Fallen: Out of the Sex Industry and Into the Arms of the Savior, by Annie Lobert

Title: Fallen: Out of the Sex Industry and Into the Arms of the Savior

Author: Annie Lobert

Publisher: Worthy Publishing 

Date: February 17, 2015

Paperback: 224 pages








About the Book
When Annie grabbed at what looked like an opportunity to escape her tumultuous, abuse-filled home, she had never heard the term "sex trafficking.: Needing money, wanting to be loved, and desperately seeking control of her life, she stumbled into the ever-darkening world of the sex industry as a glamorous high class escort in Las Vegas. All that glittered was not gold. She embarked on a dangerous path toward self-destruction. She lost everything she envisioned her new life would bring her, even her own identity. Beatings, abandonment, and death threats became routine-she often wondered if dying would be the best way out.

In Fallen, Annie tells her remarkable story of surviving sixteen years in the sex industry, breaking free, finding healing, and then reaching back to help others find freedom as well. This riveting memoir opens a window into a sordid, shadowy world - and shows just how bright God's light can truly shine.

My Take
I know a lot of us think our life is really hard. We think every day that life could be easier or we would want it to be easier. But there are people out there that have actually had hard lives compared to some of us. I know a lot of times I think my life is hard (being a single mom, working almost full time and homeschooling), but I have to tell myself that there are other people out there who are having a harder time with life than I am and would give anything to be in my position than what they are in.

Annie Lobert had a tough life, but like most determined people, she found a way out. Life didn't start out well for her at all. She was sexually abused at a young age and then turned to prostitution or more or less a high class call girl. During her life as a high class call girl, she met a couple of men who didn't treat her the way she should have been and had to enduring beatings and abandonment. On top of that, she developed cancer and became addicted to cocaine.

The only thing that could happen to Annie Lobert was to either die or turn her life around. She decided to rely on God and turn her life around. Relying on him heavily helped her see that there were others that could benefit from her story. She decided to let others know that there is hope by participating in speakings and ministries. And as luck would have it, through it all, she found her prince charming.

Towards the end of the book, there is a section on sex trafficking. It gives you a deeper understanding of what it is and how it is done. There is also a section of testimonies from girls who have attended the Destiny House Ministry. You will be amazed at some of these stories that you read.

I have read a couple of "sex trafficking" stories, but this one was different. It was written in a way that you could truly feel for Annie Lobert. I practically read the book in one sitting. I think if you were to get this book, you would enjoy it and realize that no matter where your life is and how hard it may be/feel, that God can pull you through and push you to the top, just like he did for Annie Lobert.

About the Author
Annie Lobert is an internationally recognized expert and advocate of ministry to men and women in the commercial sex industry. She and her husband, Stryper lead guitarist Oz Fox, live in Las Vegas, where Annie runs Hookers for Jesus, a ministry to prostitutes and sex trafficking victims. She has been featured in major television shows, print and online publications, and also an I Am Second film.

The People Factor by Van Moody

Title: The People Factor

Publisher: HarperCollins Christian Publishing

Date: January 7, 2014

Paperback: 292 pages

Language: English




About the book: The right relationship will launch you to the heights of achievement; the wrong one will tether you to mediocrity. Your relationships will be your sources of greatest joy and your venues of greatest pain. Van Moody says, "When people show you who they are, pay attention."

Van Moody saw this need every day of his pastoral life, but he could not find a concise, practical resource for people who need to become more relationally savvy. He needed a beyond-the-basics study guide for Relational IQ.

About the author: Vanable H. Moody II, affectionately known as "Pastor Van," serves as pastor of the Worship Center in Birmingham, Alabama. In addition, he serves on the board of Joel Osteen's Champions Network and is an associate trainer in Japan for Dr. John Maxwell's EQUIP leadership organization.

My take: To be perfectly honest, I thought this book was going to be about how to better your relationship between couples and not necessarily friends and colleagues. So, once I started reading it, I had to completely change my mind frame. Learning about how to deal with the relationships of people you meet everyday is also a good thing. Most people just tend to go with the flow and what ever happens, happens. But there is a way to handle this so as to achieve the best relationships you possibly can.

