Monday, December 17, 2012

90 Relevant Devotions for Teenaged Girls (14-19)


Hitz, Shelley, Heather Hart, and Other Collaborating Authors. Teen Devotionals … for Girls! Volume 2. Body and Soul Publishing, 2012  ISBN-13: 978-0615631622  ISBN-10:  0615631622

In this second book of short devotions, Hart, Hitz and other authors designed opportunities for teenaged girls to draw closer to God and find their true beauty in Christ. Each devotion is designed with a Biblical quotation and a brief commentary relating the scripture to the ups-and-downs, and ins-and-outs of the life of a teenaged girl. There is a question or questions for reflection or discussion, a recommended application step to implement the content of the devotion, and a short prayer honoring and petitioning God for help with the issue at hand.

The 90 devotions could be read from beginning to end or by flipping through choosing at random or by topic. These devotions cover the inner life, relationships, temptations, joys, and anguishes all of today’s teenaged girls experience. This book is designed in such a way that it could be used by an individual or with a friend.

Parents and youth leaders could also use these devotions to help ones’ teens to learn to apply God’s Word to their daily lives. The devotions in this book are already read daily by teens around the world. They are used in Bible study groups and even at events like See You At the Pole.

Heather Hart also collaborated with Shelley Hitz on Teen Devotionals … for Girls! Volumes 1 and 2.  Hart is an author, author assistant and a book marketer. She edited several other books, has done ghost writing and other freelance writing. In 2012 she also published the e-book Book Marketing 101: Marketing Your Book on a Shoestring Budget. Other collaborations include: Unshackled and Free: True Stories of Forgiveness with C. J. Hitz and Shelley Hitz (Feb 29, 2012)
Shelley Hitz has been ministering to teens since 1998. Her main passion is to share God’s truth and the freedom she has found in Christ. She is an award-winning and international best-selling author. Her openness and vulnerability as she shares her own story of hope and healing through her books inspire and encourage. In addition to the two volumes of Teen Devotionals, she has published:
*      Mirror Mirror...Am I Beautiful? Bible Study Guide for Moms: Looking Deeper to Find Your True Beauty with Michelle Neff and S'ambrosia Curtis (Dec 26, 2009)
*      Forgiveness Formula: Finding Lasting Freedom in Christ with C. J. Hitz (Aug 24, 2011),
*      Finding Hope in the Midst of Tragedy (Aug 7, 2012),
*      How to Find Free Christian Books Online (Nov 29, 2012)
*      Trusting God When Bad Things Happen (Forgiveness Formula: Finding Lasting Freedom in Christ) (Dec 9, 2012)
*      Healing For The Broken Hearted: Discover Lasting Freedom in Christ (Dec 12, 2012)

Monday, December 10, 2012

Nickels by Karen Baney


Niki’s roommate, Marcy is determined to find the perfect man for her friend. With her twenty-sixth birthday coming, Niki feels no urgency to find love. Her blind date Chad would be perfect for Marcy.

She does regret that her entire life could be minimized into one word: coding. Between assignments,  she waited for Brian, the CEO of Elite Software to transfer her to a new client. Brian assigns her to her dream job at Helitronics, the largest DoD contractor for helicopter aviation electronics.

Then Kyle Jacobs reenters her life and turns everything upside down. Niki has to learn to work with him since he also is assigned to the new project because of his military record and flight experience. Niki has a hard time letting go of the image she has carried of Kyle since high school.

The letter she received just before her brother was killed by an IED carries a passion about getting to know Jesus. Somehow Niki has to go beyond the past, and move beyond her painful memories, then when her heart is open, she finds the One who can hold her heart and even make Todd, who seems to be sabotaging the project, insignificant.

Karen Baney has penned a story and characters that linger past the last page. The reader is invited into the world of a computer programmer, a software engineer, or coders, or developers or whatever one wishes to call them. The characters are  a “snarky, funny, unique breed.”  Baney’s faith allows her characters to change.