Lisa Buffaloe's Blog, page 2

Be brave and courageous

Pain, suffering, health challenges, bad news, heartache, divisiveness, and evil are all around us. I could list many personal issues we are currently facing, and we do need prayer; however, I also need the truth of how to live and make it through difficult times.

Early Christians were persecuted, killed, tortured, and driven from their homes, yet they continued to tell others of the Good News of Jesus Christ. Paul went through incredible hardship and yet continued to preach and tell others about Christ. Paul even wrote many encouraging letters while chained in prison. Today, people are suffering in terrible ways, yet continue to share the hope of Jesus Christ and His saving grace. Regardless of what they faced, they kept their focus on spreading the Good News about Jesus Christ. Let’s do the same.

Jesus said, ���Peace I leave with you; My [perfect] peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be afraid. [Let My perfect peace calm you in every circumstance and give you courage and strength for every challenge.] ������in Me you may have [perfect] peace. In the world you have tribulation and distress and suffering, but be courageous [be confident, be undaunted, be filled with joy]; I have overcome the world.��� [My conquest is accomplished, My victory abiding.] (John 14:27, John 16:33, AMP).

Therefore, ���Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.��� (Deuteronomy 31:6, NKJV).

���Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.��� (Joshua 1:9, NKJV).

���Therefore see that you walk carefully [living life with honor, purpose, and courage; shunning those who tolerate and enable evil], not as the unwise, but as wise [sensible, intelligent, discerning people], making the very most of your time [on earth, recognizing and taking advantage of each opportunity and using it with wisdom and diligence], because the days are [filled with] evil��� (Ephesians 5:15-16, AMP). ���Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. Let all that you do be done with love.��� (1 Corinthians 16:13-14, NKJV)

���Make my joy complete by being of the same mind, having the same love [toward one another], knit together in spirit, intent on one purpose [and living a life that reflects your faith and spreads the gospel���the good news regarding salvation through faith in Christ].��� (Philippians 2:2, AMP).

Life is hard, but God is always good, and His Son, Jesus Christ, is the Savior of the world offering forgiveness, grace, mercy, and His unending peace. Whatever you face, be brave and courageous and continue to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ.

 

The post, Be Brave and Courageous, first appeared on https://lisabuffaloe.com

A New Paige – Lisa’s latest release!

I’m thrilled to announce my latest release is now available.

As my first-fruit offering to the Lord the eBook is #FREE on #Amazon 12/19 – 12/24 –>�� https://amzn.to/49IoXZn

Download a free copy and join Paige and Quinn for romance, rediscovered faith, and laugh-out-loud fun .

A New Paige

Sometimes, when you think you���re running away, you find you���re running to God���s perfect plan.

For six years, Paige Clark dated the man she thought she���d marry. Instead, Devin had left her with regrets and a heartache her medical degree could never mend. When Paige was invited to join her favorite employer as he moved his practice to Crawdad Beach, she jumped at the opportunity to leave behind unwanted memories.

Quinn Young had not yet gotten over an unexpected life change when a great-aunt he barely knew passed away and left him her house and a cat to beat all cats, Sir Purrcevel. The last place Quinn thought he���d find himself was in the small town of Crawdad Beach. However, his choices were limited. Either move to his late aunt���s house for six months and care for her cat or forfeit his inheritance.

Paige and Quinn aren���t looking for companionship, but when a massive, mischievous cat causes their lives to intersect, a fun friendship forms. As romantic sparks fly, will their respective pasts keep them from new opportunities and second chances, or will they find a love that lasts forever?

Book 8 of the Crawdad Beach Series. (Can be read as a standalone)��

 

A new cover for Prodigal Nights

Hi, friends!

I’ve hired the fabulous JoAnn Durgin to make my recent book covers and rework a few of my older covers.

To celebrate the new cover for Prodigal Nights, the eBook on Amazon is free to purchase or read via Kindle Unlimited from 11/15/24 – 11/19/24. https://amzn.to/4hPFQVp

Although Prodigal Nights is part of the Hope and Grace Series, the novel can also be read as a standalone.

Can they find the grace they think they no longer deserve?

After a nasty divorce, Bethany Davis returned to college and lived up to the low standards set by the gossips.
Her dad���s stroke has now brought her home, but bodyguards, stalkers, and international secrets are the least of her problems.

Jason���s days of wild living are over, and he���s determined to prove to himself and God that he���s on the right path.
When Bethany steps into his office, he sees the girl of his dreams, but is she God���s gift or Satan���s temptress?

Join Bethany and Jason for a fun, fast-paced, wild ride straight to the heart of grace.

