2013 Debut Author Giveaway Hop (INT)

2013 Debut Author Giveaway Hop

Hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer & Bookhounds
December 4th to 11th
Featuring books released in 2013 by Debut Authors (First Time Authors)

I am offering one of the following books, winner's choice. Just fill out the Rafflecopter!

Firebird is a children's book that parallels the life of Samantha Crawford, a storybook artist in the inspiring new film Unconditional who has lost sight of God's love.

Firebird is a bright orange baby oriole who just loves the sunshine, but whenever a storm blows in, he frets and asks Mama why God allows the rain to take the sun away. Only when Firebird is old enough, does he venture up through the thunder and lightning to see what's on the other side. With a rough flight that makes him want to give up, Firebird rises above the storm to discover the sun shining where it has always been---and learns that God never lets the storm take the sun away. With this truth, Firebird basks in the sunshine, but also learns to rejoice in the rain. 

 

Abortion continues to be a hot topic in politics, women’s rights, and medical practice. But for the eight to ten million American Christian women who have had one, abortion is a spiritual issue as well, raising questions of life and death, heaven and hell, grief and loss. Writing from her own experience, Kim Ketola sheds light on one of the darkest and most neglected personal issues of our time: the widespread need for healing and spiritual recovery after abortion. “After abortion brought the worst trouble into my life I had ever known,” writes Ketola, “I just couldn’t see my way free to believe in God’s love.” With a compassionate heart, Ketola offers ten true stories of healing promise from the Bible to help women answer the most common spiritual torments they face: Is abortion a sin? Does God hate me? Where can I turn in my shame and distress? How could I ever tell anyone the truth? And more.
Inspired by Romans 6:4--“just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life"--this is a definitive resource to help women see themselves and God anew and--finally--to find spiritual healing.

 

 

 

Sweeping epic' --Booklist 'A feel-good story for both heart and soul.' --Kirkus Reviews 'An impressive debut.' --Publishers Weekly Can love really heal all things? If Sam Carroll hadn't shown up, she might have been able to get to her mother in time. Instead, Allie Everly finds herself at a funeral, mourning the loss of her beloved mother. She is dealt another blow when, a few hours later, she is sent from Tennessee to Maine to become the daughter of Miss Beatrice Lovell, a prim woman with a faith Allie cannot accept. Poetry and letters written to her mother become the only things keeping Allie's heart from hardening completely. But then Sam arrives for the summer, and with him comes many confusing emotions, both toward him and the people around her. As World War II looms, Allie will be forced to decide whether hanging on to the past is worth losing her chance to be loved .

Words we all love. Feelings we want. Even crave. We may love God, but being that he's invisible, words like comfortable seem to feel better faster.

We are all chasing something. Our hearts were made to run hard and fast after things that move us. But as a generation we are all beginning to stir and wake up, identifying that these words don't satisfy for long, especially when compared to God. If God is real, and we are going to live with Him forever, shouldn't He be everything?

Caught in this familiar haze of worldly happiness and empty pursuits, Jennie Allen and her husband Zac prayed a courageous prayer of abandonment that took them on an adventure God had written for them.

"God, we will do anything. Anything,"

Anything is a prayer of surrender that will spark something. A prayer that will move us to stop chasing things that just make us feel happy and start living a life that matters. A life that is...

Surrendered. Reckless. Courageous.

If we truly know a God worth giving anything for, everything changes.

From Publisher's Weekly:
"Bible teacher Allen (creator of the new Stuck DVD Bible study) comes out of the gate strong, displaying accessibility and purposefulness in her first book. With an eye to the fears and doubts teeming beneath the surface for many female churchgoers, she compels her audience to figure out what’s stopping them from using their God-given talents, and to be willing to do anything that God asks of them. By giving readers a glimpse of her own introspection and the interior life she’s revealed on her personal blog, she employs heartfelt honesty to connect with readers. Tales of loved ones who have taken the “journey to total abandonment” show how giving one’s life over to a higher purpose can “wreck” comfortable lives—and allow people to seize more important opportunities. Though the book is aimed at women who must balance their calling against more practical tasks like finishing the laundry and shopping at Target, Allen’s friendly yet urgent messages will have the wheels spinning in the minds of all audiences and may be the tough medicine that propels them to action."

