Fruitbearers

Here are my top 10 reads of 2014 (not in any particular order).   The Reason for My Hope by Billy Graham The Marriage You've Always Wanted by Gary Chapman The Surprising Secrets of Highly Happy Marriages by Shaunti Feldhahn It's A God Thing Volume 1 and Volume 2 Parenting for the Launch by Dennis Trittin and Arlyn Lawrence Into All the World (4 Stories of Pioneer Missionaries: David Brainerd, Adoniram Judson, Robert Moffat, John Paton) by Vance Christie Enough: Ten Things We Should Be Telling Teenage Girls by Kate Conner Before Amen by Max Lucado Overrated by Eugene Cho Your Legacy by Dr. James Dobson You can click on the titles to read my reviews or to get more information about the books. What are some of  your favorite books this year?  Please share.

We are thankful for God's blessings in 2014 and are excitedly looking forward to what He has in store for us in 2015! 1. Alyssa spent a month on the Summer in the City Cru mission trip in Seattle from June 21st to July 19th. 2. Alyssa is the AAS (Arnold Air Society) squadron commander and the Beaver News Director. 3. Alyssa directed  the first season of Split Screen. 4. This year, Alyssa won the Outstanding Squadron Commander Award, the Drucilla Shepard Smith Award, the American Legion Scholastic Excellence Award, and the Academic Honors Award from AFROTC. 5. Josiah played in Hoopla with Eric and his cousin, Alex.  6. Josiah did very well on his PSAT. 7. Isaiah raised $1,815 for  Steps for Life  this year. 8. "A" joins the GFA 's Blog for Asia blogger program. 9. We had a wonderful vacation at Sunriver. On the way there, we hiked to Pamelia Lake. Eric and Josiah also hiked to Green Lake. We did water slide and tubing hill at SHARC. We also enjoyed billiards,

  I collect board games (I think we have almost 80 games at the last count). I'm glad to have added Wisdomantics to our collection. Wisdomantics (New King James Version) is an interactive DVD boardgame based on Proverbs. It is for 2 to 4 players and for ages 12 and up. It's like a combination of Monopoly and Bingo but players get to gain wisdom as a bonus. The box includes 1 game board, 2 DVDs with 400 multiple-choice questions, 4 score cards, 4 game tokens (Angel, Cross, Dove, and Ten Commandments), 132 colored tiles, 50 blessing cards, and 50 advancement cards. It's easy to play. It's a fun game of knowledge, strategy, and probability. The first player to complete his/her Solomon's temple scorecard (with gold, cypress, and cedar tiles) wins! We are not familiar with NKJV (we mostly use NIV Bibles) but we (my 3 kids and I) still could answer the questions correctly. We are usually competitive but we have been sick with a nasty flu so we were taking it easy

About the Author : Dr. James D. Dempsey hails from a small farming community in west Texas and credits his success to great parents and the values learned among those hard-working, friendly, but fiercely independent folk. He graduated from Texas Tech University in Lubbock with a BA in Psychology, and holds both a Masters and PhD in Early Childhood Education from the University of Texas at Austin. He served two years as the director of the childcare center at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Austin, and has also taught classes at both UT Austin and the University of North Texas in Denton. He has taught in early childhood programs in Lubbock, Austin, and Keller, Texas. As an expert in children and learning environments, he has led more than 150 training seminars at various universities, churches, and childcare conferences through the years. He continues to train church and childcare staffs around the state of Texas. Beginning in 2008, Jim joined First Baptist Church of Keller (TX) as Chi

" The righteous care for the needs of their animals. " Proverbs 12:10a My Review : This movie is based on a true story about an abandoned, beaten, and burned pit bull-mix puppy that was rescued & adopted by Donna Lawrence and given the name Susie by her. Donna herself barely survived a brutal pit bull attack 10 months earlier but she was determined to save the life of this half-dead puppy which she and her friend/neighbor,  Ramona Hodges,  found in Greenfield Park in Greensboro, North Carolina. Her husband, Roy, could not understand her action but eventually gave her his support. The fight against animal cruelty led to Susie's Law in North Carolina that enforces a stricter punishment for people who abuse animals. Great performances from the cast (including Susie who plays herself)! I was saddened by the couple's loss and by the animal abuse. I think it's wonderful that lots of people came together to help save this puppy. I only wish more people would b

