How to Choose a Church

Choosing the church you will attend is an important decision a not one to be taken lightly. The most important standard is that it should be biblically based. The core of its messages should be the truths of God backed up by Scripture. Your church should be grounded in the Word of God.

In a Christ-centered church, the atmosphere will be caring, giving, and loving. In his book, Jesus Now, Frank Viola writes, "One of the things I've learned in my spiritual journey is that the closer someone gets to Jesus Christ, the less judgmental, self-righteous, harsh toward others, and selfish he or she will be." You want to find a church filled with soft-hearted people who stay close to  Christ.

Pray about it, and find the church where God wants you to be. After the other two requirements are met, find a church where you can serve best, not one that can serve you best. I know of people who choose a church based on how little they can get by with doing. This is not the attitude the Lord wants to see. We should be eager to do his kingdom work. Others try to find a church that will make them feel good or special. We should have our focus on God, not ourselves. Let Him show you which house of His you need to be in.

________________________________

Preorders and Audible

Setting a book up for preorders has many advantages, and cutting the wait time for an audible production is one of them. Of course, the obvious advantage is that it gives the author more time to advertise and allows fans to buy the book early. In addition, it allows authors to publish more precisely on the date they want.

But it also allows the audible version to be ready sooner than it would have been otherwise. The author can list the book on ACX for audible production as soon as the book is available for preorder. That way, the narrator can start working before the book is actually released. Since ACX often takes four weeks or more to approve a new audible after the project is finished and submitted, this provides a great advantage.

For example, I already have my narrator for Walnut Cake by Wylene, and he is scheduled to begin work shortly. The Kindle version is not set to release until December 6 of this year, so the plan is to have the audible version submitted to ACX in November. This should cause it to release around the same time as the Kindle and print versions. This makes things better for both the author, narrator, and the reader/listener.

____________________________

Experiencing Jesus

God doesn't want us to just believe in Jesus, attend church, and pray daily. Our faith should go much deeper than that. Each one of us should have a close, personal relationship with the Lord. He wants our hearts and to be the first priority in our lives - far above everything else.

Christians need to belong to Jesus and feel Him in their lives. He should be an integral part of who we are. We should experience Him working in our lives. He should be our first and greatest love, our all-in-all. A shallow faith will never cut it. Once someone experiences this deeper version, I don't think they will ever be satisfied without it.

Of course, this is a process that more than likely won't happen all at once, but we should always be growing in Jesus, always caught up in a deepening faith. When this happens, we won't have to worry about any laws, dos, or don'ts. The desire to be obedient will be a natural outgrowth of this type of relationship, and the Holy Spirit will guide us. What a joyful way to live!

__________________________

 

 

New Series Debuts

I have shared several blogs about the new Old-Timey Holiday Kitchen series because I'm so excited to have a book included. Now, I would like to share the debut book in the series. It releases today, July 19th. Kris Kringle's Kuchen by Katrina is written by Elissa Strati. I'll let her tell you a little about herself.

"Howdy! I'm Elissa Strati, and I write clean, sweet tales, largely historical westerns, but occasionally other genres, too. There is always romance and often intrigue. Every time one of my newest heroes or heroines starts telling his or her story, I learn something new about the world or about our ancestors. Isn't history fascinating? All of my books are available on Amazon for Kindle and on Kindle Unlimited, and each story stands alone. Feel free to ask me anything else you'd like to know!"

Here are a few places you can contact me. Following me, especially on BookBub and Amazon, will earn you notification of new releases:

https://www.facebook.com/ElissaStratiAuthor/

https://www.amazon.com/Elissa-Strati/e/B077GLWD94

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17307510.Elissa_Strati

https://www.bookbub.com/profile/elissa-strati

https://bingebooks.com/author/elissa-strati

In Kris Kringle's Kuchen by Katrina, Katrina has always considered herself shy, dumpy, and unattractive. Tight lacing makes her overabundant chest too prominent and still doesn't provide the popular narrow-waisted figure. She’s getting older and sees no prospects in sight, while all of her friends are courting or already married. Hans is a strong, boisterous, popular man, a good worker who has his own farm, and is every woman’s dream—especially Katrina’s—but she’s barely ever spoken to the man. Fate throws them together. Is she up for the challenge and her best chance for happiness?

