I am a Christian, a retired teacher, a mother and a grandmother. I love to read and I love the Lord Jesus Christ! Unless otherwise specified ,all visual illustrations are from the YOU VERSION APP of the Bible.
This is a thought-provoking and heart-tugging domestic drama. The story revolves around two half-sisters who have just discovered their relationship via a mail-in DNA test. Caroline has a dream life, with a solid marriage, three healthy children and a great job. Sela, on the other hand, is a struggling graphic artist, a single mom to a toddler and suffering from kidney disease that requires a transplant. When we meet them, Caroline is blissfully ignorant that she even has a sister, and Sela is hopeful that she will be able to survive until a kidney donor is found. Both women provide their points of view in this contemporary fiction that had me thinking long and hard about what it means to donate an organ and what it means to be the recipient. Since I was born with only one kidney and have had to be tested regularly to make sure that it’s still functioning okay, this book really touched me deeply. It is a powerful story about choices, acceptance and forgiveness. It also opens the door to learning about organ donation and even being an altruistic donor. I had never heard that term before, but the author did a good job of researching kidney disease and organ donation, presented by Sela’s caregiver Janie in such a way that the information flows seamlessly into the story. By no means are Caroline and Sela the only ones facing tough choices and forgiveness in this complex tale of family. The minor characters, too, must face their own demons and come to make a ultimate life-changing choice. I really enjoyed this book and totally looked forward to a new book by this author. It was different in that I didn’t really have any “aha” moments or times when I was amused. I was inspired to think about choices and consequences and unselfishness vs. selfishness. I highly recommend this book, especially for book clubs, because I am convinced that more than one group will be gathered around, discussing the dilemma of Caroline and Sela. Disclaimer Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from St. Martin’s Press 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.”
I would rate this book PG because of its sensitive content.Photo and bio from the author’s website at https://jessicastrawser.com
If we think negative thoughts consistently, then our whole being becomes focused on the negative. The news is famous for saying, “If it bleeds, it leads.” Negative most of the time, the news on any network is not teaching us to be positive and believing people. I would rather focus on God’s Word and the good things that are happening. I challenge you today to think positive thoughts all day. I know that for me this is quite a challenge, especially on this rainy day. But rain is needed, just as the sun is. So I am thankful for the rain that is watering the peas and turnips that my husband diligently worked to plant yesterday. I am thankful for each of you who reads my blog daily and makes comments to encourage me. Mostly, I am thankful for the privilege every day of being able to read God’s Word and to find His love and encouragement there.
May you each have a blessed day, thinking on the things that are pure, lovely, admirable, true, noble and right. As my mom used to tell me, “If you can’t say something nice, then don’t say anything at all.” Jesus wasn’t a negative “Eeyore” type of person, and neither should we be. Is the world all that we want it to be? Absolutely not! But this is God’s world that we inhabit for only a short time, so let’s touch the world and its people with positivity.
Having been told not to preach about Jesus, this was the reply of the Apostles. Can we do any less?
Wise words from Gamaliel, a leader of the day. The Gospel has survived for centuries and I know that it will survive the current onslaught of a culture that denies God.
Here is what Dr. Denison had to say about what Don Lemon (a liberal broadcaster on CNN) had to say about the Pope’s calling homosexual marriages illicit.
No matter what men may say is correct, we answer to a higher authority. God’s Word will stand! It’s just a matter of deciding whether we will stand with God or not.
I pray for you to have a blessed day, remembering that today is St. Patrick’s Day. It’s not all about wearing green and shamrocks. St. Patrick risked his freedom and his life to preach the Gospel. Think about that as you wear your green today and wish each other “the luck of the Irish.” The Irish were blessed to have such a Godly man be so burdened for their souls. May each of us remember that it is our sacred duty to preach the Gospel to the lost, particularly those who do not know that they are lost.
