Julie Arduini's Blog, page 106

COTT: A Worthy Heart by Susan Anne Mason Wins Clash

 

Let’s hear it for this week’s clash winner, A WORTHY HEART! Way to go,

Susan!

Here’s what her readers are saying:

Congrats to Susan Anne Mason, winner of A Worthy Heart.

A Worthy Heart by Susan Anne Mason is on the already at the top of my

TBR!!

 

Love love love Susan Mason books! Can’t wait for the next one!

Susan Anne Mason’s historical fiction has well developed stories and

fascinating characters. I hate it when they end!

On top of the beautiful stories in Susan Anne Mason’s Courage to Dream

series, they are also some of the most intriguing and gorgeous book covers.

I’m very excited to read the second book in this series.

As her readers know, there’s so much more to this book than an intriguing

blurb and a beautiful picture on the front. Let’s peek behind the cover and

learn a little more about it.


Susan, what was your inspiration for this book?

I guess the loose inspiration was the biblical story of the prodigal son.

Adam personifies the prodigal son who betrays his father with a life of sin

and returns home with nothing, willing to work at the lowest job in the

stables. Yet unlike the prodigal son in the Bible, Adam is not met with joy

from his father, but rather anger and distrust — which puts a whole new

spin on the story. And, of course, adds great conflict!

Talk about the theme. What can readers hope to learn from reading this

novel?
I believe the theme is worthiness. Adam struggles with feelings of

unworthiness because of his past mistakes. During his prison stay, the

prison chaplain rekindles Adam’s faith and allows him to believe he is a

worthy child of God. Even so, Adam’s main goal upon his release from prison

is to prove his worthiness to his mother and father in order to earn back

their respect. Once he meets Maggie, however, he longs to be worthy of her

heart, a goal that seems impossible given all the obstacles in their

way.

Interested? Here’s the full description:

The answer to Maggie Montgomery’s dream of seeing America has arrived at

just the right time. Not only will she be reunited with her beloved brother

Rylan, but she’ll finally be able to escape Neill Fitzgerald and his

increasingly unwanted attentions. She’s intent on never returning to

Ireland, hoping to build her future in the land of opportunity and perhaps

find the love of her life.

While visiting Irish Meadows, she meets an intriguing man she thinks is a

stable hand. Only when her brother demands she stay away from Adam O’Leary

does she learn he’s Rylan’s brother-in-law, recently released from prison.

Nonetheless, Maggie can’t seem to make her stubborn heart conform to her

brother’s request.

Adam O’Leary has never felt worthy of his place in the family. Now a free

man, Adam’s only desire is to earn back his family’s trust. Falling in love

with the newly arrived Maggie, however, was never in his plans. Despite

everyone’s efforts to keep them apart, the two develop a bond it seems

nothing can break–but they soon discover the past isn’t easy to

overcome.

[image error]
ABOUT SUSAN:

Susan Anne Mason describes her writing style as “romance sprinkled with

faith.” She loves incorporating inspirational messages of God’s

unconditional love and forgiveness into her characters’ journeys. A Worthy

Heart is her second historical novel in the Courage to Dream series. Irish

Meadows won the Fiction from the Heartland contest sponsored by the

Mid-American Romance Authors chapter of RWA.

Susan lives outside Toronto, Ontario, with her husband, two children, and

two cats. She loves red wine and chocolate, is not partial to snow even

though she’s Canadian, and is ecstatic on the rare occasions she has the

house to herself. In addition to writing, Susan likes to research her

family history on-line, and occasionally indulges in scrapbooking. Learn

more about Susan and her books at

www.susanannemason.com.

People can contact me through my website:

http://www.susanannemason.com/

Or my author page on Facebook:



https://www.facebook.com/susan.anne.mason.333/

Tags:  A Worthy Heart, authors, Clash of the Titles, COTT: A Worthy Heart by Susan Anne Mason Wins Clash, fiction, Julie Arduini, Susan Anne Mason




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 Valentine's Day Memories  Guest Blogger Jessica Dotta: Inspire a Fire through Media Change.org  Book Review: Undaunted Student Edition by Christine Caine  Trial and Error, Mostly Error  Book Review Revisited: Pulling Back the ShadesCopyright © Julie Arduini: Surrender Issues & Chocolate [COTT: A Worthy Heart by Susan Anne Mason Wins Clash], All Right Reserved. 2016.

