Becky Wade's Blog, page 71
April 2, 2023
Inspired by Scripture
This Sunday feature is brought to you by ClashVerseoftheDay.com. You may sign up to receive a beautiful photo with Scripture in your inbox each morning or view the verse each day online.
March 28, 2023
Tea Time with Friends
One of the highlights of my year is having tea with ladies from the “Tantalizing Tea” book club. Over the last several years, these readers have also become dear friends.
(Talented hostess Kristine, Phyllis and her famous shortbread, green-thumb Emily, and potter Beverly.)This year’s tea was especially enjoyable because author-friends Erica Vetsch and Michelle Griep were there as well.
(Rebecca, Emily, Judy, Tiffany, Kristine, Phyllis (Back). Shari, Julie, Michelle, Erica (Front).)The ladies showered us with delicious food, laughter, and generous gifts. Did we talk much about our books? Welllll…..no. But we had a marvelous time of fun and fellowship anyway!
And today, Erica and Michelle and I are heading off for a few-day writing retreat together. Will more tea and treats be consumed? You KNOW it!
(Beautiful card made by Judy (L). Julie, Michelle, Erica (R).)Do you belong to a book club? Have you hosted or attended a tea party with friends?
March 27, 2023
Texas Time (and a book deal)
Ken and I have been traveling in Texas for the past week and will be exploring much of this huge state over the next month-plus. We have been blown away by the beauty of Texas, especially the Hill Country, which is a new area for us. I’m thinking I may just have to set a future book in this place and this season when the bluebonnets and Indian paintbrush and baby blue eyes are gorgeously in bloom and the weather is almost perfect! My book will have to end before July though because I’ve been in Texas im July and it’s not quite so lovely then…at least not for this gal who is not a fan of hot summer days.
This meadow of wildflowers (mostly bluebonnets and Indian paintbrush) was in McKinney Falls State Park. We walked here at sunrise yesterday morning and it was just breath-taking.
We especially enjoy camping in state parks, and Texas parks have not disappointed! Here are just a few of the scenes that have taken our breaths away!
Inks Lake State Park
We saw the most incredible sunset over the bluebonnets at Inks Lake State Park.
Inks Lake State Park
This was the sunset view just behind our campsite at Inks Lake State Park.
Perdanales Falls State Park.
I confess I didn’t actually see this pretty sunrise. I was happily sleeping in inside the camper while Ken captured the sunrise for me. No regrets! 
Another gorgeous sunrise at McKinney Falls State Park near Austin. Just look at God’s glory on display!
Cypress trees at the Upper Falls at McKinney Falls State Park.
And because I just can’t get enough of them, more bluebonnets at McKinney Falls State Park, these stairstep beauties captured by my talented husband, Ken Raney.Have you ever explored the Texas Hill Country? I can’t recommend spring here highly enough!
Before I go, I want to let you know about a super deal for today only (March 27). The e-book for the second book in the series, After the Rains, is free over on amazon.com via BookBub. The Camfield Legacy series begins with Beneath a Southern Sky and concludes with my newest novel, Breath of Heaven.
If you love ebooks, I hope you’ll click on the book cover to download After the Rains free today! It can be read as a stand-alone novel, but Beneath a Southern Sky and Breath of Heaven are both very reasonably priced so I hope you’ll grab them while you’re there, too.
And just a reminder that you can find an follow all the Inspired by Life…and Fiction gals on BookBub. It’s a great way to see an author’s entire collection of books, get news of new releases, and find out about sales and giveaways. And it’s free! Here are the links for the whole gang:
March 26, 2023
Inspired by Scripture
This Sunday feature is brought to you by ClashVerseoftheDay.com. You may sign up to receive a beautiful photo with Scripture in your inbox each morning or view the verse each day online.
March 24, 2023
Blind Date With a Book
I sent readers on a “blind date with a book” via a post at this time last year. I had so much fun that I’m back with another round! The general idea…. A library wraps books in paper and writes clues about the contents of the books on the front. You go on a blind date with a book by picking one, unwrapping it, taking it home with you, and reading it.
Below, I’ve virtually “wrapped” eight books. Unlike in real life, you’re more than welcome to open them all!
Unwrap this book!
Unwrap this book!
Unwrap this book!
Unwrap this book!
Unwrap this book!
Unwrap this book!
Unwrap this book!
Unwrap this book!
