Monday, February 20, 2012

Dream: Forgiven and Saved By Grace

Dream Description
I had a dream about a young girl at our church and we took her to a drug rehabilitation center. She sneaked out carrying something in her hand and wearing a yellow raincoat. We split up chasing after her into a store. She stood in line to buy something and we thought it might be drugs. She handed over her money, a wad of old antique money. 

Fulfillment
The young girl was a recovering drug-addict at our church. Our church was her rehabilitation center. Her sneaking out was the temptation to backslide, but many at the church surrounded her with support and helped her through it. The old antique money was her letting go of the past and handing it over.

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Word of Inspiration: Allow God to be the Director

"In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths." (Proverbs 3:6)

We can be favored by lots of people and many friends, or gain attention from skills and talented gifts, but as children of God, we must first acknowledge Christ and the gifts/favor comes from Him and not of ourselves. For we are nothing without Christ Jesus. As long as we remember our humble beginnings and acknowledge Christ Jesus as our strength, then our place in Him will be clear, and He will direct the path in which we should take. 


Wednesday, February 15, 2012

CFBA Blog Tour: "In Too Deep" by Mary Connealy

The
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
 
In Too Deep
Bethany House
by
 
Mary Connealy
#christianfiction




ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Mary Connealy writes romantic comedy with cowboys. She is a Christy Award Finalist, a Carol Award Finalist, and an IRCC Award finalist.

Petticoat Ranch was a Carol Award Finalist. Calico Canyon was a Christy Award Finalist and a Carol Award Finalist. These books and a third are now contained in one large volume called Lassoed in Texas trilogy.

Montana Rose was a Carol Award Finalist. Cowboy Christmas—the 2010 Carol Award for Best Long Historical Romance, and an Inspirational Readers Choice Contest Finalist.

She is also the author of Black Hills Blessing, a 3-in-1 collection of sweet contemporary romances, Nosy in Nebraska, a 3-in-1 collection of cozy romantic mysteries, and she's one of the three authors contributing to Alaska Brides with her Carol Award Winning historical romance Golden Days.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

In 1866 Colorado, Ethan Kincaid agrees to a marriage of convenience with the same casual disregard he gives every decision. Audra Gilliland, young mother of two, accepts his proposal because she wants to stop being a burden to her newly married stepdaughter. And suddenly both of them are in far deeper than they'd planned.

Ethan doesn't expect Audra to affect him so profoundly, and when she begins to, he's terrified of the pain he's felt before when someone he loved was seriously injured on his watch. He's determined that his new wife will do as he says so he can keep her safe from the dangers that lurk on their ranch. Audra has been cared for all her life by one man or another--and they've done a poor job of it. Now she's planning to stand up for herself. And her new husband had better agree or get out of her way!

What will it take to transform two wayward hearts fearful of getting in too deep into two trusting hearts ready to risk falling deeply in love?

If you would like to read the first chapter of In Too Deep, go HERE.

Watch the book trailer:




Monday, February 13, 2012

Dream: When Changes Comes to the Church

Dream Description
I walked into church and instead of sitting on the first level as usual, many of us chose to sit in the balcony. A girl began singing onstage, but her voice sounded horrible. Several pews on the first level were missing. The carpet was no longer maroon, but gray. Most of the first level was barren except a few people sitting in the back on cheap fold-up chairs in the back where pews used to exist. Trash and residue was all over the floor as if there had been a party. 

Interpretation
A trusted friend's interpretation said that all of the people sitting in the balcony represents those moving to a higher place in the Spirit. The barren first level is the removal of the Lord's presence and the trash represents fleshly manmade agendas. The horrible sound from the girl's singing is how it sounds to the Lord and those in the balcony who want more. 

Fulfillment
Eventually this did happen in the church. Several manmade agendas were exposed and many left the church. Discord rose among the congregation, even the staff. Several pastors including the senior pastor left.

Thursday, February 09, 2012

Word of Inspiration: You Are Washed, Sanctified & Justified

"Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God." (1 Corinthians 6:9-11)

The Lord is so Holy that ANY sin is sin. We are the ones who categorize sin, not God. If we must be washed for one sin, we must be washed for ALL sin. But that is the good news, through Christ Jesus we are washed, sanctified and justified! This means that once we turn to Jesus, we must give up our old lifestyle so that it isn't more important to us than Christ. This doesn't mean we will never sin again, but that we repent and ask for forgiveness when we do, and try not to sin again. This is why God's mercies are new every day. We cannot be committed to our sin, if we are committed to Christ. 


Wednesday, February 08, 2012

CFBA Blog Tour - "Ruth's Redemption" by Marlene Banks

The
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
 
Ruth's Redemption
Moody Publishers (February 1, 2012)
by
 
Marlene Banks
#christianfiction


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:


Marlene Banks worked 30+ years in nursing and the business arena. Her goal as a writer is to create inspiring, gripping and realistic stories with an emphasis on African American literature. She believes her gift and desire to write is from God and desires to use it to fulfill His purposes. Marlene lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where she is a member of Bethel Deliverance International Church.




ABOUT THE BOOK:

Set in the 1800s, Ruth's Redemption, is an unusual depiction of the lives of slaves and free blacks in pre-Civil War America. Bo was educated while enslaved and given his freedom. He now owns a farm where he buys slaves for the sole purpose of giving them their freedom.

