In Cana

Read John 2:1-11.

The first miracle the Bible tells that Jesus did is when he turned water into wine at the wedding feast in the small village of Cana. Most of the people in this area of Galilee were vinedressers who tended grapes on the hillsides there. It was a green, lush area, dotted with white houses and industrious people.

Jesus journeyed to Cana with his mother, Mary, and five of his new disciples. He had just come from being baptized by John the Baptist. Bible scholars say it is likely that the family in Cana was related to Jesus' family in some way for them to have been invited and travel there, and this may be why Mary took some responsibility in helping with the problem of insufficient wine. Cana lay four to five miles northeast of Nazareth.

When Jesus asked the volunteers to bring fresh water, they didn't hesitate to obey. Each one of those water pots would have held about twenty gallons of water. They were normally used for purification rites. As guests entered, the water would have been poured over their hands and feet, according to the custom that was meant to refresh after hot, dusty travel. When they tasted the best wine from Jesus, no one was disappointed. No one ever is with Jesus.

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Some of My Books That Became Amazon Bestsellers

I haven't kept up with all my books that have hit Amazon's bestseller list. I wish I had, but I usually forget to look. Most of the ones I've noted come from another author letting me know. Here are the ones I've seen:

At least four of my books that are currently available for preorder have been in the top hundred list of Amazon best sellers:

Sauerkraut Cake by Sophie

Runaway Brides of the West, Candace

Runaway Brides of the West, Aida

Mail-Order Brides' First Christmas, Sadie

Previously published books I've noted on the list include:

Walnut Cake by Wylene

From the Top of the Mountain to the Bottom of the Sea (non-fiction)

Deceitful Matters

When Winter Is Past

 Mountain Mishap

Sown in Dark Soil

Cleared for Planting

 

I hope to do a better job of keeping up with this in the future because I'm sure that many more of my books have made the list, but I just didn't think to look. My main focus is writing books that glorify God, fulfill His purposes, and readers will love. 

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The Town of Bethany

The town of Bethany is mentioned several times in the Bible. It is located on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives, only about two miles southeast of Jerusalem or about a fifty-minute walk. However, because Bethany sat at the foot of the mountain, the people there could not see Jerusalem. Therefore, the town had an air of seclusion about it, almost like a retreat.

Bethany is perhaps best-known as the home of Jesus' friends, Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. He often stayed in their home as he traveled to and from Jerusalem. Luke 10:38-42 tells of one such time when Mary sat at Jesus' feet to hear what he had to say while Martha worked hard to prepare a good meal and make her guests feel welcome. And you may remember that Bethany was also the setting of one of the great miracles in the Bible when Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead.

There are also several minor references to Bethany. However, another important event happened at Simon the Leper's home in Bethany. A woman identified as Mary in John 12:3 anointed him with expensive perfume from an alabaster vase. This foretold of his coming death and burial, but he would also arise. And the final event in Jesus' earthly life also came at Bethany when he blessed the disciples and ascended into heaven from there. 

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 Got Your Goat is Here!

The fourth book in the Idioms & Cliches series, Got Your Goat, is finally here. Set on an Appalachian farm just after the Civil War, when Emily Rose Howard takes in four goats, she didn't know what she was getting into. Nero is about as ornery a creature as she's ever seen. However, life gets even more complicated when her neighbor's son brings his army friend home from the war and her art professor from college shows up not long afterward. Life in the Appalachian Mountains has never been easy, but Emily Rose is determined to face her problems with faith and fortitude the way she always has. But this time, will she come away with her heart?

Amazon Link

It's a long trip from Georgia to Kansas, and Robert Johnson agrees to go home with Lomax Greer to rest up before he continues on to see his sister and her family. He hadn't expected the Appalachians or Lomax's neighbor to be so lovely. He likes the small, mountain farm, even with all its complications, but he knows there'll come a time when he must return to Kansas. What will happen then if part of his heart will always remain in these mountains?

Amazon Link

All three versions, including the Audible, are now ready. My go-to team of dual narrators, Douglas Birk and Jennifer Groberg worked hard and fast on this one, and I think you will love their production. Some of Nero's antics are definitely amusing, and Emily Rose and Robert are heart-stealers. You may remember Robert from A Few Bumps in the Road where he's Robbie, Judith's little brother. Got Your Goat can also be read as a standalone, but either way, you won't want to miss this one.

Audible Link

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The Pharisees

For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:20).

