Okay, I admit it. The condition of our world today (filled with blatant sin) has had me upset this week. The thought that the United States of America might have a Socialist in the White House has me frantic with concern. But, what is one person to do? Pray! Pray hard! And when that doesn’t work, pray harder! God is not just sitting up in Heaven looking down at what is happening here and saying, “Gee, that’s too bad. Nothing I can do about it though.” No! God is waiting to answer our prayers and to help us get through whatever happens. Yes, there is blatant sin and America is ripe for God’s judgment, but what can we Christians do to make a difference these days?

But I want to be more active than prayer. I’m not saying that prayer is not important. It is absolutely vital! But what do I do after I have prayed? Dr. Denison had the answer for me in his article today.

https://www.denisonforum.org/columns/daily-article/fcc-receives-more-than-1300-complaints-about-super-bowl-halftime-show-the-coronavirus-and-two-ways-to-respond-to-culture/

You will need to scroll down in this article until you get to the part about the MeToo movement. We, as Christians, can make our voices heard. I have contacted senators and representatives before, but I have not thought about contacting the FCC. Now I know and I feel energized to start my own campaign to make a difference. I contacted Hallmark when they had lesbians on a commercial for a family show. I contacted Target when they decided to let men and women share restrooms and dressing rooms. Since that time, I have stopped shopping at Target. I refuse to give my money to any store that supports the Transgender movement, a movement that is absolutely unbiblical and unsafe for our children and grandchildren.

What can you do? I don’t know, but you do. And if you don’t know, then pray and ask God to show you. Our little actions may be a drop in a large bucket in today’s world, but at least it’s a drop and eventually drops fill buckets and overflow so someone has to pay attention to them.

Blessings for a day filled with prayer and a desire to make a difference!

The fourth book in the Sweetwater Springs series is just as wonderful to read as the others and can be read as a standalone. Each book features different people who live in the little community. This book stars Luke, the hunky and oh so helpful firefighter, and Brenna, the girl next door who has spent her life taking care of her younger sister Eve. Let me just say right here that if the book had been about Eve, no one would read it because she is a brat who needs a wake up to reality call! She is pushy and self-centered and altogether unlikeable. On the other hand, Luke is a hero and Brenna is a deserving young woman who needs some TLC. Luke is just the one to give it to her since he is new in town and needs to make new friends and establish a support group of his own. I enjoyed the back and forth between Luke and Brenna and the general feeling of visiting the small town of Sweetwater Springs again. The author describes the little NC town in a way that makes me want to be there and to actually meet these people. The virtual book trip there is awesome since Annie Rains pours so much time and attention into making her readers feel at home there. Fans of contemporary romance will love this charming series, and this latest book is a good place to start! I, personally, am looking forward already to number five in the series. These books are that good!

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.”

This book is available TODAY at your local bookseller and online!

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What is it like to really know God? What must Moses have felt when he spent forty days and nights on a mountainside with the Almighty? I cannot imagine, but I really want to know more of God so that my countenance shines like Moses when he was in the presence of God. Probably not a literal transformation, but I want to shine the light for God from me to others so that others will know that I accept and love them as they are. God changes people. I’m just called to love. That was the topic of our pastor’s sermon yesterday, and he was spot on! He discussed the fact that an AG church in Texas had decided to accept the philosophy of the LGBTQ community. Our pastor’s point was that you can accept the people, but the Scriptures are clear about sin, so you don’t accept the sin. You just love the people.

I think that the same love applies to those who disagree with us politically. Our nation has become so polarized that families cannot have civil discussions without getting personal and attacking. I have been guilty of this myself; I want to point out how bad socialism is and when I find a family member not listening, I go on the attack. I ask God’s forgiveness for my shortsightedness. Does it matter to God who wins elections? Of course, it does! But He is more concerned with our hearts and to win the heart of the nation for God than He is who sits in the White House, Congress or even the Supreme Court. The real Supreme Court will be His judgment on mankind, and I want to have a heart that pleases the Lord. To do that, I have to love as Jesus loved…everyone! Jesus accepted those who were outcasts of society and healed them. He is in the business of loving the outcasts today, but His love is meant to be through us.

