Devotionals for the Heart: Faithfulness

Faithfulness As A Fruit of the Spirit
A devotional by Allison M. Wilson

Key Scripture: Galatians 5:22 (NASB) and Revelation 1:20 (NASB)

We talk about faithfulness in many ways. Marriage vows speak of being faithful all the days we live. Someone can be known as a faithful friend, while another is a faithful worker. What ties all of them together, though?

The fruit of the Spirit known as faithfulness isn’t something we can produce in ourselves, at least not for any long period of time. Have you noticed a pattern in all of the fruits? None of them are naturally occurring in us! If it doesn’t come from Christ, first, it can have no good lasting effect, because it is all through our flesh.

Faithfulness is the seventh of the fruits Christ gives us by the Spirit. I don’t believe the number for this word is a mistake. Seven is used in many ways throughout the Bible to mean perfection. In seven days, the Lord created the earth. Seven lampstands are in the throne room of Heaven representing the seven churches, as we’re told in Revelation. While those churches were not faithful to Him, He remained faithful to them. Reminds me of Hosea and Gomer! What an amazing example of how God loves His bride!

But, what does faithfulness entail? When it comes to our relationship to God, it’s easy to make it all about works. We pat ourselves on the back when we’ve read our Bible every day, done the homework for a study, and said a prayer. Check those boxes, and now we can move on with the rest of our life. Doing for God does not necessarily mean that we’re being faithful. We can do a lot of things for Him, but if He has asked something of us we are not willing to do, then we’re unfaithful. Is spending time in the Word every day a bad thing? Absolutely not! However, it is empty if we only do it out of duty, rather than relationship.

Who of us would want a friend or spouse to stay with us only because it’s expected? We want the people in our lives to want to be with us. We need to know they love us for who we are, and not just out of necessity. God is the same way. He wants us to want to spend time with Him. He wants us to want to do as He asks in our lives. That can mean going to some uncomfortable places: Forgiveness for wrongs done to us, accepting treatment we don’t feel we deserve (never abuse!), letting someone else be honored above ourselves, or saying no to something we have dreamt of our whole lives. If the Lord calls us to any of these things, we have a choice. Will we say yes to Him, being faithful to the One Who laid down His life for us? Or will we turn our back on that sacrifice, and tell Him it wasn’t enough?

I once had the realization that I am committing spiritual adultery every time I disobey what Christ has asked me to do. That was a dagger to my heart as a marriage ministry team member! How could I do that to my Groom? Yet, every sin I allow in my life is just that. It is spiritual adultery against my perfect Groom. Every time I go against what I know to be right in the eyes of God, I am being unfaithful to Him.

He, however, takes me back. Over and over and over and over again, He accepts me in my weakness. Not only that, but He then gives me the Fruit of the Spirit to move closer to being made like Him. He reminds me that I am His blemish-free bride, chosen for the Son of God before the foundation of the earth to be His. My sins are gone. They were paid in full on the cross, long before I even knew I needed them. Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me!

Let’s Pray: Heavenly Daddy, You have made me worthy to be called Your bride, even when I don’t feel like it. Remind my heart of Your truth, Your love, Your faithfulness. Let that guide my days. In Jesus Christ’s Name I pray, Amen.

~*~
Author Bio:

A very early reader and lover of the written word, Allison M. Wilson has been writing since the age of eight with the heart to impart stories and God's truth. 

She has judged countless contests for the last 25 years, reviewed for several online publications, professionally edited, and written articles and devotionals.

Wife, mother, writer, editor, teacher, mentor, and mompreneur, God keeps her busy while living in east central Florida with her family.