A fast-paced story about two sisters who are both half Native American. It includes many details about life on the reservation, since that is where they were raised by their Comanche grandfather Toko. Evie and Suda Kaye have absentee parents, so they lean heavily on each other and have developed a strong relationship. I enjoyed the story, the romance, the description of the bluff and the sunsets and the Native funeral rites. I did not, however, like the steamy details of the sex scenes. That detracted from the story for me because I was uncomfortable trying to read these scenes. I honestly admit that after the first one (there were several), I just skimmed or skipped to the next part and did not feel like I missed a lot. I did like, though, the inclusion of Native American language throughout the dialog in the book. That added to the realism and setting, too. I enjoyed the characterization of the major and minor characters and the realistic deference shown to Toko by other members of the tribe, including Milo’s parents. I think my favorite part was how Milo and Evie first met and the fact that their love continued for years. I give this book a 3.5 star rating because it was entertaining and educational about Native American lifestyles. 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.”
A definite PG-13 rating since there are quite a few steamy sexual scenesAudrey Carlan is a #1 New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of over 40 novels, including the worldwide phenomenon Calendar Girl serial, and her books have been translated into more than 30 languages across the globe. Audrey lives in the California Valley with her two children and the love of her life.
Tears track down my face as Tahsuda, my Toko, which is the Comanche word for “grandfather,” hands me a large stack of pink envelopes tied with a ribbon. My mother’s beautiful handwriting is visible on the top. He hands another stack to my eighteen-year-old sister, Suda Kaye.
“From my Catori, for her Taabe and Huutsuu,” he begins, using the Comanche nicknames my mother gave us. “To have a piece of her on their birthdays. One for today, and one for each birthday and important moment in your life to come. I shall leave you to your peace but know I am here for you, forevermore.” Tahsuda puts his hands together under his worn red-and-black poncho and nods his head forward. His long, silky black hair gleams a dark midnight blue in the rays of the sunlight that streak through our bedroom window. His hair is so much like my mother’s I have to swallow down the sob that aches to come out in a flood of misery and grief.
Misery because I am so angry at her for all the time we could have had together. Grief because she left this world six months ago, and today, on my twentieth birthday and Suda Kaye’s eighteenth, we are facing our entire lives without her. This wasn’t another one of her many adventures. We’d grown used to the routine. She’d skip around the house, packing her battered suitcase while she told us all about what she hoped to see and do on her travels. While she fluttered around the globe, we stayed behind and went to school, dropped off for an undetermined amount of time at the reservation where our grandfather lived. Months later, with a smile on her face and a song in her heart, she’d reenter our lives as though she’d never even left.
At least she’d come back.
As much as I hated our mother’s wanderlust, I always knew eventually she’d find her way home. Her weary feet would be tired, and she’d come dancing into Toko’s home with grand tales about a world I didn’t ever care to see. I didn’t want to go anywhere that made me up and leave my family for months on end. Them always wondering where I was, who I was with and whether or not I was okay.
No way. That was not me. And it never would be.
I finger the ribbon on the stack of envelopes and take mine to the papasan chair in the corner of our shared room. Suda Kaye stretches out on her twin bed. We live in a two-bedroom apartment in Pueblo. Suda Kaye has just graduated high school. I attend the local community college.
The one thing Catori Ross never imagined could happen to her was illness. In all her plans to travel the globe, to experience absolutely everything she could, she didn’t factor in time to get regular checkups. Since she didn’t tend to get sick, Mom hadn’t been to a doctor in a solid decade before she started to feel unwell. After three solid months of lethargy and depression—two things our mother never was— the first round of tests gave us the first blow.
Cancer.
Stage four.
She believed with her whole heart that she could beat it, but as Toko says, cancer took both his wife and his daughter. He says it was written in the stars. That was the reason he never gave Mom hell about her traveling and leaving us with him. He always said a person must do what their heart wants. Dreams are not only for the sleeping. They are meant to be chased and caught.
Our mother lived. Chased every dream with a hunger that could never be quenched. I fear my sister will do the same.