One of the articles I read this morning from Dr. Denison was about being civil, basically agreeing to disagree but still being kind to each other. That’s a novel idea in today’s world, I can tell you! Trump supporters are being attacked physically all over the place, but that is no reason for them to turn around and do the same. We are to treat others the way we want to be treated, not necessarily the way they treat us.

Here is the link to the article that I read:

https://www.denisonforum.org/columns/contributor-article/in-our-crisis-of-contempt-how-can-christians-disagree-with-others-gracefully/?utm_source=The+Daily+Article&utm_campaign=23ad5cfc94-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2019_04_16_05_39_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_51f776a552-23ad5cfc94-275095033&mc_cid=23ad5cfc94&mc_eid=dac620ebcf

Here is a link to a song that is on the same topic:

Bleed the Same by Mandisa and Toby Mac

Have a blessed day, everyone! I hope that you will remember to love today and everyday, especially those with whom you disagree.

This is one of those books that I felt compelled to keep reading because of the fast pace and the engrossing plot. Sean and Meghan Eagle both work for the Cold Case Squad in Arkansas and in this book are split up into different teams and working different cases. Sean is tasked with finding out what happened to twins who were discovered dead with dirt in their mouths and nostrils. He is paired with another detective who has all kinds of problems, not the least of which is working with a Christian. Meghan has to go to Fort Smith, Arkansas, to investigate the cold case of a banker who disappeared and who was suspected of embezzlement. She is working with a detective named Greg, a man short on words but with a pretty big heart. There are lots of other characters, but I don’t want to spoil anything for other readers, so I won’t say too much about them. Suffice it to say that the author does a wonderful job of tying up all of the loose ends at the conclusion of the book so that I was very satisfied with the ending. With themes of redemption, forgiveness and the importance of keeping God as the center of your life, I especially liked how well the author witnessed about Christ to her readers. Definitely Christian fiction and definitely a clean read!

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.”

Available on May 12 from your local bookseller, but you can pre-order now!

Amazon: https://amzn.to/32ipNJu

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CBD: http://bit.ly/2VdZKBS

I had a scare the other day when I went to my kidney doctor. My blood pressure which normally runs a little low was very high, 160/100 high. She asked me if I was upset or anxious about anything, but I couldn’t really think of anything that would make my BP zoom like that. She took blood to run a lab test and sent me to the local pharmacy to get a BP medicine, something I hadn’t taken since my stroke five years ago. The prescription was marked “critical” because she wanted me to take it right away and get my pressure down. So, I got my med, took it, went to an appointment at church with the pastor and then went home and rested. After resting, I was supposed to take the pressure again and if it was still high, I was supposed to take a fluid pill. I didn’t need the second pill because my pressure had gone back to normal.

That was quite a scare for me since I recall that when I had my stroke, my BP went up to over 200/140 and it seemed to be inching that way. But God knows how we are made, and before I took the BP pill, I prayed that it would work and that God would keep my heart beating properly. The heart is such an important organ, pumping the life-giving blood all over our bodies. Anyway, that got me to thinking about the important job that the heart does. But it isn’t just a physical job. The heart has a spiritual job to do, too.

What a powerful Scripture this is! Whatever is in our heart flows out of our mouths, be it blessing or curses. How did it get into our hearts? We put it there by what we listen to, see, and even talk about. How we spend our time is vital to the health of our hearts. We need to store up good things so that good things come out, things to bless others because that is our purpose, our real purpose.

This photo really inspires me! I want my heart to spill over with beauty and goodness, with praise to the Lord who spilled His blood for me!

This is how we should see our heart…as overflowing with with blessings from the Lord. And those blessings should be used to bless others. We are meant to be a flowing river, not a stagnant pond. So, blessings to you so that you may bless others. And remember to guard your hearts!

This is a clean, sweet Amish story about a young woman who steps outside of her comfort zone and sets out on her own to establish a new life. Eva Coblenz moves from Ohio to Maine to become a new school teacher. A really new school teacher, since she has never been employed as one before! Her neighbor in this new environment is Willis Gingrich, a blacksmith who has taken on the responsibility to raise his three younger siblings after the death of their parents. I really enjoyed the scenes with Willis and the adorable children. They weren’t afraid to tell how they were feeling and in doing that, they also kept revealing how their brother was feeling. I enjoyed getting to know Eva, an independent and resilient young woman who faces new challenges with a can-do attitude that was refreshing. The conflict comes in with Eva’s domineering brother and his lazy wife because they did not want Eva leaving Ohio to begin with and try to make her miserable enough that she will return. I could tell that this book is from a series because there were new people introduced about whom I want to know more and expect the author to write more about them in the future. Fans of Amish fiction will enjoy the story of the adventures of Eva and the trials of Willis.
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.”

