Truth and Dare Devotional

It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old...or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!

You never know when I might play a wild card on you!

Today's Wild Card author is:

 

Ann-Margaret Hovsepian

and the book:

Truth and Dare Devotional

David C. Cook (October 1, 2011)

***Special thanks to Audra Jennings, Senior Media Specialist, The B&B Media Group for sending me a review copy.***

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Ann Margret Hovsepian is a published author, freelance writer and editor and amateur artist. She has published more than 210 articles for dozens of Canadian and U.S. print periodicals and has become a sought-after author of pre-teen girls’ devotional books. She has published Blossom: The Complete New Testament for Girls (Thomas Nelson, 2006) and The One Year Designer Genes Devo (Tyndale, 2007). She speaks at conferences and events and is actively involved on the board of Canadian Baptist Women of Ontario and Quebec, Canada. Hovsepian resides in Montreal, Canada.

Visit the author's website.

SHORT BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Is your pre-teen daughter ready for more—more excitement, more adventure, more joy? Then dare her to discover the secret to a life that sparkles for God. Show her she’s got what it takes to make an impact on the world. Ann Margret Hovsepian’s newest book, Truth and Dare: One Year of Dynamic Devotions for Girls, is designed for girls 9 to 12 and filled with powerful wisdom on everything from godly friendships to worshipping God.

It can be easy for young girls to neglect their Bible reading. Perhaps they feel Scripture doesn’t directly relate to them. Maybe they may lack encouragement or accountability, or they may just have too many distractions in their everyday lives. This lack of spiritual food can stunt girls’ spiritual growth and make them vulnerable to the temptations and ungodly influences around them. It can also prevent them from developing a love for Scripture early in life, making it even harder to get into God’s Word when they get older.

Truth and Dare encourages tween girls to discover how exciting God’s Word can be. They will see it make a difference in their daily lives and experience the blessings that come from doing it and not just hearing it. Daily challenges (dares) based on Scripture (truth) will provide opportunities for them to make their faith come alive as they learn to serve others, build character and make a difference.

Scripture will be transformed from something learned to something lived. Girls will delight in discovering how God’s Word can become real in whole new ways as they learn to apply it with each day’s dare. It ideally suits anyone looking to inspire a young girl to boldly live out her faith. So encourage the tween girl in your life to take the dare and discover the truth! It’s her time to shine as a girl who knows what it means to live a fierce and fearless life of faith.





Product Details:

List Price: $14.99
Reading level: Ages 9 and up
Paperback: 432 pages
Publisher: David C. Cook (October 1, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1434702081
ISBN-13: 978-1434702081

AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER (To enlarge, click on the images):

AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER

My daughter is too young for this book but nevertheless I jumped on the opportunity of reviewing this book since I was also reviewing the boy edition as well.  The conception and organization of Truth & Dare is similar to the one of Triple Dog Dare this time it is speaking to girls ages 9 to 12 years old.

The book is designed to be done one a day during the week-day and once during the week-end.    The daily devotions will help your daughter grow their faith during a season where you wonder about the changes coming your way.  

The devotions start with a scripture reference that your daughter will read before jumping into the Truth section.  The Truth section contains a small devotion that will strengthen the scripture reading and teach your daughter how to be strong in the Lord.  The Dare section will challenge her to develop disciplines as well as stretch her comfort zone while she follows God.   Finally at the bottom of the page she has a journaling section where she can scribble her thoughts about what she learned during the devotion.

At the end of the week, she can use the two-pages week-end section to deepen her experience.  It could be answering a little quizz, read more scriptures, reflect on lessons learned and so on.   She also has suggestions if she has more time to do things as well as a journaling section.   

I find that the age group for which this book is geared for is perfect to develop the spiritual discipline of using a devotion as well as journaling.   The cover of the book is fabulous with sparkles all over it and illustrations that represent girls in general.

To be honest, I would suggest anyone who has a girl in this age range to seriously consider to purchase this devotional book for her to give at Christmas time.  It would be a good habit to start for 2012 and to grow in her faith.

Truth & Dare – one year of dynamic devotions for girls is available at your favorite bookstore, even amazon.ca.

Triple Dog Dare

It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old...or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!

You never know when I might play a wild card on you!

Today's Wild Card author is:

Jeremy Jones

and the book:

Triple Dog Dare Devotional

David C. Cook (October 1, 2011)

***Special thanks to Audra Jennings, Senior Media Specialist, The B&B Media Group for sending me a review copy.***

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Jeremy V. Jones is an award-winning journalist who has served as senior associate editor of Breakaway magazine. He has authored several books, including Toward the Goal: The Kaka Story and The Keeper: The Tim Hoard Story. He also writes for magazines such as Clubhouse and Christianity Today. He resides with his wife and two children in Colorado.

