Review: NKJV, Journal the Word Bible, Large Print, Hardcover, Black, Red Letter Edition: Reflect, Journal, or Create Art Next to Your Favorite Verses

NKJV, Journal the Word Bible, Large Print, Hardcover, Black, Red Letter Edition: Reflect, Journal, or Create Art Next to Your Favorite Verses by Thomas Nelson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thank you, Thomas Nelson Bibles and BlogAbout, for this beautifully crafted NKJV Journal The Word Bible to read and review, and for the extra copy to give away!


You thought of everything! From the weight of the paper it's printed on, to the space provided for creative reflection, the ribbon place marker, and the fact that it lays flat.

I've written in the margins of every Bible I've ever owned. This is the first one I've owned that is specifically intended for the reader of The Word to actively and creatively engage with what is read.

I look forward to the months, and years ahead as I creatively journal my way through The Word, eventually ending up with a family heirloom.

I posted this video on my Facebook Page just for fun!

Both the King James Version (KJV) and the New King James Version (NKJV) are available. This would make a great gift for anyone and Christmas is just around the corner!

I am giving away a NKJV Journal the Word Bible to one of my blog subscribers!  Please comment and tell me why you would like to win it!  



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Review: The Broken Way: A Daring Path into the Abundant Life

The Broken Way: A Daring Path into the Abundant Life by Ann Voskamp
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Ann Voskamp does it again.

She takes your heart, wrings it out and then masterfully fills it back up with a broken, holy, beauty saying "The miracle happens in the breaking." The breaking of bread or the breaking of our hearts. These are split wide open, and in the splitting, the "not enough" becomes more than enough.

Thank you, Zondervan, for the Advance Reader Copy in exchange for my honest review.

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Review: The Undoing of Saint Silvanus

The Undoing of Saint Silvanus by Beth Moore
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Beth Moore took hold of my heart and didn't let go until I turned the last page. I so identified with Jillian's terror and her scandalous family! I read the final chapter where the stories loose ends are tied up in a not-so-neat bow and thought I was finished. Not so fast.

My "undoing" was the last paragraph of the Note To The Reader.

Beth Moore more than delivers on her very first fiction book.

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Review: Hope Prevails

Hope Prevails by Michelle Bengtson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Hope Prevails is a biblically sound "prescription" written by a doctor for those experiencing depression. The Scriptures are used extensively throughout the book making this a biblically based model for true healing, not just a management of the symptoms of depression.

As a neuropsychologist of more than 20 years Dr. Bengtson uses her training and experience to tell her about her struggle with debilitating depression and the story of how she was healed. She offers readers a light for their path through the darkness of depression.

I was provided with an Advance Reader Copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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Review: Unfrozen: Stop Holding Back and Release the Real You

Unfrozen: Stop Holding Back and Release the Real You by Andrea Joy Wenburg
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Have you ever felt silenced? Or like you were too much for some people, yet somehow not enough? Me too.

In her debut book, Unfrozen, Andrea Wenburg gently takes the reader on a journey of discovering their true voice by telling the story of how she found hers. The pain of not feeling heard was palpable. I cheered her on through the very last chapter, and the last sentence was so satisfying to me as a reader.

This book is based on her life-changing experience of watching the Disney movie, Frozen. The movie, it's songs, and characters are ubiquitous for a reason! The message of the movie struck a chord with the movie-going public, both young and old alike, in a way that very few movies have. The movie's message is timeless and applicable to all, and so is the message of Unfrozen. We all have a voice. The world needs to hear our heart's message.

Accompanying the book will be a six-part course that readers can engage in to find their voice and for personal growth.

I recommend this book to anyone who needs to find their true voice so they can be heard in this very noisy world.

I was provided with an Advance Reader Copy by the author in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: Healing from Hidden Abuse: A Journey Through the Stages of Recovery from Psychological Abuse

Healing from Hidden Abuse: A Journey Through the Stages of Recovery from Psychological Abuse by Shannon Thomas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I will tell you from the outset that "Healing From Hidden Abuse" is a much-needed book.

