I Could Handle This Renegade Passion!

I have a love/hate relationship with novellas. On the love side, they are quick bites from an interesting course at a literary buffet. On the hate side, quick bites are just that - quick. One bite and they're done. Usually leaving me wanting more. Such is the case with Renegade Passion by Lisa Renee Jones. It's a quick look into the world of the Zodius that left me wanting more!

I always wonder why authors choose certain characters to star in novellas as opposed to full length novels because I usually end up wishing that the story was more fleshed out, longer. Once I enter the lives of characters I like, I want to spend a lot of time with them. Such is the case with Kel and Sonia. They are wonderful characters who could easily carry a longer story and I would have loved to learn more about them. Kel is one of those amazing super hunk heroes that you secretly (or maybe not so secretly) wish would come rescue you in your time of need - and stay for a little something special afterwards. He is strong, loyal, and vulnerable where his heart is concerned - what more could you want in a hero? And Sonia is the perfect foil for him. Loyal, supportive and forgiving. Together, they make an amazing couple and I really would have liked to spend a lot more time with them and read more about their story.

If I had one complaint about this book, it would be its brevity. Although I gobbled it up in one bite, I was left wishing there were more to it. I would have liked to get more into the action, back story and love affair between the characters, although I understand that is not the purpose of novellas (which is why I prefer novels). Despite that one minor flaw, I really did enjoy Renegade Passion and meeting all of the characters from previous books in the series. I just might have to check them out. And if the author ever decides to delve more into the story of Kel and Sonia, I'm there, too. All in all, an enjoyable read!

Book Release: The Taming of a Scottish Princess by Karen Hawkins

Do you like historical romance? Do you like stories with Scottish characters? Then you might want to check out the new release from Karen Hawkins. Isn't that cover gorgeous?

For an excerpt of the book, check out Karen's blog here.

Suffocate by S.R. Johannes: A Review

Blurb:

For centuries, the world outside the Biome has been unlivable. Today, marks the first time anyone will attempt to leave the suffocating ecosphere. Eria is not worried because her scientist father has successfully tested the new Bio-Suit many times. It's a celebratory day until something goes horribly wrong. In the midst of tragedy, Eria uncovers a deep conspiracy that affects the very air she breathes. 

If those responsible find out what she knows, they won't stop hunting her until she takes her last breath.


(From the author's website)

My Review:

I usually don't go for dystopia fiction. It just seems so depressing, all that apocalyptic end-of-the-world stuff, and that's just not to my taste. But, I've read and enjoyed this author's work before, so I decided to give Suffocate a try. I'm happy to say that I'm glad I did. Now I'm not claiming to be a dystopia convert, but I have to say that I did like this particular story. I think a part of it is that I like the author's work and she has a way of drawing the reader right into the story, but a good portion of it is the character of Eria.

I really adore Eria and I felt like I was right there with her, feeling what she felt - the excitement, the fear, everything. She is just a well fleshed out character and considering this is a novelette, that's a feat. And about that novelette thing - I both enjoyed and cursed it. Enjoyed the fact that I could gobble up this story in one sitting - and cursed that I did it. Now I have to wait for more. So unfair! I want to know what happens now.

For all you fans of sci fi, dystopia, and just good storytelling about a girl wondering what her place is in the world - even if that world is artificially created - this is a great little book for you. So give yourself a treat and check this one out. I promise you won't suffocate!

(Review copy provided by author)

Dark Kiss by Michelle Rowan: A Review

I don't do DANGEROUS.

Smart, über-careful, ordinary Samantha—that’s me. But I just couldn’t pass up a surprise kiss from my number-one unattainable crush. A kiss that did something to me...something strange. Now I feel hungry all the time, but not for food. It’s like part of me is missing—and I don’t know if I can get it back.

Then there’s Bishop. At first I thought he was just a street kid, but the secrets he’s keeping are as intense as his unearthly blue eyes. If he’s what I think he is, he may be the only one who can help me. But something terrifying is closing in, and the one chance Bishop and I have to stop it means losing everything I ever wanted and embracing the darkness inside me....

Nightwatchers: When angels and demons must work together, something beyond evil is rising...

My Review:

This was one of those paranormal stories that stick with you. Dark, sinister and thoroughly enthralling. I thoroughly enjoyed it and look forward to more from this author/series. I just liked everything about it. The characters were well fleshed out and engaging, the story was mesmerizing, and I was captivated from start to finish. I even regretted when I reached the end because then it was over - and I didn't want it to be!

 If you like your paranormals dark and edgy with smart characters to match, then you'll definitely want to check out the Dark Kiss. I'm so glad I did.

Suffocate by S. R. Johannes Releases Today

It is May 21st and guess what that means?

S.R. Johannes’ Suffocate is out today!

Suffocate is the first novelette in THE BREATHLESS series. It is a 15,000 word young adult thriller that combines the dystopic and science fiction genres.

Here’s a little about the novelette…

“For centuries, the world outside the Biome has been unlivable. Today, marks the first time anyone will attempt to leave the suffocating ecosphere. Eria is not worried because her scientist father has successfully tested the new Bio-Suit many times. It's a celebratory day until something goes horribly wrong. In the midst of tragedy, Eria uncovers a deep conspiracy that affects the very air she breathes.

If those responsible find out what she knows, they won't stop hunting her until she takes her last breath.”

The 2nd novella in the series, CHOKE, is scheduled for Fall 2012. The 3rd, EXHALE, is scheduled for Winter 2013.

You can purchase Suffocate for only 99 cents at
Amazon –
B&N –

Also you can add it on Goodreads! - http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13648347-suffocate

And in case you were wondering here is a bit about the author –

S.R. Johannes is author of the Amazon Bestseller Untraceable and a current nominee of the Georgia Author of the Year in the Young Adult category. After earning an MBA and working in corporate america, S.R. Johannes traded in her expensive suits, high heels, and corporate lingo for a family, flip-flops, and her love of writing. She lives in Atlanta Georgia with her goldendoodle Charley (notice he is listed first :), her British-accented husband, and the huge imaginations of their little prince and princess, which she hopes- someday- will change the world.  You can find her hanging out online and visit her at srjohannes.com

Twitter- https://twitter.com/#!/srjohannes
Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/srjohannes
Pinterest- http://pinterest.com/srjohannes/
Goodreads- http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5235537.S_R_Johannes

Tweet about it!
“Today is the release of @srjohannes’  novelette, Suffocate! Check it out on (insert your blog link here)”

Watch for my review to come!

