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I Create My World: Perfect Book to Help Build a Child’s Confidence

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I’m in love with this little book – more to the point, I’m in love with the concept of providing children with positive affirmations, self confidence, and self worth. I Create My World  is a wonderful book for children that I wish I could put in every child in the world’s precious little hands.

I don’t have to tell you how important self worth is, nor do I need to remind you how important it is to our happiness and even health to realize that we are…

  • important
  • special
  • wonderful
  • worthy of love, happiness, and all things good!

What I might need to remind a lot of people of is this: People need to be grounded in these truths very, very, very early in life.  The first years of development are more important than most people realize.  A lot of the beliefs, feelings, and thoughts we develop as very young children stay with us throughout our lives. The impressions we form of ourselves in the early years of life stay with us, for better or worse.

That’s why the thought of a loving adult sitting down with a child and reading a book like this, together, fills my heart with warm hope.

Picture it: A parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, older sibling, or other family member sitting with a precious child reading a bright, beautiful book that’s all bout THEM!  Kids are their own favorite topic of conversation, after all – and this is a book reminding them.. reinforcing in them… that they are…

  • special
  • talented
  • loved
  • gifted
  • wonderful
  • the artist who’ll paint their life’s picture

I read to my daughters (Emily, Brittany, and Stephany) from the moment they were old enough to listen.  The time spent together was sweeter than any cupcake could ever hope to be. I found that it was often the words shared between us… between pages.. that were the most powerful.  The same would be true with this delightful and colorful book.  Think of the wonderful opportunities you’d have to instill positive life affirmations!  Having a book as a “tool” helps immensely.  The author’s words can guide your words, while the picture holds the child’s attention.

I’m reminded almost daily  just how strong children’s memories are.  My daughters often bring up things that happened so long ago that my mind had nearly misplaced the entire scenario. They remember books we checked out at the library and read as soon as we got home, they remember lessons from our home school – all the way back to when they were 5 and 6.  A few months ago, one of my girls brought up a story I’d made up when they were all younger than 8.  They remembered the “moral” and even the illustrations I drew to go along with it!

What a child experiences early in life helps mold and form them into the person they’ll become. It’s as though we provide them (when they’re very small) with the colors they’ll use to paint their life’s picture.

I Create My World is a beautiful palette of colors you can use to your child’s advantage!

Click through any of the links or images to learn more.

~ Joi (“Joy”)


90 Minutes in Heaven (Phenomenal Book!)

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90 Minutes in Heaven by Don Piper

My youngest daughter recently gave me a copy of 90 Minutes in Heaven and I read it within 2 days. It was THAT good.

Well – no…. it’s actually better. Much better.

Book Description:

The mega bestselling book that started the heaven publishing phenomenon is now a major motion picture starring Hayden Christensen and Kate Bosworth and produced by Michael Polish. Don Piper’s incredible true story continues to expand its reach to more people than ever before.

After a semi-truck collided with Don Piper’s car, he was pronounced dead at the scene. For the next ninety minutes, he experienced the glories of heaven. Back on earth, a passing minister felt led to stop and pray for the accident victim even though he was told Piper was dead. Miraculously, Piper came back to life, and the pleasure of heaven was replaced by a long and painful recovery.

This special edition of Don’s life-changing story includes a new preface from Don about the making of the movie, plus a personal update on the impact the book has had on him, his family, and the millions who have already heard his story. It also includes a note from the publisher, stories from readers, and Scriptures and quotations on heaven.

Don Piper’s account of his accident and recovery are incredibly compelling and packed with emotion. You find yourself caught every now and again between a laugh and a cry. When a book is able to move your emotions like this, it is extra special.

The most beautiful part of the story is, of course, his description of Heaven as he encountered it when he died.

When writing book reviews, as I’ve often said, I detest the thought of giving anything away. I want the reader to discover each emotion and uncover each hidden jewel as I was able to – on their own. So, yes, this book review is incredibly short (no one needs to hear me ramble on and on and on anyway!), but I do not in any way want you to misunderstand how much I want you to read this book.

I simply don’t want to give anything away because this real life story, as it is told is one of the most beautiful I have ever read and I desperately want to see it in as many hands as possible.

90 Minutes in Heaven is a book you will read cover to cover, probably more than once as you cherish the words and glimpse of Heaven forever.


90 Minutes in Heaven by Don Piper

Thomas Nelson KJV Study Bible (eBook Format or Bonded Leather)

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Thomas Nelson King James Study Bible

Ever “discover” something new, then wonder how you ever lived without it? That’s exactly what has happened since I bought the Thomas Nelson KJV Study Bible (Kindle Edition).

