Posts Tagged: deseret book

Deseret Book Blog Tour- Through Cloud and Sunshine by Dean Hughes

12 Aug, 2013 by in Through Cloud and Sunshine Leave a comment

Through Cloud and Sunshine
Come to Zion Volume #2
by Dean Hughes
Hardcover, 328 Pages
Published June 13, 2013
by Deseret Book
Book Source: publisher
Adult
Religious Fiction
4 stars

Book summary from Goodreads: Nauvoo was supposed to be the kingdom of God on earth, but Will and Liz Lewis are learning that it takes more than dreaming of Zion to make it a reality. Sickness, poverty, and just plain human nature add to the struggles for the Lord’s people, but every now and then a glimpse of heaven shines through. Just when things are starting to get settled, though, the old problems start rearing their heads, leaving Will and others wondering if they will be there to reap the harvest they have so carefully sown.

Meanwhile, Jeff and Abby—in modern-day Nauvoo—are dealing with challenges of their own. As their newborn baby fights for his life, they must come to grips with their personal faith. Can they, like their ancestors, continue to trust in God when there seems to be no trace of Him in their trials?

Beloved novelist Dean Hughes skillfully interweaves the stories of two couples separated by five generations and 150 years, providing a unique perspective on Church history and showing how much we can learn from those who went before us.


Review: Liz and Will Lewis dream and hope for Zion, the gathering place of their followers and a warm nice, place to call home. Expecting their first child, father, Will feels he must make his promise to Liz’s family to build  her up a good home must be realized. But life in Nauvoo is hard, with land to be tilled and crops to be planted. And Liz, well with child feels she is seeing less and less of her husband and he works day and night. The moist land makes a breeding ground for disease and resentment. 

Volume two of Come to Zion, picks up right where book one left off, with a great synopsis in the first chapter for readers who haven’t had a chance to read the first in the series.  It is again written in dual perspective between two families, one living in the present day as descendants to another living in the historical time period of Joseph Smith.

Dean Hughes does a wonderful job of reminding us that Zion may not be a place, but rather a feeling and a hope as he outlines life in Nauvoo. There are ill feeling amongst neighbors, political unrest and rumor, as well as increasing religious intolerance. Each family struggles with their own trials of infant mortality and trying to make ends meet. Some arrive  to Zion with only the belongings they could bring from their own countries and no money or house to call their own.

I love the research Mr. Hughes puts in to all his book as well as the detail. He lived in Nauvoo, so is familiar with the streets, the shops and feel of the land. If you like historical fiction  you will love this series and I recommend Come to Zion volumes 1-2 to any who want to feel they are right there in the time and place of our early American Saints.
                                      

About the Author: Dean Hughes is the author of more than eighty books for young readers, including the popular sports series Angel Park All-Stars, the Scrappers series, the Nutty series, the widely acclaimed companion novels Family Pose and Team Picture, and Search and Destroy. Soldier Boys was selected for the 2001 New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age list. Dean Hughes and his wife, Kathleen, have three children and six grandchildren. They live in Midway, Utah.

Find out more about author Dean Hughes: Goodreads

Book Review- The Winds and the Waves by Dean Hughes

30 Jul, 2013 by in Shadow Mountain, The Winds and the Waves Leave a comment

The Winds and the Waves (Come to Zion #1)

by Dean Hughes

Hardcover, 444 pages

Published May 2012

by Deseret Book

ISBN: 7816090705
Genre: Historical Fiction
Age: Adult

Book source: publisher

4 1/2 stars

Book Summary from Goodreads: Will Lewis is stuck. the class system in England in the 1840s seems destined to keep him in his place as a poor tenant farmer who cannot improve his lot and will never be able to marry the woman he loves. But the “new religion” that is sweeping through congregations of the United Brethren, Will’s church, may hold the key to the better life he longs for. As he listens to the preaching of Wilford Woodruff, he almost dares to hope for the Zion the young Apostle describes.

