Time and Money


A man's heart deviseth his way: but the Lord directeth his steps (Proverbs 16:9)

We like to think we're in control of our lives and make wise decisions, but this isn't really true. We're not as much in control as we'd like to think because God is in control of everything. It's true that He's given us the freedom to make choices for ourselves, but we don't have command of the outcome; God does.

Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it (Malachi 3:10).

All things, including our time and money, are under His authority. Surprisingly, tithing won't hurt budgets. We can't outgive God, and God tells us we can test Him in this. Everyone I know who tithes has said that once they began giving at least a tenth of their income, they actually seemed to have more, and their budget never got more strained.

So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom (Psalm 90:12).

This goes for time, too. I'm a pastor's wife with a family, and I've launched a second career. I stay extremely busy and often end a day with more on my to-do list than I began with. However, when I follow God's directions and give time to the things He calls me to do, it is amazing how much I still mark from my list at the end of a day. Once we recognize these truths, we will have fewer struggles and worries. Give all that you have and all that you are to God.

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Narrating Indecisions

I still struggle with whether to use the same narrator for an entire series or go with the narrator whose voice best matches the book. So far, I've gone with the voice that best matches the book, especially when considering gender. This means I normally choose a man to narrate when the male main character has a stronger role and a female when the heroine appears more often.

In The Farmers series, a male narrated the first and last books in the trilogy, and a female did the second book. Because of some unforeseen circumstances, each book in this series had a different narrator. With the In from the Storms trilogy, Douglas Birk narrated the first and last books, and Jennifer Groberg did the second book because the main character there was a female. 

However, I'm beginning to wonder if that's the best policy. Recent research shows that listeners prefer a female narrator for books in the romance genre and male narrators for most other genres. Now, Jennifer will also narrate Off the Streets, but I don't know whether or not to have her also do the second and last book in the series, Without a Dream, even though it has a stronger male lead. Does it even matter? I want to do what's best and what listeners will enjoy the most, but it's hard to know what that is.

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Leap Year

Because the way our calendar is set up, about every four years is a leap year. In that year, February has 29 days, instead of 28, and February 29th is referred to as leap day. That will be on this Saturday in 2020. Julius Caesar started leap years in 46 B.C. All kinds of traditions, customs and superstitions have grown up around the day since then. Here are a few:

The town of Anthony, Texas, has declared itself the "Leap Year Capital of the World."

In Ireland, Britain, and the United States, a woman can propose marriage to a man anytime during a leap year.

In Finland, if a woman proposes to a man on leap day and he refuses, he must buy her enough cloth to make a skirt.

France has a satirical newspaper that is only published on February 29th in the leap years.

In Greece, it's considered unlucky to marry in a leap year.



Here are a few things that happened on February 29th through the years:

In 1468, Pope Paul III was born.

In 1692, the first warrants were issued that would become the Salem witchcraft trials.

In 1904, President Theodore Roosevelt established the commission to see to the completion of the Panama Canal.

In 1916, Dinah Shore was born.

In 1940, Gone with the Wind won 8 Oscars, including Hattie McDaniel for Best Supporting Actress. She was the first black performer to ever win an Oscar.

In 1952, the first "walk" and "don't walk" signs where put up in Times Square, New York City, for pedestrians.

In 1968, the discovery of the first pulsar star, emitting regular radio waves, was announced in Cambridge, England.

In 1968, "Up, Up and Away" by the Fifth Dimension won record of the year at the Grammy's, and The Beatles won album of the year for "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band."

In 2004, Lord of the Rings: Return of the King won 11 Oscars.

Will you do anything special to celebrate leap day this year? Does your family have any special traditions? 

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Scarlet Cords


Behold, when we come into the land, thou shalt bind this line of scarlet thread in the window which thou didst let us down by.... And she sent them away, and they departed: and she bound the scarlet line in the window (Joshua 2:18a & 21b).

Scarlet and red are used in the Bible to symbolize different things. In Genesis 38, the midwife used it to denote the firstborn of twins. In Exodus 25-39, it is used in the descriptions of the cloth for the tabernacle and priests' clothing because red, blue, and purple were the color of kings. But perhaps the most remembered scarlet thread is the one that Rahab is to hang out her window to mark the house the Israelites are to spare when they invade Jericho in Joshua 2.

Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool (Isaiah 1:18).

Other Old Testament books that talk about the color or of the sea which is that color, are Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Judges, 1Kings, 2 Kings, Nehemiah, Esther, Psalm, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Nahum, and Zechariah. However, Matthew, Acts, and Revelation also mention it in the New Testament. Red came to represent a blood sacrifice.


For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins (Matthew 26:28).

As Ray Pritchard writes in The Next Man Up, "The scarlet cord reminds us of the blood of the Passover. The color was no coincident. It was a scarlet cord that guaranteed her [Rahab's] deliverance from otherwise certain death" (The Next Man Up - Ray Pritchard, loc. 309). Christ's blood also ran in scarlet cords to deliver and save us. It has great significance for all believers and binds us all together in unconditional love.