~*~
Connect with Allison:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/allisonmwilson
Twitter: https://twitter.com/amwilson

Worth 1,000 Words: Terri Baskin Photography

The newly married Jerrod and Tinita dancing during their wedding day reception

The kiss that ended the wedding celebration and started life together as Mr. & Mrs. Kearney:

 

Photo credit for the featured wedding day pictures: 
Photographer: Terri Baskin (Terri Baskin Photography)- www.terribaskin.com

Couple: Jerrod and Tinita Kearney
Married: May 8, 2015
Location: The Bolger Center- Potomac Maryland

Terri is the principal photographer/owner of Terri Baskin Photography and as you can see from these two beautiful photos, Terri is a talented wedding photographer!

Welcome Terri to the blog today and feel free to connect with her through the links she provides at end of this post. Please leave a comment for Terri to share your thoughts on her guest post today. She'll be happy to hear from you!

Enjoy today's feature! :)

~*~
What love means to Terri as a wedding photographer: 

The moment they first lock eyes on the wedding day and the reaction that each one has towards one a other, whether it be a smile, a tear or a subtle laugh because the day they've been planning and praying for is actually happening or some inside joke that only they will ever know...those are the moments that remind me of why I love being a wedding photographer.

Growing up with a father who spent his Saturdays photographing weddings, I remember being excited about two things when he returned home- the piece of wedding cake that he brought me and the pictures that developed in his in-home dark room! However, being around a successful marriage by having two loving parents at home helped me to understand that it's not always easy to blend two lives into one and make it work but the beauty of wedding photography is that even during the toughest moments, a couple’s wedding photographs can remind them to fight through the tough times and return to the happiest ones. The ultimate love story, in my opinion, is to remember why you started and never give up!

My goal as a wedding photographer is to document those fleeting moments during a wedding day that the couple themselves may have not even realized had taken place. When a couple looks at their wedding images, I want them to remember their day all over again. I want them to reminisce on the happy moments, reflect on the moments that brought them to tears, and share with one another what they were thinking as the day began to unfold. While I’m never present during this conversation, I ensure that when I curate and deliver a couple’s wedding images that the photos themselves can initiate this type of conversation.

~*~

Words from the newlyweds, Mr. Jerrod and Mrs. Tinita Kearney...

Tinita: Love is a word that was once quite easy for me to describe. Prior to getting married, it simply meant family, smiles, laughter, comfort, and deep affection. It meant having someone that I could depend on and trusting that someone would always be in my corner. Yet, now, after marrying my husband, the word that once was so easily categorized has become something much more difficult to define. Today, the word love embodies many things; namely, God and Jerrod. The love that I associate with God is wholly indescribable, and similarly, the love that I hold for Jerrod is difficult to capture into words. Yet, when I think of the deep love that binds my marriage, I realize that it goes beyond laughter and smiles, comfort and affection. Our love is patient, kind, does not envy, does not boast, is not proud, does not dishonor others, is not selfish, is slow to anger, keeps (almost!) no record of wrongs, does not delight in evil, protects, trusts, hopes, and perseveres (I Cor. 13:4-7). Our love is biblical and heaven sent, as is my husband, in whom I have all confidence. Because we both acknowledge that our collective mission is to fulfill our God-given purpose through the ministry of our marriage, we are powerful, and our love is our strongest weapon. 

Jerrod: I have always believed spousal love was purely the final stage of an emotion two individuals felt for one another. The emotion grew into love based on the amount of commonalities, attraction, intimate communication, shared experiences and duration of time spent together. Having never experienced spousal love, my belief was formed from watching movies, reading books, hearing others describe why they loved someone, and the like. After being married for just over two months, I have learned love is much more than an emotion. Love is complicated, love is sacrifice, a new experience and most importantly, love is an action. Love is sacrificing your wants to make your spouse happy, putting your spouse’s needs before yours, studying your spouse to know her wants before she knows her wants, being consistent in all that you do, and love is communicated on a daily basis. Although there are many facets to love and definitions of love, the best way to sum up love is to say, outside of Christ, spousal love is the best thing a man has the privilege of experiencing.

~*~
Photographer bio (in Terri Baskin's words): 

Photography is how I creatively express my clients' love story...It gives me the chance to document your "Day One" as husband and wife and create images that may be cherished by a couple for years to come!

