Kathleen Wiseman's Blog, page 2
April 14, 2012
WINNERS of Easter Blog Hop!
Winners! The winner of the paperback of
By His Grace (The Morgan Brothers Book 1)
is Shelby. Shelby, I have emailed you!The winners of the Kindle book By His Grace (The Morgan Brothers Book 1) are Ruthhill 74 and Holly. (Your Kindle books have already been gifted to you - check your emails!)
THANK YOU to all who entered!Book 2, Caroline's Gift, will be on Kindle this week!
April 2, 2012
ENTER Easter Blog Hop to win FREE books!
Hoppy Easter Eggstravaganza Giveaway HopThis giveaway has ONE prize of 1 Paperback and several prizes of a Kindle book.
To enter, just Follow this blog, then please leave a Comment here stating:
1) That you have followed this blog
2) Write YES or NO after the word "Kindle" (whether or not you have any Kindle app. so I can send you a Kindle book.)
3) Your email address.
IF you do not wish to put your email address here, or IF for any reason you are unable to leave a message here, please email me at mrskathleenwiseman (at) gmail (dot) com and I will put you in the draw.
Also - this has nothing to do with the competition - please Follow me on Twitter! @CleanRomanceBks
Thanks, and good luck!
To find the next blog in the giveaway hop, just click on the above image!
BY HIS GRACE (The Morgan Brothers Book 1)This is a Clean Romance. It is currently #2 on Amazon New Releases in Religious Romance! Click HERE to go to the Kindle page!
March 19, 2012
Why does God tell us not to marry an unbeliever?
GUEST POST by Hannah Sipress
Have you ever thought about your future mate? Is he/she going to be tall or short, plain or handsome? How about his or her faith?
Now, assuming that you are a born again believer, and thatyou have read your Bible, you probably know that God said not to be unequallyyoked, (2 Cor. 2:14) or in plain English, married to an unbeliever.
Why does God tell us not to marry an unbeliever anyway? Ifelt compelled to share my thoughts and convictions on this issue, all of whichagree with Scripture. Now the first issue to address here is the question why.Why does God command me not to do this?
Number one. In the beginning, God had planned for marriageto consist of two people, one male, and one female, who had a mutual love forGod, and each other, and wanted to work together to further God's kingdom. Eachone would leave their family, to come together and create a new family, onethat serves God. If you are married to an unbeliever, you cannot share in this.Your partner will not understand your love for God, or why you do things differentlyfrom the world. He will not understand why you want to teach your childrencertain things.
Number two. Have you ever been in a place where you're theonly Christian around, and the people around you are doing things that you knowyou shouldn't be doing? You want to obey God and not do those things, but its reallyhard when there are no other Christians around to support you. Well, that'skind of what being married to an unbeliever is like. Your partner might be a goodperson, but he still does not hold all the same beliefs that you do. He doesn'tgive you the same support and understanding that a believer would. It would bevery easy to slip into sin without that support.
The next point to hit is, what are the consequences ofmarrying an unbeliever? Since the Bible says it is wrong, marrying anunbeliever would be a sin. Like any other sin, this will have consequences.
Number one. Your marriage is always going to be lackingsomething. A mutual love for God is a very important part of marriage, it willdecide how you make important decisions in your life. It would be a very lonelylife.
Number two. You lose God's blessing. As Christians, wepossess God's blessing. But when we walk into a situation, disobeying God, welose His blessing. (Deuteronomy 11: 26-27) I personally would not want to walkinto any situation without the blessing of my heavenly Father, would you?
Number three. Your partner would not share in your eternallife. This is possibly one of the hardest things to face in life. When youbecome a Christian, you are promised an eternal home in Heaven with God, yourpartner however, is not. How hard would it be to go into marriage, knowing thatif your husband/wife died, he would go to Hell? In some cases, non-believerswho have married Christians have been converted during the marriage. However,there is still a huge possibility that they won't, plus it is still goingagainst what God wants.
Now, think about this in the context of dating. You maythink, hey, wait a minute here! Dating is not the same thing as marriage! Andyou're right, it's not. If though, you are a Christian, dating is not meant tobe something you do that's fun during high school, it is meant to help you findyour future mate.
