May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13
Book Description:
Remembering a serial killer’s face…could be deadly
While interviewing the Coastline Strangler’s only surviving victim, forensic
artist Scarlet Wells is attacked and left with amnesia. Now she’s his next mark
and has no choice but to work with constable Jace Allen to unlock the
criminal’s true identity trapped in her mind. Will they be able to recover the
hidden memory and hunt down the killer before he strikes again?
My Thoughts:
If you enjoy fast paced, sit on the edge of your seat stories, you'll want to
read Fatal Forensic Investigation. Yes, there is a serial killer and he's after
the woman who he thinks can identify him, but she can't. She has lost her memory,
including the memories she has from college of constable Jace Allen. As the two
take on this madman, they find themselves attracted to each other, but more
important, they discover a faith they thought they had lost. Turner weaves a
wonderful spiritual thread through the story as these characters face
insurmountable situations. I received a
complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are
completely my own.
Galatians 5:22-23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience,
kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such
things there is no law.
The fruit of the Spirit isn’t fruits.
By the time you read this, I will have talked to a group of
moms and daughters at Woodland Lakes Christian Camp. A while back, Amy, the
director of Mother/Daughter camp asked me if I would put together a devotion to
share about the fruit of the Spirit.
As I’ve searched for the words and examples to share, I remembered
my realization that the “fruit” is not “fruits.” As a child I thought the word
was plural, like there were nine different fruits standing on their own. As an
adult, I realized I was wrong.
Now I see the fruit of the Spirit like an apple. When I
purchase an apple at the grocery store or orchard, I have one whole piece of
fruit in my hand. I bring it home and cut it into pieces. Is the apple multiple
fruits now? No it’s still one apple, just with several slices.
The fruit of the Spirit is like the apple, one fruit with
many pieces. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness and self-control are all part of the same fruit. As a follower of
Jesus, I need to nurture all aspects of the fruit of the Spirit. If I seek
peace and joy, without kindness, my fruit spoils. If I try to be good and
faithful, but lose my self-control, my fruit rots. God has given his children
this amazing gift through the Holy Spirit, and I long to embrace all the fruit
and make them a constant in my life.
God calls His children to live with all nine segments of
fruit. He knows the world needs all of these and as Christians we are the ones
to inject love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness and self-control into all aspects of our lives.
Take the challenge to actively live by the fruit of the
Spirit and share God’s gift with the world.
Daniel
3:16-18
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do
not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown
into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it,
and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he
does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods
or worship the image of gold you have set up.”
The thermometer in the car screamed 102 degrees.
In southwest
Ohio, the temperatures are registering in the high nineties. We’ve had storms
and electric out. My daughter’s family had no electric for almost twenty-four
hours. So what did we do? We gathered at the pool and stayed cool. I am
thankful we live in a place where I have the opportunity to swim with my kids
and grands. When we left, Sara’s car registered 102.
In all of my
almost 65 years, I’ve only had central air since we moved into the condo almost
eight years ago. Up to then, I dealt with the heat in whatever way I could. Let’s
just say, I’m not a summer person, especially in this heat. But I know as the
seasons do, this will pass and before long cooler weather will grace Ohio.
During this oppressive
heat, I’ve been reading the book of Daniel, and you can imagine my thoughts on
the fiery furnace. Without reservation those brave young men, Shadrack,
Meshach, and Abednego, did not fear the heat. They put their lives and hearts
in God’s hands. That’s called faith.
We have a
lot of negatives going on in our country and in the world. I can imagine the
Christians in Ukraine are holding on to their faith for dear life. I love this
line in Daniel: “the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he
will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does
not, we want you to know... we will not
serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” These men
believed God would deliver them, but even if He didn’t, they continued to have
faith in the God they served even if He didn’t save them. They trusted God with
their lives and knew He held their future in His hands.
I wonder if
I have the faith they did. Can I keep the faith regardless of my circumstances?