My love affair with the camera unknowingly happened when I was about 8 years old when my dad gave me a 110mm camera to document life through my young eyes. It was also my dad that came to my first year of weddings to make sure I documented authentic moments as they unfolded.

Fast forward to today, photography is my stamp that tells the world that on this particular day and at this particular time this is where we were, who we were and what we were doing. We grow, we age, and we change- it's inevitable, but when you look at a photo that I've taken I want it to be your visual reminder of how you looked and felt at that specific moment in time.

I create timeless, romantic and modern photos for the fun couples in love! I am based in Virginia, but I love to travel! Contact me today to discuss your BIG day!

~*~

Connect with Terri, principal photographer and owner of Terri Baskin Photography: 

Photography business website: www.terribaskin.com
E-mail: tbaskin@terribaskin.com
Phone: 703.791.9111
View: The Wedding Experience!


Let’s Get Social! Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

Terri's photography is featured in the following publications: Style Me Pretty, Munaluchi Bridal, The Knot, BuzzFeed, The Washingtonian Bridal Blog, and Every Last Detail!

Worth 1,000 Words: Kaitlin Noel Photography

Featured photo:

Photo credit: Katelyn James Photography. Featured: Mrs. Kaitlin Noel Hebert
with her husband and children during their wedding "the second time around."

Today's Worth 1,000 Words post is a bit different than the rest because the featured photo is from the wedding photographer's own wedding, the "second time around" after being married with children. The photographer who captured the photo is Katelyn James and while Katelyn's wedding photography will be featured later on in this series, today is all about her friend Kaitlin Noel of Kaitlin Noel Photography!

Kaitlin would like to share the story of what love means to her through the lens of her work as a wedding photographer, her special day as a blushing bride and her life as the wife to the man of her dreams. 

So here is what love means to Kaitlin, she wrote:

"Love is family!”

My husband and I renewed our vows on our 5 year anniversary in 2014 in front of all of our family and close friends. Our first wedding was a very rushed, last minute and ill-planned event that was more focused on the "wedding" than the marriage. After five years of marriage and two kids later, we really thought about our marriage, all we have been through...all our love for each other and these kids has done for us as individuals, a couple and as parents. We wanted to create a day where we could REALLY focus on our love and our family which are the core values of our marriage.

Love is so much more than attraction, gifts on holidays, date nights, trips, and romantic gestures. It’s about being able to just sit next to this person. Breathe in the same air. Sitting in silence, and be PERFECTLY HAPPY. Perfectly content. A feeling of home. Acceptance. And ultimately, unconditional support and respect.

Raising children is TOUGH! We had our boys, Nicholas and Ryan, back to back and it was by no means easy. It was taxing. We were tired. Poor. And our "romantic fire" was turning into ashes. We knew that we loved our kids and loved each other, but often OUR love was the furthest thought...it was all about the kids.

As of lately, we LOVE showing the kids how in love we are. When cooking dinner, Michael will often come up behind me and offer to help. He will grab me away and dance with me by the stove and the boys come running in. They even scream..."Kiss her dad!" We are TEACHING them about love by SHOWING them what true love is. Love isn't perfect. It is not roses and chocolates and jewelry all the time. It’s about MAKING THE TIME to show each other that you on their mind and always in their heart. We are a huge fan of little notes tucked in each other’s work bags, coffee mugs, or suitcases before we travel on separate business trips. We figured out that we speak VERY different love languages and need different types of support.

For us love is absolutely effortless, but CULTIVATING love is hard work in that you must never, ever stop. Marriage, though a blessing, is work. BOTH members need to work to make sure each other are respected, supported and FEEL safe. His pain is mine. My sadness is his. We are a TEAM.

