Here’s an old interview that I found in my archives. This interview was posted on the 17 Seeds Blog.
Interview – From The Blog Archives
Leave a reply
Category Archives: Fiction
Food In The Church – From The Blog Archives
Do you remember the events at your church (both past and present) that involved food? If so, what were your favorite dishes?
Growing up, I don’t really recall having many events in my congregation that involved us enjoying food. I grew up a Jehovah’s Witness and at the congregation where my family attended, I only remember a couple of picnics with hot dogs and hamburgers – there may have been other JW food events, and it’s possible that it’s escaped my memory, that was so long ago. These JW events were never at the place of worship, but usually at a park.
Later, as an adult, I initially joined an AME church and they served us spaghetti on the day that they hosted the new member class. I recall, I thought the spaghetti was just okay and the church ladies prepared it in the church kitchen in the basement. The AME church also sponsored an annual picnic every fall. I only attended this picnic one time and it was catered. The food was just okay. I recall eating a hamburger, hot dog, and baked beans.
Later on, right before we got married, my husband and I joined a Baptist church – we still attend this church. The only food event that our church sponsors each year, which we attend, is their annual picnic. Like the AME church mentioned in the previous paragraph, the Baptist church picnic is catered. We didn’t enjoy the food much this year – the burgers were underdone. I hate seeing pink meat in my burger.
What’s the point of this blog post? Well, over the years when I’ve had conversations with people, they’ll sometimes reminisce about church/pot luck suppers sponsored by their church. They’ll also recall certain dishes prepared by the parishioners that were their favorites. Usually it was a favorite dessert (pie, cake or cookies), or a favorite casserole dish. I’ve never had this kind of experience within the church and I wondered if any of you blog readers have? I enjoy talking about food and as you know, I’ve also shared recipes on this blog.
So, do you remember any favorite church events, past or present, that involved food? What kind of event was it? What were your favorite dishes? Were any of these events catered, or did the parishioners provide the food?
Leave your responses in the comments!
Christmas Belles Of Georgia
This is a nice novella collection to read over the holidays. You can purchase Christmas Belles of Georgia from Amazon for only $1.99! Download it onto your Kindle!
From the backcover:
They were sisters once—identical quadruplets—given up for adoption at birth. Now each receives a letter advising her to claim her inheritance and the family she never knew. . .at Christmas. Holly feels betrayed when she learns she’s adopted, while Carol prays for a loving family. Starr thinks it’s all a hoax, and Noelle needs a break from a hopeless situation. There are more surprises in store as each young woman gets just the gift she wants—and needs. You’ll be warmed by love in these interwoven tales of the ultimate Christmas gift. . . .
Connecticut Shooting
My heart breaks for all the children and adults killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. I can’t watch it on TV for very long, I always get teared up. I can’t sleep. It’s giving me nightmares. I keep imagining somebody holding a gun to the head of my seven-year-old and shooting him! 🙁
Please remember to keep all the victim’s families as well as the surviving students and teachers of Sandy Hook in your prayers. Lord, please let your Holy Spirit rain upon all of those affected by this tragedy, please comfort them and help them heal. Amen.
~Cecelia Dowdy~
Yuletide Stalker By Irene Brand – From The Blog Archives
Yuletide Stalker – Love Inspired Suspense – video book review!
Published by: Steeple Hill Books
ISBN: 978-0-373-87401-9
Publication Date: 2006
I really enjoyed this book. The author does an awesome job of describing the scenery in Hawaii. I was in Hawaii for my honeymoon a little over three years ago, so I was able to compare her descriptions to what I saw while on vacation. I felt as if I was right back on the island!
Maddie Horton is invited to visit Linc Carey in Hawaii for Christmas. Linc is a military man who gave emotional support to Maddie and her mother after her father’s ‘accidental death’ ten years ago. Once Maddie arrives in Hawaii, she discovers her father did not die accidentally, but was murdered, and the murderers have escaped from prison. The murderers’ family have their sight set on Maddie because they want to seek revenge against her father since they feel he’s responsible for the deaths of their kinsmen. Maddie is stalked by someone, and she wonders if she’s losing her mind.
Linc vows to protect Maddie, and Maddie feels animosity toward Linc since he treats her like a child. Due to their eleven-year age difference, it is hard for Linc to accept that Maddie has grown into a beautiful woman. When Maddie realizes she loves Linc, she hesitates about revealing her feelings because she’s not sure if Linc loves her as a woman, or as a ‘daughter’ because of their age difference.
When she is abducted, you hope and pray she makes it out alive.
This book was suspenseful, but not too suspenseful. I also noticed that the author had a twenty-year-old woman as her heroine and a thirty-one-year-old man as her hero. I don’t see this much in contemporary romance novels nowadays. The heroine is usually older than twenty. However, I believe the author did a good job in making the romance believable despite the age difference. She made it believable because Maddie was so mature for her age. She lost both of her parents before she reached adulthood, which forced her to grow up quickly.
Christmas Roses By Amanda Cabot
If your parent had abandoned you when you were a child, would you search for him/her for two years when you were an adult?
That’s the premise for Christmas Roses by Amanda Cabot. Mark Williams was abandoned by his father when he was a child. Now, he’s determined to find his dad, trying to discover why he’d left his mother alone to raise Mark. Mark’s mother had told Mark that his father had died when he was a youngster. However, after his mother’s death, he discovers that his mother had not been telling him the truth about his dad.
