Powerful Testimony

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So I have come down to deliver them from the power of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and spacious land, to a land flowing with milk and honey… Exodus 3:8

What is your Egypt?

But now, I pray, let the power of the Lord be great, just as You have declared, Numbers 14:17

Isn’t it amazing how words simply written on cardboard can have such a huge impact when combined with the power of God? Writers, it isn’t our words as much as it is God working through them. We can write for His glory, but only if we allow Him to lead us each step of the way through our poetry, our novels, our articles, our journaling…

Lord, light our pens on heavenly fire!

And the winner is…

No prose by you »

Thanks to everyone who entered my giveaway! There were some familiar readers, but also some new visitors. Welcome to my blog. Now on to the winner…

The Violets are Blue Random Generator says -

The randomly picked number is: 10

The winner is Lindsey!

Lindsey said: Sounds like a great read. Please enter me in the giveaway. If I don’t win it I’ll definitely add it to my reading wish list!

Congratulations, Lindsey!

Thanks everyone for playing.

Joanna Weaver - Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World Blog Tour (giveaway)

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Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World by Joanna Weaver is a book to minister to your spirit. The subtitle, Finding Intimacy with God in the Busyness of Life, gets to the essence of this book. One of the biggest struggles I hear about from Christian women is how they desire a deep abiding intimacy with Jesus, yet life gets so hectic. They find themselves distracted and going through the motions of everyday life while missing the one thing most needed, time at His feet.

Joanna’s ability to weave storytelling with scriptural truth creates a powerful message that zeroes in on the heart of a woman and takes root. Her gentle conversational tone makes you feel like your sitting in the kitchen of a dear and wise friend listening to her speak truth into your life.

Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World

About the book:
An invitation for every woman who’s ever felt she isn’t godly enough, isn’t loving enough, isn’t doing enough.

The life of a woman today isn’t really all that different from that of Mary and Martha in the
New Testament. Like Mary, you long to sit at the Lord’s feet…but the daily demands of a busy world just won’t leave you alone. Like Martha, you love Jesus and really want to serve him…yet you struggle with weariness, resentment, and feelings of inadequacy.

Then comes Jesus, into the midst of your busy life, to extend the same invitation he issued long ago to the two sisters from Bethany. Tenderly, he invites you to choose “the better part”–a joyful life of intimacy with him that flows naturally into loving service.

With her fresh approach to the familiar Bible story, Joanna Weaver shows how all of us–Marys and Marthas alike–can draw closer to our Lord: deepening our devotion, strengthening our service, and doing both with less stress and greater joy.

Joanna Weaver

About Joanna Weaver:
Joanna Weaver was voted the Most Promising New Writer of 1997 at the Mount Herman Writer’s Conference. She has authored Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World and written for publications such as Focus on the Family, Home Life, Aspire, and The Evangel. A pastor’s wife for more than eighteen years, she and her husband have counseled many couples, both those approaching their wedding and those struggling in marriage. The Weavers live in Montana and have taught young married classes and spoken on the topic of marriage throughout the northwestern United States.

Win it: Joanna is hosting a giveaway on her blog, Becoming His! You could win one of seven copies. Contest goes to June 30th and she’ll announce the winners on July 2nd!

For more about Joanna Weaver and her book, Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World, check out the other blog tour stops.

Important Links:
Joanna’s Blog
Joanna’s Website COMING SOON!
Buy the book

Sherri Sand - Leave It to Chance Blog Tour (giveaway)

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Leave It to Chance by Sherri Sand is another book to add to your fun summer reading list. I enjoyed this sweet story and how everything unfolded. The only thing I found disappointing was reaching the end. Seriously, I wanted to linger a little while longer. :)

About the book:
Sierra Montgomery is a single mom of three struggling to get by. As if facing the possibility of moving back in with her loving mother who does the exact opposite of what Sierra wants isn’t enough, now Sierra has inherited a horse. Her children are delighted, but Sierra has a dark history with these hooved beasts.

Ross Morgan is the handsome landscaper who happens to have an empty field and stall. Against his better judgment, he lets his cousin talk him into boarding a horse for some down-on-her-luck woman and her children. His cousin and the woman’s mother promise him the horse won’t be any trouble at all.

