250 Years Ago 

This year, our country will be celebrating its 250th anniversary, a very special milestone. I still remember planning special events for the entire school when I was a young teacher, and the nation was celebrating the bicentennial. This time, I have a few books set in the Colonial Period. A Bird in the Hand is set in 1776, at the beginning of the war. It shows what was happening on a personal, heartfelt level. 

When Winter Is Past is set in Pennsylvania in 1739. Stanton Klein’s father had given up on life after his wife died and left Stanton orphaned to live with his grandparents. He decided he would never love like that. He and his first wife had fared well together, but she’d died in childbirth. Now he’s decided to find another woman to marry. After all, a farmer needs a wife and sons. However, with the changes come important lessons and dangers that Stanton never imagined. Beth Evans has taken care of her father since he fell from a barn roof and can no longer walk. People, like Fiona, have always made fun of her because she has a limp. When Stanton befriends her, she’s wary but also intrigued. 

South to Freedom is a completely different story set in 1739. When Mae Briscoe learns that a small group of slaves plans to flee from South Carolina to Florida for freedom among the Spanish, she knows she must go with them. The master’s son has been far too friendly lately, and there’s no one to protect her. She knows the trek will be rough, and it will be hard adapting to a new culture, but given the circumstances, the call of freedom is too strong to resist. Thus, she begins an adventure of a lifetime, heading south to freedom. 

And It All Started at the Masquerade takes place in 1793, after the country has gained its freedom. But it will still take you back to the early years of our country. When Melanie Carter’s older brother decides she’s to marry Lott Jenkins, a wealthy man who has the reputation of being harsh and unbearable, she knows her life has just started on a downward spiral. However, she’s determined to trust that God would not want her with such a man and try to make the best of the awful situation. At a masquerade ball in Edenton, she meets a rather mysterious man dressed as a knight, and she can’t forget him. Lucas Hall can’t forget Melanie either, but he might as well. Once she sees the hideously scarred side of his face, she’d be repulsed like everyone else. That’s why he wears a mask whenever he goes out, which isn’t often. He wouldn’t have gone to the masquerade ball if his housekeeper hadn’t tricked him into it. Now he’s haunted by a scene he saw between Lott Jenkins and Melanie. No woman should ever be treated with such disregard, but what can he do? If he tried to help, they’d take one look at him, and he’d be no help at all.

Together, these stories span the early decades of America's history, each one exploring the courage, resilience, and strength of ordinary people who often don't turn out to be so ordinary at all. As we celebrate 250 years of our nation's journey, I hope these novels will offer readers not only a glimpse into the past but also a renewed appreciation for the faith, endurance, and hope that shaped the country we know today.

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 The God Who Draws Near

Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near (Isaiah 55:6).

From the beginning of Scripture to the final “Amen,” the heartbeat of Christianity has always been God’s desire to dwell with His people. While many belief systems emphasize rules, rituals, or philosophical systems, the Christian faith centers on a real, personal, transforming relationship with the living God. His presence is not an accessory to the Christian life; it is the Christian life. Nothing He gives compares to the joy of knowing Him, walking with Him, and experiencing His nearness in the everyday moments of our lives.

And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them (Exodus 25:8)

In the Old Testament, the ark of the covenant stood as a vivid reminder of God’s desire to be with His people. Inside it were symbols of His care: manna that testified to His provision, Aaron’s rod that declared His miraculous power, and the tablets of the law that revealed His holy standard. Even after humanity’s fall in Eden created distance between God and man, the Lord never abandoned His plan to restore fellowship. Every detail of the tabernacle whispered the same truth—God longs to dwell with those He loves.

And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us (John 1:14).

That longing reached its fullness when Jesus stepped into our world. God did not merely send a message; He came Himself. Through Christ’s death and resurrection, the barrier of sin was torn down, giving us access to a closeness with God that humanity had not known since Eden. We were created to know Him, to walk with Him, and to reflect His character so that others might come to know Him as well. In Jesus, God’s presence is no longer distant; it is personal, available, and life‑changing.

Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you (James 4:8).

Christianity is not built on cold doctrine or distant duty. It is built on the God who comes near. From the ark in the wilderness to the Savior in the manger, from the empty tomb to the Spirit dwelling within us today, God’s message has remained the same: He wants you close. May we seek His presence above every blessing and treasure the relationship He freely offers.

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Following God's Call and Leaving the Results to Him

Some Christians like to wait for certainty, to know God's plan in full, before answering His call. But that's rarely how God works, and it doesn't show faith. Faith is taking one step and then the next as He leads, even when we don't know where we're going. Abraham did this, and I've lived it myself. I can look back and see how God took a poor mountain girl whose culture butchered proper grammar, gave her a love of language and books, and somehow made an author out of her. Looking back, I can see He was grooming me to eventually publish books, but I had no idea at the time. He often delights in doing the impossible, so there's no doubt who deserves the glory.

Others try to earn God's favor by doing an enormous amount of work, hoping to prove how capable they are. As one author put it, God doesn't need us to be impressive; He needs us to be obedient. If God wants one of my novels written and it only reaches a single reader, but that person is touched, taught, or drawn closer to God, then the book was a huge success. Yet if I write a bestseller that brings in large royalties but touches no one in any meaningful way, then the book is a failure.