I feel as though the book is laid out like a study guide. He goes into every chapter describing what he wants one to do to better their lives. Then there are bullet points that list relationship reminders and questions that help you raise your relationship IQs. Sprinkled throughout the book are Bible texts and quotes. He also gives examples of different situations one might be in and how it can be rectified.

Like I stated before, this book wasn't what I thought it would be at all. The style of it just isn't think kind that I really like. There are a lot of people who will probably be able to benefit from reading this book and those are the ones that I say should go out and buy it.

This book was given to me by BookLook in exchange for my honest review.

Left At The Altar, by Kimberley Kennedy

Have you ever been humiliated, embarrassed, or even ashamed? If you are a woman (I guess even a man), being left at the altar is one of the worst feelings that you could possibly go through. Luckily, I can say that it has never happened to me, but for Kimberley Kennedy, that became a life story.

Kimberley's story begins like most others. She was raised in a traditional family. Of course there were typical problems in her family like most others, but she got through them. After college, she met who she thought would be the love of her life, on a blind date. This was the guy she was going to marry and she was determined to make it happen. After sometime, her fiance started to act different. He started to find fault in everything that she did. A big hint that she didn't pick up on, was her engagement. She was asked for her hand in married out of an argument. But even so, this was still her knight in shining armor. And so the planning began, which led to the downward spiral of her life.

Left at The Altar is Kimberley Kennedy's book about how to deal with rejection whether it comes from divorce, dating, or even her, like marriage. Her goal in writing this book is to be able to help other women understand that they are not alone and don't have to feel the pain of rejection forever. She has ways of helping them heal and move forward in their life by not staying in that same painful place. There is a section on the Five Stages of Grief, diagrams, and different quotes and antidotes. She also relies on God throughout the book to help people understand that it is not the end of the world and that there IS life at the end of the tunnel. There are also other people's stories that help you understand that you are not the only one.

I feel like this is a book that everyone can benefit from. Anyone going through any kind of issue can take this book and remember that they are not the only one going through it. Everyone should include this book on their bookshelf.

Thanks to Thomas Nelson for giving me the opportunity to review this book.

Precious Moments Storybook Bible

Just about everyone has a Precious Moments book in their house. I know when I was younger, we had the coloring books. I remember sitting on the floor with my father and sisters and picking a favorite page to color. Well now I have found a Precious Moments Bible.

This is a really great Bible for the younger generation (the ones that can't quite keep still). At the beginning of the Bible, they have a lot of neat fill-ins to commemorate different things. Like most Bibles, there is a family tree to fill out. This is great to look back on when you are older. They also have a Church record page for when you get baptized, etc. It also comes with a favorite things page. As you can see, it is filled with a lot of pages to fill out and look back on later in life.

The actual Bible part is broken down in four different parts: Favorite Classics, Words of Praise and Wisdom, More Stories of Faith, and Songs and Prayers.

Favorite Classics: Stories that we all grew up with presented in a way that a young child can understand. Stories like Adam and Eve, David and Goliath, etc.

Words of Praise: This is a section that has different Bible verses accompanied with inspirational words.

More Stories of Faith: In this section it has even more stories that go along with favorite classics.

Songs and Prayers: This section has a lot of the songs we learned when we were young. As you teach them to your child, it will take you down memory lane. I know that is what happend with me. It also has the prayers that most kids are taught to say when they are young. Now you can teach them to your children!

This Bible is done in different pastel colors. The pictures are adorable also. I think that everyone who has a young child should get this book or at least get one for someone else with a young child.

I thanks Thomas Nelson for giving me the opportunity to review this book.

Then Sings My Soul (Special Edition), by Robert J. Morgan

Then Sings My Soul (Special Edition), by Robert J. Morgan is by far one of the most interesting books I have reviewed so far.What a great book to own!