���I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist.
Return to me, for I have redeemed you.��� (Isaiah 44:22, NIV)

Prodigal Nights, 2011 Women of Faith Writing Contest Finalist

Order on Amazon –> https://amzn.to/3CDJoKi

Lisa’s latest release — Mia Lets Go

Mia Lets Go

Mystery writer Jim Petterson hadn���t planned on his line of work. He���d been reasonably content as a college professor, but after his wife left him for another man, he���d been ready for a change. In the middle of the night, the thought just came to him, and ten years ago, he jumped into a new career.

Now, he needed to figure out how to kill someone and make it look like an accident. He���d done this kind of thing many times before but needed new ideas, and his friend, Chester, promised he knew the perfect person to help.

With all Mia Burns had been through over the years, she was lucky her body continued to function. She���d been shot, stabbed, and beaten to a pulp. Being strong came in handy, and her multi-ethnic background allowed her to easily blend into most situations. However, now that she was older, the work that took her around the world was getting more difficult.

Mia’s close friends knew what she���d once done for a living, but she couldn���t risk that becoming common knowledge because, in Crawdad Beach, she���d found the home she���d never known.

Can Mia trust God enough to let go of her past and step into her future?

�� Book 7 of the Crawdad Beach Series.����

As my first-fruit offering to the Lord the eBook will be free on Amazon 10/25/24 – 10/29/24����Order on Amazon for #Free — https://amzn.to/4hnm43p

Lisa’s Latest Release – River Steps Free

River Sawyer belonged to no one and nowhere. With those thoughts, she fled the only home she���d ever known in her grandmother���s broken-down car. River hoped to make it to the ocean, but the vehicle had other ideas and gave its last shudder on a lonely, deserted road.

When a friendly couple picked her up and drove her to Crawdad Beach, River wasn���t sure if she���d entered the twilight zone or paradise. There was no way people could be this kind. Or could they?

Sammie Banks stayed busy working at Doohickeys Hardware Store, taking online college courses, and helping his parents on their farm during his off hours. His life was basically full and satisfying. However, something was missing. Or maybe it was someone.

Book 6 of the Crawdad Beach Series

As my first-fruit offering to the Lord,��

the #eBook will be #Free on #Amazon 09/29/24 – 10/03/24!��https://amzn.to/4ejj9Hd

 

 

Lisa’s Latest Release – Stella’s Heart Code

Stella���s Heart Code

Tormented for decades by a man who wanted her dead, Stella Nicely moved to Crawdad Beach and prayed that God would rescue her and give her a new life. An orphan, widow, and retired cybersecurity spy, she didn���t have many options other than trying to survive. She trusted God to protect her life, but could she trust Him to protect her heart?

Security specialist Wilder Templeton regretted much of his past. God had mercifully forgiven him and given him a new start. However, would Wilder be able to protect and convince the woman he had always loved that he was a changed man?

Book 5 of the Crawdad Beach Series.

As my first-fruit offering to the Lord, the eBook is free on Amazon 08/14/24 – 08/18/24 https://amzn.to/46GZnlX

��

 

Run Your Race

I���ve hesitated to respond regarding the opening at the Paris Olympics. I���ve gone through a myriad of emotions, from anger to sadness. I need to remember we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Yet God is good and always loving and continues reaching out to the lost through the nail-scarred hands of His Son, Jesus Christ. God calls people to come to His pure, holy, awesome, eternal love and grace.

Instead of complaining and grumbling about the evil around me, I need to share the good news that Jesus Christ died for a sinful world. I need to tell others about the joy Christ brings through His forgiveness, grace, and mercy. I also want to share with others what Jesus Christ has done for me, saving, cleansing, and making me His child, and how He can do the same for anyone who calls on His name.

For those who don���t know Christ as Savior, please ���repent [change your inner self���your old way of thinking, regret past sins] and return [to God���seek His purpose for your life], so that your sins may be wiped away [blotted out, completely erased], so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord [restoring you like a cool wind on a hot day. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.��� (Acts 3:19-20, AMP, John 3:16-17, ESV).

For those who know Christ as Savior, focus on Jesus, run your race you���ve been called to run and share the good news. ���Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.��� Therefore, ���lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.��� And let���s do as Jesus said: ���Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.��� (Hebrews 12:1-3, 1 Corinthians 9:24-25, Matthew 28:19-20, ESV).

 

 

 

Lisa’s Latest Release! — A Baker’s Heart

My new book baby is born!

Olivia Baker left behind her cheating boyfriend and her career as a pastry chef in one of the finest restaurants in Houston. Arriving in the quirky town of Crawdad Beach, Olivia is given the incredible gift of starting her own bakery and living a dream come true. Yet, gifts and blessings haven���t stopped Olivia’s anger at God or fixed her wounded heart.

