A shopping trip that cost me nothing!

Yesterday, I stopped at a store a little out of my area.  I had won $45 in gift cards and had been waiting until I could stop at a store of this chain to use them.  I was disappointed at how many items I picked up off the shelf that were already past their best by date, and that prevented me from getting some stuff I was hoping to get, but here is how my shopping trip played out.

Using sales and coupons, I saved $13.  Using my gift cards I won that took my total to zero.  Then I made a point of purchasing items where I would receive $8 back in a mail in refund.  So, technically I made money on this shopping trip.

I have a Facebook friend who says I paid $44 for it all because I used gift cards, but since I got the gift cards for free, I don't consider that I paid for it.  It's a store I would not have gone to if I had not had the gift cards.

A nice shopping trip for certain.

Becoming a Spiritually Healthy Family by Michelle Anthony

FTC disclaimer:  I received a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.  All opinions are my own.

Have you ever read a book that parts just don't seem to apply to you?  Have you ever read a book that you feel like the author is speaking right to you?  This is one of those books.  In a very creative style of addressing parenting style, Michelle Anthony speaks to nearly every type of parent.  This book has a twist, though.  Instead of telling you to change, she gives suggestions on how to give yourself and your fears to the Lord so that you will eventually change as your trust in Him grows.

As a single (but soon to be married) person, this book interested me because if I can start working on my imperfections now, I won't be Super Mom someday, but I will hopefully have worked on some issues that will allow my children to be raised in a healthier spiritual environment.  (I say healthier because I'll never be perfect.)

Oh, but perfection is something that I always have strived for.  I remember when I was in high school I had a chart that I could check off and see how good of a Christian I was that week.  I thought of that as I was reading the chapter "Beyond Good Behavior and chore Charts".   I had the good behavior, but unfortunately those around me hadn't encouraged me in faith formation, but left me drowning in moral education.  There's a difference, and the approach could mean your child staying with your faith or abandoning it once they are on their own.

Book review of Fallen by Annie Lobert

FTC disclaimer:  I received a copy of this book for review purposes, all opinions are my own.  There are affiliate links in this post.  Thank you for starting your shopping here at Books, Bargains, Blessings.


Fallen is a difficult book to read, but one that was just as hard to put down.    It details how Annie Lobert became a sex worker, her life in the sex industry, and her escape from her pimp.  While this is a Christian book, it has some very adult situations in it but please don't let that stop you from reading it.   She handles them with as much class as possible, but it's hard to be classy when telling about how she was abused by multiple men.

This book makes it easy to see how girls and women become prostitutes.  As Ms. Lobert states, no one dreams of being a call girl when they grow up -- something happens.  Also, one thing I didn't realize was that if a prostitute has a pimp, she is considered sex trafficked because she is not able to leave on her own and the pimp will require her to give him all her money.

While the author made some bad choices, I felt so much compassion for her through the book.  She fell in love with her pimp and had to endure things she never thought possible.  Her escort service tried to keep her into bondage debt, saying she owed them $65,000 for when she couldn't work when she was getting treatment from cancer.

This is a glimpse inside the unthinkable.  Ms. Lobert was one of the lucky ones.  She was able to escape.  She fell deeply in love with Jesus.  She wanted to make use of her past, and she's back on the strip trying to help others who have been sex trafficked to escape.

This book was fascinating.  I can't say it was enjoyable because of the subject matter, but it's one I highly recommend.  It was an intense book and one I could not read straight through as I am sometimes apt to do.  I would read about what she endured and then have to put it down for a little while.  It was absolutely amazing how much pain and abuse she endured as well as how much she was able to tell in 208 pages.  Annie's life story is one that needs to be told so that hopefully her life can help prevent others from making the same mistakes she did, make others more aware of the sex industry so they can spot victims, and hopefully inspire people to help those who are escaping, be it by donating to the charity that Annie has started or volunteering.  

You can purchase Fallen at Family Christian.

You canfollow Annie on twitter at @HookersForJesus @destinyhouse and on Facebook HookersForJesus

Faith that Sticks Sticker review and #Giveaway ends 3/2

FTC disclaimer:  I received samples of the product for review and crafting purposes.  

I have always loved stickers.  I can remember in the 1970s, before sticker collecting became popular,  I stapled some paper together and wrote on the front sheet "My Sticker Book".  My grandmother was working at a Christian bookstore and brought me some stickers one day, and I said, "I need to get my sticker book."  She said stickers were not for books.  Well, we both are right.  It's fun to save stickers and look at them (I still have my sticker collection from the 1980s) but it's also fun to make some crafts with them and share them with others.

