Merry Christmas

 

 

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 

John 3:16-17

Treasures in the Snow

 

Job 38:22

A Match in the Making

 

Jen Turano's writing is always full of humor and clean romance. Her latest book, A Match in the Making, is a fun historical fiction, full of relatable characters who keep you on your toes on their adventure. 

Gwendolyn Brinley takes a position with a well respected matchmaker. She thinks this will be an easy summer after she has been touring as a companion with her cousin. However, she ends up being thrown into an assistant matchmaker position when Mrs. Parker breaks her leg. She feels totally out of her element when a gentleman, looking for a mother for his children, asks to be matched.

Walter Townsend meets his match when Gwendolyn challenges him in his endeavor, as all the single women throw themselves at him. There are quite a few amusing scenes between the two of them.

Great dialogue. A good clean romance. 

I received a complimentary ebook copy from the publisher, through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

God's Amazing Snowflakes

Parts of the country is blanketed with a snow right now. So when I came across this information, I thought how wonderful to learn more about the perfection and beauty of God's creation -

SNOW

You can watch an amazing Youtube video about Wilson Bentley.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAnb4oMXJtU

The heavens declare the glory of God;

the skies proclaim the work of His hands
~ Psalm 19:1

It's December already

 

What Happens Next

 

What Happens Next by Christina Suzann Nelson is about a podcaster, called in to spotlight her missing childhood friend. A mother who could never give up hope that her little girl would come home. Even after 36 years. And all the complications and heartache shared between them 

Christina has a way of crafting her stories that leave you guessing until the end. I have read her other books and she spells her magic in the telling of tales. Although the story was somewhat sad, it was compelling and kept me reading to the end.

I received a complimentary ebook copy from the publisher, through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Heart Friend

 

Do you have a friend who sticks closer to you then a brother? I've had two such friends in my lifetime. One is with the Lord, and the other lives many states away. But yet when I think of the sweet friendships that we have shared, it warms my heart beyond measure.

"There's a blessing in our friendship,
It's a bond between we two.
For the Lord brought us together,
And I thank Him now for you.

You've been there when I needed you,
We've shared our dreams and plans.
And when at times I've fallen down,
You've given me your hand.

You are always such a Joy
Each time that we're together,
But more than that, you are my friend
And in my heart forever."

So today I am thankful for my heart friends. The ones who really care, and share part of their lives with me. Friends may come and friends may go, but your heart friend is with you forever.

"Kindness is a friend's greatest asset,
With it she can mend misunderstandings
and smooth out rumpled feelings.
With only a well placed word,
She can raise a downcast spirit."

Patriot Day

 

In the United States, Sept. 11 has become a day that haunts the nation of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Since the attacks, the day has been called Patriot Day or National Day of Service and Remembrance, and serves as a day to remember those who lost their lives. The day was passed by Congress on Oct. 25, 2001 and was signed into law by then President George. W. Bush. 

 "Now, we have inscribed a new memory alongside those others. It’s a memory of tragedy and shock, of loss and mourning. But not only of loss and mourning. It’s also a memory of bravery and self-sacrifice, and the love that lays down its life for a friend–even a friend whose name it never knew." -- President George W. Bush

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.  John 15:13

Prayer

 Prayer is such a powerful tool.

We pray to communicate with God our Heavenly Father. I have a lovely little book called "For the Family" by Sylvia Gunter. She shares Steps to Powerful Prayer.

1. Worship God -
"Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise" Psa 100:4

2. Be Still -
"Be still and know that I am God" Psa 46:10

3. Confess -
"If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord the Lord will not hear me." Psa 66:18
"But if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9

4. Submit -
"Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time." 1 Pet 5:6

5. Believe -
"Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him." Heb. 11:6

6. Do battle in spiritual warfare -
"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of the this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in heavenly realms." Eph 6:12

7. Listen to the Holy Spirit -
"no eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him - but God has revealed it to us by His Spirit." 1 Cor 2:9-10

8. Ask God what He wants you to pray about. -
"I will do whatever you ask in My name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask Me for anything in My name, and I will do it." John 14:13-14

9. Join together in agreement with other believers -
"If two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by My Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in My name, there am I with them. Matt 18:19-20

10. Persist until the answer comes! -
"Keep on asking and it will be given you; keep on seeking and you will find, keep on knocking and the door will be opened to you." Matt 7:7

11. Praise the Lord that He has heard -
"This is the confidence we have in approaching God; that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us - whatever we ask - we know that we have what we asked of Him." 1 John 5:14-15

12. Act on what God has revealed to you -
"Do whatever He tell you" John 2:5
"If you abide in me and My words abide in you, you shall ask whatever you will and it shall be done unto you in My name." John 15:7

I hope these verses are an encouragement to you. Remember that God's promises are unlimited, but God's fulfilling it may depend on our abiding in truth (2 Cor. 10:6)

Summer days are waning

The days of summer are quickly passing by. We not only see the days pass on the calendar, we see the years pass as children grow up, and the seasons of life quickly change. The carefree days of childhood, where the greatest distress is the loss of a toy or missing a play day, will soon pass into the responsibilities of adult life.

King David expresses it in his Psalms and songs to the Lord of his heart.

"To every thing there is a season and a time to every purpose under the heaven."
Ecclesiastes 3:1

We each have a purpose in this life. And we have choices. We can choose to obey the voice of the Lord or we can choose to obey our own voice. The Lord promises to bless those who trust in Him and heed His voice.

"If therefore there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped. but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross."
Philippians 2:2-8

Are you listening?

Most of the time when we are traveling, instead of cooking breakfast we will stop and pick something up and keep on making the miles.

