Cathy Bryant's Blog: CatBryant.com ~ Journey Blog, page 34

Winner of Flash Giveaway and Weekly Recap

Flash Giveaway Winners of A BRIDGE UNBROKEN

Happy Saturday, everyone! I don’t know about you, but I had a blast with yesterday’s Flash Giveaway in an anti-celebration of National Blame Someone Else Day! I’m happy to announce our winner (and her friend who is also a winner): Mippy F. and Sandy L. (I’ll be contacting you later for your addresses so I can mail your prize!) Congratulations! And thanks so much to everyone who participated. What fun!

Keep your eyes and ears open for two more of these Flash Giveaways during the month of June!

Weekly Recap:
This week’s blog posts:

Lessons from the Early Church series: All Things in Common
How Not to Be Distracted…Ooh, Shiny!
National Blame Someone Else Day (& Flash Giveaway)

June’s most popular blog posts:

Thoughts From My Week at VBS
Bible Study Group on Facebook
Sweet Treat for Newsletter Subscribers

The Fragrance of Crushed Violets

The virtual book tour for THE FRAGRANCE OF CRUSHED VIOLETS: FORGIVING THE INEXCUSABLE (Bible Study Booklet on the topic of forgiveness) got underway this past week. I’m so blessed to have so many wonderful blogger friends who are generous in hosting books on their tours, many with giveaways. I also managed to line up some reviewers for the book.

Here are the current giveaway blog locations for the book:

Giveaway Lady
ASC Book Reviews
A Book Lover’s Retreat
Lane Hill House
Tressa’s Wishful Endings

You can find upcoming tour stops/giveaways on the News/Events page of the website. The one event you definitely don’t want to miss is the Book Chat for THE FRAGRANCE OF CRUSHED VIOLETS on Facebook this coming Tuesday evening, June 17, 6-7 p.m. MDT. There will be a discussion about forgiveness, a time for you to ask questions, and book giveaways. When you RSVP at the link above, it will put your name on the list for the prizes. Hope you can join us!

Don't miss out. #Giveaways: THE FRAGRANCE OF CRUSHED VIOLETS (Bible study by @Cathy_Bryant)...
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The new Bible study received its first reviews this past week as well. I’m so grateful to people who take the time to read and review books. Those honest reviews help authors so much! And I’m grateful to an East Texas friend of mine who asked me to submit an excerpt of A BRIDGE UNBROKEN to his site, Four States News. Thanks, Steve!

I also managed to get this cool SlideShare presentation ready for the upcoming book chat. I’d love to hear your thoughts. (This was my first time to do this, and I enjoyed the process.)

The Fragrance of Crushed Violets: Forgiving the Inexcusable from Cathy Bryant

Check out this @SlideShare presentation on #forgiveness http://slidesha.re/1pnW7DJ
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OTHER REMINDERS:
The Kindle version of A PATH LESS TRAVELED is on sale for just 99-cents over the next few days. Here’s the book description:

Grief paints a celebration with shades of gray . . .

Trish James is tired of being rescued. When a spooked horse claims her husband’s life, she’s determined to blaze a path for herself and her traumatized son without outside help. But will that mean leaving the place etched on her heart? Or can she regain her faith to take a path less traveled?

Book 2 in the Miller’s Creek stand-alone novels

Just learned last night that the book hit #1 in its category on the first day of its 99-cent sale and made the Amazon Best-Seller list! (TEXAS ROADS wasn’t far behind at #17 as of last night…)

99-cent sale: A PATH LESS TRAVELED #ChristianRomance by @Cathy_Bryant http://amzn.to/ZEm80l
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We’d love to have you join our Facebook Bible study group, LifeSword. We’re gearing up for a Bible study for July 2014 on the topic of forgiveness.

Don’t forget about the Goodreads giveaway of three print copies of A BRIDGE UNBROKEN. Click here to enter: https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/94559-a-bridge-unbroken

Also don’t forget about the print copy giveaway of THE FRAGRANCE OF CRUSHED VIOLETS: FORGIVING THE INEXCUSABLE (Bible study on forgiveness). Click here to enter: https://www.facebook.com/Cathy.Bryant.Author/app_228910107186452

FREE Miller’s Creek cookbook for subscribers to FROM MY FRONT PORCH monthly newsletter, where reader friends receive special offers and first news of book releases. CLICK THE PIC for more info.

