Movie Review & Giveaway: The Case for Heaven

Movie Synopsis:

We all want to know what happens after we die. In THE CASE FOR HEAVEN, best-selling author and investigative journalist Lee Strobel explores the evidence for the afterlife in order to address man’s biggest fear: death. 

Inspired by his own brush with death, Strobel searches for answers to the most profound questions we all have, about heaven, hell, and Near-Death Experiences. Featuring interviews with experts and skeptics, THE CASE FOR HEAVEN will challenge, encourage and inspire as Strobel dares to probe the most important question. If there is a heaven, can we prove it?

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Watch the Trailer:

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More about The Case for Heaven:

• We are curious by nature. Taking on the big questions about heaven, hell and the afterlife, The Case For Heaven—a documentary based on the best-selling book by Lee Strobel—invites you to carefully investigate the knowable and respond with faith to the unknowable. 


• Featuring interviews with best-selling author John Burke, world-renowned pastor Francis Chan, the late Evangelist Luis Palau and more. 


• THE CASE FOR HEAVEN will be exclusively on Pure Flix starting July 15th! 


• "Viewers will be surprised, captivated and encouraged by 'The Case for Heaven,' a beautiful and compelling film. It will dispel many of their misconceptions about the afterlife. I’m thrilled with the enthusiastic reception the documentary has received so far – and I can't wait for an even wider audience to experience it.” -Lee Strobel


• Watch The Case for Heaven on Pure Flix today! https://www.pureflix.com/movie/the-case-for-heaven

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My Review:

The Case for Heaven tackles one of life’s biggest questions: What happens after death? Lately, this question feels less cut and dry than my childhood Sunday School lessons presented it. Based off Lee Strobel’s book, The Case for Heaven, the movie addresses this complicated topic by presenting the author’s research and conclusions. Strobel himself explains his thesis (that a person’s consciousness survives physical death) and draws on the stories of others to add validity to his supporting points.

The Case for Heaven’s three main arguments for life after death are: the Soul (or consciousness) of a person, Near Death Experiences (NDEs), and Jesus’ death, resurrection, and present-day work. I won’t spoil the movie by giving away all its content, but I will share my responses to the different parts. The first section about the Soul moved a bit slow to me and was the least engaging, but it laid the foundation for the rest of the movie. The section on NDEs fascinated me with the survivor stories, including one from a person who went to Hell. The final section about Jesus easily held my attention and encouraged my faith.

The Case for Heaven left me with feelings of sadness (because we are talking about death, the physical loss of loved ones) and hope (because the best really is yet to come for believers). I appreciated that the movie kept to Strobel’s thesis and essential points. It left out church culture and legalism, instead focusing on Jesus as most important. Diverse interviews with both believers and former believers added authenticity. The movie did not give a step-by-step plan of obtaining salvation, but left the watcher to consider the evidence and seek Jesus, the One in whom we find the true answers to our questions.

I’d happily rewatch The Case for Heaven. Though a handful of slow scenes felt like unnecessary filler, the movie intrigued me with its content and the fascinating topic of Heaven. Now I want to read the book. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Disclosure: Many thanks to Pure Flix for providing a sample of the product for this review. Opinions are 100% my own. 

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Related Podcasts:

• Is there proof of Heaven, Hell, & life after death? Inside Lee Strobel's Shocking Investigation.


• Do people really visit Heaven and meet Jesus during near death experiences?

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Giveaway:

One reader of this post will receive a 3-month subscription to Pure Flix. US only. Giveaway ends 07/21/2022 at 11:59 P. M. EST.

Enter by leaving a comment on this post that includes your name and email address.

June 2022 Reading Recap & July 2022 TBR

My June 2022 Reads: 

1. A Heart Adrift by Laura Frantz - ⭐⭐⭐⭐½ - I reread this novel for my local book club's June meeting. Read my original review.


2. Proof of Heaven by Eben Alexander - ⭐⭐⭐⭐½ - I didn't write a review for this one, but it was highly entertaining and thought-provoking.


3. The Penderwicks At Last by Jeanne Birdsall - ⭐⭐⭐⭐ - My daughters and I have been reading the Penderwicks series together for over six months. We finally completed the last installment of the series.


4. The Songs That Could Have Been by Amanda Wen - ⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Read my review.


5. Holy Vulnerability: Spiritual Practices for the Broken, Ashamed, Anxious, and Afraid by Kellye Fabian - ⭐⭐⭐½


6. Impending Strike by Lynette Eason and Sami A. Abrams - ⭐⭐⭐

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Expected July 2022 Reads:

1. Love's Fortress by Jennifer Uhlarik - My local book club's selection for July. It will be a special meeting as the author will be joining us in-person for a night of bookish goodness.