I was first drawn in by the very beautiful, calm picture that covers the entire book. The green rolling hills along with the sun setting behind the clouds is just magnificent. Then to see the edges of the pages, which are jagged in a way to where it makes you feel as though you are reading a book set back in the era when most of these songs were written. I also love how the actual sheet music to the songs is on one side of the page and right across from it, you have the background story of each song. Underneath the title of every song, is the year that it was written, followed by a Bible verse. Then it goes into who wrote it and why it was written. The history behind some of these songs are very enduring. It is neat to find out where and why some of the best loved hymns (along with Christmas and Easter songs) have made their way into the hearts of so many people.

Within the book you will find 150 songs. Yes that is right, 150 songs! Some of my favorite that made it in the book are as follows:

Christmas:
I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day
There's a Song in the Air
It Came Upon the Midnight Clear

Easter:
Christ the Lord Is Risen Today
There Is Power in the Blood

Thanksgiving:
Praise God, from Whom All Blessings Flow
Great Is They Faithfulness

Patriotic:
My Country, 'Tis of Thee

Spiritual Hymns:
Amazing Grace
What a Friend We Have in Jesus
When We All Get to Heaven

This book would make a great gift or can be used as a devotional or used to sing songs with the whole family as they stand together around the piano spending quality time together. I really love this book and highly recommend it to anyone who enjoy singing these songs either in church or at home.

I thank Thomas Nelson for giving me the opportunity to review this book.

"Big Red" Holy Bible - Contemporary 3-D Art, by Tommy Nelson

How old were you when you received your first Bible? Did it come from a parent or from a Bible class? Back when I was younger, the Bibles for kids weren't all that appealing. There were just the typical small little New Testament only books. Well, Thomas Nelson has come out with a really great revision of their International Children's Bible. It is the Big Red Holy Bible - Contemporary 3-D Art.  

When I first received this Bible I was in awe. First of all, the cover itself is very attractive. It has sparkly colors on the front and a couple of 3-D pictures of some of the Bible stories inside. The picture of Jesus in 3-D is also done very well. The way the Bible is translated for the kids to read is great also. My daughter is only 7 years old and she is able to read and understand it all by herself without my help. As stated before, the 3-D pictures are beautiful. They stand out and the detail in them are true to life. I caught myself looking at them over and over again and wishing that they had more. Also in the back of the Bible is a dictionary, Where do I find it?, a section of God's promises, memory verses, and a couple of maps.

I think this is a great Bible and highly recommend it for every kid to have. It is stated that it is for a Grade 3 reading level, but like I said, my daughter is 7 and can read and understand it on her own.

This book was given to me by Thomas Nelson for an honest review.

A Christmas Pray, by Amy Parker

A Christmas Prayer, written by Amy Parker and illustrated by Marijan Ramljak, is a cute little book that tells of one little girl's perspective on Christmas.


Most kids think about what gift they are a going to receive under the tree vs. what they have given or the true gift of Christmas. In this book, the opposite happens. The little girl thanks God for every thing that was a part of the "first" Christmas. For example, she thanks God for the star that led the wise men to baby Jesus. Or more importantly, she thanks God for Gabriel who came down and told Mary about her unborn child.

I had my daughter read this book to see what she thought about it. She liked it. She was especially drawn to the colorful pictures in the book. The style of the poem was also simplistic enough for her to read and understand on her own.

I believe this would make a cute addition to any child's book collection. And even though it is not Christmas yet, the book is nice to have so that when December comes, I have something to pull out for her to read.

This book was given to me by Thomas Nelson Publishing for an honest review.

You Changed My Life, by Max Lucado

I had never heard of Max Lucado until this year. You Changed My Life is a good book to have. The initial reason for this book is for it to be given out as a gift. That was initially my intention, but after reading it, I decided to keep it for myself.

The book is filled with multiple stories of how people's lives were changed by certain situations. There are eight sections: Love, Kindness, Commitment, Compassion, Hope, Courage, Wisdom, and Friendship. Within each section are different stories based on each particular section. At the end of some of the stories are Bible texts that correspond with it. Some of the stories have an inspirational quote on a picture page before it. I found the quotes amazing. You could gain inspiration from the quotes alone.

I felt this book was very uplifting. Anyone could find inspiration in here that they could relate to or even pass on to someone else (the true reason for the book). I highly recommend this book for someone to read or give out as a gift to a friend.

This book was given to me for an honest review.