I've seen many authors complaining about the recent decline in sales that so many of us are facing now. It's understandable to want to do well. After all, the more books we sell, the more Christian stories we place into circulation. And for me, it also means the more scholarships I can offer, since all my profits go to a scholarship fund for missionary children. But at the same time, I keep reminding myself to put everything in God's hands. He's a much better manager than I am. I might not understand what's happening, but He does. My job is to answer His call and follow His will.

Whatever happens, to Him be the glory!

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The Power of "God Said"

And God said, Let there be light: and there was light (Genesis 1:3).

From the very first page of Scripture, God reveals Himself as the One whose Word brings reality into being. In Genesis 1, creation unfolds, not through effort or struggle, but through the sheer authority of God speaking. Every time “God said,” something new appeared—light, land, life, order. His voice is not passive; it is creative, decisive, and powerful. By verse 28, that same voice shifts from forming the world to blessing the people who will live in it. What God speaks is always good, always purposeful, and always final. His word stands as the ultimate authority over all creation.

In the beginning was the Word… and the Word was God (John 1:1).

The New Testament reveals something even more astonishing: the very Word that shaped the universe stepped into the world He made. Jesus Christ, the living Word, came not only to create but to redeem. In Him we see truth embodied, grace revealed, and God made knowable. Scripture becomes more than ink on a page; it becomes the meeting place where we encounter the heart of God. When we open the Bible, we are not merely reading ancient stories; we are engaging with the same divine voice that spoke galaxies into existence.

Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you (James 4:8).

Because God’s Word is alive and active, it calls us not just to study but to seek Him. Reading Scripture should always lead us into prayer, into conversation with the God who desires relationship, not ritual. Before we close our Bibles, we should pause and invite Him to shape us, guide us, and walk with us. Christianity has never been about information alone; it has always been about presence. The God who spoke creation into being and who came near in Christ now invites us to know Him personally, daily, and deeply. Welcome Him in.

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 A Writer's Retreat in Blowing Rock

An advertisement for a writers' retreat came across my screen, and I thought, I could use one. But as I read the details, I saw the author was charging $1,200 for a three-day, two-night weekend. I didn't need it that much. The following week, however, I received an invitation from an author-friend to join her and two other authors I knew, but had never met in person, to a writers' retreat in Blowing Rock, located in the North Carolina mountains. The fee was minimal, just barely enough to cover expenses. I believe God had a hand in all this, one of His many quiet blessings.

The retreat was wonderful: a magazine-worthy place to stay, plenty of peaceful time to write, brainstorming sessions on the business of writing, walks in the refreshing mountain air, and great meals from Heidi or Lynne. And best of all, the four of us got to know one another better.  It was just what I needed. Writing is such a solitary task that those moments of connection become all the more meaningful.

Heidi Gray McGill, Heather Branton, and Lynne Lanning are very special ladies. I came home to my usual busy schedule that included my grandson's wedding, family time, housework, car trouble, trying to write a chapter a day on my current manuscript, walking two miles a day, blogging, online events, and more, but I came home with a thankful heart, renewed energy, deeper friendships, and long-lasting memories. 

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Words and Wonders

And God said, Let there be light: and there was light (Geneis 1:3).

How did God create everything? With a word. Scripture tells us that at the beginning, God spoke, and light burst forth, waters separated, land appeared, and life filled the earth. His voice alone shaped galaxies and commanded order out of nothing. Creation unfolded at the sound of His authority, proving that when God speaks, reality obeys. “And God said… and it was so.” His words carry power, purpose, and life.

And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life…(Genesis 2:7).

But when it came to humanity, God chose a different approach. He didn’t speak us into existence. He formed us. With His own hands, He shaped Adam from the dust and breathed His own breath into him. This was intimate, intentional, and deeply personal. God wanted a hands‑on experience with the ones who would bear His image. We were not merely spoken; we were crafted. That alone tells us how treasured we are. We were created to have a personal, intimate relationship with our Maker.

Death and life are in the power of the tongue… (Proverbs 18:21).

If God’s words hold such power, and we are made in His image, then our words matter too. What we speak can build up or tear down, bless or wound, bring peace or stir trouble. When we align our words with God’s truth, we reflect the One who created by speaking and formed by loving. May we choose words that encourage and give life, just as His words gave life to the world.

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Ava

My new release, Ava, published last week. As the first book in the Disabled Daughters trilogy, it introduces Ava Walsh, a young woman who has learned to hide her doubts behind a steady smile. Her father believes that moving to her aunt and uncle’s Nevada ranch will give his three daughters the future he fears he won’t live to see, and with the doctor’s grim warning echoing in her mind, Ava refuses to challenge him. If this journey west brings him peace, she’ll endure it, no matter her misgivings.

But the wide‑open frontier offers no escape from the truth she carries. Her injured back leaves her bedridden far too often, and she’s convinced no man would choose a wife who can’t do her share of the work. As her family uproots everything familiar for a land of dust, strangers, and uncertain promises, Ava wonders whether hope can truly be found in such a place. Yet the West has a way of surprising those who least expect it. When new possibilities and new affections begin to stir, she must decide whether to cling to her fears or risk the uncertainty new relationships bring.

Ava’s middle sister, Jo, will publish on July 3, and Chloe, the youngest, will release on August 4. Ava is available now—and all three books will be offered in print, Kindle, Kindle Unlimited, and Audible. If you enjoy heartfelt historical stories with courage, family loyalty, and a touch of Western adventure, this is a wonderful time to begin the trilogy. I hope you’ll meet the sisters, follow their journeys, and perhaps even share the books with friends who love a good story.

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