The Journey - It's All About Love

I had such a busy and blessed Thanksgiving that I didn't get a message out on my blog this week.  So Sorry.

First order of business - We have a winner from last week's guest blogger. 

Congratulations, Patti Shene! 

You have won a copy of Dandelion Moon! 

Over the Thanksgiving Holiday I enjoyed precious time with family. I was reminded of my many blessings.

The weekend stirred up my internal thought processes. The idea of love and what it truly looks like whirled around in my mind and my heart. 

None of us is good at loving all the time, but let's be honest, some people are better at loving than others. I've decided that a person with a warm and gentle heart always beats out someone who has their act together. We know those people. They are the ones who always look good - who say the right thing - help the poor - make wise choices - and are successful (in the eyes of the world). But what about the warm and fuzzy component? It's gone missing. 

The world would have us believe that the appearance of goodness is what matters ... and the world would be wrong. The world sets a low standard when it comes to how we should love others. God's Word, on the other hand, sets a high standard. But any other bar of measurement is inadequate. 

1st Corinthians 13 says it so well. Please read and take time to reflect. What is God telling us?

  If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn't love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God's secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn't love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it, but if I didn't love others, I would have gained nothing.
  Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.
  Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever! Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete, and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture! But when full understanding comes these partrial things will become useless.
  When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. Now we see things imperfectly as in a cloudy mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. all that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.
  Three things will last forever - faith, hope, and love - and the greatest of these is love.

Love one another. We have only one chance at this life. There are no do-overs. So, let's do our best.

Grace and peace to you from God,

Bonnie

Steadfast - Guest Bloggrer, Hannah Alexander

Wednesday means another book giveaway and another guest blogger.

Welcome Hannah Alexander. Thank you for being my guest.

 

Hannah Alexander is the pen name of an award-winning husband and wife writing team with over thirty published romantic medical suspense novels.

http://www.hannahalexander.com

When to press on and when to surrender is one of the toughest decisions we can make. But God is faithful to show us the way.

Hannah knows this well. Here is her story.


When I Quit

My writing career was doing well as I drove to my mother’s country house one day to check on her. I had just completed the first novel in a new series of trade paperbacks, and I was excited about it. I felt it was one of the best I’d written, and was planning the next in the series. Unfortunately, I had no idea how I was going to complete the other two novels.

Mom’s health was getting worse as she was battling breast cancer and knee surgery. Each time she went under general anesthesia it worsened her dementia.

I didn’t know how much longer I could leave her home alone, but she was one independent woman, determined to make her own way, with no idea the trouble she was in—or the trouble I was facing with her. Her physician recommended assisted living, and I toured the local facilities. I couldn't do it.

I was halfway to Mom’s one day when I received a phone call from my agent to inform me that the trade line I was writing for had been discontinued. I didn't have to bother finishing the series. The book I was so thrilled about was being orphaned, which meant sales would tank.

At the time I could only feel relief. I was gratified to learn that I wouldn't be forced to return the advance I’d received for signing the contract, and that allowed me to care for Mom without the distraction of yet another deadline—often the bane of every writer’s life. The writing stress, along with my income, was all taken away in one short call.

But Mom developed colon cancer. My caretaking days hit like a flash, and we brought Mom home to live with us for the last six months of her life.

Not long after she moved in I was asked to write a series of shorter novels with the same publisher that had discontinued my trade novels. I decided that with a less strenuous deadline I could help Mom and continue my writing career—at least keep my name out there.

It didn't work. Mom stayed up nights, wandering the house with sundowner's syndrome, and I had to follow her. I couldn't function enough to cook dinner, much less write. So I called my editor.

“Joan, my mother is on hospice care. I have no idea when I’ll be able to complete this novel.” I didn't tell her I wasn't sure if I’d ever write again. I felt as if my heart was being ripped to shreds as my mother failed before my eyes.

“You just worry about your mother,” Joan said. “I’m taking your book from its slot, so you don’t have a deadline.”

That was when I began to wonder if it was time to stop writing completely. But how could I stop? I’d been a writer for so many years. And yet, once a writer pauses, the readers begin to forget her. My career might be over. Life was pressing me down to the point I could barely breathe.

I continued to attempt to work on my book from time to time, but it was such a mess I couldn’t make sense of it. My mother’s mind wasn't the only one that had left us. Mind had, too.

