“I intend to give my life…”

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

These lines, taken from our declaration of independence, are the basic truths behind freedom. All men are made to be free. The question remains, what are we doing about it?

Today I am honored to introduce The Abolitionist, the latest book written by Elisabeth Allen, and I want you to meet Anna Ashwell, who grew up in society in England in the 1800s.

Anna may not have read the Declaration of Independence (and even then, it took blood, sweat and tears and generations for independence to be come a reality here in American) but it was the conviction that freedom was not to be dictated by the color of your skin or the place that you were born that compelled her to embrace the cause of the slaves in England’s struggle for Abolition.

It was a choice that cost her more than she could have realized, but also brought her the fulfillment of some of her dearest dreams.

You can read my review of The Abolitionist  on YLCF this morning and enter for a chance to win one of two copies of this brand new book (just released in March!) and read Anna’s story of conflict and courage for yourself. If you remember Charity, and loved her stories, you’ll want to to meet Anna as well. If you haven’t read any of Elisabeth’s books, you should. Check out the resources at the bottom of the review for lots of handy links to her books, including a place that offers free international shipping!

I enjoyed Anna’s story. It was thought provoking and made me think about what I am using my influence towards. I hope you’ll enjoy it, too.

I love hymn-stories. I have read several books over the years that detail the story behind some of our greatest hymns and the people that wrote them and I am always inspired and encouraged. It is ordinary people, ordinary lives like mine that God uses leave legacies of trust and hope and faith for years to come.

Ever since Kandace reviewed the special edition of Then Sings My Soul on her blog last March, I’d wanted to read one of the series for myself.

Sometime last year, I finally got my wish when a copy of Then Sings My Soul, book three by Robert J. Morgan, arrived on my doorstep. I didn’t get a chance to start reading it until after Christmas, but when I did, I loved reading it.

This particular edition studied the history of hymnody in depth.

The first part had six categories ranging from Biblical hymns to Medieval Hymns to Gospel and present day hymns. It was so interesting to see the development of music and how it has also stayed the same over generation to generation. It is also amazing how hymns written hundreds of years ago can still inspire and encourage our hearts just as they did others in the day they were written.

The second part is a large collection of hymns that are not very commonly sung in most circles anymore, but that are beautiful—both the stories of the people who penned them, and the hymns themselves. I did know quite a few of them, but others I’d never taken the time to read or learn. On our occasional extended family gatherings on the weekend at our place, we’ve taken to trying to learn a song or two. It has been fun!

The third part was hymn stories the author loved to tell and the last discussed why we draw so much courage from hymns and music. 

Besides all that good content, the book itself is beautiful. It has a rough cut edge to the paper, making it look older. I love how it all tied in with the theme inside.

Another thing I loved about this book as well is that it has the music printed right into the book. No digging through my stacks of music books and hymnals to try to find music to the songs that are being shared!

I suppose Book Three is a strange place to start a collection, but I would like to own all of the books in the series one day. Music and poetry and hymns are some of the things main things I turn to when I face rainy days, and I can’t think of much better than to have a library of musical encouragement at my fingertips.

thanks to booksneeze for a complimentary copy of this book. the review states my personal thoughts and opinions about this book.

Everyone has faced hard times. It is a part of living in this old world. As Christians, we are told we can count on it, in fact. I think sometimes I forget that.

Relentless, by John Bevere is written to us. It is a book of challenges and encouragement to not just “get by” but to face these hard times head on, knowing that we are more than conquerors through Christ. We are meant to excel, and to finish this race strong in Christ.

Mr. Bevere explores deeper meanings of grace. He talks about the roots of our lack of courage, and about how to grasp the strength that Christ offers us and to live our lives well and to step out and do great things for Him in that strength. He shares some of his own journeys, and struggles and the way that God has answered prayers and provided for him and his family time after time.

Relentless is aimed at encouraging. It is meant to inspire us to embrace hard times as opportunities to grow stronger, to not just endure them but to say with Paul, “I delight in difficulties”.

If I had read this book with a pen in hand, I could have highlighted quite a few key phrases, but one of the quotes that best sums up this book is the quote that is also on the back of the fly cover, and a quote that I think is worth remembering.

“God doesn’t author hardship but uses it to strengthen us for greater conquests. He never leads us into a storm that he doesn’t give us the power to overcome.”

The 18 chapters of this book are broken up in an easy to follow way, with helpful comments inserted and bible verses at the beginning of each one. It wasn’t a book I could speed through. There’s a lot to think about and honestly I haven’t yet digested it all to the point where I know if I agree with every idea and thought expressed. Still, I found more than once, portions that spoke to my heart in the season I’m in right now. I found places that said what my experiences have been trying to teach me in words I couldn’t find. And I was encouraged to keep embracing each moment of this life and striving to live it well—to live it as I believe Jesus wants me to, with gratitude and hope.

If you would like some practical encouragement in facing the hard times that life gives us with courage and boldness, you may want to try to pick up a copy of Relentless  somewhere and read it. No matter what your background is, I think there are things in this book that everyone could learn from.

thanks to waterbrook press for sharing a copy of this book with me to review. the thoughts and opinions expressed are mine.

A tragic head on collision with a drunk driver. Months in the hospital recovering from critical injuries. Days of hoping, praying, and waiting for her 15 year old daughter, Jen, to wake from a five week coma. Wondering what the future would hold, and yet still believing that God would heal their child.

Miracle for Jen is the journey of a mother who prayed for God to heal their daughter, to restore her to who she was before the accident, and who struggled with trusting that God’s way is perfect, even if it doesn’t look like we wanted it to look.

Jen’s life is a miracle, and this is the story of how God used tragedy to answer prayers and to give one girl the chance to be the difference she had longed her whole life to be. Even though to the world, she had lost everything she lived for, to Jen, God made Himself real and she never doubted Him once.

I cannot imagine the anguish that the Barricks went through during those months in the hospital and the emotions they faced. And yet, I can. My husband and his family can relate even more closely because of my oldest brother in law’s terrible accident.

No matter what the heartache or the loss or the pain, trusting is the same. I could not help but think of the phrase out of a favorite song, “what if his blessings come through raindrops”?

This story inspires to “hope out loud”. It speaks of courage and of strength that only God can provide. This story attempts to show that no matter what happens in this life, God is still in control. We may not understand it now, but one day we will see that what seemed a hopeless tangle of circumstances and pains was the part of a masterpiece we just couldn’t quite make out.

Thanks to Tyndale Publishing, who shared this book with me, one of you will get to own a copy of Miracle for Jen and read the story for yourself! (Giveaway ends April 2, 2012)

To enter this giveaway

• Leave a comment on this post telling me what speaks hope to you. (required entry)
• For a second entry, share a link to this giveaway on your blog, twitter, facebook or google plus and come back and leave a second comment with a link to the post you shared. If you do two of the above, leave a third comment for a final entry.
• This giveaway is open to everyone with a valid mailing address. So, if you don’t live in the US, don’t worry. You can still enter!

Winner will be chosen via random.org and will be notified by email. If I don’t get a response within 48 hours, I’ll pick another winner.

For more chances to win, visit my sister in law’s blog, Moments & Memories. She’s hosting her first giveaway on her blog and giving away another copy of Miracle for Jen!

For more information about the Barrick family, check out the trailer that Tyndale created for this blog tour here or visit their website, HopeOutLoud to hear Jen speak.