Devotionals for the Heart: Choices

Who Will You Choose to Be?
A devotional by Amy Odland

But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 

– John 8:6b-9 (NIV)

Ever been to a restaurant with a group of people and have someone in the group who doesn’t know what they want to eat?

First, they let everyone else order before them to buy more time. Then they possibly ask the waiter a bunch of questions, trying to narrow their decision by eliminating items they were considering. Or maybe they listen to what those who ordered before them got and just copycat someone else’s order that sounded tasty.

Maybe at some point we’ve all had a turn at being this person...unable to make a decision and then as the pressure mounts, we either make a decision in haste or just resort to accepting the decision someone else made and substituting it for our own. I assume many of us can identify with having moments of indecision and feeling stuck when trying to make a difficult decision in a moment of pressure...especially decisions more paramount in life than just what to order for dinner while dining out.

The religious leaders in the scripture verse above had a difficult decision they needed to make at a moment's notice. After Jesus knelt and wrote in the dirt, they decided to abort whatever scheme they were trying to carry out. Their silent, inward examinations led to the woman’s forgiveness and pardon. There was a second group of religious leaders in Acts 7:57-58 who were spurred on by their anger and rage in response to the truths and exhortations Stephen spoke in his self-defense against the false accusations they’d brought against him—their rash, impulsive, and selfish decision led to his death.

Here’s the thing: As Christians, we get to decide every day, in little decisions sprinkled throughout our day, who we stand with. Do we stand with the righteous who are trying to uphold the law and “rules” of our faith or do we stand with Him who ushered in a new law? Jesus said in John 13:34 (NIV), “A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you also must love one another.”

In Luke 10:27 (NIV), Jesus told an expert of the law he’d answered correctly to Jesus’s question of what is written in the law. He’d said, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind” and “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus emphasized the idea of us loving God and loving others in both of these examples. In effect, He said to only worry about these two laws, effectively erasing all the laws man had warped or perverted over the years since Moses had brought down the stone tablets from Mount Sinai.

Just like when ordering at a restaurant, we need to each decide what we stand for, what we believe, and who we’re following. We need to decide for ourselves and not piggyback off the order/decision of another. We need to make a decision and not delay to the point of missing our chance. We need to rededicate ourselves to that decision each day and remind ourselves of this: Will we let love rule the day or will we let prideful righteousness win?

We are only responsible for our own choices. You won’t have to give account for my decisions and I won’t have to give account for yours. We have only our own sinfulness to account for.

Here’s a thought: Do you make your decisions based on the fact that Jesus will judge you for them? If you made a chart representing each day of your life, with a dot representing every day and assuming you lived to the age of exactly 85, you would have 31,025 dots on the chart. Each of those dots symbolizes a new day, a new chance to make the right decision, to make a choice like the group of religious leaders in John 8 did: to choose love and drop your stone in the dust instead of throwing it at someone.

What will you choose when you interact with other humans, Christian or otherwise? Will you choose to keep your pride, to condemn and throw stones or hurtful words, or to shut your ears and eyes to the truth when someone speaks it to you? Will you realize your own shortcomings and offer forgiveness to those who seek it or be kinder than is deserved and listen to truth no matter what it costs you? What will the dot for today in your life represent when Jesus recounts your whole life to you someday?

In closing, let’s reflect together on these words from Jesus found in John 13:35 (NIV):
“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

Note to the Reader from Amy: To read more about the judgment of believers, you can read 

2 Corinthians 5:6-10 and Revelation 20:11-13 or this article here ... 
https://www.intouch.org/read/blog/the-judgment-of-believers

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Author Bio:

Amy Odland has been serving in church ministry as a volunteer leader for over 16 years, in various worship, prayer and women’s ministry roles.

Her passion for helping women stems from her own struggles and lessons learned in her journey as a Christian since first deciding to follow the Lord in 1994.

Amy’s priorities after her faith include her family — husband Rick, and their four kids — as well as extended family who all live close in proximity and the many friends she’s made over the years.

In addition to a love of teaching and helping her husband with the bookkeeping for their many businesses, Amy has recently expanded her stay-at-home work to include leading author’s book launch teams for publishing companies like Baker, Revell, Barbour, and Lifeway.

She also enjoys teaching new authors about platform building, self-launching, and online marketing.

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Connect with Amy:
Facebook: https://facebook.com/amyodland
Instagram: https://instagram.com/amy_odland
Twitter: https://twitter.com/amy_odland
Website: https://amyodland.com

Fall into Love: Sherri Stewart's story

A Different Kind of Handsome
A Fall into Love story by Sherri Stewart

As I reflected on one of the lessons my main character, Nicole, deals with in my book Très Chic, I realized that some of my other books feature the same lesson. Simply put, Nicole, a flight attendant, judges a man based on outward appearance. How superficial, I thought. Don’t most people overcome that in their teenage years?

