Missing by Shelley Shephard Gray

This week, the  Christian Fiction Blog Alliance  is introducing  Missing  Avon Inspire; Original edition (March 20, 2012)  by  Shelley Shepard Gray  


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Since 2000, Shelley Sabga has sold over thirty novels to numerous publishers, including HarperCollins, Harlequin, Abingdon Press, and Avon Inspire. She has been interviewed by NPR, and her books have been highlighted in numerous publications, including USA Today and The Wall Street Journal.


Under the name Shelley Shepard Gray, Shelley writes Amish romances for HarperCollins’ inspirational line, Avon Inspire. Her recent novel, The Protector, the final book in her “Families of Honor” series, hit the New York Times List, and her previous novel in the same series, The Survivor, appeared on the USA Today bestseller list. Shelley has won the prestigious Holt Medallion for her books, Forgiven and Grace, and her novels have been chosen as Alternate Selections for the Doubleday/Literary Guild Book Club. Her first novel with Avon Inspire, Hidden, was an Inspirational Reader’s Choice finalist.

Before writing romances, Shelley lived in Texas and Colorado, where she taught school and earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education. She now lives in southern Ohio and writes full time. Shelley is married, the mother of two children in college, and is an active member of her church. She serves on committees, volunteers in the church office, and currently leads a Bible study group, and she looks forward to the opportunity to continue to write novels that showcase her Christian ideals.

When she’s not writing, Shelley often attends conferences and reader retreats in order to give workshops and publicize her work. She’s attended RWA’s national conference six times, the ACFW conference and Romantic Times Magazine’s annual conference as well as traveled to New Jersey, Birmingham, and Tennessee to attend local conferences.

Check out Shelley's Facebook Fan page


ABOUT THE BOOK

In the first book in her new Secrets of Crittenden County series, Shelley Shepard Gray delivers another page-turning romance set in Amish country


Perry Borntrager had been missing from the quiet Amish community of Crittenden, Kentucky, for months when his body was discovered at the bottom of an abandoned well. Everyone had assumed Perry left Crittenden on his own, seduced by the wider world he discovered during his rumspringa, but now the truth has thrown this once-peaceful town into chaos. The first death from mysterious circumstances in Crittenden in more than two decades has invited the scrutiny of the outside world: a police detective arrives to help their local sheriff with the investigation. His questioning begins with Lydia Plank, Perry’s former girlfriend, and Perry’s best friend, the Englisher Walker Anderson.

Lydia and Walker know they didn’t have anything to do with Perry’s death, but they both hold secrets about his final days. Do they dare to open up about the kind of man Perry had become? In the oppressive shadow of these dark times, they discover strength in a most unlikely companionship that offers solace, understanding, and the promise of something more.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Missing, go HERE.

The Woodcarver DVD - Review

About the Movie:

Matthew Stevenson is a troubled kid from a broken home. When he vandalizes the local church to get back at his parents, Matthew has to repair the damage to the church to avoid criminal charges. While working at the church, he meets Ernest (John Ratzenberger), an accomplished wood carver who created the intricate woodwork decoration that Matthew destroyed. Ernest has become something of a hermit, but reluctantly comes out of reclusion to help repair the church. Now Ernest and Matthew must work together to preserve the church's beautiful antiquity, and along the way, they also manage to restore their faith in God and in life.

The Woodcarver DVD

(releases Tuesday, March 13th)

Christian Cinema: http://www.christiancinema.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=4094

My Review: 

I was excited to have the opportunity to watch and review this movie.  I am always looking for good, clean movies for my family and especially love it when we find one with a good message too.  We, as a family, watched The Woodcarver and loved it.  Matthew, unfortunately is not alone.  So many kids find themselves lost when their parents either get divorced or have important careers that take them away.  Somehow the kids get lost in the shuffle.  As with Matthew, so many of them make bad choices in order to get the attention they need.  

This movie not only gave us a glimpse into how a kid feels and processes the hurt but also how parents don't always make the right choices either.  The two together make for a bad situation.  I love John Ratzenberger in this movie.  He's hurting too but so soft and kind to Matthew.  Learning from his own parenting mistakes, he really has a heart for Matthew and his family.

This is a great family movie.  I would recommend it to any family.

 

 “Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or

services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it 

on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally 

and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance 

with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the 

Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Three Hearts - Review

Three Hearts is a wonderful documentary about a Samaritans Purse mission.  If you aren’t familiar with them, they are a nondenominational evangelical Christian organization who aids the world’s poor, sick, and suffering.  Their teams work in crisis areas of the world and people often ask them, “Why did you come?”  The answer is always the same:  “We have come to help you in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ.”  Their ministry is all about Jesus - first, last, and always.  

Their name, taken from the story of the Good Samaritan which gives a clear picture of God’s desire for us to help those in desperate need wherever we find them.  After describing how the Samaritan rescued a hurting man whom others had passed by, Jesus told His hearers, “Go and do likewise.”  The founders of this organization take that statement very seriously.

This documentary stars Cissie Graham Lynch, granddaughter of Billy Graham, a college graduate who takes an internship with Samaritans Purse.  She is assigned to The Children’s Heart Project which provides medical procedures to children from countries who don’t have proper medical means.  Cissie is put in charge of three Mongolian children suffering from fatal congenital heart defects.  She is to supervise their trip to the states, their surgeries, and their return.

The task is not an easy one for Cissie, a newlywed, who is trying to balance her new marriage and her new job.  At the last minute she cannot go to Mongolia to get them so the Children’s Heart team turns to a Texas family for the trip.  They become very involved with all three families and their host families.  All these families make huge sacrifices to care for these children and their moms.  The doctors donate their services to try to save these children’s lives.  How far would you go?  What would you be willing to do to save the life of a child?

It’s a fight for survival, a fight of faith, and a fight for a new life for these three hearts.

To watch the trailer go here or here

"Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services 

mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I 

only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. 

I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: 

"Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."