The Prince and the Prodigal is the story of a relationship between two of twelve brothers. Judah is the fourth son of Jacob’s wife Leah. Joseph is the first son of Jacob’s wife, Rachel. Two sisters married to the same man did not make for a rational, loving family!

These two men whose stories are captured in the pages of Scripture, have captivated me for many years for very different reasons. I’ve had people tell me how much they love Joseph. And what’s not to love about him? Some may think he was a bit spoiled, and he was. But for the most part, Joseph grew to be a man of great honor who suffered much along the way. The brothers who should have had his back, sold him into slavery. The master who trusted him completely, put him in prison on the whims of his lying, cheating wife. And the man he helped while in that prison forgot all about him when he was finally free. Yet through it all, Joseph remained true to his God and did not compromise his integrity. We can easily see why he is so highly revered and loved even today.

And yet, it is Judah who intrigues me more. Judah, who had the bright idea to sell Joseph in the first place. Judah, who ran away from home for twenty-two years because…well, Scripture doesn’t tell us why. But I’m guessing he had a hard time facing his grief-stricken father day after day after day. Especially when he knew his father’s grief was his fault.

Most of Judah’s life is one chapter in the greater part of Joseph’s biblical saga, but I found a lot happening in that chapter. What was his life really like during his prodigal years? How did he end up with two abusive sons? Who was this daughter-in-law whom he slept with thinking she was a prostitute?

The truth is, I empathize with Judah. Not because of all the things he did wrong. I loved the redemptive quality of his story when he, like the prodigal son in Jesus’ parable, came to his senses and returned to his father, Jacob. We know he returned because he was with his brothers years later when they went to Egypt for food.

And that’s where Joseph’s and Judah’s stories collide. How does a man of integrity who has been betrayed by this brother ever forgive what he’s done? There is beauty in Joseph’s anguish over whether to trust Judah or any of his brothers again.

Yet the sacrificial love of Judah, which came through in the end, is what touched me most. For a person to change so drastically, there must be a significant emotional event that causes that change. The Bible tells me that I can’t change on my own. It is the Spirit of the Lord that transforms the human heart and makes us new people. People willing to love unconditionally. People willing to give, to surrender ourselves for the one we love. I saw that in Judah.

Often today, I’m confronted with Judah-like prodigal stories. It’s a common tale that finds its place in many homes. I’m not often confronted with men and women who hold the caliber of Joseph’s integrity. I wish I were. And I wish I’d had Joseph’s honorable qualities when I was his age. But like Joseph and Judah, I’m a work in progress. Even Jacob had to learn to let go and trust God after so much loss. We are never too old to learn and grow and change. Thankfully, by God’s grace, we can.

At the end of Jacob’s life, he blessed each of his sons. Joseph received a double portion, while Judah was given the line of royalty. If we look at this story from a human perspective, we might think that God should have blessed Joseph with the royal line that led to Jesus. But it was Judah who received that grace.

This tale of two brothers taught me much. Both men had a lot of growing in faith to do before they were ready to meet again. Both men needed forgiveness and a forgiving heart. Love didn’t come easily for the sons of Jacob. I daresay that in the end, Joseph and Judah were probably closer than the others. I can almost see a look of understanding and acceptance pass between them at a family gathering. A secret bond they now shared. Something I think they both longed for and finally found.

About the Author

Jill Eileen Smith is the bestselling and award-winning author of the biblical fiction series The Wives of King David, Wives of the Patriarchs and Daughters of the Promised Land, as well as The Heart of a King, Star of Persia: Esther’s Story and Miriam’s Song. She is also the author of the nonfiction books When Life Doesn’t Match Your Dreams and She Walked Before Us. Her research into the lives of biblical women has taken her from the Bible to Israel, and she particularly enjoys learning how women lived in Old Testament times. Jill lives with her family in southeast Michigan. Learn more at www.jilleileensmith.com.

About the Book

Joseph is the pampered favorite son of the patriarch Jacob. His older brothers, deeply resentful of his status in the family, take advantage of the chance to get rid of him, selling him to slave traders and deceiving their father about his fate. It seems like their troubles are over. But for Joseph and older brother Judah, they are just beginning. After decades apart, the brothers will come face-to-face in a stunning role reversal. Will forgiveness or vengeance win the day?

Did You Know?

Studies show that COVID’s negative impact on the population will be longstanding. Even prior to the variants, experts predicted a future wave of mental health crises caused by ongoing insecurity, unemployment, isolation and physical disease burdens.

Addressing needs will prove challenging because one in five health care professionals have left their career. As a result, despair might easily become a pandemic of a different sort. So, how can we safeguard ourselves and our loved ones from losing hope?

• Meditate on truth. The news thrives on topics that breed fear, so spend less time focusing on headlines and more time focusing on God’s truth about who He is and the promises He makes to His children. Here are three examples: He will never leave us (Matthew 28:20). He surrounds us with victory songs (Psalm 32:7). Nothing separates us from His love (Romans 8:35-39). Replacing fearful thoughts with truth brings hope for a good outcome under God’s control.
• Be aware. Our problems sometimes loom large, block our vision and prevent us from noticing when others around us are hurting. Let’s ask the Holy Spirit to open our eyes to see those who need a smile, a word of encouragement or a helping hand.
• Be available. Let’s invite the Holy Spirit to interrupt our schedule as necessary for others’ good. Let’s make loving others our priority and trust the Lord with our time and to-do list.

Hope in God and His promises is our defense against despair. Let’s both cling to it and share it with others.

–Grace Fox, Keeping Hope Alive

Why I LOVE My Local Christian Bookstore

“Shopping in a bookstore feels like visiting a mini-mall that only has things I love: books, gifts and friendly clerks who can speak book with me. And they usually know my name.”

–Lena Nelson Dooley, Love Is Patient

by Toni Shiloh

Writing a story about a fictional princess and heir to the throne in a fictional country isn’t as easy as you may think. Sure, some readers might believe that because I’m the author I have an automatic license to create the world as I wish. However, I wanted my novel, In Search of a Prince, to be realistic so when a reader reads the story, they will finish with the belief that the events could truly be possible.

