Cathy Bryant's Blog: CatBryant.com ~ Journey Blog, page 69

The Blessing of a Clear Conscience

Is there anything so impossible to get past as a guilty conscience? Why is it so much easier to forgive others than ourselves?



I believe with all my heart that our consciences are God-given--part of the unique way He created us to know the difference between right and wrong--that inner voice that urges us to head in the right direction and for believers His Spirit residing within us (Isaiah 30:21; Romans 2:15; 1 John 2:27). The Bible also confirms that men are capable of denying and disobeying that inner voice to the point that they are no longer able to discern their conscience (1 Timothy 4:1-2).



But, as is usually the case, Satan who wants to steal from, kill, and destroy us, attempts to turn something as good as our conscience against us. He wants to keep us in a place of guilt and shame. Why? Because if he can make us stay focused on that, we stand to focus more on ourselves than what Christ wants us focused on--Him and His purpose. Satan wants in a place of no hope. He wants us to believe that we're too far gone for rescue, deliverance and salvation.



Praise God, there is help and hope! Just look at all the promises of God concerning our consciences:


Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our
hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed
with pure water. ~Hebrews 10:22 (ESV)
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. ~1 John 1:9 (ESV)
The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. ~1 Timothy 1:5 (ESV)
We will know by this that we are of the truth, and will assure our heart before Him in whatever our heart condemns us; for God is greater than our heart and knows all things. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight. ~1 John 3:19-22 (NASB) 
But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? ~Hebrews 9:11-14 (NASB)  

Dearly beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, how blessed we are! Through what Jesus did on the cross we can have a clear conscience. What blessed benediction that brings to guilt-laden hearts!



Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift! Lord God Most High, how we praise You for blessing after blessing that we receive from knowing You. Thank You for providing a way for us to not only be in close and right relationship to You--as if that weren't enough--but for also providing the means for us to live guilt- and shame-free lives. Through Your grace and mercy and salvation, You enable us to trust You and confess our sin, claiming the all-powerful blood of Christ as our justification and sanctification. How blessed we are! Thank You, Jesus! Amen.

Once For All

On a hot August day, I traipsed out to my garden to check on my rose bushes. Between the heat and black spot disease most of the leaves were gone, leaving scrawny-looking and thorny canes stretching their bony hands to the sky.



Though I couldn't help the soaring temperatures, I had to take responsibility for the roses' demise. When I purchased the bushes, I'd been offered the opportunity to buy a fertilizer to help protect the plant from black spot. The product was called Once. (I remember that trivial detail because it struck me as odd that it had to be applied every six weeks instead of once as the name suggested.)



Anyway, the point is this: Had I not been so eager to save money and been more diligent about providing what the plants needed, my rose bushes would most likely have fared better.



As plants lovingly tended by the Gardener of our Souls, we too have the tendency toward the black spot of sin. Thankfully, He knows what we need and has done all that is necessary to wipe away that black spot once and for all!



Unlike the other high priests, He (Jesus) does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for His own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when He offered Himself. ~Hebrews 7:27 (NIV)



He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves;but He entered the Most Holy Place once for all by His own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. ~Hebrews 9:12 (NIV)



But now He has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of Himself. ~Hebrews 9:26b (NIV)



Thank You, Jesus, for being our great High Priest once for all! Thank You that You did for us what we could never do for ourselves--finding away to do away with our sin by becoming the perfect sacrifice on our behalf. Thank You for loving us that much, when there is nothing in us deserving of so great a salvation. In Jesus' precious and holy name, Amen.

Online Giveaway Promotion Spots

Below is a list of sites I've found around cyberspace that will help authors promote their Amazon eBook giveaways. Each site has its own submission requirements, so check them out before you begin the submission process. Some of these sites do charge. I personally have chosen not to utilize sites that require a fee, at least for now, but each author will have to make that determination for themselves depending on budget. While this part of the process is somewhat time-consuming, it is very important in order to get the word out about your free giveaway days. The sites are listed alphabetically.