Available in all formats on March 1st. Available now as an ebook!

Amazon: https://amzn.to/38Igipy

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Excerpt – THE AMISH TEACHER’S DILEMMA by Patricia Davids

Willis thought he had enough time to fix the new teacher’s chair, put four shoes on Jesse Crump’s buggy horse and get supper on the table by six o’clock. It was seven-thirty by the time he came in to find his family gathered around the kitchen table with a scowl on every face. Thankfully, he couldn’t see Bubble but he was sure she was scowling, too.

“I know I’m late. One of Jesse’s horses had a problem hoof and I had to make special shoes for him. I’ll fix us something to eat right away.”

He went to the refrigerator and opened the door. There wasn’t much to see. “I meant to set some ham­burger out of the freezer to thaw this morning but for­got to do it.”

“You should leave yourself a note,” Harley said. He was paging through a magazine about horses. He was always reading. Willis fought down the stab of envy.

If Willis could write a note, then he’d be able to read one. He couldn’t do either. The most he could man­age was to write his name. No one in New Covenant knew his shameful secret. Children as young as Maddie learned to read every day but he couldn’t. No matter how hard he’d tried. There was something wrong with him.

He hid his deficiency from everyone although it wasn’t easy. He’d been made a laughingstock by the one person he’d confided in years ago. He’d never been able to trust another person with his secret. The bitter memory wormed its way to the front of his mind.

He’d been twenty at the time and hopelessly in love with a non-Amish girl. She was the only person he had told that he couldn’t read. He hadn’t wanted to keep se­crets from her. She claimed to love him, too. He had trusted her.

Later, when they were out with a bunch of her friends, she told everyone. They all laughed. He laughed, too, and pretended it didn’t matter but the hurt and shame had gone bone deep. He didn’t think anything could hurt worse than Dalene’s betrayal, but he’d been wrong. She and her friends had much more humiliation in store for him.

He pushed those memories back into the dark corner of his mind where they belonged. He had to find some­thing to feed the children gathered at his table. “I guess I can scramble us some eggs.”

“Again?” Otto wrinkled his nose.

“Bubble says to be thankful we have chickens.” Mad­die beamed a bright smile at Otto.

“Bubble can’t say anything because she isn’t real, stupid.” Otto pushed his plate away.

Willis rounded on him. “Never call your sister or any­one else stupid, Otto. You know better than that. Apolo­gize or go to bed without supper.”

“Sorry,” Otto murmured. He didn’t sound apologetic.

A knock at the door stopped Willis from continu­ing the conversation. Who needed a blacksmith at this hour? He pulled open the door and took a step back. Eva Coblentz stood on his porch with a large basket over her arm.

She flashed a nervous grin. “I’m used to cooking for more than just myself and I made too much tonight. I thought perhaps you could make use of it for lunch to­morrow. It’s only chicken and dumplings.”

Willis was speechless. Maddie came to stand beside him. “Teacher, how nice to see you.”

Eva smiled at Maddie. “It’s nice to see you again, too. How is Bubble?”

Maddie stuck her tongue out at Otto. “She’s fine but kinda hungry. We haven’t had our supper yet. Willis had to give Jesse Crump special shoes so he was going to make scrambled eggs again, but Otto isn’t thankful for our chickens.”

Eva blinked her lovely green eyes. “I see.”

“Do you?” Willis couldn’t help smiling at her per­plexed expression. “Then you’re ahead of me most of the time.”

Harley came to the door. “Let me help you with that.” He took the basket from her and carried it to the table. He began setting out the contents.

Otto pulled his plate back in front of him. “That smells great.”

Harley dished up his own and then passed the plas­tic bowls along. Willis thought his siblings were acting like starving animals. He could hardly blame them. He was going to have to learn to cook for more than him­self. Normally, he didn’t care what he ate or when he ate it. That had changed when the children arrived, and change was something he didn’t handle well.

Eva folded her arms across her middle. “I will be going so you can enjoy your meal in peace. Have a won­derful night, everyone.”

