• Category Archives Uncategorized
  • A Hairy Mishap

    The newest Suamalie Islands book is here! My friend Chautona Havig just released Trust Fall. To celebrate, we are doing a series of blog posts on a theme Chautona chose, Accompanying the posts is a giveaway! Here’s Chautona’s prompt:

    Life is full of hairy experiences, and then you have just “hair” ones. In Trust Fall, Kensi ends up cutting her hair in a rash move and regrets it… at first. Share a story about a hair mishap or how a hairy experience turned out good in the end. Bonus points if it’s both!

    One of my earliest memories is of a “hairy experience.” I think I was only three—maybe four—at the time, but I remember it vividly. I was playing with my friend, Stacy, who lived a couple of houses down from mine. We were playing in her front yard when we decided to play “wedding.” We pretended that I was getting married. Of course, everyone knows that before you get married, you need a haircut. Stacy went inside the house and retrieved a pair of scissors. Then she proceeded to chop off my healthy fringe of 80’s bangs almost to my scalp. I must have looked so beautiful.

    Then, with a squeak of the screen door, Stacy’s mom came out to the front porch. She looked at me and said, “I think you need to go home now.” Somehow, she didn’t sound too happy about my new look.

    I said goodbye to Stacy and hurried to my house. My mom was horrified. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a whole lot she could do to fix a head of hair with just the bangs chopped. She couldn’t cut the rest of my hair to match, and there was nothing left to cut! Soon after that incident, my family moved, and I don’t think I ever played with Stacy ever again. But to this day, I remember that haircut and the rationale behind it.

    And I think some good came out of it. My hair grew back, though I eventually opted out of the bangs look. More importantly, when it came time for me to get married in real life, I’d learned my lesson. I didn’t get a haircut.

    Trust Fall by Chautona Havig

    Protecting her without her knowledge might get them both killed.

    Grief has held Eve “Kensi” Kensington captive long enough. Determined to move on after the death of her fiancé six years ago, Kensi moves to St. Alyn to help Ezra with the new boat book business. That there’s a great therapist on the island is just a bonus.

    When the West Coast Agency learns that the former fiancée of a deceased informant is under the radar, Simon Garver is tasked to protect her—without her knowledge, if possible. Great. Listening in on her therapy sessions might be the worst thing he’s ever had to do as an agent.

    Nope… scrap that. Falling for his client takes the cake.

    When Kensi learns Simon has been keeping secrets from her, she’s done. Too bad the arrival of a guy sent to “take care of her” means she needs him. She’ll cooperate until she’s safe, toss the trust exercises her therapist has insisted on in the trash, and get back to her job on Ezra’s boat.

    If only her heart would listen to the plan…

    Take a trip to the Suamalie Islands where palm trees sway, the sand and sea pulse with life, and the people will steal your heart.

    Check out some of the other “hairy experiences” from the other Suamalie authors:

    Chautona Havig: April 30

    Heidi Gray McGill: May 1

    Amanda Tru: May 2

    Rachel Skatvold: May 3

    Jennifer Pierce: May 4

    Susan K. Beatty: May 5

    HTML:


  • The Magic of Laughter

    We finally made it to the very last book in Year One of the Suamalie Islands series! Heidi Gray McGill brings us the book in the caboose position! To celebrate, we are doing a series of blog posts on a theme Heidi chose, Accmpanying the posts is a giveaway! Here’s Heidi’s question:

    In A Deeper Love, Alicia is determined to be a successful business owner, even at the expense of the one thing she desires most—a family. Her father’s best friend helps her stay grounded, usually with a humorous quip. What’s the best dad joke you’ve heard recently that has a family theme?

    I’m sorry. I can’t just answer this question with a one-liner and call it good. I need to tell astory!

    I have three sons, and my daughter is the caboose of our family. My middle son, Elijah, is a unique guy. He’s very intelligent, serious, and intense. If something is worth doing, it gets his entire focus. He’s also quiet and introverted. He keeps his emotions hidden. He’s not easy to get to know because he doesn’t let just anybody into his circle. But if you’re lucky enough to make it in and get to know the real him, you’re blessed to find a caring, fun, and hilarious person who is intensely loyal.

