Sandra Byrd's Blog, page 26

The Master's Wall

The Master's Wall by Sandi Rog is an engrossing blend of biblical fiction and romance; this faith-challenging read will both inspire you and cause you to think carefully about the times portrayed – and the times we live in now. For these words, the book's scriptural backbone, have perhaps never been more true than they are today:

"Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth: I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a man's enemies will be the members of his household." Jesus Christ

About the Book:

HE FIGHTS FOR HIS FREEDOM. SHE FIGHTS FOR HER LIFE. TOGETHER, THEY FIGHT FOR EACH OTHER. After watching Roman soldiers drag his parents away to their death, David, a young Hebrew, is sold and enslaved to serve at a villa outside of Rome. As David trains to become a skilled fighter, he works hard to please his master and hopes to earn his freedom. However, an opportunity to escape tempts him with its whispering call. Freedom beckons, but invisible chains hold him captive to the master's granddaughter, an innocent girl with a fiery spirit. David vows to protect Alethea from his master, the murderous patriarch, and contrives a daring plan—sacrifice his own life to save hers.

What Others Say:

"It's a grand thing to find an intriguing story told by a talented storyteller, and that's just what we have in The Master's Wall by Sandi Rog. This story has it all: ancient Rome, authentically depicted; a hero worth rooting for; and a feisty, charming heroine—all flowing through a rousting tale beautifully spun. Rog—and every reader—has a winner with this one."  ROBERT LIPARULO

"Powerful, faith-challenging, epic in nature, The Master's Wall beckons readers to ancient Rome where Sandi Rog delivers a captivating story that transforms lives––and not only those of her characters. Highly recommended!" TAMERA ALEXANDER, bestselling author of Within My Heart (Bethany House Publishers) and The Inheritance (Women of Faith Fiction, Thomas Nelson)

". . . If you love gladiator scenes—you'll love this book. If you enjoy coming-of-age stories, you'll enjoy Alethea's journey from girlhood to adult. If you thrive on romances, the sweet love story will grasp your heart. A must read for all the right reasons. "

DARLENE FRANKLIN, The Prodigal Patriot

Author Sandi Rog is currently fighting cancer and her publisher has generously agreed to donate $1 in addition to her normal royalties to blunt the cost of her care. Please purchase the book at amazon.com, cbd.com, or ask your local bookstore to order it for you.

No More Christian Nice Girl

A number of years ago, the Lord shared with me that "nice" is not a fruit of the Spirit.  It's really a way to look good to others, have them praise you for accommodating them, and  perhaps a cowardly way to avoid  conflict. I had asked Him to make people be as "nice" to me as I felt I had been to them. He asked me to grow a backbone. Being "nice" doesn't always lead to more love – as we'd been misled to believe. You'll find out people's true feelings toward you when you politely refuse to oblige unrealistic or unwanted demands. As the authors say, "If you cultivate close relationships with people who want what they want, when they want it ,and how they want it, even if having what they want damages you, you will harvest truckloads of trouble such as being lied to, taken advantage of, and disrespected."

This courageous book, by Paul Coughlin and Jennifer D. Degler, PhD,  shows women how to follow Jesus rather than society's rules, how to differentiate between that which hurts and that which harms, and is frank about the challenges women will face as they begin to assert the truth in love and establish healthy boundaries.  A helpful chart of Jesus' words and actions is included at the back of the book.

Chapters cover nice vs. good, harmful childhood experiences, social and cultural pressures, and the "one sided Jesus."  I really enjoyed the chapters on marriage, and families and friends.  The authors categorize people as either: spiritually mature, "getting there"  or immature.  They gently warn against filling your life with many of the latter, and especially against the "fool's game of expecting that you can change the immature." You can only change yourself.  And you must. It's not a book about bashing others, it's a book about learning to mature yourself, take your lumps when you need to and grow up, and sometimes, away.

In  the end they show how being good, and courageous, is really following Christ's model which in the end leads to the abundant life He promised, rich in the real fruit of the Spirit.

Amen.

A Prairie Christmas Collection

I loved Robin Jones Gunn's Father Christmas books, and was sad when there were no new installments. So imagine my delight to find a new Christmas book by a wonderful collection of authors to share this year.  Just in time to set the holiday mood.

A Prairie Christmas Collection

from Barbour Books

by Tracie Peterson, Deborah Raney, Tracey Bateman, and other favorite Christian authors

Settling the vast open prairies, weathering winter storms, and finding joy to celebrate during Christmas epitomizes the pioneer experience. In a unique collection of nine Christmas romances, Barbour Publishing brings readers A Prairie Christmas Collection where they can relive a prairie Christmas with all its challenge and delights as penned by multi-published authors, including Tracie Peterson and Deborah Raney. Featuring deckled-edge pages and a foil-stamped cover with fold-under flaps, the collection makes an ideal gift for the romance reader.

