Wyn C

• Rated 4 stars

“I have enjoyed this book. People "like" but Joyce reminds us that God wants us to Love ~ Love Him, love ourselves, love everyone and everything around us. Sometimes that's difficult to remember. Each day starts with a bible verse on love, a couple of paragraphs on how the verse connects to our everyday life, and then a one or two sentence comment that could be a prayer or a suggestion to get yourself with the program and apply the lesson. The day's devotional is easy to read, pertinent to our lives, and a positive uplift that can keep the reader on tract during the day's ups and downs. There simply isn't enough love in our lives and Joyce is reminding us to include it with God's blessing. ”

Wyn C wrote this review 3 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 4 stars

“Great thriller. Although this is the final book in a series that I haven't read, I was pleased to find that it stood on it's own. I will definitely be purchasing the preceding books. The story was seen through the eyes of one of the members of a black ops solder and through the eyes of a woman who broke him out of prison. Ronnie has based all the previous books on an aspect of PTS and this time it was on the fact that it's not only those who serve in wars but also those who suffer in abusive homes who have PTS. The story flowed with lots of involvement from all members of the team and their families across several nations. Excitement reigned supreme with some surprising and not surprising results. All in all an excellent book to read.”

Wyn C wrote this review 3 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 4 stars

“Awesome story. I must admit that I was reluctant to read it, I thought it would be full of gore and terrible sadness since we all know that Stalin's genocide and pogroms were horrible. I was very pleasantly surprised because the book is written in a very matter of fact way. This is the story of Katya, the last of Martin's descendants to live in Russia. This is presented as the memories of an older woman who has survived and made a life for herself in California. Katya's life goes from living in a small town with a strict Lutheran code, through the change that is forced upon the town to become a collective and forget the church, to losing her father to the gulag simply because he was a successful horse breeder and Russian officer. After her father is taken away they learn to survive the changes and the rules, even the silly ones made by government officials that have no idea what farming is about, and learn to meet the quota or norm as it is called there. When she is about 20 the officials decide that the collective isn't meeting the norm and since the war with Germany has started; it is time for all the German's to be sent to Siberia as slave labour. Katya and her mother are split up and sent to separate places. Once on her own Katya's strength of character and commonsense come to the for enabling her to become a leader and to survive the cold and the hunger. After an attempted rape she escapes with the help of the Komi, a native Siberian tribe and from there to California, Germany to search for family and back to California again. Her steadfast belief in the goodness of God and the ideas that have been instilled in her by her mother are a main part of the strength and belief that she can accomplish what she must in order to live the life that God has chosen for her. An excellent book for anyone interested in Russian history and a woman of strength as a heroine.


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Wyn C wrote this review Monday, January 9, 2012. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 4 stars

“These are excellent bible studies written for women by women. Women have a difficult time finding extra time in their day to take part in extra study but this series promises that the lessons will take only 20 minutes, and they do, I timed them. In those 20 minutes the student learns about the person who wrote the biblical passage or is the subject of the biblical passage, as well as what God wants us to learn about how to live life as a Christian. Each chapter, five per week, is set out in the same manner Lift up, a prayer to God, Look at, what the passage is about who wrote it and why, Learn about, side bars that explain words or cultural meanings of the passage, Live out, ways in which the student can apply the lesson to her own life, and Listen to, quotes from famous people that apply to the lesson. I liked the aspect that the authors used other biblical references to dig deeper into the passage to clarify it's meaning. Although the study focused on one book of the Bible it wasn't restricted to just that book. These studies can be done by a single person or a small group. There is a section to help a small group leader involve her group in discussions. There is plenty of room on the pages to add your answers but I prefer to use a notebook. Definitely a great series of biblical studies.

I was provided a copy of these books by B & B Media Group Inc. I was not required or expected to write a positive review of this product. The review is my opinions only.”

Wyn C wrote this review Wednesday, December 28, 2011. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 4 stars

“These are excellent bible studies written for women by women. Women have a difficult time finding extra time in their day to take part in extra study but this series promises that the lessons will take only 20 minutes, and they do, I timed them. In those 20 minutes the student learns about the person who wrote the biblical passage or is the subject of the biblical passage, as well as what God wants us to learn about how to live life as a Christian. Each chapter, five per week, is set out in the same manner Lift up, a prayer to God, Look at, what the passage is about who wrote it and why, Learn about, side bars that explain words or cultural meanings of the passage, Live out, ways in which the student can apply the lesson to her own life, and Listen to, quotes from famous people that apply to the lesson. I liked the aspect that the authors used other biblical references to dig deeper into the passage to clarify it's meaning. Although the study focused on one book of the Bible it wasn't restricted to just that book. These studies can be done by a single person or a small group. There is a section to help a small group leader involve her group in discussions. There is plenty of room on the pages to add your answers but I prefer to use a notebook. Definitely a great series of biblical studies.

I was provided a copy of these books by B & B Media Group Inc. I was not required or expected to write a positive review of this product. The review is my opinions only.”

Wyn C wrote this review Wednesday, December 28, 2011. ( reply | permalink )

1 of 1 members found this review helpful.

