Mustard Seed Faith

“And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you” (Matthew 17:20).

Like many believers, I used to read this verse and assume Jesus was telling us our faith wasn't big enough. But recently I came across a perspective that gave me pause. One commentator suggested that when the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in us, He brings all the faith we will need. The issue isn't the amount of faith we possess; it's whether we use it or not.

Faith is a little like the muscles in our bodies. They grow stronger by being exercised. In the same way, faith deepens and matures when we put it into practice -- when we trust God in uncertainty, obey Him when it's costly, and lean on His promises when circumstances try to shake us. Each act of trust stretches us a little. stengthens us even more, and prepares us for the next step as we follow God.

I'll let you study and decide for yourselves what you believe Jesus is teaching in these verses. But regardless, let's make the intentional choice to exercise our faith. Let's speak God's truth over the mountains in our lives, even when they look unmovable. Let's step forward in obedience even when the path isn't fully clear. And let's remember that the power behind our faith doesn't come from us. It is the presence of the Holy Spirit within us. When we use the faith He has already placed in our hearts, we'll find that nothing God calls us to do is impossible.

And the Lord said. If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you (Luke 17:6).

__________________________

Disabled Daughters 

I've carried the idea for the Disabled Daughters trilogy for a long time, waiting for the right moment to bring it to life. In fact, the covers have been sitting in my files for nearly four years. This spring, everything finally came together. Now, all three books are written, edited, and available for preorder on Amazon.

The series follows the Walsh family after a tragic carriage accident that claims the mother's life and leaves the daughters with lasting injuries. Ava has a bad back, Jo's leg was shattered so she has a permanent limp, and Chloe can't use her right hand. Their father's health continues to decline, something that the doctors can't explain. When they tell him to prepare for the end, he makes the decision to take his daughters to Nevada to stay with his sister on her ranch. He believes his girls will be able to find husbands there, settle down, and raise a family, giving him peace in his final days. Read to see what happens.

Ava releases tomorrow, June 2. Jo follows on July 3, and Chloe will be available on August 4. This means readers won't need to wait long between books, and as always, each story can be enjoyed as a standalone. Ava is available now on Kindle, KU, print, and Audible, and the others will be.

I'm excited to share this new series. These sisters have lived in my imagination for years, and I hope their courage, resilience, and hope will stay with you long after you turn the last page.

_________________

 Running the Good Race

Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air. But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: (1 Corinthians 9: 24-27a).

When I taught school, I used to coach my students who volunteered to run in a mini-marathon relay sponsored locally. Five runners would each run a leg and then hand the baton off to the next one, except for the last one, who crossed the finish line. They would return, panting, exhausted, and sometimes, holding their sides, but they would run again the following year. 

Paul talks about running a good race, too. He understood the discipline, the strain, and the perseverance it required. He reminds us that everyone runs the race of life, but only a few receive a prize, so we should run in such a way as to obtain it. Paul wasn't urging competition among believers; he was urging commitment. He wanted Christians to run with purpose, giving it their all for Christ, not half-heartedly or distracted by other things.

Later, near the end of his life, Paul could look back and say with confidence, "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith" (2 Timothy 4:7). That wasn't the boast of a man who ran perfectly, but of one who ran faithfully. He stumbled, he suffered, he faced opposition, yet he never quit. He kept handing the baton of the gospel to the next generation, and he kept pressing toward the finish line Christ had set before him.

We can learn from Paul's steady determination. The race God gives each of us may look different, but the call to endure is the same. We don't run in our own strength; we run in His. When the path feels long, or our steps grow weary, we remember that Christ runs beside us, strengthening us for every mile. And when we finally cross the finish line, it won't be our skill or speed that matters. It will be our faithfulness. May we run with confidence, keeping our eyes on Jesus, and finish well, knowing that He is with us all the way.

____________________________

Traveling with Books

We talk about readers getting to travel the world through books, but the same is true for authors. Writing lets me time-travel, be immersed in different cultures, and watch new landscapes unfold before me. I've always believed that serious authors can write about anything that inspires them. That's why, alongside my many historical novels. I've also written contemporary and even three Christian non-fiction books.