Addicted to eBooks (submit day prior to promotion days)

Author Marketing Club

Awesome Gang

bargain ebook hunter

Book Goodies

Books on the Knob

Cents-ible eReads

Digital Book Today

eBooks Habit

eReader Girl (submit day prior to promotion days)

eReaderIQ

Ereader News Today

Flurries of Words

Free Book Dude

Free Book Feed

FreebooksHub

FreeBOOKSY

Free Digital Reads

Free eBooks Daily

Free Kindle Books and Tips

Free Kindle Fiction

Frugal Freebies

Good Kindles

Indie Book of the Day 

Indie Book Promotion 

Indies Unlimited (only valid for Friday giveaways)

Just Kindle Books

Kindle Boards

Kindle Book Promos (requires two weeks notice)

Kindle Freebies

Kindle Mojo

Kindle Nation Daily

My Book and My Coffee (one week notice)

One Hundred Free Books

Orangeberry Book Tours

Pixel of Ink

Snicks List (list on day of giveaway)

The Cheap Kindle Daily

The Digital Ink Spot

The eReader Cafe

The Frugal eReader (requires 3-4 weeks notice)

The Kindle Book Review (requires 14 days notice)



If any of you know of other sites that I've neglected to include please list them in the comments below. Thanks!

Write on Purpose

It’s
sometimes easy to forget in our fast-food, hectic-paced lives that as followers
of Christ we’re on a mission. Our purpose on the way to our true home is to
share the good news of God’s amazing grace with those around us.







It should be
natural for us. After all, we’re quick to tell friends about that bargain pair
of shoes we found. We’d do everything possible to rescue people from a burning
building. And if we discovered a cure for a potentially fatal disease we’d make
sure it became global news.




Think about
it. We have this incredible and priceless treasure to share. We have a message
of salvation and healing. Early believers, when they found the treasure,
hurried to their friends and said “Come and see.”




The message
is the same today as it was thousands of years ago. It’s an invitation to
peace, joy and love; a warning of coming wrath and judgment; a healing balm to
cure the devastating results of sin.




In short, it’s
an offer to the Kingdom feast of grace.




That’s why I
write Christian fiction. Yes, I hope readers are entertained by the stories I
write. I truly desire to give readers a respite from the trials and
tribulations of this earthly life. But most importantly, I hope and pray to remind
them of a treasure that’s available to all of us—an eternal, intimate
relationship with Father God through the redemptive work of Christ—made
possible by His life-changing grace.

You're A Part of the Story

Is there
anyone who doesn’t like a good story? Granted there are those who don’t like to
read, but I’d be willing to suggest that they probably still enjoy stories,
possibly in movie, television or audio form. There’s something about stories
that yanks us into a different world, challenges our thinking, and causes us to
root for the hero/heroine. Simply put, we love stories!




But consider
this fact: we’re all a part of a story being played out around us. When Shakespeare
wrote the following words in As You Like
It, he was speaking the truth:




“All the world's a stage

And all the men and women merely players;

They have their exits and their entrances,

And one man in his time plays many parts ..."




This story
we’re in has epic proportions and encompasses all of time, from the beginning
to the end. It was initiated by a Divine Author and will come to a final
conclusion when He chooses. History is HisStory.




Like Star Wars and Lord of the Rings and countless other stories, there are forces of
good and evil at work all around us. As
characters in this magnificent drama, we have choices to make. We choose which
side we’re on. We choose good or evil. And if we put ourselves in the role of
not picking one over the other, we are in effect, making our choice.




Our “once
upon a time” starts with the words, “In the beginning God…,” but our “happily
ever after” depends on the choice we make. Interestingly enough, we characters
in this ultimate play of plays aren’t capable of being good enough on our own
to make it to “happily ever after.” The first two characters proved that pretty
quickly. So our happy ending doesn’t depend on our goodness, but on a personal
relationship with the Author.




So what is this
Author like? The best-selling book of all time describes Him as holy,
compassionate, merciful, good, gracious, slow to anger, and loving (just to
name a few of His attributes). But just like any good story, action always
speaks louder than words. Our Author was willing to put aside His divine
position and become a lowly human, sacrificing Himself on our behalf to prove
His great love for each of the characters of His creation.




Wow! Sounds
like the kind of Hero I want to follow. How about you?

The Pros and Cons Of Couponing

Since downsizing our life (and in light of the bad economy), hubby and I have both learned to look for ways to save money. One thing I've really enjoyed is couponing. Before you get a mental picture of me standing in the store shuffling through my coupons (yeah, that's me...) and begin to laugh, let me share with you a recent shopping trip to Walgreen's so you can get an idea of how much you can seriously rack up in savings.