As a wedding photographer, I get to capture HUNDREDS of love stories. Though each one involves a pretty wedding with music, drinks and captivating floral arrangements....each wedding is perfectly unique. My couples are truly radiant and spirited people that THRIVE on each other. They get their joy from their spouses and vice versa. I love capturing the way each specific couple uses their OWN love language to communicate. I have had grooms that are hair brushers (they constantly sweep their spouses hair from their brow line and cheek). I have had hand kissers and holders (where they never let go of their spouses hand and always lift it to their lips for a soft kiss). I have had twirlers, ticklers, funny-facers and tacklers. Each expression of love in unique and quite frankly ADORABLE to watch play out. I am a blessed girl to see so much love in my life time, let alone be the one that gets to capture it for their generations to look at for years to come.

I am blessed with a wonderful husband, amazing children, and an incredibly moving career. Love surrounds me every day and I wouldn't trade it for the world.

~*~
Photographer bio: 

Kaitlin Noel in action, capturing a moment of love

Kaitlin Noel Hebert is a professional wedding and portrait photographer based in Cape May, New Jersey. She’s the mother of two perfect little boys, Nicholas and Ryan. Kaitlin is the “police wife” to her husband Michael. She is also the mother to a French bulldog named Ellie who was named after her favorite movie character Elle Woods from the movie Legally Blonde.

Kaitlin is approaching her fifth year as a professional photographer. She enjoys traveling for destination weddings around the world and traveling to new locations with her husband and family.

Kaitlin spends her free time with her family at their beach house and up on the boardwalk eating as many deep fried Oreo cookies as possible. Kaitlin’s DSLR camera has become an “extra limb” over the years, so she finds it challenging to ever lay it to rest. However, she finds that it’s nice to unplug and invest in more photography education. Kaitlin attends retreats to become motivated and re-inspired to do what she loves most—photography.

Visit Kaitlin Noel of Kaitlin Noel Photography's website to learn more about Kaitlin and her photography business, http://kaitlinnoelphotography.com/about

Worth 1,000 Words: An introduction

Dear blog friends,

I'm super excited to introduce my new series "Worth 1,000 Words"!

Every Wednesday, you can visit my blog to find a picture that's worth a thousand words and you can discover wonderful wedding photographers who captured that lovely moment. 

This series is meant to promote the work of wedding photographers who love God as much as they love capturing the true love stories of their clients with their professional camera.

Photo courtesy of Jasmine Star, http://www.jasminestarblog.com/

My ultimate favorite wedding photographer is Jasmine Star, pictured in action above this text. She is a sweet, sincere and business-savvy role model for creatives in the wedding photography industry! She's kind, professional and a great teacher. Jasmine hosts workshops and speaks for Creative Live. She has a heart for giving back to the community by mentoring aspiring photographers and helping them to build their business and reach new heights of success.

God made a way for me to meet Jasmine Star a few years ago but that's another story for another day! :)

I hope you will enjoy this new series! Here's what to expect every Wednesday on my blog until the end of Summer 2015:

1) A picture that's worth a thousand words

2) A write-up of what love means through the lens of a wedding photographer

3) A few words from the bride featured in the photo on what true love means to her as the bride on her special day and now as a wife

4) A few words from the groom featured in the photo on what true love means to him as the groom on his wedding day and now as a husband

5) Promotional details for the featured photographer and their professional business

*Please note: Sometimes there may be cases when then bride and groom could not be reached for comment. But you can still expect items #1, #2 and #5 every Wednesday, for certain!

So I'm excited for this new series! Are you?

I hope so!

Take care and God bless you! 

Love,

Alexis

True Love Stories: Heart's Design

"This I Promise You" as performed by the popular boy band from the late 1990's, *NSYNC, reminds me of today's featured story. 

The story centers on JoAnn--a feisty, independent, strong-willed and sweet woman--who met a certain tall, handsome and compassionate man of God named Jim Durgin. How they met is certainly interesting and how they fell in love is beautiful and captivating!

