Lena Nelson Dooley's Blog, page 50
January 11, 2021
FINDING HOPE IN CRISIS - Grace Fox - One Free Book
Welcome, Grace. What would you like for our readers to know about you personally? My husband and I have been involved in career missions for nearly 30 years. In 2007, he became the Canadian director of International Messengers. It’s a missionary sending agency with about 225 staff in 28 countries. Together we train and lead short-term volunteer teams to Eastern Europe every summer. There we partner with our staff to host evangelistic English-learning family camps. I also train Middle Eastern believers for career ministry. Here’s an unusual fact: we’ve lived aboard a sailboat since March 2018. This is a stretch for me, a girl who grew up on the southern Alberta prairies, but it’s a total God-story. Some people think we’re livin’ the dream, but that’s not the case for me. It’s truly an act of obedience, and following through has brought me great joy even when the diesel heater fails or the freezer breaks down. What a journey this has been!
Wow! I’m not sure I could do that. I admire missionaries so much. I have many who are close friends. Tell us about your family. Gene and I knew each other only six weeks before he proposed. We married six months later, in February, 1982. We celebrate three married kids and nine grandchildren with two more due this spring. Unfortunately, they all live a fair distance away, and this means we aren’t able to see each other as often as we’d like. We’re grateful for technology that allows us to stay connected.
James and I got married three months and three days after we met on a blind date. God put us together. Have you written other nonfiction books? Yes, I have. Check out Peaceful Moments to Begin Your Day: Devotions for the Busy Woman, Morning Moments with God: Devotions for Busy Women, and Moving from Fear to Freedom: A Woman’s Guide to Peace in Every Situation. I’m also a regular contributor to Mornings with Jesus (Guideposts) and a member of the First 5 writing team (P31 Ministries).
Do you have any other books in the works right now? I have a couple of ideas that I want to develop into proposals. First though, I want to hone a Bible study that I wrote and then taught on Zoom last fall. I’d like to make it available in workbook and video form for women’s small groups and am asking God to guide me regarding the best way to proceed.
What kinds of hobbies and leisure activities do you enjoy? Spending time with my family is at the top of my list. After that comes baking, taking long walks especially in the early morning or evening, and dabbling in photography and watercolor painting. I also enjoy fair-weather sailing with my husband. British Columbia’s coastal islands are absolutely gorgeous. I love anchoring in pristine harbors accessible only by boat.
Why did you write the featured book? I’ve experienced a few crises. During those times, I shifted into survival mode. I desperately needed encouragement from God’s Word but found it difficult to read and remember lengthy passages of Scripture. I needed short meditations, something that was doable when my mind was on overload. I wrote
Finding Hope in Crisis
for people in that position—in survival mode. My prayer is that these brief nuggets from the Word will provide the encouragement they need during the difficult days they’re experiencing. I would say that all of us need the book with all that’s going on right now. What do you want the reader to take away from the book? I want my readers to find hope and encouragement in knowing God is sovereign, wise, strong, and good. Their situation’s outcome might not be what they want it to be, but His presence and power in their lives will see them through no matter what.
Is there anything else you’d like to tell my readers about you or your book? Yes. I’ve seen God’s handprint over it from the get-go. I pitched the proposal using a different title to a couple of editors in 2018. They both expressed interest but eventually rejected it. I set it aside intending to come up with a stronger title and try again, but international ministry travels began taking more and more time.
In January 2020, a friend was telling me about a crisis she’d recently experienced when suddenly the current title came like a download into my mind. I knew in my heart that this was the one. The pandemic struck about two months later and grounded my international travels. Suddenly, I had time to tweak the proposal and give it to my agent.
The proposal landed on the editor’s desk as she sought a substitute for a similar project that had just fallen through. She wanted to fast-track it so I wrote the first draft in 20 days, and that while suffering from a broken tailbone and a frozen shoulder. The prayers of God’s people on my behalf carried me through. There’s no other explanation.
I wrote this book while in a physical crisis of my own. Focusing on the truths about God’s strength, goodness, and love enabled me to persevere and to wake up each day with hope in my heart. My prayer is that readers will experience the same.
Please give us the first page or two from the book. Here’s one of the 90 devotions.
An Everywhere God
So he took Joseph and threw him into the prison where the king’s prisoners were held, and there he remained. But the Lord was with Joseph in the prison and showed him his faithful love. Genesis 39:21-22 (NLT)
Pause
Joseph was a teenager when his jealous brothers turned on him. Their actions thrust him into slavery in a foreign country where he no doubt experienced culture shock. Then a false accusation landed him in prison where his captors bruised his feet in fetters and held his neck in an iron collar (Psalm 105:17-19).
Where was God when Joseph’s story went from bad to worse? He was present with him in the cell. The writer of this account mentions God’s presence three times. Repetition in Scripture indicates something significant. It’s like a light flashing to capture our attention. It says, “Don’t blow past these words. You need to understand their importance.”
Suffering might cause us to question God’s presence. Where is he? Has he forgotten me? Joseph’s story reminds us of the truth. His situation seemed hopeless, yet God was with him in his cell. He’s with us in our hard places, too, even when circumstances point to the opposite.
Ponder
How has God shown you his faithful love in your situation?
Pray
Lord, thank you for your presence with me in this hard place.
“You are before me and behind me, above me and below me, around me and in me. You hem me in with your reassuring presence, whether I’m coming or going. It’s a wonderful thing to ponder Thank you for being my prepositional God.” –Twila Belk, Raindrops From Heaven: Gentle Reminders of God’s Power, Presence, and Purpose
Finding Hope in Crisis: Devotions for Calm in Chaos by Grace Fox, copyright 2021 by Rose Publishing, Peabody, Massachusetts. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Where on the Internet can the readers find you? Readers can connect with me in the following places:
https://www.facebook.com/FindingHopeinCrisis/
Instagram: graceloewenfox
Where can the readers find this devotional book?
It’s available now at Christianbook.com: https://tinyurl.com/y5tkawtj
It’s also available for pre-orders on Amazon.com: https://tinyurl.com/y25jwb7o
Thank you, Grace, for sharing this timely book with my blog readers and me. I’m eager to start using it after I finish the 21-day devotional our church published this year. By the way, I love your cover. It's very appealing.
