Kaylea Hutson's Blog, page 51

Happy Fourth of July!

Have a happy and safe Fourth of July today.Remember, if you see someone who served in the militaryor is a member currently, please say Thank You!

Blog Tour: Martha (Review)

She has spent her life caring for others--will she ever find someone who will cherish her?

Martha's entire life is marked by her responsibilities to her family. In the absence of her mother, she runs the household, makes the meals, cares for her father, and attempts to keep her absentminded younger sister on task. In the midst of her duties, will she ever find time to live her own life--or find her own love?

This touching, well-researched portrayal of Martha of Bethany, sister of Mary and Lazarus, unveils the woman within the Bible character. Through Diana Wallis Taylor's lush descriptions and inspired fusion of imagined and recorded dialogue, Martha's world--her trials, triumphs, and loves--vibrantly comes to life.

What I Thought
Ok, stop and think, what is the first thought that comes to your mind when you think of Martha.

Ok, be honest, was it the scene in the Bible where Martha looks at Jesus and says (in a completely paraphrased way): "Lord, tell my sister to get off her can, and work - there's too much to do to sit and just list."

This book - yes, it's fiction - may change the way you read that familiar story again.

In her novel, Taylor helps build (through research) a historical background for Mary, Martha and Lazarus -the three siblings who lived in Bethany. The research helps paint a picture of why Martha (and the other siblings) were the way they were, and how this impacted their faith walk.

She also explores some of the things happening in Jesus' life during this time period - bringing to life some of the emotions followers might have felt in the days leading up to the crucifixion and the resurrection.

On the scale of one to five, with five being the highest, I give it a solid three. It's not my favorite book this summer, BUT it's well written and gave me something to think about. It definitely made me think differently about Martha - in a good way.

About The Author
Diana Wallis Taylor is a speaker for Stonecroft Ministries and is currently working toward her MA in biblical studies at Bethel Seminary.

She is the author of Journey to the Well, has published many articles, and has contributed stories to several books. Taylor lives in California. Find out more at www.dianawallistaylor.com.

Online Resources
Visit Diana Wallis Taylor's website
Read an Excerpt from Martha

About Revell, The Publisher Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group, offers practical books that bring the Christian faith to everyday life.  They publish resources from a variety of well-known brands and authors, including their partnership with MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) and Hungry Planet. For more information, visit www.RevellBooks.com.

Note: As a freelance journalist, I was provided a copy of this book by Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group. This review was not influenced by a free book - just in case you (or the FTC) were worried about this detail.

Blog Tour: Double Take (Review)

What do you do when your life is not all it's cracked up to be? Get a new one.

It's spring break of her senior year and Madison Van Buren is fed up. Stressed over decisions on colleges, her parents' bickering, and pressures from her boyfriend, Madison gets in her car and just drives away. 

Meanwhile, seventeen-year-old Anna Fisher wants to escape the so-called simple life of the Amish--which for her consists of caring for younger children, sewing, cooking, and gardening--and she's well aware that her future will simply be more of the same with a man she doesn't love. 

Worlds collide when Madison and Anna meet for the first time in a small town, realize they look uncannily alike, and decide the grass is greener on the other side. Neither of them will ever be the same.

What I Thought
What happens when you take the traditional tale of the "prince and pauper" and write it from the perspective of two teenage girls, one of which happens to be Amish.

The result, is Melody Carson's newest book - Double Take - a surprisingly fun and light-hearted, yet poignant novel for teen and adult readers, alike.

I'll admit when I was a bit skeptical about this book. I mean, do we really need another novel set among the Amish. But here's the deal - Carson has not crafted a typical "Amish" novel.

Instead, this is really the tale of two young women, one of which happens to be Amish - who are struggling to discover who they are and how they fit into their world.

The one thing I wish... that the book would have kept going - or maybe flashed forward say 10 years in a closing chapter, to show how the girls took what they learned, to change their lives.

On a scale of one to five, with five being the highest, I give it a four. It's a fun, coming of age novel. Definitely a fun summer read that will probably get passed around to several young women I know.

About The Author
Melody Carlson is the award-winning author of over two hundred books with sales of more than five million. She is the author of several Christmas books from Revell, including the bestselling The Christmas Bus, The Christmas Dog, and Christmas at Harrington's, which is being considered for a TV movie.

She is also the author of many teen books, including Just Another Girl, Anything but Normal, Double Take, and the Diary of a Teenage Girl series. Carson was nominated for a Romantic Times Career Achievement Award in the inspirational market for her books in 2010 and 2011. She and her husband live in central Oregon. For more information visit her website at www.melodycarlson.com.