What I didn’t imagine was developing my own kinship with Brielle Adebayo. I know that’s surprising. At least it was to me. I’ve developed some connection with each character I’ve drafted. But with Brielle, there was a depth I hadn’t anticipated. You see, being an African American living in the United States makes the vast continent of Africa seem otherworldly. There is an allure that begs an interest and a connection, if only to understand where our ancestors come from. It was partly for this reason that I chose Nigerian influences for my fictional world. As I’ve been one of many to jump on the bandwagon and do an ancestry test, I now know the biggest majority of my makeup is from Nigeria and the western region of Africa at large, just to name a couple of places.

It’s with that thought that I put myself in Brielle Adebayo’s shoes. How does she feel to know she truly has a connection to Africa? I imagined her wide-eyed wonder as she stepped foot onto the island and met the other half of her family.

Exploring her ethnicity and the emotions around the knowledge allowed my imagination to run free. I believed that writing the royal aspects of her heritage would be more difficult, but that’s when I turned to my faith.

Romans 8:17 tells us, “And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together” (KJV). According to the Bible, I’m an heir to the kingdom of God. I should look to heaven for my citizenship and not the earthly place of my birth. These urgings from the writers of the Bible allow me a difference in perspective and a tiny sliver of an idea of what Brielle went through when deciding if she would ascend the throne.

Could she ignore her heart desires for the good of her country? Can I ignore my personal wants for the betterment of others? They may not be questions one equates as having similarities, but while writing In Search of a Prince, I found myself seeing just how similar they really are. In the end, I came to want the same things as Brielle. For God’s will to be supreme and to follow where He leads.

Writing fictional characters often gives the writer the ability to walk a mile in another’s shoes. As the readers navigate the world the authors have created, they’re able to empathize with another’s plight as well. Compassion is grown, sympathy is harvested, and it’s my hope that we close the book with the insight to become better humans.

About the Author

Toni Shiloh is a wife, mom and Christian contemporary romance author. A native of Texas, she now lives in northern Virginia. Her latest release, In Search of a Prince, received a starred review from Library Journal. Learn more at http://tonishiloh.com.

About the Book

Everything changes for schoolteacher Brielle Adebayo when her mom drops a bombshell—Brielle is really a princess in the island kingdom of Ọlọrọ Ilé, off the coast of Africa. Now she must not only assume her royal position but also marry before her coronation.

When I was a little girl, I wanted to be a ballerina. And a protozoologist, but that’s a story for another day.

My younger sister and I were blessed to be able to take ballet lessons for over ten years. Although I wasn’t talented enough or dedicated enough to consider a career in ballet, the training and experiences infused my life. It was only a matter of time until they infused one of my novels.

Since Paris is the birthplace of ballet, it seemed only fitting that the heroine of my latest novel, Until Leaves Fall in Paris, would be a ballerina. American Lucie Girard dances with the Paris Opéra Ballet, at that time under the leadership of ballet master Serge Lifar, a renowned dancer and choreographer who brought the Paris Opéra Ballet back to its prime.

As the Germans advance on Paris in 1940, Lucie buys her favorite English-language bookstore so that the Jewish owners can escape. This means she must resign from the ballet. But ballet remains who she is. She moves like a ballerina, thinks in ballet terms, and even puts on her pointe shoes when she performs puppet shows at Children’s Hour at Green Leaf Books.

While I was writing this novel, my own memories flooded back of my years at Lucille McClure’s School of Ballet in Whittier, California. Miss McClure took ballet seriously and expected all her students to do likewise. Talking in class earned a look of withering disapproval, but we also caught her quiet amusement at our antics.

She was what we now call “old school.” Her girls could only wear black leotards, pink tights, and pink Capezio slippers, and our hair had to be secured. When we earned the right to wear pointe shoes, the toes had to be darned by hand by us—not our mothers—and we were not allowed to stuff the toes with cushioning lamb’s wool. She wanted us to feel the floor. Boy, did we.

Ballet meant blistered toes and hard work and repetitious barre exercises. But it also meant the pure joy of moving with the music, of creating beauty, of spinning and leaping and performing.

What Miss McClure made very clear was that there was no path to the joy of dancing well without the pain and work and repetition. That discipline trained our muscles and our minds and our spirits, and over time, it made the most difficult move look effortless.

In Until Leaves Fall in Paris, I was able to explore all this through Lucie. Through her, I was able to feel the excitement of a string of chaîné turns, the billowing up of an arabesque, and the exhilaration of a grand jeté.

Lucie has never had a problem applying discipline to ballet, which she loves. But in the course of the story, she has to learn to apply it to the business of running a bookstore—and as Lucie says, “Numbers didn’t sing as words did. They didn’t dance like leaves and music. Numbers stood silent and rigid. Horrible, inscrutable things.” Through her friendship with the hero, Paul Aubrey, an engineer and businessman and a man of numbers, she becomes disciplined in these new matters and reaps the fruit.

My years in ballet changed me. The way I carry myself and the way I move. The way I feel music deep in my muscles. And the way I’ve learned to push through the pain and the boredom to do what must be done.

Because the joy lies on the other side.

About the Author

Sarah Sundin is an ECPA-bestselling author of World War II novels, including Until Leaves Fall in Paris. Her novels When Twilight Breaks and The Land Beneath Us were Christy Award finalists, and The Sky Above Us received the 2020 Carol Award. Sarah lives in northern California. www.sarahsundin.com.

About the Book

As the Nazis march toward Paris in 1940, American ballerina Lucie Girard buys her favorite English-language bookstore to allow the Jewish owners to escape. Widower Paul Aubrey wants nothing more than to return to the States with his little girl, but the US Army convinces him to keep his factory running and obtain military information from his German customers. After they meet in the bookstore, Paul and Lucie are drawn to each other, but for Paul to win her trust would mean betraying his mission.