Readers, leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. You must follow these instructions to be in the drawing. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory or country if outside North America. (Comments containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)
Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.
The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.
If you’re reading this on Goodreads, Feedblitz, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, or Amazon, please come to the blog to leave your comment if you want to be included in the drawing. Here’s a link: Http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com
January 7, 2021
LOVE, AGAIN - Tamara G Cooper - One Free Book
Welcome back, Tamara. Tell us about your salvation experience. I was raised in church, so I knew the gospel message. When the church doors opened, our family was there. One night, when I was about 23, I was alone after having attended a church service. I prayed and accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior. I stayed awake until 4:00 in the morning, confessing every sin I could remember, praying, singing, praising. I slept only a couple hours before I awoke again, but I felt so free! It was a totally life-changing experience for me! You’re planning a writing retreat where you can only have four other authors. Who would they be and why? The why is a lot easier to say than the who! The why is: they are wonderful writers, and I really enjoy their work. The writers would be C.S. Lewis (I’m hoping I can bring a couple back from the dead!); Diana Gabaldon; James Patterson; and J.R.R.Tolkien.
Do you have a speaking ministry? If so, tell us about that. I suspect when the kids are out of the house, I will speak again, but until then, no.
What is the most embarrassing thing that has happened to you and how did you handle it? I was walking in a mall and, simultaneously, I saw someone from my high school days and hailed him as I hurried to him AND something got under my contact. I had reached him by the time I popped out my contact and put it in my mouth. As I opened my mouth to say, “Hey, how are you?”, the contact slipped to the back of my tongue and I started gagging. I held up a finger as if to say, “Just a minute” and then stuck it down my throat to catch the contact with a fingernail. The man’s wife grabbed his arm and dragged him away with a who-was-that-woman-and-what-was-she-doing way. I finally got my contact back on and laughed hysterically at myself. I must have looked absolutely demented to them! And, to top it off, the man wasn’t who I thought he was. Just added insult to injury!
People are always telling me that they’d like to write a book someday. I’m sure they do to you, too. What would you tell someone who came up to you and said that? I always tell them: everyone has a story inside them, and if you’re compelled to tell yours, sit down at your computer, open a blank sheet of paper, and start typing. Then, I mention Sol Stein’s book, Stein on Writing as a good learning book.
Tell us about Love, Again.
Jake Barrett is devastated when he loses his wife and toddler son in a terrible, fiery accident. What made it even more painful is that an unidentified man was found in the car with them. The police suggest that his wife was having an affair. Since that horrible day two years ago, Jake has questioned everything about himself and his marriage and found no answers. He returns home to his family's Texasranch to try to find healing there and learn to trust again. Twice, Honor McKee was engaged to be married, and twice, she was stood up just days before the wedding. Adding to her embarrassment is the fact that she is a marriage counselor, someone who gives advice to others about love and relationships. Ashamed and deeply hurt, she loses faith in herself and her ability to choose a man willing to commit. Although they are both wounded and disappointed in love, Jake and Honor meet and manage to stumble their way toward friendship and, quite possibly, more. But their lives are turned upside down when trust in each other is needed the most, and neither has it to give.
Will they learn that there is more to life than living in past failures, that it really is possible to find love again?
Please give us the first page of the book.
For heaven’s sake, not again!
Honor inwardly groaned as she turned her back to her best friend who’d just started yet another rant about Honor’s—in Vicki’s words—‘appalling dating life’. She knew Vicki loved her and wanted her to be happy and settled, but Honor wasn’t in the mood for another lecture about her romantic shortcomings.
She knew them all very well.
Stepping around Vicki, she picked up two hot pads and opened the oven door to rushing heat bringing the scent of chocolate chip cookies into the room. While words kept spilling from Vicki’s mouth, Honor calmly took out the cookie sheet and set it on the counter.
In the mix of words bouncing around the room was the name Jake Barrett.
So, that’s where this was going.
Honor almost laughed out loud. Jake Barrett, of all people!
She’d fallen hard for him as a sophomore in high school, although she’d only met him once. He was the one man she had never stopped loving. Well, ‘loving’ might be a stretch since she’d never spoken a word to him. Maybe ‘the one man she’d never forgotten’ or ‘the one man she’d held up as a standard for all other men’.
All of which might explain why she was still single at twenty-eight.
Not that she hadn’t tried.
In the last three years, she’d been stood up twice, days before her wedding. A third chance with anyone, even the son of her dear friend, Wanda, wasn’t the tiniest of specks on her heart’s radar screen. Failure hurt, but failure in love crushed the spirit. At least, it had hers.
Just the thought of trying again made her stomach queasy. She didn’t think she could bear another failure.
How can readers find you on the Internet? Readers may reach me on my website: authortamaragcooper.com. They may also contact me by email at tamaragcooperauthor@gmail.com.
It was such a pleasure visiting with you again, Lena! Thank you for having me on your blog!
I share the pleasure with you. I’m eager to read this new book.
Readers, here are links to the book.
https://amzn.to/3s7DyHI - Paperback
https://amzn.to/3bfqSsd - Kindle
Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. You must follow these instructions to be in the drawing. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory or country if outside North America. (Comments containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)
Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.
The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.
If you’re reading this on Goodreads, Feedblitz, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, or Amazon, please come to the blog to leave your comment if you want to be included in the drawing. Here’s a link: Http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com
January 5, 2021
NIGHT BIRD CALLING - Cathy Gohlke - one Free Book
Bio Three-time Christy and two-time Carol and INSPY Award–winning author Cathy Gohlke writes novels steeped with inspirational lessons from history. Her stories reveal how people break the chains that bind them and triumph over adversity through faith. When not traveling to historic sites for research, she and husband, Dan, divide their time between northern Virginiaand the Jersey Shore, enjoying time with their grown children and grandchildren. Visit her website at http://www.cathygohlke.com and find her on Facebook at CathyGohlkeBooks.
