Into a New Year

As we begin a new year, it's common to reflect on the last one, often looking to see what we need to do differently in the coming one. The hope is that the new year will be better than the last. As Christians, we need to assess our faith. How much have you been influenced by God, His Word, and His truths in your daily life? Do you live your life always conscious of God and His will, wanting to please Him? Do you make Him your first priority, far above everything else?

Christianity is the only religion I know that offers believers as many new starts as they need to get it right. We just need to recognize our failings and repent before God. His grace is free, and we don't have to do anything to earn it. What Christ did on the cross cleanses us, nothing we do can.

So as we begin 2024, let's make this the best year yet by turning to God completely, totally surrendering to Him, and letting Him have His way with our lives. This is the secret to living the best year ever. It is freeing and brings peace and contentment, no matter the situations or chaos around us. It's what we all need.

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Merry Christmas 2023

 

 Christmas Warmth

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16).

For many who live in the Northern Hemisphere, Christmas can be a cold time with frigid temperatures and sometimes snow, but there's something about Christmas that warms the heart. It's all about giving, family, and love, based on what God gave to us by sending His son to earth as the ultimate sacrifice. He loved us so much that He provided a way for us to be close to Him again after mankind's relationship was broken by man's original sin in the Garden of Eden. He gave us a way to salvation and eternal life in Heaven with Him, based on who He is and not who we are.

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning (James 1:17).

The Christmas lights, presents under the tree, friendly holiday greetings, and get-togethers with friends and family should all remind us of this. Think about it. There's so much to warm our hearts at Christmas. There are simple things: a cute puppy, a beautifully decorated tree, the smells of kitchen baking, cuddling in front of a warm fire, watching the snow fall and clean the landscape white, listening to special carols, and so much more.

How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings (Psalm 36:7).

And there are big things: God's love and blessings, His presence in our lives, faith and trust, family and friends, home and provisions, security and contentment, and peace and joy. Look for those special, warm moments this Christmas, and continue to watch for them all year long, keeping Christmas and Christ in your heart.

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 Tessa's Time

My next book to be published is Tessa's Time.  I'm very excited about releasing this novel on December 26th because all my early readers and editors have raved about it. It is the last book in the Suffrage Spinsters series, but don't let the series title mislead you. Although the heroines support a woman's right to vote, these are sweet romances that speak to the heart.

Tessa's Time begins in New York but quickly moves to California. After his fiancée jilts him for not spending enough time with her, Avery Brown goes to San Francisco as a guest musician. Vowing to avoid such entanglements in the future, he hadn’t expected to meet such a beautiful young lady as Tessa McDonald or be so attracted to her. However, he won’t change his resolve. Astor is the third woman to be jealous of his violin, and he's had enough.

So far, Tessa has managed to fend off all the men interested in courting her. She wants to build her writing career and continue to work for a woman's right to vote, and most men are too controlling or narrow-minded to accept either. When she meets the visiting violinist from New York City, she likes him, but she doesn't expect him to be any different. Yet, the more she gets to know Avery Brown, the more different he appears. She doesn't want to give up her dreams, but dreams can shift and merge, can't they?

Tessa's Time is on preorder now

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The Legend of Christmas Tree Lights

For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are light in the Lord: walk as children of light (Ephesians 5:8).

I find it interesting to look into where some of our Christmas traditions come from, and many have religious significance. Take our Christmas lights for example. You can see them everywhere, from well-lit houses, to mall and store decorations, to towns all over America, to our Christmas trees, and beyond.

Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven (Matthew 5:15-16).

Lighting up for Christmas goes back to the 1500s. Of course, they used candles for their lighting then. Legend has it that the well-known theologian, Martin Luther, was the first person to put lights on a Christmas tree. Supposedly he was walking home one night and saw the bright stars sparkling through the tree branches. When he got home, he wanted to recreate the awe and beauty of what he'd seen and have a reminder of our majestic Creator, so he put up a tree in the parlor and lit it with candles. Other people liked and copied it, and a tradition was born.

Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee (Isaiah 60:1).

Of course, Jesus came as a light to the world, a way from the darkness of sin. He is definitely the reason for the season. So, when you see Christmas lights this year, especially those on a Christmas tree, remember the beauty of what they represent -- the coming of our Savior and a way to spend eternity with Him.

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Christmas Books in 2023

Last year, I blogged about the Christmas books I've published so far. See this blog, but I've released four more in 2023, and I thought I'd mention them here for all of those readers who like to read Christmas books over the holidays. I must admit that I'm one of them.