Bo is also a man of God and a widower whose life is destined to change when he meets the proud and hard-hearted slave girl, Ruth. She has known nothing but servitude and brutality since being separated from her mother at age thirteen. Purchased and sold primarily for breeding, Ruth struggles to adjust to life outside of bondage. She wants no part of Bo's Godly devotion. Yet, Bo is unlike any man she's known and her experiences with him will leave her forever changed.

A gripping slave era novel, Ruth's Redemption is a story of love, forgiveness, and redemption. Set against the backdrop of the Nat Turner Rebellion in Tidewater, Virginia, this novel shines the light of God's unconditional love in the darkness of a culture's cruel socially accepted inhumanity.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Ruth's Redemption, go HERE.

Tuesday, February 07, 2012

Word of Inspiration: Trust in the Lord

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding." (Proverbs 3:5)

As we go through life, we'll experience many things that we won't understand while it's happening and we're deep in the midst of it. But on the other side as we make it through some of these experiences, we'll come to understand why things happened the way they did to make us stronger, to bring us to new places that we wouldn't have gone voluntarily, and to meet new people we wouldn't have otherwise met. It's during these difficult experiences, the storms in our life, that we must trust in the Lord to lead us through it. Our understanding alone will not be enough to pull us through, but the Lord's understanding, the One who knows all things, will bring us through everything--if we will trust in Him.

Monday, February 06, 2012

Dream: The Role of a Virtuous Woman in the Home

Dream Description
I dreamed that this woman was using an old-fashioned push mower with a rotary blade to mow her yard. The grass was up to her knees and as soon as she would mow it, the grass would instantly grow back as high as her knees. She was going around in circles and getting nothing accomplished. Then I heard a bomb explosion, and I chastised her for destroying her house.

Fulfillment
This woman was raising three children and homeschooling them. A few years later, it was revealed that she was neglecting the education of her children. She wasn't consistent with what she taught and the lessons had too much time between each, causing the children to forget what little they had managed to learn. Eventually the whole situation blew up when her eldest daughter wanted to go to college, and it was discovered that she could barely read on a 7th grade level. Her 8 year old couldn't read or write at all. Her husband was angry when he realized the extent of the problem.

"Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies. The heart of her husband safely trusts her; So he will have no lack of gain. She does him good and not evil All the days of her life. She seeks wool and flax, And willingly works with her hands. She is like the merchant ships,  She brings her food from afar. She also rises while it is yet night, And provides food for her household, And a portion for her maidservants. 

"She considers a field and buys it; From her profits she plants a vineyard. She girds herself with strength, And strengthens her arms. She perceives that her merchandise is good, And her lamp does not go out by night. She stretches out her hands to the distaff, And her hand holds the spindle. She extends her hand to the poor, Yes, she reaches out her hands to the needy. She is not afraid of snow for her household, For all her household is clothed with scarlet. She makes tapestry for herself; Her clothing is fine linen and purple. Her husband is known in the gates, When he sits among the elders of the land"

She makes linen garments and sells them, And supplies sashes for the merchants. Strength and honor are her clothing; She shall rejoice in time to come. She opens her mouth with wisdom, And on her tongue is the law of kindness. She watches over the ways of her household, And does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and call her blessed; Her husband also, and he praises her: Many daughters have done well, But you excel them all. Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, But a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands, And let her own works praise her in the gates." (Proverbs 31:10- 31)

Wednesday, February 01, 2012

"Highland Crossings" Releases Today!

#christianfiction 


Highland Crossings Novella, Feb 2012
1) Healer of My Heart (1740) by Pamela Griffin
2) Printed on My Heart (1758) by Laurie Alice Eakes
3) Sugarplum Hearts (1789) by Gina Welborn
4) Heart's Inheritance (1815) by Jennifer Hudson Taylor

The four stories in  Highland Crossings is centered around the lives of the McKay and McPherson cousins and their descendants. A priceless brooch is given to an ancestress for a good deed she once performed for the imprisoned Mary Queen of Scots and serves as the motivation that tears the family apart. It plays a role in bringing the sisters together after twenty years of separation, gives a daughter a start on her dreams, and a granddaughter a new plan for the future. Each finds her way in the New World, the new nation, and a new century, finding God’s purpose for their lives and the loves of their hearts.




Places to Purchase Highland Crossings


Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Word of Inspiration: "Forgiveness is Balm to Our Souls"

“For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, And abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You.”  (Psalm 86:5)

We all know our mistakes and we're well aware of all the obvious ways we mess up and keep messing up. It's also one of the many reasons, we avoid God. Too many people think of God as the Judge of the Universe and feel unworthy to pray, step foot in a church, and hate the feeling of condemnation they feel when comparing themselves to what they ought to be doing.

Here's the Good News! God is the Judge of the Universe, but He's also a merciful Judge. When we ask, He forgives. How many times have we had to tell our parents, our kids, brothers and sisters, friends, and spouse that we're sorry. Why is it any different with God? He forgives us unconditionally. That means, unlike your friends and family, He remembers it no more. His mercies are new each morning. God is good. It says He is abundant in mercy. That means there's no limit to how many times He'll forgive you. It feels great to be forgiven, it's a balm to our souls and gives us the ability to forgive ourselves.