Ada Brownell's Blog, page 37

FOOTBALL TAUGHT NFL PLAYER JAKE BYRNE TO NEVER GIVE UP

Jake ByrneTHIS DEVOTIONAL IS AN EXCERPT FROM: FIRST AND GOAL – WHAT FOOTBALL TAUGHT ME ABOUT NEVER GIVING UP

When a player shifts his body horizontally and quickly moves his feet to get the defender off balance so to avoid contact and gain extra yards. 
My good friend Brittany slammed her locker shut. Tears brimmed above her bottom lashes. Her dance partner had backed out a couple of weeks before West Side Studio’s city-wide Nutcracker performance.High school seniors now, we’d been good friend’s since the fifth grade. She’d do anything for me. Though she didn’t ask, her look said, Jake, could you please take his place? I offered to be her partner if she couldn’t find anyone else, and then I wondered what I’d gotten myself into when no one came forward. Leaping around on stage with a bunch of people half my size? It would be a comedy, not a ballet. I was sure there was no way a size 15 ballet slippers and tights that would fit me even existed. Turns out they did. Football always came natural, a sport I excelled at, so I figured my sure-footedness and athletic ability would prove ballet dancing wasn’t out of my league. My competitive nature fueled me, and I strived to be the best. Each day after football practice, I worked hard to make sure my lack of skill didn’t prevent Brittany from shining. Opening night was Brittany’s game day. Backstage, she stood poised and prepared. My confidence disappeared. What if I forgot my routine? Tripped? Landed like an oak tree on the stage? Butterflies fluttered to their own choreography inside my gut. Brittany had been doing this her entire life, but I was as nervous as a freshman during kickoff at the first game of the season.There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance (Ecclesiastics 3:1-4).The night of the Nutcracker, my younger brother and sister sat in the audience, probably dying of laughter. I could’ve sworn I heard snickering. I’d already endured a ton of ribbing from teammates and expected a lot more come Monday. Nevertheless, I stepped on stage to perform my small role. To the classical music of Tchaikovsky, Brittany and I danced. With the spotlight on us, my moves were as smooth as my Friday night performances under stadium lights. Holding hands at the final bow, our smiles stretched ear to ear. I didn’t hear one laugh in the audience, only applause and cheers.  Sometimes we’re caught off guard and asked to do something we may not want to do,


BIO: Jake Byrne grew up in Rogers, Arkansas. A type 1 diabetic since the age of fourteen, he has since been proactive combating the disease and mentoring diabetic youth. He played football for the University of Wisconsin as a tight end, and went on to compete in the NFL. Originally an undrafted free agent who signed with the New Orleans Saints in 2012, he has also been a Houston Texan, Kansas City Chief, and San Diego Charger.
          Jake blogs at www.typewon.net. He can be reached through the following social media: Facebook Page (Type Won): www.facebook.com/typewon1Twitter: @sugarfreejb82Instagram: Jakebyrne81Email: typewonquestions@gmail.com

Jake’s book can be purchased at most all online booksellers and will be in bookstores soon. Link to purchase Jake’s Book: FIRST AND GOAL – WHAT FOOTBALL TAUGHT ME ABOUT NEVER GIVING UP : http://amzn.to/1FAYKo8


Summary of First and Goal:
Jake Byrne dreamed of playing professional football. He had the size, the talent, the drive...but at age 14, he found out he also had type 1 diabetes.

Still, Jake was determined to reach his goal. And God was determined to guide and empower him all along the way.

Jake's journey to the NFL is the backdrop for this collection of inspiring devotions based on nearly a hundred football terms. Jake takes you to the weight room, practice field, and even across the goal line. You'll feel as if you're lined up next to him, facing a very large defender you're about to take down. He also includes Scripture and then ties up each story in a way that feels real and encouraging. You'll discover...

* what to do when God calls an audible in your life
* how to respond when God puts you on special teams
* why prayer is never an incomplete pass

These quick daily readings will help you press through your own difficulties and experience God's dream for you.