Will’s struggles to believe and to face the rigors of immigrating to an unknown land are paralleled by the modern-day story of Jeff and Abby, a young married couple facing challenges of their own. When Jeff begins digging into his family history, he finds himself particularly drawn to “Grandpa Lewis,” an ancestor whose life was more like his than he would have imagined.

The skillful interweaving of these two stories brings Church history to life while demonstrating how much we can learn from those who went before us. Anyone who has ever faced the winds and the waves, in some form, will love this novel.

Review: This is the first Dean Hughes novel I have ever picked up and what drew me in were the historical elements and rich authentic detail of his writing. Mr. Hughes has researched out the setting, speech, and every day way of life of his characters.  In this case, story of Will, an Englishman living with his family as a tenant under the rule of a squire. He is wary of the religious fervor of the United Brethren and feels stuck in his place, without opportunity to improve on his circumstances to win the heart of Liz, the solicitor’s daughter. Willis cast out from his town and farm after choosing to try to trap his own meat on the squires land. Thrust into the real world and a harsh work camp, starving, and at times homeless he beings to rely on first his own strength, and later on the small whisperings of his heart.

Eventually the reader also experiences what life was for immigrants coming by ship from England to America. I had no idea how long and treacherous the journey was, nor how sick the passengers would become from indigent conditions. Infants were lost, grown men and women grew ill and died. Most make it to America and then take a steam boat up the Mississippi to find Zion. Here again we get a clear picture of what the trip would have been like, the sights, sounds and trails those who traveled would have seen. I was carried there by the rich world building and character development that occurs in the old world.

What set it back for me a bit was the present day parallel plot of Will’s descendants trying to make it as a young married couple in Nauvoo. I feel like I just could not connect with either the husband or wife, so at times the storyline dragged for me because I wanted to get back to Will and Liz’s story instead of Jeff and Abby’s.

I have already started book 2 in the series, so the answer is, yes, I enjoyed it enough that I’m excited for the next book. It was amazing to see how the timing of this read corresponded to my own family history research of my pioneer ancestors that traveled form England to Zion. The experiences were the same and historically correct! I even found one of my ancestors as an author of a book listed in Mr. Hughe’s references in the back.

Overall- fascinating, well crafted historical fiction that gives us a good taste of tenant farms in England, immigration to the United Sates, life along the Mississippi and Nauvoo, Illinois.


Content: Some intense violence, lots of fist fights and one involving a knife.

About the Author: Dean Hughes is the author of more than eighty books for young readers, including the popular sports series Angel Park All-Stars, the Scrappers series, the Nutty series, the widely acclaimed companion novels Family Pose and Team Picture, and Search and Destroy. Soldier Boys was selected for the 2001 New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age list. Dean Hughes and his wife, Kathleen, have three children and six grandchildren. They live in Midway, Utah.

Find out more about author Dean Hughes: Goodreads

Shadow Mountain Blog Tour- The Mark of a Giant by Ted Stewart

25 Jul, 2013 by in Ted Stewart, The Mark of a Giant Leave a comment

The Mark of a Giant: Seven People Who Changed the World
by 
Hardcover, 262 pages

ISBN 1609071816 
Genre: Non- Fiction
Book Source : BEA
4 stars
Summary: Throughout the course of history, civilization has been blessed by strong-minded men and women who have impacted our world in extraordinary ways. Their imprint upon humanity is beyond dispute. And many would contend that they were no less than the result of Divine Providence—a gift of God to the human race. Who are these individuals? What is it about these few that make them different? Were they merely in the right place at the right time? Or were they somehow chosen? 

Review: To the reader who likes to sit down and digest small bits of history, this is  the perfect introduction to seven people who left a huge footprint. The author chooses Abraham of Ur, Pericles, the Apostle Paul, Sir Isaac Newton, Marie Curie, Martin Luther King Jr., and Mother Teresa and gives a biography as well as turning points in their lives. He opens us up to the philosophies they held that changed society.

