In the Constitution of the United States of America, it is stated that we Americans have the right to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” But what is happiness? Is it the precious time that I spend with my children and grandchildren, trying to squeeze every moment that I can into the few days or weeks that I may have with them? Is it a phone call from a distant loved one, ending with the words, “love and miss you”? Is it a job that brings fulfillment and thus happiness? For many years, I have pursued happiness, only to find that what I have been seeking does not bring true or lasting happiness at all. As Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes, “All is vanity.”

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Whatever we pursue in our desire for happiness, unless God is in the center of it, it becomes meaningless. That is not to say that the time I spend with my grandchildren, for example, is worthless. But, like all else in life, it is fleeting and soon only a memory. So, unless happiness is a brief moment in life, this is not true happiness. Our pursuit of the eternal, of a relationship with our Heavenly Father, is what makes us truly happy.

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The pleasure that we get from spending time in the presence of God is lasting, not just a memory to savor, but a relationship that lasts in our hearts and minds and takes us through the valleys that will come in our lives. God is always there for us; He does not move nor change. People change. What makes us happy changes. I submit to you that happiness is fleeting, but the joy of the Lord, that which is a fruit of the spirit, is everlasting, something that becomes ingrained in our lives if we practice it daily. Did you catch that word? P-R-A-C-T-I-C-E! We have to practice being joyful, spending time with the Lord. We have to discipline ourselves to spend time with Him in order to partake of His joy. Discipline is not always easy, but it always brings good fruit, if we patiently persevere.

I read an article this morning from Dr. Denison that gave me cause to ponder today’s theme. Here is the article. I pray for the families of those lost in the horrible plan crash, that they will seek their joy in the arms of the Father of all comfort.

https://www.denisonforum.org/columns/daily-article/worried-passenger-called-her-husband-shortly-before-ukrainian-jet-crashed-trusting-gods-power-in-perilous-times/

Blessings to each of you for a day in which you take time to seek God’s face and true joy in His presence!

The Joy of the Lord

Have you ever thought what it means to you that God is merciful? I was pondering this truth yesterday and today after this was one of the Scriptures that I read.

Think about that one! The Lord is WAITING to show you mercy! I have done a lot of waiting in physician’s offices and it is no fun to wait. It’s like you never know when your name will be called, so you continue to listen intently. That’s what I imagine God is doing…listening intently for me to call on Him and cry out for His mercy. God, who always makes the right decisions for me, is delighted when I call on Him. And, bonus! Having put my trust in the Lord, I am a happier person for it!

God hears us and listens to us. We don’t have to wait until we are in trouble to call on Him. I call on Him daily, over and over again. I say things like, “Lord, give me wisdom, ” or “Lord, bless that person who was short-tempered with me. She must be having a bad day and needs your intervention,” or “Lord, keep that driver safe who is driving too fast and erratically. Grant that he/she may not harm himself/herself or others.” You see how it works. I am in a perpetual state of prayer. I start in the morning and end when I go to bed. For each challenge of life, there is a prayer to be sent to the Lord. In His mercy, He hears…He listens to my words and sends an answer.

Blessings to each of you, my dear readers and followers, for a day filled with talking to God. But, don’t forget to take time to listen! For He may have something important to speak to your heart today.

END GAME is available today! It is a non-stop, fast-paced Christian romantic suspense. The first in the new Capital Intrigue series by Rachel Dylan starts off the series with several big bangs and a huge surprise ending! Buy it today!

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2QR87Q1

Barnes and Noble: http://bit.ly/2txR0KZ

Books-a-Million: http://bit.ly/2sUt8Bk

CBD: http://bit.ly/36zAads

My review:

This new book by Rachel Dylan shows her readers how versatile she is at taking a complicated plot and drawing us into it quickly. This is the first book in a new series called Capital Intrigue, and it definitely hooked me right from the beginning when military special ops men are being killed, seemingly randomly. When multiple agencies are called to investigate, Special Agent Bailey Ryan meets NCIS agent Marco Agostini. The case is twisted, with a lot of secrets that are hidden being revealed and a plot that reaches deep into the bowels of the most secret agency in the U.S. Bailey and Marco are tasked with unraveling the clues and following them to solve the mysteries of the deaths of the SEALS as well as evade being killed themselves. Bailey becomes a vulnerable target during the investigation and that whole sub-plot is edge of the seat reading. This is a book that you will want to set aside time to read from start to finish because it is really hard to put down! Fans of romantic suspense will really enjoy END GAME, and will look forward to the next book in the series!

Disclaimer

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions 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 Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”

Happy release day to BETTER ENDINGS, by Tina Hogan Grant. 

 

This is the 2nd book in the Tammy Mellows series. (RECKLESS BEGINNINGS is the 1st). 

 

The synopsis

 

It took a new love to discover her demons

 

Tammy Mellows embarks on a journey of redemption and discovery in this heart-warming tale of love, strength, and the sea…

 

After narrowly escaping with her own life from Steven, the father of her child and an abusive heroin addict, Tammy Mellows believed she finally gained control of her own self.

