Diamonds From Isaiah, chapter 1:1-10:

                            I heard someone say recently that they were not learned, but they loved to study the Bible. That’s me. No way am I a learned scholar, but I do love to be a student of the Bible.

 

I have enjoyed the book of Isaiah for years. I’ve seen many hopeful, gracious verses pop out from its pages. I thought I’d do a study where I’d graze through the chapters and share these diamonds that pop out at me. After reading chapter 1 again, I think I need to sift slowly through each sentence.

 

Isaiah 1

1 The vision concerning Judah and Jerusalem that Isaiah son of Amoz saw during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.

2 

Hear me, you heavens! Listen, earth!

    For the Lord has spoken:

“I reared children and brought them up,

    but they have rebelled against me.

 

Oh, Lord, I know I’ve rebelled against you. Forgive me. Help me.

 

3 

The ox knows its master,

    the donkey its owner’s manger,

but Israel does not know,

    my people do not understand.”

 

Lord, you call me your daughter. Forgive me that I don’t try to know you better.

 

4 

Woe to the sinful nation,

    a people whose guilt is great,

a brood of evildoers,

    children given to corruption!

They have forsaken the Lord;

    they have spurned the Holy One of Israel

    and turned their backs on him.

 

Jesus, I have to admit that so many times, I have turned my back on you.

 

5 

Why should you be beaten anymore?

    Why do you persist in rebellion?

Your whole head is injured,

    your whole heart afflicted.

6 

From the sole of your foot to the top of your head

    there is no soundness—

only wounds and welts

    and open sores,

not cleansed or bandaged

    or soothed with olive oil.

7 

Your country is desolate,

    your cities burned with fire;

your fields are being stripped by foreigners

    right before you,

    laid waste as when overthrown by strangers.

8 

Daughter Zion is left

    like a shelter in a vineyard,

like a hut in a cucumber field,

    like a city under siege.

9 

Unless the Lord Almighty

    had left us some survivors,

we would have become like Sodom,

    we would have been like Gomorrah.

10 

Hear the word of the Lord,

    you rulers of Sodom;

listen to the instruction of our God,

    you people of Gomorrah!

 

Lord, in all of our waste, and injury, and rebellion, you continue to seek a remnant. I’ll still find diamonds in Isaiah. 

Guest Author, Erma Ullrey

 

Erma is a great author, friend, and critique partner. Every time I see this in her bio, I want to ask her about her chickens, but I keep forgetting.:) Thank you, Erma, for sharing with us.

 

JOURNALED WITH LOVE

By Erma M. Ullrey
emullrey@earthlink.net
https://onceuponaromance.substack.com

 

 

Remember the Christmastime stupor we all fall into each year? The one brought on by too many Hallmark-type movies, too much hot chocolate, and too little sleep?

 

Just before my eyes closed and my head bobbed for the umpteenth time, inspiration hit. What if I could write a novel à la You’ve Got Mail? The idea so intrigued me that I left behind my signature pound cake, overflowing with whipped cream, and rushed into my office.

 

… as spring warms to summer, Macie Grammerly and Ryan Tiggs meet, are attracted to each other, and then intensely dislike and mistrust one another in a desktop folder labeled Journaled With Love.

 

Ah the stuff of romance. J

 

Which means, the antagonist has to be lurking around the corner. It is said there is some good in everyone. The vilest sinner has something redeemable at his/her core.

 

Enter Macie’s mother, Mrs. Greta Grammerly (AKA Mrs. G). Oh, she is heartless. But she does have an Achilles’ heel. ... now, you don’t expect me to tell you what it is, do you?

 

Mrs. G is the reason “fate needs a little push,” as Judy tells her sister Betty in the movie White Christmas. In Journaled with Love, the encouraging push comes from Macie and Ryan’s sisters. The romantic matchmakers who love to cheer, connive, and meddle.

 

A journal lost on a bus takes us on a bumpy ride. Then acquisitions, keto foods, and Lila, a sweet old soul, help complete the journey from enemies to lovers.

 

 

Get your copy of Journaled With Love on Amazon July 16, 2025.
https://a.co/d/jaDemSA

 

The magnet story, Before Journaled With Love, is now available on BookFunnel

 

Erma Ullrey is a follower of Jesus Christ. Married for forty-four years she enjoys four wonderful children, three outlaws, and five precious grandchildren. She worked in the medical field for over twenty-five years. After completing her B.S.H.S., she became a health educator and received international credentials in childbirth education (I.C.E.A.) and lactation consulting (I.B.C.L.C.). She’s served as a women’s Bible study leader, and participates in a local book club as well as local and national writing groups.

Erma is an award-winning author. She posts encouraging blogs at https://merryheartink.substack.com/ and https://onceuponaromance.substack.com
and enjoys chatting with her Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram friends. And she keeps chickens.

Great Gift Ideas for Christmas in July

    Does anybody ever actually give Christmas gifts in July? If you want to, here are a few good ideas.

