Tears in a Bottle by Laura V. Hilton


The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage. Psalm 16:6

Laura V. Hilton

The winter months start a whole slew of birthdays and anniversaries in my family. My uncle was born near Thanksgiving, two aunts’ birthdays and mine are in December, two anniversaries—my parents and my husband’s and mine in December—a grandfather’s birthday, a grandmother’s birthday and my middle daughter’s birthday in January….

I woke up this morning, and the first thought that came to me was “Today is December 30. Happy birthday, Aunt Leota!” Aunt Leota has gone on to glory almost thirty years ago, but she is still remembered.

And that made me think about my heritage. Uncle Lundy and Aunt Leota used to go on mission trips to countries in South America (generally, Brazil, but maybe one or two others) when I was a small child. They brought back hand-woven purses and ponchos for my sister and I, native dolls for us, and a whole bunch of stories about their experiences and how they were able to help build houses for people, or build a church, or how they witnessed to so many people while they worked.

It makes it all the more amazing when you think that this uncle was the firstborn son of my Ex-Amish grandparents. Neither of my grandparents were saved when they left the Amish, my grandfather dabbled in various religions (none of them Christian) trying to get away from the Amish ‘god’ he was raised with. A god that was demanding and not loving, a god that took and didn’t give. He was saved on his deathbed. My grandmother had a long road until she discovered the goodness and grace and mercy of God and was saved—my uncle, aunt, and mother were all young adults by then—and they were saved in the same tent meeting as my grandmother.

And that made me think of my uncle. A more godly man than most. I loved him like crazy. Admired him for his missions’ work, his devotion to God and the church, his support of missionaries and preachers, and the way he led his family in devotions and prayer.

But before he was saved, he lived like the world. He made decisions that broke his mama’s heart. He got a bad reputation, and good girls were warned to stay away from him.

But God…

And because of God, because of His loving kindness, mercy, and grace for my family He reached down, drew my family to Him, and as a result I was born into a family that loved God. That worshiped and adored Him. That lived to serve Him. I accepted Christ as my Savior at a very young age. I strive to raise my children with the same values, with the same heritage, with the same love of God.

Satan wants the first born, because he knows that belongs to God. My oldest son, named after my missionary-minded uncle and my dad who was called into the ministry, has been claimed by the devil. He is living a life that probably would rival my uncle’s before he was saved. Maybe even worse, since I’m not sure drugs were readily available all those long years ago. He is breaking my heart. I’ve prayed and prayed. I’ve talked to him. Dragged him to church. Had other minister friends talk to him. Nothing seems to reach him. Not even losing his vehicle, losing jobs, and spending time in jail.

The Bible also says in Proverbs 22:6 (NKJV):  Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.

Today I am clinging to that promise. I don’t know what will happen with my son in the next year. The way things are looking, it will be more jail time. But God meets people in jail. And maybe, someday, when he reaches the bottom, God will reach out to my son and he will reach back and embrace Him with all his heart and all his soul and all his mind—and live up to his family heritage.

If you are facing a heartbreaking situation in your own life, due to your decisions or to your child’s, or even your spouse’s, then know that God cares. He hears you. He loves you. And He will give you strength.

Psalm 56:8 (NKJV) You number my wanderings; Put my tears into Your bottle; Are they not in Your book?

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/
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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 Anticipated
When 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.

Writing Through Tragedy By Faith by Jennifer Hudson Taylor

So many people say that writing is therapeutic. For years I worked a full-time job and managed a schedule of writing in my spare time, as well as being a mother to a special needs child and a wife. I agree that writing is therapeutic, but this past year, I have been tested on that concept. Back then even though my schedule was quite hectic, I still had no deadlines or pressure to promote book sales. In spite of the fact that I longed for publication and worked hard to make it happen, a tiny piece of me feared the day it would happen.

You see, I knew my responsibilities would grow, and I was right.

For my debut novel, Highland Blessings, my book launch went well. I received favorable reviews, had several book signings, and it won the 2011 Holt Medallion Award for Best First Book. Still, I didn’t have many deadlines since the book was already written when we contracted it. The only deadlines I really needed to worry about were the macro edits and copy edits.

A year later my second book, Highland Sanctuary, was set to release. When I signed the contract, only the first three chapters were written. A few months before my book launch, my father-in-law’s health began to decline. He was dying of lung cancer. At about the same time, we learned that my mother had a very aggressive breast cancer. While Hospice came in to help my mother-in-law, my mother was going through surgery and a month later began radiation treatments.

Two weeks before my book released, my father-in-law passed away. Our family was grieving, and I still worried for my mother. By this time, I had signed contracts for four more books and two novellas. I ended up missing a conference where I was scheduled to speak and a major book signing where I had done well the year before. I got behind on blogging, emails, social media posts, and campaign mail outs. Four weeks after my father-in-law passed, I became very sick. A month later my daughter was hospitalized at fourteen for severe migraines. Six months later, she began having Tonic-Clonic seizures. We began a long series of MRI and EEG testing, and medication trials and adjustments. She could no longer be alone and we began fighting the school system to make sure she received necessary resources for her safety. Through all of this, I had to keep working my full-time job and writing to meet my deadlines.