Some Books Just Aren't for Me

I've been plagued by a rash of dnfs lately. I don't know what it is, but for some reason, I just couldn't finish or even get into the following books. (Hope you have better luck with them if you decide to try them.)

Bound to Me by JocelynnDrake
I don't know what it was that drew me to this book, because I just couldn't get into it. I tried several times, but no luck. I'm sure fans of the series will love it, but for me, it was a dnf.

Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard

For some reason, I missed the fact that this was about zombies. I don't do zombies. I don't like zombies. And now I remember why. Sorry, but I just couldn't get into this book.

Velveteen by Daniel Marks

I couldn't get past the brutality of the opening in this one. I thought I could and I tried, but it was just so gruesome, I couldn't stomach it. This is a dnf for me.

Wicked Road to Hell by Juliana Stone

This was another one I just couldn't get into. If I find myself stalling within the first few pages, wondering what's going on, I usually don't finish the book. That's what happened with this one.

Confessions from an Arranged Marriag by Miranda Neville

This book was all right until the actual marriage - and then it kind of fizzled. I quickly lost interest in the story, the characters, and why they were even together in the first place.

One Moment: A Review

Memorial Day weekend was supposed to be perfect for Maggie Reynolds - Dutton’s blow-out party, cliff-diving with her life-long friends – a prelude to the carefree days of summer before the group would take over as seniors. But then something went terribly wrong.

Maggie remembers standing on the cliff, hand-in-hand with her perfect boyfriend Joey, ready to jump into the water below. She remembers that last kiss, soft, lingering, and meant to reassure her. But why can’t she remember what happened in that last moment, so she still stood on the cliff, and Joey ended up dead?

As memories start returning in brief snatches, they just lead to more questions: Why were Joey and his best friend, Adam, fighting at the party? Where did Joey go after dropping her off? And what other secrets was he keeping form her?

With everyone pressuring her to share what happened, her friendships on the verge of collapse, and Adam (who seems to know much more than he’s willing to tell) drifting away from the group, Maggie has never felt so alone.

McBride’s sophomore novel is a searing look at how one moment can alter someone’s entire world.

(From NetGalley)

They say anything can happen in a moment and this book certainly proves that with stunning clarity. Anything can - and does - happen in a moment in this book and it's a moment that will rule Maggie's life. If only she could remember it. You see, the moment was so traumatic, Maggie's brain shut down and won't allow her to remember what happened, even though everyone wants her to. The police, her friends, the parents of her boyfriend - all of them wish she would remember what happened so they can finally have some closure. And she tries, truly she does, because she, more than anyone else, wants to remember what happened the day her boyfriend died.

One thing about this story, nothing is as it seems on the outside. To most people who knew them, Maggie and Joey looked like the perfect couple. So in synch with each other, so in love (though Joey, for some strange reason, didn't want them to verbalize their feelings). But Joey was keeping secrets, secrets that are revealed in bits and pieces as the memories start to return to Maggie's traumatized brain. And in the end, Maggie is forced to question her entire relationship with Joey - and some of her friends.
All in all, this was a good book that had me hooked from beginning to end, resulting in a satisfying ending. I would definitely recommend this book to people who like books by Simone Elkeles, Sarah Dessen, and the like.

Eye Candy by Tera Lynn Childs: A Review

Lydia Vanderwalk has an obsession with candy, so when she invents an NEB--non-existent boyfriend--who turns out to be the male hire-a-date equivalent of a jumbo box of Hot Tamales she knows she’s in trouble. 

Lydia has worked hard to have the right job, the right wardrobe, and the right everything else, in the quest for the appearance of perfection. Fed up by conversation #3,524—not that she’s counting—about long-since-exed fiancé Gavin, Lydia goes to drastic measures to change the subject. When she needs her NEB for a golden career opportunity, she enlists a talent agent friend’s help to produce perfect date Phelps. He was supposed to be pure eye candy, but there’s more going on beneath the surface than Red Hots looks and Pop Rocks spontaneity.

Throw in a banking wunderkind ex-fiancé, a trio of cutthroat couture-climbers, and a designer of questionable orientation and origin, and Lydia soon learns that what you see is often much less than what you get when it comes to people and not everything in life can be solved by a Jolly Rancher and a trip to Ann Taylor.


(From Amazon.com)




My Review:



There were a few things about this book that made it a frustrating read for me. Some were with the writing itself (tense shifts mid-sentence, misuse of words), others with the actual story, all of them kept taking me out of the story and reminded me that I was reading. I love the stories that whisk me along at such a pace and involve me in such a way with what is happening that I forget I am reading and feel more like I am in the story. Unfortunately, this story didn't do that for me.


Let's start with the candy obsession. I know it was meant to play a factor in the story, I got that from the title, but I couldn't help but feel that it was a little overdone. After a few pages of reading about what kind of candy the heroine eats - at all times - I was on the verge of giving up on this book. And when the heroine started using candy terms for cursing, I thought the candy thing was going too far and almost stopped reading this book. Truly, the only thing that kept me reading was Phelps. He is the best thing about this book, the most interesting character in the book, and I wanted to read more about him. Unfortunately, I think he didn't really get the attention he deserved and I think he was kind of shafted further on in the story when Lydia renewed a relationship with her ex-fiance. After deciding she didn't really love him any more (another issue I had with this book). I felt that Phelps deserved so much better than what he received.


Not that Lydia is a bad person because she's not. She's just a confused person who comes off more like a teenage girl than a thirty-three year old woman (I had to keep reminding myself that she was, in fact an adult). From her candy obsession to her penchant for candy-themed pajamas, she is portrayed as kind of immature, which is ironic as she has an issue with the age difference between her and Phelps, who is six (or was it seven? I don't know because both numbers were stated in the book) years her junior. I had to keep reminding myself that she was, indeed, an adult. Especially when she started things up again with her ex. After having nothing but bad thoughts and suspicions about him for most of the book, and realizing that she never actually loved him (which made it easier for her to jump to conclusions about him and break off the engagement). How frustrating! How can she decide on one page that she never had true feelings for him and then a couple of pages later, all of a sudden she's torn between him and Phelps? Sorry, but that seemed more like a plot device to ramp up tension than a logical development (at least to me). Aside from this, Lydia is a likable character, which is the main reason why I kept on reading. If she weren't, I would've given up on this book after a few pages. Another redeeming quality is her friends. I really liked Bethany and Fiona and how they always had Lydia's back.


