7 WAYS TO CREATE A SEASON OF PEACE

Janet Chester Bly

Sometimes it seems we here in the mountains of northern Idaho experience the shortest autumn period in the west. A few weeks tops. Yet, fall’s my favorite season. The colors. The sunsets. The crispy, sensory sounds and smells and sights. I could live in the heights of this season forever. 

Fall signifies peace to me. If I could order a perfect weather day, it would be…70-ish degrees. The softest of breezes. Streaks and puffs of layered clouds brushing the azure sky. Clean-cut air.

But just like the weather, peace of mind seems to come and go for me and most of those around me. It’s over-turned by . . . Panic. Turmoil. Sleepless nights. Storms of stress. Troubled times.

Yet, over it all, Jesus says, “Keep calm. Don’t panic” (John 14:27).

My present goal? To walk with God every moment without anxiety, free of fear.

My prayer? “Lord, guide me in your way of peace. Help me do the actions that promote peace. . .for myself and others around me.”

One thing I’ve learned over the decades. . .fighting for God’s peace requires courage because . . . .

1) I choose love over hate.

2) I admit sometimes, “I was wrong.”

3) I try to comfort the afflicted.

4) I reach out to hug a prodigal.

5) I try real hard not to become a cynic when confronted with maddening words or outrageous deeds.

6) I’m on the watch for what God’s doing in my world, above and beyond the salacious, the distracting and diversionary, as well as the evil stuff.

7) When I hear heart-stopping news, I try to remember to ask, “Lord, what do you want me to do?” rather than “How did this mess happen?”

I’m training myself. . .not to freak out about the future. To grab hold of God’s big picture plan…the one that brims with promise of the abundance of good blessings, with compassion to all who reach out to him, and the forever peace of the life to come.

Autumn’s a transition period, an evolving stage. So is my life. So is yours. Remember that the next time leaves begin to turn and twist and fall.

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What is the season that denotes peace most to you and why?

IDEAL CHRISTMAS GIFT FOR A ROMANCE READER

A Prairie Christmas Collection

A Prairie Christmas Collection 

from Barbour Books

by Tracie Peterson, Deborah Raney, Tracey Bateman and 6 other favorite Christian authors 

Settling the vast open prairies, weathering winter storms, and finding joy to celebrate during Christmas epitomizes the pioneer experience. In a unique collection of nine Christmas romances, Barbour Publishing brings readers A Prairie Christmas Collection where they can relive a prairie Christmas with all its challenge and delights as penned by multi-published authors, including Tracie Peterson and Deborah Raney. 

Special Features:

deckled-edge pages

a foil-stamped cover with fold-under flaps

an ideal Christmas gift for the romance reader.

Tracie Peterson & Deborah Raney

In this holiday romance collection, the warmth of Christmas will radiate new love from the high plains of Minnesota and Dakota Territory, across the rolling hills of Nebraska, Iowa, and Illinois, and down into the flats of Kansas. Filled with inspiration and faith, each story will become a treasure to be enjoyed again each year. Along with Peterson and Raney, other contributing authors include Tracey Bateman, Pamela Griffin, JoAnn A. Grote, Maryn Langer, Darlene Mindrup, Janet Spaeth and Jill Stengl.

For more information on this book and others, as well as a ‘Best Ever Granola’ recipe, see Deborah Raney's website at www.deborahraney.com.

Click a link below to order: 

A Prairie Christmas Collection: 9 Historical Christmas Romances from America's Great Plains 

A PRAIRIE CHRISTMAS COLLECTION is available in bookstores everywhere, or order online at CBD.com, amazon.com or other bookstores online.

GHOST LIVES

Stephen w/family 1950s

STEPHEN BLY

Copyright©1993,2008

Florence, Idaho, at one time boomed as a frontier town. Settled in 1861 with the discovery of placer mines in the Salmon River Canyon, by 1862 10,000 people reached the settlement. Florence, at its peak, produced $50,000 worth of gold per day. Even when the mine played out, many folks hung around. The post office remained in service until 1912.

Idaho’s full of ghost towns. Some of them lasted a few months, others for decades. A few got deserted almost overnight. Some were torn down and moved to another place, piece by piece. Some burned to the ground. A couple still remain as shells of their former selves. An interesting hobby is to search for those traces that used to be thriving communities.

         

There’s not much left of Florence today. No permanent residents. Most buildings have disintegrated into the hillsides. It’s a ghost town. I enjoy visiting sites like that to try to imagine its better days and create stories.

People’s lives can become like that.

         

Do you know someone who’s caught in a ghost life?

         

There’s signs of a once prosperous existence. Perhaps, they had a vibrant  family. A promising career. Awards and trophies. However, that’s all in the musty past. And there’s no hints any of that will return.

Are they considered worthless now…has beens?

 

Not to God. With God's grace, anything’s possible. "You are God's building," the Bible says (1 Corinthians 3:9). He can renew any life. With new construction. Rebuild the faulty structure. Mend the broken years. Even create a prosperous city through them.

