Alienation - Book Review

Title - Alienation

Author – Jon Lewis

Publisher – Thomas Nelson

Date of publication – January 2012

Number of pages – 336

**According to the new FTC regulation I am required to disclose that Litfuse Publicity Group sent me a free, advanced copy of Alienation for review purposes.**

About the book:
After his parents were killed in a car accident, Colt McAllister was drawn into a world he thought only existed in comic books-one where mind control, jet packs, and flying motorcycles don't even scratch the surface.
Along with his best friends Oz and Danielle, Colt is now training at the secret Central Headquarters Against the Occult and Supernatural academy. But strange accidents seem to follow him. . . even with the security of the school grounds. What first seems random soon turns deadly. But who is targeting Colt?
As the alien invasions increase in frequency and force, C.H.A.O.S resources are taxed to the limit and they're forced to utilize the new recruits. In the midst of battle, Colt will discover some startling revelations . . . about himself, his friendship with Oz, and why he has been chosen to defeat this alien attack against earth. 

About Jon:
Jon S. Lewis is the coauthor of the Grey Griffins trilogy (over 500,000 books in print) and the upcoming Grey Griffins Clockwork Chronicles. He also writes for the DC COMICS family of publishers. He resides with his family in Arizona.

Alienation : A C.H.A.O.S novel, is the second of a trilogy of Sci-Fi books written by Jon Lewis.  Though the book is the second in a trilogy, it is very good as a stand alone.  It was very easy to follow the plot and story line.  This book features mind-control, hoover-boards, flying motorcycles, shape-shifting aliens, and a Sci-Fi take on good versus evil.  Colt McAllister is a young high schooler, coping with teenage self-esteem issues, insecurity issues and hero worship/envy for his best friend Oz.  Colt is also the principle character of the book.  The book did an excellent job of showcasing the inner-turmoil of an unlikely hero.  Alienation and the continuing story of Colt McAllister is supposed to be an allegory of the story of young David the sheep herder in the bible.  I personally would have liked to see a little more focus on the character's faith or belief in God.  Or a little more paralleled connections to David.  In the book, when Colt joins the academy, his grandfather gives him a medallion.  Inscribed on the medallion is the bible verse, Psalms 46:11, "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in time of trouble".  This is almost the only reference to Colt's faith in the book. 
Jon Lewis said, "In Alienation I want readers to realize that like Colt, we all have a special calling.  We just need to figure out what it is."  I definitely agree with that statement.  However, in order to figure out your calling you need to tune in to the power of God and I do not think the book expressed that key factor well enough.  That being said, the book was a very engaging read, with believable characters and very nice sci-fi virtual imagery.  It was fun to read and the action kept you close to the edge of your seat!  For a book whose target audience is young adults, under the age of 20, the book is very well written.  I would definitely recommend this book to young readers.  On a scale of 1-10, Alienation gets a solid 8 from Regina's Family Seasons! (Buy Alienation HERE)

*BONUS*

Win an iPad from @JonSLewis and @NelsonFiction in the Alienation iPad2 Giveaway! The invasion was only the beginning! Jon Lewis is celebrating the next adventure in his fast-paced C.H.A.O.S. series with an explosive giveaway!

One thrill-seeker will receive:

• iPad2 with Wi-Fi
• Copies of the C.H.A.O.S. novels, Invasion and Alienation

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends at noon on February 7th. Winner will be announced at the Alienation Facebook Party on 2/7. Jon will be hosting an Author Chat, giving away copies of the books and gift certificates to iTunes and Amazon.com! Don't miss a second of the intrigue!

Grab your copy of Alienation and join Jon on the evening of February 7th for an author chat, spy training (How much do you know about alien invaders?) and lots of giveaways. 

