Bob Goff: the phone call 10.23.15

I read a book called "Love Does" by Bob Goff. He relates his life's stories with lessons he has learned and how they relate to Jesus. IT. IS. AMAZING!! I'll chat for hours about this book to anyone and everyone. It is just that good! And I'll probably write more posts from what I have learned from him in the future.

At the end of the book he explains that Jesus loves people and he loves people, so if you want to chat with him about something in his book to call him! Yes. He gives his cell number so you can chat with him! It took me about 2 months to work up the courage to do so, but I finally called him last week. 

Mr. Goff was like a celebrity to me! I was SO nervous and excited to talk to him that I kind of exhaled a whole bunch of information that came out like, "Hi-My name is Amber Beck-I'm from Sahuarita, AZ-And I love your book!" Insert tears. Lot of them. "A year and a half ago my BIL was murdered. After it happened, I felt like God lifted me up and placed me on a different plane and has been leading me to find more love and joy and happiness when I most need it! And you're book was exactly what I needed! It was perfect timing!" He was so loving and understanding and a complete stranger! 

During the brief pause I had where I was trying to take some deep breaths and calm myself, Bob Goff said, "People are lame. They don't know what to say in those instances and don't know how to relate and they try to find some level where they can relate, 'Well, I had a puppy once and it died.' It's just not the same."

I asked him how to love the really hard people. He told me to read Phillipians 2, where we learn to esteem others as more worthy than us, which is just another name for grace. The verses that stuck out to me are in verses 3-5, 13-14.

"Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than themselves./ Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others./ Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus;/ For it is God which worth in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure./ Do all things without murmurings and disputing:/ That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;/ Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither labored in vain."

Bob also told me to "capture the moments," to write down what I learn so I can teach others. He also said, "find the least creepiest explanation for why they are being lame." 

He related a story of when he was teaching inside a church. A lady in the front row was wearing a boa! Not a feathery boa, but a fangs and scales boa! He was so distracted. The least creepiest explanation he came up with is, maybe she didn't know! Maybe she was walking to church and the snake fell from the trees and landed on her! 

He also mentioned to find people like Switzerland where I feel safe to be me, where I freely talk about what's going on without repercussion. 

Anyway, I'm trying to love the people around me and show grace to those lamos when we meet. 

book review: A Noble Masquerade

PG

I LOVED this book! I sat down yesterday before church and finished it last night. Good characters. Good story. Good writing. I seriously want to read it again. Right now!

Lady Miranda Hawthorne feels like a spinster at the ripe ole' age of 21. She is trying to be herself while being a lady and finding a husband who loves her for her and not for her family's fame and fortune. 

There is comedy, drama, action, and love. It reminded me a bit of "Pride and Prejudice". 

**I received a copy of this book from the publisher. This review is my own and I was not compensated for my opinion.

book review: Taken

PG

I finished this book a long long LONG time ago. I just couldn't make myself write a review because this book wasted my time and it made me uber mad. The first sentence on the book jacket specifically says that Shannon was abducted by the Jacoby crime family, but for the fist 200+ pages (Yes, 200+ pages!!), Shannon will not talk about who abducted her! Seriously? I know who abducted you because of the jacket. Get on with the story!

After the big reveal that the Jacoby family abducted her, the story finally moved forward and it was an interesting read. 

*I received a free copy of this book to review. I was not compensated.

book review: From the Start

PG

I loved this book! The characters and story were so well written that I couldn't put the book down; my house and kids suffered for the two days it took me to read this. 

Kate and Colton seem like every-day people that I'd meet on the street, except they are both semi-celebrities. I love that they both overcame their back stories in a very human way that was more realistic than fantasy. I also loved that they showed real human emotions that actually helped other people. Both Kate and Colton showed real love toward a lot of people, including strangers. This is a story that more people need to emulate in every-day life. 

**I received a free copy of this book from Bethany House publishers. This review is my own opinion. I was not compensated in any way.

book review: Dauntless

PG

I was pleasantly surprised about this book. I read the jacket of the book and thought, "Oh no! Another Robin Hood ripoff!" Kuddos to the author for addressing this issue within the first couple of pages! She acknowledged that and tied it neatly to the story she was going to tell. Awesome!

The main characters of the book are all kids who have been orphaned because of the evil King John. The refreshing part of it was that the author kept reminding the readers that they were kids. They had a different view of the world and people around them and that was okay. They were kids thrust into an adult role but they still had their frailties.

The history behind the story was intriguing and well thought out.

The action and romance and intrigue were great! Love triangles, murder plots, mercy, humor, and revenge all had tendrils snaked throughout the book tying the characters all to each other.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone!

book review: The Patmos Deception

PG

Meh. The story read fast, but it had a choppy flow. The book is a fictional travel book; the characters were involved in a fictional story but there were a lot of historical facts and regional language, which I found boring in parts. The ending just sort of stopped. I didn't feel any kind of closure and it didn't answer a couple questions I had. Specifically, who did Carey choose?!

