Something Strange by James R. Coggins

Posted on October 2, 2024 by jrcoggins

I found something strange in my mailbox today. Among all the flyers (air mail), store coupons, political advertisements, bills, lottery notices, etc. was a white envelope about nine inches by four inches. I couldn’t recall ever seeing anything like it. I checked, and it was addressed to me, but the address had not been printed on a computer printer. Someone had written the address by hand. This was very strange.

I carefully slit open the envelope, and three pieces of white paper fell out. There were words written on the paper, again not printed by a computer printer but apparently also written by hand.

I puzzled to think what this could be. I looked at the papers and found that I could read (but just barely) what had been written. The characters on the page looked similar to what a computer printer would make but were somewhat less uniform, Somebody had apparently gone to a lot of trouble learning how to copy what printer characters look like. Essentially, this person had learned how to do with a pen held in the hand what a computer printer would normally do. I was astounded. Who would go to all that work?

I looked at the last of the three pages and discovered that someone had written a name at the end. It was a name I recognized. I have a friend by that name. We have been friends for a long time, but I could not recall that he had ever done anything as strange as this in all the time I had known him. He now lives in a different town hundreds of miles away.

I decided this warranted further investigation. I carefully read through the three pages. It seemed as if my friend had written down the things he had been doing, talking about his house, his work, and his family—the kinds of things you would tell someone on the phone or in an email or even on Facebook or X or some other platform. He also commented on things I had told him in the past and asked how I and my family were doing. This was very strange. It was like he had found a new and hitherto unknown way of communicating. I was dumbfounded.

I decided to do a little historical research. I was curious about whether such a thing might have been done in the distant past or if my friend had invented something new. What I discovered was amazing. Apparently, in ancient times, this type of thing had been done before. It even had a name. It was called a “letter.” How had I never heard of this before?

Even more strange was the fact that in this “letter,” my friend had suggested that I “write a letter” back to him just as he had done to me. I wasn’t sure this would even be possible.

But I decided to give it a try. It felt strange to be doing something so unusual and unexpected. I’ll do it to humor my friend, but I can’t imagine that this sort of thing will ever catch on or become widespread.

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Car Shopping by Tara Randel

Posted on September 30, 2024 by tararandel

Earlier this summer my vehicle started having trouble. I love my 2003 Jeep Liberty. I was only supposed to have it for a few years, but ten years later, it’s mostly going strong. With a bit of age creeping in.

My husband and I went car shopping, and I test drove all the vehicles that are comparable in size to my Liberty. Problem? I didn’t want a newer car. Especially after my husband brought the Jeep to some buddies at a garage and they told him how to fix the problem. He got the parts and replaced a few things. (What, I don’t know. I am not a car person.) His time and labor took care of the problem and while my car is still creaky, the air conditioning runs super cold, I only drive the Jeep around town and the major point is, I like it!

I finally narrowed my search down to a few specific models, but my heart isn’t in it. I don’t want car payments, for sure. If my car just stopped running, that’s a different story. I’d have to make a decision.

Is it just me or do most people have a problem with change?

I suppose the answer would be that everyone is different. My husband loves cars, so car shopping is fun for him. I go home with a headache. And even though we both come at the process from different angles, we did have fun spending time together while looking at cars.

It made me think about how well our Father knows us. He places us with people who bolster us when we might not be doing well in an area because they are stronger than we are. Or on the flip side, I might be able to help someone who is struggling because I have a differing point of view or experience. My issue is that I don’t like change, but my husband is an adventurer who isn’t afraid to drop everything to try something new. Yet we still work as a couple.

God had blessed us all with wonderful people in our lives. We also encounter challenging people, but in it all, God is with us. He places us with people who might need us or we them. We have an opportunity to show the Father’s love to the world just by being who we are. God has uniquely made us all. It’s great that we aren’t all carbon copies of each other.

It may have seemed like I rambled from my car shopping story to focusing on our gracious God, but I wanted to take a task we’ve all experienced in life to highlight how God is with us in every situation. In the process of shopping, we got to meet people and shine the love of God on them. I learned to appreciate my husband so much more. And even though I’m not a fan of car shopping, I made the effort to give my opinion instead of letting my husband handle it because I couldn’t be bothered. God works for all our good, even in the mundane process of car shopping.

