Queen Esther’s Reflection: A Portrait of Grace, Courage, and Excellence – by Ann Platz

 

Queen Esther’s Reflection: A Portrait of Grace, Courage, and Excellence – by Ann Platz

Pages: 224. Publisher: New Hope Publishers, 2007. ISBN: 9781596690127. Price: $12.99

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In ‘Queen Esther’s Reflection’, Ann Platz portrays Queen Esther as a perfect role model of grace, courage and excellence for women of today. From charming hospitality and wisdom-inspired mentoring to extending grace and social graces to others, the young and attractive Esther is an amazing and incredible person to emulate. This inspiring book is a penetrating, psychologically uplifting, true-to-life story of the young Queen’s graceful beauty, inspiring wisdom, and faultless loyalty to her husband, King Ahasuerus as well as her selfless devotion to her people. Queen Esther was a courageous young lady who became the pride, joy and delight of the King of Persia. A remarkably self-composed and extremely level-headed woman, Esther was carefully trained in the art of good looks, exemplary manners, courtesy and palace protocol, acquiring precious skills that would stand her in good stead when she became Queen by an extraordinary act of God.

Ann Platz explores the godly nature of the beautiful Queen Esther and the profound influence she wields among women in today’s society, as an exemplary woman of faith, endowed with a stunning reflection of Christ-like values. With crystal clear clarity, Ann dwells upon her own well-bred upbringing and the social skills she imbibed in South Carolina as the daughter of the longest-serving state senator in USA. Ann Platz graciously instructs women on how to transform their homes into palaces, with the divine touch of a royal anointing, by reflecting upon the excellence of character reflected in Queen Esther’s life. In this book, the author elegantly teaches us the priceless lessons of a pure heart and a sterling character through the inspiring Bible story of this humble and noble Queen.

Queen Esther allowed herself to be gracefully refined and prepared exquisitely, by being taught and mentored to make her spiritually beautiful. Her rare grace and fragrance captivated the king to give her royal favor and propel her into her tryst with destiny. The ultimate goal of every Christian woman is to become a woman of grace and dignity like Queen Esther. We were all brought into the kingdom “for such a time as this” to fulfil God’s plan, purpose and design for our lives. Every woman can acquire the royal dignity of a princess or even a Queen in her own way, if she strictly adheres to Biblical principles like Esther did, to reap her glorious reward in the salvation of her people. I admire the author’s direct, matter-of-fact style and deeply appreciate the delicate sense of balance that she maintains throughout the book, paying special emphasis to Queen Esther’s courage, faithfulness and obedience to God.

This book penetratingly ploughs the depths of a woman’s soul. Ann Platz is frank and transparently open, deeply honest, scripturally sound and filled with wisdom and understanding. She is a fearless teacher of divine truth and righteousness, as she lives it out to the hilt in her own life. Through the pages of this revealing book, Ann takes us on our very own personal journey of faith, as she opens our hearts and eyes to the inspiring and truthful life of Queen Esther, painting a glorious portrait of a charming woman of grace, courage, and excellence, a perfect role model for our lives and times. This is an incredible book, divinely anointed by God, and a rare treasure to be read many times over, as Ann uniquely intertwines the poignant history of the Kingdom of Persia with the practical application of the spiritual truths from Queen Esther’s life, to teach us precious lessons to practise in our daily lives.

‘Queen Esther’s Reflection’ is a thoughtful and perceptive analysis of the anointed role Queen Esther played in God’s divine plan, and the priceless lessons of humility and grace every Christian woman can learn from Queen Esther’s honorable life. Esther’s experiences certainly apply to all women’s lives, especially pertaining to the aspects of gracious living. Queen Esther, a woman of exemplary courage in the face of indefatigable odds, is one of my favorite Bible characters. Her spiritual beauty, inspired by God’s grace and favor, produces an irresistible fragrance that draws people to God.

