Summer Stories: To Claim Her Heart

Dealing with Bitterness
A guest post by Jodie Wolfe

"Pursue peace with everyone, and holiness—without it no one will see the Lord. Make sure that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no root of bitterness springs up, causing trouble and by it, defiling many." ~Hebrews 12:14-15 (HCSB)

There’s a good chance that at some point in your Christian walk, you’ve struggled with disappointment and hurts which if unchecked, led to bitterness. Perhaps you’ve been treated poorly by others, you were blamed for something you didn’t do, someone said hurtful things about you or treated you unfairly, maybe you never measured up to your family and their expectations of you, someone didn’t listen to you or said things behind your back, or maybe you’ve had a friend who betrayed you by going against their word. There’s a myriad of situations that can lead us into bitterness if we don’t make a conscious decision to root it out.

There have been several times throughout my life when I’ve suffered blows that have rocked me to the very core. I believe women especially deal with holding onto our hurts, bringing them out on various occasions to remember how we’ve been wronged, only to stuff them back down inside us again until we feel the need to repeat the process.

When we’ve been hurt, we must make every effort to forgive and move on. Satan loves to have us recall the hurts and fall into bitterness because it keeps us focused on ourselves. It limits our chance to be effective as a Christian when our eyes are on us instead of the Lord.

Letting go of the bitterness isn’t always easy and may not be a once and done type of thing, especially since the devil loves to bring things up to us multiple times. Sometimes we need to continue to pin that bitterness to the foot of the cross, over and over again.

This struggle is what my heroine faces in my newest release, To Claim Her Heart. Elmer Smith (Elsie) is suffering after the loss of her father and childhood home. The Christians in her church weren’t there when she needed them the most to come alongside and assist her. In turn, she’s bitter about life and takes it out on those around her.

She participates in the Cherokee Strip Land Run to find the land her father wanted her to claim. She does so, as a way to honor him. Sparks fly when she finds out that she’s claimed the same land as a preacher. It takes a while for her to learn the important lesson of releasing the bitterness that has claimed her life.

I love this quote from my hero, Benjamin David. He tells Elsie, “You can’t keep holding on to the bitterness, or it’ll eat you alive. Don’t allow Satan to win. He desires for you to be discouraged, defeated, and unforgiving, but God has better things in store for you, if you’ll allow Him to work in your life again.”

I don’t know about you, but I’d rather choose to walk the road of forgiveness instead of stumbling along on the thorny path of bitterness.

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Author Bio:

Jodie Wolfe creates novels where hope and quirky meet. 

She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and  Romance Writers of America (RWA). She has been a semi-finalist and finalist in various writing contests. 

A former columnist for Home School Enrichment Magazine, her articles can be found online on Crosswalk, Christian Devotions, and Heirloom Audio. She's a contributor for Putting on the New and Stitches Thru Time blogs. 

When not writing she enjoys spending time with her husband in Pennsylvania, reading, walking, and being a Grammie. 

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Blurb for To Claim Her Heart:

In 1893, on the eve of the great race for land, Benjamin David prays for God to guide him to his 'Promised Land. Finding property and preaching to the lost are his only ways of honoring his deceased fiancée. 

He hasn't counted on Elmer (Elsie) Smith claiming the same plot and refusing to leave. Not only is she a burr in his side, but she is full of the homesteading know-how he is sadly lacking. 

Obtaining a claim in the Cherokee Strip Land Run is Elsie Smith's only hope for survival, and not just any plot, she has a specific one in mind. The land's not only a way to honor her pa and his life, but also to provide a livelihood for herself. She's willing to put in whatever it takes to get that piece of property, and Elsie's determined to keep it.

Her bitterness is what protects her, and she has no intentions of allowing that preacher to lay claim to her land . . . or her heart.

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Buy Jodie's book on Amazon

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Connect with Jodie:
Website: https://www.jodiewolfe.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Jodie-Wolfe-553400191384913
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JodieAWolfe
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/JodieAWolfe
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15220520.Jodie_Wolfe
Amazon Author Page: https://amzn.to/2JZZcqw

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Spring into Love: Jodie's story about an angel and a cowboy

Interview with Jodie Wolfe, author of "An Angel for a Cowboy":

Alexis: Essie Love is a sweet, creative name for your story’s heroine. How did you make her name up and what is Essie like? Describe her personality, heart, strengths and weaknesses.

Jodie: Essie's first name is actually Esther. I wanted to come up with a fun nickname for her, which is how I landed on Essie. When it came to her last name, I thought it would be fun to use love since she is a romance writer who has been burned by love.

She's the oldest and has two younger sisters. Her pa's dying words instructed her to care for her siblings. She'll do whatever she can to keep that promise. Essie is a strong and determined woman. She's willing to give up her own happiness in order to protect her sisters. Her weakness is trying to do things on her own. She's determined to marry a wealthy stranger in order to get the funds she needs to save her home and her sisters, as long as it isn't a cowboy.

Alexis: Jud Steele, with a name like that he sounds like a movie star! Describe his looks, hopes, character flaw and most redeeming trait.

Jodie: LOL. He's a rugged cowboy who is badly injured when he lands at Essie's door so he doesn't look so great then. His character flaw is that he's willing to be on the run instead of clearing up the misunderstanding in regard to him and his cousin. He does miss being a part of a family but hasn't given much thought to marriage. His most redeemable trait is that he'll do whatever he can to help Essie. 

