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The Secret Bridge from Lamplighter Publishing: A TOS Crew Review

May 1, 2017 Grace-Filled Writer

I love classic literature. My favorite authors growing up were writers of the classics. Much of what I read would have been considered advanced compared to what my peers were reading. I loved reading the dialog of bygone eras and exploring the significantly more complex sentence structures. I strive to push my girls in this direction as well with their reading for school. While I also enjoy modern literature and jump at the opportunity to learn about new authors I continue to circle back to the classics. I was excited to have the opportunity to read The Secret Bridge by Amy Le Feuvre from Lamplighter Publishing. Our family has enjoyed many of the dramatized stories from this company, but have never read any of their books. Before we get to the actual story I just have to comment on the beauty of this amazing piece of literature! When we opened up the package my girls exclaimed over the cover, how it looked, how it felt, and the color. The embossed design on the front drew me into the story before even opening the pages. I know the old saying, “You can’t judge a book by its cover…” but this is not an accurate description for this novel! By all means, judge the novel by its cover. You won’t be disappointed!

The Secret Bridge {Lamplighter Publishing Reviews}

For this review I chose to read the book because my oldest daughter is 11 and is not yet interested in novels which involve romance. I think girls who are interested in light romance and are preteens or older would enjoy this. While this is not a book which I would consider heavily romantic as such, it does center around a young married couple, so I doubted my daughter would find this interesting yet. I certainly did not mind taking this one on myself! We follow our heroine, Bridgett Channing, as she begins a new life journey. We meet her in the opening as she is first introduced to her future-groom on a voyage. She is grieving her father’s death and Godfrey Bullingham is a kind distraction for her. I found myself cheering for them both as the story unfolded.

The wonderful thing about this novel is although the love of these two characters is integral to the story-line, the central theme of the novel is Bridgett’s search for God. She initially states she does not believe in God, yet her quest for God is the central, driving force of the story. Watching a fictional character seek the Lord when she had no desire to do so when we meet her is a beautiful thing. The author does a beautiful job of creating a natural growth and progression for Bridgett. I get the sense she fully understands the journey of one genuinely seeking the Lord.

While I enjoyed watching the author artfully weave the love story in a tasteful way, something many modern romances lack, the skillful way she tells Bridgett’s love story with God is masterful. This author clearly desired to honor the Lord with her writing and did so in a way which challenges us to seek God more fully ourselves. One of my favorite classic authors had this same goal in mind when she wrote and I am thrilled to find another author who strives to honor the Lord with her writing. This will definitely be on a list for my daughter when she is a bit older! See what my Crewmates have to say!

Week in Review: April 24-28

April 29, 2017 Grace-Filled Writer

We had another “off-routine” week which is really a nice thing in the bigger perspective. If we are always right on point with our weeks then we get into ruts much more easily. The girls each finished up the end of the HOD unit we had started a couple of weeks prior. They know next week will be “full school” as they like to call it so they enjoyed the little bit of time off.

We enjoyed a couple more days visiting with my in-laws and over the weekend traveled to see my husband’s sister and her family. While visiting them we attended a High School performance of Cinderella! Grace and her cousin dressed up as Cinderella. Another cousin was a courageous knight! They were absolutely precious and the cast seemed to adore their enthusiasm!

I hope you had a great week! We are back to our regular schooling next week and then our week of standardized testing. Summer here we come!

Preserving Memories: Random Pages

April 28, 2017 Grace-Filled Writer

Each of these layouts is coming from different books/years, so they are pretty random! I haven’t had time to sit down and really finish up my 2016 book, so I’m just scrapping some random stuff when I have the chance.

This is our girls meeting Chip and Dale when we visited Disney World in 2015. We haven’t been back since and they have been after me to get this book done!

Template: Three’s a Charm from Miss Fish Templates

Kit: Chipmunk Feast from Magical Scraps Galore

Easter 2017! I posted this picture of my girls the week of Easter in our week in review, but I doctored it a bit in Photoshop and stuck it in a pretty template!