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SURRENDER STORY: Tanya Eavenson Interviews Characters from RESTORED

Throughout this year I’m featuring posts from guest writers on surrender. It can be on basically anything, and you do NOT need to be an author. To sign up, click here (to post between now and March 31) and/or here (to post between April and June 30.)

Today, Tanya Eavenson interviews her characters for her novel, RESTORED. Thank you, Tanya!

What’s the most romantic thing Elizabeth has ever done for you, Steven?

 

Steven raised a brow, meeting Elizabeth’s gaze.

 

“You can tell her.” Elizabeth smiled. “I had a feeling Julie was going to ask.”

 

“My sweet wife planned a surprise trip to St. Michaels, Maryland, for us to stay at the Inn at Perry Cabin, but we never made it. Anna Mae came down with a fever. She had also planned a trip for us on a yacht, something I had wanted to do since our college days. It was the most thoughtful thing anyone had ever done for me.”

 

What’s the most romantic thing Steven’s ever done for you, Elizabeth?

 

“I couldn’t believe it, but a month later he surprised me by booking flights to Maryland. The view from the Inn at Perry Cabin was stunning, but what stole my breath was the candlelight dinner we shared on the yacht I previously rented.”

 

Do you both have a favorite song?

 

“Yes,” they said in unison. Steven grinned. “Elizabeth got me hooked on Oceans by Hillsong United. It resonated with me, dealing with my cancer. God allowed me to go through the unknown. I felt like I was sinking and my faith was shaken. I couldn’t see a future, but even in my doubt, the Lord remained by my side. He made Himself visible by sending Elizabeth back into my life.”

 

What simple gesture does Steven do that melts you every time?

 

Elizabeth looked down at their joint hands. “It’s this, entwining our fingers. His touch.”

 

How soon after meeting Elizabeth did you know she was the one?

 

“We were in college.” Steven glanced at Elizabeth and chuckled. “Do you remember when we played Zechariah and Elizabeth, how awkward we looked?”

 

Elizabeth smiled. “Oh yes, I was a sight with that pillow stuffed under my dress. I can’t even recall how many times it slid out of place. I delivered the pillow several times and even fell once. I don’t think I did John the Baptist’s mother justice.”

 

“You captivated me. I had been working up the nerve to speak with you when we were casted together. Later that year when Mike set us up on that double date with John and Nicole, I knew you were the one. I had fallen in love with you.”

 

Who said, “I love you” first, you, Elizabeth or Steven?

 

“Steven first told me he loved me when we were in college. Then many years later when God brought him back into my life, I was the first to say that I loved him.”

 

What is the most caring thing Elizabeth has ever done for you, Steven?

 

“Being there for me through my cancer.” Steven kissed Elizabeth’s hand. “It was her strength, her support, the love she showed me, even seeing her in prayer. She spent hours in the waiting room at the cancer center. Love is more than words, it’s shown in action.”

Tanya Eavenson interviews her characters from RESTORED.

About RESTORED:

Dr. Steven Moore is known nationally for saving lives. If only he could save his own. Unable to deal with his cancer prognosis, he retreats to a happier time in his past—to the woman who once stole his heart.

Four years after the death of her beloved husband, bookstore owner Elizabeth Roberts still struggles to sustain her faith and joy in the Lord as she raises her two sons. She strives to find a way through her family’s grief, never suspecting a man from her past might offer hope for her future.

But how can there be a future when he’s only come to kiss her and says good-bye?

Buy Links:

Amazon: http://ow.ly/YhprC

iTunes: https://itun.es/us/0XoMab.l

Barnes & Noble: http://ow.ly/YhpB1

~ Tanya Eavenson enjoys spending time with her husband, and their three children. Her favorite pastime is grabbing a cup of coffee, eating chocolate, and reading a good book. Tanya is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Word Weavers International, and writes for Christ to the World Ministries. You can find her at her website http://www.tanyaeavenson.com/ on Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Google, or on Amazon.