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Without a Dream

My latest novel, Without a Dream, has just been released. This is the second and the final book in the Another Chance series. It mainly features Brandon and Lesley, two of the secondary characters in Off the Streets. Brandon is also Gwen's son, and she was the main female character in Off the Streets, so she and Hunter still have a presence in book two. However, as with all my books, this one can be read as a standalone, but you should read them in order if you plan to read them both.

In Without a Dream, Brandon McAllister has fallen hard for Leslie Baggett and she for him, but Leslie’s mother moves her family from Charlotte, North Carolina, to Dallas, Texas, and keeping in touch becomes hard. According to their agreement, Brandon goes to Dallas for Leslie’s junior prom, but Leslie doesn’t come to his senior one the next year. A confusing, vague letter gives little information. The series of events to come next leaves them both reeling. How do you face a future when all your hopes and dreams have been shattered?

Feedback has been very positive with these two books. A recent reader contacted me to tell me how much she loved them. In fact, she read Off the Streets was on pins and needles waiting a couple of days for Without a Dream to be released. That's what I like to hear! 

Off the Streets - https://www.amazon.com/Off-Streets-Another-Chance-Book-ebook/dp/B082SYS7KZ

Without a Dream - https://www.amazon.com/Without-Dream-Another-Chance-Book-ebook/dp/B084MM5FCM

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The History of Presidents' Day





The day we now call Presidents' Day originally started in 1885 as Washington's Birthday to recognize and honor the first President of the United States. It was celebrated on February 22, George Washington's actual birthday. Sometime later, we also began to recognize Abraham Lincoln's birthday on February 12th. This continued for decades with closings and celebrations on both days.

Then, in the 1960s, legislators began talking about combining the days into one holiday. Many also liked the idea of shifting many such holidays to be celebrated on a Monday, giving workers a three-day weekend. The Uniform Monday Holiday Act was passed in 1968 and went into effect in 1971. Presidents' Day was set for one day instead of two -- on the third Monday in February.

At first, most people saw it as a combined celebration for Washington's and Lincoln's birthdays. However, more and more, it has come to be a day to honor all the presidents, although Presidents Washington and Lincoln are still the most recognized ones. Many banks and government offices are closed, as well as some other places. It is a day steeped in tradition for well over a hundred years.

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Love Commanded

Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself (Matthew 22:37-39).

God's two greatest commandments concern love. If we could follow these two commandments we'd never have to worry about being obedient or doing the right thing again. This covers it all, But only Jesus got it right. Both loving Him and loving others are what God wants first and foremost. I think this is the reason David was a "man after God's own heart," although he committed some pretty horrific sins. He did repent, and he loved the Lord and cared about others. The way he treated Saul, Jonathan, and Mephibosheth shows it.

Read 1 Corinthians 13. Of course, "charity" means love if you are using that version. The word "love" is used 281 times in the Bible. Doesn't that say something about its importance? I think love is a basic need of all people, although some don't recognize it. I can't imagine a world without love. I think there's a name for such a place, and it begins with "h."

And above all things have fervent charity [love] among yourselves: for charity [love] shall cover the multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8).

Did you get that? Love covers a multitude of sins. That's "sins" - in the plural. I lived by this verse as a parent when my children were growing up. Some parenting decisions were hard. I prayed, did the best I knew how, and figured my deep love would cover the mistakes. It seemed to work. Learn to love unconditionally, like Christ. Let His love flow through you into others. Love. 

And now abideth faith, hope, charity [love], these three; but the greatest of these is charity [love] (1 Corinthians 13;13).

Returning Audible Books

Audible is generous to allow a liberal return policy, but this might change if people continue to abuse it. The policy is there so you can buy an audiobook with confidence and know that you can return it if it's not good, and you hate it. It's not there to return it so you can keep your credit after you listen to it.

I've had some returns recently that I'm pretty sure fall into the latter category. It appears someone is listening to a series and returning them. Why would they continue to listen to the same series if they didn't like them? And those books have gotten no bad reviews. It is disheartening to the author and narrator because the sales are removed from their dashboard.

In addition, such a practice is dishonest if the listener enjoyed the book and just returned it to maintain their credits. It amounts to lying and stealing. I hope the policy remains because it is good to know a book can be returned if it's not found to be enjoyable, but I also hope this is how it will be used and not for personal gain.

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National Umbrella Day

February 10th is National Umbrella Day. The earliest one is thought to be a fixed parasol from 2450 B.C. and shows the god, Sargon, of Akkad. A similar one with large feathers was found in the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan, The first evidence of a collapsible one comes from Nineveh in 2310 B.C. In fact, most of the early civilizations had some type, including those of Egypt, Greece, Persia, Siam, and Rome. These were mainly used for protection against the sun.

The Chinese were the first to have an umbrella that could be used in the rain. They waxed the heavy paper parasols to make them water repellent. Through the years, the umbrella continued to evolve and be improved. There are all styles, sizes, and colors today, including pocket and hat umbrellas. Photographers even use them to help reflect and regulate the lighting and glare. Movies, such as Singing in the Rain and Mary Poppins, have featured them.

