Wednesday, May 8, 2024

Welcome to the Scandals and Mercies Celebration Tour! #Giveaway #Historical

About the Book

Book: Scandals and Mercies

Author: Kathleen Rouser

Genre: Christian Historical Romance

Release Date: April 23, 2024

He’s a reporter determined to uncover the truth, but the secrets he finds could crush her family—and their second chance at love.

Taken from her family’s farm to be raised by her wealthy aunt and uncle, Nora Armstrong has accepted that not only will she never realize her dream of becoming a teacher, she’d also rather be a spinster than submit to her cruel aunt’s society selection of a suitable husband. The one man who caught her eye betrayed her best friend. And she’s got enough on her hands, hiding her sister’s shameful secret from her aunt.

When the local home for unwed mothers burns down, the arson investigation brings big-city reporter James Cooper back to Stone Creek—and back into Nora’s life. James also has a meddling aunt who raises more questions than she answers about his past. Not to mention, he can’t figure out why Nora constantly rebuffs him. When his reporting casts aspersions on the local church and lays the blame for the fire and a series of robberies at the wrong feet, he risks losing his new position at the paper.

As they seek to unravel the town’s mystery, rescue endangered mothers and children, and navigate their own family secrets forced to light, James and Nora increasingly turn to each other for help. But can they overcome James’s lack of faith and the disapproval of Nora’s guardians to find a second chance at love?

Marilyn's thoughts: Kathleen Rouser brings us another intriguing historical romance filled with twists and turns, mystery, new beginnings, and finding oneself through faith in God. Her tales are penned with history and love woven throughout the pages with strong developed characters.

Nora compassion to serve others despite all she endured in life gave hope and meaning to individuals. James was on a mission to discover answers but God works in mysterious ways behind the scenes.

I highly recommend the entire series of Stone Creek Brides to fans of historical romance filled with a gentle and loving Christian message. I received a complimentary copy of this book through Celebrate Lit Bloggers tour and the publisher without being required to write a positive review. I have expressed my own thoughts.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Kathleen Rouser is a multi-published, award-winning author of historical and contemporary Christian romance. She is a longtime member of American Christian Fiction Writers and a member of Faith, Hope and Love Christian Writers. She resides in southeast Michigan, a location which she often uses in her novels, with her hero and husband of forty-some years and two sweet cats who found a home in their empty nest.

More from Kathleen

Writing Scandals and Mercies: A Personal Spiritual Journey

By Kathleen Rouser

Scandals and Mercies has been my hardest story to write thus far. It seems that as I work through issues in my life it may come out in my characters. And I can relate to Nora Armstrong, my heroine. I can understand some of her struggles, her tender heart toward the Coping children, and figuring out who she is in Jesus. The challenges I had in writing this book are reflected in the theme which came through as I wrote it—identity in Christ. Then I became more purposeful in exploring the theme. Nora felt alone and had doubts at the beginning, but then she learned what it meant for her to trust in God despite her difficulties.

Though I’d been a believer for nearly forty years when I began writing Scandals and Mercies, I was—and still am—going through some difficult trials that forced me to really think about what my identity in Christ is. Who am I in Him? Will I depend on Jesus through one of the worst trials of my life? Or will I become bitter? I think of when Jesus said some hard things and many of His disciples deserted Him. He said to the twelve, “Do you also want to go away?” And Peter said, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”

Jesus is truly the only One who has the answers, the words of eternal life. Where else would I turn? And when He doesn’t directly answer, especially the way I want, it’s for me to trust in Him.

And it’s also about sharing in the fellowship of His sufferings, not that we can add anything to our salvation, but that trials and suffering are a part of the Christian life, meant to mold us and grow us in our faith. And if we allow it, to be changed more closely into the someone who projects the image of Christ to others. My husband likes to say we are “Jesus with skin on” for each other.

Working through all of that while writing how Nora grew in her faith took a lot of emotional energy, but God strengthened me and I finished her story, while He is still writing mine!

