Friday Sisterhood with Linda Goodnight

Family Status: married with grown children, two adopted still at home, and grandchildren

What Is Your Favorite Beverage:  Water! 

What Is Your Favorite Food:  Fried okra

What Is Your Favorite Thing to do During Free Time:  Read

Who Has Been the Most Influential Person in Your Life:  Jesus

First Book You Fell in Love With:   Something by Victoria Holt, probably Morning in Manfreya 

A Book You Wish You’d Written:  Artistically,  On Mystic Lake by Kristin Hannah. Monetarily, I wish I’d written a lot of other books!

First Book Published:  For Her Child

Most Recent Book:  The Lawman’s Honor

Out Next:  Cowboy Under the Mistletoe in November, 2014

How Many Have You Written:  45 or 50, not sure and too lazy to count

What Do You Know Now That You Wish You’d Known Then: I wish I’d known the ebook revolution was coming so I could have been better prepared.

What is Your Favorite Bible Story:  Joseph in the Old Testament who suffered so much but rose up to save the very ones who’d betrayed him.

What is Your Favorite Bible Verse:  The very profound and simple message of Jesus in a nutshell -  John 3:16. For God so loved the world, He gave his only begotten son that whosoever believed in Him would not perish but have everlasting life.

What is Your Favorite Hymn:  I have so many, depending on the circumstance, but Amazing Grace and Beulah Land stand out this morning.

What is an Ongoing Prayer Request You Have:    My late son's wife and kids, Missy, Lexi, and Kade as they adjust to this new season in their lives.

Ask Elnora--About Christmas? Lenora Worth

Hello, my little Elf Bloggers! Tomorrow will be the first day of December, which means the countdown to Christmas is getting serious. We all know what happened long ago when Baby Jesus was born in the manger, and we have seen the "new" spirit of the holiday---people punching each other trying to get the best price on something they really want for Christmas. Kind of sad, that. But the commercial part of Christmas will only get worse as the month passes. Elnora, material girl that I am aside, thought it might be nice to take a little break from trying to find the perfect gift. Why don't we share stories about our favorite Christmas ornaments or decorations. One of my favorites was the white wooden manger scene that Big Daddy made and always put in our front yard. We gave it to a friend since we won't have a place to put it when we move to Florida (one day soon.) But it's in good hands, so I can rest knowing others will be able to enjoy the stark beauty of the wooden images of Mary and Joseph and baby Jesus and a bright star shining down on them. That's the kind of image I like to think about when things get tough in my life. We all need that bright star to settle us and center us. So, what's your favorite Christmas decoration? Let's share!

History of the Candy Cane

Kim Watters here. According to legend there was a candy maker who wanted to invent a candy that was a witness to Christ.

First of all, he used a hard candy because Christ is the rock of ages. This hard candy was shaped so that it would resemble a "J" for Jesus or, turned upside down, a shepherd's staff. He made it white to represent the purity of Christ.

Finally a red stripe was added to represent the blood Christ shed for the sins of the world, and thinner red stripes for the stripes He received on our behalf when the Roman soldiers whipped Him. Sometimes a green stripe is added as a reminder that Jesus is a gift from God.

The flavor of the cane is peppermint, which is similar to hyssop. Hyssop is in the mint family and was used in the Old Testament for purification and sacrifice. Jesus is the pure Lamb of God, come to be a sacrifice for the sins of the world.

I don't know if this is true, but it sure makes a great story; one that I tell my kids as I hand them their candy canes, because He is the reason for the season.

Bread of Life

This is Merrillee, who is thinking about a very simple thing in my life. My bread box.



Most of the time I don't even think about it as it sits on the counter in my kitchen, even when I get out a loaf of bread. I can't remember when or where I got it, but I'm pretty sure I've had it for at least twenty-five years.

So why am I writing about a bread box? This past weekend, like many people, we had a Super Bowl party. I loved reading all the blogs this week about the Super Bowl and the Saints' victory. I enjoyed the comeback by the underdog team. Anyway, we had lots of people at the party and lots and lots of food--way more than we needed. So hubby and I have been trying to tackle leftovers. This brings me to my bread box that suddenly held my attention when I was able to put a loaf of our regular bread, two packages of hamburger buns and another package of thin buns into my bread box with ease. I realized how big and serviceable it is. I realized how much I love my bread box.

That got me to thinking how bread is a staple in our lives and how Jesus sustains us in our spiritual lives as bread sustains us in our physical lives. Jesus talked about it in John 6:35. Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty."

Has there ever been something in your life that suddenly has taken on a renewed appreciation?