In God's Presence

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

What a privilege to enter into the presence of God. This is available to us through the sacrifice of Christ on the cross. The blood He shed for us makes us righteous and therefore able to come into the presence of our holy God. That the Lord wants a close relationship with me continues to astound and amaze me. 

Thy face, Lord, will I seek (Psalm 27:8b).

Sin separated mankind from God. It began when Adam and Eve first disobeyed God back in the Garden of Eden. They lost the intimacy they had with God because of that sin. Faithful men, like Abraham, could approach God through faith because God mercifully counted their deep faith for righteousness. However, this was precarious and hard for people to achieve.

My soul thirsteth for God, the living God (Psalm 42:2a).

Christ changed all this. Now, when we repent and accept Christ into our lives, all our sins are forgiven, and we have free access to the throne of God. I can't understand why Christians don't take full advantage of this -- why they aren't eager to spend special time with their heavenly Father in a daily time of devotion and prayer as well as have His presence all through the day. Don't tell me you don't have the time. You make time for other things. Once you experience God intimately, you will want to maintain that relationship because nothing else satisfies as much or brings the same level of joy.

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 Preorder A Few Bumps in the Road

The third book in the Idioms & Cliches series, A Few Bumps in the Road, is ready for preorder now. In it, Judith Johnson and her ten-year-old brother, Robbie, move from Western Virginia to Kansas where Judith becomes a mail-order bride. She is Aaron's daughter from Going the Extra Mile, but her parents are dead. Her husband, although handsome and charming, turns out to be a womanizer and has a drinking problem. Judith is determined to make her marriage work, however, and she keeps telling herself her situation could be worse. At least Calvin's older brother is stable and responsible, providing a home for them on the farm. But farm life on the prairie can be hard in 1850, and Calvin's behavior makes the struggles even worse. Where will it all lead?

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Bumps-Road-Janice-Cole-Hopkins-ebook/dp/B09RQ2XBW9

We are also working to produce the Audible version of the book, and Brad Leaf, who narrated Maneuvers and Buy the Book, is doing this one. I'm loving what I've heard so far, and I feel sure listeners will too. Brad is a screenwriter as well as an audiobook narrator, known for his smooth, versatile voice. He lives in California. At the rate we're going, the Audible book may be out a little ahead of the ebook or paperback. The ebook is scheduled to release on June 3rd, so it won't be long. 

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 Because of the Rain

Then I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase, and the trees of the field shall yield her fruit (Leviticus 26:4).

We all know that without the rain, plants would wilt and all life would eventually die. Although dark, gloomy, rainy days are not always pleasant when we have to be out and about, things would be much worse without them. It's the same in our spiritual lives. We would be shallow and weak without difficulties and problems.

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose (Romans 2:28).

Just as the rain serves a purpose, so do the hard times that come into our lives. They can bring about a number of important results, such as deepening our faith, teaching us important lessons, or causing us to depend on God. God promises to use everything for good to those who love Him and are called according to his purpose. This includes even the bad situations, but we must stay true to Him.

Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content (Philippians 4:11).

This is the reason Paul could rejoice in all situations. It is how he managed to find joy when he had little as well as when he had plenty. He spent much of his time in prison, but he didn't let circumstances get him down. He still wrote letters to the churches, many of which are included in our Bibles today, and he served, witnessed, and converted when he could. We should have the same attitude.

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 Writing Ahead

So far, I've managed to stay ahead of my publishing schedule, even though I keep adding books to it. Right now, I'm finishing the rough draft of one that will publish on December 30th of this year. Unless I add one more in November, which I am considering, I will have everything written for 2022. 

I also have three out of the ten for 2023 written. I like to stay ahead like this because it's more fun for me if I don't feel pressured. It also makes it possible for my narrators to start on the audible edition early enough to have it ready when the ebook and paperback are released. I can do this by putting the books up for preorder, which allows me to submit them to ACX, the Audible division of Amazon.

The biggest problem with this is that I'm writing the manuscripts faster than my favorite editor can edit them. The number of MAPS (multiple-author projects) that I'm involved in, along with a few of my standalones and series, dictates that I publish almost one book a month. I've found a second editor that I can use when I need to, but, as experience has taught me, good editors that I can afford are hard to find. I feel blessed to have two.

I find all of this exciting and a lot of fun. I hope I continue to stay ahead and can maintain this pace. I don't agree to do a novel unless I already have the story idea in place, and so far, I've never run out of story ideas. They just keep coming -- another great blessing.

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 The Son Rise

He is not here; for he is risen (Matthew 28:6a).

The cross would have little meaning beyond death without the resurrection. Because Christ took our sins to the cross and then rose from the tomb to conquer death, we can have a glorious eternal life with Him. Easter celebrates this, and many churches hold sunrise services as part of this celebration.

 

The first recorded sunrise service took place in a Moravian congregation in Herrnhut, Germany in 1732. As missionaries journeyed around the world, holding sunrise services spread and became a tradition in many places. The service emphasizes that Jesus no longer lies in the tomb but arose and lives.

