Becky Wade's Blog, page 156

Read to Not be Alone + Giveaway

Anyone else feeling a bit isolated and alone? We are still largely sheltering in place in our corner of Indiana, and the weeks are getting long. A friend posted something on Friday about it being 70 days since she’d seen her husband — they were separated when the country she’d traveled to locked down — and the number made me sigh. It feels so large…and so small at the same time. I think that’s why I’m reading soooo much even around edits. (Lethal Intent line edits were turned in a week ago. Woot! Next stop galleys!)

The weather in Indiana has been gorgeous, almost hot. So in between yard work and projects, this is what you’ll see at our house. Kids and parents sprawled out on the patio with books. I love this! When I was a homeschool mom, teaching my kids to read was the piece that made me nervous. I knew I could do everything else or get help, but reading? If I got that wrong, everything else would be harder. Then I found a great resource and that fear evaporated.

I don’t think I needed to worry. Here’s our nine-year-old tackeling the Lord of the Rings trilogy. He read the first two books in April, and then has taken a pause for some “lighter” reading this month. He moved on to Louis Lamour!

And here’s our twelve-year-old reading one of Karen Witemeyer’s books yesterday. Yep. She read it in a day. Her favorite birthday gift a couple weeks ago was an autographed copy of Stay With Me that Becky so sweetly signed for her. (These ladies are some of my favorite authors, and I’ve loved watching B race through their books this month. Reminds me of me as a preteen!)

I think one of the reasons our kids love to read is reflected in this photo. My husband and I LOVE books. I’m reading five or six right now. He’s reading a couple. This is just one of our bookshelves, the one in the office. It was empty a year ago. Oops! In an effort to clean one of my shelves — sort of — I’m giving away an autographed ARC of Katherine Reay’s brand-spanking new release Of Literature and Lattes. Just use the form below!

We’ve also been using this pause to introduce our kids to movies. Over the weekend it was You’ve Got Mail. Such a good movie! We’re also watching the Marvel movies in order. We watched Thor: Dark World last night. I’m still not sure exactly how that one fits into the MCU, but watching them in order has helped me to really appreciate the character arc for Tony Stark. I’m still a Captain America girl, but I can appreciate Iron Man now.

By the way if you haven’t read it yet, Imperfect Justice is on ebook sale for $1.99 and Where Treetops Glisten is on sale for $4.99. I wrote the collection with Sarah Sundin and Tricia Goyer. Such fun! As always, make sure you confirm they are still on sale before purchasing. Enjoy!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

What are you reading or watching?

Teaching Moments

Hi friends,

I pray you and your family are doing well and staying healthy during this crazy season of life. With all this extra time at home, particularly before they started Stage One of reintroduction (what it’s called in Maryland at least), I thought I’d have so much time and get so much accomplished. I’d finish my book early, I’d get all my launch stuff prepped and ready to roll out when the time is right, and I’d finish up all those lingering home projects.

We’re two months in, and I’m still on course for my book to be done in time, but it’s certainly not finished. I’m sprinting to keep up with my launch due dates. I’ve managed to get one project—remodeling my office (okay, who am I kidding? I’m cleaning and organizing my office, but the word ‘remodeling’ sounds so much better, doesn’t it?), my house isn’t any cleaner, and all those books I thought I’d power through are still in my TBR pile.

With all the extra time I have—my kids are grown—I’m trying to figure out what I’m actually doing with it. And then I realized. I’m being still. You know the bible verse from Psalms that speaks of stillness.

Be still, and know that I am God! ~Psalm 46:10-11

I am not a theologian, but as a layperson, a believer, I hope to share what this verse is growing to mean to me. It doesn’t tell us to just be still in this instance. It tells us to be still AND know God. During the still times in our lives, when we aren’t juggling a hundred things or running all over the place, we can still our minds and invite God in. Ask Him to show you afresh who He is.

Reader Question: What has God been teaching you through all of this?

May God bless and keep you,

Dani

Some Things Never Change…

My husband and I traveled 5 hours from home to northern Minnesota, an area of charming old-time resorts, kitschy shops, and rustic cafes that serve local favorites like walleye, wild rice soup, hot dish, and many kinds of pie. (Raspberry rhubarb crunch anyone?) We try to make it up there once a year, sometimes in spring, sometimes in summer, and most often in autumn when colorful leaves add to the beauty of the North Shore.