Did You Know?

In the mid-1990s, newspapers thrived. But currently, papers have taken a hit with more readers finding their news on the internet or television. With the advent of smartphones, a person can pull up an article in seconds. It seems like our craving for instant news has put the average newspaper in jeopardy.

• In 2004, newspaper circulation nationwide was 50 million daily and 72 million non-daily.
• In 2019, newspaper circulation was 28 million daily and 40 million non-daily. This makes for a whopping 54 million decrease in readership.
• 3,142 U.S. counties have no local paper.
• 500 newspapers in rural areas have closed since 2004.

But the good news is that 25 percent of Americans have high trust levels from local news sources. Citizens and publishers want to see the local paper succeed because it unifies political and governmental leaders to initiate discussion among citizens.

–Carol Grace Stratton, Deep End of the Lake

Why I LOVE My Local Christian Bookstore

“Independent bookstores display unique regional character and personality—and physical books! In this digital age, it’s refreshing to rub shoulders with other readers, run fingers across a tempting title, and feel the weight of a book in your hands.”

–Sydney Avey, The Sheep Walker’s Daughter

For most of us, there will be a season of caregiving in which we put aside our typical days, weeks, months, or even years to attend to the needs of a loved one. Years ago, when my oldest four children were small, my grandmother moved onto our farm. She was in her nineties and experiencing failing health. That time with her is something I treasure, an honor to have been able to give a little something back to the woman who gave her all for me. But the aging process is not always so beautiful. My father passed away a few years ago after a battle with Parkinson’s, especially struggling with Lewy Body Dementia. The time I was able to spend with him was sometimes sweet and other times, devastating.

When I put a story together, I’m often thinking about the struggles readers may be facing in their lives. I want my words to minister to them in their hard times, to encourage them in joy, and to help them better understand the trials being faced by those around them. It’s because of this, I felt it was important to share a story that revolves around a season of caregiving.

In writing Shaped by the Waves, I drew from my experiences with both my father and my grandmother, and then I added a mystery for fun. I wanted to share some of the deep blessings that are possible during end-of-life care, while never shying away from the heartbreak and need for support. I chose Parkinson’s Disease because there are so many aspects of this terrible illness I hadn’t expected, the top of those being Lewy Body Dementia.

For my dad, this sometimes meant he was back in the horrifying experience of Vietnam. On other occasions, he suffered from paranoia and hallucinations. It was heartbreaking, and I felt like there was nothing I could do to ease the pain. There are so many ways our loved ones can slip away, but when the mind goes before the body, it can feel like you are losing them not once, but twice.

It’s too much to do alone. In Shaped by the Waves, Cassie has to learn how to share her burden. For some of us, this is a powerful challenge. And yet, we are not meant to do life alone. God blesses us with community through our friends, churches, and support groups.

Sitting on the other side of my own personal losses, I see the beauty brought into my life by my grandmother and my father, as well as those who stepped up with support during those seasons. And though I still miss them both, I am grateful for the blessings they left with me. We can get stuck worrying about the end, but let’s not forget to celebrate the love and the laughter.

I hope you’ll join Cassie as she navigates this new world with the help of her Gull’s Bay community. I believe you’ll find a great deal of encouragement within the pages.

About the Author

Christina Suzann Nelson is an inspirational speaker and Christy Award-winning author of The Way It Should Be. She’s passionate about faith, family, foster care, and fiction that brings hope to its readers. In her off time, she works with the Every Child Initiative, chases escaped farm animals, hikes with her dogs, and enjoys her time with her husband and six kids.

About the Book

Cassie George is barely staying above water as she works to get her doctorate and raise her daughter. But when she’s forced to return home, she receives a mysterious package, full of typed pages that tell the story of an anonymous woman’s life. As her curiosity sends her on a journey toward truth, Cassie will discover that who she thought she was and what she wants for her life are both about to change.

Did You Know?

Valentine’s Day isn’t just for sweethearts! The love shared between “kindred spirits” or “bosom friends,” as Anne Shirley would say, is worth celebrating, too. Did you know:

• Anne of Green Gables was the first novel L.M. Montgomery ever wrote. When Montgomery finished it in 1905, it was rejected by every publisher she sent it to. Finally in 1907, it was accepted for publication by the Page Company of Boston.
• Since it was first published in 1908, Anne of Green Gables has sold more than 50 million copies around the world.
• The widespread popularity of Anne of Green Gables in Japan is thanks to translator Hanako Muraoka, who first received a copy of the book from Canadian missionary Loretta Shaw in 1939. Muraoka secretly translated the book during World War II, though English was considered the “language of the enemy” at the time.
• A first-edition copy of Anne of Green Gables sold at a Sotheby’s auction in 2009 for $37,500. When it was first published, it cost $1.50.
• Anne of Green Gables: The Musical earned the Guinness World Record for “longest running annual musical theatre production” in 2014, which marked its 50^th consecutive season.

My newest novel, Drawn by the Current, features a kindred spirit friendship between two women in their twenties, who start an Anne of Green Gables Fan Club. Be sure to tell your own friends how much you love them today.

–Jocelyn Green, Drawn by the Current

Why I LOVE My Local Christian Bookstore

“I like to shop in bookstores because I love to see the books in person and thumb through them. I also enjoy seeing the gift items they carry.”

–Kimberly Rose Johnson, Island Refuge

What inspired you to write Puppy Dog Devotions?

Fellow author Michelle Medlock Adams and I have been friends for nearly 20 years. We’ve always wanted to write a book together, and we pretty much knew from the start it would likely have something to do with dogs. After all, we both love Jesus and dogs, so it seemed like a natural fit. After Michelle completed her Dinosaur Devotions (Tommy Nelson, 2018), we decided we wanted to do a similar project with dogs. We spent several months at the beginning of the pandemic working on the project. Puppy Dog Devotions: 75 Fun Fido Facts, Bible Truths, and More! debuted in May 2021 with Iron Stream Media. Our goal was to create a good, solid devotional with some doggy facts and trivia thrown in for good measure. I think it’s the perfect devotional for dog lovers of all ages, but it’s aimed at teens and tweens.