I pray the answer is yes. I want faith like the men in Daniel. A faith without
doubt. I pray God strengthens my faith as I continue on my life’s path.
Have faith,
God will see you through.
3 John 1:2-4
Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well
with you, even as your soul is getting along well. It gave me great joy
when some believers came and testified about your faithfulness to the
truth, telling how you continue to walk in it. I have no greater joy than
to hear that my children are walking in the truth.
"God does not depend on our abilities—He depends on our availability." -Jay Henry
As a camper at Butler Springs Christian Assembly in the
1970s, I heard many missionaries speak. Then in some of the churches I
attended, the same servants of God came to share their story. One I remember well,
Jay Henry, has moved full circle through many years of service. On Sunday, our
minister invited Jay to the stage. This wonderful, faithful servant shared that
he had stepped down and turned the mission work over to his son and grandson,
even though he will still be a part of it. He's blessed many lives in India for
Jesus as he has shown up and done the work. The quote I posted above, that Jay
shared, spoke to me.
Yes, God gifts each of us with abilities, but rather than
depend on the ability itself, God depends on His people to be available. I find
this in my writing. God may have blessed me with a gift for writing, but
without showing up and putting in the work, where would the writing be? If I
don't put my fingers on the keyboard and use the talent God gives me, the
talent will die and the audience He gave me won't be blessed.
The apostle John wrote a letter to one of his friends in his
third book. He thanked his friend, Gaius, for being faithful and sharing his
walk with other believers. A couple of things I love about this passage—John
tells Gaius he hopes his health is good, including his spiritual well-being. Faithfulness
to God results in a healthy soul because that faithfulness includes walking in
the truth, the second idea I love.
As I do my best to walk in God's truth and show up as a
faithful servant, I pray God blesses my availability with ability. Whatever ability God has given, whether speaking, encouraging, hospitality, or many others, show up and He'll provide.
Seek God first and be faithful.
Book Description:
When Leah Miller's entire Amish family was murdered ten years ago, the person
believed responsible took his own life. Since then, Leah left the Amish and
joined the police force. Now, after another Amish woman is found murdered with
the same MO, it becomes clear that the wrong man may have been blamed for her
family's deaths.
As Leah and the new police chief, Dalton Cooper, work long hours struggling to
fit the pieces together in order to catch the killer, they can't help but grow
closer. When secrets from both of their pasts begin to surface, an unexpected
connection between them is revealed. But this is only the beginning. Could it
be that the former police chief framed an innocent man to keep the biggest
secret of all buried? And what will it mean for Leah--and Dalton--when the full
truth comes to light?
USA Today bestselling author Mary Alford keeps you guessing as two
determined souls plumb the dark depths of the past in order to forge a brighter
future--together.
My Thoughts:
If you like the television show, Criminal Minds, you would enjoy Among the
Innocent. From my viewpoint, the book has too much graphic violence, and I
struggled with being in the protagonist's point of view because he is so
deranged, however, the story line is interesting and compelling, and the faith
thread is strong. I finished reading the story because I wanted to know what
happened to Leah and Dalton. The emotion Alford writes into her characters goes deep and the story line intense. If you enjoy feverishly suspenseful stories with
romance, this may be the book for you. I received a complimentary copy of this
book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Romans 8:37-39
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved
us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither
angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else
in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is
in Christ Jesus our Lord.
I can't even comprehend how much God loves me.
If you've ever had a pet who is part of your family,
you know how much you love them. Our Rosie May is a family dog, not just for Tim
and me, but also for our children and grandchildren to enjoy and learn from.
When we drove her home from my niece's house, we circled around to let her meet
our grandchildren. Of course she was a wee pup then. Now she's almost full
grown as a seven-month-old and has integrated into our lives as if she's always
been here.
In those few months she's lived with us, she's
shown her loyalty, but she's also chewed on a book, shredded papers, and had
accidents in the house (thankfully just a few.) Yes, I get frustrated, but no
matter what, I love our beautiful, kind-hearted, caring pup. She's part of our family,
and I know she loves us.