Cascade State Park and masked voyageur near Two Harbors, MN

But this was the first time we’d been there during a pandemic. It was easy while in “vacation mode” to forget for brief pockets of time that anything was wrong or different. But then reminders jerked us back to our present reality. Shuttered shops still not open for business, closed restaurants (some permanently, some offering only take out) and signs reminding visitors to stay out if not feeling well and to observe social distancing measures, which, thankfully, is fairly easy to do in our state’s many open spaces.

Hubby mourning the loss of a favorite eatery in Grand Marais

But some things—the more important things—were the same as ever: Beautiful, seemingly endless Lake Superior with its steady waves lapping the rocky shoreline, miles of unspoiled trails through woods aromatic with conifers, and lovely little wildflowers gently waving in the breeze as if to say hello.

Lake Superior shoreline: view from our cabin



Wildflowers: can anyone identify them?

Sitting on the deck of the simple little cabin we stayed in, a cup of coffee beside me, warm blanket and a good book on my lap, and gazing out at the serene water, I was reminded of another who does not change.

While the world around us seems unstable and unreliable, God never changes. He is there. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. I am so grateful.

While we are in this strange sometimes scary time, and we can’t do everything or see everyone we want, what’s most important is still within reach: A God who knows us personally, who loves us as we are, who is listening and acting, though we don’t always understand His ways.

A timely reminder we can all be thankful for.

Inspired by Scripture

Wishing you a very enjoyable and memorable Memorial Day Weekend.

This Sunday feature is brought to you by ClashEntertainment.com. You may sign up to receive a beautiful photo with scripture in your inbox each morning or view the verse each day online.

Memorial Day 2020

I pray this finds all our wonderful readers healthy, happy, and free. We at Inspired by Life…and Fiction are so grateful for the sacrifices of those who’ve fought for the freedoms we enjoy. May we never take them for granted. But more importantly, may we always remember: “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed!” ( John 8:36)

God Sees & Cares (and a giveaway!)

On July 9th, 1993, my husband and I attended our wedding rehearsal.

My dad, practicing escorting me down the aisle.



His Highness and me, rehearsing the recessional.

Afterward we enjoyed a dinner for the wedding party, family, and out of town guests. Then His Highness and I exchanged wedding gifts. He gave me this beautiful necklace….

And I gave him this Bible….

I remember shopping for it carefully. Talking through all the choices in depth. Considering my options. Spending what was for me at that time — a twenty-one year old who’d just graduated from college — a large sum on this NIV study Bible.

Inside, I signed it…

The next day, the wedding went smoothly, except for the fact that between the prep, photos, ceremony, and reception, the groom never ate dinner.

“I’m starving,” he’s thinking here.



“I’m REALLY starving,” he’s thinking here. Our first stop, upon leaving our reception, was at Carl’s Jr, a fast-food burger joint.

Years passed and the Bible I’d given him became our Bible. My Bible. The family Bible. It was the one that went with us to the Caribbean for three years. And then halfway around the world to Australia for a year. It’s the one I used for every quiet time, every Bible study. It’s the one that came with us to the church services when each of our three kids were dedicated.

Over time, it turned into the Velveteen Rabbit of Bibles.

Some of the tabs fell off.



A child ripped off a corner of a page that I taped back into place.



A toddler scribbled on it.



A baby’s church nursery sticker was accidentally adhered to a page.

Like my husband, and me, and our marriage, the Bible aged and became kid-worn. But it was also very well-loved.

And then, late last summer, I lost it. My wedding Bible. Our family’s Velveteen Rabbit Bible.

I was fairly sure I’d left it at church, so I called to see if anyone had located it. The next Sunday, I checked every lost-and-found spot. Nope. I worried that maybe I’d left it at the restaurant we ate at after church. I asked about it there. They didn’t have it.

And so, as the months passed, I tried to resign myself to the idea that it was gone for good. But the idea of that was just… so very sad. Unacceptable.

And then about six months after I lost the Bible, this past March 28th, I received an email from Cary Pierce. He’s a celebrity! He often sings on our church’s worship team, but he’s also one half of the band Jackopierce.

Jackopierce. (That’s Cary on the right)

I’ve sat in the service when he’s led worship many, many times but I don’t know him personally. So I was astonished when I read his email, which basically said, “I found your husband’s Bible at church. Where can I drop it off for you?”

