JUNOfest Christian Music Showcase: A Night of Music and Meaning

Imagine my surprise when the day before the JUNOfest Christian Music Showcase, a show that sold out in under 20 minutes, I get an email from Graf Martin (the company involved with nutsaboutbooks.ca) asking me if I'd like to go for FREE!!  What???  Um, yes please. 

That was surprise number one. Surprise number two was unknowingly lining up right behind someone I went to karate with for years. We haven't seen each other in over 10 years. Yep, that's my husband closest to the camera, then me and then my karate pal, her hubby, another woman from kickboxing and then here hubby. It was general seating but we managed to score second row seats. Sweet!  

The event was put on my Compassion and they were trying to raise funds for a music camp and festival for children in Tanzania.  There were three different groups/performers.

Up first was "We are Worshippers". Wow! Talented. They are a group of local talent that came together to lift up the name of Jesus. The gentleman in the middle of the photo is the music pastor at Gateway Church in London, ON. Incredibly talented. I wish I knew the name of the woman on the left in the photo. I would buy tickets to see her all on her own. Everyone was super talented but she was without equal.

Up next was award winner, Drew Brown.  Amazing. He was a fill in. Can't remember the name of who was supposed to perform but his flight was cancelled because of this whole airplanes being grounded fiasco.

The headliner of the night was Brian Doerksen. (hopefully I spelled that correctly)

My one complaint about the night was how short his performance was. It was at the most 20 minutes. What a treasure this man is. I was amazed how many of his songs we sing in church.  Well, only kind of amazed until I saw one of my church elders, who leads music, in the audience and then learned what a huge fan he is. lol

When music is on, I can not sit still. I feel it in my bones from head to toe.  If music is on, just assume I'm not listening to you. Not because I don't want to but because I simply can't.  My husband isn't built like me. He likes music but he isn't moved by it and doesn't dance or sway. Period.  Imagine my surprise when he came out of the concert just beaming and proclaiming how much he loved it.  Definitely a sign of a great concert, great talent and a great time.

Well done to everyone involved.

#compassion  #briandoerksen #drewbrown #weareworshippers #JUNOfest

"Mind Games" Book Review

Woowee! Buckle up cuz this is going to be one wild ride!

"Mind Games" by Nancy Mehl was fan-slappin'-tastic!!!

I thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finish and I didn't see the ending coming at all.  Granted, as with most novels, there were a few times when I had to let go of reality and just enjoy the story but never so much that I rolled my eyes and thought to myself, "That is sooo not possible."

I loved this book. It's a mystery which follows an FBI agent trying to catch a serial killer who leaves a trail of poems for her - each with clues.  (I love clues. lol)

The plot and plot rhythm were great. The characters and settings were great. The ending was great.

Just do yourself a favor and read this book!

Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.

"Made for the Journey" Book Review

I wonder if sometimes we get the notion in our head that when God calls someone to do something hard that, in some way, they are different than we are. Surely I could never do what they did. That's why God would never ask me to do it!  But then I remember that Moses stuttered and Timothy had anxiety and Ruth was a dirt poor foreigner.

As I started reading "Made for the Journey", I was struck by how, and I mean this in a profoundly good way, regular Elisabeth Elliot was. She was just like you or me. But she loved God and wanted to be used by Him so she stepped up the altar and offered her life, her 'rights', her comfort.  That's what we're all called to do. Dying to self is the only way to real living.

Having the luxury of knowing how her life played out - displaying forgiveness and love on a monumental scale, it was neat to read how it all began, in just a humble ordinary way.  I have often said to others - Don't mistake spectacular for supernatural.  Just because something is small doesn't mean it isn't divinely empowered. You have no idea where it will lead. That's what this book drove home for me.

Take the one step.

Then, when God speaks, take the next step. And before you know it, you've finished the race.  I once read, "Simple and easy are not the same thing.  Running a marathon is simple; just keep putting one foot in front of the other. But it sure isn't easy."

Thank you Mrs. Elliot for letting God be magnified by your life.

Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.

"Mark of the Raven" Book Review

Let me start of by being very clear - this is book 1 of a series! Don't think you're going to get to the end and feel satisfied because the end of the book is definitely not the end of the story. 

And what a story it is! I'm excited to see what author Morgan L. Busse has in store for the rest of The Ravenwood Saga because her imagination is in full bloom. 

