The world can wait

Christmas Day. by Jess Revell Mostly everyone thinks that Christmas is about presents and Christmas dinner. But it’s not. 2000 years ago, Jesus was born. Christians celebrate this day by having a Christmas service at church. They would then go and celebrate the day with family. Christmas is celebrated differently in different countries, but this is how we celebrate Christmas in my house in England. We start of the morning by opening some presents, then we go to church for the Christmas service, we then either come back to my house or go to my grandparents’ house.  After we arrive, we have a drink and a biscuits whilst mum or grandma or both finish off cooking dinner. Christmas dinner consists of: Turkey, Roast Potatoes, Roast Parsnips, Carrots, Brussel Sprouts, Peas, Swede, Boiled Potatoes, Pigs in Blankets (Sausages wrapped in Bacon.). Mum makes her own cranberry sauce and bread sauce. After we have had Christmas dinner and finished pudding, we then watch the q...

Today I have a guest post by Pastor James Muldoon of Carey Baptist Church, Reading. "Yesterday at church we thought about how startled those shepherds must have been in Luke 2 when suddenly an angel appeared and the glory of the Lord shone around them.  That wouldn't have been what they were expecting when they left home to look after their sheep that night!  It's even more surprising, though, that Jesus - God the Son made man - should have come into the world at all.  And the greatest shock of all is that He came so as to die to save all who would believe in Him. "If you're a Christian, have you lost that sense of shock at what happened that first Christmas?  If so, this year, just stop and think for a few minutes about how stunning it is that Jesus should be born and should die to be your Saviour.  And if you're not a Christian, why not make this the year when you really look into the astonishing teaching of the Bible about the one who came those...

Blurb : Midville newcomer and Iraq War widow,  Dorie Fitzgerald , despises the frigid Adirondack wasteland that has now become her home. After twenty failed job interviews, she questions the wisdom of moving to be near her parents. Her latest rejection for a clerk’s position at Bargains Galore sets her nerves on edge. Dorie’s faith has been a composite of expectations, first those of her parents, then later her husband’s. She wonders what a faith of her own would look like. Desperate for the towns acceptance, she joins the local Community Theater, in production for  It’s a Wonderful Life .  Jamey Sullivan  has put his professional life on hold in order to run the family business and help his ailing father. He signs on for Midville’s production of  It’s a Wonderful Life,  although he hopes to receive a Broadway casting call any day now. Civic minded, Jamey is a Boy Scout leader, Sunday School teacher, and baseball coach. Hel...

            Inspired by Delia's post  HERE  I thought I'd show you some of my decorations. Each year I buy one new ornament of some description. Or I make one. So below we have my new one and last years. This years is the Nativity scene. The candle, so I keep telling the kids, is to look and and Not to burn.                                These ones I got in the US in 2005. Rhys, Ceryn and Jess have one each which they can put on the tree and take with them when they leave home. My Aussie sister in law and bro also send me an ornament each year, and I send them one. This is the Aussie one for this year. And then there's the playmobile. That is so much fun.One year Mary took the baby Jesus for a walk in the buggy to find the shepherd as he hadn't turned up. Last year evil shepherd kept tying ppl to the train tracks. One year the ai...

CHRISTMAS FOR RANSOM:   A good-hearted  outlaw and the woman who gives him her heart...before she realizes it’s HER horses he stole!   Member of the notorious Ahab Perkins gang, “Canyon” Jack Ransom promised his beloved gram-maw on her death bed long ago that he’d learn to read. After growing a conscience and leaving his past behind,  he hires Texas schoolmarm Eliza Willows to do the deed while she, unbeknownst he’s the crook, hires him in return to “track” the thief of her granny’s prized Morgans.  Falling in love with each other is fast and furious but real...and the two getting snowbound at Christmas while gun-battling Ahab and the gang only adds to the fun! ISBN: 978-1-61217-446-4 buy link Review : Not inspirational romance. Comes with a heat rating of 2 Another winner from Ms. Hanson. What is there not to love about an outlaw? The bad boy of the wild west. And this book has them a plenty. But there is one that will steal your he...

Overzealous fan or crazed stalker? Country music superstar Destiny appears to have it all. Beauty, money, and fame. But it’s not all glitz and glamour. Being a celebrity comes with a price—loneliness, and now threats from an unknown stalker. With Christmas approaching, and as the danger escalates in Nashville, Destiny has no choice but to disappear. She escapes to her grandparents’ cabin in the Adirondack Mountains near the tiny Village of Serenity & Peace. It seems to be the perfect choice for a hideout. Longing for the serenity and peace she experienced there as a child, Destiny sheds her celebrity persona and resumes her long-forgotten identity as Holly Stone. Unfortunately, fame follows her to the tiny village—along with her stalker. http://www.pelicanbookgroup.com/ec/the-christmas-stalking Review: If you could describe a book containing an evil stalker as cozy, this would be it. Ms. Duncan’s gifted story telling teeters the reader between edge of y...