When you sign a contract for an unfinished book, you are signing your name in faith that you will be able to meet your obligations, regardless of the circumstances that might befall you and your family. In a regular job, you might have someone cross-trained to back you up when you are out to keep your company from getting behind, but an author doesn’t have that luxury.

I don’t have answers that will work for everyone, and at times, I don’t know how I did it. All I know is that prayer and faith gave me strength when I had none. When worry wanted to consume me, God prevailed and I was able to find a few moments here and there when my characters took me to another place in time. I mentally escaped.

• When I couldn’t sleep, I wrote.
• When I couldn’t concentrate, I put on earphones and lost myself in music that helped me escape to my time period.
• When I was too tired to write, I slept, and ignored the guilt.
• When my house became too suffocating, I went outside and wrote.
• When my desk became the wrong place, I changed my environment by writing in the closet in the wee morning hours, on the steps, and wherever I could find a corner.
• I didn’t worry about edits, writing with perfect research, or getting it perfect. I merely wrote and concentrated on getting the first draft down.
• When the pain and confusion was too much, I prayed and cried out to God.

Remember, God is THE answer to everything—even writing through tragedies.

Jennifer Hudson Taylor is an award winning multi-published author of historical Christian fiction set in Europe and the Carolinas and a speaker on topics of faith, writing and publishing. Her debut novel, Highland Blessings, won the 2011 Holt Medallion award for Best First Book. Her work has appeared in national publications, such as Guideposts, Heritage Quest Magazine, Romantic Times Book Reviews, and The Military Trader. She serves as the in-house Publicist at Hartline Literary Agency. Jennifer graduated from Elon University with a B.A. in Journalism. When she isn't writing, she enjoys spending time with family, long walks, traveling, touring historical sites, hanging out at bookstores with coffee shops, genealogy, and reading.

Jennifer's fiction is represented by Literary Agent, Terry Burns with Hartline Literary Agency.

Path of Freedom (1858, North Carolina)

Quilts of Love Series, Abingdon Press
Tentative release date: Jan 2013

When Quakers Flora Saferight and Bruce Millikan embark on the Underground Railroad, they agree to put their differences aside to save the lives of a pregnant slave couple. With only her mother’s quilt as a secret guide, the foursome follows the stitches through unknown treachery.

As they begin their perilous journey, they hope and pray that their path is one of promise where love sustains them, courage builds faith, and forgiveness leads to freedom.

Writing through Pain by Matt Patterson

Have you ever found yourself too overwhelmed to write? Life can throw all sorts of things at us: pain, heartache, depression, grief, sickness, etc. But if we are called to write, God can use those things to help us in our writing. Author Matt Patterson tells us about his own personal journey through grief to writing a message of hope.

~ Angie

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. – 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

God says He always uses our pain, failures and scars to make us more effective in ministry. As I approach a new year with a recently completed book aimed at helping others, I ask myself a simple, but strong question.

How do I see Him using my pain to make me more effective in my ministry of writing?

For me, it started with a newspaper column that was going to be very difficult, yet very special to write. It was our first daughter’s birthday. I wanted to relay in this column how much she had taught and touched me in what seemed to be a very short time here on earth. This column was about my two-year-old daughter Emily, who about two years prior, had passed away after a brave battle with leukemia. Emily was also born with Down syndrome.

This column – as short as it could be – walked readers through her birth and eventual death. It told them of our shock and dismay at hearing words like Down syndrome and leukemia.

It was short.

It was sad.

It was touching and a tribute.

Nearly 20 years later, I find it was a release and that God turned my tragedy into blessing and grief into mission.

My Emily is my story of pain. This book is my small effort to help families who have special needs children, little ones battling cancer or those heartbroken parents who have lost a child. Writing continues to be a source of comfort for me. It’s an opportunity to help or touch someone – mothers, fathers, as well as writers.

Many of us have similar stories to tell. Painful stories.

The Bible tells us to, “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7)

It’s my desire to share testimony that God uses our talents, gifts and pain to help others. In Ecclesiastes it reads, “Two are better than one … If one falls down, his friend can help him up.” My Emily is my tool to reach down and help others up.

In between baking cookies, wrapping gifts and mailing out Christmas cards, some of us are going to sit down and begin to plan our writing for the coming year. I ask each of you to remember one simple step in this process.

Pray over your work.

Pray over your plans.

I testify that when we bow our heads and pray over our work, He will guide our hearts and minds to deliver messages that will indeed help others up.

Matt Patterson is the author of My Emily and an award-winning communications professional. His two-plus decades of experience include public and media relations, as well as print and broadcast journalism. He volunteers his time to helping organizations and charities dedicated to assisting families with children who have special needs or those battling pediatric cancers. He resides in Arizona with his wife and two daughters.

To purchase My Emily, click here.

Websites: http://mattpatterson.me, http://www.my-emily.org

Twitter: @myemily_thebook

Facebook: Matt Patterson, Author