Suda Kaye sits against her headboard as I cuddle into the chair. I untie the ribbon and then set all but the top letter to the side. The first envelope has today’s date on it and her nickname for me. Taabe, which means “sun” in Comanche. Mom called me her sun because I am light everywhere, while she and my sister were dark. Mom was full-blooded Native American like Toko. Suda Kaye and I are half, and we each have different fathers. I got a lot of my coloring from my father, Adam Ross. Like Dad, my hair is golden blond and I have his ice-blue eyes. Though my high cheekbones, the shape of my eyes and my full lips are my mother’s. Suda Kaye has dark, espresso-colored hair, amber eyes and will one day have a knockout figure. She already is growing into her womanly hourglass shape—full bosom, long legs and rounded hips. Me, I have the tall, lanky, athletic build. Still, there is no denying our heritage even with the play on light and dark in our coloring.
We are Catori’s daughters, a vibrant mix of her and our biological fathers. Though Suda Kaye and I don’t know much about her real dad. We just know what Mom told us much later in life—that she had made a mistake. She and her husband—my father, Adam—had been going through a rough time and separated for a year. In that year she’d gone on an adventure and come back pregnant with my sister. I was only two when she was born so none of that had ever mattered to me one way or the other. My father treated Suda Kaye mostly the same, which also didn’t matter because he wasn’t around much, either, always deployed someplace far away.
I thumb the envelope and run my fingers across her pretty handwriting.
I miss you, Mom.
Taking a full deep breath, I ease back against my chair and open the first letter.
Evie, my golden Taabe,
Never in a million years did I think I’d be in this situation. Gone from you and your sister in a way that I cannot come back from. I know you’ve always hated my need to wander, as it took me away from you and Suda Kaye, but you were never far from my mind or my heart. Never unloved.
I had to chase my dreams, Taabe. One day, you’ll understand.
My greatest hope is that you know my love for you transcends any reality, location or final destination. It is as the sun, shining brightly each day. Never ending, always warm, forever shedding light onto you and your sister.
With me gone, without the burden of having to take care of me and Suda Kaye, I want you to think long and hard about what it is you want in life. Just you. Think big. Live out loud.
What is still out there to explore?
Where in the world do you see yourself visiting? What new journey have you wished to undertake?
Think of all the beauty I’ve shared through my stories and photos over the years. Those experiences are a huge part of me. And I’m so grateful I had them. It gave me the ability to open your eyes to the fact that anything in life is possible.
My only regret was having to leave you and your sister behind. Though I hope now, you will take time out for yourself.
Evie, you are so grounded. Your feet firmly rooted to God’s green earth. Pull those roots, my lovely girl. Break away from all that keeps you still and give yourself an experience unlike any other. Perhaps then you will understand my need to go, to feel the wind in my hair, the sand between my toes, the gravel under my boots. I lived every moment to the fullest and I want that for you so deeply.
Please take the inheritance I left you and use it to live.
See the world, my precious girl.
With all my love,
Mom
I grind down on my teeth and wipe my nose with the back of my hand. I fold my letter into thirds and stuff it back into the envelope. Clearing my throat, I flatten my hand along the front before lifting it to my nose and inhaling the familiar scent of citrus with a hint of patchouli.
“Smells like her.” I clear my throat as a traitorous tear slides down my cheek.
Suda Kaye sniffs her letter and smiles sadly. “Mom always said if you’re going to smell like anything, let it be natural. Fruit and spice.”
“And everything nice!” I chuckle, then sigh as the weight of everything in my letter festers in my heart and soul, mixing with the intense sorrow I haven’t shaken off in the six months since she passed.
“I miss her. Sometimes I pretend she’s just gone off on another one of her adventures, you know? Then I can be pissed off and plan out all the catty things I’m going to say to her when she finally returns with a suitcase full of dirty clothes and presents to smooth over the hurt.”
My sister gasps and her stunning amber eyes fill with more tears. “Evie, she didn’t want to leave…”
I fist my hands, rekindling the anger that never seems to disappear when I think of all the years we might have had with her. “Not this time, Kaye, but what about all the other times? Years and years of time lost. And for what?” I huff and stand, pacing our small room with Mom’s letters plastered to my chest like a well-loved teddy bear. “Fun. Wild experiences. Adventures! It killed her. This need to see the greener grass on the other side.” Scowling, I point at myself. “Well, that won’t be me. No way. No how. I’ve got my feet firmly planted on terra firma. I’m going to finish school, get my bachelor’s in finance, then my master’s, and make something of myself. And I’m going to be happy!”
