Monday, March 17, 2025

Ephesians: Experience God’s Power by Sarah K. Howley (8-session Bible study)

About the Book

Book: Ephesians: Experience God’s Power

Author: Sarah K. Howley

Genre: Bible Study

Release date: January 5, 2025

Are you ready to dive deep into the life-changing truths of Ephesians? In this 8-session Bible study, you’ll explore how God’s power is available to us today—transforming our lives, our relationships, and the world around us.

Sarah K. Howley, author, speaker, and founder of InspiritEncourage, is your guide on this journey through Ephesians. With insightful questions and thoughtful guidance, Sarah will help you uncover:

– The incredible spiritual blessings that God has prepared for you.

– His vision for unity among His people while honoring each person’s unique gifts.

– How to live with purpose and conviction, experiencing the fullness of life as a Christian.

– Old Testament connections that deepen your understanding of the New Testament.

– Practical ways to live out God’s truths in your daily life.

Each hour-long session includes a key Scripture passage, an introduction, engaging questions, links to Old Testament passages, and personal application. Perfect for individual or group study, Ephesians: Experience God’s Power will strengthen your faith and build deeper connections in unity with others.

Click here to get your copy!

"Ephesians: Experience God’s Power" by Sarah K. Howley is an 8-week Bible study that helps us see the link between The Old Testament and Ephesians. Each week starts with introductory questions, then has you read a chapter from Ephesians and then asks questions from what you're just read. After the questions you are to read Old Testaments passages and answer questions. The passages and questions pertain to the passage in Ephesians that was that day's reading. Then there is a section that is called personal application. The chapters are short, it took me about 30 minutes to complete each day. I did pull up my Bible app on my phone and listen to it rather than reading it, I just thinks it helps me to hear the Word being read rather than reading it.

This study is good for both individual and group study. I am going to ask my Tuesday night Bible study group if they would be interested in doing this study as a group. Because even though I am doing this study on my own I could always learn more, because you always learn more about God and how to live in His power every time you study His Word.

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

About the Author

Sarah K. Howley is the founder of InspiritEncourage ministries, a trained Christian counselor, and the author of numerous Bible studies. She loves Jesus and is passionate about helping believers grow spiritually and take on Christ’s character. Sarah often travels the world, usually with espresso in hand. She and her husband support initiatives for feeding the hungry and for expanding access to reading.

More from Sarah

Years ago, I was travelling a bit before starting a new teaching job. I found myself thinking that it would be neat to visit a few places of the Bible and soon made plans and set off for Turkey. One of my stops was Ephesus; the thought that I was walking in the same place as Paul and his disciples was pretty amazing. I saw the library (now open-air) and the place where the temple of Diana had been.

Having visited and then reflected on the visit while studying the Bible, I realized that the ruins of the port town of Ephesus were a living monument to the difficult living conditions of the believers in Paul’s time. There was much remaining of the Ephesian pagan world, of a time when Christians were a fledgling group that needed the encouragement that Paul offered.

Still today, looking around me it is easy to think that we are still a fledgling group of Christians that need Paul’s encouragement. Division and favoritism are still prevalent today and we are surrounded by nonbelievers. But Paul offered words of wisdom that are still relevant to us today.

You may not visit Turkey soon, but you can connect with the people of the land through Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. We can walk a mile in their shoes as we study the encouragement of Paul and experience the power of Christ in our own lives.

Blog Stops

Stories By Gina, March 15 (Author Interview)

Texas Book-aholic, March 16

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, March 17

She Lives To Read, March 18

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, March 19

The Sacred Line, March 19

Simple Harvest Reads, March 20 (Author Interview)

Mary Hake, March 20

By the Book, March 21

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, March 22

Locks, Hooks and Books, March 23

For the Love of Literature, March 24 (Author Interview)

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, March 25

Cover Lover Book Review, March 26

EmpowerMoms, March 27

Artistic Nobody, March 28

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Sarah is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon Gift Card and a copy of the book!!

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

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/00adcf54173

Sunday, March 16, 2025

Jake Rogers’ Planet by Philip Wilder

About the Book

Book: Jake Rogers’ Planet

Author: Philip Wilder

Genre: Christian YA Science Fiction

Release date: February, 2025

Jake is about to embark on a perilous adventure through an alien wilderness filled with hidden wonders and hazards.

While backpacking with his father, Jake Rogers discovers a mysterious portal and accidentally plunges headfirst into an alien world. Stranded on this bizarre planet, he must evade predators, adapt to the strange elements, and navigate the ever-changing landscape to return home. However, as Jake stumbles upon technologically advanced alien ruins, a chilling question arises: Are the aliens still alive?

