Genesis 27:34- “When Esau heard his father’s words. He burst out with a loud and bitter cry and said to his father, “Bless me—me too, my father!”
Looking for something to read?
Online research says that when readers choose books, they most often look for one of these:
Suspense
Intrigue
Romance
Fantasy
Horror
Inspiration/Encouragement
Did you know the Bible contains them all?
John 3:16- “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
In the United States, the story of a kidnapped grandmother has captured the hearts of many.
Conversations these past couple of months have inevitably led to queries of where we think this woman might be—or if she is even alive.
Her family testifies to her strong faith in God, so we can know one thing for sure.
If she is not here on earth, she is with our Heavenly Father.
Could it possibly be as simple as that?
Yes, it is—for believers.
The Bible tells us that to be absent from the body is to be present with our Lord.
Hebrews 12:2-“Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
I wear a gold cross around my neck.
Everywhere I go, I see people wearing crosses, too.
Why?
To some it is simply a piece of jewelry, but to Christians, it is symbolic of being a Christ follower.
It does not have magical powers.
“Jesus’s cross” did not have any power either.
The power was (and is) in the person upon the cross.
Jesus Christ, the perfect one, paid the price for the sins of all mankind upon that cross.
That’s why we wear it around our necks—a symbol and remembrance of what He did for us.
His resurrection from the dead is the power we recognize at Easter—and everyday—as we give thanks for His great love and mercy toward us.
Alleluia,! He is Risen!
He is Risen, indeed!
Matthew 4: 18-20 “As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen.“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” At once they left their nets and followed him.”
Looking for a Christian Fiction novel to read several months ago, I remembered an author whose books I had enjoyed in the past.
I hadn’t heard anything about her in a long time.
I was curious as to why, so I Googled her.
Come to find out, she had stopped writing. She explained that God had led her to a different ministry.
A successful author, leaving her profession to follow God’s plan for her life reminded me of a story in the book of Matthew. Without hesitation, some fishermen are called to leave their nets and follow Jesus–and they do.
Is God calling you to make a change in your life . . .asking you rethink the direction you’re going in today, and follow His plan for you??
Exodus 24:4- “Moses then wrote down everything the Lord had said. He got up early the next morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain and set up twelve stone pillars representing the twelve tribes of Israel.”
Not all books are authored by just one person.
Some books are anthologies or collections, such as short stories, by multiple authors.
The Bible was written in a similar way.
The 66 “books” in the Bible were written by many different people under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
The author cited as writing the most books was the Apostle Paul, with Moses coming in first in number of words.
Moses was also given the Ten Commandments directly by God.
The Bible remains the Number One bestseller of all time, with over 5 Billion copies sold!
Daniel 10:17- “How can I, your servant, talk with you, my lord? My strength is gone and I can hardly breathe.”
My husband and I drove to an assisted living facility in north Las Vegas for a book signing, yesterday.
We were blessed to visit with many people one might think would not still be interested in reading books.
That turned out not to be the case.
Besides taking my Christian fiction titles with me, I also packed my I Remember series, which I wrote ten years ago when my mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.
These three books, I Remember the Seasons, I Remember the Holidays, and I Remember Bible Stories, were a big hit.
Over the years, they have proved to be timeless, accessing memories of times gone by, but also in helping to form connections with family and friends who are having the same experiences now.
Need ideas of questions to ask or topics to discuss with a family member or loved one with a form of dementia?
These books are interactive, in that they contain poetry, original art, and comprehension questions which create opportunities for maintaining relationships with loved ones and caregivers.
2 Peter 3:8-9a “But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness…”
I picked up a magazine article filled with “fun facts” about the planets.
One that caught my eye was about the planet Uranus.
Did you know that one year on earth is equal to eighty-four years on Uranus?
Hmmmm.
That got my attention as I made a connection between that fact and what I had read in my Bible earlier in the week.
Sometimes I am anxious for an answer to prayer, and like many of you, would like the answers to come a little faster than they often do.
The Bible reminds us that God operates outside of time . . . that He is not slow . . .
He hears our prayers . . . His timing is always just right.
I’ve heard stories—and I guess you have, too—about people who were late, missed their flight, and whose lives were spared while others died in a plane crash.
Stories like those have made me think about how decisions can change an outcome. “If only I’d turned right, not left. . .”
Sometimes those outcomes cause people to rethink things and change their behavior.
Choices change lives.
That’s why I wrote The Choice: Will’s Last Testament. I wanted readers to see how a young man exercised his God-given freedom of choice—and the consequences that followed.
People love to read fiction. People identify with contemporaries more easily than Bible characters who lived hundreds of years ago in other countries and cultures.
But, when it comes right down to it, throughout history, the choice mankind is faced with remains the same.
If you have wondered what happens after death—and if you could have done anything to change the outcome—I encourage you to read The Choice: Will’s Last Testament
while there’s still time.
John 16:22- “Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.”
It has been just over a year that our twin great-granddaughters were born. They were premature and suffered birth defects. They went home to be with Jesus before we saw them.
This was a difficult time for everyone, as you can imagine.
It reminds me that “God gives and God takes away.”
When tragedies happen, it’s only human to focus on our losses.
It’s difficult to see that God’s tenderness and mercy are shown as he takes these little ones to himself—to a better place where He protects them from a future filled with pain and struggles—and welcomes them to life in Heaven where He makes them perfect and whole.
I envision our great granddaughters running, playing, smiling, and giggling . . . things they would have only dreamed of on earth.
I’m thankful for a God who holds every life precious and whose love knows no boundaries . . . whose His compassion never ends.
Isaiah 1:18- “Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.”
Accidentally washing a phone is NOT for the faint of heart.
I put my cell phone on top of my laundry basket and by the time I was ready to do the wash, I had forgotten all about it. I simply dumped everything into the washer, added soap, and turned it on.
About fifteen minutes later, I realized what I had done. With my heart pounding, I retrieved my phone from the soapy water and blow-dried it back to perfect health.
I shudder to think what would have happened if I hadn’t saved it from the spin cycle!
My phone is squeaky clean and working just fine.
The incident reminded me of the experience of becoming a Christ-follower—a heart no longer defined by sin, but clean and white, as the Father intended.
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