WHAT?!

I’d inscribed my husband’s full name on the inside the Bible back on July 9th, 1993. Cary had obviously used that name to find a contact email for us in the church’s directory.

By March 28th, we were a few weeks into the Covid crisis and I told Cary, “With everything going on in the world right now, God must have known that I needed a reminder of the fact that nothing — even lost Bibles — escapes His notice.”

Later that day, our wedding Bible was back in my hands. It was such a tangible and powerful reminder that God sees me. God cares. About the big and the small. He is able to return lost Bibles. He is able to shepherd us through the valley of a worldwide pandemic.

The following verses came to mind….

Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Matthew 6:26-34

How has the Lord reminded you lately that He sees you and that He cares? Do you own a Bible that holds a special place in your heart?

My publisher and I are currently offering a giveaway in celebration of Stay with Me! Every prize was inspired by an aspect of the novel. Except the cash card. That’s just because cash is handy. To enter, click here or on the image below.

God Sees & Cares (and a giveaway)

On July 9th, 1993, my husband and I attended our wedding rehearsal.

My dad, practicing escorting me down the aisle.



His Highness and me, rehearsing the recessional.

Afterward we enjoyed a dinner for the wedding party, family, and out of town guests. Then His Highness and I exchanged wedding gifts. He gave me this beautiful necklace….

And I gave him this Bible….

I remember shopping for it carefully. Talking through all the choices in depth. Considering my options. Spending what was for me at that time — a twenty-one year old who’d just graduated from college — a large sum on this NIV study Bible.

Inside, I signed it…

The next day, the wedding went smoothly, except for the fact that between the prep, photos, ceremony, and reception, the groom never ate dinner.

“I’m starving,” he’s thinking here.



“I’m REALLY starving,” he’s thinking here. Our first stop, upon leaving our reception, was at Carl’s Jr, a fast-food burger joint.

Years passed and the Bible I’d given him became our Bible. My Bible. The family Bible. It was the one that went with us to the Caribbean for three years. And then halfway around the world to Australia for a year. It’s the one I used for every quiet time, every Bible study. It’s the one that came with us to the church services when each of our three kids were dedicated.

Over time, it turned into the Velveteen Rabbit of Bibles.

Some of the tabs fell off.



A child ripped off a corner of a page that I taped back into place.



A toddler scribbled on it.



A baby’s church nursery sticker was accidentally adhered to a page.

Like my husband, and me, and our marriage, the Bible aged and became kid-worn. But it was also very well-loved.

And then, late last summer, I lost it. My wedding Bible. Our family’s Velveteen Rabbit Bible.

I was fairly sure I’d left it at church, so I called to see if anyone had located it. The next Sunday, I checked every lost and found spot. It was nowhere to be found. I worried that maybe I’d left it at the restaurant we ate at after church. I asked about it there. They didn’t have it.

And so, as the months passed, I tried to resign myself to the idea that it was gone for good. But the idea of that was just… so very sad. Unacceptable.

And then about six months after I lost the Bible, this past March 28th, I received an email from Cary Pierce. He’s a celebrity! He often sings on our church’s worship team, but he’s also one half of the band Jackopierce.

Jackopierce. (That’s Cary on the right)

I’ve sat in the service when he’s led worship many, many times but I don’t know him personally. So I was astonished when I read his email, which basically said, “I found your husband’s Bible at church. Where can I drop it off for you?”

WHAT?!

I’d inscribed my husband’s full name on the inside the Bible back on July 9th, 1993. He’d obviously used that name to find a contact email for us in the church’s directory.

By March 28th, we were a few weeks into the Covid crisis and I told Cary, “With everything going on in the world right now, God must have known that I needed a reminder of the fact that nothing — even lost Bibles — escapes His notice.”

Later that day, our wedding Bible was back in my hands. It was such a tangible and powerful reminder that God sees me. God cares. About the big and the small. He is able to return lost Bibles. He is able to shepherd us through the valley of a worldwide pandemic.

The following verses came to mind….

Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Matthew 6:26-34

How has the Lord reminded you lately that He sees you and that He cares?

My publisher and I are currently offering a giveaway in celebration of Stay with Me! Every prize was inspired by an aspect of the novel. Except the cash card. That’s just because cash is handy. To enter, click here or on the image below.

