Thursday, April 28, 2022

Guest Author Chris Posti, God is Amazing

Thank you, Chris. This is a lovely and fun book.

 

God is Amazing.

 

We know that. Yet it’s worth taking our time to think about the ways He has worked in our lives.

 

For example, a reporter recently asked me if my work experience was used in writing my novel, Falling Apart, Falling for You.


 

You bet it was! I recounted for him a few experiences that proved particularly helpful. In my first job, I worked as a secretary, where I learned how to type fast and accurately. A few years later, while living in Switzerland, I taught English by day and spoke French in public.

 

Back in the States, I started my own consulting business, which initially provided services such as training and speeches. In an effort to gain credibility and visibility, I wrote a Sunday newspaper column on careers and workplace issues—even hosted a talk radio show on those topics. I also self-published some nonfiction books relating to my work.

 

Later on, I narrowed my focus to just two areas: executive coaching and job search consulting. For the executives I coached, we often worked on their written communications. When I did job search consulting (called “outplacement” in corporate America), employers paid me to help a “terminated” employee write their resume, cover letters, and LinkedIn profiles, in addition to many other parts of their job search.

 

As you can imagine, all these efforts refined my writing skills.

 

Frankly, at this point in my life, I was feeling pretty puffed up about my writing ability—until the Lord led me to write a novel.

 

About that, I discovered, I knew nothing.

 

Nothing.

 

Such a humbling experience.

 

Perhaps you are questioning if your background is “enough” for writing a book or for any other new challenge. As you have seen by all the experience I listed above, I certainly had a strong writing background, yet it was not “enough” to write a novel. Only the Lord could provide what I needed to get that novel written. He gave me every idea, every word, every twist & turn, every laugh in the entire book. Then, He gave me a publisher—the very first one (and the only one) I queried.

 

Jehovah-Jirah certainly did provide. He will provide for you, too, if you trust in Him and not yourself.

 

 

He is Amazing.

 

You can count on Him.

 

Through all the trials, His Word spurred me on. Here is one of my favorite verses:

 

I am the Lord your God,
    who brought you up out of Egypt.
Open wide your mouth and I will fill it.

            Psalm 81:10

 

I give Him all the glory.

Thursday, April 21, 2022

Guest Author, Carol McClain, Hope for the Hopeless

Thank you, Carol, for this precious reminder.

 

Hope for the Hopeless

Have you ever fallen so low you know you’ll never find forgiveness?

I have. Fortunately for you and me, I’m not going to bore you with the silliness of my self-loathing. Mostly, I understand redemption, and we don’t need to revisit my tortuous climb back to reality.

I think many people have felt too unworthy to have God’s love. However, we have good news. Something you already know but need to be reminded of. Jesus loves you. Faith in him and his sacrifice on the cross redeems you. It saved me, and cleansed sinners like C.S. Lewis, an erstwhile atheist; John Bunyan; Simon Peter; King David, and Rahab, to name a few.

Even today, Christ’s love redeems the unredeemable. Here’s an incident that haunts me from a conversation I had with my husband. Neil, and I were discussing forgiveness and heaven. In my very self-righteous manner, I made a statement along the lines that I hoped Hitler never got around to repenting. He’d ruin my eternity.

Then Neil sucker-punched me with the following truth. “If Hitler repented, then he’d be in heaven, and you’d never feel this animosity toward him. It wouldn’t be possible to hate in heaven. God would love Hitler as much as anyone else.” Neil made the statement more intense. “Maybe you’d love him too. Heaven can’t hold hatred.”

I couldn’t breathe as this truth overwhelmed me. God’s love is so great, so inscrutable that he could forgive the unforgiveable. People like Judas, Hitler, Putin, and the guy who cut you off in traffic and totaled your car, are loved by our heavenly Father. Had they repented and truly turned to Christ, they’d be redeemed.

Trust me, no one’s fallen so low that God’s love can’t redeem.

In my book, Prodigal Lives, Book 2 of the Treasured Lives series and the sequel to Borrowed Lives, Pearl Solomon knows she’s destroyed her life. After years of lost contact with her sisters and foster mother because of her jealousy, she has nowhere to turn when her life spirals into the depths of hell.

It’s a novel filled with love, pathos, family, redemption, and my trademark humor.



Back Cover Blurb

Life keeps piling problems on Meredith Jaynes. She loses her second foster child—one she was scheduled to adopt. Then Parker Snow refuses to marry her. With only her goats and artisan soap to support her, life will get no better.

If she is honest, though, she still has Crystal. Her funny, happy, loveable toddler makes the sun shine and reminds her of the never-failing love of God.

Pearl Solomon loves her life with her grandfather Guy, but every one of her triumphs is overshadowed by her sisters’ lives. With Mama Meredith, they live a life she envies. Because of her jealousy, she refuses to contact them.

