LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL!

Jan & Janet

A counselor once told a friend of mine, "You've never really had a childhood. You need to play more."

So the two of us pulled shoes and socks off and tiptoed barefoot in a park fountain. We did an over-nighter in sleeping bags in my yard. We painted pictures with our fingers. We caught butterflies in jars. We threw popcorn at critters. Then, for a finale, we rolled down the slight slant of a hill on my front lawn. . .which brought the neighbor out to ask us, "What's going on?"

A mini-break doesn't take much time or expense. It can be a dance in a meadow. Or a walk in dawn's light. Or drawing forms in the sand. Planting a flower or herb garden on the window sill. Getting out the old instrument you used to play. Watching the different ways flocks of birds fly. Creating a new recipe from ingredients in your cupboard. Looking out your window long enough to notice something you've missed before. Writing a song. Hopping on a horse. It's like giving a shout-out of praise to God.

Child's play is serious stuff. No matter your age or stage, you've got to make time for fun. Do something that guarantees laughter. Go watch a comedy. Get close to a funny person. Find humor in your mistakes and stresses. Chuckles are good. A big belly laugh or two is better.

Norman Cousins, former editor of Saturday Review and author of Anatomy of an Illness, wrote that "laughter is jogging on the inside." It's inside-out aerobics. Every system in your body gets a workout. Muscles relax. Neurochemicals called endorphins release into the blood stream. 

"Good people, cheer God! Right-living people sound best when praising. Use guitars to reinforce your Hallelujahs! Play his praise on a grand piano! Invent your own new song to him; give him a trumpet fanfare." (Psalm 33:1-2 The Message)

Can you take a moment to celebrate life and praise your Maker today? How will you do that?

Janet Chester Bly

Copyright©2008

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Got turmoil? Can’t get a grip? Want some tips to cope? Click this link to find free download for "31 Days To Win The Fight For Personal Peace." http://blybooks.com/wordpress/free-stuff/articles/

WHERE’S YOUR HOME STATION?

Stephen Bly

Copyright©1993,2010

One time I drove through Virginia Dale, located near the Colorado/Wyoming border, about halfway between Ft. Collins and Laramie. I intended to stop and look it over, but a blizzard kicked up quite a fuss. So, I kept driving.

Virginia Dale Home Station

Virginia Dale was a home station on the old stage route, named by the notorious Jack Slade for his wife. When they laid out stagecoach routes across the Old West, they tried to follow some sort of orderly pattern. There were swing stations to change horses every 8 to 10 miles along the road. This lonely outpost may hold one employee who prepped horses to be rested, healthy, fed and ready to hitch when the stage rolled in.

Virginia Dale Church

Every 50 miles or so along the trail you could find a home station. Often western towns got their start this way. The home station, usually built of rough lumber, provided passengers with food, a night’s sleep, and a few items to purchase. It also served as a social center for miles around. If any special event got planned, folks from all over the countryside headed for the home station.

A church can be that home station for you. A place of rest and refreshment as you connect with others to worship and praise your heavenly Father. A place for spiritual renewal for your life's challenges and trials.

Sure, you can ignore and neglect this on-the-trail resource. Even in the Old West some wagons chose to pass by the home stations. But that could kill the horses and burden the weary passengers. Old timers knew better. 

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So, where is your home station right now? Tell us about it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Stuart Brannon's Final Shot

Stuart Brannon's Final Shot by Stephen Bly now available in a) hardback, b) ebook, and c) paperback.

Finishing Dad's novel was a family affair. Can a committee create fiction? We had the passion and four months to find out.

It's 1905. Two orphans flee Oregon's Tillamook Head. One of them is branded a hero. Dare they tell the truth and risk the wrath of a dangerous man? Meanwhile, a retired lawman searches for a missing U.S. Marshal friend while he grapples with the game of golf on behalf of a celebrity charity tournament.

Check it out at www.BlyBooks.com or www.Amazon.com or on your Kindle, Nook or iPad.

SARAI, a new novel by Jill Eileen Smith

SARAI

He promised her his heart. She promised him a son. But how long must they wait?

Sarai, the last child of her aged father, is beautiful, spoiled, and used to getting her own way. Even as a young girl, she is aware of the way men look at her, including her half brother Abram. When Abram finally requests Sarai’s hand, she asks one thing – that he promise never to take another wife as long as she lives. Even her father thinks the demand is restrictive and agrees to the union only if Sarai makes a promise in return – to give Abram a son and heir. Certain she can easily do that, Sarai agrees.