Which book did you choose to go on a date with first? Did I introduce you to any new books or authors?
March 23, 2023
You know you’re a writer when…+ Giveaways
Last night I had to finish editing this book that’s been giving me fits on suspense, so here are four ways lately I’ve known I’m a writer. Do any resonate or catch you by surprise?
I walked into class at 7:30 Tuesday morning and said, “I finally figured out how to kill someone!” That statement was met by blank stares and dropped jaws. “In my book.” That was followed by laughter (and some nervous chuckles). I guarantee I’m the first professor who’s told these masters students that!My husband and I slipped away for a very quick overnight trip at the tail end of my spring break, and on the drive home, I spent the first 40 minutes writing down book synopsis paragraphs and details for a three book proposal. All from less than twenty-four hours in a tiny town. Only a writer would create murder and mayhew in a place they visited for that short a time.I have prayed this week for wisdom to know who to kill. See number 1 above. Really. I prayed and asked for wisdom in how to get some suspense into this stupid book that has been fighting me for a month! It’s great. Really. It just wants to be a mystery and I want it to be a suspense. When all else fails, kill someone and see what happens. Everything in life becomes fodder for a story. Everything. Remember how this feels. Describe that color. Take a note on that sound, smell, sunset, etc. You never know when you’ll need that to make something feel real and alive.
Now for a few quick giveaways:
The audiobook giveaway is open through Friday, so be sure to enter here if you haven’t already.In celebration of the release of my new book Across the Shores , I’m giving away a copy of it here. You can also watch a couple fun YouTube videos related to my novella Love Along the Shores on that post Finally, join my coauthors and I for a Facebook release party on March 30 beginning at 7:30. I’ll be at 9 p.m. You the link above to RSVP. And then come here to enter the giveaway.My birthday is this week and starting Friday, March 24 (TOMORROW), Stars in the Night is free on Kindle. This is still one of my favorite books that I’ve written! Enjoy!
March 21, 2023
Why I Love Christian Fiction!
Happy Wednesday, friends!
I’ll be speaking at a women’s ministry event this Spring and the talk focuses on the power of storytelling and words in particular. In preparing for the talk, it got me thinking about why I love fiction, and Christian fiction in particular, and for me, it came down to words. Words such as redemption, forgiveness, faithfulness, and my personal favorite—hope.
The themes of Christian fiction novels, the faith journey of the characters in them, always lead to a deeper relationship with our Lord, to a deeper understanding in an area of struggle, or the overwhelming peace of a word whispered by God.
That’s what differentiates Christian fiction. Not just the lack of language or explicit romance scenes, but the deep abiding message and truth at the core of each story. Yes, some are far more subtle, and others are more over-the-head, but God calls each of us to write with a different voice, just as He created us each with a unique voice.
I never start with a theme in mind. I start with a premise and a vague idea of my characters and then I pour them onto the page and watch them come to life. I see their struggle and I watch in amazement how God answers it on the page. He uses it to teach me, to draw me closer to him, and to infuse me with hope.
Hope. There’s that word again.
Dictionary.com describes hope as:
the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best
No offense to Dictionary.com, but I disagree. Hope is not a feeling. It’s a belief. Belief and trust in the One who is our hope. The One who is the anchor for our soul, firm and secure. (Hebrews 6:19)
“We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure…”
I love the reference to an anchor—to the stability and firm trust that we won’t be swept away by the waves or storm. That we will be held fast.
While thinking about hope and what it means to me, the following definition came to mind:
Hope is your beacon in the dark shoals of life.
Hope is where we keep our gaze fastened. The hope we have in Christ. The hope we have in the power of stories to transport us in time and space—all while in the comfort of our home or beach chair…or, given its freezing out here, the ski lodge.
Christian fiction fills us with the hope of what we already have in Christ and the beauty and majesty of what’s to come.
Reader Question: What do you love about Christian Fiction?
Dani
A Million Little Choices, coming November 7
New novel. New story. New look.
You may ask, “Why the different look from my previous 17 novels?”
Because A Million Little Choices is my first contemporary. It’s a dual timeline story which has been living inside me for over 15 years, and I’m beyond excited to finally share Claire and Stephen’s journey with you on November 7!
I know November seems far away, but I promise I’ve worked hard to make it worth the wait!
About the book—Sometimes secrets just won’t stay hidden . . .
