not a sparrow falls by Linda Nichols

Will Birdie fall?

not a sparrow falls by Linda Nichols is a 350 page awesome read published by Bethany House. From an empty shell of a life living with a drugged-out boyfriend, Mary Bridget Washburn becomes Birdie, takes on her mother's identity, and escapes to a small town.On the bus, the money she took from Jonas, so she could begin a new drug-free life, is stolen, and she's left to find work in a small-town grocery.

In a decades old church as she seeks sanctuary, a young girl's plea captures her heart and connects her to the local reverend. With a tainted past that opens her eyes, Birdie has insight and wisdom that she uses to help the pastor's family. His first wife died and left many unanswered questions, but journals discovered in the attic allow the young daughter she left behind to understand and know her mother. When Birdie discovers the hidden journals while looking for Christmas decorations, the teen takes them and asks her to read them with her. Behind the girl's behind door in privacy, Birdie helps her discover her mother as she reads entry after entry, and they devour every single journal, pictures, scrapes of material, and all.
Meanwhile, Birdie keeps an eye on her ex by checking a site on the computer to be sure he's still imprisoned, but her once empty life becomes so full that she carelessly stops. He is released from prison and tracks her down. He wants his money and his brain back.

Her new life becomes unraveled when he finds her, ranting about how she stole his brain. In the end, he realizes it was his heart, she took, not his brain. His drug-crazed frenzy takes Birdie home, but not in the way she hoped. With a gun to her head, she's forced to bring this demon into the house with her beloved grandma, who's a force to be reckoned with.

She provides Jonas with a story about who he's named after, Jonah in the Bible, and brings him out of his drug-induced stupor long enough to claim his attention. She says, "The Lord called Jonah, but instead of obeying, he run off from the presence of the Lord. Just like you're doing."

Birdie can hardly believe her ears, when Jonas blinks and responds, "Yes, ma'am." Grandma brings a memory of Vacation Bible School back to him, and he hangs his head.
"Don't you fall asleep while I'm talking to you," Granny rebukes. She tells him it's not too late to call upon the Lord, and he almost knocks over his chair, tells Birdie she's killing him, bolts out the door to his Plymouth and drives out of their lives.

Will he return to demand Birdie find the money she took once his drugged mind settles? Will the pastor and his family welcome Birdie back into their lives like a lost sheep, or will she remain the black sheep of the family she thought of herself as being? Can there be a future with the reverend and his family? Will his church be taken from him? Can he find the strength to start over? This novel holds the answers to these questions as well as many life-altering ones and would be a good read for young women, since it showcases how Birdie was pulled down in life with a drug addict boyfriend and how hard escaping that life was. It also conveys the problems of ministry when the flock wants a new preacher. What truly happened to the pastor's first wife? The deadly secret is revealed in her journals.

Don't miss not a sparrow falls. Look for it at Amazon or Barnes and Noble.com as well as many online bookstores. It's forty-two chapters that'll keep you on the edge of your seat and open doors to other worlds.

Sunrise: Will the sun rise for Dayne, Cody, and John?

Sunrise by Karen Kingsbury is 301 pages and 27 chapters of living life and having faith published by Tyndale House in 2007. Dayne Matthews, a Hollywood movie star, rebuilds faith and relationships after a critical injury while being chased by the paparazzi. He finds the love of his life in Katy Har. This novel is an excellent read for teens and adults alike.

As it weaves a beautiful love story, it also teaches life lessons about drinking and watching out for boys who are players. I was hooked from the first chapter when a teen house guest of the Flanigans, Cody Coleman, is found nearly dead by alcohol poisoning. The ramifications of teen drinking impact the family, and Cody must make a choice--alcohol or the supportive Flanigan family.

Dayne and Katy must fight for a private life of their own as they plan their wedding without Hollywood, an outdoor wedding. Dayne makes it known he believes in God and credits him with his accomplishments in both acting and surviving the fast-paced rollercoaster world of Hollywood, and healing from his accident. He longs for a simpler life style and a home and family.

John Baxter deals with the death of his wife Elizabeth and must learn how to blend the past and present when his friendship with Elaine becomes important to him. Will his children accept her? Can he love again?

There's also a chapter on the importance of not pushing kids too hard in sports and allowing them to enjoy the fun and sportsmanship of the game. Flawed characters face difficult circumstances and find that God sees them through. I truly enjoyed Sunrise. Find it at Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble.com. Discussion questions at the end of the book provide the possibility of using the book as a study group. Connect with Karen Kingsbury over Facebook

This Fine Life--Which Life is the True Fine Life?

This Fine Life by Eva Marie Everson, published by Revell, copyright 2010, is a top-notch, five-star novel comparable to Lynn Austin's All She Ever Wanted. It's my favorite novel by the author. Last year's Things Left Unspoken was a great Southern novel, but this one outshines it.

Mariette Puttnam graduates boarding school in 1959 used to a privileged life, unsure of plans for her future. She figures she'll enjoy her summer and decide if she should opt for a career and more schooling to please her father, or marry into the right social family to make her mother happy. None of those options feel right. Something's missing, and she finds him, Thayne Scott, working as a mail clerk in her father's factory. They fall in love and can't bear to be apart, though her mother and father forbid the relationship.

Though she's attended church all her life, Mariette lacks a personal relationship with God, but Thayne talks to Him in his church in the woods and decides to go into ministry. Mariette always feels she's "on the outside looking in" and doesn't really belong. She can't bake pies and fry chicken, which seem to be main requirements for a preacher's wife. She can't answer Thayne's question about where she stands with God; yet, she's supposed to be a preacher's wife.

Through the hardships of his first ministry, Thayne promises her he'll be able to provide her a fine life one day. But, she must endure snobby busybodies in the small town where he receives his first assignment, and they can't even have a husband and wife disagreement in private.

Journey with a young woman destined to become a preacher's wife, as she endures the loss of her firstborn, a daughter they name Rachel, and her second birth of a son named Gabe, when she learns how to talk to God in earnest. Discover the joys of a simple life with her. When she moves into their first real home, a guest cottage for the small-town preacher, Mariette throws herself into making the place a home and redecorates until she depletes the bank account. She moves to Logan's Creek and hates the place, where she has no friends or family, and no television or phone until her mother sends someone to install one and gifts them with a color set for Christmas. Still, they can't enjoy the present because they can't afford an antenna.

This is the story of a young woman who grows, develops a personal relatonship with God through her struggles, and matures during her small-town journey as she finds ways to keep herself busy in a town so tiny it doesn't even have a library. She devours books and must depend on her mother to keep her stocked. When her husband is offered his second assignment, they have an opportunity to have the fine life he promised her in the form of a two-story brick home with five bedrooms and three baths, and she can finally escape Logan's Creek. Which life will they choose? Will it be the true fine life? Can Mariette ever really make a preacher's wife, or will she remain one in name only?

If you love Southern novels, you'll find this one awesome. I didn't want to put it down. Eva Marie Everson evokes feelings as she tugs at a reader's heart and mind. I laughed, and I cried, both requirements of a five-star novel. If the book doesn't make me feel for the characters, it hasn't accomplished its goal, and it's not for me. I love character-driven Southern novels like this one. Grab it today at Amazon or Barnes and Noble.com. You'll be glad you did. Sip sweet tea and taste this novel. Don't think I've told you everything; I saved the best twists and surprises for your own journey. This novel is realistic because the characters are so real-to-life.

About the Author: Eva Marie Everson is an award-winning author, writing mentor for the Christian Writers Guild, and a popular and gifted speaker and radio personality.
Visit Eva at her beautiful, inspiring Website http://www.evamarieeverson.com/ or her blog at http://evamarieeverson.blogspot.com/.

The Walk by Richard Paul Evans

The Walk by Richard Paul Evans, published by Simon & Schuster, copyright 2010 is a beautiful hardbound book of 289 pages and 37 chapters, along with a prologue and epilogue. It's the first novel in a series, and I guarantee you don't want to miss it. I started reading The Walk Monday and completed it on Wednesday evening. I didn't want to put it down. The novel is spun in first person and hooked me. I cried. I felt. I identified. And, I was touched. A nature lover myself, I enjoyed the descriptions of woods and mountains the main character, Alan, travels through on his walkabout to Key West, Florida. The book is vivid with descriptions and offers a well-told story of true love, loss, pain, and heartache.

Alan goes from having everything a man could want, expensive cars, luxury home, beautiful furniture, his own successful business, and a beautiful love-of-his-life wife, McKale to a widower and a jobless, homeless wanderer in a short period of time. When he loses his beloved, Alan doesn't want to live and feels there's nothing left, but she made him promise to live. His heart is stabbed with grief and guilt because she asked him to call in sick and stay home with her the day of her accident, but he had an important business deal he couldn't miss. She'd planned a surprise weekend and promised he'd never forget it. Instead, he got a shocking surprise he'd never forget, and he learned the dearest lesson in life--people are more important than things. Without his best friend and wife to share them, material objects mean nothing.

Heartsick, Alan strikes out to walk to Key West, Florida, and encounters people along his journey of life. He discovers that none of those expensive "things" he worked so hard to earn mean anything without McKale. They'd been young and in a hurry to possess it all. She'd wanted children, but he'd talked her into waiting until they were secure. Another twinge of guilt pricks his heart. Now, she's gone, and he'll never father the children she wanted.

This is an inspirational, spiritual story with an out-of-body experience a wise old woman shares with Alan at a bed and breakfast. He crosses the path of a lady in distress and helps her, but turns down the ride she offers. He faces a gang, and on the brink of death, realizes he wants to live. Will the lady in distress turn out to be an angel? This novel illustrates how suddenly life can change, in the blink of an eye, by careless choices and decisions. It teaches not to rely on the assumption of tomorrow; there may not be one.

I felt as though I walked the journey with Alan, in his shoes. If I hadn't had to work Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, I'd have completed this book in one day. I hated to put it aside to leave for work in the morning, and I grabbed it to complete it when I returned home. It will touch your heart and grip your soul. Get your copy from Amazon or Barnes and Noble.com. Visit the author on Facebook and follow his fan page to keep abreast of this series. Personally, I can't wait for the next one. This novel has hit the New York Times bestseller list for three weeks in a row! I give it 5 stars. I cried with Alan through his journey of betrayal and loss, enjoyed woods and mountains with him, and found renewed hope through his walk. He is the author of The Christmas Box and all 14 of his novels have made the bestseller list!