** I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

book review: Playing By Heart

G

Personal things had been happening while reading this book that I could completely relate to Lula Bowman. This story was sad, fun, humorous, and tragic. I loved it! It reads fast and the story smoothly flows. I would definitely recommend this book.

**I received a copy of this book by the publishers.

book review: Silenced

PG-13

There isn't a lot of language, but there are graphic scenes. Over all the book was really good. I liked the characters (this is an additional book in a series that I haven't read) even though some of the back-stories were lost on me. However, the book did drag on a bit and could have been shorter. I was surprised at the ending of who the real killer was. 

book review: Caught in the Middle

PG

I was really surprised at how much I really really really liked this book! I loved the writing, I loved the story, I loved characters, I loved that the heroine made a really tough choice at the end that I 100% agreed with and cried and cheered because she made it and followed through.

book review: A Draw of Kings

PG - a little more violence in this book.

I have mixed feelings about this review because I have loved this series and was uber excited to get the third and final book. And for free nonetheless (I received a copy from Bethany Publishers)! See my review of Book 1 here and my review of Book 2 here. I am pregnant and had a lot of down time (I'm getting huge in my 3rd trimester) so I was able to quickly read this book.

Of course, our hero has to go on ANOTHER quest to save the people who have detested him this entire time. I'm getting to the juicy part where I find out who is going to be crowned king and sacrifice himself for the kingdom when PLOT TWIST and things change and there is hope. At page 431 I'm thinking I'm gonna like this ending when I turn the page and ....

nothing.

The book ended at page 432 when there are 464 pages! Are you kidding me?! I felt like the characters in "Monty Python's: The Search for the Holy Grail" when they're in the caves and reading from the walls:

MAYNARD:  It reads, 'Here may be found the last words of Joseph of Arimathea.
    He who is valiant and pure of spirit may find the Holy Grail in the Castle
    of uuggggggh'.
ARTHUR:  What?
MAYNARD: '... the Castle of uuggggggh'.
BEDEVERE:  What is that?
MAYNARD:  He must have died while carving it.

I'm hoping that Mr. Carr did not, in fact, die before writing this ending because that would be awful. I do, however, hope that you read this trilogy because it is fantastic! Just make sure your copy isn't missing the last 32 pages.

book review: Unspoken

PG

This book WAS. SO. LONG! I finished it about 2 weeks ago but it was so awful I didn't want to relieve it again!

There are three parts. If the dust jacket caught you like it caught me, let me save you some time. The first two parts you, the reader, are introduced to Bryce and then Charlotte. Bryce has a coin shop and Charlotte has recently inherited A LOT of coins from her grandfather. Charlotte goes into business with Bryce where she sells him the coins and he resells them, i.e. they make a lot of money.

Charlotte has a murky past where she was kidnapped and the cops didn't find her for 4 years, but her and Bryce start up a relationship and they fall in love, sort of, and get married (Charlotte has to get married in order to inherit even more gobs of money).

Fast forward to page 297 and start reading from there.

This book had about 3-4 different sub-stories that were obviously going to connect in the end and they did. Seriously, skip the first two parts and start at page 297! The last part was good and almost made reading this book in its entirety worth it.

**I received a copy of this book from Bethany House to read and review.

Book Review: Chasing Hope

PG

I really really really enjoyed this book! I've been sick with this pregnancy and haven't read a book in about 10 weeks. I sat down tonight and finished the entire thing!

Sabrina Rice is a talented runner and Olympic hopeful when she's diagnosed with a life changing disease. She quits running and pursues other dreams until she meets a high school student with raw running talent. She's thrown back into the world of running and has to meet those feelings and heart ache she has never fully faced when she could no longer do the thing that kept her passionate about life and God.

I loved how the supporting characters also had their own hopes that they were chasing and how all the characters' lives were entwined with each other; my own choices could and do impact others lives! I also loved the little Bible study insights on Moses and the Children of Israel.

A major lesson throughout the book is never assume. Assuming only hurts.


**I received a copy of this book to review.

book review: Made to Last

Things I liked: The characters were cute and fun and supported each other. I could see each character and their personality very clearly in my minds eye. I thought I knew how Miranda was going to FINALLY tell the truth and I was surprisingly wrong!

Things I hated: Why would someone chose to put their life in such disarray? It bothered me that supposed adults would abandon truth for the easy, self-supporting lie that just caused more turmoil and drama. But I guess that is exactly what the author intended. Job accomplished then. Next time, make the book a little shorter. It also bothered me that the author would introduce cliff hangers and not answer the questions until pages, even chapters later!