 

I’ve seen him do that with folks who seemed destined for destruction. Through the power of His Son Jesus. He stirred new zeal, fresh goals for them. Each of them now has the promise of eternal life, no matter their past.

New novel coming MARCH 2011: Throw The Devil Off The Train

A LOVE INSPIRED Suspense Romance

Legacy of Lies

by Jill Elizabeth Nelson

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Secrets Buried Deep!

Evidence from a decades-old murder is the last thing Nicole Keller-Mattson expected to find in her grandmother’s back yard, but the finger-pointing and accusations leveled at her family came as no surprise. Everyone in Ellington is eager to blame the Kellers—but after an attack leaves Nicole’s grandmother in a coma, only Nicole can clear the family name. 

Legacy of Lies

With the assistance of police chief Rich Hendricks, she stands a chance of solving the mystery . . . if she’s willing to accept Rich’s help. Nicole lost her policeman husband in the line of duty—getting close to another cop is too painful. But keeping her distance could be deadly.

AUTHOR COMMENTS ABOUT LEGACY OF LIES:

I’ve always been fascinated by social dynamics in a small town. Having lived in rural communities all my life, I’m intimately familiar with the unique politics involved. Crafting a story about the shadow cast over a town by its founding family came readily to me. 

I was particularly interested to explore the affect past sins and secrets can have on a tight-knit community and how the illusion of power is always trumped by the immutable laws of God. We do reap what we sow, no matter how grand and invincible we imagine ourselves to be. 

The verse I used at the front of the book: "A little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found. But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace" (Psalm 37:10,11 NIV).

I comfort myself with these words quite often when I see the injustices in the world.

Jill Elizabeth Nelson

A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR:

“My first and only marriage is still going strong after 29 years. We have four kids who've pretty much flown the coop. Yet the chickadees keep coming back to roost. Puzzling phenomenon. We must not give them enough incentive to stay away. At least now there’s a son-in-law and a grandchild, and they know I do need my grandbaby fix!”

“By day I masquerade as housing manager for a senior apartment complex. By night I throw off my mask of conformity and turn into a wild and crazy writer who can hardly wait to jot down all the cool things my characters are telling me, so I can share them with my readers.”

“Did I say I hear voices? Alas, I've been like this most of my life. At least since sixth grade, when I penned—er, penciled—my first mystery novel. No trace of that youthful manuscript exists today, and the world is grateful.”

“My writer's journey has taken me in many different directions. I’ve walked the roads of journalist, columnist, essayist, poet, story teller and book reviewer. My current path is the one I've coveted all along—novelist. My Guide and Mentor in all my travels is my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory!”

Visit Jill on the web at http://www.jillelizabethnelson.com for book giveaways, excerpts, and information.

Follow her blog: http://www.jillelizabethnelson.com/artisticblogger.html

OTHER Love Inspired Suspense books by JILL E. NELSON:

Calculated Revenge

Witness to Murder

Evidence of Murder

Jill’s special verse:  
"Rejoice in the Lord always. And again I say rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near" (Philippians 4:4,5)

 

JAMES DEAN & COUNTRY LIFE CAPTIONS

Here's a recent entry in our "Country Life Captions" feature. . .which includes some interesting tidbits about the actor James Dean and his hometown.

 

Tractors Reflect Farm Life

by CATHY DULING SHOUSE

“This vintage photo from Fairmount, Indiana is typical of farm life I knew and loved, along with a cut-up cake shaped like a tractor for a young boy's birthday party. The color of the icing reflected the family's preference for the brand. Green meant John Deere!”

Cathy Duling Shouse

Writer Cathy Duling Shouse is the fifth generation of her family to live in Fairmount, Indiana. Her first book, "Images of America: Fairmount," released in July 2010 offers 223 vintage photos, including a young James Dean posed on the family tractor http://www.cathyshouse.com/

James Dean’s hometown of Fairmount has fascinated generations of movie fans for decades. Cathy Duling Shouse explores the culture of Fairmount through the eyes of Fairmount natives, including many of Dean’s classmates. 

This historic photo book has a full chapter of James Dean with previously unpublished photos. It also contains a chapter on Jim Davis, and covers the Gas Boom era, the Underground Railroad, and the mammoth bones found at Lake Galatia. 

 

Get your copy of this unique book of photography. . . .

Images of America: Fairmount

Images of America: Fairmount is currently available by emailing the author at cathy_shouse@yahoo.com. 

The book is also available at Walgreens in Marion, Indiana

or www.amazon.com

Fairmount (Images of America) (Images of America Series)

and at www.arcadiapublishing.com

 

10 TIPS TO SHOW SMART GRACE

Janet Chester Bly

Copyright©2010

Anytime the subject of grace comes up, I realize how short I fall in bestowing graciousness in every thought, word and deed. It begins with, just how well do I know God? He’s the epitome, the originator of grace. And I always remember hubby and pastor Stephen Bly’s definition for grace: "God’s love freely given to guilty sinners in defiance of what they deserve."