Shannon Thomas speaks from her professional experience as a counselor about the effects of what she calls "hidden abuse," meaning abuse that does not leave markings or scars on the body of the victims (those she refers to as survivors) but on the soul.

Thomas refers to the abusers as "toxic" people because they are poisonous. She uses common language to carefully explain the types of abuse that many people encounter: psychological, emotional, mental, spiritual. She also differentiates between common relational issues between people and toxic behavior which evidences itself in observable patterns.

The author then goes on to spell out the patterns of behavior that give clues to help the reader see the bigger picture. Then, the way out of an abusive relationship, along with the steps to take in recovery are laid out clearly and simply.

The journal prompts at the end will be very helpful to anyone who finds themselves in this situation.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who suspects they, or a loved one, may be in a relationship and suspects hidden abuse.

I received an Advance Reader Copy in exchange for my honest review.

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Review: Colors of Goodbye: A Memoir of Holding On, Letting Go, and Reclaiming Joy in the Wake of Loss

Colors of Goodbye: A Memoir of Holding On, Letting Go, and Reclaiming Joy in the Wake of Loss by September Vaudrey
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Grief is like a ball of hopelessly tangled yarn. Unraveling it takes time. Colors of Goodbye helped me untangle some of the knots in my leftover ball of grief.

Knowing the subject matter I put off reading for a while and then inwardly braced myself when I cracked open the book. Shauna Niequist's forward was such a perfect opening. I walked through the doorway into the cavernous well of grief explored by the author after the tragic loss of her daughter. Each chapter's offering felt carefully measured out so that I could navigate my way through the emotions that surfaced for me without feeling overwhelmed. September Vaudrey vulnerably retraces her footsteps through the minefield of grief. Even her missteps are pointed out for the benefit of those coming after her.

The use of color, art, and beauty to paint a picture of grief reminded me of the word "brutiful" coined by Glennon Doyle Melton. She uses it when "life's brutal and beautiful are woven together so tightly that they can't be separated."

I received this book as a gift from Tyndale Momentum. This honest review is my way of saying, "Thank you".


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Review: A Mile Wide: Trading a Shallow Religion for a Deeper Faith

A Mile Wide: Trading a Shallow Religion for a Deeper Faith by Brandon Hatmaker
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

In the book A Mile Wide Brandon Hatmaker states (about Jesus' parable of the soils), "...the quality and depth of the soil represents our heart's receptivity to his truth. Our receptivity determines the fruit, not the other way around. Instead of focusing on more fruit, we're challenged to focus on the condition of the soil."

With that, he proceeds to aid the reader in turning over the fallow ground and the topsoil of the heart. Seed that falls on hardened soil cannot take root and grow and is left to the birds.
Seed that falls on good soil eventually becomes fruit-bearing trees.

Brandon states, "...we're better at being and making converts than we are at being and making disciples." We are invited to consider discipleship through a new set of lenses, all of which are critical in our formation. He spells out, in everyday language how to go about deepening our relationship with God and with our neighbors. He offers a fresh perspective on loving others, calling them: The Outcast, The Outsider, and The Insider.

This book left me hungering for greater depths in my faith and with an action plan to make it happen.

I received an Advance Reader Copy in exchange for my honest review.

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Review: If You Can Keep It: The Forgotten Promise of American Liberty

If You Can Keep It: The Forgotten Promise of American Liberty by Eric Metaxas
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Eric Metaxas, "If You Can Keep It" is a bold, patriotic reminder about what our country once was, the state it currently is in, and what it can be once again, if we each do our part to love our country. He explains the Golden Triangle of Freedom, which is: freedom requires virtue, virtue requires faith, and faith requires freedom.

He reminds the reader about how the stories of the heroes of our nation inspire others to greatness and warns us about abandoning the "vital tradition of venerating heroes".

He makes a case for loving America, an idea that is increasingly backward, and even offensive to some because of certain historical realities, which he enumerates. Heroism and ignominy are both a part of the historical record. We must rejoice and be inspired by the former, and repent of of the latter.

"For a nation is a partnership between the people who have died, the people who are alive now, and the people who have not yet been born."
- Edmund Burke

"We are a great country and our song has not yet been sung."
- Daniel Hannan, speaking of Great Britain, but that can also be said about America.