How did you research or plan your book?

Michelle and I started this project by each calling dibs on certain dogs. We each chose our favorites and compared lists. Fortunately there wasn’t much overlap. Once we had determined which dogs would be included in the book, we established an outline for what each devotion would include. Since it was always planned to be similar to Michelle’s Dinosaur Devotions, there wasn’t much debate about that either. Then we began collecting information about the various breeds we had chosen and brainstormed together on some of the spiritual lessons we saw in each. After that, it was just a matter of compiling our work.

One interesting thing about this book is that we talked my then 88-year-old dad into doing the spot art for each devotion. His name appears on the cover of the book along with ours as the illustrator. I loved having my dad work on this project with me, and I’m beyond proud of him for having his first published artwork at age 89. (He’s turned 90 since the book came out.)

What do you hope readers will take away from your book?

I hope readers will find Puppy Dog Devotions to be a source of information and good biblical counsel. The Christian walk, although certainly worth the effort, is not always easy. Lessons learned from our canine friends can help us navigate some of those tough times. At a minimum, it definitely provides food for thought.

What sparked your interest in this topic?

Well, I’m a dog lover, and I love Jesus. I figure any book that combines my two favorite things is a win. And getting to write it with my friend and co-author Michelle Medlock Adams is a bonus.

What is your work schedule like when you’re writing a book?

I’m pretty much a night owl now that I no longer teach school. I don’t do mornings unless I absolutely have to. It isn’t uncommon for me to start working on a project about 8:00 in the evening and work into the wee hours of the morning.

Do you have any writing quirks or quirky habits when you’re on deadline?

I often refer to myself as a “reluctant writer.” I am not driven to write the way many of my writer friends are. Occasionally an idea will strike me, and I’ll work on it for a while and then put it away. Sometimes it’s years before I get back to it. But the one thing that ensures I’ll get the job done is a deadline. Once I give my agent, an editor, or a publisher my word that I’ll finish a particular project by a certain date, I do pretty much whatever I have to do to complete it. I can always hear my dad’s voice in my head saying, “If you tell someone you’re going to do something, you make sure you do it.” I wouldn’t want to let him down, so I make it a practice to meet my deadlines.

How has technology changed your writing?

I turned in my first submission at age twelve. I hadn’t learned to type yet, so I asked the typing teacher in my junior high school if she could help. She gave extra credit to one of her typing students to type out my manuscript. I still have it. It was typed on a manual typewriter using carbon paper so I’d have a copy. I did learn to type a couple of years later, but I’ve never been really fast or accurate.

Computers and word processing were just becoming mainstream about the time I was in college. The man I was dating (who later became my husband) was an early adopter who encouraged me to learn to use a computer. Being able to make corrections at any time during the writing process and save the results was life changing. It makes me sound ancient, but how well I remember the days of manual typewriters, carbon paper, and having to erase my mistakes on several pages. If I still had to write that way, I doubt I’d ever get anything finished!

What’s your next project?

My next book comes out in April 2022. Too Many Pigs in the Pool is a STEM picture book about a man, his pool, and a week-long influx of pigs. I mean, seriously, what could possibly go wrong? As the week progresses, number doubles and the days of the week are highlighted, and hilarity ensues.

I’m also excited to announce I recently sold a picture book to End Game Press. The Dog That Gave My Brother Words is about a service dog who helps an autistic boy find his voice. Although I don’t have a release date yet, I can’t wait to share it with the world.

What advice would you give your younger self?

I got my first rejection slip around age 12 or 13. It came with a hand-written note from the editor. If I had known then what I know now, I would never have stopped submitting. Notes from the editor are gold. They let you know your work is almost there. Although I did write a lot throughout my high school and college years, I didn’t really make any effort to get any of it published. If I had kept at it, I would have been well established in my writing career much sooner.

This advice applies to anything really. Whatever you choose to do in life, stick with it. Don’t give up. Keep plugging along, and one of these days everything will fall into place. If God has placed a desire to do something in your heart, He will equip you to complete the tasks ahead.

About the Book

Puppy Dog Devotions blends fun canine facts with a deeper understanding of God’s Word in an interactive and memorable devotional. Each Fido-themed entry encourages readers to begin digging deeper into God’s Word as they uncover fascinating facts about our canine friends. It’s a great devotional for teens, tweens, and dog lovers alike!

Did You Know?

Thousands of American civilians remained in Paris during the Nazi occupation in World War II. When Germany invaded Poland in September 1939, about ten thousand Americans lived in Paris. Before the Nazis invaded France in May 1940, about five thousand returned to the States. Since the US was neutral, American citizens were free to leave during the Nazi occupation. Even so, by the time Germany and the US declared war on each other in December 1941, about two thousand remained in Paris.

• The reasons they remained included business interests, artistic careers, marriage to French citizens, or a sense that France was their true home.
• A variety of institutions supported the expatriates from June 1940 to December 1941, including the American Church, the American Hospital, the American Library, and the American Chamber of Commerce.
• On December 11, 1941, the day Germany and the US declared war, all US citizens were ordered to register. On December 17, 340 American men were interned. Then on September 24, 1942, a further 1400 were interned, including 400 women, all held in internment camps and hotels in France. Over time, some were released and others were repatriated to the United States in exchange for German citizens. The remaining internees were liberated in late 1944 after the Allied invasion.

Despite harsh living conditions and Nazi brutality, these people remained in the City of Lights in its darkest days.

–Sarah Sundin, Until Leaves Fall in Paris

Why I LOVE My Local Christian Bookstore

“I love shopping in bookstores because there’s nothing like the smell and feel of books, connecting with others who love to read, and the hope of finding the perfect story.”