Just so you know, I’m still driving the Jeep and I’m very happy. My husband is still looking for cars, which makes him very happy. That might change in the future, but we’ll handle it together and with God.

Tara Randel is an award-winning, USA Today bestselling author. Family values, a bit of mystery and of course, love and romance, are her favorite themes, because she believes love is the greatest gift of all. Look for her Harlequin Heartwarming romance THE SURPRISE NEXT DOOR, available May 2025. For more information about her books, visit Tara at www.tararandel.com. Like her on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/TaraRandelBooks. 

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Humility by James R. Coggins

Posted on September 25, 2024 by jrcoggins

The biblical writer James wrote: “Now listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.’…Instead, you ought to say, ‘If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that’” (James 4:13-15).

All of us make plans, and planning is generally a good thing. So, what was James’s point? James called this type of planning “arrogant” and “boastful.” Why? Because we “do not even know what will happen tomorrow” and our life is “a mist” that could vanish in an instant (James 4:14).

This small section seems to be a stand-alone comment, unrelated to what has gone before. But it is thematically related to the previous section (James 3:13-4:12). There, James talked about two ways of living, one rooted in arrogance and the other rooted in humility. The arrogant way is characterized by “bitter envy and selfish ambition,” which leads to fighting and quarreling to get what we want and to slandering other people. The humble way is characterized by good deeds, peacemaking, love, consideration of others, mercy, and righteousness. Instead of fighting and quarreling to get what we want, James encouraged us to “ask God”—provided we ask with right motives. James summed up his advice with: “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you” (James 4:7-8)

This new section on “boasting about tomorrow” continues the emphasis on humility. When we say we are going to do this or that, we are really saying that we are in control, that we can do what we want. (Note that the people James was talking about were not going to another city to do “good deeds” but to “make money.”) Not only should we humbly and voluntarily submit to God, but we are actually powerless to resist God’s decisions. Saying, “If it is God’s will” is not just an acceptance of our lack of control, an acceptance of our fate, but it echoes James’s earlier advice to actively seek God’s will. If we are doing what God is telling us to do, then He will enable us to do it. If we want to know what our attitude really is, this passage offers us a good guide. When we find ourselves saying, “I am going to…” it tells us that we are in danger of being arrogant and sinful and not submitting to God. 

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Sprinting in Faith by Nancy J. Farrier

Posted on September 23, 2024 by Nancy J. Farrier
Photo by Braden Collum on Unsplash

Writing is often a solitary business. You have your writing area, usually away from people or things that might distract—such as cute cat videos or a good book to read. When you are on your own, it’s often easy to be distracted from the task at hand and losing track of what you should be doing.

If you think about it, most jobs come with a workplace, coworkers, and a boss, all who expect you to carry your share of the workload for the hours you are at your job. Just being in their presence gives you incentive to not only work harder but to do a better job.

There are some jobs, such as writing, where we don’t have those same incentives. Writing a book and seeing it in print nudges us to keep working, but deadlines are often months in the future. When that happens, it can be so easy to drag your feet when you need to be working.

Just recently, I’ve discovered writing sprints set up through Zoom. The ones I’ve joined have anywhere from a few authors to twenty or more all ready to work. The host of the Zoom meeting asks people what they are working on today. Then the host sets a timer for 25 minutes and everyone gets to work. 

At the end of the 25 minutes, the timer goes off and everyone comes back on screen. We take a few minutes to share what we’re accomplished with plenty of encouragements to go around. Then the timer starts for another 25 minutes and we’re off again. We usually do this in sets of three, sometimes four.

It is amazing how much work you can get done in a focused 25 minute sprint. Being with other authors who are also working, hearing their goals, and seeing the difference community makes is an encouragement to keep going. 

I am reminded of Hebrews 10: 24-25.