Final verdict: It was an okay read, but it left me wanting. And not candy.

Breaking Lauren by Jordan Deen, My Review

Seventeen-year-old Danny Cummings' life is far from a fairytale, but that's okay since he doesn't believe in happy endings. After spending a year in juvenile hall for maliciously beating his sister's boyfriend, Danny embraces his badass image. Spending most nights drinking, fighting and collecting gambling debts for his Uncle, Danny's life is out of control. His addiction to the bad boy lifestyle won't let him do anything about it, even with his family begging him to go straight. But, when fifteen-year-old Lauren McIntosh stumbles into one of his nightly escapades, the self-proclaimed anti-romantic can't concentrate on anything except Lauren and the fact that she's on the same path his sister was on. Danny knows true love happening for the villain is as common as gamblers paying their debt on time, but he's never backed away from a challenge before and he hates the idea that history will repeat itself.
 
Growing old with the man she loves-in the small town where she was born-is the only dream Lauren McIntosh has ever had; that is until her family is practically run out of town amidst rumors of arson and adultery. So, when she meets Danny at her new school and hears the rumors about his activities from her new friends, she wants nothing to do with him or the gossip that seems to follow Danny everywhere. After a dangerous and ill-fated attempt at sneaking out, she develops unwelcomed feelings for Danny that he seems to reciprocate. But, Danny's unrelenting pursuit makes Lauren nervous, especially since he's the only one that wants to know the secrets surrounding her family's move. Lauren can't tell if Danny's intentions are true or if he has other plans for their newfound and unlikely friendship. The only way to figure out is to let him in and that could destroy everything, including the popularity and social acceptance she desperately seeks.

(From NetGalley)

My Review:

The story is told from the first person point of view of the two main characters, Lauren and Danny, and at first, this might seem a little jarring, but after a couple of times, you manage to settle into the rhythm. Lauren is fifteen, the new girl in town, wanting to put a troubling incident in her family's recent past (which spurs the move) behind her and reinvent herself in the image of her more popular older sister, under whose image she languished back home. Though her sister (and equally popular older brother) is in college back in their home state and doesn't make an appearance in the story physically, she still plays a significant role in Lauren's life and her creation of the perfect image/life. Danny doesn't figure into that perfect life. For one thing, he's been to juvie, he gets into fights, he likes to drink and has a string of girlfriends. So of course the two of them finding themselves drawn to the other.This is a book that let me with mixed feelings. On the one hand, the story really sucks you in and before you know it, you'v been up all night when you should be sleeping and still, you want to read more. On the other hand, it didn't really have much of a resolution, which left me feeling empty and craving more. It's one of those situations where the answers to questions just inspire more questions. Frustrating!

But there are many complications along the way. One is Lauren's insistance on becoming the girlfriend of the most popular jock in school and she will stop at almost nothing to get him, despite all of the warnings Danny gives her about him. But Lauren doesn't listen because alll she can see is how perfect Josh is and how well he fits into the new life she's imagined for herself. So it comes as kind of a shock to Lauren that her straight-laced mother prefers Danny over Josh. Another complication is the people Danny surrounds himself with, namely, his sister Sara and cousin Jess. Lauren really likes them and likes spending time with them, but she's not crazy about Danny's friend, Brandon, who tries to warn her away from Danny.

There are many twists and turns in this book. It often goes in a direction that I didn't foresee (which is a good thing), but that makes total sense. It is a true slice-of-life story written in an ogten gritty style that really captures the essence of teen life and how difficult that can be at times. It reminded me a lot of the style of Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles. So if you like that book (which I did), you will probably like this one, too, which I did. The only real issue I had with it was the ending, but it ended in such a way that I had to wonder if it's going to be part of a series. I certainly hope so. Otherwise, that was a terrible place to end! I want to know more!

Spotlight on Author Zrinka Jelic

I am delighted to be your guest today, Margay. My debut novel “Bonded by Crimson” has been released on January 28th, and it is available in all formats at Black Opal Books, Amazon, Smashwords, Barnes & Noble and All Romance eBooks

Today I’d like to blog about what I do when I don’t write. And there are two versions.

My fantasy version

I wake up to sound of birds chirping outside the window of my bedroom washed in soft sunlight. Then I stretch and turn to my side to take in a few moments on my fresh and crisp linen.  By the time I get out of bed (with perfect hair), kids are dressed, fed and their school bags are ready, waiting by the door. When they leave for school, I drink my coffee in peace and then drive to the spa where I can enjoy facial, manicure and pedicure and if there’s time maybe a haircut. Then I go to the mall and do some browsing and shopping. By the time I get back, kids are sitting quietly at the kitchen table, doing their homework.
Insert here ear shattering sound of a needle scratching on the record. This is where my fantasy ends and reality pops up.

The real version

The annoying sound of alarm wakes me from a nice dream. I flip a leg or arm or any other body part of my younger boy who sneaks in my bed, that’s sprawled over me. The room is still dark and any sound is that of my alarm still blaring. (It’s away from my bed so I don’t just keep hitting snooze and I have to get out of bed to turn it off). My hair is a mess and my head still swimming. COFFEE!!!!
I can’t wait to make a fresh pot, so I drink at least a couple of hours old coffee my husband made when he got up. And if I hurry, it may still be hot. Then I rummage through the fridge and cupboards to find anything peanut/nut free and nutritional enough to put in school lunches. I wake kids for school and they pull the blankest over their heads. I wake them again, with the same results. Once they are forcefully out of their beds, it starts. Can’t find this, that and the other thing, have I seen the homework book, the toy they absolutely must have, the shirt they just have to wear. My coffee is cold by now. I brew fresh pot. Once they’re out the door, now I can sit and drink it in relative peace. I check my email and other social media then I feel the pressure from my characters to finish the story, scene or a chapter I left them hanging at last night. But there’s also a load of laundry in the dryer, waiting for me to fold it and put it away. The dishwasher needs to be unleaded, grocery list got bigger … So the days pass by in a crazy haze and by the time I get to sit down and work on my manuscript, it is already evening and all I have is a few hours at best before I have to start the mad rush all over again the next day. But, I wouldn’t change a thing.

