Janice Cole Hopkins's Blog, page 16

Living ForeverMy husband and I recently traveled to St. A...

Living Forever

My husband and I recently traveled to St. Augustine, Florida, to celebrate our twentieth anniversary. Visiting the Fountain of Youth delivered a Christian message. People, like Ponce de Leon hoped to find water that would restore youth, and others have looked for ways to live forever. But Christians know the truth; we will all live forever. The question is where will it be -- in a place of torment or a place of bliss with restored bodies.

And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal (Matthew 25:46).

Too often we look to the world to give us what we desire, but worldly answers can lead to trouble. God has the answers we need, and they're found in His Word. Make daily Bible study and prayer part of your routine. Rely on God to direct your path. He has promised to supply all your needs.

But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19).

You don't need to go looking for a fountain of youth, magic potions, genies to bestow wishes, or a fairy godmother. All you need is Jesus. He is Living Water that satisfies as nothing else can. By accepting Him into your life, you'll live with Him forevermore. If you don't, you'll spend eternity with Satan. Where do you want to live forever?

And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?" (John 11:26).

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The Santa Fe Trail Unlike most other routes west, the San...

The Santa Fe Trail 

Unlike most other routes west, the Santa Fe Trail wasn't designed to be used by settlers. It was a commercial trail. It opened up in 1821 after Mexico won its independence from Spain. Spain tried to keep closed borders in its colonies, but Mexico was open to trade and even welcomed it. American entrepreneurs saw the potential, and the trail became well-used.

As with most early trails west, there were many dangers along the way. The Indians were one of the biggest threats, and the Comanche especially posed a problem to Santa Fe travelers hauling store goods. Nature didn't make it easy either. Storms, insects, snakes, wild animals, prairie fires, raging rivers, mountains, and deserts made it hard. Diseases and sicknesses plagued many. However, most of the muleskinners driving the wagons were a tough, hardy lot.

While many of the wagoneers on the other trails preferred oxen for their strength, fortitude, and tendency to forage on plant growth that horses wouldn't touch, men navigating the Santa Fe Trail preferred mules. They thought they were a little faster, could navigate the mountains better, and came close to the oxen in foraging. There were also some superstitions that caused them to choose mules.

In the war with Mexico, the United States used the Santa Fe Trail to invade New Mexico. After the United States took possession of much of the area in 1846, travel on the trail increased. Throughout its history, some people traveled the trail to settle in the West, but the Santa Fe Trail still remained primarily a trade route. It stayed open until 1880 when the railroad came to the city to bring people and goods.

                     Link to book
I wrote of travel on the Santa Fe Trail in Second Choice Bride, the first book in my Cactus Creek, New Mexico, series, and some of the other books in the series include the trail. I have a new book, Zoe, releasing on April 20, 2024, also set on the trail. If you like good romantic adventures, check them out.
Link to book

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Live as If Christ Was Coming Back Today"...do not forget...

 

Live as If Christ Was Coming Back Today

"...do not forget this charge to "do business." Beware of an idle, talking, gossiping, sentimental, do-nothing religion. Do not think because your doings cannot justify you, or put away one single sin that therefore it does not matter whether you do anything at all. Away with such a delusion! Cast it behind you as an invention of the devil. ...be a doing Christian."

"...everyone has an open door before him and may, if he will, show forth his Master's praise. Your bodily health and strength, your mental gifts and capacities, your money and your earthly possessions, your rank and position in life, your example and influence with others, your liberty to read the Bible and hear the gospel, your plentiful supply of grace. ... All of these are to be used and employed with a continual reference to the glory of Christ. All these are His gifts. But the Lord Jesus bids you also to do business until He comes back. By that, He means that you are to do His work on earth... ."

"You are to rise and go forth in the morning ready, if need be, to meet Christ at noon. You are to lie down in bed at night ready, if need be, to be awakened by the midnight cry,... You are to keep your spiritual accounts in a state of constant preparation, like one who never knows how soon they may be called for. You are to measure your ways by the measure of Christ's appearing, and to do nothing in which you would not like Jesus to find you doing. This is to be your business until Jesus comes."

"Think, reader, how condemning these words are to thousands of professing Christians! What an utter absence of preparation appears in their daily walk and conversation! How thoroughly unfit they are to meet Christ!"

(The Second Coming of Christ - This section by Dwight L. Moody.)

Are you ready?

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Live as if Christ Was Coming Back Today"...do not forget...

