Review of THE SECRET TO HAPPINESS by Suzanne Woods Fisher

On May 13, 2023 By vickleaIn Book Review1 Comment

About the Book:

The Secret to Happiness

Series: Cape Cod Creamery, Book 2
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Revell
Publication Year: 2023
ASIN: B0BLW62NCR
ISBN: 9780800739485

Escape to Cape Cod–where you just might find the secret to happiness

Callie Dixon had the world by its tail . . . until it all slipped away. Fired from her dream job after making a colossalmistake, she’s escaped to her aunt’s home on Cape Cod for time to bounce back. Except it isn’t a home, it’s an ice cream shop. And time isn’t going to help, because Callie’s bounce has up and left. There’s a reason she made that mistake at work and she’s struggling to come to terms with it.

Things go from bad to worse when Callie’s cousin Dawn drags her to a community class about the secret to happiness. Happiness is the last thing Callie wants to think about right now, but instructor Bruno Bianco–a curiously gloomy fellow–is relentless. He has a way of turning Callie’s thoughts upside down. Her feelings, too.

My Thoughts:

This is the second book in the series but can easily be read and enjoyed as a standalone. This is the story of Callie Dixon, a master chef who finds herself unexpectedly unemployed. So she flees to hide out in Cape Cod with her Aunt Marnie and cousin Dawn. Dawn and Marnie are running an ice cream shop and barely making ends meet because it’s winter and all of the tourists have disappeared. After days of watching Callie malinger in bed, Dawn decides that she needs an intervention to her depression and insists that she go to a class called “The Secret to Happiness.” The instructor is a forbidding, non-smiling and stern man names Bruno Bianco, a man who is wise beyond his years and very intuitive about what is actually happening in Callie’s life. He begins to advise her in subtle ways that make her think and when she starts reading his book about finding happiness, she ultimately discovers what her problem is and what she needs to do about it. This book was brilliantly written, with a sub-plot (Dawn’s wedding plans) and a book within a book (as Callie reads Bruno’s instruction manual and shares with the readers). I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Callie and the way she was talented and determined but not very self-confident. The way the author weaves the story around the dynamic changes in Callie and her attitude is amazing and so engaging! The characters were all well-developed and totally realistic and relatable. The messages are loss, redemption and ultimately hope for the future. This is a book not to be missed because it is entertaining as well as thought-provoking, causing me to think about what I would do if I had one goal in life and that one goal was suddenly taken away. How would I respond to that change, and would I still be able to find happiness? This is a book that held me tightly in its grasp and did not let me go until I discovered what Callie found, her own secret to happiness.
Disclaimer
Discloure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Revell via Netgalley. I also purchased my own copy to enjoy again and again! I was not required to write a positive review and 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.”

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Out of the Land of Egypt

On May 13, 2023 By vickleaIn Scripture3 Comments

I have been praying a lot lately about the circumstances in our nation and all of the rampant sin. This morning, in my devotional, God directed me to this verse. Egypt represents the sin that God took us out of, the salvation He freely offers to all through His Son Jesus Christ. But instead of moving forward with God, our nation as a whole has turned from God. We are worshipping other gods: money, technology, success, pleasure and self. So when we look around and see all of the problems in the United States, it is because we have sinned and have refused to repent. I, personally, do not think that God will be mocked forever and I am waiting for Him to act. I don’t know when that will be, but I do know that we need to repent and get out of Egypt and back to the Promised Land of hope, restoration and forgiveness.

The ACTS Prayer Pattern

On May 12, 2023 By vickleaIn praise, prayer, Scripture, Song4 Comments

“A” stands for “adoration.” I believe that every prayer should start with adoration for God for Who He is.

Praise Ye The Lord

“C” is for confession. There should never be a time when you have not willingly confessed your sins to the Lord. All of us are sinners saved by grace and we need to remember where we came from, what He brought us out of.

Forgive Me, Lord

“T” is for thanksgiving for what the Lord has done in your life. Everything we have and all that we are is from Him.

Thankful Heart-Petra

Finally, “S” is supplication. This is telling God what you need and most of us usually start and end and even have this part of prayer as our entire prayer. It is the last thing that we should be approaching the throne for. After adoration, confession and thanksgiving, then we tell God what our needs are, the ones that only He can meet.

Hear My Cry-Maranatha

I generally end my prayers with thanksgiving again, but the pattern above is one that is easy to remember and to follow. I am not saying that all should follow this pattern because I am not a legalistic. I am just suggesting that whatever you pray and however and whenever, you need to remember to include praise, confession and adoration along with your requests. God is your Father, not Santa Claus who brings all the goodies your heart desires. He is your Father who wants what is best for all of us. He may not answer our prayers right away, but His timing is always perfect.