In this holiday romance collection, the warmth of Christmas will radiate new love from the high plains of Minnesota and Dakota Territory, across the rolling hills of Nebraska, Iowa, and Illinois, and down into the flats of Kansas. Filled with inspiration and faith, each story will become a treasure to be enjoyed again each year. Along with Peterson and Raney, other contributing authors include Tracey Bateman, Pamela Griffin, JoAnn A. Grote, Maryn Langer, Darlene Mindrup, Janet Spaeth and Jill Stengl.

For more information see Deborah Raney's website at www.deborahraney.com.

Available in bookstores everywhere, or order online at CBD.com, amazon.com or other bookstores online.

The Healer's Apprentice

Because I write YA and tween books, people often ask me for recommendations. I'm delighted, therefore, to introduce you to a new author, Melanie Dickerson, and her charming novel, The Healer's Apprentice.  Here's the synopsis from her publisher, Zondervan:

In author Melanie Dickerson's new book, a young healer's apprentice named Rose believes she will never marry … until she meets Lord Hamlin, the future ruler of her village. Hamlin is everything she could ever want—kind, understanding, and a man of faith—but her low station and the fact he's already betrothed to a mysterious woman makes their romance impossible. As Lord Hamlin seeks to find the sorcerer who cursed his future bride, Rose's life spins toward confusion. A creative retelling of the classic Sleeping Beauty tale.

When I write for tweens and teens, I am always curious and hopeful about what the adult readers/parents/grandparents think, but I'm most concerned with meeting the reading desires of my intended audience. I therefore had my 16-year-old daughter read this. Here's what she, a normally critical reader, had to say:

"A new angle on a classic fairy tale, The Healer's Apprentice was a charming romance infused with spirituality and struggle. The setting was delightful and so were the characters, who were easy to fall in love with. A wonderful read for anybody wishing to get away for awhile. The only problem now is that I want to marry a prince."

Do yourself a favor and pick one up for a girl you know. Just don't be surprised if you are tempted to read it first!

Legacy of Lies

Enjoy a suspense-filled mystery courtesy of my friend Jill Elizabeth Nelson …

Secrets Buried Deep!

Evidence from a decades-old murder is the last thing Nicole Keller-Mattson expected to find in her grandmother's back yard, but the finger-pointing and accusations leveled at her family came as no surprise. Everyone in Ellington is eager to blame the Kellers—but after an attack leaves Nicole's grandmother in a coma, only Nicole can clear the family name. With the assistance of police chief Rich Hendricks, she stands a chance of solving the mystery . . . if she's willing to accept Rich's help. Nicole lost her policeman husband in the line of duty—getting close to another cop is too painful. But keeping her distance could be deadly.

WORDS FROM THE AUTHOR ABOUT LEGACY OF LIES:

I've always been fascinated by social dynamics in a small town. Having lived in rural communities all my life, I'm intimately familiar with the unique politics involved. Crafting a story about the shadow cast over a town by its founding family came readily to me. I was particularly interested to explore the affect past sins and secrets can have on a tight-knit community and how the illusion of power is always trumped by the immutable laws of God. We do reap what we sow, no matter how grand and invincible we imagine ourselves to be.

The scripture I used at the front of the book was Psalm 37: 10 – 11 from the NIV version of the Bible: A little while and the wicked will be no more; Though you look for them, they will not be found. But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace. I comfort myself with these words quite often when I see the injustices in the world.

Find it on Amazon.com >

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Jill Elizabeth Nelson writes what she likes to read—tales of adventure seasoned with romance, humor, and faith, earning her the tagline: Endless Adventure, Timeless Truth. She was delightfully astonished this year to receive the prestigious Carol Award in the Short Contemporary Suspense category for her 2009 release, Evidence of Murder. Jill speaks regularly at conferences, writer's groups, library associations, and civic and church groups. When teaching classes for writers, she thrills to bring the Ahah! moment to her students as they make a new skill their own. Jill and her husband live in rural Minnesota where they raised four children and are currently enjoying their first grandchild. Visit Jill on the web at www.jillelizabethnelson.com for book giveaways, excerpts, and information.

Learning to Trust

With the release of the movie Secretariat, there's never been a better time to look at the beauty of horses. But who could have guessed that they would teach us about ourselves, and about God? The gifted Brittany Valentine shares her poignant insight.

I still remember the moment when I first saw him. He was everything I had ever dreamed of. He was tall, well muscled, and had a red coat that rivaled the brightest flame. I was sure that I would never again, in my lifetime; see such a fine horse at such a price. I brought him home and marveled at how easily he unloaded from the trailer and entered into his new pen. There was no balking, no fear at the strange new sights and sounds; in fact, he seemed to be enjoying this new adventure.

