The Guy's Guide to Four Battles (from Barbour Publishing)

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The Guy's Guide to Four Battles Every Young Man Must Face by Jonathan McKee - In today's world, young men face continual lies, distractions, and temptations in ways that are so different from just a few decades ago. The world is a confusing place for all of us, and author Jonathan McKee breaks it all down in bite-size chapters for guys that deal with relevant topics like:

• staying motivated and self-disciplined
• developing a positive self-image
• healthy use of media
• recognizing and avoiding device addiction
• choosing friends wisely
• relationships and intimacy
• substance abuse

Each chapter uses the author's personal experiences, real life stories, Scripture, and some discussion questions to present the potential problems and wise solutions and advice for handling those problems. It's not preachy - it's really very down-to-earth and practical. And even though McKee is tackling some very tough and serious issues, he keeps a friendly conversational tone and inserts humor to keep it from getting too heavy.

From the publisher:

Honestly? . . .
"Why wait for something when I can enjoy it now?"
"These images don't really affect me . . . do they?"
"How could smoking a little weed really be that bad when it's becoming legalized everywhere?"
"I'd like to tell you I don't care what others think, but honestly, I want to be liked."

Maybe you're thinking, "I've had one . . . maybe even a few of these thoughts, and I don't know how to even begin to deal with them."
The good news? You're not alone. And there is a way to fight these battles head-on, overcoming the past, pressing forward, and becoming the person God designed you to be.
So what's a guy to do? . . .

Join youth culture expert and author of the popular Guy's Guide to God, Girls, and the Phone in Your Pocket, Jonathan McKee, as he gets real about the four common battles every young man will encounter in his life:
1. Sexual Temptation
2. Screens
3. Controlled Substances
4. Self-Esteem

With humor and honesty, McKee offers up practical, spiritual advice filled with real-world application helping you face today's distractions.

Visit Barbour Publishing for more info on where to buy.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review.

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Recent Reads - The Heart Changer

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The Heart Changer by Jarm Del Boccio - This is a debut novel, a book geared for middle grade kids. The setting is the Old Testament time period, during the time of the prophet Elisha. The main character is Miriam, a twelve-year-old girl from the village of Shunem in Israel. Miriam is captured by the invading army and is given as a slave to the wife of a Syrian commander named Naaman. Miriam experiences fear, grief, and despair, but also finds unexpected kindness and grace as she learns what it means to trust in her God and to obey.

The story is based on the Biblical account in II Kings, which tells about Naaman having leprosy, and coming to the Jewish prophet Elisha asking for a cure. It says that a young Israeli girl who was servant to Naaman's wife suggested that he go to Samaria to see the prophet. All we know about this girl was that she had been captured by raiders from Aram. Jarm Del Boccio took these few details, did some research, added some imagination, and crafted a fine story for tweens and young teens that focuses on this servant girl.

I found that the details are quite faithful to the original story, with a little liberty taken in how Elisha's instructions are delivered to Naaman, and Del Boccio has his wife persuade him to follow those instructions, while my Bible translation says it was his servants that convinced him. In any case - spoiler alert! - Naaman is cured when he obeys the prophet of the Lord, and so we see that a young servant girl had a great influence. And perhaps that little girl did indeed find peace and purpose in her situation as a captive far from home, just as this fictionalized account indicates.

The story is simple and short, and although it opens with a raid on Miriam's village and deals with her captivity as a slave, there is nothing graphic, and nothing that would be particularly disturbing to most young readers. I liked the encouraging theme - a young slave girl made a positive impact because she tried to do what was right and kind, and was obedient to her God. If you're looking for a good story for your middle grader, particularly for a girl, this little chapter book delivers a heart-warming story about having a heart willing to trust, obey, and forgive. 

You'll find more details about this book and its author in my original review post at Homeschool Coffee Break. You may also visit the publisher's website: Ambassador-International.com (this link is where you'll find the free Teacher's Guide as well); and the author's website: JarmDelBoccio.com

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Wordless Wednesday - Rainbow

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Saw this rainbow low on the horizon as we were mini-golfing on Sunday. Simple beauty.

This post is linked at Wordless Wednesday, hosted by Life on Chickadee Lane.

©2008-2019 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Recent Reads - A Caribbean Mystery

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A Caribbean Mystery: A Miss Marple Mystery by Agatha Christie - Miss Marple is vacationing in the Caribbean and although she is only half paying attention, she can't help but be intrigued by an old soldier's story of someone that got away with murder when he reacts as if he had recognized the murderer! And when the old man is found dead in his sleep, she wonders if perhaps there was something to his story. In true Miss Marple style, she observes people and listens to their gossip and does her best to piece together what may have happened.

Next one of the resorts maids is found murdered, and more questions arise. Who did the Major see when he was telling Miss Marple his story? Who had opportunity to murder the maid? Miss Marple goes to work listening and encouraging confidences, and even enlists some aid from an unlikely ally among the guests. And soon she is certain the murderer will strike again, but can she discern who the victim will be in time to intervene?

