Robin Gilbert Luftig's Blog, page 11
August 8, 2023
Sharing Tuesday
Another Sharing Tuesday brings us to Britt Mooney’s book, We Were Reborn for This: The Jesus Model for Living Heaven on Earth. (Bold Vision Books, 2023)
In the face of tragedy and hate in the world, Christians have the answer.
What if we were born again for more? What if we were reborn to enter the brokenness of others with peace and hope?
Through inspirational stories, practical experience in the US and overseas, using the resurrection of Lazarus as a narrative framework, Britt Mooney explores why and how we can follow Jesus��� model for discipleship, entering the broken and desperate lives of others with scandalous compassion, supernatural power, and radical transformation.
After reading the back of a book cover, my next go-to’s are the endorsements. Here are a few:
From Bill Myer, Author of a ca-zillion books … one being Rendezvous with God:
“Reborn should be required reading for all Christians.”
Not that my writing is in the same league as Bill Myer’s, but here are my thoughts on the book:
Should I buy this?“I love when Christian Living books bring ���Christian Living��� down to earth. That���s what Britt Mooney does with, We Were REBORN for This: The Jesus Model for Living Heaven on Earth. Grab a cup of coffee, a highlighter, and paper & pen. Not only will you want to ponder the powerful one-liner that sneaks up on you, but you may find yourself jotting notes in the margins as you go. Excellent read!”
People buy books for several reasons. They might want to support the author. That’s a good reason. Or they might be interested in the book’s message. That’s another excellent reason. However, in my opinion, the best ever reason to buy a book is to know you have the ability to go back and read it again. That’s what you’ll find with We Were Reborn for This.
If you like reading about other authors, let me know. Sharing Tuesday may become a special feature!
What say you?
What do you wonder about?�� Are you happy ��� or are you doing what you never thought you���d do? Do you see consistencies ��� or are you all over the place? Drop me a line. I���d love to chat.
Struggling to find good in your life? Check out my award-winning book,��God���s Best During Your Worst, or check out any of my other books on my��Book��page.
The post Sharing Tuesday appeared first on Robin Luftig.
August 2, 2023
Repost – Ladies on a Mission … a taste
While I needed to step away from writing for a season, it was time to get close to my good friends … Lily-Rose, Fiona, and Sugar again. Oh, how I missed them. Here’s the prologue of the third installment of the Ladies series, Ladies on a Mission. Here’s a taste.��
~~~~~~~~~~
Prologue
July 1945
���Sug, you stay close, ya hear?��� Zinnie Mae���s bellowing voice rang in four-year-old Sugar Thompson���s ears. She raised her head above the grass and blew a puff of air moving blonde hairs away from her blue eyes as she looked toward the shanty. Her corralled grasshoppers would wait. She watched as Zinnie Mae cuffed momma across the head. �����What���s wrong with you, Betty Mae, letting your baby girl go traipsing off so far?���
���I���m okay. Playin with bugs.��� Sugar smiled as she rolled onto her back and looked at the puffy clouded sky. This was how hot Kentucky days moseyed along in the Appalachian Mountains. The stillness was so thick it was like being wrapped in a sweater. Even the birds stopped singing after they���d welcomed the day. Critters had long burrowed themselves in their holes to stay cool until evening. Away from the clearing, leaves from the oaks and hickories barely let any light touch the ground.
Not much ever changed. Miles up the hill from Trotter, their two-room shack Sugar called home sat in a small parcel of land that had housed the Thompson clan for more years than anyone remembered. There lived three generations of Thompson women. Zinnie Mae, the grandma of the clan, Bettie Mae���Sugar���s Momma���then Sugar. Inside, a splintering plank floor held a table surrounded by four chairs that served as the family���s sitting place. In the corner close to the potbelly stove ���for both heating and cooking���sat a raggedy stuffed chair where momma���s pa used to sit. A flimsy curtain cordoned off a corner of the room for sleeping. The door off the back of the shack was close to all the necessities��� the fruit cellar and path to the two-seater outhouse. A tarred roof with only a few holes covered it all.
It���d been said Zinnie Mae was purdy in her day, but that day was long past. Her once crazy red hair held back with a bandana is now grayed and bunned tight, held away from the deep lines on her face. Momma���s smile crinkled her eyes and lit her face like a star in the night���s sky. But that didn���t happen very often. And she never smiled during trips ventured into Trotter. People often stepped back, giving a wide path and peering from side-eye glances as gawkers spoke to one another in hushed voices.
