Peering Through Life's Window

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

A Warm Welcome to Sandra Ardoin Sandra will give away an e-book of A Reluctant Melody . To enter to win leave an e-mail address and a comment below. Sandra shares her favorite Bible verses and a favorite recipe. She says, "I have two favorite verses (technically, three). Together, they remind me of the power, compassion, and mercy of God." The first is Jeremiah 29:11. “For I know the thoughts I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” (KJV) Also, Isaiah 55:8-9: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. (KJV) A Favorite Recipe: My mom used to make this regularly. In fact, she made it for my wedding reception twenty-eight years ago. I can’t say where she got the recipe, but when I was young, we lived near Chicago where Italian Bee

A Warm Welcome to Jennifer Slattery A Personal Story by Jennifer Sometimes my heart and mouth get ahead of my brain. And sometimes what I thought was a great thing, a God-thing, leaves me scratching my head. And hitting my knees. Fast. As I was writing my novel, When Dawn Breaks , I thought of one situation in particular, one where I encountered a mother similar, in many ways, to the one my heroine, Jacqueline Dunn encountered. It was the spring of 2002. I was a new mom with a passion to change the world. Young and overwhelmed with the whole parenting thing, I joined a women’s Bible study.  We met to discuss Scripture, parenting ideas and problems, and what God’s Word had to say on those matters. We shared out fears and our tears, along with steady doses of hugs and chocolate. One morning, a new woman joined our group. She seemed so quiet, so meek, so… vulnerable. Broken. You see, her husband had left her and their three young boys, all under the age of six. Worse, she

And the winner is... Hats, Horns... Congratulations, Lisa Lickel!

          A Warm Welcome to Paula Mosher Wallace   Paula will give away a print book and a t-shirt. To enter to win leave a comment and an e-mail address below. (U.S. residents only)                 About Bloom in the Dark Have you ever experienced a hurt that didn't qualify for a sympathy card? Did embarrassment or shame keep you from getting help or support? Do you have a loved one who's been abused? Many women face trauma and abuse. In these pages, you will read 30 stories, poems, and letters that tell these testimonies. Without sugarcoating her situation, each woman shares her pain, how she made it through, and how God met her. Our journeys to healing are different. Your story may not be reflected in the pages of this book, but you will see that you are not alone. We can all reach out to the same God who helped each of these women. Christ will meet you, carry you, hold you, and heal you, too! Warning: best when read with tissues

Some say that Christ wasn’t born on December 25th. They claim that Christians took the date from a Roman holiday honoring the sun or a sun god. The Britannica Encyclopedia says Christians took the date to rival pagan feasts taking place during the Winter Solstice, which honored a new age brought by the sun. Depending on location, the Winter Solstice occurs on or around December 25th. Even though it lasts only an instant in time, many cultures have held festivals marking it as midwinter. According to some, Christmas simply grew to be one of the most popular events. Nonetheless, every year by the time we’ve celebrated Thanksgiving, festive decorations acknowledging the birth of Christ appear in overwhelming numbers across the American landscape. A majority of homes have wreaths on their doors, candles in their windows, lights in the yards. And jolly old Santa Claus sits in the middle of the mall to greet youngsters. And this country’s biggest celebration continues until after December

Hats, horns... Congratulations to Mary Preston!