The Day He Has Made

Another great excerpt from Liveprayer.com--


I don't know about you, but I get EXCITED to wake up and see what God has in
store for the day. For me, every day is like Christmas. Virtually every day
I have a very packed and tight schedule and am required to be at certain
places at certain times. So I pretty much know going into each day what I
will be doing each hour. Despite that rigid structure, I still get charged
up since I know as the day unfolds God is with me each moment and that He is
in control of everything that happens. Even when things don't go exactly as
I would hope or plan, I have great peace in knowing that God is still on His
throne and still in control. I also know that during each day, He is going
to bless me in ways I had not even considered or thought of. I don't know
about you, but I enjoy God's blessings and can't wait to see what they will
be that day.

I realize that the first thought many of you had as you read the opening
line, "Are you ready to have a GREAT day," is "is this guy crazy?" You are
thinking, how can I have a great day when I am in such a financial mess? You
are thinking, how can I have a great day when my body is ravaged with pain
and sickness? You are thinking, how can I have a great day when I am
mourning the loss of someone I loved so much. You are thinking, how can I
have a great day when my marriage is on the verge of divorce. You are
thinking, how can I have a great day when I am enslaved to drugs, alcohol,
gambling, food, shopping, illicit sex, or whatever bondage you may be in.


My word for you today is to not let the day-to-day challenges of life burden
you to the point you stop looking forward to each day. The Bible tells us
that tomorrow is promised to NONE OF US, and that each day is literally a
gift from God. We need to embrace the day for what it is, a gift from God,
and be thankful for it despite whatever challenges the day may bring our
way. We live in a sin-filled and evil world. Because of that, we will always
have trials and tribulations, always have battles and challenges, but we can
still have peace and joy because we know that God will help us be victorious
over those trials and tribulations, those battles and challenges!

What do you Magnify?

Got this in an e-mail, author unknown---

WHAT DO YOU MAGNIFY???


If you think about a magnifying glass, its purpose is to make objects or text on a page appear larger than they are in reality. When you magnify something, you don't actually change the size of the object, you change your perspective of it.

Our minds can work like a magnifying glass. The more you think about something, the larger you perceive it to be. That's why we have to keep things in the right perspective. If we focus on our problems, they can seem so large that we can be consumed by them! But when you focus on God and magnify Him in your life, all the things of this world just seem so small and insignificant in comparison.

Think about it this way: if you were to hold up a quarter with your arm outstretched in front of you and one eye closed, the quarter seems small compared to everything else around you. But when you pull the quarter in closer to your eye, it appears much larger. In fact, if you hold it close enough, you aren't able to see anything else! So often in life, our difficulties and challenges seem so much larger than they actually are simply because we are holding them closer to us than necessary. We are dwelling on them more than we need to. But when we have the right perspective, those same difficulties become much more manageable.

To keep the right perspective, magnify the right things in your life. When I come up against challenges, I remind myself of all the great things God has done for me. I begin to thank Him for allowing me to know Him; I thank Him for my family, my children, and my husband. I recall how God brought me through past trials and difficult times. I am always amazed at how my perspective changes when I have a grateful heart and choose to count my blessings!

Today, I encourage you to take inventory of your thoughts. Maybe even make a list of all things that are magnified in your life right now. Hold that list out in front of you and think about how big your God is! Ask Him to reveal Himself to you in greater ways. Sing a simple song of praise to Him as you release that list of cares into His loving arms. Remember, His yoke is easy and His burden is light. Just watch the weight of the world disappear as you magnify Him in every area of your life.

THOUGHT FOR TODAY: WHAT DO YOU EXALT?? WHAT DO YOU MAGNIFY? Is it your problems or the God that is greater than any problem that you have???

"Hot" New Fiction

Even Smoke Runs From the Fire.

Firefighting burns in Aidan O’Neill’s blood, but his innate gift for reading flames has made him overconfident and sometimes puts lives in danger. When one call goes horribly wrong and a rookie is hurt, Aidan ends up suspended and finds himself questioning everything.

It couldn’t have happened at a worse time.

An arsonist is targeting Reno, leaving a scorched path of destruction. The department calls Aidan back, but his return is troubled. The gift he relied on for so long has gone silent and it’s as though the fires are coming for him, hunting him down. Teaming with a beguiling fire investigator who may know more than she’s saying, Aidan must discover where his trust rests as the flames burn ever closer.

An Explosive Blend of Action, Romance, and Danger.




“A sizzling debut novel from a writer who really has the goods. Shawn Grady is an author to watch.”
-James Scott Bell, bestselling author of Deceived

“Shawn Grady is the real deal- a real-life fireman who can take you into the inferno, scare the living daylights out of you, and drag you back out reeking of smoke and gasping for air. Through the Fire is the best book on fire-fighting I’ve ever read, and there’s enough mystery and suspense to keep you scorching through the pages.”
-Randall Ingermanson, Christy award-winning author of Oxygen





Shawn Grady signed with Bethany House Publishers in 2008. �He was named �Most Promising New Writer� at the 39th Annual Mount Hermon Writers Conference. �Through the Fire is his debut novel.