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Review: The Ghost of Africa

The Ghost of Africa by Don Brobst
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was given an Advance Reader Copy in exchange for my honest review. So I'll be honest. I don't usually read books involving international warfare, deadly military scenes, people dying and lots of guns, ammo, and guy stuff. That said, once I started reading I was hooked. Don writes in a style that made these unfamiliar settings in the story easy to get pulled into. Halfway through the book I was rooting for Dr. Paul Branson and wondering how it would all unfold. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. Don's heart for the people in Africa is evident in his gifted storytelling.

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Review: I Don't Wait Anymore: Letting Go of Expectations and Grasping God's Adventure for You

I Don't Wait Anymore: Letting Go of Expectations and Grasping God's Adventure for You by Grace Thornton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The title and subtitle of this book hooked me from the first time I heard about it so I jumped at the chance to read and review it. It took a while for me to settle into the rhythm and writing style of the author. It felt like she jumped around a bit at first. I was glad once I got past that, though. She has a message for everyone, but especially for all those who pledged before God and man to "wait" and then wore the ubiquitous "True Love Waits" purity rings as a token of their commitment. She has a message for anyone that has waited for God to move in any area of their life, only to be left feeling disappointment with God.

She defines waiting in a way that I wasn't expecting and then makes a case for all of us that are living lives with unrealized expectations, plans, goals and dreams to stop waiting. By the time I was halfway through, I could not wait to see where she was going with her train of thought.

Grace did not disappoint. She tells story after story that make our hearts beat wildly for the kind of life we truly want to live. One where we climb to the mountaintops looking for, and find, the amazing life we know is out there. She reminds us that it is possible.

I wanted to highlight all the good quotes, but realized I would have to stop too often, and my eyes wanted to read the next page instead. My eyes won, mostly because this is the kind of book that is intended to be given as a gift and once I started reading, I thought of several people that I wanted to gift my copy to.

A beautiful book inside and out. The ribbon place marker was a nice touch.

I was provided with a copy of this book by the publisher in return for my honest review.

I will be giving away a copy of I Don't Wait Anymore to one of my blog subscribers! I will announce the winner on Sunday, June 12. Subscribe and comment below for a chance to win!

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Review: Nor Forsake

Nor Forsake by Julie Presley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Before I was introduced to Julie Presley's writing, it had been years, decades even, since I read any Christian Fiction because of how unrealistic it all felt to me.

With her first book, Stones of Remembrance (which I read semi-reluctantly...should I be saying that in a review?) Julie made me a fiction reader once again. With her latest book, Nor Forsake, I am officially her biggest fan! I felt like she was writing MY STORY in so many ways, with just some of the details changed to protect my identity!

My favorite part of Julie's writing is how she weaves truth into the fabric of her stories and how the characters seamlessly interact with God throughout the book. Her writing is real, gutsy, and definitely "not your mama's Christian Fiction", which I'm pretty sure I coined that phrase specifically for her.

I won't add any spoilers, but this book is like reading a story within a story. I loved it! I was surprised that it worked so easily. Nor Forsake gave me hope for the future, not in a fictitious "and-they-lived-happily-ever-after" way, but in a realistic, redemptive way.

I eagerly await her next book!

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Outgrow Your Space At Work – A Book Review

Quote:  "You don't get promoted. You outgrow your space."

“Every answer regarding why your career is moving in it’s current direction – good or bad – is found inside you.”  

- Rick Whitted, author

If you are willing to dig into this excellent resource and apply what you learn, you will be rewarded with the wisdom needed to help you have a long and lasting career in the field of your choice. 

You can take the CareerWhitt Assessment to see what is driving your career decisions:  your emotions or your core values.  Knowing this can help you make career decisions that will propel you forward instead of leaving you spinning your wheels.

The best review I can give this book is to tell you that I am passing it along to my four, grown children hoping they will read and heed Rick’s wise counsel. They are all just starting out in life and have long careers ahead of them. 

If you are like me, you could probably name dozens of people that wish they had this advice when they first started their careers. 

