Friday, July 30, 2021

"A More Christlike Word" by Bradley Jersak Book Tour and GiveAway

About the Book

Book: A More Christlike Word

Author: Bradley Jersak

Genre: Biblical Studies

Release date: June 29, 2021

The Scriptures are an essential aspect of the Christian faith. But we have often equated them with the living Word Himself, even elevating them above the One to whom they point. In doing so, we have distorted their central message—and our view of God. Tragically, this has caused multitudes of people unnecessary doubt, confusion, and pain in their encounters with the Scriptures. Author and theologian Bradley Jersak has wrestled deeply with such passages over many years. He has experienced the same questions, doubt, and pain. In A More Christlike Word, he offers a clarifying and freeing path forward, whether you consider yourself a believer, a doubter, or a skeptic, inviting you to a better and more ancient way to read the Scriptures. He calls this path the “Emmaus Way” because it focuses on Jesus Christ as the final Word on God. It demonstrates how all Scripture, by design, points to Jesus, revealing the true nature of the Father. Your journey on the Emmaus Way will open up to you the fullness of the Scriptures, and, most important, lead you to the God who deeply loves and welcomes you.

 

Click here to get your copy!
If you decide to read this book, I urge you to read this book with caution! He says things about the Bible that is really against things that I believe. I didn't read this book in it's entirely because of these facts. 

I was given a complimentary copy from the author and Celebrate Lit and these opinions are my own. 

About the Author

Bradley Jersak is the Dean of Theology & Culture, a modular graduate studies program at St. Stephen’s University in New Brunswick, Canada. He is also the editor-in-chief of Clarion-Journal.com. Bradley and his wife, Eden, have lived in the Abbotsford area of British Columbia since 1988, where they served as pastors and church planters for twenty years. Bradley is the author of a number of nonfiction and fiction books, including A More Christlike God, A More Christlike Way, Her Gates Will Never Be Shut, Can You Hear Me?: Tuning in to the God Who Speaks, and The Pastor: A Crisis. He has an M.A. in biblical studies from Briercrest Bible College and Seminary, an M.Div. in biblical studies from Trinity Western University/ACTS Seminary, and a Ph.D. in theology from Bangor University, Wales. He was also a Visiting Scholar at the University of Nottingham, United Kingdom, for post-doctoral research in patristic christology.

 

More from Bradley

The book acknowledges and addresses people’s real struggle to harmonize hard passages of Scripture with their view of a loving God.

 

Have you ever felt that seemingly “toxic” texts in the Bible suffocate rather than strengthen faith? If so, then this book will help you find a way to hear the life-giving Word speaking through Scripture—even the tough parts. Bradley Jersak faces difficult passages head-on with honest, provocative, wise, and stimulating insights. Here is an accessible and informed guide to Christ-centered biblical interpretation.
—Rev. Dr. Robin Parry
Author, The Evangelical Universalist and The Biblical Cosmos

 

If you find the Bible heavy lifting rather than finding yourself carried by Jesus, the incarnate Word himself, and his indescribably good gospel of love, A More Christlike Word is for you. It will invite you to move from simply reading verses through an unexamined lens to always listening for the revelation of Christ, by Christ, who reveals what is true concerning the relentless, renewing love of God our Father, and, thus, what is true about us as his beloved ones.
—Dr. Cherith Nordling
Sessional Lecturer, Regent College, Vancouver
Author, Knowing God by Name

Blog Stops

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, July 30

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, July 31

Mary Hake, July 31

Texas Book-aholic, August 1

Inklings and notions, August 2

For Him and My Family, August 3

deb’s Book Review, August 4

Locks, Hooks and Books, August 5

Artistic Nobody, August 6 (Spotlight)

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, August 6

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, August 7

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, August 8

Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, August 9

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, August 10

Cats in the Cradle Blog, August 11

Writing from the Heart Land, August 12

Giveaway

To celebrate his tour, Bradley is giving away the grand prize package of a $20 Starbucks card and a copy of the book!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/110e2/a-more-christlike-word-celebration-tour-giveaway

 

"Song of Grace" by The Mosaic Collection Book Tour and GiveAway


About the Book

Book: Song of Grace

Author: The Mosaic Collection

Genre: Christian Contemporary

Release date: July 7, 2021

 

How amazing is grace? Eight short stories trace the path of grace through the lines of a well-known hymn that was birthed in tragedy.

