Scripture Promise for May 2013

"For the mountains shall depart and the hills be removed. But My kindness shall not depart from you, nor shall My covenant of peace be removes, says the LORD, who has mercy on you." ~ Isaiah 54:10

Monday, May 13, 2013

Featuring the Latest in Christian Historical Fiction




CAPTURED BY MOONLIGHT
Prisoners to their own broken dreams...

After a daring rescue goes awry, the parched north of India grows too hot for nurse Laine Harkness and her friend Eshana. The women flee to the tropical south…and run headlong into their respective pasts.

Laine takes a new nursing position at a plantation in the jungle, only to discover that her former fiancĂ© is the owner…and that Adam has no more to say to her now than he did when he crushed her years ago.

Eshana, captured by her traditional uncle and forced once more into the harsh Hindu customs of mourning, doubts whether freedom will ever again be in her future, much less the forbidden love that had begun to whisper to her. Is faith enough to live on? Or is her Savior calling her home?

Amid cyclones and epidemics, clashing faiths and consequences of the war, will the love of the True Master give hope to these searching hearts?

PURCHASE ON:
* Review by Top Amazon Reviewer, Diana Flowers--"I have ten authors who are my favs...with Shadowed in Silk--Book One and Captured by Moonlight--Book Two, Christine Lindsay has made it into my top five!"
* Award-winning author Catherine West—"Christine Lindsay's attention to detail, witty prose and moving story line all blend together to create a treat for the senses, leaving the reader satisfied and completely satiated by the end."
* Award-winning, multi-published Author Jeanette Windle—"A worthy sequel to acclaimed debut novel Shadowed in Silk."
 

About the Author:
Irish-born Christine Lindsay writes award-winning historical novels. In Shadowed in Silk and Captured by Moonlight, Christine delights in weaving the endless theme of God’s redemptive love throughout stories of danger, suspense, adventure, and romance. The Pacific coast of Canada, about 200 miles north of Seattle, is Christine’s home.


Visit Christine’s website
Subscribe to Christine’s blog for inspiration 3 times a week
Drop by and ‘like’ Christine’s Author Facebook Page
Follow Christine on Twitter
Swap pictures with Christine on Pinterest

Thursday, May 9, 2013

Singles and Jesus, May 2013 Devotional from Zari Banks

Singles and Jesus, by Zari Banks, May 3013

Each quarter I coach a free online Bible Study. In February we meditated on more than 150 scriptures as we committed to only speak God’s words and truths. http://www.whispersinpurple.com/2013/02/love-month-challenge-from-zari-banks.html It was amazing – there were financial miracles, various breakthroughs and a marriage was restored.

This month is for singles and single parents We’re exploring the Bible to see how Jesus appears in every book from Genesis to Revelation.

Some of the main topics are breakthrough and deliverance, marrying Jesus, worship and restoration. Many singles desire to be married, however, Jesus wants us submitted and in covenant with Him first ... and as the Holy Spirit explained to me Jesus doesn’t want a stained and filthy bride. Neither does a human man or woman. They want what Jesus wants for us whether able to articulate it or not – a complete, whole, healthy covenant partner to walk into their God-designed destiny with.

Here’s an expert of part of the teaching on breakthrough and deliverance those enrolled received:

Unconfessed sin will keep you in bondage, and that's not God's will for you. He gave Jesus Christ as our Passover Lamb so that we could be free from sin and death. But, we have to confess, repent and receive His forgiveness. I know this may not be what you were expecting for today; it's not what I'd planned either. I had a video recorded that went a different direction, but the Holy Spirit told me to begin with deliverance, and so here we are. What's funny is I'd tried to plan this teaching out so I didn't have to do much work at all this month except schedule and send out emails, but the Lord's ways and thoughts aren't mine, and I'm willing to be obedient because it brings rewards for me. :0)
So, let's look (very briefly) at what the Bible says about bondage and deliverance:

  • Romans 5:12 ESV - Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned. Sin puts us in bondage.
  • Romans 6:16b ESV - You are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness. Death is spiritual and literal and is bondage.
  • Isaiah 10:27 KJV - And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing. Anointing is the consecration of God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit on your life. It literally means to spread oil over. Think of how kings and priests were physically anointed. We're covered in oil (the blood of Jesus) when we make peace with God through Jesus Christ our Savior. The blood of Jesus breaks chains and brings deliverance.
  • Read the book of Mark. All of it ... when you have time because Jesus was a spiritual warrior. He was constantly casting out demons because He used discernment when dealing with others and knew when it was necessary. Read Mark 2:21-28 today just to get a glimpse of how serious Jesus was about deliverance(if His death in exchange for your life, freedom and abundance isn't enough convincing for you).