Mighty Inspiration: Love Letters From God by Barbara Bernard Miller

Mighty Inspiration: Love Letters From God by Barbara Bernard Miller, a beautiful, hardcover book, is a powerful 15 chapters and 115 pages published by Eloquent Books of New York, copyright 2009. I could actually feel God's presence as I read this amazing book, written as though God is speaking to you, and He is through the words He instructed Barbara to write.

Chapter 3 on Gifts is an encouraging, thought-provoking one. The first lesson is to choose your gifts correctly--for the good of mankind, see God in everything you do, and send Him your cares and worries, so He will send you peace and joy.

Barbara writes with such intensity that you become lost in the words and feel God's presence. At least, I did as I read. Chapter 4 on Joy reveals how all things, even tragic and sad events, provide an opportunity to become closer to God. She never uses the word God in the book and uses only capitalized pronouns like He I, or Me, so I substitute God or Jesus as I read. The book explains why God doesn't prevent all things from happening, because if He did so, He'd take away CHOICE. Choice provides growth and development. This chapter says that learning is lifelong and knowledge is the cornerstone for development. As the book says, "Teach as you learn, and you will be doubly blessed. Seek Me."

Chapter 5 is about passion and reminds me of my passions of reading, writing, and teaching. It says, "Your passion for your gifts will give them power and sustain them in your life." It goes on to explain how we've been given passion for some things and not for others, so our gifts will grow, develop, and be used. According to this chapter, the mind is for imagination and reasoning, and the heart is for passion and belief. Ideas sprout in the mind, but they must be planted in the heart and can only blossom there. God gave us so much power when He gave us the power of CHOICE, but many times we do not realize how powerful choice can be. We do not have the power to change others, but we have the freedom of choice to change ourselves by changing how we think, act, and react. We need our quiet time for reflection. I know this personally, and I value those quiet moments with God and time to pause and reflect. "I weave My messages into the hearts and minds of those who will reach out to Me. They pass the message along throughout the world in those momentary touches with other lives." In this way, we all have the power to make a true difference in the world.

As I read about God's message being woven into minds and hearts, I was reminded of using a weaving loom as a young girl and how carefully I had to weave the brightly-colored yarn to make a product, to make a difference, to make something that would benefit and withstand. As a farmer tills the soil and adds fertilizer to make the ground fertile, we must till our minds and fertilize them with God's Word. Only then, will we experience real, true peace and joy. Only then, can we truly make a real difference.

Won't you let this powerful book speak to you, so you can feel God's love and mercy? It's available at online bookstores, such as Barnes and Noble and Amazon.com, and it has the power between the covers to make a difference in your life, which can ripple through other lives and make a true difference in our world. Check out the reviews. I feel blessed for having read this riveting book, and I pray it will bless many others as it has me. It is also available at www.mightyinspiration.com. Barbara is on Facebook, so you can connect with her there.

About the Author:

Barbara Bernard Miller is a writer and Human Resource Manager for a large corporation. She lives with her two children in Cincinnati, Ohio. This is her first book, and her personal wish for blessings to all who read it and take its message to heart.

Things Left Unspoken by Eva Marie Everson

Eva Marie Everson served as my writing mentor for three years when I was a student in the Christian Writers Guild. She mentored me through both the Apprentice and the Journeyman levels of the courses. I am proud to call her my writing mentor, and I can truly say I learned much from her as well as from my American Christian Fiction Writer (ACFW) critique group members, Karen O'Connor, also a writing instructor, and Tracy Ruckman, an edtior. I also took a dialogue course with Eva through Tracy's company. I feel God placed all these people in my life to help me on my writing journey, and I am eternally grateful to each and every single one of them. Cynthia Hickey was a most active ACFW critique partner. And, I don't want to forget Janet Eckles, a dear friend, who though blind, still critiques for friends and has more insight than many sighted people. I hope you enjoy the review, but more importantly, I hope you enjoy THINGS LEFT UNSPOKEN and watch for Eva Marie Everson's upcoming Cedar Key series of three novels. There is an entry about Cedar Key, if you scroll down. Also, there's a detailed review of a newly released novel by Michael J. Sullivan, Necessary Heartbreak, and you don't want to miss that one either!

Things Left Unspoken
Author: Eva Marie Everson
Reviewer: Barbara J. Robinson
http://barbarajrobinson.blogspot.com/
Five Stars
To Purchase: Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble (See reviews there also)

Things Left Unspoken by Eva Marie Everson is three hundred and eighty-one pages of pure Southern delight. The novel allows the reader to adventure through life, romance, true love, wisdom gained with age and life experiences, dealing with life’s curve balls, conflicts of love and life, heartaches that make us stronger, and God’s fingerprints on our lives to make us the people He wants us to become. If you enjoy Southern fiction, you’ll love this novel. I devoured it in a couple of days.

Jo Lynn Hunter and her Aunt Stella make it women’s fiction. Jo Lynn deals with current marriage problems and feels she’s not at home in the life her husband has chosen for them. Something is missing and leaves her feeling empty inside. At life’s crossroads, she takes on a project to rebuild an old Southern family home and finds herself restored in the process. Family secrets reveal their ugly challenges and place Jo Lynn in extreme danger. She rises to the challenge and refuses to be chased from her project of love.

Aunt Stella illustrates true love and the wisdom of ripe old age. Valentine, her teenage love, grows into a wise elderly man, who declares if the foundation is strong, anything can be rebuilt. Jo Lynn learns the secrets of the past and the treasures for a happy future, even as she learns some things are best left unspoken.

How Does Your Writing Flow?

I long to write with a perfect view and sweet peace and quite in an unrushed space of time, so I can get my thoughts and feelings down on paper and later refine them. I notice POV shifts as I read now, so I realize I’ve made progress as a writer. God gave me a season of growth, and I used it to learn.

With the spring renewal, I feel ready to burst forth and rise on the writing scene, like a new green shoot sprouts from the cold, barren earth. Lord willing, my writing time has come. Lord willing, I’ll soon be able to tie together the three great passions of my life, reading, writing, and teaching.

Once so motivated, I put my thoughts and feelings in storage, on hold, for quite some time, but I feel it’s time I unlock them and let them do the work God intended. He gave me these three passions and heart’s desires for a reason, and I want to glorify Him with them. I pray for God’s guidance and direction and for Him to show me how to burst forth on the writing scene in the right way to glorify Him in all His glory and lead others to come to know, believe in, and trust Him as I do. God, please show me how to reach and touch the hearts and minds of readers.

Lord, I long for days of writing that will make a true difference. Lord, please lift me as a person, a human being, a writer, and a reader, so I may glorify You through my work and all I do. In Jesus’s name, I pray. AMEN.

How do I write? With Jesus as my sweet companion. I must have time for deep thought and silence for reflection, for I hear him whisper to me in the quietness of an early morning. I’m a morning person and do my best writing in the wee hours. I need to be isolated with nothing but God as my companion and sweet peace and quiet when I write fiction. I can write timed writings in any place and any time, but for deep thought processing, I need my quiet time. However, I'm not spinning my wheels, or rather spinning my blue pen when I time write, because I always find some nuggets of gold to pull out and refine. In fact, some of my best writing has come from quick writes, when I'm focusing on getting my thoughts and ideas down on paper and just letting the writing flow and come what may. This is a technique I learned from author Natalie Goldberg.

My writing space is an L-shaped oak desk with a large picture window overlooking a large back yard with a canal and trees. Sometimes my feathered friends pay me a visit. I can watch squirrels play and listen to the sweetest natural music in the world, the prettiest choir, birds singing their happy tunes. In spring, it sounds like they’re singing, “Easter, Easter, Easter.” Perhaps, they know Jesus has risen, and they’re celebrating.

How do I write–with sweet peace of mind in Jesus, at least for quality writing. How do you write? Describe your writing space and what works best for you.

True Hidden Treasures--Finally Completed

I've completed my novel True Hidden Treasures and have an idea for a generational family saga, a series of three. I plan to begin work on a new novel and come back to this one after receiving some additonal feedback. This is not a first draft. I've had the first ten pages professionally critiqued by Christian Writers Guild, and I've had bits and pieces discussed with my writing mentor, Eva Marie Everson, during lessons with the Christian Writers Guild. I've also had Tracy Ruckman edit the first ten or twelve chapters. Perhaps beginning a new novel will provide me with layers for this one when I let it rest and return to it later. Happy writing :)

Thank you, God, for inspiring me to write.

Lord, I long for days of writing that will make a true difference. Lord, please lift me as a person, a human being, a writer, and a reader, so I may glorify You through my work and all I do.

Cedar Key, FL

I get off work March 26, 2010, and my husband, Scott, drives us to Cedar Key, Florida, where he rents a cottage at Pirate's Cove for the weekend. He surpised me by phoning and making reversations. I brought along a good read for the trip, Mike J. Sullivan's Necessary Heartbreak, newly released. The review is below this entry. It is the book you see me holding in the picture, and a yellow highlighter is my marker. We stop at Mickey D's on the way, and I try the Mac-rib. Delicious. On the ride, I tell him about my writing mentor, Eva Marie Everson, and how she's writing a series of novels set in Cedar Key.

Our blue cottage greets us with a sliding-glass door view of the bay, beautiful at high tide. An orange tabby cat with a stub tail welcomes us and proves to be a friendly kitty, but Sunflower, my cocker spaniel, scares it until they finally make friends. Sunflower enjoys the sliding-door view like her mother, and she keeps an eye out for the cat who visits the back deck.

Saturday morning, I sip French Vanilla Dunkin Donut coffee and feast on donuts, as I watch a flock of birds fly over from my window-to-the-world glass doors. A small deck juts out from the patio doors and a table invites one to sit and enjoy the view, but I like the swing and the green, green grass underfoot. The wooden frame swing faces the bay. Sweet peace and quiet. Beautiful. A gentle breeze blows the leaves of bushes lining the bank. A large tree overhangs the deck offering shade when it's green, but it sleeps a long winter's nap, and bare arms and stark, skinny fingers loom over the deck. The sun rises in an orange glow as a V of birds fly across the bay. Then, a long line of birds follow and others join in and break the V-formation. The tide's out, and Sunflower enjoys watching the outside view, as she keeps her eyes out for the orange tabby cat pictured on the Internet.