Dating a non-Christian during high school, or college, or anytimein your life for that matter, is a very tricky thing to do. So many times,Christians have been blown off course by their non-believer boy/girlfriend.Dating a non-believer, in hopes of bringing them to Christ, often called"missionary dating," is sometimes a widely accepted thing amongstChristians. This, however can be a deadly serious thing to do.
It can bring about many consequences, many of which aresimilar to the ones in marriage. As a friend of mine has quoted, "Don'thold someone in your arms, that you could not hold in your heart." As yougo through whatever stage you are at in life, keep this in mind. If you want toplease God, and have good healthy relationships, remember God's guidelines, andmake sure that you can be held accountable for whatever relational decisionsyou make.
God bless!
Have you ever thought about your future mate? Is he/she going to be tall or short, plain or handsome? How about his or her faith? Now, assuming that you are a born again believer, and thatyou have read your Bible, you probably know that God said not to be unequallyyoked, (2 Cor. 2:14) or in plain English, married to an unbeliever.
Why does God tell us not to marry an unbeliever anyway? Ifelt compelled to share my thoughts and convictions on this issue, all of whichagree with Scripture. Now the first issue to address here is the question why.Why does God command me not to do this?
Number one. In the beginning, God had planned for marriageto consist of two people, one male, and one female, who had a mutual love forGod, and each other, and wanted to work together to further God's kingdom. Eachone would leave their family, to come together and create a new family, onethat serves God. If you are married to an unbeliever, you cannot share in this.Your partner will not understand your love for God, or why you do things differentlyfrom the world. He will not understand why you want to teach your childrencertain things.
Number two. Have you ever been in a place where you're theonly Christian around, and the people around you are doing things that you knowyou shouldn't be doing? You want to obey God and not do those things, but its reallyhard when there are no other Christians around to support you. Well, that'skind of what being married to an unbeliever is like. Your partner might be a goodperson, but he still does not hold all the same beliefs that you do. He doesn'tgive you the same support and understanding that a believer would. It would bevery easy to slip into sin without that support.
The next point to hit is, what are the consequences ofmarrying an unbeliever? Since the Bible says it is wrong, marrying anunbeliever would be a sin. Like any other sin, this will have consequences.
Number one. Your marriage is always going to be lackingsomething. A mutual love for God is a very important part of marriage, it willdecide how you make important decisions in your life. It would be a very lonelylife.
Number two. You lose God's blessing. As Christians, wepossess God's blessing. But when we walk into a situation, disobeying God, welose His blessing. (Deuteronomy 11: 26-27) I personally would not want to walkinto any situation without the blessing of my heavenly Father, would you?
Number three. Your partner would not share in your eternallife. This is possibly one of the hardest things to face in life. When youbecome a Christian, you are promised an eternal home in Heaven with God, yourpartner however, is not. How hard would it be to go into marriage, knowing thatif your husband/wife died, he would go to Hell? In some cases, non-believerswho have married Christians have been converted during the marriage. However,there is still a huge possibility that they won't, plus it is still goingagainst what God wants.
Now, think about this in the context of dating. You maythink, hey, wait a minute here! Dating is not the same thing as marriage! Andyou're right, it's not. If though, you are a Christian, dating is not meant tobe something you do that's fun during high school, it is meant to help you findyour future mate.
Dating a non-Christian during high school, or college, or anytimein your life for that matter, is a very tricky thing to do. So many times,Christians have been blown off course by their non-believer boy/girlfriend.Dating a non-believer, in hopes of bringing them to Christ, often called"missionary dating," is sometimes a widely accepted thing amongstChristians. This, however can be a deadly serious thing to do.
It can bring about many consequences, many of which aresimilar to the ones in marriage. As a friend of mine has quoted, "Don'thold someone in your arms, that you could not hold in your heart." As yougo through whatever stage you are at in life, keep this in mind. If you want toplease God, and have good healthy relationships, remember God's guidelines, andmake sure that you can be held accountable for whatever relational decisionsyou make.
