Review of The Swiss Courier by Tricia Goyer and Mike Yorkey

With Remembrance Day in Canada and Veteran's Day in the U.S. both approaching, The Swiss Courier by Tricia Goyer and Mike Yorkey is a timely read. Not only is this exciting story a poignant reminder of the immense sacrifices others made so that we could live in freedom, it is just a fun book! When I reached the last page of the story, I literally had to wait for my heart rate to settle down just so I could continue with my day.

From the riveting opening scene, through plot twists and turns, all the way to the edge-of-your-seat ending, The Swiss Courier pulls you back in time to the tragedy and terror of World War II and reminds you that nothing is so terrible - not even Hitler and the Nazis _ that God can't overcome it.

Gabi Mueller is the "Swiss Courier," a translator working at the American Office of Strategic Services (forerunner to the CIA) in Switzerland. Her ear for languages isn't her only talent, though, and as she's asked to volunteer for dangerous assignments, she soon finds herself wondering who she can trust .

But it is more than her own life that is at risk when she is asked to "courier" a German scientist who is working on the atomic bomb out of enemy territory. The fate of the war, and the entire world, is at stake.

As exciting as this story is, what I found even more compelling were the reminders of the sacrifice everyone made during that era. It was not only the trained soldiers who fought for us, but people from all walks of life, making the choice to do the right thing and doing whatever they could for a cause they believed in.

The Swiss Courier is also a wonderful book to share with older teens. As the horrors of WW2 fade farther into history, and so many of us live in relative safety, I find it difficult to impress upon my teenaged children how much we owe to the people who fought for that safety.

Sometimes I take it for granted too.

The Swiss Courier is a powerful reminder.

Available October 2009 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

Make Family Devotions Exciting with Devotions for Families That Can’t Sit Still by Carolyn Williford

When you call your kids for family devotions, do they roll their eyes and say, "Boring...." ? Family devotions with your kids can easily become routine, repetitive, and unimaginative.

If you've been looking for a way to liven up family devotions with your kids, Devotions for Families That Can’t Sit Still by Carolyn Williford might help. This family devotional book will capture the imagination and creativity of your children, even if they have always been bored with that family time called "devotions." Even your children who enjoy the reading, praying, and sharing type of devotionals will find this change in approach refreshing.

The action-packed devotional guide would be too exhausting to use every night. Williford suggests having family devotions one night a week, making it a fun family time everyone can look forward to.

The devotions were written for kids ages 5 to 12 but they can easily be adapted to use with younger or older children. Even though they're written as "family" these activities could also be used for kids’ clubs or other children programs.

Williford is very precise in giving basic, easy to follow instructions, even listing the materials needed for each devotional activity, so you can prepare ahead of time.

She suggests starting each devotional time with a short prayer, then a Bible reading, followed by the main activity and ending with closing prayer. But you adapt the session to any format you wish for your own family or group.

The exciting devotional activities include laser tag or darts, creative writing, nature hike, scavenger hunt, Bible charades, building with Lego or blocks, scientific experiments, art, clay or play doh, music praise night, magic tricks, servant jar, and games. This devotional book even offers an extensive section for holiday times including Children’s Day and preparing for vacation by burying the Grouch.

For parents and teachers who want to rekindle kids' excitement about spending time with God, Devotions for Families That Can't Sit Still could be a great resource to add to your home library.

Ruth Willms helps Christian parents teach Biblical principals to today's youth. She is the author of The Lion Tree, an exciting novel for ages 8 – 12, and A Christmas Present for Goliath, which retells the nativity story from a unique perspective. Visit http://www.RuthWillms.com to download her free gift to you, How to Introduce Your Kids to Jesus, Their Forever Friend.

A Review of These High, Green Hills by Ruth Willms

This is the third book in the Mitford series but it doesn’t matter if you haven’t read the first two books. This volume is a good read on its own. Beware: you might become addicted to the Mitford small town warmth and have to read the next book in the series and the next and the next, as I did.

The High, Green Hills entails two gentle love stories; one between a near-to-retirement priest and his new artistic wife; the other between the same priest and his parish. If you enjoy the feeling of being connected to your family, friends and community you will love the streams of happenings in Mitford. There is always something of importance erupting in Father Tim’s parish, from lunch time at the popular uptown Grill to the antics of the quaint ladies up on the hill called Fernbank.

Then there are the people on the outskirts of Mitford in the place called The Creek. Poorer than church mice, but resilient, these colorful characters bring new challenges to Father Tim. He might be labeled a stick in the mud, not looking for adventure, but it finds him anyway in an unexplored, dark, damp cave.

Loving the people of his community and driven to be everything to everyone, Father Tim will win you heart and you will be asking: “Are there really priests or pastors like that anymore?”

Ruth Willms is a Christian Children's author who writes stories that bring the Bible to life for pre-teen readers. Her Christian fantasy novel,The Lion Tree, at www.RuthWillms.com shows pre-teen readers how God's love helps them deal with today's problems and teaches modern-day lessons from the Bible.
Ruth Willms also posts daily devotionals for kids and parents on her blog, www.ruthwillms.blogspot.com

Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com

Discovering Your Purpose – A Review of Knit Together by Debbie Macomber

Knit Together is written by New York Times bestselling author, Debbie Macomber. This is her first nonfiction book after publishing over 150 novels.

Are you impressed yet? It gets better.

Macomber wrote those novels after being told she could never be a writer. In fact, she was advised to throw away the manuscript for her first novel because it would never be suitable for publication.

Thankfully, she followed her dream, not the advice.

Not surprisingly, Macomber is a woman who believes we were each created for a purpose, and we are meant to dream and take risks.

This book is inspirational, but it is also very practical. In it, you'll learn steps to take in order to discover your purpose, how to set goals that will help you achieve your dreams, and much more.

Most importantly, you'll learn that God has had a wonderful plan for your life since before you were born - before you were knit together in your mother's womb - and He knows exactly what it will take to accomplish that plan.

If you're in need of a purpose and a healthy dose of dreaming, this book is the perfect prescription.

Review of Just Enough Light for the Step I'm On: Trusting God in the Tough Times by Stormie Omartian

One of the books on my bedside table right now is Stormie Omartian's Just Enough Light for the Step I'm On: Trusting God in the Tough Times.

You may be familiar with Stormie's books. She's the author of The Power of a Praying Wife and The Power of a Praying Parent.

Just Enough Light for the Step I'm On is a devotional guide written to help the reader trust God day by day at times when it looks like He's nowhere to be found.

Each day's reading is an encouraging message with poignant examples of God's grace in Stormie's own life and scripture to back up her claims of God's faithfulness.

This is a book I've read many times, yet each time I draw something new from it.

When I'm faced with tough life choices and worry about making a misstep, Stormie reminds me that I can count on God to fight my battles for me... if I step back long enough to let Him.