FACELIFT, a new novel by Leanna Ellis

FACELIFT
B&H Publishing

BOOK BLURB:

A ‘can do’ kind of woman runs her own business, raises her teenage daughter, and takes care of her ex-mother-in-law after a botched facelift. But Kaye learns a facelift is more than skin deep. Joy is more than tacking on a happy face. It's relying on her sovereign God who has a plan for her life.

Read an excerpt from Facelift here:
http://leannaellis.com/facelift.html

BITS ABOUT LEANNA ELLIS:

Leanna Ellis

“I grew up watching Gene Kelly movies. My backyard became a stage for my own musicals. Hence, the start of my own ‘That’s Entertainment!’ I not only loved to dance, but I began to write as well during these elementary years. My fourth grade teacher made me write a poem. I wrote about my dog, Sport. The poem was horrible. It was even worse having to read it to the class. So began my hatred of poetry. (I have since learned to love it, just not write it.) In sixth grade, my teacher introduced me to Edgar Allan Poe. I wrote a story, a dark Poe-esque type tale about murder and mayhem, and fell in love with writing. It, like choreography, tapped into my soul and unleashed my creativity like nothing else.”

FACELIFT book trailer, a new novel by Leanna Ellis

DON'T GIMLET YOUR HORSE...or YOUR FAITH

On The Trail with

STEPHEN BLY

Copyright©1993,2008

One way to measure the skill of a cowboy in the Old West? Determine how well he takes care of his horse.

A horse provided his job, his travel home, his net worth. The beast became a companion and sometimes an escape route too. Other cowboys didn’t think much of a man who would, without good cause, run a horse down.

In order to save your life, you might need to ask more of your pony than he could safely give. But that was the exception.

One sure sign of a tenderfoot, or a worthless cowhand: when he gimleted a horse, that is, rode him until his back was sore. On the big cattle drives the cowboys avoided this by changing horses several times a day. When traveling from place to place on the same horse, they’d ride a couple hours, climb off, loosen the cinch, then hike a while to give the horse a rest.

John Wayne

One complaint I have with some western movies and TV shows—a cowboy seldom climbs down to give his horse a break. However, an exception. . .John Wayne does make the point in a dramatic scene in The Searchers.

It just makes good sense to take special care of what keeps you going. The same’s true in the spiritual realm. Your faith keeps you safe, guides you, moves you toward positive goals. So why not take good care of your faith?

St. Paul complained of those who “shipwrecked their faith” (1 Timothy 1:18,19). Shipwrecked faith looks something like a gimleted horse—rundown, misused, devalued because of neglect.

But instead of giving your faith a break, ride it harder. Activate it daily. Study God’s promises. Practice gut-level believing them, one by one. Do some spiritual aerobics. Exercise trust. 

What one thing can you do today to prevent a gimlet of your faith? 

*************

GOT A TEEN IN YOUR LIFE?

Sandra Byrd

GIVE HER THE LONDON CONFIDENTIAL SERIES

By Sandra Byrd

LONDON CONFIDENTIAL: where British fashion, friendships, and guys collide, and where an all-American girl learns to love life and live out her faith.

HERE’S TWO NEW RELEASES:

 

Book #3: Don't Kiss Him Good-bye

It was just a kiss. A simple kiss, a quick kiss, an innocent peck because they were saying good-bye and no one was watching. But someone was watching them–me. Not that I'd meant to. I didn't know why the kiss troubled me, but it did. I hid it well, though. Or so I thought. 
 

Now established in her quirky British village, Savvy works hard to get an article with her own byline published in the school newspaper. When an attractive and mysterious boy asks her for help with his school work, Savvy is slowly pulled into his circle and soon finds out that the wrong set of friends-boys and girls-can influence her own behavior. Following her own advice to cut ties with a charming bad boy would mean abandoning her dearest wishes, and it just doesn't seem as wrong as it feels. Is it? Read on for surprise twists throughout the book!

Book #4: Flirting With Disaster

If you forward this to 10 friends within 2 hours something good will happen in your life 2day and 2morrow. But if you don't then something bad will happen 2day and 2morrow. For sure. 

 
In a shocking turn of events, all writers for the Wexburg Academy Times will cast their votes for next year's editor - and it looks like Savvy's vote will be the tie breaker! She must choose between a nasty-girl-turned-nice, with a sudden interest in letting Savvy get what she wants, and the prickly Hazelle, who promises nothing at all. Savvy then finds herself wrapped up in a new, seemingly innocent but potentially dangerous activity. It's all at risk in this book: her position on the paper, the boy she likes, the ministry she wants to go well. At a critical moment, Savvy must figure out how to rely on God rather than luck and to overcome temptation before it is too late.