Peering Through Life's Window

A Warm Welcome to Donna Schlachter Donna will give away a print copy (U.S. only) or an eBook of Calli . Leave a comment below and join the Rafflecopter contest to enter to win. Hi Donna, first, tell us a little about yourself. I am a Canadian by birth, an American by choice. I moved to the US in 1999, married, and just celebrated 23 years. I am the oldest of five children, hold a business degree in Accounting, and love numbers.  Congratulations on your recent anniversary! Were you an avid reader as a child? If so, what did you read? I read whatever I could get my hands on. Always ahead of my grade level in reading and comprehension, I once missed my bus stop because my nose was buried in a book. When I lifted my eyes, I was in the middle of nowhere – or so it seemed to my seven-year-old self – at the bus depot. I was in Montreal, Quebec that year, and couldn’t string together two words of French. The bus driver was as surprised as I was. I had to call my mother and she got my dad to le

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

  A Warm Welcome to Stacey Weeks Stacey will give away a print copy (U.S. and Canadian Residents) of To Sweet Beginnings in Sycamore Hill ,  an introduction to her Sycamore Hill Series . To enter to win leave a comment and email address in the Rafflecopter contest.  Everyone who signs up for Stacey's newsletter receives a short story, "A Sycamore in the City." Snag the newsletter link and sign up below.  The Opposite of Fear is not Always Courage. It can also be Peace. In general, the Western world—and many in the church—do not know what to do when confronted with fearsome circumstances or unexpected suffering. We need only to observe the world as it navigates out of a global catastrophe that has torn through churches and communities to see that God’s people haven’t always suffered well amidst the fearsome unknown. Yet our responses have the power to either draw others to the Lord or drive them away. How we represent Christ while we face our fear matters. This is part of

More in-depth descriptions of these books can be found on the ACFW Fiction Finder website Action/Adventure/Biblical: The Wanderer Scorned by Natasha Woodcraft -- The Wanderer is a man shrouded in legend. Moving from place to place in the land of Nod, he is known primarily for the curse that hangs over his life. When that curse is invoked during the celebration of a murderous rampage, The Wanderer is summoned to tell his story. Few know the truth of the tale encompassing life, death, love, hate, faith and doubt, for it has been obscured by centuries of rumour. Now, it will be told by the one who lived it—the man who became The Wanderer. (Action/Adventure, Independently Published) Contemporary Romance: The Cowgirl’s Redemption by Mindy Obenhaus -- She came home to make things right. Will she be given a second chance? Gloriana Prescott has returned to her Texas hometown to make amends—even if the townsfolk she left behind aren’t ready to forgive. But when her mother’s ra

  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. About Norma Ell

  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. We humans are herd animals. We stick to our kind. It takes great effort to step out of our comfortable circle of friend

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