Tags:  author, cancer, characters, guest blogger, Hero, heroine, Julie Arduini, novel, surrender, Surrender Story, Surrender Story: Tanya Eavenson Interviews Characters from RESTORED, Tanya Eavenson




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 My Gift to Him by Cara Putman  Book Review: Rachel by Jill Eileen Smith  Book Review: NIV Bible for Teen Girls  SheSpeaks Product Review: Aveda Smooth Infusing Naturally Straight  DVD Review: Old FashionedCopyright © Julie Arduini: Surrender Issues & Chocolate [SURRENDER STORY: Tanya Eavenson Interviews Characters from RESTORED], All Right Reserved. 2016.

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Begin Prepping for Easter with Odyssey Adventure Club

Easter is right around the corner! It’s an exciting time of year for families, churches, and Christians everywhere as we remember the greatest story ever told: how God loved us so much He sacrificed His Son so we could spend eternity with Him. Take advantage of the Easter season to spend more time with your family investing in your kids’ faith.

To get you started, you can download a fun cutout to have a craft night with your family and to prepare them for Palm Sunday. Plus stop by this page for a slew of crafts, recipes, and stories to share with your family during this special time of year!

Let Odyssey Adventure Club help you prepare for Easter.

If you’re looking to take one more step in investing in your kids’ faith during the Easter season, consider signing your family up for the Odyssey Adventure Club (OAC). It offers safe and free content for everyone in your family. Membership to the OAC costs just $9.99 a month — or even less if parents make a six-month or one-year commitment. Enrollment provides more than enough content to keep kids engaged throughout the year:

Access to exclusive content and first looks at books and select Radio Theatre dramas.
On-the-go access to the OAC app for both iOS and Android users.
24/7 streaming access to nearly 800 AIO episodes.
A new, members-only AIO episode every month.
A subscription to Adventures in Odyssey Clubhouse Magazine, and more.

To learn more about the Odyssey Adventure Club, visit www.oaclub.org, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.

Tags:  Adventures in Odyssey, Begin Prepping for Easter with the Odyssey Adventure Club, Easter, Easter craft for kids, family, Jesus, Julie Arduini, OAC, Palm Sunday, Whit's End




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 When Obedience is Hard by Jennifer Slattery  Sabbath Sunday: Swampy Yard  Book Review: Lady Blues: Forget-Me-Not by Aaron Paul Lazar  Book Review: Be the Blessing by Paula Mowery  Thankful for Life by Eleanor GustafsonCopyright © Julie Arduini: Surrender Issues & Chocolate [Begin Prepping for Easter with Odyssey Adventure Club], All Right Reserved. 2016.

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Book Review: Original Design by Denise Buss

Book Description:

Original Design by Denise Buss

You can’t simultaneously be who God created you to be and the person Satan molded you into.

We are perfectly designed by God. He drafts our blueprint with distinct characteristics, traits, gifts, and talents and stamps it on our spirit before we are born. Unfortunately, Satan often succeeds at concealing our true identity when we are young. He uses an array of influences such as our family, our culture, and even the Church to wound and scar us. This not only stifles God’s original design, but we end up engraved with Satan’s trademark. We don’t realize that we’ve been altered because much of Satan’s work is either subtle or completely invisible.

The Refiner’s fire can expose the HIDDEN SECRETS of the heart!

Do you think the past can’t be changed because the damage is done? Spiritual destruction can be undone because in Christ, you have redemption from all of Satan’s work, including the impact it has on your heart, the reactions it produces in you, and even his work that becomes a part of who you are.

In this book you will witness how God’s truths destroy the lies of the enemy and heal the unseen wounds of the heart. You will discover in a radical way how God can break the spiritual bondage that holds you captive. Invite the Holy Spirit to reveal where your blueprint has been distorted and allow Him to restore you back to God’s original design. Only then can you be who God created you to be and do what He created you to do. This is your true freedom in Christ!

This is a powerful account from Denise Buss regarding her journey from a less than perfect childhood to a decent into alcohol, promiscuity and drugs, to a relationship with Christ where she was desperate for emotional healing. She shares how spiritual warfare was so intense that she asked her sister to care for her adopted daughter for fear of her daughter’s safety. There was depression to the point that Denise considered ending her life.