The Hiding Place

This year, my Facebook group, The Posse, took on a reading challenge. Each month, we have a different challenge to guide our reading. It’s been great push to get me out of my usual routine. This month, we were challenged to read a book published in the year we were born. Being born in 1971, I was worried that I would find nothing that interested me, but after a brief Google search, I discovered this gem: The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom.

I had heard about this book from sermons and recalled faithful women talking about the impact the book had on them, but until this month, I had never taken the time to read it. What a blessing this book turned out to be!

The Ten Booms were a Dutch family of incredible faith who lived during WWII and hid Jews from the Germans during the occupation. Their dedication to Christ inspired and humbled me. They each had different gifts, but all were used for God’s glory. And when the sisters were transported to the Ravensbruck concentration camp in Germany, their faith changed every life they touched.

God did not spare them the horrors of the concentration camp. They endured torture, isolation, indignity, abuse, malnutrition, and flirted with death every day. Yet God did provide miraculous ways to sustain them. From an eyedropper bottle of vitamin liquid that never ran dry, to a smuggled Bible never discovered by their guards, to visions of future ministries that gave them hope, to counted blessings that made them realize they were not alone. God still saw them, and He still cared. Not all of the Ten Booms survived, but they all made an astounding impact for Christ.

There are two scenes in particular that amaze me with their power. The first is one of the times that the female prisoners were stripped naked by their guards for their physicals. Stripped of all defenses, the humiliation was horrible. Then Corrie was blessed with a realization: They had stripped Jesus, too. Artists might depict the crucifixion scene with a piece of cloth to protect Christ’s modesty, but that was out of reverence, not accuracy. Christ was bared before his tormentors as well. The women of Ravensbruck were not alone in their indignity.

The other scene involved an infestation of fleas. When they first arrived at Ravensbruck, they were thrust into a room built to hold 400 prisoners that now held 1400. Women lay wall-to-wall on wooden pallets of various heights. The conditions were deplorable. Worst of all, every blanket and beam was covered in flesh-biting fleas. Betsie, Corrie’s sister, had the patience of a saint and the faith of child. When they came into their new home, she reminded her sister that they were to give thanks in all circumstances. Even this one.

So they counted their blessings. They had each other. They had their smuggled Bible. They had hundreds of women that they could minister to. And then Betsie gave thanks for the fleas. Corrie struggled to go so far. How could there be anything good about those horrible pests? Yet as time passed and the Ten Boom sisters began conducting worship services in their barracks, they wondered why the guards never came in to stop them. It wasn’t until much later they learned that the guards refused to go in because of the fleas. God had provided, perhaps not in the way the prisoners would have preferred, but he provided nonetheless.

The COVID-19 pandemic is such a small inconvenience compared to the concentration camps of Nazi Germany, but as we navigate these waters of isolation and social distancing, of health worries and event cancellations, I wonder what doors God might be opening for ministry during this time of hardship that would not have been opened otherwise.

How have you seen God at work during this pandemic?
Have you read The Hiding Place?

Offbeat Movies Based on Historical Events

Throughout this time at home, we have been continually searching for different things to watch. We don’t usually follow the normal movie or tv trends. We enjoy the pursuit of an obscure show that touches our hearts and feeds our minds. Over the past couple of weeks we’ve discovered three “based on historical events” movies on Amazon that we’ve loved, so I thought I’d share!

Stone of Destiny

This movie chronicles four 1950 Scottish university students’ attempt to pull off one of the greatest heists in history. As Scottish nationalists, they believed the Stone of Scone, a significant piece of Scottish history and nationality, needed to be in Scotland instead of England, where it currently resided. It had been placed in Westminster Abbey under the throne on which kings had been crowned since 1296.

We had heard the story before—either podcast or documentary, we can’t remember—but watching it in story form made it so much more real. And if you watch it, be sure to look up some info on the ringleader and his life after 1950. Quite extraordinary.

The Wipers Times

Oh my goodness! Such a funny and poignant movie. And a piece of history I had never heard before! The Wipers Times was a newspaper written and published by soldiers in the Great War (WWI) after they found an entire printing press, ink, and paper when they were hunkered down in Ypres, Belgium. (Wipers was an English mispronunciation of Ypres.) Two officers filled the homemade newspaper with humor and sarcasm in the form of articles, advertisements, letters to the editor and poetry. The men who started the paper continued it even when their unit marched off to the Somme, then back to Ypres once more.