Template: Sectional Templates from Miss Fish Templates

Kit: Sweet as Candy from Magical Scraps Galore

In the fall of 2015 we got to visit Washington DC. I wanted to get a start on this book and here is the first page I’ve done! Although this wasn’t the first place we visited, this was one of the most memorable memorials.

Template: Card Me 3 from Miss Fish Templates

Kit: Civil War from Little Rad Trio

Be Bold: A Tyndale Blog Network Review

April 28, 2017 Grace-Filled Writer

Coloring for adults is all the rage! While it is a fun pastime in and of itself, I am always intrigued and excited when a coloring book is paired with devotions as well. Be Bold, by Ellen Elliott, is a great example of a good devotional combined with coloring.

Each devotion is begins with a verse from Scripture and accompanied by a themed coloring page which correlates with the Bible verse chosen. The back of the book contains several pages for journaling notes or prayers as you work through the book. The devotions can be completed in order or not, which is nice. I like the freedom to move through the book as it works best for me.

The first devotion I was drawn to was in the middle of the book and it was about prayer. God has been teaching me a lot about prayer over the last year and I loved the look of the coloring page. I enjoyed the lighter, but solid, devotional and the particular page drew me to it.

The devotions will only take a minimal amount of time to complete. While you color you have an opportunity to reflect on the Scripture. This devotional would be ideal for anyone pre-teen and up who enjoys coloring, especially if they are new to the idea of daily time with the Lord. It is not a deep Bible study, but all of our time with the Lord does not necessarily have to be excessively deep. This particular style of devotionals are enjoyable for me in the evening after I’m done with my day.

If you enjoy coloring and enjoy learning from the Word of God, this would be a good book to check out!

Disclaimer: I received this title in exchange for my honest review. I was not compensated in any other way. I was not required to write a positive review.

No Easy Jesus: A Tyndlae Blog Network Review

April 28, 2017 Grace-Filled Writer

I have a guest post review today! My husband was very excited to read and review No Easy Jesus by Jason Mitchell for Tyndale Blog Network. Here are his thoughts about this book.

As a pastor I am always looking for ways to help people in their walk with the Lord. I love to read books that will teach me something and encourage me in my pursuit of godliness. That is why I was excited about No Easy Jesus: How the Toughest Choices Lead to the Greatest Life.

Too often we are taught that when we begin a relationship with Jesus that our life will be better and that is true to some degree. But if by better we mean easy, then we are greatly mistaken. Life is full of tough choices and being a Christian can sometimes make those choices even harder.

Have you ever watched other Christians living fulfilled lives and think to yourself, “Why can’t I have what they have?” Sometimes we think that being fulfilled in the Christian life is only for a few elite Christians. The truth is Jesus wants you to live the greatest life possible.

One of the things I love about this book is the author’s openness and transparency. I felt I could relate to him. He talks about his struggles in life and how he has found that the secret to living the greatest life possible is a willingness to make the tough choices to follow Jesus each day. In the book, Jason Mitchell says, “It’s a clarion challenge to wake up each day and choose Jesus all over again; to make the tough, gritty choices that align your way with His and lead to true fullness of life. Because when you decided to follow Jesus, you didn’t sign up for what was easiest―you signed up for what was best.”

No Easy Jesus will challenge you to make the tough choices so that you can experience the best life possible. If you desire a deeper walk with Jesus than this book is a must read for you.

Disclaimer: I received this title in exchange for my honest review. I was not compensated in any other way. I was not required to write a positive review.

Drama Free: A Net Galley Book review

April 27, 2017 Grace-Filled Writer

Drama…It seems like we can’t get away from it! There is drama in the news, drama in our neighborhoods, drama in our schools, drama in our churches…everywhere you turn, drama, drama, and more drama! Why is this? Why is everything around us extreme, over-the-top, and dramatic? I find social media to be a big culprit as is our me-first culture in general. I am personally annoyed by all the drama, but find I can easily succumb to the masses and dramatize my own insignificant life-situations. I don’t like it, but I do it just like everyone else.Drama Free by Cindi McMenamin is a biblical look at how to tame our own drama and how to deal with the drama around us.

