Today in World War II History

70 Years Ago—Sept. 30, 1941: RAF withdraws US-made B-17Cs from combat due to problems with armor and systems freezing.

Christian Store Week October 1-10, 2011

Have you been blessed by a Christian bookstore? I certainly have. When I was a little girl, I loved going to the local Berean Christian bookstore. Today I'm doubly blessed by my local store (Graceland Christian Bookstore in Pittsburg CA). As a customer, I appreciate the great selection of books, music, and gift items. As an author, I've been blown away by their enthusiastic support.

October 1-10 is Christian Store Week! These stores offer a unique blend of products and ministry, and this week is our chance to thank them. Many stores are hosting authors or recording artists! Check out the Christian Store Week website to find participating locations near you.

During Christian Store Week only, the Feed the Flock CD will be available for purchase at participating stores and will include music, books and videos from Christian artists and authors. All proceeds go to World Vision's food aid programs.

What else can you do to show appreciation to your local store?
1) Buy something!
2) Thank them in person, or even better, write a letter all the staff can read.
3) Bring them goodies!
4) Brag about the store to all your friends and family.
5) Sing their praises on Facebook or Twitter.
6) Visit one of the Christian Store Week author or artist events.

I'll be participating too! On Wednesday, October 5, I'll be at Lighthouse Christian Store, 7188 Amador Plaza Rd., Dublin CA from 7-9 pm. I'll be giving a short talk about the process of writing a book, as well as signing books. On Saturday, October 8, I'll be signing books at Nu Revelations Bookstore, 22431 Foothill Blvd., Hayward CA from 3-6 pm.

Today in World War II History

70 Years Ago—Sept. 29, 1941: German SS begins 2-day massacre of 33,771 Jews at Babi Yar near Kiev. Germans enter Donets Basin, Soviet industrial base.

Today in World War II History

70 Years Ago—Sept. 28, 1941: Free French declare independence of Syria and Lebanon. Japanese assault city of Changsha, China. Ted Williams of Boston Red Sox earns .406 batting average for season; record still stands.

Today in World War II History

70 Years Ago—Sept. 27, 1941: Due to resistance, Germany places SS Gen. Reinhard Heydrich over Czechoslovakia. US launches first 14 Liberty cargo ships, led by SS Patrick Henry. “I Don’t Want to Set the World on Fire” enters Top Ten. Movie release of Sergeant York with Gary Cooper.

Today in World War II History

70 Years Ago—Sept. 26, 1941: General de Gaulle, leader of the Free French, signs alliance with USSR. US Army establishes Military Police Corps (MPs).

Today in World War II History

70 Years Ago—Sept. 25, 1941: Germans parachute into Crimea peninsula in the Ukraine. Movie premiere of You’ll Never Get Rich, starring Fred Astaire & Rita Hayworth.

Today in World War II History

70 Years Ago—Sept. 24, 1941: First German U-boat passes Gibraltar and enters Mediterranean. In Paris, tobacco ration reduced to 4 cigarettes/day for men, none for women.

Today in World War II History

70 Years Ago—Sept. 23, 1941: De Gaulle forms Free French National Committee in London. Germany declares French who help downed British airmen will be shot. Luftwaffe Stukas sink Soviet battleship Marat near Leningrad.

Missing the Mark

Algebra. I loved it, but as a parent the word makes me shiver. Today I corrected my son’s algebra homework. Although he got every problem correct, I made him redo the entire page. Why? He didn’t show his work. In algebra, the process is as important as the answer. If turned in, that paper would have earned an F.

In other words, he missed the mark.

Sin can be a difficult concept. We understand murder and theft and adultery as sin. We understand lying and gossip as sin—especially when we’re on the receiving end. But coveting? Judgmental thoughts? Complaining? Well, everyone does those.

But they miss the mark.

Remember, Eve “only” ate a piece of fruit. But she knew God had forbidden it. Any time we do what God doesn’t want us to do, or we don’t do what God wants us to do, we’ve missed the mark. We’ve sinned.

I offered my son a redo of his algebra page, but God offers the best redo of all—a new life in Christ, all sins forgiven and erased. The wages of sin might be F—I mean, death! “But the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” Romans 6:23.