Then it happened. As I was petting him in the field, I reached up to rub between his ears. Strider's gentle, brown eyes widened, his nostrils flared, and he began to rear. Terrified, I leapt back; barely escaping his flailing hooves. By the time he settled down, we were both terrified and Strider immediately lowered his head, burying it into my chest.

Why had a seemingly gentle and loving horse reacted in such a dangerous way? Fear. I later found that Strider's previous owners had twisted his ears and bent them forward, forcing his head down into the bridle. Instead of being effective, their heavy handed methods had turned Strider into an extremely head-shy horse. I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't a little disheartened at this point. Earning the trust of an animal that has been abused is a very difficult, if not impossible, task. What if he never trusted me?

The next morning and every morning after that for the next several months, I went out into the field with him. If I knew one thing for sure, it was this: his fears hadn't been formed in one day and his trust wasn't going to be earned in one either. Instead of rushing things, I would just love on him: petting him, talking to him, getting to know him. Strider proved very receptive to my attention, even breaking from the herd when he saw me coming. He wanted my company, though my other horses only came for treats. Very slowly I began to work my petting up his neck and closer to his ears. At first he would jerk his head up and look down at me with fear radiating out of those big, brown eyes of his. But he was no longer rearing and I counted this as progress. I used the yielding and release method as I worked with him. As soon as he yielded to my touch by relaxing his head and body; I would immediately withdraw my hands to a location that he wasn't afraid of. With this knowledge Strider began to yield more and more quickly because he knew that as soon as he did, I would release. I now moved my hands all the way up to his ears. At first this was a real struggle, for no matter how much he enjoyed our time together, he still had that same, paralyzing fear. But I was patient and it really wasn't long before he let me, not only touch his ears, but bend them forward as I would do when it came time to bridle him. This kind of trust took time and wisdom to build and it wasn't at all an easy task. The more I asked of Strider, the more he had to yield and yielding was a decision that I couldn't force him into. He had to take ownership of his part in order for us to make any progress. In the end, because I was willing to release him and because he was willing to yield to produce that release; we were able to build a lasting trust.

God taught me that our relationship, His and mine, is like this. When the Lord purchases us out of our old way of life, we sometimes still carry fears from our past. In order to overcome these fears and build a trusting relationship, we must yield to the Lord's touch.

How do we yield to His touch? We do this by relaxing our hold on our fears, by surrendering them completely to Him. The more we get to know the Savior who purchased us, not with mere money, but with His own blood; the more we will be willing to yield our lives to His gentle touch. There will never be a time in our lives when the Lord is not asking us to yield something, as a matter of fact; the Lord requires that we surrender everything. Do our lives reflect this sort of trust-filled surrender? I know it's difficult to trust sometimes, especially when all we can see is the thing that's taken us captive but this is where we must change our focus. The only way to do this is to trustingly take our eyes off of our fears and look to Him.

"Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light." (Matt. 11:29)KJV

Facelift

Looking for a fresh and funny read? Leanna Ellis has a new take on things. No botox shots required!

A 'can do' kind of woman runs her own business, raises her teenage daughter, and takes care of her ex-mother-in-law after a botched facelift. But Kaye learns a facelift is more than skin deep. Joy is more than tacking on a happy face. It's relying on her sovereign God who has a plan for her life.

About the author:

Winner of the National Readers Choice Award, Leanna Ellis writes women's fiction and is known for her quirky characters and wacky plots as in her current novel, FACELIFT. But don't let the quirkiness fool you, Ellis probes the heart and plucks at the heartstrings. In 2011 FORSAKEN, the first of an Amish/vampire series, will debut. Now that is wacky!

Amazon Purchase Link:

http://www.amazon.com/Facelift-Novel-Leanna-Ellis/dp/0805449892/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1287421547&sr=8-4

Excerpt Link:

http://leannaellis.com/facelift.html

Author website and blog:

www.leannaellis.com

www.leannaellis.com/news/

Crash. Really!

A funny, and thought-provoking, devotional by a talented young writer friend named Elizabeth Veldbloom. Remember the name, I'm sure you'll see her in print elsewhere!

Crash

By Elizabeth Veldboom

It was a 2000 Ford Taurus in mint condition, complete with iPod hookup; it ran well and only had 60,000 miles on it. My first car. Not a scratch or dent could be seen on its shiny white surface. That is, until I crashed into my niece's playhouse.

It was the day after buying it and I couldn't wait to drive. Unfortunately, that same day I was also running late for work. New to the car, I was still kind of trying to learn my way around. My mind was really only focused on one thing: get to work. I shifted to drive and hit the gas. Startled, I realized that I was going forward: straight for my niece's playhouse. I had meant to put it in reverse!