I will leave you now with this short excerpt from “Bonded by Crimson”. Enjoy!

Matthias approached with slow steps. His devilish little smile stirred butterflies in her stomach. Her hands trembling, she played with her fingers.

“How are the boys?” she asked to break the awkwardness.

 “Their usual, can’t stay still for one minute. They ask about you all the time.” Matthias’s voice echoed in the stark church interior. “How’s your vacation going?”

“Slow. I’m not used to sitting around and doing nothing.” She laughed, his smile widened.

He nodded. “Enjoy while it lasts. In a week’s time it’ll be over.”

She lowered her gaze from his face to her feet. “I can hardly wait.” Her so-called vacation had left her with an empty feeling only his boys could fill.

“Your family must have been happy to see you?”

Pain stabbed at her chest. “They were, but it was hard. My dad passed away four years ago and—” She took a deep breath and stared over his shoulder. How would she explain she had not come home for Dad’s funeral? “I requested time off work, but couldn’t get it. Besides, I didn’t have the money.”

“I understand.” His soft voice eased the tightness in her ribcage. “So, you like coming here, too?”

Glad he had changed the subject, she relaxed her shoulders. Her family had become smaller and, as their numbers declined over the generations, the more estranged the current members had become. Not something she liked to discuss with anyone, let alone him. “Yes I do. This place takes me back into history.” She sighed. “Wouldn’t it be great to see this church in its former glory?”

“It would.” He pressed his back against the balustrade and shoved his hands in the large side pockets of his cargo shorts, staring at her in silence for an eternal moment. “Will you do
me a favor and sign this?” He extended a book to her. She took the pages bound in a cover of red and white squares with a rose across the middle. Funny, she’d chosen this picture for her novel to have on the sleeve, if it ever got published. Rose of Crimson, by Kate Rokov was printed on the
front. The words started to sink in as she leveled her eyes with his. “You want me to sign this for you?”

He drew a long breath and nodded again.

“How?” she asked. “This never left my computer.”

Puzzled, she searched his face.

His smile vanished. “I found the files on the memory stick on your first day.”

She shook her head in disbelief. “You returned it.”

“Forgive me.” His gaze travelled back and forth from her face to the floor. “I copied the files.”

Silence followed. She stood transfixed. He had copied her files? Why would he?



BLURB

Love isn’t in the cards for her…

After her short failed marriage, Kate tries to rebuild her life and takes a position as a nanny to three small boys. She quickly grows to love them, but their father, terrifies her, while igniting a passion she didn’t know she possessed. Disturbed by his distant manner with his sons, Kate struggles to make him more involved in the boys’ daily lives. Her efforts are mysteriously supported by an entity that cannot really exist. Or can she? And if she does exist, is she really trying to help Kate, or just take over her body?

But when he deals the hand, all bets are off…

Six years after his beloved wife passed away, Matthias is still trying to become the father she wanted him to be. Not an easy task for a three-centuries-old immortal. His search for the ultimate nanny ends when Kate Rokov stumbles to his home and into his arms. The immediate attraction he feels for her seems like a betrayal of his dead wife, a love he’s harboured for over three hundred years. But when Kate is stalked by a deadly stranger, life he clung to in the past begins to crumble and break down. Can Matthias learn to trust and to love again in time to save his family from disaster, or will his stubborn pride destroy everything worth living for?



AUTHOR’S BIO

Zrinka Jelic lives in Ontario, Canada, with her husband and two children. A member of the Romance Writers of America and its chapter Fantasy Futuristic &Paranormal, as well as Savvy Authors, she writes contemporary fiction—which leans toward the paranormal—and adds a pinch of history. Her characters come from all walks of life, and although she prefers red, romance comes in many colors. Given Jelic’s love for her native Croatia and the Adriatic Sea, her characters usually find themselves dealing with a fair amount of sunshine, but that’s about the only break they get. “Alas,” Jelic says, with a grin. “Some rain must fall in everyone’s life.”

Contact me @: www.bondedbycrimson.blogspot.com
http://zrinkajelicromanceauthor.wordpress.com/
Find me on: Facebook Twitter
Watch the book trailer: Bonded by Crimson

Mother of Pearl, Memories and a Contest - Day Seven

Welcome to Pearl Girls™ Mother of Pearl Mother's Day blog series - a week long celebration of moms and mothering. Each day will feature a new post by some of today's best writer's (Tricia Goyer, Sheila Walsh, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Bonnie St. John, and more). I hope you'll join us each day for another unique perspective on Mother's Day.

AND ... do enter the contest for a chance to win a beautiful hand crafted pearl necklace. To enter, just {CLICK THIS LINK} and fill out the short form. Contest runs 5/6-5/13 and the winner will on 5/14. Contest is only open to US and Canadian residents.

If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit www.pearlgirls.info and see what we're all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one of the Pearl Girls™ products (all GREAT Mother's Day gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.

And to all you MOMS out there, Happy Mother's Day!


What I Didn't Know by Rhonda Shrock

I always knew I wanted to be a mother.  As a girl, I played house with my dollies, shushing them when they cried and kissing their plastic heads.

Looking back at that girl, I realize now that there was a lot she didn't know.  This morning over my fresh-ground coffee, this mother of 22-1/2 years scratched out a list of 10 things she didn't know then that she knows now.

1.  I didn't know - how could I? - just how completely a tiny, helpless scrap of humanity can capture the heart and hold it forever.  From that first whooshing heartbeat and the first butterfly brushes, a mother's heart is never again her own.  For all eternity, it enlarges, walking and pulsing and moving outside of her body; in my case, in the shape of a blue-eyed boy with rooster tails.  Times four.

2.  I didn't know that the size of a mother's heart is always changing, stretching to embrace each new baby that comes, then growing again to love their friends and then their own families.

3.  I never knew, as I changed my dolly's dress, how many reasons there are to worry when you're a mama.   Didn't know about the nighttime vigils.  Didn't know the anxiety of separation, the terror that floods when you turn around in the grocery store and they're gone.  Didn't know about the fear of the pond next door or the concern that pays for swimming lessons.  Didn't know the thousand-and-one reasons that keep a mother awake, whispering prayers on her pillow in the dark.