WHAT FOOTBALL TAUGHT JAKE BYRNE ABOUT NEVER GIVING UP

Jake ByrneTHIS DEVOTIONAL IS AN EXCERPT FROM: FIRST AND GOAL – WHAT FOOTBALL TAUGHT ME ABOUT NEVER GIVING UP

When a player shifts his body horizontally and quickly moves his feet to get the defender off balance so to avoid contact and gain extra yards. 
My good friend Brittany slammed her locker shut. Tears brimmed above her bottom lashes. Her dance partner had backed out a couple of weeks before West Side Studio’s city-wide Nutcracker performance.High school seniors now, we’d been good friend’s since the fifth grade. She’d do anything for me. Though she didn’t ask, her look said, Jake, could you please take his place? I offered to be her partner if she couldn’t find anyone else, and then I wondered what I’d gotten myself into when no one came forward. Leaping around on stage with a bunch of people half my size? It would be a comedy, not a ballet. I was sure there was no way a size 15 ballet slippers and tights that would fit me even existed. Turns out they did. Football always came natural, a sport I excelled at, so I figured my sure-footedness and athletic ability would prove ballet dancing wasn’t out of my league. My competitive nature fueled me, and I strived to be the best. Each day after football practice, I worked hard to make sure my lack of skill didn’t prevent Brittany from shining. Opening night was Brittany’s game day. Backstage, she stood poised and prepared. My confidence disappeared. What if I forgot my routine? Tripped? Landed like an oak tree on the stage? Butterflies fluttered to their own choreography inside my gut. Brittany had been doing this her entire life, but I was as nervous as a freshman during kickoff at the first game of the season.There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance (Ecclesiastics 3:1-4).The night of the Nutcracker, my younger brother and sister sat in the audience, probably dying of laughter. I could’ve sworn I heard snickering. I’d already endured a ton of ribbing from teammates and expected a lot more come Monday. Nevertheless, I stepped on stage to perform my small role. To the classical music of Tchaikovsky, Brittany and I danced. With the spotlight on us, my moves were as smooth as my Friday night performances under stadium lights. Holding hands at the final bow, our smiles stretched ear to ear. I didn’t hear one laugh in the audience, only applause and cheers.  Sometimes we’re caught off guard and asked to do something we may not want to do,


BIO: Jake Byrne grew up in Rogers, Arkansas. A type 1 diabetic since the age of fourteen, he has since been proactive combating the disease and mentoring diabetic youth. He played football for the University of Wisconsin as a tight end, and went on to compete in the NFL. Originally an undrafted free agent who signed with the New Orleans Saints in 2012, he has also been a Houston Texan, Kansas City Chief, and San Diego Charger.
          Jake blogs at www.typewon.net. He can be reached through the following social media: Facebook Page (Type Won): www.facebook.com/typewon1Twitter: @sugarfreejb82Instagram: Jakebyrne81Email: typewonquestions@gmail.com

Jake’s book can be purchased at most all online booksellers and will be in bookstores soon. Link to purchase Jake’s Book: FIRST AND GOAL – WHAT FOOTBALL TAUGHT ME ABOUT NEVER GIVING UP : http://amzn.to/1FAYKo8

Summary of First and Goal:
Jake Byrne dreamed of playing professional football. He had the size, the talent, the drive...but at age 14, he found out he also had type 1 diabetes.

Still, Jake was determined to reach his goal. And God was determined to guide and empower him all along the way.

Jake's journey to the NFL is the backdrop for this collection of inspiring devotions based on nearly a hundred football terms. Jake takes you to the weight room, practice field, and even across the goal line. You'll feel as if you're lined up next to him, facing a very large defender you're about to take down. He also includes Scripture and then ties up each story in a way that feels real and encouraging. You'll discover...

* what to do when God calls an audible in your life
* how to respond when God puts you on special teams
* why prayer is never an incomplete pass

These quick daily readings will help you press through your own difficulties and experience God's dream for you.

A BAD DAY FOR FISHING. GUEST POST BY AUTHOR RENEE BLARE

Photo by L. Gunderson
By Renee BlareGod is good…all the time.

