Thankful Despite by Cindy K. Sproles

I looked around my office and sighed. What a mess. Books stacked knee-high, papers separated in every vacant spot on the desk. My to-do list had been shoved from the refrigerator door to the living room to the bedroom … ending up in my office. Moving it didn’t seem to make it go away.

Cindy K. Sproles

The news roared from the downstairs television: attack on London, Barcelona, Brussels. I leaned against the door frame and bowed my head, “What next, Lord? What next?”

I used to love the holidays. Thanksgiving brought laughter and fun. Having tons of food and family was something I looked forward to. It seemed years ago when life was much simpler. My office wasn’t overrun with work, and the most the news had was the anticipation of the newest Macy’s Day parade floats. Now the holidays are dampened by disaster and sadness.

I kicked a box out of the way and made a split-second decision. I’m going to praise God despite the mess. I realized the world was doing to me just what Satan wanted it to do – drag me down. If it could blare the horrors of the news events at me, overwork me, AND make me miss my children worse than I normally do, then I was caving in to the sadness of sin. Satan was winning.

The writer of the Psalms must have realized this same thing. Chosen by God as the future king of Israel, David was just a child. God didn’t crown him and set him on the throne. Instead, he was sent back into the fields. There he learned about the hardships of life. Danger. Trust. And complete dependence upon God. There David found peace in praising God despite the trials.

These last few days I’ve spent the hard moments saying, “Rejoice in the Lord always.” And as I prepare for Christmas, I’ve decided to come before Him with thanksgiving and praise. True thanksgiving and praise.

When you feel the weight of the world bearing down this holiday season, rejoice in the Lord. Shout aloud to the Rock of your salvation. Go before Him with thanksgiving and praise. Great is His faithfulness. Strong is our praise. Let your thanksgiving be filled with praise.

About the Author

Cindy Sproles is an author and speaker. She is the cofounder of Christian Devotions Ministries and the cowriter of the popular He Said, She Said Devotions written with her cofounder, Eddie Jones. She is a novelist and best-selling author. Cindy’s devotions and articles are published in Christian newspapers across the eastern seaboard, including having been used to represent legislature for protection of the elderly. She is a speaker to women’s conferences addressing not only the heart of women, but also their biblical responsibilities to their families.

She is the mother of four adult sons and lives in the mountains of East Tennessee with her husband. Cindy can be contacted at www.cindysproles.com or by emailing cindyksproles@gmail.com.

Liar's Winter
by Cindy K. Sproles

Liar's Winter

Lochiel Ogle was born with a red-wine birthmark--and it put her life in jeopardy from the moment she entered the world. Mountain folks called it "the mark of the devil," and for all the evil that has plagued her nineteen-year existence, Lochiel is ready to believe that is true. And the evil surely took control of the mind of the boy who stole her as an infant, bringing her home for his mother to raise.

Abused and abandoned by the only people she knows as family, Lochiel is rescued by a peddler and given the first glimpse of love she has ever known. The truth of her past is gradually revealed as is the fact that she is still hunted by a brother driven to see her dead. Unsure if there's anyone she can truly trust, Lochiel is faced with a series of choices: Will she continue to run for escape or will she face her past and accept the heartbreaking secrets it reveals? Which will truly free her?

Set in the wild and beautiful Appalachian Mountains of nineteenth-century East Tennessee, Liar's Winter is an unflinching yet inspirational exploration of prejudice and choice.

Buy From: Amazon

Originally posted on He Said, She Said, November, 2015. 

Thou Didst Leave Thy Throne by Laura V. Hilton

My last blog post ended with these words: 

Laura V. Hilto

Paul reminds us that despite the bad things, the sad things, the storms in life, that we can find something to be thankful for.

Those of you who are facing the holidays without loved ones, for whatever reason, let's focus on the blessings that God has provided.

If you still have family nearby, hug them and tell them you love them.


And those of you who are separated from your loved ones, you’re in my prayers.

That is how I ended my last blog post. 

We live in a time of unthankfulness and ungratefulness. Christmas is coming, and while it’s my favorite holiday season, all you have to do is go to the store to see the greed and the selfishness. People have lost all semblance of kindness and like in the movie “Christmas with the Kranks” will fight for that last spiral ham and sell items you don’t need at outrageous prices. 