Even on this terrifying journey, God reminds Jake of the profound verse: “Do not fear, for I am with you.”

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Philip Wilder has been writing since the age of seven. He’s authored two nonfiction books, is a ACFW Genesis Contest finalist, and is currently a Realm Makers Aurora Contest double finalist. He’s spent two years as an undercover missionary in the Middle East, gone sky-diving, and traveled to 35 countries. Philip works with the Great Commission Alliance to train and equip believers around the world. He’s passionate about using fiction to inspire believers to live adventurous lives of faith.

More from Philip

Fear is a dangerous enemy.

At the age of 22, I felt God calling me to become a missionary in the Middle East—not for a week or a month, but a year (that eventually became two). Having never traveled outside the US or moved away from my home city of Denver, I was overwhelmed by fear. I’d be moving to a foreign land where I didn’t know a single person and doing work that wasn’t widely accepted there. I spent many sleepless nights wrestling with God’s gentle prompting.

Fear is inevitable in a Christian’s walk, but its power diminishes as we learn to lean into God and trust Him with the unknown. No matter where a believer is on their faith journey, God always guides us to step outside our comfort zones.

The inspiration for this novel came in 2016 while I was living in the Middle East. While watching The Martian, I realized that even if I were stranded on Mars, millions of miles from humanity, God would still call me to trust Him and not fear. That realization was life-changing: no matter what we face, God assures us nothing is worth fearing if we walk in joyful obedience.

Moving to the Middle East was terrifying and far from easy, but God was always present when I needed Him. In following God to take this step, I realized another beautiful truth: God knows what we need, love, and desire more than we do.

My firm belief is that God has wired each of us to love and enjoy different things because He wants to lead us down a unique path, where He desires to see the deepest parts of our hearts come alive. Walking this path is hard and full of fear. It requires letting go of dreams and trusting God will fulfill the right desires at the right time.

This is the journey Jake faces in Jake Rogers’ Planet. The fears he wrestles with are the same ones I had to navigate to declutter my mind and follow God.

I hope this book will help believers overcome their own fears and follow God. My prayer is that everyone reading this novel will be inspired by Jake’s story to take wild steps of faith to follow God on the wondrous adventure he has in store for them.

Blog Stops

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, March 7

Simple Harvest Reads, March 8 (Author Interview)

Texas Book-aholic, March 9

Tell Tale Book Reviews, March 10 (Author Interview)

Library Lady’s Kid Lit, March 11

Blossoms and Blessings, March 12 (Author Interview)

The Lofty Pages, March 13

Artistic Nobody, March 14 (Author Interview)

Locks, Hooks and Books, March 15

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, March 16 (Spotlight)

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, March 16

Stories By Gina, March 17 (Author Interview)

cecereadsandsings, March 17

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, March 18

Guild Master, March 19 (Author Interview)

Little Homeschool on the Prairie , March 20

Giveaway

To celebrate his tour, Philip is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon gift card, plus a signed hardcover copy of the book, a bookmark, and a vinyl sticker!!

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

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/00adcf54168

Friday, March 14, 2025

Miss Wylde in the White City (The Heiresses of Adventure Book Two) by Grace Hitchcock

About the Book

Book: Miss Wylde in the White City (The Heiresses of Adventure Book Two)

Author: Grace Hitchcock

Genre: Historical Romance True Crime

Release date: November 11, 2023

While attending the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893, Winnifred Wylde believes she witnessed a woman being kidnapped. She tries to convince her father, an inspector with the Chicago police, to look into reports of mysterious disappearances around the White City. Inspector Wylde tries to dismiss her claims as exaggeration of an overactive imagination, but he eventually concedes to letting her go undercover as secretary to the man in question—if she takes her pistol for protection and Jude Thorpe, a policeman, for bodyguard.

Will she be able to expose H. H. Holmes’s illicit activity, or will Winnifred become his next victim?

Click here to get your copy!

"Miss Wylde in the White City" by Grace Hitchcock is set during the 1893 Chicago’s World Fair. It is about the crime story of H.H. Holmes, who is America’s first serial killer. So, it is fiction based on true history. It kept me turning the pages. The heroine Miss Wylde is a police inspector's daughter who claims she seen a crime in progress, but no one believes her, so she decides to investigate the crime herself and ends up in Danger! The love story develops quickly as the story deepens. Yes, there is danger describes in this book, but nothing that I would call gory, I like that true love does end well. This Is the second book in this series but can be read as standalone as they are completely different stories.