Sugar raised up on an elbow and looked toward the porch. She saw Momma wave. Her mouth gaped when Zinnie Mae knocked her in the head again. ���Stop hitting me. What you talking ���bout? She ain���t traipsing off.��� She pointed with a hand still gripping several green beans. ���She���s right there. I can see her. Yonder. Look for yourself.��� Her voice raised. ���Sweet girl, give me and Zinnie Mae a wave.���
���Hey Momma, hey, Zinnie Mae.��� Sugar smiled and waved.
Zinnie Mae harumphed. ���You know how easy it is to get turned around in them hills. Two steps off the paths and you���d be lost forever. Today���s not a day I want to go off lookin��� for her. That���s all I���m sayin���.���
Momma dropped her hands into the basket of untrimmed beans. ���For the last time, will you please allow Sugar to call you Granny ��� grandma. Somethin��� other than the name your momma gave ya? Besides, she ain���t going off a path she ain���t even close to.���
Zinnie Mae worked her mouth then spit a straight shot of tobacco juice, clearing the porch���s edge. ���If you���da waited to have a baby ���til later, maybe you���d know better how to take care of a youngin���.
I can���t help it if you done gave yourself and got in the family way too soon.��� She brushed hair from her face with the back of her hand, then muttered. ���Besides, I ain���t old enough to be a granny. When I am, I���ll let you know.��� She picked up another bean and snapped its ends off. ���It wasn���t what I had in mind for me���or you.���
Sugar stretched out again in the grass. She had heard this conversation more times than could count, though Momma saw to it that her counting was real good. She returned her attention to the grasshoppers and scooped one carefully into her cupped hands. Peeking through her loose grip Sugar watched as the bug offered up its defensive spit that looked like Zinnie Mae���s tobacco juice. The brown liquid pooled on her already dirty palms.
With cargo in hand, Sugar stood and made her way toward the porch. Before arriving at the edge of the broken stoop, she crouched in a low cluster of grass, opened her fists, and watched as the grasshopper launched from her grip. After wiping her hand on her coveralls, she climbed her way onto the side edge of the porch���greeted by the women���s never-ending bickering.
���How many times do I have to tell you he took me. I didn���t offer nothin���!��� Momma turned from her grandmother, smiled her way, and spoke in a louder voice. ���But you, little girl ��� are just like your name, right? Sweet as sweet can be.���
���How many times do I have to tell you he took me. I didn���t offer nothin���!���
Sugar smiled, climbed onto the porch, and gave each woman a kiss on the cheek. In one jump, she returned to the yard and played with her found bugs, making sure to stay within earshot. She learned long ago once these women started talking about her, everything was always better. That proved to be true this time as well.
Zinnie Mae nodded. ���That we agree on, for sure. I ���bout had a fit when you didn���t name her the way you was suppose to, though. Not addin��� ���Mae��� to her label like the Thompsons been doin��� since I can remember.��� Zinnie Mae sighed and waited a beat. ���But that lil��� slip of a thing makes life worth livin���, that���s for sure.��� She dropped her snapped bean in the basket of finished produce. ���Mighty glad she���s here.���
Momma stopped for a moment with her beans. ���Zinnie Mae. Betty Mae. What���s Mae matter? Sugar���s part of us, right Ma? Besides, if she���s gonna be her own person, she don���t need the label to hold her back. Besides, we���re raisin��� her just fine, ain���t we?���
Zinnie Mae nodded. ���Your pa���s missin��� out on the only goodness this shack���s seen in years. He shouldn���tve run off like he done.���
Momma shrugged. ���His loss, I reckon. We���re makin��� it just fine.���
Sugar continued listening as she looked back to the porch and grinned. Momma smiled back. ���Little pitchers got big ears? You don���t miss much do you, Sug.��� Sugar knew no harm was done. They were all best friends in the whole world.
Zinnie Mae rattled on as she continued trimming beans. ���The garden���s real good now. Beans comin��� on strong. The corn���s gettin��� good and tall. The squashes and other viney ones are filling out their hills just as God designed ���em to do. Keep up with the weeds and the crop���ll be ready to store up just fine.���
Oh no. Garden talk. That meant they might start saying she needed to work more there since she was so low to the ground. Sugar watched from the grass as Zinnie Mae removed the basket of trimmed beans from her lap and stood, stretching her back. ���Can you get the rest of these beans, daughter? I can���t sit like I used to. Guess I���m just an ol��� tired woman.��� Zinnie Mae started for the front door then stopped. ���How���s rabbit sound for dinner? I could go out and get a couple, no problem.���
���Don���t let the game warden catch you. You know they���ll skin you for hunting early.���
The screen door creaked as she entered the shack, and it bounced off her backside. ���I don���t think this once will be a problem.���
Moments later Zinnie Mae came back out, shotgun broke open and across her arm. She walked to Momma and put a hand on her shoulder. ���I spit n��� sass at you, but truth be, you���re a good daughter. Thank ya for that.���
���Momma? What���s������
Zinnie Mae waved her off as she stepped off the porch. ���I���m heading out for those rabbits, now.��� She set off toward the woods, passing Sugar playing with another newly found grasshopper.