In particular, I enjoyed the chapter on Abraham of Ur who rejected the teachings of his father and adopted monotheism as opposed to idolatry. Who had enough faith in his God that he was willing to sacrifice all he held dear, and who was given the opportunity to be a father of many nations.


I’ve always been a follower of Mother Theresa.  I had no idea she was born as Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu in Serbia, or that her Catholic faith was a minority religion in her country. Hearing how she was raised by a mother of greatness and some of the teachings in her childhood home really filled in the gaps of how she became such a world force.

 “When you do good, do it quietly, as if you were throwing a stone into the sea.” p.209 

Mother Theresa’s own mother, no doubt, had a great role in molding her into the selfless woman of God she became. 

I learned a great deal about the giants Ted Stewart picked! I would recommend reading this book a little at a time and pondering how the lessons these giants taught can be folded into our own life.

This book is about history. More specifically,it is a book about how strong-minded men and women have changed the course of history.” – introduction, page 1

Content: clean

Read Chapter one at Deseret Book.com here


About the Author: Ted Stewart was appointed as a United States District Court Judge in 1999 by President Bill Clinton. Prior to that, he served as chief of staff to Governor Michael O. Leavitt, as executive director of the State Department of Natural Resources, as a member and chairman of the Public Service Commission, and as chief of staff to Congressman Jim Hansen. He has been a visiting professor at two state universities, teaching courses in law and public policy. He is the New York Times bestselling author ofThe Miracle of Freedom: 7 Tipping Points that Saved the World.

Deseret Book Blog Tour Stop- Angels by Donald W. Parry

14 Jul, 2013 by in Uncategorized Leave a comment

Fire and Ice is thrilled to be the official blog tour stop for Deseret Book’s tour of

Angels 
by Donald W. Parry 
Hardcover, 272 pages
Published 2013 
by Deseret Book 
Genre: Non- fiction 
Book Source: Publisher 
5 stars 

Product Description from Deseret Book : Stories are told around the world of persons who have received help or comfort from someone they couldn’t see—an angel or spirit who guided them or in some other way gave them assistance from beyond the veil.

But just who are these angels? Are they even real?

Although angels are a vital part of Latter-day Saint history and doctrine, their roles and purposes are often misunderstood. In this inspiring volume, author Donald W. Parry discusses in a clear and understandable way what we can learn from the scriptures and from modern prophets and apostles about angels and their missions.
Here you will find answers to such questions as the following:

What are angels?
What powers and abilities are angels given?
How do angels communicate with mortals?
What are the assigned missions and roles of angels?
How do angels reveal truth and teach the doctrines of the gospel?
How do angels minister to and comfort mortals?
What is the role of guardian angels in the modern world?

    When just the thought of someone watching out for us can give us hope in challenging times, to realize that angels minister light, love, and power to us, whether we are aware of them or not, gives us unparalleled understanding, comfort, and peace.

    Review: I started reading Angels on the way home from a long road trip and was so enthralled I began to read it aloud to my husband. Never before have I been enlightened by such a collection of brand new truths.  Angels is by far the most interesting non-fiction book I’ve picked up in a very long time. 

    I’ve always believed in angels and have felt the presence of those I love who have gone before and others whom I’ve never met close by during important times of my life. I have felt sustained, lifted, loved mourned with, comforted and encircled. To know more about who these angels are, from whence they come and what powers they possess is incredible.

    Brother Parry has well researched and cited many stories from the scriptures and apostles lives that illustrate how angels are working miracles in our day and time. He teaches the types, ranks, and superhuman traits of angels. He shows us how living divine like mortals can be angels in our every day lives. Parry’s writing is clear, deep and touching. 

    I would buy Angels for myself and as a gift for all I know. And, I really hope an audio version is released soon so I can listen to it again and again to drink in all I learned. It is just absolutely packed with new doctrine.

