A solid group (The Association) with a lot of hits, "Never My Love" being one of the prettier songs in this love song category. Hope you enjoy it.
Father, you are Love. We can't really grasp it without you. Thank you is never enough for yours for us. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
I've been blessed with many idyllic, wonderful, super, incredible friends, both male and female, in my life. It has been a privilege to know and share our lives together. Added to those along the path of life, I now share some genuine friends from the cyber world. I've had email and telephone conversations with some of them, and they are exquisite friends even though we've never met in person and they are many miles away.
"Friends" have always been a necessary part of my life. Two of my close friends recently moved to another state. Time and distance aren't always conducive to staying in touch. After a time, it feels like a genuine loss even though the contact via phone or emails can be made at any time. Making such big moves requires them to find new friends, make the necessary adjustments to the changes in their lives, and that requires their time and energy to make or allow it to happen.
Life requires adaptations which are sometimes unpredictable, sometimes grudgingly necessary, and other times simply new adventures. Friends are a wonderful asset and a requirement in my life – always have been. Whether new or old, friends bless me and are considered a gift from God, "someones" I need and love.
Generally, I'm loyal to a fault and I'm a good friend because I want to be. If you're my friend, you know how important you are to me. Thank you for loving me as I do you.
Father, Jesus is the friend that sticks closer than a brother. I can't thank you enough for who you are and for the friends you've provided in my life. Thank you is never enough. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
To whom, then, will you compare God?
What image will you compare him to?
As for an idol, a craftsman casts it,
and a goldsmith overlays it with gold
and fashions silver chains for it.
A man too poor to present such an offering
selects wood that will not rot.
He looks for a skilled craftsman
to set up an idol that will not topple.
Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
Has it not been told you from the beginning?
Have you not understood since the earth was founded?
He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth,
and its people are like grasshoppers.
He stretches out the heavens like a canopy,
and spreads them out like a tent to live in.
He brings princes to naught
and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing.
No sooner are they planted,
no sooner are they sown,
no sooner do they take root in the ground.
than he blows on them and they wither,
and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff.
Isaiah 40:18-24 (NIV)
So. Five things. You choose your favorite(s) in these random groups.
Thank you, Father, for all the variety you put into our lives and locations, for leaving us the beauty throughout this world in spite of the wickedness of sin. Apart from you, we can do nothing. Thank you for each day, Lord. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
From back in July of 2022, not too long ago this post is called "My telltale prose . . .".
What does my writing tell you about me? I'm an open book. My tagline and product description lay the groundwork for learning who I am from my stories. "Passionate: right or wrong" & "Raw Romantic Redemptive" conceal nothing.
The simple and the obvious are: I love certain Ford vehicles. I love Coca Cola. I love longer hair on men. Those are the fluff parts of me that surface in most of my novels.
I write about locations that are familiar to me.
I truly respect men and diligently try to give them a believable reality in my novels from thought processes to actions to dialogue.
I understand the pain of being female and making mistakes one never forgets.
I know the before and after of meeting Jesus. I give both sides equal expression.
I love romance because I believe it's designed to be the preliminary approach to love.
If you've read my work, these are probably what you've learned about me.
Father, any good in me is you. Thank you, Jesus, for rescuing me from myself. Holy Spirit, continue to make me the better me. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
I'm not a Historical Fiction reader, but many of you are. And when Tosca Lee is part of the writing team, you know it will be a terrific novel. As you can see from the picture, it is now available, has received a Publishers Weekly starred review, and the accolades continue.
Historical Fiction readers, particularly those who cherish WWII stories, this one's for you.
"Inspired by true stories, The Long March Home is a gripping coming-of-age tale of friendship, sacrifice, and the power of unrelenting hope."
Father, only you give the skills to your creation. Only you. Thank you for all the talents and gifts given. Amazing God. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
It seems people either love them or hate them, but they produced mega-hits over the years. You might not be able to classify this as a classic love song, but it's pretty much the best you'll get in that category from the Rolling Stones.