These characters each desperately seek a variety of prizes: relationships, hope, fame and fortune, security, eternal youth. All of them struggle through trials and troubles to stumble upon the same amazing answer.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Song-Grace-Stories-Amaze-Soul-ebook/dp/B09215ZR52?dchild=1&keywords=song+of+grace&qid=1623081567&sr=8-1&linkCode=sl1&tag=celelit-20&linkId=87115194a62d13b03623dea8b8311405&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl

 



After reading "Song of Grace" by The Mosaic Collection, I want to read all of the other books in this collection. This book is Eight short stories that have a line of two from the song "Amazing Grace" being the theme of the stories. Some of the stories are prequels to other books that are coming by the author. All of these stories deal with heartaches but shows how God's grace is shown in the character's life. There is one story that is unusual in that is exactly what the titles implies . That story is "Paper Trail" by Johnnie Alexander.

I have to be honest and say there is one story that I didn't really like at all " Reconstituted". 

I really enjoyed "A note From The Author" after each of these stories. 

These stories range in topics such as abuse, adoption, death, divorce and betrayal, and rescuing a failing bookstore, and finding where home is.

I recommend this book to all readers who likes to be inspired by reading stories of fiction. 

I received a complimentary copy from the authors and Celebrate Lit and these are my own opinions. 

Amazing grace! How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found;
Was blind, but now I see.

'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears relieved;
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed.

Through many dangers, toils and snares,
I have already come;
'Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.

The Lord has promised good to me,
His word my hope secures;
He will my shield and portion be,
As long as life endures.

Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease,
I shall possess, within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.

The world shall soon dissolve like snow,
The sun refuse to shine;
But God, who called me here below,
Shall be forever mine.

When we've been there ten thousand years,
Bright shining as the sun,
We've no less days to sing God's praise
Than when we'd first begun.



About the Authors

Johnnie (3)Johnnie Alexander

Johnnie Alexander creates characters you want to meet and imagines stories you won’t forget. Her award-winning debut novel, Where Treasure Hides (Tyndale), is a CBA bestseller. She writes contemporaries, historicals, and cozy mysteries, serves on the executive board of Serious Writer, Inc., co-hosts an online show called Writers Chat, and interviews inspirational authors for Novelists Unwind. She also teaches at writers conferences and for Serious Writer Academy. Johnnie lives in Oklahoma with Griff, her happy-go-lucky collie, and Rugby, her raccoon-treeing papillon.

 

 

 

Eleanor BertinEleanor

In a fit of optimism at age eleven, ELEANOR BERTIN began her first novel by numbering a stack of 100 pages. Two of them got filled with words. Lifelines, her first completed novel, was published in 2016, followed by Pall of Silence in 2017, a memoir about her late son Paul.

Eleanor grew up on a Manitoba farm, spent 20 years in cities and towns, and in the past 16 years has come full circle to embrace country life again. She lives with her husband and youngest son, Timothy, amidst the ongoing renovation of a century home in central Alberta where she reads, writes, sweeps up construction rubble and blogs about a sometimes elusive contentment at jewelofcontentment.wordpress.com.

 

Sara (1)Sara Davison

Sara Davison is the author of three romantic suspense series, The Seven Trilogy, The Night Guardians, and The Rose Tattoo Trilogy. She has been a finalist for ten national writing awards, including Best New Canadian Christian author, a Carol, a Selah, and two Daphne du Maurier Awards for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense. She is a Word and Cascade Award winner. She currently resides in Ontario, Canada with her husband Michael and their three children, all of whom she (literally) looks up to. Get to know Sara better at www.saradavison.org and @sarajdavison.

