Danielle Cress's Blog, page 7

Isaiah 65:24 In Action

THE HOT WATER BOTTLE

A True Story By Helen Roseveare, Missionary to Africa

One night, in Central Africa, I had worked hard to help a mother in the labor ward; but in spite of all that we could do, she died leaving us with a tiny, premature baby and a crying, two-year-old daughter.

We would have difficulty keeping the baby alive. We had no incubator. We had no electricity to run an incubator, and no special feeding facilities. Although we lived on the equator, nights were often chilly with treacherous drafts.

A student-midwife went for the box we had for such babies and for the cotton wool that the baby would be wrapped in. Another went to stoke up the fire and fill a hot water bottle. She came back shortly, in distress, to tell me that in filling the bottle, it had burst.

Rubber perishes easily in tropical climates. “…and it is our last hot water bottle!” she exclaimed. As in the West, it is no good crying over spilled milk; so, in Central Africa it might be considered no good crying over a burst water bottle. They do not grow on trees, and there are no drugstores down forest pathways.

“All right,” I said, “Put the baby as near the fire as you safely can; sleep between the baby and the door to keep it free from drafts. Your job is to keep the baby warm.”

The following noon, as I did most days, I went to have prayers with many of the orphanage children who chose to gather with me. I gave the youngsters various suggestions of things to pray about and told them about the tiny baby.

I explained our problem about keeping the baby warm enough, mentioning the hot water bottle. The baby could so easily die if it got chilled. I also told them about the two-year-old sister, crying because her mother had died.

During the prayer time, one ten-year-old girl, Ruth, prayed with the usual blunt consciousness of our African children. “Please, God,” she prayed, “send us a water bottle. It’ll be no good tomorrow, God, the baby’ll be dead; so, please send it this afternoon.”

While I gasped inwardly at the audacity of the prayer, she added by way of corollary, ” …And while You are about it, would You please send a dolly for the little girl so she’ll know You really love her?”

As often with children’s prayers, I was put on the spot. Could I honestly say, “Amen?” I just did not believe that God could do this. Oh, yes, I know that He can do everything: The Bible says so, but there are limits, aren’t there? The only way God could answer this particular prayer would be by sending a parcel from the homeland. I had been in Africa for almost four years at that time, and I had never, ever received a parcel from home. Anyway, if anyone did send a parcel, who would put in a hot water bottle? I lived on the equator!

Halfway through the afternoon, while I was teaching in the nurses’ training school, a message was sent that there was a car at my front door. By the time that I reached home, the car had gone, but there, on the veranda, was a large twenty-two pound parcel! I felt tears pricking my eyes.

I could not open the parcel alone; so, I sent for the orphanage children. Together we pulled off the string, carefully undoing each knot. We folded the paper, taking care not to tear it unduly. Excitement was mounting. Some thirty or forty pairs of eyes were focused on the large cardboard box. From the top, I lifted out brightly colored, knitted jerseys. Eyes sparkled as I gave them out. Then, there were the knitted bandages for the leprosy patients, and the children began to look a little bored. Next, came a box of mixed raisins and sultanas – – that would make a nice batch of buns for the weekend.

As I put my hand in again, I felt the…could it really be? I grasped it, and pulled it out. Yes, “A brand-new rubber, hot water bottle!” I cried. I had not asked God to send it; I had not truly believed that He could.

Ruth was in the front row of the children. She rushed forward, crying out, “If God has sent the bottle, He must have sent the dolly, too!” Rummaging down to the bottom of the box, she pulled out the small, beautifully dressed dolly. Her eyes shone: She had never doubted! Looking up at me, she asked, “Can I go over with you, Mummy, and give this dolly to that little girl, so she’ll know that Jesus really loves her?”

That parcel had been on the way for five whole months, packed up by my former Sunday School class, whose leader had heard and obeyed God’s prompting to send a hot water bottle, even to the equator. One of the girls had put in a dolly for an African child — five months earlier in answer to the believing prayer of a ten-year-old to bring it “That afternoon!”

“And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.” Isaiah 65:24

Helen Roseveare a doctor missionary from England to Zaire, Africa, told this as it had happened to her in Africa. She shared it in her testimony on a Wednesday night at Thomas Road Baptist Church.

 

This is a very touching story and it inspires me to keep the faith every time I read it. I hope and pray it does the same for you.

Many Blessings,
~Ruby Mae

Another Book Signing!!!

Howdy and Shalom, everyone!