I love the way the filmmakers chose to tell this story. It gives not only insight into the men who created the paper, but A well-told story that gives not only insight into the men who kept it up, but it also gives a feel for the tone of the articles in the paper. We enjoyed it so very much!

Castles in the Sky

So I knew that radar was developed in Britain during WWII. Kind of. But this story? Absolutely fascinating, even if I didn’t understand a word of the science that made it work. And then to know the result of this amazing and seemingly impossible work? That brought tears to my eyes. If you like stories about underdogs coming out on top, you’ll love this.

Ok—so I can’t resist one more, even though it isn’t a historically related film. We ran across this movie and it has immediately become one of my favorite ever. And that is huge!

A Man Called Ove

I saw this book everywhere for awhile (which is why we ended up trying the movie) but didn’t read it. (I have borrowed it from my mom and intend to remedy that soon!) Anyway, we almost didn’t watch this because we quickly realized it was a foreign language film (Swedish!) that would need to be watched with English subtitles. And although we like watching obscure things, we aren’t really into subtitled films. However, before we could get the subtitles turned on, we were hooked—even without understand a word that was said!

This is the sweetest story I have seen in a very long time. A story of love and hope and community and grace. Of persisting in relationship even with those who appear gruff and standoffish. Of realizing everyone has a story. Everyone has something to give. And everyone has something they need to receive, whether they want to admit that or not. Absolutely precious movie. And yes, I cried.

So there are some films we’ve found recently that had never crossed our path before. All are available free on Amazon if you are a Prime member. (Not sure what the fee is if you are not.) I hope you enjoy one–or all–soon!

What’s the best “off the beaten path” movie you’ve seen recently?

What entices you?

I love books, and I think that’s true of everyone here in the Inspired by Life and Fiction community. It’s a primary commonality that brings us together. But the reasons behind why we purchase the books we each purchase vary as much as, well, as much as the myriad genres and sub-genres there are available to read!

To that end, I’m coming to you today with one simple question. But first, some quick backstory . . .

I had a Zoom call yesterday with my marketing manager at HarperCollins Christian Publishing (waving to you, Kerri), and we discussed the July 7th release of my newest novel Colors of Truth, a Carnton novel (book 2).

In a town battered and bruised by war, one woman embarks upon an impossible search—and one man must face the past in the very place that almost destroyed him.
Read more. . .

The call with Kerri was a followup to a Zoom call I had over a month ago with the entire marketing department where we discussed some fun and creative ideas for my upcoming July release. Ideas to help spread the word about the book (“word of mouth” still being the best marketing around, of course), but also ideas to encourage readers—both loyal and new—to follow through on making the decision to preorder.

Which leads me back to that one simple question—What are the factors that influence you to preorder a book?

Here’s a list we quickly brainstormed on the call. Are any of these “checked” on your personal list?

The book is written by an author you’ve read before and you really like her/his previous booksPre-ordering the book gets your name entered in a special giveawayPre-ordering the book instantly unlocks “reader extras” including bonus chapters (ie: the first 5 or 6 chapters of the book instead of only the standard 1 chapter), videos from the author, recipes that are included in the novel, insights into why the author wrote the book, etc…

Do any of these enticements resonate with you? Would they influence you to purchase the book before the actual release date? If yes, what kind of giveaways are most appealing? Do the “reader extras” connect with you at all? Which takes us back to the simple yet oh-so-important question . . .

What are the factors that influence you to preorder a book?

I’d really love to know your thoughts, so thanks for sharing—however short or long!

Tamera

A chance to win Colors of Truth

ENTER TO WIN

RECIPE ALERT!

Do you or someone you love eat gluten free? What about low carb?
If yes, these are the absolute BEST KETO chocolate chip cookies ever!

 I’ve made a ton of Keto cookies that could be adequately classified, if we’re being completely honest, as “tiny little pucks of sadness.” But these… Oh gracious, they’re delicious! Joe ate two of them last night and checked with me to make sure I wasn’t trying to kill him with real sugar and white flour (he’s diabetic, bless him!).

GRAB THE RECIPE at Gnom-gnom.com (a fabulous Keto website)