But trouble surrounds both Sierra and Ross. From escapee horses and trampled landscaping to a runaway and near death, these two face their biggest struggles and fears. Will they both allow God to bring them through it?

About Sherri Sand:
Sherri Sand is a wife and mother of four young children who keep her scrambling to stay ahead of the spilled milk. When she needs stress relief from wearing all the hats required to clothe, feed and ferry her rambunctious brood, you’ll find her sitting in a quiet corner of a bistro reading a book (and surrounded by chocolate). Then to elude that calorie consumption you might see her running on the trails throughout Eugene, a city considered to be the running capital of the world. Sherri is a member of The Writer’s View and American Christian Fiction Writers. She finds the most joy in writing when the characters take on a life of their own and she becomes the recorder of their stories. She holds a degree in psychology from the University of Oregon where she graduated cum laude.

Win it:Leave a comment on this post. For a second entry, blog about this contest and then leave a SECOND comment with the url leading directly to the post about this giveaway.

You have until Friday, June 27th to enter. I’ll announce the winners on Saturday, June 28th.

If you haven’t claimed your prize within three days, I’ll have to choose another winner.

For more about Sherri Sand and her book, Leave It to Chance, check out the other blog tour stops.

Important links:
Sherri’s Website
Buy the book

Check out my other giveaway on a dash of sassitude!

Edge of Forbidden (not for young eyes)

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I woke inspired to write poetry. My wonderful and passionate hubby is often the inspiration for my writing and this morning was no different. I still need to tweak it a bit, but here’s what I’m working with so far:

Just a quick warning - this is on the steamy side, so if you don’t like that sort of thing, I won’t mind if you skip this post.

Edge of Forbidden
One whisper of his lips
Across her delicate skin
Ignites a slow burn

They dance on the
Edge of forbidden
Reason slips away
In passion’s embrace

They taste the fruit
Lapping at the juice
Desperate to consume
Every precious drop until

The hunger eases
The dance slows
Reason comes home

For the moment

I love how God has given us desire, passion, hunger…edgy Christian writing brings in so many emotions most people would rather not explore. But there is a darker side of life and we need to shine God’s truth on it. Temptation is there as it was when Jesus walked in the wilderness. Some give in, but all of us face it in one way or another.

Some of us are called to write the edgier stuff allowing us an opportunity to show others that even though some fall, God can raise them up again. He doesn’t want to leave us in the mire. He longs to fill us with Himself.

We can face temptation and walk away. Our greatest love affair can be with Jesus, Himself.

Do you write edgy Christian writing? What are your thoughts on the subject?

Rachel Hauck - Sweet Caroline Blog Tour Part 2 (recipe)

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Now to get to know Rachel Hauck a bit as well as pick up a yummy sounding recipe from Bubba himself.


About Rachel:
I’m a forty-something, a child of the ’60’s, ’70’s, ’80’s, ’90’s and ’00’s.

I roller skated through the ’70’s into the ’80’s with Farrah Fawcet hair and a three-speed orange Camero.

Born in Ohio, I lived several years in Oklahoma and Kentucky before my parents moved the family to Florida.

I graduated from Ohio State University (Go Buckeyes!) with a degree in Journalism. As a member of Phi Mu sorority, I partied my way though the last few years of college.

But, the truth is, and always will be, I belong to Jesus. At the age of six, I knelt at the altar of a Tulsa Methodist church and gave my life to the One who loves me.

After graduation, hired on at Harris Publishing as a software trainer, determined to see the world. And I did it without a laptop, a cell phone, an IPod or portable DVD player. Those were hard times.

But, I traveled to Ireland, Spain, Venezuela, Mexico, Australia, Canada and the U.S. from California to Maine. But, life on the road is difficult. Working twelve to fourteen hour days, one doesn’t get to see many of the sites. In Ireland, our company’s distributor drove me around at night so I could see something of Dublin.

I met Tony, my husband, in ‘87, at church, of all places. We got married in ‘92. Tony has been a pastor for twenty years. I’ve worked with him in eighteen of those twenty. Our heart is to see teens and adults passionate, radical and whole hearted for Jesus.