The reason Holy Spirit wants us to begin with deliverance is multifaceted. First, any bondage in our lives - whether it be our own sin, sins committed against us, curses spoken by us, curses spoken over us, lack of knowledge (this is huge for the Body of Christ unfortunately and I used to be the Queen of Stupid), etc. -  blocks the glory of God and power of Christ's blood (anointing) to allow us to commune with Him in fullness and to walk in complete victory.
Second, anything that has us yoked or bound gives satan and his demonic forces the legal right to cause havoc in that area of our lives. But, when we become delivered from that bondage, the enemy can no longer cause injury in that area. For example, if we're involved in sexual sin, the enemy has our permission to bring diseases into our lives, he has the right to keep the spouse God chose for us away from us, he has the right to demonize any child that results and so much more. But, when we stop participating, ask forgiveness, cover that sin in the blood of Jesus and replace the activities with things of God, when the temptation arrives God will provide a way of escape (1 Corinthians 10:13) and the enemy won't be able to block God's provision against this sin (Isaiah 54:17).

To learn about the future classes be sure to visit my website www.zwriteswords.org  periodically.

Great grace to you in Jesus’ name.

Zari

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Are you a victim of Tyranny?

No, not THAT kind. Well . . . maybe

I’m talking about the things that rule our life—or try to.

Check out my sister blog, Peg’s Pearls, and find out what I’m talking about.

Don’t worry. It is safe, non-political, non-violent. non-threatening .  . uh, well, it’s safe, anyway.

Trust me

.

Monday, May 6, 2013

COTT's March 2013 Winner


The winner of Clash of the Titles' latest Clash is:

 
Forsaken Dreams
by
MaryLu Tyndall
 
Congratulations, MaryLu, two-time clash winner!

Special thanks to her competitors for their participation:
Sadie and Sophie Cuffe
Gina Holmes
Christine Lindsey
Noelle Marchand

About Forsaken Dreams: 

They Left Everything Behind to Build a New Southern Utopia
 
Colonel Blake Wallace has seen enough death to last a lifetime. Weary and disillusioned, he slumps beneath the weight of defeat and loss. With his entire family murdered by the North and his name appearing on a list of officers wanted for war crimes, Blake organizes a shipload of southerners who, like him, long to escape the horrors of war and start a new life in a verdant land called Brazil.
 
Eliza Crawford can barely remember the days of her youth spent in opulence and comfort at her Georgian home. She can't help but wonder how different her life would be had she not met her late husband, Stanton Watts, a general in the Northern army. Now a war widow, Eliza is rejected by both North and South. Desperate to keep her marriage a secret and escape her past and pain, she longs to start over again in Brazil.
 
But once the voyage begins, troubles abound. Dangers at sea  and enemies from within threaten to keep Blake and Eliza from the new life—and love—they long for.
 
PURCHASE:
 
Just when I think MaryLu Tyndall cannot write a more passionate, page-turning romance...she does! Forsaken Dreams is a worthy addition to your keeper shelf, melding adventure, love, and spiritual truths in soul-enriching ways. A blessed start to a new series!
- Laura Frantz, author of The Colonel's Lady and Love's Reckoning

 
BACKSTAGE WITH MARYLU:

Several things inspired me to write my new Escape to Paradise series. First the history is so fascinating. I never knew that so many (tens of thousands) Southerners fled the South after the Civil War for greener pastures. Many went to Mexico, some out west, but several thousand went to Brazil. Their descendants still celebrate there today! Secondly I'm a big fan of the TV show LOST, in particular the jungle setting and the spiritual themes that ran through the show.

I love the supernatural and I saw an opportunity to write a story about a group of settlers who are in a sense, running away from their problems and from God, but who end up being part of an eternal plan that involves a battle between good and evil.   Forsaken Dreams is the account of their voyage to Brazil, during which the reader meets all the characters and discovers their individual reasons for running away.

Themes of forgiveness, bitterness, hatred, guilt, rebellion and even Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome are addressed as the colonists face several disasters that threaten their mission and their lives. During the trip, hints are given here and there that something much larger is at stake waiting for them in Brazil, something that originated behind the curtain of the natural world.