SHORT BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Boys want action. They don’t want to sit around and talk—that’s for grown-ups and girls. They engage life and relationships by doing something: skateboarding, playing games or re-creating favorite movie scenes. So why should faith be any different? That’s why Jeremy V. Jones created Triple Dog Dare: One Year of Dynamic Devotions for Boys—to provide the action boys need in order to grow their faith.

The Bible is full of action. Remember how David slew Goliath, Daniel faced those lions, Paul survived a shipwreck and Jesus stood up for a woman about to be killed? God made boys to take His truth and do something with it, to man up and change the world. These action-packed devotions for boys ages 9 to 12 are filled with godly truth and bold spiritual challenges that transform time with God into the adventure of the day.

Triple Dog Dare connects God’s Word to boys’ hearts and hands with real-life scenarios and activities. Each day is filled with short Scriptures, concise biblical truth and a daily dare, all challenging them to put their faith into practice. Scripture readings from every book of the Bible open up the action-packed Word of God. Whether it’s drawing comic strips of biblical battles, dreaming up a life list of goals, making snack packs for the homeless or producing Bible-based movies, boys will go on daily dynamic experiences with God, taking faith off the page and setting it into motion. Themes cover the daily realities of pre-teen males, including bullying, peer pressure, girls, sibling rivalry, honesty and more.

These exciting devotions will inspire boys’ hearts toward godly characteristics such as integrity, generosity and kindness. Parents will appreciate watching Christ-like traits emerge as each dare is undertaken. It is a manual that will deepen boys’ friendships with Jesus as they look forward to spending time with Him every day. So if you know a boy who is up for the challenge, triple dog dare him!




Product Details:

List Price: $14.99
Reading level: Ages 9 and up
Paperback: 432 pages
Publisher: David C. Cook (October 1, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0781404576
ISBN-13: 978-0781404570

AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER (Click on images to enlarge):

My Thoughts

As soon as I received this devotional for boys and I opened it to look in it, I knew that it was something my oldest son would enjoy.  

Each devotion has a scripture reference that the child has to read before starting.   Then in the TRUTH section, the author emphasize the lesson that needs to be learned.   A little devotion is located on the left side of the page while the right side of the devotion contains some TRIPLE DOG DARE actions that the boy can do.   Then in the MISSION ACCOMPLISHED section, a question is asked for the child to answer to see what he has done in the TRIPLE DOG DARE.

Once a week is completed, the boy will go through a Triple Dog Tracks section where he has to ponder on what he has learned during the week.  Usually this section is done over the week-end.     Finally the child has a challenge to do – it could be writing about goals, drawing, reflecting and responding to questions based on scriptures and so on.

My son has started his devotion on a daily basis with this book and he loves it.   He is 10 years old.  Though he wanted to wait to start in January, we told him it didn’t matter when you start it if you do it every day.   So far it is going well.   He is dedicated in doing it early in the morning after he has read his Bible.  

Triple Dog Dare contains one year of DYNAMIC devotions for boys.   It is well written and the presentation of the book is attractive for the child.   

If there was one thing I would suggest for Christian parents this year to include under the tree for the boy who is between the ages of 9 and 12, it would be to purchase the Triple Dog Dare devotions.    It will be a good habit for your son to have throughout 2012.

Triple Dog Dare is available at your favorite bookstore, even amazon.ca.

One Thousand Gifts–Week 25

251. Having to celebrate the 6th birthday of my 3rd son which means he had the privilege to go sleep on the top bunk.

252. Seeing his face when he opened up the card I made him – priceless!

253. angry birds….

254. putting the Lemax houses/animals out on the mantle

255. Survival Week at swimming lessons… which means the kids get to go in the pool all dressed-up!

256. First snow fall!

257. high temperature – though it melted the snow… – almost wish I could go camping!

258. my family

259. playing in the snow after swimming

260. my camera

Remembering Christmas

Remembering Christmas
Written by Dan Walsh
Published at Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group

About the book

Can one Christmas change a life forever?

Rick Denton lives his life on his terms. He works hard, plays hard, and answers to no one. So when his mother calls begging him to come home after his stepfather has an aneurysm, Rick is more than a little reluctant. What was supposed to be just a couple days helping out at the family bookstore turns into weeks of cashing out old ladies and dealing with the homeless guy who keeps hanging around the store. The one bright spot is the lovely and intriguing young woman who works at his side each day.

As Christmas nears, Rick's old life beckons, the hurts from his past loom large, and the decisions he makes will determine more than just where he spends Christmas Eve.

With skillful storytelling, Dan Walsh creates a Christmas story that will have you remembering every good and perfect gift of Christmas.

Who is Dan Walsh?

Dan Walsh is the award-winning author of The Unfinished Gift, The Homecoming, The Deepest Waters, and Remembering Christmas. A member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Dan served as a pastor for 25 years. He lives with his family in the Daytona Beach area, where he's busy researching and writing his next novel.

