Monthly Archives: December 2013

Sunday Brunch – Giants On The Earth – Who Were The Nephilim?

From the blog archives:

Did you know the Bible tells of Giants on the earth? Giants – like in the fable Jack And The Beanstalk…

Genesis 6:1-4
1 Now it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them, 2 that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose.
3 And the LORD said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.” 4 There were giants on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.

Numbers 13:31-33 – 31 But the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.” 32 And they gave the children of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, “The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature. 33 There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.”

Some translations use the word Nephilim instead of giant. Who were these gigantic people? Some teach that they were the offspring of fallen angels – these angels lusted after human women and they had intercourse with them and the women bore these huge, wicked children. Who knows? From the little bit of research that I was able to do, it appears that the term Sons of God is interpreted a couple of ways and that makes it debatable about the paternity of these huge creatures.

I’ve always thought the Nephilim were the offspring from fallen angels. Why? I guess because they were so huge, much larger than regular humans, coupled with the fact that it appears they were wicked, too. I also read that the Nephilim pop up again in the book of Numbers, so I’ve provided that scripture, too. So, it’s possible that the Sons of God appeared again and did the same thing again with human women? The Nephilim mentioned in Genesis were killed during the flood, so the scriptures can’t be talking about the same group of giants?

I just try to imagine how large these people were…were they twice the size of regular humans, maybe three times larger than the average human? The ones in Numbers state that the regular people were like grasshoppers compared to these giant people! Grasshoppers?? Reminds me of Gulliver’s Travels or Jack And The Beanstalk!

I’m just sitting here, trying to imagine what they would have looked like, giants stomping upon the earth, doing all sorts of wicked things to people. Frightening thoughts I’m having, but, just makes me stop and wonder, makes me wish I had a vivid snapshot of the way the world was back then…

Did you know about the giants in the Bible? Do you think the Nephilim/Giants were the offspring of fallen angels? Please comment!

My romance collection is on sale for 99 cents each.

26525EB Bittersweet Memories

– See more at: http://ceceliadowdy.com/blog/2010/10/giants-on-earth-who-were-nephilim.html#sthash.fBgaBok3.dpuf

Merry Christmas! What Was The Best Christmas Gift You Ever Received?

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Merry Christmas! This is the season of giving!

What was your favorite Christmas gift?

I’ve been busy, purchasing Christmas gifts for my son. Made me wonder about favorite Christmas gifts! Take a moment to answer the following question: What was the best Christmas gift you’ve ever received?

I’m wishing everyone a safe and blessed Christmas! During Christmas, remember Christ’s amazing birth!

~Cecelia Dowdy~

My romance collection is on sale for 99 cents each.

26525EB Bittersweet Memories

– See more at: http://ceceliadowdy.com/blog/#sthash.4C8dx28X.dpuf

Yes, There Really Is A Santa Claus! :-)

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I’m talking about Saint Nicholas! For some reason, I’ve always been fascinated with why we celebrate Christmas. I’m not sure if it’s because I never celebrated as a child – or, some other reason!

Since it’s Christmas, I thought it’d be fun to share some Saint Nicholas facts.

1. Very little is known about the real Saint Nicholas.

2. He was born in Asia-Minor – which is now modern-day Turkey – in the third century.

3. He was the Bishop of Myra in the fourth century.

4. He attended the First Council of Nicaea.

5. Most stories about Saint Nicholas are legends – his being a secret gift-giver stemmed from the legend of his secretly leaving dowries for a poor widower’s daughters.

6. The beginning of Saint Nicholas becoming our modern-day Santa Claus happened in New York around 1804. Saint Nicolas became our modern-day Santa Claus via a series of New York events:

7. A man named John Pintard met with New York leaders to establish the New York Historical Society. The Historical Society members celebrated the early Dutch-roots heritage of New York by having an annual dinner on December 6th: Saint Nicholas Day.

8. Washington Irving, Pintard’s brother-in-law and a member of the Historical Society, wrote A History Of New York under the pseudonym Diedrich Knickerboker. A History of New York mentioned Saint Nicholas several times, further popularizing him.

9. Clement Moore, another member of the Historical Society, had his poem, The Night Before Christmas, published anonymously in the New York Sentinel in 1823, further popularized Saint Nicholas’s character. ***An ongoing debate is the authorship of this poem – either Clement Moore or Henry Livingston was the author.