Everyone wants to be loved, and I have good news,
great news really. In Romans, the writer shares the amazing promise of God's
continuous love. Once I chose to follow Jesus and believe His truth, God has
poured out his love on me. Yes, I make mistakes, I sin, and at times I've
doubted, but His love draws me back in. Nothing will separate believers, from
the love of their Father, God. Nothing. I stand amazed at the love the Father
pours over His family.
He calls every person to Him. He wants everyone to
acknowledge Him as God. God loves and wants everyone to love Him back.
Seek Him and discover the most incredible love you'll
ever experience.
Romans 5:3-4
Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know
that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and
character, hope.
I fell down, but I got back up.
No, I didn't actually fall to the ground, but so many times I've fallen in my walk with Jesus.
One of the last days of school this year, I helped in my
daughter's first grade class. We stood in the hallway waiting for the children
to finish their bathroom break, and one of the little ones had done something
they shouldn't. I witnessed the most wonderful conversation. The child's
sorrowful face dripped a few tears and my daughter leaned near and asked,
"I appreciate that you are sorry for what happened, but what did you
learn? We all make mistakes, but most important is to learn from them and do
better next time. Don't let one mistake ruin your day."
I'd actually been thinking about this topic recently in reference
to my writing. I can sit and cringe over the mistakes I make, or I can learn
from them, and move forward. One of my book signings didn't go exactly the way I
had hoped, but now I know what to do to make the experience better next time. I
could have stewed about it, but I chose to see the whole picture, and know this
is a lesson learned.
Confession time, I sin and make mistakes even though I'm a
Christian. I'm not perfect, but thank goodness Jesus is. If I stew in past
mistakes instead of looking at myself as a forgiven soul, my spiritual life will
wither and die. Instead, I have to let go, seek forgiveness, re-evaluate, apply
what I learned, forgive myself, and keep moving forward as God intends.
Romans reminds me to persevere, finish my work, and move
toward maturity in Christ. I want to take those teachable moments like my
daughter did and apply them to my life, so I grow in my walk with Jesus and not
sit in my own mess. God is the God of second chances, He calls his followers to
seek forgiveness and try again. That's part of the freedom I have in being a
disciple of Jesus.
Seek the lesson to be learned and keep moving forward.
Ephesians 2:8-10
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not
from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one
can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus
to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
My columbine cross-pollinated.
When I first planted columbine in my flower garden, I started with one or two plants. I had grown the old-fashioned ones for years, but when I moved, I failed to take them with me. Eventually, I gathered starts of white and purple from my siblings and added a pretty blue one. With their pops of color and lacey leaves, they add bursts of joy to my plot. As the spring flowers bloom, I'm reminded once again of God's handiwork.
Last year as I perused the early blossoms, I noticed a
change in one of the columbine plants. The white ones generally have a multi-petaled
bloom, while the purple and blue produce more of a bell shape with tiny curls
on the edges. When I focused the camera on one of the white blossoms, I noticed
it had a bell shape, too. The white had cross-pollinated with one of the other
plants and created a delicate white bell with curls.
I'm fascinated by the work of God in nature. Of course this
discovery got me thinking. When I as a human "cross-pollinate" with
the grace God offers, I become a different person. I'm no longer relying on myself.
Instead, I'm a child of God who relies on my heavenly Father, Jesus, and the
Holy Spirit. Through Him my soul reaches a level of beauty I could not imagine
possible.
Just as the white columbine changed and blossomed, so did I when
I surrendered my life to Jesus. He has a good work for me to do and when I mesh
the abilities and desires God has given me with his grace and forgiveness, I'm a
new creation who by what I do, brings glory to my Father. I thank God for His
grace and mercy and for the chance to make a difference.
Praise God for Jesus and for the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Psalm 119:105
Your word is a lamp for my feet,
a light on my path.
Can you hold your breath through a tunnel?
On vacation or road trips, I remember a game where we tried to hold our breath while we crossed a bridge or drove through a tunnel. I think that was our parents' way of getting us quiet for a few minutes. Oh, wait, I was the parent, and yes, it was the perfect game for a moment of peace.
