move on. Can't you see that?"Emma's eyes filled with tears, and Rhoda made herself turn away without responding. She walked to the top of a knoll. This orchard would be majestic again in a few years. Still, was Samuel doing the right thing by leaving its futurein Eli's hands?They would move to Maine tomorrow, to Orchard Bend specifically. Until Samuel went to close on the house a month ago, they had thought the land was in Unity, Maine. But at the closing, Samuel discovered that the farm bordered Unity.Once they arrived there tomorrow, they would begin the challenge of restoring an abandoned apple orchard twice the size of this one. The aim was rock solid: reestablish the abandoned orchard in Maine so Kings' Orchard and her Rhode Side Stands canning business could bring in the needed profits while this orchard was restored and returned to production.But the reality of this venture was terrifying...and exhausting.Hoofs rumbled against the earth, and she turned to see Samuel riding the chestnut Morgan toward her. He had the reins in one hand and a five-gallon bucket in the other. The bucket housed what they called their first-aid kit for the trees."Hey." His lack of a smile as he dismounted didn't surprise her. For every ounce of energy she gave working, he seemed determined to give double. "I thought I'd find you here where we worked last." He gazed into her eyes for abrief moment. "I know you're tired, and you aren't going to like what I have to say, but could you do me a favor and try to take it well?" Without waiting for her to answer, he walked the horse to a nearby tree and tethered it.He had her pegged on both counts: bone tired and edgy. They'd had more spats in the last few weeks than two alpha dogs sharing a food bowl. Who knew that accomplishing everything on her to-do list would be so draining? Actually, now that she thought about it, the answer to that was Samuel and Jacob. Both had tried to get her to take numerous things off her list, like the experiments of growing herbs and developing mulch under horticultural lights. And both had tried for weeks to stop her from harvesting and canning the apples left by the tornado.But she couldn't let apples rot. And she couldn't move to Maine without understanding how commercial greenhouse lights affected herbs and rotting leaves.He dusted off his hands and returned to where she stood. "Well?"A Bible verse echoed inside her--Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you. "I'll do my best."His jaw clenched. "You have to appear before your church leaders tonight."The orchard around her turned hazy as she stared into Samuel's eyes, trying to make sense of what he'd said.With the message delivered, he turned and walked away.She took off after him and grabbed his arm. "What do you mean?"He barely glanced at her before shifting his attention to the horizon. "You know what it means."Her heart skipped a beat and felt as if it might stop altogether. "But why?"He pulled a letter from his pocket. "This arrived in today's mail.""Addressed to you?"Without the slightest response he headed for the ladder and handsaw a few trees away.She unfolded the plain white paper to find a short message in perfect handwriting.Subject: Rueben Glick and his possible involvement in the destruction of Rhoda Byler's crops.Her hands trembled. How did they know what had happened to her fruit garden? She clutched the letter and shook it at him as he headed back her way."Did you take that incident to my bishop and deacon?"Her family wouldn't. They knew it would stir up trouble for her. Landon wouldn't. He was too loyal a friend. The only other person she'd told who was responsible for destroying her fruit garden was Samuel.Samuel's jaw set. "It needed to be done.""But...but you gave me your word." Compelled to read the rest, she returned her attention to the letter.Dear Samuel, after much consideration we have prayerfully agreed that the matter you brought to our attention must be addressed. The charges are of such a serious nature that we cannot allow Rhoda Byler to go to Maine as a member in good standing unless this matter is settled first.Since this matter needs to be settled before Rhoda leaves for Maine, and since your concern is that Rueben Glick is not only guilty of this incident but may be causing problems with others as well, we feel we have no choice but to allow this meeting to be open to anyone in the district who chooses to come.Her blood ran hot as realization continued to dawn. Anger began to mingle with fear, but she couldn't stop staring at the letter. Why had the ministers waited until the day before the move to call a meeting? But more important...why would Samuel do this to her?Wasn't it bad enough that Rueben Glick and his small band of nitwits had destroyed her fruit garden last August? She had been devastated when she'd arrived home with Samuel, Jacob, and Leah to discover what had been done.The garden meant the world to Rhoda. Her Daed had given her the first blueberry bush when she was just seven. Every year since then