One Lost Sheep

Classic Bible story with vibrant art and lyrical rhyming text from established and successful author Rhonda Gowler Greene.

“Ninety-eight…ninety-nine…” The faithful shepherd realizes that one of his one hundred sheep is missing and sets out to find it. In playful rhyme, prolific author Rhonda Gowler Greene retells Jesus’ parable of the lost sheep that loses its way on the mountain side. Under brambles, behind rocks, the shepherd looks until he finds it again. Children will delight in this fun and engaging tale illustrated by Margaret Spengler as they learn that God, like the faithful shepherd, will never let them stray.

Super cute picture storybook written by Rhonda Gowler Green, illustrated by Margaret Spengler, and published by Zonderkidz.

A good listen-to story for children ages 4-8 on the parable of Luke 15:3-4. Easy enough for beginner readers, too. I like the story’s flow with a bit of  rhyme and rhythm. The illustrations are soft and fuzzy looking (like a woolly sheep) with attention-keeping details such as cute emotions on the little sheep faces.

The point of the parable – God cares for you. He is earnest in bringing the “lost sheep” i.e., sinners, back to Him. He saves us and our redemption brings great joy. 

Luke 15:3-4 

³ So he told them this parable: ⁴ “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? (ESV)

BookLook Bloggers provided this complimentary copy for review purposes. No other compensation was received. All opinions are my own.

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Joyful ‘toons

Love expressed in words only can leave you feeling cold. Love expressed in deeds brings warmth and fulfillment. 

What are Joyful ‘toons? 

Joyful ‘toons are cartoons that are based on verses from the Bible. Each cartoon consists of a verse  and a cartoon illustration. It is my prayer that they be used to exhort and encourage Christians in their walk with the Lord, and also that they be used to reach out to those who don’t know Jesus as Lord and savior. joyfultoons.com/faq/

About the Cartoonist

I began drawing cartoons based on Bible verses in the 1990′s. I have always loved drawing cartoons, and one day the idea came to me for a cartoon that would illustrate the relationship between faith and grace. Not long after, an idea for a second cartoon came to me. I noticed that the back page of the weekly bulletin at my church was often blank, so I approached the pastor with the idea of using my cartoons to fill that space, and he agreed to my proposal. After that, ideas for other cartoons started coming to me, and they became a regular feature of the church bulletin. I then thought of sharing the cartoons, which by this time were called Joyful ‘toons. joyfultoons.com/about/

This Polar Bear Joyful ‘toon was created by Mike especially for my blog. 

THANK YOU, Mike!

Joyful ‘toons are posted on Notes From Dawn with permission from Mike Waters. 

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remembering gratitude in the absence of warm, balmy breezes

woke up to meet a cold, snow-covered morning 

 

 Thank You, Lord (warm house, breakfast, and coffee for starters)

Feeling

Gratitude

And Not

Expressing It

Is Like

Wrapping A

Present

And Not

Giving It

–William Author Ward

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Actions Not Words

Many bloggers share about their new year resolutions or their choosen word-of-the-year. I’ll join in and share my 2014 verse-of-the-year. 

1 John 3:18

 

18 Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth. (NIV)

Actions usually show the state of our hearts much better than our words

Love means we set aside some of our own wants to see to the wants of others

Love is an action word and there must be some evidence

Love rejects hatred

 Love requires sacrifice

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No Cape Required

No Cape Required: A Devotional

52 Ways to Unleash Your Inner Hero

Kristen Parrish

Paperback by Thomas Nelson. 256 pages.

Book Description

What do Katniss Everdeen, Spider-Man, and Huckleberry Finn have in common? They’re heroes—and you can be just like them.

As children, we dream of throwing on a cape and changing the world. Then we grow up, we learn to see the flaws in our movie stars and athletes, and we accept that true heroism is not possible in the real world. You continue to dream, though. Isn’t that why you still love watching heroes on the big screen? It’s more than just wish fulfillment. You resonate with Superman’s justice and Dorothy’s courage because you have those same qualities within yourself.

In these pages, Kristen Parrish looks at the qualities of fifty-two heroes, and then shows how you can acquire every one of those qualities. No gamma rays or radioactive spider bites are needed. You can unleash your inner hero through prayer and practical action.

Men and women, boys and girls alike, will find role models within these pages. While others watch and dream on the sidelines, you can step out in faith, learning from heroic examples and praying for God’s help to make you who you were meant to be.

