Battlefields & Blessings Review and Giveaway

Battlefields & Blessings: Stories of Faith and Courage from the War in Iraq and Afghanistan, wow! I was once again given the opportunity by the wonderful Jocelyn Green to host another giveaway for another one of her awesome books. I actually won this book on a blog tour back in May and was super duper excited that Mrs. Green contacted me to actually be apart of her blog tour. This book has won the following awards:

- Gold Medal, spiritual/religious category, Military Writers Society of America (award presented in Pittsburgh on Oct. 2, 2010)
- Silver Medal, inspirational category, Branson Stars and Flags Book Awards (award will be presented in Branson, Mo., Nov. 6, 2010)

Battlefields & Blessings: Stories of Faith and Courage from the War in Iraq and Afghanistan is a collection of stories in a calendar format. 365 stories of men and women who have been affected one way or another by these two wars. You will read stories by military wives, soldiers who have deployed to assist in the war, children of soldiers, chaplains, people who were in the Pentagon when it was hit on 9/11 and more.

I know the news media has done tons of news stories on the wars but, this book gives you a chance to read short entries from those living with PTSD, spouses and parents of soldiers who have lost their lives fighting for our country and individuals who are just trying to survive while over there. Many of the stories will have you crying. I could actually picture scenarios with many of the stories and all I could do was pray. Faith and courage are definitely something that you need in any type of war; whether it is country again country or the spiritual war that we all fight on a daily basis. This book will, if you haven't already done so, love the thousands of men and women who have sacrificed everything they have to serve.

I like this book because I got the chance to read how these individuals clung to their faith in God during some of the most trying times in their lives. I've hear the saying "Some don't pray unless they are going through something", and it's so true. But in this book I felt the love they had for God and could tell they had that love for him even before the situations took place. It was because of their love and faith for God that they were able to make it through. Blessings, some may not see certain things that happen in their lives as a blessing but eventually they realize it. As a Navy wife, I know the dangers that are possible with my husband serving his country. I know the sacrifices he makes in order to do so too. I draw on my faith to help me through a lot of times and it just helps me even more to know that others do the same.

Book Rating: 4.5 GOLD STARS because it's a book that gives readers an intimate look into the emotions that these people have endured and are enduring through situations that most of us can't even imagine and probably never thought that our country would be dealing with. And because the pages are tattered like they were torn which gives the book an even cooler rating from me! [Check out my earlier post about this book being sent to me here.]

Battlefields & Blessings: Stories of Faith from the War in Iraq & Afghanistan can be purchased at the following locations:

Amazon

Borders

Barnes and Noble

Christianbook.com

One lucky Life as Mrs. JPT reader will have a chance to win a SIGNED copy of Battlefields & Blessings! Please don't forget to include your email address so that I can contact you if you are a winner. You will have 48 hours to respond or another winner will be chosen.

Mandatory Entry:

You must be a follower of my blog (hey, I love knowing you're out there reading my stuff!) via Google Friend and tell me how your faith (no matter what religion or spirituality you practice) has changed since the wars have started.

Extra Entries:

• Become a fan of my Facebook page Life as Mrs. JPT (+2 entries)
• Fellow Military Wife? Tell me a deployment story! (+5 entries)
• Blog about this giveaway and post the link below (+2 entries)
• Share this review and giveaway on Facebook and tag Life as Mrs. JPT (+2 entries)

This giveaway will run until Wednesday, November 24, 2010 at 8:00 PM PST. The winners will be announced Thanksgiving Day at 6:00 PM PST. I will utilize Random.org to choose the two winners. Please make sure to post each entry as a separate comment.
[Please note: I was chosen by the author to review this book. Although I was given the book to review, I did not receive any money for my review. My thoughts and opinions on this fantastic book are just that, mine!]