2. Vying for the Viscount by Kristi Ann Hunter - This will be my first book by this author! 


3. Prayer Without Pretending by Angela Ashwin - Currently reading!


4. Suncoast Empire: Bertha Honore Palmer, Her Family, and the Rise of Sarasota by Frank A. Cassell - I've been interested in Bertha Honore Palmer since I read about her as a side character in Jocelyn Green's Veiled in Smoke. I love visiting her estate, Historic Spanish Point, which is about 45 minutes away. Looking forward to learning more about her  and her family.


5.  Nightshade by Ronie Kendig - This book has been on my want-to-read list for a long time. Looks like I'm finally going to get to enjoy it! 🎉

What will you read this month?

Book Spotlight & Giveway: Shadow of Honor by Ronie Kendig

About the Book

Book: Shadow of Honor

Author: Ronie Kendig

Genre: Science Fiction

Release date: June 14, 2022

The war he fears may be the very one he’s been called to start.

Held captive, tortured by monsters of a nightmarish alien race, Marco Dusan clings to a final goal: keep these beasts from the Quadrants, even if it means orchestrating his own death. But his dreams betray that singular design. In them his bonded calls to him across lightyears. Does he leave her to fight Symmachia alone, or risk bringing an unwinnable war to every planet in the Quadrants?

On board the alien dreadnought, Eija Zacdari flounders, torn amidst military machinations, prophecies, and an inexplicable bond with one of the fearsome creatures who have imprisoned her friends. Only by uncovering the truth about an ancient conflict now shrouded in deception will she find her place.

Faced with her true identity, Eija sees her purpose snap into focus, and she realizes the war Marco fears may be the very one he has been called to start.

Click here to get your copy!

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About the Author

Ronie Kendig is a bestselling, award-winning author of over thirty books. She grew up an Army brat, and now she and her Army-veteran husband have returned to their beloved Texas after a ten-year stint in the Northeast. They survive on Sonic & Starbucks runs, barbecue, and peach cobbler that they share–sometimes–with Benning the Stealth Golden. Ronie’s degree in psychology has helped her pen novels of intense, raw characters.

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Excerpt from Shadow of Honor

Shaken, Eija touched her temple, head still pounding from the oxygen deprivation she’d suffered beneath the beast’s attempt to crush the life from her—that and the minutes stuck in an oxygen-deprived pod. Until she figured out what had prompted the creature to release her and crouch before her, she didn’t dare move.

Insane! The docuvids of the Lavabeasts had not exaggerated. These monsters were fast, lethal, vicious. Yet . . . twice she’d been in its grip, and it’d held back from actually turning her into a dusty pile. Why?

Yeah, maybe don’t ask. Just . . .

What? What could she do against beasts that reduced people to ash with their arms?

Keening filled the ship. With bewildering speed, the other three Draegis bolted out of the bay, their thudding steps fading down the passage as they headed to the aft port, where their ship clung to the Prevenire like a remora on a shark.

Nerves thrumming, Eija glanced at Marco, whose chin was tucked to his chest again. Unconscious? Twitches of his head and hands alleviated that fear. Probably super focused on piloting the ship to the Sentinel.

So we can all die.

Right. So much for the relief she’d felt. Her gaze slid down to the immobilized Lavabeast at her feet. What was wrong with it—him? Was he more AI than biological? Had he powered down or something? Fried his neural net? What was she supposed to do?

She discarded each question as it arose. Assessed her precarious situation. The crackling and swelling of his strange skin said he was still breathing. So alive, not dead.

I can help with that.

He was also awake—glowing eye slits proved that.

Reef shifted on the deck where he’d landed after being tossed by one of the monsters, his arm hanging at an odd angle. Gray eyes came to hers, asking what neither of them could actually voice—What just happened? Why had the other Lavabeasts fled? Why had this one not killed her or left?

“Why isn’t it moving?” Reef hissed as he slowly climbed to his feet.
She shook her head, still terrified of arousing the beast’s anger.
Locked on the Draegis, Reef inched closer and angled toward her.

“You okay?”

“Yeah. Sure.” Again, she again checked on Marco, who still had his head down. Maybe the other Draegis had done something to him. “Marco?” she called quietly at the same time she heard Reef suck in a breath.

In front of her, the mountain of lava erupted with a piercing howl, terrorizing her as it lunged. Like a lightning strike—a very large, fat, black bolt—it shot forward.

