Here’s a glance at all the great novels available this month. More in-depth descriptions of these books can be found on the ACFW Fiction Finder website Contemporary Romance: Leaving the Past Behind by Sandra Ardoin — The joy Danni Barnett found in her job as a travel writer and photographer faded around the same time her husband walked out on her. When her late sister-in-law’s will brings the couple together to care for her children, Danni must face her fear of motherhood or lose a second chance with Brooks. Brooks Barnett’s life has spun out of his control. A crumbled…
Lesson Learned: Protection in the Storm by Melissa Heiland
Our son, Josh, was stationed in Minot, North Dakota and so we packed up the younger children and left our home in sunny Florida and flew north for a visit. When we landed in North Dakota, we were met with ice and snow and temperatures colder than we had ever experienced. Josh met us at the airport and we all piled into his truck and set out for a 3 hour trip to his home. The roads were treacherous, but Josh seemed confident as he braved the storm. Suddenly, Josh lost control of the vehicle and we began to spin…
Lesson Learned: Fear No More by Stacy Leicht
Fear is a primal response. According to Northwestern Medical University, “fear is our survival response.” Some people thrive on fear while others try to avoid fear at all costs. As a 6th grade teacher, my sense of fear was heightened when a parent of a student began stalking me. I had watched movies and read books that had a stalker, but not until I had a stalker myself did, I understand the anxiety that could take over my life. As a Christian, my response should have been to go to God immediately in prayer. But my human nature took over,…
Life Lessons: Judging Others by Sharron K. Cosby
Judging people for their style of dress, behaviors, and lifestyle choices was a regular pastime for me. A homeless person hugging a street corner, holding a “Hungry. God Bless” cardboard sign provided a cornucopia of criticizing fodder. If I give him my hard-earned $1.00, he’ll just buy alcohol or drugs with it. I’m not giving my money to an addict. That attitude changed when I discovered my son’s addiction. How could I, a good Southern Baptist girl, college educated, hard worker, loving mother, devoted wife, have an addicted son? That question was never fully answered, but the non-answer didn’t change…
Life Lessons: Fearfully and Wonderfully Made by Ginny Dent Brant
Welcome to another Lesson Learned through Life Experiences. I’m honored to have Ginny Dent Brant with us today, sharing her life experience. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. Psalms 139:14 (NKJV) Each of us is fearfully and wonderfully made in His image. Fearfully when translated from the Hebrew means with “great reverence, heart-felt interest and respect.” Wonderfully in this verse in Hebrew means “unique”—like a one of a kind work of art. It took my cancer journey for me to realize how our bodies are also intricately…
Flight Canceled by Julie Lavender
During high school and college, I worked at a local pharmacy. Both owners attended the same church as I did, and I welcomed their godly, fatherly advice on many occasions. One pharmacist was quite the humorist, and I’ve shared one of his jokes over the years. He explained that he never flew, because “Jesus said, ‘Low, I am with you always.’” He told us he planned to stay on the ground for his safety. Recently, while attending a convention in Nashville, my daughter woke me with an early morning text. “I made it to Charlotte, but my connector flight is…
Life Lessons: Perseverance by Lori Vober
God blessed me with the attitude of the glass is half full, not half empty, and it has helped me persevere through many difficult life experiences. Sometimes your attitude and enthusiasm can carry you farther than your abilities. In college, after already being named an officer in my sorority going into my junior year, I did not make the cut in the Longhorn Band as a piccolo player. Because of my perseverance and attitude, I learned how to be in the flag core and loved it! After trying unsuccessfully for several years to start a family, I made the career…
Life Lessons: Let Go by Susan K Stewart
I’m not sure what made Hubby and me think we could hold back a five-hundred-pound, spooked donkey. But we’d tried. And failed. We’d recently adopted a female donkey and didn’t want a herd of little donks, so Jeb needed a “procedure.” On the appointed day, we haltered Jeb and waited to greet Dr. Montgomery and his helper. Jeb was led from his corral to a nearby shade tree. Although Jeb was a bit unsettled being outside of his secure pasture. We stood by, thinking all would go well. Preparation for Jeb’s procedure began. The vet’s assistant had a rope connected…
Life Lessons: Am I Looking or Crying by Karin Beery
Cats are amazing creatures, but sometimes they make you question your own judgment. That happened to me a decade ago when my cat, Midgie, woke me up every morning at 2 a.m. by crying in the living room. I don’t know what was wrong. I never figured out why she was crying. All I know is that I would blow kisses in the air and she would follow the sound to the bedroom, where she’d climb onto the bed and fall asleep next to me. None of it made sense. She knew where the bedroom was. She knew I’d be…
Life Lesson: Obedience to God’s Whispers by Loretta Eidson
It shouldn’t surprise me when I’m busy going about my day that a random thought or person’s face or name pops into my head. Sometimes just a glance at someone shoots a message straight into my heart. To me, these are whispers from God, and He sent them for a reason, action on my part. Although I strive to listen to His voice and be obedient, I do miss it occasionally. Like I did one day a few years back when I went to the grocery store. Consumed by my own thoughts and time constraints, I wheeled my overloaded grocery…
