Review: Faith Leaps

I'll admit it, I'm not so big on leaps of faith. Even though I am the daughter of a United Methodist minister and my life has always been influenced by the Lord's leading, I will gladly tell you that I like routine and knowing what is coming next. As we all know, life doesn't always follow the plan that we think it is going.

I have been known to run a bit from what I know God is telling me. I've gone against what I knew He would not want me to do. And every time, I come back to His way, because it is the Only Way that I am going to be fulfilled, blessed, and at peace.

For instance, I really felt like God was telling me to step away from volunteering with our church youth group and spend more time with my family. I argued with Him for months. I tried to convince him of the reason why I was right and He was wrong. Guess what?! Turns out He WAS right, and even though it was hard, I know it was the right thing to do. He has opened up possibilities and opportunities that I never would have had--opportunities to share His Word with people that I never would have imagined. But that Leap of Faith was very hard to take. It was hard to explain to others.

God is still giving me nudges. I'm not ignoring Him, but I've been trying to put Him off. But this time, it isn't quite so scary, because there is a wonderful program created by my friend Alyssa Avant to help me through.

Faith Leaps is a three month training program designed to help you figure out what and where God might be able to best use your Spiritual Gifts and talents.

Alyssa encourages you with her spunky spirit to examine yourself through prayer, online activities, questions, and audio seminar. She will lead you through the scary wilderness
upon which you might feel as though you stumbled.

God will lead you, and will never leave you. Alyssa uses her experiences and God's word to walk beside you as you work toward the clearing in which God has designed you to serve.



I am definitely called to teach. I'm feeling God call me in a new direction, but I'm not quite sure where He's leading me. I look forward to finding out, and am so thankful that He has equipped Alyssa with Faith Leaps to guide me!

Are you feeling God's call, but don't know exactly where He is leading? Or are you fighting that negative self-talk of "I don't have any gifts or talents! How is God going to use me?" Either way, Faith Leaps can help you discern the ways in which God is equipping you to serve.

Here I am, Lord! Is it I, Lord?
I have heard You calling in the night.
I will go, Lord, if You lead me.
I will hold Your people in my heart.

I am inspired by the words of Dan Schutte, and I will follow. Faith Leaps will help me find The Way!

Photo credits: Tricky, anjan58, and Steve_C

Review: Yanni Voices CD

I had the opportunity to review the beautiful music of Yanni Voices thanks to One2One Network!

I first learned of Yanni Voices in a very Disney-esque production at Blissdom ’09, when we were introduced to the concept on both the huge screen and several plasma screen TVs. To say that we women were blown away was an understatement! We all loved the music and visuals, especially getting to see them in such a crisp, high definition manner. Add to it that the music shared was magnificent, and we were sold….but then, we got even MORE….Nathan and Ender were THERE in person! We got to learn more about them and the production, and if we weren’t already in love, both men credited their mothers with giving them much of the will and gifts with which they were able to share with us. Imagine my delight when a fellow attendee asked the men to sing Happy Birthday to another attendee who was celebrating that day…as was I! So they brought us both up and sang to BOTH of us! Ahhh, bliss! My husband showed no jealousy about this circumstance until he actually SAW Nathan and Ender on the bonus DVD!

Um, no honey, that isn't a look of adoration on my face....must have been the flash!

Anyway, back to the review!

The music is sublime on this CD! The four vocalists have unspeakable talent! Chloe’s soulful depth comes out best on “Kill Me with Your Love”, where her range is fully explored, and she gives life to the notes she sings. Ender’s passion especially shines through on “Desire”. Their duet on “Until the Last Moment” captured my heart. I am a sucker for beautiful harmony! I also like the harmonies explored on “Before the Night Ends”, where Leslie has almost an Enya-like sound, if I can compare her to another. The sensuality with which Leslie sings “The Keeper”, however, is entirely something different! Nathan’s rich baritone fills out “Adagio” much like a cello, and sounds so triumphant at the end of the piece! I also enjoyed “November Sky” and its upbeat style!

