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.
Are you a morning lark or a night owl? I have always been a morning person, no matter how late I stay up. I awaken at about dawn and get up to start my day. However, there are many nights when I cannot sleep, tossing and turning, going to the bathroom, drinking water, etc. I discovered years ago when I am unable to sleep that it is a perfect time to talk to God. During the late night or early morning hours, with my husband sleeping next to me, I just tell God all that is troubling me and then I listen for Him to speak His loving reassurance into my heart. Sometimes though, my night watch becomes a praise session, thankfulness for all that has gone right recently in my life. I have found that these nighttime prayers, although rare for me, invigorate me for the new day when I awaken to face it.
God’s promises are many and I have found that as I speak them back to Him, I am not reminding Him of His promises, but rather, I am reminding myself of what is already in His Word and there for me. Psalm 91 is a favorite of mine to recite in the night when I cannot sleep. Hiding under His wings gives me comfort and often I fall asleep meditating on those verses or on a chorus that encourages me.
The night watch is a good time to intercede for loved ones as well as for strangers that I have encountered during the day. God knows their needs and I think He leads me to pray for those who need it most. Pouring out my heart before God is good for me; it allows my heart to be emptied and ready to be filled by His sweet presence again.
If the Son of God spent the night praying to God, it should not be hard to imagine that God may at times call each of us to spend time in a night watch. Perhaps a few minutes, an hour or more, or all night. That is between you and God. I just encourage you to be open to God’s speaking to you at night when you are having difficulty sleeping. Perhaps a better use of your time than tossing about is to just talk to our Heavenly Father and release any burdens you have left from the previous day, knowing that He is there listening no matter how late it is.
Mothers are not a big focus in the Bible; rather it is the men, the fathers, who are mentioned most often. Therefore, the fact that my devotional today was about mothers was instantly interesting to me, so I think I read very closely to see what the theme was.
“His” refers to Abraham and Paul is addressing a dispute about whether Christians must live under the Mosaic Law and be circumcised. His argument is centered around the mother of each of Abraham’s children. Isaac was a child of promise, the one who was led away to be sacrificed but for whom God provided a ram in his place. He was the promised child that Sarah and Abraham waited for, the one Sarah laughed about because she overheard the prophecy that she would have a child in her old age. God brought His will to pass and gave her Isaac. Ismael, however, was the son of a slave woman named Hagar. Impatient to have a child, Sarah gave Hagar to Abraham and urged him to have a child with her. She was a child who came from the fleshly desire to have a child right away instead of waiting for God’s promise.
So, I ask again. Whose child are you? Are you a child of the law and the flesh or a child of the promise? That sounds easy enough to answer, doesn’t it? But if you are bound up by the law instead of walking in the freedom of the promise, then you are not truly free. Christ died to set us free from sin and death, so remember who your mother is and don’t return to bondage.
Have a blessed day, rejoicing in the fact that you are a child of the promise and giving glory to God for His great plan of salvation for us all.
What does the word “seeking” actually mean? According to http://dictionary.com, “seek” means “to go in search or quest of.” Synonyms sited for “seek” include to pursue or to follow. So, having defined the word, why should you care what it means?
Do you see that? Jesus told us to love others as we love ourselves and Paul wrote to seek the good of others, to pursue their good, to look for it diligently. We are to show preference for others and their needs. In this world of constant competition and one-upmanship, we as Christians need to be an example of putting others above ourselves and our own needs. That may mean going back in a line further so the harried mom can take your place. It may mean yielding to the driver who cut you off instead of trying to “show them” how they should be driving. It also means fulfilling commitments because others are counting on you to be there when you said you would.