Through those battles, Denise has a pastor friend that is wise in prayer strategies that gives her the tools to find healing and restoration in Christ.  He is a major factor in the book and Denise credits him for being gracious with his time, prayers, and wisdom as he shared with her time and time again.

The writing is strong and her story is gripping. The book description lead me to believe I’d be reading a book that gives strategies in the theme of something you might read from Chuck Pierce or Dutch Sheets. Instead, Original Design reads more like a memoir. It’s still powerful, though.

One issue I have that I think deserves a mention in the book is I have received training in spiritual warfare/deliverance ministry and rule number one, especially if you have a history of promiscuity and insecurity, is to receive prayer from someone of the same sex. If you are with someone from the opposite sex, you bring someone from your gender with you. It’s wisdom and accountability and I’ve seen just as many accounts written from people who failed to do this, and it took the prayer times to a dangerous place. Denise makes it clear Ed is like a brother figure and not once do I ever see where he crosses a line. However, I think it warrants a warning concerning anyone considering adopting her approach.

She features information on salvation and Baptism of the Holy Spirit that are helpful. There is of course a lot of talk of demons and battling them through prayer.

If you enjoy stories that show the freedom Christ gives, especially through times of torment from the enemy, you will enjoy ORIGINAL DESIGN.

To purchase ORIGINAL DESIGN, click here.

I received ORIGINAL DESIGN in exchange for an honest review.

 

Tags:  adoption, Baptism of the Holy Spirit, book review, Book Review: Original Design by Denise Buss, Christ, deliverence, Denise Buss, depression, evil, intercession, Julie Arduini, memoir, original design, salvation




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 Saturday Confession: When Did That Happen?  Thankful: Birdseed  Thankful: Pandora  COTT: Pesto and Potholes by Susan M. Baganz  Hope for Children Who Seethe on Mother's DayCopyright © Julie Arduini: Surrender Issues & Chocolate [Book Review: Original Design by Denise Buss], All Right Reserved. 2016.

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COTT: Vote for Your Favorite Read

With four great contenders and a week of voting, we welcome you to the February clash!! Step up and browse the covers, voting for the one you’d love to add to your reading pile. Scroll to the bottom for voting, and support your favorite title! Be sure to leave words of encouragement for your author, including his or her name!
**For those viewing on smart phones and devices that don’t display the

survey monkey below, follow this link to cast your vote: January Release

Survey **

Happy voting!!!

Finding Love in Sun Valley Idaho
by Angela Ruth Strong

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Emily Van Arsdale returns to her home state of Idaho to film her latest

movie, but will finding love with rafting consultant Tracen Lake be enough

to make her stay?

Find

it here

 

Salsa and Speed Bumps
by Susan M. Baganz



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Sometimes God allows speed bumps on the road to redemption.


Find

it here
A Worthy Heart
by Susan Anne Mason

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Adam O’Leary, newly released from prison, wishes to make amends to his

family and start a new life, only a certain Irish lass gets in the way!

Find

it here

 

Just Kin
by Caryl McAdoo

[image error]

Torn apart by war, rejection, and a letter with news she never wanted,

Lacey Rose takes her shredded heart and runs. Charley figures something

isn’t right, but is duty-bound to the Confederacy until a deathbed order

sets in motion a series of events that test his love, honor, and commitment

to the breaking point.

Find

it here
The Healer’s Rune
by Lauricia Matuska

To save Humanity from extinction, Sabine Rhyonselle must overcome centuries

of lies and prejudice to forge an alliance between warring races and learn

how to manage a dangerous secret that could get her killed.Find

it here

Create your own user feedback survey

Tags:  A Worthy Heart, Angela Ruth Strong, authors, Caryl McAdoo, Clash of the Titles, COTT, COTT: Vote for Your Favorite Read, favorite, fiction, Finding Love in Sun Valley Idaho, Julie Arduini, Just Kin, Lauricia Matuska, romance, Salsa and Speed Bumps, Susan Anne Mason, Susan M. Baganz, The Healer's Rune




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 COTT: Olympia Finalists Announced  Entrusted: Interview with Sara Bivins  Video of the Week: Escape to Big Fork Lake by Mary L. Ball  Guest Blogger Author Susan May Warren: Take a Chance on Claire  Jumping on the BandwagonCopyright © Julie Arduini: Surrender Issues & Chocolate [COTT: Vote for Your Favorite Read], All Right Reserved. 2016.