Two women from different centuries living in the same house share strikingly similar journeys.
Claire Powell’s life is turned upside down when her beloved husband admits to a “near affair.” But when Stephen accepts a partnership with an Atlanta law firm without consulting her and buys a historic Southern home sight-unseen—it pushes their already-fractured marriage to the breaking point. Claire’s world spirals, and she soon finds herself in a marriage she no longer wants, in a house she never asked for.
In 1863, Charlotte Thursmann, pregnant and trapped in a marriage to an abusive husband, struggles to protect her unborn child and the enslaved members of her household. Desperate, she’s determined to right the evils her husband and others like him commit. But how can one woman put an end to such injustice? Especially if her husband makes good on his threat to kill her?
Both Claire and Charlotte discover truths about themselves they never realized, along with secrets long hidden that hold the power to bring God’s restoration—if only they choose to let it.
Pre-order A Million Little Choices
I was asked recently if I’d like to write another contemporary or dual timeline, and I would—if the right idea and setting comes to me. We’ll see. Are you a fan of dual timeline stories?
But for now—I’m happily working on the first of two novels with Tyndale Publishers, which will release next year sometime. Once I’m finished with that, I’ll turn back to Carnton 3 (Nora’s story, she’s the red-haired little scamp pictured on Colors of Truth below) and will indie release that later this summer.
More about Colors of TruthOne last thing—If you haven’t heard of the Filament Bible (and FREE Bible app), let me introduce you! It’s definitely one of my favorite resources when studying the Word of God.
Click the image below to take a speedy tour of the Filament Bible app.
Be sure to SEE THE VIDEO at the end!
I love this Bible and app so much, I’m giving one away this month!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
What’s the latest dual timeline story you’ve read? And what’s one of your favorite Bible study tools?
Blessings from Nashville,
Tammy (aka: GramTam)
Our little Leo is three months old and is growing like crazy.
Gracious, I love being his GramTam!
March 20, 2023
The Simplicity of the Trinity
My friend Ron, who departed for heaven a few years ago, once told me that before he accepted Christ, he found the concept of the Trinity nearly impossible to accept. “How can one God be three persons?” he said. “I’m Jewish, and every observant Jew is taught to daily recite the Shema: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one’” (Deut. 6:4).
For thousands of years, the Jews dwelled among nations and peoples who worshipped a pantheon of gods and goddesses. Their insistence on worshipping one invisible God set them apart from every other group.
So how can the God who called himself ONE be three? And why isn’t the word Trinity found in the Bible?
The word may not be found in the scrolls of Scripture, but the holy writings reveal an element of plurality in Israel’s singular God. In the Orthodox Jewish Bible, Genesis 1:1 reads: “In the beginning Elohim created hashomayim (the heavens) and haaretz (the earth).” Elohim, the word for God, is plural.
And the Shema? In Hebrew, “Shema Yisroel Adonoi Eloheinu Adonoi Echad.” Echad is the Hebrew word for one in nature, a compound unity. Like a marriage in which two become one. The combination of daylight and darkness into one day.
Eggs, water, and the Trinity
For years, people have been trying to fashion an analogy to make the concept of the Trinity easier to grasp. How about an egg? Three parts—shell, white, and yolk—equals one egg. Is God like an egg?
Not really. And as a dedicated chicken keeper, I can assure you that though God has three separate parts, an egg’s shell, white, and yolk have completely different attributes. The shell is made of calcium, the yolk is comprised of fats, and egg white is a mixture of protein and water.
The three persons of the godhead, however—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—share the same attributes: omnipotence, omnipresence, omniscience. They are each without sin. They are each eternal, without beginning or end. And, unlike the parts of an egg, they cannot be divided.
Perhaps the Trinity is like water? Water can appear in three different forms: steam, liquid, or ice. Sometimes we speak of God the Father, exalted in heaven. Sometimes we speak of him as the Son, who had a physical body and walked on earth. And sometimes we speak of him as the Holy Spirit, who indwells and moves among believers.
But that analogy doesn’t quite work, either. If God is one person in three different forms, why did Jesus address his Father as a separate person? Why did he speak of the Spirit as a separate being with a unique job? The three persons of the godhead act simultaneously, but in different ways and as different individuals. Furthermore, water cannot exist in all three forms at once, but God can.