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Blog Stops

Texas Book-aholic, June 30

Beauty in the Binding, July 1 (Spotlight)
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, July 1
Inklings and notions, July 2
deb’s Book Review, July 3
Worthy2Read, July 4
Locks, Hooks and Books, July 5
For Him and My Family, July 6
Wishful Endings, July 7
Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, July 8
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, July 9
Blogging With Carol, July 10
Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, July 11
The Book Club Network, July 11
Christina’s Corner, July 12
Through the Fire blogs, July 13

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Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Ronie is giving away the grand prize package of an Exclusive Signed, Sprayed-edge Edition of SHADOW OF HONOR, a candle with a custom fragrance connected to Shadow of Honor, a gaming mat with a custom Laura Hollingsworth Illustration of Kardia, and a three-pack character card set for SHADOW OF HONOR!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

Link for giveaway: https://promosimple.com/ps/1f7f0/shadow-of-honor-celebration-tour-giveaway

Epic Book Launch: Fighting and Flirting with My Cowboy Enemy by Julia Keanini

About the Book

Book: Fighting and Flirting with My Cowboy Enemy
Author: Julia Keanini
Genre: Clean and Wholesome Romance
Release date: July 26, 2022

Jackson Ashford seems to have it all. Gorgeous looks, fulfilling job, loving relationship with his family . . . and he looks amazing in a cowboy hat. He may be a bit of a grump at times, but that doesn’t deter the women of Blue Falls from vying for his attention. So when Ruby Ellison arrives at his doorstep and hates Jackson on sight, he’s confused, to say the least.

Ruby Ellison never intended to come to the tiny town of Blue Falls, Idaho, but when her best friend’s search for her birth father takes her there, Ruby follows. She comes because she’d never let Madi down, but she stays because she quickly comes to love the small town. It’s the best place she’s ever lived . . . with one exception. Jackson Ashford. But Ruby figures she’ll just avoid him. Blue Falls is a small town but surely it’s big enough for two people to keep their distance.

But when Jackson and Ruby are both asked to coach an eight-year-old girls’ basketball team, Ruby realizes there will be no avoiding the man. She’ll just have to hate him up close rather than from afar. But as Ruby gets to know him she realizes that maybe the man she thought she knew isn’t really who Jackson is at all.

Join Ruby and Jackson as they fight and flirt their way to a happily ever after.

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BOOK EXCERPT (#4)

Ruby was obviously the most beautiful woman he’d ever met, with her striking, almost silver-blonde hair, green eyes so light that one would swear they’d just beheld precious gems instead of a pair of eyes, and her long, lean figure.

Jackson perused that figure even though he knew it would drive Ruby up the wall. Actually that was maybe why he did it.

His eyes lingered over her curves. Nope. Annoying Ruby was just a bonus. Jackson was doing this all for himself.

“Ugh!” Ruby screeched before stomping back toward her car.

“Not quite sure that’s the best way to ask for help, darlin’,” Jackson drawled, crossing his arms over his broad chest. He knew that position showed him to an advantage. And as much as Ruby loathed him he knew she appreciated his figure as well. They had a mutual admiration that was just skin deep.

The rest, well . . . he was sure Ruby hated him. She just had yet to say the words.

“I don’t need help,” Ruby ground out as she got back into her car.

Jackson made quick work of the ground between him and Ruby’s car door and held it open as she tried to tug it shut.

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ALL EXCERPTS

Excerpt One: https://travelerswife4life.com/fighting-and-flirting-with-my-cowboy-enemy/

Excerpt Two: https://guildmaster97.wordpress.com/2022/07/07/fighting-and-flirting-with-my-cowboy-enemy-epic-book-launch/

Excerpt Three: https://blossomsandblessings.blogspot.com/2022/06/fighting-and-flirting-with-my-cowboy.html

Excerpt Four: https://moments-of-beauty.blogspot.com/2022/06/epic-book-launch-fighting-and-flirting.html

Excerpt Five: https://carolkeen.blogspot.com/2022/07/fighting-and-flirting-with-my-cowboy.html

Excerpt Six: https://storiesbygina.wordpress.com/2022/07/07/fighting-and-flirting-with-my-cowboy-enemy-epic-book-launch/

Excerpt Seven: http://montanamade.weebly.com/tell-tale-book-reviews/celebrate-lit-epic-book-launch-fighting-and-flirting-with-my-cowboy-enemy-by-julia-keanini

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Julia Keanini is just a city girl living in a country world (and secretly loving it). She loves the mountains and would adore the beach, if it weren’t for all the sand and salt (wait, that is the beach?). A good book, a great song, or a huge piece of chocolate can lift her mood, but her true happiness is found in her little fam. She writes about girls and women who deal with what life throws at them and always about love, because she LOVES love.