10. The popularity of this poem gave Saint Nicholas great influence on how we know him today. It was the first widely accepted reference to Saint Nicholas having reindeer and driving a sleigh.

***Prior to this most of Santa’s characteristics were believed to be derived from Odin, a Germanic God. Odin traveled through the air on a six-legged horse as part of the ghostly Wild Hunt. Odin also had a long white beard, and he visited people, bearing gifts.

Also, The Night Before Christmas gave names to Saint Nicholas’s reindeer. This poem proved significant in developing the modern image of Nicholas’s physical appearance, too – he no longer appeared as a bishop, wearing bishop’s clothing. He now was a red-cheeked jolly man. In this poem, Saint Nicholas made his visit on Christmas Eve – moving his “day” from December 6th (Saint Nicholas Day) to December 24th.

11. Thomas Nast – A New Yorker who was a cartoonist and illustrator at Harper’s Weekly. His drawings had a vast influence on the popularity of Santa Claus. His drawings established the following Santa Claus traits:

Nast’s drawings established Santa as a toymaker living in the North Pole with his elves as assistants. He also established Santa receiving letters from kids as well as kids leaving snacks out for Santa to enjoy. He also showed Santa with his giant book with the names of children.

12. Francis Church, a journalist, answered an editorial letter from a little girl named Virginia O’Hanlon. She wanted to know if there was a Santa Claus and his response was printed in the New York Sun. It was reprinted and embraced by the public each year until The Sun went out of business.

13. Haddon Sundblom – an artist, drew drawings every year for Coca-Cola, further popularizing Santa Claus.

So, there you have it! Those are the main reasons why third-century-born Saint Nicholas became our modern-day Santa Claus!

Can you recommend any books about Christmas or Santa Claus traditions?

I’ve read a few over the years and the two that I enjoyed the most were:

Christmas – A Candid History

The Battle For Christmas

~Cecelia Dowdy~

My romance collection is on sale for 99 cents each.

26525EB Bittersweet Memories

– See more at: http://ceceliadowdy.com/blog/#sthash.YzNHlzq8.dpuf

An Amish Miracle – Book Giveaway Winner! :-)

Should Women Be Silent In The Church?

Photo courtesy of Free Digital Photos

1 Corinthians 14:34-35

³⁴Women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the law says. ³⁵If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church.

What is the meaning of that scripture?

If you take it literally, then a woman should not open her mouth when she enters a church. She cannot say “hello” or “How are you?” when she enters a church. This scripture also implies that women should not question anything in the church – but to glean the answers to their questions from their husbands at home.

I was taught that this scripture implied that women were not allowed to be clergymen – however, that’s not what the Apostle Paul says.

Were you ever shown this scripture as a child or as an adult – in Sunday school or Bible class? How was this scripture interpreted by your church/teacher/Bible person?

Share your thoughts!

~Cecelia Dowdy~

My romance collection is on sale for 99 cents each.

26525EB Bittersweet Memories

– See more at: http://ceceliadowdy.com/blog/#sthash.MbTrJ092.dpuf

An Amish Miracle

311 Pelican Court – Book #3 – Cedar Cove Series by Debbie Macomber

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311 Pelican Court by Debbie Macomber

Have you ever been through a divorce? If you had children, how was custody handled?

This was book 3 in the famous Cedar Cove series. This novel focused on Zach and Rosie Cox. They get a divorce and Judge Olivia makes an interesting custody agreement – instead of uprooting their children from their home, Zach and Rosie will need to share the house. Each parent must spend half of their week in the home, the other half in an apartment. This proves a weird arrangement and forces Zach and Rosie to re-think their marriage.

Zach and Rosie also have to deal with behavioral problems with their children.

Grace Sherman has a new love interest – Olivia’s brother (Will). She corresponds with Olivia’s brother over the internet, anxiously awaiting to meet him. She hears that he’s getting a divorce, so, possibly, she can begin dating him. A long-distance relationship, Grace finds herself anxious, addicted to her correspondence with Will. She also continues to sporadically date Cliff, an acquaintance who lives outside of town.

Mary Ellen struggles with single motherhood, locking Jon Bowman, the father of her baby, out of her life.

This series reminds me of a soap opera – a chaste soap opera. I enjoyed reading this book, and look forward to reading more novels in the Cedar Cove Series. I love the small town – the scenery and the characters are so realistic and they’re facing problems that many of us have suffered in our own lives.