I long to write with a perfect view and sweet peace and quite in an unrushed space of time, so I can get my thoughts and feelings down on paper and later refine them. I notice POV shifts as I read now, so I realize I've made progress as a writer. God gave me a season of growth, and I used it to learn.

With the spring renewal, I feel ready to burst forth and rise on the writing scene, like a new green shoot sprouts from the cold, barren earth. Lord willing, my writing time has come. Lord willing, I'll soon be able to tie together the three great passions of my life, reading, writing, and teaching.

Once so motivated, I put my thoughts and feelings in storage, on hold, for quite some time, but I feel it's time I unlock them and let them do the work God intended. He gave me these three passions and heart's desires for a reason, and I want to glorify Him with them. I pray for God's guidance and direction and for Him to show me how to burst forth on the writing scene in the right way to glorify Him in all His glory and lead others to come to know, believe in, and trust Him as I do. God, please show me how to reach and touch the hearts and minds of readers.

Lord, I long for days of writing that will make a true difference. Lord, please lift me as a person, a human being, a writer, and a reader, so I may glorify You through my work and all I do. In Jesus's name, I pray. AMEN.
Written March 27, 2010, as I watch the outside world and sip coffee.

After coffee and donuts, my husband and I go to the pier, and he fishes while I enjoy the pelicans and Michael J. Sullivan's new release, Necessary Heartbreak. Read the detailed review below. I've had many compliments on it. I began reading it as we drove to Cedar Key Friday evening and completed it as we drove home on Sunday.

Hubby catches fish left and right, and we fish on the pier until 8:00 P.M. The pelicans wait for fish, but don't want catfish. They seem to know when he catches one and keep their distance. But, when he hooks the other fish, they swarm and become beggars. I watch him toss a small fish into one's large beak, and the pelican swallows it whole.

My writing mentor, Eva Marie Everson, is writing a series of three novels set in Cedar Key, and I can't wait to read them. Cedar Key became writing bait for her, and I hope you're hooked on her writing as I am. Visit her at http://evamarieeverson.blogspot.com.

Is Heartbreak Necessary?

Necessary Heartbreak by Michael J. Sullivan published by Gallery Books, copyright 2010 is a novel you can't miss. I couldn't put it down once I started reading, since I was hooked from the first chapter. The main characters are a single dad and his daughter, Michael and Elizabeth. Journey with them through life's obstacle course in the world, as we know it today, as well as through first-century Jerusalem. Michael losses two important women in his life, loves of his life, his mother and his wife. Left with his daughter to raise, he strives to do the best he can and vows never to leave her or allow anyone to hurt her. But, in Jerusalem, Roman soldiers threaten to overpower him, and one wants Elizabeth for his wife. She's only 14, not even allowed to kiss, so Michael is determined not to let this solider have his way with his daughter, but can he save her?

While helping the local church with food pantry items, Elizabeth finds a trap door and explores while Michael goes back upstairs for more items. He returns and follows his daughter through the hole in the basement floor to a world that's only existed in the pages of the Bible. After the loss of his mother and living on New York streets homeless, his faith is shaken, but he soon discovers Jesus is real when Jesus looks at him and says, "Heartbreak is necessary for one to understand how great God's gift of time truly is." He asks Michael if he's there to lift his burden, or to help Jesus with his. Then, Jesus informs him that he shouldn't look too far, since his daughter can lift his burden.

Without the help of a beautiful green-eyed lady in Jerusalem, Leah, Michael and his daughter would have been easy prey for the Roman soldiers, but will her help be enough to save Elizabeth from marrying an unknown Roman soldier, or will she be forced to become his wife to save herself and her father?

A novel that truly mixes life's problems of today and blends them with history, this book will enrich your life and soul. It's a pleasurable read I started late on a Friday evening and completed on the following Sunday. And, it deciphers today's teens well, always in a hurry with earbuds tucked in their ears. Parents of today compete with Ipods, cell phones, and electronics for attention. But, Michael and Elizabeth are whisked back in time and history where no electronic gadgets can aid their rescue, and Liz, as she's called by her friends, has to learn to deal with life on a very humble level without her cell phone. She's grateful for her father and never wants him to leave her side. Will their world ever return to normal? If it does, will Leah be a part of it, or will they be forced to leave her to the Roman soldiers? Will heartbreak be necessary for all of them to survive?

Back Cover Material: An extraordinary journey back in time shows a struggling single dad that the faith he's lost is still alive--and stronger than ever . . . . Michael Stewart has weathered his share of hardships: a troubled childhood, the loss of his mother, even the degradation of living on the city streets. Now, he's raising his teenaged daughter, Elizabeth, on his own and doing the best he can at work and at home. But he's turned his back on his faith--that is, until the morning Michael and Elizabeth volunteer for a food pantry at their local church. While storing boxes in the basement, they step through a mysterious door. . . and find themselves in first-century Jerusalem during the tumultuous last week of Jesus Christ's life. It is a dangerous and violent place, where doing what your heart tells you is right can get you imprisoned--or worse--and they are thankful to take refuge with a kind widow. But when they come face-to-face with Judas Iscariot and the condemned Christ himself, Michael realizes that before they can escape Jerusalem, he must experience history's most necessary and shattering heartbreak--and that pain and loss must happen if Michael is to be set free: to live, love, and reclaim the blessings he has in the present day.

About the Author, Michael J. Sullivan: Michael, a sports journalist and author of sports-themed books for children, started the novel decades ago and some of the flashbacks came from that time period. In May 2007, he began to earnestly work to complete Necessary Heartbreak. After the first draft was completed, he acquired an editor. He says he believes there are people who walk the earth who step into your life for reasons, and he had the help of such people in completing his novel, which is based upon his life experiences.

While on vacation in Orlando, Florida, he received a phone call from Simon & Schuster. Their interest was in publishing a revised edition. He found the perfect fit and the support he needed for the trilogy, was placed in the hands of a capable editor, and took a year to write, re-write, revise, and re-write the novel. He thanks his wife for her help and support as well as all others who played a hand in the outcome of its publication. The appendix contains a Reading Group Guide.

Michael lives in New York City and hosts several sports radio shows. He's worked with ESPN and Sporting News. He's a graduate of St. John's University. Visit him at www.whentimeforgets.com. There's also an ebook edition available.

In my humble and honest opinion, this is one of the best books I've read since last summer when I read Lynn Austin's All She Ever Wanted and Chris Fabry's Dogwood. I urge you to grab Necessary Heartbreak for a read you won't soon forget. It's available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.com and hit local bookstores last March 31! If you haven't read it yet, don't miss it on its anniversary!

Free Books-Sign to Follow my Blog and Participate

Thank you for following my blog. I will post new book reviews on some of the latest books being published through Bethany House and other well-known publishers. To be eligible to win them, please post comments and respond to the reader's survey below. This week's free book is the one reviewed below: The Rewards of Simplicity. I will notify the winner and post the winner's name on my blog. Just leave a comment beneath to answer the short questions to be eligible.

Reader's Survey:
1) What type of book is your favorite read?
2) Do you have a favorite author? If so, why is this person your favorite author?
3) What makes you pick up a book and buy it?
4) What makes a book a keeper?

Thanks for participating. I look forward to reading your responses!
Barb

Choose the Simple Life

The Rewards of simplicity: A Practical and Spiritual Approach by Pam and Chuck D. Pierce is 194 pages devoted to helping you clear the clutter from your life. It's published by Chosen, a division of the Baker Publishing Group, copyrighted 2010. Pam and Chuck are ordained ministers who've been married for 36 years. The book contains a notes section in the back. If you've ever felt your life was chaos and been under pressure and stress, let this spiritual guide help you. In Part I, Pam writes on practical and spiritual simplicity in seven chapters. In Part II, Chuck writes on how to simplify life by overcoming anxiety in five chapters.

Jan says, "Walking humbly with our God, . . .provides us with opportunities to experience simplicity in the midst of our busy, often chaotic lives." Personally, I find the simple pleasures in life refreshing and peaceful, like flowers blooming, birds singing, and the earth turning green once again after winter. God speaks to me through these simple life expressions and eases my tired mind.

Chuck says we all go through trials, and it's the fodder for our faith. He says the problem is allowing the stress to overtake us because we don't co-labor with the Holy Spirit through the hard moments of our lives. He says the key question we must ask in order to leave a life of anxiety and cross over to one of faith is how we can escape a trauma-filled past and restore our childlike faith? Chuck provides biblical examples and discusses how Jesus was different.

From the back cover: "We've all wished for that extra hour or two in our day. . . . Yet the simple days we long for are within our reach." This book is interwoven with biblical teaching, personal experience, and practical tips and you are gently guided to simplify your life, your house, and your soul. As the back cover says, "You don't have to be stressed out. You can experience peace and rest. Start today to reap the rewards of living simply."

God is in control, but we have the freedom of choice. So, will you choose God and peace, or a life of stressed-out chaos? This spiritual guide book is available at Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble.com for approximately $13.99, depending upon the store you select. This book is for a Christian living audience or those who wish to discover the peace through crossing over.

Forever, Until we Meet

Forever Means How Long - Forever, Until We Meet
Author: Vicki M. Taylor

A Review by Barbara J. Robinson of Forever Until We Meet by Vicki M. Taylor
From the mountains of Wyoming to the sunshine of Florida, Taylor spins a web of excitement through the journey of James and Patricia, who meet via the Internet. This book is a must read for women who seek love and companionship over electronic lines, a tale of a woman who didn't give up on love, though each time she laid her heart on the line, it meant more pain and heartbreak.

Refusing to give up on love and knowing that she was a better person than the shallow James who would spend his life looking for a woman who didn't exist, "the perfect woman," existing only in his mind, Patricia finds true love just when she vows to be herself and enjoy life to its fullest. Ironically, she meets true love head on when her heart takes wings back to Wyoming. On the same day she was supposed to have met James for the first time, she realizes he’s the one who is losing and will never have a full, complete life, or a real true love because he is unable to get past "the perfect woman" his mind has created, who is nothing more than a shallow fairy tale.

James is the true loser in this tale because he is destined to a life of disappointment while he plays out his fun and games of chasing his illusion over the Internet, a game of chase he will never win. Patricia prefers a man of depth and reality to a shallow fairy-tale version of the man she thought was the man of her dreams. Giving up her fairy tale, she discovers a man of solid depth with whom she is truly compatible, while James is right back on the Internet searching for a woman who doesn't even exist, except in his mind. Patricia sees that he wastes no time in chasing his next illusion at an even faster pace. Time will run out for James as his Internet fantasy and games catch up with him, while time marches on for Patricia, time worth living in the real world where strong women such as Patricia never give up on making their dreams come true.

