WHOLE HEART by Passion Music GIVEAWAY

I was moody, grumpy, generally having a bad day.


I'm sure I'm the only one, right?


I went back to flop on my bed and pout over some infraction I held against a family member.


I knew I had a review* coming due, so I mindlessly flipped on the PASSION WHOLE HEART CD as I mercilessly crushed candy on my handheld computer that also happens to be able to send and receive telephone calls.

I half listened, angrily clicking my phone.



As the words of worship began to wash over my heart, the frantic pace of my hands began to slow.


An hour later, I was freshly aware of the price Jesus had paid to buy my unearned forgiveness. My game was tossed aside and my heart was bowed before the Lord as I was convicted of the grudge I had been nursing.


I can't really give you a critical review of music preferences, because what God did in my heart through these lyrics, His Spirit refreshing my heart, was much more profound than the dissection of music style. So I'll simply post a couple of music clips and let the promoter's words speak toward answering the product details:

WHOLE HEART is the new live album from Passion, captured at the Passion Conference 2018 in Atlanta, GA.

•         “Rooted out of the Passion movement, we are committed to leading people towards renewed intimacy with God and fresh encounters of worship. Passion is more than music. More than events. Passion is a generation living for His name.” 

•         WHOLE HEART is the new live album from Passion—captured at Passion Conference 2018 in Atlanta, GA.

•         Passion Conference 2018 was a beautiful worship experience, and the live album captures each powerful moment, allowing those who were not in attendance to experience it.

  

•         Featuring Passion Artists: Kristian Stanfill, Melodie Malone, Sean Curran, Matt Redman, Crowder.

Buy Link: http://capcmg.me/PassionWholeHeart

Want a chance to win a copy? 

Leave me a meaningful comment here on my blog (along with a working method of contact so I can get your mailing address if you are the winner!) today, tomorrow, or Sunday. I'll contact one random name on Monday, February 26, 2018, to get your address for FlyBy promotions who will mail my winner a free CD in March! (Blog comments can get grumpy at times, so a comment on this post on my facebook author page will work too, although, if you have the option of leaving a blog comment, I would sure prefer that method, as that will help me track all entries in one spot.)


Please go like my author page at facebook.com/HarvestingHope (or get a friend to do so) and leave me another comment here that you did so (along with the name for me to verify that I have the new like). You and your friend will both earn an additional chance to be chosen as my winner if you do.

Please help me spread the word. Share this giveaway post everywhere you can - Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, your own blog, etc. Every time you share and come back and add your share link to comments, that's another entry too.


I'm excited to see you win. This album, just releasing today, is going to bless your heart!

Want it sooner or for sure? (Or course you do!) Grab your copy today at capcmg.me/PassionWholeHeart

#PassionWholeHeart #FlyBy #Contest #Drawing #Giveaway

* Yes, I did receive a free, promotional copy of this music for my review. However, opinions expressed are fully my own.

The giveaway aspect of this post is not sponsored by any parties other than Jennifer Saake and FlyBy Promotions, so Facebook and other big corporations, you are legally off the hook for this one.

Three-Foot-Tall Adults

Stop laughing, Mom and Dad! No Vicki Caruana did not steal your journals from raising me:

The two most common phrases to come out of the mouths of three-year-olds are "Why?" and "I can do it myself." Questioning authority and making your own decisions are hallmarks of adulthood. But it tends to rattle us when the "young adult" is only three feet tall and stands with her hands on her hips and her lower lip pushed out and, once in a while, stops her feet...

I'm quoting from the devotional The Joy of Letting Go, a book about embracing your child's journey to independence. With our first bring-home, after-infertility baby only about a month from high school graduation, I was blessed to review a complimentary advanced copy of this sweet little treasure at a great time in my life. (I was given the book in exchange for this review, however opinions are fully my own!)

About the book: 

With readings of encouragement and inspirational quotes, this devotional helps parents prepare their hearts for their children's independence, whether their kids are just starting kindergarten or graduating from college.

Parents let go of their children every day, even in ways they don't realize. The 52 devotional readings within shine a light on all the times readers have loosened their grip on their children and encourages them to continue to let go in life-giving ways. Written by a parenting and education expert, The Joy of Letting Go will comfort and inspire parents in all seasons of parenting.

Learn more and purchase a copy.

Maybe your baby just got his driver's license. Or maybe she slept in through the night in her own crib all through the night. As Vicki points out, our letting go moments start with the cutting of the umbilical cord!