A Bad Day of FishingRain pours from the sky. The boat’s filling with water. The dog smells like—well, let’s just say, he stinks, and I haven’t had a bite all day. On my soggy lunch or fishing line. It’s a bad day at the hole.
I contemplate the gray clouds. Should I throw in the towel and head to the dock? They don’t look so bad. And a little rain never hurt anybody or so my grandfather used to say. I hunch forward against the lash and pitch my line once again only to wince when water runs down my neck.
Surprisingly, several casts later, only a soft drizzle strokes at my back. Blue sky peeks on the horizon. Hope blooms as there’s a break in the clouds, and sunlight shimmers across the water. Well, not for my sandwich. I offer my mushy bread to an eager feathered friend and the roast beef to the pup.
After one more unfruitful cast, faith in my fishing hole officially dies. I need to find a new place to dip my worm. I fire the motor and putt along the edge of the lake, maneuvering through a forest of stumps. Pushing the bow toward the bank, it caresses a cypress tree’s drapes of moss. A cascade of butterflies sweep the air.
Silence descends with the cut of the engine, and I toss my anchor overboard. I’ve found it: The Spot. I peg the small alcove with a flick of my wrist. The bait sinks beneath the surface while my bobber dips along with the dwindling waves.
After settling the pole into the holder, I find a comfortable position and close my eyes as my dog curls around my stretched legs. The small fishing hole fills my senses…the gentle slap of water against the hull, birds chirping in the new light, a soft breeze blowing the fresh-washed air.
As heat from the sun seeps the tension from my bones, I lift my gaze to the clearing skies and realize that even a bad day of fishing’s still a good day.
Nahum 1:7 (NKJV) “The LORD is good, A stronghold in the day of trouble; And He knows those who trust in Him.”

To Soar on Eagle’s Wings: Book One: The Snowy Range Chronicles
By Renee Blare
Back Blurb:
Spring’s in the air. While the sun shines in Timber Springs, snow falls on the Snowy Range, and trouble’s brewing in the meadows. The area’s new game warden, Steve Mitchell launches his first wildlife investigation of the season but the trouble follows him—straight to town.

Rachel Fitzgerald’s on Spring Break. Or at least she’s trying. Between paperwork, and harassing phone calls, she may as well have stayed in her classroom. So much for relaxation. A ‘chance’ meeting with her brother’s old roommate offers her weary soul a shred of hope, but she discovers love, like life, isn’t easy.

He talks with the wisdom of the Lord but rejects the future. She wants to soar with the eagles but walks alone. And trusting God proves to be more of a challenge than ever before…

Amazon link:
http://www.amazon.com/Soar-Eagles-Wings-Renee-Blare-ebook/dp/B00Z9U3ESG


Renee Blare Bio:
Raised in Louisiana and Wyoming, Renee started writing poetry in junior high school and that, as they say, was that. After having her son, a desire to attend pharmacy school sent her small family to the University of Wyoming in Laramie, and she's been counting pills ever since. While writing's her first love, well, after the Lord and husband, she also likes to fish and hunt as well as pick away on her classical guitar.
Nestled against the Black Hills with her husband, crazy old dog and ornery cat, she serves the community of northeastern Wyoming as a pharmacist and pens her Christian stories, keeping them interesting with action and intrigue, of course. She loves to interact with readers and invites you check out her website, blog, and social media.
Website: http://www.reneeblare.com/
Group Blog: http://diamondsinfiction.blogspot.com/