Taylor has captured the Internet Romeo in James and the many lonely women seeking true love and companionship in Patricia. This book could be the book that makes a difference for you, if you are one of those lonely women, so don't miss life's lessons on love so cleverly woven in this tale of romantic suspense which has the reader on the edge, wondering if this romance will make it. This is a book the reader won't want to put down until the end.

For you men out there, if you are an Internet Romeo, you might not want to pass this book up because you might find yourselves learning some lessons from dear old James which could prove valuable tools during your Internet fantasies of fairy tales. Ironically, James offers to bring Patricia to Disneyland, a place where fairy tales are supposed to come true, but Patricia's shoe didn't fit. Forever Until we Meet is available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.com. It’s a must-have educational tool for being Internet savy.

The Victor by Marlayne Giron

Author Marlayne Giron spent thirty years writing The Victor. She started writing this epic battle of good versus evil decades ago on a Selectric typewriter and finally fulfilled her life-long dream of seeing it published in April 2009 by Tate Publishing. The language fits the time period of the book, since it's a medieval fantasy. The cover is beautiful, and it's a perfect paperback with 16 chapters of love, hate, betrayal, loyalty, action, and battle between good and evil. If you contact Marlayne, she has a flyer available for teachers and homeschoolers, and the book may be taught as English curriculum. The language of the period is dense at first, but don't let it detour you, or you'll miss a Bible allegory. The fantasy illustrates how poor choices slowly turn a person evil when darkness descends and bad things take place. Though there's redemption, there's also evil that can't be undone. Hope, strength, courage, humor, and love redeem. It's a medieval love story about growing up that contains Christianity and Bible verses in the appendix. I'm not a fan of medieval fantasy, but the author has a command for the language and the time period, and the book rings true. If you like fantasy, kings, knights, and warriors with romance, this book is one you won't want to miss. It offers romance and battles to keep you turning the pages.

The Victor may be purchased at Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble.com, or at www.tatepublishing.com, and you can find it by looking under the author's name. You may become a Facebook friend at http://www.facebook.com/search/?q=Marlayne+Giron+&init=quick.

My Own Thin Place: Thin Places Contest

". . . and the dead in Christ will rise first: After that, we who are still alive and left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words.” 1 Thessalonians verses 4:16-18

She and I stood in the front yard of the old apartment house. Lisa wore a pink jacket, and her sad brown eyes looked directly into mine as she said, "I hope it's not cancer. I don't want to die." That visual image is sealed in my mind as vivid today as it was six years ago when I lost my youngest sister. Bird-like hands clutched a shining gold star with a pearl-head pin. She handed it to me, "I want you to wear this, because every time I see a star, I think of you." When Lisa died, the heavens raged. Storm clouds covered the land and hurricanes blew in from the sea. That year, twelve blustery ones battered America's shores. The last, a storm named Lisa, tiny and non-threatening like her, eventually faded out over land. On September 13, a summons came for Lisa. Sent on a mission, angels ferried another angel home. As I fell to my knees beside my bed and cried, I said a silent prayer, opened my Bible, and discovered my own thin place as the Comforter sent me encouragement. I knew then, that even in death, Jesus rose and hope lived--I'd see my sister again in heaven.


I'd like to invite viewers to join this contest. For more information, go to
http://www.blogtourspot.com/2010/02/thin-places-blog-tour/ and don't forget to read the review of Thin Places by Mary DeMuth. Scroll below for the review :).

Thicker than Blood by CJ Darlington

Thicker than Blood by CJ Darlington is 372 pages of Christian fiction published by Tyndale House Publishers, copyrighted 2009. This full-length novel was the 2008 Christian Writers Guild Operation First Novel contest winner. Darlington has skillfully woven a story of emotional impact that touches on the tough subjects of domestic abuse, abortion, alcoholism, and loss of loved ones through death and separation. Two sisters, Christy and May, haven't seen each other for 15 years. The death of their Aunt Edna brings them together again, but their reunion is beset with problems, pain, and heartache. Christy needs love and acceptance and drowns her sorrows in a bottle. Can May ever forgive her for running? She's run from the ones who've truly loved her all her life, always thinking she was alone and worthless. She's blamed herself for her parent's death. She discovers in the end that she always had someone there, if only she'd have called upon Him. And, she finds that blood is truly thicker than water, when she and her sister share a bond that can't be broken.

When she finally finds a job she loves in a bookstore, a charming man deceives her until he wrecks her position, her apartment, and turns her world inside out and upside down when he frames her for stealing valuable antique books. He's called her worthless so many times that she's begun to believe it. With no place to go, homeless and jobless, she visits the sister she hasn't seen in all those years only to discover her sister has her own problems. The bank is foreclosing on her beloved ranch, but instead of turning to booze for comfort as Christy does to alleviate her problems, May puts her faith and trust in God.

This award-winning novel was so captivating that I started reading it one evening and completed it the next. It's 23 chapters of suspense as Christy weaves her way back into May's life, and Vince stalks her to the ranch. Just as Christy feels she can breathe again, Vince intrudes upon her life and threatens to kill her sister. The author has paid attention to detail and provides excellent descriptions and dialogue. This is a novel you won't want to miss. A friend on Facebook told me she ordered hers today, after I'd told her how much I enjoyed reading it and from my brief description. She asked what the book was about, and I replied, two sisters who haven't seen each other in 15 years. I told her I'd put the review on my blog soon, but she didn't wait and ordered hers through Amazon.com. The author started the Christian entertainment Web site www.TitleTrakk.com in 2006. Check out Christian fiction and author interviews at the site and meet the award-winning author, CJ Darlington. This novel truly showcases well-written Christian fiction. It's my kind of book!

Review of Thin Places: A Memoir by Mary E. DeMuth

Thin Places: A Memoir by Mary DeMuth is 215 pages of prose and poetry gifted as a spiritual memoir published by Zondervan, copyrighted 2010. Full of figurative language, the book allows readers visual images that make them feel like they're watching the action take place. Parts of it will rip your heart wide open and turn your eyes into rivulets of tears. As she explores her past through writing out her heart, she sees God's handiwork throughout the many hardships and obstacles in her life. Tracing her life's journey through writing allows her to experience God. Mary defines "thin places" as the division fading between this world and the external, times she's felt God at work in her life and knew He was with her.


Thin Places is raw, full of powerful emotions, some of the reading is hard to digest as Mary paints a picture of what it's like for a five-year old girl to be molested. She shares the tough subject of sexual abuse in the hopes others won't feel so alone. She says, "I have a feeling my own journey will help others heal." It takes an author and woman of great strength and courage that can only come from God to tell the tale of the horrid childhood that made her who she is today, God's child, who is loved by him unconditionally.


Much of the book reveals what Mary sees as her personal flaws and weaknesses. Too much negative self-talk takes away from the inspirational message it's meant to deliver. I applaud her for being courageous enough to put her life on the page in stark black and white, but when I first started reading the book, I thought it'd be different. At first, I was really into it and couldn't wait to read further, but it ended up taking me a little longer to complete the reading once I got to parts that were hard to digest. She credits God for saving her by grace, and I know exactly what she means by "feeling" God with her and seeing His hand on her life through it all, but it's not a book I'd go back and reread for inspiration. It's hard to put my finger on, but it's something about the wording that pulls me out of the story.

However, I feel rape victims might relate to the story in a different light. They may find it more helpful and even more insightful. I could see the book being used in a class to help them. While she had a hard life, the most difficult part was the sexual abuse at such a tender age. This book will heal and also illustrate how you might help others going through such a crisis. If you or any member of your family has gone through such an ordeal, you'd want to read this book. You may purchase it through Barnes and Noble.com or Amazon.com. Visit Mary at www.marydemuth.com. or relevantblog.blogspot.com. If you're in need of a speaker on the topic of sexual abuse, Mary's your gift, and she's a special lady and author. Check out her other books. She has some interesting titles: Watching the Tree Limbs and Wishing on Dandelions, which sound more like my type of book, so read the book for yourself. It may be just the book for you!

Scotty's Jeans

Colored Jeans on the Clothesline: Such Precious Days Don't Last
Up early every morning, cleaning house and taking care of the family duties with the spirit, vitality, and energy of youth, far too busy to treasure the day, with a son in the first grade. She took pride in the fact that she kept a spotless house and had dinner on the table when her husband returned from work. She hung her son’s jeans out in the sunshine and fresh air, glad he had a pair of each color for school. They hung neatly, all in a row, jeans of brown, black, green, navy, maroon, and blue.

Where did those days go? Before she knew it, her son was grown and gone, with kids of his own. Those precious family days were a treasure that didn’t last. All too soon, spring turns to summer, and kids grow up too fast, leave home, and are gone. Summer turns to fall. Fall turns to winter. What you wouldn’t give to hang those precious little jeans of every color on the clothesline and watch them blow in the wind! Such precious days don’t last.

Those were the days, the best days in life. Such precious days fly by with the speed of lightening. Suddenly, she wonders where did the time go? How did she get to be this old? She no longer cleans her house with the spirit, energy, and vitality of her youth. What she once took pride in, is dull, boring, and humdrum, just another ordinary, routine day. Now, there are no little jeans blowing in the wind. No first grader will come home to excitedly tell her about his school day. Those are all things of the past, things she didn’t treasure when she had them, because she was always in such a hurry, things that didn’t last.

Now, her little grandson’s mother throws his bluejeans in the dryer as she rushes to get ready for work each morning. The hands of time slip by like a silent thief. Off to work. Off to school. School years fly. No little colored jeans blow in the wind, days of the past, treasured days that just don’t last.

First published at USA.DeepSouth.com
Author retains copyright

(I have an idea for revising again and making this into a full story) This piece was written about the days I hung my oldest son's jeans on the line. His name is Scotty, and he was named after the song, "Watching Scotty Grow". When I wrote this piece, I knew nothing of author's craft and word choice. My writing has changed so much in the past five years. I have edited the first chapters in my manuscript so many times. Yet, each time I read it, I find myself changing another word for word choice. Something else jumps out at me, and I think of another way to improve it. By the time I let it go, it should shine for God. At this rate, will I ever let it go? :)

Words to Write By: Author Devotionals

I have a writing devotional in the book Words to Write By: Author Devotionals, complied by Robin Bayne. The book is full of devotionals for writers, and I've found it very inspiring. It motivates me to continue my writing journey for the Lord.

