A.C.T.S. Part I: Discover the Joy of Serving!

Join Adventures in Odyssey this summer to discover how fun it can be to serve others!

Adventures in Odyssey, the beloved audio series from Focus on the Family, has encouraged kids toward a stronger faith for 25 years. Whit, Connie, Eugene, and the other loveable characters from Odyssey have shared countless adventures with kids across the world in the classic audio dramas, books, videos, and devotionals, fulfilling the AIO promise to help kids discover, imagine, and grow.

This summer, Adventures in Odyssey is joining with Christian bookstores across the country, inviting kids to participate in a Summer of Service. They’re promoting the biblical message, “When you serve, everybody wins,” encouraging kids to serve their families, their communities, and their world. Whether it’s baking cookies for an elderly neighbor or putting together a care package for missionaries overseas, kids will discover that serving can be a blast!

How the A.C.T.S. (A Call to Service) challenge and contest works:

Kids who join A.C.T.S. can pick up a service log and collect fun character stickers for hours served at participating bookstores throughout the summer, or download a serving log online at whitsend.org. At the end of the summer, kids can record and upload a short video telling how they serve and why they’d like to become an Adventures in Odyssey Ambassador.

A hundred winners will get the brand new AIO Album, and after online voting, two grand prize winners (one boy and one girl) will get to travel on an exciting Good-Goers Mission Based Adventure trip to another country with a parent! The out-of-country destination will be announced on a live podcast May 22—hosted by AIO actors Katie Leigh (Connie) and Chris Anthony (Chris)—which you can watch at whitsend.org/acts. You don’t want to miss it!

Why serve?
"Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many." Mark 10:43b-45

Our culture puts an extravagant amount of energy into raising kids who will grow up to feel good about themselves. In schools, clubs, homes, and even at church, adults have made a decided effort to bolster children’s “self-esteem” –not by actually encouraging kids do something that’s worthwhile, but by simply telling them they are important and valuable. At the turn of the century, researchers predicted that the next generation would respond to these efforts of raising self-esteem by being filled with optimism and civic duty. Unfortunately, recent research shows the opposite. Kids coming of age today are more self-centered, disrespectful of authority, and depressed than ever before.

In a very real way, then, the best path toward building selfless, confident children is to help and encourage them toward a growing and thriving faith in God. And that includes obedience to what God teaches—not because it makes kids feel good, although it often does—but because they’re following God’s instructions to love Him and serve others. That builds a faith they can count on and carry with them into adulthood—which is the greatest gift any parent can bestow on their child. In addition, our kids can discover their talents through service. The believers' gifts (talents) are not to be laid up for self but laid out in service. Serving is a privilege and honor.

My husband and I have always encouraged our children to use their time, talents, and treasures to serve God and others. We are involved in a weekly outreach ministry to the international students who attend a local university, the annual shoebox project for Operation Christmas Child, our annual baking and handing out yummy goodies & gospel tracts to neighbors, etc. In 2011, our daughter served on the Logos Hope (a ministry of Operation Mobilization) in Malaysia. You can watch her video of her mission trip here. She also has served in a preschool class at our church since 2010 and has served as an online missionary for Global Media Outreach since 2012. After 12 years of doing Steps for Life and being inducted into the Steps for Life Hall of Fame for raising over $10,000 for the Pregnancy Resource Centers of Greater Portland (PRC), my daughter passed the baton to her younger brother last year. He raised a total of $1,450 last year! Please consider giving to PRC by donating through my 11 yo son's Steps for Life page. Please help save lives! Only 5 days left (the website will be closed at noon on May 17th)...he still needs $510 to reach his goal! Any amount helps and adds up :)!

 Check out the free downloadable mp3 file of the AIO Service episode at http://www.tyndale.com/blog/index.php/acts-a-call-to-serve/ (note: downloads are only accessible through this link) and the free PDF download of summer service ideas for kids at http://www.tyndale.com/blog/index.php/acts-a-call-to-serve/ .

Album Review: To Be Loved by Michael Bublé

To Be Loved is Michael Bublé’s new album that includes a mixture of classics and four original songs co-written by Bublé himself. “After All," one of the four originals was co-written and performed by fellow Canadian Bryan Adams. This new album also includes several hits previously recorded by famous artists such as the Bee Gees' “To Love Somebody”, Dean Martin’s “Nevertheless (I’m In Love With You”), the Jackson 5's “Who’s Loving You”, Jackie Wilson’s “To Be Loved”, Randy Newman's "You've Got A Friend In Me", and Elvis Presley's “Have I Told You Lately”. Michael Bublé and Reese Witherspoon sang the classic Frank and Nancy Sinatra duet “Something Stupid”. I don't think Reese's voice worked well with Michael's :).