Recently Faith that Sticks sent me an amazing collection of stickers to review.  

There were so many fun packages of stickers.  What could I make with them?  

The package of stickers of children praying made me think how I have at times wished I would have kept more of a record of what I prayed for and then later be able to look back and see how God answered.  This would be a great and simple craft for a time of new beginnings -- spring, a new school year, January 1, a birthday.  Just write what you pray for on slips of paper and drop in there.  The next year open it and see how many were answered!

There was no doubt what I would do with the God's Armor stickers.  This would make a great Sunday School craft for when teaching on the armor of God.  An inexpensive photo frame and you'll have a great take home reminder to help the Sunday School lesson "stick".

I always loved scratch and sniff stickers when I was little.   Tyndale House doesn't make scratch and sniff, but they do have "Stick and Sniff" where the scent is infused into the sticker and you can smell it without scratching it.  They have three different types -- roses, flowers, and jellybeans.  I remember in first grade my teacher made a card for all of us to sign for a boy who had his tonsils out.  We loved to sniff stickers so much that she had to tell us to stop because there wouldn't be any scent left for him.  So, I decided to make a simple craft with these because of how well loved scented stickers are.  I used the verse about us being the aroma of Christ and children could write ways they can be that aroma to others.

The set of Mom and Me stickers seemed to lend themselves great to a Mother's Day card.  But folded card are just so conventional, so this would be a great keepsake card.  I know I sometimes look at tracings of my hand from when I was little and it amazes me I was that small.

I started memorizing Bible verses because of VBS.  Over the years I have memorized huge sections of Scripture.  One thing I wish would have been started with me when I was a child was any verse I memorized being written down on an index card so I could review it.  At first there wouldn't be many but after years there would have been hundreds, and with me possibly thousands.  I thought about a way to incorporate stickers into Scripture memory at least for a younger child.  I came up with the idea to have a box where a sticker would be place when the verse can be quoted.  An added bonus if you are homeschooling you could teach alphabetical order using Scripture memory cards.  Or you could ask the child to file them away in order they are in the Bible.

One thing that my church always did when I was growing up was all VBS offerings were for missions.  Also, there was always a competition.  Not to see how much money was brought in, but to see if the boys or the girls would win on how much the offering would weigh.  That meant pennies were the thing everyone wanted to bring in.  But every year, no one ever thought about saving pennies before that week.  So why not make a missions penny bank?  Even if your VBS doesn't weigh the offering, it is a great way to remember that what doesn't seem like a lot to us can mean so much to others.

There are so many fun stickers that are made by Faith that Sticks.  I noticed they have some that say "Happy Birthday, Jesus".  That is the theme of my church's VBS this summer, so I'll have to order some of those.  Remember those stickers I told you about my grandmother getting me in the 1970s?  Do you know how surprised I was to see they still utilize some of the same designs in their Inspirational Motto package.   

At an average retail price of $2.49 for usually either five or six sheets, these stickers are a bargain.  They are also acid free so you can use them in scrapbooking.

And now for the Giveaway.  Open to the USA 18 and older.  Winner has 48 hours to respond to the winning e-mail or another winner will be chosen.

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Is Lent Biblical? A (very brief) History of my Lenton Observations.

I was about 23 when I asked the pastor of a church I was attending, "Is Lent Biblical?"   I'd never been in a church that observed it.  He looked pained, said it was Biblical, and that was that.

Photo courtesy of FreDigitalPhotos.net

One year a number of my friends were giving up something for Lent.   I said I would give up eating pie.  (Never mind the fact that I don't like pie.  Everyone was giving up something and it sounded holy, so it worked, right?)  Well, not exactly.  During spring break to Daytona Beach, we visited a place that sold Reese's Pie.  One of the few kinds of pie I like.  So I got a slice.  No one was the wiser, right?  That might have been the same year a co-worker of my mother's gave up sweets.  I heard all the complaints about not getting to have anything sweet, and how she ate pancakes constantly so she could have syrup. 

Two years ago, I visited a Catholic Church on Ash Wednesday.  It was my first visit to a Roman Catholic Church. 

For the last several years, I have seen people post on Facebook they are giving up Facebook for Lent.  Most of these people have likely never given up anything for Lent before in their lives.  I thought part of the point of Lent was to not tell everyone what you are giving up, but it's there sometimes in profile photos for all the world to see.

Of course, I'm no expert of Lent.  Other than my asking my boyfriend how burger night went each week since burger night is on Fridays and he had to order fish, I have no experience with this Christian tradition.

