Miracle At the Higher Grounds Cafe Review

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Disclosure: I was given a copy of this book to review by Family Christian.  All opinions are my own.

Two of my indulgences: good coffee and good books. I absolutely love a great cup of coffee, especially when I am reading. So I was really excited to get a copy of Max Lucado’s “Miracle at the Higher Grounds Café” to read and review. I was curious how one of my favorite authors would be able to work coffee into a Christian fiction book, but he certainly did.

I couldn’t put the book down. It was that good.

At the time, I was on bed rest for a back injury. It took me a while to find a comfortable spot where the excruciating pain would subside enough for me to hold the book. But I did – yay, me! Then I opened the book and began to read. It was almost a good thing I had the injury, because if I needed to go to work or be productive, it was not going to happen until I finished the book – which took me less than two days.

The story begins with Chelsea Chambers heading back home to Texas with her two children. She had separated from her NFL football–star husband, and had a long road ahead of her as she took over her mother’s coffee shop. Mourning the loss of her mother and marriage, Chelsea dives into her new place in life, making cupcakes and lattes and struggling to balance it all, including a large IRS payment.

Max Lucado brilliantly takes the struggles most people face in their lives – joblessness, marital strife, parenting pressures, debt, family issues, loss and more – and weaves it into this story. Just as Chelsea is about to give up hope, she hires a clumsy guy who really has her back – and he helps her run the coffee shop  and provides moral and spiritual support. He also gives the go-ahead to an Internet company who installs a free-trial Wi-Fi service that brings customers into the Higher Grounds Café in record numbers. This divine Internet connection is a direct line to God, and everyone who logs on to this connection gets the chance to ask Him one question, which He answers. Needless to say, business is booming, with lines out the door from start until close, until the night the modem is stolen.  Once again, Chelsea is faced with the worry and stress of the business failing, in addition to the pressures of single parenting, dealing with family issues and trying to decide what she will do at this point in her life in regards to her marriage and career.

I think anyone who reads this book will feel the anxiety and stress of the main character, and can easily put themselves in her shoes. She feels completely alone in her battles. But once she types in her question to God and has her “a-ha” moment, she can see that she never was alone – that God was beside her the whole time.

If you are interested in purchasing a copy of this book, it is available at Family Christian stores as well as their online store. If you read this book – or have already read it, please share your comments in the section below. Happy reading!

© Lynne Cobb – 2015

From This Day Forward – A Book Review

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“As God by creation made two of one, so again by marriage He made one of two.”

 Thomas Adams

Disclosure: I was given a copy of this book to review by Family Christian.  All opinions are my own.

About a month ago, a newly-engaged young lady asked my husband and me, “What is the secret to your marriage?”

I was a little taken aback, as we have never been directly asked that before. We’ll celebrate our 32nd anniversary this August, so I guess we may look like “experts in the field.” Continue reading “From This Day Forward – A Book Review”

Before Amen – A book review

before amen“If attention deficit disorder applies to prayer, I am afflicted.” Max Lucado – Before Amen

What an honor to review Before Amen, a book by one of my favorite authors, Max Lucado.

One of the reasons I have always enjoyed Max Lucado’s books and devotionals is because he has a talent for writing the most profound messages in such an easy-to-comprehend way. He begins this book by announcing that he is a recovering prayer wimp, and admits that has dozed off while praying. He also admits that his thoughts zig, then zag, then zig again.

Though describing himself, he is also describing me. Continue reading “Before Amen – A book review”

Book Giveaway!

Vinegar Fridays
Vinegar Fridays

If you take a peek around my blog, you will find “Lynne’s Lab,” where I blog about doing my best to “go green.” I have been making my own household cleaners and toiletries for almost two years. My “green epiphany” began when my dad was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, and I started researching alternative and holistic methods of slowing down the progression of his disease.

My research opened a whole new way of looking at health – mainly, the prevention of disease. Our family now eats more organic and locally grown foods, less processed foods and we have done our best to rid the house of harmful chemicals.

I met author Hana Haatainen Caye, who is known as the “Green Grandma,” at a training conference in Chicago. The two of us connected, as when we both hit mid-life, we could see the benefits of being more aware of our environment, and the health risks that come with many commercial products. As we were talking, we shared information, and started following each through social media.

And, when I had the opportunity to review my fellow blogger’s book, I was excited to do so.

As consumers, we succumb to advertising, and many times we find ourselves purchasing foods, household cleaners and toiletries that have adverse side effects. Harsh chemicals that leach into the water system, vapors and fumes that can overwhelm users – there is a whole lot of bad stuff in our foods, cleaners, shampoos and make-up!

The Green Grandma offered a weekly feature on her blog entitled, “Vinegar Fridays.” Each week, she discussed a new use or tip for vinegar, and her readers loved it. After a year, she stopped the feature, thinking her readers were growing weary. But they didn’t. Green Grandma’s readers missed Vinegar Fridays. So, with the encouragement and support of her family and her blog followers, she edited her posts, did additional research, added recipes, more tips, and her book was born.

From using vinegar in the kitchen – in cooking and cleaning – to using it in the laundry room, to cleaning indoors and out; for skin and health care, pet care and critter control and more, Green Grandma covers numerous topics. Though she admits these are her opinions and she isn’t claiming scientific evidence to support her opinions, quite simply, the proof is in the pudding. Distilled white vinegar and apple cider vinegar are multi-purpose items that have stood the test of time and have been used for generations.

For years I have been using distilled white vinegar and water for cleaning windows, and I’d never use anything else again. I also use it for disinfecting the kitchen and bathroom and mopping the floors. Not only does it kill germs, there is no lingering perfume-chemical smell. And the house smells fresh! The vinegar smell dissipates quickly. (Quick side note – I had our furnace checked out for the winter, and our heating and cooling serviceman recommended cleaning the humidifier’s water intake/out-take pump with vinegar, and flushing with water, explaining that bleach was too harsh on the vinyl out-take hose!)

From this book, not only did I learn more about vinegar and its uses, but I enjoyed Hana’s writing. And, Vinegar Fridays is a great resource – I keep my copy handy in the kitchen with my favorite cook books. It is great to have all these tips handy and in one place.

If you are a resident in the U.S., and would like to be in a drawing for a copy of Vinegar Fridays, please fill out the RaffleCopter form for a chance to win. Deadline for entry is midnight on Sunday, December 8, 2013.

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For more green living info and tips, or to order a book, follow and/or click on any of these links: Green Grandma on Facebook and Twitter and the Facebook page for Vinegar Fridays!

Let me know your favorite use for vinegar in the comment section.