Ann Platz, a very gifted and multi-talented author, is a wonderful inspiration to women worldwide. Her graceful face and admirable traits of charm and courtesy are stunning proof of this. Ann applies her wisdom gracefully and practically, extracting precious life lessons from the ancient but highly relevant story of Queen Esther, to apply them very skillfully to the lives of women today. I am deeply impressed with her elegant, dignified descriptions about Queen Esther in this awe-inspiring book. Ann Platz is the perfect epitome of southern charm and gracious hospitality. A noted interior designer, author and speaker, she is deeply inspired and motivated to share God’s love and inspiration with all His people worldwide. ‘Queen Esther’s Reflection’ bears the hallmark of excellence and is stamped with God’s favor and approval.

© Miriam Jacob

 

iF@ith – Connect with God in the Digital Age, in the High-Tech World of the 21st Century

How can we use technology to connect with God? How do you open a high-speed connection with God? Can we instantly connect with God at the click of a button, with the tap of a key on a keyboard or touchpad?

How do you connect with God in the digital age of pixels, bandwidth, high-speed and warp speed? Are you wired to serve God and His people in the digital revolution?

Can you communicate with God one-on-one, heart-to-heart, in a personally, intimate way? Do you send emails and receive instant, real-time answers, in the blink of an eye?

Are you living in a connected generation, that moves at warped speed, through a multitudinous maze of intricate data, at the lightning speed of thought?

How can we activate our faith in this connected generation, in which life delightfully explodes with data, racing ahead at the warp speed of thought.

Leap on board and surf with iF@ith. Your life will never be the same again!

Miriam Jacob

NEW HOPE PUBLISHERS

Sacred Love – Claudia Cantrell avec Kim P. Davis

Un voyage de célibat, d’appartenance
de recherche de l’amour véritable

CLAUDIA CANTRELL

Avez-vous toujours envie d’un amour profondément satisfaisant de l’âme et d’un sentiment épanouissant d’appartenance à celui qui peut vous donner les joies bienheureuses d’une vie heureusement-jamais-après? L’amour sacré est l’histoire d’amour sincère, sincère et poignante de la façon dont un enfant précieux de Dieu peut trouver la victoire triomphante sur la rupture totale. Accablé par les circonstances les plus affligeantes, traumatisantes et turbulentes, vous venez face à face avec une crise ultime de croyance et une défiance engourdie de tout dans la vie. Incapable de porter les fardeaux pesants plus, vous rendez le passé amer et douloureux à Dieu. En vous rendant à Celui qui vous aime le plus, vous apprenez à vivre la vie plus abondamment par le Christ. L’amour sacré vous oblige à courir vers Jésus-Christ, votre Époux céleste, votre heureuse toujours après. Il est votre propre amour vrai, le seul qui peut transformer une vie triste en une plus joyeuse. Jésus est notre seule raison de vivre. En Lui, nous vivons, nous nous mouvons et avons notre être. Lorsque Claudia a ravivé son premier amour pour Jésus-Christ et a pris la ferme décision d’aimer, de chérir et d’obéir à Sa volonté dans sa vie, Dieu guérit le cœur triste du Dr David Cantrell et lui donna Claudia comme épouse. Aujourd’hui, Claudia et David servent le Christ ensemble dans les ministères de Cantrell.

Miriam Jacob

Sacred Love – Claudia Cantrell with Kim P. Davis

CLAUDIA CANTRELL

Do you ever long for a deeply soul-satisfying love and a fulfilling sense of belonging to the only One who can give you the blissful joys of a happily-ever-after life? Sacred Love is the truthful, heartfelt and poignant love story of how a precious child of God can find triumphant victory over utter brokenness. Overwhelmed by the most distressing, traumatic and turbulent circumstances, you come face to face with an ultimate crisis of belief and a numb distrust of everything in life. Unable to carry the heavy burdens anymore, you surrender the bitter, painful past to God. By surrendering to the One who loves you the most, you learn how to live life more abundantly through Christ. Sacred Love compels you to run to Jesus Christ, your heavenly Bridegroom, your happily ever after. He is your own true love, the only One who can transform a sad life into a most joyful one. Jesus is our only reason for living. In Him, we live and move and have our being. When Claudia rekindled her first love for Jesus Christ and made a firm decision to love, cherish and obey His will in her life, God healed Dr. David Cantrell’s grieving heart and gave Claudia to him as his bride. Today, Claudia and David serve Christ together in the Cantrell Ministries.