But as the years stretch on and Sarai’s womb remains empty, she becomes desperate to fulfill her end of the bargain – lest Abram decide that he will not fulfill his. To what lengths will Sarai go in her quest to bear a son? And how long will Abram’s patience last?

Review from PW (Publisher’s Weekly):

“Smith is at her best in handling the triangulated relationship between Abraham, Sarah, and Hagar … Smith breathes new imaginative life into a well-known sacred story.”

SARAI Excerpt:

Sarai glanced across the courtyard, catching Abram’s gaze. His half smile and the twinkle in his eye warmed her more than the wine she had tasted at the start of the ceremony. Music drifted around them as the bridal couple—their nephew Lot and his new wife, Melah—took their seats on the bench beneath the canopy and accepted rich foods from the hands of the servants.

"WELL, I'LL BE HOG-TIED"

by Stephen Bly

Copyright©1993,2010

A local girls’ high school basketball team put on an excellent show. Quick, aggressive, fearless in diving after loose balls, they drove to the basket, fast break, full court press, and hit three points.  

An amazing exhibition. The other team looked like they wanted to go home after the first quarter. They lost by 35 points. 

An old timer next to me shook his head. “Them little ladies sure did hog-tie that team in green.” 

He got that right. The losing team seemed at times to be bound in ropes.

To hog-tie means to throw an animal and then bind it by tying its two hind feet and a front one together. In rodeo, the rope’s called a ‘piggin’ strang.’ Loop the forefoot and shove the back feet on top, then wrap all three with a couple loops and tie a half-hitch or hooey. This keeps the animal immobile while you do your doctoring or whatever else might need to be done.

You don’t hog-tie a horse. Or people. But you can tie them up socially or mentally or emotionally. Even spiritually.

Sin hog-ties us more than anything else. It incapacitates us, makes us useless to accomplish any good thing. 

The Bible says, “Throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us” (Hebrews 12:1).

Sometimes we hog-tie ourselves. Wouldn’t that be a weird sight? Does a runner prepare for a big race by tying both feet and a hand together? She’d wallow in the dirt while the other racers lapped her.

What hog-ties you? 

Jesus wants to set you free.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Stuart Brannon's Final Shot

AVAILABLE NOW!

Hardback & ebook -- Paperback edition by summer.
Stuart Brannon's Final Shot, by Stephen Bly
with Janet Chester Bly, Russell Bly, Michael Bly & Aaron Bly

Finishing Dad's novel was a family affair.

It's 1905. Two orphans flee Oregon's Tillamook Head. One of them is branded a hero. Do they tell what really happened & risk a dangerous man's wrath?
Meanwhile, a retired lawman searches for his missing U.S. Marshal friend & grapples with the game of golf on behalf of a charity celebrity tournament.

"Stuart Brannon's Final Shot delivers and reminds us what we'll miss most about the beloved author." Jerry B. Jenkins, NYT Bestselling novelist & biographer

"(Stephen) Bly throws his readers into the fray from the first page and never lets up. . .I've loved (Stuart) Brannon since his first appearance many books ago, and though I know he eventually had to hit the trail, he will be missed." Award-winning author Kathleen Y'Barbo

AVAILABLE THROUGH. . .

www.Amazon.com

www.BarnesandNoble.com

 http://www.blybooks.com/

A CROOKED FENCE PRODS PRAYER

Janet Chester Bly

Janet Chester Bly

Copyright 2008

Our little country church built a fence with low grade boards that had been donated. Within months, the boards twisted into crooked shapes. I hated that fence and it seemed to take forever to get it fixed. Each time I drove up to the church parking lot, I winced.

Then a friend remarked, “When I look at that fence, it’s a prod to me to pray about all that’s wrong--every out-of-whack relationship and our neighbors and church members who suffer from some pain or trouble.”

I followed her lead. When I spied the bent boards, I interceded for burdened folks. I even took a photo of the fence for my prayer journal. 

Now that the fence is straight again, I’m reminded to praise God for His many answers to my prayers.

Praying for others is the most unselfish thing we can do. To bring hope, help and healing to countless people you know. You might not be able to aid them in other ways, but you can give them the gift of prayer. To get you out of yourself and focused on someone else. You invite God’s purpose and power into the situation.

“This lifts us out of the puny reasons for living that we humans invent apart from Him,” says Ruth Myers in her book 31 Days of Prayer.

31 Days of Prayer

We become partners with the Lord of the Universe to impart miracles into mayhem, instill exciting, fresh possibilities into sterile circumstances.