Online Resources
Buy Double Take @ Amazon.com
Read an excerpt of Double Take

About Revell, The Publisher
Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group, offers practical books that bring the Christian faith to everyday life.  They publish resources from a variety of well-known brands and authors, including their partnership with MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) and Hungry Planet. For more information, visit www.RevellBooks.com.

Note: As a freelance journalist, I was provided a copy of this book by Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group. This review was not influenced by a free book - just in case you (or the FTC) were worried about this detail.

Thought for the Day: Mother Teresa

 Credit: Font: CK_Alis_WritingI think people - especially Christians - need to remember this. Despite all of our differences - be it politics, gender, ethnic background, economic status or other "niche" label - we are all truly the same, because we belong to each other as children of God.

That in itself should outweigh all of the labels we like to tag on ourselves.

I wonder what the world would be like if we remembered that.

A thought to ponder today.

God is Wild about VBS & Haiti

During our PandaMania,
@ First UMC - Siloam Springswe're going to learn how God is Wild About Us!
We're also going to have a chanceto share this message with students in Haiti!
We're teaming up with Fellowship Baptist Church in Neosho, Missourito spread PandaMania to children in Haiti.
Volunteers from this church,(including some personal friends of Miss Kaylea)will travel to Haiti THEY LEAVE JULY 13!with JoyHouse , a ministry in Springdale, Arkansas.
Team members plan to provide a VBS experience for 100+ kids!That's Just Wild!
Two things We're Doing To Help Out:1) Our VBS Offering:Will help get stuff for the Haiti VBS.
2) A Special Present: We're sending gifts to the kids in Haiti!Stay tuned, you'll know more about thisduring the fourth session of our extravaganza!--Pst...it's the first session on Saturday!
Have You Registered For VBS? Click Here For Details!

Thought For The Day: Be You!

I love this quote, which showed up on Ali Edwards' blog.

It follows something my father told me this weekend. 

I asked if the cake I made was comparable to grandma (his mom).

He basically told me I needed to live my life as myself, and stop comparing myself to others.

So when I saw this quote by Ali today, it seemed to re-enforce dad's weekend words of wisdom.

I'm still trying to figure out what my "you"ness is. It seems to be the message God wants me to ponder right now.

So, how will you "embrace your 'you'ness" this weekend?

Adventures in Cooking: Angel Food Cake

One of my strongest memories of my grandmother, Elizabeth Hutson, is how she would make an angel food cake for special occasions (or quite honestly, probably when the chickens laid some extra eggs).

I still remember her whipping the egg whites by hand in a giant pottery bowl (which now sits atop my fridge) using a flat whip (yes, I still have it as well).

I don't know if the secret of her cake rested in the whipped egg whites, but I know she always strived to get them whipped into soft peak submission.

Saturday, during a visit home, mom said "why don't we make an angel food cake."

I think mom expected me to whip the egg whites in her mixer, but subconsciously, I grabbed a large bowl and started doing it by hand.

It's not that the cake wouldn't have turned out well, using the mixer, but somehow, mixing it by hand seemed, well, natural.

I didn't have access to grandma's recipe (it's somewhere in a box at home), but I did have a recipe from the Almena, Kan., community cookbook.

Simple - really just flour, sugar, cream of tarter, egg whites, vanilla, salt and almond flavoring - the recipe just took some extra prep to execute.


Apparently, it turned out well, since everyone - especially dad - seemed to enjoy it.

Maxine Lowry's Angel Food Cake
(Page 54 of the Almena cook book!)
Ingredients
1-1/4 C. sifted cake flour
1/2 C. sifted sugar
1-1/2 C. egg whites
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. almond extract
1-1/3 C. sifted sugar
1-1/4 tsp. cream of tarter

Instructions
Getting Started: Your eggs should be a room temperature & you should use an ungreased tube cake pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Step 1) Put measured sifted cake flour and 1/2 cup sifted sugar together. Sift the two ingredients together four times.

Step 2) Combine egg whites, salt, cream of tarter and flavorings in a large bowl. Beat with mixer until soft peaks form.

Step 3) Add the other 1-1/3 cups sifted sugar to the egg white mixture, in four additions, beating until blended each time.

Step 4) Sift in flour/sugar mixture into egg whites in four additions, folding in with large spoon each time.

Step 5) Fold batter into tube pan and bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes or until lightly browned on top with a dry look.

Step 6) Remove from oven, invert pan and let cake stand until cool. Remove pan and frost as desired.

