DEVOTION: A Special Gift by Shirley Corder

"This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn't go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted." John 3:16-18a The Message


When God says He made us in His image, He doesn't mean we look like Him. Just take a look at the writers down the side of this website. Do we look alike? So how can we all look like God?

No, when He made us in His image, He made us like Him, with the ability to think and reason, to plan and orchestrate, and above all, the ability to be creative. However, where God created the universe out of nothing, we need to use existing material to create new articles.

As writers, we use existing words and letters and probably a computer. Carpenters use wood and tools. Artists produce beautiful pictures with paints and brushes. Dressmakers create clothing out of material using a sewing machine.

When God created us women, He gave us a special nurturing instinct, so that we could be good wives, mothers, aunts, daughters and friends. When He created men, He gave them the desire to lead and protect their families and be responsible for those around him. He made us "in his image" yet different. He also gave us a desire to give to others. Many of us love making things for those whom we love. We want the article to say to them, "I love you. You're special."

Sometimes, especially if the recipient is far away and we have to post the card or gift, we wonder if it will really be appreciated. Will our loved one realise it is special because we made it ourselves? Or will they give it a mere glance and throw it to one side? If only we could stick ourselves in the envelope, or wrap ourselves with the gift, so that we could personally deliver the message.

Over 2,000 years ago, our Creator God did just that. He sent us a special message, and He sent it with a gift.

The message? "I love you!"

The gift? His only Son, Jesus Christ.

A few people accept The Gift, and allow Him to transform their lives. But sadly, many take one glance and reject both the gift and the message.

God's Son was a very special person and lived a perfect life—yet He had no home of His own. His friends left Him when He needed them most. He was ridiculed, beaten, and killed in a dreadful way. Why on earth did He go through this? The Bible tells us He did it because of God's love for us. He did it because we are special to Him.

This year, as you prepare for Christmas, think about how much God loves you. As you spend time getting your gifts "just right," see how God works to make your life "just right" too. As you put your final touches to your gifts and step back with a sense of satisfaction, picture God's reaction when He made you. He stood back, and He said, "They are good. They are very good."

As you buy or make gifts in preparation for Christmas this year, remember the gift and message God sent you, and accept it with all your heart.

PRAYER: Lord, thank you for your amazing creation. Thank you for making me a part of it. Thank you for the gifts you have given to me. Most of all, thank you for the gift of Jesus. Help me to accept that gift, and always to remember that I am special in the eyes of my creator. Amen.

SHIRLEY CORDER lives in South Africa with her husband, a hyperactive budgie called Sparky, and an ever expanding family of tropical fish. She is contributing author to nine books to date and her book, Strength Renewed: Meditations for your Journey through Breast Cancer is due for release in the USA in 2012. Hundreds of her inspirational and life-enrichment articles have been published internationally. You can contact Shirley through her writing website, her Rise and Soar cancer site, or follow her on Twitter.

CONFESSIONS of a FRUSTRATED WRITER

Look at this woman. Disgraceful!

We wouldn't act like that would we? Umm, well, maybe not outwardly, but I admit I've been on the verge of tearing out my hair!

Please allow me some leeway to vent. It's sure to be cathartic. And in the closing days of December 2011, maybe very appropriate.

Authors write books, don't they? So far I've had two published and supposedly working on the next, but I can't seem to get into it again. And I know why...

It's the blessed Emails!

They just keep coming and I just keep sending! I want to, I need to, I look forward to, and I'd wonder what happened if they stopped. But oh, what it's done to my actual writing time.

Is this what they call obsessive/compulsive disorder? Because I think I must be addicted to my laptop.

What about non-stop. Editing. I find it just so difficult to let go. I don't know how many times I write and rewrite. Ever searching for the perfect descriptive word. Argh! Sure, the books get better each time, but there has to be some sort of closure.

And this: the Net. There's always something there to pull me away from actually creating. The net is good as a servant, but oh my, sometimes I think I'm allowing it to be my master.

I make sure each morning to read God's Word and ask Him to guide me and give me wisdom, and perhaps that's why I am sharing this with you. Or should I say, confessing. It's finally dawning on me that I'm spending far too much time on this bit of convenient technology.

Not finished yet!

Television. So informative with its daily newscasts. So educational in its teaching about the animal kingdom and marvelous Geography and History. All things I feel I need to know. And let's not forget the world of entertainment at our fingertips. Such a fascinating siren call.

I daren't get onto Twitter. That would really sink me!

I know, I know. Priorities. My grandparents were fairly well rounded individuals and also informed, but they never relied on these things...weren't even invented then! So, It's time I turned over a new leaf. (That's appropriate for an author, isn't it?) Seriously though, I reckon I need more stillness in my attitude and to recognize and remember that He is God and allow Him more space in my life and in my heart.

Maybe many of you have also come to the same conclusions in your busy lives.

