People Need the Lord by Laura V. Hilton

… for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart. (Matthew 16:7b KJV)

Laura V. Hilton

There is a song that was popular many years ago. Written by Steve Green and titled, “People Need the Lord,” it talks about the people he saw each day who hid their pain and how Jesus knew the cares of their hearts. (To listen on YouTube, click here.)

The lyrics have been brought home to me lately as I begin a new story. As readers know, for characters to become real, their struggles must be realistic. Like the song, their lives must be hard, but I also like my characters to have a fun side too.

I’m struggling with these new characters because I know nothing about them. What lies do they believe about themselves? What is their private pain? I don’t plot out stories, but there are a few basic things I need to know to start. And yes, it could be compared to the military’s: “Name, rank, and serial number.” Or law enforcement’s: “Just the facts, ma’am.” But not exactly.

In the story I just finished and turned into Whitaker House, the heroine believed she was too outspoken to find love. Yet she couldn’t quite seem to manage her tongue. She even struggled to believe that God loved her. Did He hear her prayers? The hero believed that he wasn’t worthy of trust. He wanted to prove himself, but how could he when he failed so miserably? He was limping through life with weak faith.

If you were to meet these characters in real life, you’d think they were happy people. They knew how to laugh and have fun. They had jobs they liked—most of the time. They even said the right words when they were around other believers so people didn’t know they were struggling with their faith.

Just like us.

Sunday I was sitting in church, shamefully not listening to the sermon, but instead mentally composing a letter I would never mail, telling a family member what I thought about their actions and how much it hurt me. I looked at the pastor. I turned to the scripture references. To all intents and purposes, anyone in church would think that I was paying rapt attention to the message. I can tell you the scripture reference… but that is it.

I laughed and spoke with the other members of the church. But not one person there (other than my family) knew how much I was hurting. How much I struggled with the words someone had said.

I needed Jesus. I needed His help to forgive this person, and His help not dwelling on the way I had been treated. God is helping me feel peace and work through the pain.

And that is real life. We play church. We laugh and talk. We hide our private pain. And our characters have to do that too. Yet, since we are in their heads as we read, we have to know what hurts them. What they believe. And how Jesus is going to be able to reach out and touch them in that dark, painful spot so they can begin to find healing.

Is there some way that you need God to work? Can Jesus help you forgive someone for something? Do you need His spirit to heal the hidden pain in your heart?

Dear Lord: You see our hearts and know the pain we’re feeling. Please help us to forgive and heal our emotions. We need You. Amen. 


For more posts by Laura V. Hilton, click here.

About the Author

Award-winning author, Laura Hilton, her husband, Steve, and three of their children make their home in Arkansas. She is a pastor’s wife, a stay-at-home mom, and home-schools. Laura is also a breast cancer survivor. Laura also has two adult children.

Her publishing credits include three books in the Amish of Seymour series from Whitaker House: Patchwork Dreams, A Harvest of Hearts (winner of the 2012 Clash of the Titles Award in two categories), and Promised to Another. The Amish of Webster County series, Healing Love (finalist for the 2013 Christian Retail Awards). Surrendered Love and Awakened Love followed by her first Christmas novel, A White Christmas in Webster County, as well as a three book Amish series with Whitaker House, The Amish of Jamesport series, The Snow Globe, The Postcard, and The Bird House in September 2015.

See below for information on Laura's latest, The Christmas Admirer. Other credits include Swept Away from Abingdon Press. Laura is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and a professional book reviewer.

Connect with Laura
http://www.amazon.com/Laura-V.-Hilton/e/B004IRSM5Q
visit her blog: http://lighthouse-academy.blogspot.com/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/Laura_V_Hilton or @Laura_V_Hilton
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Laura-V-Hilton/161478847242512
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/vernetlh/

Firestorm

Firestorm by Laura V. Hilton

 
Bridget Behr and her family migrate from the bustling Amish community where she grew up in Ohio to the mostly unpopulated Upper Peninsula of Michigan after a stalker breaks into their home. While her father and brother try to find work in the area, the family is forced to reside in a borrowed RV until the house and barn are rebuilt. While Bridget is hoping for a fresh start, she’s afraid to trust anyone—even Gabriel, the overly-friendly Amish man who lives nearby. Bridget thinks he’s a flirt who serial dates and doesn’t even remember the girls’ names.

Due to not enough construction work in his Florida community to keep him out of trouble, Gabriel Lapp has been sent to Michigan to work. His father is desperate for his son to settle down. When the family walks into Gabe’s home in the middle of a thunderstorm and he discovers their circumstances, he offers to help with construction. For Gabe, the beautiful girl he teasingly calls “the recluse” once he discovers she doesn’t attend youth events, confuses him like none other.