 

When Christians get it wrong by Adam Hamilton. I waffled some about whether to include this book. Not because I didn’t like it. I did. But the title. It seemed kind of discouraging. Finally I decided to share it. It’s not discouraging. The author talks much about how Christians are getting it right. He talks about how we may lose a generation of young adults if we don’t figure out how to share love the way Jesus did.

 

I've got a home in glory land: a lost tale of the underground railroad by Karolyn Smardz Frost. History of the Underground Railroad, starting with slavery in Kentucky in the early 1800s. The book follows one family of runaway slaves through to the 1890s. A great narrative of the history of slavery in America. Describes the lives of escaping slaves, fleeing to Canada, both before and after the Civil War.

 

the ONE TRUE LOVE of ALICE-ANN by Eva Marie Everson. A story of those left at home during World War II, and of those who came home.

 

Murder, She Wrote: A Killer Christmas by Jessica Fletcher and Terrie Farley Moran. Based on the TV series “Murder She Wrote,” a brand-new Jessica Fletcher story, with texts and computers and all. I found this new story of an old favorite series delightful, with some familiar characters and some fun new ones.

 

Left to tell: discovering God amidst the Rwandan holocaust by Immaculée Ilibagiza and Steve Erwin. This young woman tells of how she survived the 1994 killing in Rwanda by being shut up for three months with five to seven other women in a tiny bathroom. The story is told clearly and beautifully, and she tells how she leaned on Jesus to help her survive during and after the killing.

 

Evergreen by Susan May Warren. A Christmas story about losing family, gaining new family, and about forgiveness. 

Psalm 28, The Lord is the Strength of His People

 

Of David.

To you, Lord, I call;

    you are my Rock,

    do not turn a deaf ear to me.

For if you remain silent, I will be like those who go down to the pit.

Hear my cry for mercy

    as I call to you for help,

as I lift up my hands toward your Most Holy Place.

Do not drag me away with the wicked,

    with those who do evil,

who speak cordially with their neighbors but harbor malice in their hearts.

Repay them for their deeds

    and for their evil work;

repay them for what their hands have done

    and bring back on them what they deserve.

Because they have no regard for the deeds of the Lord

    and what his hands have done,

he will tear them down and never build them up again.

Praise be to the Lord,

    for he has heard my cry for mercy.

The Lord is my strength and my shield;

    my heart trusts in him, and he helps me.

My heart leaps for joy,

    and with my song I praise him.

The Lord is the strength of his people,

    a fortress of salvation for his anointed one.

Save your people and bless your inheritance;

    be their shepherd and carry them forever.

 

Father, I thank you for the Psalms of David. That through them, we see that it is all right to cry to you for help, and we can be sure that you will hear and help us. I don’t always understand David’s harsh                                     angry cries meant for other people, but I thank you, Lord, that you allow us to be honest with you. 

Memoir Notes

                 

I have finally finished the first draft of my memoir, stories about our family as our children grew up. I’m now working on the second draft (Who knows how many there will be?) and I am having a lovely time.

 

I’ve been working on this book for more than four years. I had so many pages of notes and memories to look through and choose from. Here are a few nuggets I found. Maybe some made it in to the book but surely not all.

 

November 1, 2007:  This morning I went in to hug Benjie good-by in bed, and I accidentally bopped him in the face.  I leaned down by him and asked, "Can I tell you a secret?" 

He smiled and said calmly, "You hit me in the face."  "I did.  that's the secret -- I hit you in the face."  The secret is actually always, of course,

"I love you."

 

What is Benjie doing?  Oh!  There goes a loud crash of thunder, and Benjie goes jumping down the stairs, out onto the porch, saying “Cool!”  I’m cowering in my room, wondering where this weird kid came from.

 

September, 2005: Benjie and Kathy were playing space craft the other day.  Benjie asked Kathy if she wanted to play space poker.  Before she could object, he said, “It’s not gambling.  Instead of money, they use pancakes.”

 

August 18, 2003:  Murray tonight told everyone about a kid he heard about on TV who got into a shopping cart, road out of an alley into a roadway, and was hit by a car.  Sarah said, “Oh my goodness.  What color was the car?”

 

Last week, Benjamin was talking to Rebecca about how she should learn Grade II Braille (which has a lot of abbreviations, and so is more efficient.).  Benjie told Rebecca, “You should work with Mrs. D. (his Braille teacher last year).  Or, you could work with Mommy – she’s a good teacher.”

 

 April 21, 2003: Tonight, talking about “Fear Factor,” (a TV show,) Caleb said, “I could probably eat slugs.”  Kathy asked, “But, why would you want to?”  “Because slugs are cool.  They taste like chicken.”

 

May 10, 2003:  Rebecca and Caleb both have school concert performances next Thursday, in different places at different times.  Murray asked Ping-Hwei what we should do about the situation, curious what solution he might come up with, asking, “Ping-Hwei, should we go to Caleb’s concert, or Rebecca’s?”  Ping-Hwei said,” Rebecca’s.”  Murray asked, “But won’t Caleb be sad if we don’t go to his concert?” and Ping-Hwei said, “I will give Caleb a hug.”