–Sherry Kyle, Love, Lexi: Letters to God

Several years ago, I was doing research for a book and attended a few meetings of alcoholics anonymous. At the time, the group met in the basement of a local church. I sat in the back as members came into the noon meeting wearing suits, sweatpants, dresses and high heels, mechanics coveralls, or blue jeans and flannel shirts. One by one they would stand and introduce themselves and tell how many days sober they were at that time. Some would relate a success or a struggle in their week as others nodded in support or stared down at their hands in uncomfortable silence. Each story was a glimpse into that individual’s journey, and I listened attentively as they shared openly and willingly about their battles, demons, sins, and victories.

Halfway through one meeting, a thin, petite woman in her late fifties or early sixties wearing glasses, and a pink sweatshirt with jeans stood up and began describing an event that happened to her just days prior to the meeting. She was walking down the street in our downtown area when she saw a woman trying to get to her elderly father to a car at the curb. The man was much taller than his diminutive daughter and the woman could see that it was a genuine effort for the daughter to hold onto him and walk him down the sidewalk. “I saw how much she was struggling and asked if I could help,” the woman in AA said to the other members. “She told me her father was sick and she was trying to get him to the doctor. I got on the other side of him and put my arm around his waist, and he threw his arm over my shoulder, but his daughter and I were just too short to provide much stability for him and we only moved a few feet when he fell to the  ground.”

We all listened as she described the scene as two petite women tried to get a tall, lanky elderly man up onto his feet. It was all groans, grunts and flying limbs. She said that in the middle of their straining and pulling that the daughter said in a loud voice, “Lord Jesus, please help us get Daddy on his feet and in the car for your name’s sake!”

God is Real and He Hears our Prayers
The woman at AA looked out at us and said, “I’m not a religious person at all but I’m telling you that when that woman prayed everything changed. It’s as if Heaven came down because suddenly, we got that old man up on his feet, walked him down the sidewalk and got him into the car.” She got quiet and then added, “It was enough to make me believe that God is real, and that He hears our prayers.”

I have thought of her words many times over the years and each time am reminded of what the angel said to Daniel when he finished praying for his people in Daniel 9:23, “The moment you began praying a command was given. I am here to tell you what it was, for God loves you very much.” The moment that daughter cried out to Jesus to help her get her elderly father into the car a command went out from Heaven because God loved her very much. The answer was so obvious that even the woman in AA said, “When that woman prayed everything changed. It’s as if Heaven came down.”

The moment you begin to pray, a command goes out from Heaven and things shift. Everything changes with one simple prayer. Sometimes the only prayer you may be able to say is “Jesus,” but it’s enough to create a seismic size shift in the heavenlies. The answer may not come as abruptly as getting an old man to his feet, but the answer is coming. God has not forgotten you. He sees your struggle. When you pray, the command goes out from Heaven because God loves you very much.

My own prayer for you today is that you will rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, and be constant in prayer (Romans 12:12) in Jesus’ name.

Donna VanLiere travels as a speaker and is the NYT and USA Today bestselling author of books like The Christmas Shoes, The Time of Jacob’s Trouble, and The Day of Ezekiel’s Hope. Her latest book releases in March and is called Daniel’s Final Week. She can be contacted at www.donnavanliere.com

We’d like to hear from you. Please share your comments below or like us on your Facebook page. Be sure to check back each month for more articles and products available at your local Christian bookstore.

My son lay under a mound of blankets as I stretched out beside him. Every night I climbed the ladder to his top bunk and spent time praying over him before he went to sleep, but tonight I had something extra in mind.

“Son,” I asked, “why does God love you?”

He gazed at me through long lashes, finally giving a shrug.

“Does he love you because you’re good at math?” I asked.

He shook his head.

“No,” I said, “you are good at math, but that’s not why God loves you.”

“Does God love you because you’re kind to your brothers?”

Again, no. “You are kind to your brothers, but that’s not why God loves you.”

“Does God love you because you’re good?”

He nodded, and my heart stuttered. Did this sweet child of mine truly believe that God loved him because he was good? I hurried ahead with my next statement.

“You are usually good, but that’s not why God loves you. God loves you because you’re His child. And since you can never stop being His child, He can never stop loving you.”

His eyes grew round as the truth of God’s unconditional love permeated his heart. He discovered that God’s love for him wasn’t dependent on him, but on God.

I felt horrible that his misunderstanding had gone unnoticed until he was seven, but grateful for God’s prompting to share with him that evening.

The Trouble with Virtue-Training
In our zeal to raise Christian kids who don’t conform to the pattern of our fallen world, we often overemphasize the importance of their behavior. We tell them “Jesus is sad when you disobey” and teach them about the fruit of the Spirit as if they’re virtues to memorize.

The trouble with that approach is that we completely miss the gospel.

The gospel is the good news of how God sees you and treats you. Not only did God make you, He adores you. But you (and everyone else on this planet) have sinned. It breaks the relationship between you and God because He is holy. God’s holiness and your sinfulness are like oil and water. They just don’t mix. God fixed it from His end, by coming as a man to remove the power of sin over us through His death and resurrection. He invites you into relationship with Him. Your job is to believe in His love. Accept His forgiveness, then put your hand in His and let Him help you choose love every day.

The gospel brings so much freedom—to our kids and us. It frees us from the expectation that they’ll behave well (because honestly, they’re sinners, just like us!) and it reminds us to depend on God for our goodness. It also reminds us that the Holy Spirit is ready and willing to help us grow in virtue, rather than us trying in our own power to  become better people.

The First Fruit of The Spirit
Somehow, I had unintentionally communicated to my son that his worth was based on his goodness, rather than goodness being a fruit of his relationship with Christ. I’ve been rectifying that ever since, reminding all my boys that they are deeply, unconditionally loved.

Love is the first fruit of the Spirit for a reason: everything stems from the love the Father, Son and Holy Spirit have for each other. The Bible teaches that God loved the world so much that rather than leaving us to wallow in sin and shame, He came to us, becoming God With Skin On. This God With Skin On was both completely human, with our emotions and tendency to get sick and injured, but also completely God, which enabled Him to live a sinless life.