Prior to this wonderful study Bible, my Bible reading and Bible study looked like this…

  • I would open up my Holy Bible App and begin my daily Bible reading.
  • I’d often switch to the NKJV periodically (when reading the Old Testament) to see what “heading” a particular passage was given. The KJV doesn’t come with these headings and, even though It’s my preferred version, I have to admit… I dig those headings!
  • Often, I’d come across a man or woman in the Bible and I would then get up and walk to the bookcase to retrieve my “Everyone in the Bible” book.
  • Whenever I’d come across a country and wonder what it is today or come across the name of something in particular that I wanted to know about, I’d make the same trek to the bookcase and retrieve my Pictorial Bible Dictionary or Atlas of the Bible (both of these are HEAVY books, too, mind you!)
  • After the excursion to the bookcase, of course, I’d return to my iPad or iPhone and resume reading – usually with one or two books in tow.

When I read about the Thomas Nelson KJV Study Bible (Kindle Edition), my first thought was… “I could have everything I need in ONE place!” I ordered it immediately and thank myself every single day.

The Thomas Nelson KJV Study Bible is available as an eBook (which is the one I currently have) and as a beautiful Hardcover book (I plan on ordering this one for my Christian Books Collection).

The King James Study Bible, Full-Color Edition is the most complete and comprehensive KJV study Bible available. Comprehensive book introductions, doctrinal articles, study notes, commentaries, personality profiles, word studies, and archaeological insights will help you experience the riches of God’s Word. The full-color design, Holy Land images, classic works of art, charts, and maps further enhance your Bible reading experience. With all these features, plus special subject indexes, Christ’s words in red, and an extensive concordance, no other KJV Bible offers more to students of the Holy Bible.

Thomas Nelson King James Study Bible

I love the Personality Profiles – you can easily find a man or woman you want to learn more about (or to remind yourself exactly who he/she was). When you click on their name, you get a lovely profile of them. Above, as you can see, is a profile for Nehemiah.

I love that pictures are provided for many of the profiles, as well.

Features include:

  • Time-honored KJV Bible text
  • Center-column references with translation notes
  • Beautiful full-color pages and features
  • Hundreds of full-color maps, images, and charts
  • 5,700 authoritative and time-tested study notes
  • Over 100 archaeological notes
  • Over 100 Personality Profiles highlighting important figures in Scripture
  • More than 200 notes on important Christian doctrines
  • Book introductions and outlines
  • Indexes and word-study concordance
  • Monies, Weights, and Measures
  • Prophecies of the Messiah Fulfilled in Christ
  • Miracles of Christ
  • Teachings and Illustrations of Christ
  • Parables of Christ
  • The Jewish Calendar
  • Prayers of the Bible
  • Concordance with World Studies

Thomas Nelson King James Study Bible

You are able to “highlight,” not only verses within the Bible text, but content on the other pages as well. See the image above, when you click on something you want to highlight, you’re given options – you can choose from five different colors, or simply underline the passage.

Thomas Nelson King James Study Bible

I’m nothing if not a girly-girl, so naturally I chose pink.

You can visit Amazon to learn more about the Thomas Nelson KJV Study Bible (Kindle Edition) or the Thomas Nelson KJV Study Bible (Hardcover).  You’re going to absolutely love this study Bible! ~ Joi (“Joy”)

More Christian Book Reviews.

Creative Book of Writing Prompts and Exercises: “Kicking in the Wall” by Barbara Abercrombie

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Kicking in the Wall
Kicking in the Wall by Barbara Abercrombie
My husband, daughters, and I once attended a major league baseball game. Being a baseball-loving family, it was a day we’ll never forget. Enjoying all delicious nine innings was easy, standing and clapping were easy… heck, even over-paying for Cokes and snacks was easy. The only difficult part of the process was finding our way into the stadium! Each door seemed to recommend another door and we found ourselves in a maze with thousands of other baseball fans.

Once we were in the door, we became one with the flow of other fans and we all found our seats.  After that, it was all good. In fact, very good.

I often think about that day when I’m staring at a blank screen or sheet of paper. When it comes to writing, finding the way IN is half the battle. Once you’re in the door, you get in the flow and… with any luck.. it’s a win.

Writing prompts can be one of a writer’s best friends – right up there with coffee in fact. Kicking in the Wall is my new favorite writing prompts book and if you are a writer, author (any genre), and/or blogger (we can use prompts as much as anyone), you’ll definitely want to add this book to your library.

“I would go as far as I could and hit a wall,” said musician and memoirist Patti Smith. In response, playwright Sam Shepard advised, “When you hit a wall, just kick it in.” Writing teacher Barbara Abercrombie’s powerful writing prompts give us just the push we need to do it. Like a workout with a top trainer, her exercises warm up, stretch, and build creative muscle.

Kicking In the Wall includes quotes from famous writers to accompany the exercises, as well as real-world examples of completed exercises by the author’s students in the UCLA Extension Writer’s Program. Though Abercrombie says readers need only commit to five minutes per exercise, she writes, “I’ve seen novels, memoirs, and many essays get started in those five minutes, and a lot ended up being published.” Her playful method is essential fuel for writers trying to get off the starting block, persevere through challenges, and cross their personal creativity finish lines.