Five chapters and 168 pages of inspiration encourage writers and include Encouragement and Motivation, Persistence and Rejections, Publishing and Networking, Success and Sustenance, and Write for Him. I read this nonfiction book while I waited for my husband at the hospital on October 22, 2008. He had to have tests, and I read and prayed. God answered my prayers, and He is fine.

The book includes a variety of well-known authors, and they share favorite scriptures and quotations they find inspiring for writing. My devotional is titled "Why Write When You Keep Getting Rejections?"It describes my experience of receiving the best rejection letter ever. Despite the fact that my writing and characters were praised, the novel was still rejected. It didn't fit in with their line.

I'm still writing for Him, and in His perfect timing, His will, not mine, my work will find a home and an audience. I am the daughter of the King. My Prince has come, and He is not fiction.

Review of Things Left Unspoken by Eva Marie Everson

Things Left Unspoken
Author: Eva Marie Everson
Reviewer: Barbara J. Robinson
http://barbarajrobinson.blogspot.com/
Five Stars
To Purchase: Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble (See reviews there also)

Things Left Unspoken by Eva Marie Everson is three hundred and eighty-one pages of pure Southern delight. The novel allows the reader to adventure through life, romance, true love, wisdom gained with age and life experiences, dealing with life’s curve balls, conflicts of love and life, heartaches that make us stronger, and God’s fingerprints on our lives to make us the people He wants us to become. If you enjoy Southern fiction, you’ll love this novel. I devoured it in a couple of days.

Jo Lynn Hunter and her Aunt Stella make it women’s fiction. Jo Lynn deals with current marriage problems and feels she’s not at home in the life her husband has chosen for them. Something is missing and leaves her feeling empty inside. At life’s crossroads, she takes on a project to rebuild an old Southern family home and finds herself restored in the process. Family secrets reveal their ugly challenges and place Jo Lynn in extreme danger. She rises to the challenge and refuses to be chased from her project of love.

Aunt Stella illustrates true love and the wisdom of ripe old age. Valentine, her teenage love, grows into a wise elderly man, who declares if the foundation is strong, anything can be rebuilt. Jo Lynn learns the secrets of the past and the treasures for a happy future, even as she learns some things are best left unspoken.

Sweet Peace

I relax in sweet peace to the smell of French vanilla coffee and creamer and the music of birds, the prettiest in the world. As milk builds strong bones, I milk God's Word to build a strong soul. Blissful morning surrounds me. I sip coffee and glasp the Good Book, the best one in the world.

Winter Visit 2009

If you look closely, you can see my feathered friends in the background as they leave. Bethany, my little granddaughter was amazed with the tall cranes. My son, her father, snapped this photo of us as we returned from watching them. I'd hoped the Sandhill cranes would grace us with their presence while my children and grandchildren visited, and four visited daily. My family had never seen this type of bird, and my son had to get photos of them, too.

They've come and gone, and their visit is over, but I have pictures to remember our Christmas of 2009. As I look at the large one I placed on my bookcase today, my favorite is a picture that shows us in the family room. It even includes Sunflower, my cocker spaniel. She's sitting by the side of my chair. The entire visit, she was never far from my side. In fact, she stayed right underfoot. Every step I made, she made it, too. I couldn't leave a room without her, but that's normal for her. She wants to be with her mommy.

Son, look closely, you've captured Sunflower; she's part of the family, too. I really miss you guys. We were disappointed with only sleet this morning and no fluffy white stuff. I'd loved to see a few snowflakes drift to the ground, but instead, I glanced out to see rain mixed with sleet, and we had a nasty, cold, miserable day.

I hope we get a chance to go camping this summer together. Meanwhile, I feel close and connected with Facebook. And, yes, Wendy, your mom is watching.

Repost of All She Ever Wanted by Lynn Austin Book Review

Monday, August 3, 2009
All She Ever Wanted by Lynn Austin

This was one of my favorite summer reads. Dogwood by Chris Fabry was another. I recently reposted Dogwood. If you scroll to older posts, you'll see comments from the first posting of Dogwood. Of my many summer reads, these two have stuck in my mind. I've read and reviewed books since both, but these two novels stand out and apart from all the others I've reviewed. If you haven't read them, I highly recommend both, and I'm reposting because no one deserves to miss these two great novels!

All She Ever Wanted by Lynn Austin is generational women's fiction,just the type of book I love to devour. The title speaks for what all women truly want and just as the female characters in the novel only want love, women desire true love. The main character, Kathleen Seymoure, discovers hiding the past of how she lived and grew up from her daughter, Joelle, puts an emotional barrier between them. When Kathleen opens up, it enables her daughter to understand her, just as when Kathleen hears her own mother's story, she's able to understand her mother's life.

You might say the females in this novel were unlucky in love, but the truth is they loved and made poor choices because of it. These women have something in common--they left home at an early age and never looked back until Kathleen found the courage to return. Kathleen came through a generation of women who'd made poor decisions strong enough to make right choices and ended up with a good man, while the men in the other characters lives were not so nice--that's putting it mildly. The story is so realistic to life and could be an important book for young girls, since it's thought-provoking and provides great life lessons and much insight.

Once I started reading the novel, I couldn't put it down. It's 35 chapters and 400 pages of life staring you in the face, published by Bethany House and available at bookstores or online through Barnes and Noble and Amazon.

Love Finds You in Holiday Florida

Love Finds You in Holiday Florida by Sandra D. Bricker is 20 chapters and 328 pages of delightful Christian romance, published in 2009 by Summerside Press. The author spins a tale of humor set in Holiday, Florida, where two pink flamingos become a symbol of learning to live a different lifestyle for widow Cassie Constantine. Used to a brownstone in Boston, she returns to Holiday to ready the summer vacation home for the real estate market. However, during the process of redecorating, she falls in love with the Holiday home and hates to see someone else take over her dream kitchen and bath she worked so hard to design. Not only does she fall in love with the home, but she also falls for the Florida community and a handsome chestnut-haired Richard Dillon, she meets when her dock gets in the way of a boat. When Cassie plants the once-hated flamingos in the front yard and even decorates a palm tree for Christmas, she shows the first signs of loosing up and allowing herself to enjoy life.

Figurative language and great character description make characters come alive, from a disco granny to blue-haired senior citizens who hustle and tango. The canal behind Cassie's vacation home delivers a man, a Florida snake that invades one senior's home, and the threat of alligators. Will Cassie ever enjoy her scenic view of the canal again, once she realizes the danger it may hold?

Following the suggestions of a surprise box, she pulls a card, reads the scripture and recommendation of how to apply the verse to her life, and begins to really live for the first time in years. But, Cassie has a life back in Boston, where her daughter and grandchildren live, and she's expecting her third grandchild. At 56, can she brave throwing away one life to risk another? Will she sell her vacation home, or the Boston brownstone? This delightful novel may be purchased online through Amazon or Barnes and Noble.com, or it can be bought at your local Walmart, where I picked up my copy.

Repost The Mystery of the Cross

Saturday, December 12, 2009
The Mystery of the Cross: Bringing Ancient Christian Images to Life
Have you ever pondered the mystery of the cross? Judith Couchman's new book The Mystery of the Cross: Bringing Ancient Christian Images to Life provides answers curious minds will want to devour. Forty chapters divided into seven parts explore signs and symbols of faith. The story of Jonah, favored from the Old Testament, and Noah, Moses, Abraham, and Daniel are illustrated. God's ability to deliver his spiritual children are illustrated through images. Popular redemptive images contribute to the overall theme in remembering the Old Testament.

The back cover states, "At the center of Christianity, sits the cross of Christ," and explains how from the beginning, Christ's followers valued the cross as a symbol of their faith. The author describes forty images of the cross from early Christianity and deciphers how the most favorable stories from the Old Testament had a redemptive message. Understanding of Christian tradition will be enriched, as well as deeper appreciation for the cross.

Values in God's Kingdom are not of this earthly world, like power-hungry, power-grabbing people clawing their way to the top. The book points out that Jesus invites us to live in an inverted world, where the first shall be last and the last, first.

I enjoyed reading the many mysteries of the cross and learned so much that I hadn't a clue about before picking up this amazing book. It'd make an excellent Christmas gift and provide the kind of gift that keeps on giving, Jesus. The book may be purchased at local bookstores, online booksellers, or the Inter Varsity Press website at http://www.ivpress.com for the retail price of $17, but many sellers offer discounts. The author's blog is www.judithcouchman.blogspot.com and her Facebook page is www.facebook/judithcouchman.

Book Review Love Finds You in Snowball, Arkansas

LOVE FINDS YOU IN SNOWBALL, ARKANSAS

First read and reviewed in November 2008, but I'm reading Love Finds You in Holiday, Florida, and I'm over halfway finished, so I decided to repost this review. I'll post the review of Sandie's new novel when I've completed it. Look for it soon! You won't want to miss it. I love her humor.

Love Finds You in Snowball Arkansas by Sandra D. Bricker is 261 pages of page-turning figurative language with a delicately interwoven Christian message of what real love truly is. The main character Lucy illustrates how we can sometimes miss what’s right before our eyes, if we’re too busy looking elsewhere. From Little Rock to Snowball, Arkansas, Lucy delivers laughs, making readers think about their own fun-filled courtship days. Readers will visualize and laugh their way through the novel, as it keeps them guessing who’ll end up with who until the end when God’s grand design controls the scheme of things and Lucy must face her ultimate choice, Matt or Justin. Will she come to her senses before it’s too late? Check out the reviews of this delightful book on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. You can still order in time to provide the readers in your life with a wonderful winter read!


Barbara Robinson
Author
http://barbarajrobinson.blogspot.com/

Dogwood by Chris Fabry - Reposted Book Review

Dogwood by Chris Fabry is a book that emotionally tugs at the reader's heart strings, one of my favorite summer reads. Will Hatfield was my favorite character, a man who takes the blame for crimes he didn't commit, taking the burdens of others on his shoulders,like Jesus.