In my travels, I've never been a fan of crossing bridges,
especially long ones. I remember on one trip we drove across a long curving
bridge over water, and my stomach turned into ball of nerves. On other trips,
we've traveled through tunnels, and I loved them. When Hannah lived in the
Carolina's we drove through a couple of long tunnels that snaked under
mountains, and I was always excited to see the light at the other end. There's
something about the anticipation of seeing daylight shine on the way out.
While riding through a tunnel in a car with headlights can
be fun, navigating life in the dark isn't. Depression, illness, sorrow, pain, and
sin can all cause darkness to swallow the light. But I have good news. Jesus'
light outshines all the darkness in the world.
For many years, I struggled with anxiety and some depression,
but Jesus didn't leave me there. He guided me to find a doctor who could help,
he answered prayers, and gave me hope. But in order to see the light at the end
of the tunnel, I first had to find the tunnel. God's word, His voice of truth,
lit my way through the place I needed to walk. On the other end, I found joy
and hope.
Maybe you know the way to the tunnel that provides light,
but haven't driven there yet. Maybe you're in the tunnel and well on your way
to the light. Maybe you've missed the tunnel altogether. No matter what, keep
moving toward Jesus and seek His light. He loves every one of us.
Book Description:
If any place on God's earth was designed to help one heal, it is Meadowland.
Surely here, at her brother-in-law's Kentucky farm, Rose and her daughters can
recover from the events of the recent past--the loss of her husband during the
1918 influenza epidemic, her struggle with tuberculosis that required a stay at
a sanatorium, and her girls' experience in an orphanage during her illness. At
Meadowland, hope blooms as their past troubles become rich soil in which their
faith can grow.
Dirk Meadows may have opened his home to his late brother's widow and her
girls, but he keeps his heart tightly closed. The roots of his pain run deep,
and the evidence of it is written across his face. Badly scarred by a fire and
abandoned by the woman he loved, Dirk fiercely guards his heart from being hurt
again. But it may be that his visitors will bring light back into his world and
unlock the secret to true healing.
My Thoughts:
I so connected with Rose's daughter Sienna. What a delightful child! I loved
how she saw the wonder in everything. Calla, too. She was so conscientious
and caring. As I read along and found out more about Meadowland, I wanted to
live there. Gabhart took the heartbreak and suffering of Rose and Dirk and created
a beautiful story of healing and hope, spun with a bit of mystery. If you enjoy
a good story driven by strong characters with an amazing setting and a
satisfying ending, you'll want to read Where the Meadow Blooms. I received a
complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are
completely my own.
Philippians
2:1-4
Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any
comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any
tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being
like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one
mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in
humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests
but each of you to the interests of the others.
I love
the song by For King and Country called Relate. They asked the question of how
we relate to a variety of people, and that we all experience heartache and joy
even if it is in different ways.
When I
worked at the college library, I met a lot of people who were different than
me. Yet we all had many things in common. We all experienced heartache, joy,
anxiety, stress, love, hope, and the list could go on. Our lives were varied,
yet we could relate to one another in some way.
I remember a
student who visited the library daily. He saw the world through a different
lens than most of us. He didn't like his routine to be interrupted, and he wanted
to sit at the same computer and stay on the track he created for himself. Fortunately
for me, I got to know him and found he cared about life as much as I did. He
may not have functioned the same as me, but he had similar feelings, dreams,
and experiences.
In
Philippians, Paul has written a letter to the church in Philippi. He is simply
asking them to see each other through God's eyes as valuable contributors to
the Kingdom of God. As a believer, I know God has called me to love others, to
see souls, and to encourage where I can no matter who God places in my path. He
asks me to be humble and place others burdens before mine. In our busy world,
it's not easy to stay focused on the needs of others, but God wants me to
cherish others and seek to help in any way I can.
Look beyond
the outside of people, see them with God's eyes.