Peering Through Life's Window

  Luke 2: 11-12, “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. You will find a baby wrapped in cloths lying in a manger.” God sent Jesus to save sinners, because he loves us.  In the Bible the Pharisees asked Jesus, “…which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” He told them “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: 36 – 39). Christmas brings the message of a Savior who loves us so much He suffered for our sins to the point of death.  Then a miracle occurred. Jesus rose from the dead and ascended into Heaven, but He didn't leave us alone.  Matthew 28:20: "And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."  His spirit and His love live with us today. Where does the love come from, and how can we get it? Sometimes we attempt to buy, demand or create love, b...

  A Warm Welcome to Carol Wilson James Hi Carol, I can't wait to hear about your new book and the sandwiches. Thanks for sharing with us. To receive a FREE short story sign up for Carol's  newsletter The Traveling Grilled Cheese  Because my dad was a career military officer, the longest we ever lived in one place was three years. And when the Air Force said “Move,” we moved. Sixty years ago, there weren’t fast food restaurants or grocery stores open twenty-four hours a day. So my mom had to figure out how to feed the family when nothing was open and she had no stove. Thus, she made "Ironed Grilled Cheese Sandwiches.” (To this day, my brother chooses these over a standard grilled cheese.) Ingredients Bread, cheese, butter, aluminum foil, and your iron.  Heat your iron. Rub one side of a piece of foil with butter. Fold it in half, buttered sides together.  Make a cheese sandwich.   Insert your sandwich between the buttered sides of the foil (like a taco)...

A Warm Welcome to June Foster  and  Kelly Cordova What fun to have a Mother / daugther team on Peering Through Life's Window I'm excited to hear about  The Other Side of the Fairy House June shares one of the stories behind the story - Jason Last spring, my daughter Kelly and I went to Gatlinburg, Tennessee, to do research for our new book, The Other Side of the Fairy House . Besides absorbing the vibes of the Great Smoky Mountains, we explored the real-life location where our story takes place—the former Voorheis property and estate. But in our story, you’ll find Mr. Voorheis’ name is Robert Vanderheim. Louis Voorheis was a wealthy Yale graduate from Cincinnati in the early 1900s. He wanted a private location where he and his wife could escape the modern world. Thus, he built a rustic style mansion on a 38-acre site. We patterned our story around his life. The site also featured a stone spring house about which many told stories of fairies and fireflies that paid visits ...

  My friend, Deborah Malone, compiled a book of devotionals, Bloom in Your Winter Season . To Celebrate Deborah’s New Book, I’ll give away a Kindle copy of Hair Calamities and Hot Cash to a U.S. resident. To enter leave a comment and your email address and enter the Rafflecopter contest . The book features twenty-three contributing authors, including yours truly. Deborah says, “Ladies there is good news for you! God did not stamp an expiration date on our foreheads. Just ask the “seasoned” women from the Bible if God used them – Sarah, Miriam, and Naomi are just a few he used in mighty ways. Bloom in Your Winter Season will introduce you to many more women who were still active in ministry during their mature years. After discovering these women’s journeys during their winter seasons, you will find that He can and will use you too, and learn to become a Winter Warrior for God. What Others Are Saying Debbie Macomber, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author says, “With insight ...

A Warm Welcome to Jean Pike Thanks so much for having me today, Gail. It's my pleasure.   There are so many Biblical truths I tried to incorporate into King of Hearts that I had a hard time deciding what I wanted to tell your readers about the story. But as I started thinking about one of my secondary characters, my thoughts seemed to fall into place. Clara Blessings spent her life giving to others. When my heroine, Harper, and her brother, Nicky became motherless, Clara stepped in to help raise them. A talented pastry chef, she devoted her life to using her talents for the glory of God. Along with to-die-for wedding cakes, she baked amazing birthday cakes for underprivileged children who might not otherwise have gotten one. When Clara becomes increasingly forgetful and starts to make unsafe choices, a social worker threatens to have her removed from her home. The town rallies around their beloved Clara with offers of help. A local contractor offers to install safety locks on the ...

A Warm Welcome to Jodie Wolfe Hi Jodie, tell us a little about yourself. Hi, thanks for having me here today, Gail. It's my pleasure. Let’s see, what can I say about myself. I live in southcentral PA. I’ve had a longing to write ever since I was a little girl. I currently write Christian historical romances. I love winter and snow. You’ll usually find me with a book close at hand, because I’m an avid reader. I love to walk and spend time with my husband.  Were you an avid reader as a child? If so, what did you read? Yes! I loved Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House on the Prairie series. I also read the Encyclopedia Brown Series, Trixie Beldon Series, Nancy Drew , etc. I read more mysteries when I was younger than I do now. :) Why do you write? For me, writing is something God has called me to do. It’s a way of encouraging others to go deeper in their faith, even in the midst of difficulties they may be facing. Tell us about your latest book. How hard can it be to round up one del...

HAPPY SUMMER!    Whether enjoying a lemonade and a snack while reading a good book, having tea with a friend or hosting a bridal shower, strawberries make the occasion special. See recipes below. Summer Reading and Recipes There are over two-dozen recipes in the back of Cooking up a Mystery, each one named for a character in the book. They were donated by members of Mission Love Seeds, a charitable group created to help children throughout the world and to respond locally after disasters to demonstrate God's love. Learn more at Mission Love Seeds About Cooking up a Mystery Laney Eskridge worked to put her husband through dental school. Then he left with another woman. She's on edge from the emotional scars and her parents' deaths. Then she hears unexplained noises in her new tea house, and her anxiety is tripled. Add a budding romance with Eric—a guy with a fear of commitment—and it's all too much to handle. She cuts ties with Eric and plunges into making her business...