In Très Chic, Nicole is set up on a date with a scruffy-looking guy with bloodshot eyes. They enjoy a wonderful evening, but Nicole has planned her future around a debonair passenger who flies first class every Monday on her New York-to-Paris flight. Patrick—she knows his name because she checked the manifest—hasn’t given her a second glance, but she doesn’t give up and even enlists Scruffy-Guy’s help.

In two other books, the female characters make assumptions about the male leads based on their outward appearances. Of course, looks are deceiving, and the men’s inner strength, compassion, and convictions win the women over. Nothing original here. Turn on any Hallmark movie, lower the volume, and just by looking at the male characters, you can predict that the guy with stubble growing on his face will be the hero of the story, while the man in the Brook Brothers suit will make an involuntary exit.

So why did I choose that lesson? I didn’t; it chose me because I’ve had to deal with judging others on outward appearances. I’m a starer. You won’t find that word in the dictionary, but it describes a person who, like me, watches people. For some reason, starers believe that others won’t notice that they’re staring at them. But sometimes, they do. Then we starers glance away and look for the nearest exit. I’ve read that writers are great observers of life around them. I like that—it puts a better spin on the act of staring.

I married a scruffy-looking guy. We met in a diner. I taught French in a high school full time during the day but couldn’t make ends meet without working a night job. The first time I saw him I wasn’t impressed. He sat on a stool at the counter and showed me how to make a proper cup of tea. Not the kind where you float a teabag in a cup of hot water, but the kind where you steep the tea in a pot. He worked for a hockey team. I wasn’t impressed. I’d never liked hockey. But then he asked me out, but not only that, he told me I could pick any restaurant. I was in Hog Heaven. Imagine choosing a restaurant in Atlanta, Georgia, when your diet consists of different flavors of Ramen Noodles. Bill Gates and Apple hadn’t been born yet, so I conferred with friends, students, faculty members, and finally chose Anthony’s—an Antebellum restaurant—très chic! Two years later, we had our wedding reception there.

It takes time to fall for a scruffy-looking guy. His clothes needed pressing and his car smelled like a locker room. It came by the smell honestly—the backseat was full of hockey skates. But I noticed things about him—the way he searched for a watering can for a Russian defenseman who was having trouble growing a houseplant. Or the way he always brought me back a candy bar or a keychain from whatever city they were playing in.

I learned to love hockey—I’ve been to over a thousand games—and we’ve been married for forty years. He still doesn’t care about a crease in his pants, and he leaves crumbs on the table, but my husband is a kind, thoughtful, sensitive, trustworthy, gentle, loving man.

Appearance can get in the way of sound judgment. In I Samuel 16:7, God warned Samuel about Saul. “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” I’m so glad I wasn’t deceived by the polished, debonair Patricks of my youth, but gave the scruffy guy a second glance.

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Author Bio: 

Sherri Stewart loves a good suspense novel. She started writing almost seven years ago and hasn’t stopped. Her careers as teacher, principal, lawyer, and flight attendant have allowed her to draw on personal experiences. 

Her membership in Word Weavers, American Christian Fiction Writers, and The Christian Pen have helped her hone her skills.

She lives in Orlando with husband Bobby, son Joshua, and dog Lily. When not writing or editing, she likes to walk and swim. 

But her favorite thing is traveling to places to research her books. Her first novel won a Word Weavers award for suspense novel, and three others have won Tapestry awards. You can reach her at www.stewartwriting.com. She’d love to have you join her shortlist.

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Book Blurb for Très Chic: Nicole has her eye on Patrick Duryea, the passenger in 3B on her weekly New York-to-Paris flights. He doesn’t know it yet, but she’s going to marry him someday. That is, if he can satisfy the requirements on her list of ten attributes of a perfect husband.  

The other man in her life, her friend Sal, whom she met on a blind date, sets out to prove that lists don’t work when it comes to love, and he’s willing to help her win over the elusive passenger to prove his point. 

When push comes to shove onto a New York street, will Nicole’s list fail or prevail?

