A devotional for February written by Ginger Solomon

Today, I would like to introduce a brand new feature for my blog, devotionals! Once-a-month, you will be able to find a devotional written by me or a guest--an uplifting Bible-based message that is ready for you to read, digest and share with your loved ones. 

Our first guest is Ginger Solomon and she truly has a God-given talent for using the pen to inspire the world. Originally, I wasn't going to post this until Friday, Feb. 28 (my original idea was to post a devotional on the fourth Friday of every month). But Ginger's message was so poignant that I believe I need to post this today because somebody out there in the world needs to hear it.

So read on and be blessed by God's inspiring Ginger to write this devotion, aptly called "The Blame Game". 

~*~
The Blame Game

(A devotional written by Ginger Solomon)

When bad things happen, we all want someone to blame. It’s been happening since the beginning of time. In Genesis, Adam had the audacity to blame God for “the woman you gave me,” then Eve blamed their sin on the serpent (Gen. 3:12-13).

Whether it’s sin or death or some other life-altering event, we want answers. We want an explanation. We ask, “Why is this happening to me?” Many times we blame God for the situation.

There’s a saying that’s been going around for a while, “God will not give you more than you can handle.” I beg to differ. If He were to only give us what we could handle, then we wouldn’t need Him.

In Luke, it is recorded that Jesus confronted the chief priests and scribes with the parable of the vinedressers. (Luke 20:9-19). When he finished the parable, he added a little history to his lesson with Scripture. Verses 17 and 18(NKJV), “Then He looked at them and said, ‘What then is this that is written: “The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone”? Whoever falls on that stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.’”

For years, I have pondered this verse. Many might find it discouraging, but I don’t. Why? Because I have realized that if I fall on Jesus, who is the cornerstone, I might be broken. It will probably hurt. BUT God, with grace and mercy, sent Jesus to heal the broken. (Isaiah 61:1, Luke 4:18)

We all go through trials and tribulations. In fact, the Bible promises that we will. It also promises that God will never leave us or forsake us (Heb. 13:5), and that He would always be with us (Matt. 28:20).

In my debut novel, One Choice, my heroine, Cahri, steps away from God when her parents are killed in the country where they were missionaries. For years, she lives “going through the motions” of being a Christian, but in her heart she knows how far she’s wandered from God. But God does not give up on her. Throughout the story, we see His loving hand on her life — guiding, protecting, providing.

God is faithful (Deut. 7:9, 1 Cor. 1:9) and He does not turn away from us even when we move away from Him. He prods at us gently – through nature, memories, friends, and so many other ways. He loves us and wants us to return to Him.

When bad things happen we must learn that blaming is not going to make us feel better. Only God’s presence can sooth our tattered and wounded souls.

Have you played the blame game with God? He doesn’t mind your questions, or your anger, but He always wants you to come to Him for your comfort. There is no better place to be than on the lap of Abba (Daddy, God) when life throws us more than we can handle.

~*~

Ginger Solomon, author

Author bio (short): Ginger Solomon is a Christian, a wife, a mother to seven, and a writer—in that order (mostly). When not homeschooling her youngest five, doing laundry or fixing dinner, she writes or reads romance of any genre. She’s a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, president of her local writing group, and writes regularly for three blogs.

Author bio (long): Ginger Solomon is a Christian, a wife, a mother to seven, and a writer — in that order (mostly). When not homeschooling her youngest five, doing laundry or fixing dinner, she writes or reads romance of any genre, some sci-fi/fantasy, and some suspense. She’s a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, president of her local writing group, and writes regularly for three blogs. In addition to all that, she loves animals, horses especially, likes to do needlework (knitting, crocheting, and sometimes cross-stitch), and loves to sing in the choir at church.

Ginger’s Links (select to view):

A Bed of Roses…Thorns Included

Writing Prompts & Thoughts & Ideas…Oh My!

Inspy Romance Blog

Facebook Author Page

Twitter @GingerS219

Pinterest

One Choice (book) blurb: Cahri Michaels is American by birth, but Belikarian by choice. Being selected to participate in the Bridal March forces her to give up the independent life she’s created for herself. She’s not ready to be anyone’s wife, much less to a man she doesn’t know. Prince Josiah Vallis despises the centuries old tradition—the Bridal March—that is forcing him to choose a wife from fifty women. Why does it matter that he’s twenty-five and still single? When Cahri and Josiah meet, sparks fly. Will it ignite a godly love that can see them through or will they be burned, never to be the same?

Buy One Choice via (select to view): Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Astraea Press and Smashwords

Thankful Thursday: Double Blessings

It’s Thursday and I’m thankful for double blessings sent to me by God!

"Now what are these double blessings?" You may ask me. I will happily tell you!

