Author Archives: Cecelia Dowdy

Calm And Bright

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Calm And Bright by Autumn Macarthur

Have you ever had a workaholic spouse?

Maddie Hughes is highly upset with her husband, Brad. Recently divorced, she’s never been able to forgive her ex for upsetting her “perfect” life. She’s left her home and followed him to the city. She was unhappy with her new environment – unhappy and alone. A new mom, she felt Brad had failed her since he spent ALL of his time at work. Now he wants to reunite this Christmas. Is there hope for them?

Brad only worked long hours so that he could provide a nice life for his family. Why can’t Maddie understand that? His father has convinced Brad that making lots of money, moving up the corporate ladder, is what he needs to do to be successful in life.

But, why can’t he have both, a successful career and his family, too?

I really enjoyed this story. I thought it was highly realistic. It’s a nice, sweet Christmas story.

Have you ever been upset with your spouse, because he was a workaholic? Did you divorce or were you able to work out your differences? Did you pray for guidance?

 

 

The Wonder of His Love

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The Wonder Of His Love by Kimberly Rae Jordan

Did you ever have negative experiences with finances when you were growing up?

Abandoned by her mom, Noella Crawford is sent to a foster home. Her mom was terrible with their finances, and she’s seen her mother be taken advantage of, financially, by men. Noella is determined not to repeat her mother’s mistakes. When she meets Scotsman Finlay Kinnaird she’s attracted to him. However, Finlay is only a mechanic, plus he lives in a trailer park, and Noella is the successful owner of a bakery. No way does she want to lose her heart to a financially unstable man, but, there’s just something warm and caring about Finlay…what should she do?

This is a nice, engaging Christmas read. I loved reading how Noella struggled with her issues with finances and romance.

So, have you ever have negative experiences with finances when you were growing up? How did you cope? Did your experience affect your romantic relationships?

Sunday Brunch – The Book of Jashar/Jasher – From The Blog Archives

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This is a partial repeat of an old blog post! Enjoy and leave a comment – feel free to leave a comment even if you have no insight. I love hearing from folks!

Are you familiar with The Book of Jashar/Jasher? I’m not, and from what I can tell, neither does anybody else! I do wonder about this book that is referenced in the Bible. It’s referenced when Joshua commands the sun to stand still when the Israelites were battling the Amorites. It’s referenced again in First Samuel when David is lamenting over the death of Saul and Jonathan.

I just find it strange that there seems to be so little information about this book. Have you ever wondered about it? Have you ever wondered what else was written in this mysterious book that was referenced in the Old Testament?

I know I have. I’m a curious person by nature, and I can’t help but wonder. If your pastor has ever mentioned this book in a sermon, or if you’ve ever discussed it in a Bible class, it’d be interesting to hear what you were told about this book. Please share your thoughts!

 

 

Joshua 10:12-13New International Version (NIV)

12 On the day the Lord gave the Amorites over to Israel, Joshua said to the Lord in the presence of Israel:

“Sun, stand still over Gibeon,
    and you, moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.”
13 So the sun stood still,
    and the moon stopped,
    till the nation avenged itself on[a] its enemies,

as it is written in the Book of Jashar.

The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day.

2 Samuel 1:17-18New International Version (NIV)

17 David took up this lament concerning Saul and his son Jonathan, 18 and he ordered that the people of Judah be taught this lament of the bow (it is written in the Book of Jashar):

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~

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