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Ginger Solomon Surrender Story

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 Featured Video of the Week: To See the Sun by Peggy Blann Phifer  COTT: Introducing The Olympia  Julie Arduini's Favorite Kindle Read from 2013 is...  COTT: Summer Reads---Which Novel Would You Choose First?  Video of the Week: The Southland Series by Mary HawkinsCopyright © Julie Arduini: Surrender Issues & Chocolate [Ginger Solomon Surrender Story], All Right Reserved. 2016.

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Old-Fashioned Honor in Today’s World by Ginger Solomon

Old-fashioned Honor in Today’s World

By Ginger Solomon

 

My recent release, Broken Valentine, is all about surrender—to parental oversight, to God, and of self. Several of my reviewers have said that parts of it are unrealistic in today’s society. That’s a shame—not that they said it, but that it is unrealistic.

Sarah and Michael, my characters, are caught in a compromising position and are forced by their well-meaning parents to marry. As one reviewer said, “A modern day shotgun wedding.” The story is about how they deal with the fall-out. They each have their own reasons for going through with it… but no spoilers.

What is sad to me is that this kind of surrender—the honoring of our parents—is unusual or unbelievable. Would I have agreed had I been in Sarah’s position? Probably not, but that doesn’t mean someone, somewhere would not.

God tells us in the Ten Commandments that we should honor our fathers and mothers. While this looks different as we age, it is no less necessary. The command does not say until we move out of their homes.

 

So what is honor?

 

According to dictionary.com, honor has twenty-four definitions. That’s a lot to explain a five-letter word. Here are a few:

Nouns:

honesty, fairness, or integrity in one’s beliefs and actions
high respect, as for worth, merit, or rank
high public esteem; fame; glory

 

Verbs:

to hold in honor or high respect; revere


to treat with honor
to confer honor or distinction upon
to worship (the Supreme Being)
to show a courteous regard for

 

In order to honor our parents, we must have high respect for them, show courteous regard for them, etc.

In my story, I believe this is what Sarah and Michael have done. They have surrendered their own desires to treat their parents with honor.

 

They go on to learn how to surrender their lives to God. Not everything happens easily—or else it would be a very boring book :)–but then life is a progression of steps forward. Sometimes we trip and fall, but we get back up and keep going. Always moving forward.

 

Surrendering our will to God.

 

Surrendering our desires, our hopes, our dreams.

 

And you know what? We always get the BETTER end of the deal because that’s just how God is.

About BROKEN VALENTINE:

Broken Valentine by Ginger Solomon

Being stood up on Valentine’s Day is not how Sarah Sawyer wanted the evening to go. It only gets worse when she discovers her boyfriend’s betrayal. Accepting a ride home from her attractive waiter goes against everything she’s been taught, but her choices are limited.

Michael Richmond can’t let his beautiful, yet heart-broken customer walk home, no matter how tired he is after working fourteen hour days all week.

It might be either the best decision of his life or the worst. Only time will tell if their broken hearts can become one, or if they will tear each other apart.

Broken Valentine is the second book in the Broken Holidays Series, but can be read as a stand-alone.

PURCHASE BROKEN VALENTINE: Amazon

Ginger Solomon is a Christian, a wife, a mother to seven, and a writer — in that order (mostly). When not homeschooling her youngest four, doing laundry or fixing dinner, she writes or reads romance of any genre, some sci-fi/fantasy, and some suspense. She’s a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, president of her local writing group, and writes regularly for two blogs. In addition to all that, she loves animals, likes to do needlework (knitting, crocheting, and sometimes cross-stitch), and is a fan of Once Upon a Time and Dr. Who.

