Peering Through Life's Window

  A Warm Welcome to Victoria Simcox Loving One Another  Jesus charged us with what seems impossible—to love one another. But how can we love others with that same unconditional love that Jesus loves us with?  Jesus knows all of our inadequacies, and he still gives us the command to love one another just as he loves us. He had shown a love that is comprised of acceptance, forgiveness, and compassion. It was a love manifest by unselfishness and putting others above oneself, a love that even exceeded cultural standardizations and opportunities. God is love and if we call ourselves godly, then we need to display to others the love of Christ. Love is what we should demonstrate to others whether they merit it or not. Love should be our submission and duty to God. It can be tough to love individuals we feel are trying but the grace of God will aid us in doing so. Pray for a loving and kind heart toward others, and that you will be a likeness of the love of Christ in the world. A...

  A Warm Welcome to Julie Cosgrove Julie will give away two free jigsaw puzzles and a free prequel short story to the Wordplay Mysteries to those who comment below. Please leave your email address with your comment. Jesus's Love                              There is an old saying that both pride and sin have “I” in the middle.  When we open our hearts to love, we take our thoughts and actions off ourselves. We place them on the object of our love.   However, we can get tripped up if we think love is only an emotion. It is not. Jesus meant it to be action verb. We should love everyone, even those who are unlovable. Loving someone takes courage. We must push beyond our own hurts, anger, and prejudices―and we all have them in one form or another! ―to extend our hand to another human being. That requires a sacrificial attitude, one that goes against our human nature....

  Hats... Horns... The winner is... Congratulations, Sonja!

  A Warm Welcome to Carol Wilson James   Carol shares a couple of her favorite Bible verses and a yummy brisket recipe. She'll give away a digital copy of A Time for Singing . Enter to win at the Rafflecopter contest below. A couple of my favorite Bible verses are Isaiah 43:18-19   “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” These are the verses upon which I base my writing ministry, but they mean so much more to me. My parents were married for over fifty years. But not long after my mother died, my father remarried. And Bessie entered our lives. While Bessie never tried to take the place of my mother, she loved my father. She loved me and loved my daughters as if they were her own grandchildren. She became a “stream in the wasteland” for my father and us. We were blessed to have her be a part of our family. Bessie was an...

  More in-depth descriptions of these books can be found on the ACFW Fiction Finder website Contemporary Romance: Leaving the Past Behind by Sandra Ardoin -- The joy Danni Barnett found in her job as a travel writer and photographer faded around the same time her husband walked out on her. When her late sister-in-law’s will brings the couple together to care for her children, Danni must face her fear of motherhood or lose a second chance with Brooks. Brooks Barnett’s life has spun out of his control. A crumbled marriage. A career on hold. The loss of his sister. Brooks determines to keep Danni at arm’s length, but it’s a daunting task when his niece and nephew love her as much as he does. How will Brooks protect two grieving children from more loss when he can’t even protect his heart from Danni’s pull? (Contemporary Romance, Independently Published) Muskota Blue by Carolyn Miller -- For Sarah Maguire, spending the summer at Lake Muskoka was supposed to be about find...

  Hats... Horns... Congratulations, Becky!

  A Warm Welcome to Linda Weaver Clarke Linda will give away either a Mobi, ePub or PDF copy of A Lady of Refinement. Enter to win below in the Rafflecopter contest. Seeking a Better Life: Women of Courage Some immigrants learned about America and its opportunities from the newspaper while others heard about it from traveling missionaries. Many were seeking relief from political and religious persecution but others were just following their hearts. They didn’t know what the future would bring to them. Frances Davies, my great grandmother, was one of them.  She left her beloved homeland of Wales to live in America, the land of opportunity. Frances had attended a private school and received an education that set her apart from other young women. She was referred to as a “lady of refinement.”  Her Aunt Susan didn’t want her to leave and begged her to stay in Wales. She said that Frances would inherit her fortune if she stayed but Frances stood firm and unyielding and wanted...