BOOK OFFER DRAW


* Rita Galieh has recently had published Signed Sealed Delivered  the first book of her trilogy.  see www.ritastellagalieh.com to read the Prologue.
(* Leave your spaced email address and comment to receive a copy, and watch for Sunday's announcement in a couple of weeks.)

Interview with Sylvia Stewart--and Book Giveaway!

Today I'd like to welcome special guest Sylvia Stewart to ICFW. Sylvia has spent many years in Africa, which is the setting of her tween novel Kondi's Quest.

VC: Sylvia, I see that you grew up in Africa. Were your parents missionaries?

SS: Yes, I'm an M.K. My parents served in the (then) Belgian Congo. It's had some name changes since then. We first arrived in Congo two weeks before my 6th birthday. I still remember the palm trees flashing by as our twin-prop plane went flying down the red clay runway. We spent three years in Congo, but my mother became seriously ill with amoeba, and in those days the cure for it hadn't been found so we came home. Mama weighed 88 lbs. when Daddy carried her in her dressing gown onto the homeward-bound plane.

We spent three years at home in Oregon. Mama was prayed for at camp meeting and miraculously healed. We returned to Congo when I was 13. I came home when I was 16 and Mama and Daddy stayed home until my freshman year of college. They went back to Congo just a few days before my Bible College training began. I'm 71, so all that was a long time ago.

VC: Awesome to hear about your mom's healing! And then you went back to Africa as an adult?

SS: My husband and I served for 21 years in Malawi, where this book's setting is. Then we went on to Ethiopia for another 11 years until we retired. KONDI'S QUEST is a book for pre-teens who live in unhappy circumstances. This book clearly presents the message of salvation through Christ.

VC: What is it about Africa that wrapped itself around your heart?

SS: Africa is my second home. I always longed to return there. I had planned to take nurse's training and return as a medical missionary. However, I met someone tall, dark and very handsome in my Junior year of Bible School. We were married between my Junior and Senior year with our eyes on Africa. As our District Superintendent said to me at the time we applied for missionary service, "Seeing the need is one way God calls His children to service."

VC: Did you become a nurse, then?

SS: No, I never did. However, I did a lot of dressing of wounds for Malawians. We lived 8 miles from the nearest hospital and about two from the nearest clinic, so folks in the nearby village came to the mission for help. Once, a young boy was riding his father's bike in bare feet, going fast, when he hit a bump and his foot went into the front wheel. I had to cut away the thick callous on the sole of his foot to get it to heal. I didn't have proper scissors, so used sterilized hair cutting scissors. LOLOL

VC: Tell us about an African Christmas!

SS: When I was about 9 we lived in a government rest house for several months -- over the Christmas season. There were no evergreens and that area at all, so Dad went out and cut limbs from the acacia forest surrounding the resthouse. We decorated it that morning, but by noon, the branches were wilting to the point that the balls were sliding off and breaking on the cement floor. So we quickly opened our presents, what few there were, and dismantled the tree. It was a short Christmas.

VC: Do you have any photos of Malawi to share with our blog readers?

SS: No, I don't have any uploaded to my computer. We have hundreds of slides, but haven't worked with them to digitize them. (Is digitize a word??? LOLOL) My folks have a picture of me and my brother, standing with pigmies. I was about 8 and my brother about 11. We were taller than some of the pigmies were!

VC: What was the seed for Kondi's Quest?

SS: The plight of African children always tugged at my heart. Africa's children are as darling as American, English or Eskimo ones. However, when we were there, about half of the children born in Malawi died before the age of five. Malaria, dysentery, cholera and chicken pox were too much for many of them. And now, with the AIDS pandemic, many young teens are left to raise their younger siblings. One generation is virtually gone.

I wanted to leave a legacy for the children of Africa -- a story that even village children could relate to. It is my hope that one day, KONDI'S QUEST will be translated into Chichewa and Swahili, too, perhaps. KONDI'S QUEST is a redemption story in children's language and story format. However, even though it is a pre-teens' story, adult readers have told me they love it because of the African culture, life-style and landscape.

Here's what Kondi's Quest is about:

All she longs for is her father's love. Kondi, a 12-year-old Malawian girl, is sure her father, Bambo, doesn't love her. He seems to care more about the secret brown envelope he carries with him everywhere than his own daughter. She's convinced things will improve, though, when her mother's baby arrives. Then one night Bambo beats Mai in a drunken rage, and neighbors rush her off to the hospital. Will Mai and the baby live? Will Kondi be sold off by her uncle Kakama to a rich man to be his third wife? And what could possibly be in Bambo's brown envelope? The secrets are about to be revealed. A beautiful coming-of-age story of love, betrayal, and forgiveness that you won't soon forget.