How I’m going to be happy without my mother in my life, I don’t know. I never knew how to fill the hole she left with each adventure she took. It just seemed that the void got bigger and bigger. But my mother…she was such a glorious woman, an incredible presence when she was there. She could easily fill up that gaping wound that I call my heart each and every time she came back.
Finding that the pacing isn’t doing much, I toss my stack of letters onto the chair and drop onto the bed next to Kaye, face planted dramatically in the crook of my arms, my nose touching the mattress as I breathe deeply and try my best not to break down in front of my baby sister.
Slowly, she strokes my hair in long, soothing sweeps of her hand. Once I’ve gotten myself under control emotionally—for now, that is—I turn over.
“What did your letter say?” I ask. Kaye licks her lips and glances away. We don’t have any secrets from one another, but I can tell this is one she’d rather keep from me. Eventually she caves and hands me her letter. Pulling myself up, I sit cross-legged and read out loud.
“‘Suda Kaye, my little huutsuu.’” I cover my mouth and close my eyes. The last word comes out as a croak. Mom’s nickname for Suda Kaye meant “little bird” in Comanche. Huutsuu to my Taabe. My sister has always been the one up for a grand adventure. She could make going grocery shopping the highlight of anyone’s week with her dramatic flair and interest in all things. Same goes for a laundromat, the car wash, a walk around the neighborhood. Always something to experience, to see, hear, sense. My sister soaks up life like a sponge until she’s wrung out, and then starts all over again. That apple did not fall far from the tree, much to my dismay.
She smiles wide. “Always and forever, Taabe,” she responds. Not wanting to make Suda Kaye more emotional, I quickly read her letter. With every sentence my heart sinks. Basically, Mom has told my sister to leave home. To get in her car and travel the world, starting with the States. To leave me in order to allow me to find my own calling, without the worry of my baby sister there to hold me back. My stomach churns and acid creeps up my throat as I read the last couple sentences that tell her that if Camden, Suda Kaye’s longtime boyfriend, truly loves her, he will set her free.
My hands shake as I pass it back to her, my entire body stiff as a board. I feel as though I’ve been staked through the heart and left for dead.
My mother wants my sister—my best friend—to leave me.
To go away for as long as it took for Mom to find herself.
“You’re not going to do it, are you?” I ask, the fear clear in my tone.
She bites down on the side of her cheek and nods.
“Kaye…you can’t do that. What about Camden? He won’t understand. A guy like that…the life he wants to give you. No way. You just…” I let out a breath, grab my sister’s hands and squeeze, trying to transfer all the worry and fear I’ll experience with her leaving me behind. And yet I don’t say a word. In this moment, she has to make the choice that’s right for her.
I swallow down the lump of emotion swelling in my throat and whisper, “What are you going to do?” She stares into my eyes, right through to my soul, and says the five words I never wanted to hear from her.
“I’m going to fly free.”
I close my eyes, lean forward to kiss her forehead. “I love you, Suda Kaye.” It’s the only thing I can say. It’s raw, honest and life-changing.
“You know you could come with me?” Her voice fills with hope, but the last thing she needs is me tying her down, trying to run her life for her. Mom made that very clear in her letter. Heck, she made it clear in mine.
Shaking my head, I cup her soft cheek. “You have to make your own choices.”
She nods, folds up her letter, puts it back in the envelope and then ties up the stack in a bundle once more.
My sister, not one to let grass grow under her feet, pulls the big suitcase from under her bed that Mom gave her for graduation and sets it on the comforter. Methodically, without saying a word, I help my sister pack her things. The last item she puts on top of her clothes is a picture of me, Mom and her, taken last year before Mom became too sick. It had been a good day; we’d had a picnic in the park. Laughing, snacking and listening to our mother share one story after another.
I knew then that those good days would be few and far between, so I encouraged her storytelling, while Suda Kaye ate up every ounce as though it were her very favorite dish.
Holding hands, I walk my sister to her car and put her suitcase in the trunk.
“Do you know where you’ll go after you see Camden?” I ask, knowing she wouldn’t leave without seeing him first.