Welcome back, Cathy. What inspired you to write Night Bird Calling? Years ago I wrote a number of short stories based on some quirky characters in a fictional North Carolina foothills town called No Creek. I loved those characters, but in order to create a novel, I needed an outside character who could see both strengths and foibles in my town folk and still care about them, still want to become part of their community, and who could tie their stories together.
For many years I’ve also wrestled with the idea of writing about the racial divide and abuse I saw growing up during years of the civil rights movement in the South, as well as domestic abuse and church oppression, things I experienced in my youth and young womanhood. Night Bird Calling is the marriage of all those experiences and stories.
Night Bird Calling involves some very challenging topics like domestic abuse, racism, and church abuse. What motivated you to write on these topics? I grew up mostly in the South during years of the civil rights movement, where I witnessed segregation, desegregation, racial oppression, and abuse but also heroic stands against injustice and some hard-won changes. I learned that attitudes do not change just because laws change. Transformation of the heart is also needed. That is as true today as it was then.
As a young woman, I ran away from an abusive marriage and an oppressive church. My journey toward emotional and spiritual healing took many years. I want women in similar situations to know that they are not alone, that God loves them so very dearly and that the condemnations of their oppressors do not come from Him.
I wrote Night Bird Calling not only for victims of abuse, but in the hope that readers might gain insight, sympathy, and empathy for those who’ve been abused or pushed down, that they might better understand and see creative ways they can help, ways they can be a voice for the voiceless or those needing someone to walk alongside them.
The novel is set in a rural community divided by racism, in a country on the brink of World War II. What prompted you to write about this particular time period and setting? I see a number of correlations between the years leading up to WWII and our present day. Economic fears, joblessness, uncertainty about where our world is headed, questions about our responsibility and ability to help those who’ve been abused or are in need, and our serious racial divide are all issues people grappled with in 1941 just as we do today. Sometimes it’s easier to understand our complex difficulties and find creative solutions by viewing them through the lens of a historic time frame rather than the busyness and political divides of modern day. Historical fiction provides that little bit of distance to enhance our objectivity.
How do you expect the novel, especially the struggles of your characters, to resonate with your readers? We all have ingrained in us a bit of prejudice and a hesitancy to get involved in the troubles of others. We’ve said or done things we later realized were not honorable or kind and have regretted our words or actions. Many of us have at one time or another been the victim of abuse or oppression or at least marginalization. Some of us have wondered if God could really love us, forgive us, or if we could possibly be welcomed into the church community. Sometimes we’ve stood as lions against injustice and been that needed voice for the voiceless. Sometimes we’ve been the accuser. Sometimes we’ve been the accused. Sometimes we’ve cowered when we know we should have stood strong against injustice. No Creek is a community that contains all those characters, with their strengths and foibles. At heart they’re mostly good people who learn they need to change so they can do better, be better and kinder, wiser. I think we all relate to those characters, for at one time or another we’ve all been or known them. I think that seeing ourselves or our loved ones in the shoes of these characters helps us realize that we, like they, can stand against injustice and work for change and growth within ourselves and our communities.
The novel is set in a rural community divided by racism, in a country on the brink of World War II. What prompted you to write about this particular time period and setting? I see a number of correlations between the years leading up to WWII and our present day. Economic fears, joblessness, uncertainty about where our world is headed, questions about our responsibility and ability to help those who’ve been abused or are in need, and our serious racial divide are all issues people grappled with in 1941 just as we do today. Sometimes it’s easier to understand our complex difficulties and find creative solutions by viewing them through the lens of a historic time frame rather than the busyness and political divides of modern day. Historical fiction provides that little bit of distance to enhance our objectivity.
How do you expect the novel, especially the struggles of your characters, to resonate with your readers? We all have ingrained in us a bit of prejudice and a hesitancy to get involved in the troubles of others. We’ve said or done things we later realized were not honorable or kind and have regretted our words or actions. Many of us have at one time or another been the victim of abuse or oppression or at least marginalization. Some of us have wondered if God could really love us, forgive us, or if we could possibly be welcomed into the church community. Sometimes we’ve stood as lions against injustice and been that needed voice for the voiceless. Sometimes we’ve been the accuser. Sometimes we’ve been the accused. Sometimes we’ve cowered when we know we should have stood strong against injustice. No Creek is a community that contains all those characters, with their strengths and foibles. At heart they’re mostly good people who learn they need to change so they can do better, be better and kinder, wiser. I think we all relate to those characters, for at one time or another we’ve all been or known them. I think that seeing ourselves or our loved ones in the shoes of these characters helps us realize that we, like they, can stand against injustice and work for change and growth within ourselves and our communities.
Can you tell us about the historical research that went into writing this novel? Did you learn anything new that surprised you? Much of my prior WWII writing has focused on foreign shores, but for this story I researched the American home front before and during WWII through books, Internet research, archival film footage on the Great Depression, Jim Crow laws and their results, the history of lynching and the KKK, racism and the great migration, and the work of Eleanor Roosevelt, as well as histories of Wilkes and Surry Counties in North Carolina and the Appalachian home moonshine industry and its culture. I read about and visited lifesaving stations on the Outer Banks.
Legal sources were interviewed for information regarding trusts, wills, and divorce proceedings in 1941. Newspapers archives for Wilkes Countywere helpful. I interviewed some wonderful older people who had lived there during those years and pulled some reallife stories from them, my family, and my own life, then enjoyed a trip to the North Carolina foothills and mountains, soaking up its music and a visit to the church and cemetery where some of my ancestors were buried. For the Oswald and Biddy Chambers threads, I found wonderful information in the biography Mrs. Oswald Chambers by Michelle Ule and in Oswald Chambers: Abandoned to God by David McCasland, as well as pertinent passages in My Utmost for His Highest.
I was surprised to learn how close to civilian life the military in North Carolinapracticed war games as they trained recruits. I can only imagine it was startling and perhaps frightening to those able to observe.