Have you ever been through a divorce? If you had children, how was custody handled?

~Cecelia Dowdy~

My romance collection is on sale for 99 cents each.

26525EB Bittersweet Memories

An Amish Miracle Book Giveaway!

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***This giveaway is over!! Winner was announced on An Amish Miracle blog post!

~~I’m giving away a copy of An Amish Miracle (I’ll be reviewing this book within the next few days). You must follow the rules to enter!!~~

To enter you must:

1. LIVE IN THE UNITED STATES – The publisher won’t ship internationally!

2. Leave your email address when you comment – I need to be able to contact you if you win.

3. You must read Ruth Reid’s interview and comment about something in the interview! I’m doing this to ensure you’ve read the interview.

Interview with Ruth Reid – Author of the novella Always His Providence in An Amish Miracle story collection:

1. You found your agent through Writers’ Digest magazine, and after you signed with her, you received a contract for your novel. Did you have any writer friends or were you a member of any writers’ organizations that helped you with your publication journey?

I connected with writing friends after I joined the American Christian Fiction Writers on the advice of my agent. I’m so thankful she told me about the group. ACFW is a great on-line community where you can get advice from seasoned authors as well as join critique groups and work chapter by chapter with fellow writers. Now, I not only have wonderful writing friends who share the love of storytelling, I have prayer partners, who have prayed me through some tough times.

2. Do you have any advice to share with writers who wish to become published?

I’ll pass along my agent’s advice: Join a writing community either locally or on-line and get into a critique group. I would also add, write every day. In order to stay close to your characters, you need to spend time with them every day.

3. Tell me about your typical writing day.

My writing day isn’t typical at all. I work the night shift seven days on, then have seven days off. My writing time might be during the day or in the middle of the night when my family is sleeping. A few things I do are set a word count goal and not stop writing unless I know where to start the following day. By knowing where to begin, I don’t spend much time staring at a blank screen, and by the time I have to figure out the next scene, I’m already warmed up.

4. Your interest in the Amish grew from living near them in a Michigan community. Have you ever visited any other Amish communities?

I’ve had the opportunity to visit Lancaster County in PA and Holmes County in OH. One of my favorite memories from those visits was when I stayed in a garage apartment of an ex-Amish turned Mennonite family’s home.

5. Do you think you might publish a non-Amish novel someday?

I’m willing to write whatever God lays on my heart. He blessed me by opening the door to write Amish, and I am so grateful!

6. I noticed you purchased a dog after you graduated from pharmacy school. Do you currently have a pet?

We have two dogs. Zyvox is a lazy Weimaraner, and Lady Bird is a spastic Jack Russell.

Thanks much to Ruth Reid for letting me interview her on my blog!

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An Amish Miracle:

Always Beautiful by Beth Wiseman

Becky Byler is eighteen and overweight. She is overwhelmed by the embarrassment she feels when comparing herself to other girls her age. Having lost all hope, she considers taking her own life. As she stands before rushing water, unable to swim, Becky begs God for a miracle. In just several months, Becky sees her prayers answered as food and temptation lose their hold over her. She s finally pleased with how she looks, but does she like the person she has become? And has the man she has dreamed of been right beside her all along, loving her exactly as she is?

Always His Providence by Ruth Reid

Widow Rosa Hostetler has one month to pay her delinquent taxes before the county auctions her farm. She s prepared to sell whatever is necessary to pay the lien, but she isn t willing to request money from the community s widow fund. She s embarrassed and refuses to admit she needs help. Rosa depends on income from selling eggs, but when that income is threatened, only a miracle can help Rosa accept the kindness of a neighbor.

Always in My Heart by Mary Ellis

Hope Bowman believes God is punishing her for giving up her firstborn son when she was a teenager. She s hidden this secret from her husband, who is thankful for their daughters but longs for a son. Hope prays desperately, but the son God sends her isn t a new baby but the fifteen-year-old boy she gave up years ago.

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My romance collection is on sale for 99 cents each.