To Be Loved Track Listing:
1. "You Make Me Feel So Young"
2. "It's a Beautiful Day"
3. "To Love Somebody"
4. "Who's Lovin You"
5. "Something Stupid" (featuring Reese Witherspoon)
6. "Come Dance with Me"
7. "Close Your Eyes"
8. "After All" (featuring Bryan Adams)
9. "Have I Told You Lately That I Love You" (with Naturally 7)
0. "To Be Loved"
11. "You've Got a Friend in Me"
12. "Nevertheless (I'm in Love with You)" (featuring The Puppini Sisters)
13. "I Got It Easy"
14. "Young at Heart"

I enjoyed listening to this love-filled CD. It's romantic and sweet. Love songs with many flavors. Orchestra. Old-fashioned style. Upbeat ("Come Dance with Me" made me want to dance). Jazzy. Light-hearted and fun. Heartache. Passion. Admiration. My favorite tracks are "To Love Somebody", "Close Your Eyes" (very sweet), Have I Told You Lately That I Love You" (this one gave me goosebumps), "To Be Loved", and "I Got It Easy". Michael's rendition of "You've Got A Friend In Me" is quite good, too. I would love to see Michael write more songs in the future. He did a great job with the four songs he co-wrote.


"I want to take you on a wonderful journey about love—all different kinds of love," Michael says. "The album swings big time: it rocks, it’s soulful, it’s happy, sometimes a little sad. It’s romantic, it’s yummy, and it’s heartfelt." "I wrote Close Your Eyes about my wife and about the power of all the women in my life—my sisters, my mom, my grandma and all women in general. Let’s face it, where would we be without them? I Got It Easy, another original, is basically a song where I count my blessings and is a reminder to me and everyone to appreciate all the good parts of life. I’m a very lucky guy and I never want to forget it."

~ I participated in this campaign for One2One Network. I received a free download of the album in exchange for my honest review. By posting, I am eligible for incentives. All opinions stated are my own.

Book Review: Feeling God's Presence Today by Laine Lawson Craft

I collect devotionals :). This 365-day devotional is a small, beautiful gift book. We know that God is omnipresent and He is always with us, yet many of us don't always feel His presence. The author wants to help readers begin each day with a sensory experience from God/God's Word. Each day's devotion starts with a Bible verse that's related to our senses such as hearing/listening, saying/speaking/crying out, seeing/seeking, tasting (salty, sweet, etc.), smelling (fragrance), touching/healing or related to our body parts (in a spiritual sense and application) such as eyes, ears, heart, mouth, hand or related to emotions such as love, sorrow, anxiety, peace, joy, etc. Each day's devotion is only about a page long (very small page) and ends with a prayer. Readers will be reminded again and again of God's character, goodness, faithfulness, power, and love. God hears our prayers. God listens to our cries. God sees our tears. God never leaves us nor forsakes us. If your soul longs for a deeper, more intimate relationship with God, check this book out. You will be encouraged and will be more aware of God's presence each day.


~ I received a free copy of this book via the Book Club Network, Inc. in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Book Review: Big Book of Earth & Sky

This is no ordinary book :)! It contains a 15 foot chart showing the inner core of the earth all the way to the edge of the outer atmosphere. I'm a visual learner so I love this. My 11 year old son is a visual and textile learner so he also enjoyed pulling the chart out and stretching it on the floor and folding it up again. The chart is removable and foldable. It can be viewed one section at a time or hung on the wall or spread out on the floor as a full-length display. You can store the chart back in the sturdy, hardbound case. A teacher's guide (which includes additional questions, educational activities, etc.) is also available. Big Book of Earth & Sky is a great reference tool for homeschooling families or teachers or parents and a fun book for kids ages 7 to 12 to explore earth science by themselves. You can start anywhere on the chart.

The chart shows facts about God's world with interesting details and vibrant colors. It is sprinkled with questions here and there to test kids' comprehension. Kids will learn about the elements that make up the soil, the ocean, and the sky, weather, mountains, caves, clouds, rocks, and more. I really liked using it in our homeschool. My son already knew quite a bit about earth science but both he and I still learned some new cool facts and figures such as the highest skydive on record (24  miles above earth) by an Austrian skydiver and the eyeless & wingless insect that may be the world's deepest land animal (found over a mile below the surface). And did you know that in March 2012, James Cameron completed a record-setting solo dive into the deepest place on earth, the Marianas Trench? Use this book to spark your kid's interest in God's creation wonders and help them see how big our God is! 

~ I received a free copy of this book via New Leaf Publishing Group in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Book Review: 5 Days to a Clutter-Free House by Sandra Felton & Marsha Sims

About the authors:

Sandra Felton, The Organizer Lady, is a pioneer in the field of organizing.

She is the founder and president of Messies Anonymous and the author of many books including Organizing Magic.