As Gabriel and Bridget grow closer, they realize there is more to a person than meets the eye. Just as Bridget is finally settling into her new life, and perhaps finding love, tragedy strikes. Now Bridget and her family must decide if they should move to another Amish community, or dare to fight for the future they’d hoped for in Mackinac County.

Is Your Life Like a One-Ingredient Cake? by Zoe M. McCarthy

Zoe M. McCarthy

Do you feel like flour or baking powder—sifted?
Do you taste like vanilla or cocoa–bitter?
Do you act like pure sugar—sickly sweet?
Do you come across like oil—too slick?
Do you bear up like salt—preserved?
Do you feel like udder milk—squeezed?
Do you feel like an egg—born yesterday?

When my sister gives her testimony, she brings a story basket with all the above ingredients. She quotes Romans 8:28. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Then based on Randy Alcorn’s article “There Is No Pointless Suffering,” she says:

“Almost everything that goes into a cake tastes terrible. But a delicious metamorphosis takes place when these ingredients are skillfully measured and mixed then baked at the perfect temperature. The final product is good!

“Our trials and apparent tragedies taste bitter to us. However, no translation of Romans 8:28 says ‘each thing by itself is good,’ but ‘all things work together for good,’ and not on their own, but under God’s sovereign hand. Every experience God gives us is the perfect preparation for the future only He can see.”

Then my sister relates how God orchestrated her life from abuse to the other side where God gave her a new name. From victim to survivor.

Ultimately, the big question for my sister was Jesus’ question to the invalid of 38 years that He approached beside the pool at Bethesda, “Do you want to get well?” (NIV) Or, “Wilt thou be made whole?” (KJV)

Was my sister’s journey under God’s orchestration easy? No.

At three and a half, she was abused. She felt abandoned, she screamed inside, and she “exploded.” Then she felt God say, “You’ll always have a Father in heaven.”

Undergoing the abuse by a different perpetrator much of her young life, she stuffed the memories. In her twenties, she slogged through a period of depression.

Later, she began to realize the life she had lived was not the life she had believed it to be. “Denial. Self-brainwashing.”

She was in therapy for ten years. The betrayal of her perpetrator was the hardest to deal with. “One minute I’d want to explode and shatter every piece of glass to communicate what I felt, and the next I’d want to implode until there was not one cell left of me.”

God never let go of her, even when she didn’t like Him, obeyed Him only because He was more powerful than she was, and struggled to study the Bible when she didn’t want to because it brought horrifying flashbacks. God stayed with her. He spoke to her in dreams and once appeared in a powerful show of light when she was awake.

Besides the abuse, my sister had three miscarriages, and her youngest daughter is a special-needs child. In spite of her trials, she has enjoyed much success in her life, before and after therapy. She has also served in a long-term children’s ministry and ministered to other women.

My sister ends her testimony, relating her ability to forgive and making these statements:

“God didn’t just make the best of a bad situation. Rather, he intended all along to use evil for ultimate good.”

“God has a plan, the ability to carry it out, and the loving kindness to do it not only for His glory but our good.”

If you are feeling like a one-ingredient cake, listen to Jesus’ question to you. “Do you want to get well?” If yes, let Him make you whole.

Is Your Life Like a One-Ingredient Cake? Click to Tweet.

About the Author

Zoe M. McCarthy believes the little-known fact that opposites distract. Thus, she spins Christian contemporary romances entangling extreme opposites. Her tagline is: Distraction to Attraction, Magnetic Romances Between Opposites. Her first novel is Calculated Risk. She has two more contemporary romances and a nonfiction book to help writers ready their manuscripts coming out soon. She’s a member of American Christian Fiction Writers. She enjoys leading workshops on the craft of writing; speaking about her faith; planning fun events for her 5 grandchildren; and exploring the Blue Ridge Mountains, where she lives with her husband, John.
Learn more about Zoe M. McCarthy at her website: http://zoemmccarthy.com

Calculated Risk

What happens when an analytical numbers man meets a mercurial marketing Rep? Romance is a calculated risk…

Jilted by the latest of her father’s choices of “real men,” Cisney Baldwin rashly accepts an invitation to spend Thanksgiving weekend with a sympathetic colleague and his family. Nick LeCrone is a man too much her opposite to interest her and too mild-mannered to make her overbearing father’s “list.” Now, Cisney fears Nick wants to take advantage of her vulnerable state over the holiday. Boy, is she wrong.