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Buy Sherri's book on Amazon

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Connect with Sherri:
Amazon Author Page - https://www.amazon.com/author/sherristewart/
Email - sherristewart2@yahoo.com
Website - www.stewartwriting.com/blog
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/sherristewartauthor/
Twitter - https://twitter.com/machere
Goodreads -
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/758893.Sherri_Stewart/blog
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Fall into Love: Cecelia Dowdy's story

Finding Love Online
A Fall into Love story by Cecelia Dowdy

When I was in my thirties, I’d been hearing about online dating. One of my roommates had signed up for online dating so, I decided to give it a try. I set up a profile on Match.com. I met some interesting people on that site, but, I didn’t really click with any of them. When I received a response from a man named Christopher Toomer, I was intrigued. He literally lived down the street from me and we had a lot in common. We listened to the same kind of music and both of us also loved reading.

He gave me his phone number and I called him on the phone. We started talking about music, work, things that were interesting to us.

The conversation kind of paused when he said, “I’m totally blind.”

I said, “What?” I’d thought I’d misheard him.

He then explained that he’d been born blind. He even mentioned how he’d trained with a seeing eye dog one summer but never completed the training. The dog pooped on his shoes and he’d had to leave the training facility early because his mom had broken her hip and he was needed at home.

I was stunned. I honestly didn’t know if I wanted to date someone who was totally blind. But, he was independent, owned his own home, and he had a good job at the IRS as a computer programmer.

So, during our initial conversation, he told me he had to go because he was on his way to the grocery store. He said he was going to Safeway, right down the street from us. So, curious, I went to Safeway to observe him. After all, I could see him but he could not see me. He walked into the store, grinning, swinging his cane back and forth. One of the supermarket employees met him at the door. He gave her a list of groceries that he needed to purchase. So, she went to get the groceries while he sat down and patiently waited for her.

So, afterwards, I admitted about what I’d done, going to observe him without his knowing. After that, whenever we talked on the phone, our conversations would last for hours. The first time we went out, I went to pick him up in my car and we went to Starbucks.

We started seeing each other regularly after that. He’d come over to my place or I’d go over to his. I made him a dinner of fried fish and when we slow-danced to James Brown, that’s when I knew I was in love!

We got engaged about a year later. He took me out to dinner at a romantic restaurant called Paul’s. He asked me to marry him and I said, “Yes.”

Our wedding was perfect! Some of the wedding guests told us that ours was the best, most romantic wedding they’d ever attended. We uncaged a dozen doves into the air. The dancing, the food, the love…it was so wonderful – a day that I’ll always remember!

We’ve been married for fourteen years and we have a 12-year-old son. Our lives are full and complete! We are truly blessed!

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Author Bio: Cecelia Dowdy has been an avid reader since she learned to string letters together to form words. 

While pursuing a business degree in college one of her professors tried to convince her to get an English degree since he felt she was a great writer. Years later, after receiving her B.S. in Finance, she took her former teacher's advice, and started pursuing her literary career. 

She loves to read, write, and bake delicious desserts during her spare time. She also loves visiting new places and listening to old tunes with her husband. Currently, she resides with her spouse and young son in Maryland.

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Blurb for Sweet Dreams (book) by Cecelia Dowdy: Misty Stewart found Christ shortly after the birth of her baby, causing her to make drastic changes in her life. Short-tempered and street-smart, she realizes being around her un-saved, dysfunctional family is draining her, so she feels the Lord wants her to distance herself from her relatives. She hopes this distance from her family will allow her to deepen her faith, making it possible for her to raise her two-year-old daughter, Jennifer, in a better environment. 

Struggling to raise her daughter alone, she bonds with her new neighbor, Sterling Richards. She’s drawn to kind-hearted Sterling, but wonders about the deep sadness that he harbors. Sterling has familial problems that run deep, and romance is the last thing on his mind.

Sterling Richards, a professional baker, is grieving over the recent death of his father/business partner. Since his father left him as the sole beneficiary of his life insurance policy, his relationship with his identical twin brothers is strained. Why would his father fail to include his twin sons as part of the inheritance? He now struggles to mend the relationship with his brothers, struggling to run his father’s bakery alone.

Can Sterling and Misty find the courage to love one another?

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Connect with Cecelia:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/cdnovelist
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CeceliaDowdyAuthor/

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Enter this book giveaway contest for your chance to WIN a copy of this book by filling out the entry form on the Rafflecopter widget below:

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Spring into Love: Character interview featuring Sloane Bradley

Interview with Sloane Bradley, heroine of the story, With No Reservations:

Alexis: What do you think of your author, Laurie Tomlinson? Did she tell your story well? Be honest!

Sloane: If anything, she exposed more than I was always comfortable with, but it was necessary. I could never write a novel like she does, though—too much chaos in her process for my liking! 

Alexis: How many years have you been blogging, Sloane? Tell us your blog’s name and describe its significance.