 

 

 

Deb ElkinkDeb

Deb Elkink lives in a cottage beside a babbling creek in rural Alberta, Canada, home base for exotic travels with her husband. She published her first bits of writing after graduating university, then married and spent twenty years as a homeschooling mom and ranch wife—rounding up cattle, earning her private pilot’s license, and cooking for huge branding crews. An MA in Theology led to publication of a literary study on the fiction of G.K. Chesterton (Roots and Branches), prepared her as an academic editor, and jettisoned her into her long-held dream of writing literary fiction with a theological twist. Her publications so far include multiple short stories as well as two award-winning novels (The Third Grace and The Red Journal). 

 

ChautonaChautona Havig

Author of the bestselling Aggie and Past Forward series, Chautona Havig lives in an oxymoron, escapes into imaginary worlds that look startlingly similar to ours and writes the stories that emerge. An irrepressible optimist, Chautona sees everything through a kaleidoscope of It’s a Wonderful Life sprinkled with fairy tales. Find her at chautona.com and say howdy—if you can remember how to spell her name.

 

 

 

Angela D. MeyerAngela

ANGELA D. MEYER writes fiction that showcases God’s ability to redeem and restore the brokenness in our lives. She is the author of This Side of YesterdayThe Jukebox Cafe (a part of Hope is Born: A Mosaic Christmas Anthology) and the Applewood Hill series. Angela is a member of American Christian Fiction Authors and has served on the leadership team of her local writers’ group, Wordsowers. Angela currently lives in NE with her husband. They have two children, both of whom they homeschooled and graduated. Lucy, a green eyed, orange tabby who loves popcorn rounds out their family. Angela enjoys sunrises and sunsets, the ocean when she gets a chance to visit, and hopes to ride in a hot air balloon someday.

 

StacyStacy Monson

Stacy Monson is the award-winning author of The Chain of Lakes series, including Shattered Image, Dance of Grace, and The Color of Truth, as well as Open Circle. Her stories reveal an extraordinary God at work in ordinary life. Residing in the Twin Cities, she is the wife of a newly-retired juggling, unicycling physical education teacher, a proud mom, and doting grandma.

 

 

 

 

Candace WestCandace (4)

Candace West was born in the Mississippi delta but grew up in small-town Arkansas. She is a graduate of the University of Arkansas at Monticello. Ever since the age of twelve, she dreamed of writing inspirational fiction. Over the years, she has published short stories as well as poems in various magazines. By weaving entertaining, page-turning stories, she hopes to share the Gospel and encourage her readers.

 

 

 

 

 

More from The Mosaic Authors

It’s Never Too Late for a Heart Transformation… and Great Books

He stood at the pulpit, chains hanging from his wrists, one fist raised to the heavens, a pottery jug in the other hand.  With his teeth, he uncorked the jug (still don’t know how he did that) and took a swig of the “alcohol” within, allowing it to slosh over his mouth and onto the floor. Watching as he shouted his defiance to Almighty God, my thirteen-year-old self scooted back a little further in the pew, certain. Skit or no skit… Pastor Phillips was about to get struck by lightning.

In his characteristic style, he burst out laughing, wiped his brow, and stowed the jug under the pulpit.  A grin plastered to his face, he wiped that brow again.  “Almost felt the sizzle of lightning or something.”

See, I thought to myself. I’m not so crazy after all. 

And from there, our beloved pastor went on to tell the story of John Newton’s conversion and how he eventually, after more years in the slave trade, renounced it for the vile nastiness that it is and worked to end it before he died. But one more beautiful thing came out of all of that ugliness—perhaps the most beloved hymn of all time. “Amazing Grace.”

The Mosaic Collection authors have joined for a summer anthology celebrating the joy and beauty found in God’s “Amazing Grace.” Each story in this collection was inspired by a stanza of that grand old hymn.

As one of the authors in the collection, I found myself humming and singing “my verse,” during the weeks before and during writing my offering.  My verse is,

“When we’ve been there ten thousand years,

Bright shining as the sun,

We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise

Than when we’d first begun.”