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National Blame Someone Else Day (& Flash Giveaway)

Yes, there really is such a thing as National Blame Someone Else Day.

Sad, but true.

And really, is it any wonder? Since the time of Adam, Eve, and the serpent, the blame game has become one of the favorite pastimes of human beings everywhere.

Don’t believe me? Take a look at the nightly news, or better yet, Washington D.C.

It’s ALWAYS someone else’s fault.

In the last Miller’s Creek novel, A BRIDGE UNBROKEN, Chance and Dakota both suffer from unforgiveness because they still blame each other for what happened years before. And really, we’re no different than they. We all tend to point at others when laying the blame.

I’ve heard more than one preacher say that when we point the finger of blame at someone else, there are three fingers pointing back at ourselves.

Jesus put it this way: “Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and behold, the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.” -Matthew 7:3-5 (NASB)

NO BLAME GAME

So rather than promote the blame game, I thought we’d do something anti-blame. I looked up antonyms for “blame” and came up with “commend, praise, thank, and compliment.” Just for fun, I’m hosting a flash giveaway of a print copy of A BRIDGE UNBROKEN for today, June 13th, only, where we play the ‘No Blame Game.’

Play the NO BLAME GAME w/ @Cathy_Bryant for a chance to win A BRIDGE UNBROKEN print copy.
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The flash giveaway will take place in four online places, here on CatBryant.com, on my Facebook author page, Pinterest and Twitter. (No worries if you’re not on all these sites. Your entry will still count whether in one place or all four. You gain an entry for each place you post.) See below for directions on how to enter the flash giveaway in each of these places.

No Blame Game: CatBryant.com

For your entry here, just leave a comment (with a way for me to reach you if you’re the winner) with a word of praise, thanks, commendation, or a compliment to a special person in your life. Feel free to contact this special person and send them to your ‘No Blame Game’ comment. That way they can join the game if they choose. (You can use the same person on every site, or a different person in each location.)

No Blame Game: Facebook

For your entry on Facebook, make your way to my Facebook Author Page. Find the post–I’ll pin it to the top of the page–that says NO BLAME GAME and leave a comment to that post with a word of praise, thanks, commendation, or a compliment to a special person in your life. Be sure to use Facebook’s tagging feature if the person you’re complimenting is on FB. (I’m not sure, but Facebook may make you “like” my page in order to comment. To get around this, like the page. You can always un-like me the next day. LOL!)

No Blame Game: Pinterest

For your entry on Pinterest, pin the pin below to one of your boards, leaving my original description intact. Comment on my original pin with the name and commendation of the person you’re honoring. Again, I’m unsure of Pinterest’s policy. They may require you to follow one of my boards or me to comment, but I don’t think they do.

No Blame Game: Twitter

For your entry on Twitter, simply create a tweet of commendation mentioning the special person you want to thank, praise, or compliment. Be sure to tag me in the tweet (so I’ll receive your entry) with these words: Flash Giveaway via @Cathy_Bryant. And don’t forget to tag the person you’re complimenting if they’re on Twitter.

No Blame Game: Details

I’ll be adding all the entries–from here, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter–to a spreadsheet throughout the day. At midnight MDT, I’ll use Random.org to determine the winner. The winner will be announced in a special post on Saturday. (I’ll also announce the winner on Facebook and Twitter.) If your name is drawn as the winner, I’ll also send a print copy of A BRIDGE UNBROKEN to the person you mentioned in your comment/tweet. So two winners–you and the person your commending!

Much better than the blame game where there are no winners. Wouldn’t you agree?

(SPECIAL NOTE: Print copies are for US winners only. If an international winner is chosen they will receive a digital copy in lieu of a print copy. This is due to the high cost of mailing internationally.)

* * *

REMINDERS: The Kindle version of A PATH LESS TRAVELED is on sale for just 99-cents over the next few days. Here’s the book description:

Grief paints a celebration with shades of gray . . .

Trish James is tired of being rescued. When a spooked horse claims her husband’s life, she’s determined to blaze a path for herself and her traumatized son without outside help. But will that mean leaving the place etched on her heart? Or can she regain her faith to take a path less traveled?