Author Links:

Website

Inspy Romance Blog

Facebook Author Page

Twitter @GingerS219

Pinterest

 

Tags:  author, Broken Holidays series, Broken Valentine, fiction, Ginger Solomon, honoring parents, Julie Arduini, Old-Fashioned Honor in Today's World by Ginger Solomon, romance, Surrender Story, Ten Commandments




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 Thankful Series Kicks Off  COTT: Return of the Cowboy Doctor by Lacy Williams  September 11: We Will Never Forget  Need Wellness Incentive? Try Slimkicker  A Call to Praise Blog Hop Starts Today by Jennifer SlatteryCopyright © Julie Arduini: Surrender Issues & Chocolate [Old-Fashioned Honor in Today's World by Ginger Solomon], All Right Reserved. 2016.

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Follow my blog with BloglovinI’m doing some technical wo...

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On the left sidebar of my site are new, updated follow buttons.

I LOVE interacting with you. Please follow and say hello.

For real!

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 COTT: Sedona Sunset by Tanya Stowe  Valentine's Day Memories  COTT: Reclaimed by Jennifer Rodewald, 2014 Olympia Winner, Now Available  Book Review: Rock Solid Faith Study Bible for Teens  COTT: The Daughters of Jim Farrell by Sylvia BambolaCopyright © Julie Arduini: Surrender Issues & Chocolate [], All Right Reserved. 2016.

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Surrendering Time

If you’ve read this site or anything else from me, you know my focus is surrender and chocolate. What you might not know is that for the last few months, God has been behind the scenes whispering His plans for me to take that focus and go crazy. global with it.

I ignored the stirring at first, because I honestly felt what I was doing and how I was accomplishing it was just fine. At the end of the day argument with God that I had no chance of winning, a door opened and I knew I had to go through it.

So here we are.

I am now pursuing writing and speaking full time where I share my passion for audiences to surrender the good, the bad, and—maybe one day—the chocolate. I’ll keep writing fiction, I think it’s a key part of God’s plan. So many readers, women especially, are wounded. They are looking not just for escape through romance, but for encouragement. I want to be a vessel that gives them hope and the desire to find that freedom in Christ that comes from surrender.

My first project is taking my Adirondack series and re brand it as the Surrendering Time series. I’m re releasing ENTRUSTED: Surrendering the Present and making ENTANGLED: Surrendering the Past available this spring. ENGAGED: Surrendering the Future, will be available this fall.

I’ve sat down and mapped out a number of goals and projects and they take me into 2017. It’s part of the shift I keep talking about on Facebook as my husband is in a new position and often works from home, our son is transitioning to college, and our daughter, to middle school.

Surrendering Time isn’t just my contemporary romance series, it’s where my life is at right now.

Can you relate?

P.S.

I have a couple FREE surrender resources available. My monthly newsletter, Surrender Issues and Chocolate, gives surrender tips and encouragement, recipes, Reader-of-the-Month profiles, giveaways and more.

Sunday’s Surrender and Chocolate is a brief, weekly e mail with encouragement and a chocolate mention.

Both are available in the left sidebar of my website.

Tags:  author, chocolate, Entangled: Surrendering the Future, Entangled: Surrendering the Past, Entrusted, Entrusted: Surrendering the Present, fiction, freedom, Julie Arduini, ministry, speaker, Sunday's Surrender and Chocolate, surrender, Surrender Issues and Chocolate, Surrendering Time




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 Guest Blogger Michelle Massaro Announces that the Clash of the Titles (COTT) Winner Is...  COTT: A New Clash to Vote For  COTT: Clash of the Titles Staff Release Seven Novels  Sabbath Sunday: Hope  Sabbath Sunday: MorningCopyright © Julie Arduini: Surrender Issues & Chocolate [Surrendering Time], All Right Reserved. 2016.

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How Surrender Saved My Marriage by Teresa Tysinger

How Surrender Saved My Marriage

By Teresa Tysinger

A special thank you to Julie for allowing me to share with you today!

It is my belief that surrender happens at the cusp of time when hope is at a low and desperation is at a high. It usually happens on our knees as we shake under the burden of whatever we must give up to God.  At least, that’s my personal experience.