Sloane: I’m coming up on my blog’s ten-year anniversary! Can you believe it? It’s called Mise en Place, which is French for “everything in its place.” It’s a culinary term for getting all of your ingredients arranged before cooking, and I always include a photo of my own mise en place at the beginning of each post.

Alexis: What is the name of Cooper’s new restaurant and why were you wary about helping him to promote it?

Sloane: His new restaurant is called Simone, named after the woman who decided to sublet her upstairs to him when he lived in France. I was nervous about helping him promote it because I knew “the stories” about him. But it was mostly getting out of my routine. I have a little problem with control, but it’s getting better. 

Alexis: You and Cooper share a passionate love for food. In what ways has the kitchen (in the restaurant and at home) brought you together?

Sloane: We both speak the language of food, which gave us a common denominator when we thought we were nothing alike. Of course, we soon discovered we had much more in common with our pasts than we ever could have imagined.

Alexis: What is it about Cooper that makes your heart warmer than hot apple cider?

Sloane: He’s resilient. He’s been through so much and yet he’s constantly working behind the scenes and giving all he has. It doesn’t hurt that he’s easy on the eyes, too. And he’s a good kisser. Did I just say that out loud?

Alexis: What made you fall in love with Cooper and never want to leave his side? Where do you see your relationship with him five years from now? Details, please!

Sloane: I don’t know what it was that finally did it, but I do know that I’ve never felt safer with anyone else. He helped me realize that I couldn’t keep living the way I was living, and I’m so much stronger because of that. I don’t know what the next five years will hold, but I do know I want to be with him for the rest of my life!

Alexis: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a serious disability that people often think only affects American soldiers who are trying to transition back into civilian life. But clearly, it affects you. When were you first diagnosed with this disorder and how do you cope?

Sloane: Yes, PTSD is something that affects a lot more individuals than people think, but I’m so glad that veterans programs have created more awareness recently so more can get the help they need. I was diagnosed when I was 16 and had discouraging experiences with many therapists and counselors, so I sought help but didn’t really want to be helped, if that makes sense. While PTSD looks different for everyone, it looks like OCD in my case. Control is how I cope.

Alexis: Paint a picture of your home studio, with words. Describe the layout, paint color(s) that coat your walls and the aromas that radiate from your kitchen.

Sloane: There’s a lot of white and clean lines. I’m a little ashamed to admit I have expensive tastes, so there are a lot of minimalistic European influences in my décor. But I do like to have a few rustic and colorful accent pieces. My kitchen always smells like butter and either garlic or vanilla, depending on what I’m making in a given day. But real, Irish butter is a must in my home! 

Alexis: What are your thoughts about Cooper’s pet dog? What’s her name and how did her unconditional love help you heal?

Sloane: Maddie! I wasn’t really a dog person before I met her, but she has taught me the importance of playing. She is so warm and comforting and has this sense when her presence is needed. Do all dogs have that or just her? 

Alexis: Do you have a Starbucks habit? If so, what’s your favorite fix there and how often do you drink it?

Sloane: I usually get my morning coffee fix from my home espresso machine and all the fixings I have at home. The companies I’ve worked with have been so generous to send me fun coffee products to try. But on the go, I enjoy an almond milk latte from Starbucks every once in a while! 

Alexis: Thanks for the interview, Sloane! Do you have any closing thoughts?

Sloane: Thank YOU so much for the kind and thoughtful interview, Alexis! It’s been my pleasure. I hope people are inspired by this story that they can have a full and healthy and meaningful life – no matter what they’ve been through!

~*~
Author bio:

Laurie Tomlinson is an award-winning contemporary romance author and cheerleader for creatives. 

She believes that God’s love is unfailing, anything can be accomplished with a good to-do list, and that life should be celebrated with cupcakes and extra sprinkles. 

Her novella "That’s When I Knew" was featured in the Love at First Laugh collection, and her debut novel, With No Reservations, is now available from Harlequin Heartwarming. 

You can connect with Laurie on her website, Facebook page, and Instagram.

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Book Blurb for With No Reservations:

There can be more than comfort in food…

What could well-known and wealthy Graham Cooper Jr. have in common with a blogger like Sloane Bradley, a woman with secrets she's kept firmly out of the public eye? That is, besides a love of food. 

Sloane still can't believe Cooper's the chef at the restaurant she's been assigned to promote. But she's boiling to prove to him that her "little blog" can put his place on the map. 

She can also fall head over heels for the guy, who has secrets of his own, it turns out…except for one thing. She can't get past the post-traumatic stress disorder that keeps her walled up in her home studio.

Available for purchase on:

Amazon | Kindle | Barnes & Noble | Harlequin.com | Google Play | Goodreads

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