Counting Our Blessings

by Lisa Jordan, @lisajordan

As families and friends are gathering together around the U.S. to celebrate Thanksgiving, we'd like to take time to count our blessing beginning with our readers who read our books and share our stories. Without you, we wouldn't be able to write the stories that glorify Him and minister to others. So, thank you. We love you. We appreciate you. 

And here are other things we're thankful for: 

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I'm thankful for my darling grandchildren who are a constant light in my life.  I'm also thankful for the path my career has taken and all the people along the way who continue to bring me joy and support when I need it the most. -Tracey J Lyons 

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I am thankful every morning at the moment when I open my eyes because then I know God has given me a precious gift. Another day. Without the time to enjoy life, nothing else really matters. -Valerie Hansen

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Wishing everyone a blessed and happy Thanksgiving. I’m thankful for my dear family, for the extra time I’ve gotten to spend with my dad and for the many blessings the Lord has given me, including a wonderful career in writing, an awesome agent, Pam Hopkins and my talented and dedicated editor, Emily Rodmell. -Patricia Davids 

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I'm thankful for all the blessings in my life, especially my family and my new son-in-law! -Laura Scott 

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I'm thankful for the miracle of words. They are literally my lifeline. I would not be me without them. And to all the readers who love words too! -Sherri Shackelford

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I give thanks to God for all His blessings...for the gift of life...for the gift of my wonderful husband, my beautiful children and grandchildren...for extended family...for dear friends and for wonderful readers who are the reason I write. I am so very grateful! I pray this season of gratitude will be filled with joy and love and laughter for all of us! Happy Thanksgiving! -Debby Giusti

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This year I’m particularly thankful for those who were called to be eye specialists, joints specialists and back specialists because hubby and I have needed all three recently and we’re so blessed to have been cared for. Blessing to all and have a Happy Thanksgiving. -Lorraine Beatty   

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I'm thankful for my Mom. I feel incredibly lucky to still have her in my life when so many of my friends have lost their mothers. -Christa Sinclair

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So many things to be thankful for, but I'm especially thankful for our freedom to worship where we wish and to write the books we desire. I'm thankful for my family and friends who support me with their love and encouragement.  -Lisa Jordan

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Heart, home, and faith have always been important to Lisa Jordan, so writing stories with those elements come naturally. Represented by Rachelle Gardner, Lisa is an award-winning author for Love Inspired, writing contemporary Christian romances that promise hope and happily ever after. Her newest book, Season of Hope, releases in March 2019. She is the Operations Manager for My Book Therapy. Happily married to her own real-life hero for almost thirty years, Lisa and her husband have two grown sons. When she isn’t writing, Lisa enjoys family time, kayaking, good books, and playing in her craft room with friends. Visit her at lisajordanbooks.com.

Good Thing Friday

Merry Christmas from the Craftie Ladies

May the Lord bless you this Christmas with joy and peace. 

Louise M. Gouge

Wishing all our Love Inspired readers a blessed Christmas filled with love and laughter, family and friends. And may the hope born in the Christ child shine in our lives throughout the year. 

~Sandra Orchard

"My very best wishes to our readers and their families and God bless us everyone."

Lyn Cote

Merry Christmas!  Hope your day is full of blessings and hugs.  

Pamela Tracy 

Merry Christmas. May the joy, peace and good will of the season be with you and your loved ones.  Merrillee Whren

Wishing you a very merry Christmas from the Tippens family! I pray your holiday is filled with love and peace.  

Missy Tippens

God bless you and your love ones with a Christmas full of joy and love. 

Margaret Daley

Warm wishes for a blessed Christmas and wonderful new year for you and your loved ones 

— Jean C. Gordon

Wishing you and yours a very merry Christmas! I pray that no matter where you are, you are surrounded by the comfort and joy of God’s love for us all on this day and everyday.  