So are you giving up anything for Lent?

Runaway Radical Book Review

FTC disclaimer: I received an advance reader's copy of this book from Family Christian in order to do a review as well as compensation for running a giveaway.

The index card in my hand felt so obvious.  I folded it so no one saw I still had it as the buckets went down the row to collect these cards from other students.  I was at a conference and nearly everyone filled out a card saying they pledged one year of their life to full time Christian work.  I didn't know if I could do that.  Rather than lie and sign my name to something, I didn't return it.  I still have that card, unfilled out, and stuck in the Bible I took to that conference.  It's stayed in there for seventeen years as a reminder.  First a reminder of guilt.  Now a reminder of I'm free to be a Christian without the promises and works.

In Runaway Radical, Jonathan Hollingsworth reminded me so much of myself at his age.  I recently tweeted to him that his book showed me where I went wrong in college.  Yet, in some ways, like the author, I'm still trying to get it right.  I grew up in a legalistic church.  No movies.  No dancing.  I became legalistic in relationships with men and gave up dating for God's standard.  Yet, the husband I felt God was going to lead to me didn't appear.  (As I write this, I am 41 and getting ready to be married for the first time.  What would it have done to my faith at age 20 to know I would have to wait another two decades for marriage?)  Over time, I began to see the rules as legalism.  I began to shed the don't, but in the process, I picked up the "do"s.  Go on mission trips.  Care for the least of these.  I remember feeling called by God to go on a missions trip in college.  I remember a few nights before I left I got on my knees to beg God to consider I was willing to do that for Him, and wouldn't it please be enough, did I really have to go?   I had to.  And it was a very difficult time.  These are the missions trips you don't hear about in church.  I had a lot of financial support.  I returned and spoke in churches of the good parts of the trip, the difficulties swept under the rug.  This is why this book resonated so much with me.

One of the lines in the book says something to the effect of he learned to be sold out and extreme for Christ, but what about teaching us to be average Christians?  I'm sorry to say, I'm still learning that.  I'm twice the age of the author, but I'm still figuring out it's okay to be a normal person and a Christian.  It doesn't make us any less of one if we have jobs where we work for secular employers.  It might FEEL wrong, but I learned years ago that we are to serve God where we are going, not go and serve.  Yet, I still heard little about that.  Go. What if we stay?  Not all missions organizations are the same.  Some, like the author of Runaway Radical, would be better if we stayed away from them rather than partnering with them.  Not everyone is cut out to be an overseas missionary.   You could be allergic to a key ingredient in food of a certain country.  What happens when you feel God calling you to something and you fail?  Does it mean He failed you?  Did you not hear Him?  This book wrestles with these questions and more.

I can't tell you how highly I recommend this book.  It is one of the books that I believe will stand the test of time and become a classic, and hopefully even required reading for future missionaries.  God does call some people.  I have several friends who are foreign missionaries.  But make sure the "Go" is from God and not from guilt because we as Americans have so much and there are millions in this world without the luxuries that we have because we were born into this country.  

Before you go, read this book.

50 Shades of NO WAY! #fiftyshadesisabuse #fiftydollarsnotfiftyshades

FTC disclosure:  Many of my posts include affiliate links to help support this blog.  

I am a Christian.  I read the 50 Shades of Gray series.  Some would say those are mutually exclusive.  I have seen them called Mommy Porn.  I saw someone say in a forum she stopped reading them because she would have to go to Confession.   Yet, I read them.

And I say it was hours of my life I will never get back.  I feel it was wasted, BUT if someone reads this and considers what I say, it will not be wasted.

It should have been named 50 Shades of Domestic Violence.  The girl in the book is so naive.  It is set in 2011.  She is a senior in college which means she is over 20 years old.  She has never gotten drunk, and she is a virgin.  Many people dismiss this as totally fiction.  I went to a Christian college and by my senior year I was never drunk, nor did I have sex.  I know a number of others who did as well.  But she was so naive, she didn't even have an e-mail address.  Why?  What college student do you know who does not have an e-mail address?  I have had an e-mail address since 1995, when the character in this book would have been about five years old.

There is stalking.  There is control of where she goes, who she talks to.  Is this a loving relationship?  Not where I come from.  When he has sex with her the first time he is unhappy.  Unhappy because he has to be gentle.  Does this sound like someone who has her best interests in mind?  What man is unhappy the first time he has sex with his girlfriend?