Sandra lives in Florida.

 

 

 

Marsha Sims is a national speaker who has taught seminars on time management and organization, managing the front desk, and projects and priorities.

She has been a professional organizer for fifteen years as the founder and president of her Miami-based company, Sort-It-Out, Inc.

My Review: I admit I'm quite organizationally challenged! My kids are getting older (my youngest is 11) and pretty soon I'll run out of excuses for my disorganized home :). Undoubtedly, the title of this book piqued my curiosity. Does it take only 5 days to get one's house to become clutter-free? Surely, they haven't seen my house :)! My family and I have been in this current house for almost 5 years and we still haven't unpacked all the boxes yet :)! However, that could be viewed as a blessing in disguise (less things to organize and put away...they're already in boxes).

This book is divided into 2 sections: Section One--Getting It Under Control and Section Two--Keep the Good Life Going. The authors introduce the Mount Rushmore Method and employ the box system. The "rush" refers to the speedy 5 days of clearing up the clutter and the "more" refers to a team (more than 1 person). They also suggest setting a specific, tangible goal and a deadline. Another important factor is having a game plan which includes deciding in advance where to store boxes, labeling boxes, and using the body as a guide for each day's decluttering tasks (by focusing on different parts/levels of the home from the ground up). This is an interesting concept that helps break down that "overwhelming" dread of decluttering into a bite-sized, doable mission. The key is teamwork (many hands make light work). You're to invite people to come help you organize for 5 days and then celebrate the result with a party on the 6th day. I think the idea is great but I don't think it will work well for everyone. Some people (such as perfectionists) would have a hard time :). Or those who really value their privacy. The book does mention that the plan can be accomplished even by someone working alone but it just takes longer. There are many useful, practical ideas & tips in this book such as 6 steps to an organized life, steps to make the boxes disappear, rules of storage, ten-minute tidy checklist, etc. I enjoy learning strategies from real-life stories and gleaning from their experiences what works and what doesn't.

Once your home becomes clutter-free, how do you make sure it is kept that way? Session Two addresses this concern. It covers how to manage ourselves, our house, our family, and our time. The authors present clutter-buster habits to cultivate, house clutter-busters, family clutter-busters, time clutter-busters, tips for getting rid of stuff, and top ten tips for de-cluttering and staying de-cluttered. Lots of helpful resources are additionally included in the appendix. If you are discouraged by the disarray of your home, check this book out! I've been motivated and encouraged by it and I hope to put what I learned into action soon. Clutter begone! A clean and organized home is a restful and inviting home. I'm visualizing it right now :). Now what I need is...to just do it!

"Done is better than perfect." (p. 37)

"The book is designed to accomplish one end--at the end of the week, all surfaces of your house, from top to bottom, will be clear. And they'll stay that way." (p. 63)

"Maintenance is doing the same right things over and over again consistently, without undue thought or delay." (p. 133)

"Change is possible, but only if you daily makes the decision to do it." (p. 136)

~ I received a free copy of this book via the Book Club Network, Inc. in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Giveaway: Free Magazine Subscription

"Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. 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."

I enjoy reading magazines at the dentist's office and other waiting rooms. But I didn't want to subscribe to any because I thought I shouldn't and probably couldn't afford them. However, I was pleasantly surprised to see how affordable the prices are for magazine subscriptions at Magazines.com (several are $10 or less for 12 issues).

Mother's Day is fast approaching! They're having great Mother's Day deals right now. You'll find huge savings (up to 94%) on many of moms' favorite magazine subscriptions. From cooking magazines, crafting magazines, and home decorating magazines to parenting magazines, fitness magazines and celebrity magazines! A subscription is a wonderful gift that lasts for quite some time. It's a beautiful way to bless the moms in your life (not just your mother, either)--your daughter, sister, grandmother, aunt, niece, friend, coworker, etc. Or you can treat yourself or hint about it to your husband or children :)! Magazines.com offers a variety of great titles such as Cooking with Paula Deen, Martha Stewart Living, Parenting Early Years, Parenting School Years, Prevention, Weight Watchers, People, Southern Living, Food Network, Crochet Today, Creative Knitting, Quilter's World, Sew News, Better Homes and Gardens, Family Circle, and lots more. Check it out!

Website: http://www.magazines.com/special-offers/mothers-day-gifts-sale,default,sc.html?origin=mdbo

Facebook: www.facebook.com/magazines.com

Twitter: @magazines 

GIVEAWAY: Magazines.com is offering one of my readers a free subscription to the magazine of her choice (up to $10). Open to U.S. residents only! *Special note to people in NY, NJ, and TN: you will need to pay sales tax when you sign up for a subscription. Sorry about that. Everywhere else is tax-free. They can only ship within the U.S.