I’m excited to announce I’ll be having another book signing on November 15th at  Feivet Pharmacy in Washington, GA! All are welcome to attend and I look forward to meeting you! I’ll be there from 12pm–7pm. I will have Hidden Treasures, Seeking Refuge, and Protective Secrets. 

I look forward to seeing y’all there!

Many Blessings,

Ruby Mae

Sunshine Blogger Award!

Howdy and Shalom, everyone!

Ruby Mae here! Today I’m feeling so thankful and happy to have been nominated for the Sunshine Blogger Award! A big THANK YOU to John at The Eclectic Contrarian for nominating me!

Here are the suggestions for being nominated:

Thank the person who nominated you and provide a link back to them.
Answer the 11 questions asked by the blogger who nominated you.
Nominate 11 other bloggers and ask them 11 new questions.
Notify the nominees by commenting on one of their blog posts.
List the rules and display the Sunshine Blogger Award logo on your post.

I have been asked the following questions:

1. What inspires you for your writing and  your everyday life? This one is easy. The answer is God. Yahweh is my inspiration for my writing and my entire life in general. Without Him i could do and be nothing.

2. What got you into writing? Another easy one, God. All my writings are wholly inspired by God. I have no idea what to write until the Holy Spirit tells me what to write. I’m merely the pen in God’s hand. I started writing a few months after accepting Christ as my personal Savior. I’ve always loved reading, but God gave me the desire to write.

3. Do you put yourself into your characters in your stories or do you attempt to keep yourself different? I’m definitely into my characters. I have to be to make them believable. On top of that, I have to put myself in their place in order to receive the amazing stories God gives me and to learn the life lessons He’s teaching me through the characters journey. It’s an amazing process.

4. Compare yourself with other authors, who would you say you compare to? I would compare myself with any author who allows their stories to be written God’s way rather than their way or the worlds way. Any author who writes what God wants instead of what the so called people and the world and the publishers are seeking after.

5. Do you play musical instruments? If yes, what is it? If no, if you could, what would it be? I play the bongos a little bit. But if I could play something else, I’d definitely play the banjo, fiddle, and/or ukulele.

6. What musical instrument would you say would inspire your writing? There would be a single instrument. But many instruments playing together in a beautiful God-given harmony.

7. If you could go anywhere in the world and write, where would it be? There’s no question about it, I’d go to Israel!!! Yahweh’s land and people! My homeland through the spirit of adoption. There would be nowhere more inspiring to write!

8. What makes your creative juices flow? Prayer is always a good start! After that, God takes over. He may show me a news article, allow my family and friends to inspire something, or something completely off the wall!

9. Who are the most influential people in your life? Besides God(Who’s number One), I would definitely say my family. They’re the second most important people in my life!

10. What is important to you? God, His Word, my family, Israel, teaching young people the importance of purity, singing, writing, and doing everything I can to reach as many people as I can for Christ through everything I do!

11. What is the message you try to put out in your writing? My ultimate message I try to display in my writing is what I call the Ultimate Treasure. The Ultimate Treasure is God’s wonderful gift of Salvation through His Son Yeshua(Jesus) and living a life close to God. That’s why I also place God’s simple plan of Salvation in the back of every novel I write. To be used as a guide for those seeking to know the Lord and also as a witnessing tool for Christians to use when sharing Christ with others.

The message of next importance would be the importance of keeping the faith and living according to God’s will so we can stay close to God.

My Nominees are:

Author Ryan C
Captive Dreams Window
Sacred Touches
Katies Cottage Books
Beholding Him Ministries
Willowy Whisper
Joyfully Blessed Blog
Alicia G Ruggiei
Amazing Tangled Grace
Laura Bon
Author S Williams

My questions are:

What’s your favorite Bible verse?
If you could travel back through time, which event would you most like to witness?
If you could ask God any question and get the answer immediately, what would you ask?
What is your favorite Bible story?
Which Bible character do you believe you are most like and why?
What is the most soul-stirring book you’ve ever read?
When did you get saved?
If you could travel any where in the world, where would you go and who would you take with you? Why?
What’s your favorite dish?
What’s your go-to verse when you feel your faith lacking?
Do you have any prayer requests you’d like me to pray for?(please include a ping-back with this one!)

Many Blessings and Shalom!

My First Library Book Signing!!!

Howdy and Shalom!

Ruby Mae here! I’m super, super, super, excited to announce I will be having my very first library book signing on the first Sunday in November at 3 O’clock. There will be free refreshments for all who attend!

Hidden Treasures, Seeking Refuge, as well as my newest novel, Protective Secrets will be available for sale at this event. Discounts will be available for multi-book sales.