Would you like to read this beautiful story set in Africa? Sylvia has offered a copy of Kondi's Quest to one reader of this blog. If the winner lives outside the USA, they'll be awarded the ebook version. If the winner lives within the USA, they may choose either an ebook or a paperback.

To be entered, all you need to do is add a comment with your email address, and tell us something interesting about Africa. Do you live there? Have you visited? Where would you go if you could? All entries must be in by Thursday, January 5.

"Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws."



To listen to a blog talk radio interview at The River with Sylvia, click here.

Valerie Comer's life on a small farm in western Canada provides the seed for stories of contemporary inspirational romance. Like many of her characters, Valerie and her family grow much of their own food and are active in the local food movement as well as their church. She only hopes her creations enjoy their happily ever afters as much as she does hers, shared with her husband, adult kids, and adorable granddaughter.

Her first published work, a novella, will be available in the collection Rainbow's End from Barbour Books in May 2012. Visit her website and blog to glimpse inside her world.

BREAKING THROUGH THE WALLS - TO WRITE

Today Ray and I went with our adult children here for Christmas holidays from the Australian mainland to see the movie, Tin-Tin. It was a most enjoyable family film. Our children began reading Tin-Tin when they were quite young and have a number of those comics still on their shelves. In a couple of scenes the comment was made, “when you come to a wall, you’ve got to break through it!”

For this writer, those words accompanied me home in the car. Having this blog to write made the statement even more relevant. Why? Because over the last couple of weeks a number of invisible yet very real walls have appeared across my pathway to writing my next book! Breaking through them has required more than one type of “hammer.”

There has been the Wall of Sickness and now whooping cough which has infected our grand-children. We have six youngsters under ten years. The youngest is 10 weeks. By the grace of God and wise management by parents she has so far escaped its ravages. Prayer is sustaining the family as sleep has been in short supply. Christmas Day this year was certainly “different.” We did join them all in the open air for far too brief a time to give and receive gifts but no hugs, no kisses! I am a “hugger” so that was particularly difficult!

Over the years, the Wall of Distraction has often come to taunt me day in and day out. Before long my writing schedule is derailed and I become frustrated, even despondent. Fortunately I have a wonderful husband who prods me along. So many times he not only helps with tasks that should be my responsibility, but picks up the “axe” of priorities and helps me break through. I have to remember to let some things in the house and garden remain untidy, to delegate some responsibilities and try harder to ignore others. Having dealt with those levels of self-discipline, I still have to put seat on this chair, read back over some of what I’ve already written until I’ve crept back into the heads and hearts of the characters in my latest story.

At last! Fingers poise for a moment over the keyboard. A deep breathe, and off they go trying to keep up with those characters’ fears and problems, tears and triumphs. I am writing again at last!

None of this is easy. My having a perfectionist nature makes that very evident and something about myself I’ve had to come to grips with many times over the years. God sure knew how much I needed the help of a sympathetic “close enough is wonderful” husband to get me back on track to crash through that “Wall”.

Unfortunately, as in that Tin Tin story today, there are too many times series of Walls to break through when actually working on a manuscript.

Sometimes plots and characters just won’t “behave” as I thought they would or should in certain situations. This is the Wall of Disappointment when things don’t work out in the story. The encouragement of fellow writers through face to face contact at meetings, conferences, reading other writer’s blogs, tips on many aspects of writing help tear the walls down plank by plank or even brick by brick.

The Wall of Aging becomes an excuse as I find it takes more and more time to assemble fresh and stimulating words and plots. I can’t do much about the years but accepting a slower work rate allows for escape holes to appear in the barrier between me and my final edit.

There are all kinds of Walls of course that can slow or even stall the writing process. But my final one I’d like to mention here is the Wall of Criticism, especially from family and close friends. This is a hurtful barrier which I can only really conquer with the sense of conviction I’m doing what is pleasing to the Lord. I may not be a “World Winner”, but God will use what I’ve framed and had accepted by editors and publishers to be a blessing to someone somewhere.

Essentially, this is the best “Wall Breaker” I know. Nothing you do for the Lord, with the Lord and according to the Lord’s purposes will ever be contained by the “Walls” of the world, the Flesh or the Darkness. In fact, when all is said and done it has only been because HE is the one who has been my strength to break through the walls that would stop me writing – and being – what HE wants me to do and be.

What about your world – whether it is also that of the writer or some other tasks?

What kind of Walls do you discover may block the road you know you should be faithfully travelling on?



Ray and Mary with 2011
CALEB Award certificates.

 Mary Hawkins is a best-selling inspirational romance author. A Queensland farmer’s daughter, she became a registered nurse before going to Bible College. She and her minister husband have three adult children and five grandchildren, enjoyed over 46 years of ministry including church planting in Australia, two years in England, three short term mission trips to Africa and now live in Tasmania, Australia's island state. Her 19th title, Justice at Baragula was released May, 2011
Read more about her books, her husband Ray and his devotional books on their blog from the website: http://www.mary-hawkins.com/

THE SAMPLE LADY---by Christine Lindsay

Have you ever tried to give away---for free---something truly good and people stride past you as if you were offering them poison?