 

She couldn’t be more wrong. When a new love interest enters her world, the relationship unveils hidden demons Tammy never knew she had, and feared they would destroy her newfound love with Dwayne, which had become the most important thing to her, other than her son.

 

Faced with unexpected challenges, she finds solace on the ocean and becomes a commercial fisherwoman—an industry dominated by men. Some of whom question her ability and stamina to make it through the season.

 

Still trying to cope with her own personal battles, she now finds herself facing high expectations in order to be accepted by the rest of the fleet, and for self-gratification, she must push herself to the limit and reach deep within herself, and rediscover a strength that had lain dormant for too long.

And on a fateful night crossing over storm-swept waters, she will face down her demons once and for all… 

 

Will Tammy overcome her demons and find happiness with her new love?

 

Will she succeed and prove herself enough to become a member of the fishery?

 

 

Early Reviews

I absolutely loved this story. I was completely captivated by needing to know what was going to happen and how it would end. I actually binge read this entire book in one night. – Amazon reviewer

 

 

Absolutely loved this book! I didn’t want to put it down. I had to see how it would end! Strong female lead character. Just goes to show what motivating can do! Highly recommend this book!  Amazon reviewer.

 

 

Available where all paperbacks are sold, and on Kindle for $3.99

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0827KVLDF/ref=nodl_

 

For the last two and a half weeks, my husband and I were traveling in Pennsylvania and Maryland, visiting our children and grandchildren there. The first leg of the trip was memorable and relaxing; well, as relaxing as possible with a family of five children. The youngest is three and had her birthday on Christmas Eve which was during our visit. We have tons of good memories of our visit there, talking with the older kids and cuddling the younger ones. We had stopped in Maryland briefly on our way to Pennsylvania because it breaks up our long trip. When we returned to Maryland, it was to an entirely different household than what we had experienced in the past. The visit was memorable, but not so relaxing because of a death in the family. Our daughter-in-law’s grandmother was in the hospital and not doing well. She had contracted pneumonia and was having difficulty fighting the disease in her weakened state. Dee was moved to hospice on Christmas Day, and we arrived back in Maryland on the 27th. Since Dee had become a good friend over the years of knowing her and her family, I was very upset that she was doing so poorly. I had visited her in the hospital before heading to Pennsylvania and I was surprised that she was going downhill so quickly. I continued to pray for her and to help out with my son’s two young children while his wife visited the hospice as much as possible. On the 29th, Dee went to be with the Lord, listening to Billy Graham and the invitational “Just As I Am.” Following her passing there was a whirlwind of activity to prepare for a funeral, right at the holidays. Everyone knew that Dee was a Christian, with a strong faith in the Lord, so we were all certain that she went to be with the Lord. That fact doesn’t make it any easier to accept the death of the Christian matriarch of the family; her influence was far-reaching and she will be greatly missed. Dr. Denison’s article today was all about being ready for death whenever it comes. We don’t know when that might happen because death is a thief that takes our life. What we have to remember is that life continues eternally if we believe in the Lord and His salvation. I told the four-year-old repeatedly that her grandmother was in Heaven with Jesus and was happy and not in pain anymore. It’s wonderful when we know that someone who has died has gone right into the arms of Jesus, but it is still sad for the family and friends left behind. Dee’s death was a warning to all that death comes and takes whomever it will, whenever it will. I will miss her greatly because she and I used to chat at the family gatherings, talking about our children and grandchildren and our faith in the Lord. A hole is in my heart because of her loss, and I am positive that the hole in the hearts of her family members is a gaping wound that will take a while to heal.

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Below is the link to Dr. Denison’s article that I feel is so appropriate for how I am feeling today. I am home again, but my thoughts and prayers are with my daughter-in-law and her family in Maryland. Loss is never easy, even when the one you dies is a Christian.

https://www.denisonforum.org/columns/daily-article/i-was-in-israel-when-us-killed-iranian-general-three-ways-to-redeem-our-mortality/

Blessings to all of you! My prayer for you is that you will value your life and the life of others, knowing that each day is a gift from God.

You know, in today’s world, we Christians are being asked to tolerate a lot of different lifestyles that we know are morally wrong. In other words, they are sin…homosexuality, pre-marital sex, living together, cursing left and right in public places as well as online on social media. The list goes on and on. Yet, when we simply request that others respect our beliefs, we are told that we are believing in “fairy tales” because we believe in the Word of God. Here is the latest article by Dr. Denison. I am a far right conservative, so I must say that I have little or no use for Chuck Todd and his ilk of intolerant, unknowledgeable people. But his latest attack goes beyond what his job description should be as a “newscaster.” Note that I put that word into quotations because I do not believe that he reports the news; rather, he does op eds, reporting his opinions as news. Nevertheless, the intolerance of Christians has become far-reaching and millions are being persecuted. We need to be aware and know that this is happening so that we can speak out against the intolearnce of the left.

https://www.denisonforum.org/columns/daily-article/nbc-anchor-endorses-letter-denigrating-those-who-believe-in-fairy-tales-such-as-noahs-ark-what-persecution-teaches-us-about-our-faith/

Blessings to each of you for a New Year filled with God’s peace, love and the tolerance that we need to accept and love those who do not accept and love us!