My mother passed away in February. In August of that year, as I tried to force my way out of a state of profound grieving, I managed to complete my novel. The poor editor who had to take that mess of a book from an author who had always been known for clean copy, and turn it into something readable? She was an angel.

I get it now when people talk about the struggles of caretakers. I’m amazed by those who spend years caring for their loved ones.

I’m writing regularly again, but my genre has changed slightly. I write more romantic medical drama, less romantic suspense. Life changes, and we metamorphose whether we want to or not. Maybe my career isn't over yet. If it is, that decision is with God. And that’s the best place for it to be.

Hannah is giving away a copy of her brand new book

Dandelion Moon

In Book 2 of the Hallowed Halls series, when Dr. Myra Maxwell finds herself stumbling through the darkness of a cemetery on a cold winter night, she realizes she doesn't recognize a thing, and doesn't recall how she arrived here. As Christmas fireworks begin, they frighten her. She doesn't know who she is, where she is, or why she's here. She diagnoses herself as a patient in a fugue state, most likely from some horrible experience her mind is working to force her to forget. But why?

Weston Cline is frantic about the woman he loves. She left her psychiatry clinic in the middle of the day on Christmas Eve, and he's heard nothing from her since. When he makes a call to her hometown of Juliet, Missouri, he catches a word or two that convinces him she's retreated to the place she feels safest, and he is determined to drive there tonight and protect her. Unfortunately, her friends, Drs. Joy Gilbert and Zachary Travis are determined to keep Weston away from Myra. He's shown his true colors in outrageous ways in the past year, and they don't want to risk her emotional well-being with his presence. Too bad, because he's going anyway, and he will stand firm with her.

Set at Christmas, Dandelion Moon might well give holiday celebrants a 

chance to root for the true meaning of Christmas to show itself at least 

one more time, and to find that miracles really do happen.

Hannah, this sounds fabulous. I can't wait to read it.

One lucky person will win a copy of this book.

For a chance to win leave a comment

And don't forget to include your email address.

LAST WEEK'S WINNER 

IS

Katrina Epperson!

Grace and peace to you from God,

Bonnie

Quiet Moments With God - The Feast

God uses whatever is handy to speak to our hearts. This morning, it was my dog Misty. 

She loves to eat. When it's dinner time, she joyfully bounces back and forth through the house. She looks kind of silly, but I get it. I love to eat too.

She also loves treats. And this morning my little girl, paced up to me, followed me everywhere I went, and made it known, she was thinking about a treat.

I knew what she wanted. But thought I'd string her along for a few minutes. She didn't give up because she knew where to get what she was hungry for.

I acted as if I didn't know what she was after. I chatted
and gave her a few pats, but she wanted to know
if I was going to give her what she wanted most.

Finally I asked, "Do you want a treat?" 

She was all ears then. She knows those words.

When I finally got up and walked to the pantry where
her dog treats are stored, she knew it was going to be
a good morning. With her stump of a tail wagging at 
hyper speed, she raced me there, then sat at my feet
and waited, quivering with anticipation.
I rewarded her with what she wanted and off she
went, her morning brighter than before.

Misty is easily motivated by food. We can get her to do almost anything if we offer her a treat. 

I'm kind of like Misty. I'm also easily motivated by food. But the kind of food that makes a real difference is the kind the Lord provides - God's Word.  It make life easier, brighter. I can always trust in it and in its author. His Word is truth and always satisfies. It has the power to change my life and the lives of those around me.

I want to be like Misty - persistent, seeking, and excited about the feast

I'm hungry. Are you?

Grace and peace to you from God,

Bonnie

The Journey - Courage

We never know how courage will be displayed. It may be a soldier on a battle field, or a fireman who risks his life to save a stranger, a single mother who steps onto a college campus determined to provide a better future for her family. And sometimes it comes in the shape of a twelve-year-old boy who wants to get back to living.

My grandson Ezra is a determined and courageous twelve-year-old.

Many of you know about the horrific ATV accident last March that nearly extinguished Ezra's life. Every time I see him I see a miracle. Along his journey one doctor after another has shared their amazement over his survival and recovery.

The healing continues. Ezra has a long road ahead due to damage to his skull, more surgery, an eye that has been altered, and teeth that need repair. He's been patient and strong, but being side-lined from the sports he loves has been really hard on him. He couldn't wait any longer, and managed to get permission from his doctor to play basketball this fall.

 

This week he had a home game. It was thrilling, for this grandma, to watch him play.

His team had a good day and so did he. They won and Ezra did a great job at rebounding and blocking, and he made a basket.

