I didn't start taking photos until 2009, but it quickly has become a wonderful creative outlet and passion for me.  I have to admit that I don't take very good portrait photos of people, but I do a bang-up job on flowers and zoo animals!  At the encouragement of some friends, I have started to offer some of my photos for sale and have also been doing some abstract work.

You can see my full gallery of images at IMAGE KIND and below are a few of the newer ones.

Title:  Is God Saying He's The One?

Author:  Susan Rohrer

Rating:  4 Stars

In “Is God Saying He’s the One?” author Susan Rohrer talks about hearing from Heaven about the man in your life.  I recently saw a Pinterest post that read, “If he doesn’t care about your soul, he’s not your soulmate.”  That post is the crux of what you’ll find in this book.  Rohrer answers the questions about what God has to say about the man in your life, in His choice of a husband for you, and whether or not there is such a thing as a match made in Heaven.  With too many single women settling for “Mr. Right Now” instead of “Mr. Right,” Rohrer’s book is a good bible-based view on the subject of finding the right mate.  Who you’re going to marry should be the most important decision you ever make, but too many women spend more time and thought into planning their weddings instead of planning their marriages. Why would any woman want less than God’s best when it comes to choosing a husband?  Rohrer suggests that women take time to pray for a Godly husband and let God be the matchmaker in your life.  

 
“Is God Saying He’s the One” reads like a conversation between two friends sharing stories, both disastrous dating stories and wonderful wife stories.  Nothing in this book comes across preachy or as a lecture, but as a woman who wants other women to have the best God has to offer them.  As Rohrer says, single women need to just say, “Lord, I trust you with this.”

Having read some of Kristi Burchfiel’s prior works, I was excited about the opportunity to read her latest book, The Decay Within.  With this piece, Burchfiel asks us to consider whether we are decaying from the inside out.  I really like how Burchfiel writes because she makes scripture easy to understand and breaks down her devotionals into bite-sized pieces that are easily digestible and easily implemented.  This would make a great bible study for a small in-home group to work from.

Taken from the Book of Amos in the Bible, Burchfiel explains how the people of that time were wealthy and powerful, but still suffered a downfall as a result of their attitudes.  The book includes maps that depict Israel and helps you understand what the culture was like during that time.  In this age of preaching prosperity and sometimes “Christian Lite,” Christians need to hear a real story of repentance and changing our ways to please God.  Far too often we talk the talk without walking the walk, and this is one of the things that Burchfiel explores in The Decay Within.  The author includes chapters about signs of the times, judgment on others, warnings of judgment ignored, begging for repentance, and the truth found in God’s Word that He alone is worthy of our praise.

As with all of Burchfiel’s books, I am appreciative of the reflection questions and blank lines to answer some of the questions she poses, such as our perspectives when we view the world, examining the main causes of our mistakes, and thinking about how we should treat others. 

Title:  The Decay Within

Author:  Kristi Burchfiel

Rating:  5 Stars

Title:  Do NOT Invent Buggy Whips

Author:  Dr. Kenneth J. Thurber

Rating:  5 Stars

As a graduate-level business professor, I appreciate how Dr. Thurber has expanded upon a theme we often tell students in marketing classes, (i.e. nobody needs buggy whips anymore) and created a book around entrepreneurship that incorporates creativity, innovation, positioning, and disruption. “What does he mean by disruption?” you ask?  He defines creative disruption as the process of creating products to obsolete other products.  Think about it, didn’t the automobile obsolete horse and buggies and the need for buggy whips? I don’t know whether the author’s intent was to make this a regular nonfiction business book or a textbook, but it could easily be well-suited for either.  Thurber does a good job reinforcing his concepts with relevant business articles and internet links and like a good professor, tells you what he’s going to say, says it, and tells you what he said.   Well-arranged into different sections and chapters, Thurber takes you through the origin of ideas, his model for disruption, application of concepts, answering the questions of “What If?” and “Who Cares?” and examples of product strategies that include the Segway, Starbucks, the iPod, and more.  

 
The focus of “Do Not Invent Buggy Whips” is the creation of new product concepts and the reality that you sometimes need to reinvent yourself and your products. Thurber wants you to consider not only the innovation of a new product but also the positioning of a new product in order to ensure its success.  Great book for people wanting to start their own small business or big businesses wanting to stay viable in today’s economy.

Okay, I’ll admit it – I’m a sucker for kids’ books that feature animals.  That’s why I chose to read “Animal Sound Mix-up” by Connie Arnold. It tickled me that the illustrator’s name was Kit Grady because I have a kitty named Grady, but then again, I’m silly that way.

The cover was adorable with illustrations of a dog, a cat, a bunny, a bird, and a . . . I’m not sure what, but they all had their mouths open as if speaking to the reader.  The author asks us to imagine what a world would be like if animals made completely different sounds than expected. For example, what if a lion said “meow” and a donkey said “bow-wow?”  Wouldn’t that seem quite funny if they became mixed up somehow?  I particularly liked the mix-up between the giant elephant and the tiny little mouse because it represents such a dichotomy and asked, if the mouse began to roar, would it be stronger than before or if the elephant gave a squeak, might it seem to be quite weak?  These are great questions to challenge a young mind about how we perceive things and what they’d appear to be if different.  I laughed out loud at the thought of monkeys mooing!  The book is wonderfully illustrated with adorable creatures like giraffes, pigs, deer, frogs, and more.  In the end, the book explains that God made each animal to sound a special way and that’s why cats meow, dogs go bow-wow, and that the animal sounds won’t get mixed up.