FOUR GOSPELS. FOUR FILMS. ONE JESUS STORY. FOR EVERYONE. The Lumo Project is a ground breaking, multi-language Biblical film resource transforming the way we discover, study and engage with the life of Jesus through the four New Testament Gospels: redefining the standard of visual Biblical media.  The Lumo Project presents four films – one for each Gospel account – that will revolutionize the way we all experience the story of Jesus and the world of First Century Palestine in which he lived. My Review : Thanks to FlyBy Promotions Blogger Network,  I was given an opportunity to watch the Gospel of John (NIV) online in exchange for my honest review. I've always loved the Book of John. The message is so powerful! This full-length feature film covers the birth, life, miracles, teachings, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is narrated by David Harewood (British actor). He did a fantastic job! The narration is from the Gospel of John text word for word (21 chapters alt

About the Author: Kyle Idleman is the Teaching Pastor at Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, Kentucky, the fourth-largest church in America. Author of the award-winning and bestselling book, not a fan., and presenter of eight of City on a Hill’s curriculum series, he regularly speaks at conferences and events around the world. Kyle and his wife DesiRae have four children. My Review : This book is a couple's devotional based on the Song of Solomon. There are 6 week devotionals (5 day readings for each week). The topics include: Deepening Desire, Increasing Intimacy, Fighting Fair, Rediscovering Romance, Cultivating Commitment, and Fostering Faith. The book aims to help awaken love in marriage by strengthening couples' relationship and encouraging deeper spiritual, physical, and emotional connection. Each devotional ends with "The Bridge" which suggests action steps and prayer points. This thin book is easy and enjoyable to read. The authors share fr

For the month of November, I posted on Facebook daily what I was thankful for. I'd like to be able to look back someday so I'm reposting all of my 30 thankful status here. Day 1 :  Today I am thankful for the wonderful visit that my husband and I had with our daughter (who is away in college). We enjoyed sushi and Starbucks S'mores Frapp and just hanging out. I'm so thankful for a blessed relationship we have with her. I'm so thankful for my delightful daughter who loves the Lord and lives a life of faith, love, grace, obedience, and integrity. She is an overachiever for Christ and an outstanding example of servant leadership. Day 2 : I am thankful for salvation by grace, justification through faith, Christ's righteousness imputed upon me, peace with God through Jesus, access into God's grace in which I now stand, and never-disappointing hope of the glory of God! (Romans 5:1-2) I could keep going but I will save for another day :). Day 3 : I am thankfu

" God's goodness should drive us to our knees in gratitude. " ~Anne Graham Lotz    " Gratitude begins where my sense of entitlement ends. " ~Steven Furtick " Be thankful that God's answers are wiser than your prayers ." ~William Culbertson    " Gratitude arises from the lived perception, evaluation and acceptance of all of life as grace--as an undeserved and unearned gift from the Father's hand ." ~Brennan Manning " The heart that is constantly overflowing with gratitude will be safe from the attacks of resentfulness and gloom that bother so many persons ." ~A.W. Tozer  " Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgiving, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings. " ~William Arthur Ward  " True gratitude is not sporadic. It cannot be spent or exhausted. It is the transformation of a mind that is more grateful for the Giver than for the gift, for the p

Jesus Boat is a documentary that tells about the destruction and the rebirth of Israel through the unlikely discovery of an ancient first century boat under the muddy shores of the Sea of Galilee. This boat is identical to the fishing boat that Jesus used when He walked on the earth. It was destroyed in the same years that Romans destroyed Israel but was miraculously discovered by two fishermen brothers 2,000 years later in 1986 (during the fourth year of drought). It's the oldest surviving freshwater boat in the world! Astonishingly, the boat survived decomposition, the excavation, and the preservation efforts even though many challenges arose along the way. Even scientists are stunned. It is now resting at the Yigal Allon Museum located nearby which was built just the year before the boat was discovered. They also discovered that the boat was made out of 12 types of wood which is extraordinary. Isn't that cool? 12 is a significant number in the Bible that symbolizes compl