Most of my novels have been set in the United States, but that still gives me a wide canvas, and I've been in at least thirty-five states through my writing so far, and still counting. I also have five set in England, and I'll be starting another one in the next few days. I just finished a story set in the Great Smoky Mountains, and since I grew up with an Appalachian heritage, it felt like coming home. I had such fun with the book and that unique Appalachian dialect I know well. Now I get to step into a small Victorian-era town near Harrogate, England, and into a whole different world. But most of my books have been set in the Old West, and it continues to call to me, with more Western novels already in the works.

Every new setting inspires me as a writer and reminds me of why I love this work so deeply. Whether I'm wandering the rugged West, climbing the ridges of Appalachia, or strolling the cobbled streets of Victorian England, each story becomes its own journey -- one that I'm appreciative to travel and even more grateful to share. Wherever my next books lead, I hope you'll enjoy traveling there with me.

___________________________

 Catching on Fire

Early Christians were on fire for Jesus. They went forth with a boldness they'd never experienced before. They knew the importance of their mission, and they would not be extinguished. They hit the streets to deliver the gospel message and tell the good news of Jesus. The Apostle Peter preached, and 3,000 men were saved (Acts 2:41). It also happened earlier to the prophets. Jeremiah became discouraged and wanted to quit preaching, but he wrote that God's Word " was like a fire in his bones and he could not be silent (Jeremiah 20:9).

 The fire of God brings holiness. 1 Peter 1:16 tells us, "Be ye holy, for I am holy, says the Lord." We are called to pursue holiness, letting the fire of God purify us. When Isaiah saw the Lord, he recognized his sinfulness and cried out, "Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts" (Isaiah 6:5). An angel took a hot coal from the fire on the altar and touched it to his lips to make him clean.

The fire of God brought about many miracles. Ailing, afflicted people were healed because the apostles were empowered to do the same miracles that Jesus had done. But miracles didn't end in biblical times; many have occurred since then. One often-forgotten example happened in the 1920s and 30s. Missionaries and Chinese Christians shared the gospel message and experienced what became known as the Santung Revival. In one year, about 3,000 people were saved. One church went from 50 members to 1000. Six hundred girls and 900 boys from the mission school accepted Jesus. Revival spread.  A missionary's eyes were healed as a result of prayer and the anointing of oil. A woman paralyzed for 28 years was healed. A man who knew he was dying had already purchased a coffin and grave clothes, but after being healed, he sold them and donated the money to the church. When their sponsor back in the United States became skeptical and sent someone to investigate, the report came back urging them to leave the missionaries alone and let the fire of God continue its work. Books are full of other accounts where God worked great miracles through his faithful, fire-filled servants.

What about today? Is it still possible to have the fire of God? A pastor I know well reports on a missionary couple he personally knows who have a growing ministry. In 2025, over 360,000 people accepted Jesus through their work, and more than 1000 new house churches were opened.

So why don't more churches in the United States see this kind of miracle-working power? Is it that we are too skeptical? Do we really believe in the power of God working through his followers today? Do we fail to receive because we fail to believe? Perhaps we need the fire of God to heat us up from lukewarmness and set us ablaze again, sending us out to spread the gospel message and tell others about Jesus. What a difference we could make then!

___________________________

Blogging

Some people have a knack for sharing personal information and experiences and making it interesting. I don't. Give me an imaginative story or article to write any day. Therefore, when I first began publishing novels, I decided to forego the usual newsletters and start a blog instead. I knew I would be burdened with having to write regular newsletters.

For me, it was a wise decision. Although the growth of my blog has seemed slow, it's been steady, and it has ended up being phenomenal.  Since I began in 2014, I have had over 1.3 million page views. Last month, I had 220,289, and so far, this month has reached 157,779. I post twice a week. Monday's posts are always about books, writing, or publishing. On Thursdays, I share a Christian message. I invite guest blogs if any fellow Christian authors are interested. You can message me on Facebook.

Ranking in the most read blogs (in order) are: "Running from God" (about Jonah), "The Legend of the Dogwood," "Jesus' Journey to Jerusalem," "The Shepherd's Staff," "Hiding Like Adam and Eve," "Me Do It" (humbling yourself before God), "The Cornerstone," "Being Relevant," and "Grace and Obedience."

The blogs reach all around the world. It varies, but right now my top readership comes from (in order of the most readers first) Brazil, the United States, Iraq, Bangladesh, India, Argentina, Chile, France, Spain, and others. I'm truly amazed and pray that God's message is reaching those who need to hear it. I give Him all the credit, praise, and glory. I could do none of this without Him.

