His Name is Jesus by Max Lucado

Recently, Thomas Nelson Publishers sent me the book His Name is Jesus, by Max Lucado to read and review.

When the book arrived, it was beautifully packaged in its own sturdy slipcover...a perfect gift for those who enjoy reading about the life of Jesus.

His Name is Jesus follows the footsteps of Jesus from his birth to his resurrection and beyond. Stunning illustrations allow you to see the glory of God's handiwork as you take the journey of His life.

Evident throughout the entire book is Max Lucado's powerful style of writing that has touched hearts the world over. He shows us the cold, drafty stable where Jesus was born and allows us a glimpse into the lives of Mary and Joseph. You will smell the fragrance of newly worked wood as Jesus goes about his daily life as a carpenter. You'll meet the woman who touched the hem of His garment, the leper who was healed and Lazarus, as he's raised from the dead.

You'll dine with Jesus and His disciples at the Last Supper, and spend time with Him in the Garden of Gethsemane. You'll feel His agony as He prays just before Judas brings the soldiers to take Him captive. You'll feel His exhaustion and excruciating pain as he bears the Cross, is nailed to it and gives up His life to save the sinners of the world.

Experience joy when Mary leads John and Peter to the Tomb and then realizes He has risen. You'll see His face and feel His presence as you read of the legacy He has left each of us.

This book is a poignant and heart touching look at the life of one man who changed the history of the world. It was especially touching to read during the week prior to Easter.

If you are interested in purchasing this beautifully written and illustrated book, it can be bought Here.

Happy Easter to all my friends and readers. ~Blessings, Mary~

Book Giveaway Winner

Thanks to everyone who participated in my book giveaway for my 600th post. I appreciate your kind words and support. So, without further ado,

number 36, which is Nancy of Nancy's Nonsense. Congratulations, Nancy. I know you will enjoy reading Just Jane. This is the time stamp. Timestamp: 2009-04-11 00:06:15 UTC

In other news, Brandon called after school on Thursday to see if he could come and stay the night. Jordan was going to stay over at a friend's house. I picked up Brandon and he was a great help. He played with Dakota and kept him busy. My legs were giving me a lot of pain and Brandon was a great help. We went to return a pair of jeans I'd purchased a couple of weeks ago and the place was packed. Not only were people looking for Easter items, but it was Midnight Madness and it was a mad house.

Then we looked at the Buy and Sell Shop. Brandon likes to look for games there. He buys used ones that are in good condition and he found one that he liked. $10, which is a far cry for the $60 they want for new games.

Then we stopped in at the pet store and he bought Dakota a little squeaky hedgehog for Easter. Dakota loved it and Brandon and the pup had a lot of fun playing with it. Brandon would throw it and Dakota would run, pick it up and then bring it back. The only problem is, he hates to leave go of it once it's in his mouth, but he's learning.

Brandon went home about 3pm today and by that time I was bushed. I took some Tylen*ol and laid down to read for a bit. It was nice to relax with a good book.

I wish all of my friends and readers a Happy Easter. The graphic above is a little gift from me to you. Feel free to take a copy for your sidebar. ~Blessings, Mary~

Turn the Page Tuesday and a Giveaway

This is a sticky post and will remain at the top until Friday April 10th when the drawing will take place. For recent posts, please scroll down.
Adrienne over at Some of a Kind is hosting Turn the Page...Tuesday, a book review/recommendation on the first Tuesday of the month. I found this at Paula's blog and since I often write book reviews, I thought I'd take part.


I read this book last fall and have been meaning to do a review of it. I enjoy Nancy Moser's books about women of history. The first book I read of hers was Mozart's Sister. When I saw Just Jane on sale at the local pharmacy, I just had to have it.

The name Jane Austen is well known in the literary world. Jane's life has always been the subject of curiosity for those who love her works. Now, author, Nancy Moser, brings Jane alive in her book, Just Jane.

Just Jane is narrated in the first person by Jane herself. Moser had brought Jane to life to tell her story as it has never been told before. The book begins with Jane almost engaged to an Irishman, Tom Lefoy. She has a work in progress titled First Impressions. The world will come to know it as Pride and Prejudice.

Jane spends her time writing, playing the piano, and visiting friends and family throughout their section of England. Other prospects do come along for Jane, but the possibility of marriage is either disrupted or refused. Jane is presented as being strong, stubborn and immature as well as loving, passionate, and rooted. She experiences loss, change in status, and defining moments in her adult life. As Jane ages, her focus shifts from finding a husband to finding a way to publish her books. In this way, her identity slowly develops.

Her narration is journal-like, reflective and descriptive. The story moves along through the letters that Jane writes and receives telling her news and gossip. Even the worst tragedies do not linger with her nor effect her in the long run until the death of her father comes. Then, Jane’s now widowed mother must be supported with help from Jane’s brothers to sustain a modest lifestyle for she and her two spinster daughters, forcing Jane to see that her stubborn refusal to marry has made her a burden in life.

As a writer, Jane does everything a writer is not supposed to do. She writes only when in an ideal mood. She takes rejection personally, and she dwells on the opinions of her readers. However, in managing her writing career her own way, she finds the modest success, personal fulfillment, and financial aid needed to fulfill her purpose in life.

Author Nancy Moser has done her research, using actual letters received and sent by Jane Austen. The book is well written, well researched and one that I throughly enjoyed reading.

Since I am nearing my 600th post, I am going to give my copy of this book to one lucky person. Just leave a comment and your name will be entered into a draw to win. The deadline for the drawing will be Friday April 10th at 8pm EST. I will announce the winner that evening or on Saturday. Be sure to tell others about the giveaway so they can drop by and enter. ~Blessings, Mary~

Plumbers Here Today

The plumbers arrived bright and early this morning to dig up my flower bed and fix what they thought was a broken pipe. I was a little skeptical of them doing it today in case they ran into problems. Tomorrow being Good Friday means that everything is closed and if there was a problem, we would have had to live with it over the weekend.

A young man named Jamie begin to dig out the hole. I think they thought it would be a breeze digging it out to at least 5 foot deep. I tried to tell them that the huge maple at the end of the driveway had roots running everywhere in the yard and also this property is full of rocks and gravel.
Poor Jamie. By 10 am, he had this much dirt dug out of the hole and that was constant digging. They put all of the dirt on pieces of wood in hopes that it would be easier to put back into the hole.

Here is Jamie in the hole. Yes, it was deep...much over the 5 feet they had hoped for. The pipe that you see goes into the ground where it meets the sewer pipe that leads to the street. The problem was where the pipe comes through the foundation and leads into the sewer pipe. However, the news was good. The pipe wasn't broken after all. It had just become separated at the seam. The contractor who did our previous repair for this problem in 2002, hadn't sealed the pipe properly. This is why we're having all the problems now. So they cut the pipe, put two connections in there to make it straight instead of being on an angle. They had it all done and left about 3 pm. No chipping out the foundation as we had originally thought. Just digging and repairing the pipe. That's the best news we've had about plumbing in years.

So, we received a blessing today and I'm happy. We don't know what the total bill is, but we will cross that bridge when we come to it.

Enjoy the Easter weekend and remember the significance of the holiday. ~Blessings, Mary~