Until The Mountains Fall written by Connilyn Cossette is Outstanding!

Outstanding read!

I have been on Connilyn Cossette's team to help promote her books, because she is one of my favorite authors.  Her books never disappoint and this book, "Until the Mountains Fall" definitely doesn't disappoint.  

I was sent the book for my honest review from Baker Publishing and received it when I was away on vacation.  So, I am just now  writing this review.

Run don't walk, order the book now, don't wait however you get your books.  Do it now!  

It will keep you on the edge of your seat.  You will want to look ahead to see, if our heroine will find her way back home to her family, her love, and God.  I believe you will see yourself in Rivkah.  Rivkah is real, she is flawed, she is beautiful, she is broken, she is trying to get through each day to the best of her ability.  Does any of this sound a little bit like you?  

I love to encourage others to read Christian Fiction because it draws you to scripture.  It makes you want to look deeper into God's Word and again Connilyn is a master with the Holy Spirit guiding her to pull you in and achieve this goal.  Yet the story makes you read as fast as possible to find out how the story will unfold.  It doesn't allow you to put it down until you are finished and that I call a great book!

The words found on page 315 will touch your heart and make you weep.

"You are my beloved daughter, Rivkah."  The wrinkles around his brown eyes deepened as he smiled through his tears.  "There is nothing you have done or will do that will ever erase the love I have for you.  It is enough that you have returned to me."  Who doesn't need to hear these beautiful words at some point in your journey?  

I will not tell you more about the story line.  It is so important for each reader to allow the story to unfold before you.  I do encourage you with telling you it is fabulous, it's 5 stars to get it now!

Order it from wherever you purchase your books or go to the nearest bookstore and request it.  Ask your local library to order it so others will read it, but do yourself a favor and read this book.

Sweet blessings,

Debbie

Reopened and repaired

I love this old door!  I saw it went I went south to the Rip Van Winkle Plantation and it caught my eye.  I loved the design and the color, so it just spoke to my creative side of things.

Yesterday, the reading about Hezekiah reopening the temple spoke to my heart and soul.  The words that jumped off the page to me were reopened and repaired.  All day I pondered these words and how God was using them with me.  I truly felt Him calling me to reopen and repair things in my own journey.  Perhaps someday I might share what I am referencing, but today it is about asking a few questions that I have been asking myself.

What relationships do I need to reopen and repair?

Why did I allow them to close and fall into disrepair to begin with?  Did God perhaps shut the door for a reason and those aren't the doors that I need to reopen and repair?

Wouldn't it be easier at times, if God just took us right to the spot?

I believe He does!  I believe that if we are paying attention at all to His Words, He leads us right to His desires.  It is truly whether we allow Him to guide us.

Our world causes me to withdraw and shut doors.  I don't like conflict, so I avoid it.  I don't think that just because I believe a certain way that someone else is wrong for believing another, but society is telling us they we are wrong.  We are not wrong if we stand for what we believe and I don't believe that if are different we can't still get along.  God made us different.  God made us unique and to begin repairing we need to accept that both of us might be right ~ even though we fall on different sides of man made issues!  

I listen to the older people and respect their opinion.  I listen to people my own age and respect their opinion.  I listen to younger people and respect their (or try) opinion.  Okay, I'm just being honest sometimes when I look back own my own path.  I realize just how little I did know when I was younger. (like yesterday)  Seriously, each day teaches us new things and at times I find myself thinking well just wait till you get to your almost 60 year and talk to me then, but that's not fair.  We all get to grow along our journey and with that comes growth.  

As you might can tell.  God is working on me and I thank Him that He is still working on me.  He allows me to be repaired and that He reopens my heart to new growth even at almost 60.  He never gives up on us, if we desire the reopening and repairing and I do!  I get worn down, I get faded out, I have places in my heart that need to be repainted, but I am so much better when He is done with me.

What about you?  Are you like the temple?  Are you needing to be reopened and repaired?  Well, turn to the only One that knows what you truly need to be restored to the masterpiece He created.

