Peering Through Life's Window

  Christmas shines with God’s grace, forgiveness of sins and salvation. It’s difficult to fathom an unconditional love so great, or ever repay it. All I can do each year is let it fill my heart with joy as I stand in awe of it and accept God’s gift. A Miraculous Birth    Photo courtesy Photobucket “God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.” Luke 1: 26 - 27 “...the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.” Luke 1: 30 - 33 A Gospel of love “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” “Jesus repli...

A Warm Welcome to Sherri Wilson Johnson Hi Sherri, thanks for bringing your tour to Peering Through Life's Window. First, tell us a little about yourself. Besides being a writer, I'm also a speaker and I freelance as a virtual assistant for two clients. I love to read and write and spend time with my family. I love to go to church, and I love to make people laugh. My favorite vacation spot is the beach, and whenever I get the opportunity, I go to theme parks and ride roller coasters. Tell us about your latest book To Laugh Once More is the sequel to my first novel, To Dance Once More (which re-released December 12th). It is set in Florida and Georgia in 1895. In this novel, Lydia and Hamilton have been married for several years, and things aren't going quite like Lydia had hoped. She loves Hamilton, but she's bored with being a keeper of the home. They go through some major trials which seem quite insurmountable. They struggle to keep their marriage...

Three exciting gifts! Drum roll.... And the winners are... One e-book copy of A Question of Destiny - June Foster Drum roll... The other e-book copy of A Question of Destiny - Linda Weaver Clarke Drum roll... The Mini Spa Packet - Deanna Stevens Congratulions!!!

  A Warm Welcome to Anita Higman Anita shares a wonderful devotional about something the world needs so badly. She’ll give away two digital copies of her new book, A Question of Destiny , and a mini spa packet! That Glorious Gift of Kindness By Anita Higman Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Ephesians 4:32 (NIV) Oh, how I love presents. Don’t you? Little packages tucked into one’s mailbox. Or enormous presents with big bows that sit around the Christmas tree. Or unexpected gifts that arrive with a hug. I love all kinds. And tearing open the package with all that crisp decorative paper is fun too. Or lifting the pastel froufrou tissue out of the dainty gift bag. What utter joy!  But the type of present that I enjoy even more, is a gift called kindness. It is a generous offering from someone’s heart. These kindness donors don’t have to give, but they do it anyway, even though this quiet...

I had to call in hubby to help me with the selection process, and he drew a name! Hats...horns... Congratulations to Shirley!

A Warm Welcome to Carole Brown Carole shares a devotional based on her new book, With Music in Their Hearts . She'll give away an e-book. To enter to win leave a comment and an e-mail address below.   Why Does God Ask Hard Things From Us?   For the life of him, he had no idea what he’d done to deserve two slaps in the face in one day. Tyrell stepped out of the booth and glanced at the cloudy sky. No sign of the sun, and no sign of God’s face smiling down ready to do battle for him. -- From With Music in Their Hearts. Have you ever wondered why God allowed you to go through that hard/dark/difficult period in your life? Has life always been the proverbial bowl of cherries? Of course not! It just seems worse for those of us who serve a God in heaven because we falsely assume life will always be full of sunshine.  Tyrell Walker, the protagonist in my WWII novel, lost his parents as a child. That’s a terrible blow to any child, but God had plans for...

Hats...horns... Congratulations to Laurean!

          A Warm Welcome to Paula Mowery Paula will give away an e-book of Legacy and Love To enter to win leave a comment and an e-mail address below Hi Paula, tell us a little about yourself. When I look at the title of your blog, Peering Through Life’s Window, it reminds me of one of the roles I have in life – pastor’s wife. It’s been said that we pastor families live in glass houses. I’m glad I don’t really reside in a glass house. I would hate for everyone to see the dust and laundry mountains that are a part of our life. But, I guess this is just proof that we are just normal people who have been called into a different vocation. I’m a proud mama to a daughter who is a sophomore with Liberty University online. She is studying to go into children's ministry. I had the privilege and honor to homeschool her through all twelve years. I’m a published author and acquisitions editor for Prism Book Group. God has called me to write and...

And the Pilgrims gave thanks to God... photo courtesy Photobucket     Wishing many blessings for you and yours this Thanksgiving

And the winner is... Congratulations Deanna Stevens!

A Warm Welcome to Bill Garrison Bill will give away EITHER a print copy OR an e-book of The Day She Died . To enter to win leave a comment and an e-mail address below. Hi Bill. First, tell us a little about yourself. I’m married with three children and live in Oklahoma City. I’m a CPA and work in healthcare but my real love is great stories. I don’t want to be mindlessly entertained; I want to be moved emotionally. I spend my weekends going to basketball, football, soccer, and volleyball games and love every minute. Lots of writers were young readers. What about you? If so, what did you read? I was an avid reader. I remember winning a most read books contest in 2nd grade and getting a free book. In sixth grade, my parents gave me a bunch of books for Christmas, and I remember being disappointed because I wanted toys. Ahh, sorry about the toys, but congratulations on the contest. Let's talk about your writing. Why do you write? I really enjoy telling a story and cre...