July 4: God in American History

Washington

By Ada Brownell


            About the middle of the 20th Century, some in leadership began a crusade for taking the Bible out of our educational system, taking prayer out of schools -- even though most of our original schools were founded by churches. These people fight anything that might cause America’s children to serve Almighty God. Substituted for the Ten Commandments were situational ethics (a belief that whether action or inaction is right or wrong depends on the situation).  Instead of man created in God’s image, they began teachings that we got here by accident, and became the way we are by ourselves.            The early laws of this nation can be traced to The Ten Commandments and scripture, and they still are the foundation for the thousands of laws we have today.            The first Massachusetts settlers who came from England on the Mayflower signed a compact on Nov. 11, 1620, and it remained Plymouth Colony’s basic governmental chapter for 70 years.            The charter begins with: “In the name of God Amen!” It includes words about the “grace of God”, defender of the faith, the glory of God, the presence of God, and advancement of the Christian faith. This in a document that was less than 200 words.            Our patriotic songs include “God Bless America,” “My Country T'is of Thee,” “America! America! God shed His grace on thee” and “Battle Hymn of the Republic.”            Look at a penny and read the words around the edge of Abraham Lincoln’s head.  It says, “In God we trust.”            In our pledge of allegiance we say, One nation, Under God.”            A visit to Washington, D.C., is probably more enlightening than the history books when we look at American history and the beliefs that lived in the hearts of our forefathers.             U.S. Presidents liberally quoted from the Bible and called for prayer when there was a national disaster or an emergency.             A quote from Jesus, "I am the Resrrrection and the Life,"is written above George Washington’s grave. In John F. Kennedy’s last hours  he had prepared these words for Dallas and for the nation: “The righteousness of our cause must always underlie our strength, for as was written long ago, except the Lord guard the city, the guard watches in vain.”.
Lincoln           Lincoln often spoke of his having to give an account to God for his deeds. Lincoln quoted Jesus in his second inaugural address and those words are written in the Lincoln Memorial: “The Almighty has His own purposes.  `Woe unto the world because of offenses! for it must needs be that offenses come; but woe to that man by whom the offense cometh’ (Matthew 18:7).”            Lincoln was concerned with righteousness, although historians tell us he wasn’t a member of any church. Yet, Lincoln lifted up scripture as the highest authority man can follow.            Many people who came to America were seeking freedom -- particularly religious freedom. For years, those in other countries were not allowed to worship God the way they believed they should. Thousands of people died for their faith. During World War II, six million Jews were murdered in Europe by Hitler because of who they were and the God they served. Many non-Jews also were killed.             Killing people for believing in God still happens every day. There were more martyrs in the 20th Century than in all the rest of history combined. At least one girl who was  killed at Columbine High School in 1999 died because she admitted she believed in God. She was among thousands who die for the faith every year around the world.            The Bible has been taken away from the people in many nations -- and burned. World leaders have attempted many times to destroy it. The atheist Voltaire boasted that Christianity and the Bible would be extinct in 100 years.  Fifty years after his death, the Geneva Bible Society used Voltaire’s press to print Bibles and they stored them in his house!            Yet the Bible remains the best seller of all time and is translated into more languages than any other book.            People who believe in God will continue to carry the gospel until Jesus comes, no matter how much wicked people try to stop it.            Bibles aren’t allowed in Muslim nations. Atheistic nations have taken away their people’s Bibles and turned churches into museums or social centers. In Russia before the fall of the Iron Curtain, the police sometimes came to a home or a building where people were secretly worshiping and turn a fire hose on them to get them out.  Then they’d throw the leaders into prison and prevent the people from meeting again.            Everyone in the world needs the privilege to worship God or not worship God, as he chooses. Secularism, as the new religion of the United States of America, would like to replace all religions, especially Christianity, although false religions stand at the door.  Secularists have zapped The Ten Commandments out of every public building in America.  They’re going after “In God We Trust” on our coins, “Under God” in or Pledge of Allegiance, tax exemption for churches, and soon they’ll probably want to scrape the scriptures off the Liberty Bell and the Lincoln Memorial.            It will be tragic to erase the mention of God in our history, but we need to be more concerned about the future.  America needs God.

IS GOD EVER LATE IN ANSWERING PRAYER? GOD'S PERFECT TIMING BY JENNIFER HALLMARK

Book blurb for Unlikely Merger No longer needed as her father’s nurse, Mercy Lacewell attempts to step into his shoes at his acquisitions firm. That means travel, engaging strangers, and making final decisions—nothing she feels equipped to do. If her best friend has her way, Mercy will simply marry one of the single, available men she meets, but they overwhelm her. So handsome and kind. And so many. Even if she felt obliged, how could she ever choose?Should she shove all attraction aside and focus on her father’s business, or is God warming her heart with the possibility of forever?
God’s Perfect TimingBy Jennifer HallmarkGod is rarely early and never late.An oft-repeated statement in today’s church, I agree with a heartyAmen. Until the job I’ve held for twenty years is gone and I don’t know what to do. Or my teenage child is veering off the straight and narrow path. Maybe my marriage seems to be in a nosedive or I can’t seem to recover from that simple surgery. During these times, I need to dig into the Word and see what God has to say on this subject. Here’s a scripture I’ve clung to over the years.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6 NKJVThis verse has helped me realize I can’t trust my understanding on any subject, but must trust God. His timing is perfect and God works all things out in His way and in His time according to His Word. These are three thoughts I try to remember during tough times.(1)    God’s way-He has a plan and purpose for each of our lives with our good in mind but He brings these plans about in His way. He directs our paths. All of our figuring out does no good. Reasoning in our human capacity only leads to frustration and discouragement.(2)    God’s time- Only God sees time from beginning to end. He sees everything that has been, everything that is, and everything that will be for each person. He painstakingly weaves life together to benefit His children. We might be settling for less with our asking than God has plans to give.(3)    God’s Word- everything must line up with the Word of God. God speaks promises through His Word. People encourage us with the rhema or spoken word at times, but even this must line up with the written Word of God. Line your circumstances up with His Word and trust Him.