���Look Zinnie Mae, it���s chewing tobacca, just like you. Ain���t that funny?���
Zinnie Mae stooped down and watched as Sugar carefully handled the grasshopper. Zinnie Mae���s voice came on soft. ���Not everything is as it seems, Sugar. ���Member that.��� She kissed the top of her golden hair. ���And here���s somethin��� else to think about. ���Be not afraid of sudden fear. Do ya know where that sayin��� comes from?���
Sugar knew her grandmother talked about the Almighty often, so she ventured a guess. ���Sounds like Bible stuff. Am I right?���
���And here���s somethin��� else to think about. ���Be not afraid of sudden fear. Do ya know where that sayin��� comes from?���
Zinnie Mae smiled and cupped Sugar���s chin in her hand. ���Yes, it is. From the wisdom of Proverbs. Do yourself a favor and folla what���s in that-there book, ya hear?���
���Yes���m.���
���Alrighty then. Time to go.��� Zinnie Mae stood and walked toward the thicket at the front of the woods.
Hours passed. When Zinnie Mae failed to return, Momma set Sugar on the porch with strict instructions not to move. It was Momma���s frantic voice calling out for Zinnie Mae that lasted past sundown. When momma returned, her face was drawn. ���Another one���s left us, Sug. Guess it���s just you and me now.���
There was no rabbit for dinner that night. Zinnie Mae had plum disappeared, never to be seen again.
That���s how it seemed, anyway.
~~~~~~~~~~
No exact date for publication has been set, but know I haven’t forgotten you and the ladies from Norwood Street.
Want to see how��The Ladies Mystery series began?Can a woman on the run find herself again?
Ladies of the Fire
��brought us to the late 1960s as we met the newly-widowed Lily-Rose Pembrick reeling as she fled Lincoln, Nebraska, with her children. Only taking the cash from the house safe and what she could get her hands on at the family bank, she left the recently-inherited and successful Pembrick Transportation company behind.��Exhausted from driving all night, she stopped in Applegate, Ohio, and decided to start a new life on Norwood Street. There, she met Fiona Kasey, an African-American no-nonsense housekeeper/companion to an elderly white woman, and Sugar Bowersox, a Southern spitfire who has lost herself in motherhood.
Together, they enjoyed Lily-Rose���s backyard fire pit, where dreams were spoken and secrets revealed. As they embraced a kinship they never would have sought, Lily-Rose began thinking her past could finally be laid to rest���until someone ended up dead.
The post Repost – Ladies on a Mission … a taste appeared first on Robin Luftig.
August 1, 2023
Ladies on a Mission … a taste
While I needed to step away from writing for a season, it was time to get close to my good friends … Lily-Rose, Fiona, and Sugar again. Oh, how I missed them. Here’s the prologue of the third installment of the Ladies series, Ladies on a Mission. Here’s a taste.��
~~~~~~~~~~
Prologue
July 1945
���Sug, you stay close, ya hear?��� Zinnie Mae���s bellowing voice rang in four-year-old Sugar Thompson���s ears. She raised her head above the grass and blew a puff of air moving blonde hairs away from her blue eyes as she looked toward the shanty. Her corralled grasshoppers would wait. She watched as Zinnie Mae cuffed momma across the head. �����What���s wrong with you, Betty Mae, letting your baby girl go traipsing off so far?���
���I���m okay. Playin with bugs.��� Sugar smiled as she rolled onto her back and looked at the puffy clouded sky. This was how hot Kentucky days moseyed along in the Appalachian Mountains. The stillness was so thick it was like being wrapped in a sweater. Even the birds stopped singing after they���d welcomed the day. Critters had long burrowed themselves in their holes to stay cool until evening. Away from the clearing, leaves from the oaks and hickories barely let any light touch the ground.
Not much ever changed. Miles up the hill from Trotter, their two-room shack Sugar called home sat in a small parcel of land that had housed the Thompson clan for more years than anyone remembered. There lived three generations of Thompson women. Zinnie Mae, the grandma of the clan, Bettie Mae���Sugar���s Momma���then Sugar. Inside, a splintering plank floor held a table surrounded by four chairs that served as the family���s sitting place. In the corner close to the potbelly stove ���for both heating and cooking���sat a raggedy stuffed chair where momma���s pa used to sit. A flimsy curtain cordoned off a corner of the room for sleeping. The door off the back of the shack was close to all the necessities��� the fruit cellar and path to the two-seater outhouse. A tarred roof with only a few holes covered it all.