When we focus on Jesus’s surprising, astounding, never-ending love for us instead of on our own virtue (or lack thereof), then we start to truly grow in the fruit of the Spirit. We grow in love because we know how beloved we are. We grow in joy because we know our God sings joyful songs over us. We grow in peace because we trust in Jesus’ nearness in our scariest moments, and we grow in the other fruits because we live with a settled sense of God’s love for us rather than fear and guilt.

In his letter to the people of Ephesus, Paul wrote:

“And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” Ephesians 3:17-19 ESV

It’s not just in knowing about the love of Christ, but through being utterly rooted and grounded in His all-surpassing love, that we are filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. And to truly root and ground our children in Christ’s all-surpassing love, we have to know Him.

The best way to do that with children is to read the Gospel accounts. Read them all, and keep asking each other what each passage shows you about God. I promise, you’ll never be the same.

As the words of the old hymn say,

“O soul are you weary and troubled

No light in the darkness you see

There’s light for a look at the Savior

And life more abundant and free

Turn your eyes upon Jesus

Look full in his wonderful face

And the things of earth will grow strangely dim

In the light of His glory and grace.”

Helen H. Lemmel

Christie Thomas is a homeschool mom of three and former Children’s Ministries Director. She is the author of the new, Christ-centered devotional, Fruit Full: 100 Family Experiences for Growing in the Fruit of the Spirit, written over many late nights beside a cold cup of blueberry tea.

We’d like to hear from you. Please share your comments below or like us on your Facebook page. Be sure to check back each month for more articles and products available at your local Christian bookstore.

I’ve seen a lot of memes and quotes going around lately that all say something like this: “I’m tired of all the things that won’t kill me but will make me stronger.” Can you relate?

Most people I know feel worn down and weary right now. Many of my friends and family members have experienced multiple, overlapping trials recently. Wave after wave. Storm after storm. In our families, in our friend groups, in our churches, in our communities. And it doesn’t seem to be letting up.

If any of this sounds familiar, you are probably in great need of a fresh dose of hope and encouragement right now. As you read the following Bible promises, take courage and take heart. Each one is a powerful reminder of who God is and how He works in our lives. When the storms of life rage, may these truths be an anchor for your soul!

God is with you:
“It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed” Deuteronomy 31:8 (ESV). Read that again slowly and let it sink in. God will never leave you or forsake you. You can memorize the main message of this verse in five simple words: “I will never leave you.” That’s a promise you can bring with you into any situation for the rest of your life. God is with you—always!

God is at work:
“He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” Philippians 1:6 (NIV). God is always working behind the scenes, even when you can’t see any visible evidence of His invisible fingerprints. He works in mysterious and wonderful ways, far beyond our understanding. He’s working all things for your good, that you might love Him, honor Him, and share His love with others. He’s still working—right now!

God is in control:
“The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold” Psalm 18:2 (NIV). When life feels chaotic and unstable, God is a firm foundation. There is nothing beyond His reach or His authority. He is infinitely more powerful than we could ever imagine. Even the wind and the waves obey Him (Matthew 8:27). He cannot be moved; He cannot be shaken.

God is your shelter:
“He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection” Psalm 91:4 (NLT). When you feel overwhelmed, you can take refuge in the shadow of your Heavenly Father’s wings. When you want to hide under the covers, you can run to Jesus and hide yourself in Him: “You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance” (Psalm 32:7 NIV).

God is your strength:
“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble” Psalm 46:1 (NIV). Even now, God is strengthening you for the task at hand. He will help you through this difficult time. As you wait on Him, He will renew your strength: “But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31NKJV).

God is your deliverer:
“When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles” Psalm 34:17 (ESV). If you are in need of rescue, cry out to God for help. He hears you when you call, and He will make a way through. If you don’t see the solution yet, if your circumstances seem impossible, keep pressing into prayer as you wait for His plans to unfold. God will bring deliverance to your situation—and to your troubled mind and heart.

God has a plan:
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV). In all that you’re experiencing, be assured that God has a plan and purpose for your life. Not only does God know the plans He has for you (even if you don’t), He has plans to prosper you and not to harm you. And guess what? His good plans for your life include a hope and a future!

God hears your prayers:
“Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear” Isaiah 65:24 (NIV). If you feel as though your prayers aren’t making a difference, don’t give up! Jesus told the parable of the praying widow who was relentless in her prayers in order to teach us to pray and never give up (Luke 18:1). Don’t stop praying. Don’t stop seeking. Don’t stop knocking and asking.

God Has More in Store for You
With all of these verses in mind, remember that this season won’t go on forever. Even now, God is doing something new in your heart and life. You maybe just can’t see it yet.

“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland” Isaiah 43:19 (NIV).

When it seems like God is silent, that He doesn’t have a plan, or that you’ve reached a dead end, that’s when He is actually doing a deeper work. He is building your trust in Him, deepening your roots, and laying the groundwork for future service and fruitfulness.

God’s plans for your life are still unfolding and expanding. There are new things for you to do, new areas of ministry for you to explore, and new people for you to meet. Remember: Even if you can’t see what’s around the bend, He can!

Take Heart
These verses—and all of God’s promises in the Bible—are for you. As a follower of Christ, you have a Heavenly Father who is always with you and always available. Read these promises out loud and post them around your home as a daily reminder. And share them with the people around you. You never know who else might need an encouraging word!

Finally, whatever you’re going through, be assured that after the storm, the sun will shine again. God is walking with you through the hard places and shouldering the weight of your greatest burdens. Trust Him. Hold on to Him. His promises will never fail you.

Rachel Dodge is an English professor and the author of The Little Women Devotional: A Chapter-by-Chapter Companion to Louisa May Alcott’s Beloved Classic. Her other titles include the award-winning The Anne of Green Gables Devotional: A Chapter-By-Chapter Companion for Kindred Spirits and Praying with Jane: 31 Days Through the Prayers of Jane Austen. You can visit her online at www.RachelDodge.com.