    His unique personality has presented some challenges as he’s grown up. He’s so quiet and reserved, that even the best, most amazing teachers have had difficulty drawing him out of his shell. I’ve received multiple calls from dedicated teachers basically asking for suggestions on how to get to know Elijah better. He’s never struggled academically or socially, but a good teacher desires to connect with her students. Elijah has been blessed to have teachers who have gone the extra mile and make that personal connection with him.

    I’ve always given the same advice to anyone wanting to get to know Elijah: Tell him a joke. He has the most amazing, dry, understated sense of humor. He is hilarious. If you can get him to laugh, he just might give you the keys to his inner circle. And it’s worked. Some of his teachers have specifically worked to make that connection, and the result was a great relationship. Elijah was able to relax and be comfortable, and his teachers have gotten to know what an amazing individual he is.

    To answer this question, it seemed fitting to ask 14-year-old Elijah for his best dad jokes. And he didn’t disappoint. He’s a dad joke encyclopedia sure to have the hardest hearts rolling in the aisles.

    So here is my advice, if you really need to break the ice with someone, give one of these jokes a test drive. Hopefully, you’ll be treated to getting to know someone amazing who will truly make your life better simply by knowing him.

     

    *** Elijah’s top pick:

    Does an apple a day keep the doctor away?

    Yes. If you aim it well.

     

    *** In honor of Elijah’s older brother who just finished his golf season:

    Why should you take an extra pair of socks when you go golfing?

    In case you get a hole in one.

     

    *** Elijah (rather embarrassed), “I’m not sure if this one would be appropriate or not.” Yes, I have to include it because I’m a mom, and he was adorable in the telling of the joke. For those who don’t appreciate potty humor, please skip this one!

    Why can’t you hear a pterodactyl when he’s in the restroom?

    Because the p is silent.

     

    *** Family themed—since that was the original request:

    Good moms let you lick the beaters.

    Great moms turn them off first.

     

    *** Tis the season:

    Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.

    Summer wasn’t too bad either.

     

    *** The grand finale. A writer’s joke:

    Dad jokes are the best and now I’m gonna write why…

    Why.

     

    May you all have a great fall. May your inner circle be blessed with beautiful, unique people who both catch your tears and tell you the best jokes.

    A Deeper Love by Heidi Gray McGill

    What was that movie line about relationships built on intense experiences? Oh, yeah. They never work.

    I get paid to do my

    dream job, usually by wealthy men who thrive on adventure. But when their adrenaline rush is gone and vacation is over, I’m still here, on

    a tropical island, with people who mostly leave me alone. And I like it that way.

    Except for this guy. Seriously, Dan is the last man I want to get involved with. If he got Decompression Illness, the doctors would likely call it Mercedes Bends. He’s privileged and entitled and would never leave his city life behind for the challenges of living on a remote island. Which is a total relief, I’m telling you.

    Don’t get me wrong—he’s prime shark bait, but I’m not ready to fall deeply in love with someone who won’t stay. There’s no such thing as going “too deep” where spiritual things are concerned. But when it comes to relationships, I’ll stay at the surface and snorkel rather than dive into the depths.

    Take a trip to the Suamalie Islands where palm trees sway, the sand and sea pulse with life, and the people will steal your heart.

    Check out some of the other fun dad jokes from the other Suamalie authors!


  • Travel Woes and Treasure Troves

    Today is release day! I’m so excited that everyone can finally read Where Treasure Lies! This is the start of a new series, but the story itself is still very much my style. You’ll find a page-turning story with a deep message. You’ll also find suspense, romance, and humor. Of course, watch out for some plot twists!

    However, one of the unique things about this book is that the story is told in split time. It is essentially two stories told thirty years apart, but they have a shared ending. The main characters arrive in the Suamlie Islands thirty years apart, but they both have especially lousy first days in the island paradise. Nothing goes according to plan. But sometimes, even the worst travel woes can end in our greatest blessings.

    I have notoriously bad travel luck. It would take more pages the War and Peace to recount the real-life travel woes my family has experienced, and no one would believe them. The running joke among family and friends is to watch out when Amanda and Brian try to go on vacation. Honestly, my tales don’t always have obviously happy endings. There was the time on our honeymoon in Hawaii when our public transportation went out of service, and we missed our nonrefundable dinner cruise. There was the other time years later when our vehicle died somewhere in the middle of Wyoming and left us stranded for a couple of days. There was the time we had everything loaded up in our trailer and set out on a trip to Yellowstone when an hour from our house, our vehicle died (as in really died and could not ever be recesitated). The details on all of those are super entertaining, and if I tried, I’m sure I could think about all of the what if scenarios God surely protected us from through our canceled or imperfect vacations. But last summer, I experienced the perfect example of God bringing good out of some serious travel woes.