It���d been said Zinnie Mae was purdy in her day, but that day was long past. Her once crazy red hair held back with a bandana is now grayed and bunned tight, held away from the deep lines on her face. Momma���s smile crinkled her eyes and lit her face like a star in the night���s sky. But that didn���t happen very often. And she never smiled during trips ventured into Trotter. People often stepped back, giving a wide path and peering from side-eye glances as gawkers spoke to one another in hushed voices.
Sugar raised up on an elbow and looked toward the porch. She saw Momma wave. Her mouth gaped when Zinnie Mae knocked her in the head again. ���Stop hitting me. What you talking ���bout? She ain���t traipsing off.��� She pointed with a hand still gripping several green beans. ���She���s right there. I can see her. Yonder. Look for yourself.��� Her voice raised. ���Sweet girl, give me and Zinnie Mae a wave.���
���Hey Momma, hey, Zinnie Mae.��� Sugar smiled and waved.
Zinnie Mae harumphed. ���You know how easy it is to get turned around in them hills. Two steps off the paths and you���d be lost forever. Today���s not a day I want to go off lookin��� for her. That���s all I���m sayin���.���
Momma dropped her hands into the basket of untrimmed beans. ���For the last time, will you please allow Sugar to call you Granny ��� grandma. Somethin��� other than the name your momma gave ya? Besides, she ain���t going off a path she ain���t even close to.���
Zinnie Mae worked her mouth then spit a straight shot of tobacco juice, clearing the porch���s edge. ���If you���da waited to have a baby ���til later, maybe you���d know better how to take care of a youngin���. I can���t help it if you done gave yourself and got in the family way too soon.��� She brushed hair from her face with the back of her hand, then muttered. ���Besides, I ain���t old enough to be a granny. When I am, I���ll let you know.��� She picked up another bean and snapped its ends off. ���It wasn���t what I had in mind for me���or you.���
Sugar stretched out again in the grass. She had heard this conversation more times than could count, though Momma saw to it that her counting was real good. She returned her attention to the grasshoppers and scooped one carefully into her cupped hands. Peeking through her loose grip Sugar watched as the bug offered up its defensive spit that looked like Zinnie Mae���s tobacco juice. The brown liquid pooled on her already dirty palms.
With cargo in hand, Sugar stood and made her way toward the porch. Before arriving at the edge of the broken stoop, she crouched in a low cluster of grass, opened her fists, and watched as the grasshopper launched from her grip. After wiping her hand on her coveralls, she climbed her way onto the side edge of the porch���greeted by the women���s never-ending bickering.
���How many times do I have to tell you he took me. I didn���t offer nothin���!��� Momma turned from her grandmother, smiled her way, and spoke in a louder voice. ���But you, little girl ��� are just like your name, right? Sweet as sweet can be.���
���How many times do I have to tell you he took me. I didn���t offer nothin���!���
Sugar smiled, climbed onto the porch, and gave each woman a kiss on the cheek. In one jump, she returned to the yard and played with her found bugs, making sure to stay within earshot. She learned long ago once these women started talking about her, everything was always better. That proved to be true this time as well.
Zinnie Mae nodded. ���That we agree on, for sure. I ���bout had a fit when you didn���t name her the way you was suppose to, though. Not addin��� ���Mae��� to her label like the Thompsons been doin��� since I can remember.��� Zinnie Mae sighed and waited a beat. ���But that lil��� slip of a thing makes life worth livin���, that���s for sure.��� She dropped her snapped bean in the basket of finished produce. ���Mighty glad she���s here.���
Momma stopped for a moment with her beans. ���Zinnie Mae. Betty Mae. What���s Mae matter? Sugar���s part of us, right Ma? Besides, if she���s gonna be her own person, she don���t need the label to hold her back. Besides, we���re raisin��� her just fine, ain���t we?���
Zinnie Mae nodded. ���Your pa���s missin��� out on the only goodness this shack���s seen in years. He shouldn���tve run off like he done.���
Momma shrugged. ���His loss, I reckon. We���re makin��� it just fine.���
Sugar continued listening as she looked back to the porch and grinned. Momma smiled back. ���Little pitchers got big ears? You don���t miss much do you, Sug.��� Sugar knew no harm was done. They were all best friends in the whole world.