If I had to make one critical comment on the book (and this is me being picky) I'd say that there was too much time spent on the contemplation by the characters.  Parts of the plot seemed to stall a little as they circled back to inner turmoils previously discussed. Having said that, "Mark of the Raven" was written in such a way that it was easy to envision the settings and pulled emotions from me towards the characters.  I always think a character is well written when I either care about them or despise them. 

If you pick up "Mark of the Raven", be prepared to be drawn into a fantastical world of gifts, intrigue and adventure.

Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.

"Jerusalem's Queen" Book Review

Squeal!  A new Angela Hunt book!  Be still my beating heart!

Anyone who knows me knows I am a massive fan of author Angela Hunt's writing. Her style is just so stinking engaging. Plus I love that when one of her books is centered around a Biblical person I end up rereading the Scriptures because she makes me pause and ask, "What of this is true and what is creative license?"  So often she sees the person from the Bible in a way I never thought of and gives them a personality I hadn't envisioned. So great.

When it comes to "Jerusalem's Queen", the heroine isn't from the pages of Scripture but none other than Salome Alexandra, one of only two queens of Judea.  To my shame, before this book, I hadn't heard of this formidable woman.  (Until close to the end of the book, the only reason I assumed Salome Alexandra was a true historical figure was because she was the center of one of Ms. Hunt's books.) Her life is inspirational to anyone who finds themselves forced to live in a world that is far from what they dreamed or who find themselves thrust into a leadership role. 

Because I love Ms. Hunt's work, I had high expectations for this book. It did not disappoint.  I have nothing but praise for this masterpiece. As bizarre as it may sound, one of my favorite parts of any Hunt book is at the very end, after the story if over, when she explains what parts of the book are historical. I am often surprised to find out that the most seemingly outrageous parts aren't made up at all.

Once again Angela Hunt as managed to create a novel that is entertaining, and encouraging.

Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.

"The Cost of Betrayal" Book Review

My daughter insisted I get this book because it was her three favorite authors all in one.  Far be it for me to not indulge her love of reading!

Thankfully for her sake, the three novellas in "The Cost of Betrayal" are signature pieces.  If you've read enough of Ms. Henderson, Ms. Pettrey and Ms. Eason's works you'd likely be able to guess who wrote which one.  I can't say I'm a huge fan of Dee Henderson's work. The overuse of people's first names in the character's conversation results in stilted writing. It might seem a pithy point but I found it grating. In truth, I almost stopped reading the first novella, "Betrayed" because of it.

The second novella, "Deadly Isle", by Dani Pettrey was engrossing. In it's own way, it was a blessing in disguise that it was not a full book because this has been one crazily busy season of life for me and I didn't want to put it down but felt the pull of other responsibilities. (or maybe I just wanted an excuse to not tackle the to-do list) Either way, I had a hard time putting the book down once I started.

The last novella, "Code of Ethics", by Lynette Eason so deeply resembles her other books that it made me chuckle. The main character always seem to have the entire family of first responders.  Or at least the entire circle of acquaintances. And I never really buy it when the victim is allowed to be actively involved with the case. But if you can forget about that, "Code of Ethics" was a fun read that will have you wishing it was longer.

Because I almost didn't make it through the first novella, I can't give this two enthusiastic thumbs up. However, the other two were great so I will give it two thumbs up. Just not enthusiastic ones.

"Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc."

"River to Redemption" Book Review

I'm sitting here trying how to be fair with this review.  "River by Redemption" wasn't horrible but it wasn't great either.  To be honest, the part of this book I found the most fascinating was the 'Author's Notes' at the end where I discovered the book was based on a real person.

I appreciate that author Ann H. Gabhart highlighted the evil of slavery without getting graphic. And certainly, if you're looking for a book where you don't have to worry about feeling uptight, this would be a good one.  Perhaps that's the reason I wasn't gripped by this story line - there didn't seem to be much of one. Sure there were some conflicts but nothing really surprised me. In fact, I almost stopped reading it altogether numerous times. The only thing that kept me going was knowing I had to write a review.  Thankfully, the last couple of chapters became engrossing but it was hard for me to get there.

I can't say I recommend this book only because I found it to be a tad dull and the character's conversations and thoughts were a bit cyclical.  If you're looking for fluff, this might be a book for you but if you're looking to be pulled into a wild ride of a tale, keep looking elsewhere.

Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.