Free Mother's Day eBook...

I am super excited to share this with you just in time for Mother's Day!! It's a free eBook of the best of LDS Living articles on motherhood—some funny, some inspirational, and some addressing issues surrounding motherhood.

 

Motherhood. We cherish and celebrate it, and sometimes we complain about it. Sometimes we yell at our kids, and sometimes they teach us the most profound lessons we could learn in life. The kids scribble on the walls, and they kiss us on the cheek when we’re feeling down. LDS Living wants to help you celebrate the ennobling and empowering journey of motherhood this year with a collection of our favorite articles on motherhood. Some will make you laugh, some will warm your heart, and some will make you think about the issues we as women and mothers face. We hope you enjoy the journey. Articles include: -"How to Love Life, See Good Days, and Not Doubt Your Ability as a Mother" -"What Not to Say To Stay-at-Home or Working Moms" -"A Mommy Time-Out" -"Celebrating Parents: Gifts That Give Back to Mom and Dad" -"Mothers Without Children" -"The Grass Isn't Always Greener" -"Say It With Flowers" -"Happy Stepmother's Day!" -"Mommy Knows Best"

We hope that sharing this eBook at no cost will allow the true cause of motherhood and the joys of parenting to be felt in homes everywhere, LDS and not. You can download the book by using this link: http://delivr.com/2sbfe.

Happy Mother's Day with lots of love to each one of you incredible Mothers!

DISCLAIMER: *I do not receive any money for my posts. I do however receive the review products at no charge to evaluate and express my opinion.* 

Gaze Into Heaven Book Review...

Gaze Into Heaven is a compilation of fifty documented near-death experiences of life beyond the veil, drawn from the early history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Filled with insight and inspiration, this book melds engrossing personal experiences with perceptive commentary, scripture, and quotes from latter-day Prophets. After reading this book, you won't ever think of life—or death—the same way.

I am really excited to be able and tell you all about the fantastic book A Gaze Into Heaven by Marlene Sullivan! I am honored to have been asked to be a part of this blog tour!

What a fantastic idea for a book! I really enjoyed reading the personal experiences. This incredible book answers many questions about what will happen when we die. Did someone meet you? What does the Spirit World look like? What do people do there? Do spirits there know what is happening on earth? What did people who had near-death experiences learn from their visit? All of these questions and many more are answered in Gaze Into Heaven. 

I love these quotes below about the spirit world being nearby...

"Where is the spirit world?" Brigham Young asked. He then answered his own question: "It is right here...If the Lord would permit it, and it was His will that it should be done, you could see the spirits that have departed from this world, as plainly as you now see bodies with your natural eyes."

The Prophet Joseph Smith, when speaking of loved ones, also said the spirit world is close by, saying, "They are not far from us."

As mortals, we cannot see the spirit world, because there is a veil over our eyes that renders that sphere invisible. What a blessing and comfort to know that our dear loved ones are close to us.

Not only did I find reading this book very interesting it also warmed my heart and brought me an extremely peaceful outlook on life after death! I love the scriptures throughout this phenomenal book as well!

There are other books about modern day near-death experiences, but this book is the first about those that took place in early church history. Anyone who reads about these amazing near-death experiences will be changed! I highly recommend Gaze Into Heaven and it would also make a perfect gift!

Gaze Into Heaven is also available at Deseret and Seagull Bookstores, as well as other LDS bookstores.

Amazon: Click HERE
Deseret Book: Click HERE
Seagull Book: Click HERE

Visit Marlene Bateman's website here: www.marlenebateman.info

DISCLAIMER: *I do not receive any money for my posts. I do however receive the review products at no charge to evaluate and express my opinion.*

Choose Higher Ground Book Review...

When a young Henry B. Eyring would complain that things were hard, his mother would advise him, “If you are on the right path, it will always be uphill.” To choose the Lord’s way is to choose higher ground. "The Lord is anxious to lead us to the safety of higher ground," writes President Eyring, "away from the path of physical and spiritual danger. His upward path will require us to climb." In this remarkable book, he explains some of the ways in which we will accomplish that upward journey, including starting from a strong foundation, learning to help others, and finding strength in adversity. "Let us do whatever is required to qualify for the Holy Ghost as our companion," President Eyring urges, "and then let us go forward fearlessly so that we will be given the powers to do whatever the Lord calls us to do." Filled with a revered leader's clear insights and sound counsel, Choose Higher Ground helps readers gain access to the power promised by the Lord to all His faithful disciples in the latter days.