Let's stop there for a moment.  Are they having sex out of marriage?  Yes.  Does the Bible speak to this issue?  Yes.  But, as amazing as it sounds, let's take the premarital sex out of this discussion because I feel like it's beating a dead horse at this point, it seems like everyone is on one side or the other of "It's okay" -- let's discuss the other issues here.

The writing is horrid.  A sixth grader would have a better writing style than this.  From a literary standpoint it is pure garbage.  Why would anyone want to read something that is so horribly written that I wanted to take a red pen to it and send it back to the publisher?  The reason I did is because I can actually discuss this topic with people and them not dismiss me with the question, "But did you read the book?"   Yes, I read the book.   Therefore I can form a legitimate opinion on it.

In 50 Shades of Abuse, Mr. Grey is just kind enough that keeps Anna hanging on.  She is showered with gifts.  A new car.  But she is watched without her knowing so she will "be safe".  If my fiance hired someone to watch me, I would be furious especially with it happening without my permission.

In the second book, Anna is stalked by a former girlfriend of Mr. Grey's.  The bodyguard mentioned above was hired for this reason.  Wouldn't it be a good idea to TELL someone that they are being stalked instead of hiring a bodyguard to be a second stalker?  Then the bodyguard might actually be able to be called a bodyguard instead of a stalker.  Keeping Ana in the dark is a trend throughout the book as "not to worry her".  I know I'd want to know what is going on around me in the situations where she is not told anything!

Mr. Grey won't use condoms as birth control.  All morality out of the issue, I would think this is a decision that should be made TOGETHER and not demanded by one for the other to be totally responsible for birth control.  Do you know what he says to her when she gets pregnant?   From the book:  "He bangs his hand on the table, making me jump and stands so abruptly he almost knocks the dining room chair over, 'You have one thing, one thing to remember! #@&#! I don't ^(@^&@# believe it!  How could you be so stupid?"  What was your partner's reaction when you were expecting a baby?  Were you called stupid?  

Do you realize Anna is SCARED of Christian Grey?   She thinks thinks like "He WANTS to hurt me" (page 317)  She is afraid of his moods (page 478).  There is disempowerment, fear, physical abuse, managing of what she eats.  Does sex make up for all these ways this relationship is messed up?  If you answered yes, do you think it's normal to have to sign a contract with your romantic partner about what is allowed and not allowed in the bedroom.  I know the only thing I ever plan on signing is my marriage certificate because I believe in a romantic relationship these are things that can and SHOULD be talked out and the trust should be there to not require a contract.

The Journal of Women's Health made this statement about the book:

Our analysis identified patterns in Fifty Shades that reflect pervasive intimate partner violence—one of the biggest problems of our time. Further, our analysis adds to a growing body of literature noting dangerous violence standards being perpetuated in popular culture” - Journal of Women’s Health

Do you feel it's okay to put up with whippings because you want a man to be more affectionate toward you? Anna states in the book, "Deep down I would just like more, more affection, more playful Christian, more ... love"

Twitter is being filled with the hashtags #fiftyshadesisabuse and #fiftydollarsnotfiftyshades where people are being encouraged to donate the $50 they would have spent seeing the movie to a domestic abuse center. (If you are looking for one to donate to, this one is local to my area. Rape and Domestic Violence Information Center of Monongalia, Preston, and Taylor Counties. of West Virginia.)

For those of you who think that Fifty Shades is just BDSM, did you know how the BDSM community feels about it? Here's an article by a dominatrix (warning, this link is not a Christian site and you likely won't want to click on it if children are around.)

What if you have bought the book and read it and wish you didn't? Did you know there's Pull Back the Shades campaign where you can mail them your book and they will send you a copy of Pulling Back the Shades: Erotica, Intimacy, and the Longings of a Woman's Heart. You can find out more about the program at http://pullingbacktheshades.com/ This program isn't available for ebooks. If it was, I certainly would trade in my copy!

You can click on the photo above to visit a link up with more blog posts about Fifty Shades.  Thank you for taking the time to read this and considering my opinion.

Ghost Boy Book Review and $10 Family Christian Giveaway

FTC disclaimer:  I received a copy of this book for review and a $10 Family Christian Appreciation Certificate in exchange for hosting a giveaway.  All opinions are my own.

Ghost Boy by Martin Pistorius

What would it be like to start having medical problems and doctors can't find a solution?  What if those medical problems start robbing you of your normal childhood?  Then what if they put you into a coma for years?  How would you feel if a few years later you "wake up" but are unable to tell anyone you are alert because your body will not move?  When your days are spent at a care facility that plays Barney nonstop, how would you deal?  Would anyone ever find you are in there?  Are you destined to spend the rest of your life not being able to communicate all the while people are talking about you not knowing you realize what they are saying?  This was the world of Martin Pistorius until a massage therapist was convinced he was alert but being held back from communication by his body.