Janet Lee Barton

To the wonderful readers of Love Inspired, Thank you for reading and supporting our stories. You have blessed us more than you can know! May your Christmas be graced with the fullness of God's love. May the new year bring great joy and peace. May each day bring new blessings.  

Christine Johnson

Hoping everyone has a blessed Christmas full of joy and love. May the light if the world shine upon you with grace and peace. 

Terri Reed

Wishing everyone a very Merry and Joyous Christmas, filled with an awareness of God's amazing grace and warmed by the love and memories of families and friends

Winnie Griggs 

Merry Christmas to the Craftie Ladies of Romance Community of Readers. May this Christmas be a special time with family and friends. I always pray for my readers, and I'll be asking the Lord to bless you abundantly as you celebrate the birth of the Christ Child. Your friendship and support mean so much to all of us!  

Debby Giusti

God Bless America

It’s a prayer, an American patriotic song written by Irving Berlin in 1918 and revised by him in 1938 and what Dad used to sing when he was fixing things to refrain from using words he didn’t want young children to hear. Unfortunately, many Americans don’t feel blessed these days, even those of us who are.

Jamie Glasser, the heroine of my July Love Inspired Romance is one of those who doesn’t feel blessed—not any more. She’s lost her husband to the war in Afghanistan, lost her faith to her grief and had to go back to work full time, leaving her less time with her three children. To top it off her teenage son keeps getting in trouble. And her son’s high school guidance counselor, retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Eli Payton, isn’t helping on any of those fronts, even though he thinks he is.

We’ve all experienced some of Jamie’s feelings of not being blessed. But despite our country’s flaws, the United States still offers us may freedoms and opportunities that many other people around the world can only dream of. We are blessed to be Americans.

As Independence Day approaches, what blessings are you counting?

Ask Elnora-- about friendship--Lenora Worth

Darlings, I am at the beach at beautiful Orange Beach, Alabama with a group of ladies I call the Surf  Sisters. You   have heard me mention them before. They are my dear friends and I'm happy to be back with them for the weekend. That got me to thinking about what true friendship means. I can tell you what it means to me:

It means laughing until you cry. It means crying when you pour out your heart then crying until you can finally laugh again. It means fighting like sisters but defending each other like warriors. It means shopping until you drop, then modeling what you bought and comparing notes to see who got the best bargain. ( I once got a suede coat that was priced at $250.00 for $1.08. Yes, one dollar and eight cents!!)  It means life, death and birth. It means carrot cake and coffee and trail mix and happy trails. It means knowing someone is in your corner even when you've painted yourself into that corner.  It means no matter how far away you are, when you get back together you are home.

What does true friendship mean to you?  Let's discuss!!

Debra Clopton Counting My Blessings

Debra Clopton here wishing you a very blessed Christmas holiday. I know you are with me today feeling grief and heartache for the families in Newtown Connecticut. I don't even have words to express my sorrow. I do know that I am counting my blessings, counting the days until Christmas when I can hug my grandchildren and my kids when they arrive here at my home.

Yesterday I went with our youth to the Nursing Home here in my town. Each year we do a project with our youth and make handmade gifts for the men and women who live there. We've made an assortment of wall decorations over the years. Crosses, Angels Plaques with Bible verses. The youth really get into decorating these gifts. We just load a table down with beads, cloth, rocks, flowers, wire nails and all kinds of stuff and sit back and watch in amazement at what the kids come up with. This year Chuck made picture frames for the kids to decorate with this verse: Jesus said, "I leave you peace; my peace I give you. I do not give it to you as the world does. So don't let your hearts be troubled or afraid." John 14: 27 

We did not know what was to come when God laid this verse on Chuck's heart to put into the frames last week. For me it is hard to not be troubled. But I know that God has his loving arms wrapped around each and every child who was lost last week and the brave teachers who tried to protect them. I'm praying for the families today and praying God will give them peace through this.