We are to value the interests of others more than we value our own. I can honestly say that my husband Harry has done this for me in more ways than I can count since I had my stroke seven years ago. He may really want to watch a football game on Saturday afternoon, but if I need to go to the library, he will leave the game and take me. More importantly, he takes me cheerfully without one word of complaint. If I need to eat an early dinner because I’m tired, he leaves the news that he enjoys nightly and makes an early dinner for me. In fact, Harry has made almost all of the meals since 2015 when I got home from the hospital. At first, it was because I couldn’t stand long enough to cook or even recall how to do so. But his cooking became a labor of love as he looked for new menu items that would entice me to eat without salt and now, with low potassium, too. There are too many things he does to name them all, but the same man who used to tell me to leave him alone until his game ends now leaves the game behind and helps me with whatever I need. So, what do I think happened? Well, he became more like Christ when he almost lost me in that ER and ICU. I think, although I do not know for sure, that God touched him in a special way while I was healing and the heart that had become accustomed to having me around saw me as more valuable to him. I like to think that we both see more value in each other and put each other’s interest higher than our own. Thus we have been married for almost fifty years and both regularly choose what the other prefers. Harry needs the radio on a high volume when we are traveling in the car because of his hearing deficit. I tolerate the loud noise because I know that he can’t hear the show otherwise. He, in turn, turns the radio down when a loud commercial comes on, especially if it has a lot of bass to it, because he knows that since my stroke I cannot tolerate those reverberations. There is a lot of give and take in our relationship and we work at making it work for us.
But this verse is not focused on marriage relationships. Instead, it focuses on all of our personal interactions with others. When you are shopping and give the clerk a ten dollar bill and they accidentally give you too much change back, do you return to them the extra amount? When you are walking down a crowded sidewalk, do you move to the side so the woman with packages and two small children has room to pass by? During the pandemic, items like toilet paper became hard to find. Did you step back and allow others to have the coveted item, deciding to wait longer to fulfill your own need? There are numerous ways daily in which we can show others that we value their interests above our own. Take a few minutes and think about how you are doing in this endeavor. Don’t beat yourself up because you fall short; we all do sometimes. Rather, strive to do and be better. That’s called growth.
As I write this, I am at my sister’s home in NC. She is adjusting better now and not as negative as before, so that is a praise report. While I am here, I know that my needs have to come secondary to hers, especially since she is going blind and is very unhappy with life in general. So, when I am tired, I stay awake anyway to keep her company because I know that she is lonely. We eat dinner on her time schedule, not mine, because she has to take meds at a certain time daily. In general, I knew before I came that her interests would need to be placed first and because I love her, that has been easy to do, not a sacrifice at all. That being said, I will be here for almost two weeks, so I need to keep my eyes focused on meeting her needs and not my own. For that, I would like your prayers.
Have a blessed day as you look for opportunities to seek the good of others!
Goodness! The new book in the Fallout Series by Lisa Harris is the best one yet! With spine-tingling, non-stop action and tension ratcheting up as the danger closes in, the story of Sam McQuaid, former firegfighter/paramedic and overall good guy is one that is unforgettable. Sam is in a caravan traveling to Texas from Colorado when the caravan is attacked. This scene sets the tone for the whole story…one horrifying event leads to a chain of others that have Sam falling in love and then running for his life. With brilliantly written characters and a plot that crackles with suspense, this book compelled me to keep reading. A great deal happens with Sam on his quest for the truth and his desire to prove that he is innocent of murder, and reading his story was not just entertaining. I felt as though I was with him, urging him on to the safety he needed and the love that overwhelmed him. I enjoyed meeting the new characters in this book, just as I have enjoyed the entire series and getting to know each McQuaid. Sam is my favorite character so far because his honesty and clear self-evaluation are realistic and appealing characteristics. This book can be read and enjoyed as a standalone, but I highly recommend reading the entire series as it is well worth the read, they are all short reads and they are all cleverly written with tight plots and meticulous research. The books are scary good with their realism and the faith that is a foundation of each book is clear and unwavering. Disclaimer Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author via BookFunnel. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guidelines Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”
Intense action, but this is Christian fiction, so it is suitable for all who enjoy a faith-filled romantic suspense.From Lisa Harris’s author page on Amazon at Amazon/LisaHarris: USA Today and CBA bestselling author LISA HARRIS is a Christy Award finalist for Blood Ransom, Port of Origin, and Vendetta, Christy Award winner for Dangerous Passage, and the winner of the Best Inspirational Suspense Novel for 2011 (Blood Covenant) and 2015 (Vendetta) from Romantic Times. She has sold over half a million books. She and her family have spent two decades working as missionaries in Africa where she runs a small non-profit organization that works alongside their church-planting ministry. The ECHO Project promotes Education, Compassion, Health, and Opportunity and is a way to “speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves…the poor and helpless, and see that they get justice.” (Proverbs 31:8) When she’s not working she loves hanging out with her family, cooking different ethnic dishes, photography, and heading into the African bush on safari. For more information about her books and life in Africa visit her website at http://www.lisaharriswrites.comOther books in the series include SURVIVAL, HUNTED, and FREQUENCY.