For whom do you need to pray today?

How long will you commit to pray for them?

(taken from “31 Days To Personal Peace,” available as a free download at http://www.blybooks.com/)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 

   You can read the whole story of how my 3 sons & I finished Stephen Bly's last novel. Can a committee write fiction? We had the passion to find out.

    Check Christian Fiction Online Magazine, the Publisher's Choice Column: 

http://www.christianfictiononlinemagazine.com/home_publisher.html

    Also, in this issue a special feature on Margaret Daley, as well as on newly released novels by Tracie Peterson, Siri Mitchell, DiAnn Mills, Kay Marshall Strom & others.

    Pass this news along to your fiction lover friends & family.

   

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Stuart Brannon's Final Shot

Coming March 2012 -- hardback & ebook -- Paperback edition by summer.
Stuart Brannon's Final Shot, by Stephen Bly
with Janet Chester Bly, Russell Bly, Michael Bly & Aaron Bly

Finishing Dad's novel was a family affair.

It's 1905. Two orphans flee Oregon's Tillamook Head. One of them is branded a hero. Do they tell what really happened & risk a dangerous man's wrath?
Meanwhile, a retired lawman searches for his missing U.S. Marshal friend & grapples with the game of golf on behalf of a charity celebrity tournament.

Available through: 

www.Amazon.com

www.BarnesandNoble.com

www.BlyBooks.com

"Stuart Brannon's Final Shot delivers and reminds us what we'll miss most about the beloved author." Jerry B. Jenkins, NYT Bestselling novelist & biographer

"(Stephen) Bly throws his readers into the fray from the first page and never lets up. . .I've loved (Stuart) Brannon since his first appearance many books ago, and though I know he eventually had to hit the trail, he will be missed." Award-winning author Kathleen Y'Barbo

SAVING HOPE, a novel by Margaret Daley

Saving Hope

The reason I wrote Saving Hope, the first book in Men of the Texas Rangers Series, is because human trafficking is over a $32 billion dollar business per year and growing. It touches all countries, including the United States. Some of our young people are being affected by this problem and robbed of their childhood. Through it all I wanted to give a sense of hope through the Lord.

Blurb for Saving Hope:

When a teenager goes missing from the Beacon of Hope School, Texas Ranger Wyatt Sheridan and school director Kate Winslow are forced into a dangerous struggle against a human trafficking organization. But the battle brings dire consequences as Wyatt's daughter is terrorized and Kate is kidnapped.

Now it's personal. Wyatt finds both his faith and investigative skills challenged as he fights to discover the mastermind behind the ring before evil destroys everyone he loves.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

HEART OF GOLD by Robin Lee Hatcher

Heart of Gold

The truest treasure is found deep in the heart.

Back in her beloved Virginia, Shannon Adair loved nursing injured soldiers back to health. But in Grand Coeur, Idaho-the rough-and-tumble place where her father has been called to lead the church - she's not sure where she fits in. 

Then a critically ill woman arrives, and Shannon knows her place at last: to care for this dear woman and ease her pain.

Matthew Dubois is the fastest and most reliable stagecoach driver on Wells Fargo's payroll. But his widowed sister is dying and he's about to inherit his young nephew. So he takes a job at the Wells Fargo express office in Grand Coeur until he can find the one thing he needs to get back to driving: a wife to care for the boy.

What neither of them knows is that God is at work behind the scenes-and is lovingly bringing them together to discover the true desires of their hearts.

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

WATCH FOR THE FRAYED CINCH

By Stephen Bly 

Copyright©1993

Pete’s quite a talker, so his friends avoid him if they don’t have hours to spare for a chat. But I made the mistake of asking, “How’s Ernie doing?” 

Pete’s wife’s brother visited for Christmas and never left. Pete hauled him everywhere.

“Well, I’ll tell ya,” Pete began, “I figured his cinch was getting mighty frayed, so I sent him on his way.”

 

That stirred a long diatribe, until I finally made my escape. But my mind got stuck the rest of the day on that old cowboy phrase. 

When a man’s cinch gets frayed, he’s worn out his welcome. In fact, the Old West boasted a whole gunny sack full of phrases to describe an unwanted guest. 

He was “as welcome as a polecat at a picnic.” 

Or she was “as appreciated as a rattler in a prairie dog town.” 

Or “folks go ‘round ‘em like a swamp.”

You might think that smacks against western hospitality. Wasn’t it the practice  to offer a man a meal and a place to sleep?

Yep.

But that included one supper. . .one night’s rest. . .and one breakfast. After that, a man either worked for his keep or rode on over the hill.