She smiles and shrugs. “We’re in the middle of the country. I’m going to pick a direction and just keep driving until I get too tired. Then I’ll stop and decide where I’m meant to be next.”
“You call me. I’ll come get you anywhere, any place. No matter w-what.” My voice shakes as I pull her into my arms and inhale her fragrance—cherry-scented shampoo and lotion. I allow the scent to imprint on my memory bank for I know I’ll need it in the lonely months, maybe even years, to come.
Suda Kaye walks around her car and opens the driver’s side door. “Miss me,” she says, and the deluge of tears falls from my eyes like a waterfall.
“Miss me more,” I whisper, and hold up my hand.
She mimics the gesture, placing her palm against mine. “Always.”
Then I watch for a long time as my sister’s taillights eventually fade and disappear into the black night. Before long, I look up into the open sky and the wealth of sparkling stars blanketing the sky like diamonds over black velvet.
I pick a star and make the same wish I’ve been making since I was a child. “One of these days, I wish someone I love would stay.”
It’s hard to believe with all of the technological advances that there are people today who are totally Godless. Or, perhaps that is better stated, that their god is themselves or their possessions or their job. Their god is not the God of the Bible; thus they are easily led into believing more and more lies. Point in case is the Episcopalian private school in NYC that is teaching children not to call their parents “mom” and “dad.” This was reported in Dr. Denison’s Forum yesterday.
There was a Papal announcement yesterday that had me scratching my head in wonder. Pope Francis has been very leftist and liberal, so his announcement yesterday that homosexual marriage is “illicit” puzzled me. According to the article I read, he said that we have to basically accept homosexuality, but homosexuals cannot get married and have the blessing of the church. What?!? I understand loving the homosexual, because they are sinners like the rest of us; they just haven’t found grace and forgiveness yet. Anyway, the Pope’s statement was a little disconcerting, like talking out of two sides of the same mouth.
Dr. Denison’s Forum today addressed the topic of the Pope. It also addressed the Grammy Awards, a show that I stopped watching long ago because of its blatant disregard for any kind of decorum or morality. According to Dr. Denison, the Grammys this year were worse than ever and could be considered X-rated. This is a terrible commentary on our nation, that we would accept such a blatant display and not call it out as sin. Again, my mind is reeling with all that is happening today, as our nation spirals quickly down the rabbit hole of sin and destruction. What concerns me is that more Christians are not speaking up against things like this. Mike Huckabee, a well-known Christian conservative and former governor of Arkansas, wrote against the show in his newsletter today. Finally, Tucker Carlson from Fox News, questioned the absurdity of banning Dr. Seuss and allowing X-rated dances and songs on the Grammys.
Well, with all of that bad news, what is the Good News?
Here you go! A promise from God for the blameless. Remember that you don’t get “blameless” on your own. The only way that you are cleansed is through the blood of Christ, God’s only Son who sacrificed Himself so that we could call ourselves His children. I’m glad that I fit into the first part of that verse and feel bad for those who are in the second part. Let’s remember to pray for them to see the truth and the light and to accept the truth of God’s Word. Repentance is the word of the day.
Blessings to each of you and prayers that you will remember to pray for our nation, for the sinners and for this end of the age. Come quickly, Lord Jesus!
One of the favorite games of my little granddaughters in Maryland is to play virtual hide and seek with me. They hide and their daddy uses his phone and my voice to tell him where to look. The giggles are so precious, even as I am seeking them. And they are young, so hiding in the same place repeatedly is a thing with them. Recently, the youngest (who will be three in a few weeks) grabs her mommy by the hand and insists that her mommy hide with her. When I read this Scripture verse this morning, this game came to my mind. Evie’s refuge is her mommy; she knows that she is “safe” with her.
Likewise, I know that I am safe in the arms of the Father. He is my refuge, no matter what the circumstances. The last two weeks have been hard. I mentioned something previously about our home in Pennsylvania. It was the first house we had ever purchased after over twenty military moves, and I was like a momma bird with her nest. I ordered carpeting, decorated and put up curtains that I had actually picked out. We had planned to make that our real home together, pouring time and energy into making it a refuge. But then, the unthinkable happened. I couldn’t find a teaching job in PA. I tried everything that I knew to do, praying constantly for God to show me what He wanted me to do. In the end, we left our home in PA and I got a job in MD. Our home that I had created was rented to various other people and has been for the last thirty years.
