Hear No Evil by Matthew Paul Turner + a GIVEAWAY!

If there's something you don't know about me it's that I LOVE to read blogs. One of my current favorites to read is Matthew Paul Turner's JesusNeedsNewPR because of his sense of humor about Christian culture. A few months ago he put out an invitation on his blog to participate in a blog book tour for his soon to be released book Hear No Evil. So, I jumped at the opportunity to read and review his book before it's release on February 16, 2010.

From his beginnings in a fundamentalist church that preached the "evil" of most music, including Amy Grant and Sandi Patty, to his college years at a Christian university and the beginning of his career, Matthew Paul Turner's book Hear No Evil is a collection of laugh out loud funny essays about how music has impacted his life. Turner is such a visual writer that I had a "Wonder Years" experience with him becoming the narrator to what I would see as I read. While his essays could be misinterpreted as bashing the church he grew up in, I think he ultimately points out how not all aspects of Christian culture are necessarily biblical. It's easy to see that Turner's intent is to point people to the freedom of having a relationship with Jesus instead of being bound by man made rules alone.

Now it's time for the free stuff! Thanks to the generosity of fine people at WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Company I get to give away a copy of Hear No Evil!

So here's how this will go down:

For your first entry, just leave a comment about anything! For additional entries: • Follow @alisonlhunt on Twitter • Follow my blog • Tweet about this giveaway • Blog about this giveaway Please leave one comment for each method of entry. Each comment is an entry. This giveaway will close at Noon PST on Thursday, February 18, 2010. Winners will be announced on Friday, February 19, 2010. Please make sure I have a way to contact you incase you win!

Don't worry, if you don't win you can always purchase this book and others by Matthew Paul Turner at RandomHouse.com. {which I HIGHLY recommend}

Happy Reading!

***Disclaimer: This book was provided for review and giveaway by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.

Review // How to Reach Your Full Potential for God by Charles Stanley

How to Reach Your Full Potential for God by Charles Stanley aims to guide Christians into a process of self examination about whether they are living the life God planned for them to live, and encourages Christians to live abundantly while aligning their life with the purposes of God.

When I read the description of Charles Stanley's How to Reach Your Full Potential for God, I was really excited.  Doesn't everyone want to reach their full potential? I know I do, and I was open for any help to make sure I don't miss the mark.  Unfortunately, I was disappointed. Stanley has a lot of great biblical points in his book, but overall any revelation I would have received seemed to get lost among the hundreds of questions he asks the reader. It got to a point where I felt hammered by self-examination questions.  The purpose of the book did not match the delivery and after reading it I felt overwhelmed by having to achieve every one of Stanley's 7 steps in order to reach my full potential. I guess I was hoping this book would not be another "do these 10 things and you will arrive"...I was wrong.

Stanley is a great man of God and a great preacher, but not all preachers should necessarily be writers.

To purchase this book or learn more about it please visit www.thomasnelson.com.


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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com  book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Exemplify Magazine - February 2010

The latest issue of Exemplify Magazine has just been released at www.ExemplifyOnline.com!

I am in the company of some incredible writers, and am so excited to be published along side of these women.  My article Cultivating A Simple Heart begins on page 25 (and the title is on the front cover AHHHH!!!!!).  I would love for your insights on the subject and you can comment through email, here on this blog, or over at Exemplify Online. I'll get comments no matter where you post it :)

Don't forget to get your free subscription by signing up at Exemplify Online!

Thanks and Love,

Tuesday's Trio - Book Series edition

Welcome to another edition of Tuesday's Trio!  This week is the Book Series edition.

I love books. That is no secret.  What you may not know is that I love book series even more.  It's the ultimate reading experience because the story lasts that much longer.

I have some subjective criteria that determined this list:

   Number of times read
+ Resonance with my imagination
+ Amount of personal takeaway
+ Entertainment factor                  
= A place in the top 3

Ok, so here are my top three in no particular order:

The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
Even though this series is classified in the Children's Literature genre, many adults would greatly benefit from these books.  Every time I read this I get a new revelation about the character of God and is as close to a modern day parable as you can get.  Not only a great writer technically, Lewis has a special insight into Biblical truth to tell it in a way that is palpable for many different audiences.

Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer
When this series first made its appearance with the book Twilight, I was a serious hater. I did not want to read about vampires at all. To be honest, I was a little afraid because I can't watch scary movies, due to the dreams they produce.  I don't even remember what compelled me to pick up the book, but when I did I could not put it down.  The story line was unexpected, but something about it made me want to keep reading and rereading.  The haters that remain need to give it another shot.  This got major bonus points for the entertainment factor, resonance with my imagination, and number of times read.  Not much takeaway....other than having to make choices and living with the consequences.

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
There are actually four books in this series: Little Women, Good Wives, Little Men and Jo's Boys.  Little Women and Good Wives are usually published in one book though.  These books are just a great reminder of another time when women were expected to do very different things than they are now, and how this band of women made their mark on society.  This series has been on my shelf for many many years.  A great read for all ages.

What does it say about me that each series is either in the Children's Literature or Young Adult genre? Wait, on second thought, I do not want to know.

Now it's your turn...what are some of your favorite book series?

Please see my disclaimer by clicking on the tab at the top of this page.  If you are reading this via RSS feed, please click on over to my blog to find the tab.

Tuesday's Trio - Eye Edition

Tuesday's Trio is all about introducing you to three of my favorites. I want to kick it off with three of my favorite tried and true, every day use eye make-up products. Well, to be honest, I only use three products on my eyes on a daily basis. So, it makes writing this Trio very easy!

#1 Bare Escentuals - Well-Rested

This little miracle maker makes tired eyes look brighter. Takes care of those pesky shadows that the too few hours of sleep leave behind.

#2 CoverGirl Outlast Smooth Wear All-Day Eyeliner in Smoke and Espresso

This liner is creamy and never needs sharpening. For me, it doesn't quite last all day, but it lasts longer than any other liner I've tried. The color is rich and dark on the first try, and it's easy to get close to my lashes. Perfect for quick application when I'm running late for work...which is just about every day.

#3 CoverGirl Lash Blast Luxe Mascara in Black Royale

In the last 6 weeks I have tried 3 different mascaras and this one is the winner, for sure. It keeps my lashes defined with out clumping or flaking off throughout the day. I also really like that it comes in four different tints. I choose the Black Royale because the blue tint really makes my blue eyes stand out.

What is your favorite eye trio? Does anyone have a good trio for smokey eyes?

Can't wait to find out what everyone else uses!

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Disclaimer: I am in no way being compensated or given free products for my Tuesday's Trio reviews. I just like to share my favorites with others because a good find should not be kept a secret!

Lesson learned, Jesus. Lesson learned.

Failure can be a catalyst if I choose to learn from it.

This week, for the first time in a long time, I really truly failed at something. Every month I have a writing deadline for the amazing ministry/blog/online magazine www.exemplifyonline.com. This month I couldn't meet it even though I gave every brain cell a stern lecture to get in gear and write!

Ask my friends...I sat in front of my computer for days and hours at a time, and I could not write. They would know. They received a number of "frustrated writer" phone calls (which may jut be worse than any "woman scorned" phone calls. Trust me.).

Here's my brain spiral of thoughts as I approached the deadline:

"Why can't I write this article?!"

"It's like the words in my brain were sucked out by some space black-hole vacuum."

" The devil must stealing my creativity tonight."

"So. Tired."

"I hate disappointing my editor."

"I'm actually not going to be able write this article."

"Ok, Jesus, seriously, why can't I write on this topic? I feel so dry."

At this point, the light bulb blinks on over my head and I knew why I was so dry. Uh, I hadn't really read my Bible in the last month. I could give you a million excuses, but none are worth your time. I just didn't do it. So, lesson learned, Jesus, lesson learned. To be spiritually full, I must feed. (sounds very vampiric, don't you think?). True story...the Bible fills my love tank.

I recently read this in My Utmost for His Highest on January 17:

"My contact with the nature of God will shape my understanding of His call and will help me realize what I truly desire to do for Him."

The more contact I have with God, the more I understand who I am, what He wants me to do, and how to do it. For me, this includes writing because it's what I desire to do for God. (Not sure this is theologically sound, but then again, I'm not a theologian.) The more time I spend with God, the more understanding I have about not only myself, but the world around me; natural and supernatural.