My husband and I married young, at twenty-one to be exact. Blinded by young love, attraction, and a feeling that we had everything figured out. I realize now what babies we were. (We joke with our parents now, asking what they were thinking allowing us to wed so young!) I supported him as he finished college, he supported me through graduate school, we bought a house and had a baby. But seven years in to our marriage, things were falling apart.

Though I was fully aware of my husband’s love of professional theater and his lofty ambitions, I began to resent the long hours spent on shows – often on the road for months at a time. When he was home, we argued. I felt abandoned, which led to unfair nagging and complaining all the time. We had no idea how to reconcile our different expectations for life together. Finally, we both acknowledged this was not the marriage we wanted. We both began to consider that life might be better apart. It was a heart-wrenching time when finding a solution felt impossible.

Then God began to reveal an escape route. My husband was offered a job in Dallas, Texas – which felt like a million miles away from our home in North Carolina. My exact words, I believe, when he first told me about the opportunity was, “I’m never moving to Texas.” Oh, I’m embarrassed now at my lack of faith!

During this time, we had the least hope and a lot of desperation (and fear, anger, resentment). We decided to lean on the reminders of our family and church friends. We took time to pray. I prayed fervently that God soften my heart. That he CHANGE me in ways I could not change myself. I prayed for my husband, too, of course. And I’m sure he prayed for me.

Then, something amazing happened.

We moved to Texas. We surrendered our own understanding, our own desire to write our story, our fear that expectations might not be met according to our plan. If you ask either of us even today, we’d both say we didn’t want to move to Texas. Even after landing in the Lone Star State, neither of us wanted to be there. Yet, daily, we surrendered to the peace we both felt – undeniable peace – with the decision to move. We trusted God wanted us here. In a place we’d both found jobs to keep us together, with our daughter, working in the same town.

In Texas, we had no choice but to lean on one another for support. The fresh start brought challenges that solidified us as a family unit. We found a marriage counselor and worked on our struggles in therapy for over a year.

And, we fell in love. I sometimes tease him now that the first time we “fell in like,” but eight years later we finally “fell in love.” Through the struggles, we experienced what love really is.

Surrendering does not always mean things will have a fairy tale ending.

We’re still in Texas four years later. I’d never in a million years believed we’d still be here. Interestingly, during these four years, my husband even travelled to New York City for 10 months to work on Broadway. But thanks to the hard work we did to reroute our relationship and lean on God at the center, I was able to happily support him through it without resentment or anger.

To many people, surrender is a word synonymous with defeat or weakness. Yet, surrendering my marriage to God’s will feels like the bravest thing I’ve ever done. In my moment of greatest weakness, down on my knees, I found the strength to reach up.

Though I can’t find the person with whom to credit it, I adore this quote and would like to leave you with the thought:

“Transformation happens on the other side of surrender.”

What do you need to surrender to God? How might God transform you through surrender to Him?

 

Teresa Tysinger is a wife and mother transplanted from North Carolina to North Texas. When not working as the Director of Communications for a large downtown church, she writes charming southern romances inspired by grace. As a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Religious Communicators’ Council, and the Association for Women in Communications, Teresa has spent over a decade committed to telling stories of faith through written word. She loves coffee, caramel, and stories with happy endings.

Connect with Teresa:

Web – http://teresatysinger.com

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/teresatysingerauthor/

Twitter – https://twitter.com/tmtysinger

Pinterest – https://www.pinterest.com/teresatysinger/

 

Tags:  author, counseling, expectations, How Surrender Saved My Marriage by Teresa Tysinger, Julie Arduini, marriage, marrying young, moving, reconciliation, Surrender Story, Teresa Tysinger, testimony, Texas




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 A Facebook Secret  Saying Goodbye to a Beloved TV Character  Book Review: Change Before You Have To by Rob Ketterling  12 Pearls of Christmas | Day 7 - When God Wraps a Present . . . by Julie Lessman  Book Review: Dale Recinella's Now I Walk on Death RowCopyright © Julie Arduini: Surrender Issues & Chocolate [How Surrender Saved My Marriage by Teresa Tysinger], All Right Reserved. 2016.

The post How Surrender Saved My Marriage by Teresa Tysinger appeared first on Julie Arduini: Surrender Issues & Chocolate.