Unanswered Prayer

Read Mark 14:34-36 

God doesn't always answer our prayers in the way we want Him to. He always does what He knows is best, and we may not know what that is. He does. He knows all, even the future, and therefore, His plans are perfect. He didn't even always answer His Son's prayers. Remember Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane.

Jesus went to the olive orchard, a secluded place to pray. He knew that, in a few hours, He would be captured, tried, abused, and then crucified. He poured out his heart to God, begging Him to take this bitter cup of pain and agony from Him. However, He added, "But thy will be done." That addition, God did answer, but the cup wasn't taken from Him, because God had a greater plan. This was the only way to make salvation available to all of mankind.

Jesus trusted His Father, and he willingly went to the cross to fulfill God's greater plan because He shared in that great love for us. That's the key for us too. We must trust God completely. If it seems that God doesn't answer our prayers, it's either because the time isn't right, and we must wait, or God has something better in mind. There are really no unanswered prayers for those who know Christ as their Savior. The answer is either "No," "Wait," or "Yes."

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Ingrid's Intention

My next book to be published will be Ingrid's Intention, part of The Suffrage Spinsters series. This is an interesting series about strong, heroic women whose lives were tied up in the suffrage movement between 1848 and 1890. Many of them had decided never to marry, but, then it's a woman's prerogative to change her mind. Right? Or perhaps someone unexpected changes it for her. Read to find out.

In my book, Ingrid Palmer doesn't intend to ever marry. Her cruel father taught her not to risk such misery before his death. Instead, she helps her mother in her dress shop, volunteers at an orphanage, and does as much as she can to help the women's suffrage movement in Kansas City. However, when a brilliant newspaper reporter wants to write about women's rights, Ingrid's world begins to gradually shift. Can Ryan O'Grady break through the walls she's built to protect herself?

The audible version is ready and waiting approval. E.J  Lavery did the narration. If you listened to Runaway Bride of the West, Aida, you'll remember what an excellent job she did, and I'm even more thrilled with the job she did on this one. Ryan had a slight Irish accent, and EJ handled it with ease. Regrettably, she's going to do some dual narration for me but will be unable to produce another project. I will miss her greatly.

Ingrid's Intention will publish on April 18th and is ready for preorder today. Order your copy now, so you won't forget. You don't pay until you receive the book.

Link to preorder Ingrid's Intention

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Worthless

Read Ecclesiastes 2:1-11

Material possessions, riches, and success do not satisfy. If we think they will, we have believed one of Satan's many lies. This is the theme of the book of Ecclesiastes. As Solomon approached the end of his life, the wisest man to ever live realized that much of what he'd done was just vanity.  It would all fade away like the fog in the sunshine.

What will happen to all our possessions when we die. I'd guess, much of what we've stored back will be discarded as useless by heirs. They might argue and fight over our houses, cars, and money, but at the end of their lives, how much of it will remain? Has it really done them any good? It certainly hasn't made them content or brought them peace.

The only things that will last are the things we've done for God: the kindness we've shown others, our generosity, the souls we've sent seeking Him, and the way we've loved as Jesus did. This is how we store up treasures in heaven. This is what really matters.

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 A Summer at Sagamore     

I am thrilled to have Lisa Prysock on my blog today. She has a new book that we want to share.

When Abigail Greenwood and her cousins settle in for their annual summer retreat at the stunning and impressive Sagamore Resort in the Adirondacks, all she wants is to spend as much time as possible plunking out stories on her typewriter. But when her cousins insist that she join them in the tradition of choosing a beau to adore from a distance during their stay, she reluctantly plays along, setting her sights on a mysteriously quiet and aloof guest. What started as harmless fun soon changes as Abby finds herself captivated by debonair—and handsome—Jackson Gable. Who is he, and why does his arrogant amused smile exasperate her so much?

When a series of events causing mayhem and mischief begin to occur at Sagamore, journalist Jackson Gable is determined to get to the bottom of it, since his father is an investor in the resort. Jack has a nose for mysteries, but he may have to use his recently earned law degree and some posh family connections to sleuth out the culprit. Are the events connected? Why are they happening? And why can't he get the beautiful Abby off his mind?