Blog Stops

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, May 7

Texas Book-aholic, May 8

Life on Chickadee Lane, May 9

Lighthouse Academy Blog, May 9 (Guest Review from Marilyn Ridgway)

Betti Mace, May 10

Devoted To Hope, May 10

Locks, Hooks and Books, May 11

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, May 12

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, May 13

lakesidelivingsite, May 14

For Him and My Family, May 15

Gina Holder, Author and Blogger, May 16 (Author Interview)

The Lofty Pages, May 16

Book Looks by Lisa, May 17

Connie’s History Classroom, May 18

Holly’s Book Corner, May 19

Pause for Tales, May 20

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Kathleen is giving away the grand prize package of a $50 Amazon gift card!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/2b58d/scandals-and-mercies-celebration-tour-giveaway

Monday, May 6, 2024

An Interview with Sarah Reju, Author of Coop Messes Up

An Interview with Sarah Reju,
Author of Coop Messes Up

For parents with a little one who loves to play with cars and trucks, a new series of books written by Sarah Reju and illustrated by Tania Rex will surely become an instant favorite. The Wheelies are a family of vehicles whose adventures are both fun and relatable to children ages 3–8. And when trouble finds young Coop, as it always seems to do, the truth of the gospel always steers him back in the right direction.

In book one, Coop Messes Up, the youngest member of the Wheelie family learns a big lesson in forgiveness and God’s love when he breaks one of the rules. Like many little ones, the energetic and inquisitive MINI-Cooper has a problem obeying the rules—and there are a lot of them! When Coop runs out of gas, his sister, Lucy, a police car who prides herself on always following the law, tries to help him learn to follow the rules.

Q: Your new series, The Wheelies, is about a family of cars which is sure to capture the attention of little readers. Can you introduce us to the cast of characters?

Coop Wheelie is the youngest member of a family of vehicles who live in Capital City. He’s an energetic Mini Cooper whose frequent mistakes help him learn big truths about God.

In addition to Coop, the Wheelie family includes siblings Nory (a fun-loving VW Beetle), Lucy (a rule-following police car), Joy (an adventure-loving Jeep), and James (a dependable pickup truck). Ma is a hard-working fire truck, and Pops is a servant-hearted garbage truck.

Q: Coop is what most would consider to be the typical youngest child of a family. What is his quickest route to finding himself in trouble?

Like many kids, Coop has a hard time following the rules, especially the rule about refueling when your tank gets low. He plays long and hard and forgets to fill up until it’s too late. Then, he lies about it to his mother because he’s afraid of disappointing her.

Coop feels bad and wants to do better, but he keeps getting distracted and messing up. He thinks the solution is to try harder to follow more rules, and naturally turns to his big sister, Lucy, for help.

Q: Tell us about Lucy, Coop’s big sister who is a police car and the epitome of a rule follower. What lesson does she try to teach Coop?

Lucy is a hard worker who is ready to help her little brother shape up and become more like her. She prides herself on her ability to perfectly follow the rules. She is prone to self-righteousness and judges others who don’t follow the rules as well as she does. She thinks Coop’s problem could be solved if he just tried harder.

When Coop and Lucy run out of gas together, Lucy is quick to blame Coop for their trouble. Lucy is shocked and humbled when she learns that Ma, the seemingly perfect fire truck who comes to their rescue, confesses that she struggles to follow the rules herself.

Q: Do you have any tips for parents who have a child who is like Coop and seems to be the sibling that messes up the most? How do you try to lead children to have a healthier respect for the rules?

I’d suggest that parents first seek to understand why their child is messing up so much. Is it deliberate disobedience where the child knows the rules but chooses to flagrantly disobey? Is challenging authority typical for your child? If so, she likely needs clear boundaries and spelled-out consequences that you consistently follow through on. She also needs lots of encouragement and celebration when she wisely chooses to obey.

Or is your child messing up because she gets distracted a lot? Is she so focused on whatever she’s doing that she forgets the rules? This child might actually want to do better and be really discouraged by how often she messes up. A child like this needs a big dose of encouragement and support, maybe breaking tasks into smaller parts with cues along the way to remind her of the rules.

Q: What about kids who tend to be like Lucy? How do you help your rule-follower children not become too self-righteous?

Rule-followers need to learn that their obedience is not for their glory—it’s for God’s glory! God put good authority in our kids’ lives to bless them, so when they obey, it honors God. They need to take their eyes off themselves and fix their eyes on the Lord. Kids like Lucy who tend to be self-righteous and find their identity in their good works need lots of reminders of grace. They need to know they can’t earn your love by what they do, but that you love them all the time, no matter what. This is a picture for them of the way God loves us.