MORE ABOUT MARYLU:
A Christy Award finalist and best-selling author, MaryLu Tyndall dreamt of tall ships and swashbuckling pirates during her childhood years on Florida’s Atlantic Coast. With over a dozen novels published, she continues to pen her romantic tales while managing a home, husband, six adult kids, and three cats who have decided that her keyboard is the best place to sleep!  She believes that without popcorn and chocolate, life would not be worth living, and her sole motivation in life is to bring others closer to God.

For more information on MaryLu and her books, please visit her website at http://www.marylutyndall.com or her blog at http://crossandcutlass.blogspot.com/ or you can find her on Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/MaryLu-Tyndall-Swashbuckling-Romance/175344859169475

Friday, May 3, 2013

Just Wrong

blizzard May 2 2013Okay. I live in northern Wisconsin. Wisconsin gets snow. I get that.

But in May?

A record-breaking blizzard swept through here yesterday, May 2, leaving behind what you see to the left. That was taken through my office window this morning.

As I said, this is just wrong.

Yes, it is beautiful. And I admit I love and appreciate the pristine beauty of a think, fresh snowfall.

But in May?

Without going into detail, I have a chronic eye condition called iritis, the result of a compromised auto-immune system. The iritis has been dormant for the past twenty-five years or so, mostly because I moved to a warmer, dryer climate. And you can’t get much warmer or dryer than the desert southwest.

Now, being back in a less dry, less warm climate, the sleeping condition has been awakened. Yesterday, during the storm, I could feel that old familiar pulling tug in my left eye when I gazed out the window at all that bright whiteness.

So I went through the house, closing all the blinds and shades I could, and spent the remainder of the day closeted up in my office, the darkest of all the rooms, until the daylight’s brightness softened in the evening.

I am again in my darkened office today, avoiding looking out any of the other windows that have no shades or blinds.

Would I go back to the “safety” of the desert? Only if my entire family would come with me. And that's not going to happen. And this will get better once warmer weather arrives…for good.

I’ll just trust the Lord to help me deal with it. I’m certain He led me back here to be with my family, so I’m equally certain He has a plan.

If you’re reading this, I would appreciate your prayers.

Monday, April 29, 2013

New Clash! Get a Load of These Fab New Releases...

    
Summer's just around the corner, which means you, dear reader, need to be thinking about which books you're going to get lost in while lounging at the pool. Today, Clash of the Titles offers you a few excellent suggestions.
     Fresh from the editor's desk, these five new titles are some of our favorites this month. They're hugely diverse. Set in exotic locations such as India and Brazil, and ranging in time period from  the 1800's to present-day, at least once of them is bound to catch your fancy!
    So have a quick virtual browse, then vote on which you think will most likely make it into your beach bag.

 
How do you start a new life when you don’t know who you are? Lydia doesn't have a clue, but when she discovers the man who identified her in the train wreck has been lying, she must decide whether to listen to her heart, or her head.



Wings of Glass tells the story of Penny Taylor, a young wife who feels trapped in an abusive marriage until two women from two very different worlds help open her eyes to the truth of who she is, what she deserves and lend her a backbone until she can find her own.

 
Two women, one Indian, one English, flee to the tropical south of India only to be captured and imprisoned by their respective pasts—Eshana by her traditional Hindu uncle for her faith in Christ, the other, Lieutenant Laine Harkness by her former fiancĂ© who crushed her heart years ago. Amid cyclones and epidemics, tigers and tiger cubs, clashing faiths and consequences of war, will the love of the True Master give hope to these searching hearts?



For Ellie O'Brien, finding the perfect partner for other people is easy, but now the townsfolk of Peppin want to return the favor by matching her with Lawson Williams who Ellie deems least likely to court a tomboy with a guilty secret. Lawson doesn't see marriage with anyone in his future, but what if his childhood friend has become the woman who can chase away the clouds of his past?


After witnessing the death and destruction caused by the Civil War, Colonel Blake Wallace is eager to leave his once precious Southern homeland for the pristine shores of Brazil and the prospect of a new utopian community. Harboring a dirty secret, Widow Eliza Crawford seeks a fresh start and passage on Wallace’s ship, but will dangers from the sea and from man keep them from the peace and love they long for?