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

About the Author

Grace Hitchcock is the award-winning author of multiple historical novels and novellas, including the American Royalty, Best Laid Plans, and Aprons & Veils series. She holds a Master’s in Creative Writing and a Bachelor of Arts in English with a minor in History. Grace lives on the Northshore of New Orleans, with her husband, Dakota, sons, and daughter in a cottage that is always filled with the sounds of sweet little footsteps running at full speed. When not writing, or chasing babies, she’s baking something delightful and can usually be found with a book clutched in her fist.

More from Grace

Q&A with Grace Hitchcock:

Q: Your historical novel Miss Wylde in the White City is a historical romance set against the true crime events at the Chicago World’s Fair. How difficult was it to create a “romance” novel that includes such horrific historical details?

Grace: It was challenging, but I wrote Winnifred’s story with the thought in mind of how I would have wanted to experience it as a reader. Many of the books I’ve read about Holmes are quite dark and rightly so; however, I decided that I didn’t want my story to show the gory details and chose to focus on the romance to offer the reader a much-needed break in the dark story matter.

Q: What research did you have to do to get the details right?

Grace: I read and listened to non-fiction works on H. H. Holmes, read countless articles online, researched the different newspaper articles of the time, mostly The Chicago Tribune,

and found the newspapers’ sketches of Holmes’ “Murder Castle” along with their statements. I also read non-fiction works on the Chicago world’s fair with many, many pictures and took walk-through tours of the fair online, which gave me a unique perspective of what the white city was like.

Q: Tell us about the characters you injected into the historical events. What about them made you want to tell their story?

Grace: I’ve always loved Jane Austen’s heroine from her satire of Gothic novels, Northanger Abbey, and with Catherine Morland in mind, I created Winnifred Wylde. My heroine’s love of books often gets her into trouble, but being the daughter of a police inspector, Winnie also has picked up a few things in listening to her father’s adventures and her natural sense of curiosity was just what I needed in a heroine to uncover Holmes’ sordid crimes.

I wanted Jude Thorpe to be a protector with a heart for justice, so the role of detective fit right into the story.

Percival Valentine was one of the characters who surprised me. Originally, I just had Percy as her favorite author, but then I thought, why not let her meet him and see what happens? He is one of my favorite characters and I hope to one day give him a story of his own.

Q: Fact vs Fiction – what (if any) historical details did you have to fiddle with to make the story work?

Grace: Oddly enough, the newspapers at the time did not get the same layouts of the “Murder Castle” in their sketches, so I based the layout of Holmes’ castle mostly from The Chicago Tribune and got a little creative. The layout is mostly correct, but I took the liberty of adding a second trap door at a convenient location for the burning trunk scene. While Holmes did bring trunks up and down from attic to the basement, he never burned a trunk on the third floor because it would have left behind far too much evidence for a man who, up to this point, was experienced in covering his tracks.

Q: How does your faith impact how you approach writing fiction?

Grace: My heroines generally learn what I am learning at the time of writing the story. If I am holding on to a verse for something I am going through personally, I give it to my heroine and we walk through it together even in different situations (because obviously I’m not trapped in a burning building haha but the principle applies).

I see writing Christian fiction as an opportunity to show God’s light even in dark, difficult situations. No matter how subtle my theme or short the verses, my stories will always point the reader to the Lord.

Thank you for joining the fun for the Celebrate Lit tour! If you are a part of a book club, I have discussion questions here! Happy Reading, friends!

Blog Stops

Melissa’s Bookshelf, March 13

Pens Pages & Pulses, March 13

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, March 14

Allyson Jamison, March 14

Texas Book-aholic, March 15

lakesidelivingsite, March 16

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, March 17

Locks, Hooks and Books, March 17

Devoted To Hope, March 18

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, March 18

Betti Mace, March 19

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, March 19

Bizwings Book Blog, March 20

Blogging With Carol, March 20

Lily’s Corner, March 21

Connie’s History Classroom, March 21

For Him and My Family, March 22

Mary Hake, March 22

Inspired by fiction, March 23

Holly’s Book Corner, March 23

Pause for Tales, March 24

Becca Hope: Book Obsessed, March 24

Leslie’s Library Escape, March 25

Cover Lover Book Review, March 25

Jodie Wolfe , March 26

Lights in a Dark World, March 26

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Grace is giving away the grand prize of a $20 gift card with FREE SHIPPING to Grace’s Autographed Bookshop!!

