On choosing joy

Choose joy. I've heard the phrase over and over again, oh so many times. It seems to be a favorite in some Christian circles, but I often wonder if they truly understand it. Cause I know I didn't used to, but I think I do now. So many times in this past year, disappointments and…

Book Review | Midnight at the Tuscany Hotel |

Title: Midnight at the Tuscany Hotel Author: James Markert Publisher: Thomas Nelson Publication date: April 9, 2019 BOOK DESCRIPTION: For years, guests of the Tuscany Hotel could leave their pasts behind and live among fellow artists. Now guests of a different sort fill the rooms, searching for their memories—no matter the cost.Run by renowned sculptor…

On loving and letting go

What's the point in loving when we know we'll have to let go?Why do we spend out time and energy loving people only to be broken when the time for death or moving on comes?I don't know why, but I know I can't not do this.I can't not love them, my family, my friends, the…

Book Review: Justice Delivered by Patricia Bradley

Title: Justice Delivered Author: Patricia Bradley Publisher: Revell Genre: Fiction-Suspense Publication Date: April 2. 2019 My rating: 5 out of 5 stars SUMMARY:Carly Smith came by her trust issues honestly. A victim of sex trafficking, she's been at the mercy of merciless men, ignored by law enforcement officers who should have helped her, and seemingly…

Hallelujah! What a Savior!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsYaVG2cgak&fbclid=IwAR09QTMHUx5Bv8wmB1qvgrdLiFF5y6lna22qlyo_ra6mH4IpRTOjLCDTD6Y This song had been running through my mind off and on this whole day and I can't think of a better hymn for today, Good Friday. Just listen to this, let this truth, deep and wonderful, sink in, and come before God to remember what He has done.Remember today what He has done so…

Book Review: Joyful Surrender by Elisabeth Elliot

Title: Joyful Surrender: 7 Disciplines for the Believer's Life Author: Elisabeth Elliot Publisher: Revell Genre: Non-fiction/Christian Living Publication date: April 2, 2019 My rating: 5 out of 5 stars SUMMARY: In our age of instant gratification and if-it-feels-good-do-it attitudes, self-discipline is hardly a popular notion. Yet it may be one of the most important lost…

On why I write

I think that a lot of people I've met don't understand why I write.They think its a cute little hobby that will never lead anywhere or maybe that I dream way too big.A lot of people don't understand, and that's okay, I'm not going to try to make them, but my writing is more that…

To the one longing for satisfaction

To the soul that longs for satisfaction,You don't have to look anymore.Stop wandering away from what you know is right and true.Stop thinking that satisfaction comes when your pain is gone, 'cause it'll never be gone this side of heaven.Stop saying, "yeah, I know it's you, God, but. . . "There are no "buts."Satisfaction comes…

Book Review: The Edge of Over There by Shawn Smucker

** this is the sequel to Smucker's first book, The Day the Angels Fell** Title: The Edge of Over There Author: Shawn Smucker Publisher: Revell Publication date: April 5, 2019 My rating: 4 out of 5 stars SUMMARY: Before the Tree of Life, everything in Abra Miller's life had been predictable. But after the Tree…

Homesick for my ocean

I'm not ready to be back here, not by a long shot.The ocean stole my heart and now I don't know what to do without it.I miss the smell, the taste, of the salt tinged air.I miss seeing those beautiful, powerful waves lapping up on the sand every morning while gulls squawk overhead.I miss the…