JoAnn and Jim's true love story is proof that when you seek God first in your search for true love, He will not disappoint and you'll become a better person in the process.

So without further ado, here's the story...

~*~
Heart’s Design
JoAnn Durgin’s true love story

Authors always have a story, and the following is the “nutshell” version of my “true life” love story with my husband, Jim. My mother claims this is the story I should write, but in a way I did; there are many parallels between our story and that of Sam Lewis and Lexa Clarke in my debut novel, Awakening. The character of Sam is loosely based on Jim, and Lexa is based on yours truly (including teasing Jim about his old station wagon which I nicknamed “the bomb”).

Before the ink was dry on my college diploma, I moved from Indiana to Dallas, Texas without knowing a soul there. In hindsight, I was either independent or crazy (probably a bit of both). After working in a small advertising agency for a year, I found a great job in a big downtown law firm. Walked five blocks to Neiman Marcus on my lunch hour wearing three-inch heels. Ah, those were the days! This was also back in the pre-fax/pre-email days (i.e., the Stone Age as my children would say) when we used courier services to transport documents across town. When I called Wingtip Couriers, I’d often speak with a lovely girl named Susan from Ohio. One Saturday morning, I was having breakfast with a friend, Margaret, and she introduced me to another girl…Susan. From Ohio. And yes, from Wingtip Couriers.

A group of us, including Margaret and Susan, made plans to go to dinner a few weeks later. I’d been dating someone, but I suspected it wasn’t going to work out. I gave my friends strict instructions not to fix me up. However, like all really good friends, they paid absolutely no attention. Come to find out, both Susan and her then-boyfriend (now-husband) Marshall prayed independently about whom to introduce to poor, lonely JoAnn. They both came up with the same guy: Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS) student, Jim Durgin. Wait, it gets better. Jim had gone on a blind date a few weeks before with the runner-up to Miss Texas (no pressure there) who blew him off (her loss). So, he was very reluctant for another blind date.

Our first date was for the DTS Spring Banquet. Jim showed up on my doorstep—six foot two, tall, dark and handsome in a midnight blue tux—and I swooned. Then when I heard him sing in the men’s chorus, oh be still my heart! Turns out, the banquet was held over three nights, and Jim had a different date for each one. Ahem. I’m thankful I didn’t know that until much later! Fast forward. Jim and I became good friends and we often went to dinner together and to the movies. We attended different churches, but I sometimes attended his services.

At some point, our relationship slowly began to change, but Jim wasn’t quite sure I was the girl for him. Frankly, he questioned my spiritual condition. We shared what I call the “infamous Red Lobster dinner” where I basically stomped off, mad and hurt. How dare he? Shortly thereafter, Jim went on a singing tour across Europe and wrote “novels on postcards” trying to explain, grovel, apologize and make amends. I ignored the poor guy even when he brought flowers to my office. And called and left messages. I’d forgiven him, but I was embarrassed to tell him after so much time had passed.

In April of 1986, I was in a bad car collision with a large truck on my morning drive into Dallas. Put it this way: I walked away with my car nearly totaled and showed up at work with glass hanging in my hair (I was probably in shock but didn’t know it). The Lord protected me, but I knew the accident was His wakeup call.

At this time, I was in a Bible study with—you guessed it, Margaret and Susan—and I needed a workbook. I knew Jim worked in the DTS Bookstore on campus, so I stopped in a few days later to see if they had the workbook. They told me they’d order it. I inquired about Jim and they said he still worked there but would be graduating soon. That information hit me, and I knew I had to see him before he left Dallas. He was my friend, and I missed him. When I went to pick up the workbook, guess who waited on me?