After spending years in prison,an innocent man whom his hometown condemns,Will returns to Dogwood, West Virginia, and refuses to give up on the woman he loves, Karin, even though the people in the town hate him. While the town harshly judges him and tries to entice him to leave, he struggles to build his dream home, even though the woman he desires to share it with has settled and buried any dreams she's ever had. In a desperate fight for his life, dreams, and the woman he loves, the character Will demonstrates true love in action. This was my first time reading a book by Fabry, but it won't be my last. He writes with a passion for life and love, and I didn't want to put the book down until I finished it. I couldn't wait to see what happened to Will and Karin. While she was unlikable at times, I couldn't help liking Will throughout the entire novel and wanting to see him overcome the many obstacles life threw in his face.

My Anchor is Jesus

For a brief moment, I saw a glimpse of my old shopping partner. A smile played at the corners of her lips, and she said, “I remember the time we spent five hours shopping in Hammond after you got off work. You bought me a gold angel pen and a few other items.”

Transported by sweet, precious memories to another time and place, I remember one of the treasures in my life, my youngest sister, who spent Christmas with Jesus this year. Jesus is the anchor in my world of heartache and pain. When I remember lost loved ones,I remember Him and what He did for us when he suffered on the cross for our sins. Because he loved us so much, He gave His life for us, so we could be saved and blessed with eternal life and see our loved ones again.

Bits and pieces of conversations from the past float through my memories as I recall the lives of my sister and my mother. As the old year ends and the new one begins, I treasure a Christmas of the past, one when we were all together. And, I treasure this year's Christmas celebration with my two sons and their families. My son snapped a picture of me holding Bethany's hand when we were walking back from visiting the Sandhill Cranes. Bethany is my youngest grandchild. The breeze blew back my long tresses as I walked, and I noticed a hint of the girl I used to be smiling at the camera.

These days are all precious hidden treasures that fly as quickly as Sandhill Crane airplanes. I savor each moment and each memory and thank God for the short, but precious visit, as I hold tightly to my treasured anchor, Jesus, the author of my life story.

My Two Sons

The highlight of my Christmas this year was the visit by my two sons and their families. I so enjoyed seeing them and the grands. My grandchildren were astonished with the Sandhill Cranes, birds they'd never before seen. They loved their visit to Disney's Magic Kingdom, the flea markets, putt putting, and riding in a race cart. The only problem was the precious time flew away just as quickly as my feathered friends. My sons headed home, and I woke up missing them for coffee the next morning. I found myself thinking this morning at 7 AM, that this time last week, they were just arriving, and we headed for breakfast at the Golden Corral. As I perked my French Vanilla Dunkin Donut coffee this morning, I couldn't help but look at the two coffee cups that were used along with mine last week, coffee cups that'll not be used for a long time, since no one drinks coffee but me. I touched the red bird on the coffee cup Scotty used and thought of how he stood in the door of the RV and watched me feed my feathered friends. Like me, he had to get pictures of them. And, like me, he said he likes to watch animals. I guess he gets it honestly. The cup Rodney used had a wild duck on it. Christmas is over and with it, all the joy and anticipation of knowing I'd soon see part of my family again, but I thank God for the opportunity I had even if it was a short visit. I felt lonely and relived our time together in my mind. I didn't get to see my two daughters, only my two sons. Now, I pray the Lord works a way for me to see them all this summer, and I thank God for sweet, precious memories. I looked at the Merry Christmas 2009 book my son, Scotty, made for me. He was so smart and crafty to make it. I have pictures of our time together in it and pictures of their trip to Disney. It's one of the best Christmas gifts I received.

My daughter-in-law, Becky, and my son, Rodney, supplied me with facial creams and lotions to last me until next Christmas. I love them, too. Scotty and Melissa gave me a gift card, and I used it to purchase a set of stainless steel Farberware pots. But, it's not the things I received that made Christmas special. It's the people I got to see and enjoy. Rodney and I cooked dinner one night together in the kitchen, and I'll always remember. I also received a scar on my right hand from a burn when he fried turkey that always be a reminder.

Most of all, I remember the reason for the season and thank God for His precious son, Jesus Christ, whom he gave to save us all, so we could enjoy eternal life with Him. I'd hoped to visit the Holy Land Experience in Orlando, but we didn't get to. My daughter wants to go when she makes it down, and it'll be a great mother/daughter experience together. I look forward to her visit. Don't forget to take the time to remember and treasure sweet memories. Most of all, make many more. You'll live on through memories. How do I know? I carry my father, mother, and youngest sister with me in my heart, though they make their home in heaven and spent Christmas with Jesus.

Blessings and sweet, precious memories.

The Mystery of the Cross: Bringing Ancient Christian Images to Life

Have you ever pondered the mystery of the cross? Judith Couchman's new book The Mystery of the Cross: Bringing Ancient Christian Images to Life provides answers curious minds will want to devour. Forty chapters divided into seven parts explore signs and symbols of faith. The story of Jonah, favored from the Old Testament, and Noah, Moses, Abraham, and Daniel are illustrated. God's ability to deliver his spiritual children are illustrated through images. Popular redemptive images contribute to the overall theme in remembering the Old Testament.

The back cover states, "At the center of Christianity, sits the cross of Christ," and explains how from the beginning, Christ's followers valued the cross as a symbol of their faith. The author describes forty images of the cross from early Christianity and deciphers how the most favorable stories from the Old Testament had a redemptive message. Understanding of Christian tradition will be enriched, as well as deeper appreciation for the cross.

Values in God's Kingdom are not of this earthly world, like power-hungry, power-grabbing people clawing their way to the top. The book points out that Jesus invites us to live in an inverted world, where the first shall be last and the last, first.

I enjoyed reading the many mysteries of the cross and learned so much that I hadn't a clue about before picking up this amazing book. It'd make an excellent Christmas gift and provide the kind of gift that keeps on giving, Jesus. The book may be purchased at local bookstores, online booksellers, or the Inter Varsity Press website at http://www.ivpress.com for the retail price of $17, but many sellers offer discounts. The author's blog is www.judithcouchman.blogspot.com and her Facebook page is www.facebook/judithcouchman.

In Loving Memory of Dakota

Dakota J. Robinson, our German Shepherd, was a faithful, loving friend and companion. We enjoyed her company from June 2001 to November 18, 2009. We purchased her from a state trooper who got her for a wedding present. Last Saturday, at a local gun show, we purchased five tickets for a raffle to buy police dogs bullet- proof vests. There was a picture poster of a German Shepherd that looked like her, and we did it in memory of Dakota and to support cannine troopers.

Dakota would have been 10 years old in December. Her sissy, Sunflower, our golden girl, misses her and keeps watching out the door for her. Dakota had German Shepherd hips and lost control of her bowels at the end. She had to drag herself along using only her two front paws and twist her entire hip area. She could no longer meet me at the door when I came home from work. The day before she was put down, I came home, and she tried so hard to run meet me, but flopped down and cried and whinned instead, as she watched Sunflower run greet me.

I had Dakota longer than any other dog my entire life, nearly as long as I've been here. She was Sunflower's big sissy, and those two girls loved each other and were company for one another while we worked. Now, Frankie, a blue-eyed, part Siamese cat, has to be her company.

In loving memory of a faithful companion whose smile lit up her face. Her brown eyes sparked with pure love, but were sad that last morning when I said goodbye, like she knew it was for the last time. My last words to her were, "Your mommy loves you."

I pray you're running again on all four legs in doggie heaven, and I'll see you when I get there. I know God loves animals. He created them for us humans to have true, pure love. There's no love like a faithful dog's, man and woman's best friend. They don't care about your outside shell, only your loving heart.

The Thanksgiving the Garbage Disposal ate the Eggs

My Thanksgiving nonfiction piece will be published on November 25 in the Community Section of "St. Cloud in the News". The editor emailed me about it. It's the story of my youngest son and his wife visiting when my husband had just installed a new garbage disposal. I'd never had one before, so I had to learn about it the hard way by losing my Thanksgiving dinner eggs I'd boiled for a potato salad. Talk about a good laugh and a joyful day, we had one. My son and his wife are visiting again in about a month. His wife, Becky, said she and my son, Rodney, were talking about the incident just the other day. She wants me to save them a copy and have it for them when they come. I'll be sure not to let the garbage disposal have the Christmas eggs, so Becky doesn't have to run to a store for more.

I wrote this piece while taking Long Ridge classes and Christian Writers' Guild classes. I see the need to pull out some of my old lessons and polish them. Also, I see how they can fuel the fire for new ideas.

Meanwhile, I'm looking forward to this year's Thanksgiving break, though I won't have any company for an egg incident. I will have a fried turkey though. My husband will do the honors.

Here's hoping all of my readers have a blessed, joyful, spirit-filled, happy Thanksgiving.

Encouraging Email from a National Editor

I received an encouraging email from a national publisher who said she's overstocked, but asked to hold my article for possible publication. She said it's a lovely piece, and they don't get many about mechanics, but it may take up to a year, if she can fit it in. This article really means a lot to me, because it's written about my youngest son. She said she feels the men in the audience would relate to it as well as the women. With today's economy, her email was insipring, and she said I could still feel free to market it elsewhere, since few magazines consider them competition. I haven't actively marketed it though since a few earlier attempts. Since, I've graduated from the Christian Writer's Guild, I polished it. It is an article I wrote when I took my first class with the Guild, the Apprentice course. Since then, I've also completed the Journeyman Level, two Long Ridge courses, and a dialogue class. I'm always honing my skills. I prayed for God to open a door, and I received the email. It was much-needed inspiration. Now, I'm ready to write and looking forward to a writing weekend. I feel my writing has been validated. If my author wants it published, He'll open those doors, and it'll find a home. Thank God for placing the desire and passion to write in my heart. I love both reading and writing.

Completed all Writing Lessons

I've completed my last writing lesson for the Christian Writers Guild, and I've finished the Apprentice and Journeymen Levels. In addition, I've completed two classes through Long Ridge Writers Group and a class on dialogue with Tracy Ruckman. Eva Marie Everson was my writing mentor through the Guild and through the class with Tracy Ruckman.

I'm looking forward to being able to spend my time working on short articles,short stories, and novels instead of writing lessons. At this time, I'm reworking and revising some of my material I wrote during the three years of course work with the Guild. I didn't have time with my normal job and keeping up with my writing classes and lessons to devote to do so before, but now I can totally focus. I'll begin submitting and pray God opens a door.