Blurb: After his very public break-up from his fiancé, Chad Fletcher is convinced that a healthy marriage and his rising political career won’t mix, and Christmas at his Aunt Nell’s home in White, Arizona is a great way to start fresh. Political watch dog, Tessa Conway, plans to spend her vacation enjoying her grandparents’ ranch before they must sell it, so she is not pleased with Grandma Sophie and Aunt Nell’s efforts to throw her and Chad together. Chad begins to believe Tessa may be the perfect antidote to his unhealthy relationships of the past, but when he decides to take support from a company with questionable ethics, his perfect bubble is burst. Fearing Chad is not the Godly man she believed him to be, Tessa ends their budding romance. Will Chad find the strength and courage to do what’s right even if it costs him his career? http://www.pelicanbookgroup.com/ec/white-christmas http://www.amazon.com/White-Christmas-Holiday-Extravaganza-ebook/dp/B006G5EH2K/ref=sr...

The Christmas season passes so quickly, but honestly, Christmas is a day to remind us of the ultimate gift. That Jesus could love ME (yes, and you) so much to be willing to give His life for us. (I am so unworthy.) But I have accepted His gift, and I can only pray that I can bring that gift to others!  I have just begun to realize that God is calling me to be a blessing (possibly calling all of us, but I can’t speak for anyone else). I recently went to a Women of Faith conference and walked away after shedding more tears than I even knew I could shed.  At first I thought it was chastisement, but by the end of the second day I realized that it was His Spirit filling that place that brought me to that point. So, I am learning to let God work through me, work in me. I am learning to be a blessing, not look for the blessing. Will you be a blessing to someone in this season of giving? I wish I had a current story to share, although A Piece of Heaven is coming, I have n...

Haley Blackwell travels to Colorado with plans to relive her favorite childhood memories—including a snowy Christmas. When she meets her grandparents’ neighbor, she finds herself yearning for more than a white Christmas, but trusting men has never been easy for Haley. After a failed marriage, and the death of his ex-wife, Tate Rivers is determined to concentrate on raising his preschool daughter, Ashlyn, and to stay clear of another relationship. He doubts he can ever trust his heart to another woman—until he meets Haley. Despite the weather forecast that does not include snow on Christmas Day, Ashlyn prays that God will give Haley the desires of her heart. Will Haley realize Tate isn’t a man who will abandon those he loves, and will they be able to push aside the past and step forward together in love—the way God desires? http://www.pelicanbookgroup.com/ec/she-came-to-see-the-snow BIO: Mary Annslee Urban is an author of Inspirational Romance. Her goal is to write s...

Down the Chimney: 'Twas the week before Christmas, and Odessa Courtland needs help... If it wasn't enough to be the widowed mother of two rambunctious daughters, she's about to give birth and an outlaw who thinks she's stolen his ill-gotten gains has threatened to kill her. She needs a miracle.When Deputy Deke Ramey is sent to keep tabs on the widow and the outlaw, he ends up stuck in Odessa Courtland's chimney. She claims he's an answered prayer, and her daughters think he's Saint Nicholas. And while Deke is convinced the lovely widow is no thief, he's worried she might just steal his heart. Not inspirational romance Review: I loved this one. It had me grinning in places, even reading sections to hubby. Especially when the hero is told off for almost cussing and warned how nasty soap tastes by a child. With a warm snuggly Christmas feeling, cute kids, combined with the right amount of action, and a twist at the end, this story by Ms. Mitchell...

Blurb: A lady Coastguardsman searches for a killer. An oil rig troubleshooter accused of murder races to clear his name. The murderer strives to silence them both. As Amber seeks to arrest Derrick, sparks fly. Amber Meredith needs to solve her first case. But the handsome Cajun suspect makes her heart race and her toes tingle. Derrick Darbonne worked all his life for his high-paying, adventurous job. When his past threatens his future, will he endanger the woman he loves? Buy link :  http://www.pelicanbookgroup.com/ec/a-texas-christmas-mystery ANNE GREENE delights in writing about wounded heroes and gutsy heroines. She writes both historical and suspense novels. She and her hero husband, Army Special Forces Colonel Larry Greene, have visited twenty-five countries. A visit to Scotland resulted in her book, Masquerade Marriage. A Texas Christmas Mystery is set in her home town of McKinney, TX. Both books can be purchased at http://www.Pelicanbookgroup....