“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another…”

I’ve always heard this verse used in context of making sure we attend church regularly or meet for Bible study. But what if it can also mean working together, or meeting for coffee, or having dinner with friends? As long as we “stir up” one another in our faith as we come together, then this scripture can apply. 

Maybe we need to consider how each of us can apply this verse in our lives. Even when meeting together is inconvenient, putting out the effort is worth that slight disturbance to our normal schedule. 

I loved writing sprints so much that I started my own sprints in the afternoons. I invited others to join me and the group is slowly growing. To be honest, I almost quit. For the first two weeks, I was the only one attending the sprints. Slowly others have joined in and now there is someone writing with me almost every day.

Encouraging one another is a gift from God. Consider who you can encourage and how you can do so. You might just find that you are the one most uplifted as God blesses you.

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Paul Simon Is a Poet by James R. Coggins

Posted on September 18, 2024 by jrcoggins

I discovered the music of Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel when I was in university, and I was deeply impressed, particularly by the lyrics, most of which were written by Paul Simon.

As the years have gone on, I have remained impressed. Paul Simon’s songs offer a deep understanding of the brokenness of the world, even if they offer few solutions.

More recently, I noticed how often Simon’s songs mention poetry. This might have been one reason the songs first resonated with me because at the time I was studying English literature and poetry. Here are some examples from Simon’s lyrics:

• “She faded in the night like a poem I meant to write” (“Leaves That Are Green,” 1965).

• “You read your Emily Dickenson and I my Robert Frost” (“The Dangling Conversation”).

• “Every stop is neatly planned for a poet and a one-man band” (“Homeward Bound,” 1966).

• “The poet reads his crooked rhyme” (“Bleecker Street”).

• “I have my books and my poetry to protect me” (“I Am a Rock,” 1965).

• “The crayon on the wall he slashes…a single-worded poem comprised of four letters, and his heart is laughing, screaming, pounding, the poem across the tracks rebounding” (“A Poem on the Underground Wall”).

• A similar idea is presented in “The Sound of Silence” (1964): “And the sign flashed out its warning in the words that it was forming, and the sign said, ‘The words of the prophets are written on subway walls and tenement halls.’”

• The song “Richard Cory” is a rewriting of a poem by Edwin Arlington Robinson.

I doubt that many modern songwriters are as familiar with poetry as Simon is. Why the interest in poetry? I think it is partly because, for Paul Simon the songwriter, the lyrics mattered, the message mattered.

I am a writer, and I agree.

It is significant that Simon earned a university degree in English. With YouTube turning teenagers into celebrities, some modern songwriters are high school dropouts.

In my estimation, too many modern songs are admired because of the instrumental music, the pyrotechnical display (in a live concert), the music video (onscreen), or the gyrations and image of the singer (shirtless men and scantily clad women seem to have become the norm)—everything but the lyrics. The words, all ten of them, are repeated over and over (as well as a lot of “Ahs,” “Ohs,” “Oohs,” and “Yeahs”). The words don’t matter.

Words do matter, and that is why I think Paul Simon’s music will endure long after many other songs have been forgotten.

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Everybody Needs a Martha!

Posted on September 17, 2024 by Author Mary Alford

The story of Martha from the Bible reveals several things about her. She had a servant’s heart. We first meet Martha while she and her sister and brother are hosting a dinner for Jesus. Martha wanted everything to be perfect and got frustrated with her sister Mary for not helping.

We later read about Martha after her brother Lazarus died. She meets Jesus and tells Him that if He’d been there, her brother wouldn’t have died, but then she says something that shows her faith in Jesus.  

But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.

In both these incidences, Martha speaks without really considering the consequences of her words. Still, we can learn much from Martha’s story such as don’t stress about the insignificant things in life and don’t let anything shake your faith in Jesus.

That’s the Martha from the Bible. Let me tell you about my friend, Martha.

She’s outspoken like Martha from the Bible, but she has a heart of gold, and she’s been one of my biggest supporters as an author.

Recently, when a few days before my husband and I were scheduled to leave for Colorado, the cabin where we thought we’d be staying wasn’t ready, Martha offered her cabin to us to stay.

