Devotionals for the Heart: God's Word

God’s Word in All Seasons
A devotional by Sara L. Foust

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” ~ 2 Timothy 3:16 (KJV)

There are times in my life when I don’t know exactly what to do. How to react to an event or comment. Or maybe how to deal with the heaviness of grief. I am so thankful that God loved us enough to leave a guidebook for us. His Word is perfect, entire, and useful in every situation. No matter what I face, I can turn to the Bible and find an answer. Sometimes the same exact verses that gave me answers in grief are the ones that can give me direction in joy. I love how I can read His Word on a daily basis and each and every time learn something new.

Several years ago I realized that spending time in quiet meditation studying the Bible was an important act of faith. I began taking some time each morning to read, pray, and sit quietly in His presence. As the number of children increased in my home, the quiet part has become much more difficult. But I find that if I forget or push aside my one-on-one time with His word, my days are tougher.

God’s Word can be all things to all people. Perfect for teaching, admonishing, preaching, ministering, witnessing, encouraging, strengthening, and comforting. He left the Word with a purpose, with a great love for His children, so that we can find each of those things no matter what challenges, blessings, or fears lay ahead of us.

I’ve included some of my favorite verses below. These are ones that I have especially turned to in times when I needed His comfort and direction, and I’ve found that even though my situation changes I can find exactly what I need in them each time.

This one is especially good for times of grief or when I am hurting: “He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds. He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names. Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite”. ~Psalm 147:3-5 (KJV)

This one is wonderful for times when I feel confused and need direction: “God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” ~ 2 Timothy 1:7 (KJV)

This one is good for times when I am questioning why: “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” ~Romans 8:28 (KJV)

This one is good when I am overly stressed and need to be reminded that I am God’s child and, therefore, I can find refreshment in Him: “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” ~Romans 12:2 (KJV)

This one is perfect for times when I need to be reminded that prayer works, just not always on my time: “And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.” ~1 John 5:15 (KJV)

And finally, this one is good when I need to be reminded of my purpose here: “But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. (Bolding mine).” ~James 1:25 (KJV)

What are some of your favorite verses for the different seasons of your life?

~*~

Author Bio:

Sara writes Inspirational Romantic Suspense from a mini-farm in East Tennessee, where she lives with her husband and their five homeschooled children. 

She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Animal Science from the University of Tennessee and is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Tennessee Mountain Writers.

Her debut novel Callum's Compass won second place in Deep River Books' 2017 Writer's Contest. She also has a story, “Leap of Faith,” in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Step Outside Your Comfort Zone. Sara finds inspiration in her faith, her family, and the beauty of nature.

When she isn’t writing, you can find her reading, camping, and spending time outdoors with her family. To learn more about her and her work or to become a part of her email friend’s group, please visit www.saralfoust.com.

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Litfuse Publicity Group blog tour featuring "Sacred Rest" (book) by Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith

Welcome to my blog's stop on the book tour for Sacred Rest!

It's a riveting read penned by a true expert with a heart for helping humankind. 

Read my review of this wonderful nonfiction book after you read the following information about the book and its awesome author!

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About the book:

Staying busy is easy. Staying well rested— there’s a challenge.

How can you keep your energy, happiness, creativity, and relationships fresh and thriving in the midst of never-ending family demands, career pressures, and the stress of everyday life? In Sacred Rest, Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith, a board-certified internal medicine doctor, reveals why rest can no longer remain optional.

Dr. Dalton-Smith shares seven types of rest she has found lacking in the lives of those she encounters in her clinical practice and research-physical, mental, spiritual, emotional, sensory, social, creative—and why a deficiency in any one of these types of rest can have unfavorable effects on your health, happiness, relationships, creativity, and productivity. Sacred Rest combines the science of rest, the spirituality of rest, the gifts of rest, and the resulting fruit of rest. It shows rest as something sacred, valuable, and worthy of our respect.

By combining scientific research with personal stories, spiritual insight, and practical next steps, Sacred Rest gives the weary permission to embrace rest, set boundaries, and seek sanctuary without any guilt, shame, or fear.

Learn more and purchase a copy.

~*~

About the Author: Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith is an author, speaker, and board-certified physician. She has an active medical practice in Alabama (near the Birmingham area). She received her B.S. in Biochemistry at the University of Georgia and graduated with honors from Meharry Medical College in Nashville. She has been an adjunct faculty member at Baker College and Davenport University in Michigan teaching courses on health, nutrition, and disease progression. 