We’d like to hear from you. Please share your comments below or like us on your Facebook page. Be sure to check back each month for more articles and products available at your local Christian bookstore.

I live in the land of the fine wines, of Bordeaux, Champagne, and the Loire—in France where guests automatically bring a bottle of wine when invited for dinner. This can sometimes be an issue, because not only do I not drink, I don’t permit alcohol to remain in our house. You can imagine how awkward it is to invite people we don’t know well, when we refuse their gift and ask them to take it with them when they leave.

I was converted to Christ 26 years ago in New York City. I had grown up going to church, and I believed in God. But I hadn’t had that revolution of the heart—that personal call to repentance with promises of grace. It was not that God wasn’t speaking, or that His call was so silent anyone might have missed it. No, God was in the gentle whisper and in the fire, earthquake, and wind. It was only that the walls of my heart were so hardened from sin and pride it called for a more drastic outreach. And that’s what God did.

The wind was the airplane that took me across the world to live in Taiwan for a year, far from my roots and comfort. The earthquake was the divorce that split my family, my home, and my vision of how things should be. It was also the car accident in Manhattan the following year that left me unconscious on the frozen pavement, with a brain injury and lingering depression. The fire came the year after that in the overwhelming grief of losing my brother to suicide. This last process of refinement, as you can imagine, was scorching in its pain.

But God came in the gentle whisper after all. He came as the Christian counselor after Mark’s death who handed me a Bible, where I discovered for the first time the delight of it. The streams of living water that flowed out of it. God whispered as I moved to Paris and continued to seek Him in this church and that; He was whispering still when I returned to New York, now regularly reading His Word and beginning to pray with faith. He beckoned yet again when I took time from the busy pace at my new job and prayed to find a church—only to have my prayer interrupted by a new friend who called and spoke about God. I decided to visit her church, and after six weeks of studying the Bible was baptized there.

It was exciting. After four years of grief and refinement, I was ready to be reborn. I was ready to become a part of this huge Christian family in Manhattan. What was more, I was ripe to join the ranks of its leaders. I suppose I was pegged as someone whose talents could be of use. I certainly had them in the worldly sense. I spoke three languages, was a world-traveler; I was well-read, retained the scriptures and was correctly able to handle the word of truth. I was confident, a natural-born leader and speaker. So, I was put in charge of an all-women’s Bible discussion group and began attending the leadership meetings as one born to the role. It was a promising beginning, but it did not last.

I give glory to God who does not consider what man considers but looks at the heart. It quickly became evident that I had brought a hefty dose of pride with me into the church and, rather than serving the people I was supposed to lead, I was crushing them. What a fall from grace it was for someone like me, so filled with “talents” to be told that I would no longer be leading anything, and no, my presence was not needed at the leaders’ meetings. My rising star had been short-lived, and I was doomed to be one of the ordinary members of church, who was of no account—or so I thought.

In what seemed to me a further descent from grace, I was asked to accompany someone to the church’s Chemical Recovery program for addiction, which I considered a profound waste of my time. (You’re still with me here, friends, right? This is my confession and not my how-to guide on Christianity). As they listed the rules of the meeting, I idly looked around at those present and wondered which ones were addicts and which ones were the people like me who were there to accompany. That’s when I heard:

“Those of you who are joining us as partners agree to abstain from alcohol for the duration of time that you are here as a support.”

Startled, I raised my hand with my typical impulsiveness. When the leader of the group looked at me, I said, “I didn’t know that.”

“Is that going to be a problem?” she asked.

“No,” I lied.

But by the end of the hour, my conscience was ringing alarm bells too loud for my soul to ignore. I went up to the leader of the group red-faced and said, “I think I need to be here for myself.”

Thus began my several-month stint in Chemical Recovery, which started with reading aloud a journal I wrote that listed every time I’d used alcohol, from the first time to the last—the amount, and the consequences. Everything was uncovered and laid bare before this group, from throwing up in my friend’s shoe to passing out on a public staircase. I had to sit in the humbling realization that there was more repenting to do. I learned to confess everything—to not try to look pretty and clean and “saved.” I learned to accept correction. I discovered that I was just fine as a Christian of “no account,” (at last coming to realize that a Christian of no account simply does not exist in God’s eyes). I learned that I did not need a position to be happy at church, and that I could learn and be led by anyone.

It was then that I graduated from CR. Some months later, I was asked again to lead a Bible discussion group, and I sort of laughed in wonder at the idea. You want me? I agreed, knowing I was there to serve and not lead. Or, perhaps everything had sort of settled in my heart as I finally grasped that leading was serving. A couple of months after that, my husband and I went on our first date, and we fell in love. I’m so thankful God spared him by teaching me a deeper level of humility first.

This fall from grace I experienced—the fall from position where we look perfectly put together in the eyes of others—had been no fall from grace at all. It was divine discipline. But I didn’t recognize it, because it can be hard to distinguish the two. It’s a frightening thing to be so exposed.

Mere months after we were married, my husband and I left for Africa on a humanitarian mission where we walked among those who suffered poverty and death. We watched from a TV screen at a café the tragedy that was unfolding on September 11^th in the city we left behind, and we returned a year later to that broken city. And while we were still coping with the pain of the previous year, and unemployment upon our return, our church suffered a split worldwide. It was a good thing. It toppled strongholds and idols that had no place in God’s family. But it hurt. It felt like divorce. And we had to build back stone by stone. Then, when my husband and I moved back to France to be close to his family, I had to adjust to an entirely new church full of people, which was not easy. I missed my old one. But these hardships, coming as they do one after the other, I view as God’s plan of sanctification. And that is a life-long process.

A discussion came up in our new church to replace the grape juice in the communion platter with wine, which was more French after all. It left me feeling uneasy about those with addiction, and I had to fight to make my voice heard. Members of the church proposed a compromise with wine on the outer edge of the platter and grape juice in the middle, but I didn’t think it was fair that the Lord’s Supper should be a stumbling block for some. And among the varied responses, one in particular, echoed in my heart as we faced the congregation to explain our point of view: Are you really so weak?

