Portrait of Vengeance

Carrie Stuart Parks is an award-winning fine artist and internationally known forensic artist. She teaches forensic art courses to law enforcement professionals and is the author/illustrator of numerous books on drawing. Carrie began to write fiction while battling breast cancer and was mentored by New York Times bestselling author Frank Peretti.  Now in remission, she continues to encourage other women struggling with cancer.

Connect with Carrie on her website: CarrieStuartParks.com

You can also follow her on Facebook:  CarrieStuartParksAuthor and Twitter: @CarrieParks

An unsolved case.
A tempest of memories.
The future's at stake - and time is running out...

Gwen Marcey has done a good job keeping the pain of her past boxed up. But as she investigates the case of a missing child in Lapwai, Idaho, details keep surfacing that are eerily similar to her childhood traumas.  She doesn't believe in coincidences.  So what's going on here?

No one knows more about the impact of the past than the Nez Perce people of Lapwai.  Gwen finds herself an unwelcome visitor to some, making her investigation even more difficult.  The questions keep piling up, but answers are slow in coming - and the clock is ticking for a missing little girl.  Meanwhile, Gwen's ex-husband is threatening to take sole custody of their daughter.

As Gwen's past and present collide, she's in a desperate race for the truth.  Because only the truth will ensure she still has a future.

My Thoughts:
Carrie Stuart Parks has knocked it out of the ballpark once again!  Her Gwen Marcey novels have everything I love in a good book/story:  genuine characters, real life situations, unique locations, and mystery/suspense.  Portrait of Vengeance is a for sure page-turner.  Gwen Marcey is such an endearing and strong woman and her sense of humor is infectious.  This particular story is personal as Gwen's past and present collide. Readers can't help but love her! She's genuine and her characteristics jump off the page and into the reader's mind and heart.  Reading this story almost felt like I was experiencing this journey with Gwen.  I was invested from page one.

You don't want to miss these novels!

*I received a complimentary copy of the book.  All opinions stated here are my own.

Happy Reading,
Jennifer

The Child Safeguarding Policy Guide for Churches and Ministries

G.R.A.C.E (Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment) is a nonprofit organization made up of highly trained, experienced multidisciplinary professionals who seek to educate and empower the Christian community to identify, confront, and respond to the sin of child abuse.

Find out more about GRACE at http://netgrace.org. 

Churches have always sought to be a safe haven for children and families, but many today are dealing with the tragic reality of child sexual abuse.

This handbook, authored and edited by a multidisciplinary team of child abuse experts, is designed for use by a group that will be formulating policies and procedures to protect children and deal with possible child abuse in their ministry, school, and/or church. Working through this book will assist churches and ministries to assess their current child abuse polices and then guide them through each step they need to take to address the safety of children under their care. It will cover vitally important topics including:

-Protecting the children in a Christian environment from child abuse
-The warning signs of child abuse
-Crafting and implement a child protection policy
-Responding to abuse allegations
-Caring for victims of child abuse
-The legal implications and requirements for churches and Christian ministries

Written by a GRACE team with multi-disciplinary knowledge, headed by Boz Tchividjian, a lawyer and former child abuse prosecutor, this handbook will be an invaluable resource to Christians who are seeking to educate themselves and others about child abuse and how to best protect the little ones under their care.

Learn more and purchase a copy.

My Thoughts:,

Basyle Tchividjian and Shira M. Berkovits (authors) and New Growth Press (publishers) have compiled an invaluable resource for churches.  Tchividjian, a former child-abuse prosecutor, and Berkovits, founder and CEO of Sacred Spaces, a cross-denominational initiative to create systemic solutions to abuse in communal institutions, have teamed up to help places of worship take care of the most vulnerable among us...our little ones.

Because we understand the great responsibility of protecting our children and because of the unavoidable dangers in our world, The Child Safeguarding Policy Guide is needed, now more than ever.  This well organized and detailed guide can be used alone or in conjunction with GRACE's Child Safeguarding Certification.  This book holds everything a church staff needs to understand the need, train volunteers, and implement policies that will help a church body protect and love children.

*I received a complimentary copy of the book.  All opinions here are my own.

Blessings,

Jennifer

Secrets

Jonathan Daugherty is the founder of Be Broken Ministries, and founder of Gateway to Freedom workshop for men. He also hosts the weekly radio broadcast, Pure Sex Radio, and is in demand nationally as a speaker on sexual purity and men s issues. He has appeared on multiple radio and television media, both local and national. He has authored "Grace-Based Recovery," "The 4 Pillars of Purity," and other works. Jonathan lives with his wife and three children in San Antonio, Texas.

Find out more about Jonathan at http://www.jonathandaugherty.com.

 

Everyone has a secret or two, a part of their life they would rather not share with the rest of the world.

But for Jonathan Daugherty, his secret was so life-altering and relationship-ending that he fought to keep it hidden at all costs. And it did cost him. His secret kept him from contentment, peace, and the possibility of being known and loved for who he truly is. That's what any secret addiction can do-but in particular a sex addiction.

After his wife finally discovered his secret, their marriage appeared to be over. In Secrets, Jonathan honestly and courageously shares his story of addiction to pornography and how he lost everything to it.

But that's not how the story ends. While Jonathan struggled, someone else was at work-his heavenly Father. At the lowest possible moment of his life, God stepped in and brought him hope and healing. This is a story of both loss and redemption that gives hope to anyone who has ever experienced the power and struggle of addiction and its life-destroying effects.

Addiction doesn't have the final say over Jonathan's life or in his marriage. The God who finds the lost, heals the sick, and brings life from death has the last, victorious word.

-A courageous, honest and open account of life as a sex addict and how sex addiction destroys marriages.
-A life-affirming and personal story of recovery and redemption that will inspire readers.
-Offers hope to all who struggle with pornography and sex addiction.
-Each chapter includes a "Living in the Light" section designed to equip and help readers find freedom from addiction.
-Suitable as a study for support groups of addicts and those who care about them.

Learn more and purchase a copy.

My Thoughts:

I can't say enough how I appreciate the transparency of Jonathan Daughtery in his book Secrets.  While he doesn't share the rawest of details of his journey with pornography, he has offered readers a picture of God's work of restoration and redemption.  I especially appreciated his treatment of his wife's journey through this with him.  

Daughtery's writing style is personable and intimate and even humorous in places.  In one word, he is:  genuine.  His heart for his restoration and God's story of grace and redemption and healing shine through on every page.

Daughtery not only tells his story of hope, the book includes a wealth of practical help for those along similar journeys.  Daughtery includes resources for those who are ready to do battle with pornography.  

*I received a complimentary copy of the book.  All opinions are my own.

Blessings,

Jennifer