_________________________

Rooted

As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving (Colossians 2:6-7).

God's creation is amazing. Take the redwood forest, for example. These towering giants can reach heights of  400 feet, and some have stood since long before Christ. Scientists estimate that one tree, known as the President, may be over 3,200 years old. A few are even wide enough to drive a car through.

What surprises many people is that these majestic trees have roots that only reach down about 7-8 feet, remarkably shallow considering their height. How do they stand upright for so long? Their roots are interwined with the roots of neighboring trees, giving them added strength. If they stood alone, they would have been destroyed long ago. And from a single cone, containing about 200 tiny seeds the size of a tomato seed, the next generation begins.

Christians could learn from the redwoods. We, too, must be rooted—firmly planted in God’s Word, grounded in His truth, and deeply connected with Him. We also need one another. When our lives are intertwined in Christian fellowship, we stand stronger against trials, temptations, and the storms that inevitably come. In addition, we should sow seeds of faith, hope, and truth wherever God places us. This is especially important in our own families, where we have the responsibility of passing on the faith to the next generation.

__________________________

He Leadeth Me

I am loving writing for the multiple-author series, Hymns to Stir the Heartstrings. There are so many possibilities, and the story ideas just keep coming. It's exciting to be part of something that blends beloved hymns with heartfelt, faith-centered fiction.

Each book title in the series is drawn from a traditional hymn. My first one, He Leadeth Me, just released. In it, widower Joseph McBride has resisted long enough. His little girl needs a mother, and the congregation expected their pastor to have a wife. Reluctantly, he writes to his aunt for help. A few weeks later, Christine Hanna steps off the train—lovelier than he imagined, but beauty alone won’t ease the burden of life in a parsonage. Could she withstand the constant scrutiny, the endless duties, the weight of being a pastor’s wife? As Joseph and Christine navigate faith, family, and the expectations of a small-town church, they discover that tests include facing the unpredictable, whether she can fill the role, and if their hearts can find a home in each other.

I just ordered the cover for my next book in the series, I Am Thine, O Lord. This story follows Alana Foster, a young woman who has spent years performing in her father's medicine show and warming up the crowd so they will buy his elixirs. It will come out in February, and I can't wait to share more about it as we get closer to its release.

He Leadeth Me is now available in print, Kindle, KU, and Audible, and I hope Joseph and Christine's story blesses you as much as it did me to write it. More hymn-inspired tales are on the way, and I'm thrilled to share them, one song, one story, and one heartfelt moment at a time. 

_______________________

 

Held by God

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths (Proverbs 3:5-6).

When we hold tightly and try to control everything ourselves, disaster often follows. Think of a handheld bell with a handle. Holding it loosely produces a melodious sound that is sweet and pleasing to the ear. The tighter we hold it, the more our arm stiffens, and it produces a clanking, discordant noise.

Life works much the same way. The more we strain to manage the outcomes, fix people, or orchestrate every detail, the more our hearts tense and our peace fractures. But if we loosen our grip, stop insisting on our own way, and trust God with the weight of what we carry, our souls begin to breathe again, and the melody returns.

When we approach life with a loose grip, letting God take the lead, life holds a sweetness that brings joy and spills over into the lives of others. We become a living testimony to the wonder of being surrendered to the Lord and letting His Holy Spirit guide us. What a wonderful way to live!

Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him... (Psalm 37:7).

__________________________________

Malachi's Mountain

There's something especially intriguing about a mountain man — the steady determination, the quiet ingenuity, and the way he knows the land. He encounters harsh conditions with calm resilience, meeting challenges that would break lesser men. It's not just survival but a deep, instinctive understanding of the wild and a stubborn resolve to be self-reliant. And this describes Malachi North.

He wanted to silence the past but found a quiet hope for the future.

After the Civil War shatters everything he knew, Malachi North retreats to the Wasatch Mountains in Utah Territory, trading the ruins of Virginia for the quiet of a high-altitude cabin. Years pass in solitude until the ache for companionship stirs something deeper – desire for a wife, a second chance, a future.

His first attempt ends in utter disappointment. Then an intriguing woman arrives with her brother, but she's searching for her missing husband. Drawn into their quest, he agrees to guide them through the unforgiving terrain and ends up charting a course through heartbreak, hope, and wild unknown.