Author Barbara Abercrombie wrote another one of my favorite books for writers, A Year of Writing Dangerously, so I absolutely couldn’t wait to get my hands on this one. Spending time with one of her books is like spending time with your own personal writing instructor as she gives you one-on-one advice, tips, and even “hacks.”

I not at all surprised she has this effect on her readers. Not only is she an author, she  teaches at the UCLA Extension Writer’s Program.  Is it any wonder her books have such a profound effect on her readers?

See Kicking in the Wall for more information.

 Keep writing!
~ Joi (“Joy”)


Praying for Your Elephant by Adam Stadtmiller (Review of an Amazing Book!)

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Praying for Your Elephant by Adam Stadtmiller

Praying for Your Elephant

I read A LOT of books… Spiritual books, Old Hollywood Biographies, inspirational books, Agatha Christie mysteries, American History books, Ancient Egypt books, cookbooks….

You get the idea. I’m almost always seen with several books in one hand, a caffeinated beverage in the other, and a cat (or two or three) in my lap.

I always have more than one book going at once – usually 3 or 5 because my interests are all over the place. Having said that, three genres are constant:

  • Agatha Christie (I read and re-read her and have one Hercule Poirot mystery going at all times)
  • Inspirational Book
  • Old Hollywood Bio

Agatha Christie is like playtime for my brain.. I simply love everything about her mysteries. Old Hollywood books are an absolute obsession – if I’m not watching an Old Hollywood movie, I’m lost in at least one biography. As for inspirational and Spiritual books – they feed my soul.

The book you see pictured here, Praying for Your Elephant, is one of the best books of any genre I have ever read. You read that right…. I loved it that much.

Have you ever heard of the phrase “Prayer Warrior?” I have considered myself to be a Prayer Warrior for many years. This simply means that I pray day and night with the fervency and determination of a warrior who is smack in the middle of the battlefield. I pray for my family, friends, people I read about, strangers, crazy drivers who run red lights, individuals I see prayer requests for, etc. With this much praying going on and with this much on the line, I need all the inspiration I can get! Naturally, the Bible provides the bulk of said inspiration, but God uses Christian authors to further inspire and motivate.

Prayer does the salvage work of raising the sunken treasure of our lives. – Praying for Your Elephant Page 57 

This particular author, Adam Stadtmiller, has written an extraordinary book and it has taken my prayers to a whole new level. I’ve always believed in asking God for all needs – from small to large and all sizes in between. However, this book has inspired me to go further. It takes the phrase “small to large” and asks, “Why stop at large? Aim for COLOSSAL!”

Elephant-Size Colossal!

From the Back Cover:

What If Your Biggest Prayers are Too Small?

Get ready to re-ignite, re-imagine, and repurpose your prayer life while experiencing great intimacy with God. This is an invitation to identify your elephants—to name, through specific and strategic prayers, the 100 most important and audacious petitions you can imagine. These are the elephants that—if answered by God—would be game changers in your life and perhaps the world.

By supersizing your prayers and daring to ask for the big things – your elephants – you will come to know God in a way you never have, even if His answers aren’t what you expect. Dive deep into the adventure that is the prayer-filled life!

Praying for Your Elephant starts off with a bang. The author guides you into a 40 Day Prayer Challenge: Forty Days to Praying for Your Elephants. He gives you 10 suggested “categories” to create to organize your prayers and all but dares you to pray big!

My take away from this section was to pray as big as the God we’re talking to. Again, COLOSSAL comes to mind.

The book provides a chart for these categories, or you can simply write them down on paper or (my own personal approach) in a Prayer Journal. Writing prayers down helps you to see, over time, which prayers are answered and which ones may take a little longer. I have also experienced something else in my prayer journal – sometimes your prayer changes as God guides you from one destination to the next.

“There is no way that Christians in a private capacity can do so much to promote the work of God, and advance the kingdom  of Christ, as by prayer.” – Jonathan Edwards

Praying for Your Elephant is available on Amazon and I, quite frankly, could not recommend it enough. I love to tell you about books that have the potential to change your life for the better… to help you open up a whole new world… to touch you in such a way that you feel empowered to do anything you set your mind and heart to!

This is such a book and I really hope you’ll grab your copy as soon as possible. You won’t regret it. ~ Joi (“Joy”)

Find out more by visiting Praying for Your Elephant!

About the Author: Adam Stadtmiller is lead pastor at one of the San Diego’s most historic churches, La Jolla Christian Fellowship. A regular contributor to Christianity Today’s Leadership Journal, he is also the author of Give Your Kids the Keys and Discover Your Kid’s Spiritual Gifts. Adam lives in Carlsbad, California, with his wife and two daughters.

Praying for Your Elephant Quote Graphic