Book 2 in the Miller’s Creek stand-alone novels

Don’t forget about the Goodreads giveaway of three print copies of A BRIDGE UNBROKEN. Click here to enter: https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/94559-a-bridge-unbroken

Also don’t forget about the print copy giveaway of THE FRAGRANCE OF CRUSHED VIOLETS: FORGIVING THE INEXCUSABLE (Bible study on forgiveness). Click here to enter: https://www.facebook.com/Cathy.Bryant.Author/app_228910107186452

FREE Miller’s Creek Cookbook for FROM MY FRONT PORCH monthly newsletter subscribers. Be the first to hear about special offers and new book releases. CLICK THIS PIC FOR DETAILS!

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How Not To Be Distracted…Ooh, Shiny!

Ever have one of those times when God seemed to be particularly trying to get your attention in one area?

Me too.

Here of late the topic of not being distracted seems to be on my daily bread menu a lot!

Seriously. You’d think I’d be past this by now, a woman of my…ahem, maturity. But, no!

I blame it on adult-onset ADD, but in all truth, it’s easy to get distracted, isn’t it? Sometimes it’s something pleasant and ‘shiny’ that captures our focus. At other times–which is usually the case with me–it’s the unpleasant that steals my attention from where it needs to be. Maybe it’s an unkind word or a snub. Perhaps an old wound that keeps surfacing and re-opening. Often it’s simply a petty disagreement about the way things should be done.

How Not To Be Distracted

Regardless of what causes the distraction–shiny baubles or hurt feelings–there is a cure.

I love the way The Message puts it: “Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed – that exhilarating finish in and with God – he could put up with anything along the way: cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God.” -Hebrews 12:2

Sunday School answer or not, Jesus is the only way to get past our distraction issues. Let’s keep our eyes on Him and press on to the finish line!

Heavenly Father, thank You so much for the example of Jesus. He knew His life’s mission and stayed true to it, regardless of outside pressure to be someone He wasn’t, the temptation of Satan to give in to worldly pleasure, and the heartaches faced in living as a human being. May we do the same. Give us the strength to follow the example of Christ and keep our focus on Him! In His precious name we pray, Amen.

How Not To Be Distracted...Ooh, Shiny! Hebrews 12:2 #KeepYourFocusOnJesus
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All Things in Common

So far in our study of the Acts 2 church we’ve discussed the constant devotion of the early church members to God through the apostles’ teaching and fellowship (breaking of bread and prayer), the sense of awe they kept feeling, and the wonders and signs taking place through the apostles. Today we’ll dig deeper into the amazing unity of this church.

Unity of Acts 2 church: together, all things in common, selling their stuff to meet needs. #FAMILY
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All Things in Common

They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved. -Acts 2:42:47 (NASB)

My oldest son and I recently had a great conversation about the Acts 2 church. He had heard someone ask about this church being communist. His response (my paraphrase) was: “No. Communism is a form of government forced on people. This was anything but forced. This was family.”

My wheels started spinning as I thought through our conversation on multiple occasions afterward, and I realized the truth of his statement. It’s hard for us to fathom in our culture, but many people of that day most likely lost family ties because of their Christian faith. Not only that, but they faced persecution from all sides. When you lose your family and face constant persecution, there’s only one thing to do: band together with those who share your faith. That’s exactly what these early church members did.

Throughout the New Testament, especially in the letters of Paul, there are many scriptures that point to the importance of unity within our churches. Surely the example set by the early church underscores just how much we need unity. Even Jesus, in his final days with His disciples, talked about how the world would know they were His disciples by their love for one another.

I’ve been blessed to be a part of some wonderful family of believers in my lifetime–people who took care of each other. I can only assume (but I think it’s a good assumption) that God is pleased when the children in His family have each others’ back and the commonality that comes from belief in and service to Christ.

Discussion

What are some ways in which the modern-day church can exhibit unity?
Why is the analogy of family a good one to use in referring to the church?

Live loved,

P.S. Today is the first day of the virtual book tour for THE FRAGRANCE OF CRUSHED VIOLETS (Bible study booklet), and the first stop has a giveaway of the book: http://giveawaygal.blogspot.com/2014/06/the-fragrance-of-crushed-violets.html

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Thoughts From My Week at VBS

Photo Credit: Lifeway

Vacation Bible School is still one of the best ways to win souls to the Lord. As I finish a week of teaching music for this year’s VBS, there are several things I’d like to share as a way for me to recap the week.