Zinnie Mae rattled on as she continued trimming beans. ���The garden���s real good now. Beans comin��� on strong. The corn���s gettin��� good and tall. The squashes and other viney ones are filling out their hills just as God designed ���em to do. Keep up with the weeds and the crop���ll be ready to store up just fine.���
Oh no. Garden talk. That meant they might start saying she needed to work more there since she was so low to the ground. Sugar watched from the grass as Zinnie Mae removed the basket of trimmed beans from her lap and stood, stretching her back. ���Can you get the rest of these beans, daughter? I can���t sit like I used to. Guess I���m just an ol��� tired woman.��� Zinnie Mae started for the front door then stopped. ���How���s rabbit sound for dinner? I could go out and get a couple, no problem.���
���Don���t let the game warden catch you. You know they���ll skin you for hunting early.���
The screen door creaked as she entered the shack, and it bounced off her backside. ���I don���t think this once will be a problem.���
Moments later Zinnie Mae came back out, shotgun broke open and across her arm. She walked to Momma and put a hand on her shoulder. ���I spit n��� sass at you, but truth be, you���re a good daughter. Thank ya for that.���
���Momma? What���s������
Zinnie Mae waved her off as she stepped off the porch. ���I���m heading out for those rabbits, now.��� She set off toward the woods, passing Sugar playing with another newly found grasshopper.
���Look Zinnie Mae, it���s chewing tobacca, just like you. Ain���t that funny?���
Zinnie Mae stooped down and watched as Sugar carefully handled the grasshopper. Zinnie Mae���s voice came on soft. ���Not everything is as it seems, Sugar. ���Member that.��� She kissed the top of her golden hair. ���And here���s somethin��� else to think about. ���Be not afraid of sudden fear. Do ya know where that sayin��� comes from?���
Sugar knew her grandmother talked about the Almighty often, so she ventured a guess. ���Sounds like Bible stuff. Am I right?���
���And here���s somethin��� else to think about. ���Be not afraid of sudden fear. Do ya know where that sayin��� comes from?���
Zinnie Mae smiled and cupped Sugar���s chin in her hand. ���Yes, it is. From the wisdom of Proverbs. Do yourself a favor and folla what���s in that-there book, ya hear?���
���Yes���m.���
���Alrighty then. Time to go.��� Zinnie Mae stood and walked toward the thicket at the front of the woods.
Hours passed. When Zinnie Mae failed to return, Momma set Sugar on the porch with strict instructions not to move. It was Momma���s frantic voice calling out for Zinnie Mae that lasted past sundown. When momma returned, her face was drawn. ���Another one���s left us, Sug. Guess it���s just you and me now.���
There was no rabbit for dinner that night. Zinnie Mae had plum disappeared, never to be seen again.
That���s how it seemed, anyway.
~~~~~~~~~~
No exact date for publication has been set, but know I haven’t forgotten you and the ladies from Norwood Street.
Want to see how��The Ladies Mystery series began?Can a woman on the run find herself again?
Ladies of the Fire��brought us to the late 1960s as we met the newly-widowed Lily-Rose Pembrick reeling as she fled Lincoln, Nebraska, with her children. Only taking the cash from the house safe and what she could get her hands on at the family bank, she left the recently-inherited and successful Pembrick Transportation company behind.��Exhausted from driving all night, she stopped in Applegate, Ohio, and decided to start a new life on Norwood Street. There, she met Fiona Kasey, an African-American no-nonsense housekeeper/companion to an elderly white woman, and Sugar Bowersox, a Southern spitfire who has lost herself in motherhood.
Together, they enjoyed Lily-Rose���s backyard fire pit, where dreams were spoken and secrets revealed. As they embraced a kinship they never would have sought, Lily-Rose began thinking her past could finally be laid to rest���until someone ended up dead.
The post Ladies on a Mission … a taste appeared first on Robin Luftig.
July 25, 2023
Nothing New Under the Sun
Sharing my blog on Tuesdays is quite purposeful. I don’t share on Mondays, because there are too many new tugs on readers’ time to start that go with the beginning of a new week. By Tuesday, however, most of the dust has settled and the week’s schedule has taken shape. It doesn’t matter if it’s the schedule for a stay-at-home mom or a governmental elected official. It’s the same for everyone. We all have something pressing in us. There’s nothing new under the sun.
There's nothing new under the sun.
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Whether our worlds are filled with joy beyond measure or sorrow unimaginable, all these feelings have been felt before.
What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.
Ecclesiates 1:9
This truth is not meant to mitigate a person’s emotions in any way. It’s to offer a chorus of celebration for the highs as well as extend solace for the lows.
David Danced Under the SunThink back on the most beautiful memory you own. Was it the birth of a child? A wedding day? Graduation? These sensations are so powerful that if you were made to hold them in you might explode!