Similar to President Henry B. Eyring’s bestselling classic To Draw Closer to God, this collection of memorable talks offers a roadmap to spiritual progression. We learn from a master teacher how a strong foundation transforms families, how personal growth comes through helping others, how adversity can lift us up and make us stronger, and how we can choose to live a more consecrated life — climbing to higher spiritual ground throughout the course of our lives. President Eyring also offers apostolic advice for the last days as we learn to raise the bar for our own spiritual development. In his warm, personal style, President Eyring makes us want to be better. He doesn’t simply tell us how to be better, but he inspires us to do those things that help us become better, regardless of our circumstances. 

Here are a couple of the many quotes I love from this fantastic book... "Just the way you smile or the way you offer to help someone can build their faith." Another one I love... "You can have the utmost assurance that your power will be multiplied many times by the Lord. All He asks is that you give your best effort and your whole heart. Do it cheerfully and with the prayer of faith. Your efforts will be magnified in the lives of the people you serve."  

Choose Higher Ground is such an inspiring book. I didn't want to put it down when I started reading it. President Eyring really makes you think and realize how much the Savior is there to help us return to live with Him. I truly am thankful for the humbleness of President Eyring he is amazing! His words make me smile and feel so uplifted. This is a very powerful must read!! 

DISCLAIMER: *I do not receive any money for my posts. I do however receive the review products at no charge to evaluate and express my opinion.* 

Parenting With Spiritual Power Book Review...

“I wish children came with an instruction manual!” How many times have we heard this lament by a frustrated or overwhelmed parent? Perhaps we have said these words (or thought them) ourselves. There are “how to” manuals for practically anything: installing a new faucet, building a remote control car, baking an apple pie, refinishing an antique chair, or assembling a bicycle. Is there a formula or a perfect manual for raising children? Yes! The scriptures. 

In Parenting with Spiritual Power, Julie Nelson encourages you to crack open the manual and examine the lives and parenting principles of scriptural mothers and fathers. Discover powerful examples from figures like Adam and Eve, Moses, and the Brother of Jared along with suggestions for personal application in this essential book.

There are many wonderful examples shared in this fantastic book! I really enjoyed discussing each chapter with my hubby as we read it together. I also love the conclusion and discussion questions at the end of the book. Parenting with Spiritual Power is very uplifting and full of encouragement. 

Being a mom of three precious boys I'm so thankful Heavenly Father provided the scriptures as a spiritual road map to help us with raising children. Julie K. Nelson thank you for this beautifully written book that my whole family loves! What an incredible idea to examine the lives of parents in the scriptures and the parenting principles we can learn from them. 

Visit Julie's website here for links to all of the great places you can get this incredible must read!

DISCLAIMER: *I do not receive any money for my posts. I do however receive the review products at no charge to evaluate and express my opinion.* 

The Continuous Conversion Review...

 

Brad Wilcox follows up The Continuous Atonement arguing that God is not just proving His children, but improving them.

Author Brad Wilcox’s argues that one of the grand miracles of the Atonement is not only of cleansing and consoling, but also one of transformation. He makes his case in his latest work through simple yet powerful analogies and moving personal experiences. 

The Continuous Conversion re-examines the process of change. In one analogy from the book, Wilcox asks if when a person is learning to play the piano, are the only two possible outcomes performing at Carnegie Hall and quitting? Similarly, in mortality, are the only two choices being perfect or giving up? His answer to both is a resounding “no.”

"Growth and development take time,” writes Wilcox. “Learning takes practice. Discipleship is a journey, and true conversion is a continuous process."

In this follow-up to The Continuous Atonement, Wilcox shares his keen understanding and testimony of the Atonement of Jesus Christ as it relates to conversion. Conversion occurs, he says, "when we stop trying to earn heaven and start trying to learn it...As we take each little step to show faith, repent, make and live covenants, and endure to the end, we are not paying our way into heaven. We are practicing for it."

My Review:

First let me start with a story from the book I love...

I once heard a Primary child sing, "I belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Saturday Saints." The more I thought about this child's little mistake, the more I liked the message. This is not a Sunday-only church. We need to be Saturday Saints, Monday Saints, Tuesday Saints, and all the rest. 

