{Litfuse Blog Tour} The Life Ready Woman: Thriving in a Do-It-All World by Shaunti Feldhahn & Robert Lewis

ABOUT THE LIFE READY WOMAN:

Are you a ‘Doing it all’ or ‘Do what matters’ woman?

Whether a stay at home; or working mom, an airplane-hopping executive, an empty-nester caring for multiple generations or a single juggling high demands of career and personal life, today's fast-paced modern world leaves women gasping for balance. We as modern Christian women want to look to the Bible for guidance on how to manage our lives -- but because the world of women looks so different today than it did when the Bible was written, it is hard to find chapter and verse that seems to apply to our situation today.

Thankfully, God has given us exactly that timeless, unchanging guidance for how to find peace, clarity, and God's best for our lives once we know where to look! The Life Ready Woman: Thriving in a Do-It-All World, reveals a profound biblical roadmap for how each of us can find the abundant life we are longing for, rather than the stressful, torn, how-do-I-balance-it-all life we often feel like we are trying to keep up with today. Actually being a LifeReady Woman means that you are clear about your life, bold in your faith, and able to find God’s best for you, and the end result will be that you not only survive but thrive in our do-it-all world.

God has given every wonderfully unique woman different skills and abilities, different desires, and different temperaments -- and every woman around the planet and through the ages is certainly living in different circumstances. But no matter what a woman’s life looks like, the Bible says that God has an individual mission and plan that He’s carefully designed for each of us. And He wants us to find it. Starting January 2011, The Life Ready Woman and the Life Ready Woman Video Series will help every wonderfully unique woman to thrive as she identifies and courageously pursues God's unique design and callings for her. LifeReady Woman puts you on a roadmap to make decisions that will lead to relief, delight, and fulfillment instead of regret.

My Review

I must admit that I am still reading this book. But, I consider this a good thing! I don't want to miss one thing that Shaunti and Robert have written! I'm fairly skeptical about a lot of books like this one, only because most of them are full of stuff that would be nice if I lived in a make-believe world or because most of them don't apply to me/my situation. However, I am finding this book to be most informative and I think helpful. In fact, I almost wish I had something like it when I was trying to juggle a job, raise children and be a wife, and be a woman of God and..... You get the idea.


One of the things about this book I like is it actually addresses the issues every woman deals with today while trying to be what God has called them to be. On page 37 is a list of typical problems that women deal with today... I know how many I circled, how many will you? The great aspect of this though, as long as you're honest with yourself and with God, there is healing and growing in all of it. Shaunti and Robert lay out some very practical steps of wisdom to apply. 


Like I said in the beginning, I am still reading this book. But once I am done with it, I will be sharing what I have learned with my daughters and daughter-in-law. 


This book was provided for review by Litfuse Publicity.


Click HERE to buy the book

Click READ to find out what others are saying about the book.


Click this link for your chance to win a copy of The Life Ready Woman.

About Shaunti Feldhahn

Shaunti Feldhahn is a former Wall Street analyst, best-selling author of the book For Women Only, national speaker, and regular commentator in the media. She has been featured on The Today Show, PBS, TNT and Fox News- to name a few. You can learn more about her many activities by visiting her website Shaunti.com or get some great mom advise from her at MomLifeToday.com. 

She and her husband live with their two young children in Atlanta, Georgia and enjoy every minute of living at warp speed.

 About MomLife Today

At MomLife Today you will enjoy community with real moms experiencing every age and every stage of MomLife—right alongside you.

Moms need friends we can walk through life with, but more importantly we need friends who will encourage us and equip us in our role as moms in an honest and transparent way … and that’s just what you’ll find by becoming part of our MomLife Today community! We believe that every MOMent counts!

We admit it, being a mom 24/7 is not easy. Rather than lament the role of motherhood, however, we choose to embrace that role and learn from each other how to make it through each day with the right attitude. Come share the joys, sorrows, insanity, and special moments of motherhood with us as we live it and candidly write about it…we’ll have lots of fun along the way! Join us, and do tell… What’s happening in your MomLife Today? www.momlifetoday.com

About the Weekend to Remember Get-Away Giveaway:

In celebration of Shaunti Feldhahn’s Life Ready Woman, MomLife Today is giving away 2 Weekend To Remember Gift Packs and much more!

Not only, is MomLife Today helping promote Life Ready Woman, but they are thrilled to announce that Shaunti will be joining MomLife Today as a regular contributor!!!

Weekend To Remember Get-Aways offer marriage-changing principles that you can take home and apply to your daily lives to strengthen your marriage. Whether you are newly engaged or have been married for 50 years, you will find value in the tools provided at the getaway.

Don’t miss this opportunity to receive a conference registration for you and your spouse … and more! MomLife Today will be randomly selecting NINE lucky recipients to receive one of these great gifts:

1. 2 Weekend To Remember Get Away conference registrations for two. $259 value each pair (Two couples will receive this.)
2. 2 Life Ready Woman DVD packs. $149 value each (Two different people will receive this gift.)
3. 5 The Life Ready Woman books. (Book will go to 5 people.)