God bless!
March 15, 2012
Can Imagination Exist Without Inspiration?
GUEST POST by Amy Lignor
Throughout mylife, depending on the 'stage' I was in at the time, inspiration came from avariety of sources. Over the years I've been inspired by everything rangingfrom sunsets to puppies to Jane Austen (God bless her); to more intenseinspirations, like my daughter's first smile. At the age of nineteen she stillhas an incredible smile, and when she speaks about me to her friends and saysthat I am the 'coolest' and 'best mom in the world' she makes me lift off theground like I have wings attached to my back. It was the love of books,movies, and the love I have for that incredible smile that led me on anexciting - sometimes frightening - path. And without these things, myimagination could never have 'sparked.'
The baby was the challenge. That came with fear, doubt, and prayers galore thatI wouldn't screw up a human life that I loved this much. When they placedShelby in my arms for the first time I told her: "We're in this together."Without so much as a cry or a shudder, Shelby looked up at me, took in the fullpicture of this odd, sweaty person who was going to be her mother…and proceededto fall asleep. At nineteen she still looks at an oddly sweaty mother -especially after a day of pulling my hair out because this wholeFacebook/Twitter/Big Brother/Cell phone craze is driving me nuts - and sends methat encouraging smile. Of course, now it comes with words like: "I'm so proudof you, Mom." After which, she still goes to sleep. (Although now it's at 1:00am because of those demonic cell phones that allow her friends to text in themiddle of the bloody night.)
The thought for Until Next Time first came to me during the period in myown life where I was a teen who still wasn't quite sure if I was going to makeit. I was bullied about being overweight, I was tired of it all, and I turnedto books and movies for a way out. I didn't have a Harry Potter (which was ashame), but I did have the wonderful John Hughes' movies to tell me that I wasokay. I could be the geek, prom queen, basket case, criminal, or jock -and everything was just fine. In fact, "The Breakfast Club" is something Ipassed down to my own daughter so she'd know that all of the above was allright.
It was during this confusing time period that I remember questioning 'angelic'beings. Why would they possibly want to come down here? What would they end upbecoming if they were one of us? Angels were obviously stronger, but what ifall these human emotions we have just got to them and they went home and said:"Those guys down there are way too messed up!" (I wouldn't have blamedthem).
In Until Next Time, Emily and Matt are a great deal like our belovedchildren - they want freedom. They are angels who've been trained to embark onjourneys to protect, defend, or destroy. But they are also teens 'out of thehouse,' so to speak, for the first time. When I saw the trends moving towardthe 'winged ones' in the literary world, I thought it was time for Emily andMatt to join us. It's not about religion, or belief vs. non-belief, Emily andMatt are all about being young and trying to figure out what the nextstep is going to be; and how to keep their faith in each other while they standin a world that's trying to rip them apart.
My daughter's eyes, and my own teenage ones that stared back at me from themirror long ago, blended together to create the adventures of Emily and Matt.And they inspire me to continue their story each and every day.
In the end, whether it's a child, sunset, or puppy, I hope all writersand readers can take what they see, hear and feel to heart, so they can enjoythe paths they eventually choose. Because without that inspiration, I justdon't believe that imagination would have the slightest chance of survival!
Until Next Time, Everybody.
Amy
Click HERE for Amy's Blog The Write Companion,andHERE for Amy's blog and to buy UNTIL NEXT TIME.
Throughout mylife, depending on the 'stage' I was in at the time, inspiration came from avariety of sources. Over the years I've been inspired by everything rangingfrom sunsets to puppies to Jane Austen (God bless her); to more intenseinspirations, like my daughter's first smile. At the age of nineteen she stillhas an incredible smile, and when she speaks about me to her friends and saysthat I am the 'coolest' and 'best mom in the world' she makes me lift off theground like I have wings attached to my back. It was the love of books,movies, and the love I have for that incredible smile that led me on anexciting - sometimes frightening - path. And without these things, myimagination could never have 'sparked.'The baby was the challenge. That came with fear, doubt, and prayers galore thatI wouldn't screw up a human life that I loved this much. When they placedShelby in my arms for the first time I told her: "We're in this together."Without so much as a cry or a shudder, Shelby looked up at me, took in the fullpicture of this odd, sweaty person who was going to be her mother…and proceededto fall asleep. At nineteen she still looks at an oddly sweaty mother -especially after a day of pulling my hair out because this wholeFacebook/Twitter/Big Brother/Cell phone craze is driving me nuts - and sends methat encouraging smile. Of course, now it comes with words like: "I'm so proudof you, Mom." After which, she still goes to sleep. (Although now it's at 1:00am because of those demonic cell phones that allow her friends to text in themiddle of the bloody night.)