4.  No one told me that loving so much means that you will hurt hard and keen;  that what pains your child hurts you even worse.  I didn't know then that a playground taunt travels through that smaller heart and lands square in yours, stinging and burning like fire.  I didn't know that motherhood makes lionesses of us all and that there'd be days I'd have to bite my tongue and pray to not sin.

5.  I didn't know how exhausting it is, being a mother.  I didn't know that it takes everything you've got and then some.  Didn't know the bone-deep exhaustion; how it strips you bare and shows how selfish you can be, but, too, that you have more strength than you know.

6.  I didn't know, playing house, how much joy mothers feel; joy so big that it makes up for the pain.  Just looking at those eyes and the curve of the cheek can make you so happy it hurts.  Watching them grow and find their talent and win at something...all the money in the world can never buy that kind of happiness.

7.  I didn't know how making babies and raising them, how it binds you to their father.  I didn't know the intimacy you feel when your eyes meet above those tousled heads, and your smiles say, "Just look at what we've done."

8.  That girl in the homemade dress, she didn't know that letting go is one of the hardest things a grown-up mama will ever do.  Rocking those babies in that small rocking chair, she didn't really know that babies grow up and walk away and there goes your heart, out into the big, wide world.  No one told her that part.

9.  I had no idea how rewarding it is, being a mother.  How the happiness that comes from boy kisses and awkward hugs can't be bought or sold.  How proud you feel when you see what they're growing up to be and that all the planting and pruning and watering and feeding is finally making fruit!

10.  I didn't know how much my babies would enrich my spiritual life or how they would change the way I pray.  I didn't realize they would lead me to a deeper dependence on the Heavenly Father or how I much I would need His wisdom to raise them aright.

These are things I didn't know before I was a mother.  But I know them now.  Oh, how I know them now!  And I’d do it all again.

###

Rhonda Schrock lives in Northern Indiana with her husband and 4 sons, ages 22, 18, 13, and 5. By day, she is a telecommuting medical transcriptionist. In the early morning hours, she flees to a local coffee shop where she pens “Grounds for Insanity,” a weekly column that appears in The Goshen News. She is an occasional guest columnist in The Hutch News.  She’s also blogged professionally for her son’s school of choice, Bethel College, in addition to humor and parenting blogs, and maintains her personal blog, “The Natives are Getting Restless.” She is a writer and editor for the magazine, "Cooking & Such:  Adventures in Plain Living."  She survives and thrives on prayer, mochas, and books.  

Exciting News – the latest Pearl Girls book, Mother of Pearl: Luminous Legacies and Iridescent Faith will be released this month! Please visit the Pearl Girls Facebook Page (and LIKE us!) for more information! Thanks so much for your support!

Mother of Pearl, Memories and a Contest - Day Six

Welcome to Pearl Girls™ Mother of Pearl Mother's Day blog series - a week long celebration of moms and mothering. Each day will feature a new post by some of today's best writer's (Tricia Goyer, Sheila Walsh, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Bonnie St. John, and more). I hope you'll join us each day for another unique perspective on Mother's Day.

AND ... do enter the contest for a chance to win a beautiful hand crafted pearl necklace. To enter, just {CLICK THIS LINK} and fill out the short form. Contest runs 5/6-5/13 and the winner will on 5/14. Contest is only open to US and Canadian residents.

If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit www.pearlgirls.info and see what we're all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one of the Pearl Girls™ products (all GREAT Mother's Day gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.

And to all you MOMS out there, Happy Mother's Day!


He Will Walk With You by Carey Bailey

As a little girl, I loved baby dolls. Loved them! I played school, adoption agency, daycare operator and babysitter all day. I felt like I was born to be a mama. Therefore, I was a bit anxious when the ages, 22, 25, 28 and 32 came and went and there were no babies. Have you ever desired something so much and feared never getting it? That was me.

My day finally came at the age of 34. I soon realized that God knew what He was doing when He had me wait. To my shock, it wasn’t as easy as playing with dolls. I was surprised that it wasn’t the dream world I imagined it would be! I felt like life became a gigantic prayer.

“God, HELP me!”

“Please, God. Please, please, please make it all better. I can’t do this!”

“God, this feels impossible. Where are you?”

While I adore motherhood, it is harder and there are more adjustments than I expected. (I am hoping there are some nodding of heads and Amen’s being said out there in cyberworld.) Not only did I have a new life to care for, but my identity suddenly felt all scrambled up. It took me until my son was one to finally feel confident in my new role as a mother, confident that I could drop my child off at preschool without crying, confident that I could go out with the girls’ and the world wouldn’t fall apart, and confident that I could go on a date night and have conversations that didn’t revolve just around our son.

I was feeling settled in my new world and then WHAM! I discovered I was pregnant again. Can I be vulnerable with you? I actually cried when I found out. And they were not tears of joy. I feel awful saying that out loud, and I hope you will give me a moment to explain. It was not that I didn’t want another baby or feel like I couldn’t love a new life, it was just that I got scared. Discovering a little person was on the way sent a panic through me. Would my son still receive the love and attention that he deserved? How was my husband going to feel about my body changing again? Would I ever be able to pursue the vision I felt God had for me in writing and publishing? I was truly wondering if I was going to be able to handle another intense wave of identity crisis like the one I had just been through. I wasn’t sure.

God and I needed a serious talk. And in that conversation He carefully reminded me of this:

“For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11

He reminded me in our time together that I, too, am His child and He has every intention of loving me, caring for me, and giving me the future that He has planned for me.

As mothers, we can get so caught up in parenting that we forget that we, too, have a spiritual parent who loves us as His child. He loves you as much as He loves the children He has given you. He will never forsake you.  And on those days when motherhood seems too overwhelming and too impossible I step back and take a deep breath. Then I remember that this journey I am on, right now, is the one He has designed and create uniquely for me. I simply need to live in it, learn from it, and allow His love to sweep over and through me.

He will walk with me! He will walk with you! Grab His hand.

###

Carey Bailey is a recovering perfectionist, wife, proud mama, and the Family Life Director for her church in Arizona. She hosts an online community for moms called Cravings: desiring God in the midst of motherhood where she strives to make God time easier. Not less meaningful, just easier. She is the author of Cravings {The Devotional} which is a set of forty devotional flashcards for the mama on the go. Visit Carey online blog: www.cravingstheblog.blogspot.com Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/CravingsOnline and Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/careycbailey/

Exciting News – the latest Pearl Girls book, Mother of Pearl: Luminous Legacies and Iridescent Faith will be released this month! Please visit the Pearl Girls Facebook Page (and LIKE us!) for more information! Thanks so much for your support!

