Devotionals for the Heart: A Life Lesson Learned in a Texas Snowstorm

Nothing Surprises God
A devotional by Kathleen Rouser

“No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” 

–Romans 8:39 (NLT)

As my husband Jack and I stepped outside of the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport terminal, a blast of chilly air hit us. Regardless of the hint of inclement weather, we thought: We’ll still have a good time and find some fun things to do. We’re here to visit our son.

A little abnormally cold weather wasn’t going to ruin my long-awaited special birthday trip. God gave us the window of time where it worked out for all of us. I’d just thought we’d have a break from our usual February dreariness in Michigan. Instead, we met with a record storm of snow and ice.

We had two decent days, so we had some time to see where our son lived and to do a little sightseeing. Then came the ice and unprecedented snowfall. Each day the weather grew more frigid, and the ice and snow continued. In Michigan they know how to handle snow, but in Texas they were completely unprepared—no plows, no salt, water pipes buried too shallow to deal with the freezing cold weather.

We planned on being there for five days, but our return flight was canceled and even our rescheduled flight was canceled, so we were there for ten. Next, we lost water pressure in our hotel room. All stores and restaurants were closed. Amid all of this, our credit card had been hacked and our son got sick. My thyroid medication was running out. I began to ask God, “Why?”

When our first flight was canceled, I started a list of blessings on my memo app to help me keep perspective. Since we were only going to be gone a few days, I hadn’t packed a notebook. I wanted to write my thoughts down on paper. There wasn’t even a notepad in the hotel room, due to COVID-19. I went to the front desk to see if they had anything. The manager brought me a small notebook with a pen. The Lord provided! I could now write down my thankfulness journal.

The hotel brought dinner into the hotel each evening that we were stuck there and unable to get food, while everything was closed. They provided boiled water for brushing our teeth, and we could take pool water up to fill the toilet tank. Somehow, with our few snacks left we had enough to eat. However, for some reason when I awoke in the wee hours of Thursday morning, the day after we lost water, panic consumed me. I couldn’t sleep. Please pardon my dramatic flair, but all I wanted was to return home where they knew how to handle snow, and to not be stuck in a hotel room without running water. Father, I prayed silently, I just want to go home.

Then in His still, small voice He said, "I am your home." Why hadn’t I realized that? What was I worried about? Even if the worst-case scenario happened and I somehow died, I would be with the Lord when He takes me to Heaven (the real home for everyone who follows Jesus Christ). And with that peaceful thought, I returned to sleep.

Later that morning we managed our way through the ice and snow to our son’s house for food and showers and – best of all – to see him. God cared for us in many ways that week. And early on Saturday morning we were finally able to fly to Detroit.

Though our time in Texas didn’t go the way I expected, it didn’t surprise the Lord. It’s a comfort to know wherever I go and in whatever the circumstances, I am home, with my Father (God). As Colossians 3:2-3 (NLT) says, “Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.”

Let’s Pray: Dear Father, thank you that wherever I go and whatever I do, You are with me. Thank You for providing for me so lovingly, even in times of difficulty. Help me to trust You more with all the details of my life, knowing that each day I can rely on your loving care. In Jesus’s name I pray. Amen.

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Author Bio:

Kathleen Rouser is the award-winning author of Rumors and Promises, her first novel about the people of fictional Stone Creek, Michigan. She is a multi-published author of historical and contemporary Christian romance.

Kathleen is a longtime member in good standing of American Christian Fiction Writers and a current member of Novel Academy. She has loved making up stories since she was a little girl.

She was so enthralled with the books her Mom read to her she wanted to be a writer before she could even read. She’s in the grip of God’s grace and is a fan of the three Cs—cats, coffee, and chocolate.

Kathleen is proud to be the mother of three adult children and mother-in-law to one. She is a former homeschool instructor, a mild-mannered dental assistant, and current Community Bible Study kids’ teacher.

Kathleen lives in Michigan with her hero and husband of thirty-some years, and two sweet cats who found a home in their empty nest.

Her writing is represented by Linda S. Glaz of the Hartline Literary Agency.

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Connect with Kathy:
Website: https://kathleenrouser.com
Facebook Author page: https://www.facebook.com/kathleenerouser
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KathleenRouser
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rouserkathy/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/kerouser/_saved/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7427871.Kathleen_Rouser
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/kathleen-rouser

Romantic Reads: The story behind "Love, Laughter, and Luminarias"

Welcome Jaycee Weaver to the blog!

 She's here today to share the story behind her Christmas holiday story: 

Love, Laughter, and Luminarias.

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The Story Behind Jaycee Weaver’s Christmas story,

 "Love, Laughter, and Luminarias"

A huge fan of Christmas books (especially novellas), I’d wanted to write one since beginning my first novel. Unfortunately, every time I sat down to write or even just brainstorm, nothing worthwhile came out.