Good clean read. I would give this book a C+.

**I received a free copy of this book to review.

book review: Rules of Murder

I liked this book overall.

What I liked:
the love story; Drew, Madeline, and Nick; the random story with the kittens in Drew's room; the nice little wrap-up at the end of the story; the clean murder mystery; God and his gospel written in the story (I'm still getting used to reading about this).

What I didn't like:
the jerky plot twists; the many, many, MANY characters at the beginning that have nothing to do with the story or the plot or with anything.

book review: The Hero's Lot

Back in March I got to review the first book in this trilogy: A Cast of Stones. When this book popped up on the list of books to review this month, I snagged a spot immediately!

I still loved this book, the story and the writing, but this second book felt a bit rushed. Patrick W. Carr explained some things in great detail and other things he rushed right through; however, I can't fault him for hurrying, the book was 448 pages! I also got a bit confused with the old characters' names, the many locations they traveled through, and all of the new characters.

"The Hero's Lot" was a great book and an easy read. I'm ready for the third and final book to come out and am now hoping it shows up on the list to review!

**I review books for Bethany House and was not compensated for my review.

book review: A Most Peculiar Circumstance

I liked this book because it was set in the 1800s and was a cutsie romance novel, but the flow of the story felt really jolty. I was and stayed entertained throughout the entire book, and since I was sick and in bed a lot, I finished it within a couple days.

The only problem I had was with Mr. Theodore Wilder. He's supposed to be a fantastic P.I. and government official, but all professionalism flies out the door once he is bewitched with Arabella Beckett. Does that really EVER happen? Ever?!

Good book, though. Cute. Short. Entertaining.

I received a copy of this book by Bethany House Publishing.

book review: Swept Away

Meh ... This book was cute and okay, but it kind of irked me. I loved how the author didn't use crude language when she very well could have justified that she had to have it because of the story line. I liked the overall story. I liked the band of brothers and their back stories. But this book just didn't do it for me.

I am a book reviewer for Bethany House Publishers.

knock on wood

I have a very high energy little boy. Both Joe and I were a little lost as to what to do with him (both of us combined can barely match his energy level). He definitely has a mind of his own and will let you know when he is not having fun. We've even had a couple complaints from primary teachers and friends: "He's a good boy when he focus', but..." He seems to be fine one minute and then completely lose it!

Was he possessed?

We both mused about how we wished babies came with user manuals (other than the scriptures; those are sometimes hard to understand). Literally, a day later I came across this little gem:

This book stems off of Carol Tuttle's empire of energy profiling. Basically, there are four types of energy in the world and each of us live in a dominant energy type. "The Child Whisperer" delves into child energy profiling, going into such detail that in about 2 days I completely understood what energy type my son and daughter was and had some tools to help me honor (I really hate that word, but there really isn't a better word to describe it. I literally shudder when I hear that word.) their energy movement!

For example, Corban is a dominant Type 1 with a secondary Type 4. He is fun-loving in everything he does, but has an exactness. To him, fun is lining up his cars, blocks, army guys, etc in straight lines.

If he feels blocked or put into a situation where he feels uncomfortable, he blows his top. One of Carol's suggestions in the book is to hold your Type 1 children and let them know things are okay.

Skeptical? I sure was! No way it could be that easy.

Corban almost broke my nose on accident! I took him into my room (we had visitors) and held him in my arms. At first, he told me he was glad he made me cry and glad that he hurt me. I kept holding him and told him that he was okay, I was okay, everyone was okay, and that it was an accident. He calmed within a minute and apologized for hitting my nose! What?! That NEVER happens.

Since I've been trying to help him live true to himself, I have seen a difference. There are more times I see my fun, loving little boy who smiles and teases and has fun. He is polite and sweet and a little charmer. I have my Corban back -- in most cases.

I would highly recommend reading this book!

And if you're interested in learning more about Carol Tuttle's Energy Profiling, check out her website here.

**This is my own opinion and did not get reimbursed in any way.

book review: Finding God in the Dark

Invariably, all of us have felt abandoned at one point in our lives. The darkness that envelopes us at those points are hard: the hopelessness, the fear, the pain. This is the premise of this book from co-authors Ted Kluck and Ronnie Martin. 

This book really surprised me; I liked it. The author's experiences and their clever ways of entwining it with Christian views was entertaining for this short little book. We all belong to Jesus Christ and "he will provide us with joyful reassurance in our darkest times of doubt and wondering." 

book review: A Cast of Stones

I really enjoyed this book! It wasn't an entirely new concept and there were some holes in the plot and grammatical errors, but I finished this 428 page book in two days! "A Cast of Stones: The Staff and The Sword" was a mixture of fantasy, adventure, romance, and mystery.

I can't wait for the remaining books in this three book series!