Nick wants little to do with Cisney. She drives him crazy with all her sticky notes and quirks. He extended an invitation because he felt sorry for her. Now he’s stuck, and to make matters worse, his family thinks she’s his perfect match. He’ll do what he can to keep his distance, but there’s just one problem—he’s starting to believe Cisney’s magnetism is stronger than he can resist.

Purchase links for Calculated Risk: http://zoemmccarthy.com/books

Comfort Zone? What Comfort Zone? by Marianne Evans

Marianne Evans

There are times when I’m outgoing, engaging. There are times I love being part of a ‘party’ or a spirited gathering full of talk, laughter, discussion, and even more laughter. But then come the times when I crave nothing more than solitude, and the ability to blend into obscurity so I can people watch, listen, observe and chronicle. I love those moments when I can sink inside myself, absorb, and then share the world I've discovered.

As such, I’ll never be a sales person. I admire those who can effectively sell a product, or themselves. Doing so is a skill and a gift. Me? I detest the necessary ‘promo’ component of my writing ministry, because I never want this journey to be about me. I want it to be about Christ, and the gifts I offer Him via storytelling. In our present techno-based, social-driven world, however, there’s no escaping the need to put yourself forward. Case in point? Last month I traveled to Atlanta to tape a television segment for Preach the Word TV’s ‘Book of the Month’ show. The topic? My second Harbourlight Books release, Forgiveness.

Um…yeah. This required things like studio sets. Stage lights. The daunting task of trying to sound natural and confident while staring down the lens of a trolley camera. Stage hands with cue cards would buzz with graceful stealth from spot to spot during filming.

Daunting puts a pretty accurate descriptive on the event.

The host of the show, Bishop OC Pringle, pre-interviewed me, and intended to work from a line of questions we had already discussed. During taping, however, he veered off-script. I found myself open to God’s Spirit, and His vulnerability when Bishop asked: “Marianne, what’s the most difficult thing you’ve ever had to forgive?”

I believe—with all that I am—that God prepared me for that question just moments before taping. While sharing lunch with my editor and some newfound author friends, a memory buzzed, and filled my soul: the memory of losing my mother-in-law to a broadside automobile accident caused by an inebriated driver who ran a red light and ended her life all too soon.

And so, when he asked that question, sure, my nerves sang, and tears welled but God kept me steady as I proceeded to answer Bishop’s question.

My comfort zone had been left far behind, but God’s purpose, and call, had been answered in full. I had been prepared in such a way that I hope others who have been required to forgive much, can relate, empathize, and move forward in their own faith journey.

Where is your comfort zone, friends? Where is God calling you to share—no matter how “uncomfortable” – or expand your horizons? I’d love to hear about it! 

~~~~~

Marianne Evans is an award-winning author of Christian romance and fiction. Her hope is to spread the faith-affirming message of God’s love through the stories He prompts her to create. Devotion, earned the Bookseller’s Best Award as well as the Heart of Excellence Award. Hearts Communion earned a win for Best Romance from the Christian Small Publisher's Association. She is also a two-time recipient of the Selah Award, Then & Now for Best Contemporary Romance and Finding Home for Best Novella. Marianne is a lifelong resident of Michigan and an active member of Romance Writers of America, most notably the Greater Detroit Chapter where she served two terms as President.

~~~~~

Country music bad boy Chase Bradington is on the comeback trail. Fresh from rehab for alcohol addiction, and transformed by the power of Christ, Chase is battling to rediscover the music he loves and a career he nearly ruined. Then he meets up and comer, Pyper Brock, and instantly sparks ignite.

Pyper knows of Chase’s reputation, so despite a rampant attraction to the handsome and talented icon, she soundly dismisses his romantic overtures. Decades ago, her father, in a drunken rage, tossed her and her mother onto the streets. No way will Pyper make the mistake of falling for a man whose done battle with the bottle.

What happens when Chase’s quest to win Pyper’s love breaks down chains of resentment and eases the long buried wounds of her childhood? And what happens when Pyper’s father shows up in Nashville, clean, sober and seeking a chance to apologize?

Can Pyper follow a pathway to peace when it comes to her father? Can she fully trust Chase? Above all, can a sin damaged past be released in favor of forgiveness?

Available in print and e-book formats:

Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble ~ Christian Book ~ Pelican Book Group

Oh Lord, I Need Your Grace Today by Zoe M. McCarthy

Zoe M. McCarthy

If I’d only known those words: “Oh Lord, I need your grace today.” But I didn’t know the Lord.