That’s not too different from biblical hospitality: “For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule,” said St. Paul, “If a man will not work, he shall not eat” (2 Thessalonians 3:10).

 

This didn’t apply to the truly needy, like widows or orphans. They could most often receive support. But all others -- whether a grown child, your neighbor, a relative or a stranger riding through -- had to gather their own goods. You worked for your room and board.

It was the Code.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Do you find it difficult or easy to offer hospitality to folks you don't know all that well?  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Stuart Brannon: The Final Shot

Coming March 2012 -- hardback & ebook
Stuart Brannon: The Final Shot

by Stephen Bly (1944-2011)

Finishing Dad's novel was a family affair.

It's 1905. 

Two orphans flee Oregon's Tillamook Head. One of them is branded a hero. Do they tell what really happened & risk a dangerous man's wrath?
Meanwhile, Brannon searches for his missing U.S. Marshal friend & grapples with the game of golf on behalf of a charity celebrity tournament.

 

Paperback edition releases August 2012.

 

 

 

  

DELIVER ME

View from hospital window

Janet Chester Bly

Copyright©2008

Days at the hospital melt into a blur.

Every day stirs a hope, then ends in fatigue.

Then the doctor says, “There’s nothing more we can do.”

God thrives in a tense waiting room or crisis clinic. Or when you’re on the run.

Prayer’s the main weapon you possess when you’re fighting for personal peace.

At the moment you say, “There’s a limit to what I can endure,” that’s when God’s power shines best.

Sometimes you need a buddy, a partner who can come alongside and help you stretch your limits, to hang in there until something that makes sense prevails.

But there’s situations when you must crash alone. Hole up in a closet. Curl up in a cocoon.

“Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace” (Matthew 6:6 THE MESSAGE).

Whether with a friend or in a group. Or alone. You can press on. You can steady your determination with total focus on divine help. When you’re faced with pure grim, keep a grip until peace enlightens the dungeon of depression. Or the guillotine of guilt. Or the bastion of bitter gall.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When was your last tense waiting room or crisis clinic experience? How long did it take for the power of prayer to kick in?

~~~~~~~~~~~

Stuart Brannon: The Final Shot

COMING MARCH 2012:

Stuart Brannon: The Final Shot

by Stephen Bly (1944-2011)

Finishing Dad’s novel was a family affair.

Book blurb: 
It's 1905. Two orphans flee Oregon's Tillamook Head. One of them is branded a hero. Do they tell what really happened & risk a dangerous man's wrath? Meanwhile, Brannon searches for his missing U.S. Marshal friend & grapples with the game of golf on behalf of a charity celebrity tournament.

Available in hardback & ebook. 
Paperback edition release August 2012.

GOTTA HIGH-TAIL IT OUTA HERE

Stephen Bly

Copyright©1993,2010

Once when I was in downtown Chicago, I noticed an old boy giving a café cashier a tough time. He refused to pay for his supper. Shouts and curses flew both directions. Then, a police car pulled up front. The man bolted through a swinging door into the kitchen. When the policeman entered, the cook shouted, “He high-tailed it out the back door!” 

I don’t know if they ever caught the man, but I very much doubt if any of those Chicagoans, including the citified cook, ever saw a thousand pound cow who chews her cud in peace one minute, then shoots her tail in the air and takes off on a dead 30mph run down a canyon or draw. 

High-tailing. . .a good cowboy term that’s been loaned out to the world. It means to depart all of a sudden, without ceremony. In the Old West, if you high-tailed away from a band of bushwhackers or out of a swollen arroyo or flash flood, that’s common sense. 

The Bible says certain situations require you to high-tail it outa here. . .when a red flag’s raised or when your very up close and personal selfish greed’s about to get goosed. You can be sure it’s a scam of the enemy. 

“Oh, Timothy,” St. Paul says, “you are God’s man. Run from all these evil things and work instead at what is right and good, learning to trust Him and love others .... ” (I Timothy 6:11 TLB).

Scenes confront you when it's not the moment to dally around, waiting to get roped in or tangled in the brush. Figure out when’s the right time to run.

Stephen Bly's Stetson at Winchester Community Church

Have you ever high-tailed it and saved yourself a whole lot of grief?

~~~~~~~~~~~

Stuart Brannon: The Final  Shot

Coming soon. . .

March 2012 IN HARDBACK & EBOOK:

Stuart Brannon: The Final Shot

PAPERBACK VERSION AVAILABLE: AUGUST 2012