A cozy mystery in a tropical setting, this one had quite a long list of possible suspects and although I made my guess about the murderer's identity, I really wasn't certain until late in the book. An entertaining whodunit read with interesting characters, and of course I had to admire the enterprising elderly lady detective who unravels the case before the professionals do!

©2008-2019 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

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Scripture and a Snapshot - Do Not Worry

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to his life?

And why do you worry about clothes? See how the fowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you-- you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, "What shall we eat?" or "what shall we drink?" or "What shall we wear?" For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek for his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

~Matthew 6:25-34~

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Connect Five Books - A Colorful Title

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The Book Date is hosting the Connect Five Books challenge throughout 2019, and the challenge is to look for connections between books we read. Some examples would be five books of the same genre, five books by the same author, five books with a similar theme, five debut books, and so on.

It's taken me six full months, but here is a Connect Five from me! Five books with a color in the title.

The White City by Grace Hitchcock

The White City: True Colors: Historical Stories of American Crime is the first in a fascinating new series of historical novels based on true crime stories. While attending the Chicago World's Fair in 1893, Winnifred Wylde witnesses what she believes is a kidnapping. She tries to convince her father, an inspector with the Chicago police, to investigate, and he eventually concedes to letting her go undercover as secretary to the suspected kidnapper -- if she takes her pistol for protection and Jude Thorpe, a policeman, for bodyguard.

The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery

The Blue Castle tells the story of Valency Stirling and her discovery of a new world of love and happiness. She escapes the influence and control of her overbearing family and pursues her own interests and new friendships.

The Golden Bride by Kimberley Woodhouse

The Golden Bride is part of the Daughters of the Mayflower series. Olivia Brighton is a young window working her brother's restaurant in San Francisco during the gold rush. Her brother's friend Joseph Sawyer is involved in local politics and especially in trying to help the Chinese that are trapped in forced labor. The more Joseph gets pulled into investigating crime in the city, the less Olivia sees him, and the greater the dangers to both of them.

The Pink Bonnet by Liz Tolsma

The Pink Bonnet: True Colors: Historical Stories of American Crime is part of the same series as The White City. Widowed in Memphis during 1932, Cecile Dowd struggles to provide for her three-year-old daughter. She has a neighbor babysit little Millie Mae, but the woman unwittingly gives the little girl over to Georgia Tann, the corrupt Memphis Tennessee Children's Home Society director suspected of the disappearance of hundreds of children. Eventually, a sympathetic lawyer helps Cecile search for Millie, which uncovers a deep level of corruption that affects hundreds of families and threatens their lives.

The Red Door Inn by Liz Johnson

The Red Door Inn is set on Prince Edward Island, which is what drew me to the book. Marie Carrington is running from bed memories and looking for safety on PEI, where she agrees to help Jack Sloane decorate his bed-and-breakfast in time for the tourist season. Seth Sloane is the nephew that is helping Jack while trying to forget about the fiancee who broke his trust. Marie and Seth don't trust each other, but they do agree that they need to work together to get the Red Door Inn up and running on time.

This post will be linked at Connect Five Books June - August

#connect5books2019

©2008-2019 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Recent Reads - The Red Door Inn

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The Red Door Inn (Prince Edward Island Dreams Book 1): A Novel by Liz Johnson - Marie Carrington is on the run from her past, and hopes that she can find a refuge on Prince Edward Island. When an elderly man named Jack strikes up a conversation with her and then offers to pay her ferry fare to the island, she doesn't want to accept, but doesn't have much choice. Jack quickly realizes Marie knows something about colors and decorating, and he's determined to get her help in opening up his bed and and breakfast. Marie is hesitant to accept his offer, but can't help but like him and feel safe.

That is, she feels pretty safe until she meets Seth, Jack's nephew. Seth is overly suspicious of Marie and thinks she may be trying to scam Jack somehow. Turns out Seth also has past hurts that he is trying to forget and overcome, so he and Marie are both uneasy and not willing to trust. They go several rounds of one step forward and two steps back before being able to let down their guards and begin to consider the possibility that they might belong together.

 The longer Marie stays at the Red Door Inn, the more she feels at home, but the trio runs into several snags and setbacks. A major setback means Jack is out of start-up money, and Marie knows she can help but it will also give away her location and make it easy for her past to catch up with her. Will she run away from the home she has come to love, or will she face her fears - and her father - and stay?

This was a pretty good story and I enjoyed the premise of the unlikely partners working together to open the bed and breakfast. I loved the setting as well. However, there were some weak spots in the plot that bothered me, particularly the lack of information at the beginning. The story jumps right in with Jack starting up a conversation with Marie, with no context or introduction, and I felt that it took too long to even get hints about why Marie was on the run. Character description was another aspect that was odd. Over and over again during the first half of the book, it was emphasized that Marie was so tiny and seemed so frail. It was in the narrative, and Jack and Seth both comment on it, and I found it repetitive and overdone. All things considered, however, an enjoyable cozy type of contemporary read.

This is outside my genre for the 2019 Modern Mrs Darcy Reading Challenge.

©2008-2019 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.