Monthly Archives: March 2017

Deadly Night, Silent Night

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Deadly Night, Silent Night by Margaret Daley

Have you ever found it hard to move forward with your life after losing a spouse?

Widow Rebecca Howard is a workaholic, covering her grief by making her store a success. Her father had always wanted her to be a success, so, she’s determined to make their family sporting goods store lucrative business. But, trouble has been brewing. Someone has been hacking their computer system and making threats on their store.

Alex Kincaid has ghosts from his own past to overcome. He’s good friends with Rebecca’s twin brother and he’s secretly had a crush on Rebecca when they were kids. Rebecca needs to rely on Alex’s expertise to catch the criminal who is targeting her business. As they work together, their attraction deepens.

I enjoyed this highly-charged, suspenseful novella. You’ll be sitting on the edge of your seat as you read this story, and it will keep you guessing until the very end. A good Christmas read.

So, have you ever found it hard to move forward with your life after losing a spouse?

Sunday Brunch – Joseph’s Brothers

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I hope all of you are well! Today I want to talk about Joseph (the Old Testament Joseph), and I was seeking an answer to this question:

Why didn’t Joseph’s brothers recognize him?

Genesis 45:4 Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come close to me.” When they had done so, he said, “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt!

Remember the story of Joseph in the Old Testament? Joseph told his brothers about a dream he’d had – in the dream, his brothers were bowing down to him. Hearing about this dream angered Joseph’s brothers. His brothers then sold him into bondage, and Joseph was eventually placed in charge of all of Egypt. There was a great famine in the land and Joseph’s brothers came to him, seeking food. Joseph  recognized his brothers, but, his brothers did not recognize him.  

Why didn’t Joseph’s brothers recognize him?

I’ve always wondered about this. The explanations that have been given to me have never satisfied my curiosity. Yes, I know several years had passed and Joseph had changed a great deal – he was dressed in the finest clothes, and he’d gotten older of course, which may have made him harder to recognize. However, these were his kin, his half-brothers. He used to spend time with his siblings, so I’d imagine some of them (after all there were 11 siblings) would have been able to look at Joseph and recognize his identity, don’t you think?

Did the Lord work through these 11 siblings, make it impossible for them to recognize Joseph for some reason? Joseph sent them back to get Benjamin, his full brother, the only sibling who would not have been able to recognize Joseph. Perhaps the Lord was working on these eleven siblings, making it impossible for them to recognize Joseph, so that they would be agreeable to going back and fetching Benjamin?

So, what do you think? Why didn’t Joseph’s eleven siblings recognize him? Share your thoughts!

If you have any prayer requests, please share them in the comments!

My prayer request? Please pray for guidance and for me to stay focused. My mind has been all over the place, scattered, hard to remember everything that needs to get done. It’s hard to juggle family life, worship, writing life and my job. I just need to calm down and settle down a bit, try and be more peaceful. Prayers appreciated.

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Oh, The Weather Outside Is Frightful!

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Oh, The Weather Outside is Frightful (Montana Fire Christmas novella)

Oh, The Weather Outside Is Frightful by Susan May Warren

Have you ever suffered from a tragic or traumatic experience, and the backlash of that incident made you fearful – too fearful to move on with your life?

Hannah and CJ have been through a traumatic experience. Smoke jumpers, they’ve almost lost their lives and since CJ is still recovering, he doesn’t feel ready for a relationship. He takes prescription drugs to deaden the physical pain that still haunts him from the incident. He speaks to his buddy Hannah online via the game that they play. How can he find the courage to tell Hannah his true feelings?

Hannah is determined to set things right. Scared, she’s haunted by a past experience. She doesn’t trust herself NOT to make a mistake as a nurse. Can she learn to overcome her fears?

An invitation to a mutual friend’s wedding put Hannah and CJ into direct contact with one another. A big snowstorm and a stranded stranger are just two of many elements that make this book a satisfying Christmas read. If you like short, snowbound, holiday stories then you should give this one a try. It’s a slightly suspenseful and quick read.

Have you ever been too scared to move forward with your life after a tragic experience? How did you overcome your fear?

 

 

Are You A Bread Baker?

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Do you like to bake bread?

I’ve been researching how bread was baked in ancient and historical times. From what I gathered, all bread baked back then was sourdough, using a sourdough starter. Apparently, it took the bread a long time to rise, too. I decided to bake a loaf of bread just using my sourdough starter (without using any commercial yeast to help it along).

Well, the bread had a great texture, and it was sour, highly sour, but edible! Not sure when I’m doing that again without commercial yeast. Reason being, it took a LONG TIME to rise. I have a new oven and it has a bread proof setting. So, I left it in my warm environment for about 24 hours! I kneaded it and added more flour to it a few times too.

To make my bread I used:

King Arthur Bread Flour

King Arthur Whole Wheat Flour

Water

An entire cup of sourdough starter!

Olive Oil

Salt

Sugar

When I make it again, I might add a couple of eggs. It wasn’t hard, just time-consuming!