Shawn has served for over a decade as a firefighter and paramedic in northern Nevada. From fire engines and ambulances to tillered ladder trucks and helicopters, Shawn�s work environment has always been dynamic. The line of duty has carried him to a variety of locale, from high-rise fires in the city to the burning heavy timber of the eastern Sierras.


Shawn attended Point Loma Nazarene University as a Theology undergrad before shifting direction to acquire an Associate of Science degree in Fire Science Technology as well as Paramedic licensure through Truckee Meadows Community College.


Shawn currently lives in Reno, Nevada, just outside of Lake Tahoe. He enjoys spending time in the outdoors with his wife, three children and yellow Labrador

Happy 4th!

Enjoy your celebration of our wonderful country.

E-Book Reader Survey

*** Permission to forward granted, and encouraged ***

This survey is about the price of ebook readers and what price range
would trigger a purchase. The survey is on ll-publications. com.
No personal information is required or gathered by this survey.
Permission is granted to forward this survey to any and all interested
parties.

"Into what range would prices need to drop before you would definitely
purchase an ebook reader?"


The survey is open until 11th July, and survey results will published on
the website as well as reported to all and any interested parties.

We Can Make a Difference

Another excerpt from Liveprayer.com's Daily Devotional. Applies to Christian writers!

As I have shared with you often, our journey through this life is so brief
and over so quickly. James calls it a "vapor." The Bible clearly teaches
that tomorrow is promised to none of us. That is why we must make the most
of each and every day. There are no do-overs. When this journey is over, it
is over, we are not coming back. This is our one and only shot.
Understanding that, it should become the desire of each of us to make each
day count and live it to the fullest.

Very few people in their life will have the opportunity to become the
President of the United States or the leader of a nation. However, EVERY
PERSON has the ability to make a difference in this world no matter what you
have been called to do. I don't care if you are 15 or 115, rich or poor,
male or female, what color your skin is, YOU can make an impact on this
world with your life and be a leader.

God gives each of us passions, things that we develop a love for throughout
our life. God gives each of us gifts, special abilities that come naturally
to us. Throughout our life God opens and closes doors. It is through these
passions we have, through the gifts we have received and developed, and
through the opportunities that life presents us, that each person can make
an impact on this world during the course of their life.

You see, God needs His children in every area of life. He calls His children
to be teachers, doctors, scientists, astronauts, pilots, police officers,
fire fighters, secretaries, bank tellers, garbage collectors, janitors,
nurses, homemakers, car dealers, mechanics, farmers, politicians,
entertainers, lawyers, writers, stock brokers, and any other profession you
can name. Throughout the course of a person's life, God may call someone to
do many different things. The point is, whatever career or profession you
are in, you can make a difference. The key is to do your very best each day
and realize that your life matters.

***Those who know Christ as their Savior have been called to lead. The most
common way we lead is by example, how we live our lives each day before this
lost world we are part of for this brief time.

Of course, no matter how much we may accomplish in our life, our greatest
legacy will be those lives we touch for Christ along our journey. You see my
friend, no matter what your passions may be, what your gifts may be, what
career or occupation you have, we all have the same purpose in this life.
That is to serve and glorify God with our lives. All that we do in this life
comes back to our God-given purpose which is to serve and glorify Him. The
money we accumulate, the property we own, all of the things of this world
will one day pass away, but those lives we impact for Christ will last for
eternity!

New Fiction

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
A Bride In The Bargain
Bethany House (June 1, 2009)
by
Deeanne Gist


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Deeanne Gist, the bestselling author of A Bride Most Begrudging and The Measure of a Lady, has a background in education and journalism. Her credits include People magazine, Parents, and Parenting. With a line of parenting products called "I Did It!® Productions" and a degree from Texas A&M, she continues her writing and speaking. She and her family live in Houston, Texas.

Since the debut of those novels, her very original, very fun romances have rocketed up the bestseller lists and captured readers everywhere. Add to this two consecutive Christy Awards, two RITA nominations, rave reviews, and a growing loyal fan base, and you’ve got one recipe for success.



ABOUT THE BOOK

The Wedding Is All Planned...
Someone Just Needs to Tell the Bride
In 1860s Seattle, redwoods were plentiful but women scarce. Yet a man with a wife could secure 640 acres of timberland for free.

Joe Denton doesn't have a wife, though. His died before she could follow him to Seattle and now the local judge is threatening to take away his claim. In desperation, he buys himself a Mercer bride--one of the eastern widows and orphans brought to the Territory by entrepreneur Asa Mercer.

Anna Ivey's journey west with Mercer is an escape from the aftermath of the Civil War. She signed on to become a cook--not a bride. When she's handed over to Denton, her stubborn refusal to wed jeopardizes his land. With only a few months before he loses all he holds dear, can he convince this provoking, but beguiling, easterner to become his lawfully wedded wife?

If you would like to read the first chapter of A Bride In The Bargain, go HERE