Don't miss a moment of the fun. RSVP today and tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 31st!
Blog tour http://litfusegroup.com/blogtours/text/13451655



If you have young readers, pick up your copy of Alienation today!!
Enjoy!
Regina

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Knowledge Is Power

What is the BEST GIFT you can give to your children and the entire younger generation??? That would be KNOWLEDGE!  Yes, I am a firm believer that KNOWLEDGE is POWER!  Because if you do not KNOW anything you will NEVER be able to ask the right questions, and if you do not ask the right question you will NEVER get the information you need to GROW, SUCCEED, or SURVIVE!
I love and appreciate all my ancestors for the struggle they endured to make me a free woman, able (willing and ready) to share my thoughts, desires, outrage, and everything else that I am free to express.  I am thankful for those who share knowledge so that another generation can pick up where we left off and carry on the next leg of the race.
Education and knowledge are not the same things.  They are synonymous but they are also different.  Education is acquired through formal channels of learning such as schools, colleges, etc.  Knowledge is gained from real life experiences such as living, reading, consultation, mentoring, etc.
For African American people our ancestry, history, accomplishments, and triumphs are not always highlighted through formal channels of the media, and have not been accurately taught or portrayed in the school system.  It is our duty to impart knowledge to the younger generation.
HAPPY BLACK HISTORY MONTH!!
Use it wisely!


Smooches!
Regina

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Momma's Going To Vegas!!

I am going to VEGAS, BABY!!!!  Well, at least that is my plan! LOL!  My little brother (who is actually a younger cousin) and his wife are celebrating an anniversary in July.  So a few of us decided that it would be nice if we all could get together in July.  So we decided to pack our bags and go to VEGAS to celebrate the anniversary!  So there are a bunch of cousins and an aunt who have already confirmed (My aunt and her husband have already booked their room!!!).  It will be awesome to get some of the family together for something other than a funeral!  My last real vacation was 5 years ago when the family went to Disney World, Florida.  So yes I think I am over due for some vacationing!  I have a hotel addiction, I can not explain it, I just really LOVE to be in hotels!  We are staying at the Excalibur Hotel and Casino.  I like the medieval times theme!

I really want to see Cirque Du Soleil while I am there but MAN, THOSE TICKETS ARE STEEP!!!  So I do not know if that is going to happen!  But I am sure I will find something to occupy my time!  It will be awesome spending time with family that I haven't seen in years.  I have a few cousins I have not seen since we all were teens who I think will be making the trip so this should be fun!  Sooo, if you want to be part of the "Send Regina To Vegas" fund just let me know!! I will accept all monetary donations!  And don't worry I DO NOT GAMBLE, money is to hard to come by to just give it away on some card games! ....... But I MIGHT come back married!! (I'm just saying.. it is VEGAS!!!)

Pray for me!
Smooches,
Regina


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Who Is Raising YOUR Children?

I love the scripture, "Train up a child in  the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it" (Proverbs 22:6).  This should be the foundation of dealing with youth.  You cannot expect our youth to grow up and become productive and positive members of society if no one is teaching or training them.  When I look around I see a lot of youth, teens, and young adults who are lost and wandering.  They have no respect for life, elders, others, OR THEMSELVES.  They do not care how they look, how they talk, how they act, or care about the impression they leave on others.  If they respected themselves would they walk around looking like these guys and thinking it is appropriate??
But when they cannot get anywhere in life they are quick to blame society, their parent, and anyone else they can find to blame.  Though it is true, PARENTS SHARE SOME RESPONSIBILITY for the outcome of what we see. IF, the parent has not invested the time to train that child.  I am not talking about the children who were trained and are going through the independent phase, I am referring to the parents who are not so inclined to teach anything, impart any knowledge, share any legacies, nothing.  They just had the child and that was pretty much it.  I am talking about the parents who do not care if Lil Wayne is their son's role model!

And NO, I am busy is not valid, nor is, I have to work, I go to school, I need to go to church and volunteer my time for 8 hours, or I am tired!  I am tired of the excuses some of you sorry excuse for parents are spreading! If you have tine to shop, go out, drive around with friends, go to the movies or Apple bees you have time to do something with the child YOU brought into this world!