Stories of racial division and wartime highlight the difficulty of living in uncertainty and dealing with the unexpected. How does faith play into this aspect of the novel and into the novel more generally? None of us know the future. We don’t control the present. Life—our own and the community and nation in which we live—can turn on a dime. We all need a source, a touchstone, a safe place that also presents a moral lens and a high, stable bar. Jesus Christ and faith in His unfailing love and provision fills all those needs. Lilliana, Celia, Gladys, the McHones, and others to a lesser extent all learn this lesson and grow from it.
As an author, what did you particularly enjoy about crafting this story? I loved writing the big personalities of small-town characters in No Creek, especially precocious eleven-year-old Celia Percy. Celia possesses a lion’s heart in a small body and is ready to rail against injustice and champion the underdog no matter what. Lilliana, the story’s timid young heroine who flees abuse, grows into the woman God intended her to be by relinquishing misguided beliefs, trusting in the Lord’s love for her, and reaching outside herself to help others.
The town is peppered with courage, love, and kindness, as well as prejudice, meanness, and oppression. Such a diverse and racially divided town is a microcosm of our world. Only by embracing the worth of others while acknowledging the “beam” in their own eye could change come to No Creek. That is true for each of us. I love the parable in that.
Night Bird Calling presents intriguing and lovable characters in heartbreaking and challenging situations. Did the journeys of any of the characters surprise you as you wrote? Marshall, the fifteen-year-old nephew of Olney Tate, descendent of slaves, surprised me. Marshall was sent to live with his aunt and uncle, Mercy and Olney Tate, after his father was murdered in Georgia. Though Marshallcould barely read or write, he had a keen eye and a thirst for learning. I knew Marshall was a hard worker and an honorable young man, but I did not anticipate his excelling so quickly or that he would develop a passion for healing and a desire to apprentice himself to Dr. Vishnevsky—a desire cut short due to the dangers of racism in No Creek. But it is in leaving No Creek that Marshall finds his future—a future that will be explored in my next book. Opening a lending library from their home to everyone in the community, regardless of race, was a radical move in 1941 Appalachia. What inspired this? Sometime after fleeing my abusive marriage as a young woman, I bought an old trailer in a run-down neighborhood—a far cry from Garden’s Gate—but the best I could afford at the time. Children in that neighborhood ran as wild and untended as weeds in a garden run amok. I befriended many of those children—or they befriended me—bought a used bookcase and books at yard sales, and opened a lending library right there in my trailer. Children came for hours sometimes to color pictures, read or be read to, enjoy glasses of milk and homemade bread with jam, and just talk, asking questions about life and God and prison (where one of their fathers served time)—everything imaginable. Parents often took advantage of their community’s new “free” babysitter, but those were precious and healing days for the children and for me. Years later I remarried and bore my own precious children. When they were old enough, I worked as a children’s librarian in a school. Those memories became the inspiration for Aunt Hyacinth’s lending library in Night Bird Calling.
Is there one character whose experience you especially identify with or one whose story grew out of lessons you learned in your own life? I identify closely with both Lilliana and Celia, for different reasons. Like Lilliana, I ran away from an abusive marriage and oppressive church as a young woman. It took many years to work through the issues surrounding that and to find healing, to believe that God could really love me. Helping others in need (by opening the lending library and offering literacy help to the community, opening her home to the Percys, and doing what she could to rescue Ruby Lynne, a girl with similar problems to her own) was important on the path to Lilliana’s healing. Reaching out to help others in need has been a help to me, too.
Like Celia, I was the creative child with big ideas, a strong sense of social justice, and a determination to speak out against injustice no matter the consequences that my mother didn’t know what to do with.
What did you learn by writing this novel, and what lessons do you hope your readers take away? Night Bird Calling is fiction, as are its characters, though parts of Lilliana’s escape from an abusive marriage and her challenged growth into believing that God really loves her and has a plan for her life were drawn from my own life. I found the dredging up of memories I’ve wanted to forget and the necessary baring of my soul to write this story emotionally challenging, yet in the end I also found it freeing. Shame loses its hold once confessed. It is truly a gift if that confession helps free others. Abused women are often told not to tell of their abuse and are threatened with dire consequences to ensure their silence. Often they are filled with shame that they cannot stop the abuse, cannot change their abuser, and feel helpless to change themselves or their circumstances. They believe their situations are unique, that no one will believe them, that they are truly alone. I hope that in writing Lilliana’s story, other women will realize those things are not true, and that abuse does not come from God, no matter what their abuser or oppressor insists. I hope women realize their value lies in the very life God has given them and that He is above all the Husband who never fails us, never hurts us, the One who loves us and always wants a strong and healthy relationship with us. He wants us to be whole.
What upcoming projects do you have in the works? Our country’s racial divide and its demand for both justice and mercy is not new. As I wrote Night Bird Calling, I realized there was a fascinating Civil War history for the characters in No Creek, both black and white, as well as changes bound to come as a result of those families’ participation in WWII. Intriguing parallels in the long ago and more recent past captured my imagination. The more I thought about it, the greater potential I saw to weave story threads with a hint of mystery and a long-standing issue of injustice through generations. I’m writing a stand-alone time slip novel between the American Civil War and WWII and its aftermath for many of No Creek’s characters that I love and with whom I wrestle—as well as some new faces. My working title is A Hundred Crickets Singing—but we’ll all learn the final title when it releases in 2022.
Thank you, Cathy, for sharing this new book with my blog readers and me. I’ve loved every book of yours that I’ve read. I’m eager to read this one. My blog readers will be, too.
Readers, here are links to the book.
https://amzn.to/3pTeSR2 - Paperback
https://amzn.to/2L5YspF - Kindlehttps://amzn.to/2XaKOnQ - Audiobook, Hardback also available
Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. You must follow these instructions to be in the drawing. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory or country if outside North America. (Comments containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)
Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.
The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.
If you’re reading this on Goodreads, Feedblitz, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, or Amazon, please come to the blog to leave your comment if you want to be included in the drawing. Here’s a link: Http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com
January 4, 2021
ONE FOR THE ROAD - Mary Ellis - One Free Book
Welcome back, Mary. Let’s do some fun questions first. What song most closely resembles your life? I guess that would be “The Long and Winding Road” by the Beatles. I have reinvented myself many times during my lifetime. Even my name was changed not long after my birth. And talk about careers! Good grief. I’m sticking with my current—an author. Nobody knows when you’re goofing off in your office, playing Solitaire. When I need a quick break from the writing, I do play Solitaire. Of course, it’s always when my husband comes by the office and teases me for “goofing off.” Do you have a favorite Bible verse? And why is it a favorite? My favorite changes often. With what I’m going through now in life, it’s Psalm 121:1-2. I will lift up my mine eyes to the hills, from whence shall my help come.