Deadline: 5/11 at midnight (Pacific time)

To Enter: Leave a comment here with your email address. Please share what your favorite magazine is or if you win, what you will choose and whom the subscription will be for.
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Book Review: Tales of the Defended Ones by Beth Guckenberger

About Tales of the Defended Ones: Ben and Joseph lose their mothers, but find a family looking just for them. Antonio is rescued from what seems like a hopeless situation. Caitlyn dares to trust that truth will set her free. Jorani is delivered from slavery into the arms of grace.

 

Follow these real-life stories as they take you on a journey to foreign places and extreme struggles. Travel through their challenges and see the hand of the great Storyweaver - our Defender God shielding and defending the defenseless in the amazing ways only he can.These are the tales of the ones left wounded and weak-ones made whole and strong . . .

Meet Beth: Beth Guckenberger and her husband, Todd, are the founders of Back2Back Ministries which communicates a lifestyle of service by sharing the love of Christ and serving God through service to others. Guckenberger travels and speaks regularly at women's and missions conferences, as well as youth gatherings and church services. Her topics include orphan care, missions, parenting, marriage/intimacy, and faith. Her story-telling style captures audiences, and she draws from her field experience as a missionary and parent for illustrations to biblical concepts. In addition to her Story Weaver series, Tales of the Not Forgotten (Standard Publishing 2012) and Tales of the Defended Ones (Standard Publishing 2013), Beth has written Relentless Hope (Standard, 2011) and Reckless Faith (Zondervan, 2008). She has also partnered with Standard Publishing on the mission content in its 2013 VBS program. The Guckenberger family lives and serves in Monterrey, Mexico. Between biological, foster, and adopted additions to their family, Beth and Todd are raising nine children.

Find out more about Beth at http://www.bethguckenberger.com/.

My Review:
The back cover of the book shows that it is juvenile fiction for ages 8 and up. However, I enjoyed it while reading it to my boys! I've always had a soft spot for children, especially orphans. This inspirational book is based on real-life stories about real kids who face real problems. The book includes the stories of five children: Ben, Joseph, Antonio, Caitlyn, and Jorani. Different situations (death of parents, abuse, slavery). Different places (Ethiopia, Mexico, USA, Cambodia). Same need. All of them needed to be loved, cared for, comforted, and defended. You will see how God, the Defender-Kinsman, defends and provides for these precious ones and how God, the Storyweaver, weaves His children's stories so beautifully and so lovingly. God's love and light shine brightly through those who are obedient to Him. Each chapter goes back and forth between the life and experiences of the orphan and the life and experiences of the adoptive family.  Sprinkled among the pages are tidbits about countries, definitions of relevant terms and foreign vocabulary, and important points to remember. At the end of each chapter, there are questions to ponder and blank pages for readers to write their thoughts down. This book helps kids become aware of poverty, human trafficking (slavery), abuse, foster care, adoption, and the plight of orphans around the world. Beyond awareness, the author calls readers to say yes to God in caring for the orphans (there are about 163 million orphans in the world). You can do so in many ways such as praying, giving, serving, and/or going.

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." James 1:27

"Do not move an ancient boundary stone or encroach on the fields of the fatherless, for their Defender is strong; He will take up their case against you." Proverbs 23:10-11

"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy." Proverbs 31:8-9

"When you give yourself to others, He makes you feel even fuller than when you started. He'll bring people and relationships into your life you might not have ever imagined (or chosen!), but if God brings them into your path, it's because He wants to bless you in ways you would have otherwise missed out on!" (p.89)

"...in Jesus we are all welcomed, wanted, loved, and worthy to be defended." (p.89)

"That's God's way. He can't help but redeem and repair and reconcile and restore and rescue. It's His defender nature." (p.183)

Beth Guckenberger is celebrating the release of her new book in the Storyweaver series, Tales of the Defended Ones, with an iPad giveaway and Facebook party {4/25}. 

 One fortunate winner will receive:

• An iPad Mini
• A Tales of the Defended Ones small group kit (books and DVD)

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on April 24th. Winner will be announced at the "Storyweaver" Author Chat Party on April 25th. Beth will be chatting with guests, answering questions, and offering tips about beginning a dialog with children and youth about the orphans around the world, the basic needs of children living in poverty, and what we can all do to help. (It’s okay if you haven’t read the book – who knows, you might WIN a copy!) Beth will also be hosting a fun trivia contest and giving away tons of great stuff! (Gift certificates, books, and more!)

So grab your copy of Tales of the Defended Ones and join Beth and friends on the evening of the April 25th for a chance to connect and make some new friends. (If you haven't read the book, don't let that stop you from coming!)

Don't miss a moment of the fun, RSVP today. Tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 25th!

~I received a free copy of this book via Litfuse Publicity Group in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own. You can read more reviews of this book here.