he gave her more plants and land to plant them on. The garden grew and became her sanctuary, especially after her sister was murdered.Rhoda had worked year after year to make the garden beautiful and yield a healthy crop. All the naysayers who didn't like her and her odd ways had wanted her out of that garden. Some were jealous, but others were truly concerned that she was overstepping her place as a single Amish woman with too much independence and too much success. The number of stores that carried her canned products only increased. If she were married, those against her would probably feel different. Then again, if she were married, she wouldn't have the time to devote to her business, and it wouldn't be so successful.For more reasons than she could explain, it meant everything to her to conceal from her community and neighbors that Rueben had uprooted her beloved vines and bushes. So she had called her friend Landon and asked him to bring over his Bobcat. By morning the land looked as if she had deliberately cleared her garden.It would have been easier to readif I wasnt lost about a lot of stuff, so it was pretty good but hard to follow sence I didnt read the first.Rhoda shoved her to-do list into the hidden pocket of her apron and slipped out of the summer kitchen. A brief glance assured her no one was around to see her. She needed a few minutes, however fleeting, without anyone tugging at her. Her shoulders and arms ached as she walked into the orchard.She breathed in, and the heady scents of fall and ripe apples helped soothe her frayed nerves. After nearly two months of nurturing the tornado-ravaged orchard, she found the view both uplifting and disheartening. Despite theirlong, hard days of cleaning up felled trees and mending broken ones, the oncevibrant orchard looked like a battlefield strewn with injured, defeated soldiers.Would all of her and Samuel's tending restore the wounded trees? Or simply prolong their dying?How strange that she found comfort in walking among these wounded trees. Much of the orchard lay dormant, waiting for late winter, when new trees would be planted.But she wouldn't be here for that.A ladder rested against a tree where she and Samuel had grafted tree limbs from storm-damaged trees into healthy ones, hoping their grafts would take. It wasn't the right time of year for such work, but they were giving this orchardtheir all before leaving it behind tomorrow.A wavering, misty image stepped out from behind an apple tree.Emma.The vision appeared real enough, but it wasn't actually her little sister. Emma had been with God since the day she was murdered, since the day Rhoda all but sent her teary-eyed sister to that convenience store by herself at exactly the wrong time. Emma often formed in a visible way, as if Rhoda's guilt over her death was burned so deeply into Rhoda's soul that she would see her sister the rest of her days.And maybe she would, but Rhoda dared to hope the move to Maine would end the haunting reminders.Emma held out her arms, and Rhoda wished her little sister were truly here to embrace, but all Rhoda could do was watch. And pray.Not long after she met Samuel King of Kings' Orchard last summer, he asked if she'd partner her canning business with his family's apple farming business. When she finally agreed, she did so hoping for several things to come from the agreement. One desire was for the aberrations to remain at home in Morgansville, some thirty miles away--and where all memories of Emma had been made.But whether Rhoda was here at Kings' Orchard or at home with her family, she had yet to be freed of Emma's constant reminders that Rhoda had failed her.Would Maine be an escape?Emma stretched a hand toward her. "Don't let me go. Don't be afraid to hold on."Rhoda's heart rate increased. Did it do any good to speak her sorrow out loud? "I have to move on. Can't you see that?"Emma's eyes filled with tears, and Rhoda made herself turn away without responding. She walked to the top of a knoll. This orchard would be majestic again in a few years. Still, was Samuel doing the right thing by leaving its futurein Eli's hands?They would move to Maine tomorrow, to Orchard Bend specifically. Until Samuel went to close on the house a month ago, they had thought the land was in Unity, Maine. But at the closing, Samuel discovered that the farm bordered Unity.Once they arrived there tomorrow, they would begin the challenge of restoring an abandoned apple orchard twice the size of this one. The aim was rock solid: reestablish the abandoned orchard in Maine so Kings' Orchard and her Rhode Side Stands canning business could bring in the needed profits while this orchard was restored and returned to production.But the reality of this venture was terrifying...and exhausting.Hoofs rumbled against the earth, and she turned to see Samuel riding the chestnut Morgan toward her. He had the reins in one hand and a five-gallon bucket in the other. The bucket housed what they called their first-aid kit for the trees."Hey." His lack of a smile