The Holy Spirit enables us to do great things. Find out how. No cape required.

This book contains 52 quick-read devotions. Each devotion describes an attribute of a different hero; 60% of the heroes were familiar to me. Children would even know some of the characters like Superman and Belle. Each hero/attribute example was brief and very simplistic; cute but limiting in what could be gleamed from the content. The characteristic of the particular hero was fine although I could think of additional “good” qualities aside from the one the author highlighted. This book might be useful in a group setting where a discussion on each hero/attribute could be expanded.

BookSneeze provided this complimentary copy for review purposes. No other compensation was received. All opinions are my own.

 

 

 

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Andi Unexpected

Andi Unexpected. Amanda Flower

ZONDERKIDZ / 2013 / HARDCOVER

208 pages

Book Description

Twelve-year-old Andora “Andi” Boggs and her fourteen-year-old sister Bethany move to rural Ohio to live with their eccentric twenty-something aunt after the sudden death of their parents. While dealing with her grief, Andi discovers proof of another Andora Boggs in the family tree whose existence was hidden in a Depression-era trunk in the attic. With help from her new friend and neighbor, Colin Carter, Andi is determined to find out who this first Andora was and what happened to her.

This book for young teens (middle school girls AND boys) is full of mystery and history. The characters and setting feel real and the story’s details are suspenseful keeping the reader’s interest. The author didn’t incorporate any serious Christian topics into the story although the writing was clean and wholesome. Appropriate for juvenile fiction. This sweet, energetic first book of a new series would be a nice holiday gift for a teen reader on your list. 

Read the First Chapter 

BookSneeze provided this complimentary copy for review purposes. No other compensation was received. All opinions are my own.

 

 

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A Daily Planner for 2014

It’s the first of  December & soon it will be the first of the new year.

My planner for 2014

Details

Featuring quarterly devotions from the pages of Our Daily Bread and a checklist to help you read through the Bible during the year, this 6″ x 9″ spiral-bound notebook is perfect for people on the go. Includes room for notes, space for addresses, and a weekly “To Do” list.

Our Daily Bread Daily Planner is just want I need for 2014. Very user friendly with monthly and weekly pages for the 12 months of 2014, January through December. It is a convenient, small size (6″x 9″) and the pages have a generous amount of writing space. The spiral binding allows for easy turning of pages; it allows for the planner to open flat or for the pages to fold all the way back upon itself, taking up less space on a desk. 

Special Features include perforated To-Do & Shopping lists, bible reading schedule, quarterly devotions from Our Daily Bread, and a bible verse on the monthly calendar page. Address pages, while not unique to a planner, are also included in the back. 

I received the Our Daily Bread Daily Planner from Discovery House Publishers to help facilitate the writing on an honest review. A positive review is not guaranteed and all opinions are my own. No other compensation was received.

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Dear Mr. Knightley

Katherine Reay’s debut novel is terrific!

The story is entirely told through letters. Mostly the letters of Sam, the main character, to the anonymous Mr. Knightley. It is a super book with humor, romance, tenderness, honesty, forgiveness, love, acceptance, and all that. Quotes from the classics, like Jane Austen, are written in Sam’s letters; there’s usually a bit of an explanation that goes with it so that an unfamiliar reader understands what she is referencing. Katherine Reay wrote a novel with quality characters and a believable story. I’d recommend Dear Mr. Knightly for anyone who loves a good story. And I’m looking forward to reading more from Katherine Reay. 

Katherine Reay has enjoyed a life-long affair with the works of Jane Austen and her contemporaries. After earning degrees in history and marketing from Northwestern University, she worked as a marketer for Proctor & Gamble and Sears before returning to school to earn her MTS. Her works have been published in Focus on the Family and the Upper Room. Katherine currently lives with her husband and three children in Seattle. Dear Mr. Knightley is her first novel.

Overview

Samantha Moore has always hidden behind the words of others—namely, her favorite characters in literature. Now, she will learn to write her own story—by giving that story to a complete stranger.

Sam is, to say the least, bookish. An English major of the highest order, her diet has always been Austen, Dickens, and Shakespeare. The problem is, both her prose and conversation tend to be more Elizabeth Bennet than Samantha Moore.