Malachi's Mountain is available now in print, KU, Kindle, and Audible. Don't miss this heart-warming story of a true hero and how he forges a future for himself. It's a journey of grit, grace, and new beginnings that just might stay with you long after you turn the last page with a satisfied sigh.

____________________________

 Sovereignty and Free Will

All that the Father giveth me shall come to me: and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out (John 5:37).

Some people see a conflict between God's sovereignty and man's free will. This is addressed in the book, Obedience to Christ, by A.W. Tozer and Caleb Sinclair. Tozer explains sovereignty this way: "God's sovereignty is the attribute by which He rules His entire creation, and to be sovereign, God must be all-knowing, all-powerful, and absolutely free. The sovereignty of God is a fact well-established in the Scriptures and declared aloud by the logic of truth."

... choose you this day whom ye will serve... but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord (Joshua 24:15).

Tozer gives us his view: "God sovereignly decreed that man should be free to exercise moral choice, and man from the beginning has fulfilled that decree by making his choice between good and evil." . . . . "Man's will is free because God is sovereign. A God less than sovereign could not bestow moral freedom upon His creatures."

He doeth according to his will... none can stay his hand (Daniel 4:35).

Using the illustration of a ship crossing the ocean, Tozer gives us an analogy to consider. Passengers board an ocean liner to sail from New York to Liverpool. As they sail, they can choose their activities. "They are completely free to move about the ship as they will. They eat, sleep, play, lounge about the deck, read, talk, altogether as they please; but all the while, the great liner is carrying them steadily onward . . . ."  They made the choice to get on the ship and sail to where it was going, but they have no choice in its course once they are aboard.

... who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will (Ephesians 1:11).

"Both freedom and sovereignty are present here, and they do not contradict each other. So it is, I believe, with man's freedom and the sovereignty of God. The mighty liner of God's sovereign design keeps its steady course over the sea of history. God moves undisturbed and unhindered toward the fulfilment of those eternal purposes which He purposed in Jesus Christ before the world began. We do not know all that is included in those purposes, but enough has been disclosed to furnish us with a broad outline of things and to give us good hope and firm assurance of future well-being."

Whoever will, let him take the water of life freely (Revelation 22:17).

"We know that God will fulfil every promise made to the prophets. We know sinners will some day be cleansed out of the earth. We know that a ransomed company will enter into the joy of God and that the righteous will shine forth in the kingdom of their Father." In this way, Tozer invites us to see that our free will comes about because of God's sovereignty, and they can easily coexist. Our wisest response is to choose Christ and seek to remain in God's perfect will.

__________________________

 Guest, Amber Mae Weston

Hi! My name is Amber Mae Weston. I’m a wife to Earl and a mother to four amazing kids. I have a bachelor’s degree in communications and a background in journalism, but for the past decade, my main job has been chaos coordination, as I do my best to raise my children in a loving way.

Some days I succeed; some days I have to rely on my Father in Heaven to make up the difference. As my children have grown, I’ve found writing to be a wonderful support to my primary goals as a mother. It gives me an outlet that can bend around my family life, and not the other way around.

My latest release is called The Baron and the Ballerina. It’s a clean and wholesome Regency romance with sprinkles of faith and an enemies-to-lovers storyline.

This is my first published full-length novel, and it is truly a labor of love. I began writing it because I had read so many Cinderella-style Regency books where a poor woman ended up with a rich man. I wanted to create a believable version of that trope.

So I researched and learned that though these “sideways marriages” were rare, they did occur from time to time, and the woman was almost always associated with the stage.

Thus, my ballerina was born. She is a single mother, desperate to remove her daughter from the dangers of the stage, even if it means marrying a man she doesn’t love. Colonel John Cooper, a well-respected patron of the arts, is the perfect target.

Unfortunately for her, there is a baron who promised his late father that his sister would be wed to that very same colonel. Sparks fly as the ballerina and the baron compete for the colonel’s attentions, and the more they get in each other’s way, the more difficult it becomes to see anyone but each other.

In researching this book, I learned many sordid details about the stage and the toll it took on women specifically. Whether or not my books would be “clean” was never in question. I’m very careful about what I read and always knew I would strive for that in my writing, but I am not afraid to tackle difficult subjects. Thus, my ballerina became a single mother with a painful past. As I wrote her, I felt impressed to help her move from a place of shame to a place of redemption.