This book releases on Tuesday, September 20th but it is available for pre-order now! Purchase Link:
Often in today’s world of plenty, we think that we need more than we really do. This is especially true for me when I am packing for a trip. I pack a lot of things that are “just in case” items. I was packing yesterday to go visit my sister again and counting up how many tops, pj’s, and other things I would need for almost a two week stay. Then I started counting my pills, making sure that I had enough to last me while I am there. I spent hours making sure that I have packed all that I will need. Then, a light went off in my head. What if I forget something? Will the world as we know it come to a screeching halt? No, of course not. I would just have to figure out a way to obtain the missing item from one of the hundreds of stores around there. So, problem solved and stress abated.
This morning I read my devotional and a verse just jumped off the page at me and made me chuckle at my mad hat attempt to pack yesterday and to think of everything that I might possibly ever use in the next two weeks.
Sometimes I find myself rushing around trying to solve my own problems and setting up what if scenarios to plan in advance. Meanwhile, God is in Heaven, probably amused by my frantic attempts and waiting for me to realize that He is the good shepherd and He will make sure that I have all that I need. That reassurance is calming to my spirit and like an ointment on my frantically beating heart that wants to plan everything in advance, including planning for all contingencies. God spoke to my heart this morning and told me clearly to just calm down; He will make sure that I have all that I need. As I go into spiritual battle in a household without God, I am taking Him with me, and He will make certain that I don’t lack anything, not the words I need to speak or the attitude that I need to show. He has prepared me for this trip, just as He has gotten me ready for everything else I face in life, and He wants me to know that He loves me so much that I can just let go and let Him take over. Mostly, what I need to pack is a heart full of grace and love, mercy, peace and acceptance. Now, I’m ready to go…I’m taking God’s suitcase of promises with me and I’m ready!
No matter what today brings, remember that in Christ, you lack nothing. Have a blessed day filled with the Lord and the knowledge of His great love for you.
Sometimes it’s hard to make a decision about something and take that first step into the unknown. I faced that after my stroke. The neurologist who was treating me in the ER was on a Zoom call rather than in the room and he told me and my husband that he was 99% sure that I was having a stroke. He gave us the option of my having an injection that could help me (30% chance) or could kill me with about the same percentage. Those didn’t seem like good odds to me, but in my foggy brain, I knew that we needed to pray and call our daughter to pray with us about it. The doctor told us that time was limited because if I did not get the injection within an hour of my symptoms beginning, it would not work. We prayed and asked God for wisdom. Actually, Hope and Harry prayed while I listened since I could barely stutter words at the time. We talked and decided that I would take the injection since the doctor told me that without it, I would not improve at all and may never walk or talk normally again. Was I frightened? Honestly, yes. But I had to take that step in order to ever be able again to take others. That TPA shot, also called a clot buster, saved my ability to function and may have saved my life. But the decision to take it was like standing on the edge of a precipice and knowing that whatever happened, God would be there to catch me.
God has been faithful to take care of me since that first scary step. And, of course, there have been other scary steps along the way of life. That’s what life is about…seeing the choices and taking a step in what you hope is the right direction.
Like Moses, we couldn’t just stay in the wilderness of indecision. We had to take a step. Just, move on. Pray, decide, move.
Once the decision is made, God walks with you and makes His glory shine through whatever choice you have made, provided you have consulted Him and are truly trying your best to follow Him and His will. Delighting in God is more than a happy smile on your face saying that you love the Lord and know that all will be okay. It is a deep feeling that springs from your heart that no matter what happens, God will still be there.