To enter click one of the icons below then tell your friends. Winner will be announced on March 2nd on the MomLife Today website.

MomLife Today provides encouragement, advice and resources to help YOU with your daily Momlife! Because…every MOMent counts!

THE MAP ACROSS TIME By C.S. Lakin

Greetings friends and fellow book-lovers! I had planned on having this review posted before today, but, my youngest daughter decided to have her baby! So reality took over and I am glad because I now have another beautiful granddaughter to share my love of books with!


Now... let me tell you a little bit about this book, The Map Across Time. 


From Hansel and Gretel and Little Red Riding Hood to Thumbelina and the Emperor's New Suit, fairy tales are timeless stories of good versus evil. In her new series, "The Gates of Heaven," prolific author and editor C.S. Lakin celebrates the reinvention of the fairy tale in the tradition of C.S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia.


With the series' first book, The Wolf of Tebron, being compared to the work of the legendary Lewis, the next installment, The Map Across Time introduces readers to the fairy tale land of Sherbourne and shares time-travel adventures of the king's children. Their tumultuous journey reveals the power of God's unfailing love and trust and encourages readers that everyone serves a purpose, no matter how hidden or complicated to understand.

Here's a little about the author:

C.S. Lakin is working on the remaining books in “The Gates of Heaven” series. Her contemporary mystery, “Someone to Blame,” released to much acclaim in October, and her thriller, “Innocent Little Crimes,” was a semifinalist for the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award. Upcoming installments of “The Gates of Heaven” series are set to release every six months. She is a copyeditor, writing mentor and a member of numerous writers and editing groups, including Christian Authors Network, Christian Proofreaders and Editors Network, and American Christian Fiction Writers. Lakin lives in Boulder Creek, Calif., with her husband of 27 years. For more information about C.S. Lakin and her writing, please visit www.cslakin.com

My Review:


First let me say, if you enjoy The Chronicles of Narnia or The Lord of Rings series, then you will want to add The Gates of Heaven series to your collection. 


The second book of the series, The Map Across Time, is a wonderful, delightful fairy tale. The lives of Adin and Aletha are intricately woven through-out the story with all of the skill of a master story teller. 


Adin finds himself going on a journey he didn't plan on taking and Aletha ends up following him. They discover their lives have purpose and they do make a difference.


Without giving away the plot and details of the story, I found myself relating to both of the children for various reasons. I also found the story intriguing. It was quite difficult to set it aside and read anything else. I couldn't wait to discover what else would take place in their lives. One of the characters in the tale, Winston, was a real delight. He had me laughing on many occasions. This whole series can truly stand side by side with Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia and Tolkein's Lord of the Rings. 


You will find yourself so deeply involved in the tale that when you reach the end of the book you will feel a little as if you lost a close friend. But the best thing is you can always read the book again!


This book was provided by Phenix & Phenix Literary Publicists for the purpose of writing a review. I am under no obligation to write a positive review.

 

AN UNLIKELY BLESSING By Judy Baer

About the book: An Unlikely Blessing is a heartfelt story about a new pastor and life-long city dweller Alex Armstrong, who reluctantly accepts his first assignment, a two-point parish in the wilds of North Dakota. Hilltop Township, a farming community, blooms from the prairie like a wild pink rose—lovely and prickly all at once, much like the people who live there.

Unlikely

Alex quickly finds that this lovely place is in quiet peril. Farmers are struggling to make ends meet: Jonas Owens, a faithful member of Hilltop parish, is on the brink of losing the farm. Alex believes that part of why God called him to Hilltop was to help turn things around, and steps in with ideas for saving the Owens' land. But can even God's minister help save this rural community?

There are a lot of firsts for the new pastor—the annual Hunter's Breakfast, julebukking (also called Christmas fooling), King Oscar's fish balls, and the melody of the musical saw. And the new, single pastor creates remarkable excitement among the unmarried women in the community. If you could die of hot dish overdose, Alex would be a dead man. Whether performing weddings, counseling his flock, or herding cattle by snowmobile, Alex soon discovers that his new church home has as much to teach him as he will teach them. Day by day, he falls more in love with the people of Hilltop Church. People may leave Hilltop, but Hilltop never leaves them.

MY REVIEW: An Unlikely Blessing is truly a blessing to read. This is a wonderful book with a beautiful insight in a new pastor's life and flock; even if his flock is comprised of two separate churches in two different communities. 

Judy Baer brings to life the community of Hilltop Township which is located in North Dakota. Here I got to meet the new pastor, a city fella named Alex Armstrong. Now I could relate to his feeling a bit out of his comfort zone in moving from the city to a small country community. I did the same when I moved from the big city to be with my husband on the family property just outside of a very small farming town. So when Alex found himself feeling a bit like a fish out of water, I understood.

I particularly liked how Judy allowed her new pastor to feel trepidation, uncertainty, and all of the other emotions a real person experiences when stepping into a new situation, position and leadership. Also, I enjoyed watching the developing love and concern for each  person(s) in Hilltop in Alex. I look forward to reading more of this new series and discovering how Alex and his flock(s) are going to resolve their various problems. Definitely a series I will recommend! 