Title:  Animal Sound Mix-up

Author:  Connie Arnold

Rating:  5 Stars

Book:  The Little Star That Shines for Jesus

Author:  Cindy Peak

Rating:  5 Stars

Not only is this book a treasure, but so is the author. I had the pleasure of meeting her at the Kentucky Book Fair, where I got the book. Tears came to my eyes as I read the beautiful story. The Little Star that Shines for Jesus is well-written, wonderfully illustrated, and hits all the key points that Christians should convey to their children. In the story, the Little Star is given the job of being the light to show the Wise Men the way to Bethlehem for Jesus' birth. After the Little Star completes that task he worries that he no longer has purpose. But God tells the Little Star that he still has work to do - to tell children how they can shine for Jesus. This book is absolutely adorable, carries a great message, and would make a wonderful gift for a child of any age.

Title:  God of Hope:  Four Men Enter Our World With the Plan - Genesis through Revelation

Author:  J. Davis Illingworth

Rating:  5 Stars

What a pleasure it was to read God of Hope by J. Davis Illingworth, Jr. The author shares with us his life growing up as a preacher's kid and how his father used to give sermons from the perspective of characters from the bible. Illingworth must have been paying attention because he has done a fantastic job in creating this wonderful series of stories about God's plan for us as told through the eyes of Moses, Thomas, Paul, and John.

It reminded me of the lyrics to the song, "Mary, did you know?" where the singer asks whether Mary knew that her son would one day walk on water and save our sons and daughters. Illingworth has provided the perspective of these four biblical men to bring Jesus to life to us a real person.

Not only was this book well-written, but you can see the author pouring out his heart about Jesus because he wants all the world to know about the hope He has for all of us.

Title:  Henry Wood Detective Agency

Author:  Brian Meeks

Rating:  5 Stars

I could almost hear the voices of Humphrey Bogart and James Cagney as the gumshoe Henry Wood (cleverly named, which you'll understand once you read about the detective's hobby) met mobsters like Frankie and Tommy The Knife. I also expected wolf whistles when Henry met Luna and Sylvia. Everything about this book was straight from the old 50's gangster era and black and white detective stories. I "met" the author on Twitter and know him as "Extremely Average," which his writing is not -- it is exceedingly above average. Great story, wonderful plot. While I was deep into the story and dying to know the secrets about the time travel closet, the journal, and the two missing men, I was tempted to flip the pages ahead to the end to figure it out, but I'm glad I didn't because (1) the story line was just too good to miss; and (2) I don't know how to jump ahead on a Kindle! I've tweeted the author to pry info out of him about his next books and see if he'll spill his guts about the cliff hangers he left in this book. Fun, easy, enjoyable read.

Title:  C Through Marriage

Author:  Jim Hughes

Rating:  5 Stars

A Great Template for Marriage

When I first read the title of this book, I didn't get it. But once I read the book and noticed that each chapter started with a "C" and that each "C" was an important consideration for a healthy marriage, I thought it was very clever. The church has taken the low road for so many years now and we have paid the price in terms of the divorce rate in this country, even among Christians. Jim's book doesn't just present the problem, but also provides a solution. As the author points out, marriage is a work in progress and it lasts a lifetime. As a relative newlywed, even though I'm in my forties, I found the suggestions in Jim Hughes' book helpful, honest, and simple to implement. I am recommending this book to my church's marriage ministry. I really enjoyed this read.

Thanks for joining us today, Lori. Tell us about your latest book.

Flip book – what a great idea and an important subject for all of us, young and old. When my Weimaraner Boo Radley died, I felt as if my own child had died. I still grieve him although it’s been seven years. What’s next?

LOL. My book Wayne’s Dead is about a serial killer and I felt as if I were visiting the dark side every time I wrote this character. Lori, you’re an award-winning author – congrats! Of the awards you’ve received, which means the most to you?

So glad to know it’s helped others, Lori. I imagine it was a very hard book to write but perhaps cathartic. From Zero to Christian in Just 35 Years is described as “not your typical Christian book because Moore has not lived your typical life.” I find this intriguing. Can you tell us a bit more about that?

You’ve had an amazing journey, Lori. Your books are also Christian-based, which I understand is a very hot market right now. Did you choose this field because it’s so popular or is there a more personal reason you publish in the Christian genre?

Really like that answer. Do you have a specific writing regimen? If so, tell us about it.

The entire book? Wow. I usually have the ending and that’s where I start and backtrack. What do you find works best for you in regards to promoting your work?

Yes, I agree. I’ve met so many fans and readers this way. It’s a remarkable way to promote. I note you love to travel and have visited all 50 states in the US as well as 30 other countries. What was your favorite place to visit and why?

Never visited any of those but they sound beautiful. What are you reading right now?

I have the Kindle but not the Kindle Fire. Don’t know what I’d do without my Kindle, though! Preference: ebook or dead-tree book and why? And do you think ebooks are the future?

I prefer to read fiction in ebook form but, like you, a dead-tree reference book works better for me, simply because I light to highlight and tag places of reference. Your website states you have 1-1/2 cats which makes me smile. I’m curious – what happened to the other half?

We had an orange tabby that showed up in our garage one day and simply walked into our house as if he had always been there. He stayed with us until he died 14 years later. I still miss him. Tell us about your part of the country.

Love sweet tea! I have a good friend who used to live in Louisville who talks about how beautiful it is.Thank you for being our guest today, Lori. 

For more information about Lori and her books:http://www.LoriBooks.com