The Trinity at creation
We’ve already seen how the Trinity was present and active at creation. Genesis 1 records that the plural godhead was present, with the the Spirit of God hovering upon the face of the waters (Gen. 1:2).
John 1:1–3 tells us that Jesus, the Word, was present at creation:
All things were made through Him, and apart from Him nothing was made that has come into being. ( Tree of Life Version )
This is a direct reflection of what one of the first passages of Scripture says:
Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness! Let them rule over the fish of the sea, over the flying creatures of the sky, over the livestock, over the whole earth, and over every crawling creature that crawls on the land. (Gen. 1:26 TLV)
Let that sink in—only humans were made in the image of the plural God! What does that mean? I’ve heard lots of explanations that fall short—some say we were made in God’s mental image because we think. But animals think, too. We weren’t made in God’s emotional image because animals also feel emotions. The Bible never suggests we are made in God’s physical image, because “God is spirit” (John 4:24), and though Jesus was given a physical body at the incarnation, He has always been a supernatural being.
I think being created in the image of God means we were created to represent him in creation. Adam was to rule Eden as God’s steward.
Picture this: Every time the Roman army marched out to conquer, someone near the front line carried a flag or a pole bearing an image of the Roman Eagle, symbolizing the power and authority of Rome. To disrespect said flag or carved eagle was a grave offense. Likewise, in Gen. 9:6, God says that any human who kills another human must die. Why? Because man was created in the image of God. To dishonor God’s image-bearer is to dishonor God.
The Trinity in the New Testament
In the book of Matthew we see all three members acting at Jesus’ baptism. Jesus submitted to baptism “to fulfill all righteousness,” and after he came out of the water the heaven was opened. The Spirit descended on him “like a dove,” and the voice of God the Father said,
This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. (Matthew 3:15–17 NIV)
When Jesus gave the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19, he bore witness to the truth of the Trinity. He urged His followers to “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (NIV).
Scoffers
The notion of a triune God has certainly attracted scoffers. In a letter to James Smith, Thomas Jefferson unloaded his disdain for the concept. In 1822, he wrote:
In fact, the Athanasian paradox that one is three, and three but one, is so incomprehensible to the human mind, that no candid man can say he has any idea of it, and how can he believe what presents no idea? He who thinks he does, only deceives himself. He proves, also, that man, once surrendering his reason, has no remaining guard against absurdities the most monstrous, and like a ship without a rudder, is the sport of every wind. With such persons, gullibility which they call faith, takes the helm from the hand of reason, and the mind becomes a wreck.
Jefferson was wrong—faith is certainly not gullibility. Informed faith is what persuades us that a cause lies beneath the mystery. While we may not have adequate knowledge to perfectly frame the Trinity in terms of human experience, we cannot deny that Jesus testified to it.
Years ago I read the little book Flatland by Edwin Abbot. In this eye-opening work, Abbot creates a two-dimensional world where beings have only width and length. Imagine that you are viewing objects on a table at table height—no higher, no lower. Without height, an approaching object—be it a circle or square or triangle—will appear to be a straight line. Flatlanders do not have the ability to see objects in the third dimension, so they could never see or even conceptualize a cube. But beings who live in Abbot’s Spaceland, where residents experience life in three dimensions, are able to see width, depth, and height.
So what must life be like in the dimensions where supernatural beings dwell? God sees our three dimensions, but he also sees beyond and before our present time. He can act and move in other planes of existence. We know this because he has given us his Word, written by men who wrote as the Spirit—part of the Trinity—moved them to write (2 Pet 1:21). Paul wrote of being caught up to a third heaven, an experience so far out of his realm that he couldn’t be sure if he was still in his physical body (2 Cor 12:2). The Spirit of God lifted Ezekiel to some place “between earth and heaven,” where Ezekiel was able to see things beyond his plane of existence (Ezk 8:3). Daniel and the apostle John were both allowed to see future events that “will come to pass” (Rev 1:1); in fact, many of those prophecies have already been fulfilled.
In the Scripture, God has described himself, the Trinity, in sufficient detail for us while we live in our three-dimensional space. What we do not fully understand, the “secret things” that belong to the Lord (Deut 29:29) we leave to Him, because we trust Him to be true and righteous and faithful.
March 19, 2023
Inspired by Scripture
This Sunday feature is brought to you by ClashVerseoftheDay.com. You may sign up to receive a beautiful photo with Scripture in your inbox each morning or view the verse each day online.