Alexis: What is it about Essie that makes Jud fall in love with her?

Jodie: Essie has been growing on him ever since she's daily cared for him and nursed him back to health. His angel needs protection and he's the man to provide for her.

Alexis: What is it about Jud that draws Essie to him?

Jodie: Jud isn't anything like her ex-fiancé. He shows Essie a sacrificial love she hasn't experienced before.

Alexis: Why is the bank threatening foreclosure on Essie’s home? Explain how she reached this perilous point.

Jodie: After the loss of her pa, grasshopper plagues, and drought the farm has fallen behind in their bank payments. She has two months to come up with the amount due on the mortgage or she and her sisters will be without a home.

Alexis: Why does Essie feel that she is the provider for her sisters? What happened to their parents?

Jodie: Both of Essie's parents have died and it's up to Essie to take care of her sisters.

Alexis: How would Essie’s last resort of marrying a stranger save her and her sisters?

Jodie: She's banking on being able to find a man who'll be willing to pay off the money due on their mortgage note.

Alexis: How did Jud land on the wrong side of the law?

Jodie: Actually Jud is an innocent man but the only problem is that he happens to closely resemble his no-account cousin, Jesse, who is on the run from the law. Jesse's wanted poster is for him to be taken either dead or alive. Problem is, men are shooting at Jud before he gets a chance to tell them they have the wrong man. 

Alexis: Why does Essie decide to help Jud restore his health?

Jodie: Jud has a gunshot wound and is too weak to go anywhere else.

Alexis: In what ways does Essie and Jud’s individual life stories intertwine and bring healing to their hearts?

Jodie: They both are on the run. Jud literally is, and Essie is running from the hurts in her past. When they both stop running, healing can begin to take place.

Alexis: What was the most fun part for you as you wrote this story?

Jodie: I loved creating a character who wrote dime novels. I've always wanted to have a heroine that also wrote.

Alexis: What lesson do you want to teach your readers through this tale?

Jodie: That no matter what you are going through, hope can be found in Christ. In the story, Jud and Essie tried to keep secrets and it didn't get them anywhere. So too, the Lord knows everything about us. We can trust Him to work in our lives.

Alexis: If you could step into your story and spend time with your main characters, what would you do, where would you go and why?

Jodie: That's a hard one. I guess since Essie and Jud's story has already been revealed, I'd like to spend time with Essie's sisters, Teddy and Kitty. In fact, I'll get a better chance to learn more about Teddy since my publisher asked me to write another novelette. So be watching for her story in November.

Alexis: Thanks for the interview, Jodie! Your story sounds fun! 

Jodie: Thanks for having me. It's always fun to chat with you about my characters and welcome others into my story world.

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Author Bio:

Jodie Wolfe creates novels where hope and quirky meet. 

She's been a semi-finalist and finalist in various writing contests and is a member of ACFW. 

When not writing she enjoys spending time with her husband in Pennsylvania, reading, walking, and being a Grammie. 

Learn more at www.jodiewolfe.com.

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Blurb for An Angel for the Cowboy:

When the bank threatens foreclosure on Essie Love's home, it's up to her to provide for her sisters. She’ll do whatever it takes to save them, even if it means marrying a stranger
. 
Jud Steele is wanted for a crime he didn't commit. Wounded and left for dead, he lands on Essie's doorstep. While she nurses him back to health, he finds himself longing for a home and family.

Can two desperate people find a path that leads to what they both need?

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Buy Jodie's book on Amazon

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Connect with Jodie:
Website

Facebook 

Twitter

"Digging for Pearls" blog

"Stitches Thru Time" blog

Google+

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Enter this book giveaway contest for your chance to WIN a copy of this book by filling out the entry form on the Rafflecopter widget below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Words of Faith: Jodie's story about faith and muscles

Faith and Muscles
A Words of Faith story written by Jodie Wolfe

“For I assure you: If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will tell this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” ~ Matthew 17:20 (HCSB)

I'm not crazy about working out and building up a sweat. The only weights I've lifted are those little hand ones that are only about 1-2 pounds. You might call me a weakling. My muscles look more like this photo to the right:

Okay, maybe not even quite as impressive as that.

Now don't get me wrong, that doesn't mean I don't exercise...I just don't work out with weights. I do walk, though that's a subject for a different day.

I've found through my many years of being a Christian that faith is like a muscle. You only develop your faith by exercising it. In other words, you have to use it in order for it to grow.

Faith starts out small, like a mustard seed - small, insignificant. But when planted, the seed cracks open and produces a tree that grows as high as 20 feet. Jesus said the mustard seed was smaller than any of the other seeds of the ground. (Mark 4:31)

Our muscles may start out as small and flabby but as we continue to work out our arms and our bodies, we strengthen them. The muscles harden and grow and may become as strong as this photo in the middle: 

Faith may start out small, like a mustard seed or a flabby muscle. But each time we choose to believe, choose to trust in God and His faithfulness, even when we can't see the outcome, it grows. With each circumstance and situation we face, we have a learning opportunity to exercise our faith and strengthen our spiritual muscles. 

I don't know about you, but I desire my faith to be like the second photo! :) Are you ready for a faith workout?

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Author bio: 

Jodie Wolfe loves to stroll through history with the characters she creates. 

When not writing she enjoys spending time with her husband, reading and walking. 

You can connect with Jodie via her website, Facebook and Twitter.