King David, the man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22), showed unashamed joy as he danced when the Ark of the Lord finally entered Jerusalem. Nothing, not even the biting words of his wife Michal shifted his focus on celebrating the LORD (2 Samuel 6:21).
David Wept Under the Sun
Yet we also learn from David the depths of sadness. One can weep along with Psalm 51, as he reflects on the prophet Nathan’s rebuke over the death of Uriah and his adultery with Bathsheba.
What is Under Your SunCreate in me a pure heart, O God,��and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit,��to sustain me.
Psalm 51:10-12
Are you dancing … or weeping? Oh, friend, if you’re in a season of sorrow or struggling to find purpose, I understand.
And so does God.
Take a break if you must. Tend to your wounds. Take comfort in the fact that you are not alone. Accept help from loving friends.
And know without a doubt, that you will experience joy again …
Rejoice always,��pray continually,��give thanks in all circumstances;��for this is God���s will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
… Because there is nothing new under the sun.
What say you?
What do you wonder about?�� Are you happy ��� or are you doing what you never thought you���d do? Do you see consistencies ��� or are you all over the place? Drop me a line. I���d love to chat.
Struggling to find good in your life? Check out my award-winning book,��God���s Best During Your Worst, or check out any of my other books on my��Book��page.
The post Nothing New Under the Sun appeared first on Robin Luftig.
July 21, 2023
Ladies of the Fire in Two ebookfairs
Check this out ��� Ladies of the Fire is in two ebookfairs! If you need a reminder ���
The late 1960s sets the newly-widowed Lily-Rose Pembrick reeling as she flees Lincoln, Nebraska, with her children. Only taking the cash from the house safe and what she can get her hands on at the family bank, she leaves the recently-inherited and successful Pembrick Transportation company behind.
Exhausted from driving all night, she stops in Applegate, Ohio, and decides to start a new life on Norwood Street. There, she meets Fiona Kasey, an African-American no-nonsense housekeeper/companion to an elderly white woman, and Sugar Bowersox, a Southern spitfire who has lost herself in motherhood.
Together, they enjoy Lily-Rose���s backyard fire pit, where dreams are spoken and secrets revealed. As they embrace a kinship they never would have sought, Lily-Rose begins to think her past can finally be laid to rest���until someone ends up dead.
When Lily-Rose���s past catches up with her, who will be left standing?
Vote Your Support
At each fair you can enter to win a $50 Amazon gift card
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If you enjoyed the first story from Lily-Rose, Fiona, and Sugar, I���d love to see the votes pile up for Ladies of the Fire. Vote often during the fair, 7/21/2023-7/28/2023. At each fair you can enter to win a $50 Amazon gift card plus some free books just by visiting the fair and filling out the entry form.
Here are the links for each fair:Vote often during the fair
7/21/2023-7/28/2023.
Mayhem and Murder
ebookfairs.com/Fair/Book?id=NgNyhZPIeUKkHNNw3aTn8Q
New Fair (female-led stories)
ebookfairs.com/Fair/Book?id=xD7JLsjyjUGfH9BgF6jVmA
The votes are growing for all the books. Hope to see your participation!
And There’s More … Ladies Uncover a Secret
Her family has hidden secrets. Will she ever learn the truth?
It���s 1972 and Fiona Kasey-Boyd is living her dream life in Shaker Heights, Ohio, but something���s wrong. Married to a wonderful man, eight months pregnant with his child, she���s wracked with sadness. Is she suffering from the baby blues, or is it something darker?
In a quick trip to her hometown before the baby arrives, Fiona reconnects with her friends Lily-Rose and Sugar, leaning on them for strength. The three of them search for answers to Fiona���s questions, but they are stonewalled at every turn with evasion and silence.
Only the power of their friendship can help Fiona face the darkness of her family���s secrets���secrets whose answers can heal her heart ��� or shatter it.
The post Ladies of the Fire in Two ebookfairs appeared first on Robin Luftig.
July 18, 2023
Storytime
Do you ever stop and listen to children as they share stories? It’s��like they live for storytime.
Children often use their entire bodies to tell a tale. ���And then ��� and then �������� are the words that trip over their tongues, evidence of their minds moving faster than their lips could keep up. They twist their little hands and struggle to stand still in one spot. They become animated when they speak, experiencing every syllable they share. Their eyes shine with expression. They giggle and bounce as if there are ants in their pants.
Whew!
It’s when the little arms finally fold across chests that the listener knows the story’s over, leaving Storyteller as well as the listener exhausted.
Kids ��� I just love them and their energy. They���re full of life, expression, and excitement.