I’d told Martha we were going to Colorado a few weeks before the problem came up, and she’d told me she wished we could have stayed in her cabin. That’s just like Martha. Always so giving.

At the time I thanked her for her kind offer and then later when I found out that our cabin wouldn’t be ready, I asked her if we could stay at hers for a few days. She never hesitated to tell me we could stay as long as we wanted.

She and her husband built the cabin many years ago. They spent most summers there together. When we bought our cabin up there in the small community in the middle of national forest, we had the honor of meeting these two wonderful people.

After Ed passed away, Martha still came and spent several months up there by herself. She drove herself there and stayed until the weather started changing in October.  

The Martha I know is a strong woman. She’s outspoken like the Martha from the Bible, but her faith in Jesus is every bit as unshakable as Lazarus’s sister. And it’s been a blessing and an honor to call her a friend.

I wish I had a picture to post of her smiling face, but I don’t, so I’ll let you leave that to your imagination.

I hope each of you are blessed enough to have someone in your life like my friend Martha. Because everybody needs a Martha!

Here are a few photos taken from the cabin. I hope you enjoy them.

All the best. . .

Mary

www.maryalford.net

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The Unruly Tongue by James R. Coggins

Posted on September 11, 2024 by jrcoggins

The Biblical writer James addressed the dangers associated with the tongue (that is, associated with our words) in James 1:19-27.

In James 3:1-12, he went further. James began by warning, “Not many of you should become teachers…because…we who teach will be judged more strictly.” James included himself in this, and there were certainly times when he said the wrong thing. James then compared the power of the tongue to the power of a bit in a horse’s mouth or a ship’s rudder. If we take the analogy of the church being the body of Christ, the teacher/preacher can be considered the tongue. As such, the preacher has the power to guide the whole body (like a ship’s rudder or a horse’s bit) but also the power to “corrupt the whole body” (James 3:6). False teachers and false prophets have been a problem throughout history, a corrupting influence on the people of God in the Old Testament and in the church. In the modern era, we can see it in the sordid history of televangelists and morally flawed megachurch pastors (as well as some morally flawed but less prominent pastors). Power of any kind can easily go the head. And yet teachers are still necessary. James himself, in spite of past failures, was continuing to teach through this letter. Teachers are necessary, but teachers need to be warned to teach with humility, fear, and trembling, very aware of the judgement of God.

James also talked of the corrupting power of the tongue generally. He said it is virtually untameable, “a restless evil, full of deadly poison” (James 3:7-8). James then suggested that what comes out of the mouth reflects what is inside the person. This reflects Jesus’ teaching. Jesus said, “What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them” (Matthew 15:11), adding that what comes out of the mouth originates in the evil in people’s hearts (Matthew 15:18-19). Jesus also said, “No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit…A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of” (Luke 6:43-45). Jesus also said, “Watch out for false prophets.…By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit” (Matthew 7:15-20). James used a very similar image: “Can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs?” (James 3:11).

This sounds as if the situation is hopeless—the tongue is untameable. But what James actually said is, “No human being can tame the tongue” (James 3:8). What is impossible for human beings is possible with God (Matthew 19:26). In Mark 13:11 and Luke 12:12, Jesus told His followers that they should not worry about what to speak when they were brought to trial because “the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.” Jesus also promised in Acts 1:8: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses.” We cannot tame the tongue, but if God has entered our lives, if His Holy Spirit is redeeming and controlling us, then He can tame the tongue.

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Keep Track of Reading by Tara Randel

Posted on September 9, 2024 by tararandel

Have you ever wondered how many books you read each year? I never really thought about it until the women in my chiropractor’s office were talking about it. It was in January of this year and the doctor was lamenting the fact that she hadn’t had the time in 2023 to keep up with her reading progress. Before that, we frequently suggested books to each other and the office staff. It’s a treat to show up for an appointment and find out which new books and authors everyone loves. The doctor even has a small lending library in her office to take or exchange books.

After that visit, I have to admit, I was curious. How many books do I read?