Miriam Jacob

iF@ITH by Daniel Darling – Review by Miriam Jacob

New Hope Publishers
ISBN-10: 1596692944
ISBN-13: 978-1596692947
December 21, 2010

iF@ith by Daniel Darling connects with God in the 21st century through an in-depth study of the real people in the Bible who instantly communicated with God, heart-to-heart, in a personally intimate way. How do we connect with God in the digital age of pixels, bandwidth, high-speed and warp speed, when “we are always plugged in and wired to the digital revolution”, with instant answers at the tips of our fingers? How do we restart our prayer life to open a high-speed connection with God? We live in a connected generation, moving at warped speed, through a maze of intricate data, traveling swiftly at the speed of thought. We send digital messages by email and receive instant, real-time answers in the blink of an eye. Reading iF@ith will activate your faith and set you on a unique road in this connected generation in which life explodes with data racing ahead at the warp speed of thought. Leap on board and surf with iF@ith. Your life will never be the same!

God certainly has a digital mission for this millennium. Where does prayer fit into the fast-paced and ever-changing scenario of today’s technological revolution, where  people are constantly plugged in and wired, with instant answers at their fingertips? iF@ith is Daniel Darling’s perfect response to the digital generation of which he is an integral part. Practical prayer refreshes your prayer life and opens an instant, high-speed connection with God. Do the centuries-old, time-tested truths of Christianity connect with the modern expectations of the digital era? “We are an always-connected generation, weaned on warp speed, raised on instant formula, with life revolving around our ever-expanding devices, exploding with data traveling at the speed of thought.” We send instant messages, emails and texts to people connected in the world wide web and get instant real-time answers in the blink of an eye. As we send and receive information , we get instant answers, one-on-one, person to  person.

With the advent of the internet and “the rapid acceleration of communication” at the click of a button, the lost art of letter-writing was duly revived in digital format as we strive to paint a digital masterpiece, carefully weighing the pros and cons of each word and the significance of every phrase used to embellish our artwork. Gone are the days when letter-writing was an exquisite art, duly executed on paper, with words dexterously painted like a portrait, every word significantly weighed to convey the most accurate meaning.

This is the fast-paced digital age of pixels and bandwidth, rebooting and opening high-speed internet connections, faced with the urgent need to be always-connected, racing on fast-track from high-speed to warp speed, as we struggle to cope with vast amounts of data transmitted at the lightning speed of thought. Digital messages by text and email demand instant, real-time answers, as we send and receive information to  communicate personally, one-on-one. Global communication makes gigantic leaps across oceans, spanning countries and borders, transcending time zones. It is as easy as the click of a button.”Nobody is ever out of reach, unavailable or offline.” You will see Jesus form deeply in you and discover Him smiling at you through the all-important missives of emails, text and chat messages.

In iF@ith, Daniel Darling enriches your walk with Christ through practical, revealing insights into the lives and times of biblical characters, those giants of faith who inspire our faith beyond the eye of reason. Faith is based on biblical fact. “The heart has its reasons of which reason cannot know.” Christ died for us and His undying love for us is the reason for our faith. “Love’s strength lies in love’s sacrifice and He who suffers most has most to give.”

Review by Miriam Jacob

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AUTHOR PROFILE

Daniel Darling is the Vice President of Communications for the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission. He previously served five years as Senior Pastor of Gages Lake Bible Church in Gages Lake, Illinois, USA. He is a contributor to Leadership Journal, Gospel Coalition, and a variety of other publications. He has written several books, including his latest, Activist Faith. He blogs at www.danieldarling.com