Devotion: Not Just Another Love Story

by Sherma Webbe Clarke | @sdwc8181 

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:13 (NIV) 

I received three red dresses this past Christmas in a variety of shades and styles. Is red my favorite color? No. Did I thank the giver sincerely each time I opened a box and pulled out another red dress? Yes. Will I try to wear each dress in appreciation of his gifts? Yes.

Starting on Valentine’s Day.

After all of the red that surrounds the Christmas season, I need a break. Time to settle back into my usual colors and clothes. But as Valentine’s Day approaches, I begin to think about red again. And love. I open my Bible and mine for stories of love.

1. John 3:16 

One of the first verses I learned as a child was John 3:16: For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. This verse acts as a synopsis of what I know about God, from creation to end-time events. This verse contains hope, a promise, and a future. The plan of salvation is the ultimate gift to a fallen race of people from a loving Father. During a visit to Jerusalem, I walked in the footsteps of Jesus when he cloaked himself in humanity. What caused the Lamb of God to leave the throne room of heaven to live a life of poverty in a sin-sick world? Love.

2. 1 Corinthians 13 

When I was a young adult (oh, so long ago!), it was almost expected to include a reading of 1 Corinthians 13 at weddings. The Love Chapter. The happy couple would look into each other’s eyes as the characteristics of love were declared. My husband once gave me a small pamphlet that contained this passage of scripture in an abundance of versions. Each version held a different tone, from Old English language to colloquial, but the message remained the same. Love never fails. Now as an older adult, I understand that the theme of this chapter transcends romantic or marital love. The love of God should flow through us and drench every area of our lives. In our ministry positions, demonstrate a loving spirit. At the workplace, be kind. When faced with an obstacle, exercise wisdom. God’s love is the answer to the complexities and is the source of joys in our lives.

3. Luke 15:3-32 

Jesus, the Master Storyteller, talked about God’s love in short stories called parables. The Bible says ‘parable’; these days we might say ‘flash fiction’. Of the three parables in Luke 15, the relationship between the wandering son and hopeful father is the most poignant to me. The imagery in this story is compelling and vivid. I imagine a stubborn boy walking away from his heartbroken father. I picture the split screen of an empty, self-indulgent lifestyle versus the stability of home. And when the repentant young man finally returns home, he experiences quick forgiveness and is restored to his former position. Our patient, long-suffering Father waits for us to come to our senses and turn or return to Him. And when we do, He wraps us in His righteousness and calls us His own.

4. Psalm 23 

Because the word love does not appear in the twenty-third Psalm, the chapter is an effective example of showing, not telling. David set his words to music and many of us have the lyrics committed to memory. He depicts God as a shepherd, a leader, a comforter, a protector, and a provider.

While occasions like Valentine’s Day put the focus on temporary gifts such as flowers, chocolates, and romantic dinners, the love language of the Bible appeals to us on a deeper level. Not just for a day or a season, but eternity.

About Sherma . . . 

Sherma Webbe Clarke is a contemporary fiction writer and a 2017 ACFW First Impressions Finalist. Her inspirational writing has been included in Christian devotional books: Grace Notes and Blessed. She loves to take her husband by the hand to explore nearby and far-flung areas of the globe. This wanderlust has its perks. She credits many of her story ideas to these adventures. Quiet, early-morning walks along the railroad trails on her home island of Bermuda provide inspiration when she is homebound.

Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

Love for All Time

posted by Donna Fletcher Crow @donnafletchercr

What a lovely thing Valentine’s Day is—a whole day set aside especially for sharing love, remembering those we love in special ways, and celebrating love. But of course, just one day isn’t nearly enough to share our love and appreciation for friends, family and all the people in our lives who mean so much to us.

Sharing love every day is one of my goals as a writer. That’s why I find that whether I’m writing mystery, romance, or history, my stories all have an element of love in them. No matter what the story is, it’s about people—and what could possibly be more important to people in any circumstance than love—both human and divine?

That’s why, of the 50-some books I’ve written, my Where There is Love series is still one of my very favorites. These are true stories of faith and love, recounting the early, formative years in the lives of men and women who went on to shape the religious life of 18^th and 19^th century England.

Where Love Begins
Can Catherine Perronet find happiness when her beloved Charles Wesley marries another?

Where Love Illumines
Mary Tudway must choose: a life of pleasure amidst London's high society or a life of faith and service with the devout Rowland Hill?

Where Love Triumphs
Charming, brilliant and lame, Sir Brandley Hilliard believes he can do very well without love of any kind in his life—until he meets the captivating Elinor Silbert and King’s College Fellow, Charles Simeon.

Where Love Restores
Granville Ryder's harsh up-bringing means he must struggle to find his place in his illustrious family, in God's work, and in Georgiana's heart.

Where Love Shines
In Scutari, the charge of the Light Brigade leaves Lt. Richard Grayson blinded and Jennifer Neville, one of Florence Nightengale's nurses, devastated—a darkness from which they must grope their way to the light.

Where Love Calls
Kynaston Studd is on fire to carry the love of God to the ends of the earth, but God seems to be calling his friends there instead; and Hilda is horrified to find herself falling in love with the man she had intended for her sister.

Times and circumstances change, but love abides.

May you have a beautiful Valentine’s Day sharing love with all around you.

https://www.donnafletchercrow.com/

Roses and Valentine's Day

Posted by Ruth Ann Dell

Hearts, love poems, pretty cards trimmed in shades of red, cuddly teddy bears, chocolates and chubby cherubs with bows and arrows abound today—Valentine's Day. And roses everywhere.  Exquisite red roses saying "I love you".

On Saturday my friend, Yvonne, shared her creativity and showed a group of church friends how to make felt roses.