Today in World War II History

70 Years Ago—Sept. 22, 1941: King George of Greece and Greek government arrive in London to form government-in-exile.

Today in World War II History

70 Years Ago—Sept. 20, 1941: Germans impose curfew in Paris from 9 pm to 5 am.

Book Beat - Don't Leave Your Brains at the Door

It's tough being a teenager - drama, tests, making major life decisions, hormones, parental pressure, boys/girls, and more drama. In addition, teens get conflicting messages about God, Christianity, and life.

Josh McDowell and Bob Hostetler's bestselling Don't Check Your Brains at the Door has been updated for a new generation and addresses questions teens may have about their faith. 

Don't Check Your Brains at the Door is written in an accessible style and takes on various myths teens have heard - and may even believe - yes, even kids raised in the church. These myths include cosmic-killjoy God, just-a-good-teacher Jesus, everyone goes to heaven, God "grading on a curve," and most importantly the myth that you have to sacrifice your brain to be a Christian. McDowell use clear logic to debunk these myths. While this is not an in-depth apologetics text - nor should it be - a teen will see the logic behind their faith and come out with a clearer view of God, the Bible, and how to live as a Christian.

I highly recommend this book for young to mid-teens, their parents, and youth workers. The book would make an excellent resource for parent-teen discussions or study, as well as for small groups.

Today in World War II History

70 Years Ago—Sept. 19, 1941: Germans take Kiev in the Ukraine and 600,000 Soviet POWs.

Today in World War II History

70 Years Ago—Sept. 18, 1941: USSR conscripts all men 16-50. Royal Navy sinks Italian transports with 5000 men off Malta, 384 killed.

Today in World War II History

70 Years Ago—Sept. 17, 1941: US begins escorting British convoys from Newfoundland to Iceland, violating neutrality. Germany begins deporting German Jews.

Today in World War II History

70 Years Ago—Sept. 16, 1941: In Iran, Reza Shah Pahlavi abdicates in favor of his son, Mohamed Reza Pahlavi, favored by the Allies.

Today in World War II History

70 Years Ago—Sept. 15, 1941: Germans encircle Soviets at Kiev.

Today in World War II History

70 Years Ago—Sept. 14, 1941: Five-month animators’ strike at Disney Studios ends.

Today in World War II History

70 Years Ago—Sept. 13, 1941: German army decides Soviet POWs will have smaller rations than other POWs.

Blue Skies Tomorrow Kindle Giveaway...Winner!

To celebrate the release of Blue Skies Tomorrow, the final installment of the Wings of Glory series, I teamed up with Litfuse Publicity to give one winner A Vintage Kindle Prize Package!

A whirl of bloggers reviewed Blue Skies Tomorrow - and this is what they had to say... Read what the reviewers said here.

The contest closed on September 10. I can barely believe it, but 3996 people entered the contest!!!! And the winner is....Barbara Nolan of Kentucky!!!

Barbara will receive:

* Kindle with Wi-Fi
* Handmade vintage apron for her and a friend (see a photo here)
* Blue Skies Tomorrow (for Kindle)

Thank you so much to all of you who entered and to all the fabulous bloggers who made this contest and blog tour so much fun!

Today in World War II History

70 Years Ago—Sept. 12, 1941: US Coast Guard intercepts ship in Mackenzie Bay, Greenland carrying Germans establishing weather station. First flight of prototype Horsa glider.

Faith Deployed Again Giveaway Winners

On September 11, it seems fitting to honor the families of those who serve in our military. These Home Front heroes serve quietly and without accolade. Often military wives live far away from the support of family and friends. Please remember them. Pray for them. Reach out to those military families in your community.

The winners of Faith Deployed...Again: More Encouragement for Military Wives by Jocelyn Green are "mrskatbaca" and "Evy," both of whom are in the middle of their husband's deployments.

Thank you to all the members of our military and to the families who support them. We appreciate and honor you.

Today in World War II History

70 Years Ago—Sept. 11, 1941: Ground breaking ceremony for the Pentagon. President Roosevelt says US Navy will shoot German or Italian ships in US waters on sight (due to USS Greer incident on 9/4/41).

Today in World War II History

70 Years Ago—Sept. 10, 1941: First US-made B-24s leave for Britain for use by the RAF under Lend-Lease. Cab Calloway records “Blues in the Night.”

Today in World War II History

70 Years Ago—Sept. 9, 1941: Iran formally submits to Allied occupation (USSR north of Tehran, UK south, Tehran shared), which aids in bringing supplies to USSR.