About the author:

Dr. Vicki Caruana is the author of 20 books and the blog Apples & Chalkdust-named after her bestselling book that has touched the lives of a million educators around the world. Caruana is one of four parenting experts on "Starting Points," Focus on the Family's parenting DVD series. Formerly a public school teacher and a homeschooling mom, Vicki is now an assistant professor of education at Mount Saint Mary College in New York. She lives with her station wagon loving husband, Chip, in Newburgh, New York and has two grown sons in Colorado Springs.

Find out more about Vicki at http://vickicaruana.blogspot.com.

   

Jesus and the Beanstalk

I almost refused to read this book, based solely on its quirky title. BIG MISTAKE! Don't judge a book by it's cover.

Wow! I feel like Lori Stanley Roeleveld is a personable new friend. I wish we could sit down and have coffee (or tea, since I detest coffee, but I was going for coffee house intimacy with that phrase!) and a long chat together.

As God so often does, He put this book in my life at the same time He was putting the spotlight on the same part of Scripture through other means. I had just started a new Bible study on 1 and 2 Peter when He brought this book across my path. Seeing the back cover blurb about "use the hidden gifts in 2 Peter to topple the giant challenges in your life," made me willing to give this book a (albeit skeptical) chance.

The subtitle: Overcoming Your Giants and Living a Fruitful Life, was also highly appealing, being on the spiritual fruit journey I've been on for these past 5+ years! The list of words, "Faith, Godliness, Affection for Others, Love, Perseverance, Goodness, Knowledge, Self-Control," had enough overlap with the Fruit of the Spirit I'm dissecting, to get me a little excited, before I even opened the front cover.

Now that I'm well into the book (I'm a SLOW reader, thanks to dyslexia then my strokes), I can't imagine a better-fitting title than Jesus and the Beanstalk. Lori has so masterfully woven familiar fairy tales together, Jack and the Beanstalk in particular, to illustrate deep spiritual truths. As a writer, I marvel at her clever mastery of both the English language and cultural concepts, with nearly every turn of the page. This one should become a bestseller if enough readers can get past the "irreverence" (my primary objection) of the title and delve into the richness behind the selected monacure.

Update

I actually started this post yesterday with the intent to share memories of my Heaven children. Then the school called about one of my blessings still on earth...

So what's been happening in my world? Well our living kid have all been in and out of school, taken turns with viruses and assorted bacterial infections. Our 6th grader was sent home twice within a week and has a virus AND Step right now!

If only that were the worst of it, but my mom was recently hospitalized with some sort of stroke-like event. She was just moved to a rehabilitation hospital last night so I'm heading out to spend a few hours with her this morning and coming home before our 3rd grader gets home so his sick sister doesn't have to be in charge!

Interestingly enough, my mom is now admitted to the very facility where I am hosting an open house on Saturday, in celebration that this month marks 3 years of my own stroke survival. (I was ready to cancel my part on Monday, but my parents encouraged me to keep it in the plans and a few friends are now stepping in for Mom to help me pull it off.) She will be able to attend as an in-house resident now.

I know I had two amazing products to tell you about last month, both the (in)Courage line of new letter blocks and a Bible storybook by David C. Cook. My apologies to both of these companies for telling them I would tell you how much I love their products (And I do! I won't endorse any product I don't personally love!) by certain deadlines, but failing to do so. I've decided that, other than the product reviews I do for stroke recovery and adaptation, my life is just too crazy for me to follow through on other commitments of this kind right now. (Received free review copy in exchange for my honest opinion.)

http://www.christianbook.com/treasury-of-bible-stories/kelly-pulley/9780781409179/pd/409174

Treasury of Bible Stories is, as it's name indicates, a true treasure. When I first saw the book I though it was just another colorful read-aloud for toddlers and preschoolers. Then my action-packed 3rd grader picked it up and is using as his after school reading practice. (He's half way through the 350+ pages for his second time already.) He loves the humor, rhyming patterns of words, and creative expression of the stories and bright pictures. It is so exciting to see him engaging with Bible stories and asking thought-provoking questions like I have never witnessed with any other of our many Bible story books. Maybe it was just a timing thing, that he discovered this collection of Bible stories at just the right time for his mind to embrace them in a new way, but the telling is quite clever and inviting, even to a nearly-9-year-old who has been in Sunday School nearly every week of his life. No, Kelly Pulley hasn't changed anything about the Story, just presented the details quite cleverly. I highly recommend this one to add to your collection!



With the LetterPress block I have a second opportunity to tell you about, since I really want to do my best to honor my commitment (and it is a really cool system): DaySpring and (in)courage are thrilled with the response to our new Letterpress Blocks Collection! You can “build your word” by dragging letters of different sizes to create the word or phrase of your choice. Then, easily add your word to cart and checkout at DaySpring.com. Pre-packaged kit words are also available for sale at DaySpring. Words Matter Letterpress Blocks- Build your Word! (affiliate link)