Book Spotlight: Distant Stars by Kassandra Garrison

About the Book:

Title: Distant Stars
Release Date: July 9th, 2022
Preorders begin: May 28th, 2022

Will Rutledge needs a fresh start. After aging out of the foster care system, he and his brother, Kane, have nothing but each other. Maybe that’s why he agreed to his brother’s insane plan to kidnap a millionaire’s daughter for ransom. With his brains and his brother’s muscle, what could go wrong?

Enter Hannah Cole. When her brother died, her family was left shattered. No amount of money could fill the hole in her home… not even if her dad has plenty of it. Hannah thought she knew darkness after a year of living with grief. That is, until she finds herself thrown into the trunk of a car and crying out to God for the first time since her brother died.

Hannah and Will soon find themselves in close quarters, fighting the feelings they are developing for one another despite both their situation and seemingly insurmountable differences. Plans start to unravel and the two risk begging the question: Are some stars just too far apart to collide?

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Excerpt:

1

Will

Salty ocean air swept past Will Rutledge as he lounged at a table in the outdoor dining area of a beachside restaurant named Captain Pizza’s. It was a hot summer day in Landau, North Carolina, but the breeze made the smoldering sun tolerable.

His stomach growled as the aroma of pizza announced the arrival of his and his brother’s lunch.

Will tore his eyes from the view of the beach to his right and witnessed his brother take an enormous bite of sausage pizza. Will nodded in appreciation toward the waitress and picked up his own slice.

The pizza was hot against his fingertips as he studied its melted cheese and charred crust from the brick oven. Scattered along the slice were small crumbles of sausage with crispy edges where the oven’s heat had charred the juicy meat. His stomach growled as he took his first bite, a far smaller bite than his brother’s.

“So, what do you think, Will?”

Will’s brother, Kane, continued the ravenous consumption of his pizza and directed his attention back to the beach. It was amazing how much food his brother could fit inside his mouth and still manage to maneuver his jaw.

Will looked out at the busy coast, his eyes finding its target quickly. Both Kane and Will watched the same girl. She was hard to miss. Her skin was paler than most beach bums but not so white her lack of pigment blinded passersby.

The sun bounced off her long, bright red hair as she ran with a football in her toned arms. Her friends chased after her but were no match for her long, lean legs.

Will thought she must have run track in high school, likely playing every sport she possibly could. Her athletic abilities rivaled the chiseled guys tripping over the sand in an attempt to retrieve the ball in her arms.

“Will! Dude, focus.”

Kane waved his hand in front of his brother’s face to redirect the conversation. Will blinked hard before looking back at his brother, watching as the girl accepted high-fives from her teammates.

“I think the plan will work. It’s risky but very possible.”

“I still say we do my plan. I single-handedly could get her to go on a date with me in five minutes. She’d be in my car quicker than you could say no.”

“No. Knowing you, the entire beach would notice your incredible talent of wooing the ladies. There’d be a mob waiting to give their numbers to you.”

Kane puffed out his chest and chuckled, his brother’s sarcasm mistakenly stroking his already enormous ego. Though the two brothers looked similar in many ways, there were several differences in both their physiques and personalities.

Will was lean yet muscular with a rich tan from hours on the beach. His amber eyes and blonde hair seemed to glow in the sunlight. Kane, the older of the two, was an inch taller than his brother, standing at six foot two inches, and had a much stockier build. He had brown eyes, a thick jaw, and short dishwater blonde hair.

While Will was the calm intellect of the two, Kane was cocky and lacked the finesse of his younger brother. When referring to Kane, “bull in a china cabinet” was an understatement.

Kane’s mouth stretched into a wide, crooked smile as he eyed the red-headed beauty across the beach, “If my charm was the answer to our problems, we would be the richest men in America and have one of her on each arm.”

Will rolled his eyes at his brother’s frivolous dreams, “Yeah, and we came so close.”

Kane finished his pizza and shot his brother a knowing look, vigorously rubbing his hands together to rid himself of the remaining crumbs.

“Well, I’d better have some fun before the big event. Watch and learn, little brother.”

The seaside restaurant boasted a setup that could only make sense for a business on the coast. A large reinforced metal door folded into a gap in the wall, opening the entire side of the restaurant closest to the beach and allowing seating to spill out onto the patio.

Will’s eyes followed his brother as he entered the seating area within the walls of the pizzeria. Kane zigzagged through the tables and chairs to the waitress standing at the counter. She was attractive with long brown hair and round blue eyes. Behind her was a large window spanning nearly the entire length of the wall with a view of the street running parallel with the coastline.