At the time, I wished I hadn’t known what had been said about me behind closed doors in the company of three people. One person, I’ll call Power, disparaged my abilities to Lesser Power. The third, Peer, came to me and told me what had been said.

I carried a bowling ball around in my stomach for the rest of the day. I had no one to run to for comfort. My rock, my husband, was out of town on business, a rare occurrence back then.

That evening, I struggled to hide my misery around my sons. I suddenly understood how people with depression felt. I was in a deep, deep hole, and there was no way to climb the slippery walls out. I knew people dealt with this awful feeling 365 days a year. How did they survive?

I went through a gamut of thoughts and feelings during the sleepless night:

• How cruel Power and Lesser Power were to gossip about me.
• Was I really that incompetent? 
• How unkind it was for Peer to warn me about the hurtful words said. If I didn’t know them, I’d not be suffering.
• Why did this happen on the one day and night John was away?

For a while, I was nervous around Power and knocked heads over business issues with Lesser Power. They were not my favorite people.

With hindsight, I can see how God was orchestrating amazing things in my spirit.

First, I became a Christian. God showed me how to give grace to those who had belittled my worth.

After Power moved on to another job, her son died. At the funeral, with genuine sorrow in my heart, I was able to hug her and tell her I was praying for her.

When Lesser Power was in the process of quitting smoking, I sent her a card with a whale bursting from ocean waters. She came to me with tears in her eyes, thanking me for my encouragement. After she stayed home to be with her husband, who had a rare terminal disease, and then suffered a terminal disease herself, I prayed daily for her and sent her letters and cards.

And as far as my competence? I became a manager, and when I retired, the director whom my area supported entreated me to come back as a consultant.

That’s not the end of the story.

Years later, I was blindsided by an email with disturbing news. The Sender asked me to be involved, but in The Sender’s way, not the Lord’s. This time, I dropped to my knees. Only God’s comfort kept me going for months. He helped me to keep responding to The Sender in love and forgiveness until God answered my prayers and orchestrated a good outcome.

Over the years, I had learned powerful lessons. When I heard the critical words during John’s absence, I needed to learn to seek God, not my husband. A human rock might not always be beside me like God is. And he may not give the best advice. I also learned that ongoing forgiveness gives me peace.

How have you had to depend on God’s grace?

A story of God’s grace during adversity. Click to tweet.

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About the Author

Zoe M. McCarthy believes the little known fact that opposites distract. Thus, she spins Christian contemporary romances entangling extreme opposites. Her tagline is: Distraction to Attraction, Magnetic Romances Between Opposites. Christian Fiction Online Magazine published two of her short stories. Zoe self-published two books of contemporary Christian short stories. She’s a member of American Christian Fiction Writers. She enjoys leading workshops on the craft of writing; speaking about her faith; planning fun events for her 5 grandchildren; and exploring the Blue Ridge Mountains, where she lives with her husband, John. 

Learn more about Zoe M. McCarthy at her website: http://zoemmccarthy.com

Calculated Risk

What happens when an analytical numbers man meets a mercurial marketing Rep? Romance is a calculated risk…

Jilted by the latest of her father’s choices of “real men,” Cisney Baldwin rashly accepts an invitation to spend Thanksgiving weekend with a sympathetic colleague and his family. Nick LeCrone is a man too much her opposite to interest her and too mild-mannered to make her overbearing father’s “list.” Now, Cisney fears Nick wants to take advantage of her vulnerable state over the holiday. Boy, is she wrong.

Nick wants little to do with Cisney. She drives him crazy with all her sticky notes and quirks. He extended an invitation because he felt sorry for her. Now he’s stuck, and to make matters worse, his family thinks she’s his perfect match. He’ll do what he can to keep his distance, but there’s just one problem—he’s starting to believe Cisney’s magnetism is stronger than he can resist.

Purchase links for Calculated Risk: http://zoemmccarthy.com/books

*Image by Baruska

Focus on Joy by Angela Arndt

Carolina Jasmine Against a Stormy Sky

An uplifting Wednesday night Bible study collides with one brutal gunman consumed with hate. Nine lives lost. Countless forever changed. A world grieves.

I live in South Carolina, only two hours away from the Holy City — Charleston, South Carolina. I’ve passed that church so many times. I heard that pastor speak in our Senate last month. Tonight, network and cable news reveal every hateful detail of the villain’s murderous plot. Nine men and women who loved the Lord and died as martyrs.

Sometimes we have to look past the pain and grief to find our joy again. Look for that tiny bit of yellow against a vast expanse of gray. Romans 12:21 says, "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." The good is there, we just have to change our focus.