The word "pharisee" means either "separate" or "interpret" in Hebrew. The group of men known as the Pharisees came about around one hundred years before the birth of Christ. The historian Josephus said they functioned as advisors on matters of law. They set themselves apart to carefully interpret and observe Jewish law and became theological policemen for the people. They mainly focused on keeping the dietary laws, ritual purity, and the holiness of the Sabbath. They took responsibility for passing on the oral traditions that came from Moses. 

Although some of the Pharisees were faithful and sincere, many of them enforced the letter of the law so strictly that they had little sympathy or care for people. They'd become legalists and entirely missed the intent of the law. This is what Jesus tried to point out. However, the Pharisees were responsible for setting the standards of Judaism in the first century, and they kept score. To them, Jesus and His disciples just didn't measure up.

Some churches still have Pharisee-like members. These are the people that judge others and ostracize those who don't meet their standards. They usually have a self-righteous attitude just like many of the Pharisees did during Jesus' day. But Jesus teaches that we shouldn't judge others and the condition of our hearts is more important than our performance. That's why righteousness wasn't something that could just be added up on a scorecard. It was a matter of the heart first.

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Editors Don't Catch Everything

I'm still struggling with the task of trying to put out a book without a single error. It has turned out to be a much harder job than I thought it would be. I self-edit each manuscript at least five times, have beta readers, and have had up to three professional editors for one book, but a few mistakes still slip through no matter what I do. It's frustrating. I have never published a book I've written without a professional editor and wouldn't dream of doing so. I use the very best I can find.

Admittedly, most readers don't seem as concerned about it as I am. In fact, most of them tell me they don't find a mistake in mine. However, I see them, and it bothers me. It also bothers me when I read and find too many mistakes in other authors' works. I have probably only read about two books in the last ten years where I found no mistakes, but I still want mine to be one of them.

Making the Audible books has helped. It's like the final filtering system where I'm given one last chance to catch any remaining mistakes. I usually find under five and correct them. I hope that's all, but I can never be sure. They have a way of appearing later sometimes. I am consoled somewhat by the fact that I've gotten rid of most of them, but I won't be happy until I can put out a mistake-free book every time.

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 Offended

With all the evil in the world, it's easy to become offended -- offended by injustice, offended by the pain we suffer, or offended by the sufferings of those we love. It's also easy to get offended at people who have different opinions or who don't agree with us. If he can, Satan will taunt us to keep us offended.

Offenses are a stumbling block that can cause us to falter in our faith and keep us from seeing the truth. Offenses can cause bitterness which can hurt our relationship with God. Feeling offended pulls our focus from God and puts it on ourselves. It is a selfish reaction that will steal our joy fast.

"Drop your offenses at the foot of the cross. Let Jesus have anything that has offended you and anything that causes bitterness. ...trust God. ...Don't let your abundant life be choked off by ingratitude, anger, or bitterness."  You won't let offenses get the upper hand if you stay grounded in your faith and put more value on spiritual matters than worldly matters.

Parts from Flying on His Wings by Lisa Buffaloe

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Some Downsides to Maps

I am pleased to be a part of seven upcoming MAPs (multiple-author projects) through 2023. I have blogged on and discussed the many advantages of MAPs for authors and readers. However, like most things, there are also some negative aspects.

For one thing, KDP, the publishing arm of Amazon, is not user-friendly when it comes to Maps. It takes some effort to get them to connect the books on a series page when there are multiple authors involved. And sometimes, there can be errors in the process.

Then, I am locked into the dates, schedules, formatting, cover designer, and all the elements prescribed by the administrator of the project when I sign up to write one of the books. All the organizers I have encountered have been easy to work with, but publishing MAPs doesn't have the flexibility that self-publishing does.

The worst problem I have encountered is that some members of a team tend to be selfish, domineering, and want their own way. This makes it harder than it should be for everyone involved. I have had two minor incidents that brought this home. In the latest one, the author thought it was unfair that I had two fifteen-minute timeslots in a cover reveal party. Two of us had this because we had two books in the series, and the administrator told me it was fine. However, in order to keep the peace, I removed my name from one of the time slots. Then I had to try to squeeze two books with bio, descriptions, and activities into one fifteen-minute timeslot, and there were still about five empty slots left.

Despite the downsides, however, I plan to continue to write in MAPs. I've come to the conclusion that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, and they have energized my writing even more. It's fun to write and promote in a team where we support each other, and I look forward to what is to come.

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