Once I finish a book, I dive into the To Be Read pile next to my bed for my next adventure. I look ahead to new books released by my favorite authors so I can order them in advance. I’m always reading, whether it’s a romance, mystery, thriller, or a combination of these. During my devotional time I read topical Christian books.

So why not discover how many books I read?

As of September 2024, I have read 53 books. This averages out to about six books a month. The most I read in one month was eleven. I don’t have anyone to compare the number with, but as far as I’m concerned, this is pretty normal for me. I’ve always been a big reader and now that I write books, I’m reading all the time.

As I was getting into this concept of recording the books I’ve read, I was on Amazon one day and came across a number of journals you can purchase to log your results. Some keep the number of books read, others are more elaborate including date, name of book and page count. There are logs that look like the library cards that used to be in the back of library books, which is nostalgic for me because I remember those days. You can buy an entire stack if you really want to get into the fun. One book had a graphic of a stack of books where you write in the name of the books you’ve read along the spine. There are bookmarks to record the number. I even saw a pocket-sized book log. Some come with stickers or others have room for you to review the book. The journals are either very basic or very nice hardcovered copies. Yes, I went down a rabbit hole of research.  

I went old school to start, keeping track of books read on a piece of paper. But next year, I’m going to order a journal or the library cards and make a big deal about my progress.

Here’s my challenge to you. Why not plan on keeping track of the books you’ll read in 2025? It’s only a few months away. You can get caught up in searching for different logbooks or journals before the new year so you’re ready to go on January 1. Maybe you’d just like to keep track of your favorite books. Or you can keep it a mystery and not figure out how big of a reader you are. Bottom line, reading is fun, whether you keep track or not. Isn’t that why we love books?

I’ll come back to this topic later this year to record my final tally of books read and to see if you are on board with the journey to keep track of books read. In the meantime, keep reading!

Tara Randel is an award-winning, USA Today bestselling author. Family values, a bit of mystery and of course, love and romance, are her favorite themes, because she believes love is the greatest gift of all. Look for her Harlequin Heartwarming romance, THE SURPRISE NEXT DOOR, available MAY 2025 . For more information about her books, visit Tara at www.tararandel.com. Like her on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/TaraRandelBooks. 

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The Spiritual Journey of John Denver by James R. Coggins

Posted on September 4, 2024 by jrcoggins

“You can talk to God and listen to the casual reply,” John Denver sang in the song “Rocky Mountain High.” What did he mean by that?

Denver was an American singer and songwriter who died in a solo plane crash in 1997. His songs chronicle a spiritual journey, a journey not uncommon for people of my generation.

“Rocky Mountain High,” released in 1972, describes a spiritual awakening when Denver first came to the Colorado mountains, where he later established a home in the ski resort of Aspen. Describing his own experience in the third person, it begins: “He was born in the summer of his 27th year, coming home to a place he’d never been before. He left everything behind him, you might say he was born again, you might say he found the key for every door.” “Born again” is a Christian metaphor, describing what happens when a person becomes a Christian. But Denver meant something else by the term. The Colorado mountains were where he developed a strong love of nature, a love that became for him a type of religion.

The song contains other semi-religious imagery: “His life is full of wonder” and “Now he walks in quiet solitude the forests and the streams, seeking grace in every step he takes.” Grace, of course, is a blessing of God, but for Denver it is a blessing bestowed by nature.

Denver is thus a pantheist. He is in the line of 19th-century “Romantic” poets, who saw God in nature but not God behind nature. It is a line that also includes many modern environmentalists—it is notable that Denver also wrote “Calypso,” a tribute song to environmentalist Jacques-Yves Cousteau.

“Rocky Mountain High” also contains the lines: “And they say that he got crazy once and he tried to touch the sun, and he lost a friend, but kept the memory.” I am not sure at all what he meant by that. It might refer to a personal relationship that we know nothing about. However, for me, it is a good metaphor for Denver’s spiritual journey. Icarus was a figure in Greek mythology who flew too close to the sun (Arrogantly trying to rise too far? Trying to reach the realm of the gods?) and perished. It is clear that Denver had left behind whatever Christian faith there was in his background (most people in that era had some Christian influence in their family history). Although Jesus was no longer his friend, he “kept the memory”—that is, while not a Christian, Denver retained an interest in spirituality, an awareness of God, a conviction that there is a divine presence of some sort.