Writers are sensitive souls. We grieve deeply when tragedy knocks, whether it is at our door or someone else's. Our souls connect with others across the country, across the world. How can we build fictional worlds when real ones have been forever destroyed? But John 1:5 reminds us, "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it."

You may be facing writer's block today because of the Charleston tragedy, inhaling the information, taking it to heart. Pray for those afflicted by tragedy, but stop watching the news reports. Check out of social networks for a day or two if you need to.

Try pouring your grief into another kind of work. Steven Curtis Chapman was inspired to write Charleston, a beautiful song that reminds us: love overcomes evil with good.

Here's a few other ideas to help you focus on joy:

• Allow God’s love to heal your heart. Wait until you hear your story again. 
• Each one of the Charleston families refused to inherit the hate from that killer. Instead, they offered forgiveness to the man who killed their mother, father, sister or brother. That’s God’s power at work. If hate is filling your heart, pray that you’ll be able to forgive.
• Focus on today, not tomorrow and what-ifs. Focus on the present, not the past or what-could-have-been.
• Seek God’s joy with all your heart. You can find several good online devotions through YouVersion.com (where you can download a mobile app) or BibleGateway.com. 
• If you can’t work through your grief, ask for help. Don’t stop until you find someone who will provide it. Don't let it fester within you.
• Recognize you may need to spend some time alone. It’s hard to do if you have a family, I know. Go to your bedroom. Go to your bathroom! (I remember what it’s like to have a six-year-old following you around.) Ask a friend or a family member to watch your child(ren) for an hour or so. Breathe.
• Take care of yourself. Remember that you’re more than a writer. Don't beat yourself up if you can't write, right now. Just do what you are able.

There comes a time, after the weeping, when we allow God’s power to heal our hearts. A time when we can focus on joy.

About the Author

Angela Arndt

Angela Arndt enjoys writing mysteries set in small Southern towns. Coincidentally, she, her husband, and their three very large dogs (a lab mix, Staffordshire terrier, and a 12 pound poodle) live in the middle of a big wood outside a small Southern town. She would love for you to visit her website, http://www.angelaarndt.com, or her team blog, http://seriouslywrite.blogspot.com.

Enjoy His Best by Susan Tuttle

Susan Tuttle

If you’ve seen me around other social media sites recently, you’ve seen this verse:

Enjoy the best of Jesus. Romans 16:20 (MSG)

Those five little words are making an imprint on my heart this holiday season. Enjoying the best of Jesus. What a command. And one we need to grab onto. I’m checking it out in all aspects of my life and wonder, how do we do that with our writing?

We ask Him.

“Lord, what is the best you have for me with my writing?”

And I’m not talking success. I mean, sure, we’d love to see our books in print, but what if his best for you far surpasses a physical book in your hand? What could be even better? Forgiveness. Unconditional love. Breaking through bondages. Healed hurts. Sealed memories. Joy…ohhhh, JOY!

See, each book we write, each devotional we type, each article strung together…they are not meant to only change those around us, but to minister to our very own hearts, too. That’s because God uses that gift he’s woven into you to bring you his very best also. Yes, it’s simply amazing that he’ll use it to touch others, but sometimes we forget while we’re ministering to those around us, he wants to minister to us.

So this season I’m challenging you to wake up each day and enjoy the best of Jesus. All his best qualities:

Healer – Psalm 30:2
Lover of Our Souls – Jeremiah 31:3
Redeemer – Isaiah 47:4, Matthew 1:21
Bondage Breaker – Isaiah 9:4
Restorer – Joel 2:25
Comforter – 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
Joy-Giver – Psalm 16:11
Conqueror – Romans 8:37

Add your own to that list, because he is all you need! Enjoy all he has to offer! Don’t leave a scrap of it behind! It’s the very reason he came. AMEN!

(Oh, I know, exclamation points in writing, but little periods just weren’t doing it for me. If we can’t get excited about what God has done for us, I don’t know what we’ll get excited about! ***smile*** Have a very Merry Christmas!)

About Susan:

Susan Tuttle is a homeschooling mom of three who is crazy about coffee, dark chocolate, and words—both reading and writing them. Combine that love of words with her passion for leading women to a life-changing encounter with Christ, and you’ll find her crafting Inspirational Contemporary Romance stories laced with humor, love, and healing transformations. When not cheering on her Ironman hubby, chasing the family dog, or tackling complex math problems to teach her kids (yes, even the third grader), you can catch Susan at her blog, Steps.