Dr. Dalton-Smith is a national and international media resource on the mind, body, spirit connection and has been featured in Women’s Day, Redbook, and First For Women magazine. She is the author of “Set Free to Live” and “Come Empty” (winner 2016 Golden Scroll Nonfiction Book of the Year and 2016 Illumination Award Gold medalist). She is a member of the Christian Medical and Dental Association and a repeat keynote speaker at their annual gathering. She has shared her tips on merging faith and medicine with over 16,000 health care professionals to encourage the current and next generation of doctors to treat the whole person.

Find out more about Saundra at http://ichoosemybestlife.com.

~*~

My Review of Sacred Rest:

This book was everything that I expected yet exactly what I did not expect!

With a title like "Sacred Rest" and an author with impressive credentials as a doctor and media favorite, I expected this book to be a well-informed, enlightening read with a spiritual thread. But I did not expect it to grab me by the hand at the first page and fully captivate my attention like a good fiction story as the author used the power of words, real-life stories, medical resources and Bible-based truth to help me discover the reason why we all (humankind) need to learn how to truly rest.

I loved everything about this book and did not find anything that I did not like! The author has an authoritative voice but it's not overbearing and it won't cause you to become bored. She uses her authority as a health professional to effectively guide you through the ins and outs of "rest" as a concept and gives you a well-thought-out guide how even the busiest of persons can make true "rest" a reality in their life.

I appreciated the author's transparency in sharing scenes from her real-life story to enhance the storytelling. Early on in this book, the author made me laugh when she mentioned how she'd written a "birthing plan" and made copies for her husband and the medical professionals in the delivery room. She noted their response to her handing the papers of the birthing plan to them (they were not impressed and pushed the papers to the side to prepare to help her birth her baby). Later on during her labor when the pain became unbearable and unexpected situations occurred, one of the nurses asked the author, "Now what does the plan say we do about this?" Hilarious! But clearly at the time the author who was the expectant first-time mommy-to-be in the situation was not amused.

My heart softened and sympathized with one of the people the author mentioned who she was treating, a young lady who cut her wrists. The author noted that she could not heal the girl's pain, she could only suture the skin back together. The author touched on how medical professionals are trained to detach themselves from the patient in a professional manner as to not get emotional or draw into the intensity of what they're facing. She also talked about a conference in which she was the keynote speaker to a room filled with medical professionals and the first thing she realized is that she had to break the ice and teach them how to open up emotionally so that they could get the most of the healing experience she was there to facilitate.

There are many more wonderful examples in this book that spoke to my heart and enlightened my mind. But in the interest of time and keeping your attention along with not giving away the whole message in this book, I'll only mention a few more highlights...

Favorite line: "I'm convinced heaven must smell like hazelnut coffee" (page 7).

Most interesting interactive tool: The self-diagnosis that used several questions and a checklist to help the reader determine if you're experiencing a "mental rest deficit" or several other types of deficits such as "emotional rest deficit".

Most helpful feature: The section starting on page 129 that outlined and explored "Sacred Rest Boundaries" all the while emphasizing the importance of drawing and maintaining healthy boundaries.

Best Bible-based advice: "Cease fighting to have your way" (page 143). It's advice that's based on Romans 9:20 which is a Bible verse and it spoke most profoundly to me because that's a real-life struggle for me. The author said: "When we don't understand what God is doing, we journey into the battlefield of the mind and wage a war against our circumstances in the hopes that if we try hard enough and fight long enough, we will overcome the difficulty. But this is not the gift of freedom. Freedom is this: Instead of trying harder, trust more. Cease fighting, and with hands raised, bow your will to His. Assume a position of peace even in the midst of unfavorable circumstances or unknown outcomes. One way you know you've surrendered and ceased fighting is when you don't immediately react to adversity or challenging circumstances with fear and anxiety. You let go of your need to struggle and allow God to fight on your behalf. Some battles were never yours to fight standing, but the Lord's to fight while you rest."

...And the author could "drop the mic" right there and end the book on that note! But no, there are almost 100 more pages after that section to enjoy and explore!

If I could give this book a rating higher than five stars on Amazon.com, I totally would. It's worth its weight in gold and star power! If you have not read this book, you should.

*Litfuse Publicity Group provided me (Alexis A. Goring) with a complimentary copy of "Sacred Rest". My opinions in this book review are my own.