But life for the twenty-three-year-old orphan is about to get stranger than fiction. An anonymous, Dickensian benefactor (calling himself Mr. Knightley) offers to put Sam through Northwestern University’s prestigious Medill School of Journalism. There is only one catch: Sam must write frequent letters to the mysterious donor, detailing her progress.

As Sam’s dark memory mingles with that of eligible novelist Alex Powell, her letters to Mr. Knightley become increasingly confessional. While Alex draws Sam into a world of warmth and literature that feels like it’s straight out of a book, old secrets are drawn to light. And as Sam learns to love and trust Alex and herself, she learns once again how quickly trust can be broken.

Reminding us all that our own true character is not meant to be hidden, Reay’s debut novel follows one young woman’s journey as she sheds her protective persona and embraces the person she was meant to become.

“Dear Mr. Knightley is a stunning debut—a pure gem with humor and heart.” —Serena Chase, USA Today

Includes Reading Group Guide

Plus Bonus Material: Q & A with Katherine Reay and Sam’s Reading List

BookSneeze provided this complimentary copy for review purposes. No other compensation was received. All opinions are my own.

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Heading Into The Weekend

A joyful heart is good medicine,
     Proverbs 17:22

Do you know your hymns? I hope these make you smile:)!

Dentist’s Hymn ………………………….Crown Him with Many Crowns

Weatherman’s Hymn …………………There Shall Be Showers of Blessings

Contractor’s Hymn ……………………The Church’s One Foundation

The Tailor’s Hymn ……………………..Holy, Holy, Holy

The Golfer’s Hymn …………………….There’s a Green Hill Far Away

The Politician’s Hymn. ……………….Standing on the Promises

Optometrist’s Hymn …………………..Open My Eyes That I Might See

The IRS Agent’s Hymn ………………..I Surrender All

The Gossip’s Hymn …………………….Pass It On

The Electrician’s Hymn ……………….Send The Light

The Shopper’s Hymn …………………..Sweet Bye and Bye

The Realtor’s Hymn. …………………….I’ve Got a Mansion Just over the Hilltop

The Massage Therapists Hymn …….He Touched Me

The Doctor’s Hymn ……………………….The Great Physician

And for those who speed on the highway – a few hymns:

45mph ……………….God Will Take Care of You

65mph ……………….Nearer My God To Thee

85mph ……………….This World Is Not My Home

95mph ………………..Lord, I’m Coming Home

100mph ………………Precious Memories

jollynotes.com/christian-humor-christian-jokes-clean-jokes-best-christian-jokes/

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An ARcTic Post Featuring Paws Here and Shop

Another art post (ARcTic post) that I’d like to share-

I want to offer ARcTic posts as a way to promote talented emerging and established artists and to share God’s word visually through art. The art that I will feature may or may not have been created from a Christian-minded artist. I want to share it here; to appreciate the work created as well as the talent that the artist demonstrates, always from a Christian perspective.

Introducing…

Rie uses watercolor, colored pencils, and pen for her whimsical cat series. Printed on photo paper, each little scene tells a part of a story. Perfectly suited for cat fans, for a nursery or child’s room, or for a small area needing a splash of color and a bit of fun.

 

Hide and Seek

The Last Leaf 

Rie’s kitty keeps busy and is illustrated in different situations during various times of the year. The changing seasons remind me of the unchanging regularity of this world that God created and of the lasting happiness that’s found in God and not in the world.

Ecclesiastes 3:1

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:

It is here in Ecclesiastes that we read Solomon’s story – his search for happiness. He eventually realizes it’s all about God. From our point of view, life can seem completely meaningless but from God’s point of view, life is meaningful.

Solomon’s grand conclusion-

Ecclesiastes 12:13

13 The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.

About Rie

I was born and raised in Japan and studied silk screen printing and cloisonne besides oil and acrylic painting. I moved to USA long time ago after college.

Drawing is my favorite thing to do since I was little. I also love photography of nature and animals, and I have fun finding beautiful and unique photos.

I have been selling my artwork since 2010, and I love making people smile with my characters. I was looking for something fun to draw and I came up with the idea of cats in sunflower field. That was the start of my portfolio of cats.

Currently, I have a super friendly over weight black male cat, a picky thin white female cat and a beautiful but very loud bird, Sun Conure.

If you are interested in purchasing any of the artwork featured on this ARcTic post, please contact the artist directly. 

I’d like to thank Rie Kaminsky for her participation and for the whimsical cat prints she provided.

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