But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
2 Peter 3:8-9 (NIV)
Name five of your favorite movies. They don't have to be in order. Can be random choices that come to mind. Five movies you enjoy.
POTC Curse of the Black Pearl
The Tourist (remake)
The Bourne Series
The Mission Impossible Series
Skyfall
Father, you designed the arts. May those who participate in them find the One who's given them their talents and gifts. Only you, Lord. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
Frozen in time . . . caught in the moment when the mood is written in the eyes and the pose says it all.
Longacres Racetrack, a very long time ago.
Father, you watched the struggle, you waited patiently, and finally at just the right moment when my heart was right, you rescued me. Thank you is never enough. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
On the evening of February 14th, 2022, I finished my latest novel. Then . . . you is now sporting the two words that brought it to a close: The End. Yes, it's a love story. Yes, I love this one. Yes, I hope those of you who choose to read it when it's "a wrap" will love it too. Yay!
Father, always: Apart from you, I can do nothing. Thank you is never enough. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
With clips from the film The Bodyguard starring Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner, one of Whitney's most beautifully performed songs with meaningful lyrics, it's absolutely one of my all-time favorites. And Whitney Houston's voice is priceless. There aren't enough superlatives to describe it. A great song to follow Valentine's Day.
Father, you gave us music, singers, and musicians. Not all use those gifts for you, but hopefully more will realize apart from you, they can do nothing. You bless. You give. You take away. You are Love. Incomparable love. Thank you for it all. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
Today is just another day for some – and this year it's a Monday. For others it's a celebration of the romantic kind of love. For others it's a reminder of that which is lacking in their lives.
I don't know what it is for you, but Valentine's Day in my 6th grade year of school many years ago was a day where four beautiful heart-shaped candy boxes were sitting on my desk when I arrived. Only one of them allowed me to know who'd given it to me. Very thoughtful young guys I never got to thank except for one. Funny what we remember . . .
I wish you a good day, a beautiful romantic day, and certainly not one which reminds you of what you don't have – or even what you don't want.
Happy February 14th!
Father, you are Love, the kind we humans can't truly imagine. From you it's pure and defined in ways our sinful hearts can never fully understand. Help us to learn what we can while we're here so we can share the best part of it – or try to. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
Place me like a seal over your heart,
like a seal over your arm;
for love is as strong as death,
its jealousy unyielding as the grave.
It burns like a blazing fire,
like a mighty flame.
Song of Solomon 8:6 (NIV)
"I write love stories with a passion." Yes, that's me. My novels don't have major conflict after conflict after conflict. That notion is the prescribed medium for pure romance novels. Which is why I refer to mine as love stories, heavy on the romance.
My novels are about people. Period. Some ordinary, some extraordinary, all with flaws, all in need of a Savior whether they know it, experience Him, want to know Him . . . or not.
People make mistakes, people cause problems, people do wrong things and suffer the consequences. That's life.
And that, in so many words, is what my novels are about . . .
Father, always simply and profoundly: apart from you, I can do nothing. Help me to stay close, listen well, and write strong. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
This one touched quite a few. If you've read it, tell me what you thought.
Father, thank you for each one. Apart from you, I can do nothing. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
I'm disappointed. Those of you who follow my reviews surely have noticed that the majority of novels reviewed in the last year, maybe two or more, have been general market thrillers. Even five years ago, it would be unusual to find a general market (secular) novel on that list in the side column of reviews. Granted, Vince Flynn's books, once I discovered him, have appeared as quickly as I could read them. I've continued the Mitch Rapp saga with Kyle Mills after Vince's death. There are no finer novels of political espionage thrillers.
What I'm saying is, as far as I know, there are no comparable thriller authors in Christian Fiction to those who I've reviewed here from the general market. If there were, if I knew of them, you can bet I'd be investing in their literature. I don't blame authors. I blame publishers.
At some point, established Christian publishing houses opted for what can only be termed "safe" fiction. In the romance realm, it seems their favorite qualifier now has turned to "clean and safe" which registers sharply with their very vocal cache of romance readers and reviewers who can be downright brutal in their one-star Amazon reviews. A large bunch of legalistic, self-righteous reviewers decide definitively who and what is "acceptable" Christian romance and fiction in general, but those seem to be the major purchasers of the genre. And why is that? That's who the Christian publishing houses have made their audience, catering to their narrow demands.
Here's the surprising deal about that little factor: the secular realm does not produce better writers than those in the Christian fiction stable. Christian Fiction as a genre has plenty of excellent authors (writers), high quality, good storytellers, but the only way for a large number of them to get published is to do it independently because the restrictive nature of the Christian publishing houses – due to the reading audience they've developed and exploited – has contributed to the inferior grade of both thrillers and romance novels. And by "inferior" I simply mean less than realistic when it comes to the frank reality of what can happen in either thrillers or romance novels.
So. There you have my little spiel about some areas of Christian fiction and why it disappoints me that more of my favorite genres to read aren't well represented in the current Christian publishing houses.
And, quite honestly, one of the reasons why I write love stories, heavy on the real romance.
Raw Romantic Redemptive
Amazon.com : Nicole Petrino-Salter
Father, you are the source of everything that is good. You give all the talents and gifts. If anything is worthwhile, it comes from you. Thank you is never enough. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