    Every summer, we try to take a family RV trip. We take along my parents and in-laws who travel with us in their own RVs. Last summer, our travels took us to the national parks in Washington state. We had spent an amazing day in North Cascades National Park and had just returned to our RV site for the night when my mom realized she didn’t have her cell phone. She didn’t know where she’d parted ways with it, but our last stop before driving about 1.5 hours home had been about a four-mile hike to a beautiful glacial lake. It was evening now and the sun would soon make its departure for the day. It seemed there was no way to even search for the phone, let alone find it. My mom was devastated. All her pictures, all her contacts—everything was gone. She was so upset that she determined that she and my dad would head home and cut their vacation short so she could figure out what to do.

    Even though it was late in the day and there seemed little hope, I talked to my husband, Brian, and we decided we would drive back to look for it. We knew there was a very slim chance of finding it. It could have been at the parking lot, somewhere along the trail, or at the lake a two-mile hike from the parking lot. Or by now, someone could have picked it up. But we had to try.

    I didn’t tell my mom because I knew she’d not want us to go. We left the kids with my in-laws and headed out. I prayed the whole way, asking God to please help us find the phone. It took us about an hour and twenty minutes to get there, and light was fading fast.

    We looked near where my parents had parked. No phone. Then we rushed to the outhouse. If it wasn’t there, we would jog the two miles on tired legs to the lake and hope we made it there with enough light left to see if the phone was there on the ground. I checked the outhouse I knew my mom had used, but I didn’t see it. Frantically, I went around to recheck the other side Brian had already checked. My heart sank. We weren’t going to find it. The outhouses were completely empty.  I walked back around to the front, knowing we’d need to head to the lake.

    Then Brian walked out holding something in his hand. I recognized my mom’s sunflower phone case. He’d found it!

    What relief! No 2-mile run to the lake! Truthfully, it hadn’t seemed likely that we’d find it, and it wasn’t… except God. It had been hours since we left, and yet God had kept the phone safe until we returned for it.

    It sounds funny, but that lost cell phone ended up being such a blessing, and I’m so thankful Brian and I went to find it. Going to and from, we spent three hours driving through a national park just the two of us. It ended up being the only time the entire trip where it was just us. Yes, strange kind of date, but we loved being together. On the way back, we stopped for a picture of the sunset over Diablo Lake, and we stopped to see the lights in the water at Ladder Falls. I filed that crazy drive under the category of one of my favorite memories, and there it will stay. Isn’t it wonderful how God can take the most unfortunate circumstances and turn them into something good? I love finding the ray of sunshine in the dark, knowing that He put it there just for me.

    It reminded me a little of the story of Joseph and how he told his brothers, “you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good…” Losing a phone is a lousy thing to happen, but God intended it for good.

    Likewise, the characters in this book have some pretty lousy things happen to them, starting with their arrival on the island of Oli Oli. But we also get to see how those things progress and impact parallel stories thirty years apart. Add some romance, mystery, adventure, suspense, and a splash of humor, and you have a pretty fantastic read!

    If you’re curious about this book, I suggest you at least check out the sneak preview on Amazon. In it, you’ll read about Scott and Tavia’s rotten first day in paradise. Maybe you’ll have a little empathy from your own traveling experiences, and maybe you’ll want to stick around to find out what happens after those memorable beginnings!

     

    Where Treasure Lies

    Two stories…thirty years apart. Will solving the mystery of the past provide the key to the present?

    Scott Connelly arrives in the Suamalie Islands determined to acquire property for his father and leave as soon as possible. But he doesn’t count on the animosity of the residents, the fascinating local legend of a sunken Spanish treasure ship, or the highly unavailable waitress who comes to his rescue. The fabled treasure promises to buy his freedom, but even seeking it may be a dangerous risk.

    News of her father’s death precedes Tavia Connelly’s arrival in the Suamalie Islands. Despite the hatred of the island residents, Tavia’s determined to settle her father’s affairs and return immediately to assume her role as head of the family company. But her father’s wishes require her to find out what happened long ago, given only Scott’s mumbled clues, crazy rumors, and a centuries-old fable.