Somethings I learned From This Adventure In Cooking!
1) The recipe called for 1-1/2 cups of egg whites. Mom remembered grandma just putting in a dozen egg whites, so that's what we aimed for. We needed a few more than a dozen, because alas, my egg separating skills were a bit lacking. (Next time, I'll have at least 1-1/2 dozen eggs ready and waiting for this adventure.)

I also learned you should also separate each egg, one by one,  into a bowl, then pour the "good" whites into the "main bowl." This keeps the busted yolks from contaminating more than one egg. (Mom also had me wash the bowl out, if a yolk busted (a.k.a. don't just dump out the egg/yolk.... always have a clean bowl to work with!)

2) What should you do with the egg yolks (and busted eggs)? Well, we made egg noodles (and tried out mom's new pasta machine). Basically, this meant dad got homemade chicken and noodles AND an angel food cake for supper. (We made enough noodles for supper, and to freeze for at least two more meals).

3) Since we didn't have a "sifter" for the sugar and flour, I put it in a bowl and then kind of "sifted" it with a pastry cutter. I figured the sifter breaks up the "big" pieces, so the cutter seemed to do the job. If I do this again, I'll have a sifter. I think this adds air to the cake and makes it "fluffy."

4) When you pull the cake from the oven, and it calls for inverting the pan for cooling, you need to make sure air can circulate UNDER the pan. (The new pan of mom's didn't have "feet" and the cake cooled, but got a bit "sweaty" on the sides. I think this problem would have been solved if we had inverted it onto a cooling rack.)

5) Make enough icing (I just did a thin powered sugar/milk/vanilla glaze) so it can pour over the cake in one setting.

6) Colored sprinkles are "extra" but that's how grandma made it!

Blog Tour: The Poisoned Chalice (Review)

Editors Note: This is the first of two communion-related books I'll be reviewing on my blog. This first book, written by a former classmate at Asbury Seminary, takes a look at the history of communion in the Methodist church. 

From the Publisher: 
Jennifer Woodruff Tait's work, The Poisoned Chalice, examines the introduction of grape juice into the celebration of Holy Communion in the late 19th century Methodist Episcopal Church and reveals how a 1,800-year-old practice of using fermented communion wine became theologically incomprehensible in a mere 40 years.

What I Thought
I really liked how Woodruff Tait unpacks the history of the use of grape juice by the Methodist church during the sacrament of communion; and shows how cultural influences (and the views of alcohol) shaped the view of using alcohol during the ritual.

I also liked how she showed how a few people's view of temperance managed to shape an entire denomination's theology. Woodruff Tait definitely paints a complete picture of this issue - and doesn't just stop with surface info.

Yes, the book is academic in nature, but Woodruff Tait's writing style (and the "voice" she uses to tell her tale) is friendly and easy to read. Footnotes at the end also aid in the reading, because it gives you a glimpse into the research that went into the book.

On the scale of one to five, with five being the highest, I give this book at least a four. It's not "bed time" reading, or "summer lite" fare, but Poisoned Chalice is a good book to read - especially if you find Methodist history interesting.

About The Author:
Jennifer L. Woodruff Tait is Adjunct or Affiliate Professor of Church History at Huntington University, Asbury Theological Seminary, and United Theological Seminary.
You can find more about her at: http://on.fb.me/poisoned-chalice-page

Online Resources
Link to the blog tour on your blog: http://on.fb.me/i0u2ck
Link to buy the book at Amazon.com: http://amzn.to/PoisonedChalice
Link to the University of Alabama Press: http://bit.ly/PoisonedChaliceAlabama

Spread The Word
Do you tweet? If so, consider posting one (or more) of these tweets to Twitter or Facebook during the blog tour week.

What does #PoisonedChalice have to do with communion? Read more here: http://on.fb.me/i0u2ck

Discover how United Methodists moved from wine to grape juice in communion. Read http://amzn.to/PoisonedChalice. #PoisonedChalice

Jennifer Woodruff Tait has tackled the #PoisonedChalice in her new release. Follow the blog tour here: http://on.fb.me/i0u2ck

If you write your own: please include the hashtag #PoisonedChalice!

Note: As a freelance journalist, I was provided a copy of this book by the University of Alabama Press. This review was not influenced by a free book (or the fact that I've known the author for YEARS) - just in case you (or the FTC) were worried about this detail. 

Blog Tour: Branded (Review)

The church spends $1.5 million for every one new follower of Jesus. Apple sells 26 iPads every minute. What is it that makes Apple so exciting and Jesus so boring? What is it that compels someone to bring their iPod everywhere and their Bible nowhere? In a word: marketing. 