26525EB Bittersweet Memories

204 Rosewood Lane – Cedar Cove Book #2

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204 Rosewood Lane PODCAST

This blog post is sponsored by Divine Desserts Publishing LLC. If you enjoy sweet chaste novels such as 204 Rosewood Lane then you must read Rocky Road Dreams by Cecelia Dowdy. Rocky Road Dreams is about Kyle, a lawyer who is an alcoholic who recently fell off the wagon. He’s now back on the wagon, wanting to straighten out his messed up life. He rents a beach house for Christmas – right across the street from Melanie, a woman he’s known since he was a child. When he and Melanie were kids, he had a big crush on her – but Melanie was always smitten with Kyle’s identical twin brother Keith.

Can a Christmas road trip, some homemade candy, and some soul searching bring these two young lovebirds together? Rocky Road Dreams has a hint of mystery, too. This story will become a Christmas favorite that you’ll want to read each year for the holidays. Tell your friends by sharing this blog post or my clicking on the link at the end. Now, let’s discuss 204 Rosewood Lane.

204 Rosewood Lane – This is book #2 in Debbie Macomber’s Cedar Cove Series.

Have you ever had a friend or loved one to be missing? What happened? Was he/she ever found?

This was a quick, fun read with an interesting cast of characters. The story of Grace Sherman is continued in this novel. Grace’s husband, Dan, has gone missing, after 35 years of marriage. Grace is convinced that Dan is having an affair – all of the evidence points to that fact. She wants to divorce him. However, she’s still legally married, and still emotionally attached to her husband. When Cliff, Grace’s new love interest, wants to date Grace, she hesitates, not sure if she’s ready to date.

To top it all off, her daughter Kelly is a new mom and her daughter Mary Ellen has been secretly dating. Mary Ellen’s quiet, single life is soon shattered when she meets a man to whom she’s attracted – Jon Bowman. Jon is a master chef and a great photographer.

You’ll also see Olivia, the judge from book one, and her love-interest, Jack. You’ll also get a glimpse of the lives of Olivia’s children. Plus, Olivia’s ex-husband is in the picture, too.

I enjoyed this book, but, it reads more like a script instead of a novel. There are a lot of characters, but, I had no problem keeping them straight in my mind.

Have you ever had a friend or loved one to be missing? What happened? Was he/she ever found?

The events in 204 Rosewood Lane are featured on The Hallmark Series Cedar Cove.

ROCKY ROAD DREAMS BOOK LINK

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~Cecelia Dowdy~

16 Lighthouse Road by Debbie Macomber – Book #1 – Cedar Cove Series

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16 Lighthouse Road by Debbie Macomber

Do you/have you had a loved one in the military? How has the military affected your life?

16 Lighthouse Road is book #1 in the famous Cedar Cove series. Cedar Cove series is a secular series, and I chose to read these books because so many people have been gushing about how wonderful the Cedar Cove series is on the Hallmark Channel. I have not seen the TV series, though.

Cecilia and Ian Randall have not even been married for a year. During that time, they’ve been mostly separated because of Ian’s Navy duties. Cecilia gave birth their baby daughter, who died, and Ian was not there to help her through her grief. Due to no fault of his own, Ian didn’t know about the premature birth and death of their baby, but Cecilia blames him for not supporting her. Now, Cecilia wants to divorce him.

Judge Olivia Lockhart has been divorced for fifteen years, and she’s falling for Jack, the new newspaper editor. He’s funny and thoughtful, but, she finds that Jack is somewhat secretive. Olivia has a son who drowned several years ago and she still thinks about his all the time. She’s also worried about her 28-year-old daughter, Justine, who is dating a rich man who is ten years her senior.

There’s also Charlotte, Olivia’s mother. Charlotte is active in the senior citizen’s group and she befriends a kind, mysterious man named Tom. Tom has some shocking secrets about his past.

There’s Grace, Olivia’s best friend. Grace and her husband, Dan, are having marital problems. Why is Dan so distant? Does he no longer love her?

This was an interesting book with a large cast of characters. I noticed the military played a big role in the story. Military duties greatly affected Cecilia and Ian’s lives, making you wonder if the commanders in the military are fit to make familial decisions for their subordinates.

I enjoyed reading about all of the characters and I can understand why this was made into a series. The story was told by at least six points of view, which made it interesting. The few times I’ve read novels with this many POVs, I usually had a hard time keeping the people straight. But, I didn’t have that problem with this novel.

I enjoyed the Cedar Cove setting because it was refreshing. Cedar Cove is a small waterfront town and many of the inhabitants know one another. I enjoy reading small town stories where people care about one another.

Do you/have you had a loved one in the military? How has the military affected your life?