Devotionals for the Heart: Invitation

The Invitation
A devotional by Mirachelle Canada

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.”

—Revelation 3:20 (ESV)

When I was young, getting a birthday party invitation from a classmate was a big deal.

In the fourth grade, my parents let me purchase some awesome birthday invitations in the shape of a teddy bear for my tenth birthday – a girls slumber party – that I couldn’t wait to hand out to my friends in class. On the day I handed out the invitations to everyone, I turned to see one of my classmates, Tammy, silently crying in the corner. I immediately realized why. I had passed out all my cute invitations and, because I had forgotten to put her name on my list, Tammy had not received an invitation.

It was a physical mistake that could be fixed, but the emotional damage was done. I knew Tammy felt the pain of being left out, just like those who are forgotten, picked last for a team, or overlooked altogether. I had experienced that feeling myself and knew how bad it feels.

Having a relationship with God and His son, Jesus Christ, means we are invited into fellowship every day, but it is a special invitation that requires an acknowledgement and acceptance. In some cultures, one knock at the door is appropriate and then you may enter at your leisure. However, Jesus is a gentleman who will “stand at the door and knock” (Revelation 3:20). He calls to let us know it is Him, so we can choose to open the door and let Him in.

How often do we miss Jesus’s call and leave Him waiting outside because of life’s distractions that drown out His voice and/or cause us to forget all about Him? It’s important to always make time for Him in our lives no matter the circumstances. He should always be at the top of our guest list.

I will never forget the light that shown in Tammy’s eyes the next day in class when I presented her with a teddy bear invitation and apologized for my oversight. Though she said she understood, I could still sense a bit of sadness at being invited last, so I made it point at my party, when it came time to do a lip sync contest, to pick her as my partner. She had a smile as wide as the ocean.

You see, not matter the oversight, the mistake, or lack of invitation to a friend or to God, it’s important to remember that when we seek to do our best before God and listen for His direction, He will always find a way to honor it. God promises to “come in” to fellowship with us. So be sure to open the door and invite Him in today! 

*Note from Alexis: Mirachelle's message today reminds me of this song, "Look a Little Closer" by Helen Baylor. Listen to it here. 

~*~
Author Bio:

Mirachelle Canada is a writer, playwright, screenwriter, and theatre director/producer from Northern Virginia, where she teaches television production at her high school alma mater.

  

She earned her Master of Fine Arts in Script & Screenwriting from Regent University and is an alumnus of Act One: Hollywood Film & Television Writing Program.

Mirachelle is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, American Fiction Writers Virginia Chapter, The Jerry Jenkins Writers Guild, and Your Novel Blueprint.

She is currently working on her first historical fiction novel set during WWII.

~*~
Connect with Mirachelle:
Website: www.mirachellecanada.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mirachellecanada/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/miracan

25 Days of Christmas Stories: Hometown Melodies

Today's featured author is going to introduce herself. She's eager to meet you and tell you all about her book. So I'm going to let her take it away...

~*~
Hello! My name is Tiffany Amber Stockton, but I publish under Amber Stockton. Alexis has invited me here to take part in her 25 Days of Christmas series, and it’s an honor to be here. So glad you are too!

I admit, I’m one of the many who absolutely LOVE reading Christmas stories and watching Christmas movies this time of year. I’ve even been known to read or watch them throughout the year too! Ever since I began publishing, it had been dream to sell a Christmas story. Many were submitted, and each one was turned down or rejected for one reason or another. After several years, I began wondering if my dream would ever come true.

That’s when Jeanie got in touch and asked if I’d consider teaming up with her and two other authors on a Christmas-themed collection. She sent me this information:

"Claude Buchanan (Granddaddy to the girls and Claudy to Granny) is turning 80. Ida Buchanan (Granny to the girls) wants him to have an 80th birthday party with help from the kids. His one request is that all of their children and grandchildren be there for the party. They have four sons each one has a daughter (which are our four heroines, they’re cousins. Last names, Buchanan) They can have sons too if you want your heroine to have brothers. Our four heroines have left home, Gatlinburg, Tennessee, and moved to another area or state (your preference) for some reason in the last few years, and for that reason they don’t want to return for the party. Of course they do and deal with what caused them to leave in the first place, because they love their grandparents. Along the way they meet the hero. The party will take place in Granddaddy and Granny Buchanan’s barn. The girl’s parents are missionaries and will be home in time for the party and Christmas. All four of our stories will end on Christmas Eve just prior to the party. The party itself will take place in the epilogue I’ll be writing."

I was immediately intrigued. There was a story I’d started a few years back that could fit perfectly...with a little tweaking. So, I tweaked and revised, and added my story to the set. We submitted it to the editor, but she decided on other collections instead. We weren’t going to quit though. We had a passion about our stories, and we knew they’d find wide appeal. So, we talked it over and decided to get covers designed and release the books ourselves last year.

It was my first jump into the world of self-publishing, but it had been a jump my agent and I discussed as a wise choice to broaden the scope of my career and reach more readers. Though the leap was a bit scary at first, I must say I’ve been loving the adventure! Now, I continue to have books through traditional publishers, small press or independent publishers, and I have books I release on my own or with a group of other authors.

The best part about having Christmas-themed books? They get to release year after year in timeless appeal, never losing their charm as they find new readers each year. I hope you’ll enjoy this one too, and check out all four books in this Smoky Mountain Christmas collection.

Thanks again for sharing a few minutes with me today. 

I’ll gladly give away a FREE e-book copy of Hometown Melodies and will draw the winner from the comments left with this post. Answer one of the questions below for your chance to win. Blessings!

Questions from Tiffany for readers of "God is Love" blog: 

1. What is your all-time favorite Christmas story or movie?

2. If you were to write a Christmas story, who would be the characters, and where would the story be set?

~*~
Author bio: 

Tiffany Amber Stockton has been crafting and embellishing stories since childhood, when she was accused of having a very active imagination and cited with talking entirely too much. 

Today, she has honed those childhood skills to become an award-winning author and speaker who has partnered with Nerium International in the anti-aging and personal development industry, helping make people better from the inside out. 

She lives with her husband and fellow author, Stuart Vaughn Stockton, in Colorado. They have one girl and one boy, a Retriever mix named Roxie, an Australian cattle dog named Timber, and two Betta fish. She has sold twenty (20) books so far and is represented by Tamela Hancock Murray of the Steve Laube Agency. 

Blurb for (book) Hometown Melodies: 

Melody May Buchanan left Gatlinburg to pursue a life in the symphony. 

When a letter arrives asking her to return home for her granddaddy’s 80th birthday, she knows she must go. Leaving her fiancé in Denver while the symphony is on break, she pushes behind her the reasons she left and heads home. But the homecoming isn’t quite what she expected, and she’s immediately faced with everything she loved about growing up there…even her childhood best friend, Drew. 

Old feelings surface, and she starts to wonder if she made a mistake. Then, her two worlds collide when her fiancé arrives, and she discovers Drew has become quite a success in the music industry. Faced with the dilemma of which path to choose, Melody turns to God and her grandfather for advice. Either way, one man will get hurt. Which option is the best?

~*~

Buy Tiffany's book: 
Amazon.com - http://amzn.to/1QhlKn5
Barnes and Noble - http://bit.ly/1SQooy3
Create Space - http://bit.ly/21RZm7E

~*~

Connect with Tiffany on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and LinkedIn.