I received this book free from Litfuse Publicity Group. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising." 

Link to Buy the book: http://www.amazon.com/Unlikely-Blessing-Forever-Hilltop/dp/0824948149/ref=sprightly-20

About Patti: Judy Baer is the author of over seventy-five books for adults and teens. She has won the Romance Writer of America Bronze Medallion and has been a RITA finalist twice. She lives in Elk River, Minnesota with her husband. Follow the Hilltop characters on Judy’s blog and find out more about Judy and her books at http://www.judykbaer.com

In celebration of the release of An Unlikely Blessing, Judy is giving away a KINDLE prize package worth over $175.

Prolific author of over 75 novels, Judy Baer, is launching her new Guideposts series, Forever Hilltop, with a KINDLE giveaway! The first book in the series, An Unlikely Blessing is available now wherever fine books are sold.

Read the reviews here.

In celebration of the release of An Unlikely Blessing, Judy is giving away a KINDLE prize package worth over $175.

One lucky winner will receive:

• Brand New KINDLE with Wi-Fi
• A $25 gift certificate to Amazon.com

To enter just click on one the icons below and then tell your friends! Winner will be announced on February 21st on Judy's blog, http://www.judykbaer.com/wordpress

For more information please visit the Litfuse website, www.litfusegroup.com and click {HERE}!

The Real Skinny on Losing It By Michelle McKinney Hammond

ABOUT THE BOOK:


So many things contribute to women’s struggles with weight that no matter what infomercials and celebrities promise on TV, it’s never as simple as 1-2-3 to “get it off and keep it off.” 


That’s because the real issue usually lurks beneath the surface—in a woman's heart and mind. No matter how many sit-ups, push-ups, or miles on the treadmill you do, you’ll never see honest, life-changing results until you make peace with your inner self and the One who created you—take it from someone who’s been there and back several times (and dress sizes!). 

Filled with great tips, recipes, advice, and encouragement, The Real Skinny on Losing It is a hilarious and blatantly honest story of Michelle McKinney Hammond’s own battle of the bulge and everything she’s learned about fad diets, nutrition, exercise, self-esteem, and self-worth along the way. Trust us—this is the last diet book you’ll ever need to buy!


Author Bio:

 Michelle McKinney Hammond

Michelle McKinney Hammond is the author of over 30 books on living, loving, and overcoming. She is the President and Founder of HeartWing Ministries, which hosts annual DIVA Weekend Getaway Conferences. As a relationship and empowerment coach, internationally known speaker, singer and television co–host, it is Michelle's mission and passion to help women and men to first be intimately connected to God and then empowered to become their personal best in order to experience victory in every area of their lives.

Michelle's ministry began many years ago when she suffered a devastating leg injury from being hit by a car. The accident was a spiritual turning point, a wake up call to embrace her purpose and fulfill her destiny. Those bedridden months gave her time to complete her first bestselling book, What to Do Until Love Finds You.

Michelle eventually left behind her career as an advertising art director/writer/producer for clients such as Coca Cola USA, McDonald's Corporation, Ford Motor Company, and others, to speak to audiences, encouraging people to fulfill their God–given purpose in life.

This redefined DIVA, her acronym for Divine Inspiration for Victorious Attitude, is known for "keeping it real." She addresses real–life issues with candor and wit, answering the hard questions with sensitivity and empathy. Michelle's passion is to give relevant and workable solutions to people's questions based on timeless spiritual truths. To find out more about Michelle log on to www.michellehammond.com.

MY REVIEW:


After years of having trouble keeping weight on, I now find myself having trouble keeping it off! Reading The Real Skinny on Losing It: True Confessions & Divine Revelations of a Former Yo-Yo Dieter by Michelle McKinney Hammond has been very inspirational and allowed me an opportunity to find humor in a frustrating situation.

Michelle has a real good sense of humor for a difficult problem for many people. I enjoyed her straight-forward attitude. And never having been a "diva," I found looking at myself as one gave me a new attitude!

At the end of each chapter there is some very practical questions that helped me look at myself, my eating habits and suggestions that I can apply. That's the "Keeping It Real" portion. Right after that is the "Diva Reflections." Here's an example:

Some of the things we war with in life cannot be won by natural means. Their roots go deeper to an invisible place with unseen forces that do their best work through our ignorance. After all other efforts have failed, it's time to look deeper and let God show us the root of the fruit that is showing up in our lives, on our hips, and on our lips. Sometimes we have to get past ourselves to see what's really in the way. The truth hurts, but it's also medicine that can set you free. So don't despise the process. Hang in there, my sister. (pg 83)

 At the back of the book are some real yummy recipes that are easy to make. And satisfying.

This isn't your typical "diet" book. Rather, it's a book that will help you find the real reasons for the over-eating/ yo-yo dieting roller-coaster. She helps you get to the heart of the matter instead of just covering the outer problem. And it's all done with truth, humor and a willingness to share herself.

This book was provided free for the purpose of reviewing it by Tyndale House Publishing. I am under no obligation to provide a positive review.