What do we do during the wait? Do we sit passively and wish for better days? Do we moan and complain to anyone and everyone who will listen? The Word of God links waiting with earnest expectations.  We share everything in our life with Father God including our sins and weaknesses, then repent, remain teachable, and stand on His Word in prayer. He gives us peace that passes understanding as we take everything to Him. The Holy Spirit gives us wisdom and teaches us what is our part to play in the situation and Jesus intercedes for us continually. What could be better than that?  God’s timing is always perfect. Look to Him!
“Arise; shine; for your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth and deep darkness the people; but the Lord will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you.” Isaiah 60:1-2 NKJV

WANT TO WRITE CONTEMPORARY FICTION?

SUMMARY OF IN FIREFLY ALLEY
She’s lost her dream job—but has she found the man of her dreams?
Devastated by a downsizing, Marisa St. George has no choice but to return to the small Texas town where she grew up. Though it means a giant step backward, she accepts a position as business manager at the struggling Rainbow’s End resort. The only silver lining: Blake Kendall, a new guest who might make her believe in love at first sight. But will Marisa’s dreams of happily-ever-after be turned upside down when she discovers Blake’s real identity?
This warm and witty story of dreams deferred and mistaken identity will have you believing in second chances.
 MEET AUTHOR AMANDA CABOT
Amanda Cabot is the bestselling author of more than thirty novels including the Texas Dreams trilogy, the Westward Winds series, and Christmas Roses. A former director of Information Technology, she has written everything from technical books and articles for IT professionals to mysteries for teenagers and romances for all ages.  Amanda is delighted to now be a fulltime writer of Christian romances, living happily ever after with her husband in Wyoming. 

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS
www.amandacabot.comhttps://www.facebook.com/amanda.j.cabothttps://twitter.com/AmandaJoyCabot/http://amandajoycabot.blogspot.com/

The Challenge of Writing Contemporary Fiction
By Amanda Cabot
When aspiring authors tell me they’re writing contemporaries because it’s easier, I do my best not to laugh.  The reality is, a contemporary is just as difficult as an historical, although the challenges are different.  Let’s talk about a few.Challenge #1: Location – Are you planning to use a real or a fictional location?  There are advantages and disadvantages to both.  Real locations engage readers immediately, but if you choose one, be certain you’ve got all the details right.  The last thing you need is a reader telling you there’s no bakery at the corner of Fifth and Main.  (While real locations in historicals face this same challenge, there are fewer people who can say with certainty whether or not that bakery existed at the time you set your book.)  Fictional locations give you more flexibility.  You decide what building is on which corner.  The downside is that you have to do more work to create a fictional location.  If you a choose a fictional location, I strongly recommend creating a map of it.Challenge #2: Date – Will your story be set in a specific year or in what is sometimes called the ‘timeless present’?  The advantage to using a specific timeframe is similar to that or choosing a real location – reader identification.  The disadvantage is that, depending on how many details you include that are date-specific, your book may feel outdated within a couple years.  Challenge #3: Technology – How much technology will you include?  This is a corollary to the second challenge.  If you’ve chosen a specific date for your story, there is no reason not to include references to all the current technology.   Readers who pick up the book twenty years from now may be amused by what seems antiquated to them but was state-of-the-art in 2015, but they’ll know that they’re reading a period piece.  On the other hand, if your goal is to create an evergreen story, you’d be better served by minimizing references to things that will likely be dated.  The same advice applies to pop culture references.
Challenge #4: Research – Do you think contemporaries require less research than historicals?  Repeat after me: all writing requires research.  It’s true that research for contemporaries is different from historicals, but it’s still essential that your details are correct.  If anything, readers are more critical of contemporary authors who get their facts wrong because it’s so easy to get them right.  Do you have a scene involving a fire investigation?  Interview a fire chief to make sure you’ve used the correct terminology and have properly described the procedures the investigators use.  Is your story set in a real location you’ve never visited?  Besides studying the related web sites, you might call the Chamber of Commerce to learn little known facts that will give your story added authenticity.  Research, research, research.  Yes, it takes time, but your readers will thank you.
The bottom line is simple.  Writing is hard work, whether the story is set in contemporary or historical times.  The key is to ensure that you’re writing the book of your heart, the one that wakes you in the middle of the night.  That’s the book you’re meant to write.