    Thanks so much to Deseret Book for inviting us to be on the tour!

    About the Author: Donald W. Parry, a professor of the Hebrew Bible at Brigham Young University holds the Abraham O. Smoot Professorship. For nearly twenty years he has served as a member of the prestigious international team of translators of the Dead Sea Scrolls and is the author or coauthor of more than thirty books and numerous articles on the Bible and the Dead Sea Scrolls. He has coauthored with his brother, Jay A. Parry, several books for Latter-day Saints, including Understanding Isaiah, Understanding the Signs of the Times, and most recently, Symbols and Shadows: Unlocking a Deeper Understanding of the Atonement. Brother Parry, who has served in the Church as a bishop, a temple worker, and high councilor, is a popular speaker at BYU Education Week. He and his wife, Camille Parry, are the parents of six children.


    Learn more on Goodreads/ Deseret Book

    Deseret Book $50 Giftcard Get Caught Giving Giveaway

    11 Jul, 2013 by in Summer of a Million Gifts Leave a comment


    Deseret Book is looking to give back this summer with its Summer of a Million Gifts. The store’s customers can anticipate random daily in-store gifts and an opportunity to win one of three grand prizes.


    In June, one lucky customer won an 8-day Caribbean Cruise with Alex Boye, British-born LDS singer and songwriter, courtesy of Morris Murdock Travel. 

    This month, Deseret Book is giving away a missionary wardrobe courtesy of Mr. Mac.

    The giving will take place online and in person at every store throughout the summer months. Each day on Deseret Book’s official Facebook page and in Deseret Book stores, an associate will give a gift to at least one customer a free pass to Lagoon theme park, double Platinum points, a free book at check-out, an act of service, or some other free prize.

    They are receiving some amazing stories of “paying it forward” and would love for everyone to “Get Caught Giving”!!

    More information about the Summer of a Million Gifts can be found online at DeseretBook.com, on Facebook at facebook.com/deseretbook, or in any of Deseret Book’s retail locations.



    As part of the SUMMER OF A MILLION GIFTS, Deseret Book has a free eBook download, A Taste of Deseret Book!  Set up a free Deseret Book Bookshelf account if you don’t have one already and download a book full of 20 delicious recipes from 8 bestselling cookbooks including the Lion House, Six Sisters’ Stuff and Our Best Bites!  Click here to get your free eBook today! 

    And, enter to win the giveaway for a $50.00 Deseret Book gift card below…

    Get Caught Giving Deseret Book Amazon Gift Card Giveaway

    14 Jun, 2013 by in Uncategorized Leave a comment


    Deseret Book Kicks-off a Summer of a Million Gifts
    Prizes include an 8-day cruise, a missionary wardrobe, a wedding reception, and daily gifts

    Deseret Book is looking to give back this summer with its Summer of a Million Gifts. The store’s customers can anticipate random daily in-store gifts and an opportunity to win one of three grand prizes.


    In June, one lucky customer will win an 8-day Caribbean Cruise with Alex Boye, British-born LDS singer and songwriter, courtesy of Morris Murdock Travel. In July, another will win a missionary wardrobe courtesy of Mr. Mac. And in August, one couple will win a wedding reception courtesy of Temple Square Hospitality.

    The giving will take place online and in person at every store throughout the summer months. Each day on Deseret Book’s official Facebook page and in Deseret Book stores, an associate will give a gift to at least one customer a free pass to Lagoon theme park, double Platinum points, a free book at check-out, an act of service, or some other free prize.

    More information about the Summer of a Million Gifts can be found online at DeseretBook.com, on Facebook at facebook.com/deseretbook, or in any of Deseret Book’s retail locations.