VBS: Discover

The whole point of VBS is for people to discover who Jesus is. Our very first song of the week was a song that proclaimed Jesus as God’s Son. Another song that followed was called “More Than Just a Good Man.” The world would have us believe that Jesus was just a good man. But the evidence is clear. No one could have done the miracles Jesus did unless He was indeed the Son of God.

VBS: Decide

There comes a times in each of our lives where we must decide what we will do with Jesus. Will we recognize Him as God’s Son, our Savior, and our King? Or will we decide to go our own way? All time hinges around Him. Many prophets from different time periods hundreds of years apart foretold with astounding accuracy Jesus’ birth, life, and death. The odds of those prophecies coming true are some of the most incredible odds in all of history, but they did.

VBS: Defend

But honor the Messiah as Lord in your hearts. Always be ready to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you. ~1 Peter 3:15 (HCSB)

The believer’s hope is more than  simple wish. It is an assurance. Something we can take to the bank. It should flow from every pore of our being. When the world looks at us they should see our hope. And when they ask us why, we need to have answers for them. More and more, I’m becoming a big believer in apologetics. Can we explain our faith to the lost? Can we defend God and His Word against those who malign Him–who say He doesn’t exist? And even more importantly, we need to teach our kids and grand-kids how to defend their faith. The evidence is all around us. Let’s use it for God and His Kingdom.

VBS: Other Thoughts

It is amazing what we can accomplish when we work together toward a common goal. To me, that is what church should look like, and VBS proves my point. We’ve been studying the early church in Acts 2 over the past couple of weeks on this blog, and it all boils down to this working toward a common goal, of having a unity and singleness of purpose. And it takes ALL of us. It’s not fair to expect just a few to do it. We need everyone. We all have busy lives. Jobs. Families. Homes that have to be maintained. My prayer is that we’ll make the main thing the main thing in God’s family, and let our service flow outward from there.

Blessings to you and yours,

P.S. I’m guest blogging today over at Grace and Faith 4 U blog. Hope you can drop by for a visit!

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Bible Study Group on Facebook

Since the beginning of the year, I’ve been toying with the idea of starting a Facebook Bible study group. I even built the group back in January, but then with the writing of A BRIDGE UNBROKEN I had to put the idea on the back burner for a few months.

I recently had a conversation with a friend over the possibility of starting an online Bible study group. She quickly mentioned an online Bible study group had been on her mind to ask me about, but she’d delayed because of the book launch.

Why am I always so surprised when God works out things like this ahead of time?

So we are starting a Facebook Bible study group called LifeSword. The idea for the name comes from the Ephesians passage on spiritual armor: “And take…the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” ~Ephesians 6:17

Life is a battle, and God’s Word is a God-given weapon we can use to live victoriously. So the name of the group could also be Life’sWord, a play on LifeSword. For a tagline I went with this same theme: “God’s Word for Life’s Battles.” In addition to the Bible study, I also hope the group will be a place to share prayer requests and encourage one another. I’ve set the group settings to “closed,” which won’t allow people outside the group to see our posts.

During the rest of June, we will be inviting friends to the group, and then start our first Bible study in July. Please pray about joining us, and please send this post to those who you think might be interested. Here’s the link to the group where you can request to join: https://www.facebook.com/groups/LifeSword/. Once you’re in the group, you can invite Facebook friends to join if you so choose.

Join LifeSword Ladies' Bible study group on Facebook with @Cathy_Bryant - God's Word for Life's...
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Our first study will be based in the mini Bible study book I wrote as a companion for the last Miller’s Creek novel. The topic of study is forgiveness, something I think each of us struggle with from time to time. It’s not necessary to purchase the book unless you just want to. I will post various questions from the study in the Facebook group, along with relevant scripture passages. That way everyone will get full benefit of the study with or without the book. (If you do want the book, it is called THE FRAGRANCE OF CRUSHED VIOLETS: FORGIVING THE INEXCUSABLE, and is available in both print for $6.73–the price Amazon set at the time I wrote this post–and eBook format for $2.99. More information about the book can be found HERE.)

