by April | Jan 16, 2019 | Book Release
I’ve been a writer for a long time. Even before I wrote them down, I shared stories and loved to capture my audience. I saw their eyes dance with curiosity, heard them hold their breath in anticipation, and saw the satisfaction of a story well-told on their faces when I was done. And now I have stories in books that other people can hold! Three novels already published, one story compilation, and my latest, novel number four, releases April 19, 2019: Shine the Light.
This past year has been my most challenging physically with more pain and what feels like are fewer brains. Fatigue, my old nemesis, you will not win! And here I am trying to come up with a clever idea to let you lovely folks know I have a new book coming out.
I’m afraid this is as clever as I get right now: There’s this book I wrote. And I love the message of hope woven through it. I love Shannon, the main character, because she’s all heart and full of passion and fight for the underdog. No one is hopeless in her eyes! Well…maybe there’s one that’s hopeless.
This novel is full of suspense and challenging situations, and romance (of course!). And hard things happen. So she fights on–but will she win?
And I realize as I write that THIS is also my story and quite likely, yours, too. I live my life, good things and hard things happen, and I fight on. The best part is, our struggles never have to be futile because of Jesus and His mercy–He can turn all our sorrows to joy!
Here’s the new book-baby. You can pre-order it today by clicking HERE. If you enjoyed, Hold the Light, then you will love Shannon’s story in the sequel, Shine the Light. I promise.
Shannon is out to save the world one caring act at a time. She’s stood by her best friend, Amber, through their whole lives especially when Amber lost her sight. She has an active outreach ministry to the homeless and disenfranchised. And she’s even let down her guard long enough to let a boyfriend, Justin, into her life.
Her life has settled into a pleasing routine of teaching, freelance photography work, quiet dinners with Justin, and taking Amber on treks to find new subjects for her visionary paintings.
But when a man from her past shows up, her secure world crumbles into triggered PTSD episodes that threaten everything she relies on. Will she be able to overcome these old memories, or will her past crush any hopes she had for a future?
Reserve your copy today!
by April | Jun 25, 2018 | Encouragement, Faith, Provision, Trust
I used to struggle with fearing not. I know that bad things happen. There have been plenty of bad things in my life and in the lives of those I love. So, the old standby of sayings “well, what could happen?” or “it could be worse” (honestly, who wants that?), they never worked for me. I have a super good imagination (see WRITER) and I’m a professional trouble-shooter (sounds much nicer than pessimist), so my brain is very active.
I used to struggle with fear. And then I didn’t. I do have my short moments, mind you. But I spent a long time in biblical study on fear and in prayer about fear. Through meditation with the Lord, over a period of many months, I uncovered several key incidences in my life that lead me to worry and fear. I’ll tell you what I did when I faced them: I wrote them down and burned them one by one. I prayerfully asked God to heal me of those things and to teach me not to fear. Because the opposite of trusting God is fear. I had to ask myself: Did I really mean it when I said I trusted God? Mostly. I did mostly.
And I realized mostly wasn’t enough.
This year my husband was unemployed for several months. We’d been here before, and I did all the things you do when your income is cut off—I reorganized our budget, I called people and put things on hold, we cut back on everything. All the reasonable things you do. And then? I sat around in a panic and worried…NO. In fact, I didn’t fear. I wasn’t even tempted to fear that my husband wouldn’t find work. Neither of us was (fear can be catching…and I guess the lack of fear can be catching, too!) In fact, several times I actually forgot he wasn’t employed.
Did I have a memory lapse? No. I trusted God.
Do bad things happen? You bet they do. Lots. But through those bad things, God has always provided for us, comforted us, carried us, walked with us, and I knew—really knew—He would do it again. So we prayed and asked for our needs to be met and didn’t fear. This was a cognitive decision we made and Jesus sent His Holy Spirit to settle this into our hearts in a way I had never imagined possible. Let me tell you, the peace that comes from this is incredible. It overflows. And it sticks.
I’ve faced a lot of scary health things in my life. I used to fear. I used to hate the unknown, the long time it took to get a diagnosis, the in-between when my very good (see WRITER again) imagination would take hold of me. But, when I had to face the foundation of my faith, and my trust in God versus those fears, I’ve let it go (no, not like the sappy song). I trusted God for the outcome. WHATEVER THE OUTCOME. It is well with my soul. Seriously.
Here are some verses I read to remind me not to fear. They remind me that Isaiah, Moses, Jesus, and Paul had a lot of earthly reasons to fear. And instead, they bent their knee to the Father, and their pen to paper, to share with those of us still in the battle. They are commands, they are promises, they are God’s great Word of Truth.
I hope they help you, too.
Isaiah 41:10 Fear not, for I am with you;
be not dismayed, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Isaiah 41:13 For I, the Lord your God,
hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not,
I am the one who helps you.”
Deuteronomy 31:6 Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you. (and Jesus quotes this!)
Deuteronomy 31:8 It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.
Mathew 28: 18-20 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
1 John 4:16 So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.
Romans 8: 35-39 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written,
“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
May our Lord remind you of His great love for you,
April
by April | Nov 8, 2017 | Book Signing, Encouragement
Greetings!
Last Saturday I spoke to the women at Calvary Chapel in McMinnville, Oregon about thankfulness. They were so warm and welcoming. I hope they’ll invite me back again one day. If you are looking for a home church in that area, definitely consider spending a Sunday morning there.
In a nutshell, I shared that our trust in the Father and any subsequent peace is all rooted in our thankfulness to Him. Through our thankfulness in His daily provision in spiritual matters, hardships, and joys, we are opening up lines of communication with God and deepening our relationship with Him– and seeing his provision, shows us He is trustworthy in all things. And through that trust, we know, because God is in control, we can have peace in all circumstances–just like Paul (see Philippians 4). This takes discipline, but the rewards are eternal!
Sometimes when we are in the thick of conflict or tribulation, it’s hard to count our blessings. But Paul gives us a good list to start with:
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. (Phil 4:8-9)
When we become mindful of God’s provision, even in one thing, we will begin to see another and another, like a thread being pulled through fabric, bringing it all together.
I pray your Thanksgiving celebration, be it large or small, is full of peace and thankfulness of heart, a time where you can number and see the blessings and great provision the Lord has for you.
In other news:
Book sale/Signing at Christmas Bazaar
I’ll be at the Hillsboro Chruch of the Nazarene (click here for address) on November 18th from 9 A.M until 3 P.M for their Christmas Bazaar. I’ll be meeting with readers, selling, and signing books. The organizer assures me there will be goodies and crafts and all manner of good things! I would love to see you there!
Until next time!
May the Lord bless you and Keep you!
by April | Sep 5, 2017 | Uncategorized
I’ve been invited to hold a book reading and signing event at Coffee Cottage in Newberg, OR on September 21st (Thursday) from 4 p.m to 7 p.m. I’ll have my books for sale onsite.
Coffee Cottage is one of my favorite hangouts, so I hope you’ll join me for some great coffee (or tea!) and conversation about characters, books, and writing.
Also, thanks so much to everyone who pre-ordered Hold the Light and have been so supportive with reviewing and spreading the word. You guys have blessed my heart. It means so much to have faithful readers and encouraging words!
I can’t wait to see you there!