Devotionals for the Heart: Hope for the weary and heavy laden

An Unexpected Understanding
A devotional by Shellie Arnold 

"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." ~Matthew 11:28-29 (ESV) 

I’ve never been so tired in my life as I was after having my third child. A chunky, curly-headed baby girl. She was the answer to prayers. A miracle. And because of her digestive issues, I had no choice but to nurse her.

She is also a night person, like her father. As an infant, when 7 p.m. rolled around, Stephanie came alive. She needed interaction most when my system was counting the minutes until bedtime for her brothers, knowing if I didn’t get her to sleep before 11 p.m., she’d stay awake until 12:30 a.m. or later, yet still wake in the night.

Don’t get me wrong. Stephanie was a happy baby. She didn’t scream during the night, she simply wanted to play. For months I survived with a few hours of sleep per night on her bedroom floor. Yes, it is possible to spend an entire day with your pants on inside out and backward, but the nagging feeling something is wrong doesn’t quite get through the mental fog of exhaustion.

Often when I was in her room at night, I’d remember this verse and pray. “Jesus, please give me rest. Help this baby sleep. Give me rest.” As months passed, negative thoughts found fertile ground and set in. "I’m not a good mom. I’m not a good wife." Eventually, I felt worse inside than I felt outside.

One particularly long night as I pondered these verses, verse 29 caught my attention as it never had before. “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me…”. I easily identified with the “take my yoke” part. Follow Jesus’ example. Obey the Father. 

But I’d completely missed the “learn from me” part. And honestly, I took exception to it as I rocked and nursed my daughter, praying she’d quickly go back to sleep. Jesus was never a nursing mother. What could I possibly learn from Him about exhaustion? About being awake, alone, at night, with only prayer to keep you company.

An image of Jesus praying in Gethsemane came to my mind, the Holy Spirit gently chiding, yet encouraging me. As if the Father was saying, “See, He was tired, too. He could only pray alone, too. Even those who promised to pray with Him didn’t.”

Since then, I’ve found comfort in identifying with the tough times Jesus faced. I study how He reacted to betrayal. To rejection. To being misunderstood and labeled and forgotten. In times of my worst pain, I’m learning to encourage myself. “Shellie, Jesus has been here, too. You can survive this.”

And He’s always there to teach me through His Word and through His example. When I pay attention, I really can learn from Him.

~*~
Author Bio:

Shellie Arnold is a writer and speaker on marriage and family. She truly believes—despite baggage, neglect, or mistakes—if a husband and wife listen to God, they can live happily ever after. Her passion is sharing how God is helping her do exactly that. 

She maintains a blog at www.shelliearnold.com and is the founder of YOUR MARRIAGE resources. 

Shellie is a mother of three and has home-schooled for over twenty years. She lives in Ohio with her husband of thirty-one years. 

~*~
Connect with Shellie:
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/shellie.arnold.7
Twitter - https://twitter.com/ShellieArnold1
Pinterest - https://www.pinterest.com/ShellieLArnold/
Website - www.shelliearnold.com

Review of a FREE 31-Day Online Bible Study on the Book of Ephesians

My Review of “Worthy of the Calling: A Free 31-Day Online Bible Study with Sarah Koontz”

I love digging deep into God’s Word and “Worthy of the Calling: A Free 31-Day Online Bible Study with Sarah Koontz” was the perfect way to study the Bible book of Ephesians!

Originally, I learned about this Bible study when a friend reached out to me about the author needing readers to join her launch team.

I looked up Sarah’s invite, saw the title for her Bible study and was intrigued. I decided to join her team then and there because I believed that the message was worth my time.

When I sat down to read this Bible study on the book of Ephesians, I felt calm and relaxed. As I kept turning the pages, I felt like I was growing closer to God’s Message.

The author dives deep into God’s Word. She teaches the reader to embrace their God-given destiny, to talk to Him about anything and everything, to share your heart about what God’s done for you and most importantly to believe that you are worthy of the calling He’s placed on your life. Sarah reminds us throughout her study that we are adopted sons and daughters of God. We are His Heir through His Son Jesus Christ. We are His family. It’s wonderful to be reminded in a world that’s obsessed with royalty that we—no matter what our station in life—are adopted into God’s Heavenly Family, which is better than earthly royalty. As God’s children, our royal titles don’t end when we die; they carry on forever because faithful Christ-followers are promised to a life after death, one where they live in God’s Presence for eternity.