    Tavia should be safe after all those years, but her presence attracts a lot of resentment, and the ghosts of Scott’s enemies may still lie in wait for someone to come searching for a treasure that may have never existed.

    But what if it did?

    Take a trip to the Suamalie Islands where palm trees sway, the sand and sea pulse with life, and the people will steal your heart.

     

    Don’t miss other authors travel stories and chances to enter the giveaway! Check out these blog posts as we celebrate the release of Where Treasure Lies.

    What about you? Have you ever experienced any ridiculous, hilarious, or just plain bad travel luck. Did your story have a silver lining?

    Check out some of the other travel stories from the other Suamalie authors!


    Susan K. Beatty: March 1

    Chautona Havig: March 2

    Melissa McKay Wardwell: March 3

    Tabitha Bouldin: March 4

    Marguerite Gray: March 5

     

    Giveaway:


  • 2022 Christmas Scavenger Hunt Round-Robin–The Bells of Christmas

    Merry Christmas! Welcome to my website, and thank you for stopping by and participating in this Christmas Round Robin! At each author’s blog post, you will find a question that can be answered by checking out the free Amazon preview of their book. Provide the answer at this form (add link).

    Note: You must answer the questions for every author in the round -robin to be considered to win the $200 first place, $150 second place or $75 third place Amazon gift cards. [Note: these prizes are USD values. If you are not a U.S. resident, you will get a gift card from the Amazon store for your country; however, it will be valued at these USD amounts.)  At the end of my post is a link to the next blog, who will provide a link to the next blog, etc., to the very end.  

    I’m so excited to tell you about The Bells of Christmas! This book is a Contemporary Inspirational Romance, and is very personal to me. Though it is labeled as book 4 in The Christmas Card series, it is a complete standalone book. It does not share any of the same characters, and the books can be read in any order. Their similar style and inspirational message within a heart-warming Christmas romance make this series one of my most beloved and popular.

    When Tayde Wright lands a job at a distinguished magazine, she knows her dreams of being an investigative reporter are about to come true. But then her boss assigns her an advice column that is the equivalent of the magazine’s complaint box. Though she abhors writing clickbait to fuel the magazine’s online presence, she either follows her boss’s wishes and adopts the Wrongs made Wright column as her own, or she loses her job.

    Her first column unexpectedly goes viral when an anonymous stranger replies, revealing a different side to Tayde’s column and completely humiliating her in the process. Now, Tayde must satisfy her boss’s wishes while also avoiding any further humiliation from the mysterious stranger, dubbed Mr. Bells.

    Tayde’s journey passes alongside the stories of many others as she tries to right the wrongs of the world, but sometimes right and wrong are difficult to determine. Despite her best efforts, Mr. Bells continually paints her as the villain, and the public loves it. Who is Mr. Bells, and what compels him to respond to Tayde’s column? And why does he always ask the same mysterious question at the end of his letters?

    Each story Tayde encounters changes her perspective and provides her more clues. It’s a message that will change the world, but can she lift her voice to speak it?

    This book is one of the most meaningful books I have ever written, which is all the more fulfilling because the story is so personal to me. I include a lot of my own experiences and thoughts, fictionalized, of course! The author’s note in the book explains the story behind the story, revealing the truth in this unique work of fiction. The message of this book has been profound in my own life and in the lives of those who have read it. I’m continually amazed at how God is using it to touch others. I hope you end up being one of those touched, and I pray that you can hear the bells too!

    Now it’s time for you to check it out! Go to the book on Amazon by clicking on this link to The Bells of Christmas. 

    In the Look Inside feature, find the answer to this question:

    At the opening of the book, what holiday was yesterday?

    When you have the answer, FILL OUT THIS FORM and head on to the next blog!

    Thank you so much for visiting! The next author on the tour is Robin Patchen, who is telling us all about her Christmas book Wreathed in Disgrace. You can find it at this link:

    https://robinpatchen.com/annual-christmas-round-robin-wreathed-in-disgrace

    Remember that the round-robin will end on December 11th at 11:59 PM EST.


  • A Garden of Books Giveaway!

    You’ve heard of a garden of flowers, but what about a garden of books!