I really enjoy getting to see how much the artists put into the music on the DVD. It is a wonderful audio experience to listen to the CD, but with the DVD, you also get to see what fun and excitement the artists have for their music, which brings so much more to the experience!

I’d love to be able to see this on tour, but I doubt they’ll be coming close to me! But truly, if you have the opportunity, you need to GO! If not, do the next best thing and buy this awesome CD!

Go here to learn more about the tour, PBS specials, performers, CD, and more!

Review: Rascals and Routines Bedtime Safari

Rascals and Routines is a product line produced by Haydenburri Lane in a commitment to help preschoolers learn daily self-care routines in a fun manner.

The innovative way that this company promotes such activities as brushing teeth and going to bed certainly IS fun! My 5 year old was delighted with every portion of the set that I received to review. We received the “Carry Me Everywhere Suitcase” complete with 5 finger puppets, book, blanket with puppet pocket, and Bedtime Safari boardbook. Not only does this encourage healthy habits, but it also has provided endless hours of entertainment!

The 5 finger puppets are of Rascals and Routines 5 Ambassadors: Rory, the sleepy time tiger; Paige, the story time elephant; Chomper, the tooth-brushing crocodile; P.J., the pajama time bear; and Bubbles, the bath time hippo. Each ambassador encourages one part of the bedtime routine. The Bedtime Safari book expands upon the characters and why your preschooler needs that part of the routine.

I especially like the finger puppets and the blanket with the puppet pocket. Adam enjoys tucking each puppet into the pocket and telling them good night before snuggling up with the super-soft blanket. An additional ‘Cool’ feature is found in the suitcase: built in elastic holders for each finger puppet! We have also been able to put the suitcase to use for carrying toys and such to activities where Adam needs to entertain himself.

Haydenburri Lane is currently offering several special deals! You can purchase the same item reviewed here, the “Carry Me Everywhere Suitcase”, for $29.95! Also available is the Bedtime Safari music collection for $3.95, which includes 5 songs! And how about a freebie?! If you sign up for the newsletter, you will receive a free music download! The website also features a section especially for parents, including a parent guide for the products.

I highly recommend Haydenburri Lane’s products for encouraging your young child to develop healthy bedtime routines!

WINNER: All About Us books!

Sorry I'm late getting this up! I have been so overwhelmed lately that this just slipped my mind!


So Dina is our winner! Thanks so much for playing along! Dina, be looking for an email from me!

Be looking for more giveaways coming SOON!

Review and Giveaway: All About Us books

***This post will stay on top until the contest ends! Please scroll down for more recent posts! Thank you!***







I’m so excited about an opportunity to share these GREAT books! The series is set in San Francisco at the fictional elite prep school Spencer Academy. Follow the stories of five friends who deal with the ups and downs of their teen years while also learning more about their Faith in God.

Have you been looking for something for your teenage daughter, granddaughter, or friend to read? Are you concerned about how she will respond to peer pressure concerning such issues as premarital sex, sharing her Christian faith, underage drinking, among others? Then this is the series for you!! Lissa, Gillian, Carly, Shani, and Mac deal with these everyday struggles in a tastefully done, entertaining manner. The books are up-to-date and filled with references to technological and fashion trends to which your daughter can relate.

Not only that, there is an interactive website that goes with the series! She’ll love getting to interact with the ‘girls’ on All About Us online!

I have read the first three books in the series and felt like I bonded with Lissa, Gillan, and Carly. I’m anticipating the release of Shani and Mac’s stories already! I wish that such a series had been available when I was a teenager struggling with self-image and value judgments. That these books do so with a solid Christian influence adds much value to them, in my eyes. I know that your child or grandchild will be enthralled with the books and will be glad to read stories of girls who struggle with similar problems.

Here is the fun part: YOU can win the three books in the series released so far! You’ll win It's All About Us, The Fruit of my Lipstick, and Be Strong and Curvaceous, valued at approximately $30.00! I’d like to thank Hatchette Books for their willingness to sponsor this giveaway—without them, I couldn’t share this fantastic deal!