 

On a recent trip we stopped at this place -

 

Hubby parks and I went inside to place a to go order. It wasn't a difficult order, but I found it interesting that the young man who waited on me was not listening. He heard me, and even repeated what I ordered, but he was not listening. 

So when my order arrives, I ask is one coffee decaf? "Oh you wanted a regular coffee too?" he says. Yes one regular and one decaf.  And then I ask, "is one oatmeal only with butter?" He looks at me, "you wanted one with only butter?" "Yes" I said.

So the young man goes back and fixes another oatmeal, and pours a regular coffee.

Now I've been to many fast food places in my time, and sometimes they don't always get my order right. But this young man heard what I said but was not listening. 

Is that what I do with God? Do I sometimes think I hear the voice of the Lord, but am I listening?

For two years I prayed fervently about a situation. Every day I implored with my Heavenly Father to intervene. In my prayers I felt confidant that the Lord would hear my prayers and answer the way I wanted.  But in the end, it was not so. I felt disappointed and discouraged. Why had God not answered my prayers? Doesn't the scripture say "seek and you shall find, ask and it will be given unto you?"

You see, this was someone that is very close to me. And I wanted so badly for this person's life to turn around and return to the obedience of God's will. Yet every time I questioned God about this outcome, I sensed Him saying, Do you trust Me? Yes, Lord I trust you. But see, this is someone close to me, and this person knows better. But do you trust Me? Lord, I do trust you, but ...  Do you trust ME?

 

Chuck Swindoll once said, " God does not greatly use the man who He does not first greatly wound." Do I feel wounded? Yes, hurt and wounded. But I do know that God is faithful, and I CAN TRUST HIM!

 

"Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for HE who promised IS faithful." Hebrews 10:23

When the Meadow Blooms

 

Rose Meadows, a widow in a sanitorium for tuberculosis, longs to get her two girls back from the orphanage she had to leave them in. Her daughters, Calla and Sienna, struggle being apart from Rose. Rose seeks out her brother-in-law, Dirk, who has been scarred from a barn fire, and is mostly living a solitary life.

The story is a slow build, but is about overcoming and how Christians still face trials in life. There is fear and hearts being closed, healing from past secrets. Very much a character driven story.

I received a complimentary ebook copy from the publisher, through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Memorial Day

 In memory and honor of those who have fought and died to keep our country free.

May God continue to protect and bless the United States of America!

Wishing you a safe and Happy Memorial Day

Mother's Day

Mother's Day is a special day. Not everyone is a Mother, but we've all had a Mom in our lives. Whether it was a natural Mother, an adopted one, or just a special woman who came along side to encourage you. My own Mom went to be with the Lord when I was in my 20's, but there have been women who stood in her place. I am thankful for God's mercies to allow me to share special "Mom" time with these women.

If your Mother is still living, be sure to give her a hug. And if your Mother is already gone, find someone who could really use a hug. It could be a relative, a friend, a neighbor, or even an acquaintance. In the Bible we see when Jesus hung on the cross, he gave His own Mother into John's safe keeping (John 19:26-27). I'm sure after Jesus died, Mary needed a hug. And when the Lord returned from the grave, in my heart of hearts, I know He hugged His Mother. Mary probably treasured those moments, just as she did when the shepherds told of the birth of Jesus (Luke 2:19).

May the Lord bless each one of you, whether you are a daughter, Mother, Grandmother, sister, niece, friend or neighbor. Everyone deserves to be remembered.

On the Way to Christmas

 

On the Way to Christmas, three novellas set between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

A Christmas Do-Over by Sheila Roberts brings Darby back to her home town. She has resisted going back because she was once the mean bad girl and didn't want to face eating humble pie. Her greatest regret was alienating her sister and best friend Greg. But life has changed her, and she must face the consequences of her actions and try to make them right.

Dashing Through the Snow by Melissa Ferguson finds Willow dumped by her boyfriend on the eve of a romantic cross country train trip. Certain he would propose, she decides to take the trip  on The Christmas Express solo. Ferguson usually writes with much humor and banting back and forth with her characters. I was a little disappointed as this story felt a little flat. 

A Perfectly Splendid Christmas by Amy Clipston was a delightful story. Kacey returns home to help her sister run her bakery, as her BIL lost his job and is having difficulty finding another one. Kacey is drawn to her former classmate Drew. But do they have too many differences to make a relationship work?

I received a complimentary ebook copy from the publisher, through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

To Tame a Cowboy

 

Jody Hedlund continues the story of the McQuaid family in the Colorado Cowboys series. 

Brody's past haunts him. He is broken and hurting. Savannah is a sweet kind hearted girl, seeking to find her place. She runs from her families ranch, desiring to be a veterinarian. What she finds is Brody's brokenness. Brody and Savannah's characters grow beautifully.

This story is about finding God's forgiveness and healing. A tender story to wrap around your heart. I read Wyatt's story, but this one can be read as a stand alone.

I received a complimentary ebook copy from the publisher, through Net Galley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

What Remains True

 

What Remains True by Nancy Naigle takes place in Antler Creek North Carolina. Merry Anna Foster becomes enchanted with the small town as she drives through, takes a job and settles in after a nasty divorce. 

Adam Locklear, a rodeo bull rider, makes plans to get to the finals. He is estranged from his parents because of his career choice, as they don't approve of his bull riding. Five year old Zan changes Adam's life and his relationship with Merry Anna.

This story is about new beginnings and relationships. Nancy Naigle has a way of communicating a Christian message as her characters face unexpected challenges. 

I received a complimentary ebook copy from the publisher, through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Happy New Year!