In order to support my writing habit I have a part-time marketing job that I work at on weekends. I demonstrate various products at a large department store. On any given weekend I could be giving out free samples from everything from cat food to serving pancakes to free chocolates.

Now granted we don’t all like the same things. What a boring world that would be if we did.

If shoppers don’t want what I offer then a polite smile and a no-thank-you would suffice as people move past me and my serving tray.

But alas, when I’ve held out my tray of chocolates in their cute little plastic cups, I’d swear some people think I’m trying to shorten their life.

Thankfully most people realize it’s only a free gift, something with no cost to give them a moment’s joy. And they’re under no obligation to buy. My job is to give out the samples. No coercion involved.

It often reminds me of the times I try to tell others about my relationship with Christ—how wonderful it is. How free I feel to enjoy life, and how I obtained this relationship by simply recognizing it as a gift and reaching out to take it and enjoy it.

Sadly, too many of my relatives and acquaintances look at my bond with the Lord as something that will rob them of fun and good times. They fail to see it as the most wonderful thing in the world.

But I often find that when someone does take a tiny bit of a risk and decides to try something from my sample tray, their eyes widen in surprise. And they make speak with a mouth full and say, “Oh my, I didn’t think I’d like it, but that’s really good.”

As far as the greatest free gift of all---a relationship with the King of Kings, well, I’ll keep gently holding out my metaphoric sample tray, and one day those people around me will look up into the Lord’s face and say with awe, “Oh my, I didn’t think I’d love you, but your love for me takes my breath away.”

That’s what I’m praying for them.

Have a very Merry Christmas, and I pray that if you've never accepted the greatest gift of all, that you will this year.

Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jeus our Lord."

I invite you to drop by my website www.ChristineLindsay.com and visit me, or if you like a Historical novel that will sweep you away to India then you may like Shadowed in Silk.

SUNDAY EDITION

Coming Up This Week

Monday

Christine Lindsay: The Sample Lady

Tuesday

Mary Hawkins

Wednesday

Valerie Comer: Interview with Sylvia Stewart and Book Giveaway!

Thursday

Rita Galieh: Confessions of a Frustrated Writer

Friday Devotion

Shirley Corder: A Special Gift

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Contest Giveaway Winners

Michelle is the winner of Amanda Deed's book, Ellenvale Gold (Narelle's post, December 19)

Congratulations Michelle!

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Contest News

Lisa Harris' book Blood Covenant is a Best Inspirational Novels 2011 nominee in the suspense category by Romantic Times. Congratulations Lisa!

Kathi Macias has been named 2011 Author of the Year by BooksandAuthors.net Congratulations Kathi!

Paula Vince's book Best Forgotten won the CALEB Prize 2011 in the fiction category and also won the overall Grand Prize. Congratulations Paula!

Catherine West's debut novel, Yesterday's Tomorrow, won the 2011 INSPY Award in the Romance category. Congratulations Cathy!

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Upcoming Book Releases

Donna Fletcher Crow's book A Darkly Hidden Truth, Book 2 in The Monastery Murders series, will be a January 2012 release from Monarch Books.

Kathi Macias' book set in San Diego, CA and the Golden Triangle area of Thailand, Special Delivery, Book Two in her Freedom series involving human trafficking, will be a March 2012 release from New Hope Publishers.

Sandra Orchard's romantic suspense set in Canada, Shades of Truth, will be a March 2012 release from Love Inspired Suspense.

Jennifer Rogers Spinola's women's fiction book, Like Sweet Potato Pie, Book Two in the Southern Fried Sushi series, will be a March 2012 release from Barbour.

Kathi Macias' book set in San Diego and Mexico, The Deliverer, Book Three in her Freedom series involving human trafficking, will be an April 2012 release from New Hope Publishers.

Valerie Comer's debut novella, Topaz Treasure, which is part of the Rainbow's End collection, will be a May 2012 release from Barbour.

Sandra Orchard's romantic suspense set in Canada, Critical Condition, will be an October 2012 release from Love Inspired Suspense.

Jennifer Rogers Spinola's women's fiction book, 'Till Grits Do Us Part, Book Three in the Southern Fried Sushi series, will be a November 2012 release from Barbour.

To find more International Christian Fiction books, please visit our Recent Releases page, Backlist Titles page and our International Christian Fiction wiki.

We wish you a blessed and joyous Christmas as we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Saviour.