Jesus is a life-changing product with lousy salespeople-people who are intimidated and embarrassed by the word "evangelism" and who show more enthusiasm for their gadgets than their God.

What would life look like if we stopped mass-marketing Jesus and started marketing our faith like Nike and Apple market their products--sharing relationally, from person to person? 

Using examples from these and other successful companies, author Tim Sinclair challenges Christians to throw out their casual attitudes toward faith and sign on for a marketing campaign for the Savior.

Written with the wit and wisdom of an experienced marketer, Branded peels away the feelings of fear and encourages readers how to share their faith in ways that are honest, authentic, and, most importantly, effective.  

What I Thought
I thought Sinclair's book was, well, intriguing. By comparing the methods Christians use to spread the message of Jesus, with secular marketing practices, Sinclair effectively shows what is and isn't effective.

I found the chapter of "What if's" which outlines more than 20 actions a Christian could take now, to be very interesting. It not only encourages Christians to "talk" about their faith, but also live it out in a life-changing, meaningful way.

Using real-life examples from Google, Best Buy, Circuit City, Amazon and more, Sinclair shows ways Christians should pay attention to "real life" when thinking about ways to market Jesus to a every changing world.

He suggests that Christians be like Google, and find opportunities to tell personal stories (a.k.a. testimonies) in a simple, yet effective way, including ways that truly demonstrate how Jesus has made a difference in the person's life.

In less than 145 pages, (including study guide and resource list), Sinclair has unpacked some serious and significant nuggets of truth.

One thing is for sure, this book will make you stop and truly think about how you "market" Jesus to a culturally-different and media-saturated world.

If we take but one thing found in Sinclair's book, and use it to change how we talk about or promote Jesus, it could truly make our ministries relevant (or at least get our message heard) to a hurting world.

Only when people "hear" the message, can we live out Jesus' mandate to go into the world to make disciples of all nations.

On a scale of one to five, with five being the highest, I give this book a solid four. It's relevant, real and remarkably fresh. It's a book that can be read again and again for nuggets of truth. Read it at your own risk - it may just make you re-think how you do church, and how you market your ministry to the public.

Honestly, I'm going to re-read this book, and look for ways I can implement Sinclair's message in the marketing/promotional activities I use for my children's ministry.

More About The Author
Tim Sinclair is a radio personality on one of the top Christian morning shows in the country, Mornings with Tim and Pam. For more than a decade, he has been helping radio stations and various other businesses creatively and effectively market themselves.

His award-winning productions have been heard on more than 2,000 radio stations worldwide and recent clients include McDonald's, Word Records, Moody Press, and the country's most-listened to Christian nonprofit radio station KSBJ/Houston.

Sinclair has written for CCM Magazine and the Huntsville Times. For more about Sinclair visit his website, http://www.tim-sinclair.com.

Online Resources
Buy Branded @ Amazon.com
Read more about Tim Sinclair here!
Follow the blog tour online here

It's A Contest!
Kregel Publications is sponsoring a $50 Amazon.com giveaway open to readers of this blog post. To enter all you have to do is send a tweet (using @litfuse) about Branded or share about it on Facebook!

If you tweet we'll capture your entry when you use @litfuse. If you share it on Facebook or your blog, just email us and let us know (info@litfusegroup.com). Easy.

Not sure what to tweet/post? Here's an idea.
TWEET THIS:  Branded by @timjsinclair - Jesus is a life-changing product with lousy sales-people! @litfuse http://ow.ly/566nr

FACEBOOK THIS: Branded by Tim Sinclair is a compelling look at what Christians can learn from companies like Apple & Starbucks about sharing their faith! Jesus is a life-changing product with lousy sales-people!  http://litfusegroup.com/blogtours/tex...

Note: As a freelance journalist, I was provided a copy of this book by Litfuse Publicity Group. This review was not influenced by a free book - just in case you (or the FTC) were worried about this detail.

Blog Tour: A Reluctant Queen (Review & Author Q&A)

An inspiring re-imagining of the tale of Esther, a young Jewish woman thrust from a life of obscurity into a life of power, wealth, intrigue . . . and tender love.

See the story of Esther in an entirely new way-with all the political intrigue and tension you remember, but told as a passionate and tender love story between a young man and woman. Misunderstood by many, King Ahasuerus was a powerful but lonely man. Esther's beauty caught the eye of the young king, but it was her spirit that captured his heart.

Imagine anew the story of Esther, one of our faith's great heroines, destined to play a key role in the history of Christianity.