Years later, life for both families twist down paths they do not wish to travel. Pearl knows she’s lost what was most precious in life but has no means of fixing things. Left to her own devices, she spirals out of control.

Meredith finds it harder to mask the despair infertility has brought to her life.

Both families believe they must reconcile themselves to their fates as reality shatters their dreams unless they dig deep for the promise of love.

Buy now: https://www.amazon.com/Prodigal-Lives-Carol-McClain/dp/164949551X/ref

Bio




Carol McClain is the award-winning author of four novels dealing with real people facing real problems. She is a consummate encourager, and no matter what your faith might look like, you will find compassion, humor and wisdom in her complexly layered, but ultimately readable work.

Aside from writing, she’s a skilled stained-glass artist, a budding potter and photographer. She lives in East Tennessee with her husband and her prized goats. Buttercup will be a mommy around the time you read this. Welcome to the new kid on the block named Mousse or Moose.

You can connect with her at carolmcclain.com.

She also can be found on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/author.Carol.McClain

BookBub at: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/carol-mcclain

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14030286.Carol_McClain

 

Friday, April 15, 2022

The Joy of Jesus

At this time of year, we often talk of Jesus’ suffering, the horror, the tragedy. I never want to minimize that. I want to grow in my thanksgiving for all the pain Jesus went through for me.

 

But I also think it is good for us to remember, at any time of year, how great was Jesus’ joy and desire to bring us safe home to God.

 

Hebrews 12:2: fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

 

This verse takes my breath away. Jesus scorned the shame of the cross because of the joy set before him. We are that joy. And because Jesus looked forward to the joy of having us in his family, he endured the cross.

 

Romans 5:6-8: You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

 

Jesus loved us, and died for us, while we were still sinners.

 

Isaiah 53: 11: After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.

 

In this passage which describes Jesus’ horrible suffering, it says he will be satisfied.

 

Matthew 28:18-20: Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

 

Jesus offers us the opportunity and power to work with him to bring others to be part of his family.

 

Hebrews 7:25: Consequently he is able for all time to save those who draw near to God through him,

since he always lives to make intercession for them.

 

Jesus lives now to speak to God the Father on our behalf.

 

Jesus, teach us more fully to understand how important we are to you. I love you, Lord. 

Friday, April 8, 2022

Psalm 6, A brave Plea

For the director of music. With stringed instruments. According to sheminith. A psalm of David.

Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger

    or discipline me in your wrath.

Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am faint;

    heal me, Lord, for my bones are in agony.

My soul is in deep anguish.

    How long, Lord, how long?

Turn, Lord, and deliver me;

    save me because of your unfailing love.

Among the dead no one proclaims your name.

    Who praises you from the grave?

I am worn out from my groaning.

All night long I flood my bed with weeping

    and drench my couch with tears.

My eyes grow weak with sorrow;

    they fail because of all my foes.

Away from me, all you who do evil,

    for the Lord has heard my weeping.

The Lord has heard my cry for mercy;

    the Lord accepts my prayer.

All my enemies will be overwhelmed with shame and anguish;

    they will turn back and suddenly be put to shame.

 

Lord God, thank you for allowing us to cry to you when we are in such pain. Thank you for accepting our prayers, and thank you for your mercy. Lord, thank you that you have put my enemy, Satan, to shame. I love you, Lord. 

Friday, April 1, 2022

Kathy's Kitchen, Nutty Shakes and Two Slow Cooker Chili

It’s no April fool—you get two recipes this time.

 

From Mary:

 

Two slow cooker Chili

 

Ingredients:

4 pounds lean hamburger meat

1 pound breakfast pork sausage

1 large onion

2 packages (1 ounce each) Williams Chili Mix

4 bottles (12 ounces each) Heinz Chili sauce

1 cup Pace Picante Medium Chunky Salsa

2 cans chili beans (My daughter Christie substituted the equivalent of one can of beans with leftover bean soup.)

 

Chop the onion. Cook the onion with the meat in a large skillet. With a slotted spoon, dip the meat and onion from the skillet and add the other ingredients to a large bowl. Stir. Cook in two medium slow cookers for four hours.

 

 

NUTTY SHAKE 

 

I found this shake recipe in some of my old files when I was searching through for memoir-worthy stuff. I have no idea where I got the recipe from, or when, because there was no date, but I was tickled that it says to pour over the sink. That does sound like a suggestion I would be liable to give in Kathy’s Kitchen, or even in a lesson as a rehab teacher.

 

Ingredients:

5 tablespoons smooth peanut butter

2 cups milk

2 cups chocolate ice cream, softened

 

In a big bowl, place the peanut butter; pour in the milk and mix with a fork. Add ice cream; mix with an egg beater until    everything is foamy. Pour the milk shake into four glasses.  Pour over the     sink in case you spill.