Today’s post comes from author Susan Spess, and Susan touches on the difficulty of naming her new book and her love for the “golden rule” in Matthew 7:12. Welcome, Susan Spess!
I had a difficult time naming my storybook town. First, I thought, Skinner, and then another unworthy suggestion, but my critique partners weren’t pleased with the names. So, I threw out “Jordan Valley.”
Yes!
They loved it.
But the name wasn’t original to me. It’s what my hometown was called a long time ago.
From okhistory.org: Before the Cherokee Outlet Opening on September 16, 1893, John W. Jordan as well as other Cherokee had taken allotments in the outlet. Soon after the opening, Jordan and others formed the Jordan Valley Townsite Company.
I’ve lived here (off and on) since I was five years old. I’ve read that my town had tons of saloons and brothels before statehood when oil was discovered, and men flocked in to work in the oilfields.
My hometown isn’t like that anymore. We have very few bars and no brothels! And we have lots of churches.
In ROUNDUP, Mitch puts his life on the line when Jessie’s horse, Buck, falls, and her foot is stuck through the stirrup. Afterward, his family takes Jessie home with them and gives her a place to live and work while Buck heals.
While she’s there, they introduce her to Christ by living for Him.
That always makes me think of the first scripture (or partial scripture) I learned. “Do unto others . . .” The Golden Rule says:
So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.
Matthew 7:12, NIV
I really like how The Message translates the Golden Rule: Here is a simple, rule-of-thumb guide for behavior: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you, then grab the initiative and do it for them. Add up God’s Law and Prophets, and this is what you get.
Mitch Tanner, his red-headed brothers, and his mother live as true Christians, doing what Jesus said. Loving and sharing, they gently lead Jessie to Jesus, but they don’t force her.
That’s the essence of the Christian life, isn’t it?
Check out Susan Spess’s book, Jordan Valley Roundup!
While barrel racing to earn enough to pay her uncle’s debts, Jessie Cobler’s horse falls. She cries out to God, certain she’s about to die, but the quick action of Mitch Tanner saves her life. She accepts an offer to stay on the cowboy’s family’s ranch so she and her horse can rest and heal. It’s the perfect place to hide from those who threaten to tear her dreams apart.
Bull rider Mitch Tanner is determined to earn professional status to honor his deceased father, but running a ranch and helping with his younger siblings leaves time for little else. Having Jessie on the ranch is a distraction he can’t afford. After all, he doesn’t have time for love.
As Mitch and Jesse work together to rescue abused animals will Mitch discover there’s more to life than earning a status? Will he be able to help heal Jesse’s broken heart and spirit and lead her to the Lord?
Today’s guest post comes from author M. Jean Pike. It’s a delight to hear about her love for the parable of the Prodigal Son and learn a bit about her upcoming book release. Welcome, Jean!
Think you’ve run too far away for God to find you? Think you’ve messed up too badly this time to ever be forgiven? Think you’ve come to the end of God’s grace? Sweet friend, you haven’t. All those sins and shortcomings, all those terrible mistakes? Jesus paid the price for every one of them. Because his love for you is unfathomable.
I’ve always loved the parable of the Prodigal Son. I love the father, watching and waiting for his son to return home, and finally, seeing him far off in the distance, he runs to meet him. That’s how our heavenly Father is. As badly as you want to reconcile with Him, he wants that even more.
So, I wanted to write a story on this theme, a story that would offer hope to God’s wayward children. And hopefully, in some small way, encourage them to come home.
he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. 11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; 12 as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
Psalm 103: 10-14
Lord, help me to be mindful of your unfathomable love. Help me to live in a way that honors and glorifies You. And when I fail, give me the courage to seek Your forgiveness and start again. In Jesus name.
A little about M. Jean Pike’s new book, The Little Things
A decade ago, Rochelle Delany made a decision that changed her life forever. Wanting more than just football games and potluck suppers, she boarded a bus for California and didn’t look back. But instead of a glamorous life, she became trapped in a nightmare of labor trafficking. Now, she’s made a daring escape and returns home to Ohio.