• Rated 4 stars

“Delightful story that includes a 12 year old girl learning that fairies and fantastical creatures do exist and at the same time learning about The One, creator of light. It was interesting to see how biblical verses and mores were taught without actually mentioning God. Mellie runs away from her family at the beach and enters into the world of the fairies. There she joins the academy that will protect the light and fight the dark shadows which want to take over the world. In the process she rooms with a flower fairy, chums with an oceanide, a yeti, and a she-elf while being taught Basic training by a gnome, an Amazon, an elf, and a nymph. Mellie experiences the regular pre-teen problems of self-doubt and emotional swings but learns to work through them and become a promising warrior who can solve problems, work as part of a team and stand her ground for what is right. The story is well written with great descriptions that would inspire imagination in any young reader. It's a book that can be enjoyed by the young and their parents alike.
Thanks to MC Pearson for a review copy of the book. My review is my opinion and is not influenced in anyway by the author or publisher.”

Wyn C wrote this review Sunday, December 4, 2011. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 4 stars

“I enjoyed this book. Each chapter was small, stuck to the topic with a short relative anecdote and then followed by two very thoughtful questions that makes one think about how the chapter would actually apply to their own life. The writing was clear, concise, and thoughtful. We all have holes in our lives whether they are the result of human interaction or our own flights of fantasy. When we come across one of those holes Jesus is there to help us delve into them, get to the bottom of them, heal them, and then make us whole. The author points out that without experiencing the hole and digging deep to the bottom instead of glossing over it, Jesus can't make us whole and we can't go on with our lives. We are stuck in the hole until it is healed. Lisa looks at what the holes look like when they are the result of being religious instead of spiritual; becoming defined by a role such as a career, mother, care-giver rather than the person who just happens to use that role to work; defining oneself by an experience rather than a person who had an experience dealt with it and moved on. These and many more holes can hold a person back and prevent a more in depth walk with God.

Thank you to Tyndale House Publishers which has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book for review purposes. My review is my own opinion.”

Wyn C wrote this review Wednesday, November 30, 2011. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 5 stars

“An excellent story of the German settlement of the Russian Volga and steppes area. This second book in the series was easier to read than the first "Catherine". It seemed to flow much faster. This book starts with Martin Meininger at the end of the 30 years and 7 years war in the province of Hussein in Germany. The peaceful Lutheran German farmers are tired of war and afraid that their young boys will be drafted into another one. They take up the offer of Catherine the Great to settle the Volga area of Russia. Of course by the time everything is sifted through the Russian bureaucracy the promises of implements, animals and seed is not totally forthcoming. This story covers the family from the planting of the first village in the wilderness, the hardships, the starvation, the extreme cold that kills villagers in their sleep, the attacks of the wolves and the nomads, through several generations to the Russian Revolution of 1918. The Germans did not become Russified but stuck to their German culture and religion, even those who were born in Russia which made them excellent targets for the Bolsheviks. Right before the Revolution many left the area for Germany and America but the Meininger descendants delay too long because they are emotionally attached to the steppe, it has become their life. Mrs. Weidenweber has again shown great detail and care in her historical research as she has woven a multi-generational account of a little known niche of German/Russian history.”

Wyn C wrote this review Tuesday, November 29, 2011. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 3 stars

“There have been many tomes written about Catherine the Great of Russia that contain both facts and fantasy. This one covers her life from the 13 year old Sophia, a minor German princess to the day she dies. The author has obviously researched Catherine through many of her papers and those of her friends. It was an interesting book although very long. I found that I became annoyed with all of the minuscule detailed descriptions of the lush palace rooms and palace grounds. They seemed to prolong the book without really adding substance to the story. A more general description would have been better. The author chose to view Catherine through the eyes of a remote observer, through Catherine's eyes, and through the eyes of some servants. These views increased the sense of being there while still maintaining an biographical storyline. Catherine's story is one of a young girl who becomes completely immersed in the customs, language, religion, and history of her adopted country and who tries her best to govern it in a way that will bring it into forefront of European power and culture of the times. Her micromanagement is astounding, too bad her husband and son were not mentally capable. The story also spends time on the why and wherefore of the introduction of German peasants to the Volga area setting up the trilogy. This interesting book requires time and patience to read but it well worth it.”

Wyn C wrote this review Sunday, November 13, 2011. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 4 stars

“I love historical fiction and this was an excellently researched book. The characters were well developed and interesting. The fact that the book included as main characters men from both sides of the conflict added to the story and the interest. I did find some parts were so detailed that it took patience to read through them but that was only for parts not for the whole book. The 3 southern brothers from Georgia had totally different experiences of the war and the main character Frank Stone from the north was really not a combatant at all but rather a police investigator so his war was very different also. Taking the war into Texas after Lee's surrender added another depth to the story and tidied up the lives of the characters. The author included the very humanness of men at war, their tenderness of some to those hurt no matter what side and the horribleness of others who are evil no matter what the situation. It also included people who didn't care what happened, who were only interested in increasing their wealth even if it meant selling arms to the enemy or destroying the average soldier afterwards by stealing his land or his reputation. A well written book covering the war and the repatriation from the view of 2 main characters, one from the north and one from the south as well as their family and closest friends.”

Wyn C wrote this review Sunday, November 6, 2011. ( reply | permalink )