What is the one thing you wish you could go back and change in your life? I truly wish I hadn’t worried so much about other people’s opinions. I spent way too much time garnering praise or at least, acceptance. At my current ripe, old age, I endeavor to please the Lord (first), myself (second) and my husband (third). If anybody else likes my books, my politics, or my new dress/haircut it’s gravy on the meatloaf!
You definitely aren’t old. What is the most important characteristic for a good friend to have? Loyalty. A good friend must be loyal, first and foremost. We don’t turn our backs on best friends, no matter how difficult the situation. And that loyalty goes in both directions. It can’t be one-sided.
That is so true, but often lacking in our society today. What extracurricular activities did you participate in when you were in school? I played girls basketball because I was tall (I was terrible!) along with volleyball and tennis. I was much better at the latter two, but still not great. The only thing I was good at was sitting in my treehouse, reading a book. Readingwas my escape, my passion.
I can’t remember a time in my life when books weren’t an important part. Before my parents could afford to buy books, the library was my favorite place to go. What is your favorite movie of all times? That would be Fried Green Tomatoes with Jessica Tandy, Kathy Bates, Mary Louise Parker and Mary Stuart Masterson. I loved the dual plot between current day and the past, and the marvelous friendship between women. I watch that movie every time it’s on.
I love that one, too. Tell us about why you wrote this book. I wrote this book because I love traveling around the country, being a tourist. So if I’m writing a cozy mystery about a travel writer, there’s no better place to find a body than on a tour. Research for this story was great fun, at least before the Covid lock-downs. Please give us the first page of the book.
‘There it is!’ Jill exclaimed as they passed a bright blue road sign. ‘“Welcome to Kentucky – the Blue Grass State”. I’m so excited I could spit.’
Michael Erikson, her videographer sidekick, took his eyes off the road long enough to scowl. ‘Don’t you dare! I just had this car washed and detailed. What’s so exciting about the countryside of Kentucky? We’re talkin’ grandma rocking on every porch and pickup trucks driving like an Indy race.’
‘Sounds like the perfect spot for a travel piece.’ Jill rubbed her stomach with a circular motion. ‘I can almost taste the flapjacks, corn pone and deep-fried everything now.’
‘You don’t even know what corn pone is.’ Michael slugged his cold coffee with a grimace.
‘No, but I aim to find out. This could be my big chance to advance beyond travel features and blogging to the news service. We have ten expense-paid days to discover why thousands of tourists flock to bourbon country every year.’
‘You don’t even like whiskey. You drink grocery store wine out of a cardboard box.’ Michael held his gut while he laughed.
‘This will be bourbon, not whiskey.’ Jill pulled down the vanity mirror to check her teeth for remnants of lunch.
He shook his head. ‘Bourbon is a type of whiskey. If we’re doing this, partner, start doing your homework.’
‘I intend to, tonight. I would’ve already if the boss hadn’t handed us this at the last minute. Besides, my wine comes in bottles with real corks.’ Jill lifted her chin with indignation.
‘Yeah, right. I stopped at your apartment last Christmas, remember?’
‘Of course I do. What woman could forget a pair of lime-green, six-toed socks?’
‘What can I say – they were on sale. We’re on the outskirts of Louisville. Better program the GPS with the hotel’s address.’
‘We’re not staying at some boring chain hotel.’ Jill produced a cat-in-the-cream grin.
‘I get the feeling I’m not going to like this.’ Michael rubbed the back of his neck.
‘Why on earth would we stay in Louisvillewhen the charming town of Rosevilleis close to two distilleries? If you recall, bourbon distilleries are why we’re here.’
‘This motel in Roseville. . . is it one of those turquoise mom-and-pop’s with a soda machine permanently out of order?’
‘Absolutely not. We’re staying at Sweet Dreams Bed and Breakfast. The online pictures looked gorgeous, truly elegant and historical.’
‘In other words flowery wallpaper, lace doilies, and threadbare rugs.’
‘Have you ever even been to a B and B?’
‘Yup, remember my ex-fiancée, Cindy? She took me to one in the Alleghany Mountains. Each night I expected Jack Nicholson to axe his way through the door. I didn’t sleep a wink.’
‘If anyone was going to take an axe to your head, it would have been Cindy.’ As usual, her insult had zero effect on him. Jill shook her head. ‘This place serves a gourmet breakfast each morning, plus either tea with scones or cocktails and canapés in the evening. Sweet Dreams is not only in the heart of bourbon country, but the proprietor might be a long-lost relative of mine, which for now we’ll keep quiet about. And her husband owns a craft distillery outside of town.’ She braced herself for Michael’s next parlay – which never came.
How can readers find you on the Internet? I love hearing from readers at: http://www.maryellis.net/
http://www.facebook.com/Mary-Ellis.Author/
Thank you, Mary, for allowing me to share this new book with my blog readers. I always love your books, and I’m eager to read this one.
Readers, here are links to the book.
https://amzn.to/38fFfLg - Paperback
Readers, here’s a link to the book.
Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. You must follow these instructions to be in the drawing. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory or country if outside North America. (Comments containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)
Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.
The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.
If you’re reading this on Goodreads, Feedblitz, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, or Amazon, please come to the blog to leave your comment if you want to be included in the drawing. Here’s a link: Http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com
January 3, 2021
WINNERS!!!
IMPORTANT: Instructions for winners - When you send me the email, make sure your subject line says this: Winner - (book title) - (author's name) If you don't do this, your email could get lost in my hundreds of emails per day. I WILL SEARCH FOR POST TITLES STARTING THAT WAY.
Some people don't read the instructions of how to enter. Unfortunately, they don't have a chance to win. so next time you come and leave a comment, be sure to read all the instructions if you want a chance to win.