One of the most famous sunrise services in the United States is still held at a Moravian Church. More than 6,000 worshipers gather just before dawn outside Home Moravian Church in historical Old Salem in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. These services began in 1772, making them also one of the oldest. Like their predecessors in Germany, they hold a worship service and then move to the nearby historic graveyard, God's Acre, to conclude the service.

 It's often hard to think of Jesus' intense suffering and death on the cross. However, the resurrection brings joy. It means everything to the Christian believer. We all should celebrate in our hearts because the Son has risen.

 

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 Going the Extra Mile Is Out

The second book in the Idioms and Cliches series just published and is ready. Going the Extra Mile tells the story of Aaron Johnson, Jocelyn's grandson from A Bird in the Hand. On his return trip home to Western Virginia from taking his sister back to her husband in Trade, Tennessee, he's caught in a blizzard in the Appalachian Mountains, stumbles upon a remote cabin, and is rescued by the young lady inside. When her uncle turns up murdered, things get complicated.

Amazon Link - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09Q9489QK

James R. Cheatam, the narrator who produced Walnut Cake by Wylene, has produced the Audible version of the book, and it is also ready.  James did such a great job with Walnut Cake by Wylene that I was excited to have him narrate this book too. He lives in Iowa now, but he grew up in Georgia. He is a retired military veteran who has been deployed in four wars and traveled around the world. This gives him a wealth of experience with different accents and voices. He started narrating full-time in 2018 and says he absolutely loves it. Listeners love him too.

Although Going the Extra Mile is part of a series, it certainly can be read as a standalone. This is true for all my books, but even more so for this series. The books are about different generations in the same family, but they often skip a generation, and the same characters rarely extend to the other books, although they may be mentioned in them. The five books in the series will stretch from colonial days with A Bird in the Hand all the way to the stock market crash in 1929 in the last book, Taking Stock. They will publish quickly with the last book coming out in August. This is the most exciting series I've done in a long time, and I can't wait to see the books unfold.

Audible Link: https://www.audible.com/pd/Going-the-Extra-Mile-Audiobook/B09WY74MP6

The third book in the series, A Few Bumps in the Road, is also ready for preorder now. In it, Judith Johnson and her ten-year-old brother, Robbie, move from Western Virginia to Kansas where Judith becomes a mail-order bride. She is Aaron's daughter from Going the Extra Mile. We have just started to produce the Audible version, and Brad Leaf, who narrated Maneuvers and Buy the Book, will do this one. I'm loving what I've heard so far.

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Bumps-Road-Janice-Cole-Hopkins-ebook/dp/B09RQ2XBW9

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Increasing the Flock

In biblical times, the Jews were very familiar with sheep and shepherds. Throughout the Bible, writers use the analogy of sheep to refer to God's children. David wrote, "The Lord is my shepherd (Psalm 23:1a)." Jesus said, "I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep" (John 10:14a).

Today, many Christians are concerned about how fast many churches are losing members and even pastors. I recently heard an alarming statistic. Across the Christian denominations, nearly 1,100 pastors are leaving the ministry each month. The numbers of those people no longer interested in attending church are even worse. How do we stop such trends and start growing the body of Christ again? Pastors are to shepherd their flocks, but they can't do it alone.

Of course, we need to turn to God and let Him guide us. But we can also look to sheep for answers. One glaring, obvious fact in nature is that the shepherd isn't able to produce sheep on his own. Only sheep produce sheep. Is your congregation focused on bringing more sheep into the fold? Do they follow Jesus' Great Commission and tell others about the Gospel message wherever they go? Or are they more like the people Isaiah spoke of when he said "... we like sheep we have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way" (Isaiah 53:6a). We all need to get serious with being about the Lord's business and following Him.

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Readers' Incentives

What makes a reader want to continue reading? Of course, they find it enjoyable and entertaining. but their main reward is a novel's ending. This was brought home to me this week when I read a romantic suspense novel. The book wasn't bad, but it had several problems. It often moved much too slowly, had grammatical errors, and I didn't like the heroine. However, it had a strong, exceptional ending that caused me to give it a five-star rating instead of the four I had planned to give it. The ending made me glad I'd read the book.

Yet, much more often, I find the opposite to be true. A bland, lackluster ending makes me wish I hadn't wasted my time. Endings should never be just told, and adding an epilogue often does just that. Cliffhangers anger me unless I'm warned ahead of time because I feel cheated. In a romance, the ending needs to be especially romantic. In a mystery, all the loose ends should be tied up. Readers deserve the best reward authors can give them for reading the book.

The conclusion is every bit as important as the opening, if not more so. The more struggles and upheavals the main characters experience, the more important it is to knock the ending out of the park. I don't know how many novels I've read that didn't do this, and it's disappointing. If readers are properly rewarded with a good story and a strong ending, they'll become loyal fans for life.

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