We made up, started dating, but were we crazy? He was leaving Dallas and I had no plans to leave! He confided that—although he’d dated a lot—he’d never kissed a girl and promised the Lord the first girl he kissed would be “the one” he’d marry. I found that incredibly precious. Jim did kiss me not long before his graduation, but we were both confused. Where could it lead? At his graduation, I knew I had to let him know I was there for him (his parents weren’t able to attend). Three rows of graduates filed into a large auditorium and the Lord led me straight to Jim. I’ll never forget the "You’re Here!" expression on his face. The next day, I walked into the law firm and lost my job. A month before, that loss would have devastated me, but I had a complete peace about it and knew it was God’s will—He was opening the path for me to leave Dallas by removing the one thing in my life that was keeping me there.

Jim went home to Newport, Rhode Island, and then found his first position in a small church in Visalia, California. We talked, we wrote, I visited him in Newport, he visited me in southern Indiana. My mom and I were booked on a trip to Europe where we’d fly between four cities: London, Paris, Rome and Vienna. That year was one of the worst for terrorism in Europe and we cancelled our trip on the last day. The travel agent “happened” to have cancellation on a Royal Caribbean cruise, so we took that spot. On the cruise ship, we met a lady and her children, and her husband was home in California “stomping on the grapes” in ...Visalia, California. I planned on joining Jim in California so we could see if the relationship would work. Two weeks before my move—out of the blue—the vice president of the winegrower’s company called and offered me a job. I’d always despised girls who “followed” guys, but Jim and I both knew this was something we needed to do. And again, the Lord had paved the way.

We were engaged on Valentine’s Day 1987, and we married on his birthday on September 5, 1987 (you marry a man on his birthday, he won’t forget his anniversary). 

The Lord has blessed us immeasurably with three wonderful children: Sarah, Chelsea and Matthew. 

I love writing contemporary Christian romance, and it’s my high honor and privilege. I believe in putting God first in a romance and, without fail, I believe in happy endings!

Blessings, friends.

Matthew 5:16

~*~
Author bio:

JoAnn Durgin is the author of five novels (and counting) in the popular Lewis Legacy Series and the series prequel, Prelude, as well as Catching Serenity, a standalone novel. Her novellas include Meet Me Under the Mistletoe; Starlight, Star Bright; Sleigh Ride Together with You, and Echoes of Edinburgh. 

A member of the American Christian Fiction Writers and the Louisville Christian Writers, JoAnn lives with her husband and three children in southern Indiana. She recently retired from her paralegal position to write full-time. 

JoAnn loves to hear from her readers at www.joanndurgin.com or www.facebook.com/authorjoanndurgin.

True Love Stories: An Unlikely Romance

"For the First Time," a sweet song Jane performs when she realizes she's in love with the wild and wonderful man named Tarzan, is what comes to mind when I think of today's true love story.

Tarzan, the musical, opened on Broadway at the Richard Rodgers Theatre in New York on May 10, 2006. However, about four years prior to this play premiering on Broadway, God was moving behind the scenes to orchestrate a theatre-worthy real-life romance that was as swoon worthy as it was unlikely.

"An Unlikely Romance" is the true love story of Brandy and Jeff Bruce. It's a beautiful testimony of what can happen when you let God write your love story. Brandy and Jeff will celebrate their 12-year wedding anniversary tomorrow! So after you read their story, be sure to congratulate Mr. & Mrs. Bruce in your comments. 

Enjoy!

~*~
An Unlikely Romance
Brandy Bruce’s true love story

We met in the alley between our jobs.

Not the most romantic beginning, I know, but there it is. Jeff worked at a furniture store in downtown Conroe, Texas and I had just started working at a title company. Every evening at five o’clock I drove down the alley, past the furniture store. After a couple of weeks, I started to notice one of the delivery guys outside around five o’clock every day, inconspicuously sweeping the dirt.

Now if Jeff were telling this story, he’d probably pause here to include my dad.