Mother of Pearl, Memories and Contest - Day Five

Welcome to Pearl Girls™ Mother of Pearl Mother's Day blog series - a week long celebration of moms and mothering. Each day will feature a new post by some of today's best writer's (Tricia Goyer, Sheila Walsh, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Bonnie St. John, and more). I hope you'll join us each day for another unique perspective on Mother's Day.

AND ... do enter the contest for a chance to win a beautiful hand crafted pearl necklace. To enter, just {CLICK THIS LINK} and fill out the short form. Contest runs 5/6-5/13 and the winner will on 5/14. Contest is only open to US and Canadian residents.

If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit www.pearlgirls.info and see what we're all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one of the Pearl Girls™ products (all GREAT Mother's Day gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.

And to all you MOMS out there, Happy Mother's Day!


Stepping Out on Faith by Bonnie St. John

"Darcy . . .”

“Yeah, Mom?”

I momentarily held the undivided attention of my teenage daughter. Her thumbs, free of their ubiquitous texting keypad, quietly dangled by her side. Her computer and its omnipresent Facebook page were completely out of sight. I had almost forgotten what she looked like without all these adolescent accoutrements. As we sat down together on the burgundy leather sofa in our living room, I realized this fleeting state of electronic dislocation was my chance to hatch a plan I had been formu- lating for the past several weeks. Carpe diem.

“How would you like to write a book together?”

“About what?” I asked my mom. Write a book? This was a real surprise. I felt a bit suspicious, but still curious.  I love to write, and Mom kept telling me I was really good at it. I like writing poetry, fantasy, and sci-fi, though.  The books Mom wrote were all nonfiction.  I wondered what we could possibly do together.

“Well . . .” I hesitated. If I wanted her to commit to any extra work out- side her busy schedule at school—not to mention work alongside her mother—I had to make this really great. “It would be about women as leaders,” I continued, “a mother-daughter investigation into leadership styles and structures.”

“Leadership?” I blurted. It came out as if I had a bad taste in my mouth—which I did.  I couldn’t imagine a more boring topic to write about. What is there to say about leadership anyway? When you’re in charge, you just get things done, right? Who wants to talk about that?

Her furrowed brow told me I was losing her fast. “Um . . . we could find women leaders all around the world!” I said impulsively, frantically casting the ultimate bait.

“Really? Would we get to travel a lot?”  I hadn’t thought about that. Heck, I’d write about the mating habits of tsetse flies  if I got to go to Africa to do it!

But this project wasn’t just about the influence it would have on Darcy. I wanted to do something that could have a potent impact on an alarming trend I had witnessed in workplaces across the country: far too many women appeared to be making a choice not to apply for top leadership positions when presented with the opportunities to do so.

This project, then, was a bit of a Trojan horse. On the one hand, the saga of a mother-daughter journey could seduce female readers, who might never bother to read the Harvard Business School dissertations on the subject, into a meaningful conversation about leadership. At the same time, if Darcy met a series of brilliant, accomplished women— people even a cynical teen would be in awe of—perhaps they could tell her all the things I’d like her to know—and more.

And she just might listen.

But where to start? How would we make it work? I suggested we do most of our research by phone, as I did for How Strong Women Pray. My telephone interviews with a governor, some CEOs, actors, sports figures, a college president, and others yielded great stories and information. I promised my intrepid co-author, though, that we could punctuate these conversations with a few visits in person to exciting and exotic places—all with reasonably priced airfares.

“Why don’t we follow each subject as she goes about her daily life? That way our readers get to come along with us and get a behind- the-scenes look at what happens to them. Instead of just a boring interview, we—and our readers—get to hang around with these women, see them in their natural habitat, and even see how other people treat them.”

Although I agreed it was a wonderful approach, this idea of “job- shadowing” each featured subject wasn’t going to be easy. Would these high-powered, important women deign to allow us that kind of access? Would they be able to impart the kind of wisdom that would resonate with our readers and truly make a difference in their lives?  We looked at each other, both of us hooked on a crazy idea that we weren’t sure we could pull off.

“It sounds impossible, Darcy,” I said. “We might as well get started.”

And so, we stepped out . . . on faith.

###

Bonnie is a 1984 Paralympics silver medal winner in ski racing. Her education includes a degree with honors from Harvard, a Rhodes scholarship, and an M.Litt in Economics from Oxford.  Her career includes positions as an award-winning sales rep for IBM and a Clinton White House member of staff. She now is a much-in-demand speaker, who makes nearly 100 speeches each year to corporations and civic groups. You can visit her on the Web at www.bonniestjohn.com.

Re-printed with permission from How Great Women Lead by Bonnie St. John and Darcy Deane

Exciting News – the latest Pearl Girls book, Mother of Pearl: Luminous Legacies and Iridescent Faith will be released this month! Please visit the Pearl Girls Facebook Page (and LIKE us!) for more information! Thanks so much for your support!

(My apologies to the author for not posting this sooner. I was stuck in bed with a vicious stomach bug.)

Mother of Pearl, Memories and Contest - Day Four

Welcome to Pearl Girls™ Mother of Pearl Mother's Day blog series - a week long celebration of moms and mothering. Each day will feature a new post by some of today's best writer's (Tricia Goyer, Sheila Walsh, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Bonnie St. John, and more). I hope you'll join us each day for another unique perspective on Mother's Day.

AND ... do enter the contest for a chance to win a beautiful hand crafted pearl necklace. To enter, just {CLICK THIS LINK} and fill out the short form. Contest runs 5/6-5/13 and the winner will on 5/14. Contest is only open to US and Canadian residents.

If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit www.pearlgirls.info and see what we're all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one of the Pearl Girls™ products (all GREAT Mother's Day gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.

And to all you MOMS out there, Happy Mother's Day!

What I Am Not by Tricia Goyer

Becoming a mother is a complicated thing. Not only am I trying to negotiate a relationship with my child, I am trying to negotiate a relationship with myself as I attempt to determine how I mother, how I feel about mothering, how I want to mother and how I wish I was mothered.

— Andrea J. Buchanan, in Mother Shock3

Sometimes the easiest way to discover who we are is to know who we are not.