On May 12, 2023 By vickleaIn Re-blogLeave a comment

ettingerwriting.wordpress.com/2023/05/11/very-heavy-new-testament-teaching/

Please go to the original post and follow David. He has a great deal of wisdom that he shares.

Be Strong

On May 11, 2023 By vickleaIn Scripture, Song2 Comments

How does one go about getting strong so you can be strong? The physical trainer will say that exercise is the solution. Lift weights, use a bike or a treadmill, or join the latest fad on a Peloton. What does being strong mean? Does it mean that your brain and other faculties are working well, in sync with each other, so that you feel well and healthy? Some of the health gurus would tell you which vitamins to take and foods to eat and what you should avoid to make your body stronger. But my focus is on our spiritual body. How does one get strong in the Lord?

There is really only one way that I know of and that is to spend time with Him, reading His Word and talking to Him. God speaks to us through His Word, inspires us to personalize His Word through His Holy Spirit and makes us stronger in Him as we grow closer to Him. It’s important to spend time with God every day, not neglecting to strengthen our spiritual body, the part of us that will live forever with our Father in Heaven. Many train for marathons and long bicycle races with hours of endurance runs or rides. We are training for a race that will take us into the presence of the King of Kings, so we cannot grow weary and give up in the middle. We have to keep running that race, keep picking up our Bible daily and looking to His Word as our source for wisdom and strength. God’s power is endless, infinite as He is. In our finite minds, it is hard to conceive of a power that created the world from nothing and rules it with sacrificial love. But it is that power, that strength that we need to tap into and hold on tightly once we do. It is only in being plugged into our source of power that we can then be a source for others to get plugged in and come out know our Mighty God.

Be Strong in the Lord

An HD Life

On May 10, 2023 By vickleaIn Scripture3 Comments

Some of us have been saved for many years but we are still not claiming all that is ours and living as if we have eternal life awaiting us. We trudge through life’s daily struggles and challenges, complaining some and wishing for the day to be over. Why are we doing that? I think that it’s because we were meant to have an HD (high definition) life and we are still using rabbit ears and getting a fuzzy picture.

When I was young, we had rabbit ears on the television in our den. We could see the picture on some channels better than on others and the picture came in better at nighttime than during the day. Then, we progressed and my dad put an antenna on the roof, with a little box on top of the TV that controlled it. That brought a much clearer and more stable picture, unless the antenna was being moved around a lot by wind or a storm. The picture was still in black and white but we could see Lucy, Desi and Lawrence Welk much more clearly.

A couple of years ago, our television that was a huge box suddenly quit working. It was old but we couldn’t afford a new one while it still functioned, and as long as it worked, we were okay with it. Sometimes the picture wasn’t as great as the ones we had seen at our children’s houses, but we just wanted a TV that would work so we could enjoy news and a few shows together. When it quit, I was upset but not desolate by any means. However, my generous brother decided to gift me with a new HD smart TV for my birthday. We couldn’t stream shows because we were on satellite at the time, but the picture that the TV has is amazing! Clarity, brightness and just really looks like the people can step off the screen into the den with us. A few months ago we got a fiber connection out here in the woods (amazing to me) and now we can stream. (I love the Pure Flix channel, by the way. Lots of movies about faith and all totally clean shows.) Streaming is like having a direct connection to God. Did you know that is exactly what we have? We can talk to Him anytime, anywhere and about anything. Jesus made that possible as part of our HD life.

We have been gifted with an HD life when we accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior. He has a plan for us, a purpose for us to fulfill. But we have to tune in to that HD life and stop living like we still get fuzzy pictures with rabbit ears. We can only tune in when we stay focused on His Word and listen to His voice as we spend time with Him. It does us no good to have an HD receiver and not to plug it in!

We need to start living like we have a promise from God for eternal life and a destiny to fulfill in Him!

Our connection to God is through His Only Son Jesus who died for us. Our HD life starts with accepting His sacrifice for us.

Like I said, some of us are still using rabbit ears and God has provided an HD life for us. Fuzzy picture in black and white or color, clarity and fulfillment? Not a hard choice, is it?

So, choose the HD Life…let God help you to be all He created you to be. Shine in a beautiful array of color into a world that is living in fuzzy, gray areas without purpose or a sense of direction. I choose the HD life that God wants me to have…filled to the brim and abundantly living for Him.

Patient God

On May 9, 2023May 9, 2023 By vickleaIn Scripture2 Comments

Those of us who have been Christians for many years have waited with anticipation for the return of Jesus. We look at the signs around us and compare them to Matthew 24, telling each other that His return to reign on the earth must be soon. But God has a plan and His plan is salvation for as many as possible.