Check out the story in 2 Chronicles 29:3-17.  Today, Hezekiah returned to the Proverbs which I thought I would close with one of the verses ~

Proverbs 29:18 

When people do not accept divine guidance, they run wild.  But whoever obeys the law is joyful.

Sweet blessings,

Debbie

Believe

Photography is one of my favorite things to do.  I love to set out looking for something special in God's creations and almost always something special shows up.  The beautiful bluebird above is one of the beauties that showed up on a recent trip to Arkansas.  Simple enough, but I believe that God gives each of us little surprises and it is a matter of are we paying attention or not.

The last few days we have been reading about David.  I love David.  He is so real and he isn't exactly who you would expect God to pick to be king.  In fact, Samuel went to Jesse's home and he truly thought it was going to be Eliab one of David's older brothers, because of his appearance.  Yet, God looks at things differently than we do.  The Bible tells us that People judge by outward appearance and God looks at the heart.  Definitely, a good thing in my small opinion.  This particular passage in 1 Samuel 16 got me to thinking about how we see things.  Look around and listen all of us seem to have an opinion in the world today.  We all think we know the right thing to do and yet do we?  Opinions are shall we say running over and we offer ours, but we don't know all the facts truly on any situation - yet we think we do.  We might next time give this a little more thought and ask God to show us like He did Samuel.

The next story is a well known one that touched my heart.  The story of Goliath and David.  Everybody was around the camp scared, but not David.  He walked into camp asking questions and then he believed that he could fight the giant.  Why?  Not because of who he was, but because of who God truly was and is...David believed God.  He knew the victory would be God's, so he went and faced the giant knowing that God was fighting for him.  

What giant are you facing?  Give the giant to God and let Him fight the battle.  He will win, if we give it to Him.  We can't face our giants alone.  We must let God show us how to fight the battle.

Go find your surprise and see what God wants to share with you!

Sweet blessings,

Debbie

P.S.  Go check out the story of David for yourself in 1 Samuel 16, 17, 18, and 19.  Yesterday and today's reading in the Chronological Bible.

Complaining, complaining and more complaining

Complaining...complaining...

Seriously, who wanted to hear it and who does today?

God must get so tired of our complaints.  After all, just the last 3 days in our reading the Israelites have done nothing else.  They act like they just left the palace instead of slavery.  We were told in Numbers 11 that the people began to crave the good things of Egypt. Seriously?  

God provides and gave them freedom, yet nothing is right.  Imagine the miracle of God providing just the right amount of manna everyday?  Quail 50 bushels each? 

Yet, all that keeps rolling through my head is well, isn't that how we all are?  Watch tv, listen in restaurants, listen in crowds, how many people are sharing their blessings?  How many people are sharing good things?  No, everybody seems to latch on to whatever is happening that they view as bad.  Yes, two sides to every story so both sides latch on to the opposite side and absolutely drag it from here to yon and never let it go.  

Tiresome.  It is all so tiresome.  I am not without my own complaining.  I am working on it.  I try to get out in nature without the noise, or I paint, or I cross-stitch, go to a ballgame, or I watch hallmark movies.  I am trying so hard to get myself out of this tit for tat world.  Whose winning?  Nobody.  Everyone of us are in trouble and we need more Jesus!

I wish each of us would try to not be a contributing factor.  We may all want to point fingers at the other side, whether it is young and old, male or female, black or white, democrat or republican it is all of us!  Admit it!  Let's not continue down this path.  I know I am tired of it and God truly must be after all these years of listening to complaining humans who are truly blessed!  He provides all we need and He loves us beyond measure.

Today I want to close with a very well known blessing that many of us have shared over the years.  It was found a couple of days ago in Numbers 6: 22-27

'May the LORD bless you and protect you.

May the LORD smile on you and be gracious to you.

May the LORD show you his favor and give you peace.'

Do what you have to do to get out and about into nature or wherever you spend time with God!  I promise it changes your attitude.  He changes your attitude.

Sweet blessings,

Debbie