Downpour by James MacDonald

It has taken me a while to read through this book. You could certainly fly through it, but I decided to take my time and chew on what MacDonald had to say and to apply the various exercises he gives at the end of each chapter.

Downpour is a book about revival... renewal... refreshment... reinvigoration... and it is a book that holds no punches.

There are five pictures MacDonald paints..


God on the Throne: A Picture of Holiness
Sin in the Mirror: A Picture of Brokenness
Self in the Dirt: A Picture of Repentance
Christ on the Cross: A Picture of Grace
Spirit in Control: A Picture of Power

This is not a 5 easy steps to a better relationship with God book... in fact, I would say it is more like 5 difficult steps.  But it is worth it! Downpour will lead you to look at yourself and your relationship with God in a new light. To really see God as holy... to see your sin as God sees it, not just as some little "bad" stuff you do every once in a while... to understand that repentance takes more than words.... to grasp what Jesus truly did on the cross and how that Grace still flows down today... and to realize your need for a continual infilling of the Holy Spirit to live as Christ would have you to live.

It is a wonderful book that will challenge and encourage you to seek more in your walk with the Lord.

Love Finds You In Humble Texas by Anita Higman

This is the second "Love Finds You" book I have read and they were  both good reads.... totally different, but both fun!

Trudie is just Trudie... no frills.. what you see is what you get.. and she is fine being that way.  But then her 30th birthday rolls around and her sister, a life coach, gives her two gifts. First, sessions with her to create the new and improved Trudie and second, a date with Mason Wimberly.  Trudie is less than amused, but trapped and endures the date only to find she is attracted to Mason and he appears to be attracted back!

And then it happens... a bump in the road... Trudie's sister, Lane, who went out with Mason a few times in the past decides she should have stuck with him.  Trudie decides to hide her feels and step aside for Lane, but Mason is not interested in that.

It is an odd love triangle.... sort of a wonky one... that only God can work out.

Greater Love by Robert Whitlow

Book 3 of Whitlow's Tides of Truth series was as wonderful as the first two (both reviewed on this blog in the last few months).  White Whitlow does a great job of tying up some loose ends, he leaves enough hanging so that each reader can "suppose" what happens to various characters. I, for one, like that.  I can place them where I want them and with whom I want them to be. :-)

Greater Love  Has a powerful message of faith and of growing into who you are in Christ. He also did a wonderful job of showing how we, as individuals, influence and affect others lives in ways we are unaware.

Tami Taylor is on the threshold of her life. She is finishing up law school and will move from the security of her North GA home and family to Savannah. Will she work at an established firm where she has clerked the past summer or will she strike out with two other young female lawyers to start a firm of their own? Not only does she have two job possibilities, she has two men vying for her affection.  Who will she choose or will they make that decision for her?

Add into the midst the elderly woman she stays with in Savannah who suffers from severe dementia, a young runaway with a deep dark secret, a prophetess with a message and a businessman determined to keep everyone quiet.

Greater Love is full of intrigue, romance, and faith.  A lovely end to a wonderful series!

Love Finds You in Holiday Florida by Sandra D. Bricker

I have been hearing about the Love Finds You books for a while and have been wanting to read them, so imagine my surprise when my daughter brings in a stack of books to take to the library for a book sale and there is this book... Love Finds You in Holiday Florida.  I snatched it up quick!  Now my daughter doesn't read much fiction and when she does she sticks with the classics... or a good mystery... but no historic romances or chick lit or the likes for her! A friend gave her this book to read, but she never did.  So mom got it... and loved it!

Bostonian Cassie Constantine is trying to tie up loose ends and find her new normal in life after the death of her beloved husband, Zan.  One of those loose ends is there vacation house in Holiday, FL... a kitschy hamlet full of retired folks and pink flamingo studded yards.   Cassie's daughter has Christmas plans, so she decides to spend Christmas there getting the house ready to go on the market.  What she doesn't expect to find are friends... and adventure.... and new side of herself... and love.

This is a cute fun read... very much for those who love a good fairy tale... and the nice thing is the prince and princess in this one are mature!  I like that!  LOL!  Nice to read about someone my age who is the heroine and not her mom!

I have already started my 2nd Love Finds You Book... and I plan to read more! I am a sucker for Cinderella and Prince Charming!

Higher Hope by Robert Whitlow

Book 2 of the Voices of Truth series and I was not disappointed at all!  I loved the first book! Deeper Water Review  I feared the second book wouldn't be as good. I had no need to fear!  And now I feel confident book 3, which I received from the library today, will be great too!


I have to confess that I love pretty much anything to do with law and legal stuff like trials etc.  I am a certified paralegal... minored in Criminal Justice... toyed around with being a lawyer... am a nut for murder mysteries and legal thrillers in book, movie or television show form!