In “To the Wild Country,” Denver expressed his search: “There are times I fear I lose myself, I don’t know who I am.” He found the answer to his search and his salvation when the “spirit” of the wild country called to him: “To the mountains, I can rest there; to the rivers, I will be strong; to the forests, I’ll find peace there; to the wild country, where I belong.”

Perhaps the clearest expression of Denver’s pantheism came in the song “The Flower that Shattered the Stone.” That song begins, “Earth is our mother,” and goes on to talk of “Our father above us whose sigh is the wind.” Many animist and other religions speak of “Mother Earth.” Christians believe in “Our Father above us whose sigh is the wind,” wind and breath being biblical images of God’s Holy Spirit, but it is unlikely Denver had anything that specific in mind. The line “Like a bright star in Heaven that lights our way home” can be taken literally since mariners and other travellers have used stars as a guide, but it could also be understood by Christians (and some others, possibly including Denver) as referring to the guidance of God in heaven (see 2 Peter 1:19 and Revelation 22:16, for instance). Denver’s pantheism comes out in the line “In the infinite beauty we’re all joined in one.”

The most evocative lines in “The Flower that Shattered the Stone” are: “I reach out before me and look to the sky. Did I hear someone whisper? Did something pass by?” That is the crux of the matter, isn’t it, the key question? Is God a “something,” a vague life force (as celebrated in the Star Wars movies) that is present in everything, or is God a “Someone,” a personal God who created everything and gives everything purpose? Christians believe in the latter; Denver believed in the former.

There is no evidence Denver ever lost his faith in his religion. But after his marriage broke up, he was restless. Looking at his life from the outside, it would seem that he not only never found God, but he also struggled to find himself.

I liked John Denver and admire his songwriting and singing gifts, and I am sad for him.

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What’s Your Story?

Posted on September 3, 2024 by Author Mary Alford

Usually when someone asks us about our story we think about where we’re from. What we do for a living. Our family. And that is our story. . .but God is the one writing it—not us. God has a plan for all humanity and for each of us individually. That plan was formed long before we came into existence.

Throughout the Bible, we see examples of God writing the stories of his people from Abraham and Jacob in the Old Testament to Peter and Paul in the New Testament. Even when each thought they knew what God’s story was for them, or when they were at odds with God and tried to take away the pen, God still made their mistakes work according to His plan. 

Psalm 139:16, says, Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.

God has a purpose in mind for each of our lives and He is always working to shape our will to match His perfect plan for our lives. All we have to do is trust Him!

God is still writing your story, quit trying to steal the pen. Trust the author!

Mary

http://www.maryalford.net

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The Real Story by Nancy J. Farrier

Posted on September 2, 2024 by Nancy J. Farrier
By Rob Lavinsky, iRocks.com

I recently had the privilege of writing a short story slated to be part of a book of short stories. This is my first foray into short fiction, and it was a challenge for me. I enjoyed being part of this project so much.

I’m sure you’ve heard it said that each story an author writes contains a bit of themselves within the words. That is true of the short story I wrote. I thought I would let you know the story behind the story.

Back in the 1960s, when I was around ten-years-old, I was walking home and found a brooch in the gutter. The brooch was beautiful, with a stone that looked like a ruby. My birthstone is the ruby, which I knew at that age. I loved that piece so much.

Hurrying home that day, I showed the pin to my mother. She told me I should take the jewelry back and as at the closest house where I found it. Instead, I hid it away in a box and eventually forgot I had the brooch.

Years later, I tried to find the people who lived in that house. I wanted to see if the pin belonged to them. The woman who lived there had died. I didn’t find any of her family or a way to return the brooch.

When we decided on the topic of a piece of jewelry or a gemstone, my thoughts went to that brooch. I thought of a what ifscenario and Hidden Truth came to life in my head and then on paper. 

Our book, The Jeweler’s Heart, released September 1st. I hope people enjoy these short stories about the history behind the gems the jeweler finds. This is a great way to try out some new authors. I hope you enjoy.