It does not take long for a child to learn a lifelong lesson.  Children are quicker and smarter than adults give them credit for.  Matter of fact if you start when they are young they can learn from everyday interactions.  For example my 2 year-old grandson watches me do the laundry.  He knows where his dirty clothes go and he also knows wear the clean clothes go to dry.  The last time he spent the night he helped grandma with the laundry!  Yes, HE hung his shirt and pants on the drying rack because he has seen his Aunties and I do it! And he did a darn good job!  When he spends the night he takes off his shoes and lines them up under my bed in a perfect line.  WHY??  Because when he is home he sees his mother line up his and her shoes under the bed in a line.
Parent's are the FIRST TEACHERS!  You need to act accordingly!
YOUR CHILD IS OUT OF CONTROL!!

Why is this guy raising your child?

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Look At Me Now!

Ever feel like people are not really seeing the real you?? Ever feel like they are not appreciating your true worth? They are not understanding your true value?  Ever feel like they do not see the real you?  Ever feel like people have written you off because of outward appearances?
People are quick to judge you based on what they see.  They are quick to make assumptions.  When I was growing up I often heard the saying, "When you assume, you make an ass out of you and me".  Now that I am grown, I know, "When you assume you are making an ass out of yourself"!
I do not have the right hair,
I do not have the right body,
I do not have the right clothes,
I am not one to need or want the spotlight,
I just like to be me!  Doing my job the way God tells me to.
Sadly, people in the church are as judgmental, if not MORE judgmental than people in the world.  They like to judge your clothes, hair, nails, the way you pray,  if you pray in tongues or not, and everything else.
In the bible God told Samuel to anoint Jesse's son because he would be the future King of Israel.  Samuel was looking for a son who had the LOOK of a king.    This is a huge assumption or mistake that Samuel made in spotting God's choice for Israel's king.  Samuel was looking for a statuesque, strapping, confident, young man who had the LOOK of a future king.
I can only imagine Samuel's surprise AND embarrassment when Jesse's son the sheep herder came in and God said to Samuel "ANOINT HIM, HE is the one"! 1st Samuel 16:1-13 tells the story of how David the smallest and youngest of Jesse's sons was anointed as King.

So while people are busy looking at appearances and outward adornments GOD is searching your heart, looking within for what He can use.  So DO NOT live your life trying to please others with your look but strive to please God with your Spirit!


Blessings,
Regina

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Serenity NOW!

Things go wrong you worry, bills come in you worry, Life throws you a curve and you worry. You may have heard it often during your lifetime, I know that I have.  Matter of fact my mother used to have it posted on a wall in the house (Maybe because her other child was driving her crazy, not me though I was the good one...)!  

I am talking about the Serenity Prayer.

God, grant me the Serenity

To accept the things I cannot change...

Courage to change the things I can,

And Wisdom to know the difference.

This is only the first part of the untitled prayer written by theologian Reinhold Niebuhr.  This prayer is also widely recognized as the mantra for AA (Alcoholics Anonymous).  The rest of the prayer is:

Living one day at a time,

Enjoying one moment at a time,

Accepting hardship as the pathway to peace.

Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is,

Not as I would have it.

Trusting that He will make all things right

if I surrender to His will.

That I may be reasonably happy in this life,

And supremely happy with Him forever in the next.

Amen.

~Reinhold Niebuhr~

Even when we know, we cannot do anything about a situation we worry about it.  Why?  People are always worrying about things they cannot change, or worrying about something that has not even happened yet.  Walking around, pacing the floor, biting your nails, pulling out your hair, wearing off the tread in the carpet, and running something repeatedly in your head.  FOR WHAT?  The bible talks about worrying especially in Matthew 6:25-34.  Verse 27 asks the question, "And who of you by worrying and being anxious can add one unit of measure to his stature or to the span of his life?"

What does worrying get you?  As the bible says, it does not add a single hour back to your life, so why worry.  It will accomplish ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!  Instead of worrying, use that same time and energy for something more productive like praying, talking to the Father, or reading the word.

Matthew 6:34: Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things.  Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Don't worry!  Be Happy!
Smooches,
Regina


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The Resignation of Eve

ATTENTION:  Women of the Church! 

What would happen if ALL women just stopped going to church?  What would the men do?

This scenario happens in “The Resignation of Eve”.