All four lines of my stanza play into my story, albeit some ambiguously.  From that ten thousand (dollars, not years) to the (desert) sun, to praising God for His goodness all our days, Spines & Leaves tells the story of God changing the goals and desires of three individuals, just like He changed those of John Newton.

As for how Sara used the stanza in her story, Sara says, “My portion of the hymn is the final two lines of the first stanza: I once was lost, but now I’m found. Was blind but now I see. In my story, I’d Like to Thank the Academy, Lizzy Cross travels to the City of Angels to seek fame and fortune. When she gets lost in L.A. and meets a blind man playing ‘Amazing Grace’ on his guitar, she realizes the song could be about them. Or is it possible that the words mean something else entirely?”

Angela says, “My stanza speaks of the joy and peace we gain in heaven, although we have them in full measure in this life. Jillian’s Refuge is about a young woman discovering these amazing gifts as she journeys through grief and finds healing in an unexpected place.”

Deb says, “In my story, aging expat Dolores, retiring alone in colonial Mexico and agitated over losing her youth, meets up for an afternoon cultural tour with her visiting granddaughter and new baby. Their mother-child vitality forces Dolores to face the fear that drove her from her family and the grace that calls her back to Christian faith.”

Join Stacy Monson, Sara Davison, Deb Elkink, Eleanor Bertin, Johnnie Alexander, Angela Meyer, Candace West Posey, and Chautona Havig as they introduce you to characters and stories that will fill your hearts with God’s grace.

Blog Stops

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, July 26

Rebecca Tews, July 26

Inklings and notions, July 27

For Him and My Family, July 28

Lighthouse Academy Blog, July 29 (Guest Review from Marilyn Ridgway)

deb’s Book Review, July 29

Gina Holder, Author and Blogger, July 30 (Author Interview)

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, July 30

CarpeDiem, July 31

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, July 31

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, August 1

Locks, Hooks and Books, August 2

Mary Hake, August 2

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, August 3

Happily Managing a Household of Boys , August 4

Batya’s Bits, August 4

Splashes of Joy, August 5

Through the Fire Blogs, August 5

Texas Book-aholic, August 6

Library Lady’s Kid Lit, August 6

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, August 7

Pause for Tales, August 7

Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, August 8

Giveaway

To celebrate their tour, the Mosaic Collection Authors are giving away the grand prize package of a $50 Amazon gift card, a paperback copy of the book, and a $10 coupon to Mosaic’s brand new Etsy shop!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/11032/song-of-grace-celebration-tour-giveaway

Thursday, July 29, 2021

"The Scarlet Pen" by Jennifer Uhlarik Book Tour and GiveAway

About the Book

Book:  The Scarlet Pen

Author: Jennifer Uhlarik

Genre: Christian Historical Suspense

Release date: July 2021

Engaged to a Monster

Book 12 in the True Colors series—Fiction Based on Strange-But True History

Enjoy a tale of true but forgotten history of a 19th century serial killer whose silver-tongued ways almost trap a young woman into a nightmarish marriage.

In 1876, Emma Draycott is charmed into a quick engagement with childhood friend Stephen Dee Richards after reconnecting with him at a church event in Mount Pleasant, Ohio. But within the week, Stephen leaves to “make his fame and fortune.” The heartbroken Emma gives him a special pen to write to her, and he does with tales of grand adventures. Secret Service agent Clay Timmons arrives in Mount Pleasant to track purchases made with fake currency. Every trail leads back to Stephen—and therefore, Emma. Can he convince the naive woman she is engaged to a charlatan who is being linked a string of deaths in Nebraska?

 

https://amzn.to/3gAjp8d 

About the Author

Jennifer Uhlarik discovered the western genre as a preteen, when she swiped the only “horse” book she found on her older brother’s bookshelf. A new love was born. Across the next ten years, she devoured Louis L’Amour westerns and fell in love with the genre. In college at the University of Tampa, she began penning her own story of the Old West. Armed with a BA in writing, she has won five writing competitions and was a finalist in two others. In addition to writing, she has held jobs as a private business owner, a schoolteacher, a marketing director, and her favorite—a full-time homemaker. Jennifer is active in American Christian Fiction Writers and is a lifetime member of the Florida Writers Association. She lives near Tampa, Florida, with her husband, teenage son, and four fur children.