Every item I purchased were things that we use or can give as gifts or as a donation to a food pantry we support. I picked up two boxes of Finish Quantum dishwasher tabs, 3 12-packs of Dr. Pepper, 4 cans of Progresso soup, Aim toothpaste, 2 boxes of Honeynut Cheerios, 2 packages of coffee filters, Ajax dish washing soap, 2 tins of Carmex healing cream, and 3 tubes of Carmex lip balm. My total cost was $15.96!!!! (And this wasn't a one-time deal; I score these kinds of deals week in and week out.)



How, you ask? ;) Well, I'll get to that eventually, but first let me go through the pros and cons of couponing so you can see if it's for you.



PROS


Massive savings if you're willing to do your homework (We've cut our grocery budget by $200, and I could cut back more if need be)
Enough to use AND share with others - And God is able to make all grace (every favor and earthly blessing) come to you in abundance, so that you may always and under all circumstances and whatever the need be self-sufficient (possessing enough to require no aid or support and furnished in abundance for every good work and charitable donation). ~2 Corinthians 9:8 (AMP) 
A deeper awareness of stewardship (using the financial resources God provides in the wisest way possible)
Being prepared for an emergency situation 

CONS


Time-consuming (but it does get quicker as you get more used to the routine)
Can wreak havoc with your diet if you're not careful (Unfortunately, there seem to be MANY more coupons for unhealthy foods than for healthy, but that is changing. It will become a matter of self-control when buying food, so that you don't bring fattening and unhealthy food items into your house.)
Can be addicting (I know this sounds corny, but it's easy to think "That Fuzzy Wuzzy doll is on sale for over 50% off and I have a manufacturer's coupon AND store coupon! I can get the Fuzzy Wuzzy for only $5!" Then you get it home and realize you have no need or desire for the Fuzzy Wuzzy doll... :/ There is a learning curve where you will at first purchase items you don't want or need, but again, you'll get better as you gain experience.) 
Printing coupons can be expensive (I've learned to buy printer ink cartridges in bulk to save money and can usually score free or almost free paper at office supply stores. In addition, I've learned not to print every coupon I find, but only those that I think I'll use.)

Okay, now that I've given you the pros and cons of couponing, I'll tell you how I managed to score such a low overall price on my recent trip to Walgreen's.



First, I clip coupons from the inserts in Sunday papers. I also subscribe to several couponing/savings sites such as Coupons.com, printing out coupons that I need for each week's shopping. (I organize these in a binder, as you can tell from the photo above.) On my recent trip to Walgreen's, I saved $2.17 in store coupons and $7.80 in manufacturer's coupons.



I also check sales papers for the stores in our area. I rarely buy an item unless I: 1) find it on sale; 2) have a manufacturer's coupon for; 3) have a store coupon for; or 4) all of the above! (I LOVE it when I score a triple whammy!) Everything I bought at Walgreen's was on special. (Though it takes a while, you'll eventually learn what is a good price and what is a GREAT price! For example, I never buy toilet paper anymore unless I can get it for under 25-cents a roll. Same goes for paper towels at 50-cents a roll, breakfast cereal/bars for under $2 a box, bottled water at 10-cents a bottle, etc.)



Lastly, I sign up for store reward programs if it's a store I shop at frequently. I highly recommend the Balance Reward program and Register Rewards from Walgreen's. At my last shopping trip, I saved $4.50 using Register Rewards and another $5 in Balance Reward Points. In addition, I saved another $22 in balance reward savings (which allows me a lower price simply by using my Balance Reward card to shop).



Any other couponers out there? I'd love to hear about your coupon exploits in the comments section!



Happy Saving,

Make 'Em Real

Know any
perfectionists? Hmmm, maybe I should phrase it this way: Know any
perfectionists who ever attain their goal by their own efforts? (Don’t you just
love rhetorical questions?)




The truth is
that in spite of our attempts to be good or reach perfection, it’s humanly
impossible. Even the nicest people have “issues.” Not one of us homo sapiens are (or ever will be, in
this earthly life) perfect. As famous playwright, Eugene O’Neill, once said:
“Man is born broken. He lives by mending. The grace of God is glue.”