Sandy Fairbrother has a problem with trust. Twice betrayed, he now puts his faith only in God. He’s a single dad doing his best to grow his construction business and raise his young son. But haunted by an impulsive kiss Rochelle gave him fifteen years ago, her unexpected return has him rethinking things. He’s been given a second chance to win her heart. And this time, he plans to succeed.
Safe for the first time in years, Rochelle slowly begins to rebuild her life. But when her past catches up with her, she finds herself desperately in need of help from the man she rejected, and the God she’s forgotten how to pray to.
A little more about M. Jean Pike:
Changing seasons. Unexpected blessings. Love that lasts forever. These are a few of M. Jean Pike’s favorite things. With a writing career that has spanned two decades, Jean combines an insatiable curiosity about humans and why they do what they do with a keen interest in the quirky and offbeat things in life to bring readers unforgettable tales of life, love, and the inner workings of the human heart. You can find M. Jean Pike on her website. You can order her book on Amazon or directly from the publisher, Pelican Book Group.
I am thankful for the three fathers in my life. My dad has always been my greatest cheerleader and a man of stability and love. His love for me made it easy to see God the Father as my loving creator. I’m thankful to God that He gave me my dad.
My husband is wise and gentle, showing me his love in a million small ways. I love to watch him with our children and listen to him preach the Word. Finding him every morning sitting in the same chair with his bible open on his lap is a blessing beyond my ability to communicate. I’m thankful to God that He brought us together.
“Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.”
1 Corinthians 16:13
I’m thankful that both these men, in their own unique ways, have illustrated the unconditional love of God my Father. I’m thankful for a Father in heaven who pursues me, loves me, and promises to always be with me.
On Mother’s Day, we honour mothers. It is a beautiful celebration of this gift from God called parenthood. We say happy Mother’s Day because mothering to the glory of God is difficult but marvelous.
Here are the three that made me a mom and the two moms God gave me.
But Mother’s Day can be painful for many, so I also hold space for those who have lost a mother, long to be a mother, never got to hold their little one, or have lost a child. God sees you, loves you, and knows you.
Happy Mother’s Day to all spiritual mothers reaping eternal rewards for the kingdom.
You only have to watch the news once to know that we live on a fallen planet, a planet filled with darkness and suffering. It’s easy to become overwhelmed by the amount of evil in the world, especially as it seems to be flourishing. So, what are we to do? Stop watching the news is one way to combat the “darkness fatigue,” and that’s not a terrible strategy. If you’re like me, however, you want to keep up with world events. Personally, I have compromised by cutting back on the number of times I watch news programs, from every day to only a couple of times a week.
Another strategy is to watch the news with a different perspective—to observe events unfolding and consider how they might line up with Biblical prophecy or God’s unfolding plans for humanity. And to watch with a deep desire and commitment to pray for the people involved in the stories being told—both victims and perpetrators—as well as for wisdom for world leaders and all those in authority. Ultimately, we pray for peace and justice, even as we know that perfect peace and justice will only be achieved when Christ returns.
My latest romantic suspense series, two sparrows for a penny, delves into one of the darkest issues prevalent today—human sex trafficking. Although this is a difficult topic to read—and write—about, it is an important one for us to be aware of and to be thinking and talking about. After all, unless we acknowledge the existence and extent of the darkness, we cannot comprehend the healing, redemptive power of the light.
The series title comes from Matthew 10:29, “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care.” And that is the theme of these books, that God sees these precious women (and some men and children). He has not abandoned them. He loves and cherishes them and, one day, He promises that perfect judgment will be meted out against those who perpetrate such evil against the weak, the vulnerable, and the exploited.
Join me in praying for that day, and for all those caught up in this heinous practice, that they might personally experience the truth of John 1:5, that “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
Sara Davison is a Word, Cascade, and two-time Carol Award winner of romantic suspense. She resides in Ontario with her husband, Michael, and their three mostly grown kids. Like every good Canadian, she loves coffee, hockey, poutine, and apologizing for no particular reason. Get to know Sara better at www.saradavison.org