May you all tell your loved ones you love them, give them a hug if you're close enough and count your blessings. I know I am. Hugs to each of you.
Debra

Living Generously-Barbara Phinney's perspective

Years ago, a man new to our church said to me, "By not giving generously, a person misses out on God's blessings."
I mulled over his comment for years and now that we are doing generous living devotional at our church, I'm beginning to see that what this man said was so true. 

It started after Hurricane Sandy hit the northeast United States. I want to do something to help. All I could think of at the time was to lower my romantic comedy, All For A Good Cause, to the lowest price Amazon would allow, in an effort to cheer up a few of those people with this fun story about charities that get out of hand.
(Yes, you may roll your eyes. I did. Such an effort was hardly sacrificial.)
Then, this week past, my church sent out an e-mail saying that a woman in nearby town has made the proper arrangements to send supplies down to New York and New Jersey. This was my chance to be really sacrificial.
Let me back up for a moment. Last week, our bank gave us a yearly review of our accounts to see if they could save us some money. It turned out that they couldn't save us anything, just update our account. Oh well. C'est la vie.
So, back to the present, last Friday, my husband and I settled on an amount we would spend, about $125, to buy toiletries, baby supplies, winter boots, and such to contribute to the supplies going to the United States.
And might I add, that I get a little pleasure out of this, too. I get to shop! Of course it was limited by my husband's limited patience, but I still had fun!
After we got home, it was like Christmas for me, sorting through the presents, packing them up, putting them in boxes and laundry baskets to take to our church.

I also decided to pray that the Lord would help me not look for a blessing, not to expect one, but to give this simply because I wanted to be obedient.
After I was finished, I returned to my writing, knowing that I should not check the sales of my independently published books because I had specifically asked for no blessing.
The phone rang. It was our bank. The woman who had given us our banking review apologized for giving us incorrect information. The account we just switched to offered a signing bonus of 15,000 points, equivalent to $125 in cash! 
The blessing had come from the least likely place and taught me a valuable lesson. Don't go looking for blessings, don't ask for them, just give generously, and know that your Father will give back to you, in His own way, thanking you for taking the first step.

Has God surprised you lately? What blessings did you receive that you can encourage us with today?

Ask Elnora--It's Good Friday--so tell us something good!

My precious people, today is Good Friday. What a special day for all of us. There are so many bad things going on in the world today, we sometimes become overwhelmed with helplessness. But Elnora knows we're not helpless! I went with a few friends to see the movie "The Grace Card" this week. Powerful story about hatred and racism and a griefing family. But if you change the race card to the grace card, you have a whole new world. The grace card says "I promise to pray for you everyday. Ask for your forgiveness, grant you the same and be your friend always." It's that simple. We can all extend grace to someone else, especially today when the world needs a little grace.

So tell me--What is good about your life? What blessings can you share on this special holy day? Me, I am blessed to have Big Daddy, my darling husband who puts up with the many moods of Elnora (and Lenora), and I have two beautiful grown children who continue to surprise and amaze me (even on days when they make my hair gray!!!) I have roof over my head and flowers in my garden and friends to laugh and cry with. Friends such as all of you. And I know that no matter what, God loves me and gives me His grace. Oh, and I have shoes and books, of course!!! But that's enough about me. I want to know what's good in your life?

12 Days of Christmas-Day 8

I start my email with "Dear Daniel..." and can't go on.

Why can't I write today? Seth is kicking so hard and I've had this feeling that something is going to happen. Maybe I should call the doctor.

I take in a deep breath and let it out slowly. My sweet husband is counting on me to email him everyday. I can't let him down.

I think over the last seven days and how each day has reminded me of the Christmas carol, The Twelve Days of Christmas, the song that Daniel used to show me how much he loved me.

But we never made it to eight maids a milking.
He was called up before we got to day 8.

I must focus and get this email written.

What can I write to Daniel about today? Maybe because I can't say what I want to.

I can't just say--Come home! I love you. I miss you!