 The High Queen is dying... At the royal summons, Shae mounts a wingabeast and soars through the air to the high hold of Faeraven, where all is not as it seems. Visions warn her of danger, and a dark soul touches hers in the night. When she encounters an attractive but disturbing musician, her wayward heart awakens. But then there is Kai, a guardian of Faeraven and of Shae. Secrets bind him to her, and her safety lies at the center of every decision he makes. On a desperate journey fraught with peril and the unknown, they battle warlike garns, waevens, ferocious raptors, and the wraiths of their own regrets. Yet, they must endure the campaign long enough to release the DawnKing—and the salvation he offers—into a divided land. To prevail, each must learn that sometimes victory comes only through surrender. Review: I love fantasy and this book doesn't disappoint. The scenery is so vivid it comes to life in your minds eye and the well rounded characters come instantly to li...

He’s a saint with a tarnished halo, and Aubrey Thomas can’t stand him…or can she? Handsome fireman, Mickey Hurst is loved by all. He volunteers at the local parish where Aubrey Thomas works as an administrator. He sings in the choir. He leads the youth group. He even acts as the church handyman, but Aubrey knew him before he became Saint Mickey—when he told her he’d have to be drunk to kiss her…and he was. What’s so infuriating is that despite his horrible admission, Aubrey loves Mickey as much as everybody else. Mickey doesn’t blame Aubrey for disliking him. After all, he kissed her when he wasn’t sober—and insulted her, to boot. Aubrey deserved a better man—a Godly man. But, since that fateful kiss, Mickey’s drawn closer to the Lord. With the intercession of God and the matchmaking parish staff, Mickey prays that this Christmas he will be able to prove to Aubrey he’s now the man for her. http://www.pelicanbookgroup.com/ec/everybody-loves-mickey Review : Eveyone loves ...

Blurb : When Rich McConaughey comes back to town, divorce papers in hand, he’s in for more than he bargained for. Lisa Young, the woman he was married to for six months, hasn’t changed a bit. His mother has though… she’s gone from matronly to meow, and his father has taken off with the secretary. Does anything last anymore? Lisa Young feels chained to the hardware store her family has run for generations. How can she tell her father that she hates the family business? When Rich walks back into her store asking her to finalize a divorce she thought was behind her, she thinks that the answer is to sign on the dotted line and move on. Except, Rich isn’t making it so easy… and God has other plans. For better or for worse, when you’re legally wed, things can get complicated. Link: http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-371/Legally-Wed-Patty-Froese/Detail.bok Bio : Patty Froese lives in central Canada where the winters are long and cold--giving her excellent e...

Jason hasn’t seen Cami in three years. Now she’s back, with the son he’d wanted to claim as his own. Can he believe her newly found faith or will she desert him, and God, again? Review: Love the second time around isn't plain sailing for anyone and neither is it for Jason and Cami. Thrown together both of them have to face the past and future whilst trying to deal with the present. This short story from Ms. Bayne is a page turner that will delight and entrance.  link - http://www.pelicanbookgroup.com/ec/christmas-forever Robin Bayne is the award-winning author of six novels and five novellas, along with a variety of short stories. She has contributed to collections including God’s Way for Teens, God’s Way for Fathers and Cup of Comfort Devotionals; and published articles in Writer’s Journal and Christian Communicator.  She lives in Maryland with her husband of twenty years. Robin recently compiled a book of devotionals for writers titled “Words to Wr...

Journey’s Edge Tagline : An auditor seeks protection for her daughter from an ex-fiancé after an irate client threatens. Does it add up to trouble or love? Blurb: A Routine Audit? Hardly. Red flags—including some goon who's following her—raise McKinley Frasier's suspicions that numbers don't add up at the insurance firm. When someone tries to snatch McKinley's daughter from school, she turns to police officer and ex-fiance, Renner Crossman—the cop who walked out on her a month before their wedding. But Renner's not the same guy who broke her heart ten years ago. He calls himself a "new man." She trusts the new Renner with her daughter's safety...but what about her heart? Excerpt: "Honey, if you’re looking for that kind of action, you’ve got the wrong room." "What?" McKinley gasped. She knew that voice, that rich timbre with just a hint of teasing. Always teasing, forever flirting. Renner Crossman. ...