Hope to see y’all at this fun event at the Madison County Library in Danielsville, GA, on November 4th at 3pm!

New Book Coming Soon!!!

Ruby Mae here and super excited to announce the coming of Faith in the Valley’s fourth installment… Unseen Dangers! This novel will follow the story of Elijah Sawyer and Belinda Reynolds. It’ll be a thrilling adventure you won’t want to miss! Be sure to check out the sneak peek of this novel HERE!

Many Blessings to you all and happy reading!

It’s Finally Here!!!

Howdy and Shalom, Everyone!

Ruby Mae here! I’m so excited to announce that Protective Secrets is finally here! I’ve gotta admit, I’ve had a bit of a rough road getting this one published. But God’s blessings always come in their due time and Protective Secrets is no exception. It was such a blessing to be the pen of God for this powerful story of forgiveness and how all thing work together for the good to those who love God.

The story follows Hannah Sawyer, the youngest of the Sawyer family, and Chance Timmons, a young Messianic Christian man who was abandoned by his parents at a young age. Tragedy, threats, suspense, and an unknown stalker bring these two together and leads them on a thrilling adventure that will ultimately teach them the true power of forgiveness and possibly open their heart for life together they could only dream of.

Read a sneak peek HERE!

Available on Amazon and Barnes&Noble!

Author Interview with Love Inspired Suspense Author Virginia Vaughan!

Hey, Howdy, Hey, Readers! Ruby Mae here today and so excited to announce I had a chance to interview one of my favorite authors Virginia Vaughan! She writes for Love Inspired Suspense and is a very talented author and it is such a blessing to have her here today!

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Welcome, Virginia! I’m so thrilled to have you here as a guest on my blog and I pray that many will be encouraged by your words today and through learning more about you and your writing.
Could you tell us a little bit about yourself and what motivated you to become a Christian fiction writer?

Thanks for having me! I’m thrilled to be on your blog. I’ve always loved making up stories. Even as a child, I would make up stories in my head and act them out. Writing seemed the natural progression for me, but I didn’t start out writing Christian fiction. When I started writing, I was living like the world and my writing reflected that. But God was gracious that none of those stories ever got published! When I rededicated my life to the Lord, I wondered if my dream to be a published writer was over before it had begun. I’d never even heard of Christian fiction and didn’t know people were publishing in this area. I knew only that God had given me this gift and this dream to pursue it. So I was elated when I stumbled across an Christian romantic suspense one day in the bookstore.  Suddenly, my dream was alive again!

What do you hope to accomplish through your writing?

I got caught up in the secular worldview for much of my twenties and the consequences of the choices I made then are still evident in my life today. I see women all around me living the same way I did and I want to warn them about the dangers, but also about the freedom we have in Jesus Christ. I hope, through my writing, I can convey those things to other women.

What project(s) are you currently working on?

I have two books that just released in August. The first is an inspirational romantic suspense with Love Inspired Suspense titled COLD CASE COVER-UP. It is the first book in my series Covert Operatives, and the second book in the series releases in November.  [image error][image error]

My other August release is a story titled FOR LOVE OR MONEY that appears in Exposed: A Christian Romantic Suspense Book Set Book Bundle Collection along with six other inspirational romantic suspense authors. It’s available as an e-book for only $0.99.[image error]

Is there a certain time period that particularly interests you in your writing?

I prefer to write contemporary. I want my stories to be about women who are like me so going backwards or forwards in time doesn’t really work for my books.

What has been your favorite book so far? Why?

That’s like asking which of my children are my favorite, lol! I will say I loved writing my LIS book MISSION: MEMORY RECALL which wrapped up my Rangers Under Fire series. I ended up changing that story around after my hero Marcus made an appearance in book #4 of the series as a missing-in-action army ranger. I had fans, my mother, and even my editor asking to see his story, so I threw out my idea for that book and started over with an amnesiac Marcus as the hero and my heroine hunting him down to prove he’d betrayed both her and his country. I loved how that entire story unfolded.[image error]

How have you seen the Lord work through your writing to encourage others to pursue Him?

Of course, I love it when someone says they enjoy my book, but when I hear someone tell me they’ve rethought their relationship with God because of something I wrote, I know that’s why I’m doing what I’m doing. I hope my writing can be a guide to those struggling with their faith.

And just some fun questions:
Coffee or tea?

Neither. I’ll stick with my Diet Coke.

Cake or pie?

Cake. I’m not much of desserts person (give me pasta anytime though) but I love to make just a yellow cake with peach syrup.

Where in the world would you most like to visit?