The Jeweler’s Heart

Ben and Marnie Pearson never intended to start a jewelry collection. But when they were given a box of leftover jewelry at an estate sale, they were intrigued by the colorful contents . . .

The sparkling jewels featured in this collection may have been passed down through generations or discovered accidentally, but each has its own unique story. From diamonds to emeralds, opals to rubies, these stones have witnessed it all.

Here in The Jeweler’s Heart are their fascinating tales told by several of the talented writers of ChiLibris. For fans of inspirational fiction and heartwarming tales, The Jeweler’s Heart is a treasure.

Includes stories by Gayle Roper, Stephanie Grace Whitson, Veronica Heley, Robin Lee Hatcher, Tracy Higley, Amanda Dykes, Cara Putman, James Scott Bell, Susan Meissner, Sunni Jeffers, Louise M. Gouge, Angela Hunt, D’Ann Mateer, Amy Wallace, Janet Chester Bly, Kate Angelo, Lenora Worth, and Nancy J. Farrier.

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The Obedient Farewell by Julie Arduini

Posted on August 30, 2024 by juliearduini

This is me last month, helping at a color run activity while serving at Special Touch Summer Getaway Ohio, a camp for those with disabilities. I was in my glory because not only was I with my family and friends, but I also made lots of new friends.

I also was able to combine serving, mentoring, speaking and writing. My favorite things!

In the last year, things have shifted where my serving has increased and my writing decreased. It’s a blessing because my heart is to mentor and challenge readers to move forward in Christ’s freedom. As I’ve done so, I’ve realized this season needs more of my time and focus.

In obedience, I resigned from youth ministry, an assignment I’ve loved for probably a decade. I love being around young people and I believe God gave me a desire to mentor and pray for them because I was that age when I walked away from religion and felt I had to navigate life on my own terms. I never want anyone to feel that’s their only option or even their best one. Jesus truly is the Way, the Truth, and Life!

Now I know that out of Godly obedience, it is time to say goodbye to my rotation here. I believe Vicki, our founder and leader, and I were the remaining members from the original team. In the time I’ve blogged here I believe my youngest not only started school, but graduated! She’s now a junior in college. Our three children are now married, and there are five grandchildren!

I started out not only unpublished, but new. I blogged and had writing credits with several anthologies. I leave published with Surrendering Time (Entrusted, Entangled, Engaged) Surrendering Stinkin’ Thinkin’ co-authored with my daughter, Hannah (You’re Beautiful, You’re Amazing, You’re Brilliant), stand-alone novellas Match Made in Heaven and Restoring Christmas.

My latest series, Surrendering Hearts, features the Hart sextuplets and their quest to find a love like their parents shared. Each sibling will have their own book, and two are available, Anchored Hearts is Jordyn’s story, and Ryan has Repairing Hearts. I’m working on Evan’s story, Building Hearts, now.

I also have two small-town romance novellas coming out as part of a multi-author project in 2025 and 2026. I’d love for you to follow me so you can stay in the loop!

It has been an absolute honor to write for Christians Read.

God bless each of you!

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The Garden Tomb – “Peace be still!”

Posted on August 30, 2024 by dtopliff

I’ve been blessed to be inside Jerusalem’s Garden Tomb several times. I’ve seen the extra space hollowed out to accommodate a man of taller than average height. Stillness and darkness ruled in that place for three days while guards stood outside to make sure nothing changed. Except they could not stop life from emerging, or darkness becoming light.

Death can’t stop life. Nothing can stop a living seed from pushing sprouts up or sending anchoring roots down. We’ve all seen sidewalks or driveways where insistent plants pop up through cracks and with sunshine and rain, grow big enough to open those cracks wider until the covering cement may entirely crumble with time. Below is the Crown of Thorns on the Ceiling of the Church of the Flagellation on the Via Dolorosa.