Communication is vital to everyone.  My mother was given 48 hours to live at one point.  She survived that, but there was so much she wanted to say to me.  She was too weak to hold a pen to write at that time, I sat by her bed and said the alphabet.  She would gingerly move her head when I got to the correct letter.  It was a time consuming process and as confused as she was, I would often have to start over again and one word could easily take five minutes to communicate.  Yet, I treasured those words she said.  If it had taken five hours, I would have still done that.

Martin Pistorius was not so lucky to have a way to communicate.  Once his massage therapist felt he was only being limited by his physical condition and he was bright and knowledgeable a lot of hard work was ahead of him, but he tackled it with intensity.  This book is the story of his life during the time when he had no voice.  When some caregivers would abuse him and others like him because they never thought they would be found out.  It is the story of how he first identified a picture of a sandwich and how he later became an international speaker for those who use alternative communication.  This is a true story of what one person can accomplish with those who believe in him, support him, and help him.

This book fascinated me.  It was depressing in the beginning, then filled with hope, and then the joy of his success.  If you enjoy non-fiction, are a care-giver, or are looking for a story of a man with courage and perseverance,  I really think you will enjoy this memoir.  One word of note, this is a very truthful book, and although h is a Christian, there are a few things I feel would be inappropriate for younger teens reading this book.  It's not likely one to appeal to that age group, but I felt I should mention that.

And now for the giveaway:  One winner will receive a $10 Family Christian appreciation certificate that can be used in store or online.  This cannot be combined with other coupons.  USA only.  Winner has 48 hours to respond to winning e-mail or another winner will be chosen.

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Your child's Internet safety -- AT SCHOOL!

I have lots of Facebook friends from all over the world.  They often share photos of their children.  If they are comfortable with this and they have some privacy settings in place, I enjoy these photos.  I don't like to see posts about little Johnny that are public so anyone can see them, especially those stamped with a place.  I once saw one timestamped that was public from someone picking her child up at school with location.  This is a bad idea for a couple reasons.  First, it lets anyone (including a predator who may happen to surf in on her page) know where her child attends school, what time his school lets out, as well as alerting people she is not at home.

I discovered that a number of teachers have PUBLIC groups where people can see photos (and often names and usually locations of their students)  By searching Facebook for a few of these, I found out the names (first and last) of dozens of children of all ages across the United States.  This information could easily get in the wrong hands.

Songs in the Key of Happy DVD review and Family Christian #Giveaway

FTC disclaimer:   I received the DVD I reviewed and a $25 Family Christian Appreciation Certificate to help me facilitate this review.  All opinions are my own.

When I was little, I remember the two eight track tapes that were constantly being played in my home were both by the Happy Goodmans.  I associate that sound with my parents, both who have since passed away.  In my opinion, so much of country music is looking ahead to when we'll rejoin those who we love who have gone before us.  As a teenager, I never understood my parents' love for southern Gospel, but as I have aged, songs such as Look For Me hold even more meaning.  There's a group of loved ones awaiting me there someday.

This DVD of Songs in the Key of Happy did not disappoint.  Though Goodman Revival is a new group, they are rooted in the tradition of the Goodman Family.  In Fact, the song, This is Just What Heaven Means to Me was on the eight track that my Dad played all the time when I was growing up, and it felt like it was the same people singing, just with better sound than our old HiFi player.

One thing I really like about Southern Gospel DVDs is how you get a chance to meet the people behind the songs.  Did you know Tanya Goodman Sykes works at a bank?   I didn't, and it makes her seem more like a person I would know than some star.  The chatting makes you feel like you're listening to stories told by old friends.  The music is great.  It's toe-tapping, good ole Southern Gospel and even includes guest appearances on this DVD by the Gaither Vocal Band.

With sixteen songs, this is an hour and a half of music that will make you long for That Beautiful Shore.  Anyone who has enjoyed the Happy Goodman Family will find Songs in the Key of Happy an instant favorite.  Also, anyone who enjoys southern Gospel will want to add this to their collection.  I really enjoyed this DVD and I think others will as well.

And now for the giveaway:   One winner will receive a $25 Family Christian Appreciation Certificate.  It can be used in store or online.  It is considered a coupon and cannot be combined with any other coupon codes.  USA only, 18 and older.

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