Scripture references and study questions will be posted to the group on a regular basis, but I’ll try not to overwhelm you with too much at once. We can tweak the post frequency as needed once we get started, based on the needs of those in the group.

I’m looking forward to studying God’s Words together–especially as it relates to the topic of forgiveness–and also sharing our hearts with one another. God bless you all.

From one soldier to another,

P.S. If you’re interested, I do have a giveaway going for a free print copy of THE FRAGRANCE OF CRUSHED VIOLETS. You’ll find the giveaway here on my website and also at my Facebook author page under the Giveaway tab.

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A Sweet Treat for Newsletter Subscribers

Hey, everyone! Did you know that June is Candy Month? Neither did I! You would think they would set Candy Month in February for Valentine’s Day, October for Halloween, or December for Christmas, but noooo… For some reason, they chose June!?!?

Anyway,I’m excited to share a little project I had waaaay too much fun with. For quite some time, I’ve been wanting to create a Miller’s Creek Cookbook–not just for something to add to my to-do list, trust me–but as a way of saying “Thank you!” to those who subscribe to the From My Front Porch Newsletter. Let’s just say it’s a sweet treat for my reader friends in honor of Candy Month!

Newsletter subscribers already are the first to hear about new upcoming book releases. They also receive special offers (such as book giveaways) that aren’t offered to the public via my blog or Facebook author page. So I guess you could say this cookbook is a sweet treat signing bonus!

NOTE: Current newsletter subscribers, when I send out From My Front Porch later this month, I’ll include the link for you to download your sweet treat signing bonus!

(But I don’t want to exclude anyone, so if any of you reading this post decide to subscribe to the newsletter, I’ll send you the link as well.)

#Free Miller's Creek Cookbook for FROM MY FRONT PORCH newsletter subscribers @Cathy_Bryant
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The cookbook comes in PDF format. Here’s a list of the recipes from the Miller’s Creek novels characters:

Mama Beth’s White Hot Chocolate
Trish’s Brisket Rub and Brisket
Matt’s Omelet
Mama Beth’s Pancake Surprise
Dani’s Chocolate Cobbler
Gracie’s Avocado Salsa
Mama Beth’s Buttermilk Pie
Steve’s Pecan Pie (my personal favorite)
Chance’s Flavored Water (another favorite)
Mama Beth’s Chocolate Meringue Pie
Andy’s Mexi-Bacon Burger
Dakota’s Taco Soup
Mama Beth’s Snickerdoodles

As you probably noticed, Mama Beth is represented more often than the other characters. But if you think back to the Miller’s Creek Novels, you’ll realize a lot of meals take place at her country farmhouse table. There’s a reason for that! Interspersed among the recipes, you’ll also find questions to jog your memory and some fun facts.

Below you’ll find the sign-up form for the monthly newsletter. Just so you know, I take your privacy very seriously. I don’t spam e-mail boxes or sell e-mail lists. (I promise–I hate spam and underhandedness as much as you do!)

Thanks so much for dropping by to check out the Miller’s Creek Cookbook!

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Awe, Signs, and Wonders

So far in our study of the Acts 2 church, we saw how the people were continually devoting themselves to God through the apostles’ teaching and fellowship by the breaking of bread and prayer. Today we’ll take a closer look at the sense of awe they felt, as well as the wonders and attesting miracles that took place through the apostles.

...kept feeling a sense of awe; + many wonders + signs were taking place through the apostles.
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Awe, Signs, and Wonders

They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved. -Acts 2:42:47 (NASB)

AWE

When God’s Spirit shows up in the lives of His people, amazing things happen. I love how God’s Word expresses it. They “kept feeling a sense of awe.” That same continuous action of them devoting themselves continually carried over into their sense of wonder.

I can’t help but wonder if we’ve lost that sense of awe of God working and moving in our midst. Are we so busy that we fail to see and sense Him there? Oh, how I pray that we would regain the awe of God’s holiness and righteousness. That we would be astounded by His great love, grace, and forgiveness. Surely if that happened, the watching world would sit up and take notice.