That won't cheer him up.

I brush away a few stray tears. I hate being this emotional. I know that I'm not the only one missing my husband at Christmas. I have to be strong for Daniel, for little Seth. Pressing my hand over my abdomen, I whisper, "I love you and so does your daddy. You're going to be such a lucky boy." I smile and think of the future, our future.

Instead of eight maids a milking, I imagine sitting in the bleachers watching Seth in a Little League uniform.

The door bell. Oh, I'm a mess. Did I even comb my hair today?
The bell rings again.
Seth leaps within me.

Just like John the Baptist leaped in Elizabeth's womb when Mary who was carrying Jesus came to visit her.

Hurrying from my desk, I pause in the hall but decide not to look in the mirror. I open the door just a bit. "Hello?"

"Joy."

The voice is so familiar but it can't be--

And then Daniel is inside and hugging me.

"I haven't even combed my hair!" I shriek.

Daniel is laughing at me, but I don't care because I'm kissing him and hugging him.

"There was a change in assignments," he explains. "I'm home for two weeks."

I can't speak. All I can do is weep.

Thank you, Father, for bringing my sweet Daniel home. And please keep his friends and comrades safe.--Joy


Well, our Christmas story ends here. Hope you all enjoyed it! You'll have to finish the song without Daniel and Joy. They are too busy to think of anything but being together! Merry Christmas and may God bless our soldiers and sailors in harms way safe. Amen.

Thanksgiving and the Internet

Merrillee here. During this time of year, at least in the United States, we are thinking about being thankful. Thanksgiving is a time to count our blessings. I have many--too many to lists them all. The most important are my faith and my family.

But as a writer, I'm so very thankful for the Internet. Research has become much easier because of the information found there. I can find out hundreds of things just sitting in my chair. For the book I'm working on now, HOMETOWN PROPOSAL (the second book in my Kellerville series), which will be out in August 2010, I've used the Internet to find out about people who work on cruise lines. That is part of my hero and heroine's back story. I've researched things about Cincinnati, Ohio, and the surrounding area because my book is set in an imaginary town in southeastern Ohio close to Cincinnati. I lived in this area over thirty years ago, but I needed more up-to-date information.

There is a two-and-half-year old girl in the story. I needed information about how a child of that age would be talking. There is a site on the Internet for that. I researched toys for children that age. I learned about parade floats because my hero and heroine ride on a float in the town's Fourth of July parade. The heroine's father loves Karaoke, so I studied Karaoke machines and found dozens of songs that my characters could sing.

My hero is in a car accident and breaks his leg. I needed to learn about broken legs. Did you know there are Internet sites where people share their broken leg stories? My characters play wiffle ball on several occasions, so I looked up information about wiffle ball. This was the most entertaining site I found. A guy tells the story of how he came to have a wiffle ball stadium in his yard. I love this story. You can find the story by going to www.youtube and searching for wiffle ball.

What are some of the things you are thankful for? Do you have any interesting Internet sites that you have found?

Hello, it's Lenora. Fall is finally here. The leaves are falling in my yard and the morning's are crisp and cool. I love spring and summer, but there is something magical about fall. Pumpkins and hay bales and turkeys roasting in the oven or being fried in a big pot. Stuffing, or dressing, as we call it in the south. Thanksgiving.
This is what fall means to me. One of the best things about fall is watching my Thanksgiving cactus bud and bloom. My mother gave me the first clipping for this plant when I got married almost 35 years ago. It has traveled with me each time we've moved. It took a while for my tiny clipping to produce blooms but when it did, I was delighted. My mother died when I was in my twenties, so each time my cactus blooms I think of her. Sometimes, it waits until Christmas to bloom. And a few times it decided to hold out until Easter. But I can always count on it to make me smile and feel better. My cactus loves filtered light and big windows. And the funny thing, each house we've lived in has had big windows in the living room so the plant had thrived in each of our homes. This plants also reminds me that no matter where I live, God is always there with me, shining through in the sun and in the changing seasons. My pretty cactus offers up a bit of God's beauty to enjoy, a bit of surprise and awe to teach me about life, and a bit of hope that each new season will bring new blessings. And each bloom reminds me of my mother's love for her children. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. I appreciate our many readers and I appreciate being able to write the kind of love stories that also surprise and bless me.