THE MIRACLE OF PUTTING INSPIRING WORDS ON PAPER by Guest Misty Beller

By Misty Beller
God's been teaching me a critical lesson about my writing.For a few years now, I've been amazed at the love God's instilled in me for writing novels. It's become my passion , where I can invest my energy and brainpower and every ounce of the creativity I never thought I had. Something I can work at, and be constantly learning. A place where I can strive for perfection.But, through this process, God has made it abundantly clear to me that the writing is His. The words—whether they flow onto the page in harmonious magic, or whether I have to build each one from a desert of nothing. The words are His. What He chooses to do with them, whether they only plant a seed for one person, or whether they touch hundreds of lives. The difference these words make is His difference.This may seem like a basic concept in the Christian life, but it continues to completely changing the way I approach not just writing, by every area of my life. My entire existence is to be a tool for God's work. That took me a while to wrap my mind around, but I now approach things with a new perspective. Everything I do should point to Him. We sing a song at church with the words, "I breathe in grace, I breathe out praise." And that's the concept. God fills me up with his grace, so that I can pour out His praise in everything I do.And as He chooses to bless this writing in some areas, and close the doors in other areas, it's not my choice. These are His stories, and He has a master plan to use them in ways I may never know.
So now, I'd love to hear from you! How has God used you as His tool? How have you seen Him work in ways you would never have imagined? Here's your chance to breathe out His praise!


Author Bio:Misty M. Beller was raised on a farm in South Carolina, so her Southern roots run deep. Growing up, her family was close, and they continue to keep that priority today. Her husband and two daughters now add another dimension to her life, keeping her both grounded and crazy.God has placed a desire in Misty’s heart to combine her love for Christian fiction and the simpler ranch life, writing historical novels that display God’s abundant love through the twists and turns in the lives of her characters. You can find her on her website, reader blog, marketing blog for authors, Goodreads, Twitter, Google+, and Pinterest. Or check out her books The Lady and the Mountain Man or The Lady and the Mountain Doctor . Her latest book, The Rancher Takes a Cook



Back Cover Blurb for The Rancher Takes a Cook: When their South Carolina home burns to the ground, Anna Stewart’s only choice is to move with her younger brother to the wilds of a Texas ranch. Their prospects are beginning to look better, until the rancher’s son, Jacob O’Brien, shows up with his alarmingly blue eyes to put a kink in Anna’s well-controlled plans.  When danger escalates in the form of a band of cattle thieves with deadly intent, can Anna learn to release control to God’s capable hands…and those of the blue-eyed cowboy who’s stolen her heart?

GONE WITHOUT A TRACE: AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR TELLS ABOUT HER CALLING TO WRITE

On May 9th Ian Acheson wrote a blog for ACFW that you can read here. It was about whether or not a writer is called by God to write. Since that time, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about his blog and whether I was called to write or if I’m writing and offering it up to God as an act of service. When I first started writing I was about as far away from God as a Christian could be. You know, one of those carnal Christians Paul talked about in his letter to the Corinthians. Why, I even lived in Corinth. Not the Biblical Corinth, of course. But in 1998, I realized just how far into the wilderness I had traveled and recommitted my life to Christ. I laid my writing on His altar and picked it up in His power rather than my own. I imagined I would have a contract within the year. It would be fourteen years before my writing would be where He wanted it. And part of that time was spent on a six-year side trip—teaching the abstinence curriculum I co-wrote with a friend.Then, one day after the curriculum was finished, I was having my quiet time and a woman popped into my head and told me someone was trying to kill her. YES!(Imagine me sitting there pumping my fist.) God had given me my beloved suspense stories back. The character turned out to be Taylor Martin from Shadows of the Past, and five years later brings me to 2012.In 2012 fourteen years after I thought it would happen, Revell offered me a contract, 32 years after I started writing. For twenty-seven of those years, writing was my main focus and five were spent teaching. I know I was called to co-write the abstinence curriculum, RISE to Your Dreams. God removed all distractions, including a desire to write fiction. But did he call me to write fiction?  I believe He gifted me to write fiction, and I am being obedient to honor the gift He gave me by choosing to write day in and day out—an offering. And as I plan out my next series, cold cases set in Memphis, I feel compelled to write a certain story—a calling. How do you view your writing?***Gone without a TraceA NovelPatricia Bradley

