Into the Fire

Finally finished decorating mine today. This girl has ALWAYS loved Christmas! Jesus is the Reason for the Season.

Thank you, Lord. You didn't have to come to rescue us and yet you did. You took our sins and died on that cross in agony. Rose again that we might make our way to you. "I am the way, the truth, and life. No one comes to the Father except through me." Glory to God in the Highest and on earth peace to all mankind. Jesus is the Prince of Peace between God and man. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

Words that make me enormously grateful since this novel is my one and only mystery/police procedural. Thank you is not enough.

"As a Christian, I find her writing inspiring as she unfolds the realities of life as they tie into a relationship with Jesus." — L.P. Doil

"If you're looking for a cookie-cutter suspense novel, this isn't it, and that makes it good!" — B.B. Anderson

"Have to admit I didn't suspect the killer until almost the end. I would recommend this book to all who like the who dunnit genre." — R.B. Lovell

"I'm in love with the characters and I believe this could be a series of mystery books." — J. Fischer

"I would recommend this book to everyone who loves mystery and drama." — AC

"As always Nicole Petrino-Salter delivers! She is a writer from the heart. Loved this book." — S.H. 

Thank you to all the readers of Race who left their thoughts/reviews on Amazon. Really appreciate it. 

Father, apart from you I can do nothing. Not write one word. Thank you for words, stories, characters, all of it. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

Who doesn't love this song?! I love it. So much. Great musicians, great lyrics, perfect voice for it. Love it! 

Father, you've given us such beauty and allowed us to indulge it. What a gift. Thank you is never enough. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

We salute you, we honor you, and we cannot thank you enough. 

Father, please touch every veteran of our armed services this day and let them know, in spite of all that happens in this world, we thank them and ask that you bless their lives. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

Woe to those who call evil good 

   and good evil,

who put darkness for light

   and light for darkness,

who put bitter for sweet 

   and sweet for bitter. 

Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes 

   and clever in their own sight.

Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine

   and champions at mixing drinks,

who acquit the guilty for a bribe,

   but deny justice to the innocent. 

Isaiah 5:20-23 (NIV) 

Every Bird that Falls by Sara Davison is Book three in the two sparrows for a penny group.

Here's the thing with Sara Davison novels: They're unique with fully developed characters who experience unusual circumstances in their lives and often don't act as expected. Every Bird that Falls is no exception.

Tala, Rose, and Jae are three girls in the foster-child system who've experienced heartbreaking circumstances in their young lives. When the three of them are placed with Felicity, a single woman who wants them all, the girls decide they'll each be the "sisters" they've never had and grow very close. Their lives with Felicity become meaningful and loving, but in their mid-teens they learn Felicity is ill. Not wanting to be a burden to her, they decide they'll sneak out and try to find a place to share on their own. 

Rose's older brother (Tag) and Jae started a relationship, but Tag has just abruptly ended it, leaving Jae with another heartbreak and uncertainty about everything in her young life. While the girls are walking down the street in the middle of the night, a van stops and three men try to kidnap them. Jae runs and with the self-defense skills she's learned tries her best to defend herself but passes out from a wound she didn't know she'd gotten.

From here the story tells us about Jae's strange circumstances, Tag's quest to find her, and what has happened to her "sisters." Peripheral characters surface and provide new lives after traumatic events. Jae risks her life to make things right. 

It's a fascinating story and for those readers who are looking for something "different," I highly recommend Sara's Every Bird that Falls. The clever dual meaning of the title will become apparent. 

Father, thank you for Sara's art in writing. Please continue to bless her with the stories you have just for her to tell. Guard her and her family and encourage her as only you can do. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.  

Being the drama queen in self-photography . . . a very long time ago. 

Thank you for watching over me even when I was lost without you. Thank you is never enough, Lord. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

The Lord gave me this word some time ago for this election. Tonight He fulfilled it – and He isn't done yet. Thank you is never enough. In the Name of Jesus. Amen. 

Glory to the Lord on High! His truth is marching on! 

Please, Lord, we're desperate for you. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

The Handler by L.T. Ryan and C.R. Gray is Book 1 in A Maddie Castle Thriller Series. 

Maddie Castle lost it all when she was shot and her dog was killed. Her injured leg temporarily crippled her and the damage caused her way-too-soon retirement from the police department. The pain is excruciating, and she's gotten to the point where prescription opioids are the only relief she gets. Her job as a private investigator isn't flourishing, and she isn't doing well. 

When a detective she knew is murdered after cornering a man who works for the kingpin of drugs in the area, his loyal service K-9 who is injured in the incident has become a problem. Maddie is the best at training the canines for service, and she is asked by a former cop to see if the dog's salvageable. Maddie knows how the dog's former partner finished off her training, and Maddie disapproved of his methods for precisely the reason the dog's become unmanageable. She carefully considers taking the dog home to see if she can be rehabilitated and decides it will give her a worthwhile goal. 

Maddie gets a call from a woman whose son she helped in the past but is now missing. As it turns out, he straightened out his life since then, and the fact that he's missing is pointing to something very wrong. 

When searching for him leads to some former school associates, the reunion is unpleasant at best but uniquely helpful. 

Dirty cops, drugs, an innocent boy, a special dog, an impossibly intertwined mystery all connect for Maddie when she needs it most. 

I've always enjoyed L.T. Ryan's writing and stories, having read a lot of his series, and the authors he's chosen to work with together present seamless entertaining novels. The Handler is no exception. 

(Some profanity.)

Father, please bless L.T. with all that he needs to continue to write good stories with others who complement his style. Apart from you, we can do nothing. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.