I am going to start this review by saying I really wish this wasn't the last in this series. There are 12 books all together and they are all written by different authors and about a different true crime. They are all standalones.

After reading "The Scarlet Pen" by Jennifer Uhlarik, I am really wanting to read a book that she says she got most of her research from. It is supposedly his own confession written by Stephen Dee Richards and an anonymous  reporter.

This book is really filled with details about the murders so I am glad I wasn't watching this on a screen but at the same time I am glad I read the book as well as the other books in this series. I am glad because I think we need to know these things do occur. We can't  just ignore this has happened before and is happening somewhere every day.

I like that the real is mixed with fiction and I am glad that the ending is though-provoking and compelling.

I think this book has more of the Christian element in between the pages because of the scripture included in the letter writing and the ending is just really beautiful and supposedly really happened. 

I am glad that  Clay Timmons never gave up the hunt to track down a counterfeiter or on the girl that was engaged to a man who wasn't the right one for her.

I received a complimentary copy from the author and Celebrate Lit and these opinions are my own. 


More from Jennifer

Hello, Readers! For all who might never have read one of my stories or come across me, it’s great to meet you! I’m a wife, a mom, a (young!) grandma, and an author—among many other things. My author tagline is “Where Grit Meets Grace.” If you’re familiar with my writing at all, you’ll know that most of my stories at least touch on a bit of the difficult side of life. Death, abandonment, war, addiction, or who knows what else you might find. The Scarlet Pen is no different.

 

Given that this novel is the final installment in Barbour’s True Colors series, the story revolves around a true crime from history—in this case, the murders of serial killer Stephen Dee Richards—AKA the Nebraska Fiend. Anytime you’re dealing with someone so depraved as he, you’ll find plenty of “grit” to write about. But that’s only half of my tagline. Remember, it’s “Where Grit Meets Grace.

 

While I love a story that delves into difficult topics and, in some cases, pushes the characters right to the edge of what they can handle, I also love a truly redemptive story. When I was asked to write for this series, the ideas that drew me the most were the ones that had something redeeming in the actual history. There were plenty of interesting historical killers I could’ve chosen where I could have manufactured a positive, even happy ending through the fictional characters in the book. In the case of Stephen Dee Richards, there was no manufacturing needed. The “grace” part was already written. The end of Stephen’s story is precisely why I chose to write about him. I hope you’ll find it as though-provoking and compelling as I did. Happy reading!

Blog Stops

lakesidelivingsite, July 29

Genesis 5020, July 29

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, July 29

For Him and My Family, July 30

Gina Holder, Author and Blogger, July 30 (Author Interview)

Christian Bookaholic, July 30

Southern Gal Loves to Read, July 31

Inklings and notions, July 31

Britt Reads Fiction, July 31

Remembrancy, August 1

Locks, Hooks and Books, August 1

Betti Mace, August 2

Rebecca Tews, August 2

deb’s Book Review, August 2

Abba’s Prayer Warrior Princess, August 3

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, August 3

Blogging With Carol , August 3

Older & Smarter?, August 4

Connie’s History Classroom, August 4

The Meanderings of a Bookworm, August 4

Tell Tale Book Reviews, August 5

Bigreadersite, August 5

Godly Book Reviews, August 6

Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, August 6

Book Bites, Bee Stings, & Butterfly Kisses, August 6

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, August 7

Back Porch Reads, August 7

Mary Hake, August 7

Through the fire blogs, August 8

sodbuster living, August 8

Connect in Fiction, August 8

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, August 9

Texas Book-aholic, August 9

KarenSueHadley, August 9

Pause for Tales, August 10

For the Love of Literature, August 10

Blossoms and Blessings, August 10

Little Homeschool on the Prairie, August 11

Spoken from the Heart, August 11

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Jennifer is giving away the grand prize package of a $25 Amazon gift card and a copy of The Scarlet Pen!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/110e0/the-scarlet-pen-celebration-tour-giveaway