The most precious thing of all - He played!

After the game, he joined his brother and sister and had dinner with my husband and me. Of course we talked about the game, which was fun, but it was Ezra's account of what happened just before that has me tearful. 

He was afraid. Ezra didn't know what the consequences of an elbow jammed into his face or skull might be. Or what a hard fall on a gym floor might do. He told us, "I just prayed and trusted God to protect me. And I did my best to get the rebounds and fight for the ball."

That's courage. He may only be twelve, but he's walking in faith.

Ezra's one of my heroes. 

Heroes make life richer for the rest of  us. Do you have a hero in your life? 

Grace and peace to you from God,

Bonnie

Steadfast - Guest Blogger Janice Thompson

November seems to be flying by. And lucky for us, it's Wednesday. This week I have a special guest, Janice Thompson. Though we've never met in person, I feel as if we're good friends. She's a doll. You're going to love her.
   

Award-winning author Janice Thompson has over a million books in print. She has published over 100 books for the Christian market,
crossing genre lines to write cozy mysteries, historicals, romances, nonfiction books, devotionals, children’s books and more.

Janice is the incoming president of the Woodlands, Texas ACFW chapter and was named the 2008 Mentor of the year for ACFW. She loves teaching at writing conferences, both local and national.

Janice’s tagline, “Love, Laughter, and Happily Ever Afters!” sums up her take on life.

She lives in Spring, Texas, where she leads a rich life with her family, a host of writing friends, and two mischievous dachshunds.

You can find out more about Janice at www.janiceathompson.com.

Don't skip down to the contest details. You really want to read this. Janice knows what it means to remain steadfast. 

The Worst. . .and Best Year of my Life

When I think of a particular season of my life where I had to remain steadfast, I can’t help but be reminded of the worst—and possibly best—year of my life. In the middle of 2006, my twenty-six year marriage came to an end. I didn’t wish for it. I didn’t plan for it. It just happened. Abruptly. I’d been through one heartbreak after another in the relationship but that didn’t make the severing any easier. A few weeks before the divorce was final, I received a call from my dad, letting me know he had cancer: Multiple Myeloma. He was admitted to M.D. Anderson Hospital, one of the leading cancer centers in the world, where he had a bone marrow transplant. Unfortunately, he continued to get worse. After two agonizing, painful months, my father passed away. I was devastated. I was also a woman of faith, who had been quick to tell people, “Just trust God.” Now I found myself in a position where I had to trust Him fully and completely. I had no husband to lean on and my older daughters were already married and gone. So, I did my best to (as I told others) trust God.

The need to trust Him grew and grew over the following months. My first grandchild was born early under emergency circumstances. She was a teensy-tiny little thing, but did fine. I focused on her to ease the pain. Then another unthinkable thing happened. One of my best friends had a heart attack and passed away very unexpectedly. About three weeks after that, (just three days before my daughter Megan’s wedding) my forty-five-year-old sister passed away in her sleep. . .completely out of the blue. I remember that week so clearly. My daughter’s wedding was on Friday night; the funeral was on Saturday. I carried around a purple folder with wedding plans in one pocket and funeral plans in the other. Horrible. I was in a literal fog.

One month after Megan married (leaving me with an empty nest) I went to the theater where I direct plays. We were setting up for a meeting on the stage and needed a couple more chairs. I went bounding down the stairs to the auditorium to fetch them. I can’t tell you exactly how it happened, but somehow I missed a step. Such a simple thing, missing a step. I knew when I landed that I’d done serious damage. My right foot was in the oddest position I’d ever seen and I’d never known such pain. Thank goodness the pain didn’t last. I went completely numb from my knee down and could feel nothing. I would later learn that the injury was a catastrophic break: tibia, fibula and three bones in the foot. I’d also injured my left foot and my right wrist, so I only had one available limb.

The rest was a blur. Paramedics were called. I was put into an ambulance, given morphine, and whisked away to the E.R. The next week and a half involved four ambulances, three hospitals, surgery to pin and plate the ankle and then several days in a rehab. They were (truly) the hardest days of my life. I had a couple of sweet friends who helped out but with my husband gone, my father gone, my daughters married and living their own lives, I’d never felt more alone.

The next couple months were spent in a wheelchair. I had a conundrum because my house was a two-story with bedrooms upstairs and living room/kitchen down. At night I would scoot up the stairs on my backside and then use an office chair to roll my way to my bedroom. Talk about tough! And to make matters worse, my only book contract was pulled. I was out of work and out of luck with very little money in the bank and no way to make more until I recovered and could find a job.