  A Warm Welcome to Kristi Neace Kristi shares a devotional. She will start a new Bible study on Facebook in July. Watch for the announcement, giving the exact date and time on her  Facebook Page   Scriptural videos also available. See below.*  In a Pit? Psalm 40:1-3‚ “I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD.” Can you think of a time when God helped you out of a low place? Perhaps something had caused you to spiral downward, or maybe like the Old Testament character, Jonah, you had run away from God so as not to have to do what He was asking of you.  Through this passage, we see that David was experiencing this first-hand. He was in a place of despair, yet God was gracious, and after some time, placed Dav...

  A Warm Welcome to Nancy Mehl Nancy will give away a print copy of  her latest book, Cold Threat (U.S. residents only). To enter to win leave a comment and an email address below and enter the Rafflecopter contest. Hi Nancy, first, tell us a little about yourself. I’m a wife, mother, and a writer. I’ve been writing for over twenty-five years and recently had my fifty-third book published. I don’t have a lot of free time, but I love to read and watch TV to relax.   Lots of writers enjoyed reading as children. Were you an avid reader as a child?  Yes. I would stay up all night and read books under my bedspread, using a flashlight so I could see. I suspect my mother knew, but she didn’t say anything. Why do you write? I write because I believe God called me to do it.  Tell us about your latest book. Cold Threat is the second book in my Ryland and St. Clair series. River Ryland and Tony St. Clair travel to Burlington, Iowa, to help Tony’s father with a very c...

  A Warm Welcome to Keon Lindsey To read the first two chapters of Have You Heard from God Lately , a Bible study devotional, click on the link below. * Keon gives away either a print or Kindle copy (U.S. Residents only). Winner's choice. To enter to win leave a comment and email address and enter the Rafflecopter Contest. Readers will find questions and answers similar to following in Have You Heard from God Lately? Does God Keep His Promises? Can you trust God? How can you know? If He has shown Himself trustworthy in the past shouldn’t that give confidence to trust now and in the future? “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.” (Isaiah 40:8) The beauty of the world around us comes and goes like grass and flowers, but not God’s Word. It is sure and steadfast. When the Lord speaks, we can count on it and rely on what He said to be true. Let’s prove this by looking at specific promises God made and how He kept them. Example Promise 1 In Genesis ...

  A Warm Welcome to June Foster June will give away an eBook of The Novice Ranch Hand . To enter to win leave a comment and enter the Rafflecopter Contest below The Story Behind The Novice Ranch Hand As I wrote The Novice Ranch Hand, I enjoyed a sentimental journey into the past. The idea for this story which takes place on a sheep ranch was inspired by my life as a young child.  My father was heir to a large sheep ranch in west Texas. So, after my parents married, they made the ranch their home. My father raised sheep and sold the wool to the local coop in his town. For years, the business was profitable. Later, however, the foreign wool markets made sheep ranching less lucrative. In my early years, I have memories of playing with my cousins, riding horses, and exploring the bunk house which was empty at that time. One recollection I'll never forget is going swimming in the water storage tank behind the house. My father loved to don his swim suit and take me with him to splas...

A Warm Welcome to Lillian Duncan Lillian talks about love and her new book. To celebrate her new release, she's having a fantastic giveaway. To enter follow the directions under To Celebrate My New Release, Walking Through the Rain.  What's Your Love Story? Yesterday was Valentine’s Day—the day we celebrate love.  Everyone loves a love story—even if you don’t want to admit it. But since it was Valentine’s day, it’s OK to admit this time. My latest release, Walking Through the Rain is Rachel and Brandon’s love story. And as Shakespeare said, the course of true love never did run smooth. Truer words couldn’t be spoken about Rachel and Brandon. I’m not going to give the plot away, but I will tell you that both of their mothers aren’t happy about their relationship so…. You can imagine what happens next. Like I said, everybody loves a love story so I’ll tell you mine. I’ve sort of known my husband my whole life. His brother was married to my aunt. NO, we aren’t related to each oth...

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY        It all started in the Third Century when Roman Emperor Claudius demanded young men not marry because it distracted them from their duties as Roman soldiers. A priest, Saint Valentine, secretly married soldiers to their young brides. Then the Emperor demanded Christians deny their religion and worship pagan gods, but Saint Valentine refused, was arrested and condemned to die. While he waited for his execution, his jailer asked him to pray for his blind daughter. After she  miraculously regained her sight, the jailer and many others were converted to Christianity and were baptized. Before Saint Valentine was executed on February 14, 269 AD, he wrote a note to the jailer’s daughter and signed it “from your Valentine.” * Mercifully, priests and ministers don’t have to pay such a price today for marrying those in love, or praying for those in need, nor do we have to pay for loving or showing kindness to someone. Today’s a good day to spre...

  A Warm Welcome to Karen Malley Karen will give away an eBook of Moonlight and Mystery .  To enter to win leave a comment and email address below and enter the Rafflecopter contest. She also gives away a free short story each week for a newsletter sign-up. See below for her Website address. Hi Gail, thanks so much for having me on the blog today. It's my pleasure.  I’m happy to share with you a Bible verse and a recipe, and tell you about my newest book! One of my favorite Bible verses is Romans 10:9.  “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” I love this verse because it distills down the message of Christianity to its simplest elements. So often people add to the gospel, but it really all comes down to our belief in Jesus’ saving work on the cross. This verse tends to make its way into my writing. It’s in my latest novel, Moonlight and Mystery, when the heroine, Beth attends a...