Recently, I was hired for a part-time, paid position at a newspaper to manage the company's social media and edit/post articles to their website. I love my new job! It fits right within my skill set so it comes naturally to me. They say when you do what you love you never work a day in your life and with this new assignment, that certainly is the case!

"Okay so that’s one MAJOR blessing from God! What’s the other?" You may ask. Again, I’ll happily share the good news!

Here’s the second blessing: Yesterday, I was featured on a student-driven TV news show called Today from Bowie! The talk show host, Paige, interviewed me about my work as a journalist and the release of my first book, Hope in My Heart: A Collection of Heartwarming Stories. The student production team made me feel at ease despite all the bright lights and cameras pointed at me and the Communications Professor, Dr. Otis Thomas, gave me advice for the broadcast. “The whole time for the duration of the interview, until we stop filming, just look at Paige,” he said. Professor Thomas did not want me to become distracted by the audience of about 40 of his best Communication and Journalism students who sat quietly in a cluster of chairs positioned behind the cameras in the studio, facing the stage. It was pretty awesome! The stage contained two plush coral color sofa chairs where Paige and I sat across from each other and in the center of these two chairs was a sleek black, low table holding a vase of flowers and two coffee mugs—one for me and one for Paige but neither of us touched the mugs, we were too excited about the interview!

After the interview was over, Professor Thomas congratulated everyone on a job well done. Thank God this was not a live interview, so there was less pressure. Professor Thomas gathered the production team and his student audience and we all posed for photographs on the stage. Before leaving, I signed a copy of my book for two of the young women on the production team and delivered the books as a gift of gratitude for interviewing me and putting the TV show together. And the production team and Professor Thomas surprised me with a gift of gratitude—A bag filled of goodies such as a mug and a teddy bear with the Bowie State University emblem. I thought that was very sweet and thoughtful and left the campus with an even greater impression of BSU as an educational institution than I had before (and I already held the school in high regard prior to the interview).

My interview on the talk show will air on television in the state where it was recorded. But it will also be posted on YouTube sometime soon for the world to see! So I encourage you to view it and tell me what you think in the comment section.

I am so thankful to God for these continued blessings—it looks like He’s bringing it all together for my good (Romans 8:28)! I pray the same for you—that God will bring whatever situation or issues you’re facing in life all together for your good which simply means God will work it out because He has your best interest in His divine heart!

God bless you!

Love,

Alexis

The super talented production team of Today from Bowie pictured here with me (in teal sweater) and their Professor Otis Thomas, Ph.D. (wearing glasses). Courtesy photo

God is your 1st Valentine :)

Happy Valentine's Day 2014

Thankful Thursday: God’s Providence

It’s Thursday and I’m thankful for God’s Providence in my life!

Here’s the back story: When I lost my first career in teaching in June 2011, I lost the excellent health care insurance benefits that came with it, benefits that I took for granted until I did not have it any longer. Some of you may remember my story from Sept. 2011, a testimony I shared on my blog and in that testimony I said that after being denied coverage from all the big name insurances due to a medical reasons (a pre-existing condition), I was at my wits end UNTIL God opened the door for me to have coverage through an insurance company that I never heard of before. Now, while this company offered me basic coverage, that was it, BASIC coverage which meant while it covered most basic needs like appointments with my primary care doctor, it did NOT cover MANY other important needs like specialists and visits to the ER. I remember praying that I would not have a head cold/sinus infection because a visit to that specialist which we call an Ear, Nose and Throat Doctor (ENT) would cost me out-of-pocket $100.00 (literally) because my health insurance at the time did NOT cover visits to doctors who were specialists. So I was on pins and needles for nearly three years, praying that I would NOT get sick or need to go to the hospital. But I did get a head cold a couple of times in the past two years and each time, I had to pay out-of-pocket because since my insurance was not accepted by my ENT. So the services were $100.00.

So what changed this year? This is where I say THANK GOD FOR OBAMA CARE or more properly said, the Affordable Health Care Act! Praise Jesus because of GOD working through U.S. President Barack Obama to establish this Act, millions of Americans of which I am one are as of January 1, 2014, covered by noteworthy and well-known insurance companies who offer EXCELLENT health care packages! My insurance as of January 2014 is just as good as my insurance when I was a teacher and for that I am SO grateful!

Case in point: Just a few weeks ago, I had a head cold that required a visit to my ENT and since my new insurance IS accepted by my ENT, instead of paying $100 in out of pocket costs, I only paid $20.00! Praise Jesus! And the antibiotic was given to me by the pharmacy for FREE! God is GOOD! Since then, I've wasted NO time in visiting the doctors I had not seen in nearly three years and breathed a BIG SIGH OF RELIEF and PRAISED JESUS CHRIST every day! Truth be told, I’m STILL Praising JESUS! Unless you’ve walked that path of having NO health insurance or being barely covered by health insurance, you have NO IDEA how GOOD it feels to finally be COVERED COMPLETELY by EXCELLENT health insurance that covers my EVERY HEALTH CARE NEED!