    I’m participating in an amazing giveaway where you can win a spectacular garden of over 40 books or a $500 Amazon gift card to create your own garden!
    To enter Celebrate Lit’s A Garden of Books Multi-Author Giveaway, click on the link below. It’s going on now through May 15!

  • Ebooks or Paperbacks… Yes, Please!

    Just a heads up that Amazon currently has some of my paperback books on crazy sale prices! 

    Here are a few!

    Bride of Pretense

    Bride of Pretense

    Regular$8.95, On sale for $4.38!

    Amazon

    Betwixt Two Hearts 

    Regular Price 35.95. On sale for $13.28. The hardback is also on sale for only $15.01.

    Amazon

    Rogue, Book 4 in the Tru Exceptions series

    Normally $11.99. On sale for $6.99!

    Amazon


  • Christmas Scavenger Hunt Round Robin: Once Upon a Christmas

    Merry Christmas! Welcome to my website, and thank you for stopping by and participating in this Christmas Round Robin! At each author’s blog post, you will find a question that can be answered by checking out the free Amazon preview of their book. Provide the answer at this google form.

    Note: You must answer the questions for every author in the round -robin to be considered to win the $350 first place, $250 second place or $150 third place Amazon gift cards. [Note: these prizes are USD values. If you are not a U.S. resident, you will get a gift card from the Amazon store for your country; however, it will be valued at these USD amounts.)  At the end of my post is a link to the next blog, who will provide a link to the next blog, etc., to the very end.  

    I’m so excited to tell you about Once Upon a Christmas! This book is a Contemporary Inspirational Romance, and is very personal to me. Though it is labeled as book 3 in The Christmas Card series, it is a complete standalone book. It does not share any of the same characters, and the books can be read in any order. Their similar style and inspirational message within a heart-warming Christmas romance make this series one of my most beloved and popular.

    When her flight home is canceled a few days before Christmas, Moe Scott spontaneously agrees to spend a few hours sight-seeing with a fellow passenger. At the time, she doesn’t know the moments with James will change her life, nor does she know that before her plane takes off the next morning, she will turn around to find James gone.

    With no way to contact him, Moe returns home only to lose everything before the new year dawns. Completely alone, jobless, and faced with the news that she is going blind, Moe remembers her time with James and clings to the idea of embracing the moments of vision she has left.

    When opportunities for love and friendship come in the most unexpected places, Moe faces the choice of whether to continue to wait for the man who changed her life.

    Will Moe and James ever find each other again? Can she learn to appreciate the beauty in each moment God provides and inspire those beyond her own darkness, even if she never sees again?

    This book is one of the most meaningful books I have ever written, which is all the more fulfilling because the story is so personal to me. I include a lot of my own experiences and thoughts, fictionalized, of course! The author’s note in the book explains the story behind the story, revealing the truth in this unique work of fiction. The message of this book has been profound, and I’m continually amazed at how God has used it to touch others. I hope you end up being one of those touched, and I pray you are better for your “once” with me!

    Now it’s time for you to check it out! Go to the book on Amazon by clicking on this link to Once Upon a Christmas

    In the Look Inside feature, find the answer to this question:

    What does James order at dinner? When you find the answer, fill out this  form and hop over to the next blog! 

    Thank you so much for visiting! The next author on the tour is  Tori Higa, who is telling us all about her debut  picture book, The Christmas Color. You can find it by clicking this link: Tori’s Scavenger Hunt

    Remember that you must answer every question from all 36 authors in this collection and the round-robin will end on December 13th at 11:59 PM EST!


  • The Paper Bag Challenge!

    I’ve always believed that a compelling story can be written about anything, even a paper bag. After all, the quality of a story doesn’t depend on the topic as much as the writing. So I decided to take the challenge and put my paper bag theory to the test!

    So, here you go! Want to see if a paper bag can touch your heart? Make sure you read all the way to the end!

     

    The brown paper bag slid from her fingertips, the wind conspiring with icy snowflakes to whip it away from the open car window.

    Frantic cries of “Daddy, stop!” accompanied the bag’s exit, but the car sped away, the brake lights never flashing red.

    The bag flew behind the vehicle as if on wings for a few glorious seconds before plastering against the windshield of another car. The car swerved while the driver yelled insults at it and the world in general until the bag lost its grip, flinging away from the smooth glass and tumbling to a landing in the middle of the road.

