Celebrating A Christ-Centered Christmas

Don't you love it when you are able to make special memories with your family that lead you closer to Christ during the Christmas Holiday. Over the past several years I have incorporated a few new holiday traditions that have helped my family focus on the true reason for the season. I love to share new ideas when I come across them and I have one for you today.

This new book Celebrating A Christ-Centered Christmas by Emily Belle Freeman is a wonderful tool to help you utilize Christmas Decorations that you most likely already have, and turn them into a sacred teaching opportunity for your children.

I love collecting Nativity sets and talking to my children about the special significance of each figure. In Emily's book she takes it a step further and quite effectively explains the symbolism in each figure of the Nativity. She also uses stories, Scriptures and songs to deepen the Christmas spirit and help you create 7 small devotionals you can deliver to your family over the holiday season.

In her book Emily shares with her readers something that her daughter said to her on a car-ride one day from the back seat..."Mom, I believe in  Santa Claus and you believe in Jesus Christ."

Like Emily, if I heard this come out of my child's mouth I would feel quite shocked. But I think that this feeling would be quite common among our children if we were to take a poll. It's hard not to focus on Santa, presents, and "magic" in our society today. Even I find myself getting lost in the twinkle, shimmer and shine of the season. But it isn't hard to curb that Santa appeal and even make the season more incredible as we slow down and focus our thoughts, activities and Family Home Evenings on our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

I echo the words of Lynn G. Robbins from our most recent General Conference , "Which Way Do You Face?" Have you already lost yourself in your Christmas lists, or are you turning towards the Savior this holiday season?

The GOOD NEWS is that it isn't too late. We can always turn our focus to the Savior and this new book is a great recourse to help you get back on track and do it! Make this your most meaningful Christmas ever!

This book is available for $10.99 at Deseret Book and would make a great gift.

Visit the Blog Tour for this book >>>HERE

EMILY BELLE FREEMAN is a coach’s wife, a mother to four children and a few others who have found refuge in her home, author of several bestselling books, and sought-after inspirational speaker. Her days are spent watching over teenagers, her flock of pampered chickens, and a rabbit that she adores. She finds great joy in studying the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Her deep love of the scriptures comes from a desire to find their application in everyday life. For a few minutes every day Emily forgets about the laundry, leaves the dishes in the sink, and writes. She coauthors a blog that is a stopping place for hearts seeking all that is good: www. multiplygoodness.com

Does This Insecurity Make Me Look Fat?

Don't let the humor in the title of this book make you discount the powerful punch that its contents are packing.

Seriously.

I loved reading this book.
I was so completely taken of guard when I read it.
Every page surprised me.

Michelle Wilson shares some very personal experiences about humility, insecurity, uncertainty, self-doubt, lack of self-worth and serious pity-parties. And you will feel at times like she is inside your head.

"Ya mean, other people out there feel the same  way I do?

...who woulda' thunk?"

She does an incredible job of using personal experiences from her life and creating unique little "AFTA" (chapter one) lessons that WE all can relate to.

This book might be the perfect dose of "self help" that we all need, a little reality check for us all.

Michelle has crafted this book into this simple little "pep talk" and check list that we can all use to realign our perspective on ourselves, our self-worth, our purpose, and our destiny.

She says...

Heavenly Father knows our longing. I believe he gave us feelings of longing to draw us back to Him, a way to lead us to the truth. In our darkest moments,when the minutiae of life no longer seem important, when we are stripped of pride and pretense, when we are in the throes of a massive pity party, we face our one intense desire: to know our purpose and our worth...as we find answers to that deeply planted longing to know who we are and where we came from, we find perspective and purpose. We find ourselves.

Let's be honest. It can be easy as a wife and mother to sometimes forget who we really are in the monotony of making beds, changing diapers, trying to get a shower in, and trying to find your toothbrush in the bottom of the drawer. "Oh wait, did I get my deodorant on today? My bra?"

But Michelle points us in the right direction. She shows us the power of choice. She shows us what our Heavenly Father see's in us, and she uses incredible analogies to do it.

I'm most certain that Michelle and I could be the Best of Cyber Friends. She is wonderful and a breath of fresh air. I enjoyed her writing so much...I wish I could take her to lunch and pick her brain some more. She even lives in Washington State where I served as a missionary!

Michelle's Blog    Michelle's g+   Michelle's Facebook Page

Purchase your copy HERE AT DESERET BOOK

I can't wait to see what she writes next.

GIVEAWAY!!!

Enter to win this great book on my Facebook Page!!!

Written On Our Hearts by Emily Freeman & GIVEAWAY!!!

Oh, how I love Emily Freeman's writing.

I am blown away by her ability to "Liken" the scriptures to me.
To you.
To everyone.

I read her books and I think to myself, "Self, you have never thought of it that way before." or "Self, now you get it don't you."





Have you read any of her books before?
*21 Days Closer To Christ
*Love Life and See Good Days

Oh, they are excellent. They make me love the scriptures. I mean, I already love them...but I start to really understand them, and 'listen' to them and then I really LOVE them. This new book has the prettiest cover of any book I have ever seen. It is stunning. When my copy arrived I just stared at it. It is so beautiful.

Written on Our Hearts is a book about Invitations From The Old Testament.
It is so well written. She uses personal testimony and experiences, modern day prophetic council and deep rooted questions, to pull life and meaning from the pages of the Old Testament. It is crafted so beautifully. I was teary eyed at almost every page turn. My heart was softened in such a sweet, delicate way. I have devoured almost every page and I'm so glad that I still have a few more chapters because I don't want it to end. I am sure I will read and re-read this book.

Read Daily Inspiration from Emily on her blog HERE!!!!

I'd love to give one of you a free copy.

GIVEAWAY!!! 

All you have to do is leave a comment Below! Good Luck.

Blackmoore by Julianne Donaldson: A Book Review & Giveaway

Kate feels as if she is a caged bird, wanting to escape, but completely helpless. She is smart, witty, strong willed, and yet a touch annoying. You love her and yet you want to sort of slap her and wake her up from her limited views of her reality.

"Kitty" is tormented by her flirtatious mother and she has sworn off men for fear of ever being compared to her mother or her sisters.. Her mother is a beast and an embarrassment. Think Cinderella's step mother with a flirtatious air, a loose tongue, and no social graces.

And then enters Henry. He is strong, good, kind, noble and her best friend. They have the kind of history and fondness that makes for the best of relationships...and yet the problems and wheels working against them seem to make it an impossible match. Kate and Henry are powerful characters and I really enjoyed watching their history unfold as the story moved from present time to past throughout the chapters. I read this book nearly in one sitting and stayed up into the night to finish it. I like it more that Edenbrooke.

If I was to give it one criticism it would be that I had other ideas for the ending;)

I recommend this book completely. It is a clean read, the kind you can recommend to your teenage daughter. It will make you swoon and for me it brought back all the tender feelings, excitement and emotions I felt when dating my sweet husband Scott.  The characters felt real and honest and I enjoyed it. 4.5 Stars

You can pick up a copy at Deseret Book at Deseret Book E Shelf or at Amazon.

*****GIVEAWAY
All you have to do to be entered to win my giveaway is Like, Comment or Share my Facebook post.
Like is 1 entry, comment is 3 entry's and Share is 10 entry's.

GO HERE TO ENTER




Good Luck!