DEVOTION: To Resolve or not To Resolve - by Marcia Laycock

I was delivering Christmas cards last week and stopped in to the small gym where I have been noticeable only by my absence lately. I admit I felt a little guilty going in the door. The owner greeted me with a wide smile and we wished one another a Merry Christmas. Then I said, “One of my New Year’s resolutions will be to get here more often.” My friend shook her head. “Oh don’t do that, don’t make yourself feel guilty about it!” 


Then she stammered a bit. “But …. I don’t mean …. Do come back!”

We laughed and I assured her I would.

I’ve been thinking about what she said ever since. I’ve been thinking about guilt. It does seem to be a big part of what we do at this time of year. We feel guilty for all the things we didn’t do in the past year  - like finish that novel or write that article that’s still in draft form in the computer -and most of us resolve to do better. So guilt isn’t such a bad thing, if, and that’s a big if, we make the changes necessary in our lives. If guilt is unresolved it becomes an unhealthy thing and can lead to bitterness and anger that will only make us miserable. But guilt that leads to change, that’s healthy guilt.

So I have decided to make that New Year’s resolution, and a few others – like finish that novel and write that article - and I’ve gone a step further. I have a plan for carrying it out. Often that’s the key. If we just dwell on our guilty feelings and set no goals or plans for how to change, nothing constructive will happen. Unhealthy guilt will result.

I’ve heard many people scoff and say that all religion does is make you feel guilty. They are absolutely right. But Jesus has gone a step further. He has set out a plan that wipes away the guilt. All we have to do is move from religion to relationship. Accept Him as our brother, our friend, our saviour, and no amount of guilt can hold us down.

The word guilt appears a few times in the Bible. My favourite is in the book of Hebrews, chapter 10, verse 22 – “let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.”

I like those words, “assurance”, “cleanse” and “washed with pure water.” Though the guilt of our sin may bear us down, there is forgiveness. No matter what we have done, or what has been done to us, God forgives, and we are set free “by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body…” (Hebrews 10:20).

The best resolution any of us can make as we move into the next year is to get to know Him more. I pray we will all resolve to do so. It’s the only way to get rid of all that guilt.

Marcia Laycock's inspirational writing has won awards in both Canada and the U.S. Her devotionals are distributed to thousands, and her novel, One Smooth Stone, won the Best New Canadian Christian Author Award in 2006. Marcia is also a sought-after speaker for women's events. Visit her at her website. 

An Awakening of Words

Orama volunteer: 26th December 2000—25th March 2001



It was always in my mind to write a novel. The idea of the thing had been bubbling away in my head for seven years already, but it was at Orama that I first set down its title and began to write. Little did I know it would take seven more years to finish. During my three-month volunteer stint I made beds, cooked lunches, scrubbed toilets—and wrote. My university days were over and my career not yet begun: it was a crossroads in many ways.

Each day as I worked and went my way among the valley’s buildings, the hills would call to me. Come away, they said, taste our air and be changed. As often as I could, I climbed up through the almost-vertical northern cow paddocks and toiled along the steep ridge with the manuka to one side, skinny branches clattering above me in the ever-blowing wind. At the crest, instead of continuing down the track to the next bay, I turned right into the wilderness and clambered a little farther amongst thinning bush and encroaching gorse. A couple more minutes brought me to an outcropping of rock that rests on the apex between the two valleys. There I would sit with my big notebook and sometimes my Saturday sandwiches, my back against the sun-warmed stone, my face towards the west and the scattering of islands where the rabid city hides just beyond the horizon.

The first time I opened the cover of my book, I wrote its title in capitals at the top of the page: FAITH AWAKENED. Before ever another word existed, I knew that would be its name. It isn’t entirely what it seems—Faith is a main character, and Awakened is what a group of future believers call themselves. There’s more to it than that, but I won’t spoil the story for you!



I did my daily rounds of cleaning—main building and flats and communal areas, Pines and Shady Heights and Seaside and Hillside. For a time I was put in charge of rosters and sent others to do various things. The story was always growing within me, whatever I did—epic jam sessions, legendary sunsets, night swims, phosphorescent tides, and preparing for the more or less constant stream of visitors. Once an entire film crew came to stay, and we dollied up all the old cabins with our best bedding for them, on both sides of the valley.

Inevitably, the spirit of Orama found its way into the story I was penning in between all this—disguised, yes, and transplanted into another part of the globe. But those who know her will recognise her if they realise what they are reading. Although my time there coincided with the absence of Orama’s leading lights, I was gladdened on later return visits to see they knew me anyway, from my application papers no doubt. I have a notoriously terrible memory for names, but I can still see the faces of the folks I worked with, here in my mind’s eye.

I’ve written several other books since then, but Orama is where the first was born. As I set out on that journey, the “Orama effect” took hold in my writing: an intense, active, almost forced stopping to listen to the wind, the sea, the heartbeat of community, and the whispers of mystic inspiration. It is my hope to do justice to its expression as I continue to set words one after another, end to end in a calling that came to me early, but sprouted in a place that will always be precious to my soul.