    Snow continued to fall, dotting the bag with pinpricks of moisture until they joined together, transforming the once crisp brown paper into a soggy film that melted to the road.

    A cat darted across the street, stopping to sniff the bag and the faint aroma of Christmas cookies lingering on it. The cat startled, looking up as headlights spotlighted its glowing eyes. Waiting for the last second, it crouched over the bag, daring the approaching car closer. Suddenly, it took off, streaking across the road as the car weaved, trying to avoid the dark shadow.

    The bag waited patiently as traffic slowed with the night. Snowflakes no longer melted against it but formed a layer of ice, pinning it to the hard asphalt. Fluffy snow piled on top until the bag became part of the landscape, no longer distinguishable from the rest of winter.

    Finally, dawn peeked over the eastern hills and a pair of huge glowing beacons, brighter and louder than any others, came barreling toward the bag. With a loud scraping against the asphalt, they scooped the bag up in an avalanche and carried it down the road to join a massive wall of snow. The vehicle backed away, but the bag clung to its metal shovel until the unsteady grunting and jerking became too much. Reluctantly, it released its hold, once again falling to the ground.

    The sun chased away the last shadows of night. A speedy little car buzzed past, its tires running directly over the bag, imprinting its tread on the wet paper and carrying it along for the space of a dizzying merry-go-round ride until it stopped at a gas station. The bag escaped only to stand sentinel in the slush as a long line of cars stopped, pumped their gas, and left, no one seeing the brown paper bag beside them.

    A woman stepped out of her car and checked her watch. Her movements hurried as she pushed buttons on the pump. She stepped back, her foot landing directly on the bag. Like glue, the wet paper clung fiercely to her shoe, and when she stepped, the bag came with it.

    Grumbling, she reached down and ripped the bag from her shoe. With two disgusted fingers, she held the wet piece of trash away from her and marched it over to the garbage can where it belonged.

    Suddenly, she stopped.

    Thoughtfully, her now curious fingers carefully pried apart the gooey paper. She reached inside and pulled out a plastic sandwich bag. Nestled inside, kept safe from the bag’s obvious trauma, was a picture of a little boy with an ornament frame around it. The little frame had been painstakingly colored with a Christmas rainbow of markers. With the picture ornament was a note written in a child’s hand:

     

    Dear Mommy

    I made this for u. I hop God lets u hve

    Crismas preznts in heven.

    Love,

    Max

     

    The woman held the paper bag and its contents for a long time. Then she placed everything in her car, finished with the gas pump, and drove away. The paper bag spent all day on the passenger seat of the woman’s car. By the time she returned, the bag was dry and crinkly once again.

    They drove to a store. The woman got out and eventually returned with a large, helium-filled balloon. She then drove to a park with heavy drifts of snow resting against the trees. She took out her phone and snapped a picture of the boy’s little face smiling from the ornament. Then she gathered the balloon in one hand and the bag and its contents in the other and marched through the snow to the center of the park.

    With cold fingers, she tied the paper-framed ornament to the long string attached to the balloon and bowed her head. When her eyes opened again, she held the balloon outstretched. Then her fingers slowly parted and released it.

    She watched as the balloon lifted high in the leaden sky, the little gift swaying gently on the string below. She snapped a picture with her phone then opened an app. Her fingers numbing with cold, she quickly typed out a caption:

     

    Hey, Max, I don’t know you, but I found your paper bag with the present for your mom. Don’t worry. I sent it off to heaven. I know she’ll love it.

    Love,

    Lexi

     

    After posting, she looked back up in the sky, watching until she could see the balloon and its precious cargo no more. With a sigh, she turned and walked back to her car, still holding the crumpled, torn paper bag in one hand. Beside her car stood a trash can. She walked over to it. The paper hovered once again over the garbage, waiting for its release.

    But her hand drew back. She looked at the bag, and her fingers gently smoothed out the wrinkles that could never be erased.

    She got back into the car and placed the empty bag back on the passenger seat beside her.

    Maybe she’d throw it away later.

    After all, it was just a paper bag.

     

    The Paper Bag” has a longer “sequel,” and I’m offering it for free to newsletter subscribers! To subscribe and find out what happens next, click here.

    Amanda’s Newsletter

    If you enjoyed this mini story, please share with friends so they can enjoy it, too! You can share this website post or you can share this Facebook post of “The Paper Bag.”