Sandhill Cranes

I have two new wild/tame pets who've claimed me, two sandhill cranes. They're like kids and come running/flying to me when they see me. They wait for me to come and are glad to see me each day. Thank God for such beautiful, elegant creatures. I love watching them. They're so funny. I never knew what a sandhill crane was until I moved to Florida. They're graceful, tall birds. Peacocks are proud and strut their stuff, but sandhill cranes are elegant and refined, holding their heads high as they delicately waltz across the yard. They glide in for landings like airplanes.

Touching Spirit Bear

Touching Spirit Bear
By Ben Mikaelsen

Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen is 240 pages of action and adventure published by Scholastic, a great book for young adults, especially boys. Cole Matthews, the main character, is banished to an island in Alaska for Circle Justice when he injuries another teen. He hopes to avoid jail by spending a year on the island. Once there, he plans to escape and burns the cabin that was built for him. Incoming tide and icy waters foul his escape attempt, and he’s injured by a spirit bear. Near death, he realizes he wants to live. He’s found and nursed back to health, but he’ll never be the same physically, emotionally, or spiritually. When he’s healed enough, he’s sent back to the island, but this time, he has to build his own cabin and fend totally for himself. Meanwhile, the boy he injured will also never be the same physically and becomes so depressed he attempts suicide. Cole knows what helped and changed him, and he desires to help Peter before it’s too late, but how will he convince the boy’s parents to allow him to live on an island with the person who physically attacked him and altered his life? Cole learns life’s lessons from the animals on the deserted island, and he wants to help Peter as he’s been helped, but will he be allowed to before it’s too late? And will Peter ever accept his help?

Dogwood by Chris Fabry

Dogwood by Chris Fabry is a book that emotionally tugs at the reader's heart strings, one of my favorite summer reads. Will Hatfield was my favorite character, a man who takes the blame for crimes he didn't commit, taking the burdens of others on his shoulders,like Jesus.

After spending years in prison,an innocent man whom his hometown condemns,Will returns to Dogwood, West Virginia, and refuses to give up on the woman he loves, Karin, even though the people in the town hate him. While the town harshly judges him and tries to entice him to leave, he struggles to build his dream home, even though the woman he desires to share it with has settled and buried any dreams she's ever had. In a desperate fight for his life, dreams, and the woman he loves, the character Will demonstrates true love in action. This was my first time reading a book by Fabry, but it won't be my last. He writes with a passion for life and love, and I didn't want to put the book down until I finished it. I couldn't wait to see what happened to Will and Karin. While she was unlikable at times, I couldn't help liking Will throughout the entire novel and wanting to see him overcome the many obstacles life threw in his face.

All She Ever Wanted by Lynn Austin

All She Ever Wanted by Lynn Austin is generational women's fiction,just the type of book I love to devour. The title speaks for what all women truly want and just as the female characters in the novel only want love, women desire true love. The main character, Kathleen Seymoure, discovers hiding the past of how she lived and grew up from her daughter, Joelle, puts an emotional barrier between them. When Kathleen opens up, it enables her daughter to understand her, just as when Kathleen hears her own mother's story, she's able to understand her mother's life.

You might say the females in this novel were unlucky in love, but the truth is they loved and made poor choices because of it. These women have something in common--they left home at an early age and never looked back until Kathleen found the courage to return. Kathleen came through a generation of women who'd made poor decisions strong enough to make right choices and ended up with a good man, while the men in the other characters lives were not so nice--that's putting it mildly. The story is so realistic to life and could be an important book for young girls, since it's thought-provoking and provides great life lessons and much insight.

Once I started reading the novel, I couldn't put it down. It's 35 chapters and 400 pages of life staring you in the face, published by Bethany House and available at bookstores or online through Barnes and Noble and Amazon.

First Line of Novel in Progress

From the wooded lot beside the small country church, Fred Blunt waited and constantly checked his watch.

That's the first line in my novel True Hidden Treasures. Hope it makes you want to read more!

If you look closely at the picture of my Cocker Spaniel, Sunflower, and look behind the blue chair, you'll see a picture of my deceased mother, Alice Myrtle Threeton Russell, and I'm the young lady in pink :).

A quote to inspire writers: The great American novel has not only already been written, it has already been rejected.
Frank Dane

I love animals, especially dogs and cats, and I put my dog in my novel, but the book is fiction. I loved Because of Winn Dixie and thought the dog made the novel, so I thought mine would add a special touch for dog lovers :)

My Youngest Son

I've written a story about Rodney, too, but I haven't posted it here, since it's a full story I hope to publish one day. We're at Wendy's for Christmas in this picture, taken a couple of years ago. Rodney loved to tinker with old bikes and cars growing up, and he grew up to become an auto mechanic until he switched to AC repairman. He should be getting the business as hot as it is. My oldest son says he's been fixing them right and left. Both boys know how to work on vehicles and ACs. Scotty, the oldest son, also puts down flooring,tile or carpet. I love to write family memories and write about my family. Could use those boys if they lived nearer. Need some remodeling help, and they'd be perfect for the job, but they can't make it until Thanksgiving or Christmas, and it won't wait until then. Besides, they're coming to relax, not work. I can't wait to see them. Miss seeing my family this summer. I usually get to see them twice a year, summer and winter, but I'm not able to this year, since my husband has a new job and no vacation time. I can smell those crawfish boils and backyard barbecues. Miss you guys.

Colored Jeans on the Clothesline: Such Precious Days Don't Last

Up early every morning, cleaning house and taking care of the family duties with the spirit, vitality, and energy of youth, far too busy to treasure the day, with a son in the first grade. She took pride in the fact that she kept a spotless house and had dinner on the table when her husband returned from work. She hung her son’s jeans out in the sunshine and fresh air, glad he had a pair of each color for school. They hung neatly, all in a row, jeans of brown, black, green, navy, maroon, and blue.

Where did those days go? Before she knew it, her son was grown and gone, with kids of his own. Those precious family days were a treasure that didn’t last. All too soon, spring turns to summer, and kids grow up too fast, leave home, and are gone. Summer turns to fall. Fall turns to winter. What you wouldn’t give to hang those precious little jeans of every color on the clothesline and watch them blow in the wind! Such precious days don’t last.

Those were the days, the best days in life. Such precious days fly by with the speed of lightening. Suddenly, she wonders where did the time go? How did she get to be this old? She no longer cleans her house with the spirit, energy, and vitality of her youth. What she once took pride in, is dull, boring, and humdrum, just another ordinary, routine day. Now, there are no little jeans blowing in the wind. No first grader will come home to excitedly tell her about his school day. Those are all things of the past, things she didn’t treasure when she had them, because she was always in such a hurry, things that didn’t last.

Now, her little grandson’s mother throws his bluejeans in the dryer as she rushes to get ready for work each morning. The hands of time slip by like a silent thief. Off to work. Off to school. School years fly. No little colored jeans blow in the wind, days of the past, treasured days that just don’t last.

First published at USA.DeepSouth.com
Author retains copyright
(I have an idea for revising again and making this into a full story)

Raining on the River

I look at the picture from last June and remember how it rained when we were camping, but the river was still beautiful. I know why I've always loved natural water like the river and the ocean so much. It flows freely. I've been reading Beth Moore again. I loved her book Believing God. Now, I'm reading Breaking Free. God makes Himself known through the glory He created. I understand why I love looking at water and sky. They both declare God's glory. Mountains, beautiful woods, streams, lakes, have all made me feel free and closer to God. I enjoy God's presence in all He created. It's no wonder I love nature.

My idea of resting, relaxing, being restored, and renewed has always been through enjoying peaceful scenes and nature. I realize this has brought me peace and renewal because I took my quiet time with God and enjoyed HIS presence. I drew closer to God and felt closer to Him.

I look at this picture of a rainy day last summer and miss being able to gaze out upon that river with the raindrops dotting its surface. Instead, I have to settle for the raindrops dotting the surface of our swimming pool this summer, and it's not the same. But, I thank God for the blessed rainy summer day of 2008 when I captured this picture and a memory in my heart of Summer 2008. I thank Him for all the blessings in my life. Most of all, I thank Him for His unconditional love and for sending His only son to save me.

I have a personal relationship with God, so I know Him, love Him, and believe Him. God has made Himself known to me through his glory. I look all around me and see Him everywhere. I find satisfaction in God and in His Word, the Bible. I know His Word is our instruction manual for an abundant, productive, blessed life. I have experienced God's peace many times throughout my life when the storms of life have tried to wash me away. Like a rock, I held on to God and His Word, and I've enjoyed God's presence so many times. I've felt the gift of the Holy Spirit wash over me, and I realized though my earthly father died when I was four years old on Christmas Day, I've always had my Heavenly Father. He never leaves or forsakes me. Thank you God for always being there for me. Jesus is my best friend, and I'm glad to have a friend I can always believe in and count on.

May God bless you and yours. My heartfelt wish for you is to have a close,loving relationship with your creator. Such a relationship brings so many benefits. Peace of mind is only one. Beth Moore talks about five in Breaking Free, and she also discusses five obstacles that can keep you from obtaining those five benefits. I love reading her books and have gained so much understanding from them.

Remember, even if it is a rainy summer day, God is showing Himself to you through His glory. My eyes only have to look at the picture to realize the beauty and treasure the memory of the peace and content that fell with each raindrop. Be blessed.

Publishing on Demand? What's to Gain?

Check out the March 2009 edition of Christian Fiction Online if you're considering Publishing on Demand (POD) or self publishing your own book. My article Publishing on Demand? What's to Gain? features the views of Eva Marie Everson, recently published author of a new Southern novel, THINGS LEFT UNSPOKEN, publihsed by Revell, and Janet Perez Eckles, who published TRIALS OF TODAY, TREASURES FOR TOMORROW with Xulon. Click on the picture of the magazine or this link to take you to my article. http://christianfictiononlinemagazine.com/mar-09-biz_pod.html. I've read Everson's novel and if you scroll below, you'll find the picture of it with a book review I've posted. It's well worth reading. If you like Southern fiction, you won't want to miss this one. If you scroll down, you'll also find a review I've written of Trials of Today, Treasures for Tomorrow, a nonfiction book about how Mrs. Eckles overcame the loss of her sight and was gifted with pure insight. She has the ability to see more than most sighted people and continues to write inspirational stories with the help of special computer software. She is also able to critique my work with the same software. We have shared critiquing one another's work, and I've found her to be an inspring treasure herself. You will need to click on older posts and scroll and scan to find the book review, but the pictures of both books are still showing on this page. Mrs. Everson's review still shows as well, but it's been quite some time since I did the one for Mrs. Eckles, so it's in the older posts. Enjoy!