This is an excellent follow up of Brad Wilcox’s other book The Continuous Atonement. I love the powerful stories and examples that Brad shares in this book. They really touched me and helped bring me closer to Christ. Each chapter includes scriptures that I enjoyed looking up as well. The Continuous Conversion left me feeling uplifted and spiritually full. This is a must read and will also make a fantastic gift!

DISCLAIMER: *I do not receive any money for my posts. I do however receive the review products at no charge to evaluate and express my opinion.* 

The Art of Falling in Love Review...

I got the special opportunity to review Joe Beam’s recently published book The Art of Falling in Love just in time for Valentine’s Day!

This book is the culmination of Joe Beam’s years of study, counseling, research, and speaking—all on the subject of one of the most sought after treasures of the world—true, lasting LOVE. Joe claims emphatically that there is a process to falling in love—four steps in fact. And if you follow this process, you will fall in love whether you intend to or not. If you ignore or violate the process, you will fall out of love—whether you mean to or not. But Joe’s claims are far from conjecture; they are based on his years of success in helping over 100,000 people in matters of love.

The Art of Falling in Love describes, in a way you won’t find anywhere else, what love is, how to find it, how to keep from losing it, and how to get it back if you already have lost it. These four steps are concrete and easy to grasp, and when readers dig into these tried-and-proves principles, they will discover tools and truths that really work. In addition to the four steps to falling and staying in love, there is a full chapter devoted to those who have lost their love for each other that is based on Joe’s 75 percent success rate at working with couples who are on the verge of divorce – some, already divorced – and bringing them back to a committed, loving, passionate relationship.

My Review:

The Art of Falling in Love is a wonderful book! It's full of great information from many years of research. Joe says the most important thing to know about finding true love is that you must first love yourself. One way he talks about having a happy, healthy marriage is to compromise. There are lots of neat tips on falling in love, staying in love and renewing lost love. This is an excellent book to read as a couple! Thanks Joe Beam and Howard Books for another amazing book! :)

About the Author:

Joe Beam is an internationally-known speaker and author. He founded Family Dynamics Institute in 1994 and led it through rapid growth for fourteen years. In 2008, he founded LovePath International because he wanted to do more than just educate couples; he also wanted to benefit singles and change the way both married couples and singles live and love so that their relationships can be all they can be. He has appeared on television and radio, including ABC's Good Morning America, Focus on the Family, the Montel Williams Show, NBC's Today Show, The Dave Ramsey Show, The Morning Show with Mike and Juliet. He has been in magazines such as People and Better Homes and Gardens.  In addition to chairing LovePath International, Joe is Adjunct Faculty in the Psychology Department of Lipscomb University.

After earning his bachelor's degree (Magna Cum Laude) from Southern Christian University, Joe did graduate studies in Clinical Psychology at the University of Evansville. In December 2011, he will complete his PhD in Biomedical Science at the University of Sydney, consistently rated one of the top fifty universities in the world. He and his wife, Alice, live in Nashville, TN, and have three grown daughters.
DISCLAIMER: *I do not receive any money for my posts. I do however receive the review products at no charge to evaluate and express my opinion.* 

The Parable of the Marinade Talk on CD Review...

The Parable of the Marinade A Recipe for a Delicious Life talk on CD is AMAZING!! 

“The best barbecued chicken I ever tasted was marinated,” says John Bytheway. Who would have thought a powerful life lesson could come from a barbecue? While flying home after a business trip, John had a brief encounter with a very talented performer who had left Hollywood because he had learned for himself the advice of a mentor was true: “You will eventually become what you surround yourself with.” This word of warning is also a formula for success and happiness. Whether we realize it or not, whether we believe it or not, we are all marinating in something! What have we chosen to surround ourselves with? In this thought-provoking presentation, John Bytheway urges listeners to “marinate” in great music, great feelings, great literature, and great company. 

John Bytheway is a bestselling author, favorite speaker, and part-time instructor at Brigham Young University. I have heard John speak and also got to meet him in person and he is incredible! 

This talk on CD is very inspiring and uplifting! I put it in with my teenage son here hoping he would listen along. I am happy to report that he did. He also enjoyed it and found it to be powerful and loved the humor and stories. John really has a way of getting and keeping your attention. He points out truths that are excellent reminders for all ages. I highly recommend picking up The Parable of the Marinade it is fantastic!!

DISCLAIMER: *I do not receive any money for my posts. I do however receive the review products at no charge to evaluate and express my opinion.*