 

Live as if Christ Was Coming Back Today

"...do not forget this charge to "do business." Beware of an idle, talking, gossiping, sentimental, do-nothing religion. Do not think because your doings cannot justify you, or put away one single sin that therefore it does not matter whether you do anything at all. Away with such a delusion! Cast it behind you as an invention of the devil. ...be a doing Christian."

"...everyone has an open door before him and may, if he will, show forth his Master's praise. Your bodily health and strength, your mental gifts and capacities, your money and your earthly possessions, your rank and position in life, your example and influence with others, your liberty to read the Bible and hear the gospel, your plentiful supply of grace. ... All of these are to be used and employed with a continual reference to the glory of Christ. All these are His gifts. But the Lord Jesus bids you also to do business until He comes back. By that, He means that you are to do His work on earth... ."

"You are to rise and go forth in the morning ready, if need be, to meet Christ at noon. You are to lie down in bed at night ready, if need be, to be awakened by the midnight cry,... You are to keep your spiritual accounts in a state of constant preparation, like one who never knows how soon they may be called for. You are to measure your ways by the measure of Christ's appearing, and to do nothing in which you would not like Jesus to find you doing. This is to be your business until Jesus comes."

"Think, reader, how condemning these words are to thousands of professing Christians! What an utter absence of preparation appears in their daily walk and conversation! How thoroughly unfit they are to meet Christ!"

(The Second Coming of Christ - This section by Dwight L. Moody.)

Are you ready?

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My Book Covers(To be published.Design by Charlene Raddon)...

My Book Covers

(To be published.
Design by
Charlene Raddon)Like most authors and avid readers, I love book covers. I collect them, even some of the ones I don't use for my books right away. I have an idea file of special covers that appeal to me and go with a story idea I have. I don't want to buy too many covers ahead and perhaps never get around to writing them, so I add them to a file I can turn to when needed. But even with that, I have eleven covers right now I have purchased that are waiting for me to write their story and one I've already written. However, all of these are included in my publishing schedule for either 2025 or 2026.

I have also designed some of my own covers, but I only have a very basic design program which is unable to do all the things a professional program can. Writing in multiple-author projects has me using more professional cover designers than I did after I first broke from my traditional publisher and went independent. I love looking at premade covers and using my imagination for a story. I find it inspiring. But buying book covers can become expensive for the small, independent author. I often end up paying from $90 to $140 for the ebook, print, and Audible covers for a book, and this is the low end of the rates. I know having professional covers has increased my sales somewhat, but I don't know if they've made up the additional cost.

I've used many cover designers over the ten years I've been releasing books. Here are most of them and a sample of their work:

                  Hannah Nichols (with traditional publisher) - 

Virginia McKevitt (MAP) -

Nancy Fraser (MAP) -

Marie Higgins (MAP) -

Kim Cunningham (MAP) -

                                       Randi Gammons (MAP) -

Charlene Raddon -

Angela Horning-Archer (MAP) -

Dawn LeGros (to be published) -

JoAnn Durgin (to be published) -

And here are a few of the many I've designed -

(Christian nonfiction) -

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Don't Forget the Most Important PartFor I determined not...

 Don't Forget the Most Important Part

For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified (1 Corinthians 2:2).

Too often we get caught up in the controversies within Christianity, and we lose sight of what is really important -- that Christ died for our sins and rose again so that we might have eternal life in heaven and an intimate relationship with God. This is the core that unites all Christians, regardless of their affiliations and denominations.

For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15: 3).

The gospel message of the disciples and the early church was all about the cross, who Jesus was, and what He did for us. Paul and others worked diligently to get the message into a lost and dying world. What are we as individual Christians doing today to that same end? Are we following Christ's Great Commission, or have we become slack in our mission?

But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8).

Easter is the perfect time to draw close to the cross, to feel God's great love for us, and to share it with others. If the majority of Christians would recommit themselves to sharing the gospel with others in the way Christ meant for them to, what a difference we could make in this world and in the lives of those we meet, and what a much more wonderful world it would be.

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Akta Lakota Museum I found the Akta Lakota Museum and Cu...

 Akta Lakota Museum 

I found the Akta Lakota Museum and Cultural Center in Chamberlain, South Dakota, a little off the beaten path but very interesting. The Sioux Nation has always fascinated me, and I want to write a novel including them sometime. So far, I've only included Cherokee, Comanche, and Chickasaw in my novels. However, in an upcoming book, Beckett's Brides , the land where gold was discovered in South Dakota belonged to the Sioux. Settlers flocked to the gold, towns such as Deadwood were established, and disputes ensued. As typically happened, the government eventually ruled in favor of the settlers.