Sarah’s study is divided into 31 Days. Each day brings a new message from her heart inspired by God. She uses Day 1 to teach you your identity and privilege as a “faithful saint” and on Day 2, she reminds you that you’re “Chosen by God”. As the days progress, her message goes deeper into God’s Word and exhorts you to not only realize that you are “Worthy of the Calling” but you have a responsibility to share God’s Message with the world.

Beautiful, colorful, and insightful memes decorate every page of this study. The pictures are captivating and the words on it are a call-to-action. The author doesn’t shy away from challenging the reader to see life through a faith-filtered lens.

The reader can tell that the author did her homework before writing this study. Her message is theologically sound and supported by Bible verses. She doesn’t write in paragraphs; she breaks her message down in blocks of two to three sentences on every page throughout this study. It’s a great marketing strategy that’s easy on the eyes.

One of the most memorable sentences in her study is this: “Prayer gives us access to spiritual nourishment—enabling us to battle and behave like believers. But we must shape our prayers in a way that pushes beyond the physical and into the spiritual” (page 16).

I like how the author reminds us that our enemy is NOT humankind; it’s the devil. Because we cannot see the spiritual realm when things happen that upset us and it looks like a person is to blame, more than often it is the evil spiritual force behind that person that is to blame because as the Bible says, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Ephesians 6:12).

Overall, this is a thought-provoking, soul-stirring, mind-uplifting study that will impact your life for the better. I’d give it a five-star rating if it were a book being sold on Amazon.com. But I don’t have to do that because out of this goodness of her heart, the author is giving this Bible study to readers for free!

Sign up for Sarah's free Bible study here, https://www.sarahkoontz.com/worthy/.

*Reviewed by Alexis A. Goring, founder of "God is Love" (blog)

Book Review about friendships between women

Book: Messy Beautiful Friendship: Finding and Nurturing Deep and Lasting Relationships
Author: Christine Hoover
Reviewed by: Alexis A. Goring

In her book, Messy Beautiful Friendship, Christine Hoover tackles the topic of friendship between women.

She doesn’t hold back in her exhortation and encouragement for women who have struggled to find and nurture deep, lasting relationships. The author shares scenes from her personal life story and points out her flaws. Yet her tone is not critical. She writes with wisdom, care and finesse. Her tone is kind and comforting yet at times a bit forthcoming but for good reason.

It is obvious that the author has learned life lessons and she wants to save the reader the heartache that comes when you don’t have a close, honest and open friendship with another woman. She makes a clear case that no matter what stage of life a woman is in, she needs women friends who speak her language and can uplift her heart. The value of a friend who understands you and isn’t afraid to point out what you need to work on is priceless.

Hoover doesn’t leave her readers clueless. She provides sound advice in each chapter as to how to find and nurture deep relationships with other women that last. She shares strategies to help women overcome the roadblocks that stand in their way to having true, reliable friends. She addresses the issues of insecurity and isolation. The author does a great job of letting the reader know that she is not alone. She opens the readers’ eyes with her “biblical vision for friendship” that, if applied, will reap great benefits.

This book is divided into five parts:

#1: A New Vision for Friendship

#2: Threats to Friendship

#3: Discovering and Deepening Friendship

#4: Being a Friend

#5: Receiving Friendship

The real-life scenarios in each of these five parts of Hoover’s book are written in a way that’s engaging and encourages empathy. She talks about how the struggle to find good friends gets harder when you get older but shows the reader how it is still possible to have your dreams come true for friendships that stand the test of time, with God’s help. God is part of the picture in this book. The author reveals to the reader how faith in God plays a key role in finding and keeping friendships that are godly and good for you.

Hoover accomplishes her goals in this book page by page. Her writing style is friendly and warm. Her stories are relatable and applicable to the modern woman. This entire book is wonderful and inspirational.

As a reader, I now feel motivated to invest in finding and nurturing friendships with women that last for a lifetime.

*Disclosure: I received this book free from Baker Books through the Baker Books Bloggers www.bakerbooks.com/bakerbooksbloggers program. The opinions I have expressed are my own, and I was not required to write a positive review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html

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Introducing Laura Thomas, devotional writer with food for thought

Let's welcome Laura Thomas to the blog! She's an author, wife, mother and all around awesome person! Laura's agreed to share a devotional that she wrote for every first Wednesday of the month starting this Jan. 4, 2017.