From the book’s description:

With a lifetime of experience and research to back him up, Rick Whitted helps you 

• Identify why you want a promotion
• Define for yourself what success really looks like
• Position yourself for a promotion
• Innovate in the role you perform right now
• and much more

This would make an excellent high school or college graduation gift.  

Pick up a copy for someone you know that is struggling to find their niche.

*************************************************************** 

Available for purchase at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Christianbook.com.  

You can Follow him on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, Podcast and YouTube.

I received a copy of this book from The Blog Spot Network in exchange for my review.

#the4500launches The Sound of Gravel

The story you are about to read is true.  I couldn't make this up if I tried.

On October 15, 2015 I Heard A Voice that said, "Start your book launch team, call it #the4500launches and promote other first time authors while waiting for your turn."  It was that clear and direct.

So I created a Facebook Group for my launch team, even though I do not (yet***) have a contract with a publisher for the memoir I am writing.  
***I believe Paul who said, "God...calls things that are not, as though they already existed". 
***I also believed that William Hutchison Murry quote, which proved itself to be true.  

Read on...

Six days later I'm on Twitter and read Marlena Bittner's Tweet about a first time author that has a memoir releasing in January 2015.  

The Sound of Gravel, Flat Iron Books, Jan 5, 2015

Feeling sure that there's already a book launch team in place to promote her book, I fire off a Tweet to the author, Ruth Wariner, and offer to help promote the book...not knowing Ruth is my cousin!  

Nobody could've predicted the events that would stream forth from this Tweet! 

A little later that same day, I read a comment on a GoodReads review that mentioned the word "polygamy" and my brain explodes as I scurry back to Ruth's Twitter, click on her website and read her History.  

I gasped and my heart stopped after I read and scrolled far enough down to see the mugshot photo of my father, Ervil LeBaron...and it dawns on me who Ruth is.  My hand flies to my mouth, covering it, as I think, "What have I done?  I Tweeted one of Joel's children publicly!"  

I immediately Tweeted this in a feeble attempt to distance myself from my father and the atrocities he committed while still alive, hoping she wouldn't block me on Twitter before I had a chance to explain:  

You see, Ruth and I share a very painful family history.  Our deceased fathers, Ervil and Joel LeBaron are a 1970's version of the Cain and Abel story - with my father Ervil being the modern day Cain. 

Our family history is the subject of her book, so I will not add any spoilers.  
Our family history is also the subject of my yet-to-be-published memoir. 

Ruth and I are telling our stories from the opposite sides of our feuding families, like the Hatfield's and McCoy's. 

Our families, and the nearly 100 children fathered by Joel and Ervil, were split apart the day my father, Ervil, ordered a "Blood Atonement" hit on his own brother, and Ruth's father, Joel. 

I was three years old and Ruth was just three months old that fateful day, August 20, 1972.  

With very few exceptions, our two families and those who followed these men, often referred to as "The Joelites" and "The Ervilites" have not spoken in over four decades, until our one-in-a-zillion chance encounter on Twitter.  Seriously.  What are the odds of that happening? Some would use the word "coincidence" to describe it, but I prefer "God-incidence".)

After a private, Direct Message exchange through Twitter, in which I find out that there is not a launch team assembled yet, I offer to lead a team using #the4500launches to promote her book, and the rest is history.  

For a taste of what it was like being on the launch team, watch this #ArmyOfSisters video, created by Meg Cassidy, Ruth's personal publicist. The launch team part begins at the 2:00 minute mark.

Ruth and I are living out "the rest of the story" as I type this blog post on the day of her book release. 

We met in person on December 3 and physically embraced one another, while symbolically restoring our families. We understand fully that each member of our respective families may not feel ready to embrace these changes. Ruth and I are in agreement that the timing of their healing journey is a very personal matter and we will respect that to the best of our ability, while embracing our familial connection both in person and online.

EDITED TO ADD: my book is available for preorder at

Barnes and Noble: http://bit.ly/BNALTPD  and at Amazon!

Me with my ARC (Advance Reader Copy) of Ruth's book!

Anna and Ruth meet!

Kathleen, Ruth, Anna, and Ramona

Graphic credit goes to my friend and #the4500 co-Admin, Tracy Lynn Page.