Title - The Resignation Of Eve: What If Adam's Rib Is No Longer Willing To Be The Church's Backbone?
Author – Jim Henderson

Publisher – Barna Books/Tyndale House Publishers

Date of publication – February 2012

Number of pages – 320

*Tyndale House Publishers have provided me with an advanced, complimentary copy of "The Resignation of Eve" to read in order to write my review.*

Jim Henderson

Read Jim Henderson's Bio HERE

From the Tyndale House Media Center:

In talking with women around the country, Jim Henderson has come to believe that there is an epidemic of quiet, even sad resignation among dedicated Christian women who are feeling overworked and undervalued in the church.  As a result, many women are discouraged.  Some, particularly young women, respond by leaving the organized church . . . or walking away from the faith altogether.   

WOW! What a very interesting book!  "The Resignation of Eve" will definitely make you think about yourself, your church, and your involvement in church a little differently.  As a Christian woman, I have had many of the thoughts and feelings highlighted in this book.  The general premise of the book is essentially, what if the women of the church stopped being the workhorses of the church.  That's right! No more singing in the choir. No more running the nursery.  No more working in children's church.  No more anything until equality is evaluated!  Due to certain scriptures in the bible and due to a certain mindset of men in the church, women are not to lead in the church.  Some men believe that women should be quiet in the church; other men believe that women should only lead women’s groups or work with children/youth groups.  The author, through numerous interviews and research has attempted to expose the inequality in the treatment of women in the church.  The book gives a very engaging look at how women view themselves in Gods’ church.  This book was well written and thought provoking.  The author gave us a LOT of information to ponder.  I enjoyed reading the interviews with the various women and getting to understand the different views of women in the church.  This book should be included in every book club across America.  After reading The Resignation of Eve, I had to think back on my involvement in church work and evaluate what I do and why.

The author of this book believes that most women in the church fit into three main categories.  Those RESIGNED to the treatment of women in the church.  Those who RESIGNED from the church and its treatment of women.  Lastly, those RE-SIGNED to influencing and changing the treatment of women in the church.

Which category do YOU fit in?

This book is a definite must read for MEN and WOMEN!

Blessings,

Regina

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It Is 2012, Where Are You?

I was doing some reading last night and meditating on some things and I went back to the book of Genesis.  In chapter 3, after Adam and Eve have eaten the forbidden fruit from the tree of knowledge of Good and Evil they came to know that they were naked.  They clothed themselves with fig leaves.  Adam and Eve heard God coming, walking in the garden and they hid themselves from the presence of the Lord.

Now in Genesis 3:9 the scripture says, "Then the LORD the God called to Adam and said to him, "Where are you?"  This is where I stopped because God said, "WHERE ARE YOU?"  Now I have read this passage numerous times but this is the only time I actually stopped and thought about it.  Why do you suppose GOD asked Adam, "WHERE ARE YOU"?  Is not our God OMNIPOTENT? Is not our God OMNIPRESENT? Is not our God OMNISCIENT?  So if God is All powerful, All Knowing, and Present all over, it must be a logical conclusion that GOD already KNEW where Adam was, what Adam had done and why he was hiding. So then why did God ask the question?  I do not believe that God asked the question just to be rhetorical but PERHAPS GOD asked the question to give ADAM something to think about?
So just imagine that in OUR sin GOD is asking US, "WHERE ARE YOU?"  Imagine you just did something TOTALLY STUPID and your friend, sibling, parent, mentor, said something like, "DUDE! REALLY??? COME ON! GET YOUR MIND RIGHT, WHERE YOU AT???" (Please do NOT tell me you NEVER had a conversation like this! If you never said it, then you had to have heard it!)
 So, THIS is why I think God asked Adam, "WHERE ARE YOU"?
And now I ask YOU, "WHERE ARE YOU?????" Time to stop hiding because God already knows what you did, who you did it with, what you said, what you are thinking about....

WHERE ARE YOU in your spiritual walk? 
WHERE ARE YOU in your relationship with GOD?  
WHERE ARE YOU in the usage of your spiritual gifts?
WHERE ARE YOU with your spiritual life?
WHERE ARE YOU in your goals?

Think about it.....

Smooches,
Regina

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