For the first couple of weeks, Jeff thought I was dating my dad. It’s true. My dad was a patrolman for Conroe P.D. and the police station was right by the title company. So he’d stop by to see me, sometimes bringing flowers (specifically on my birthday) or donuts (my dad is awesome like that). So Jeff saw this 6’3” guy in uniform (carrying a gun) visiting me. What was he to do? Well, he could always have his boss call the director of the title company to see if his new employee was dating that cop who kept stopping by. Because that wouldn’t be strange at all, right? Yep, that’s what he did. Next thing I know, Jeff is stopping me in the alley after work and asking if I’d like to have lunch sometime.

We found out that we had mutual friends at this point, which you would think would be helpful in getting to know each other. But you’d be wrong. My friend Colleen was dating Jeff’s BFF Larry. At first Colleen told me she didn’t really think Jeff would be a good person for me to date. THEN she changed her story and said that Jeff would be a great person for me to date! I finally decided that a lunch date was pretty harmless. So I told Jeff I’d meet him for lunch.

Jeff is a pretty quiet guy. But not on that first date. Over chicken tenders and honey mustard sauce, I listened to this guy tell me his life story. I realized that our backgrounds were fairly different. I’d grown up in a very strong Christian home. Church, faith and a loving, peaceful family had made up my childhood experience. Jeff’s parents divorced when he was fourteen and he’d experienced a lot of things that I hadn’t. I just listened as he told me that he had made some major changes in his life recently and was now going to church with his friend Larry. (Also the church I attended! It’s a big church.)

I appreciated his openness and his honesty so much and I was shocked by how much I enjoyed our conversation. Then I had to leave the restaurant to make it to my orthodontist appointment on time (did I mention that I was just a young thing of 19 and Jeff was 22?). On the way to my appointment, I couldn’t stop smiling. I really liked this guy. So we kept dating. He met my family. I met his dad and his sister Jamie. Christmas came and Jeff ended up spending the holiday with my family. Everyone liked him, and I was crazy about him. I was leaving for college in Virginia in January, so we said we’d keep in touch during that semester apart. My dad drove me from Texas to Lynchburg, Virginia. I remember that we had breakfast together the morning before my dad had to leave for Texas. He asked me how serious I was about Jeff. I looked straight at my dad and said, “I’m going to marry him.” My dad looked back at me, nodded, and said, “Really? Well, all right.”

I knew in my heart that I would marry Jeff. I didn’t know when, but I knew it would happen. God had drawn Jeff to Himself before He brought me into his life and then God brought us together. I was there the day Jeff was baptized at our church. Honestly, God wrote our love story.

We talked on the phone every single day while I was in Virginia. But after that semester apart, Jeff decided to move to Virginia so we could be closer. He drove up to Lynchburg and found a job and an apartment with some roommates. And I realized how much he loved me, that he’d change his whole life to be with me. We were engaged a year after our first date and married three years later (right after I graduated). 

We’ll celebrate our 12-year wedding anniversary on February 8th. Our journey together has been exactly that—a journey. And God has been with us every step of the way. He’s still writing our love story.

~*~
Author Bio: 

Brandy Bruce was scribbling stories in spiral notebooks by the age of 12. Her love for books never left her. She graduated from Liberty University, married the one person she could never get enough of, then started working as a book editor for a publishing house. Brandy and her husband, Jeff, live in Colorado with their two children.

~*~

Recipe for Love book blurb: Overworked chef Jeremy has ordered up the perfect vacation: a fly-fishing getaway and some much-needed alone time. But when he arrives in the Colorado mountain town, he's immediately captivated by the lovely proprietor of the bed-and-breakfast, not to mention her young son. 

Alison Taylor still mourns her first husband even as she fights to keep their shared dream of a B and B alive. But there's no denying that she and her big-city guest have all the right ingredients for something special. Will this star-crossed pair realize that second chances can happen…if only they'll let them?

~*~
Buy Brandy’s book Recipe for Love:

Amazon.com - http://amzn.to/16Jmhdn

BarnesandNoble.com - http://bit.ly/1C3WlDF

~*~

Connect with Brandy:

Blog- http://brandybruce.blogspot.com/

Twitter - https://twitter.com/brandybruce