    And to think it all started with a paper bag!


  • The Words You Need to Hear

     

    Last week was a rough one. Nobody was sick. No tragedy occurred. In fact, there really was little worth complaining about. It was just one of those weeks, like so many in typical 2020, where you get to the end and think, “Whew! That was rough!”

    Part of what made it tough for me was that it was tough for one of my kids. I remember my mom saying that when you have multiple kids in the house, every day is a bad day for somebody! Since my heart walks around on four different pairs of legs, the chances of it hurting are pretty high.

    In this case, some of the “tough” had to do with my son’s math test.. It’s been a tough math year so far this year, so he was pretty nervous about it. Don’t get me wrong, he’s extremely smart and good at math, which makes the challenge of this year even more frustrating. The night before his test, he reviewed and studied for about three hours. I sat beside him, checked his answers with my own work, and made sure he was understanding the steps of the oft-times complex algebra problems. At the end of the night, I was confident that he knew his stuff. I was wiped out tired and reaching back decades to remember how to graph little numbers and letters on a grid I could barely see. He ended up telling me what I did wrong when our answers didn’t match and understood the material inside out and backwards. I prayed with him before bed and called it good, feeling confident that there was nothing more he could have done to prepare.

    The next day, I got an email from my son while he was at school. Obviously very upset, he told me he’d gone in at lunch to finish his test and scored the lowest grade he’d ever gotten on a math test in his life. Honestly, my first inclination was to try to find out exactly what went wrong. Did you not check your answers? How exactly did you mess up? Fortunately, I read between the lines of his few words. My easy-going, Pollyanna boy was frustrated and saying things like “take me out of this class. I can’t do it.” I took a deep breath and a few minutes before responding. He was frustrated, upset, and worried about how I would react.

    What does he need to hear right now?

    Then, slowly, I typed only a few words in reply: “It will be okay. We will figure it out. I love you.” Then I clicked send.

    He soon replied with only two words: “Ok, thanks.” But even in those two words, I knew that the waters of his emotions were calmed. Because he believed me. He believed it would be okay. He believed I would help him figure it out. And he believed I loved him.

    As I drove to pick him up at the end of the day, I was reflecting and thought about how many times, even as adults, we just need someone to say those same words I spoke to him.

    Then I heard a gentle whisper. Don’t I always?

    I then realized that the Bible proclaims that very message in every page. God has written it there for all to see. But His message to us is even more beautiful and powerful than mine to my son. For God’s words say something slightly different.

    It will be okay. I have it figured out. I love you.

    We often feel like we’ve gotten ourselves into a hopeless situation that we can’t manage to get out of. And we’re probably right. But no situation, no screw up, no tragedy comes as a surprise to God. He knew it was coming, and He already has a plan to get us through it.

    One of the most frequently misinterpreted verses in the Bible is Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.” People often whip out this verse as a band aid when someone is going through something tough. However, if you read the context of the verse, you realize that God didn’t say this at the end of a tough time, but at the beginning. After those words were spoken, things went from bad to worse, at least if you were keeping tabs on the outside circumstances. But God doesn’t work the short game. Through that verse, He was telling His people that things are going to get bad. You’re going to face tragedy, persecution, and dark times. Not everyone was going to make it. But, I know the plans I have for you. They will bring about your eventual good.

    In many ways, this context should be even more comforting. Just because bad things happen doesn’t mean that God has abandoned you. Even if they go from bad to worse and your life gives Job’s a good competition, you can take comfort in knowing that God plays the long game. He has a plan, and His plan is good.

    I don’t know how my son’s math will turn out. I don’t know if he will manage to get a decent grade. But even if he doesn’t, I’ll be right there beside him to figure things out and help him through. And I am confident that whatever happens will be for his eventual good.

    It’s 2020. You pretty much never know what craziness tomorrow will bring. I do know that tomorrow is the election. People are very divided. No matter who wins, one set of people will be happy and celebrate while the other side will be upset and think that times are about to get very dark and tough. Let me encourage you that whatever your circumstances—if your candidate loses, if you’re crying tomorrow and convinced the world is ending, if you’re sick, if you’re facing tragedy, if 2020 has just been a tough one, or if you just bombed a math test…

    Listen to the gentle whisper that echoes an entire Bible of the same message:

    It will be okay. I already have it figured out. I love you.

    Then believe Him.