as he dismounted didn't surprise her. For every ounce of energy she gave working, he seemed determined to give double. "I thought I'd find you here where we worked last." He gazed into her eyes for abrief moment. "I know you're tired, and you aren't going to like what I have to say, but could you do me a favor and try to take it well?" Without waiting for her to answer, he walked the horse to a nearby tree and tethered it.He had her pegged on both counts: bone tired and edgy. They'd had more spats in the last few weeks than two alpha dogs sharing a food bowl. Who knew that accomplishing everything on her to-do list would be so draining? Actually, now that she thought about it, the answer to that was Samuel and Jacob. Both had tried to get her to take numerous things off her list, like the experiments of growing herbs and developing mulch under horticultural lights. And both had tried for weeks to stop her from harvesting and canning the apples left by the tornado.But she couldn't let apples rot. And she couldn't move to Maine without understanding how commercial greenhouse lights affected herbs and rotting leaves.He dusted off his hands and returned to where she stood. "Well?"A Bible verse echoed inside her--Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you. "I'll do my best."His jaw clenched. "You have to appear before your church leaders tonight."The orchard around her turned hazy as she stared into Samuel's eyes, trying to make sense of what he'd said.With the message delivered, he turned and walked away.She took off after him and grabbed his arm. "What do you mean?"He barely glanced at her before shifting his attention to the horizon. "You know what it means."Her heart skipped a beat and felt as if it might stop altogether. "But why?"He pulled a letter from his pocket. "This arrived in today's mail.""Addressed to you?"Without the slightest response he headed for the ladder and handsaw a few trees away.She unfolded the plain white paper to find a short message in perfect handwriting.Subject: Rueben Glick and his possible involvement in the destruction of Rhoda Byler's crops.Her hands trembled. How did they know what had happened to her fruit garden? She clutched the letter and shook it at him as he headed back her way."Did you take that incident to my bishop and deacon?"Her family wouldn't. They knew it would stir up trouble for her. Landon wouldn't. He was too loyal a friend. The only other person she'd told who was responsible for destroying her fruit garden was Samuel.Samuel's jaw set. "It needed to be done.""But...but you gave me your word." Compelled to read the rest, she returned her attention to the letter.Dear Samuel, after much consideration we have prayerfully agreed that the matter you brought to our attention must be addressed. The charges are of such a serious nature that we cannot allow Rhoda Byler to go to Maine as a member in good standing unless this matter is settled first.Since this matter needs to be settled before Rhoda leaves for Maine, and since your concern is that Rueben Glick is not only guilty of this incident but may be causing problems with others as well, we feel we have no choice but to allow this meeting to be open to anyone in the district who chooses to come.Her blood ran hot as realization continued to dawn. Anger began to mingle with fear, but she couldn't stop staring at the letter. Why had the ministers waited until the day before the move to call a meeting? But more important...why would Samuel do this to her?Wasn't it bad enough that Rueben Glick and his small band of nitwits had destroyed her fruit garden last August? She had been devastated when she'd arrived home with Samuel, Jacob, and Leah to discover what had been done.The garden meant the world to Rhoda. Her Daed had given her the first blueberry bush when she was just seven. Every year since then he gave her more plants and land to plant them on. The garden grew and became her sanctuary, especially after her sister was murdered.Rhoda had worked year after year to make the garden beautiful and yield a healthy crop. All the naysayers who didn't like her and her odd ways had wanted her out of that garden. Some were jealous, but others were truly concerned that she was overstepping her place as a single Amish woman with too much independence and too much success. The number of stores that carried her canned products only increased. If she were married, those against her would probably feel different. Then again, if she were married, she wouldn't have the time to devote to her business, and it wouldn't be so successful.For more reasons than she could explain, it meant everything to her to conceal from her community and neighbors that Rueben had uprooted her beloved vines and bushes. So she had called her friend Landon and asked him to bring over his Bobcat. By morning the land looked as if she had deliberately cleared her garden.It would have been easier to readif I wasnt lost about a lot of stuff, so it was pretty good but hard to follow sence I didnt read the first.