My Thoughts

I had the pleasure to discover Dan Walsh from the first book he wrote – The Unfinished Gift and since then I am totally hooked on his writings.  I have been blessed to be able to review The Homecoming and The Deepest Waters in the past as well and this year I immediately jumped on the opportunity to review Remembering Christmas.  Dan Walsh was able to catch my interest and keep me captive until the end of the story with Remembering Christmas.  I feel as though his writing is almost magic has he is able to portrayed a series of characters that will keep you

I am not a huge fan of Christmas novels.   I will admit though that the writings of Dan Walsh has capture my heart and I am always looking forward for his next novel when I finish one.   So far he has written three Christmas novels and each time I have enjoyed them quite a lot.  Each are different in their own way and each are worth reading.

In this particular novel, we will follow Rick Denton has he comes to help his mom and step-dad with their store after his stepfather suffered an aneurysm.    He goes reluctantly and during the weeks where he is there, a miracle happens.   His heart is transformed and God touched him at the core of his being.    He realize that his current life is futile and that ultimately his place is near his family.   

Throughout the book, you will encounter beloved characters as well as dramatic moments whether with the health of the stepfather, with the homeless person living next to the store or the thief who visited the store in the middle of the day.   Slowly but surely the heart of Rick will melt and he will come to realize that pursuing money, women and fame is not what he is called to do.

If there was one Christmas novel that I would recommend you to read this Christmas it is definitively Remembering Christmas. 

Remembering Christmas is currently free for the Kindle and Kindle app for the iPhone/iPad (Nov 27th 2011).  Visit the Kindle website to download it.   I am uncertain to how long this book will stay FREE so I would strongly suggest that you download it as soon as you can!

Note: The price mentioned is accurate at the time of posting, but please click the book cover or link to check the current price prior to purchase.

The Christmas Shoppe is available at your favourite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group, even at amazon.ca.

Disclaimer: Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. for review purposes. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

Trivial Pursuit Bet You Know It Wii

Trivial Pursuit Bet You Know It (Wii)
From EA Games

About the Game

Experience the ultimate TRIVIAL PURSUIT experience with both BET YOU KNOW IT and Original on one disc!

In TRIVIAL PURSUIT BET YOU KNOW IT you and your family can play both classic TRIVIAL PURSUIT and BET YOU KNOW IT, all on one disc. The new BET YOU KNOW IT mode includes thousands of new trivia questions and a fun betting component that will keep everyone on their toes. Team up with or play head- to-head against up to three friends.

• All-new questions - Thousands of new questions for hours of fun
• Categories for Everyone - Fun, new categories like Jingles, 80’s Music & Movies, Videogames, Slang, and more so everyone can play along!
• Single or Multiplayer - Play to clear the board, or play with up to four friends
• With BET YOU KNOW IT, everyone plays on every turn! - Challenge friends and family and steal wedges to win the game.
• Classic and BET YOU KNOW IT gameplay - Enjoy your favorite trivia game, in an all new way.
• Compete with friends and family members for bragging rights.

Our Thoughts

Last Wednesday, we had friends who came over for supper.   After the kids were in bed, we decided to play on the Wii with try the new Trivial Pursuit Bet You Know It game that I had received to review.  It was perfect to have another couple to play with us.   We made the teams – men against women – and started to play.  You will get explanations as you start the game and you will also be able to decide how the game will be played.

The new Trivial Pursuit Bet You Know It is challenging to say the least.   The new version of Trivial Pursuit allows you to buy spaces and wedges if you have the money.  What is interesting is that this version of the game also allows the opponents to bet if the person will be able to win the game or not.   Once the bet are placed,  you receive your question.  Each question has a multiple choice and you are a time limit to answer.  We all found that the time allowed to answer the questions was quite fast.  To be honest it almost felt that you need to be a speed reader to be able to see all the question and answers.      If you win the bet you have place against the person, you earn double the amount you place.  If  you loose, you loose the amount you have bet.  If you answered the question, you win the chips that the players have lost.

Here’s some example of questions asked during the Trivial Pursuit Bet You Know It game.

I am pleased to say that the women won the game.   Afterwards, while looking at the options more, we discovered that you can also play the Classic Trivial Pursuit with this Wii game.   Two game for the price of one!   Fabulous! We decided to try it right away to compare the two and personally I must say that I prefer the Classic version.  One the questions are easier and Two my husband enjoyed it better.    My husband is not too fond of trivia type games but with the Classic version, he was able to get into it more.    With the Classic version, you can decide how many wedges are needed to win the game as well as when do you get the wedges.

In the end, we had fun playing with our friends even if the first game was a little bit harder than the Classic version.    This Wii game could be a great game to take out when you have people over one evening and you want to create teams together.   You can play with up to four controls as well – so four teams in a way.

Now my questions to EA Game would be – Will  you make a Trivial Pursuit Disney For All Wii Game?  Because if you do, we will definitively jump on it.   You could also incorporate the Trivial Pursuit for Kids on the same CD….

Trivial Pursuit Bet You Know It Wii game is available at your favorite store, even amazon.ca.

Disclaimer: I received the product for review purposes. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.