If you've had the spring rains early this year as I have, today is indeed a good day to celebrate National Umbrella Day. Although the device may have fallen out of favor with some today, I doubt they will ever completely stop being used unless something better is invented. After all, most people have sense enough to try to stay dry coming in and out of the rain.

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God's Way

Trust the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not to thine own understanding (Proverbs 3:5).

God's people need to understand they must do things God's way, not theirs. This has been a problem beginning with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. God clearly told them they could eat of any fruit in the garden except the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. But they let doubt in God's trustworthiness enter their minds and decided they might become more knowledgable if they ate the forbidden fruit. They thought they knew better.

And the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted?... (Genesis 4:6-7a).

This continued with their children. They knew what sacrifices were acceptable and how it was to be done. But Cain didn't like those instructions and decided to do it his way, bringing some of the crops from the ground instead of a lamb or sheep. When God accepted Abel's sacrifice but not his, Cain killed his brother. 

And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod smote the rock twice.... And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them  (Numbers 20:11-12).

Even Moses had moments of wanting to do things his way. When God told him to speak to the rock and water would come forth, Moses decided it would be even better to strike the rock. For his disobedience, he didn't get to enter the Promised Land. Then, throughout their history, the Israelites only won battles when they followed God's directions. When they didn't, they lost.

And when they came to Nachon's threshingfloor, Uzzah put forth his hand to the ark of God, and took hold of it; for the oxen shook it. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there for his error; and he died by the ark of God (2 Samuel 6-7).

David and the moving of the Ark of the Covenant is another example. God warned them that no one was to touch the ark.  Yet, when the wagon grew shaky, Uzzah put his hand on the ark to steady it. He was immediately struck down. The ark being caught not only shows disobedience, but it also shows a lack of trust in God to be able to handle things. Man often thinks he has to act to save the day, but what we really need to do is believe God and do His will.

But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves (James 1:22).

Whether through doubt, thinking we know best, wanting to be in control, or thinking God needs our help even to the point of disobedience, not doing things God's way always leads to disaster. As Ray Pritchard wrote in The Next Man Up, "God's work must be done God's way in order to receive God's blessing." We don't have to understand it all, just obey.

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Using Humor in Books

Using humor in novels can be difficult, but it can be effective and profitable if done well. It should flow naturally in and out of the story and not be forced. Readers love a generous sprinkling of humor. It surprises them in a delightful way. And with practice, writing it becomes easier for the author.

A good place to start is to identify your style of humor. We all gravitate to some more than others, and it will be better to start with your strength. Some of the different styles include witty (humorous dialogue), satirical (where fun is poked at someone or something), and situational (where funny things happen). Characters can even make humorous comments about themselves or others. You might also remember or collect funny real-life stories.

I have included an occasional, light dash of humor in many of my novels, but the book I write after the one I'm working on now will have more funny moments. The cliche or idiom title, Got My Goat, will play out literally and figuratively in the story. The main character is given three goats, and the billy is smart, but he's an obstinate, ornery beast. I can't wait to start writing it.

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"The Day the Music Died"

A Beechcraft Bonanza

February 3rd is sometimes called "the day the music died" because on this day in 1959, the plane carrying Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the Big Bopper crashed killing all aboard. At that time, Waylon Jennings, Tommy Allsup, and Carl Bunch made up Holly's band. They, along with Ritchie Valens and J.P. Richardson (the Big Bopper), had been playing on the Winter Dance Party tour across the Midwest. Their plane went down over Iowa.

Because their tour buses were so cold and uncomfortable, Holly decided to charter a plane this time to get to their next performance in Minnesota. Richardson had the flu and swapped places with Jennings. Allsup lost his seat to Valens with a coin toss. After a late-night take-off in wintry conditions, the pilot lost control of the Beechcraft Bonanza and went down in a cornfield, leaving no survivors.

Buddy Holly's wife, Maria Elena, first heard the news on television. She became a widow after being married only six months. She was pregnant at the time but later miscarried due to the trauma. She wasn't able to attend the funeral and has never visited the cemetery. This situation prompted the policy not to release the names of victims until the family could be properly notified.

J.P. (Jiles Perry) Richardson, Jr. was usually called the "Big Bopper." He had been born in Texas where his father worked in the oil fields. Richardson was first a disc jockey and songwriter. He wrote "White Lightning" for George Jones. Richardson's own rockabilly style and enthusiastic personality eventually made him an early rock and roll star. His most famous hit came in 1958 with "Chantilly Lace."

Richie Valens was born in Los Angles, California, of Mexican descent. His career as a sought-after musician had lasted for only eight months. His biggest hit was "La Bamba." Others included "Donna" and "Come on Let's Go," which he sang on Dick Clark's American Bandstand. He was eighteen when he died and just beginning a promising career. They all three would be missed.

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