The museum was established in 1991 and is filled with displays and artifacts that tell the Lakota's story. The exhibits are set up according to the four directions on the medicine wheel. The East or Circle Camp shows the Lakota culture before Euro-American contact. The South represents when the two worlds meet with the arrival of explorers, traders, missionaries, and settlers. West speaks to the interactions with the U.S. government and the establishment of reservations, and the North addresses how the Lakota have adapted and their culture continues to do so.

The exhibits are informative. I wish I had the space to show them all, but here are just a few that I hope speak for themselves, although the photos don't do the displays justice.

Forgiveness Is CrucialForbearing one another, and forgiv...

 Forgiveness Is Crucial

Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye (Colossians 3:13).

To be obedient to God, the Bible tells us that we must forgive. It's a command, not a suggestion. It is God's will that we forgive those who wrong us. Others have set the example for us. Two of them were Christ and Stephen. Remember, even when being unjustly crucified and enduring agony, Jesus said "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." Likewise, when he was being stoned to death, Stephen cried out, "Lord, lay not this sin to their charge."

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 8).

Being quick to forgive slams the door in Satan's face and prevents him from working his havoc among believers. Harboring hard feelings and holding grudges can have devastating effects, not only on the parties involved but also on families, friends, and even churches. The ripple effect can go far beyond what we might imagine.

But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you (Luke 6:27).

When we struggle to forgive someone, we should pray for them and try to serve them in some way. Upon salvation, we are filled with God's love. We are meant to share this love with others, including our enemies. As we give it away, we are continuously filled. Helping others changes our hearts and theirs. Such forgiveness can have as much of a positive effect as unforgiveness does a negative one.

The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped; therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; . . . (Psalms 28:7).

And the good news is that you don't have to find the strength and power to forgive on your own. In fact, you likely can't. Rely on God and His Holy Spirit within you. He will lead you every step of the way, and you'll find precious peace and freedom beyond all understanding at the end of the journey. Be overcomers in Christ.

I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me (Philippians 4:13).

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My New Computer System My children and husband got me a n...

My New Computer System 

My children and husband got me a new computer system this year for Christmas, which has turned out to be a blessing. Now, I enjoyed my old system with its fast speed, huge storage capacity, and large screen, but it was not portable. Therefore, I needed a laptop for when I traveled and wanted to stick with my writing schedule. However, I had to copy everything I thought I might need onto it before I left home, but inevitably, I would need something I didn't have. I had to do the same thing if I wanted to work from a location in my house other than my office.

My new system takes care of all that. The laptop I now use has a larger screen than my other laptop, it has as much storage as my tower, and I have a large monitor I hook it up to when I want to work from my office. If I want to work from another location, I need only unplug two cords to move it, and I have everything I need. I love the flexibility it has given me. Why don't I just use the laptop without the big monitor? I have a vision problem, and I find using the bigger monitor at my office desk more comfortable for everyday work. With writing, promoting, and the business end of it all, I'm on the computer a lot.

And I found this amazing little bracket that holds the laptop in my office when I'm working off my large monitor and using it like a tower. It's so simple that it's ingenious. It has a band inside that tightens up by the weight of the laptop being inserted, and it holds it firm. 

This system has enabled me to get more writing done faster. So, there you go. Have computer will travel. 

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What Kind of Host Are You?But the Spirit of him that rais...

What Kind of Host Are You?

But the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you (Romans 8:11a).

One of the greatest assets we have as Christians is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. He's our mentor, comforter, guide, and so much more. Through Him, we have all the supernatural power we need to fulfill God's calls and purposes. Too often, however, we don't take full advantage of this part of the Trinity living within us, usually because we don't understand.

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? (1 Corinthians 6:19).

As a Christian, wherever you go the Holy Spirit of God goes with you. Whatever you do, He's there too. Do you take Him to places He wouldn't want to go? Is He there inside you, observing as you do things you know you shouldn't? We need to put God first in our lives and make decisions that are pleasing to Him. And what kind of dwelling have you prepared for Him? Is your body clean and well-maintained, or is it sometimes filled with drugs, alcohol, or smoke and nicotine? Do you take risks with your health?

Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit. Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in and he in God (1 John 4: 13 & 15).

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