The first one I published isn't a Christmas book per se, but Christmas does play an important part in it.  In Simon's Shame, Simon Carlson couldn’t learn to read and therefore failed at school. Thanks to his bitter father, most people see him as a simpleton or worse. When a new schoolteacher comes to Flagstaff, she treats him as a normal person, even after she finds out that he can’t read or write. She seems to understand him better than anyone, and Christmas begins to change Simon on the inside. Might his future turn out brighter than he thought?

Link to Simon's Shame

Upside-Down Cakes by Dana, part of the Old-Timey Holiday Kitchen series is a Christmas book. When Dana Field’s father dies, leaving her all alone, she talks the new farmer and his mother into letting her work on their farm. He needed the help, she needed to stay busy, and her cake baking didn’t fill enough of her time. However, many of the townspeople didn’t think it was a proper task for an unmarried woman. Then a string of vandalism starts and escalates until she feels they’re in danger. Was it directed against the Polish family she worked for or her, and could it be one of the men who suddenly wants to court her? As the holiday season approaches, things come to a head.  Will it be a merry Christmas or one she will always regret?

Link to Upside-Down Cakes by Dana

Lily is a new book in the Christmas Quilt Brides series. I love quilts and used to be an avid quilter, so this book was a work of love on my part. Lily Brandt was glad when her father decided to move the family from Duluth to a farm in Iowa. She didn’t want to keep encountering her former fiancé and his new wife. But would Iowa turn out to be any better with her sister’s flirting and the handsome new neighbor’s quiet ways? She hadn’t gotten over Calem’s rejection yet, so she wasn’t ready for a new relationship. In addition, she had her grandmother’s quilt to remind her of her time in Minnesota and to be cautious. But sacrificing that precious quilt on her part and a special Christmas gift from Calem shows her where she can find true happiness at last.

Link to Lily

Another book in the Old-Timey Holiday Kitchen series is Fruitcake by Fran. Francisco Quinn learned to bake fruitcakes from her deceased mother who had worked for the Collin Street Bakery. Fran changed the recipe to suit her tastes and sold them, especially during the holidays. When she meets Trent Jones, she tries not to pay him any attention because most Texans don't like her Mexican heritage on her mother's side. But as he remains persistent, she begins to wonder if he might be different. However, will his high-society parents accept her? An unusual Christmas will answer that question in a wonderful, heart-warming way.

Link to Fruitcake by Fran

So, what do you think? I've written four new Christmas novels with four very different stories. I hope you'll want to enjoy them all.

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 Shepherds Watch

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night (Luke 2:8).

Common shepherds were chosen to be one of the first to see the long-awaited Messiah and tell others that He had arrived. At one time, shepherding was a highly respected profession. It is one of the oldest occupations in the Bible. Adam and Eve's son, Abel, was a shepherd. Other biblical shepherds include Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Amos, and David. The occupation started over 5,000 years ago in Asia Minor; and sheep became a mainstay of the region, providing meat, dairy products, and wool.

. . . that ye may dwell in the land of Goshen; for every shepherd is an abomination unto the Egyptians (Genesis 46:34).

However, by New Testament times, the perception of shepherds had plummeted. The Egyptians hated shepherds, and after 400 years of slavery in Egypt, this idea stayed with the Hebrews through generations, even long after they came out of exile. After all, shepherds were rarely able to follow all the Jewish rules and regulations. For example, they couldn't properly keep the Sabbath and be out tending their flocks. 

And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace, good will toward men (Luke 2:12-14).

Yet, not only did a multitude of angels appear to shepherds and direct them to where the Christ child lay, but Jesus Himself would grow up to be called the Good Shepherd. God often chooses those considered common or lowly to do His work, not because they are better than others but because they're often more humble and willing to follow His directions. When you think about it, next to our Lord, we are all lowly and common. It's just that some of us realize it more than others.

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The Patee House, Steeped in History

The Patee House was a 140-room luxury hotel built by John Patee in 1858 in St. Joseph, Missouri. In its day, it was one of the best-known hotels west of the Mississippi. It served as the headquarters for the Pony Express and then the Provost Marshal's office for the Union Army during the Civil War. After the war, the building housed the Patee Female College until 1968 when the St. Joseph Female College took over. Private schools for women, such as these, were common during Reconstruction. It eventually became a hotel again, however. When Jesse James was killed in 1882 in his nearby home, his family stayed in the hotel. Oscar Wilde stayed in the hotel during the same year.

My husband and I visited the museum on our way to Deadwood, South Dakota, this summer. I wish I had space here to show all the photos because a few don't do it justice. We spent longer there than we'd expected, but it was time well spent. I would go again if ever given the chance.

The Patee House became a National Historic Landmark in 1965. Today, it's an extensive museum, even housing an antique transportation section. There's also room after room of impressive antiques and information about life in bygone eras. I would recommend seeing this museum if you're ever in the area, but don't plan a quick stop. There's a lot to see.

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