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

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/00adcf54172

Thursday, March 13, 2025

Jesus Can . . .Give You Purpose (Jesus Can... Book Three) by Author: Stephanie Reynolds/Christian Writers Collective, LLC

About the Book

Book: Jesus Can . . .Give You Purpose (Jesus Can... Book Three)

Author: Stephanie Reynolds/Christian Writers Collective, LLC

Genre: Inspirational, Christian, Self-help

Release date: December 5, 2024

Can Jesus give you purpose?

He most certainly can! You’ll find plenty of proof in the pages of this book. Its 46 testimonies display Jesus’ power to give purpose to people all over the world, whether they were shot and left for dead during a political revolution in Africa or struggling with loneliness and suicidal thoughts in small town America. Jesus Christ brought a unique purpose to every writer featured in this book. And He can do the same for anyone who reads it. We dare you to put Jesus to the test today!

Whether you’re looking for God’s truth yourself or want to share the gospel with family, friends or acquaintances, books from the Jesus Can … series may be the perfect solution.

Give You Purpose is the 3rd volume in this inspirational series published by the Christian Writers Collective, LLC.

Click here to get your copy!

I really enjoyed these 46 stories of how Jesus gave these 46 different people purpose and changed their lives for the better. These writers are from different backgrounds and some are even from different countries, If a reader likes to read stories that are inspirational and gives them hope then they need to pick up a copy of "Jesus Can . . .Give You Purpose" (Jesus Can... Book Three) by Author: Stephanie Reynolds/Christian Writers Collective, LLC. This is the book that I will keep on my shelf and reread when I need to be reminded that Jesus is with me and will be with me through all of like trials and Tribulations. I am going to try to find a copy of the other two books and then there is going to be a new book coming later this year. This would be a good book to give as a gift to a new Christian or to someone that you want to introduce to Jesus because at the back of the book is the ABC's on becoming a Christian.

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

About the Author

The Christian Writers Collective, LLC

Founded in 2020 by Stephanie Reynolds of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the CWC is a growing organization with writers worldwide. Our ultimate goal is to feature 100 members/writers in each Jesus Can book and to publish 10-12 books each year, equivalent to the publication pace of the popular Chicken Soup for the Soul® series. We want to reach millions each year with the life-changing gospel of Jesus Christ. We pray that you’ll join this fast-growing moment as a reader, a writer, or by giving Jesus Can books to others. Thanks in advance for your participation!

More from Stephanie

Hi, my name is Stephanie Reynolds. I am the founder of the Christian Writers Collective, LLC, which publishes the Jesus Can book series. I was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and I’ve lived here most of my life. Like many Baby Boomers and only sisters from a family with three children, I have had the privilege of caring for both of my parents during the last months and/or years of their lives. What an honor it was to be present when my mom received Jesus as her savior just a few months before she passed in 2014. It was the Homegoing of my spiritual mom, Mrs. Naomi Walker, on October 8, 2019, that inspired me to publish Books 1 and 2 of this series on October 8 in 2021 and 2022. That’s because God gave me the courage to share my calling to publish books “to help spread the gospel far and wide,” for the first time at Mrs. Walker’s Homegoing Service. I believe God confirmed His calling by taking Mrs. Walker home to Heaven on October 8, my 61st birthday. I’m excited by the release of Book 3 of our series, Jesus Can . . . Give You Purpose.

It was my privilege to care for my dad during the last five years of his life. He went home to Heaven in February 2024. This book is dedicated to him.

The Jesus Can . . . Give A Helping Hand Fund

For every copy that you purchase, a portion of this book’s net profits for two years will be given to an organization or individual that shares our primary mission: To spread the Gospel far and wide.

Our first honoree for this grant was an easy and obvious choice: Literacy & Evangelism International (LEI), located near Atlanta, GA, and staffed by missionaries Bob & Mary Mulloy.

The selection of LEI was easy because 29 of the 46 articles in this book are testimonies from individuals served by or affiliated with LEI. Bob and Mary’s testimonies are counted among the 29.

Atlanta is the ideal location for LEI because it is the home to the Hartsfield Jackson International Airport (ATL), the world’s busiest airport. Many of the people arriving at ATL from over 150 nations choose to make metro Atlanta their new home. As evidenced by the writers in Jesus Can Book 3, Bob & Mary have had the opportunity for 16 years to minister to many individuals, including three writers in Book 3 who are victims of violence in Africa, escapees from the killing fields of Cambodia, and a Haitian woman that was buried alive for three days.

It is our prayer that this grant will help them serve the diverse mission field in Atlanta for many more years, for it’s in Jesus’s name that we pray, Amen.