So while we wait impatiently, demanding that God do something about the condition of the world and all the rampant sin, God is patiently waiting for more to repent so that they don’t face eternal destruction. I’m thankful that God is patient, aren’t you? He patiently waited for me and there are others He is calling to, others who need to come and confess and repent. God is a God of justice, but He is also One of love and He wants the best for all of us, not just a few. Although waiting is hard sometimes, it will be worth it when we see God and all the souls He has saved worshipping Him around His throne. While we wait, our task is to tell others about His love, sharing our testimony and the difference He has made in our lives. Each one tell others…until He returns triumphantly to take us home.

Learning to Be God-Confident

On May 8, 2023 By vickleaIn Scripture1 Comment

During my growing up years, I was shy and so introverted that I often hid away while others socialized. After I got married, I started becoming more confident, first as a wife and then as a mother. I was confident in my ability to make meals, organize schedules and to also teach if the opportunity presented itself. Now, as I am growing older, I am no longer very confident in my own abilities because my body frequently betrays me. I think I am going to walk from point A to point B with no problems but I stumble and fall along the way. God is teaching me to be God-confident, with total dependence on Him to get me where He wants me to go and to do what He wants me to do. I may be getting weaker but God wants me to know that He is getting stronger within me as I let go of my own self-dependence.

It’s an awesome thing to know that I can completely rely on God. There is no fear or anxiety in being God-confident because my heart tells me that He is steadfast and that He will take care of all of my burdens that I have tried to carry all alone.

When Gideon was called to rescue Israel from the Midianites, his first response was that his tribe was too small and he himself was too weak. God doesn’t need people who are powerful and mighty. He needs those who are submitted to Him and committed to making a difference right where they are.

God wanted Gideon to stop looking at what he didn’t have and to take a close look at Who was fighting for him. He wanted Gideon to be God-confident. When we trust in our own abilities, we may fail (and often do), but when we trust in God, confident in His power and willingness to carry out His plan, then there is no way we can fail. If you want to be a winner in all of the challenges that life hurls at you, one of the first steps is to learn to be God-confident!

Encourage Each Other

On May 7, 2023 By vickleaIn Quotation and Citations, Scripture2 Comments

The Holy Bible exhorts us to encourage each other in multiple verses. Here are a couple of them.

We can encourage each other that Christ has preceded us in death and is waiting for us in Heaven. So, we should be encouraging each other to keep on working for Him and His kingdom, to continue to stand for what is right in the face of rampant evil and to defend our faith when others mock or scoff at our beliefs.

No one except God Himself knows when Jesus is returning. But we do have the promise that He is, so we need to meet with other believers and encourage each other that Jesus’s return is a fact, not a myth as some would have us believe. It will happen! We may or may not live to see His return, but His return will occur in God’s time and that truth should encourage each of us and lead us to encourage others.

We aren’t just on this earth to form a little clique of believers, encouraging each other and separating ourselves from the ungodly until Jesus comes. We are in the world to serve others, just as Jesus did. Being kind and encouraging others should be a way of life, especially for the Christian. You may be the only “Jesus” that that other person ever sees, so show someone you care by taking the time to be present with them and be the one that they can talk to, hold on to and depend on. Encourage the unbelievers, too.

Don’t Be Afraid

On May 6, 2023 By vickleaIn Scripture6 Comments

Did you know that the Bible has verses about fear for each day of the year? Yes, 365 times, the Holy Bible tells us not to be afraid and what to do if we are.

Looking around at all that is happening in today’s world, it’s hard not to be anxious. In our study of Revelation at church and then again in my devotional today, I have decided to cling to this verse. I may never be persecuted or thrown into prison or face the death of a martyr. But, if it happens, God has already given me the answer. DON’T BE AFRAID. I don’t know how to interpret the entire verse, whether the ten days is literal or not or whether the church as a whole will suffer great persecution. But what I do know is that God says not to be afraid and that we will receive from Him the crown of life. What is that? It’s the eternal rest with Him that awaits us after our sojourn on earth has ended. However we die, whenever we die, I think that everyone has an element of fear because death is an unknown. But God tells us not to be afraid. Jesus went before us and conquered the last enemy, death, so that we should not be afraid of death but we know that on the other side, the Lord waits for us to give us eternity with Him.

So, this verse seems to be almost a paradox. God tells us not to be afraid but David says in the Psalms when I am afraid. He doesn’t use the word “if” that has the connotation that it may or may not happen. He uses the conjunction “when” denoting that is will happen. And when it does, David has already determined that he will put his trust in God. I think that is good advice for all of us. We need to determine in advance that when we are fearful, we will put our trust in God. God is our stable anchor in a storm-tossed sea and He is the One who places us on solid ground. That is a verse to hold on to…facing death as a martyr? I don’t have that train ticket yet because God hasn’t given it to me, but if I need it, He will provide it and I am confident that He will be with me through whatever the future holds. Like David, I will trust in God.

Vickie's Book Nook and Meditation Corner

Author: vicklea