Welcome to the Cowboys & Christmas Blog Tour! A kickoff of new holiday romances by Shanna Hatfield and a fundraiser for the Justin Cowboy Crisis Fund An Interview with Two Heroes Have you ever wondered what it would be like to listen to a conversation between two heroes from different eras?   Today, Shanna Hatfield brings together two of her popular heroes for an interesting interview. Luke Granger is a banker, rancher, and involved community member in The Christmas Bargain, a sweet Victorian romance taking place in 1893 in Hardman, Oregon. Tate Morgan is from the contemporary sweet romance The Christmas Cowboy. He’s a retired saddle bronc rider who calls his ranch near Kennewick, Washington home.   Welcome to you both. Tell us a little about life where you live. Luke: I live in the small but bustling community of Hardman, Oregon in Eastern Oregon. We have several churches, a school, a newspaper office, skating rink and mercantile there. My wife, ...

Hats...horns... Congratulations... The winner is... Sonja

A Warm Welcome to Christine Lindsay!   To enter to win an e-book of Veiled at Midnight leave a comment and e-mail address below. I BELIEVE IN PERFECT FAMILIES—by Christine Lindsay   I used to envy people who grew up in perfect homes. Then I discovered that, sadly, perfect families are an extremely small percentage. All people live with some level of dysfunction. In my family it was not only my father, but also my brother and sister who suffered from alcoholism. That certainly marred my hope for a perfect family. I never struggled with alcohol, but I did wrestle with other sins that seemed to be handed down generation to generation. According to Romans 8 there is no longer condemnation for those who follow Christ. I have seen how the Lord Jesus steps in and heals a person, entire families from past imperfections. But these ugly human traits from the past still creep out of our families and spring up in our own hearts at unexpected times. How long must we wre...

Thanks to Lisa Lickel, who posted about her children’s book,  Matthew LaCraft, The Yankee Boy , last week at Living Our Faith Out Loud  for inviting me. She asked me the following questions about Mountain of Love and Danger , a re-telling of the fairy tale, Jack and the Beanstalk. What is the name of your character? Is he/ she fictional or historic? Jack Greenthumb is the fictitious main character in Mountain of Love and Danger. When and where is the story set? The story’s set in current times, but in a fantasy world called Fairwilde Kingdom. What should we know about him/ her? Jack’s a young guy, son of Fred Greenthumb, the owner of Greenthumb Acres. Fred supplies all of Fairwilde Kingdom with vegetables and employs quite a few people. Jack’s enjoying riding around the kingdom in his new red car, but Dad’s attacked, the farm vandalized and Jack’s true love, Gwendolyn Bante, kidnapped. Jack must face danger and suspense as he goes undercover in a crim...

FALL SPECTACULAR GIVEAWAY Yes, it is definitely that time of year again, when the colors of red and orange come to life as the temperature starts to drop. There is a wonderful sense of possibility and change in the air and there could also be new possibilities when it comes to decorating your tabletop as well. As the season’s colors begin to emerge, why not take the opportunity to style it up with some new and exciting pieces that can really make it stand out. Enter the Jay Companies Contest. Click on link:  Jay Companies Contest $500 Gift Certificate to jaycompanies.com Grand Prize: 1 Winner Dinnerware for 8 Charger Plate for 8 Stemware for 8 1st Prize – 1 Winner Choice of: Beverage Dispenser Dinnerware Set for 4 2nd Prize – 2 Winners Choice of: Cannister Set Serving Tray Jewelry Box 3rd Prize – 3 Winners

Hats...Horns... And the Winner of The Yuletide Angel is... Congratulations, Kathy!

What an honor to have Sandra celebrating with Peering Through Life's Window on release day! To enter to win the e-book of The Yuletide Angel , leave a comment and an e-mail address. Hi Sandra. First, tell us a little about yourself. I write historical romance, am married to a retired man (he robbed the cradle … okay, maybe not) and am the mom of a young adult. When I’m not recording the lives and loves of fictional people, I’m cooking, cleaning, reading, gardening, watching NASCAR, or cheering on the Carolina Panthers football team. Sounds a lot like the things I'm doing. Lots of writers loved to read as children. How about you? If so, what did you read? Absolutely. I discovered the joy of reading in the third grade when I devoured the Little House books. As I grew older, I moved on to gothic romances—like Jane Eyre —and romantic suspense. In high school, Mary Roberts Rinehart was a favorite of mine, along with Phyllis Whitney. My favorite of the classics is Reb...