Wednesday, December 22, 2021
Your Gifts
Saturday, December 18, 2021
Joy Replaced Fear
An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people."
I remember sitting in a classroom in the junior high building, my heart pounding with fear.
I'd been absent the day my class took the standard exam, so the teacher sent me to the big study hall, which seemed miles away from my classroom. There I sat, a painfully shy, elementary student, surrounded by teenagers. The teacher stood what seemed like seven feet tall, while the paper and pencil on my desk taunted me. As I started to darken circles on the multiple-choice questions, tears stung my eyes. The teacher, in all of his wisdom, must have noticed my discomfort. He leaned over and assured me everything would be okay. And it was. I don't recall the results of the test, but I took it and evidently passed whatever hurdle I needed to.
My teacher wasn't an angel, at least not that I know of, yet he calmed my fear and gave me courage to finish my task.
When the angel appeared to the shepherds in the field near Bethlehem, the fear must have overwhelmed them. The night was most likely quiet, a few sheep baaing, maybe a breeze, and a snore here or there from dozing shepherds. Then the sky lit up with God's glory and surrounded the mighty messenger. Bless those shepherds' hearts, as they trembled in fear, and the angel consoled them with encouragement and spoke of the most wonderful news.
No doubt the shepherds had heard of the long-expected Messiah, but they never dreamed they'd be alerted to his birth in such an awesome way. With courage and encouragement from the angel, the shepherds listened and followed his directions. And lo and behold they witnessed baby Jesus in his mother's arms.
At the sight of the Lord, pure joy replaced any fear.
This season seek Jesus with the courage of the shepherds and experience true joy.
Wednesday, December 15, 2021
The Best Gift
Sunday, December 12, 2021
Historical Fiction Book Review: The Lady of Galway Manor by Jennifer Deibel
Book Description:
In 1920, Annabeth De Lacy's father is appointed landlord of Galway Parish in
Ireland. Bored without all the trappings of the British Court, Annabeth
convinces her father to arrange an apprenticeship for her with the Jennings
family--descendants of the creator of the famed Claddagh Ring.
Stephen Jennings longs to do anything other than run his family's jewelry shop.
Having had his heart broken, he no longer believes in love and is weary of
peddling the ÒliesÓ the Claddagh Ring promises.
Meanwhile, as the war for Irish independence gains strength, many locals resent
the De Lacys and decide to take things into their own hands to display their
displeasure. As events take a dangerous turn for Annabeth and her family, she
and Stephen begin to see that perhaps the "other side" isn't quite as
barbaric and uncultured as they'd been led to believe--and that the bonds of
friendship, love, and loyalty are only made stronger when put through the
refiner's fire.
Travel to the Emerald Isle for another poignant and romantic story from the
enchanted pen of Jennifer Deibel.
My Thoughts:
I love reading Jennifer Deibel's books. She pulls me into the story and allows
me to live in Ireland for a bit. This story was particularly appealing to me
because of the Claddagh ring. My daughter brought me one from Scotland, and I
wear it to remind me of God's love for me. In the book, Stephen shares the
history of the ring with Annabeth, and it's simply beautiful. And I love
Annabeth's character, because she's so unexpected for her time and position in her
life. Stephen is a bit brooding but lovable. Deibel's historical details show
how unsettling life was for the Irish and how Annabeth's family grew to
understand their plight. The romance just adds to the beauty of this story. This
is a lovely story filled with hope in the midst of difficulty. If you enjoy
Irish stories or historical romance, you'll enjoy The Lady of Galway Manor. I
received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review
are completely my own.
Saturday, December 11, 2021
Consider This—God is in the Details
Matthew
1:18-21
This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was
pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found
to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was faithful
to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had
in mind to divorce her quietly.
But after he
had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a
dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home
as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy
Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name
Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
An important decision requires consideration.
I had dreamed
about retiring and pursuing writing for years. When the time neared for me to
take the retirement years seriously, Tim and I contemplated what that would
look like. We took into account my health, benefits my job offered, the practicality of me
no longer working outside our home, and of course our income. We prayed about
the decision for me to retire early and thought about what that would mean for
our family. I'm thankful God saw fit for us to move forward with our plans and
provide Tim with work and me with writing opportunities.
Joseph was a
man who considered the needs of his wife-to-be, Mary. When he learned she was
pregnant, he didn't jump to conclusions. He could have broken the engagement in
haste, instead he contemplated his options. He prayed and pondered about what
was best for Mary and for him. Before he made his final decision, God sent an
angel to assure him. You see, God chose Mary to give birth to Jesus, and He
also chose Joseph to be Jesus' father on earth. God knew Joseph's heart. He
found Joseph to be a man of faith who considered what was best for the people
he loved. God knew Joseph would do the same for Jesus.
God is in
the details of my life, and He knows my heart. He hears me, sees me, and
understands me. He has given me the beautiful gift of prayer to guide me as I reflect
on decisions and life's choices.
Joseph
trusted God with the decisions he made. God trusted Joseph with His Son.
Trust God and give Jesus your heart this Christmas.
Wednesday, December 8, 2021
Celebrate with Joy!
Tuesday, December 7, 2021
Welcome Penny Zeller, Author of Love Under Construction
I'm excited to be part of the blog tour for Penny Zeller. Enjoy meeting Penny and learning about her latest release.
About Love Under Construction:
She builds websites. He builds houses. Together, can they build a family for two orphans?
Quinton takes the role of raising his niece and nephew with all seriousness. He will do anything for the twins, even if it means putting up with the beautiful but stubborn Irelynn Brady.
When forced to be in each other’s presence far more often than is comfortable, things slowly begin to change. Will the unexpected attraction between Irelynn and Quinton become a love under construction?
Available for purchase:
About Penny Zeller:
Penny Zeller is known for her heartfelt stories of faith and her passion to impact lives for Christ through fiction. While she has had a love for writing since childhood, she began her adult writing career penning articles for national and regional publications on a wide variety of topics. Today Penny is a multi-published author of several inspirational books. She is also a homeschool mom and a fitness instructor.When Penny is not dreaming up new characters, she
enjoys spending time with her husband and two daughters, camping, hiking, canoeing,
reading, running, cycling, gardening, and playing volleyball.
She is represented by Tamela Hancock Murray of the
Steve Laube Agency and loves to hear from her readers at her www.
pennyzeller.com and her blog, random thoughts from a day in the life of a wife,
mom, and author, at www.pennyzeller.wordpress.com.
Find Penny at:
Website: https://pennyzeller.com/
Blog: www.pennyzeller.wordpress.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pennyzellerbooks
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PennyZeller
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pennyzeller/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/zellerpenny/
To follow Penny's tour all week, check out:
Love Under
Construction Mini Blog Tour Schedule
Monday, December 6:
Blog Tour Kickoff/Sneak Peek/Meet the Characters | Penny Zeller
Author Interview | Kristina Hall
Tuesday. December 7:
Book Spotlight | Joy Hannabass
Book Spotlight | Penny McGinness
Wednesday, December 8:
Author Interview | Vanessa Hall
Thursday, December 9:
Book Spotlight and Guest Post| June
Foster
Friday, December 10:
Book Spotlight and Giveaway| Chat
with Vera
Book Spotlight and Review | Madi’s Musings
Book Spotlight and Guest
Post | Kathy McKinsey
Saturday, December 11:
Ebook Giveaway | Patti’s Porch
Blog Tour Wrap-up/Love Under Construction Quotables | Penny Zeller