Peering Through Life's Window

“For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9: 6 (NIV) At Christmas we thank God for the greatest gift the world has ever known. Christians are the luckiest people in the world. Jesus came to earth, suffered and died to save us. Then he rose from the dead and lives with us today. No matter what happens around us, He remains our rock to lean on and the most powerful force the world has ever known. He tells us if we have the faith of a mustard seed, we can move mountains, nothing will be impossible for us. He’s always with us, and there’s neither nothing, nor no one who can defeat Him. He even conquered death! In Matthew 17: 23, Jesus says, ""...I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain,' Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you....

  A Warm Welcome to Linda Weaver Clarke Hi Linda, thanks for sharing your thoughts on the Christmas season and for telling us about your beautiful new Christmas book. See below for the Amazon link to read the first twenty-two pages. The Christmas Season - a Time to Rejoice! Christmas is a wonderful time of year. A feeling of love and joy are in the air as we give gifts to family members and neighbors.  The Christmas season is a time to have compassion for others and to give from our hearts. If we find out that a family is in need, our hearts go out to them. We don’t want their children to be disappointed on Christmas Day so we’ll take gifts to them to put under their tree. That day will always stay etched in your mind, and your children will never forget the grateful faces of the family.  Some people give gifts in secret, by knocking at the door and hiding behind a bush. When we did this, my children saw the surprised neighbor calling his children to the door to see what ...

  Hats... Horns... Congratulations, Sudie!

  A Warm Welcome to Carol Wilson James  Carol will give away a digital copy of Choosing Christmas. To enter to win leave your email address and a comment and join the Rafflecopter Contest below.  Also sign up for Carol’s quarterly newsletter  and receive a free short story.  Gail, thanks so much for letting me visit your blog and share about some of my favorite things.  It’s my pleasure to have you. Carol’s Favorite Bible Verse A Bible verse that has come to mean so much to me over the years is Hebrews 6:10. I taught kindergarten in a private Christian school for many years. One time when I had a particularly challenging class, and I wondered if I was making any inroads into their hearts, the principal left a note in my mailbox. I don’t remember exactly what she said. But I do remember the Bible verse she quoted, and over the years, when discouragement threatened, the words have ministered to me again and again. “God is not unjust; he will not forget your w...

  Hats... Horns... Congratulations Shirley and Pamela!

    A Warm Welcome to Regina Andrews Celebrate the holiday and enjoy a giveaway with Light a Christmas Candle or Reflections of the Heart.   Regina will give away an eCopy of either Light a Christmas Candle or Reflections of the Heart to two winners, who can decide which one they want. To enter to win one of the two books leave a comment and an email address and join the Rafflecopter contest below.  Hi Regina, thanks for sharing your thoughts about traveling and your books. We Are All Travelers The Christmas season is one that is always filled with hope, excitement, and most of all anticipation. It is also a time when many travel to meet their loved ones and to be reunited with family. In thinking about Christmas and the theme of traveling, the voyage of the Holy Family comes to my mind instantly. They had to travel long hours, day and night, over rugged terrain to finally find a stable where the baby could be born.  And all through his life, Jesus seemed to ...

  A Warm Welcome to LoRee Peery LoRee is offering a print copy of winner’s choice from her publication backlist. She will select the winner from comments left below. Be sure to leave your email address too.  Hi LoRee, lots of writers loved to read as children. How about you? Were you an avid reader as a child? If so, what did you read? I could read at age four and have devoured books ever since. Bobbsey Twins, Pollyanna, Nancy Drew, Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer, Zane Grey . I read every book on the shelves of our one-room country school. The year I turned ten, my family moved off the farm and into town. I wanted to live at the library. Tell us about your latest book. For some reason, I selected tough backstories for both my heroine and hero. Pepper Rainwater’s childhood is clear from the start. She grew up neglected in a storage unit. I don’t want to spoil the revealing of Foxx Haven’s surprise history. What do you love about this book? And what do you hope readers will tell othe...

More in-depth descriptions of these books can be found on the ACFW Fiction Finder website Contemporary Romance: A Christmas Bargain by Mindy Obenhaus -- When single mom Annalise Grant inherits a fledgling Christmas tree farm in Texas, she vows to do whatever it takes to make it a success. But when neighbor Hawkins Prescott claims some of her trees are on his property, the only option is a partnership. As Christmas draws closer, Annalise and Hawkins find themselves growing closer as well. Could a family by Christmas become part of the deal? (Contemporary Romance from Love Inspired (Harlequin)) Roadtrip for Two by Amy R. Anguish -- Dallas wasn’t in the plans when Bree Henley set out to use the nonrefundable honeymoon tickets from her canceled wedding. Nor was running into ex-fiancé Nathan Hart. But their mutual friends and the weather have other ideas. A hurricane cancels their cruise and Bree decides to turn the disaster into a roadtrip for one, never imagining Nathan wo...