More pictures and info about Orama Christian Community, Aotea (Great Barrier Island), New Zealand:
orama.org.nz/about-orama

Christmas in Maputo, 1986; a short story

Our house in Maputo, 1986-90

No one had told her Mozambique would be hot at Christmas.  Not this hot.  Sweat ran down between her breasts to pool in her bra.  She opened the oven door to check the turkey they had brought from neighboring Swaziland and a burst of heat scorched her face.  She brushed back her damp bangs and slathered the bird with melted butter.  There must be a place for the stuffing.  It was her mother’s recipe, brought from a land where Christmas meant snow-covered pines and afternoons at the sledding hill.

“Why am I doing this?” she asked herself for the hundredth time.  The gas flame glowed blue beneath the rusted oven floor that served in place of the missing rack.  She maneuvered the stuffing pan into place and slammed the door.

She adjusted the temperature on the missing dial with a pair of pliers and tried to remember how lucky they were to have such a large gas stove when the rebels so frequently knocked out the electricity to the city.  She wasn’t feeling very lucky.

Her husband had volunteered to set the table—in the dining room where the antique air conditioner clanked away.  It didn’t lower the temperature much, but it did take some of the humidity out of the air.  The children were curled up in the same room, reading their Christmas storybooks and playing with new toys.

She wiped sweat from her flushed face and turned on the potatoes.  Soon they added their steam to the sweltering kitchen.  A can of cranberries, a plate of raw veges and a jar of olives, all brought from Swaziland and saved for this moment, completed the meal.

“Time to eat,” she called when the turkey was out and the potatoes mashed.  The rest of the family scurried to help.

“Man, it’s hot in here,” her husband proclaimed as if he had any idea.

When all was on the table, she sank into her chair.  Her husband opened the Bible.  The children grew quiet.  Only the air-conditioner on the wall continued its incessant noise.

“And it came to pass in those days that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus…and Mary brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger.”

She took a deep breath of de-humidified, slightly air-conditioned air.  It wasn’t about pines or sledding or even her mother’s stuffing after all.

Merry Christmas with a gift!

 a 

While my kids are dreaming of a white Christmas, this year, like all years in Africa, we will have to make do by cranking up the air-conditioning for a few hours while sipping hot peppermint cocoa around the lit tree. But while holiday traditions change, depending on where you live in the world, there is one that will never change.


The gift of a Savior who entered the world as a baby, then gave up his life for us.


"For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not parish, but have eternal life." John 3:16 


May we never forget what Jesus did coming to earth. Or the gift of eternal life.


In the spirit of giving and this Christmas season, I thought it would be appropriate  to offer you something. Undercover Cowboy is one of my first novellas, published by Tyndale a number of years ago, but still one of my favorites. This fall, when the rights to the story reverted back to me, I decided to offer it as an ebook. And from now until Christmas, you can get if for free.                


All you have to do is click here then put in the coupon code EC44G. The coupon is good until December 26th. Feel free to pass it on to friends and family as well! 


Here's a short summary of Undercover Cowboy: 


Pinkerton detective Cole Ramsey has been hired to investigate a rancher suspected of sabotaging his neighbor's property. But Cole's investigation might be compromised when he falls for Abigail Covington, the rancher's daughter. 


Happy reading and may you all enjoy a very Merry Christmas!


Lisa Harris

Interview with Aussie author Amanda Deed and book giveaway

Narelle here. I'm delighted to welcome Amanda Deed to our blog today. We will be giving away a copy of Amanda's new release, Ellenvale Gold, and the giveaway is open to readers anywhere in the world.

Amanda Deed grew up in the South Eastern suburbs of Melbourne in a Christian home, and found faith at an early age. She has followed her passion to serve the Lord through music and literature since her teen years. She has had many experiences as she toured Australia and ministered in music with worship bands. Now married, with three children, Amanda enjoys the variety of being a mother, administrator/book-keeper, musician and fiction writer.

Amanda’s debut novel, The Game, was awarded the 2010 CALEB Prize for fiction. www.amandadeed.com.au

It is the time of Australia’s harsh rogue-filled goldrush of the 1850’s when Miss Penelope Worthington suddenly finds herself orphaned, isolated and alone. With a large sheep station to run single-handedly, she has little option but to enlist the aid of a mysterious, but sinister stranger.

But who is the more treacherous? Gus—the scruffy, trespassing, ex-convict who co-incidentally shows up looking for work just when she desperately needs a farmhand or Rupert—the handsome, wealthy neighbour who would willingly marry her at the drop of a hat and solve her apparent dilemma?

Repeatedly, her faith is tested as she faces the unforgiving elements, deceit, lies and uncertainty. But where and how will it all end? But…is it the end? Will vengeance return or will Penny’s faith prevail?