• We are not our children. We all know mothers who go overboard trying to make themselves look good by making their children look great. I saw one woman on the Oprah television show who had bought her preschool daughter more than twelve pairs of black shoes just so the girl could have different styles to go with her numerous outfits! Just as we -don’t get report cards for mothering, we also -don’t get graded on our child’s looks or accomplishments. While you want your children to do their best and succeed in life, your self-esteem -shouldn’t be wrapped up in your child.

Life as I See It:

My individuality will never end. There will be no one exactly like me, not even my child. She will be like me in some ways, but not at all in others. I -wouldn’t have it any other way.

— Desiree, Texas

• We are not our mothers. I remember the first time I heard my mother’s voice coming out of my mouth. The words “because I told you so .  .  .” escaped before I had a chance to squelch them.

It’s not until we have kids that we truly understand our mothers — all their frets, their nagging, and their worries.

It’s also then that we truly understand their love.

Since you are now a mother, it’s good to think back on how you were raised. If there were traditions or habits that now seem wise and useful, incorporate them into your parenting. You also have permission to sift out things you now know -weren’t good. Just because you’re a product of your mother, that -doesn’t mean you have to turn out just like her. Repeat after me, “I am not my mother.”

• We are not like any other mother out there. Sometimes you may feel like the world’s worst mother. After all, your friend never yells at her son — and sometimes you do. Then again, your friend may feel bad because you have a wonderful bedtime routine that includes stories and songs. In many cases, the moms you feel inferior to only look like they have it together. All moms feel they -don’t “measure up.” Instead of feeling unworthy, we should realize that everyone has strengths and weaknesses. The key is where we place our focus.

The Bible says, “Let’s just go ahead and be what we were made to be, without .  .  . comparing ourselves with each other, or trying to be something we -aren’t” (Romans 12:5 – 6, MESSAGE).

The problem with comparison is, we always measure our weaknesses against the strengths of others.

Instead, we need to thank God for our strengths. We can also ask God to help us overcome our weaknesses — not because we want to compare ourselves, or look good in someone else’s eyes, but because we want to be the best mom out there.

###

Tricia Goyer is a CBA best-selling author and the winner of two American Christian Fiction Writers’ Book of the Year Awards (Night Song and Dawn of a Thousand Nights). She co-wrote 3:16 Teen Edition with Max Lucado and contributed to the Women of Faith Study Bible. Also a noted marriage and parenting writer, she lives with her husband and children in Arkansas. You can find her online at www.triciagoyer.com or at her weekly radio show, Living Inspired.

Exciting News – the latest Pearl Girls book, Mother of Pearl: Luminous Legacies and Iridescent Faith will be released this month! Please visit the Pearl Girls Facebook Page (and LIKE us!) for more information! Thanks so much for your support!

(My apologies to the author for not getting this post up sooner, but I was stuck in bed with a vicious stomach bug.)

Mother of Pearl, Memories and a Contest - Day Three

Welcome to Pearl Girls™ Mother of Pearl Mother's Day blog series - a week long celebration of moms and mothering. Each day will feature a new post by some of today's best writer's (Tricia Goyer, Sheila Walsh, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Bonnie St. John, and more). I hope you'll join us each day for another unique perspective on Mother's Day.

AND ... do enter the contest for a chance to win a beautiful hand crafted pearl necklace. To enter, just {CLICK THIS LINK} and fill out the short form. Contest runs 5/6-5/13 and the winner will on 5/14. Contest is only open to US and Canadian residents.

If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit www.pearlgirls.info and see what we're all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one of the Pearl Girls™ products (all GREAT Mother's Day gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.

And to all you MOMS out there, Happy Mother's Day!

She’s…My Everything by Suzanne Woods Fisher

“A mother is one who can take the place of all others, but whose place no one else can take.”

--Cardinal Mermillod 

Just a few more months. My mother was hoping Dad would hang on long enough so they could celebrate their sixtieth wedding anniversary in April. But on January 1st, as the sun rose on the new year, my dad’s worn out heart beat its last. Dad had battled Alzheimer’s Disease for ten years. As many of you know, AD is a long, hard journey. Hard on the one afflicted with the disease, hard on the caregivers.

But not without its blessings.

Four years ago, as I began researching stories for Amish Peace: Simple Wisdom for a Complicated World, my path crossed with a handful of Plain families who were coping with Alzheimer’s. It was just about the point when Dad’s illness was shifting from early to mid stages AD and the timing was a divine accident. I learned so much as I observed the calm acceptance of these families. Rather than waste time shaking a fist at God for allowing this disease to take their loved one, they put their energy into trusting God’s sovereignty. They didn’t deny the difficulties and complications and sadness of Alzheimer’s, but they didn’t dwell on them. “God has a plan,” one woman told me. “He always has a plan.”  

Something else I noticed was how privileged my Amish friends felt about caring for their loved one. Caring for the elderly, they believe, is the time to give back to them.

Those encounters shaped my perspective of Dad’s illness. I started to pay attention to how God provided answers to new wrinkles created by Alzheimer’s, just in time. God may be slow, but He is never late.
I started to cherish special moments or good days with Dad—just as he was at each point in his illness. Not mourning the past, not dreading the future.

I really miss my dad. I miss his scratchy whiskers and the way his eyebrows would wiggle at us, even as words failed him. Yet I have such peace in my heart that he was well loved and well cared for, right to the very end. And as hard as Dad’s end of life has been, it isn’t the end. We will meet again. As the saying goes, “Some may see a hopeless end, but as believers we rejoice in an endless hope.”

There’s a beautiful story that illustrates my parents’ 59-year marriage. This event happened about a year or two ago. My sister had accompanied our mother to the doctor appointment for Dad at the Stanford Memory Clinic.

Dad had declined quite a bit that month. He was weak and lethargic, even to the point of whispering, as if it took too much energy to project his voice. During the doctor's appointment, the doctor told my mother and sister that Dad was now in late stages of Alzheimer's. Dad didn’t have much vocabulary left, but when the doctor asked him who mom was, he whispered something back. The doctor looked at Mom and asked, "Did you hear what he just said?"

Mom shook her head.

"When I asked him who you were, he whispered, 'She's...my everything.'"