SHARON (SC) is the winner of Jesus Came for Me by Jared Kennedy.
Paula (FL) is the winner of Sown in Peace by Joy Avery Melville.
If you won a book and you like it, please consider giving the author the courtesy of writing a review on Goodreads, Amazon.com, Christianbooks.com, Barnes and Noble, or other Internet sites. Reviews are such a blessing to an author.
Also, tell your friends about the book you won ... and this blog. Thank you.
Congratulations, everyone. If you won a print book, send me your mailing address:
Click the Contact Me link at the top of the blog, and send me an Email.
If you won an ebook or audio book, just let me know what email address it should be sent to. Remember, you have 4 weeks to claim your book.
December 28, 2020
FOREVER YOURS THIS CHRISTMAS - Sherry Kyle - One Free Book
Bio: Sherry Kyle is a graduate of Biola University and the author of contemporary women's fiction and historical romance, as well as her new Christmas romance novella, Forever Yours This Christmas. Sherry also writes award-winning middle grade books, including The Christian Girl’s Guide to Style and Love, Lexi: Letters to God, as well as ECPA finalist, True Heart Girls Devotional: God’s Promises for Me. When Sherry isn’t writing, she enjoys walks along the ocean and decorating her beach home. She lives in Californiawith her husband and four children.
Welcome back, Sherry. Why did you become an author? Even though I have a degree in Communications from Biola University, I became an author years ago because I wanted to do a job where I could stay home with my children. I’ve always been a creative person who loved to read, so being an author seemed like a natural fit. If you weren’t an author, what would be your dream job? If I weren’t an author, I’d probably be an interior designer. My husband and I have remodeled our 1977 beach home three times in the last eight years—including the kitchen, adding a half bath, master bath, and pantry, as well as an office addition. I had so much fun designing the floor plans and picking out the finishes.
If you could have lived at another time in history, what would it be and why? If I lived at another time in history, it would be the early 1900’s, mainly because of the fashion—the puffed, frilly blouses that were embellished with lace collars and broad ribbon ties, and hair that was parted down the middle and worn in a chignon with a broad-brim hat adorned with flowers, lace, ribbons, and feathers. Doesn’t that sound romantic? I write about this time in history in my two historical romance novels, Watercolor Dreamsand Road to Harmony.
What place in the United Stateshave you not visited that you would like to? I would love to go to Idaho and visit my sister. My niece is getting married in April, so I just might get my chance to go there, depending on the pandemic.
How about a foreign country you hope to visit? I hope to go to Pariswith my husband one day and get a picture of us standing in front of the Eiffel Tower.
What lesson has the Lord taught you recently? God is bigger! Right now my family is going through a difficult season because my young eleven-year-old niece is battling brain cancer. Abbie had a tumor removed in August after a routine eye examination showed enlarged optic nerves, and an MRI confirmed the mass. She has completed radiation and is now undergoing chemotherapy. Our family motto is, “God is bigger” because we believe God is going to restore her to complete health.
Tell us about the featured book. Forever Yours this Christmas is a heartwarming story about the gift of giving, the importance of helping family, and the irresistible feeling of falling in love at Christmas.
Amy Carrington is the owner of Second Time Around, a charming consignment shop at the heart of the close-knit community of Winterberry, Colorado. But her business won’t survive if the neighboring construction company overtakes her parking lot to build another townhome—and during the Christmas season, no less.
Wes Harding, co-owner of Sunshine Builders, didn’t expect to dance with the consignment shop owner at the community benefit dinner but when he does, sparks fly. As he spends time with Amy, he wants to do everything in his power to help her business succeed, but suddenly he finds himself caught between the wishes of the pretty shop owner and loyalty to his sister, CEO of their construction company and a single mom who depends on him.
Will his divided loyalties extinguish Amy’s dreams…along with any chance they have for a future together?
Please give us the first page of the book.
Amy Carrington locked the front door and flipped the closed sign of Second Time Around, her upscale consignment shop on Main Street. Nestled in the mountains of Winterberry, Colorado, the clapboard building, once a small home, had roughly a thousand square feet for the gently used clothing, home goods, and handmade scented candles the store carried.
She leaned against the back of the door and took a deep breath. The holiday season was a busy time. Besides the usual day-to-day workload, she'd baked a batch of her popular snickerdoodle cookies early this morning and had decorated the store with Christmas cheer to make window-shoppers stop and come inside. With the number of customers today, her efforts were already paying off.
But would it continue until Christmas?
She adjusted the sign in the front window announcing the Christmas drive. Each year, she gave a large portion of her income to her favorite charity, a nonprofit organization that helped kids suffering from cystic fibrosis and provided support to families. Amy knew this organization all too well. When she was sixteen, she’d lost her little brother to the disease. Each year she made it a game of sorts, to outdo the amount she’d given the previous year.
This year was going to be a challenge—because of Sunshine Builders.
The construction company had broken ground three months ago and construction was in full force. The loud machinery next door deterred those wanting a peaceful shopping experience, and Amy was already tired of the beeping, banging, and drilling. Thank goodness, today was Saturday and she had a reprieve.
You can read a preview of the first chapter and part of the second chapter here.
How can readers find you on the Internet?
You can find me on these social media sites:
Website: www.sherrykyle.com
Blog: http://www.sherrykyle.com/category/blog/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sherry.kyle.7
Facebook author page: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorSherryKyle
Twitter: https://twitter.com/sherrykyle
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/sherrykylebooks/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sherryannkyle/
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/sherry-kyle
Thank you, Sherry, for letting me share this new book with my blog readers. I look forward to reading it.
Readers, here are links to the book.
Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. You must follow these instructions to be in the drawing. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory or country if outside North America. (Comments containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)
Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.
The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.