Narelle: What do you find most fascinating about the 1850’s gold rush era of Australian history?

Amanda: There's always that allure of a gold strike which somehow draws me. But, I am especially interested in what happened on the Victorian gold fields - the tensions about unfair treatment, which grew into what we now call the Eureka Stockade. That event was formulative to our government in the years which followed.

Narelle: Please share with us a few of your research tips.

Amanda: I did a lot of research on line. I found, through the NLA (National Library of Australia), copies of old newspapers, old maps of the gold fields, paintings, letters - lots of fascinating stuff. I've read the journals of a minister at that time. Then of course, I borrowed books from the local library to study the history of Melbourne, social customs of the day, how sheep runs were managed. I also contacted the Sunbury Historical Society, and they set me straight on a few facts. There is so much to learn!

Narelle: What was your inspiration for writing Ellenvale Gold?

Amanda: I began writing this novel in 2000. I had been searching for Australian Christian historical romances, but there were very few around at that time. Somewhere along the line, a voice in my head said "why don't you write one". It made sense. Historical romance is my favourite genre, but I'd been dabbling with writing contemporary. It didn't take long for the ideas to begin to flow.

Narelle: I must confess to being a fan of the Aussie bushranger tv series Wild Boys, also set during the 1850’s gold rush. Do any real life historical figures or bushrangers play a role in Ellenvale Gold?

Amanda: It does feel like a confession to admit liking Wild Boys - I feel a little guilty for enjoying it, seeing as they are all criminals, just some worse than others! I did mention a bushranger called Captain Melville who's hideout was in the area where Ellenvale Gold was set, but other than that, I created all my characters, but keeping in mind some of the real-life characters I'd researched.

Narelle: Ellenvale Gold is set on a large sheep station. Do your characters attend a local parish, or are they living in an isolated area? Did the church influence the faith and lives of your characters?

Amanda: I could not find any evidence of an established church in the area I'd set the novel, not even a preaching circuit. From all accounts I read, plus talking to the historical society, the churches in Sunbury weren't built until late in the 1800s. One of my characters however, comes to Ellenvale as an established believer. His faith then influences others in the novel.

Narelle: What do you hope your readers will take away after reading Ellenvale Gold?

Amanda: I hope they take a deeper appreciation of the pioneering days in Australia, as well as a message of grace and hope, and of course I want them to be entertained.

Narelle: How has your faith influenced your writing?

Amanda: The Lord is the reason I write. I write to tell His story in a gentle way to those who haven't heard. I hope that I can thread His grace and love through the pages of my novels in a way that will impact lives.

Narelle: Please tell us about your upcoming releases.

Amanda: I am working on the sequel to Ellenvale Gold and having a lot of fun doing it. I am just putting the finishing touches on it and then I will be onto the third and final instalment.

Amanda, thanks for joining us today. It's been a pleasure to interview you and learn more about the gold rush period of Australian history.

By commenting on today’s post you can enter the drawing to win a copy of Ellenvale Gold. The drawing will take place on Friday, December 23 and the winner announced on Christmas Day, Sunday, December 25. Please leave an email address [ ] at [ ] dot [ ] where you can be reached.

"Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws."

To learn more about Amanda, please visit her website.

Narelle Atkins writes contemporary inspirational romance. She resides in Canberra, Australia with her husband and children. To learn more about Narelle, please visit her website.

SUNDAY EDITION

Coming Up This Week

Monday

Narelle Atkins: Interview with Aussie author Amanda Deed and book giveaway

Tuesday

Lisa Harris

Wednesday

LeAnne Hardy

Thursday

Grace Bridges

Friday Devotion

Marcia Laycock: To Resolve or not To Resolve

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Contest Giveaway Winners

Narelle is the winner of Shirley Tucker's book, Diamonds in the Dust (Ruth Ann's post, December 6)

Congratulations Narelle!

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Contest News

Lisa Harris' book Blood Covenant is a Best Inspirational Novels 2011 nominee in the suspense category by Romantic Times. Congratulations Lisa!

Kathi Macias has been named 2011 Author of the Year by BooksandAuthors.net Congratulations Kathi!

Paula Vince's book Best Forgotten won the CALEB Prize 2011 in the fiction category and also won the overall Grand Prize. Congratulations Paula!

Catherine West's debut novel, Yesterday's Tomorrow, won the 2011 INSPY Award in the Romance category. Congratulations Cathy!

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Recent Book Releases

Lisa Harris' Christmas novella, Undercover Cowboy, is on sale through Christmas for only $.99! Available as an eBook on Kindle, Nook, Smashwords and other places.

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Upcoming Book Releases

Donna Fletcher Crow's book A Darkly Hidden Truth, Book 2 in The Monastery Murders series, will be a January 2012 release from Monarch Books.