Book Beat - Faith Deployed...Again

The September 11 attacks altered life in America. For most of us, this meant little more than increased patriotism and longer lines at the airport, but military families experienced deep and lasting changes. Troop deployments have become more frequent, longer, and far more dangerous.

Sadly, military wives are often forgotten. During deployments, these women function as single parents, deal with their own fears and concerns, and keep life normal for the children while keeping Daddy real to them as well.

Author Jocelyn Green, a former Coast Guard wife, compiled a series of devotions for military wives in the award-winning Faith Deployed: Daily Encouragement for Military Wives (Moody Publishers, 2008), and now another compilation, Faith Deployed...Again: More Daily Encouragement for Military Wives.

In Faith Deployed...Again, thirty military wives and Blue-Star moms share heartfelt, biblical advice in short devotions that can be read in snippets of time. Each devotion is beautifully written, with personal anecdotes, Scripture passages, and prayers. Even though I'm not a military wife, I was moved and convicted by many of the readings. Excellent advice is given on protecting marriages, caring for yourself, and providing stability for children.

Faith Deployed...Again would be excellent for military wives, friends or family of military wives who would like to support them better, and even for women whose husbands travel.

Jocelyn Green also has an excellent Faith Deployed Website, which provides information, resources, and an online community for military wives.

Thanks to Moody Publishers, I have two copies of Faith Deployed...Again to give away! Please leave a comment with your email address in the following format: sarah [at] sarahsundin [dot] com, so I can contact the winner. I would love for these books to go where they are needed!

Today in World War II History

70 Years Ago—Sept. 8, 1941: Siege of Leningrad begins as Germans completely surround the city. The siege will last 872 days.

Today in World War II History

70 Years Ago—Sept. 7, 1941: Sara Delano Roosevelt, mother of the president, dies at age 86 in Hyde Park, NY.

Today in World War II History

70 Years Ago—Sept. 6, 1941: Vilna ghetto opens in Lithuania for 40,000 Jews. Japanese open offensive toward Changsha, China.

Lessons from the 1940s - Labor Counts

On Labor Day I thought it was appropriate to honor the vital role of production in the Allied victory in World War II.

The United States was well situated to become the "Arsenal of Democracy." Other than a few random bombings from Japanese submarine-based planes and shellings from submarines, America was free from damage. The factories and shipyards functioned free from danger. The US also had a large industrial infrastructure with Yankee flexibility. Assembly lines for civilian cars and washing machines were reconfigured to crank out jeeps and tanks. Women stepped forward to work in the factories, with 16 million women in the workforce by 1943.

Work days were lengthened and manufacturing wages rose, from an average of $25 per week in 1940 to $45.70 in 1944, while civilian prices and rents were frozen.

American industry and workers stepped up production so that by 1944, real economic output had increased 150%. By 1942, the United States produced more arms than all the Axis countries combined. As a result, America was able to keep itself and the rest of the Allies well supplied.

Dark spots existed. Despite taking a "no-strike pledge" after Pearl Harbor, unions launched many strikes that slowed production, especially in the coal and steel industries, and in the railroads. The threat of government takeover, public outrage, and disgust from the military ended these strikes. In June 1944, sailors on the USS Coos Bay sarcastically sent $412 in pennies to buy off the workers at the Wright aircraft factory in Ohio.

In the end, American production was a key factor in the Allied victory. By keeping the Allies suppled with arms, vehicles, planes, ships, equipment, uniforms, medical supplies, and food, the "Arsenal of Democracy" lived up to its name.

Today in World War II History

70 Years Ago—Sept. 5, 1941: Maiden flight of B-17E model (added tail, radio, top & ball turret guns); 512 will be made through May 1943.

Today in World War II History

70 Years Ago—Sept. 4, 1941: USS Greer accidentally attacked by U-652 off Iceland, undamaged. Greer drops depth charges in first US attack on U-boat.

Today in World War II History

70 Years Ago—Sept. 3, 1941: First experimental use of gas chambers at Auschwitz, using Zyklon-B. Soviets begin rounding up ethnic Germans in USSR; by January 1942, 800,000 will be sent to Siberia.

Today in World War II History

70 Years Ago—Sept. 1, 1941: German Jews over 6 years of age required to wear yellow star, as Jews in occupied territories already are.