I greatly admire both of these wonderful, talented Christian authors and speakers. Mrs. Everson is my mentor with the Christian Writers Guild, and Mrs. Eckles is a dear friend I met through my critique group with American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW). I owe by blossoming talent to God, Mrs. Everson, Mrs. Eckles, and my ACFW critique group. I've completed the Apprentice Class and have only nine assignments to wrap up the Journeyman Level with the Christian Writers Guild. Long Ridge classes have also aided in honing my craft. I learned so much through hands-on, trial-and-error with the ACFW critique group that I highly recommend networking and joining a critique group if you're serious about honing your skills.

A Hershey Sweet Summer

We visited Hershey’s Chocolate World Visitor Center, Hershey Park, and Zoo America one June and took a simulated tour of the Chocolate Factory on the Chocolate Ride. We walked through a tropical jungle where the cocoa beans were harvested and viewed the chocolate-making process during the ride. At the end, we received a free sample. We explored the gift shops and restaurants and had ice cream Hershey style.

The Really Big 3D Show provided a glimpse of the history of Hershey’s chocolate. The show was designed and produced by Landmark Entertainment, the group who designed Universal Studios “Terminator 2/3D”. Free candy samples made the show even sweeter.

We took in 11 acres of wildlife, Zoo America, with park admission, but the most amazing adventure for my husband and stepdaughter was Storm Runner in Hershey Park. It was the first hydraulic launch coaster with inversions. It sped off at 72 miles per hour. I rode a lot of coasters, but I waited on the ground for this one. However, I joined my husband and stepdaughter for the thrills of Great Bear, an inverted coaster. The four inversions, vertical loop, camelback twist, and wing over gave us the sensation of flying through the air as our feet dangled.

I got lots of great pictures, even some of Hershey Kiss traffic lights. The streets are named after Hershey candy. I even found out where my favorite Jolly Rancher candy is made. It, too, is a Hershey product though it is not chocolate. My husband had to stock up on his favorite white chocolate Hershey bars with almonds and white Kit Kat bars which are so hard to find, but delicious. Hershey, Pennsylvania, is the sweetest place on earth, just as they say. My husband, Scott, thought Storm Runner and his candy bars made it so. As for my stepdaughter and I, we found Great Bear and Jolly Ranchers sweeter. She and I shared the same taste in coasters back then, but she's gone on to ride the swiftest, tallest, and longest with her father since our Hershey sweet summer.

God's Love is Grander

Below is a short poem I wrote after our Summer 2007 vacation to Las Vegas to visit Paula and to the Grand Canyon. Enjoy.

God’s Love is Grander than the Grand Canyon!!
**********************************************
God’s love is as wide and deep and great as the Grand Canyon He made.
His love flows like a Niagara Falls waterfall.
His light shines like a Key West sunrise.
His love sparkles more than all the lights in Las Vegas.
But His love is true and steady, instead of glittering and flickering false hope.
Nothing is grander than our own Lord, not even the Grand Canyon He personally created!
Like an expansive-canyon view, or an ocean-front view, His love spreads and expands throughout all eternity with no end in sight.
All you have to do is invite Him in as your personal Lord and savior, trust Him, and He will be your guiding light, outshining the glitter of Hollywood and Vegas.

©Barbara Robinson, July 19, 2007

The Birds Still Sing

THE BIRDS STILL SING
by Barbara Robinson

The birds still sing wtih the morning sun.

Life has a way of going on, even when your world is coming undone.

Daddy was buried on a cold, winter day.

I was four years old when he died that Christmas Day.

Buried a husband one bright, sunny day.

Wondered how the world could be so bright and shiny on my sad day.

Buried a mother, and the sun smiled down.

Buried a baby sister, and life went on.

How could the world still be so beautiful with my own personal clouds raining down?

The birds still sing; time moves on.

Death nor lost love, the world still turns.

The birds still sing because they know life goes on.


Time won't stop, and the world will still turn, even when you're dead and gone.

So, don't waste your life spending it all alone.

Love someone and be loved in return.

Make someone's day as you make your own.

To make this old world a better place, we all have to do our parts.

We all have to have a heart.

Make someone's day; be special in your own sweet way.

The birds will still sing; the sun will still shine.

Difference is you can make your own heart rhyme before you run out of time!

1 Thessalonians verses 4:16-18 is one of my favorite Bible verses, because it helped me when Mom and my youngest sister passed: 1 Thessalonians 4: 6-18, NIV

. . . and the dead in Christ will rise first: After that, we who are still alive and left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words.

This verse tells us we'll see our loved ones again. Life goes on eternally. No wonder the birds still sing. I'm not a poet and usually write poems to write out my heart and soul and express my feelings. Writing and Bible verses, faith in God, and His Word, got me through the earthly loss of my loved ones. I hope you'll let this verse speak to your heart and comfort you as it has me. God bless.

The Power of Prayer

I strongly believe in God and the power of prayer, because He always answers my prayers. My little sister was sick a few years ago. Something she ate made her have problems with her liver. She was weak, felt as though she had no energy, and the doctor told her he did not know if her liver would ever be normal again. I told her I would pray for her and for her to pray, too. She said she was. Gradually, over a period of a few weeks, her liver began to get better and better. She went to the doctor, and he said the tests showed her liver was back to normal. I prayed to God to give my sister back her spirit, strength, and beauty of her youth and for her liver to heal and for her to be back to her normal self. Thank God, He once again answered my prayers, and she is back to normal and so is her liver!

There have been many times in my life when I have had no one to turn to but God, and I have found He is the most important one to turn to. He is the only one you can truly depend on, but you must have faith! When I pray, I pray with faith that He will hear and answer my prayers, and I go about my daily routine as normal and expect Him to answer them because he always does, but you must ask. I've found myself in bad situations, and I have had to call upon God numerous times. He has never failed me, and He has always answered me. Once, my husband slung me from a boat when he took off, and I slid out of the boat and into the river in water way over my head. I had been riding in the back of the boat near the motor, and I was afraid of the motor hitting me. When I felt myself slipping from the boat, I put everything into the Lord's hands and began praying that the motor would not hit me, and I would not drown. As the water closed over my head, I felt at peace and knew I'd be rescued. I could feel God there with me. There have been many times and many situations in my life I know if not for prayers and God, I would not be here today, or be where I am today, literally, and in life. God has always seen me through. Put your faith and trust in God, and He will always be there for you!I've traveled a long way through life with Him.

I have a writing devotional in the book Words to Write By. The book is full of devotionals for writers, and I've found it very inspiring. It motivates me to continue my writing journey for the Lord.

Things Left Unspoken by Eva Marie Everson

Things Left Unspoken
Author: Eva Marie Everson
Reviewer: Barbara J. Robinson
http://barbarajrobinson.blogspot.com/
Five Stars
To Purchase: Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble (See reviews there also)


Things Left Unspoken by Eva Marie Everson is three hundred and eighty-one pages of pure Southern delight. The novel allows the reader to adventure through life, romance, true love, wisdom gained with age and life experiences, dealing with life’s curve balls, conflicts of love and life, heartaches that make us stronger, and God’s fingerprints on our lives to make us the people He wants us to become. If you enjoy Southern fiction, you’ll love this novel. I devoured it in a couple of days.

Jo Lynn Hunter and her Aunt Stella make it women’s fiction. Jo Lynn deals with current marriage problems and feels she’s not at home in the life her husband has chosen for them. Something is missing and leaves her feeling empty inside. At life’s crossroads, she takes on a project to rebuild an old Southern family home and finds herself restored in the process. Family secrets reveal their ugly challenges and place Jo Lynn in extreme danger. She rises to the challenge and refuses to be chased from her project of love.

Aunt Stella illustrates true love and the wisdom of ripe old age. Valentine, her teenage love, grows into a wise elderly man, who declares if the foundation is strong, anything can be rebuilt. Jo Lynn learns the secrets of the past and the treasures for a happy future, even as she learns some things are best left unspoken.

My Heart's Desire

My heart’s desire for my inner spiritual life is a closer walk with Jesus, a life of peace, love, joy, and hope, in which Jesus constantly renews my spirit, as I soak up God’s words through reading and allowing myself to draw closer to God. I want to continue to feel the loving Holy Spirit at work in my life. There is no one in life as capable of encouraging and motivating one’s soul as the blessed feel of the Holy Spirit, like a hand on my shoulder reassuring me. I have never felt closer to God than when I feel the touch of the Holy Spirit in times of need. That slight touch lets me know that I do not walk through this world alone. I have a heavenly Father who meets my every need. That heavenly touch makes all the difference in my life. I highly recommend Beth Moore's book BELIEVING GOD. Reading it made a difference in my life and for our family vacation during the summer of 2005. I've written about this journey of "Godstops" in hopes of seeing the story published in an upcoming book about prayers. May my words shine to glorify God. If it be God's will, not mine, the story will make publication.

Roses for Momma

I received my first dozen assorted colored roses from oldest son today for Mother's Day. He had them ground delivered by UPS, and it was a wonderful, unexpected surprise. I was looking for a card. I've never received roses from one of my children before. They're beautiful, and they smell sooo good. Thank you, Scotty and Melissa, for making my day and brightening my Mother's Day with a vareity of roses, a rainbow of roses.

My youngest daughter and her two children sent me a beautiful Mother's Day card with pictures of my two grands, Dylan and Serena. Beautiful pictures, I love them. My youngest son phoned to say he's sending me a Mother's Day card. My husband gave me a prayer cross with The Lord's Prayer in it. He knew I'd love it. I've been blessed. Thanks to all of you for remembering me on Mother's Day. May God bless all the moms out there and bless my daughters as mothers.

Beach Boys Concert Last Night

We saw the Beach Boys in concert last night. Two of the original ones are still playing, and they gave us our money's worth. They sang for two hours. We really enjoyed them and took lots of pictures.

I looked back through old pictures/old family memories and treasures today. Some pictures were from a Christmas at my daughter's house, and some were from last summer when we went together to visit Rosedown Plantation in Louisiana. We had such fun. It was a happy day spent with my children and grandchildren. Making memories to turn the pages of time is important. One day those old pictures and old memories will be all they have. Sometimes I find myself looking at old pictures of my mother and sister. Making memories makes pictures in the mind without film or camera, the kind nothing can take away.

Even in these hard economic times, it's important to make those kinds of memories.