Kathi Macias' book set in San Diego, CA and the Golden Triangle area of Thailand, Special Delivery, Book Two in her Freedom series involving human trafficking, will be a March 2012 release from New Hope Publishers.

Sandra Orchard's romantic suspense set in Canada, Shades of Truth, will be a March 2012 release from Love Inspired Suspense.

Jennifer Rogers Spinola's women's fiction book, Like Sweet Potato Pie, Book Two in the Southern Fried Sushi series, will be a March 2012 release from Barbour.

Kathi Macias' book set in San Diego and Mexico, The Deliverer, Book Three in her Freedom series involving human trafficking, will be an April 2012 release from New Hope Publishers.

Valerie Comer's debut novella, Topaz Treasure, which is part of the Rainbow's End collection, will be a May 2012 release from Barbour.

Sandra Orchard's romantic suspense set in Canada, Critical Condition, will be an October 2012 release from Love Inspired Suspense.

Jennifer Rogers Spinola's women's fiction book, 'Till Grits Do Us Part, Book Three in the Southern Fried Sushi series, will be a November 2012 release from Barbour.

To find more International Christian Fiction books, please visit our Recent Releases page, Backlist Titles page and our International Christian Fiction wiki.

DEVOTION: A New Focus - by Shirley Corder

God spoke: "Earth, generate life! Every sort and kind: cattle and reptiles and wild animals--all kinds." And there it was: wild animals of every kind, Cattle of all kinds, every sort of reptile and bug. God saw that it was good.


God spoke: "Let us make human beings in our image, make them reflecting our nature, so they can be responsible for the fish in the sea, the birds in the air, the cattle, And, yes, Earth itself, and every animal that moves on the face of Earth." 


God created human beings; he created them godlike, Reflecting God's nature. He created them male and female. . . . And there it was. God looked over everything he had made; it was so good, so very good! It was evening, it was morning-- Day Six. (Excerpts from Genesis1:24-32 The Message)

I recently joined a newly formed camera club. At the second meeting, the lecturer taught us some techniques concerning our choice of subjects. He projected various photographs onto the wall, and explained what made them great pictures, or where their weaknesses lay. Each time, he emphasized the need for a focal point. There was no such thing as just a beautiful view. There was always a main focus, perhaps a beautiful rose, a sunset, or a ship.

He showed us a picture of a beautiful garden. Flowering shrubs and shaped hedges surrounded manicured lawns. Overhead, the sky was an azure blue with wisps of soft white cloud—a stunning photograph. High up in the sky, an eagle hovered.

"Where is the focus of this picture?" he asked us. Obviously, the photographer had intended to take a photo of the beautiful gardens. It is likely that he spotted the eagle and planned to include him in the picture.

"Notice something interesting," the speaker continued. "See how your eyes are drawn to the eagle. You look at the gardens. Then you glance back at the bird." He explained how any animal or bird in a picture always dominates the picture, no matter how small it may be.

"Now look at this," he continued. He put up a photograph showing two majestic mountains, one on the right and the other on the left. High in the brilliant blue African sky an eagle or vulture hovered, too small to identify. But the bird wasn't the focus.

Where the mountains came together to form a V, a young woman stood, arms stretched upwards. She was small, but immediately we all reacted. "The woman is the focus." The lecturer smiled, then explained that where life, as in animals or birds, dominate a photograph, when a human being appears, he or she is always the main focus of the picture.

Don't you find that fascinating? When God created the world, He created a magnificent backdrop of mountains, seas, deserts, waterfalls, sandy beaches, mighty rivers and dramatic jungles. And He said "They're good!" Then He created us—men and women—and He said, "They're very good!" Suddenly mankind was the focus of God's entire picture of creation.

As we move toward the end of 2011, I challenge you to ask yourself the question. "What has been my true focus this year?" Then ask, "What will people's eyes be drawn to in my life in 2012?"

Will it be good? Or will it be very good? Remember, God's focus is the people that He created. What will our focus be this coming year? How will we use our lives to bring blessing to His people?

God is not looking at how clever you are. He's not counting how many books you've had published, or how much you've spent on Christmas presents. He's looking at you—the pride and joy of His creation. As the year draws to a close, will He smile with pleasure and say, "That's my child."

Prayer: Lord God, it astounds me that with all the beauty and magnificence of your creation, your real focus is on me. Help me to bring honour to your Name, that when people look at me they say, "God is good—He's very good."


SHIRLEY CORDER lives in South Africa with her husband, a hyperactive budgie called Sparky, and an ever expanding family of tropical fish. She is contributing author to nine books to date and hundreds of her inspirational and life-enrichment articles have been published internationally. Her book, Strength Renewed: Meditations for your Journey through Breast Cancer is due for release in the USA in 2012. You can contact Shirley through her writing website, her Rise and Soar cancer site, or follow her on Twitter.