I don’t know about you, but this time of being isolated has left me a lot more time to think about relationships, both with people and with God.

Dr. Denison had an article today and ends it with a spiritual inventory checklist.

Dr. Denison April 16, 2020

I found the spiritual inventory useful since it helped me to ponder how I have used my time with the Lord each day.

Dr. Denison had an excellent article yesterday about coal and why we need each other and the bell of Notre Dame ringing. It’s all about hope. I still have it because I know a God of the hopeless, of those who are challenged to be overcomers.

Dr. Denison April 15, 2020

I hope that this missive finds each of you well and safe. It is getting harder to stay inside because the weather is beautiful and the flowers are blooming. I can’t go outside because of allergies and the problems with breathing that it might cause. Nevertheless, my husband filled the bird feeder today and I am waiting expectantly for the birds to return. There’s always something to look forward to if you only look around you. There is always something to be grateful for. I’m thankful for my family being healthy and for the companionship of my husband. I frequently think of those who are isolated and all alone. I hope that you will remember to pray for them, too.

I pray God’s blessings on each of you as you stay home and stay safe. I pray that He will give you a new desire to do a spiritual inventory and to be thankful that you are a piece of coal, still burning brightly for the Lord. You and God make a majority against anything! God bless and keep you, my friends!

D.J. Palmer has written a book to entertain, but it also scared me, kept me reading much later than I should have been awake, and had me cheering for a thirteen-year old and hissing whenever Simon appeared on the scene. The synopsis, briefly, is that Nina Garrity’s husband Glen disappeared seven months ago. Now, she has re-located herself and her two children into a smaller home and is living with Simon Fitch, a teacher at the middle school who seems to be the answer to her needs. Connor, her son, is as enamored with Simon as Nina because Simon plays ball with him and is teaching him to use power tools and build a robot. Maggie, the aforementioned thirteen year old, is not fooled by Simon and is determined to show her family the dark side that only she seems to be able to see. This book started slowly, but like a train, it quickly picked up speed and was hard to put down and a thrilling read. Nina does not see Simon’s dark side until she returns to work and then she is really in for a surprise as she works to protect her family from the evil that is all around them. I think my favorite character was Maggie’s new friend Ben. When all of her regular friends desert her, Ben sees her dilemma and sits with her at lunch. Ben is also the only character in the book willing to give Maggie the benefit of the doubt and listen to her qualms about Simon. I liked his calming presence and his attitude of attacking a problem with logic and thoughtfulness. All in all, this book was amazing! There were some really surprising twists that I had me dropping my jaw in absolute awe at how well the author tricked me. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys thrillers that will chill you through and through.
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley and also a hard copy from St. Martin’s Press. 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. Here are links to purchase:

Amazon: The New Husband at AMZ

Barnes & Noble: The New Husband at BN

To find the book at an Indie bookstore near you, go to:

Indie

Enjoy the book and stay safe and well!

The setting of this third book in the series is once more in Walton, Georgia, a small town where everyone seems to know and be friendly with everyone else. Although this is book #3 in the series, it can definitely be read as a standalone as the main characters change in each story. In this tale, Pecca Gallegos has brought her small son Maceo to Walton to live, hoping to escape the dangers of her past. As a physical therapist, Pecca has learned to help people by finding out what will give them to motivation to work through the pain. She seems to have met her match in Colton Crawford, a bitter Army veteran with a movement disorder. One of the reasons that I loved this book is that the characters are so realistic and if there is a physical problem, the author has definitely done her research! In the case of Colton, he has PMD, a disorder in which his limbs move involuntarily and sometimes in an embarrassing way and at inappropriate times. Pecca seems more than up to the task of helping Colton, but she finds that the danger she left in Texas has followed her to Georgia and she and her son are no longer safe. She shares her secret past with Colton and the town’s sheriff who strive to protect her from a drug cartel. The action is non-stop, fast-paced and totally believable. I really liked getting to know the characters, especially Maceo, a boy with a strong will to succeed. Reading this book was like watching a movie in my mind because the scenes and the characters were so well described and realistically portrayed. I’m sad to see this series end, but I will definitely look forward to more from the very talented Natalie Waters. Fans of romantic suspense will love this book!

Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher, Revell. 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 at all of your local booksellers and online. Here are some handy links to order your copy today:

Amazon: Silent Shadows From Amazon

Barnes and Noble: Silent Shadows from BN

CBD: Silent Shadows from CBD

Wherever you decide to purchase this book, I can guarantee you that it will be a completely clean and enjoyable read!

STAY CALM AND READ A BOOK!

COPIED FROM A FRIEND
How the Virus Stole Easter
By Kristi Bothur
With a nod to Dr. Seuss 😊

Twas late in ‘19 when the virus began
Bringing chaos and fear to all people, each land.

People were sick, hospitals full,
Doctors overwhelmed, no one in school.

As winter gave way to the promise of spring,
The virus raged on, touching peasant and king.

People hid in their homes from the enemy unseen.
They YouTubed and Zoomed, social-distanced, and cleaned.

April approached and churches were closed.
“There won’t be an Easter,” the world supposed.

“There won’t be church services, and egg hunts are out.
No reason for new dresses when we can’t go about.”

Holy Week started, as bleak as the rest.
The world was focused on masks and on tests.

“Easter can’t happen this year,” it proclaimed.
“Online and at home, it just won’t be the same.”

Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, the days came and went.
The virus pressed on; it just would not relent.

The world woke Sunday and nothing had changed.
The virus still menaced, the people, estranged.

“Pooh pooh to the saints,” the world was grumbling.
“They’re finding out now that no Easter is coming.

“They’re just waking up! We know just what they’ll do!
Their mouths will hang open a minute or two,
And then all the saints will all cry boo-hoo.

“That noise,” said the world, “will be something to hear.”
So it paused and the world put a hand to its ear.

And it did hear a sound coming through all the skies.
It started down low, then it started to rise.

But the sound wasn’t depressed.
Why, this sound was triumphant!
It couldn’t be so!
But it grew with abundance!

The world stared around, popping its eyes.
Then it shook! What it saw was a shocking surprise!

Every saint in every nation, the tall and the small,
Was celebrating Jesus in spite of it all!

It hadn’t stopped Easter from coming! It came!
Somehow or other, it came just the same!

And the world with its life quite stuck in quarantine
Stood puzzling and puzzling.
“Just how can it be?”

“It came without bonnets, it came without bunnies,
It came without egg hunts, cantatas, or money.”

Then the world thought of something it hadn’t before.
“Maybe Easter,” it thought, “doesn’t come from a store.
Maybe Easter, perhaps, means a little bit more.”

And what happened then?
Well….the story’s not done.
What will YOU do?
Will you share with that one
Or two or more people needing hope in this night?
Will you share the source of your life in this fight?

The churches are empty – but so is the tomb,
And Jesus is victor over death, doom, and gloom.

So this year at Easter, let this be our prayer,
As the virus still rages all around, everywhere.

May the world see hope when it looks at God’s people.
May the world see the church is not a building or steeple.
May the world find Faith in Jesus’ death and resurrection,
May the world find Joy in a time of dejection.
May 2020 be known as the year of survival,
But not only that –
Let it start a revival.

Photo from biblestudytools.com

Photo from KarenKingsbury.com