I appreciate that the author gets right to the heart of things with Scripture from the start. She also helps point the reader to an understanding that when we are feeling overwhelmed by the emotions surrounding a situation the only place to begin is by going to God and His Word. In a world where we are told to drive out the drama with any number of distractions, confronting it head on with God’s help is a novel idea.

One of my favorite phrases came from chapter two where the author encourages us to trust God’s script for our lives. Here she says, “And that, my friend, is where peace is found: in accepting – and trusting – God’s script for our lives.” This is not advice given in most circles. Most of the time we are told it’s okay to dwell in the drama. We seek validity for our emotional upheavals without grace or peace. The reality for Christians should be very much the opposite. In the midst of the unexpected we should seek Him first, rely on His strength, and settle into His peace. We will still feel the emotions. They are not wrong to have, but they should not become the primary focus of our life and circumstance.

I highly recommend this book for women whether you find yourself in the midst of drama now, have ever experienced struggles, or think you might sometime in the future have difficulty struggling to cope. This is also a useful tool for those who are walking along with someone who is having a hard time with overwhelming emotions. The godly council given here is excellent.

Disclaimer: I was given this title through Net Galley in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own.

Drive Thru History – The Gospels: A TOS Review Crew Review

April 27, 2017 Grace-Filled Writer

Our family adores learning about history. Whenever we go on vacation we look for historical sites and museums to visit. If you ask the girls what their favorite part of school is they will all tell you that history is at the top of the list. My husband and I enjoy watching history documentaries. Unfortunately much of what is readily available has a world-view slanted away from Scripture. I could not wait to watch the new series from Drive Thru History®, Drive Thru History® – “The Gospels”. We had only watched one episode from this company previously in preparation for our trip to Washington DC a couple of years ago, so having the opportunity to watch an entire series was exciting!

This was an excellent series to watch leading up to Easter. We watched this as a family in the evenings during our regular devotional time. We watched at least one episode each night, although we often watched more than one because the girls would beg for another!

The series is simply captivating. My husband commented several times on just how well done each episode was. I also overheard him telling others how great these were and recommending them to families we know. This is a huge endorsement! My husband is in full support of our homeschooling and quite active in the learning process, but he rarely gets this excited about our curriculum.

I loved that the episodes took you to actual sites in the Holy Land. We will not be able to travel there and tour with our children, so seeing the traditional locations for many of the historical biblical events was fascinating. Our girls were excited every time we watched another episode and disappointed on the evenings we couldn’t because we were out late for church.

I also appreciated that the episodes were always pointing us back to Scripture and the historical accuracy with which it was written. We even learned about some of the seemingly contradicting passages some try to use to say the Bible isn’t true. It was like allowing my girls to read a good commentary on the Gospels, but presented in a way they could understand and engage with fully.

This DVD set comes with a book with even more information! After each of the shows I would use the study guide to ask the girls questions. This was a great way to review. If I ever forgot to do this the girls were very quick to remind me to get them.

The only episode which was difficult to watch was the crucifixion. I appreciated that it was honest and accurate with what actually happened to Jesus leading up to and during the crucifixion, but it was a little too intense for my younger two. I told them they could skip this one episode. For my oldest, who is 11, it was a great way for her to see the reality of what crucifixion was like in an age appropriate way. My younger daughters left the room for the actual crucifixion description, but came back to learn about the burial of Christ.

Take a minute to watch this trailer and you will get a taste of just how good this series is!