BACK COVER
The past is repeating itself—and time is running out
It’s been more than two years since homicide detective Livy Reynolds’s cousin disappeared from Logan Point. Unlike most people in her hometown, Livy has never believed that Robyn left voluntarily. When Dallas private investigator Alex Jennings contacts her concerning a senator’s missing granddaughter who was last seen in Logan Point, Livy notices eerie similarities between the two disappearances. With self-doubt plaguing her after killing a teenager in the line of duty and an almost instant dislike of the self-assured PI, she’s finding this investigation an uphill battle. But with the prospect of finding her cousin on the horizon, she’ll have to find a way to work with Alex—before it’s too late.
Award-winning author Patricia Bradley keeps you on the edge of your seat with a case—and a relationship—that is anything but certain.
“Patricia Bradley has hit a home run. The suspense is high, the romance is sweet, and the villain is one you want to see caught and brought to justice. Gone without A Trace, a novel of forgiveness and finding one’s place in the world, brings home the point that while not everything in life may go the way you want, God is still in control. Can’t wait for the next book!”—Lynette Eason, bestselling, award-winning author of the Hidden Identity series
Patricia Bradley is the winner of a 2012 Daphne du Maurier Award and a 2012 Touched by Love Award and was also a finalist for the 2012 Genesis Award. The author of Shadows of the Past and A Promise to Protect, she is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Romance Writers of America. Bradley makes her home in Mississippi. Learn more at www.ptbradley.com.

Bio:Patricia Bradley lives in North Mississippi and is a former abstinence educator and co-author of RISE To Your Dreams, an abstinence curriculum. But her heart is tuned to suspense. Patricia’s romantic suspense books include the Logan Point series—Shadows of the Past, A Promise to Protect, and Gone Without a Trace. Her workshops on writing include an online course with American Christian Fiction Writers and workshops at the Mid-South Christian Writer’s Conference in Collierville, TN. When she’s not writing, she likes to throw mud on a wheel and see what happens.Connect with me at: www.patriciabradleyauthor.com
www.facebook.com/patriciabradleyauthor
https://twitter.com/PTBradley1
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/ptbradley/

Links to books:Shadows of the Past: CBD; Amazon; B&N; Books A MillionA Promise to Protect: B&N; CBD; Amazon; Books A MillionGone Without a Trace: Amazon; CBD; B&N; Books A Million
Matthew’s Choice:  to buy a paperback—Harlequin: http://www.harlequin.com/storeitem.html?iid=53665For an e-book: B&N, KoboAmazon

Shadows of the Past, A Promise to Protect and Matthew’s Choice can be found at my Author Page on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00FFR8T1U

AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR TELLS ABOUT HER CALLING TO WRITE

On May 9th Ian Acheson wrote a blog for ACFW that you can read here. It was about whether or not a writer is called by God to write. Since that time, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about his blog and whether I was called to write or if I’m writing and offering it up to God as an act of service. When I first started writing I was about as far away from God as a Christian could be. You know, one of those carnal Christians Paul talked about in his letter to the Corinthians. Why, I even lived in Corinth. Not the Biblical Corinth, of course. But in 1998, I realized just how far into the wilderness I had traveled and recommitted my life to Christ. I laid my writing on His altar and picked it up in His power rather than my own. I imagined I would have a contract within the year. It would be fourteen years before my writing would be where He wanted it. And part of that time was spent on a six-year side trip—teaching the abstinence curriculum I co-wrote with a friend.Then, one day after the curriculum was finished, I was having my quiet time and a woman popped into my head and told me someone was trying to kill her. YES!(Imagine me sitting there pumping my fist.) God had given me my beloved suspense stories back. The character turned out to be Taylor Martin from Shadows of the Past, and five years later brings me to 2012.In 2012 fourteen years after I thought it would happen, Revell offered me a contract, 32 years after I started writing. For twenty-seven of those years, writing was my main focus and five were spent teaching. I know I was called to co-write the abstinence curriculum, RISE to Your Dreams. God removed all distractions, including a desire to write fiction. But did he call me to write fiction?  I believe He gifted me to write fiction, and I am being obedient to honor the gift He gave me by choosing to write day in and day out—an offering. And as I plan out my next series, cold cases set in Memphis, I feel compelled to write a certain story—a calling. How do you view your writing?***Gone without a TraceA NovelPatricia Bradley

