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.
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
Notice the promise that He WILL save us. No question! No doubts! God said it and He will do it. The same God who created us will also save us in the end to be with Him forever. That’s quite a promise, isn’t it?
Whatever we are waiting for from the Lord, He continues to be gracious and our strength. This is a prayer we can pray daily. Amen and Amen.
May you see the Lord’s grace and feel His strength in your life today, regardless of the circumstances. May you know that He is and always will be our salvation.
If you have ever gone into a crowded place with children, you know that sometimes you cannot walk side by side. Instead of walking ahead of my children, I used to walk behind them, guiding them with my hand on a shoulder or telling them which way to turn to get where we needed to be. It never dawned on me that I was guiding them in the same way that God sometimes guides me until I read this Scripture today in my devotional.
Notice the word “behind” in this verse. God is not always ahead of us although sometimes He is. Other times He is behind us and we have to listen carefully to hear His voice of instruction. If we turn the wrong way, He will tell us if we are listening. And if we turn the right way, He will also let us know. He doesn’t leave us to flounder alone on an unknown path. He is behind us, until He needs to step in front of us. I find comfort in the fact that God is all around me, if I just get quiet and listen. I can depend on Him to be just where He needs to be in my life, always. God is never too late or too early or in the wrong place at the wrong time. If He needs to be behind us in order to make sure that we are paying attention, then that’s what He will do.
This is a prophecy from Isaiah, but I believe with all of my heart that we can claim this promise today. We who are Christians are not blinded to the truth of the Gospel. We have chosen to hear that truth and now we can use our ears and the gift of the Holy Spirit to truly listen to what God is saying to us about our the choices we are making. He will let us know if they are good ones, if we just listen.
My prayer for you today is from Paul who says it better than I ever could. God bless and keep you, my friends.
Have you ever been following directions from your GPS and realized that it was leading you incorrectly? That happened to me and my husband a few months ago when we were in NC for an author signing. The GPS had us turn right out of our motel and head about fifteen miles away, but when we got where the GPS said “You have arrived at your destination” there was nothing there except a lot of houses and a small convenience store. We stopped in the store to ask directions and were told that the GPS had been sending a lot of people to this small town instead of to the bookstore where we needed to go. We got directions back to the correct place. Guess what? It was a left out of the parking lot and less than a mile from our motel! We were definitely misdirected!
God gives us clear directions about the road to eternal life, but we can only follow those directions if we keep our focus on Him and His Word. That’s where the clear directions come from.
The problem with a lot of people today is that they don’t want to hear about God. Like the Israelites, they want to steer their own course and go their own way, never counting the cost of moving in the wrong direction. Their choices are skewed by the fact that they think that their internal GPS will take them on the right road and eventually, one day, whenever they are ready, they will go to Heaven and meet God. Unfortunately for them, God’s plan doesn’t work that way.
I like this quotation from my devotional. At first, I thought, “Well, I’m okay, because I hardly ever call a bunch of people to tell them my problems.” In today’s world, you don’t have to call people to be more reliant on your phone than on God. You “google” whatever your problem is and then follow the advice that you find online. Instead of going to the phone and all of its technological advances, it would be a lot simpler to go to God’s throne and just ask for His guidance and help in whatever you are going through. True, I don’t call, but I do “google” and I am reminded to stop and pray not scroll and read the phone. It has few if any answers to the way that I should follow to life.
The “HE” is God…He has put us on the exact road that we need to be on to go straight to eternity with Him. That is the good place where we will end up if we follow His directions, His plan. Instead, we (including me at times) have followed my own way, my own GPS or even the google master and ended up frustrated and lost. Thank the Lord that He does not leave us in that place where we insisted on going! He picks us up right where we are and tells us the right way to go, putting us once again on the pathway to life. We just have to stay focused and be willing to admit that we messed up and need His help.
God will show us the way of life if we just ask Him. We don’t need a GPS or Google or our own internal voice telling us which way to go. We need to just listen to God so that one day we will have the pleasure of being in His presence forever.
This is high-octane romantic suspense centered around an obstetrician, Dr. Cynthia Myers, and the head of a special forces team, Captain Rick Norton. Cynthia is in Africa doing medical missions when a warlord threatens her and the entire village where she is practicing. One of Captain Norton’s missions is to safeguard Cynthia, so he does, killing various enemies in the process. Cynthia, a pacifist by nature, is torn up by the violence and does not understand why Rick has to kill people as part of his job. The action in this book is absolutely non-stop. I was a little put off by the three or so pages of military jargon in a glossary at the beginning of the book, but I did find referring to those acronyms useful more than once. This is a dynamic and riveting page turner, with a fast pace that never let up. Rick is coming to grips with his career, his failure to safeguard all of his men, and his growing feelings for Cynthia while Cynthia is in denial about her feelings for Rick and determined to forge a future without him. The story of their romance is a roller coaster ride of emotions. There is a great deal of depth to the story as the two separately explore their feelings and their faith in God. The plot was well-crafted and multi-layered with insightful looks into the lives of those in the spotlight and the warriors tasked to protect them. The character studies are fascinating and cleverly written to move the story along. With a unique perspective of military life and sacrifice, this book was enjoyable entertainment and a delightful story at the same time. I sincerely look forward to the next book in this series by the author. Disclaimer Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Revell Books 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.”
Intense action but a clean Christian read Hallee Bridgeman is the award winning and USA TODAY bestselling author of several action-packed romantic suspense books and series. An Army brat turned Floridian, Hallee settled with her husband in central Kentucky, where they have raised their three children. When she’s not writing, Hallee pursues her passion for cooking, coffee, campy action movies, and regular date nights with her husband. Above all else, she loves God with all of her heart, soul, mind, and strength; has been redeemed by the blood of Christ; and relies on the presence of the Holy Spirit to guide her. Author photo and bio on website on Amazon at Amazon/Hallee Bridgeman
This is a new release for September! Purchase Links:
Thrilled with great appreciation to Revell for introducing me to a new-to-me author who blew my socks off with her meticulous research and attention to detail!
I was teaching a Spanish class when the PA system interrupted my lesson to give us the news about what had happened in NYC and that school was dismissing early. We were to hold our students in the classrooms until the buses arrived. Students who were usually jubilant at early dismissal were somber, speaking in quiet voices if they spoke at all. Some were crying. I was silently praying. Then I went home and watched TV all day, waiting for news about my daughter-in-law who worked in NYC, only a few blocks from the World Trade Center. We did not hear that Melissa was safe until after midnight. Pregnant and frightened and covered in ash, she was well cared for by the heroes in the city and ended up finally getting a ferry back to her home in New Jersey. I was thankful that she was okay but so afraid of what was happening in the world. The Lord gave me the Scripture above at that time and each year, I remember. I know that He is close to those who are mourning today and I honor the sacrifice of the heroes who gave their lives that others may live.