    Enter to win the giveaway for a $50.00 Deseret Book gift card below…


    a Rafflecopter giveaway

    21 Principles: Divine Truths to Help you Live by the Spirit by Richard G Scott Blog Tour and Review

    22 May, 2013 by in review, Richard G Scott Leave a comment

    21 Principles: Divine Truths to Help you Live by the Spirit 
    by Richard G Scott
    Hardcover, 105 pages
    Published 2013
    by Deseret Book
    ISBN 1609075269
    Book Source: publisher
    5 stars

    Product Description from Deseret Book.com: 

    “As you seek spiritual knowledge, search for principles,” counsels Elder Richard G. Scott. “Principles are concentrated truth, packaged for application to a wide variety of circumstances.”


    In this exciting book, Elder Scott offers 21 principles distilled from his life experiences. These “concentrated truths” will help you understand more fully how to be guided by the Spirit. Elder Scott’s brief explanations open the way for your own discovery and exploration.
    “I bear witness that Jesus Christ knows you personally,” Elder Scott writes. “He will provide answers to every difficult problem in your life as you trust Him and do all you can to understand and apply His doctrine and strive to live by the Spirit.” 21 Principles will be a valuable tool in that quest.

    Review: Richard G. Scott shares the most important truths he was learned in life in his newest title 21 Truths. each chapter outlines a principle to ponder and adopt. As an artist who often feels the pull of being creative juxtaposed with doing the same things over and over again, I truly appreciated Principle 3 

    “Repeatedly I have been impressed to learn that to reach a goal never before attained, one must do things never before done.”  

    Elder Scott talks about how on a visit to a close friend he was fascinated with his ability to create beauty using brushes, watercolor and paint, and had the impression “Try it.”  He did just that, and the cover of his book is a print of one of his watercolor paintings. When I noticed the signature on the dust jacket I felt uplifted and encouraged to go out on a limb.

    This book is power packed with sound advice and the way to apply it in our lives. If applied with prayer and perseverance these principles will set your life on the right course. I would recommend it for a Father’s Day gift! Thanks so much to Deseret Book for inviting us to be on the blog tour today.



    About the Author: Elder Richard G. Scott, was called as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in October 1988. He had served in the First Quorum of the Seventy since 1977 and was a member of the presidency of that quorum for five years. He holds a B.S. degree in mechanical engineering and completed post-graduate work in nuclear engineering. Prior to his call as a General Authority, he worked on the staff of Admiral Hyman Rickover developing military and private nuclear power reactors. Elder Scott and his wife, Jeanene Watkins Scott (deceased), are the parents of seven children.


      Find out more on Deseret Book/ Goodreads

    One Drop At A Time Blog Tour and Review

    07 May, 2013 by in M Russell Ballard, One Drop At A Time, review 1 comment

    One Drop At a Time
    by M. Russell Ballard
    Published March 2013
    by Deseret Book
    Book Source: Publisher
    5 stars

    Book Summary: Do you sometimes wonder if your little efforts could possibly make any difference at all? Consider a simple example from nature.

    Honey is “one of the foods that includes all the substances— enzymes, vitamins, minerals, and water—necessary to sustain life,” writes Elder M. Russell Ballard. And yet, “Over its short lifetime of just a few weeks to four months, a single honeybee’s contribution of honey to its hive is a mere one-twelfth of one teaspoon. Though seemingly insignificant when compared to the total, each bee’s one-twelfth of a teaspoon of honey is vital to the life of the hive.”

    Your simple, daily acts of service matter, and this charmingly illustrated little book will lift your heart as it demonstrates the power of many righteous people working together to fill the world, one drop at a time, with the sweet truths of the gospel.

    Review: Elder M. Russell Ballard grew up on an orchard and as a boy remembers the hives of honeybees his father kept–over 60,000 bees to pollinate the trees.  Each bee  only lives a few short weeks to four months and its contribution is a mere one twelfth of a teaspoon. But think of the collective effort each bee makes to the good of the hive. Their life’s work is  vital and significant when taken as a collective effort. So many of us take for granted the beautiful harmony and system it takes to create each drop of honey.