Are you wondering exactly what kuchen is? Elissa tells us, "It 's a traditional German pastry that roughly translates to "cake." Typically kuchen is made with a sweet dough that contains fruit or a custard filling. There are about as many different recipes and styles of kuchen as there are people who make it. In my grandmother's card file, I found two different recipes, one with a friend's name on it from a recipe exchange, and the other a Timmer family favorite to which Grandma had added her own signature meringue topping. Both recipes are offered at the end of the book."

Elissa continues, "Our group of authors was invited to write a historical romance whose central theme is food—with recipes included. I was fortunate to have a chance to flip through some of my grandmother’s recipes and discovered not one, but two distinctly different recipes for kuchen, a German fruit cake, but no real relationship to the British variety. My Timmer ancestor came to this country during the mid-19^th century, from Prussia. The Irish potato famine is widely known, but crop failures were rampant throughout Europe. Religious sects were exercising their own control, and that sport of kings, war, was being played actively across Europe as various “unification” movements began to form the modern map, and principalities and duchies were consolidated and given a national identity. People fled to 'Amerika' for any number of reasons, including a desire for land and religious freedom. I used that backdrop to motivate my characters. They then took over and shared their stories."

Kris Kringle's Kuchen by Katrina - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0964C3SZH

Here’s where to find the rest of the series:

Old Timey Holiday Kitchen

_______________________________________________________

 

 

Signs That We are God's Children

...  therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not (1 John 3:1).

In his first epistle, John gives us at least five indicators that we are children of God, although these aren't exclusive. First, we will be noticeably different from worldly people, and because of this, the world will not recognize us. In fact, people with little faith may try to ignore us if they don't actually turn to ridicule.

Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God (1 John 3:9).

Once a person belongs to the Lord and has a close, personal relationship with Him, he or she will not want to continue in known sin. There will be no desire to do so because we would be betraying our greatest love. What we have with Jesus is so much greater and more special than anything the world has to offer. We become more and more conscious of God's hand in our lives and His unmeasurable, unconditional love (1 John 5:1-2).

We know that we have passed from death into life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not the brethren, abideth in death (1 John 3:14).

We also begin to have a godly love for fellow believers. We cherish the fellowship we enjoy with church members and special friends. We strengthen and help one another as we continue on our journey of faith. Christ keeps us true and faithful so that we can complete the tasks he assigns us (1 John 5:20). Nothing will ever have more meaning or be more satisfying

_______________________________

Serial Publishing

Serial publishing has been around a long time.  Charles Dickens made it popular in 1836 with his Pickwick Papers, although the method of publishing in installments has been around much longer. Newspapers and magazines across the globe picked up the idea in the 1800s, hoping to increase readership, and it worked. With innovations and decreasing publishing costs, books became more affordable, and the popularity of serials waned.

The internet brought them back to some degree with online publishing. There are sites devoted solely to posting serial publications. Hoping to hook readers and seeing the possibility of making more money on a single book, indie authors and a few traditional publishers have also divided a book into several installments, usually leaving a cliffhanger at the end of each.

Now Amazon is setting up a platform for serial publication. "Kindle  Vella is a new storytelling option from Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) to self-publish serialized stories, one short episode at a time. Readers will access Kindle Vella stories in the Kindle iOS app and on Amazon.com." One of the most positive things about Vella is it's designed with mobile phone uses in mind.

I admit this option is not for me. I despise stories that end in a cliffhanger or don't have a firm conclusion. I want the whole book in my hands when I begin to read it. However, I have no problem with anyone who publishes this way as long as they let the reader know before they purchase the book. It's those that market their serial books without this notification that bother me. I see it as sneaky, underhanded, and somewhat dishonest. I won't be buying any serials, but I'll be interested to see how Kindle Vella plays out.

______________________________________

Forty Days or Forty Years

There is much to learn by looking at all the forty years or forty days in the Bible. Of course, in the great flood, it rained for forty days and forty nights, but Noah was prepared (Genesis 7). He had followed God's instructions and built an ark, even though he lived in a desert area without rain, and people scoffed at his endeavors. They weren't scoffing when the rains came and they drowned while Noah and his family were saved.

 Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah (Genesis 25:20).  Moses lived in exile for forty years before he encountered a burning bush and received directives from God to return to Eygpt to set the Israelites free (Acts 7:30). Moses was also on the mountain for forty days to receive the Ten Commandments (Exodus 34:28). And the Israelites wandered in the wilderness for forty years for their hard-heartedness before being allowed to enter into the promised land (Joshua 5:6). Joshua was forty years old when he was sent out with Caleb and the group of spies (Joshua 14:7). They returned from searching the land after forty days to give their report (Numbers 13:25).

Goliath, the giant Philistine, presented himself to taunt the army of Israel for forty days before the encounter with young David defeated him (1 Samuel 17:16). King Saul reigned as King of Israel for forty years (Acts 13:21), as did David who followed him (2 Samuel 5:4). David's son, Solomon, also ruled for forty years (1 Kings 11:42), as did some other of their kings. During the time of the prophet Ezekiel, God made Egypt a wasteland for forty years (Ezekiel 29:11).

The forties continue in the New Testament, too. Jesus spent forty days and forty nights in the wilderness before being tempted by Satan and then starting his ministry (Matthew 4:2). He also spent forty days on earth after his crucifixion and resurrection (Mark 1:13 & Acts 1:3). Paul told of receiving "forty lashes save one" five times because of his mission work (2 Corinthians 11:24). Whether forty seconds, forty minutes, forty days, forty years, or whatever time the call requires, we should all be ready to follow the Lord in obedience. It's not the time that matters, but our hearts and our surrender.

________________________________

Returning Neighbor

The fourth book in the Cactus Creek series has just published. In Returning Neighbor, Laura Holt comes back as a main character. Laura was the young girl who had to leave Cactus Creek in Book Three.  Now, she comes back fourteen years later to care for her sick father, but much to her dismay, he wants her to consider marrying the saloon owner. She's also surprised to see that the infatuation she'd had for Logan King as a child hasn't faded as much as she'd thought.

In this book, secondary character, Sheriff Alex Wade, also rescues a lost mail-order bride and tries to help her. When she learns her intended groom didn't meet the stage, and she is free of that obligation, she decides to remain in Cactus Creek. However, Cory, Alex's younger brother also takes an interest in the pretty woman.

There will be just one more book in the Cactus Creek series. The fifth book, Southern Belles, should publish the last week in August. For it, Johanna Dobson, Magnolia's daughter, comes to stay at the King Ranch and takes an interest in Grayson Fox, Gray and Letty's son. In addition, Adele Mead and Elijah Moore from Maryland become two new main characters as they journey to Cactus Creek just after the Civil War. Yes, this book will have four main characters. But there'll be more about it later.

Returning Neighbor started selling before I could even put out any notices about it being published, so I'm hoping readers are hooked on the series. I know it's been a rewarding series to write, and I almost hate to see the series come to an end. This will make eight westerns I've published, and I'm not planning another one yet. However, I enjoy writing them, so there may very well be more in the future.

___________________________

 

Liberty for All

...where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty (2 Corinthians 3:17b). 

Sin enslaved mankind, and its consequences lasted forever. God made a way to free us of that bondage by sending His son to die for our sins so that we might be truly free in Him. All we have to do is accept Christ into our hearts as our Lord and Savior and allow Him to make us new.

If the son therefore shall make you free, you shall be free indeed (John 8:36). 

Freedom in Christ is like no other freedom. It can never be taken from you. You remain free no matter the circumstances. You can find lasting joy regardless of what happens because your joy is found in Him and not in pleasing situations. Governments will fail you. People, even those you love, will disappoint you. He never will.

Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free... (Galatians 5:1a).

In trying times, we need to remember this and keep our focus on Christ and the only things that really matter in the end - the things of God. We need to stand firm in our faith without wavering or falling into the trap of being less than loving to our enemies. Contrary to some current political propaganda, Christians are commanded to love. We are, or should be, a people of deep brotherly love. It's a byproduct of our liberty and helps us live out our freedom.

_____________________________