Lisa tells us -

Writing A Summer at Sagamore was so fun! Opening in 1883, the Sagamore is considered one of America’s Historical Hotels and Resorts. This Gilded Age Christian Historical Romance with mystery and intrigue just flowed for me. Jackson Gable (Jack) and Miss Abigail Greenwood (Abby) are the main characters, supported by characters from the Sagamore Resort where the story takes place, and members of Abby’s family.

 The real Sagamore Resort is located on Green Island on Lake George in upstate New York. The resort sits up high on a hill looking down over the pristine waters of Lake George, located in the glorious Adirondacks. During the Gilded Age, the wealthy flocked to the Sagamore to enjoy the resort. Over the years, the resort offered secluded luxurious accommodations for boating, golfing, fine dining, and horseback riding. Many of its residents arrived by steamboat aboard The Sagamore steamship. The original Sagamore opening its doors in 1883, stood as a brilliant and spectacular example of Queen Anne-style architecture and received universal acclaim. Aiding their widespread acclaim, Lake George became nationally known in a picture inside James Fenimore Cooper’s book, The Last of the Mohicans. 

Myron O. Brown, a proprietor of the Mohican House in the area, came up with the idea to build a luxury resort to accommodate the many wealthy families he saw vacationing on a regular basis in the area. With the help and support of four Philadelphia millionaires and another joining them later on, the board of investors purchased Green Island for a sum of $30,000 and set out to build the resort by hiring an architectural firm named Wilson Brothers. Construction lasted a year and was considered a stunning and genius design and building feat. The first four investors owned mansions located on Millionaire's Row, a long line of homes on one side of Lake George, vacationing in them frequently. Myron retired in 1905 after filling the role of General Manager for many years. Under his management, the daily rate cost around $4.00 per room and remained constantly booked. His first summer as manager was considered a huge success.

A structural accident in 1894 and another incident in 1914 caused the Sagamore to rebuild various parts of the resort twice, the first completed in five weeks. The second incident caused the resort to sit dormant for nearly a decade before Ernest Van Rensselaer Stires arrived with help and inspired plans to be drawn up for a complete rebuild of Colonial Revival-style architecture. Construction stalled again during the Great Depression until another wealthy investor helped them. Over the years, the resort owners have changed hands and it has been updated and upgraded, continuing to thrive to this day. 

To order your copy of A Summer at Sagamore, a Christian Historical Romance taking place at this beautiful resort, here's the link where you may find it at your favorite retailer. https://books2read.com/u/bPNZQz

And here is more about Lisa -

Lisa M. Prysock is a USA Today Bestselling, Award-Winning Christian and Inspirational Author. She and her husband of more than twenty years reside in Kentucky. They have five children, grown. She writes in the genres of both Historical Christian Romance and Contemporary Christian and enjoys sharing her faith in Jesus through her writing. She has many interests, but a few of these include gardening, cooking, drawing, sewing, crocheting, cross stitch, reading, swimming, biking, and walking. She loves dollhouses, cats, horses, butterflies, hats, boots, flip-flops, espadrilles, chocolate, coffee, tea, chocolate, the colors peach and purple, and everything old-fashioned. A few of her favorite authors include Jane Austen, Lucy Maude Montgomery, Louisa May Alcott, and Laura Ingalls Wilder. 

Discover more about this author at www.LisaPrysock.com.

Links to Connect with Lisa:

https://www.facebook.com/LisaMPrysock

https://twitter.com/LPrysock

https://www.LisaPrysock.com

https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00J6MBC64

(Lisa’s page at Amazon Author Central.)

https://www.bookbub.com/authors/lisa-m-prysock

https://www.facebook.com/groups/500592113747995/

(Lisa’s Facebook Reader & Friends group.)

https://www.instagram.com/lisaprysock

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Too Easy

Read 2 Kings 5: 1-15.

Do you remember the story of Naaman who came to Elisha to be cleaned from leprosy?  Naaman was a captain in the king of Syria's army, and he had his own ideas about how things should be done. However, desperate for a cure, he ended up seeking Elisha. When the prophet sent a messenger to tell him to go and wash in the Jorden River seven times, Naaman was insulted. He said, "Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the Lord his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper. Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers in Damascus, better than the rivers in Israel? May I not wash in them, and be clean?" Naaman turned away in anger, not intending to do this simple thing. However, his servants talked him into it, saying, "My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldst thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean." He dipped himself seven times in the Jordan river and was cleansed, cured of this dreaded disease.