The thought for Until Next Time first came to me during the period in myown life where I was a teen who still wasn't quite sure if I was going to makeit. I was bullied about being overweight, I was tired of it all, and I turnedto books and movies for a way out. I didn't have a Harry Potter (which was ashame), but I did have the wonderful John Hughes' movies to tell me that I wasokay. I could be the geek, prom queen, basket case, criminal, or jock -and everything was just fine. In fact, "The Breakfast Club" is something Ipassed down to my own daughter so she'd know that all of the above was allright.
It was during this confusing time period that I remember questioning 'angelic'beings. Why would they possibly want to come down here? What would they end upbecoming if they were one of us? Angels were obviously stronger, but what ifall these human emotions we have just got to them and they went home and said:"Those guys down there are way too messed up!" (I wouldn't have blamedthem).
In Until Next Time, Emily and Matt are a great deal like our belovedchildren - they want freedom. They are angels who've been trained to embark onjourneys to protect, defend, or destroy. But they are also teens 'out of thehouse,' so to speak, for the first time. When I saw the trends moving towardthe 'winged ones' in the literary world, I thought it was time for Emily andMatt to join us. It's not about religion, or belief vs. non-belief, Emily andMatt are all about being young and trying to figure out what the nextstep is going to be; and how to keep their faith in each other while they standin a world that's trying to rip them apart.
My daughter's eyes, and my own teenage ones that stared back at me from themirror long ago, blended together to create the adventures of Emily and Matt.And they inspire me to continue their story each and every day.
In the end, whether it's a child, sunset, or puppy, I hope all writersand readers can take what they see, hear and feel to heart, so they can enjoythe paths they eventually choose. Because without that inspiration, I justdon't believe that imagination would have the slightest chance of survival!
Until Next Time, Everybody.
Amy
Click HERE for Amy's Blog The Write Companion,andHERE for Amy's blog and to buy UNTIL NEXT TIME.
March 5, 2012
My new Christian Romance book!
My new Kindle book,
By His Grace
, the first in The Morgan Brothers series, is now out on Amazon.
CHRISTIAN ROMANCE
Book ONE of The Morgan Brothers series
254 printed pages
Grace Elliot, under the advice of a family friend, broke her engagement to Daniel Morgan four years earlier as she did not want to be the wife of a Pastor. Now she has returned home to southern California from England due to her father's illness and intends to avoid Daniel at all costs. This proves to be more difficult than she thought, and his attempts to speak to Grace are thwarted by the beautiful Courtney. The dubious Jason Highfield is added to the mix. By His Grace is a sweet romance.
Look for BOOK TWO: Caroline's Gift, coming April 2012; BOOK THREE, That Which Is Secret, coming 2012; BOOK FOUR: A Mustard Seed, coming 2012.
CHRISTIAN ROMANCE
Book ONE of The Morgan Brothers series
254 printed pages
Grace Elliot, under the advice of a family friend, broke her engagement to Daniel Morgan four years earlier as she did not want to be the wife of a Pastor. Now she has returned home to southern California from England due to her father's illness and intends to avoid Daniel at all costs. This proves to be more difficult than she thought, and his attempts to speak to Grace are thwarted by the beautiful Courtney. The dubious Jason Highfield is added to the mix. By His Grace is a sweet romance.
Look for BOOK TWO: Caroline's Gift, coming April 2012; BOOK THREE, That Which Is Secret, coming 2012; BOOK FOUR: A Mustard Seed, coming 2012.