If you’re reading this on Goodreads, Feedblitz, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, or Amazon, please come to the blog to leave your comment if you want to be included in the drawing. Here’s a link: Http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com
THE BREACH - Diane and David Munson - One Free Book
Welcome, Diane and David. How did this book come about? When we began writing
The Breach
eighteen months ago, the working title was Justice Unmasked. It is our twelfth novel featuring Federal Agent Eva Montanna and her FBI partner, Griff Topping. Although each of our novels stand alone, our readers have watched Eva adjust to life’s events for the past fifteen years as we’ve written about her exciting and dangerous job, and her devotion to her husband Scott and her three kids. In
The Breach
, we show what happens when Eva is doxed and the challenges she faces in tracking down her enemies. We show Eva, and Griff too, growing in their Christian faith in the age of corruption, cyberhacking, and cell phone texting, all while they are pursuing justice and trying to protect their families. Because we wrote this during the Covid pandemic, we believed readers would be weary of hearing about masks, so we changed the title from Justice Unmasked, to
The Breach
. It really fits the storyline perfectly, and we are glad we made the change. Jesus stands in the breach! Tell us about the book’s cover and what makes it unique. The cover draws the reader into Eva’s fight and also into David’s career as an NCIS and DEA Special Agent where he often wore aviator sunglasses. These sunglasses have become a trademark of Federal agents. Can you picture those dark glasses worn by the Presidential Secret Service Agents? The aviator sunglasses on the cover of The Breach are a special touch, reflecting green (the color of money) computer programming code in one lens and “access granted” in the other. The cover features the U.S. Supreme Court building and the American flag because this thriller peels back layers of intrigue involving a Federal court case and judge as Eva and her fellow agents battle hackers gaining access to our government secrets, Eva’s cell phone, and that of her teenage daughter.
Please explain and differentiate between what’s fact and fiction in the book. In our earlier thriller, The Camelot Conspiracy, which sprang from David’s contribution to the investigation of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, we fictionalized the retelling of the events leading up to Lee Harvey Oswald’s involvement in the killing of Kennedy. So, on the last page of Camelot, we listed the events which were true and those we fictionalized. We did the same thing in Stolen Legacy which included the Monuments Men during WWII. Since we write about real cases and David’s experiences as a Federal agent and Diane’s as a Federal prosecutor, our books are all based on real cases and events, but we fictionalize them by changing names, places, and dates. Much of what we write in our latest novel actually happened to us and/or our colleagues, and is still happening today.
How much research did you have to do for this book? Readers might assume because of our legal/justice careers we’re able to write realistic crime stories without much research. But in fact, all twelve of our thrillers have required considerable research. We want readers to have the most authentic experience possible. This new release incorporates research we did while visiting Israel, our experience of living and working in Washington, DC, as well as our travel and research to Amish communities in Berlin, Ohio, and Nappanee, Indiana. Because John Lapp, a new character who enters the life of our main character, Eva Montanna, we researched a new topic. John Lapp is an agricultural college instructor in Ohio and a computer expert too. We delved into organic farming practices, cybercrime, and also life and customs on Amish farms. Eva discovers John was born into an Amish family and that he advises Amish farmers regarding raising organic crops. We consulted with a cybercrime experts, and were blessed by an Amish friend reading through the Amish portions and suggesting changes.
What are some of the most interesting things you found about this subject that you weren’t able to use in the story? When John Lapp visits an Amish farm for the first time in his life to advise Eli Miller how to grow the best possible organic produce, John learns much about the life he would have known had his mother not left him with an urban Christian family to raise due to her terminal illness. We enjoyed our brief venture into Amish life, but because we write thrillers, this aspect needed to blend in seamlessly with the other sub-plots in The Breach. We cut out several farming scenes though they were vivid reminders to David of his grandfather and wonderful times spent as a child on Grandpa’s farm.
What inspired and surprised you while you were writing the book? The time we spent in Israel, and especially in the Galileeregion, the land where Jesus lived and spent much of his ministry, inspired and motivated us throughout the writing of this novel. Also, John Lapp’s character took on a life of its own! We had planned to include him in this thriller, but we were surprised by how much he added. And on a lighter note, this project brought us each an interesting dynamic. As we wrote about John Lapp helping Eli to learn about growing organic food, Diane became more aware of the benefits of eating organic, especially for a woman’s need to avoid GMO’s and milk additives. At the same time, David’s curious mind saw organic foods as a means for unscrupulous business persons to make increased profits on fraudulently-labeled foods. Now it takes us twice as long to shop for groceries, as there are ongoing tugs-of-war between the grocery shelves and our shopping cart.
What do you hope the reader takes away from the story? Our careers were hectic and at times frightening. We saw threats against ourselves, others, and against the safety of our societal underpinning on a regular basis. In our latest thriller, we write about Eva and Griff facing similar challenges as well as Judah, their Israeli Mossad counterpart. We’ve just celebrated Christmas, and we look forward to Easter, which would not have happened but for Christ coming as an infant. Thankfully, because Jesus the Christ came to redeem mankind, He stepped into The Breach, and we know at the end of each day that God is bigger than any threat and He is in control. He is sovereign. What a wonderful God we serve!
What is the next project you’re working on? We wrote The Breach during the recent pandemic, and we praise God for His help and direction. Our future projects are in His hands. While our careers have given us a seemingly endless supply of danger and excitement from which to launch thrillers, we are praying about the next book as several ideas are germinating. May the Holy Spirit water them and make them grow!
What do you do when you have to get away from the story for a while? When we are not writing, David is a fiddler. He finds endless projects on which to fiddle. Meanwhile, Diane loves to read and do Bible studies. Together, in addition to singing in past church musical productions, we both enjoy driving to new country settings and photographing God’s creation.
Please give us the first page of the book.
“Guilty! Darin Hilton is guilty!” Judge Reginald Ginsburg pronounced the verdict in such a loud voice, his words bounced around the crowded courtroom like a boomerang.
“The defendant is guilty on all counts!” the judge bellowed again.
“I think Ginsburg likes saying the word guilty,” FBI Special Agent Griffin Topping whispered to the federal prosecutor sitting beside him. “But not nearly as much as I enjoy hearing it.”
An eerie silence filled the federal courtroom. Finally, the truth seemed to sink in, with the bevy of court watchers coming alive and gasping, “Arghh!” all at once.
A shrill female voice shouted from behind Griff, “Darin, no!”