Lord, only you know hearts. Only you. May all those to whom you've given much know from whom it came. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
Many authors have successfully collaborated on their novels. Some have become consistent writing partners for a particular series. Others have made rare partnerships for a specific novel. In any case, how they split their work, mesh their voices, or do their research is through their personal collaborative definitions of how they want to work together and make their assignments for their shared story/stories.
If I could ever have had the opportunity to collaborate with another author, it would've been the late great Vince Flynn. However, it would only have been with the romantic connections for Rapp's women. As those of you who follow this blog know, I created the woman I thought was right for Mitch Rapp in my few weeks of Fan Fiction back in July 2022. I still think she's the perfect one for him, but talking professionals like Emily Bestler into my way of thinking and then striking that collaboration idea with the next Mitch Rapp author Don Bentley seems unlikely at best. A girl can dream, right?
Authors, this one's for you: Have you ever considered a collaboration for your work or working with another specific author?
Father, you're the One directing my steps. Sometimes I woefully miss the directions. Help me not to miss anymore. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
A great and wondrous sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth. Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on his head. His tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that he might devour the child the moment it was born. She gave birth to a son, a male child, who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter. And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne. The woman fled into the desert to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1260 days.
And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon was hurled down — that ancient serpent called the devil or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.
Then I heard a voice in heaven say:
"Now have come the salvation and the power and
the kingdom of our God,
and the authority of His Christ.
For the accuser of our brothers,
who accuses them before our God day and night,
has been hurled down.
They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb
and by the word of their testimony;
they did not love their lives so much
as to shrink from death.
Therefore rejoice, you heavens,
and you who dwell in them!
But woe to the earth and the sea,
because the devil has gone down to you!
He is filled with fury,
because he knows that his time is short."
When the dragon saw that he had been hurled to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the desert, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time, out of the serpent's reach. Then from his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river, to overtake the woman and sweep her away with the torrent. But the earth helped the woman by opening its mouth and swallowing the river the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. The dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to make war against the rest of her offspring — those who obey God's commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus. And the dragon stood on the shore of the sea.
And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. He had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on his horns, and on each head a blasphemous name.
Revelation: 12:1-17 Revelation 13:1 (NIV)
From Chapter 11 of Seeing . . .
“What’s it gonna be, Blaine?” Rosie attempted to keep her voice neutral, but she doubted it sounded defrosted.
“So where is she anyway?” He looked up at the older waitress with a cocky sneer on his immature features.
“Are you ready to order, Blaine, or do you need a few more minutes?”
He put his arms on the table and examined her. “She was doin’ your cook in there while she was goin’ out with me. Why do you care about a slut like her?”
Rosie was no amateur at dealing with insolent patrons. She’d been a bartender for years before coming to this truck stop, and she didn’t take flak from anyone. She glanced around to gauge who might be within earshot before replying. “You sure you wanna have this conversation with me?”
He laughed at the concealed threat. “Nothin’ you can say to defend her, Rosie.”
Rosie stuck her pad and pencil back in her apron pocket, took one more look around, and bent down with her hands on the table. “You’re nothin’ but a punk coward. A big dumb kid who thinks he’s a man when he brings it out of his pants anytime he has the urge. But you got a long ways to go before you ever make it to manhood, you stinkin’ wimp. Real men don’t beat up on women half their size, and if you was half the man you think you are, she wouldn’a had to be ‘doin’’ Jack in the first place, now would she—which she wasn’t anyway.” Rosie’s words were searing.
She watched Blaine’s face redden and she saw raw rage converge in his eyes. “You gonna hit me, too, big boy?” she asked, matching his stare with her own ire.
He pushed himself out of the booth, bumping her as he strode out of the restaurant. She watched him go and then went back to the kitchen to find her composure. Jack intercepted her, having seen the whole encounter.
“You alright, Rosie?”
“It’d take a lot more than that stinkin’ punk to get the best of me,” she snapped, pulling her cigarettes out of her apron pocket. “I’ll be back in a few.” She walked out the back door and lit a smoke.
Father, every word, character, story – apart from you, I can do nothing. Always desperate for you and thank you is never enough. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