Our entire family recommends this 18-episode series for anyone looking for a way to spice up their Bible lessons or just to have a new perspective and way to learn about the life of Christ. I am thrilled that the last episode clearly presents the gospel and how to find salvation through Jesus. It also acknowledges that not everyone will believe and this is a personal choice we must each make. After watching the full life of Christ this is a powerful ending to an incredible series. Each of our immediate family members have already professed belief in Christ and accepted the gift of salvation. This series was an incredible reminder of our need for a Savior and just how miraculous salvation is.

We also are looking forward to exploring even more series from Drive Thru History soon!

Don’t forget to see what my Crewmates have to say!

Planet 316: A TOS Review Crew Review

April 24, 2017 Grace-Filled Writer

Our household is always trying to find a balance with technology. My husband and I enjoy playing games in the evenings as we wind down and we allow our girls a limited amount of time each day just for fun on their tablets. We live in a technological society and we feel it is beneficial for our kids to learn to navigate some of this now while they are young. We do place very strict parameters on the games they play and are more restrictive in this area than most families we know. When I heard about Planet 316 I was intrigued because of the inclusion of Bible verses in their app Daily Bible Jigsaw. I enjoy playing this game in the evenings. I’m very busy during the day between homeschool, the English class I teach, and teaching piano lessons. I feel like I have to engage and interact constantly throughout the day, so being the introvert that I am having a little time to play gentle games that are not intense and don’t involve a lot of strategy. I enjoy puzzle type games but had never tried a puzzle building app. This was a lot of fun for me personally as I enjoy building puzzles in real life. Daily Bible Jigsaw is available in multiple formats. You can find this app via Facebook, the App Store, or Google Play. I appreciate it when apps are available in different places because I use an iPad and my girls use Android platform tablets. For this review we all used the iPad. You simply drag pieces together in order to have them click into place. Pieces are easily rotated by tapping. Once you get some pieces connected you also can rotate these connected pieces if you need. There are also extra helps you can use at the top of the screen which cost coins from within the app.

Everyday there is a new puzzle available. You can go back and play previous puzzles from each month, but this does cost you puzzle coins. You can earn these coins throughout completion of the puzzle, by watching advertisements for other apps, or through payment. (I would caution allowing your children to earn the coins through watching advertisements without supervision.) You can use the coins to buy helps during the puzzle play, but this was not something I cared to do. I like the challenge of figuring it out on my own. I preferred to use the coins for completing previous puzzles. My girls also enjoyed playing! The fun of this game is the challenge of completing the puzzles. Once you complete the puzzles you are rewarded with a beautiful picture and an encouraging verse from Scripture. The inclusion of encouraging Scripture is a unique aspect for this app. It is rare to find an app of any sort, short of Bible study helps, which includes anything Bible related. After enjoying this app I’m intrigued by what other games Planet 316 has created. Here is an excellent view of what this app has to offer! Don’t forget to see what my Crewmates have to say!

Week in Review: April 17-21

April 23, 2017 Grace-Filled Writer

We took a bit of a break this week from Heart of Dakota and just focused on the basics. Our week was going to be a little busy in the evenings because of Global Focus Week where we hear how God is working through our denomination and international workers around the world. I had to finish post production of the radio drama my Junior High English class creates every year. We were also excited to have my in-laws come in at the second half of the week! So as you can see, this was rather a busy week. One of the incredible blessings of homeschooling with Heart of Dakota is that when we have an “off” week my girls are still working hard, just not as hard as normal. They always keep working through their mathematics and language arts, so we stay on track with those.

That being said, very few pictures were taken this week!

Playing Catan with Grampy and Grammy!

Global Focus Friday evening meeting

A quick view of my radio drama editing. This is just the initial edit using Audacity. When I got through the final edit there were 10 or more layers of what you see here!

Preserving Memories: Disney Trip Pages

April 21, 2017 Grace-Filled Writer

I’ve been busy, busy, busy this week! I still had a little time to scrap which is a wonderful stress release for me! I deviated from my 2016 book for a bit though. It was nice to do something a little different!These are a couple of pages from our 2015 Disney trip. I’m trying to get that done as well because my girls have been asking about it and I am nowhere near done!