SIGNS

All throughout the Bible God provides signs of His Presence and power, starting with speaking the universe into being. Lots of questions abound when it comes to these signs. Does God still perform these signs–things like tongues of fire and people speaking in languages and the Red Sea parting to allow escape for the young nation of Israel? Or have we been so demanding for proof of His existence that He chooses no longer to reveal Himself this way? Is our faith too small?

WONDERS

Another phrase for ‘wonders’ is ‘attesting miracles.’ In the book of John, the writer uses the same word to describe the miracles of Jesus. Notice that in the Acts 2 passage these signs and wonders were taking place through the apostles. Could it be that the early church needed these signs and wonders as proof the apostles God-given authority?

CONCLUSION

In all honesty, I have more questions than answers in this post about Acts 2:43, as you can probably glean from this post. From a previous study of Exodus and God defeating the Egyptian gods, I remember this: The signs and wonders God performed were so that people would know–not just a head knowledge, but an experience of the truth–that He was God.

Join the discussion on the awe, signs + wonders of the Acts 2 church.
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DISCUSSION:

Do you think the awe the young church felt was in anyway related to their devotion to God through the apostles’ teaching, prayer, and fellowship? What is the implication for us as God’s church today?
What are your thoughts on the signs and wonders God performed in the early church? Was it to reveal God’s power to the people and the God-give authority for the apostles? Is there a reason we don’t see the same kinds of signs and wonders today? What do you think is the reason for this?

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Print Copy Giveaway of THE FRAGRANCE OF CRUSHED VIOLETS

Hi friends! Just wanted to let you know that I’m running a print copy giveaway of THE FRAGRANCE OF CRUSHED VIOLETS: FORGIVING THE INEXCUSABLE on the Rafflecopter below (which you can also find at my Facebook author page at https://www.facebook.com/Cathy.Bryant.Author).

Print copy #giveaway: THE FRAGRANCE OF CRUSHED VIOLETS, mini Bible study on #forgiveness
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For those of you aren’t already familiar with the book information: the last Miller’s Creek novel I wrote (A BRIDGE UNBROKEN, Christian romantic suspense) had a spiritual theme of forgiveness. I do an extensive Bible study on each book’s spiritual theme and decided that I needed to put my study in book form. Why? Because I believe forgiveness is something we all need and something we sometimes struggle with giving.

The book’s title comes from two favorite quotes on the topic.

“Forgiveness is the fragrance the violet shed on the heel that has crushed it.” ~Mark Twain

“Being a Christian means forgiving the inexcusable in others because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you.” ~C. S. Lewis

Print Copy Giveaway of THE FRAGRANCE OF CRUSHED VIOLETS

Book Description:

What do we do when a loved one, boss, co-worker, friend, or enemy seem determined to bring us down through an attack? How do we handle it when their assault is personal, public, deep, unjust, unfair, and unfounded? Take it one step further. How do we deal with meaningless acts of destruction and death, say in something similar to the Twin Towers incident or a school shooting, especially when the offender shows no remorse? Do we file it in our brains and rack it up to “one more senseless act” and chance to think that God somehow messed up?

In short, how do we move past the hurt and anger to a place of forgiveness?

Join us as we examine relevant scriptures about forgiveness and come away with a scriptural understanding of:

what forgiveness is and what it isn’t
God’s role in the process of forgiveness
what Jesus did at the cross for each of us
our mandate to forgive as we’ve been forgiven
what gets in the way of forgiving others
how to truly forgive

| Print Version | Kindle Version | Other Digital Versions |

Print Copy Giveaway (3 copies) of A BRIDGE UNBROKEN at Goodreads

Also, don’t forget about the print copy giveaway (3 copies for 3 winners) of A BRIDGE UNBROKEN at Goodreads! At the writing of this post there have already been 173 entries less than a week into the month-long giveaway. Don’t forget to sign up!

Goodreads #giveaway (3 print copies) of A BRIDGE UNBROKEN, romantic suspense http://bit.ly/TRTfSo
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What I’m Working On Now

My youngest sister and I are deep into the pre-writing process of a novel we’re co-writing. It’s not a Miller’s Creek novel, but does take place in a small Texas town. It’s tentatively titled, TREE OF LIFE.

I’m also working on a Miller’s Creek Cookbook for those who subscribe to my monthly newsletter, FROM MY FRONT PORCH. I hope to have that available for my reader friends in PDF format sometime this month. Stay tuned for more news on the cookbook later!