So, are you a bread baker? What kind(s) of bread to you like to bake?

 

A Second Chance by Alexis Goring

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A Second Chance by Alexis Goring

Have you ever kept a secret from your significant other?

Traci Hightower is still paying the bills for her wedding – a wedding that never happened. When she meets Marc Roberts, she’s deeply attracted to him. When Marc spots Traci in a restaurant, he’s smitten with her good looks. He hesitates about asking her out – after all, he leads a busy life, helping to take care of his widowed sister’s children takes a lot of his time and energy. He’s not sure if he’s ready and able to give love another chance.

But Traci has a secret and she’s afraid to tell Marc. How will he react?

Marc has been burned by women in the past. How can he move past his negative experiences and learn to give Traci a chance?

A Second Chance is a light, sweet entertaining novella. If you like clean and wholesome stories, then you should give this one a try.

So, have you ever had a secret that you kept from your significant other? Did he/she ever find out? If so, how did they react?

The Nephilim In Christian Fiction

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http://www.mikeduran.com/2012/04/why-christian-fiction-writers-love-the-nephilim/

I’ve been curiously fascinated with the Nephilim for years. I’ve written some blog posts about these creatures, and I have more research I’d like to share in the future.

I’m not a huge reader of speculative fiction. No, there’s nothing wrong with it, but, I find myself reading it sparingly because I’m more of a romance, women’s fiction, and suspense reader. I came across this article that stated that there was in over-abundance of speculative fiction submissions (in the Christian market) that featured the Nephilim. This article is old (2012), but, I’m assuming this fact may still exist today?

Have you read any of these titles? If so, what did you think of them? I’m thinking of reading a few of them, just to see that I think! On one of the covers (Dark Sentences), the creature looks like a gorilla. I’m assuming this creature is supposed to be a Nephilim? Not sure since I have not read the book. I just assumed the Nephilim looked more like humans than animals. Double rows of teeth, six digits on each hand and foot…humanistic face. These creatures have crossed my mind for awhile now. Not sure when I’ll stop thinking about them, wondering about them. I guess they are soul-less, right?

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Last of the Nephilim, Oracles of Fire Series #3 - By: Bryan Davis 1266212209046822871621302011110306985226174532622781641012362454

Sunday Brunch – Joshua and the city of Ai

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In the book of Joshua, the Lord delivered the city of Ai, as well as their king (also named Ai) into to Joshua. I was reading through this the other day, and wondered if the rocks covering the dead king are still there, today, literally? What do you think?

Joshua 8:28-29New International Version (NIV)

28 So Joshua burned Ai[a] and made it a permanent heap of ruins, a desolate place to this day. 29 He impaled the body of the king of Ai on a pole and left it there until evening. At sunset, Joshua ordered them to take the body from the pole and throw it down at the entrance of the city gate. And they raised a large pile of rocks over it, which remains to this day.

Is Ai’s grave still there, to this day? Is that pile of rocks still there? Or do you believe they were removed sometime over the last couple thousand years?

~Cecelia Dowdy~

The Bakery Romance Series

 

 

The Manning Grooms by Debbie Macomber

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The Manning Grooms by Debbie Macomber

This was a nice, refreshing book. I really enjoyed these sweet wonderful stories. There were two romances included in The Manning Grooms collection:

  1. Bride On The Loose

Have you ever had trouble dating after a bitter divorce?

Jason Manning is content with his life as a bachelor veterinarian. He is also the owner/superintendent of an apartment complex. Charlotte Weston lives in one of the apartments with her nosy daughter, Carrie. Carrie is determined to set her mom up with Jason – her mom has been single for a long time and it’s time for her to date again. Jason is reluctant to pursue Charlotte. However, as he gets to know shy, pretty Charlotte, he finds himself intrigued.

Charlotte is attracted to Jason, but, knows that there can be no romance between them. She harbors a deep secret – a secret which she believes may have contributed to her bitter divorce years ago.

I liked the characters in this book. Jason was a great guy and he really stuck by Charlotte and he was a perfect gentleman. Charlotte was a sweet lady who’d had her heart broken – and her soul had been broken too, that’s why she never dated after her divorce.

So, have you ever found it hard to date after a bitter divorce? What happened? Were you able to start dating and find true love again?

2. Same Time, Next Year

When James Wilkens literally runs into Summer Lawton in Vegas on New Year’s Eve, she’s in tears. Eager to help her, they share dinner. She tells of her fiancé’s recent betrayal and James predicts that she will be over her pain in one year. They make a deal to meet in one year at the same place – just so that James can prove his point about getting over a lost love.

James and Summer keep in touch during their year apart. When they meet again, their attraction kindles, but, would they make a good couple?

Summer is much younger than James, and James is trying to get a political position. Would his potential voters accept his marriage to a much younger, attractive woman who is an actress at Disneyland?

I loved this sweet, endearing story. It’s not too deep, just simple and fun.

So, have you ever fallen in love with someone via letters or via the internet? What happened when you met in person?