I panicked and froze. What should I do? Change direction? Shift from drive to reverse? Before I could decide, I witnessed the little pink playhouse crumple in on itself and heard a terrible grinding underneath my car. Finally, the impulse hit me: brake.

I got out of the car slowly, dreading what I was going to find. A little house shook off its foundations. My niece's plastic wagon half demolished. And a nice, new dent on my nice, new car.

Really? The day after I had bought it, and I'd already crashed it?

Life can be like crashing a car. We have moments where we desperately want to hit reverse and go back and change what we did. What made it worse was that I'd known better. I am not a reckless or stupid driver, I just made a dumb mistake! You hit reverse to back out, drive to go forward. And I knew that. But somehow, I'd still made the mistake. And it cost me.

Even when we know better, we still make dumb mistakes in life. We knew better than to tell that lie, to break that promise, or to hurt that person. After starting a life with God, we long to change our old, sinful natures to honor him with our lives. So we make a commitment to watch our mouths tomorrow, to stop being jealous, or to keep our thoughts from straying where they shouldn't, only to crash the very next day.

Really? Only the day after deciding to start anew and we've already crashed?

The Apostle Paul described it this way: "The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin. I don't really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don't do it. Instead, I do what I hate."  (Romans 7:15)

The only thing I wanted to do after my crash was never get into a car again. But as anyone will tell you, you can't live life without driving. Neither can you live life without making some mistakes. You just have to get back at it.

The way my dad reacted to me crashing my brand new car was the only good thing about the incident. He quickly and graciously forgave me, telling me he was glad that it had been at home in the driveway and not out on the highway. And then he encouraged me to get back on the road.

Our Heavenly Father isn't any different. He is quick to forgive, gracious, and loving. We may make the same mistake over and over again, but we may take comfort in the fact that he will never give up on us.

It may not be possible to hit reverse, but at least we can remember which gear not to shift into the next time.

The Perfect Blend

Whether you prefer Earl Grey, English Breakfast, or a Rooibos, may I suggest a delightful book to enjoy with your favorite tea this week? Read on to find out more about The Perfect Blend by my friend Trish Perry.

About the Book:

Steph Vandergrift left everything to elope with Middleburg attorney Rick Manfred, who then stood her up at the altar. Too embarrassed to return home, Steph hopes to earn enough to get by until she can decide what to do next. Tea Shop owner Milly Jewel hires her and appreciates the extra help at the tea shop. Also appreciative of Steph is Kendall James, one of the kindest, most eligible bachelors in the area. But by the time Steph feels able to consider dating again, her run-away fiancé returns and tries to win her back. Steph is wary, but she and Rick always blended so well. Christie Burnham, the frank-talking equestrian from whom Steph rents a room, and her frillier sister Liz become fast friends and confidantes to Steph. Between the two sisters, there isn't much any man is going to pull over on Middleburg's newest bachelorette and tea shop employee.

About Trish

Award-winning novelist Trish Perry has written The Perfect Blend (2010), Sunset Beach (2009), Beach Dreams (2008), Too Good to Be True (2007), and The Guy I'm Not Dating (2006), all for Harvest House Publishers. Her monthly column, "Real Life is Stranger," appeared in Christian Fiction Online Magazine during its inaugural year. She was editor of Ink and the Spirit, the newsletter of Washington D.C.'s Capital Christian Writers organization (CCW), for seven years. Before her novels, Perry published numerous short stories, essays, devotionals, and poetry in Christian and general market media. She will release several new books in 2011.

www.trishperry.com

Letters in the Attic

If you'd like an enjoyable way to spend a rainy day this week, may I suggest Letters in the Attic?

Letters in the Attic

by DeAnna Julie Dodson

Up in her grandmother's attic in Stony Point, Maine, Annie Dawson finds a stack of old letters from her childhood friend Susan Morris. Annie remembers Susan fondly and would like to get back in touch, but nobody seems to know what's become of her. Her friends at The Hook and Needle Club aren't much help either. All they remember is that Susan left town more than twenty years ago to marry a very wealthy man, but none of them is quite sure who he was. And Annie can find no record of any marriage.

The more Annie searches, the more she begins to wonder if something has happened to Susan. Something bad.

About DeAnna Julie Dodson



DeAnna Julie Dodson is the author of In Honor Bound, By Love Redeemed and To Grace Surrendered, a trilogy of medieval romances, and Letters in the Attic, a contemporary mystery in the Annie's Attic series. She is currently working on The Drew Farthering Mysteries, a new series of books set in 1930s England. A graduate of the University of Texas at Dallas, she currently lives in North Texas with four spoiled cats and, when not writing, enjoys quilting, cross stitch and NHL hockey.

Website:  http://www.deannajuliedodson.com

Blog:  http://www.deannajuliedodson.com/blog/

Purchase Letters in the Attic:  http://www.anniesmysteries.com