NOTE FROM CHRISTA: The simplicity of what Dr. Hancock teaches is the absolute “secret” to a life where you eat to live, not live to eat.  At first, it seems too good to be true. How is it I can eat whatever I want and still lose weight? Nothing to measure, weight, calculate, total, dance around, stand on one foot and jump…? Did God really create brownies to torture me? Eat when I’m hungry? What a notion! Hunger? I eat by the clock. My lunch at school is 11:15. I eat w... Read Full Story

WHITE PICKET FENCES Amanda Janvier’s idyllic home seems the perfect place for her niece Tally to stay while her vagabond brother is in Europe, but the white picket fence life Amanda wants to provide is a mere illusion. Amanda’s husband Neil refuses to admit their teenage son Chase, is haunted by the horrific fire he survived when he was four, and their marriage is crumbling while each looks the other way. Tally and Chase bond as they interview two Holocaust survivors for a sociology project, ... Read Full Story

Note from Christa: I heard Jennifer speak over five years ago when my church invited her to one of the women’s programs. I was touched by her honesty and challenged by her call to seek a relationship with Jesus through prayer. Since then, I’ve purchased each one of her books and through them learned more about myself and about the God who loves me. Don’t pass this one up. Jennifer Kennedy Dean is Executive director of The Praying Life Foundation and a respected author and sp... Read Full Story

“I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of MADD.  A donation was made to MADD in my name to thank me for taking the time to participate.” As a high school teacher for over twenty years, I wanted to participate in this blog campaign because I’ve taught students who died because of their own drinking or because of being in a car with someone who’s drunk or being hit by someone drinking. Kids at every grade level, freshmen just entering hi... Read Full Story

Note from Christa: I’d heard about Athol Dickson before having an opportunity to review his novel. And a few weeks ago, he was a guest blogger on my agent Rachelle Gardner’s blog. His discussion of  literature and the arts learning from architecture was not only intriguing, but cause for me to print the post and mine the nuggets of information there. He closed with, “I believe genuine creativity is directly proportional to openness to new ideas and inspiration, wherever they... Read Full Story

THE SOUND OF SLEIGH BELLS Beth Hertzler works alongside her beloved Aunt Lizzy in their dry goods store, and serving as contact of sorts between Amish craftsmen and Englischers who want to sell the Plain people’s wares. But remorse and loneliness still echo in her heart everyday as she still wears the dark garb, indicating mourning of her fiancé. When she discovers a large, intricately carved scene of Amish children playing in the snow, something deep inside Beth’s soul responds and she wants... Read Full Story

The Great Christmas Bowl Marianne Wallace is focused on two things this holiday season: planning the greatest family Christmas ever and cheering on her youngest son’s team in their bid for the state championship. Disaster strikes when the team loses their mascot-the Trout. Is it going too far to ask her to don the costume? So what if her husband has also volunteered her to organize the church Christmas tea. When football playoffs start ramping up, the Christmas tea starts falling apar... Read Full Story

What to Do When the Lights Go Out by Cec Murphey If you sincerely desire to follow Jesus Christ, life won’t always be easy. Many times the Bible promises victory, and you may need to remind yourself that there can be no victory without struggling and overcoming obstacles. In my book, I used the image of God turning out the lights because that was how I perceived the situation. I felt as if I walked in darkness for 18 months. We all interact differently with God, and my experience won&#... Read Full Story

EXTRAORDINARY: THE LIFE YOU’RE MEANT TO LIVE There’s a question that troubles many believers: “Why am I not experiencing more joy, more hope, more satisfaction, more intimacy, more power, more everything in my Christian life–didn’t Jesus promise that?” He did promise an abundant life, but too many people are trapped by the curse of “the ordinary.” They have accepted the wrong idea that following God means losing individuality, creativity, and a passion for achieving lofty goals.... Read Full Story

O2: Breathing New Life into Faith “I see more passion for trees in the Sierra Club than I do for Jesus in the church.” How can Chr istians revive and sustain their spiritual vitality? International Bible teacher Richard Dahlstrom offers an answer as practical and life-sustaining as oxygen. People can’t hold their breath forever or continually blow air out, yet many Christians focus either on the inner life or on external service. As a result, their faith eventu ally beco... Read Full Story