So how do you win? Simply leave a comment on this post! I’ll need to limit this giveaway to readers in the United States and Canada, and no P.O Boxes. Please also be sure to leave me a way to contact you—I can’t send you the books without this!

I’ll close this to entries on Wednesday, February 11 at 9 pm. Good luck, and I pray that God blesses you richly through these books!

(If you’d like to read my original review of Be Strong and Curvaceous on my other blog, click here!)

The Jesus Storybook Bible

I was very excited to be able to review this book with my sons. It has become a welcome addition to our devotions!

The beautifully written stories begin with adaptations of stories from the Old Testament. The words are accurate, and explain in interesting yet kid-friendly terms the stories of the patriarchs of the Bible. Many nights, the stories that I read aloud have led to detailed discussions on related Bible stories or questions like, “Mom, what is Heaven like?”

I really like that the language is fully explanatory without making it so simple that the lyric flavor of the story is lost. The beautiful and detailed illustrations bring the story to life for my 5 and 7-year-old boys. In fact, both boys have picked the book up and explored it on their own—which is not always done since they are otherwise distracted with their electronic toys!

I have to share a story of what we were reading last night! We were reading the story of the tower of Babel. They were so cracked up by the part of the story on page 53 that I had to repeat it 3 or 4 additional times just so they could laugh at it again! Here is what they found so amusing:

“You see, God had given each person a completely different language! Suddenly, no one understood what anyone else was saying. Someone would say, “How do you do?” and the other person thought they said, “How ugly are you!” It wasn’t funny. You could be saying something nice like, “Such a lovely morning!” and get a punch in the nose because they thought you said, “Hush up, you’re boring!” (You couldn’t even say, “Pardon?” to check if you’d heard right because no one understood that word either.)

More simply put, The Jesus Storybook Bible is not only giving me the opportunity to share the stories of the Bible with my children, it is helping us make memories while we do so. It is helping them feel more comfortable asking me questions they might have on their mind, and showing them ALL the roles and prophesies that were revealed through Jesus at the same time. This book is a great tool all the way around!

If you’d like some more information about the book, here it is on the Zondervan website. I highly recommend it for parents with children from preschool age to 9 years of age (but you know your child best; take a look at it and decide for yourself!)

Website review: Inner City Business

When I was asked to review a new website on the scene, I was glad to do it, especially since I'm a new(er) blog on the scene! The website, Inner City Business offers a wide range of products that have been printed with various images. The site is separated into several distinct sections, all of which I will describe.

My first impression is that the site is clean and not overly cluttered or busy. But being the lady with ADD that I am, I believe that it might benefit from being ‘jazzed up a bit. The initial impression is improved upon as I visited the sections of the shop.

The first section of the site I visited is called Scripture Prints. Here visitors can shop for a wide variety of spiritual and Biblical-based products. My personal favorite items in this section are those printed with "The Shortcut".

Next is a section called Inner City Gifts. I suspect that this may become the flagship section of the store in time, though it has not been fully 'fleshed out' yet. I found many nice products here. My favorite is the "Joy product line, such as this mousepad.

The next section is called I Luv T-Shirts and Designs. Here are a great number of products featuring a wide array of prints. I was also impressed by the desire to serve the customer from this section. The site says,

“If you see a design that you like or desire and it is not immediately available as a finished product, email us. Tell us what you are looking for. If you need a particular size or color in a design, let us know. We will customize your order as quickly as possible and hopefully go beyond your expectations.”

This section contains several Obama related products, though my favorite item was a precious tee that says,"Man makes plans, God makes decisions!" This section truly has a little bit of everything!

The last section of the site is called Chaneltees. Again, it is not as full of products as some of the other sections, but have some pretty items that are more ‘girly’. I really like the Vortex product line!

In short, innercitybusiness.com is a one stop shopping venue for lots of products that could be gifts or for personal use. Prices are comparable to other online shopping websites. I give it a thumbs up, and plan on going back and shopping soon!