Mark goes on a two year search from town to town, trying to find his dad, using his carpentry skills to make a living. When he stops in a small Wyoming town, seeking lodging while he continues his search, he meets Celia Anderson. Celia, a Swedish woman, is raising her daughter alone since her husband was killed in a mining accident one year ago. Celia is drawn to Mark, however, he’s bitter against his absentee father, and he’s also bitter against God. It appears that there’s no way that a relationship could work between them.
This was a light read that you can finish in a few hours. The story was refreshing. I felt that the conflict between the characters was deep and realistic. I also loved the small, close-knit, religious town. The townspeople socialized together, enjoying a group dinner on Thanksgiving. It’s heartwarming to see an entire town celebrating a holiday with one another. I thought it was interesting that Celia was Swedish. You learn a bit about Swedish customs, plus, there’s a great-sounding Swedish pound cake recipe in the back of the book!
Many thanks to Baker/Revell for providing me with a free review copy!
So, if your parent had abandoned you when you were a child, would you search for him/her for two years when you were an adult?
Sweet Devotion By Felicia Mason
Sweet Devotion by Felicia Mason
Have you ever attended a church camp? If so, tell me about your church camp experience. What was your favorite camp activity?
Amber Montgomery relocates to Wayside to forget about the abusive relationship she suffered with her ex-boyfriend in Los Angeles, who also happens to be a cop. Amber hates cops, and when Paul Evans mistakenly handcuffs and arrests her, she’s determined that he’ll suffer for his mistake. There’s no way she’s going to be manhandled by another cop.
Paul Evans is stunned that he’s arrested Amber by mistake. Since he’s accidentally bruised her hands during the arrest, he feels even worse. He’s trying to conquer his own demons and he’s now raising his niece and nephew as he comes to terms with things that have happened in his past.
There’s something about Amber that draws him in, in spite of her prickly, no-Jesus attitude. When Amber is hired as a cook for Paul’s church’s summer camp, the twosome find time to spend together, getting to know one another.
Amber’s a preacher’s kid, plus, she’s done lots of missionary work with her parents. She knows what it’s like not to have friends in remote areas – maybe being alone isn’t so bad. But she second guesses her opinions about relationships and faith as she gets closer to Paul.
I really enjoyed this novel. It shows how our faith can falter, almost disappear, because of traumatic circumstances. The lesson learned from this novel is, no matter what happens in your life, God is always there for you, he’ll never leave you or forsake you.
I encourage you to download this novel onto your Kindle, Nook or other e-reader.
So, have you ever attended a church camp? If you have, tell me about some of your church camp experiences. What was your favorite church camp activity? Leave a comment!
The Christmas Pony By Melody Carlson
The Christmas Pony by Melody Carlson
When you were a child, which gift did you MOST want to receive for Christmas? Did you receive this most-wanted gift for the holiday?
It’s 1937 and Lucy Turnball wants a pony for Christmas. However, times are hard and her mother and grandmother struggle to make ends meet since the death of her father. They own a rooming house yet, they have no boarders.
However, things change when two boarders, George and Veronica, show up at their home. Veronica is beautiful, glamorous, and she’s anxious to get to Hollywood to become a movie star! George is quiet and thoughtful. Why are they traveling together? Also, why are there strange vibes between George and Lucy’s mother?
As Lucy gets to know George and Veronica, she realizes that first appearances are not always accurate. She also stresses about playing the angel in the Christmas play. Will she get to play the coveted role this year?
This book was a light, somewhat fun read and I could imagine a lot of children and young teens would enjoy this story since it’s told from the viewpoint of a 12-year-old girl. It’s a nice Christmas story to enjoy over the holidays along with a cup of warm cocoa.
So, when you were a child, which gift did you MOST want to receive for Christmas? Did you receive this most-wanted gift?
Recent News
I wanted to talk a little bit about the recent storm. I felt blessed that my area was spared from massive damage from Hurricane Sandy. Please remember to keep those people in New York, New Jersey, as well as other areas who were hit hardest by the storm, in your prayers. Were you, or your loved ones, affected by the recent storm? If so, let me know. If you’d like me to say a prayer for you, leave a comment or email me.
The Inn At Shadow Lake
The Inn At Shadow Lake by the late Janet Edgar
If someone proposed to you years ago, and you refused, could you see yourself dating that person years later?
Zach and Julie dated in college and when he asked Julie to marry him, she refused, angering Zach. He stormed off on his Harley, not giving Julie a chance to explain why she’d said no.
Now, a number of years later, Julie is stunned when Jack miraculously appears at her inn. He’s the “mystery man” who’s made reservations to stay at her establishment for a lengthy time. Unbeknownst to Julie, Zack is a special agent, seeking a deadly terrorist ring and Julie is a prime suspect.
As part of the ruse, Jack needs to pump Julie for information about one of her “beaus”. He romances Julie, asking questions, however, while romancing her, he finds those dormant feelings of love resurfacing. But his gut is telling him that Julie is innocent, however, he wonders…why hasn’t she mentioned that her groundskeeper was murdered? Is she somehow responsible for his death?
Julie finds herself falling for Zach and her daughter Emmie is smitten with him, too. Since her husband has died, she’s been lonely, and Zach fills a special place, deep in her heart. She senses that Zach is hurting and she wonders what has happened to him since their huge breakup in college.
This book was a good shorter book that you can read in about a day or so. The suspenseful moments keep you guessing until the very end. I enjoyed reading about the classy, secluded inn. It’s a great setting for a good suspenseful story. Both Zach and Julie have been hurt in the past, and they need to learn to rely on God, first and foremost, to help them through their troubles. Overall, this was a nice, inspirational story that wasn’t too preachy.
So, if someone proposed to you years ago, and you refused, could you see yourself dating that person years later?