That word “whatever” is important. We have a tendency to make our plans and then ask God to give what we have decided His “rubber stamp of approval.” It just doesn’t work that way. First, we talk to God about the choices we have and ask for His guidance, then we step out in faith and move in the direction that we think He is leading us. If we go the wrong way, we can be assured that God will let us know and get us back on the right pathway, usually after learning a valuable lesson that He is trying to teach us. The most important thing is to make sure we include God in our decisions before we make them rather than asking Him to bless the decision that we have already made.
With a slow start but ultimately a heartwarming lesson about family and determination, this book is worth reading. The first half of the book, I honestly was not sure that I would be able to finish it since the whole premise of the book about selling the bookstore was all that seemed to be the focus. At the beginning of the book, Elliot has passed away and his co-owner of the bookstore, Irma, has decided to sell Over the Rainbow. Irma refuses to explain to anyone why she would even consider selling Elliot’s beloved bookstore to a condo developer, but she is determined to do so in spite of all of the objections from her daughters Laney and Bree and Elliot’s partner Thom. Bree’s employment, in fact her entire life, is centered around the bookstore, so she is understandably about to melt down. Laney flies home from CA when she is summoned by her mother and is as bewildered about Irma’s choice as everyone else. The most charming part of the book and the reason I rounded up was the newsletter that was written by Elliot and interspersed throughout the regular plot. In the newsletter, Elliot gives book recommendations that are filled with recommendations for real books to those who don’t like to read. Elliot was convinced that a non-reader just has not met the right book yet, so in his newsletter, he strives to introduce them to what he thinks would be a good fit. The entire small town gets involved in the dilemma about selling Over the Rainbow so the drama is heightened. There is a lot of heart and humor in the book. I particularly found Laney to be humorous, snarky at times and vulnerably wistful at others. Once the secret was revealed for why Irma has decided to sell, the book’s pace picked up and the story continued on its merry way to a conclusion. I was not a fan of the relationship between Thom and Elliot, seeing it as a nod to that lifestyle, but it was not portrayed in a way that was offensive, so I was able to read the book without any problems. I did enjoy the sense of family overcoming things together and the town pitching in to help, even if their methods were a bit unconventional. I also enjoyed the blooming romance between Bree and the bartender Witt as well as finding out his real job before he decided to tend bars. The characters were credible, the plot was slow at first and then moderately paced and the story itself is worth reading. 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 reviewer. The opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guidelines Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”
Rated PG for content GRETCHEN ANTHONY is the author of Evergreen Tidings from the Baumgartners, which was a Midwestern Connections Pick and a best books pick by Amazon, BookBub, PopSugar, and the New York Post. Her work has been featured in The Washington Post, Medium, and The Write Life, among others. She lives in Minneapolis with her family. Social Links: Author Website Twitter: @granthony Facebook: Gretchen Anthony Instagram: @gretchenanthony.writer Goodreads
I love this question because I believe theme is crucial to telling a powerful story. It should radiate, become the answer to the question, What’s the book about?
All that said, themes are difficult! They refuse to be twisted into a story that won’t have them or manipulated to fit a character. For that reason, I’ve written many stories that I thought were “about” something, only to realize later they were about something else. In The Kids Are Gonna Ask, for example, I originally believed it was a story about family bonds. But as the two teenage characters grew in the plot and in my mind, I realized the story was as much about the bonds these kids shared, as it was about discovering what made each of them own unique.
And yet, I always knew that The Book Haters’ Book Club was about found family. We book nerds can be quirky folk, and when we quirky folk find our people, we never let go! I wanted this to be a story that brought people together. I also wanted the primary setting, the Over the Rainbow Bookshop, to be a place that lived up to its motto: “Books and Rainbows are where dreams come true.”
What is the attraction to writing/reading about women’s friendships?
What a lovely question… There’s so much talk about women tearing each other down at work and in society. And yes, I think we do cut each other sometimes. But most of us don’t want all that drama in our lives or from our friendships. Drama is exhausting! So, if I don’t want that in my life, why should I write about it?
Personally, I’m drawn to stories that remind me of the real people I know. Sure, a story may be set in post-WWII Paris, but if the characters are honest with each other, if they make one another laugh and help each other out of a jamb, those are my people. That’s who I want to spend time with–in fiction and in life.