My dream trip would be to England. I love English literature and I would totally go geek girl over seeing all the historical places where my favorite poets and authors lived. Plus, you know, Stonehenge.

How many siblings do you have?

I’m one of five kids. Three boys and two girls and I’m the next to the youngest.

What are your favorite hobbies, pastimes?

When I’m not writing, you’ll find me curled up on the couch reading, bringing a series on Netflix, or hunting down bargains at garage sales or flea markets.

What’s your favorite dessert?

I love ice cream sandwiches. My grandparents used to give them to me when I would visit them and it was such a special treat for me then that it’s become a special treat for me now.

What’s your favorite book of the Bible?

I love Genesis for its foundational value…and the stories!

What’s your favorite Bible verse and why?

Jeremiah 29:11 King James Version (KJV)

11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

This is my go-to verse whenever I’m feeling down or doubting my ability to make a difference in life. Knowing that God has a plan for my life helps me keep going.

What’s a little known fact about yourself?

I hoard books. That’s a known fact, but every year at Christmas, I use my stacks of books to make a book tree. I started doing this three years ago and its a lot of fun.

 

[image error]Author Bio:

Award winning author Virginia Vaughan lives by the motto ‘ It’s not hoarding if its books’ . Always the kid with her nose stuck in a book, becoming a multi-published author hasn’t stopped Virginia from continuing to grow her own collection of favorite reads. Her family has refused to help her move anymore because of the sheer number boxes of books, but she’s no quitter. She’ll keep buying books and, the next time she moves, hire a moving van.

If you love stories where romance intersects danger and faith, subscribe to Virginia’s email list at http://eepurl.com/dtFeVP and be the first to know when a new story arrives.

 

Email Newsletter:     http://eepurl.com/dtFeVP

Website:   www.virginiavaughanonline.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/ginvaughanbooks

Twitter: www.twitter.com/gin_vaughan

Amazon: www.amazon.com/author/virginiavaughan

Bookbub: www.bookbub.com/profile/virginia-vaughan

Instagram: www.instagram.com/virginiavaughanauthor

My Second Book Signing!!!

Howdy and Shalom, everyone!

Ruby Mae here and I’m excited to announce I’ll be having my second book signing this month! This one will be held at Walls Of Books in Watkinsville, GA on July 20th from 2pm-6pm.

I will be having a free drawing for a chance to win a signed copy of Protective Secrets, which is set to release this month!

If you can make it, I’d love to see y’all there!

Many Blessings and Shalom!

Ruby Mae

New Book Update!

Howdy and Shalom!

Ruby Mae here! I’m excited to announce my newest installment to my Faith in the Family series, Protective Secrets is set to release this July! Here’s the front cover and the blurb:

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BLURB
A MOTHER’S DYING WISH

When Search and Rescuer, Hannah Sawyer, rescues her best friend from high school during a routine fire evacuation, she has no idea her life is about to take a dangerous detour. Thrust into motherhood, Hannah must now keep her newly adopted child and herself safe from a faceless stalker. Overwhelmed with her new parental responsibilities and the deadly secrets her friend shared with her, Hannah turns to Chance Timmons, her supervisor, for help. But can she share the secrets she holds without bringing danger to him and her family? Or will she have to keep them a secret to protect them all?

Chance Timmons knows Hannah and her son are in danger. He also knows she’s keeping secrets from him and her family. Though, Hannah hadn’t been really open—especially with men—since an accident during a SAR mission overseas that left her infertile. But there was more to it this time. He could sense it, could see it in her eyes. Chance will do whatever it takes to protect mother and child, gain Hannah’s trust, and hopefully, guide her back to the faith she used to hold dear to her heart.

Secrets, mystery, mayhem, and danger await Hannah and Chance in this daring adventure to protect the people they love—including each other. An adventure that will teach them the importance of relying on God in troublesome times, keeping the faith, and the amazing power of forgiveness. But will they learn this lesson in time? Will evil and danger’s dark waters consume them? Or will God, once again, pull them through and show them the wondrous work He can do?

My Very First Book Signing!!!

Howdy and Shalom!

Ruby Mae here! I’m am over the moon excited to announce I will be having my very first book signing on Friday, June 22nd, from 10am-3pm!!! The event will take place at Fievit Pharmacy in downtown, Washington, GA.

Books will be available for $15 each! That’s a savings of $3 on Seeking Refuge and a $5 saving on Hidden Treasures!

So come on by if you’re in the area, get your books, get them signed, and best of all, introduce yourself! I love to meet my readers! Add it to your calendar!

Hope to see Y’all there!

Many Blessings!

Ruby Mae