BACK COVER
The past is repeating itself—and time is running out
It’s been more than two years since homicide detective Livy Reynolds’s cousin disappeared from Logan Point. Unlike most people in her hometown, Livy has never believed that Robyn left voluntarily. When Dallas private investigator Alex Jennings contacts her concerning a senator’s missing granddaughter who was last seen in Logan Point, Livy notices eerie similarities between the two disappearances. With self-doubt plaguing her after killing a teenager in the line of duty and an almost instant dislike of the self-assured PI, she’s finding this investigation an uphill battle. But with the prospect of finding her cousin on the horizon, she’ll have to find a way to work with Alex—before it’s too late.
Award-winning author Patricia Bradley keeps you on the edge of your seat with a case—and a relationship—that is anything but certain.
“Patricia Bradley has hit a home run. The suspense is high, the romance is sweet, and the villain is one you want to see caught and brought to justice. Gone without A Trace, a novel of forgiveness and finding one’s place in the world, brings home the point that while not everything in life may go the way you want, God is still in control. Can’t wait for the next book!”—Lynette Eason, bestselling, award-winning author of the Hidden Identity series
Patricia Bradley is the winner of a 2012 Daphne du Maurier Award and a 2012 Touched by Love Award and was also a finalist for the 2012 Genesis Award. The author of Shadows of the Past and A Promise to Protect, she is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Romance Writers of America. Bradley makes her home in Mississippi. Learn more at www.ptbradley.com.

Bio:Patricia Bradley lives in North Mississippi and is a former abstinence educator and co-author of RISE To Your Dreams, an abstinence curriculum. But her heart is tuned to suspense. Patricia’s romantic suspense books include the Logan Point series—Shadows of the Past, A Promise to Protect, and Gone Without a Trace. Her workshops on writing include an online course with American Christian Fiction Writers and workshops at the Mid-South Christian Writer’s Conference in Collierville, TN. When she’s not writing, she likes to throw mud on a wheel and see what happens.Connect with me at: www.patriciabradleyauthor.com
www.facebook.com/patriciabradleyauthor
https://twitter.com/PTBradley1
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/ptbradley/

Links to books:Shadows of the Past: CBD; Amazon; B&N; Books A MillionA Promise to Protect: B&N; CBD; Amazon; Books A MillionGone Without a Trace: Amazon; CBD; B&N; Books A Million
Matthew’s Choice:  to buy a paperback—Harlequin: http://www.harlequin.com/storeitem.html?iid=53665For an e-book: B&N, KoboAmazon

Shadows of the Past, A Promise to Protect and Matthew’s Choice can be found at my Author Page on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00FFR8T1U

Obsessive-Compulsive? Or spiritual Lessons? By guest author Anita Higman

My Sweaty Little Grasp By Anita Higman
“Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5b (NIV)
            Life can be like a pretty yellow kite, soaring and dipping in the breeze, but that same kite can also plummet to the earth in an unexpected gust, breaking it into pretty yellow pieces.             In other words, I can’t fully control the kite. It’s controlled by the currents that are out of my reach. The kite string may be in my sweaty little grasp, but its final destination is anyone’s guess. That was a lesson I learned when I traveled to Australia to meet up with my husband who was working there temporarily on assignment. I left the house, knowing I wouldn’t be back for three weeks, so I planned for every kind of troubling scenario. I made sure all the faucets weren’t dripping. Check. Gates closed. Check. Electrical devices unplugged. Check. Windows and doors locked, alarm system armed. Check.
To be honest, my slight case of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder flared up into quite a blaze. After I checked and rechecked everything as best I could, I finally let the house go. When the driver picked me up to take me to the airport, I felt satisfied that our home was somewhat disaster-proof. Yeah, right. Not even close. There was no way I could have known that my husband and I would have to fly home from Australia early because Hurricane Ike would hit our neighborhood and ruin one of the rooms in our house. It was impossible to plan for everything because I never really had our home under my control. Not even for a minute. I only thought I did. The spiritual lesson here was hard to miss. Only God was and is in control of our house, my life, this world. We cannot know what tomorrow will bring, whether our pretty yellow kite will soar into the sky or smash into bits, but I do know God has promised never to leave us or forsake us. He will always be right here, holding us and helping us, ever by our sides working things for good no matter what life bring. These are promises that the world loves to make, but only the Almighty can keep.
Lord Jesus, I thank you that even in this fallen and broken world, you will never leave us or forsake us. Amen. 
MEET ANITA HIGMAN
Best-selling and award-winning author, Anita Higman, has forty books published. She’s been a Barnes & Noble “Author of the Month” for Houston and has a BA in the combined fields of speech communication, psychology, and art. Anita loves good movies, traveling to exotic places, and brunch with her friends.
Please check out Anita’s latest novel, Summer’s List, through Moody Publishers. Feel free to drop by her website at www.anitahigman.com or connect with her on her Facebook Reader Page at https://www.facebook.com/AuthorAnitaHigman. She would love to hear from you!
SUMMER'S LIST--AN ADVENTURELife and love keep going