There are too many people who are like Naaman. They think asking for forgiveness and for Christ to cleanse and save them is too easy. From a human perspective, there should be some cost involved, some punishment or penance. But God made it easy, so we would know that it was His gift and nothing we could earn. It is all Him and nothing of us.  To God be the glory!

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 Simon's Shame

I know I've said it before, but it bears repeating. I love the Hers to Redeem series. All of my five books in the series have heroes, broken from something in their past that cause them to try to hide away. A special woman comes into their lives, and they gradually began to see things differently. Simon's Shame, the next book to be released, is no exception. It's ready, on preorder, and waiting for publication on March 21. The Audible edition is available now. 

I have a new narrator for the Audible edition. Brad Leaf, who often does my books requiring a general American accent, was tied up with other projects, and I discovered Adam Skousen. I knew he would be perfect as soon as I heard him. He gave me the strongest audition of anyone I can ever remember, and I can't wait for listeners to hear what he did with the book. 

In Simon’s Shame, Simon Carlson becomes a recluse because everyone thinks he’s mentally challenged, although he's more intelligent than most. When he started school, it soon became apparent that he just couldn’t learn to read or write. Today, we would call this a learning disability and get him help, but they didn’t know about such things in 1887. His father never got over the fact, and he turned the community against Simon. When a new schoolteacher comes to Flagstaff, she doesn’t act as if he’s a moron the way others do. Can she show him that he has worth? 

As a writer and avid reader. myself, I had an unusual challenge in writing Simon. Before I knew it, I would have someone write him a note or want him to discuss a book he had read, and then I would have to go back and edit that out. Reading and writing are such an integral way of life for me it's hard to imagine life without it. Simon never learns to read or write any better, but he does learn some important life lessons and comes to realize a promising future.

Link to Simon's Shame

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God Sees 

God sees all -- all the past, all the present, and all the future. He sees everything that takes place in the universe. It is in His full view all the time. Take a moment and ponder that. It's so awesome we can scarcely understand it. God has a special name because of this -- El Roi, the God who sees. 

He even sees beyond the physical and not only observes every human action and hears every word spoken, but he knows all thoughts, motives, and intentions. Many find this disconcerting. They don't like the idea of someone who is omniscient because they want privacy.

However, God is the Creator. We ultimately belong to Him whether we think we do or not, but this is different from belonging to His family. That only comes from the acceptance of Jesus Christ as our Savior. Yet, once we accept the fact that God knows all, and that He's a good, perfect God who only wants the best for us, then it is easy to give our lives to Him in trust. We would be fools not to surrender completely to the One who loves us beyond measure and who knows how to best guide us into a glorious eternity because He sees everything.

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 What's in a Name?

Naming characters is one of the fun parts of writing for me, but I'm careful with it. Their given names need to match their character and personality, at least from my perspective. I collect names and keep two lists of them, one for male names and another one for females. I need to also keep the names I use in a story different enough that readers aren't likely to get them confused.

Surnames are important too. I try to make most of them common in the location the book is set in, and this is easy to research online. Once I met a reader, and she gushed about my book she'd just read while on vacation. It was set in the Appalachian Mountains, a region I know well because I grew up in that culture. As she traveled through the area, she was amazed to find businesses and mailboxes with the same last names as I'd used in the book.

I heard one author recently lament that, after writing so many books, she was having a hard time coming up with different names for her characters. So far that hasn't been a problem for me. I've written fifty-five books, and I still love naming the characters.

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 Our Father Knows Best

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil to give you an expected end (Jeremiah 29:11).

"Father Knows Best" was an old television show, but the only father that always knows best is our heavenly Father. Most Christians would agree that God knows best, but do they live their lives like it, or do too many try to push their will on God rather than do his will? Too often we approach God like a vending machine or a doting grandparent, expecting Him to give us what we want.

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not to your own understanding (Proverbs 3:5)

This all comes down to a matter of trust. Do we really trust that God has our best interests at heart, that He loves us unconditionally and wants to bless us?  What's best for us, however, is not always what we want. God knows the future, and we don't. We should surrender and depend on Him, but do we?

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 8:28).

I don't think any of us would say that God is fallible, but that's exactly how we act sometimes. Otherwise, we would trust Him implicitly. We give him human characteristics, but He is far above that. He is our perfect God!

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