Higher Hope continues the story of summer law intern Tami Taylor. Tami comes from a very conservative rural Georgia background and has been tossed into mainstream Savannah head first.  Her convictions cause a bit of warring within.  I love that she does falter and struggle (as we all do) and there are times when she is able to stand firm (as we all should).  Whitlow, while providing a wonderful legal tale leaving out no necessary detail, paints a very realistic picture of the struggle between the Spirit and the Natural Man.

In Higher Hope, Tami is drawn into a case that hits a bit close to home... too close. An outspoken charismatic preacher has been accused of slander and libel and the firm has been hired to prosecute her. Tami prayerfully searches for the truth and finds more than she bargained for.

Again, a wonderful book!  Looking forward to book 3 in this series...  Greater Love.

Shakespeare's Landlord by Charlaine Harris

I don't read much secular fiction these days.  Years ago I did, but over time the amount of coarse language and sex became a bit much for me and I discovered Christian Fiction.  However, there are a few secular series I read with relish (anything by Debbie Macomber... the Elms Creek Quilters series by Chiaverini... the Shenandoah Album series by Emilie Richards to name a few).

I have shared on the blog that we have a new amazing library in my little corner of the world... so close that I could walk... if the temp and humidity ever become bearable!

As I have been perusing the shelves and just marveling at this treasure, I have picked up some books by authors that are new to me.... stretching myself a bit.  Some forays have been delightful.. others not good at all (See previous post on Delta Belles).  Shakespeare's Landlord falls somewhere between the 2 leaning a bit more toward the delightful side.

This is book introduces amateur sleuth Lily Bard of Shakespeare, Arkansas.  I have to admit the Shakespearean link is what caught my eye. I am a huge fan of the Bard... having read most of his works and wrote my Senior Thesis in college on the use of Light and Dark in his plays.  The town's name and Lily's last name are pretty much the only links to ole Will... at least in this book.

The characters are fun.. quirky and eccentric at times... the storyline is fun and well done.  I am one of those folks who usually figure out a mystery early on, but I was very near the end before "whodunit" became clear to me. 

Lily is a loner... with a secret... so she is not thrilled when she stumbles upon a dead body. She does her best to distance herself from the crime, even making an anonymous 911 call... but to no avail.  Her link to the body and her secret soon come rolling out and her life is turned upside down.  Her best bet is to get this crime solved so people can move on and forget it and go back to ignoring her.  

I would caution that there is some coarse language in this book... only 3 or 4 times, but still.. and while there are no grand detailed scenes,  unmarried characters sleep together.  To some these things are trivial.  To others they are deal breakers.  I use to be of the first school... I am finding myself moving more and more towards the latter.  Neither added anything to the story and while I know they are real-world occurrences, I just don't know that I want to read the real world... I spend a lot of time there and when I read, I like real people and settings but cleaned up a bit as the world should be.

Still, all in all it was a nice read.

No Distance Too Far by Lauraine Snelling

This is book 2 of the Home to Blessing series.  Snelling has several series that center around the fictional town on Blessing North Dakota:  Red River of the North (6 books), Return to Red River (3 books), Daughters of Blessing (4 books) and Home to Blessing (2 books so far...with a 3rd releasing soon).  I absolutely love all of these!  They are easily some of my favorite books!  I enjoy the setting, which is very "foreign" to this Southern girl, and I adore the characters who have become old friends.  Each time a new Blessing book comes out I get excited to catch up on the families and meet their new neighbors and friends.  It is like going back home for a visit.

So there was no doubt I would love No Distance Too Far... and I did.  The focus of this series, so far, is on Astrid.  A young woman who has completed medical school and is now struggling with where she should go to serve the Lord in her calling.  Will she head into the jungles of Africa to work as a Medical Missionary or to an Indian Reservation near her home of Blessing where the need for medical care is great or will she go home to Blessing and serve the people there along side her sister-in-law, Dr. Elizabeth Bjorklund? Only God knows and He is not making it as clear to Astrid as she would like.

Following some advice of her mother's, Astrid decides to take a step of faith and heads to Athens, GA to attend Missionary School.  There are those who believe a single woman, no matter how educated, has no business heading off into the dark heart of Africa. They advise she find a husband and try again.  But Astrid pushes on... determined to complete the training there even though she has no certainty that Africa is God's plan for her.

All the while Joshua is settling in Blessing, building a home that he hopes Astrid will share with him, and wondering how to get her to settle back in ND instead of going to Africa.  He is also learning that God has a plan for his life and things for him to do.  Family and friends in Blessing struggle with Astrid's choice as they anticipate a new hospital and wonder how Elizabeth can manage as the area's only doctor.

It is intriguing to see all this play out on the pages of this book.. to read the thoughts and prayers of those involved... to see God's hand at work.  A wonderful read.  I look forward to the next book in the series!