You can imagine that these months provided a lot of opportunity for depression. This hit especially hard on the anniversary of my dad’s death. I’d never been so low. Fortunately, several good friends took notice. They set camp around me and prayed me through. They offered encouragement, prayer, and even a bit of fussing, when the situation warranted it. In short, they were the hands and feet of Christ.

The fog slowly lifted. I was able to get my feet back under me again (literally and figuratively). New book contracts came. New possibilities arose. Grandbabies started coming in droves. In short, my life took off. God took a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad year and began to use it for His glory. I not only survived; I thrived. It didn’t happen all at once, but in time I could truly see that God had walked with me every step of the way. Even when I felt completely alone, He was right there.

I’ve had several years to watch God’s hand at work. He took this frightened, lonely woman and gave her new projects, new grandbabies, sweet friends and much, much more. In fact, my plate is so full now that I can barely keep up. He redeemed my life and gave back what the enemy had stolen. No, I could never replace the people I’d lost, but with the birth of each grandchild, I saw how life continued, how hope was restored. I really did learn to trust God, just as I’d always encouraged others to do.

I don’t know what you’re going through today, but I can say this: Hang in there, friend. Remain steady, steadfast. God can (and will) take even the toughest experience and use it for good. This, I know.

Connect with Janice:
Website: www.janiceathompson.com
Twitter: booksbyjanice
Facebook: Janice Hanna Thompson


Janice, what an amazing story. Thank you for sharing it. I am encouraged.

Janice is offering a free book to one of  you.

A BOUQUET OF LOVE

She didn't expect to fall in love--but roses aren't the only thing blooming on Galveston Island

Cassia Pappas has found herself in a nearly impossible situation. She wants to spend her time immersed in her new job at a Galveston Island floral shop, arranging blooms and brightening occasions with her lovely creations. But her boisterous Greek family--especially her father--has other ideas. They've all relocated to Galveston to open up a new family restaurant located on the Strand--directly across the street from iconic pizza place Parma John's--and they want Cassia's full participation. 

To make matters worse, as Cassia is trying to develop a strong professional relationship with Galveston's premier wedding coordinator, Bella Neeley, her own father is intent on stealing all of the Rossi family's faithful customers. Not exactly the best way to get into this former Rossi's good graces!

Still, at least Alex, that hot delivery guy from the nursery, is always hanging around the flower shop . . .

This sounds like a fun read. I'm definitely getting a copy.

For a chance to win a free copy leave a comment along with your email address and you'll be eligible. I'll be drawing a winner one week from today.

Our winner from last week is oldthingsnew.com. Congratulations! JoAnn Durgin will contact you. 

Grace and peace to you, from God,

Bonnie

Steadfast - Guest Blogger, JoAnn Durgin

Happy Wednesday!

Last week's book winner is Anna. Congratulations!  I've sent your name and email address to Melody. I'm sure you'll hear from her soon.

Today's guest is JoAnn Durgin. Welcome, JoAnn.

JoAnn Durgin is the author of five novels in the popular Lewis Legacy Series as well as the Amazon bestselling Catching Serenity. Her novellas include Meet Me Under the Mistletoe, Starlight, Star Bright, Sleigh Ride Together with You (coming for the 2014 Christmas season), and Echoes of Edinburgh.

A member of the American Christian Fiction Writers and the Louisville Christian Writers, JoAnn lives with her husband and three children in southern Indiana.

She’s recently *retired* from her paralegal position to write full-time. She loves to hear from her readers at http://www.joanndurgin.com or http://www.facebook.com/authorjoanndurgin.


JoAnn knows all about taking a leap of faith.

Losing a job is tough—even when you see it coming around the bend and recognize its inevitability. Funny how the date becomes ingrained in your memory. for me, that day came on Monday, November 9, 2009. When two of the law firm's partners walked into my office and closed the door.

I knew. My heart fell to my feet. “Sorry, but there’s just not enough work...”

Afterward, still in a daze, I worked all day and finished my projects as best I could. I might have been "let go," but I wanted to walk away with my head held high, with my dignity intact.

Technically, I was “laid off,” but no matter what it’s called, I still felt as though I’d failed. I worried that I'd let down my bosses, clients, and co-workers. Mind you, I'm normally a positive-thinking person, confident and secure in my abilities. Still, I couldn't help wondering, Will they think I've done something wrong? Will my friends abandon me now?

