Seal of God

From the moment you pick up Seal of God by Chad Williams, you will be completely hooked until the very end. We all have an interest in things we don't know an awful lot about, the secret training required of Navy SEALs, the bond that is created once you have passed all the grueling training that would leave most of us in the dust, but there is something honest about the story that Chad Williams shares about his own journey in trying to find something to fill the empty hole in his life. This is a true story of how one SEAL found God and how he is using his testimony to change lives forever.

Chad Williams wanted more than simply going through the motions required of us all. You attend school, graduate, head to college and plan on gaining an education that will set the foundation for the remainder of your life. But somewhere along the way, Chad realized he wanted something more than what everyone was doing. He wanted to make his life count for something more than a paper you hang on the way. He wanted to be able to look back and be amazed he did something that only a handful would ever dream of doing. He wanted to become a Navy SEAL.

His father was less than thrilled to learn that Chad was giving up on the college dream to pursue something he didn't believe Chad could do. Mostly into hanging out with his skateboarding buddies, partying from the success he found at being a professional skateboarder and earning sponsors like Vans, Chad enjoyed the popularity and fame that came from that but something was still missing. He vowed he would endure whatever Hell the military would put him through just to make it to the end, despite what his father felt was sure to be a bonafide attempt and failure. In fact before Chad even made it to training and enrollment, his father, contacted a Navy SEAL and begged him to show Chad he didn't have what it took to even begin this journey into the military. The man agreed to meet Chad and invited him to "come and play" via an email. Was Chad up for the challenge?

The challenge would be something that would change not only Chad, but his father and the man who would train him and become his mentor through Chad's entire journey, US Navy Seal, Scott Helvenston. What started out as an effort to make something of himself to be proud of, would take him into a journey of darkness and horror beyond anything most of our minds can't comprehend and in the end would leave him a far different man than he ever dreamed possible.

I received Seal of God by Chad Williams as a purchase and did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review. I had the rare opportunity to witness Chad Williams speak at our church in California, and he is both engaging, charismatic and convincing. His testimony speaks of the love of friendship, the bond of brothers the SEALs share, the price of revenge, and the cost of loss of life of those we love and admire. It is a heart-breaking journey into the darkness of finding it all, achieving success and winding up empty when you arrive because the fulfillment we find when we rise to the top of corporate ladders is empty and the only thing there is people trying to knock you off and take your place at all costs. This is an eye opener for any one looking to find purpose in their own life. For Chad Williams, the journey wasn't an easy one, one he might not want to take again, but it is one worth all the blood, sweat and tears he faced to get where he is today. In my opinion, well worth every 5 out of 5 stars. For those looking at what it really takes to get into the Navy SEALs or to find purpose in your own life, check this one out.

For more information about Seal of God, Chad Williams, or where you can get a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

Seal of God by Chad Williams

You can also find Chad Williams on Facebook to stay updated on all his latest happenings in his life.

Miracle for Jen ~ Giveaway and Review

Sometimes life can change in an instant. The plans that we had laid out in front of us, the goals in life we had hoped to achieve, even a simple dinner plan with friends can be changed in the blink of an eye. That is just what happened to the Barrick family. One minute they were on their way home from an event at church where they watched their daughter, Jen sing in the church choir and preparing for dinner at their house to celebrate with family and friends. However when a drunk driver slammed into their mini van at 80 mph head on, what they would be left with would be considered a miracle.

In the novel, Miracle for Jen by Linda Barrick and John Perry, the reader is taken on a fateful journey that forever changed the lives of not only the Barrick family, but for every single person to be impacted by their story that is captured from start to finish in the beautiful memoir. What would later be a series of miracles that began from before the accident to years later, this book will take you on a walk with angels and with God as He carefully orchestrates a plan to use Jen's life in a very powerful way. This will change your walk with God and also show you just how powerful our prayers can be and they really do communicate with Jesus and His Father.

I don't think anyone who reads this book will ever be the same again. I personally have never encounter a teenagers faith as strong as Jen's prior to her accident and even more so afterwards. This has renewed my faith and increased my prayer life. I will never take things for granted again and will be working to make my own personal walk with God more diligent and powerful. I think that is exactly what Jen and God had planned in the most unexpected ways.

This is the journey of Jen's spiritual walk even before her accident, how she found God in her recovery efforts when she couldn't remember her mom's name but remember her favorite scriptures and songs of praise and worship. When her efforts at speech seemed futile, her prayers to God in the company of those who heard her, showed that Jen has a unique relationship with God that not only walked through that valley with friends and family but helped her see His purpose in it all.

I received Miracle for Jen compliments of Tyndale House Publishers for my honest review and have to say it's a must read for anyone wanting to know what faith looks like. There are many pictures of before and after the accident and for Jen and her family to be alive at all, is a miracle in itself. This one rates a 5 out of 5 stars in my personal opinion and I can't wait for you to read about Jen's story! For more information on this book, the author, read the first chapter, and where to pick up a copy of this book, please click on the links below:

Miracle for Jen by Linda Barrick with John Perry

You can also find out more at Hope Out Loud's website the Barrick family's ministry!

Thanks to the generous folks at Tyndale House Publishers, they are providing a giveaway copy to one lucky winner of this blog. Here's all you need to do to enter:

1. Be a follower of my blog, Reviews From The Heart.

2. Click "Like" on my Facebook page, Reviews From The Heart and leave a comment.

3. Be a resident of the US or have a US shipping address. Please No P.O. Boxes.

4. Leave a comment telling me why you'd love to win a copy of this book, along with your email address. You can use the words (at) and (dot) instead of the symbols.

The giveaway will end on March 18th and I will notify the winner at that time.

City of Tranquil Light

How far would you be willing to go if you felt the call of God on your life?

Would you be willing to risk your life to spread the gospel of Jesus?

Will Kiehn is just that ordinary man seemingly destined for life as a humble farmer in the Midwest, when Edward Geisler comes to his church one day to share his testimony of being a missionary in China. After returning home and finding out that Edward is coming to dinner, Will isn't sure if the strange feeling inside is God's calling or guilt.

When plowing his fields one day, he kneels to pray like he does every morning, and immediately feels the peace of God come upon him and give him confirmation that he is calling him to leave home and go to China with Edward.

Upon heading out with Edward on a ship bound for China, Will meets Katherine Friesen, a Deaconess from a hospital in Cleveland, who has also made the commitment to go to China. During the rough voyage that test more than their personal stamina, across open waters, poor living conditions, Will and Katherine become united in more than their ministry, they become married.

As they work to improve the lives of the people of Kuang P'ing Ch'eng- City of Tranquil Light, a place they come to love despite the crumbling of more than a two-thousand year dynasty that plunges the country into years of civil war in the early 1900's.

They face hardships they could have never imagined: a personal loss that shakes them both to the core, the constant threat of bandits, the physical dangers and tragedies of warlord China. They are tested both spiritually and physically, and they are also rewarded in ways that will leave them forever changed. This story is one of marriage, of leaving one home and finding another, and of faith.

I received this book City of Tranquil Light by Bo Caldwell compliments of B & B Media Group for my honest review. I was deeply touched as I read the story from both her grandparents perspectives of the lives that they both lived during China in the 1900's when the country was in utter turmoil. This is their memoir and shows just how our much our faith can grown in the midst of turmoil and adversity. This one rates a 5 out of 5 stars.

For more information on this book, the author and where to purchase a copy of this amazing book, please click on the link below:

City of Tranquil Light by Bo Caldwell