“Quiet in the courtroom!” Judge Ginsburg commanded. “Or you will be cleared.”
Griff had been the case agent during the swift two-day trial, and was seated at the prosecutor’s table on the other side of the courtroom from Hilton and his defense lawyer. Reporters dashed out to file reports before the noon news. Griff suppressed a smile in the midst of the swirling chaos.
He glanced at Patrick O’Rourke, the Assistant U.S. Attorney (AUSA), who’d just chalked up another conviction.
“Ginsburg gave me fits that he might find Hilton not guilty,” Griff confided to Patrick. “I kept track of how many times he ruled for the defense during the trial.”
The way Patrick stared straight ahead without flinching, Griff decided the AUSA expected the guilty verdict all along. Then Patrick surprised him by saying, “Me too.”
Patrick clenched his hands on the table, his knuckles white, which told Griff the guilty verdict also caught the seasoned AUSA off guard. Griff had even shared with his wife over a hurried cup of coffee this morning that he was concerned the judge might let Hilton off. Dawn shone with her usual beacon of encouragement.
Her words, as she’d filled his coffee mug, floated through his mind: Take heart, darling! I’m praying the judge will discern the truth of the evidence and find justice.
Griff’s wife often prayed for him to be safe while doing his dangerous job, and she lived out her faith in the trenches, too. As a federal probation officer, she worked for Judge Ginsburg and other judges in the courthouse to ensure convicted defendants adhered to judicial orders of incarceration and supervision. Dawn would be thrilled to know her prayers were answered.
How can readers find you on the Internet? Our website at http://www.dianeanddavidmunson.com/contains more information about us, as well as a subscription link for our newsletter, a description of our earlier books, and the option to get autographed copies of each one. For those who want to get an iTunes or Nook version they are available at iTunes, Barnes and Noble, or the Kindle and print version are available at Amazon.com.
Our FaceBook author page is: https://www.facebook.com/Diane-and-David-Munson-143446772367345
Thank you, Diane and David, for once again allowing me to feature one of your wonderful suspense novels with my blog readers. I’m eager to read it, and my husband will red it as well.
Readers, here are links to the book.
https://amzn.to/3pB9NwR - Paperback
https://amzn.to/2WTSyu6 - Kindle
Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. You must follow these instructions to be in the drawing. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory or country if outside North America. (Comments containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)
Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.
The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.
If you’re reading this on Goodreads, Feedblitz, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, or Amazon, please come to the blog to leave your comment if you want to be included in the drawing. Here’s a link: Http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com
December 27, 2020
WINNERS!!!
IMPORTANT: Instructions for winners - When you send me the email, make sure your subject line says this: Winner - (book title) - (author's name) If you don't do this, your email could get lost in my hundreds of emails per day. I WILL SEARCH FOR POST TITLES STARTING THAT WAY.
Some people don't read the instructions of how to enter. Unfortunately, they don't have a chance to win. so next time you come and leave a comment, be sure to read all the instructions if you want a chance to win.
Traveler (NM) is the winner of The Promise Keeper by Sherri Stewart.
Kassy (TX) is the winner of A Texas Moon by Laura Kestner.
If you won a book and you like it, please consider giving the author the courtesy of writing a review on Goodreads, Amazon.com, Christianbooks.com, Barnes and Noble, or other Internet sites. Reviews are such a blessing to an author.
Also, tell your friends about the book you won ... and this blog. Thank you.
Congratulations, everyone. If you won a print book, send me your mailing address:
Click the Contact Me link at the top of the blog, and send me an Email.
If you won an ebook or audio book, just let me know what email address it should be sent to. Remember, you have 4 weeks to claim your book.
December 24, 2020
FIRST TOUCH
Ward Tanneberg gave me permission to share his Christmas post with you:
First Touch(a Christmas story)
I hold her for the first time in Seattle.
She is wearing white.
I take her hand and her tiny fingers grasp hold of mine.
Soon she closes her eyes and sleeps in my arms.
She is a dream come true.
THREE YEARS LATER
we place a small basket on our living room floor, then kneel to gaze at its contents. She stares without comment or movement for a time. At last, reaching purposely over the edge of the basket, the girl who wore white touches her little brother’s hand for the first time. A smile replaces her serious look, her fingers now brushing against his cheek. She had known he was coming. Now he is here. His reality confirmed by a touch.
And just like that our family is complete.
Only a few things remain unfinished.
Learning to
eat without spilling
crawl without bumping
walk without falling
share without fighting
catch without dropping
discover without wavering
read without hesitating
add without error
accept without judging.
Little things like this.
I watch mother and daughter lean over the basket, touching his feet. The top of his head. His hands. A little smile forms across his tiny face. A new pair of eyes attempts to focus on the world ... his new world.
Then, in the midst of this wonderful moment, my thoughts scroll back the pages of time.
Weeks.
Months.
Years.
Centuries.
TO A DARK CAVE
where straw is scattered over sawdust shavings on a stone floor. No squeaky clean delivery room here. It smells like animals, not baby powder. The only light is that of a candle, producing an eerie shadow-dance on the walls. The viewing room is a stable.
The man who just helped his wife deliver her first baby ... a boy ... wraps the child in a small blanket brought along for the occasion. Carefully he lays the newborn in the best available cradle ... a manger.
A smile replaces seriousness on the young mother’s face. She reaches out for her husband. Their lips touch. Gently he lifts her in his strong arms until she can reach across the manger’s edge. She strokes the baby’s feet. The top of his head. His hands. A little smile forms on his tiny face. A new pair of eyes attempts to focus on the world ... his world!
They had known he was coming. Now he is here. His reality confirmed by a touch.
Only a few things remain unfinished now ...
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. ~John 1:1,14
December 23, 2020
CAROLS AND CANDLELIGHT SERVICE
James and I volunteer at Gateway Church's North Richland Hills campus. We attended this service there at 11:00 am Sunday.
It has become a tradition for our family to attend the CAROLS AND CANDLELIGHT SERVICE at the Southlake campus together. So when we finished we drove out there to meet most of them for the 1:00 pm service. It was wonderful, so I wanted to share it with you.