    This book is a visual and verse reminder that each of us has contribution to make, however small it may be. We better the world with daily acts of small service and as mothers. We nurture, we build, we work together. I was inspired by the pages and think One Drop At A Time is just the message we each need to remember.




    About the Author: Elder M. Russell Ballard was sustained as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in October 1985. Prior to that, he served in the first Quorum of the Seventy and in the presidency of that quorum. A successful businessman, he has engaged in various enterprises, including automotive, real estate, and investments. He has also served as a bishop twice and as president of the Canada Toronto Mission. Elder Ballard and his wife, Barbara Bowen Ballard, are the parents of seven children and grandparents of forty-three.

    The Beginning of Better Days Deseret Book Blog Tour

    06 May, 2013 by in The Beginning of Better Days 1 comment

    Fire and Ice is today’s stop on the Deseret Book blog tour for The Beginning of Better Days. It’s a perfect book for Mother’s Day! Listen as members of a Women’s book club share their personal thoughts on how this book touched their lives.

    Product Description from Deseret Book: How important are women in the restored church of Jesus Christ? We learn something about the answer to the question from a simple historic fact: In 1842, the Prophet Joseph Smith took time to attend several meetings of the Female Relief Society of Nauvoo and give personal instruction to the women there. He did this at a time of great personal turmoil, when persecutions were raging and his responsibilities were heavy. He did it at a time when society barely acknowledged women as having any kind of status at all. On six separate occasions, he taught the women personally about their privileges, their opportunities, their obligations, and the blessings the Lord had in store for them in His kingdom.
    The Beginning of Better Days includes Joseph Smith’s six timeless sermons to the women of Nauvoo, along with personal essays from Sheri Dew and Virginia H. Pearce that help us better understand the sermons and their relevance for Latter-day Saint women today. “We have attempted to share a little about our own processes of discovery regarding the sermons,” writes the authors. “This is what worked for us. What works for you may be similar — or it may be completely different. The important thing is to dig in.”

    About the Authors: Sheri Dew is a native of Ulysses, Kansas, and a graduate of Brigham Young University. She has authored several books, including the biographies of two presidents of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Presidents Gordon B. Hinckley and Ezra Taft Benson. Her most recent books are God Wants a Powerful People and Saying It Like It Is. Sheri was named the president and CEO of Deseret Book Company in March 2002. She also serves as a member of both the BYU Marriott School of Management’s National Advisory Council and the President’s Leadership Council for BYU-Hawaii. In March 2003 the White House appointed her as a member of the U.S. Delegation to the Commission on the Status of Women and Girls at the United Nations.


    Virginia Hinckley Pearce is the author of the bestselling book A Heart Like His: Making Space for God’s Love in Your Life, and has edited and coauthored several additional books, including Glimpses into the Life and Heart of Marjorie Pay Hinckley. She has served as a counselor in the Young Women general presidency and on the general Primary board of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. She and her husband, the late James R. Pearce, have six children and twenty-six grandchildren.

    Learn more about The Beginning of Better Days at Deseret Book

    Blog Tour and Review- The Continuous Conversion by Brad Wilcox

    12 Apr, 2013 by in review, The Continuous Conversion 3 comments

    The Continuous Conversion God Isn’t Just Proving Us, He’s Improving Us
    by Brad Wilcox
    232 Pages
    Hardcover
    Published 2013
    Book Source: Publisher
    5 stars