Tony and I don’t have any children of our own, lots of kids-in-the-Lord and we love them all. However, we do have a very spoiled dog, and an even more spoiled cat.

I’ve always wanted to be a writer. My dad used to tell me, “You’re a writer.” I have letters he wrote me post college, exhorting me to write. In this, I believe he had the heart of God.

In ‘93, I started an epic WW2 novel with two plots. It was well rejected. After that ordeal, I took a break and put efforts into my job as a software project manager. But, I missed writing and in late ‘ 99, I took up the craft again.

With a little help from my friends, my first book was published in ‘ 04, Lambert’s Pride, a romance novel. I love writing chick lit and romance. I love writing. What an honor.

BONUS: here’s a recipe for Bubba’s Buttery Biscuits!
You’ll have to read the book to find out who Bubba is…

3 cups self-rising flour
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces and chilled, plus 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted for brushing the tops
1 1/4 cups buttermilk

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Place the flour and chilled butter in a medium mixing bowl. Work the butter into the flour with a pastry cutter, a fork, or your fingertips until the butter pieces are a little larger than an English pea, but not larger than a lima bean. If you are using your fingers, work quickly so that the heat of your hands won’t melt the butter.

Pour in all of the buttermilk and, using light pressure, fold the mixture a few times with a plastic spatula until it holds together. Do not over mix. In order to make light biscuits, it is important to work the dough as little as possible.

Turn the dough out onto a floured board and knead it quickly and gently 6 to 10 times or until it begins to be almost homogenized. There will be large pieces of butter throughout. Sprinkle a little flour under the dough so that it won’t stick to the board and lightly dust the top of the dough so that it won’t stick to the board and lightly dust the top of the dough so that it won’t stick to the rolling pin. Roll the dough out to about 1/2-inch thickness.

Cut the dough into 2-inch rounds, place on an ungreased baking sheet, and bake in the preheated oven for about 15 minutes. I like the biscuits to be crispy and brown on the top and bottom, but not dry in the middle. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and brush the tops of the biscuits with the melted butter. Serve right away. (recipe from Louis Osteen)

Don’t forget to enter Rachel Hauck’s contest and read her book! You can find out more in yesterday’s post.

Rachel Hauck - Sweet Caroline Blog Tour (and Contest)

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This post got a little long, so come back tomorrow to find out a little more about Rachel Hauck and to get a delicious sounding recipe from Bubba!

Sweet Caroline is a fun read with quirky characters, a down home country feel and one conflicted Caroline Sweeney. Just when life seems to be heading one way, it delivers a run-down cafe and a famous country music singer from Nashville.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and Rachel Hauck’s delightful story-telling style. This is the second book I’ve read of hers (Georgia On My Mind being the first) and I look forward to reading more of her books. Add this one to your summer reading list!

About the book:
Caroline Sweeney has always done the right thing–the responsible, dependable thing–unlike her mother who abandoned her family. But when her best friend challenges her to accept an exciting job adventure in Barcelona, Spain, Caroline says “yes” to destiny.

Then, without warning, ownership of the run-down cafe where she’s been waitressing falls right into Caroline’s lap. While she’s trying to determine the cafe’s future, handsome Deputy Sherriff J.D. Rand captures Caroline’s heart.

But when her first love, Mitch O’Neal, comes back to town, fresh from the heat of his newly-found fame as a country music singer in Nashville, Caroline must make some hard choices about love and the pursuit of the sweet life.

Contest:
The Sweet Life contest! Enter to win a Scrumptious Baking Basket from Rachel. The basket contains a Super Cool Apron, a Low country cook book signed by PAT CONROY, rolling pin, and a pie plate! All you have to do to enter is sign up for Rachel’s newsletter here.

For more information about Rachel and her book, Sweet Caroline, check out the other blog tour stops.

Important links:
Rachel’s website
Buy the book
Rachel’s My Book Therapy (a writing craft blog for writers)

Don’t forget to enter her contest and check out her book!

Don’t forget to come back tomorrow to find out a little more about Rachel Hauck and to get a delicious sounding recipe from Bubba!

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