My preacher husband says in his messages quite often: “How much is enough? Just a little bit more.”

When I wrote my last blog post, I was anticipating Christmas day without my Coastie. We were planning on celebrating late, so maybe my Coastie could get a few days off and fly home. We are still hoping for that. He has his flights booked, but the needs of the Coast Guard come first. And the weather might factor in. Will he be here? We shall see. 

At the beginning of this year, God gave me a verse. First time He has ever done so for me, and I wondered why other people got a “word from  the Lord” and I didn’t. Was I the wrong religion? Maybe conservative Baptists didn’t get words from God about what they needed to know for the incoming year. But this year, He gave me a verse. 

Not just a word. A verse. 

“Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded you: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper whithersoever you go.” (Joshua 1:7 revised Laura version)

Be strong and very courageous. 

That told me all I need to know about this year. And it was hard. Hard. HARD. I hope I can claim to be strong and very courageous, but I have cried so much this year my eyes have sprung leaks and start dripping water without warning or reason. 

My baby boy (who is so not a baby) joined the Coast Guard. Went to boot camp and is now at his first station (on the other end of the country from me). 

My oldest son has continued to break my mama heart over and over this year. From getting arrested on my birthday last year (but released without booking because he wasn’t who they wanted but happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time), to moving out to live with druggies three times, but then coming home with, “I learned my lesson,” to the call I got yesterday. He’s in jail. This time booked for multiple charges. Court date is in mid-January. I can’t bail him out. I have no money. And even if I did have the money, did he learn his lesson? I don’t know. It will either break him or make him worse. I’m hoping it will break him. He called while we were at church today, begging me to get him out of there, and he cried. It made me cry.

I would be thankful if both my boys were around the Christmas tree this year, but they won’t be. One because he is serving our country, one because he’s serving time. 
In this season of Advent, looking for the coming King, I am going to choose to find the blessings. To be thankful in the little things. My Coastie is becoming a man, and so far he is making wise choices. He has found a good Bible-believing church and is active in missions outreach with it. 

My non-Coastie had a first offense—and nobody lost their life as a result of his bad decisions. And maybe, (please, God, please) this will be the wake-up call he needs to get his life on the right track. To turn back to God. 

My oldest daughter—who is not a problem child—is going off to college in January. I have high hopes for her future there. While I will miss her like crazy, I am thankful she chose to go where she did, for reasons I will hold near and dear, just in case... 

Merry Christmas – to you and yours. 

Those of you who are facing the holidays without loved ones, for whatever reason, let's focus on the blessings that God has provided.

If you still have family nearby, hug them and tell them you love them.

And those of you who are separated from your loved ones, you’re in my prayers. I would appreciate prayers, too. 

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 withWhitaker 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 Amish Firefighter. 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 blogs: http://lighthouse-academy.blogspot.com/ & http://lauravhilton.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
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Amish Firefighter
by Laura V. Hilton

A Beautiful Young Woman Banished from Home
Abigail Stutzman thought it was bad enough being dropped at the nearest bus station and sent to live several states away with some relatives she'd never heard about, much less met. But now, just a week after her arrival in Jamesport, Missouri, she finds herself at the scene of a barn fire. An intentional barn fire. And all fingers are pointed at her. She's desperate to prove her innocence and protect her reputation, but nobody's making that easy to do. And God certainly doesn't seem willing to help.

A Brave Firefighter with an Agenda of His Own
Sam Miller is in the process of turning over a new leaf. Determined to atone for the follies of his past, he is a volunteer firefighter, an EMT, and a doctor-in-training. When local barn fires escalate, everyone suspects arson. And since the Miller family are among the victims, no one is more determined to see the perpetrators brought to justice than Sam.

A Kindled Flame Neither One Could Have AnticipatedWhen their paths first cross, at the site of a barn burning, the emotional intensity rivals the warmth of the flames. Soon, they must decide whether this fire is one they should feed or extinguish. And they'll discover that the truth can prove more dangerous than a blazing inferno.