Which comes first: characters or plot?
Always, definitely characters. I have to “hear” the people telling the story. I can plot and plot but if the characters don’t feel real to me, what happens to them is just a hollow shell.
Have you ever been writing a novel and realized the theme is very much like something you’ve experienced?
Yes! I had that experience for the first time with The Book Haters’ Book Club. One of the characters, Laney, came very naturally to me. She grew up in her mother’s bookstore, but as an adult, she wanted nothing to do with it. In fact, when the novel opens, she’s living two-thousand miles away with a job that’s about as different from bookselling as one can imagine.
As I wrote, Laney’s scenes flowed so easily that I grew curious about my affinity to her. I realized that I, too, “pulled a Laney” after graduating from college. I moved two-thousand miles away and ignored the “good, predictable” opportunities that came my way for riskier, unfamiliar ones. Like Laney, I needed to find out who I was, and to do that, I needed distance and time.
I can’t tell you what happens to her because that would be a spoiler. But I will say that my life turned out great! [wink, wink]
Thanks to HTP Books that invited me to participate in the Fall 2022 Women’s Fiction Blog Tour.
Who is the “them” in this verse? We, the ones the Lord has redeemed by His blood, are the ones who are to give our testimony to others. This is a sacred responsibility that we should not take lightly. We are able to be thankful because He already showed us His love that never fails and does wonderful things for us daily.
Who is this foe that God has redeemed us from? Sin and its consequences, death. Telling our story may plant a seed so another person can be redeemed by God, set free from sin and ready to receive His love and forgiveness.
So, today and every day is a day to be thankful, a day to lift up the name of God and to bless His name before others. No matter what our current circumstances are, there is always something to be thankful for, not the least of which is that He has counted us among the redeemed.
What a sweet romance about a couple who has trouble letting go of the past! Steve Weston has a secret tragedy in his past that keeps him from moving forward and Chloe Richardson has a devastating breakup in hers that causes her to not be able to trust her feelings. The two of them are brought together by Steve’s nephew, baby Aidan, a child in Steve’s custody since his mom died. Steve needs a child care worker and Chloe steps in to fill that role. The two have a history together which makes their reunion bittersweet. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting this characters who were flawed and realistically well developed. The romance was warm and satisfying without adding details that I am uncomfortable reading. The plot was tightly written, moving quickly from the complications in their relationship to the inevitable and remarkable ending. Although the ending was a foregone conclusion from the beginning, I really enjoyed reading the story and finding out how the two would overcome their difficulties with the past and with each other. And who doesn’t like a romance that includes a cute newborn? The secondary characters were also fun to get to know, especially Chloe’s brother Brett, a guy with a lot of wisdom for his years and a great sense of humor. This book is a fast read and perfect for holiday reading or any other time of the year that you feel the need to read a book that is heartwarming and enchanting. Disclaimer Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the Just Reads Blog Tour. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guidelines Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”
Meghann Whistler writes sweet Christian romance novels that won’tmake your grandmother blush.
Her debut novel, Falling for the Innkeeper, was named one of “Six Sensational 2020 Debut Series Romances” by the American Library Association’s Booklist Reader. It was also a finalist for the 2021 Book Buyers Best Award.
Her latest book, The Billionaire’s Secret, was a #1 Bestseller and #1 Hot New Release across multiple categories on Amazon.com, including Christian romance, Christian women’s fiction, and contemporary religious fiction, among others. It is currently a finalist for the 2022 Selah and Christian Indie Awards.
Before settling down with her rocket scientist husband and raising three rambunctious boys, Meghann earned a B.A. in English from Amherst College and an M.F.A. in creative writing from Emerson College. She is grateful to be living her dream of writing sweet, hopeful stories that demonstrate the power of love and grace.
This sweet romance will be released on September 27, 2022. Available now for preorder! Purchase Links:
This is LOVE INSPIRED ROMANCE at its best…entertaining and inspirational!
Pleased to be invited to join this book tour with JustRead! Many thanks to them for this opportunity. You can read all about them at http://www.justreadtours.com
Vickie's Book Nook and Meditation Corner 