If none of
us are perfect, then why are we so timid about—or even afraid of—creating
less-than-perfect characters? Could it be that we’re fearful our personal sin
will come under the microscope? The reason we Christian writers write is to
show that our gracious God can redeem even the most broken among us. When we
shy away from creating “flawed” characters, we lessen the story and sell God
short—almost shouting out our lack of faith in His ability.




And if you still
can’t bring yourself to create a less-than-perfect character, think about it
this way: real characters with real problems keep readers turning pages.
Without the conflict and tension of imperfect people trying to make it through
the struggles of life, our stories are about as exciting to read as a phone
book.




King David
was called “a man after God’s own heart,” yet committed adultery and murder. If
you look at the life of Jesus, you see Him reaching out to imperfect people and
calling us to do the same. He hung out with sinners and tax collectors and
touched “unclean” people. He came to give good news to the poor, bind up broken
hearts, bring freedom to those in chains, and replace darkness with light
(Isaiah 61:1).




We’re
scribes of the Most High God and ambassadors for Christ. With our words we have
the power and privilege of bearing that good news, binding up those broken
hearts, releasing prisoners to freedom, and bringing light and healing to a
dark marred world. How can we attain that lofty goal if we pretend our
characters are perfect?






As
a former art teacher and musician, I’ve learned that white is made whiter in
contrast to black. Lush chords are all the more beautiful when juxtaposed with
dissonance. The same is true of our stories. Our character’s sin and flaws only
serve to reveal Light and bring it into sharper focus. Or as one of the
greatest Christian writers of all time phrased it: "…where sin increased, grace increased all the more..."
(Romans 5:20b)

And the Kindle Prize Goes To . . .

. . .  Francisca! Congratulations! (Check your inbox for an e-mail from me so I can send you your Kindle!) =)



Thanks so much to everyone who dropped by to participate in the fun of the 12 Days of Christmas giveaway! Wishing you and yours a blessed and merry Christmas and a glorious New Year!





P.S. Don't forget that A Path Less Traveled is free for Kindle today! Please share the news with anyone you think might be interested. Thank you!

And the $50 Amazon Gift Card Goes To . . .

. . . Vicki! Congratulations! (and you have mail!) =)





Please pass the word along. A Path Less Traveled (Book 2 in the Miller's Creek novels) is FREE today and tomorrow (Dec. 13-14, 2012) for Kindle.



And if you don't have a Kindle, you can always get a Kindle app for your iPhone, iPad, PC, Mac, etc. You can check it out HERE.



Thanks so much for sharing the freebie days with those you think might be interested! I appreciate you! =)



Merry Christmas!

Cathy =)

On the 12th Day of Christmas ... A Kindle!

Let me begin saying what a joy and privilege it has been to have you all as guests at WordVessel. I've enjoyed the sweet camaraderie and friendship and been blessed by your kind words of encouragement. Thank you!



And now let's announce the winner of all three Miller's Creek books in print from day 10's giveaway. The winner is: Karen! (Check your e-mail!)





And now for the biggie--the Kindle, 6" E Ink Display, Wi-Fi giveaway! (NOTE: There will be only ONE Kindle given away--to clear up any potential confusion.) The main thing you need to do to enter the drawing is leave a comment with your e-mail address so I can contact you if you're chosen as the winner. (The winner will be drawn randomly using random.org and announced in a post on December 14th. For extra chances to win, peek back at the previous days and then let me know what you've done for more chances to win in the comments below.)



In closing out this post and giveaway, I looked up the historical significance of The Twelve Days of Christmas online. I had no idea until today that the song had Christian roots. Here's a snippet of the article I found: "When Oliver Cromwell came to power in England, Catholics were not permitted to practice their faith openly. Tradition holds that Catholic parents developed 'The Twelve Days of Christmas' to teach children their beliefs. The partridge in a pear tree represents Jesus (the partridge will sacrifice its life to save its young)."  (You can check out the rest of the post HERE.)



Wow! That really boils the season down to one main point, doesn't it? The wonder of Christmas is that God put on human flesh, left the glories of heaven, and came as a helpless baby to sacrifice His life on our behalf. What love!



This past Sunday I sang a song in church called "You're Here." My favorite part says: "You could have left us on our own, but You're here." Friends, I pray that you all have a blessed Christmas full of the comfort of His presence and a glorious new year bright with hope!