  Hats... Horns... Congratulations, Janet!

A Warm Welcome to Donna Schlachter  Donna will give away an eBook of Merry Little Mysteries. Leave a comment and email address below and enter the Rafflecopter contest for a chance to win. Receive a free eBook for a newsletter sign up. See below. Romance, History and Mystery  If you enjoy a little romance, a little history, and a little mystery, you’re going to love “A Mistletoe Mystery” in the Merry Little Mysteries anthology. A half dozen authors have banded together to bring you a collection of contemporary and historical mysteries, all clean and sweet, that are sure to tickle your funny bone all the way down to your toes in your stockings. About A Mistletoe Mystery in Merry Little Mysteries A Mistletoe Mystery, is set in Boulder Colorado in 1883, and it opens with Holly and Ivy Christmas discovering that somebody has seeded their champion spruce trees with dwarf mistletoe, a parasitic plant every bit as destructive as the ordinary kind , but not as pretty. They follow t...

HAPPY THANKSGIVING  “The grateful heart is a happy heart,” Dr. George Simon The word thankful was originally thancful in Old English and meant grateful or obliged. Seems the days fly by so fast it’s difficult to keep up, and they’re a mixture of good and bad. In the midst of hard times, pain, illness or sorrow, we often find it difficult to think of much else. When times are good, we tend to take our gifts for granted. But Thanksgiving gives us a moment to step back and look at the many gifts God has given us and be thankful for them. Even in the bad times, we are not alone in the darkness of this imperfect world. God’s by our sides, giving us not only His love and comfort, but support from his almighty power to push us through.   Johnson Oatman, Jr.’s song “Count Your Blessings” encourages me to try to keep the spirit of Thanksgiving in my heart all year long. Here are the lyrics. “Count Your Blessings” by Johnson Oatman, Jr. When upon life’s billows you are tempest-toss...

  A Warm Welcome to Tracy Smoak Tracy gives away downloads from a Bible Study, Refuge of Grace: Finding Your Safe Place on  her  Website Read why Tracy wrote the Bible Study below. Hi Tracy, first, tell us a little about yourself. I grew up in Central Florida running barefoot over sandspurs, eating oranges picked right from the citrus trees, and riding horses through the groves. As a youngster, asthma troubled me so reading books took me places when my body wouldn’t cooperate. The dream of authoring a book started young, but I didn’t actually write my first book until I was 47. My passion is bringing people hope. Recently, a love for photography has resulted in three devotionals with full color pictures. Living Water to Refresh Your Soul features tranquil lakes around my home in Lake County. I was born in Lakeland, so there must be a water theme washing over me 😊.   Why do you write? There have been many dark chapters in my life with divorce, job loss, and poo...

  A Warm Welcome to Pamela Thibodeaux Pamela shares a wonderful devotional. Have you ever heard the audible voice of God? I have. I bet you have too, although you may not have recognized it for what it was. I remember a time when I was filled with shame and guilt and doubt because of the kind of life I was living. My husband and I attended a new church, a place we’d never set foot in before and there, in the quiet of the service I heard God say, very plainly, “You are forgiven.” Did that change my life? Not completely but it did set me on the path to change. Isn’t that what faith is all about–changing as we get to know Him and hear His voice in whatever means He uses to speak to us? When I start writing a book, I don’t always know the referencing scripture. Most of the time I don’t even have a blurb or tagline or anything to develop the story around. I’m 100% panster when it comes to creating, but somewhere along the journey, these things fall into place (especially if I’m listenin...

More in-depth descriptions of these books can be found on the ACFW Fiction Finder website Contemporary Romance: Authentically, Izzy by Pepper Basham -- Dear Reader, My name is Isabelle Louisa Edgewood—Izzy, for short. I live by blue-tinted mountains, where I find contentment in fresh air and books. Oh, and coffee and tea, of course. And occasionally in being accosted by the love of my family. (You’ll understand my verb choice in the phrase later.) I dream of opening my own bookstore, but my life, particularly my romantic history, has not been the stuff of fairy tales. Which is probably why my pregnant, misled, matchmaking cousin—who, really, is more like my sister—signed me up for an online dating community. But I’ve played it safe for a long time. Maybe it’s time for me to be as brave as my favorite literary heroines. Maybe it’s time to take the adventures from the page to real life. Wish me luck. (Contemporary Romance from HarperCollins Christian Publishing (Thomas Nelson an...