Yvonne with some of her felt roses

What a morning of fun, love and fellowship we had as we pinned, laughed, snipped, chatted, sewed, laughed, made mistakes, chatted, drank tea, laughed some more, arranged petals, wielded the glue gun, chatted some more... well I'm sure you get the idea.

Ready to start

Cutting out petals

The colours of roses convey different messages. Not only do red roses mean love, but they also stand for passion, beauty, courage and respect. A yellow rose with red-tipped petals will tip you off that the giver values your friendship and is falling in love with you, while lavender hues indicate love at first sight and enchantment. White roses tell of  purity and innocence. Want to express admiration, sympathy, grace, joy or sweetness? Buy light pink roses for a gift. Red and white roses given together signify unity. Dark pink shows appreciation and gratitude.

A beautiful bouquet of roses showing appreciation

Our instruction sheets included advice from a rose:

• Bloom
• Share your beauty
• Be a good bud
• Grow gracefully
• Spread sweetness

Sage advice indeed, well worth following every day of the year.

And today I wish I could shower God with a multitude of red roses to say "I love You". Not only has He given us the gift of roses in this world to enjoy, He has also given us the gift of His great love, shown in the ultimate gift of Jesus, His Son, Who died to give us forgiveness for our sins and the gift of eternal life. What an amazing gift to thank Him for this Valentine's Day.

Woven Hearts

The settings in our stories have the charm and attraction of bringing foreign countries to life for our readers. Writing international fiction can involve days, weeks, or even months, of research, but sometimes story-enriching treasures come our way unexpectedly.

In my days as a preschool teacher, one of the crafts I enjoyed teaching was making woven heart baskets. When one of my granddaughters stayed with me for an overnight visit recently, I thought it would be fun for the two of us to make baskets to fill with chocolates on Valentine's Day. I embarked on a Google search for a suitable template. Within seconds, and much to my surprise, my monitor displayed not just the basic design as seen here, but a large variety of paper hearts. Many had beautiful geometric patterns and others depicted themes such as angels, stars and complex nativity scenes. If you are on Pinterest, this link will show you many examples. Several of the hearts incorporated a heart motif well suited to Valentines' Day gifts, and my granddaughter made several baskets for her family using one of these designs. Traditionally the two sides are interwoven, but she made them separately and stapled them together. She was very happy with her handiwork.

Two of my granddaughter's heart baskets

I visited several of the websites suggested by Google and learned that making woven paper hearts is a Scandinavian tradition. They are often used as Christmas tree ornaments and can be filled with nuts and sweets. The Danish fairy tale author, Hans Christian Anderson, made the oldest known woven heart in 1860, and today it hangs in the Hans Christian Anderson Museum in Odense.


I have a friend, Amy, whose mother is Danish. Thinking that Amy might know about the baskets, I contacted her and found that she followed the Scandinavian tradition and made them for her Christmas tree.

Amy's Christmas Tree

My biggest surprise was yet to come—these ornaments feature in my own family story. Last night I learnt that one of my mother's treasures is a paper heart basket, probably about hundred years old, which her father made. My grandfather was a Norwegian who emigrated to England, and he bought a fir tree in a pot to decorate for Christmas. The tree grew and eventually he planted it in the garden, where it flourished for decades. Every Christmas he would cut off a branch and bring it into the house to decorate for the festive season. Of course, the ornaments included his paper heart baskets

I look forward to seeing Grandad's little basket when I next visit my mother, but, in the meantime, I'm weaving paper hearts into a Christmas story plot.

Do you have any special Christmas or Valentine's Day ornaments? Please tell me about them in the comments section below.

Art Imitating Life: First Dates (plus book giveaway)

By Narelle Atkins

I recently wrote a character interview post for the Inspy Romance blog and penned myself into the scene with my characters, Sean and Julia. We were having coffee at a café opposite Manly Beach in Sydney, the setting for my new release Winning Over the Heiress. You can read the character interview here. 

While I was chatting with the Inspy Romance readers in the blog comments, I realized I’d used the same location as my first date with my husband, over twenty years ago.

Manly Beach in Sydney, Australia

In honour of Valentine’s Day this weekend, I thought I’d share a little bit about my first date with my husband. 

Our children are baffled by the whole concept of Dad calling Mum on a land line phone that was answered by their grandfather. They have their own phones and technology is a normal part of their everyday lives. 

On our first date, I met my husband in the courtyard of our church in Manly on a balmy January summer evening. Our church was hosting a mission week that included Christian rock bands performing each night. We listened to the band for a while before heading down The Corso to Manly Beach and a quieter café where we could talk. 

The relaxed atmosphere and ambiance in the beach side café was conductive to long, heart-to-heart conversations. We talked, and drank really nice coffee, and talked some more. And, we haven’t stopped talking since, lol. We were engaged five months later and married the following year at the church where we met and started our first date.

CAN SEAN MITCHELL BE REDEEMED? 

His new boss, Julia Radcliffe, isn't so sure. A year ago, Sean walked out on his brother's wedding—and her. Now the bad boy with the surfer good looks is back and determined to make a new life with Julia. She wonders whether she can truly trust that he's a changed man. 

It took time and faith, but Sean is finally on the right path. And his feelings for Julia have only grown stronger. But when Sean's past threatens to jeopardize their future, can he convince Julia they both want the same thing—a love that can overcome every mistake?

~~~~~~~ 

I’m giving away a print copy of Winning Over the Heiress (worldwide, wherever The Book Depository delivers) to a reader who leaves a comment on this post and enters the Rafflecopter giveaway.

Do you have fond memories of first dates? Or, a favourite date scene from a book or movie? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

a Rafflecopter giveaway