So, this weeks lesson, kids, is that 1) if I want to know God, I must spend time with Him and 2) to be spiritually full, I must be spiritually fed.

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A BIG thank you to my editor for giving me an undeserved second chance to continue writing!

2010 Sneak Peek!

Writing for...

Book Reviewing for:

Traveling to SPAIN

Coffee Plantation + Mountains = Missions in NICARAGUA

Maid of Honor for Michele

I have an exciting year ahead and these are only the things that I know will happen. I can't wait for some surprises along the way... -Alison

28 Blessings

Today is my 28th Birthday and I get just as excited about it as I did when I was younger. For me birthdays mean newness, fresh start, possibility, expectation of what could happen, and thankfulness for what has happened. This year I want to do things a little different and just focus on the blessings in my life:

1. Fresh excitement in my relationship with God
2. Family that loves me for who I am, and not who they want me to be in the future
3. I can freely worship in my country
4. I can read my Bible whenever I want to
5. Church family
6. Old friends
7. And new friends (thank you, Jesus!)
8. Books....glorious books
9. My local library...it feeds my addiction
10. Diet Dr. Pepper
11. Weight Watchers
12. ExemplifyOnline.com
13. A home to live in
14. A job that I LOVE
15. A boss that teaches me
16. Co-workers that are genuinely kind and helpful
17. Traveling for work...I love to travel
18. Health
19. Zumba....everyone needs to try it at least once!
20. Bloggy friends
21. Realized dreams
22. Being single...yes, it is a blessing and not a punishment ;)
23. Veggie friendly restaurants
24. Health Insurance
25. Glee! (a little TV joy never hurts! haha)
26. Google Reader to keep my blog reading organized
27. HEAT...it's been flippin' cold in Florida lately!
28. Another chance at another year to LIVE

What are your blessings? Both the big and the small....I think God delights in my delight even if I find it in Glee or Zumba or my Relationship with Him. -Alison

A New Kind of Giving

For most of my life Christmas was about making a wish list and hoping to get everything on it. Selfish, I know. As I've gotten older (and hopefully more mature Ha!) I began feeling like Christmas giving should mean something more than just giving and receiving "stuff". So, over the past few years I've made at least one gift for each family member, or tried to find the perfect gift that they never knew they always wanted. It's almost like a treasure hunt! To me gifts should say to the receiver, "I found/made this, and specifically had you in mind. I love you." For me, giving back during the Christmas season is putting into physical form how I feel about those I love the most. It's not about spending outrageous amounts of money or buying piles of presents. It's about the moment when they open the gift and the look on their face tells me they realize I have been paying attention. It's that moment of "I am loved." I know good and well that presents do not equal love, but think about how you feel when God blesses you with something above and beyond your basic needs and you have been desiring it for a long time. Don't you feel loved and think, "He did hear my secret whispered prayers!"? Me too, friend, me too. Giving presents is my way of expressing not only my love, but also God's love for the people in my life. Giving back can mean a multitude of things, and my meaning of it should not diminish the fact that there are people in our communities that need our help this Christmas season. There are many options to get involved, and here are some practical ways to get help out in your community and beyond:

• Serve food at your local homeless shelter...they need help not only on Christmas day, but all year long.
• Give gifts to your local toy drive.
• Donate food to a food pantry.
• Drop a box off for Operation Christmas Child (a personal favorite of mine!)
• Adopt a local family and provide Christmas dinner and/or gifts for their kids
• Donate money to your favorite charity or ministry by decreasing the amount you spend on gifts this season. You can even make a card for your friends and family that tells them a donation has been made in their honor!

I hope this Christmas season you do not become so consumed with stuff that you forget the people for who you are buying the gifts.

-A

Peace On Earth and In My Soul

During the holiday season stores are filled with greeting cards and decorations that read some version of “Peace on Earth”. This year it is making me ask myself, “Do I have peace in my little part of the earth? Do I have peace in my soul?” If I answered honestly, it would probably be... To read the rest of Peace on Earth and In My Soul see page 19 in the December issue @ www.exemplifyonline.com (You can also read it in blog form here)!!!