25 Days of Christmas Stories: Finding Home, a devotional by Lillian Duncan

Welcome Lillian Duncan to the blog today! She's an author who loves to create suspense-filled stories and wrap it up in a message that points people to Jesus Christ.

Today, she's here to share a devotional she wrote about prodigal sons and daughters. It's called "Finding Home."

Enjoy! :)

~*~
Finding Home

A holiday devotional written by Lillian Duncan

My latest release is No Home for the Holidays, a Christmas-themed suspense novella. Christmas and suspense? I love the challenge of finding a way to mix the two together. The gist of the story is about a “prodigal daughter” who wants to go home but knows she will put her family in danger as well as herself if she does.

That got me thinking…Christmas…home…prodigal!

In a way, we’re all prodigals, searching for our home here on earth.

Jesus left his home in heaven to come live among us so that we could go home to live there someday with our Heavenly Father and the rest of the family! Think what a joy-filled experience that will be! As Christians, we don’t have to wait until then to experience God’s joy.

One of my favorite Bible verses is 1 Peter 1:8: "Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy."

WOW! Doesn’t that sound amazing, an inexpressible and glorious joy? Unfortunately, that inexpressible and glorious joy often gets lost in the details of our daily lives, especially during the busyness of Christmas.

We get so focused on the details of Christmas or life that we lose the joy of Christmas. But it doesn’t have to be that way—you may have noticed the word WOW that I used in the previous paragraph. Do you want the WOW back in your life?

Then how about…

W is for Worship. Spending more time worshiping God for who He is will put joy back in your life.

O is for Obey. Jesus said, “if you love me, then you will obey me.” God’s instructions are meant for our good. The more we obey Him, the more peace and joy we’ll experience.

W is for the Word Of God. There is no better way to find inexpressible and glorious joy than to study God’s Word. Life can be tough, but God’s Word will light our path. But first we have to know the Word to use the Word.

Now, a quick word about my latest release: No Home for the Holidays is a Christmas-themed novella. In it, Chloe Sullivan needs a miracle but has given up on getting one. As sad as it is, she’s resigned to the fact that she has to stay in hiding if she wants to remain alive as well as keep her family safe.

Ex-FBI agent turned preacher, Colton Douglas believes in helping others. When Chloe enters his life, he’s sure God has put her in his path for a reason—to help her. And that’s just what he plans to do, whether she likes it or not.

Both Colton and Chloe learn a great deal about themselves and about life as they face death.

At the beginning of this devotion I talked about how we’re all prodigals, searching for our home. Our home is God. He will never turn us away when we are searching for Him. And we should all be searching for him all the time.

So this Christmas season (and the rest of the year) put more WOW in your life. As you do, you’ll feel as if you’ve come home to God. Wishing you a very merry Christmas!

~*~

Exciting news for blog readers: To celebrate the release of No Home for the Holidays, Lillian is running a contest on her blog, Tiaras & Tennis Shoes. Five lucky winners will receive a $10 Amazon Gift card. So hop on over to www.lillian-duncan.com and leave a comment under the No Home For The Holidays blog post so you’ll be entered to win one of the gift cards!

~*~

Author bio:

Lillian is a multi-published writer with several Amazon.com bestsellers, including The Christmas Stalking and Betrayed. Lillian writes the types of books she loves to read: fast-paced suspense with a touch or two of romance that demonstrates God’s love for all of us.

Whether as an educator, a writer, or a speech pathologist, she believes in the power of words to transform lives, especially God’s Word.

To learn more about Lillian and her books, visit her official website, www.lillianduncan.net. "Tiaras & Tennis Shoes" is Lillian's personal blog and you can read it at this address, www.lillian-duncan.com.

A Baby Changes Everything

Just 15 days before Christmas Day! Are you enjoying this holiday season?

What better way to celebrate and appreciate this special time of year than to enlighten your mind through reading Scripture and holiday devotionals? Okay, there are many wonderful ways to celebrate the Christmas season but today, I encourage you to enjoy this way which is reading a devotional written by Lillian Duncan, a Christian writer who loves God, Christmastime and writing suspense-filled romance stories.

Today, Lillian will shine light on how the Light of the World (Jesus Christ) came into this world as a baby and changed everything. If you're a parent, I'm sure you can relate on a very real level because you have experienced firsthand how the birth of your first baby changed your life forever. The birth and life story of Jesus Christ is no different, only He changed more than His mother Mary's life, He changed the world.

~*~

A Baby Changes Everything
A Christmas devotion written by Lillian Duncan

But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." ~ Luke 2:10-12 

A baby changes everything, there's no arguing that point. Ask any parent, new or experienced, young or old, tired or rested. A baby changes everything for their family. And that’s even more true for the baby we celebrate during this Christmas season. Let's take a look at the reason for the season.

JESUS—his birth, his life, and his death changed the world!

Atheists, agnostics and some who just aren't sure often give Jesus his "due." Oh, he was a great teacher, they say, but He wasn't GOD. Let's take a practical look at that for a moment, shall we?

What's the year? Oh—it's 2014 A.D.

A.D. does not mean “after death,” as a lot of people believe, but it stands for a Latin phrase: “anno domini” meaning “in the year of the Lord,” the year Jesus was born.

B.C. stands for “Before Christ”, though now people have changed it in an attempt to downplay the religious aspect.

Wow! Time is measured by Jesus's birth and death. I'm impressed! JESUS—His birth, His life, and His death changed the world!

Let's take a look at Jesus's life for a moment and those who knew him best: his disciples. Without going into the gory details, ten of the original twelve apostles chose death rather than renounce Jesus's divinity. Why? Because they experienced life with the Messiah. Some were with him the day he was baptized and they heard God's voice come down from the heavens saying, "This is my beloved son with whom I am well pleased." They experienced the darkness the day he died. They knew beyond a shadow of doubt that Jesus was the Son of God and they were willing to die rather than renounce His divinity. Because of that certainty, they spread the good news of the gospel throughout the world.

JESUS—His birth, His life, and His death changed the world!

But even better, Jesus changed my world. Christianity isn't about rules and religion. It's about a relationship with God through His only begotten son, Jesus. And that has made all the difference in my world!

Indeed, a baby changes everything!

~*~
Author bio:

Lillian Duncan writes stories of faith mingled with murder & mayhem. She writes the type of books she loves to read—suspense with a touch of romance. Whether as an educator, a writer, or a speech pathologist, she believes in the power of words to transform lives, especially God’s Word.

Visit the following sites to learn more about Lillian and her books: Official website, www.lillianduncan.net and devotional blog, www.PowerUpWithGod.com