Janet Sketchley's Blog: Tenacity, page 64
June 13, 2016
Review: Unforgotten, by Kristen Heitzmann
Unforgotten, by Kristen Heitzmann (Bethany House, 2005)
Lance Michelli’s family is living the generational effects of past tragedy. He can’t stop comparing himself to his perfect brother, Tony, who died in 9-11. And in trying to bring closure to his beloved Nonna Antonia for the trauma of her youth, it seems he’s only made things worse.
This is the second in a series, and in book one, Secrets, Antonia sent Lance to her girlhood home on a mission. Unforgotten leads Lance and the woman he loves...
June 10, 2016
New Bonus eBook
Because it’s short, and because it collects all the bonus features you could read here on the site if you took time to find them, my intent is to make this ebook free. At present it’s free for Kobo, Nook, but only free for Kindle in the US. Elsewhere for Kindle it’s 99 cents USD, which is the lowest they’ll let me set it. Kindle readers outside the US, I’ve tried my best to convince Amazon to match the free price, with no success. 
June 8, 2016
Contentment’s Secret
I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.
Philippians 4:12, NIV*
Paul goes on to say that his secret is to rely on Christ’s strength (verse 13), a verse many of us have memorized. He trusts that God is enough in the moment, and he doesn’t waste mental energy with what-ifs.
Our guest speaker on Sunday challenged us that anxiety c...
June 6, 2016
Review: Vain Empires, by Brandilyn Collins
Vain Empires, by Brandilyn Collins (Challow Press, 2016)
Seven deadly sins. Six people in a remote island mansion. One reality show.
One of the six contestants will win their dream prize, valued at up to $10 million. All they have to do is discover which sin each of their competitors represents – and decide if they themselves represent one too. To help in the discovery? Clues are revealed – and broadcast worldwide. Clues that may destroy each one on the island.
It’s interesting to watch the c...
June 3, 2016
I Can Does Not Mean I Should
Oo, shiny!
That’s how I often feel when I hear of a new opportunity. You too?
I have what I refer to as the Butterfly Syndrome. I love to flit from one thing to the next to the next and then back to the first thing. While I don’t think it will ever be my approach, I do admire people who are able to stick with a single task until it is completed before moving on to the next. There are definite advantages to this approach.
But since I have sever...
June 1, 2016
Opportunity and Adventure
As for Philip, an angel of the Lord said to him, “Go south down the desert road that runs from Jerusalem to Gaza.”
Acts 8:26, NLT*
The Book of Acts reads like a series of adventures. Here, Philip had been preaching in Samaria (Acts 8:5-25). Many people had come to know the Lord, so Peter and John came from Jerusalem to see what was happening. Their involvement continued God’s work, and that seems to be the end of Philip’s role there, although looking on, we could assume there was plenty mor...
May 30, 2016
Review: The Serenity Stone Murder, by Marianne Jones
The Serenity Stone Murder, by Marianne Jones (Split Tree Publishing, 2014)
When Margaret reluctantly accompanies her friend Louise to a spiritually questionable retreat for artists, she’s hoping for a bit of a break from small-town boredom. The friends get more than they’d bargained for just finding accommodations… and then there’s the murder.
This cozy mystery takes place in Thunder Bay, Ontario, and the author does an excellent job of bringing the setting to life. It feels natural and real,...
May 25, 2016
Little Idols
In the book of the prophets it is written,
‘Was it to me you were bringing sacrifices and offerings
during those forty years in the wilderness, Israel?’
Acts 7:42b, NLT*
You’d think faith would have been easier for the Israelites during their wilderness wanderings. They ate the manna: daily evidence of God’s care. Their shoes and clothing didn’t wear out. They were led by God’s pillar of fire and cloud. They carried with them the Tabernacle where their Moses, talked to God directly.
Yet Act...
May 23, 2016
Review: Sins of the Past, by Dee Henderson, Dani Pettrey, and Lynette Eason
Sins of the Past, by Dee Henderson, Dani Pettrey and Lynette Eason (Bethany House, 2016)
Three romantic suspense novellas in one book, from three of the top Christian writers in the genre: Sins of the Past delivers shorter, but still satisfying, reads.
Stories feature a cop whose mother has gone missing, a competitive swimmer who may be a killer’s next target, and a paramedic who’s in danger because of an accident she can’t remember. In each case, the present crisis comes from something that...
May 18, 2016
Finding Courage in God
And David was greatly distressed; for the people spoke of stoning him, because all the people were bitter in soul, each for his sons and daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.
1 Samuel 30:6, RSV*
The King James Version says “David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.” While David (not yet crowned king) and his men were away on a mission, enemies had sacked their town and taken captive all the women and children. No wonder he was “distressed”!
But he found courage...