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Friday, April 26, 2013

Healing Grace, by Lisa Lickel: BookBites w/Giveaway

Healing-Grace-v2b (2) - Copy Lisa Lickel B (3) 44_3 KB
  • Title: Healing Grace
  • Author: Lisa Lickel
  • Publisher: MuseItUp Publishing
  • Genre: Inspirational Fiction
  • Release Date: April 2013

Peggy and BookBites fans, I’m truly saddened but honored to be the last guest. I understand time constraints; however, it often hurts to make the decision to trade one activity for another. Sometimes I wish for another hour in the day just to not feel guilty about sitting around, reading. I can use my Kindle while I’m tread-milling, though. That’s handy.

Healing Grace: a novel, is a blessing for me to be able to share with you. It’s the second novel I ever tried to write, back in 2004, and a story of my heart. My brother developed a frightening, undiagnosed illness after one of his international trips for work. He lost coordination, was in constant pain, exhausted, weak, and lost weight. No one seemed to be able to help for many months. Eventually he was found to have a rare infection that attacks the nervous system much like multiple sclerosis. He has recovered since, not a hundred percent, but close. He’s my hero. During this scary time I wondered what it would be like if the gifts of the Holy Spirit were practiced today. How would they manifest themselves? And so the story was born. I’m not trying to make up anyone’s mind; I know there are strong opinions regarding this faith practice. I write fiction, the ultimate “what if,” and I hope to entertain as well as provide a thoughtful base of conversation.

Blurb: Grace has a secret. Just like her aunt, and her grandmother before her, she could fix anyone with a touch, at a cost she never questioned -- until her husband developed cancer and died. Believing no one would forgive her for not being able to save him, Grace runs from the life she knew, hoping even God wouldn’t find her in a little out-of-the-way town in Michigan. It takes a very sick man and his little boy to help her face her past, accept who she is and battle her way back to redemption. Just when she and Ted begin to hope for the future, he relapses. Grace faces the ultimate choice once again: Trust God to work through her precious gift, or let a terminally ill man die. What if the price is more than she can pay?

First Chapter: Opening Scene

Grace Runyon paused in the doorway of the little house. She listened to the real estate agent drive away with a little zip and a crunch of the gravel drive and felt a moment’s panic.

“Not buyer’s remorse at this stage of the game, my good woman.” She marched inside, carrying two overloaded paper bags of supplies from the convenience mart. “And stop talking to yourself.”

The real estate lady had checked the lights to make sure the local electric company in tiny East Bay, Michigan had “turned her on” —her words. Grace’s responding chuckle came out like a zebra snort, one that smelled lion and was trying to warn the herd.

“You’ll be all right,” the plump, business-like woman reassured her before she left. “It’s a ways out of town, but not too far, and the neighbors are good people.” She looked down at the drive and stirred some gravel with her brown patent pump. “In fact, this place used to belong to one of the brothers next door.”

She pressed a card into Grace’s limp hand. “Now, here’s my card. You just call any time.”

One of the brothers? Not information pertinent to the deed, she hoped.

Grace had merely glanced at the place before signing the papers yesterday. “The place hasn’t been opened up in a number of months. The last occupant was ill,” the agent said. “I can give you the name of a good cleaning crew.”

“A little dirt doesn’t scare me. I can handle it,” she’d blithely replied.

Today, in the sparse rays of early spring through fly-specked windows, she wondered if she’d been a little hasty. The dusty, braided rug did not look like an inviting place to set down the sacks she toted in from her green Subaru.

Deep, calming breaths read the story of the place: sickness and neglect hovered almost tangibly. Cobwebs, glittering dust motes. Dangerously lopsided drapes.

A lonely pile of toys, a car and some plastic figures she didn’t recognize, and a cobbler bench huddled beneath a weight bench in the corner near the open stairway.

Passing through an opening across the long, narrow room, she found herself in the kitchen—a sad, neglected kitchen—and definitely not the heart of this home. She set the bags on the table and dumped her purse on a chair. A slow turn made her wonder what she’d seen that made her crazy enough to buy this house.

“What kind of person paints her kitchen ice-green? And what’s up with the grinning daisies? Honestly.”

Remains of the day were left as is. Her Tennessee kitchen had been painted a cheerful yellow and kept as spotless as her exam room at the clinic.

Something rustled in the cupboards. Hopefully only mice. She sighed and picked up two forks and a bent serving spoon that had been left on the kitchen table. Little flotsam, napkin bits, and nut shells of some kind decorated the cracked and scorched ancient linoleum countertops.