###

Suzanne Woods Fisher is a writer of bestselling fiction and non-fiction books about the Old Order Amish. Her interest in the Plain People began with her grandfather, W. D. Benedict, who was raised Plain. Suzanne is the host of Amish Wisdom, a weekly radio program on toginet.com, and writes a bi-monthly column for Christian Post. Suzanne can be found on-line at www.suzannewoodsfisher.com.


Re-printed with permission by Cooking & Such, www.sherrygorebooks.com.



Exciting News – the latest Pearl Girls book, Mother of Pearl: Luminous Legacies and Iridescent Faith will be released this month! Please visit the Pearl Girls Facebook Page (and LIKE us!) for more information! Thanks so much for your support!

Launching Today: Allergies, and Awesome You

Do you have a child with allergies? Can you imagine life allergy free?

The AmazingAllergist will show you how!

Allergies, and Awesome You: Believe You Can Get There Too!

This book, through a life story of an allergic child, will empower you and your children.

Allergies, and Awesome You” is a part of the AmazingAllergist’s Awesome Series that empowers allergic children to live and lead great lives, allergy-free. It is a by-product of the author’s extensive medical knowledge, vast experiences as an allergy specialist, and the desire to make a difference, one allergic child at a time.

Learn more here - http://amazingallergist.com/book/

About the Author

Atul N. Shah, MD, FACAAI, FAAAAI, is a celebrated author of this AmazingAllergist book series, founder of www.AmazingAllergist.com, and the medical director of www.Center4AsthmaAllergy.com. He is a board certified allergist who has earned an honor of fellowships in both the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology and the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.

He has personally treated more than 20,000 patients, made a significant impact on more than 100,000 lives as an allergist so far, and earned the nickname “AmazingAllergist” from his patients and peers. His work is rewarded daily with numerous compliments of smiling patients and their families. He has been recognized with various awards, including the America’s Top Physicians’ Award, the Patients’ Choice Award, and the Most Compassionate Physicians’ Award. He believes that every allergic child and individual has a potential to live a great life, allergy-free. His desire to empower allergic individuals translated into this series of books.

Meet the Author

Buy the book - http://amazingallergist.com/book/

Join our online community

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/AmazingAllergist

Twitter - https://twitter.com/LifeAllergyFree

~ ~ ~ WIN A FREE KINDLE FIRE! ~ ~ ~

Pump Up Your Book Tour and the AmazingAllergist are giving away a FREE KINDLE FIRE! Fill out the Rafflecopter form below to win! This giveaway is only open to U.S. and Canada citizens. Deadline is June 1 and announced on June 2. If you are the winner, contact Dorothy Thompson at thewriterslife (at) gmail.com or Tracee Gleichner at tgleichner (at) gmail.com. You have 48 hours to reply. If we do not hear from you in 48 hours, another winner will be selected. Thanks and good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Html code for those who cannot add Rafflecopter forms to their blogs:

Mother of Pearl, Memories and a Contest - Day Two

Welcome to Pearl Girls™ Mother of Pearl Mother's Day blog series - a week long celebration of moms and mothering. Each day will feature a new post by some of today's best writer's (Tricia Goyer, Sheila Walsh, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Bonnie St. John, and more). I hope you'll join us each day for another unique perspective on Mother's Day.

AND ... do enter the contest for a chance to win a beautiful hand crafted pearl necklace. To enter, just {CLICK THIS LINK} and fill out the short form. Contest runs 5/6-5/13 and the winner will on 5/14. Contest is only open to US and Canadian residents.

If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit www.pearlgirls.info and see what we're all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace or one of the Pearl Girls™ products (all GREAT Mother's Day gifts!) to help support Pearl Girls.

And to all you MOMS out there, Happy Mother's Day!


Joy Comes from Perseverance by Sheila Walsh


One of the most important lessons I have learned in my own life is the joy that comes from perseverance. Eugene Peterson, borrowing a phrase from Friedrich Nietzsche, wrote his book  “A Long Obedience in the Same Direction …Discipleship in an Instant Society.” He points to the Psalms as the way believers have always learned to pray what they live and live what they pray but it is not a short journey. It is an intentional commitment to keep walking even when you are worn out.


*If we want to see lasting results in any area of life it’s important to keep walking in that direction.

*If we want to have a better understanding of the Gospel of John then it takes time and commitment to dig deeper day after day.

*If we want to be thinner this summer than last summer then the work begins now not then.
So too in our relationship with Christ…..

*If we want to know Him at a more profoundly intimate level, that also takes an intentional seeking after Him every day.

As a grown woman I have come to love the beauty of this gift. Passing this “mined treasure” onto my son on the other hand has been an interesting challenge.  We live in such a fast paced, attention-challenged culture where the latest thing can be delivered to your doorstep by tomorrow for a few dollars more. But, as you know, by the time it is delivered it has already been replaced or updated!

How do we speak then into the lives of our children to help them understand and value perseverance?

For me…part of the puzzle meant a large piece of poster board, scissors, some photos and a bottle of Elmer’s glue. My son, Christian and I spread everything out on a sheet in the game room as I explained our project. “We’re going to make a family faith-tree,” I said. “These are photos of family on your dad’s side and on mine. Many of them have gone on to be with Jesus but the seeds they planted into our family continue to grow.” Then we wrote down their names and when they came to faith in Christ (as many as I knew).  It was quite something to see when we were finished.

“Your life matters Christian. Running your race well matters.”

That night we read these words from the writer to the Hebrews,

“We are surrounded by a great cloud of people whose lives tell us what faith means. So let us run the race that is before us and never give up.”

Hebrews 12:1 (NCV)

###

Sheila Walsh is a Bible teacher, speaker, singer, and best-selling author with more than 4 million books sold. Sheila Walsh is the creator of the award-winning Gigi, God’s Little Princess® and her new series, Gabby, God's Little Angel. Meet Gabby in Gabby's Stick-to-It-Day. As a featured speaker with Women of Faith®, Sheila has reached more than 3.5 million women by artistically combining honesty, vulnerability and humor with God’s Word. She resides in Dallas with her husband Barry and son Christian. Visit www.sheilawalsh.com for more information about Sheila, her other books or Women of Faith.

Exciting News – the latest Pearl Girls book, Mother of Pearl: Luminous Legacies and Iridescent Faith will be released this month! Please visit the Pearl Girls Facebook Page (and LIKE us!) for more information! Thanks so much for your support!