So I say ALL of this to encourage you! As you can see by my story, God didn’t answer my prayers the way I thought He would but He sure did show up and show out when the time was right! You can also see that God works through people. I am convinced that God impressed President Obama to think of and implement the Affordable Health Care Act and because of it more than 2 million people can breathe easier and be taken care of when they are sick or in need of medical attention.

Praise God for His Providence! God was not only watching out for me, He was watching out for MILLIONS of people here in America who were in dire financial straits and He worked it out for our GOOD just like it says in The Bible verse Romans 8:28!

Now I DO have MORE news! But that will have to wait until next week Thursday!

Meanwhile, I’m praying that God will continue to provide for you and bless you in ways you’d least expect!

Love,

Alexis

Book promotion: A Marriage in Middlebury

It's not often that you find a book so beautiful that you promote it before you read it. Such is the case with A Marriage in Middlebury authored by Anita Higman. After connecting with Anita through American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and learning of her book, I agreed to be one of the people to "influence" her book which is about getting the word of her latest novel out there into the world through social media and word of mouth. Anita graciously offered to send her own Q&A about A Marriage in Middlebury for publication on my blog, "God is Love". It was an offer I could not refuse. So without further ado, here's an introduction to my newest favorite author and her masterpiece of a book.

~*~

Q & A with Anita Higman, author:

What was your inspiration for A Marriage in Middlebury?
The idea for this book came from my absolute love of tearooms in Texas. In fact, here’s my note to readers on that very subject:

More than a decade ago I met a woman named Linda Becker who opened a tearoom in the Houston burbs called, Tea for Two. Her eatery and gift shop did so well, she opened a second shop. Over the years I’ve enjoyed her wonderful tearoom fare as well as the quaint ambiance. Linda’s tearoom isn’t just a café—it’s a gathering place for friends, a place to eat home cooked food, and a place so cozy you don’t want to leave. As a writer I thought it might be fun to create a heroine who owns a tearoom similar to Linda’s and set her shop in a small town on the gulf coast of Texas. So, that’s how the novel, A Marriage in Middlebury, was born. Even though my story, the characters, and the town are fictional, Linda’s tearooms are real places you can visit and enjoy. Thank you, Linda, for the great food, and the fellowship, and the inspiration.

Everything was going smoothly for the main character when suddenly everything changes with the return of her ex. What advice do you have when life throws a curveball?

As a Christian we should trust in the One who made us, the One who’s known us from the first day when we were being knit together in our mother’s womb, the One who loves us best. Trusting in Him during life’s storms is the only answer, and it’s more than enough.

Charlotte was pressured into breaking off her relationship with Sam by Sam’s father - how should we react to family pressures and difficult relatives?

Bathe the situation in prayer and then talk things through no matter how painful. But once the air is clear, forgive and move on. Don’t keep going back over and over. Forgiveness is not easy, but it’s the only way to live free. It helps to remember that forgiveness is what God offered us when we sinned against Him.

Is there a certain Bible passage or verse that goes along with the theme of A Marriage in Middlebury?

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)

Are any of the characters or events in A Marriage in Middlebury based on your own experiences?

Well, I love art, flowers, quirky characters, and tearooms. And somehow I managed to put them all into the novel. It was a fun ride!

Do you find yourself returning to similar themes in your novels (i.e. forgiveness, trust, etc.) or do you have a new message with each release?

Yes, I tend to go back to the themes of forgiveness and reconciliation. These are not only good themes for a story, but they are paramount in living the Christian life.

What do you hope readers will walk away with after they turn the last page of A Marriage in Middlebury?

That with God all things are possible!

Like several of your other books, A Marriage in Middlebury is set in your home state of Texas - what are some of your favorite things about Texas?

Overall, Texas is an inexpensive place to live, it’s a great place to raise a family, and it’s one of the friendliest places on earth. I’ve lived here for about thirty years, and I’m proud to call Texas my home.

Before becoming a writer, you had number of interesting jobs - what was it about writing that drew you in?
I had an incredible need to tell stories. I don’t think I had a choice in becoming a writer—the profession sort of chose me. But I’m content in that truth.

~*~

Author bio:

Best-selling and award-winning author, Anita Higman, has thirty-six books published. She’s been a Barnes & Noble “Author of the Month” for Houston and has a B.A .in the combined fields of speech communication, psychology, and art. Anita loves good movies, exotic teas, and brunch with her friends.

Please visit her website at www.anitahigman.com and drop her a note by clicking the “Contact Me” button. You can also “Like” Anita’s author page on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/AuthorAnitaHigman and follow her on Twitter @anitahigman.