12 Days of Christmas Book Giveaways: Dr. MaryAnn Diorio's Christmas story

Let's welcome my author friend Dr. MaryAnn Diorio to the blog today! 

MaryAnn is a very talented individual who earned her Ph.D. and her MFA degree!

Somehow, she finds the time to write wonderful fiction stories too and best of all, she's giving away her Christmas story to one winner today!

Meet MaryAnn:

Author Bio:

MaryAnn Diorio is a widely published, award-winning author of fiction for both children and adults. Her latest novel, In Black and White, is a riveting story about the love of a white woman and a black man during the 1950s.

MaryAnn resides in New Jersey with her husband Dom, a retired ER physician. They are the blessed parents of two wonderful daughters, a very smart son-in-law, and six rambunctious grandchildren. 

When not writing, MaryAnn loves to paint, play the piano, and make up silly songs with her grandchildren. 

Learn more about MaryAnn at https://www.maryanndiorio.com.

~*~

Book blurb and cover for MaryAnn's book, A Christmas Homecoming:

Seven Christmases have passed since Sonia Pettit last heard from her daughter Jody. Since Jody's departure, Sonia's world has been turned upside down. Her husband has died of a broken heart, and her son, bitter over his sister's destructive actions, has become rebellious. 

Her greatest desire is to have her family together at Christmas, but after what Jody has put them all through, can Sonia truly forgive her daughter? 

Jody Pettit O'Dair ran away to experience a life of adventure and excitement, but since her departure, her world has been turned upside down. She's been abandoned by the man she met and married, lost her job, and is unable to care for her two children. 

With nowhere else to turn, this prodigal daughter begins the long journey home and prays she will be welcomed after walking away so long ago. 

Will Jody find forgiveness in the arms of her family as easily as she received it from God?

~*~

Connect with MaryAnn:

Blog: www.maryanndiorio.com/blog

Website: www.maryanndiorio.com

Amazon Author Central: http://www.amazon.com/author/maryanndiorio 

Blog Talk Radio: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/drmaryanndiorio

Facebook: http://www.Facebook.com/DrMaryAnnDiorio

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DrMaryAnnDiorio

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/DrMaryAnn

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/drmaryanndiorio/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drmaryanndiorio/

~*~

Enter this e-book giveaway contest for your chance to WIN 
MaryAnn's book, A Christmas Homecoming, by filling out the entry form on the Rafflecopter widget below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thankful Thursdays: Friendships, Healing and Hope

It’s Thursday and I’m thankful for friendships, healing and hope.

God has brought wonderful people in my life over the past decade who have become dear friends, mentors and prayer warriors for me. Through the ministry of my church home this past decade of membership, He’s restored me in every aspect of the word. But it hasn’t always been this easy for me.

I’m going to be a bit more open with this blog post in hopes of helping those who may need to hear what I have to say.

I struggled with friendships for most of my younger years. I was a shy and chubby child and though people could be nice to me, they also could be mean because of how I looked. I know what it’s like to be judged negatively based on appearance even before you say a word not just because of appearance but race too. There are people in this sin-ridden world who will not like you based solely on what category they think you fit in be it size, weight, race…the list goes on. But as an adult, I found hope and healing.

Growing up, it seemed like everyone had a best friend except me. Now, I don’t know how this works for guys but for girls, having a circle of close friends and a few best friends is crucial. I’d say it is part of our social development and a benchmark that we all want. I had friends but they were all in their own inner circles. So I got left out a lot but it was not their fault because they were just hanging out with the people who they felt close to. However, that pain created a void in my heart and I wondered if I would ever have a true best friend or an inner circle.

So with each new school year, I was on the lookout. Would we have a new student who wanted to be my best friend? Would things change? Would I be included in the closely bonded social circles that I envied?

But with each passing year, things remained the same. People liked me but I hadn’t managed to gain that close inner circle and the few times when I thought I did in high school and college, those friendships fell apart.

Looking back, I think that God played a role in having those friendships fail because He wanted me to seek Him first and be friends with Him and His Son (Jesus Christ) first because honestly, the truest friend that you and I will ever have is Jesus. He’s the ONLY friend who will never fail you, talk about you behind your back, make fun of you or hurt you. Best of all, once you’re friends with Jesus Christ, you’re friends for LIFE — not just during this temporary life here on Earth but for Heaven and throughout eternity. Jesus Christ is the Ultimate Best Friend and while it’s still nice to have best friends here on Earth, if you don’t have that but you have Jesus, you truly do have all that you need.

Now for the lessons I learned…

If you didn’t grow up with close friends, it’s not too late. You can still pray to God to bring positive, life-affirming people into your life who love Him and love you! The best advice I would give the younger me who was feeling left out socially, is to pray about your problems and ask God to bless you with good people who want to be your friend.