I remember running errands in August of 2018, asking the Lord for an idea while also grousing about how hard to was to feel Christmassy in the triple digit summer heat. Less than a minute later, still driving, I had to pull out my phone and dictate the ideas that came before I’d even finished praying!

What if my hero was an author attempting to write a summer book in December? What if his main character is based off his real-life love interest and he doesn’t even know it?

On the way home, I swung into the nearest Starbucks and sipped a vanilla iced coffee while scribbling into my ever-present notebook as fast as my hand could move across the page. I left an hour later with the whole first chapter completed and a character sketch of my heroine, Nina, to go with Garrett, my author hero.

I thought, what if his best friend preferred movies and comics to books?

Friends-to-more is my favorite romance trope, but I knew I didn’t want it to be the same old unrequited love angle I’d read hundreds of times. What if neither of them ever had feelings for the other… until suddenly, they do? All these what-if questions helped the characters and plot start coming together.

Staring down the face of a deadline if I wanted to release it in time for holiday sales, I again went to my knees for direction. Before opening my eyes, I felt a distinct promise in my spirit—if I would fast from reading anything but the Word for the rest of the month, He would give me the story faster than anything I’d ever written before.

Not read for a few weeks? I could give up chocolate more easily than books. When it comes to reading, I’m voracious, so you can imagine my distress. But I did it. I used the time I normally spent buried between the pages working at my computer or notebook. Two and a half weeks later, the first draft was done. Two and a half weeks after that, it’d been through multiple edits and I was moving on to cover design and then sending it to advance readers.

When those readers came back with wonderful things to say, I knew this little book was completely and utterly the result of God’s faithfulness to keep His promise when I’d responded in obedience. It’s a lesson I pray I never forget.

Before I ever published a single book, I knew I wanted to showcase my hometown, Albuquerque, New Mexico, in every book. Since then, I’ve branched out a little into fictional towns in NM and Oklahoma, but primarily all of my books are set where I live. It’s good we have a lot to offer all year through, because after twelve books I still haven’t run out of things to highlight about life here.

My favorite Christmas tradition in the whole state is that of luminarias. Throughout the holiday season, buildings all over the state display electric luminarias in lieu of regular Christmas lights, but the most beautiful are only lit Christmas Eve. Paper lunch sacks are rolled down at the top, and inside a simple votive candle is nestled atop a few inches of sand. These bags line the tops of walls, sidewalks, and basically every horizontal surface available. As soon as the sun goes down, people light the candles (which can take hours!) and hold vigil to keep them lit. We drive through participating neighborhoods with the lights off and admire the simple, peaceful beauty.

In Love, Laughter, and Luminarias, I explain the tradition and some of the cultural beliefs surrounding it, but I also use it to illustrate our place in the family of God. Nina particularly finds this message meaningful in a whole new way that transforms her life and sets her on the path to Christ… and maybe love where she least expected it.

I hope you will, too!

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Author Bio:

Lover of Jesus, family, books, coffee, music, and crafting (in that order), Jaycee Weaver is perpetually pursuing at least one of her passions. 

She writes contemporary Christian romance stories featuring realistic characters in everyday situations where God is at work in big ways. 

She appreciates books where the characters face shortcomings, temptations, and adversity but always get their happy ending, so that’s what she writes.

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Book Blurb for "Love, Laughter, and Luminarias"

He has his books. She has her fandoms. They've always had their friendship. Could Christmas projects, snowball fights, and local traditions spark feelings neither knew were there? 

Surprisingly successful action-suspense author Garrett Wilson is struggling to write a summer novel in December. That is, until he witnesses his best friend, Nina, chase down a shoplifter and realizes that maybe his tough, attractive heroine might not be based solely in fiction.

Geeky-chic Nina Trujillo finds herself contemplating a God she’s never believed in after her brush with danger taking down a thief. That one decision could change the whole course of her life, and quite possibly, her feelings for the one guy she’s never considered more than a friend.

When Nina dives head-first into a series of Christmas projects and ideas for new traditions, she drags Garrett along for the ride. Will her newfound courage and all the extra time together bring their feelings out into the open, or will Nina escape back into the comfort of her fandoms and lose him forever?

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Connect with Jaycee:
Website: https://www.jayceeweaver.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jayceeweaver
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jayceeweaver
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/weaverjaycee
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/weaversgrrrl
GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17239020.Jaycee_Weaver
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/jaycee-weaver
Amazon Author Central: https://www.amazon.com/Jaycee-Weaver/e/B076CVKRPJ?ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vu00_i1
Honored to be an InspyRomance author/blogger on the web and Facebook.

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