Peering Through Life's Window

Christ Is Born "Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you:  You will find a baby wrapped in cloths lying in a manger. (Luke 2:  11-14) He Grows Up And Preaches A Gospel of Love Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. (Matthew 22: 37 - 38) Christ Dies On The Cross To Free Us From Our Sins "The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again." (Luke 24: 7) He Rises And He Lives Today "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?"  (I Corinthians 15: 55)  Merry Christmas! A picture of my hometown, Forest City, North Carolina, from a painting by Daniel Robbins. Angel photo courtesy Google. Christ ...

A Warm Welcome to Andrea Chatelaine Andrea Brings Us A Book For Holidays And A Devotional for New Year's Intentional Holidays: 30 Days of Rest and Rejoicing This holiday season, God invites us to slow down our hustle, to trade striving and performing for resting and rejoicing. In our Photoshopped, Instagram, hyper-publicized culture, it feels like the bar is always rising. Not only must we create that memorable Thanksgiving meal, but it also must look Pinterest-worthy when we’re done! But Immanuel—God with us—is indeed with us in the middle of our dinner fails and celebrations.This holiday season, each morning, no matter how busy our day or frazzled our heart, God is drawing us near so that we can live filled. We can experience peace in the middle of our crazy through the Prince of Peace, our Savior, Immanuel. Buy on  Amazon Resolutions Vs. Transformation By Andrea Chatelain As we count down to the New Year, our minds rev up with possible resolutions...

A Warm Welcome To Penelope Marzec Hi Penelope, Thank you for sharing your special recipe and the story behind it as well as nourishing our souls with your mother's favorite Bible verse! The Best Cook’s Special Recipe—Cream Puffs One of the best cooks I ever knew was my mother. The daughter of a coal miner, she never served small portions of anything, probably because she came from a family with seven children. She was the second oldest and after her there were five boys. Mom married Dad in 1947. My brother was born the following year. Then came me. Next came Christine, who died shortly after birth. A few years later I had a new sister, and another one came several years after that. My little mother had her hands full caring for children. She often quoted her favorite Biblical verse from 1 Timothy 2:15, “But she will be saved through motherhood, provided women persevere in faith and love and holiness, with self-control.” I think it was her way of reminding her...

A Warm Welcome to Lillian Duncan, Former Carol Award Finalist Murder, Mayhem and Christmas? Really?  On the surface, it may seem that murder and mayhem doesn’t necessarily go with Christmas, but I love weaving a Christmas story in with suspense and romance. Because of that I have several Christmas stories available— The Christmas Stalking; The Christmas Angel Thief; No Home for the Holidays ; and A Christmas Stolen. My latest Christmas novella is All I Want For Christmas Is Johnny Rocker Dead! How’s that for a title filled with murder, mayhem and Christmas? I won’t tell you the plot but I will tell you the story is about how much God loves each of us—no matter what we’ve done. And isn’t that what Christmas is really all about? Speaking of Christmas, one of the things my husband and I do every Christmas is to clear out our enclosed porch and then we put up Christmas trees. Yes, I said trees as in many trees. Last year, we had 14 or 15 trees up. In all sizes an...

More in-depth descriptions of these books can be found on the ACFW Fiction Finder website . Contemporary Romance: Stranded for the Holidays by Lisa Carter -- Running away led her right where she belonged. A new mom for Christmas? She’s everything they’ve wished for. Runaway bride AnnaBeth Cummings needs shelter for the holidays when a blizzard leaves her stranded, and rancher Jonas Stone’s happy to help. But his son’s been wishing for a mommy for Christmas, and town matchmakers are convinced Annabeth and Jonas are perfect for each other. As the storm clears, city girl AnnaBeth will have to decide: does her heart now belong in the country? (Contemporary Romance from Love Inspired [Harlequin]) The Dating Charade by Melissa Ferguson -- After a knockout first date where Cassie Everson and Jett Bentley claim to not want kids, both come home to find three children dropped in their laps. . . each. While struggling to keep their heads above the parental waters, and without ...

Thank You God, For... The fresh summer breeze That rustles through the trees And wraps our hearts with love The warmth of sun rays That brightens up our days And fills our hearts with cheer The cool, pleasant rain That refreshes earth’s domain And gives us peace The glittering Heaven at night That makes our darkness light And lifts our hearts with hope The young boy, kind and strong Who helps the old lady  Move her grocery cart along The middle-aged man, hurried this day, Taking time to fix the tire For a lady stranded by the way The housewife, tired and weary, Baking cookies for a lonely friend Whose days are long and dreary The young couple, just beginning life, Who think to visit someone ill Hoping to relieve their strife The old man, with dreams that are torn, Who still smiles and says, “Enjoy today. Be happy you were born.” These things that push our problems away ...

Hats... Horns... Congratulations, Sonja!

A Warm Welcome To Lisa Lickel Lisa will give away a pdf copy of Crazy Creek Christmas to anyone who names a favorite horse and a copy of Meow Mistletoe to anyone who has a brief story about their favorite cat. To enter to win leave your comment below with an email address. The Story Behind Crazy Creek Christmas My husband and I were on our way home to Wisconsin from my favorite western state, Wyoming and Yellowstone National Park, when my phone rang. My editor was calling to tell me some good news and some challenging news. The good news: the story collection she had started three years earlier was finally getting a release date. March 2020! Yay! It’s going to be a great collection based on the elements of Philippians 4:8: Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. These stories are similar to ano...

Hats... Horns... Congratulations, Mary!

This week I'm giving away a Kindle copy of Stopped Cold. To enter to win leave an email address and a comment below. An MC speaking on a Christian radio station last week reported that a great number of young people  are stressed today because they believe they must be perfect. According to the radio’s source, they are anxious about getting into the best colleges, making the best grades and finding a perfect wife. Well, I couldn’t help but think of Stopped Cold, my recent re-release that tells readers they don’t have to be number one for God to love them. God’s given each of us a gift or gifts to use for him.  I wrote Stopped Cold because I’ve had the misfortune of knowing young people whose inability to cope with being less than the best resulted in devastating results. They range from youngsters who had difficulty coping because they didn’t come in first in a race or receive all A’s to young people who attempted or committed suicide.  The dri...

More in-depth descriptions of these books can be found on the ACFW Fiction Finder website . Contemporary Romance: Royally Yours by Betsy St. Amant , Ashley Clark, Liz Johnson , and Melissa Tagg -- Tinsel, Vermont is known for its no-paparazzi policy and Christmas decorations that are fit for a queen. This holiday season, join four royals on a stroll through town square as they each find their Christmas wishes for a happily-ever-after...tiaras optional. (Contemporary Romance, Independently Published) Restoring Christmas by Julie Arduini -- A young woman overcome by grief teams up with a special education teacher to bring joy to the community through a Christmas-themed tourist attraction. (Contemporary Romance from Surrendered Scribe Media) Valerie's Verdict by Hallee Bridgeman -- Broken and battered, Valerie comes home and finds a lifetime of love waiting for her. (Contemporary Romance, Independently Published) An Unexpected Family by June Foster ...