If you’d like to sign up for my monthly newsletter where I share new book releases and special offers for reader friends, you can do so on the form below. Please know that I take your privacy very seriously. I won’t spam your inbox or share/sell your e-mail address. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Subscribe to our mailing list

Enter the Print Copy Giveaway via the Rafflecopter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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The Story Behind A BRIDGE UNBROKEN

The question I get asked most often as an author is: “What’s the story behind this particular story?” For A BRIDGE UNBROKEN, a Christian romantic suspense and the latest Miller’s Creek novel,the inspiration came from three very specific areas.

The story behind A BRIDGE UNBROKEN, new Christian romantic suspense by @Cathy_Bryant
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The Story Behind – Home Renovation

My hubby and I seem to have a penchant for buying fixer-uppers. Usually I enjoy the process, but this time? Not so much.

We moved to the Santa Fe, New Mexico area in the spring of 2013 for my husband’s work as a pastor of praise and worship. Since I’m a country girl at heart and like to have my critters–in this case, chickens, rabbits, and a 75-pound German Shepherd who thinks she’s a Chihuahua–we found a cabin in the lovely Sangre de Cristo mountains. To keep it short, let me just say that this house has been the fixer-upper of all fixer-uppers. While we’ve accomplished the most difficult tasks, like kitchen and bathroom fixes, we still have a long way to go. (You can see pics HERE.)

So when I took time off from the renovation to write A BRIDGE UNBROKEN I knew a house renovation would be part of the storyline. In the story the heroine, a frightened runaway on the run from an abusive boyfriend, co-inherits her late-grandfather’s farm and dilapidated farmhouse with a man responsible for scars on her heart. Unusual conditions are attached to the inheritance, and the two must work together to renovate the farmhouse. (You can watch the book trailer HERE and read a sample chapter HERE.)

The Story Behind – Writing

I love to write–to plot out scenes, develop characters, and wrangle with words until I find just the right one. I also love interacting with reader friends. My career as a writer had hit an all-time high and my book sales followed suit…

…until we moved to our remote mountain location where it took us months to get internet service.

I made weekly trips to McDonald’s to try to stay on top of things, but it wasn’t enough. I watched in dismay as my book sales plummeted. To make matters worse, I had no time for writing because of the home renovation.

It was a natural leap to make Dakota (the heroine of A BRIDGE UNBROKEN) a writer. I could literally feel her angst at needing to keep her writing career afloat while renovating a broken-down heap of a farmhouse. Yeah, that was easy to write.

The Story Behind – Forgiveness

When I began praying about the spiritual theme of the story, the answer that came immediately was forgiveness. Quite frankly, I wasn’t elated. I often struggle with forgiving others. I’ve always been very sensitive, the kind who wears my heart on my sleeve. And anytime you leave your heart on your sleeve for any length of time, someone will come along who thinks it’s their job to rip into it.

Then something interesting happened. Everywhere I looked I found messages of forgiveness–a devotional magazine, my scripture reading for the day, a social media post–they were everywhere! I delved into scripture, quickly reminded of things I’d known since childhood, but had chosen to overlook. Things like: forgiveness isn’t an option or a suggestion, forgiveness is an act of the will, forgiveness is an act of obedience, and more.

I realized during this process that much of the world’s teaching on forgiveness had crept into my belief system. And I wasn’t alone! Friends had many of the same ideas, none of which were anywhere in God’s Word. Worldly messages like: forgiveness is something you do for yourself, forgive and forget, and forgive if…

I’m always amazed at how much the Lord teaches me through my writing. Between penning A BRIDGE UNBROKEN and its companion Bible study, THE FRAGRANCE OF CRUSHED VIOLETS, God managed to get me back on track in the matter of forgiveness.

So to answer the question of the story behind this story, it all boils down to three things: home renovation, writing, and most importantly, forgiveness. I created the following video about the story behind the story for the launch party of A BRIDGE UNBROKEN. Hope you enjoy!

Live loved,

P.S. Don’ t forget to enter the Goodreads giveaway of three print copies of A BRIDGE UNBROKEN! (And while you’re there, please consider adding one or all of my books to your TBR pile! Thanks!)

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