As Kane introduced himself, most likely with a ridiculous pick-up line, she smiled flirtatiously and placed her pen in the pocket of her apron. Will had witnessed the same sight time and time again and had little interest in watching the hunt play out. Kane never lost his prey.

Will turned away and gazed at the horizon where the ocean met the sky, letting his own mind wander from the task at hand.

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About the Author:

Kassandra Garrison has always been a book lover. After earning her Bachelor's in Business Administration, she decided to follow her lifelong dream and share her stories with others by writing her first novel, The Influencers. She currently lives with her husband and high school sweetheart, Joseph, along with their daughter, Nora. In her free time, she enjoys baking, drinking coffee, and taking her rescue dogs on walks.

Book Review & Giveaway: The Songs That Could Have Been by Amanda Wen

About the Book:

Two couples in love. Two sets of impossible circumstances. One powerful God of grace.

After a devastating tailspin in her late teens, Lauren Anderson’s life is finally back on track. Then a chance meeting with Carter Douglas, her first love and the man who broke her heart, threatens to throw her well-balanced world out of control.

Now a TV meteorologist, Carter is determined to make amends with Lauren. After all, she still owns his heart. But his old demons are forcing him toward the same decision he faced in the past. Is he courageous enough to make a different choice this time around?

When Lauren’s elderly grandmother, Rosie, begins having nightmares about a man named Ephraim--a name her family has never heard before—a fascinating and forbidden past love comes to light. As Lauren and Carter work to uncover the untold stories of Rosie’s past in 1950s Wichita, they embark on a journey of forgiveness and second chances that will change their lives—and Rosie’s—forever. Along the way they’ll learn that God wastes nothing, his timing is perfect, and nothing is beyond his grace and redemption.

Click here to read an excerpt.

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My Thoughts:

From the beginning, The Songs That Could Have Been by Amanda Wen held my attention with smooth writing and a second chance romance between Lauren and Carter. I enjoyed the delicious chemistry of this dynamic couple while they addressed their past choices and wounds. As the plot unfolded and tackled difficult topics, a powerful message of healing and undying love emerged. The novel shined as it avoided formulaic answers and addressed the realities of addiction. Although the romantic tension dwindled a bit in the latter half, I loved how the story wrapped up for both Lauren and her grandmother.

The Songs That Could Have Been lands as the second installment in the Sedgwick County Chronicles by Amanda Wen. This novel reads fine as a standalone, but Roots of Wood and Stone (book one) is a fabulous read and two characters from that novel show up regularly in The Songs That Could Have Been. With the romance and emotional depth, it is easy to recommend this novel to fans of dual timeline romances, but I suggest reading the Sedgwick County Chronicles series in order.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I was provided a copy of this book by the author or publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.

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What Others Are Saying:

“A reading experience both heartfelt and heart-tugging, a timeless exploration of young and enduring love and the grace found in second chances. Amanda Wen is a rare and remarkable storyteller, and this is a novel I will not soon forget.” –Amanda Barratt, Christy Award-winning author of The White Rose Resists.

“A stunning journey of loss, love, and yearning. . . . Past and present are deftly woven together in this dual-timeline narrative that will leave readers flying through the pages.” – Amanda Cox, author of the 2021 Christy Award Book of the Year, The Edge of Belonging.

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About the Author:

Amanda Wen is an award-winning writer of inspirational romance and split-time women’s fiction. She has placed first in multiple writing contests, including the 2017 Indiana Golden Opportunity, the 2017 Phoenix Rattler, and the 2016 ACFW First Impressions contests. She was also a 2018 ACFW Genesis Contest finalist. Her debut novel was a 2021 Christy Award First Novel finalist.

Wen is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and regularly contributes author interviews for their Fiction Finder feature. She also frequently interviews authors for her blog and is a contributor to the God Is Love blog. She is the author of Roots of Wood and Stone and The Songs That Could Have Been.

In addition to her writing, Wen is an accomplished professional cellist and pianist who frequently performs with orchestras, chamber groups, and her church’s worship team. She serves as a choral accompanist as well. A lifelong denizen of the flatlands, Wen lives in Kansas with her patient, loving, and hilarious husband, their three adorable Wenlets, and a snuggly Siamese cat.

To find Amanda Wen’s blog and short stories, visit www.amandawen.com. Readers can also follower her on Facebook (@AuthorAmandaWen), Twitter (@AuthorAmandaWen), and Instagram (@authoramandawen).

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Tour Giveaway:

Win a copy of The Songs That Could Have Been by Amanda Wen.

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