Into the Fire

     In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to his own town to register. 

     So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in strips of cloth and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. 

Luke 2: 1-7 (NIV)

Okay. Some of you are done Christmas shopping and others of you can't even think about it right now. Many of you are somewhere in between. 

Well, this year I didn't do my "Christmas shopping in July" feature so we shall do our novel suggestions beginning today. For your readers of fiction, here we go.

The wonderful Thriller Genre:

You can never top introducing a new reader to the late Vince Flynn's Mitch Rapp Saga. Truly the icon for thriller heroes. 

Those who fall closely behind are John Milton (by Mark Dawson), Scot Harvath (by Brad Thor), Jon Reznick (by J.B. Turner), Matt Drake (by Don Bentley), James Reece (by Jack Carr). 

For the high-powered lady thriller characters/heroines:

Raleigh Harmon, my personal favorite for depth of character and overall heroine by Sibella Giorello, a terrific series.

"Hatch" by L.T. Ryan and Brian Shea, a 12-book series. And Dustin Steven's "Ham" novels which can be brutal. Ham's favorite weapon of choice: an ax. 

Those are truly good ones to get you started with some ideas. Merry Christmas Book Shopping! 

Father, thank you for your amazing authors. May each one know from whom their talents/gifts are given. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

My solo mystery with a thread of romance. Christmas is coming . . .  Race is the only novel of mine that is available in print, e-book, and audio. 

Lord, you helped me get this one done after "suggesting" it to me for a long time before I attempted to get it written. Apart from you, I can do nothing. Thank you is never enough. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

Where are you headed? Where is life taking you? Do you have a direction? Or are you meandering until the road leads you where you need to go? 

We all realize at some point that life is a journey. We're either constantly wandering or we're on a mission to somewhere.

Time ticks on, but our time will come to an end. Some will say, "That's it." You live, you die. It's over.

The end of our life here on earth is the beginning of eternity. It's never over. Where will you spend your eternity?

Father, thank you for rescuing me and allowing me to meet your Son, the Savior of the world, for making John 14:6 a reality in my life. I was desperate for you, Jesus. Still am. Thank you is never enough. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Guide us to thy perfect light! Jesus came to earth to be the Savior of the world. It required His sinless sacrifice. He took yours and my sins to that brutal cross of death. Then He rose again, cleansed, having taken our punishment. It killed Him. Without Him, it will kill us too. The wages of sin is death. Thank you, Jesus!

Those who read novels generally have a favorite author or authors. For me, I have favorite genre authors, and I usually can't name just one in the genre. However, many readers do have favorites that they can readily name. So my question to them is this: IF you could ask your favorite author a specific question, what would it be? 

That's my Monday morning question for you readers of novels. 

Father, thank you for everything to do with writing creatively. From inspiration, words, characters, storylines – to the final product whatever it might be. Apart from you, I can do nothing. And thank you is never enough. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”

Micah 5:2 (NIV)

Knight Brew by Heather Day Gilbert is Book 9 in the Barks & Beans Cafe Cozy Mystery Series. 

Macy and her brother Bo have the Barks & Beans tent up at the Renaissance Faire with coffee sales booming. But there are other mini-explosions happening with their baristas, and Macy and Bo aren't sure how to deal with them. 

Added to that problem, when the jousting match is ready to go, it appears that the contestants have it in for each other. One of them winds up unconscious in the dirt. 

There is so much going on at this faire . . . people with identical tattoos, familiar voices in costumes that conceal their identities, a seemingly broken-hearted ex-wife of the injured jouster, and Macy's FBI Special Agent boyfriend (Titan McCoy) sweating it out in his suit of armor along with her brother Bo in his kilt and knee socks, both men shedding pieces of their costumes because of overheating.

Is there a murder? And why are costumed people running away into the forest? Is evidence of foul play being hidden? Is Macy in danger? And what about the Barks & Beans baristas? 

Can't give it all away! Read it for yourself. This is truly a fun series for Cozy Mystery lovers. I will always suggest you start at the beginning to experience the real flavor of the series and characters, but if you must, you'll enjoy Knight Brew and maybe have a hard time figuring out this mystery.

Entertaining, a bit of romance, and a lot of mystery. 

Father, thank you for gifting Heather with her talents in multiple genres. Please keep providing her with all she needs to continue to write the stories you have just for her to tell. Lead and guide her through it all. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

. . . give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.  1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NIV)

Be honest. Thanksgiving is a day to honor many traditions of the old America. It's a day to remind us of true thankfulness. It's a day that might be filled with fine food of all different kinds, maybe lots of football, and/or family, games, and for some it is the day before all the Christmas decor is brought out and put up. 

Giving thanks is easy when life is easy. "All circumstances" don't seem to include those days of loss, sorrow, regrets, pain, and any other negative existence in our lives. Why would God tell us to give thanks in all circumstances when life can be so hard, so tough, so painful for so many?

My thoughts? He tells us this because He has given us life, He has chosen us for a purpose, He has blessed us with His presence if we're not too busy, too lazy, too out of tune with Him to notice, and He desires to be our Heavenly Father, the Great I AM, Savior of the world, and the One who wants us to eventually dwell in His heavenly dwelling with Him where all the curses of sin will be left behind and ultimate joy will the norm – no matter how unimaginable it might seem while we're here.

As hard as it might be to be thankful at times, give thanks with a grateful heart and lean into the presence of the One who loves you beyond what you or I can imagine. 

In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Have a truly blessed and happy Thanksgiving. 

D. L. Wood's The Choice is from The Deadly Decisions Collection. 

Have you ever thought about what you would do with an unexpected guaranteed million-dollar gift? How about 90 million? 

Sadie Miles is raising her best friend's son Matty with help from an older neighbor (Kyle) while she struggles to make expenses as a waitress. Her mom has passed away without ever answering a single question about who Sadie's father was, and it's always been a hurtful place in her heart to not know anything about who the man is or was.

A short note appears one day with two sentences that allude to Sadie's past, and she knows without a doubt if she has the opportunity to discover anything about her father, she will not refuse that chance. 

When the mystery continues with meeting an attorney (Liam) who assures her he can answer her questions if she will follow the unusual directions without deviating from the plan, against Kyle's recommendation, Sadie is onboard — which turns out to be literally. When everything is provided for her, she is taken to a super-yacht and introduced to four half-siblings she never knew she had. 

To say they're hostile to her and to their father is an understatement. 

From that moment on, this is the cruise from you-know-where. The only measurably good thing on the boat is Liam and staying in her cabin seems like the safest choice for her. 

There's a lot going on between her newfound relatives and none of it's good. 

The Choice is an interesting, conflict-infested story of the power of and love for money over family relationships. What does it mean to be without either or to have one and not the other? 

My favorite few lines from the story comes early at the end of Chapter 3. Kyle responds to Sadie's assurance that she won't "do anything stupid" after agreeing to meet someone about the mysterious notes left for her:

     "The thing is, people always say that. But most the time even smart people don't realize they're in the middle of stupid until it's too late." 

It's a good story for mystery lovers, and even the readers will do some soul-searching at the premise. 

Father, please continue to provide all that D. L. needs to write the stories you have just for her to tell. Bless her and keep her safe from all harm. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.