Two weeks ago, we discovered that our property management company had sought approval to put our house under Section 8 rentals, without our prior knowledge or approval. My husband, who worked in real estate after retiring from the Air Force, was visibly upset. Section 8 housing usually means lower property values and can often mean renters who do not take good care of the property. We tried in vain to contact the owner of the office in PA, but he never returned our calls. Frustrated, I called the home office in TX and got in touch with a nice lady who promised to investigate what was going on. She called back and told us that the house is already leased under Section 8, again without our knowledge of approval. We cannot get out of the lease, so we are stuck. That puts us in the uncomfortable position of having to try to sell the house when the lease is up. My husband and I prayed and think that will be what’s best, but we will continue to pray. We don’t want to be sued for discrimination, but neither do we want to have a home that is losing value annually.
Anyway, throughout this nightmare, my stress level has been high, so I have been praying a lot. God has reminded me daily that He is right there with me. He is my refuge, the place I can go to be safe from all of the cares of the world. I am trusting Him to show us what to do when the lease is up and when and how we should move and leave Virginia behind. I have to be reminded daily because somehow I am hard-headed enough to try to handle things on my own, get stressed and then God’s Spirit gently reminds me that He is walking through this with me. He is helping me on the multiple phone conversations with the nice lady in TX who has taken over our account, he is guiding me as I write e-mails to the office in PA concerning the errors on their invoice and their changing our property without our permission. He has even been there when I angrily cried out that the man in PA who was supposed to look out for our best interests betrayed us and lied to us. God reminded me that I must forgive him and move on. Honestly, I am working on that. When he comes to mind, I ask God to help me to forgive him and his costly errors that have already cost us thousands of dollars in repairs that may not have even been necessary. Like little Evie, I have to have God’s presence with me so that I feel safe from all that is happening.
Is there something hard that you are faced with today? God is your refuge, your place of safety. Are you feeling assaulted by the things of the world that you can do nothing about? God is your refuge, your place of safety. I thought I knew these promises, having leaned on them for years. But then, the enemy came and showed me that I was not leaning or hiding in God; I was trusting myself to make things right. That never works because God is my refuge, my place of safety. I’m still learning daily to let go and let God be God. As someone said, this, too, shall pass.
Blessings, my friends, for a lovely day filled with insights from the Heavenly Father!
Have you ever wondered what would happen in your life if you heard God clearly and followed His directions exactly? Moses spoke to God and God spoke to Moses. Yet, Moses and his brother Aaron sinned and did not follow exactly what God told them to do.
Notice the very important word in this passage is speak.Moses did not speak to the rock; he struck it. He did not follow God’s instructions which had been very specific. Consequences follow actions.
Shortly after this passage, Aaron died. Later, Moses got to go to the top of a mountain and look and see the Promised Land, but he was never allowed to enter it. “Unfair!” I can hear the outcry already. What in the world was God thinking that He did not allow Moses and Aaron,who had faithfully led the Israelites out of Egypt and through the desert, to enter the Promised Land, their destination the whole time?
Well, my answer is that God was thinking that He is holy and what He asks for specifically is for a specific reason and He expects complete obedience, not a partial, half-hearted, “I’ll do it my way” kind of obedience. One of the big problems in our world today is that so many people are trying to do things their way, the way that their minds came up with, and not the way that God has said it should be.
For example, the Bible tells us that God made male and female. Now, there are people in our world who say that one can decide their gender. Really? Is that what the Holy Bible says? The Bible says that man and woman marry and become one flesh. Man today, in all of his own wisdom, has decided that homosexuality and the resulting relationships are okay. Hmm. I’m sure that is NOT what God thinks is best for our world considering He destroyed Sodom for such sin. Nevertheless, men think that they know better than God and go their own way. Like Moses, they are headed in a direction that will not allow them to go into the Promised Land.