I'm going to let Laura introduce herself to you, in her own words. After you read her introduction post, please leave a welcome message for Laura in the comment section toward the end of this blog post.

God bless you! :)

Now, here's Laura...

I am rather a late bloomer in the world of writing. Growing up in England, I was a total bookworm as a child, and had a secret dream of being an author one day—a secret I kept under wraps for about 25 years! My husband finally unearthed my writing dream over coffee one day, and encouraged me to pursue my passion. What? I was homeschooling my kids at the time, worship director at church, and had zero room for anything else—but I felt a stirring in my heart, and eventually completed a couple of correspondence courses with the Institute of Children’s Literature, which set me on the path to being a “real” writer!

It didn’t take me long to discover my love for writing in many genres—I honestly thought I would be a children’s author initially, and had many stories and articles published in children’s magazines. I always had a strong desire to put good morals and Biblical principals into my work, and was thrilled when Dancing With Bear Publishing published my Christian teen fiction trilogy: Tears to Dancing, Tears of a Princess and Tears, Fears, and Fame. They were closely followed by my middle grade fiction book, The Candle Maker, set in Victorian England.

So what about the grown-ups? I’ve been blogging since 2012, and thoroughly enjoy writing my thoughts and sharing my faith with my readers. In 2014, my daughter got married, and Pearls for the Bride was published—a book for brides-to-be and newlyweds from a mother’s perspective. It was such a joy to dig into the Word and draw from my own marriage to offer some “pearls of wisdom”, along with a good dose of humor (a necessity in any marriage). This past summer, I wrote Diamond Devos 31—a FREE e-book devotional featuring 31 days in Proverbs 31 as a source of encouragement to my sisters of all ages. I hope you’ll check it out on my website! Did I mention it’s free?

Writing devotionals is a passion and a privilege to me. As well as writing for my own blog and several Christian magazines and websites, I’ve been honored to write almost 60 devotionals for Union Gospel Press for children, teens, and adults. For me it’s a win-win because I get to share what God has laid on my heart from His Word, which hopefully encourages and inspires the reader, while preaching to myself.

I have much to learn, and being teachable is key, especially as a devo writer. I have been journaling my own daily quiet times with the Lord for several years (mainly because I have a horrible memory so have write it down), and this has become a beautiful source of inspiration for me. When Alexis asked me to write here once-a-month for her monthly devotional slot, I was more than happy to agree. I hope you’ll join us here on the first Wednesday of each month, and I pray that the “food” for thought (my devotionals) will be nourishment for your soul.

Blessings and joy,

Laura

Happy Mother's Day!

Dear MOMs of the WORLD,

God loves your dear heart! 

Keep shining your light of love, providing, blessing and protecting your children.

They are BLESSED to have a GOOD MOM like you!

Love,

Alexis

Thankful Thursday: Serving A God Who I Can Trust

It's Thursday and I'm thankful that I serve a God who I can trust. There are a lot of things in my life right now that are uncertain and I'm facing a future that is unknown. BUT I take refuge and solace in God's Word (The Holy Bible). I know that I can trust my "unknown future to a known God" as Corrie Ten Boom so famously said.

I'd like to share this song by Lauren Daigle with you. It's about trusting God no matter what happens in life. I hope that it will encourage your heart.

God bless you!

Love,

Alexis

P.S._ Here's the song:

Devotional by Mary Manners: Joy-filled Traditions

Join me in welcoming our dear friend Mary Manners to the blog today! She's here to share her thoughts on family-based traditions that bring her joy. I hope that this devotional will bring joy to you! I know that it brought a smile to my face.

If you talk to God, please remember Mary and her family in your prayers. 

God bless you!

~*~
Joy-filled Traditions
A devotional written by Mary Manners

“How wonderful it must be to speak the language of the angels, with no words for hate and a million words for love!” 

~ Quoted in The Angels' Little Instruction Book by Eileen Elias Freeman, 1994 ~

Traditions are the vines that connect family memories and lives. The older I get, the more I reflect on the traditions of my childhood, joyfully instilled with the love of my parents. I’m not talking so much about the big events but more about those little things that lay nestled in my heart like bountiful spoonfuls of warm chicken noodle soup.