    Product Description from Deseret Book: I wrote this book because I know too many people who are giving up! One discouraged friend said, “I can’t do this Mormon thing. I’ve tried, and the expectations are just way too high.” … I know returned missionaries who spent their entire missions teaching about the Atonement, but now they have made some mistakes and feel like the Atonement won’t work for them. I know people who have gone to the temple to be sealed and then never returned. I know others who are feeling burned out in their callings. Too many Latter-day Saints feel like they will never measure up. I wanted to write something that will provide hope and motivation next time we or those we love are tempted to toss in the towel. I wanted to write something that would remind people why we do what we do and that it’s worth it–not because of all we are earning, but because of all we are learning. Instead of just going through the motions, I wanted people to read this book and once again feel the emotions of discipleship. That’s what they are missing. Whether the challenge is getting more out of the temple endowment or dealing with callings or juggling the many aspects of our lives and feeling like we are dropping too many balls, I wanted to provide a shot in the arm.
    I started writing The Continuous Atonement when I was serving as the bishop of a young single adult ward…. I realized that there was an aspect of the Atonement they didn’t get. They knew about how the Atonement could cleanse and console us, but they didn’t grasp how it can transform us and how Christ offers us His enabling power however long that transformation process takes–even continuously. This book picks up that same theme and answers the question, “How?” “How do I apply the Atonement and feel it’s transforming power on a continuous basis?” True conversion is not a onetime event, but a process that takes time. Most people accept that in theory, but we still beat ourselves up when we fall short. My message is “Be patient. You are doing better than you realize. Hang in there!” We are not paying our way into heaven. We’re practicing for it! —Brad Wilcox
    “I can’t do this Mormon thing,” a friend told Brad Wilcox. “I’ve tried, and the expectations are just way too high.” And she’s not alone in her thinking. Many people, as they feel themselves falling short of perfection, are tempted to quit trying.
    But are there only two options? Think of it this way: When a person is learning to play the piano, are the only two options performing at Carnegie Hall or quitting? Similarly, in mortality, are the only two choices being perfect or giving up?
    “No,” writes Brad Wilcox. “Growth and development take time. Learning takes practice. Discipleship is a journey, and true conversion is a continuous process.”
    In this hope-filled book, Brad shares his keen understanding and testimony of the Atonement of Jesus Christ as it relates to our own conversion. Conversion occurs, he says, “when we stop trying to earn heaven and start trying to learn it. . . As we take each little step to show faith, repent, make and live covenants, seek the Holy Ghost, and endure to the end, we are not paying our way into heaven. We are practicing for it.“
    Review: So many of us feel that we just don’t measure up or can’t make it into heaven. Mr. Wilcox addresses this very issue in his newest book The Continuous Conversion. “We aren’t earning our way into heaven were are learning our way into heaven.” 
    The entire book is filled with the profound idea that we are making it there step by step and that the path to becoming a better person takes a gradual and continual progress over time. Conversion is not a fast or “on the surface” change, it is a deep rooted and little by little, day by day– totally achievable goal. 
    As a former missionary in Chile I could relate to his examples from the field there. My favorite stories were of him reaching to youth at EFY and prisoners who had and had not experienced conversion. Brother Wilcox has a deep love for others and his counsel is filled with compassion.
    Each chapter of The Continuous Conversion has a theme with so many hopeful point of doctrine to ponder. Temple worship, repentance, the names we are given and serving with zeal are some of the topics addressed. This book should and could be read more than once.
    Brother Wilcox really helped me look at things in a completely new light and I would love to hear this one in audio so we can listen to it again and again as these are lessons for everyone that make an impression on the soul.
    Thanks so much to Deseret Book for the wonderful read!
    About the Author: Brad Wilcox is an associate professor in the department of Teacher Education at Brigham Young University, where he also works with programs such as Especially for Youth and Campus Education Week. As a young man, he served his mission in Chile, and he was later called back to that country to preside over the Chile Santiago East Mission from 2003 to 2003. He currently serves as a member of the Sunday School general board.
    Brad is the author of the bestselling book The Continuous Atonement and the BYU devotional “His Grace Is Sufficient.” He and his wife, Debi, are the parents of four children and grandparents of three.
    Read an excerpt of The Continuous Conversion at DeseretBook.com