What I Thought
This book takes a fresh look at the story of Queen Esther, which was both unique and interesting.

I really liked how this novel caused me to "rethink" a familiar story. I also liked how it examined the personalities of all of the key players from Haman to Esther, and even the people behind the scenes in court life.

I thought the author, Joan Wolf created a book that not only unpacked Haman's actions, but also helped show his motives as well. One thing that struck me, is how alike Haman was to Judas. Both loved their master very much, and both "pushed" them, because they desired greatness.

(Basically, both Judas and Haman took life in their own hands, in order to push their master into doing what they thought he should be.)

I also liked how the book really examined the relationship between Esther and the King and unpacked their humanity.

I'll admit, I was a bit confused, and then frustrated by Wolf's creation of a "new" king between Darius and Xerses. She explained in the afterward that this was part of her "artistic" license with the story.

She created a likeable king, in order to have a "prince charming" for her Biblical Cinderella story. I can respect her artistic license. However, I wish she had just "jazzed" up Xerses, without creating a "different king." But that is my only complaint, and it is minor.

On the scale of one to five, with five being the highest, I give this book a solid four. It was interesting, made me thing and is a Biblically-based fairytale, that well, has all of the makings of a cinderlla story.

About The Author
Joan Wolf was born in New York City but has lived most of her adult life with her husband in Connecticut, where she raised two children and countless numbers of assorted animals.

Wolf is the author of numerous historical novels including The Road to Avalon which Publishers Weekly lauded as "historical fiction at its finest."

For more about Wolf and her other books, please visit www.joanwolf.com.

More From The Author (A Q&A)
What draws you to historical/biblical fiction?
I have always adored history, a love I inherited from my father.  He used to discuss people from history as if they were people in the current newspapers.  I think almost 90% of my books must have an historical setting.

You've had a successful career writing for the ABA, why start writing for the CBA now?|A few years ago I had an extraordinary experience where God touched my life.  This encounter stirred my interest in writing about other people who had experienced the presence of God in their lives and the CBA seemed to be the best place for me to do that.

What is it about the historical account of Esther that led you to write a romance story about her?
When I was a girl Esther fascinated me.  It seemed wonderful that God had chosen a woman to be the person who would save His people.  And, since I am a romantic soul, I also thought that there must have been a great love between her and the king for him to have done as she asked.

Why did you move away from the traditional interpretation of King Ahasuerus' conduct?
I always thought that Ahasuerus must have loved Esther deeply because he listened to her and revoked the edict that Haman had sent out.  A king who not only allows his wife to break into his religious feast without punishment, but also comes to have dinner with her the following day, must care for her very much indeed.  And such a man must be a much nicer person than the king traditionally portrayed by Xerses/ Ahasuerus.

You love animals.  Do you ever incorporate them into your books?
Do I not ever incorporate animals into my books?  I am famous for my horses, but dogs play their part as well.  Unfortunately, I couldn't put Esther on a horse, but I did make Ahasuerus a fanatical horseman.

What is your favorite historical era to write about?
I love to go way back in time, to periods where the records are mostly archeological.  I actually did three books set in the Upper Paleolithic, the period of the last ice age.  My next book is about Rahab, and I'm having such fun reading about pottery and stone remains from the late Bronze Age.

Online Resources
Buy A Reluctant Queen @ Amazon.com
Follow the blog tour here!

It's A Contest
To celebrate Joan Wolf's debut Christian Fiction title, A Reluctant Queen , Wolf and her publisher, Thomas Nelson, have teamed up to give away A Reluctant Queen prize package worth over $150!


One grand prize winner will receive:
* A brand new Latest Generation KINDLE with Wi-Fi and Pearl Screen
* A Reluctant Queen by Joan Wolf (for KINDLE)

To enter, just click one of the icons below. But, hurry, the contest ends on June 20th. Winner will be announced on June 21st during Joan's A Reluctant Queen Book Club Party on Facebook (details below)! Hope to see you there – bring your friends!


Join the fun on June 21st! 
Wolf  will wrap up the blog tour and Kindle giveaway promotion during her  A Reluctant Queen FACEBOOK party on her FB author page. During the party she'll announce the winner of the Kindle, host a book chat discussion, test your trivia skills (Is Esther's story in A Reluctant Queen fact or fiction?), and more. Don't miss this chance to meet the author and make some new friends!

Note: As a freelance journalist, I was provided a copy of this book by Litfuse Publicity Group. This review was not influenced by a free book - just in case you (or the FTC) were worried about this detail.