It didn’t dawn on me to pray to God about my heart’s desire for healthy, happy, genuine and close friendships until after my college years. I guess God was waiting for me to ask Him because that’s when He really started showering down the blessings of genuine friendships on me. He led me to a church home filled with members who embrace me, love me, pray for me and support me. He led me to a Christian writers’ organization filled with people who care about me, relate to me, encourage me in my journey as a writer and pray for me. God also brought kind people into my life through Christian, Bible-based ministries on social media.

So my point is, whether your problems are with friendships or romantic relationships or anything, go to God first. He is waiting for you to share the desires of your heart with Him and He is more than ready to bless you beyond your wildest dreams. Talk to Jesus like you would talk to the best friend that you want because He is your very best friend! If you’re lonely, pray about it then ask God for wisdom of who to reach out to. You’re never the only one who is going through something. Sometimes, even the people who you see surrounded by friends are on the inside, lonely.

Also, be kind. We all have issues. We’re all going through something. You never know the battle that someone is facing. So please, be kind to everyone, even if you don’t want to be his or her best friend. If you’re a follower of Jesus Christ, like me then you know that it’s important to love God with all your heart, soul and mind AND to love your neighbor as yourself (Mark 12:30-31). You are supposed to show care and concern for ALL humans and you’re supposed to point them to Jesus who is more than their friend, but the solution to ALL of their problems in life. Remember, He is our Savior.

My closing thoughts

So again, it’s Thursday and I’m thankful for friendships, healing and hope.

I pray that you will seek God first for everything in life, especially in your choices of friends. I pray that He will heal your heart and restore your hope in Him. Remember, with God, ALL things are possible (Matthew 19:26) and with Him, you are NEVER alone. 

God loves YOU with ALL of His divine heart and He thinks that you are worth dying for, that’s why He sent His Son Jesus Christ to save your life (John 3:16). Always remember how much you’re loved, treasured and valued by Him.

May God bless you and keep you.

Love,

Alexis A. Goring
Founder of “God is Love” blog

Devotionals for the Heart: Fighting Fair and Not Winning Arguments

Fighting fair (or why you shouldn’t ‘win’ an argument)
A devotional by Jessica Brodie

One of the hardest things I’ve learned to do in my marriage is to fight fairly, but it’s been the most critical love lesson of all. For when it’s done right, I’ve learned, God is at the core.

See, at the heart of how a couple argues is how they relate to each other, how they respect each other. In the best scenarios, arguing stems from care, from a place of love, typically from frustration about a small or large issue threatening the peace of the home in some way. You might be bickering about how big of a house to purchase or some perceived slight, or it might be deeper, like a dark secret now come to light.

Healthy, loving marriages—just like healthy, loving friendships—don’t avoid issues, sweeping them out the door and hoping they’ll fly away. They shine holy light into the darkness, and in that light, a deeper love emerges.

Throughout the New Testament, early Christians are called to hold each other accountable. The Apostle Paul frequently acknowledges that disagreements happen. People sin, whether intentionally or not. But as he instructs the nascent church, don’t ignore the problem. Address it. As he says in Galatians 6:1 (NIV), “Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently,” or in Ephesians 4:25 (NIV), “Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body."

Be honest, he’s saying. If the argument has to do with a sin on someone’s part, gently tell the one you love there’s a problem, and urge them toward repentance.

Gently. That’s the key word here. I’m not saying you should have scrappy yelling matches or those long periods of the silent treatment. That’s just reacting, not communicating. When we address an issue in a godly manner, we are to do it with love and consideration, not accusation and anger.

Paul ends Ephesians 4:32 (NIV) saying, “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”

Those same sentiments are reflected in his advice to the Colossians: “Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity” (Colossians 3:12-14, NIV).

Of course, not all arguments are that simple. Maybe you think your spouse or friend has sinned against you, but the proverbial log in your eye is preventing you from seeing your own sin in the situation. Or maybe you’re being called out for misunderstood or unintentional behavior and you feel hurt that your loved one would judge your actions in this way. Maybe one of you is just plain grumpy.

The best and only way through it is that one “greatest” attribute—love.

Happily, Paul defines that for us, too: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres” (1 Corinthians 13:4-7, NIV).

God is love. He commands us to love others as ourselves, to show our faith through our love, to point to Him through our love.

So when it comes to arguments, remember: the only way to win is for everyone to win. If you come through a battle with one arm unscathed but the other broken and bloody, you’re still injured.

We are one body, literally and figuratively.

~*~
Author Bio:

Jessica Brodie is a Christian author, journalist, editor, blogger, and writing coach. 

She is the editor of the South Carolina United Methodist Advocate (AdvocateSC.org), the oldest newspaper in Methodism. 

Learn more about her fiction and read her blog at http://jessicabrodie.com.
SaveSave

How to follow God's counsel on dealing with anger