What about my storytime?What would happen if I shared that same level of excitement when I talk about my Lord and what he���s given me? It’s a good guess that bouncing and shaking my hands would be distracting when I share about God���s grace and mercy (grace being what God gives that we don’t deserve and mercy being what God doesn’t give that we do deserve), but at least I should strive to give the listener a reason to lean in for more.
How do I act when I talk about God's mercy and grace?
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Paul shares his excitement with the Ephesians in his letter to them. ���And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord���s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge���that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.��� Ephesians 3:17-19
���And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord���s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge���that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.��� Ephesians 3:17-19
Sadly, I can���t remember the last time I had to gasp for air from being so excited when I shared the Good News with someone. I need to re-evaluate what really excites me. How about you?
Pray Excitement��into StoryFather, stir a fire of excitement in my heart for what excites you. Help me remember how holy you are and all that you have given me. Remind me of the price Jesus paid for my salvation. I have done nothing to earn this gift, yet it is the sweetest gift I could have ever received. Help me share your goodness with enthusiasm. Help me speak with shiny eyes, twisting hands, and words that can’t wait to pass over my lips … just like a child. I pray this in Jesus��� holy name, Amen.What say you?
What do you wonder about?�� Are you happy ��� or are you doing what you never thought you���d do? Do you see consistencies ��� or are you all over the place? Drop me a line. I���d love to chat.
Struggling to find good in your life? Check out my award-winning book,��God���s Best During Your Worst, or check out any of my other books on my��Book��page.
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July 11, 2023
It’s In The Struggle
It may be hard to believe, but all writers struggle. Even published, award-winning authors have their moments of doubt. They often struggle with time, focus, and research. Some, if they’re transparently honest, will tell you they even deal with an inner voice that tells them they don’t have any more stories to tell. Everything … it’s all in the struggle.
Even with a number of books published, success may seem elusive. Will one book make me a success? Two? Maybe three?
Writers often watch numbers:
Are social medial numbers growing?Were there enough sales this quarter?Why isn’t the contact list growing as it should?When Struggling Writers Focus
I’m a fan of several blogs. Some known, some not so much.�� You decide the column Lori Roeleveld��falls into. For me, she knows how to offer light in a dark tunnel. I revisit her blog often. One of my favorites is When Death and the Devil Appear to Win the Day she reminds us that following Jesus is our own success.
Embrace the StruggleWhy do we, as writers, look for success too early in our writing journey?
We, as writers, must be on guard and not look for success too early in our writing journey.
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I want the numbers to grow quickly. I want the sales to soar. I’d love to have a ginormous mailing list. But I don’t want those things if they usurp God’s plans for me and my life.
I need to learn to embrace the struggle.
Join me. Let’s try to find that sweet place between being responsible for our vocation and being patient, waiting for God’s plan to unfold. Let’s take a swan dive into the lap of Jesus. Until we land there, my hope is to find success in the struggle.
What say you?What do you wonder about?�� Are you happy ��� or are you doing what you never thought you���d do? Do you see consistencies ��� or are you all over the place? Drop me a line. I���d love to chat.
Struggling to find good in your life? Check out my award-winning book,��God���s Best During Your Worst, or check out any of my other books on my��Book��page.
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July 4, 2023
Mental Checklists
If your day starts similar to mine, your mental checklists fill your thoughts before your eyes open.
* What’s the first thing to do on the schedule?
* Check the weather before getting dressed.
* Make sure everything needed for dinner is available.
Instead of starting the day with a task, why not wake up loving Jesus?
It doesn’t need to be earth-shattering, but your go-to can be sweet, kind, and loving. Maybe hum the tune of a simple song as you ponder its word.
Mental Checklists Can ComfortJesus loves me this I know
For the Bible tells me so
Little ones to him belong
They are weak but he is strong
Yes Jesus loves me
Yes Jesus loves me
Yes Jesus loves me
The Bible tells me so
“Jesus Loves Me”, Anna Bartlett Warner (1860)
It’s just as easy to focus on what’s important as it is to focus on the mundane.
And I have more on my plate now than I’ve had for years. Yet I can pull the words of this song out of the air as I awaken. How simple the stanzas are, yet they pack a punch that starts a day well.
Instead of starting the day with a task, why not wake up loving Jesus?
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Scripture tells us that God loves to guide us from our slumber. Psalm 5:3 reads, In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.
So comforting.
Or there’s Lamentations 3:22-24: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.”
Don’t make it difficult on yourself and play to your strengths. If you’re a checklist person at heart, telling you to stop making lists would cause stress. Instead, change your checklist. Be it scripture or song, whatever you choose, have your mental checklist direct you to Jesus.