Vulnerable and exposed, I struggled to keep my composure and explain to my new church family that I was living a life free of addiction—to God’s glory. But I needed help, and could we please just serve alcohol-free wine and not make me, and people like me, have to pass over the alcohol each Sunday to reach for the grape juice? Could not the Lord’s Supper be the one place where we were free of temptation? I hadn’t uttered three sentences before I was crying too hard to speak words that made sense. My church family called out encouragement, and my husband patted my back when no more words came, before leading the church in prayer. The experience was humbling, but it brought forth the fruit of deeper conversations, confession from some members, and understanding. We were being made holy.

Divine discipline can often feel like a fall from grace. We feel so far from God, so unworthy. Sins are exposed, blessings are withheld. We fear we have gone too far, and that God will not restore us to our former position—to a time when He and all the world seemed to look upon us with favor. But with repentance comes promises of refreshment. With humbling comes promises of being lifted up. And when we endure hardship as discipline, we have the promise of being established as sons and daughters of the Holy One. We may seem to be fallen, but in reality we are loved. It’s only a fall from grace from the world’s point of view. It’s a saving grace from God’s.

Jennie Goutet lives with her French husband and three children on the outskirts of Paris and is the author of several chaste Regency romances (her favorite imaginary place to live). You can reach Jennie on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/authorjenniegoutet/), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/aladyinfrance/), and you can learn about her books on her author’s website, (https://www.jenniegoutet.com/regency/).

We’d like to hear from you. Please share your comments below or like us on your Facebook page. Be sure to check back each month for more articles and products available at your local Christian bookstore.

by Jennifer Deibel

“Ya know the story of that ring, there, doncha?”

I spun around to see who the raspy voice belonged to. A short, spry older gentleman gawked back at me with a twinkle in his eye. He repeated his question and gestured to the ring in my hand.

“Actually, no, I don’t. I’ve seen the rings all over the place—even when I was in high school—but I’ve never known what it means.

As the shopkeep of the tourist store relayed the legend of the Claddagh to me—how it represents love, loyalty and friendship, etc.—I was entranced. Much like everything else on the Emerald Isle, this ring had a story. The Irish love stories. So do I.

This first up-close encounter happened when we were living in Donegal, but it wasn’t until we lived in Galway several years later that I came to fully appreciate the design and its history. The ring itself was designed by a man from an area of Galway City called the Claddagh. He created the idea of it while he was in captivity, and dreaming of returning home to his true love.

The legend itself is enough to enchant even the most cynical of hearts, but what floored me was that the descendants of that man are still in the jewelry business, and run a store in Galway City, Claddagh Jewellers.

Every time we were in the city (which was often), questions swirled in my mind about this family, their legacy and what they must have seen over the centuries. And that is where the seed of an idea for The Lady of Galway Manor was planted.

Granted, it would take many years for the idea to germinate, grow and finally blossom into what it is now. But, after all this time, the legend holds no less magic for me . . . in fact, it might just feel even more magical, more romantic. But as I contemplated Annabeth and Stephen’s story in the novel, I was also drawn to Ireland herself, to her story, her struggle. And what I found as I dug deeper into the tangled roots of this emerald country is that humanity itself mirrors many of the same struggles. I began to question what love, loyalty and friendship actually mean. What does it look like to embody love, experience loyalty, cultivate friendship?

I tried to weave the truths I discovered into this story. We can probably all relate to having our beliefs challenged—whether by another individual, or from ourselves following an unsettling experience. And if we are all honest with ourselves, we’d find each of us harbors some kind of preconceived idea about a person, culture or religious group. We all have been guilty of allowing a stereotype or two to carry the weight of truth, thus coloring the way we look at the world.

So I hope and believe you will see at least some part of yourself in one of the characters within the pages of this book. And if so, I pray you join them on their journey of growth, discovery and connection that all starts with one little ring.

About the Author

Jennifer Deibel is the author of A Dance in Donegal. Her work has appeared on (in)courage, on The Better Mom, in Missions Mosaic magazine and in other publications. After nearly a decade of living in Ireland and Austria, she now lives in Arizona with her husband and their three children. You can find her online at www.JenniferDeibel.com.

About the Book

In 1920, the war for Irish independence gains strength and events take a dangerous turn for Annabeth De Lacy and her family. During her apprenticeship with jeweler Stephen Jennings, Annabeth and Stephen begin to see that perhaps the “other side” isn’t quite as barbaric as they’d been led to believe—and that the bonds of love, loyalty and friendship are only made stronger when put through the refiner’s fire.

Did You Know?

You can find out a lot about heroes in history using a free genealogy site called FindaGrave.com? Though the site’s purpose is to preserve grave locations and gravestone transcriptions, short biographies often reveal stunning surprises like American hero, Edward Pulaski. He saved at least 40 lives during the largest fire in US history and refined the Pulaski Tool that fireman still use today. His memorial revealed his maternal relationship to the (Davy) Crockett family! Mr. Pulaski’s special cameo in Flame of the Rockies is a part of the true history featured in my story.

• Genealogy constantly reveals new surprises. Check FindaGrave.com for your family names because volunteers are always adding more to the site. Create an account to “watch” memorials for updates.
• Other relatives are often listed in memorials allowing you to trace several directions for information by clicking a link.
• You can create memorials, request to add information or correct a memorial someone else has added. Preserving gravesites digitally with photos of the grave, location and transcriptions of what the stones say helps preserve history while making it easier for others to find ancestors.

Providing proof of birth, marriage and death records is important, especially firsthand accounts. Uploading photos and citing your sources support the biography, and others will trust your contributions and collaboration. You may even find a heroic ancestor!

–Angela Breidenbach, Flame of the Rockies, Book 6 Queen of the Rockies series

Why I LOVE My Local Christian Bookstore

“I like shopping at bookstores because the staff treats me like family, watching out for my needs and catering to a few of my wants as well.”

–Marti Pieper, Out of the Dust: Story of an Unlikely Missionary