Though I didn’t begin with the intention of writing religious books, I found that a thread of faith naturally wove its way into my story. Every one of my mentors advised that I cut it out. Not because they were against religion, but because they were practical. “If you want to make a profit, you need to give your books broad appeal.”

But when I went to remove the faith, I froze.

How could I take away what had felt God-given?

And so I left it in and pressed forward, trusting that God will help my books land where they are meant to be.

My hope is that someone will read this book and see themselves in Allegra and Ben. They will recognize that though our sins be as scarlet, they shall be made white as snow through the blood of Christ.

Don’t think this means my book is a sermon presented with a pretty cover. It’s not. I simply allowed faith to be present when I felt prompted. It was never forced, but instead sprinkled into moments, just as I find God sprinkled into my own life.

Thus, my motto was born: Romance that pierces the heart and protects the spirit. My books overflow with emotion, but are presented in a way that protects the most sensitive of spirits. If this speaks to you, I hope you’ll take a chance on my work. And when you do, I hope you come away feeling refreshed and better prepared to tackle the challenges of life. Because isn’t that the purpose of art? It’s scaffolding to support a life that was never meant to be easy.

__________________________

 

Obedience: The Mark of Christianity

A little over a third of the world's population professes to be Christians today. That's roughly 2.6 billion people. "One would expect that a world with such a large percentage of Christ-followers would be fundamentally different from how it is today. All who call themselves Christian have not truly understood what it means to be a Christian."*

"Tozer underlines the teaching of the Bible -- obedience is the evidence of salvation."* Jesus also emphasized this several times. In chapters 14 and 15, John records Christ speaking about this. Here are some of them: "If ye love me, keep my commandments" (14:15); "He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved by my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him" (14:21); "Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you" (15:10).

Read Matthew 7:21-27. It begins with Jesus saying, "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shalt enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." And Jesus asks in Luke 6:46, "And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?"

"For Tozer, there is no mincing of words when it comes to preaching biblical truth. The life of obedience . . . is the wisest course of life."* Obedience has nothing to do with earning our salvation. No matter how hard we try, we could never be completely obedient because of our sinful nature from the fall of man. We can do nothing to earn salvation; it is a gift of God. However, obedience is evidence of our salvation. All who are truly saved want to follow God's will. Grace saves us, but love expresses itself through obedience, and this is the mark of a true Christ-follower. Those who belong to Him are not perfect, but they are being shaped into people who obey him from the heart.

*Caleb Sinclair in the introduction to Obedience to Christ, A.W. Tozer and Caleb Sinclair.

__________________

Pawprints on the Page

While editing my upcoming book, Malachi's Mountain, I realized I've used dogs as secondary characters in several of my stories. Malachi's faithful companion, Flint, is one of them. Malachi got him from the Shoshone when he was just a pup. Flint is loyal, intelligent, and the perfect friend for a mountain man living alone in an isolated cabin.

My first story to feature a dog in a significant role was Roslyn's Rescue, an inspirational retelling of "Little Red Riding Hood" set in medieval England. Owein, a noble wolfhound secretly gifted to Roslyn by the woodcutter, proves to be exceptional. When Roselyn faces danger, it's Owein who races for help.

A dog also plays a memorable role in Inman's Impersonation. Someone has mistreated the animal, and Inman's kindness wins his complete devotion. Inman first names him Drifter but soon shortens it. Driff becomes an important presence throughout the novel.

In Grandma's Match for Garrett, Garrett goes to great lengths to find Wren a dog. Something happened to the one she used to have, and with all the trouble surrounding her, he's convinced she needs a good guard dog. He ends up bringing her two, and they quickly become invaluable.

A puppy also finds Meleah when she's lost in the woods in Noah's New Bride. She names him Pal, and his companionship helps ease the loneliness of the logging camp while Noah is away working during the day.

I've loved animals, especially dogs, since I was a little girl. My family used to raise cocker spaniels, and I always had a dog of my own growing up. Those memories are special to me, so it's no surprise that dogs keep finding their way into my stories. I expect readers will meet even more canines in books to come.

Do you enjoy discovering dogs in the books you read from time to time?

___________________