For example, on each of my birthdays Mom always spent the better part of the morning elbow-deep in sifted flour and eggs as she lovingly prepared a double-chocolate cake layered with vanilla pudding and chocolate chips, drizzled in dark fudge frosting—a virtual and delectable chocolate overload. And Dad, well…at the heart of every summer this hard-working veteran’s ode to the Fourth of July consisted of a walk in the town parade followed by a backyard barbecue. As dusk fell, Dad carefully staked a flare in the lawn of our tiny front yard. Its light shimmered in a waterfall of colorful sparkles that elicited a delighted round of squeals coupled with a flurry of applause from my siblings and me. To a bunch of kids, the resulting fanfare from this single flare was more alluring than the grand finale on the town square.

Warm spring nights were filled with anticipation as I sat on the front steps with a scuffed and tattered baseball clutched in my hands while I waited for Dad to come home from a long day of work. It was his tradition to toss a few pitches to me before heading into the house to greet Mom and then wash up for dinner. Sometimes we got caught up in the moment and those few pitches stretched blissfully past twilight—and the dinner hour. In contrast, on snowy Chicago winter days Dad made it a tradition to help me run my paper route with his beat-up Chevy station wagon. He’d navigate through snow trenches while I bundled the papers and tossed them onto flake-dusted front porches. It was during those excursions that I soaked in Dad’s most valuable kernels of wisdom—words that have remained with me over the decades since I first heard them, “If you’re going to do a job, do it right.”

I’ve carried on some of the traditions of my childhood with my daughter and sons. For example, when Danni turned seven I purchased her first two-wheel bike and spent the afternoon pounding the pavement of our cul-de-sac as I taught her to ride in the same manner my parents employed for each of my siblings and me on our seventh birthdays. Her brothers soon followed. I also prepared sack lunches for school every day, same as my mom did each and every morning for thirteen years. Boloney and cheese with a side of raw veggies remains a favorite at our house, and sometimes I even managed to tuck witty inspirational quotes, scrawled on plain white paper napkins, inside before I closed each bag.

My husband and I have also begun a few of our own family traditions. We love leaving little notes for each other and for our children—taped to the car’s steering wheel, tucked beneath a bed pillow, at a place-setting on the dinner table, slipped with care into a pocket or shoe. The favorite Danni and I share is notes scrawled on a sheet torn from a sticky pad and slapped onto the bathroom mirror. When she started to drive, I began to leave messages for her each morning before I left for work and while she still lay soundly in her bed. “Have a great day. I love you. Be safe.” As the number of messages mounted, she framed the mirror with them. Then one day, as the time for her leave for college approached, I noticed the notes had disappeared. I thought she’d thrown them away while packing, but later wept when I found she’d tucked each one carefully into a shoebox that she carried away with her to campus. Now the messages frame a bulletin board in her dorm room and I pray they remind her daily of the importance…and fun…of traditions.

Traditions…they remain one of the ties that bind my family together and will surely also prove to be a legacy as my children, and now grandchildren as well, carry on many of the nuggets of day-to-day nuances that have over the years blossomed to be special—and cherished—memories.

~*~

Author bio: 

Mary Manners is an award-winning romance writer who lives in the beautiful foothills of East Tennessee with her husband Tim and the cherished cats they've rescued from local animal shelters...Lucky and Gus.

She loves swimming, running, flavored coffee and Smoky Mountain sunsets.

Mary believes everyone has a story to tell, and she loves to share hers. She writes inspirational romances of all lengths, from short stories to novels—something for everyone.

Falling in Love with Jesus: The Introduction (new blog series)

When is the first time you fell in love with Jesus? How did His love change your life?

These are questions I've asked dear friends to answer in my blog's new series, "Falling in Love with Jesus." The series will run weekly on Fridays for the entire Autumn season 2015.

Ricky Venters, a singer on the praise team at his church in a metropolitan area, will kick off the series this week (Friday, Sept. 25) with words on how he first fell in love with Jesus Christ as His Lord, Savior, Redeemer and Friend.

Every week following then you will read another story by another person whose life was changed for the better, forever when they fell in Love with Jesus.

I hope you will enjoy this series and May God bless your heart as you read these stories from real, everyday people just like me and you whose lives have been transformed by their love relationship with their Lord and Savior (Jesus Christ).

God bless you!

Love,

Alexis

P.S._ The theme song for this series is of the same title "Falling in Love with Jesus" as performed by the famous saxophonist Kirk Whalum and gospel artist Jonathan Butler. I love this song and I hope the beautiful tune and lyrics will encourage your heart and help you realize (if you do not already) how much God loves you! :)