"Jennie Allen is a visionary, a girlfriend, and a Jesus-chaser. I can't think of three qualities I appreciate more in a woman. I loved this book from cover to cover and have been really contemplating the way a one-word prayer can affect one's heart and ministry in this life. I want to be an 'anything' kind of girl, and I appreciate and respect the example Jennie has set in pursuing God and what he desires in us. It's just a word on a paper, but it's a lifetime choice that can make all the difference. You in?"
- Angie Smith
Speaker, Women of Faith
Author, I Will Carry You and What Women Fear

 

 

As a college student he spent 16 days in the Pacific Ocean with five guys and a crate of canned meat. As a father he took his kids on a world tour to eat ice cream with heads of state. He made friends in Uganda, and they liked him so much he became the Ugandan consul. He pursued his wife for three years before she agreed to date him. His grades weren't good enough to get into law school, so he sat on a bench outside the Dean’s office for seven days until they finally let him enroll.
Bob Goff has become something of a legend, and his friends consider him the world's best-kept secret. Those same friends have long insisted he write a book. What follows are paradigm shifts, musings, and stories from one of the world’s most delightfully engaging and winsome people. What fuels his impact? Love. But it's not the kind of love that stops at thoughts and feelings. Bob's love takes action. Bob believes Love Does.
When Love Does, life gets interesting. Each day turns into a hilarious, whimsical, meaningful chance that makes faith simple and real. Each chapter is a story that forms a book, a life. And this is one life you don't want to miss.
Light and fun, unique and profound, the lessons drawn from Bob's life and attitude just might inspire you to be secretly incredible, too.
Endorsements:
“If this book does not make your heart beat faster, book the next flight to Mayo Clinic!” --Bill Hybels, Senior Pastor, Willow Creek Community Church, Chairman, Willow Creek Association
“Bob Goff is a one-man tsunami of grace, a hurricane of love.  He doesn't just talk about change, he really is change, as Love Does chronicles in such a vivid way. Yet, Love Does doesn't leave you feeling like you want to celebrate its author, it awakens a sense deep within that you, too, have an outrageous role to play in God's unfolding story or rescue and repair.” --Louie Giglio, Passion Conferences/Passion City Church
“An interesting and compelling story (with Young Life roots) that ends with a practical challenge and punch:  ‘love does’ and God can use you to do it!” --Denny Rydberg, President, Young Life
“Every once in a while someone like Bob Goff shows up to remind us that some things matter a lot more than others.  Love Does has a kind of ‘north star’ effect that will push you to refocus your life and energy on what is most significant. It doesn't just invite you to respond with your God-given potential, it invites you to become a part of what God can do beyond your potential.” --Reggie Joiner, Founder and CEO of Orange
“We liked the book a lot. Mostly, the balloons on the cover. The rest was pretty good too. Lots of stories about how God helps us.” --Aedan, Asher and Skye Peterson ages 13, 12 and 9
“This may look like a book. It’s not. It is an invitation to enter into the greatest adventure you have ever known—your life as it was meant to be lived. Hang on!” --Michael Hyatt,  Author, Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World, MichaelHyatt.com
“Bob’s ability to love people brings contagious hope and inspiration wherever he goes. The power of love showcased in this book will surely touch the hearts and souls of many people. Read Love Does and find a friend in one the world’s best hidden secrets, a person who shows how love can create connection and make a difference—even across oceans.” --George Tsereteli, Deputy Chairman of the Parliament of Georgia (former Russian Republic)
“There are some nasty rumors out there about treasure. Mostly that's it's buried and needs discovering. Or has to be mined. Or can only be located with a map and a big X. Not so, says the life of Bob Goff. Living from the center of your heart doesn't have to be complicated or elusive. Love just wakes up in the morning and gets busy loving. The treasure is sitting right there next to the pancakes. About 5 pages in, I knew my life and I were gonna have words.” --Nicole Nordeman, Mother and Musician.

 

 

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