Cybersecurity expert Marcus Patterson is grateful his job keeps him busy and out of trouble. However, his culinary incompetence puts him at risk when he hires the town���s new baker as his personal chef. Marcus knows how to stop a computer hacker, but he���s not sure he can handle the temptation Olivia brings.

Will their friendship cook up love or be a recipe for disaster?

As my first-fruit offering to the Lord the eBook will be #Free 07/06/24 – 07/10/24 at Amazon – https://amzn.to/3Ly0OJT

Book 4 of the Crawdad Beach series. Each book in the series can be read as a standalone.

Join Olivia and Marcus in the sweet, fun imaginary town of Crawdad Beach!

Don’t give up

I believe God has called me to do certain things, yet I thought my journey would be different, much easier, and loads of fun. I haven���t understood why some things have happened and why other things don���t happen. At times, I have not been full of faith and instead have wailed, whimpered, begged, pleaded, complained, whined, and basically acted like an out-of-control toddler. How grateful I am for our good, gracious, and very long-suffering, very merciful Heavenly Father.

We each have a calling on our lives. However, doing what God has called us to do is not an easy road, and the devil bombards us with doubts and tries to make us quit and walk away when life isn���t what we hoped or expected.

Rod Mattoon wrote ���If you believe you are wasting your time in living for God, you are heading for defeat. You are going to quit. On the other hand, if you will understand the truth that what you do for Christ has eternal value, and that He is using you, even though you may not see it, it will help you to be faithful. Our responsibility is to be faithful and obedient to Christ and leave the rest to Him. He will reward us for our steadfastness.���

Paul reminded us, ���Therefore, my beloved brothers and sisters, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord [always doing your best and doing more than is needed], being continually aware that your labor [even to the point of exhaustion] in the Lord is not futile nor wasted [it is never without purpose]��� (1 Corinthians 15:58, AMP).

Missionary Jack Scholes told the story of a carpenter building a cupboard. The man cut and prepared each board and drilled holes for the nails, then hammered each one in place and covered them with wood filling. When the project was complete, no nail could be seen. He asked, are we ���willing to be nails in the hands of the Master Carpenter? Would we grumble at the painful blows of the hammer, or would we remember that the hammer was held by the nail-pierced hands? ��� Remember, the Lord has only one purpose ultimately for each one of us, to make us more like Jesus. He is interested in your relationship with Himself. Let Him take you and mold you as He will; all the rest will take its rightful place.���

The journey is only part of the process. May we allow God to mold and conform us to the image of His precious Son, Jesus Christ.

J.R. Miller wrote, ���It requires much more courage to stand and wait and still not lose heart or lose hope, to submit to the will of God, to give up opportunities for work and leave honors to others, and to be quiet, confident, and rejoicing while the busy multitude goes happily along their way. The greatest life is: ���after you have done everything, to stand (Eph. 6:13)���.���

Therefore, don���t give up; be faithful, obedient, and steadfast, keep your focus on God, and continue working for the Lord. Do your best. Don���t lose heart or hope; be confident and stand firm, remembering that all you do for the Lord has a purposeful, eternal value.

The post, Don’t Give Up, first appeared on https://lisabuffaloe.com

Rod Mattoon, Treasures from the Scriptures��

Roseveare, Helen Dr., Give Me this Mountain, Christian Focus Publications, Scotland, UK,

Lisa’s latest release — Crystal’s Journey Home

Crystal���s Journey Home

Book 3 of the Crawdad Beach Series

Widowed for seven years, Crystal missed her family in Crawdad Beach, but she wouldn���t leave her twenty-three-year-old daughter, and Olivia probably wouldn���t leave Texas. Yet, Crystal���s life continued to bring unwelcome changes. Her neighborhood had gone downhill, her friends had moved, and she had been laid off from her job. Crystal was torn; the old hometown was calling to her, but could she let go and trust God for whatever came next on her journey?

Eric Reed lived in Crawdad Beach all of his life and had no desire to leave. He loved his job and the town, but his wife died two years ago, his daughters were away in college, and his life was getting lonelier every day. The thought of dating again terrified him. Maybe he just needed a dog.

Sometimes letting go is the only way to move forward.

As my first-fruit offering to the Lord, the e-Book will be free on Amazon 06/07/24 – 06/11/24
Click on the link and buy the e-Book for free! https://amzn.to/3yPWUJ6��

Click to order

“A sweet, gentle read. If you like Christian contemporary fiction you���ll enjoy this story with a mature couple and a sweet small town.��� ~ Patricia Carroll