Join me moving forward. I’m changing my focus on the fact that Jesus loves me other than my chores for the day. Fretting over won’t help. But focusing on Jesus can. I know this—because the Bible tells me so.
What say you?What do you wonder about? Are you happy … or are you doing what you never thought you’d do? Do you see consistencies … or are you all over the place? Drop me a line. I’d love to chat.
Struggling to find good in your life? Check out my award-winning book, God’s Best During Your Worst, or check out any of my other books on my Book page.
The post Mental Checklists appeared first on Robin Luftig.
June 27, 2023
Patience or Tenacity
I like understanding the meaning of words and how words draw pictures. Let’s consider the words Patience or Tenacity.
PatienceThe definition for patience is “the capacity for waiting: the ability to endure waiting, delay, or provocation without becoming annoyed or upset, or to persevere calmly when faced with difficulties.”
“… the capacity for waiting: the ability to endure waiting, delay, or provocation without becoming annoyed or upset, or to persevere calmly when faced with difficulties.”
My mind conjures up a picture of a father working with a child, teaching them how to build a bird feeder. Teaching children how to work with sharp tools takes lots of calm perseverance. I can almost hear birds singing when I consider the word patience
TenacityI also enjoy y the tenacity. From tenacious, its definition is “determined or stubborn: tending to stick firmly to any decision, plan, or opinion without changing or doubting it.”
“… determined or stubborn: tending to stick firmly to any decision, plan, or opinion without changing or doubting it.”
Here’s another great word picture. In my mind, I see a teenage girl, arms folded and her jaw set in defiance. She’s standing in front of Mom, daring her to try and change her mind. Teenager is certain her mother does not understand and that she, the daughter, just needs to stick to her guns. If she does Mom will eventually wise up and get with the program.
I like Patience and Tenacity and rely on both. When appropriate, I can take a deep breath and pull up wisdom from Proverbs. That’s when I lean on patience. However, when I need to push through–like moments when I want to crumble but need to face the next day–tenacity gets me there.
Which do you favor, Patience or Tenacity?
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We can find both Patience and Tenacity when we look at the life of Jacob. He exhibited great patience as he waited to take Rachel for his bride. (Genesis 29:16-28) But Jacob wasn’t afraid to wrestle with God throughout the night until he blessed him. (Genesis 32:22-30). Jacob’s tenacity … his determination … besides giving him a wrenched hip, also gave Israel its new name.
What about you? Can you say you’ve had times of both patience and tenacity in your life? I’d love to hear about it.
First posted this January 24, 2011
What say you?
What do you wonder about? Are you happy … or are you doing what you never thought you’d do? Do you see consistencies … or are you all over the place? Drop me a line. I’d love to chat.
Struggling to find good in your life? Check out my award-winning book, God’s Best During Your Worst, or check out any of my other books on my Book page.
The post Patience or Tenacity appeared first on Robin Luftig.
June 20, 2023
We Get You! is Available
After months of tweaking, We Get You is available!
30 Days: 30 Women • 30 Stories • One God
Embark on a thirty-day journey with thirty extraordinary women, whose powerful stories and words of hope, resilience, and unwavering faith will fill your heart with divine inspiration.
We Get You! 30 Days: 30 Women • 30 Stories • One God, is an invitation to join hands with new friends who have traversed similar trials and circumstances just like you.
Each of the thirty soul-nourishing devotions encompasses a verse of encouragement, an
intimate personal or Bible-based story, and a practical application of the truth. To further enrich your spiritual experience, four thought-provoking prompts are included for each devotion, focusing on purpose, practice, prayer, and promise.
Come along with us, and start your day with a dose of We Get You! to breathe life, hope, peace, and encouragement into your heart and mind. Unleash the power of divine grace and let it lead you toward a deeper connection with our loving Father.
A Few Reviews“From the very first devotional, I was pulled into the real world of problems that other women and I face. I mean, not a disorganized spice rack or not enough shoe storage or a nosey Mother in law. There were revelations of a more gritty “turn this to God so I can survive through it” nature. There were questions that hit me where I live and breathe. I’m not alone. I’m sorry other women are struggling, but, what a comfort to know Im not struggling alone! God is able to use their stories as a help to others.”
JJ Kurtz
We Got You! Is Getting NoticedAmazon’s Best Seller’s Ranking:“… This would be a great book-group book study. Everyone could share their own thoughts after reading the devotional aloud. I can see friendships being born and strengthen as each person shares.”
Tinyfeet
#1 – Spiritual Growth
#2 – Women’s Inspirational Spirituality
#9 – Women’s Personal Spiritual Growth
Interested in other books?
Check out my book page. There’s something there for everyone.
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