He didn’t want her to go. He stepped out onto the porch and closed the door from the prying eyes of his family. “How’s your head?”

She touched it gingerly. “Better.”

“I fixed the chair. You won’t have to worry about tip­ping over again.”

“I appreciate that.” She turned to go.

“The school board hired me to supply and install the hardware in the new building. I’ll get the rest of the coat hooks, cabinets and drawer pulls installed tomorrow. Have you had your supper? You are welcome to join us.”

“I have eaten. Danki. Don’t forget to feed Bubble. She’s much too thin.”

Willis raked a hand through his hair. “I don’t know why Maddie makes things up.”

She gave him a soft, kind smile. “Don’t worry about it. A lot of children have imaginary friends.”

“Really?” He wanted to believe her. When she smiled he forgot his worries and his ignorance.

“Absolutely. She will outgrow her invisible friend someday soon. Until then, enjoy her imagination.”

“I reckon you have seen a lot of things like this in your teaching career.” It made him feel better to know Maddie wasn’t the only child who had a pretend com­panion.

“This will be my first year as a teacher. I was actu­ally surprised that the position didn’t go to someone with more experience. Perhaps my enthusiasm won the school board over.”

“I think you were the only applicant.”

She laughed and clasped a hand over her heart. “You have returned my ego to its normal size. How can I ever thank you?”

He smiled along with her. “We are blessed to have you.”

She leaned toward him slightly. “We will have to wait until we have Bubble’s assessment of my teaching skills before jumping to any conclusions. Guten nacht, Willis Gingrich.”

“Good night, Teacher.”

She walked away into the darkness. He watched until he saw her enter her house across the way. There was something attractive about Eva Coblentz that had noth­ing to do with her face or her figure. She was the first woman in a long time who made him want to smile.

He went back inside the house. The children were still eating. He took his place at the head of the table, bowed his head for a silent prayer, then reached for a bread roll. It was still warm. He looked at Maddie. “What did you say to your teacher that made her bring food here tonight?”

Maddie shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know.”

“You must have said something.” He took a bite of his roll.

Maddie had a whispered conversation with the empty chair next to her. She looked up and grinned at him. “Bubble says that she told teacher you need a wife who is a good cook.”

He started coughing. Otto pounded on his back while Harley rushed to give him a glass of water. When he could catch his breath, Willis stared at Maddie in shock. “Eva thinks I’m looking for a wife?”

Maddie nodded.

Willis hung his head. Nothing could be further from the truth. There was no way he could keep his secret from a wife. Even if he found the courage to reveal his handicap to a woman again, there was still one pressing reason he had to remain single.

Amish ministers and bishops were chosen by lot from the married men of the congregation. At baptism every Amish fellow vowed to accept the responsibility of be­coming a minister of the faith if he should be chosen. What kind of preacher would he make if he couldn’t read the Word of God? The humiliation didn’t bear thinking about. He would remain a single fellow his entire life. That was God’s plan for him.

He turned his attention back to Maddie. “You were wrong to tell your teacher that I’m looking for a wife. I’m not. Now what am I supposed to do?”

Maddie lifted both hands. “Just tell her you don’t want a wife. How hard can that be?”

I hope that you enjoyed this little excerpt and will purchase this exceptionally sweet and clean romance.

This is the first book in this series that I have read, so that fact may have led to my initial confusion about what was happening.  The time period is the 1940’s and the setting shifts between three places in the British Isles.  At the beginning, I was put off by the number of characters as well as the jumping around from place to place.  There seemed to be totally different and unconnected stories.  About halfway through, the strands of the two or three stories came together, and I was a much happier reader since I was finally understanding more.  I felt that the book was slow-paced but it was entertaining.  I particularly liked the main character, Cat Carlisle, because she is like a Robin Hood figure, giving her riches to the poor and abused women and helping them to find new lives.  The murder that occurred at first seemed to be an offside story, but as I understood more, it took center stage and helped to weave the story together.  I will definitely look for more books by this author and really need to read the first two books in the series.  Fans of historical fiction will enjoy this book as long as they stay with it and don’t expect a quick resolution.  
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.”

This book is available now a online and at your local bookstore.

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2V65OvZ

Barnes and Noble: http://bit.ly/2ufi2Yd