My husband did one of those Things!

My husband did one of those things yesterday!

Oh, not one of those things that drive you nuts, like deciding to change the oil in the car a half hour before you have to leave for an important meeting, or dropping his dirty clothes in the middle of the kitchen like it’s one giant laundry hamper. Not one of those things.

One of the OTHER things.

I’d been typing away, shut in my office for several hours and suddenly the door opens. Crash goes my train of thought. What now? I turned to face him with a scowl. He simply walked over to my chair, kissed me and said, “I love you today. Have I told you that? You’re the light of my life.”

Ahh, that was so sweet. I just sort of melted. Smiling softly, he left the room without another word.

Sometimes that old guy still surprises me after 35 years. Not with candy or flowers, but with those tokens of love that won’t wilt or add inches to my hips. That out-of-nowhere kiss will linger forever in my memory. Guess that’s why I married the guy.

Pat Davids.

(still smiling)

Just Saying Hello!

Hello everyone! Debra Clopton here poking her head out of deadline, deadline and more deadline crunch to say I hope this is going to be a blessed August for everyone. This has been a hard couple of months for me but I feel so blessed to have this opportunity to write my books, deadlines are hard but wonderful :) This post is basically to say hi since I'm still swamped and just can't take my head out of the Mule Hollow Book I'm creating. God has been good and readers have been wonderful to buy my books. I pray with each one that I meet the expectation for both the readers and for what God is expecting of the books. So I hope you'll forgive me once more for this short blog but I have to get back to it! If any of you haven't read my Mule Hollow series I hope you'll give it a read and I hope they make you smile. Until next time live, laugh and love God with all your hearts.
Debra Clopton

The New Year is Coming!!!

The new year is coming and I have to say that I'm looking forward to it. My excitement has nothing to do with anything that has happened this year good or bad it is simply the idea of a new year that I love. It's a little bit like when I begin a new book. I love the book I've just spent months working on and finally finished (there is nothing more satisfying than the feeling of finishing a book but by the time I finish I'm usually worn out and some of the excitement comes from relief that God's enabled me to reach a hopeful, happy conclusion once again). But a new blank page...wow, that excitement brings with it a new energy that has nothing to do with relief, but more to do with anticipation of what will come. It is a wonderful feeling. Since I'm what is called a seat of the pants writer or an organic writer (which means I start with an idea but not a firm plot) the book is as much an adventure for me as it will be for the reader. So the blank page has a similar feeling for me as a reader would feel upon beginning the to read a new book.

I look at a new year with the same hopeful anticipation. I wonder what God has in store for me. Yes, I wonder if there will be sadness and I pray there won't be, but I know that God is in control and that He can make all things work together for my good and I know that He has wonderful things in store for me. They may be small beautiful events that I must watch for carefully or I might miss them and their blessing. Or they might be big, blindingly blatant things--like my son's wedding this last year to a wonderful young woman whom I love like a daughter--this was the highlight of my year.

Either way the idea of a whole new year is exciting and I can't help but look at this new year with that excitement and hope. I wonder what does God have in store for me? Already I know I have 4 books coming out in 2009, a blessing a dream come true, so I have a bit of a sneak peek at what the year holds. But also and more important with the new year I'm wondering what can I do for God this year? I'm looking forward to watching for opportunities to be a light for Him.

Yes everyone the new year is coming and I pray for each of you that it is a blessed and wonderful year!

What has been the highlight of your year? Or what is your hope for this new year?

Happy New Year everyone!!!
Debra Clopton