"Gigi's Big Break" - Sheila Walsh's Gigi, God's Little Princess

A Children's DVD Review:

"Gigi's Big Break" is a two-story DVD about Gigi, the main character from Sheila Walsh's children's books. In the first story, Gigi breaks a vase but blames it on her pet cat. When her mom doubts her story, Gigi embellishes it to convince her, but the lies continue to grow until Gigi can no longer bear it and finally confesses. Her parents help her see the damage that lying can do.

The second story begins with Gigi learning that she is going to be a big sister. Gigi's first response is, "Why?" She's used to being the only child and the center of their world. Afraid that her parents will no longer love her when the baby arrives, she plans to run away and live with her best friend. But Mom and Dad reassure her their love for her will never change, and she soon discovers the joy of being a big sister.

I am an adult woman with no children, but I enjoy a lot of animated children's movies. This is also my first encounter with the Gigi series. Gigi is quite a self-centered "drama queen" with a vivid and outrageous imagination. But she is quick to learn from her mistakes and grasp the Bible lesson found in her experiences. Although the animation is certainly not the quality most children are used to seeing today, and the voice of Gigi is actually quite annoying, the bright colors and music, as well as the story itself are sure to capture the attention of young school-age children. And the biblical principles taught in the amusing stories are certainly valuable for character building. For those reasons, I would recommend this DVD to friends with young daughters.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this DVD free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

"Beautiful Things Happen When a Woman Trusts God" by Sheila Walsh

A Book Review

Fear: a tool used by the Enemy to keep us from God's purpose for our lives. That fear often paralyzes us, keeping us from having the courage to believe God has it all under control. But as Sheila Walsh shares the story of her own struggles with fear and the journey of several Bible characters who also had to overcome fear to come to a place of faith, we find that beautiful things do indeed happen when we begin to trust God.

I am not usually one who enjoys non-fiction books, but as someone with chronic illness who struggles daily with the subject of trusting God, I was inexplicably drawn to this topic. And I soon discovered God had some amazing lessons in store as Sheila shared her heart through these pages. I was captivated by how closely I identified with both Sheila and the biblical figures as they wrestled with their fear of being too broken for God to use, fear of allowing others to see their failures, or fear that they may have missed their chance in life to do something for God. I feel that anyone who reads this amazing book will come away knowing that, like Sheila, "all I have to offer anyone else is a life surrendered to Christ so that his beauty and grace shine through my brokenness" (p.15).

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”