I have an inspiring pastor friend. Steve Ruetschle, who at age forty, suffered a motorcycle accident that almost killed him. He is legally a quadriplegic, but he and his loving family pushed back and didn’t accept that. Although he still has no nerve feeling,  today with great effort and dogged determination, he is capable of walking short distances and pastors and preaches heart-stirring sermons. He practices “minute prayers” to maintain peace. He inhales the Lord’s word “Peace” and exhales “be still” on waking and at many other opportune times during the day.

The Lord may give you other phrases, but “minute prayers” work. The Pharisees were known for long-winded prayers with many words. The sinner simply prayed, “Lord, be merciful to me, a sinner,” and he was heard.

Maintaining peace is as simple as breathing. And breathing is essential to life.

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Faith and Deeds by James R. Coggins

Posted on August 28, 2024 by jrcoggins

James 2:14-26 is the reason 16th-century Protestant Reformer Martin Luther dismissed the book of James as “an epistle of straw.” In this passage, James stated, “Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead (verse 17) and “A person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone” (verse 24). Luther rejected this book because it seems to contradict Luther’s great discovery of “justification by faith alone.”

James here said that faith has to be put into action. Was he saying that people are partly justified by works? No, but he was saying that faith is shown to be real by what we do.

The dilemma is partly resolved by considering what faith is. It is not a mere opinion or an intellectual conclusion. (As James said in verse 19, demons believe in the existence of the one true God but are still His enemies.) Rather, faith is a commitment. And a commitment means nothing unless it is acted upon. This does not mean that we are perfect. James suggested Abraham and Rahab as believers who acted on their faith. But Abraham is recorded as having lied on occasion, and his treatment of Hagar was far from exemplary. Rahab was a prostitute and hardly perfect.

What James said here is not that different from what the writer of Hebrews (perhaps Paul) said in the great “faith” chapter: “By faith Abel brought God a better offering…Noah…built an ark…Abraham…obeyed and went…Moses…chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin [and others] conquered kingdoms, administered justice…and escaped the edge of the sword…” (Hebrews 11).

Years ago, when I was a university student, there was a young man in our dorm who claimed to be a Christian but was sleeping regularly with his girlfriend. He said he knew it was sinful but was confident he would be forgiven on the basis of 1 John 1:9: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” He assumed he could go on sinning as much as he liked and God would have to overlook it as long as he claimed to be a Christian and asked for forgiveness. 

Paul, in his exposition of justification by faith, said, “Why not say—as some slanderously claim that we say—‘Let us do evil that good may result’? Their condemnation is just!” (Romans 3:8) and “Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means!” (Romans 6:1). He also said “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows” (Galatians 6:7). The writer of Hebrews was even more forceful: “It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age and who have fallen away, to be brought back to repentance. To their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again” (Hebrews 6:4-6).

We who sin can be forgiven. We can be saved by God’s grace. But when we presume upon God’s grace, we are not being faithful, we are not demonstrating faith. We are demonstrating that we are rebellious and not committed to God at all.

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Viewer Discretion Is Advised by James R. Coggins

Posted on August 21, 2024 by jrcoggins

When you’re watching television, have you ever encountered a warning such as this: “This program contains violence, coarse language, nudity, and mature subject matter. It may not be suitable for all ages. Viewer discretion is advised”?

Of course, you have. It comes on just before almost every program. Even the news.

Since it comes on before almost every program, what is the point? Why not just post one warning on the TV itself (“The programs on this television contain…”) and be done with it? Why bother to warn people if the problems are so widespread that viewers should know by now what is coming anyway?

The answer is that this way the networks and streaming services don’t have to do anything to clean up the violence, coarse language, etc. It is much easier to just post the warning and not do anything else or even think about the harm they are doing. If you don’t like it, you can’t say you weren’t warned.

As a Christian, as a parent and grandparent, and as a citizen, I am concerned about this situation.

But as a writer, I am also concerned about something else. I think many TV programs (and movies too) should with a warning like this: “This program contains hackneyed script writing, unbelievable characters, stilted and hokey dialogue, derivative plots, predictable endings, overused clichés, token characters (blacks, gays, hypocritical Christians), woke propaganda, and a lot more that you are not going to enjoy. But you can’t say we didn’t warn you.”  

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