In the time of Moses, the Promised Land was an actual, physical place. Today, the Promised Land is Heaven, that place in which we have eternal life and live in the presence of God forever. People who think that they can “do their own thing” all of their lives and then live in the presence of a Holy God are just fooling themselves. God does not respect some people more than others, and if Moses, a great leader of the Israelites, could be denied entrance into the physical Promised Land, who are we to think that we can do whatever we want and still go into the Heavenly Promised Land? How presumptuous is that!
In my opinion, the big thing that we are missing in the picture of sin and choices is TRUST. We don’t trust that God will fulfill His Word, every jot and tittle of it. I trust that God loves and shows mercy and forgives. But I also trust that He is the righteous Judge who will one day hold all men into account for their own choices and actions. Once again, remember that Moses and Aaron were not allowed to go into the Promised Land. They changed one word of what God told them to do and that made all the difference.
God says what He means and means what He says.
I hope that you have a blessed day and that you feel God’s presence leading and directing you in the way you should go.
The first book in a new series is always exciting, but this book was far beyond that. It was an explosive, gut-wrenching thrill ride from beginning to end! The Secret Service agents in Raleigh, NC are being targeted and killed one by one by an unknown assailant. Faith is sent in from the FBI office to investigate and protect them, but she has more than an unknown perpetrator to deal with. She has to get past the shell-shocked agents who may or may not feel like being cooperative when their own members are being picked off. I really enjoyed the repartee between Faith and Luke, a secret service agent who has a real hang up against the FBI. I think my favorite thing about the book is that the protagonist is a strong female with unbelievable intuition and skills but also a soft side who needs to be loved just like everyone else. My favorite character was Hope, Faith’s sister, who offers timely and wise advice from her wheelchair. She does not pity herself because of her damaged body; she just moves on with life and is wiser for her choice to accept and continue in her faith in God. Faith is also dealing with a lack of belief in God, so there is that underlying theme. Damaged characters are realistic, since everyone is damaged in some way and we all have to overcome whatever obstacles life has thrown our way. That could be a theme of the book, but I think the real theme is forgiveness and hope and also finding one’s way back to God. The plot was well-developed with a lot of twists and red herrings and it winded its way to a nice conclusion. I look forward to seeing more of these characters in future books. Fans of Christian fiction and romantic suspense will want to read this book. Disclaimer Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Revell as part of the Revell Reads Blogger Program. 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.”
Totally clean Christian fiction with some intense scenes involving the murder of secret service agents. I would rate it PG. Photo and info from the author’s website at http://www.lynnhblackburn.com
Over four decades ago, a sweet neighbor explained to me how to be saved and gave me a Bible to read. Considering how lost our world is now, it seems relevant that I share these Scripture verses with you for you to ponder.
Note that this verse is from the Psalms. God always had a plan for redemption of sinners in place. In the Old Testament, the people made animal sacrifices and times established by God. In the New Testament, Jesus sacrificed Himself Once, for all. But confession of our sins remains the same, regardless of the time in which we live.
The reason it is so important to confess our sins is so that we can be cleansed. We don’t have to go to a place or a person. We just have to confess our sins to Him. He hears us, and his faithfulness and justice reaches down to us, forgives us and cleanses us from wickedness.
May God bless you this day and every day with a cleansing of your heart and soul so that you can go out and bless others with the Good News that there is salvation available to all.
We had some disturbing news this week and we are trying to work through a difficult situation with a property management company, so prayers are appreciated. In the meantime, God has called me to praise Him. When the circumstances are going well, praise Him. When everything is turned upside down, praise Him. Whether things work out or not, I’m trying to remain calm and focused on God who will take care of us, regardless.
My Scripture verses from my devotional this morning were just what I needed to start today. They are like a breath of fresh air to my soul. I had to remind myself today that nothing will happen that God and I can’t handle together. Of course, my husband is with me in this, too, but his constantly talking about the problem is wearing on me. I’m hoping that I can get him to take time to pray with me today about it, longer than a cursory, “God, take care of it for us” kind of thing. Anyway, I feel ready for a new day and I hope that you do, too.
www.bible.com/1171/php.4.8.mev
www.bible.com/111/psa.91.2.niv
Vickie's Book Nook and Meditation Corner 