She opened one of the packages of cheap, white paper towels she’d purchased and used one to gingerly swipe away attached spider webs. With a grimace she quickly thrust the wad into the trash and slammed the lid, its metallic echo a hollow laugh. You wish it was that easy to erase your past, don’t you? Created a web of a mess. Ran. Who’s left to clean up after you?

Grace blinked and twisted the porcelain handle of the tap. Warm orange gunk gurgled out and spewed thickly around the stained sink bowl. At least it didn’t smell bad. She cheered when it soon cleared up.

“Call me easily pleased. And, seriously, stop talking to yourself.”

She pulled a pad of paper from her leather handbag and toured the little one and a half story cottage, making notes of the supplies she needed. Clean first, then patch. Definitely painting. And figuring out some furniture. Something to sleep on. “Do I even have a hammer? Talk about starting from scratch.”

Putting together a whole new life after everything she’d been through was risky. She wasn’t exactly hiding, but neither did she care to let anyone know where to find her. Yet. In good time. When the wounds weren’t so fresh and raw; when the wonder of her failure faded from their memories. Jonathan had been a good man. He hadn’t deserved his fate.

Her heart ached for him, for what they’d lost, even though he’d been dying for a long time. Losing him was more of a release.

Still, they blamed her. And rightfully so. So she gave them what they wanted.

Time for a normal life, remember?

A good night’s sleep will do wonders.

By the time the sun faded, Grace had exhausted herself. Scrubbing the kitchen and a cubby of a room behind it she’d claim for her own took buckets of hot water and a pair of neon-yellow rubber gloves, but at least she’d have a clean spot to lay her mattress and sleeping bag. Too tired to eat, she’d stretched herself out and groaned. Thirty-five-year-olds should not be this out of shape.

The room seemed to whirl in a nauseating kaleidoscopic frenzy. No! She wasn’t ready to think about it. Not yet. When she focused again, she stood in bright daylight, looking down into the newly-dug hole. Without looking up she knew they were there, standing around her and staring, accusing.

“Your fault! You let this happen! You let him die when you should have saved him!”

“I tried!” God knows she wanted to save Jonathan. “He was the one—he told me not to try again.” At first, she’d tried to help. Of course she did. He was all she had left. Everyone needed him. Everyone loved him. But it had hurt so much. She hadn’t complained, but after that second time when they had to revive her in the ER, shocked out of her ability to feel anything, he made her go home. Alone. She’d been more afraid of that than the pain.

She lifted her head. Jonathan’s father had his back to her. As she watched, they all, one by one, turned their backs until only Lena, her best friend, was left. “Please, Lena, not you too!”

Running away over the clipped grass of the cemetery seemed the smartest thing she could do. Run, run! Why couldn’t she get anywhere? Her high heels stuck in the lawn and she couldn’t pull free.

Grace reached automatically for the warmth that was no longer there anchoring the other side of the bed. She forced her eyes open against the sleep-tears that nearly welded them shut. The blackness of the room calmed her frantic breathing. She lay still a moment, stars from smacking her head against the wooden floor buzzing like angry lightning bugs. She pushed the tangled sleeping bag from her legs and got to her knees, willing her legs to hold her, her ankles to be strong.Stood. So much for sleep tonight, the first in her new home. If she had to be alone now, at least it was amongst strangers who didn’t know what she’d done.

* * *

Links for Lisa and the book:

Publisher’s page (sale!): https://museituppublishing.com/bookstore2/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=713&category_id=69&manufacturer_id=196&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=1

Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/healing-grace-lisa-j-lickel/1115150561?ean=2940016518732

Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Healing-Grace-ebook/dp/B00CFA09IQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1366644747&sr=8-1&keywords=Healing+Grace+Lisa+Lickel

About the Giveaway: Electronic format of your choice. Being electronic means anyone can enter- even our Canadian and International readers.

Just leave your name AND email contact information and leave an answer to this question: Have you ever been in a situation such as Grace finds herself in this opening scene? Do share. However, that is optional. But PLEASE be sure to leave your name and email. That’s the only way we can contact the winner.

Giveaway runs through next Saturday, May 4, 2013, with the winner’s name being drawn via Random.org on  Sunday, May 5, 2013

Peg here: I want to thank Lisa for sharing this book with us. And many, many thanks to all the authors who have spent time with us on BookBites over the past months.

God’s richest blessings on you, and  my heartfelt gratitude to all of you, my loyal blog followers.

BUT—Whispers in Purple isn’t going anywhere! I’ll still be posting here several times a week.

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