After those initial doubts,and only a few tears, I gave it over to the Lord and trusted that He had a plan for my life.

Let me backtrack a minute and give you a bit of my background. For years and in several states where we'd lived—with a six-year break in the Philadelphia area to raise our three small children—I’d worked as a legal secretary and enjoyed my work very much. On my website, I state that I've “been around in the nicest sense of the word.”

In the Boston area, I worked part-time for a small law firm in scenic, historic Concord (and, fittingly, drove by Louisa May Alcott’s childhood home every day), as I eased back into the working world again. Then I accepted a position five minutes from home (a good thing in snowy Massachusetts!) and worked for a one-man law firm.

When our family moved back to my native “southern” Indiana in late 2005, I was excited to be offered a job working in a prestigious downtown Louisville law firm. After 18 months as a legal secretary, I was promoted to a paralegal position. Along with that advancement came the expectation of meeting a threshold of monthly billable hours—the bane of existence of attorneys and paralegals everywhere. But when the work isn’t there, the paralegals are often the first to go.

Sometimes when we take a leap of faith, we risk losing it all. I will never regret moving from a “safe” position as a legal secretary to a paralegal position. If I hadn’t taken the position, I might always wonder what if ...

One of the biggest blessings is that I was given a generous severance package. What a blessing during the busy holiday season!

Never one to sit idle, I needed a plan. After years of being a pastor’s wife with all the responsibilities that entailed, and with our kids now older and more self-sufficient, I was back “home” in Indiana with unexpected time on my hands. I started to read Christian fiction again, something I’d sorely missed. I’d always loved reading and writing, and had earned a journalism and English degree before leaving Indiana the first time. I’d also been writing full-length novels since our time in Philadelphia.

Before the layoff, an idea had formed in my mind. I pulled out my old manuscripts (about six) from beneath our bed and literally blew dust bunnies off the notebooks. I read through the last manuscript I’d written, about a decade before, through fresh eyes, and it was almost as though someone else had written it.

Called Awakening, I recognized it could be the beginning of a series based on the love stories of various members of a Christian mission organization called Team Work—but I only had half of the story. Contemporary Christian romance was increasing in popularity at the time, as well as book series. I figured why not try to get one of them published?

After much prayer, I knew Awakening was the one.

You can read the entire story of my path to publication on my website at http://www.joanndurgin.com.

Long story short: I searched high and low, but couldn’t find the missing half. All I had were antiquated small diskettes in a box. I continued to write more books and periodically tried to access the files on those old diskettes. Nothing. Over and over again, I’d get this message: “Can’t be read.” I told my husband, “We need to go to our knees.”

One day, I inserted the diskette as I’d done so many times before. A message popped up on the screen: “Do you want to read it as text only?” After hearing the churning noise and seeing the hourglass symbol, my book popped onto the screen! In English, not hieroglyphics. To this day, I still get chills. Not only was it my book, but when I printed it out and lined it up with what was in my notebook at home, it was only half of the book—the missing half! When I put them together, it was seamless.

I know the Lord gave my book back to me. Then he confirmed it; “And the Man said Peaches!” is on my website.

On May 1, 2010, I received a publishing contract and Awakening became my debut novel and released in November 2010. Four years later, I’ve now released four more books in what has become The Lewis Legacy Series (the prequel coming next month!), a standalone novel, and four novellas.

In late March 2010, I began another paralegal job in Louisville. This past August, I took another leap of faith to full-time author! The Lord also paved the way for that to happen in a way only He can.

Sometimes you need to take a leap of faith in order to better understand God’s abundant grace and mercy. Even if you fail, rest assured that God always has a divine plan. What we consider to be a human failure can often turn out to be one of God’s biggest blessings!

Trust Him to guide you. He’ll never let you down. His answer isn’t what we, in our impatience and limited understanding, expect. It’s so much better! Like the lyrics of a beloved hymn of assurance tells us, “God Will Take Care of You.”

Yet those who wait for the Lord, Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary. Isaiah 40:31

Thank you, JoAnn. Isaiah 40:31 is one of my favorite verses.

JoAnn would like to offer a free e-book to one of you. But, she is going to do something special, by allowing you to choose from one of the three gorgeous books below. 

All you have to do is leave a comment and you will 

be entered in the drawing.

    

Grace and peace to you from God,

Bonnie