 

July 7, 2003:  Today Rebecca played in her second softball game of her first season.  In her first game, she didn’t get on base.  Today, first time up, she hit it toward third base and got to first safely, and the next few players knocked her around, until she made it home.  She sat on the bench next to a friend, and Murray heard her say, “That was my first hit ever.  I’m so proud of myself.”

 

September 28, 2003:  Tonight at dinner, Sarah spilled something on her sleeve, and then said, "I hate having a wet sleeve.  There's nothing I hate worse than having a wet

sleeve …. except … when people are talking and they need to clear their throats and they don't clear their throats, I just want to say, CLEAR YOUR THROAT!"

 

December 19, 2003:  At 5:30 this morning, Sunday, Murray was hurriedly preparing a salad for a potluck at church.  Ping-Hwei saw him doing this, and said, "I told Baba to make the salad yesterday, but he didn't listen."

 

Monday, October 10, 2005:  Yesterday we were sitting fairly quietly at breakfast, when Benjamin spoke up and said, “I haven’t puked in four or five years.”

 

July 11, 2006:  Recently Kathy told Rebecca about a Bible verse she had read from Psalm 119 that said the writer praised God seven times a day for His ordinances.  Rebecca said, “Only seven?”

 

July 31, 2006:  Recently, when Caleb was coming home from the Christ in Youth conference in Pennsylvania, he called at about 6 in the morning to say they were on their way.  Murray asked him, “Where are you?”  Caleb responded calmly, “On the side of the road.  The bus turned over.”  “Really?” Murray said, believing him. “No,” Caleb replied. (So proud of Caleb.) 

Guest Author Interview with Megan Short

 

This book is filled with excitement and wonderful descriptions of Alaska. Thank you, Megan, for joining us today.

 

Kathy: Would you give our readers a brief bio? What do you enjoy doing when you’re not writing?

My name is Megan Short and I am an Australian author of inspirational romantic suspense novels. I grew up in New Zealand but I currently live in Melbourne, which is essentially the California of Australia. When I’m not writing I run my own business and volunteer in several ministries.

Kathy: Can you share a little about your writing journey? Any stories that still make you smile?

I started writing stories aged three and started my first (unfinished and long misplaced) novel at age 16. When I was 17, I learned about screenplays and wrote my first which won a screenwriting award. Screenplays became my writing focus, and I eventually trained at UCLA. After about twenty years trying to break into Hollywood, I came to realise that I probably had a better chance of winning the lottery than getting an original screenplay made into a movie shown at a cinema. Especially when living in Australia! I decided I would pivot and start working on a novel. I placed second for an award with my first full length romantic suspense novel, but before I could make much of that, I was called to faith. Everything changed. Suddenly I was writing for God’s glory, not my own career. He opened every door along the way from there on, from finding me a mentor, then an agent, then a publishing contract. That is what makes me smile, for sure: to know that God has a purpose in my work, even if I may never know what it is. I will keep writing for Love Inspired Suspense until He calls me elsewhere.

Kathy: How do you share your faith with your writing?

Love Inspired Suspense includes faith elements, which naturally lends itself to sharing my faith. I have found that often a sermon will help me to find a path for my characters, and to share particular messages with readers. For example, during a sermon on Jesus’s gentleness, a bible verse (John 6:37) just hit me as one that would help my hero in his faith journey. I hope that it will resonate with readers who need to hear that once they have put their trust in Jesus, He will never drive them away.

Kathy: Do you consider yourself a plotter or a pantster?

A plotter, for sure. That said, my plots always change as the story progresses.

Kathy: Do you have a writing schedule that works for you? How do you balance your writing with other responsibilities?

I write whenever I can. I don’t really have a schedule, I just fit writing around everything else. But I do write every day during the week, and often Saturdays too. Generally, I trust God to help me carve out time because I’m a pretty big procrastinator.

Kathy: Where do you find your story ideas?

They are often inspired from real life, in a very loose sense. My characters all have elements of people I know—whether it’s their interesting hobbies or skills, or just little personality quirks. I feel like it’s nice to include to remember them and give them a little bit of a legacy. At least in my first few books, the settings are places I have travelled to, as well.

Kathy: Tell us about one of your favorite authors.

While I’m a big fan of romance, at the moment I love Ryan Steck’s books. He writes Christian action thrillers. Before I came to faith I had read all of the Jack Reacher books, and Ryan’s Matthew Redd has happily replaced that. I hope he will keep putting out at least one book a year; it’s something to look forward to.

Kathy: Can you share with us about your latest book? Or two?

My latest book (and debut!) is Alaskan Police Protector which releases July 1^st. Readers can find it here: https://www.harlequin.com/shop/books/9780369756749_alaskan-police-protector.html

It’s available in large print, mass market paperback, e-book, audiobook, and is also included in the Love Inspired Suspense July box set with books from Maggie K. Black and Mary Alford.

 

Readers can reach me via my website www.meganshort.net, and all my other links can be found at one place here: https://linktr.ee/meganshortau