Let them know that you expect them to mess up—it’s a normal part of being human. They’ll likely need help learning to take responsibility for their sins, rather than blaming others for their problems. Jesus is the only one who ever obeyed perfectly, and his perfect obedience is theirs if they repent and trust in Jesus.

Q: When Lucy and Coop both run out of gas, what lesson does the duo learn?

Lucy and Coop learn that Ma loves them completely, simply because they are her kids. She doesn’t love them more when they obey, or less when they disobey. Ma’s unconditional love for her kids is a picture of the way God has loved her.

Ma forgives Lucy and Coop for breaking the family rules because God has already forgiven her for breaking his law. Lucy and Coop begin to experience the freedom and peace that come from turning from their sin and being forgiven.

Q: What do you hope all children will learn about unconditional love from reading Coop Messes Up?

Sadly, many children are growing up under the crushing burden of thinking they have to perform in order to be loved. My prayer is that children who read Coop’s story will come to know the God who loves them simply because he loves them.

Before they were even born, God knew all the ways they would mess up. He loved them so much that he sent his son, Jesus, to obey for them, to die for them, and to be raised again for them, so that they can be forgiven and find new life with him.

Q: How do we make sure that our kids understand that just because we love them unconditionally, even when they mess up, that doesn’t mean that they don’t have to try to follow the rules or face the consequences of their choices?

Part of loving our kids unconditionally includes helping them learn to live under the Lordship of Christ. God made the world, so he gets to set the rules, and his rules are for our good, to help us flourish. Kids do need to learn to obey God, and experience consequences when they disobey.

But all of this should be in the larger context of understanding how much God loves them, and that his rules are for their good. He’s not a harsh taskmaster who’s looking for ways to make them miserable. He’s a good Father who knows what’s best for them and loves them enough to help them keep on his path. It also helps kids when they see that parents and other adults need to obey God too, and that we experience consequences when we disobey.

Q: Why is it important to confess some of the ways we mess up to our children?

Our kids already know we are not perfect. Or if they don’t know it yet, they will definitely know it by the time they are teenagers. Part of modeling the Christian life for them is letting them see what we do when we sin. Are we humble? Do we seek forgiveness and reconciliation? Do we take ownership for our sin and do what we can to make things right? Do our kids see us relying on the Savior that we claim to believe in?

Especially when our sin involves our children, we need to humble ourselves and seek their forgiveness. Our exhortations to them to confess and seek Jesus are going to mean a whole lot more if they have seen us living this out ourselves.

Q: Coop Messes Up is the first book in The Wheelies series. Can you give us a little spoiler of what’s coming up in the series?

The next book is called Coop Helps Out. Pops (the garbage truck) gets sick, and Coop feels responsible. Coop learns what it means to be a humble servant, like Pops, and in the process gets to know more about Jesus, the best servant who ever lived.

Coop Learns He Can comes next. Coop and his sister Joy (the Jeep) go on an outdoor adventure. Coop is sad he wasn’t made to do all the cool stuff Joy can do. But when Joy gets stuck, Coop is able to rescue her precisely because of the way he was made. He learns what it means to be fearfully and wonderfully made by God.

Coop Messes Up

The Wheelies Book 1

by Sarah Reju

Illustrated by Tania Rex

February 26, 2024

ISBN: 978-1-64507-411-3

Retail Price: $16.99

Juvenile Fiction/Religious/Christian/Values and Virtues

Read a Preview

About the Author and Illustrator

Sarah Reju, MDiv, is a pastor’s wife and mother living in Washington, DC. She has a MDiv in Christian Ministry from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Reju is the author of the children’s books Jesus Saves, God Is Better Than Trucks, God Is Better Than Princesses, and Coop Messes Up (the first in the new Wheelies series).

Sarah and her husband, Deepak, have five children.

About the Illustrator:

Tania Rex was born and raised in Vilnius, Lithuania. She’s happiest when she can take an idea and turn it into a picture. Experimenting with styles and drawing is how she spends most of her spare time. Tania draws inspiration from little everyday miracles, aiming to point audience attention to the ever-present magic of real life.

Sunday, May 5, 2024

Let's Get Down to Business and Talk about Jesus by BJ Bassett #devotional

Let's Get Down to Business and Talk about Jesus

Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I'll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age." Matthew 28:19-20 MSG

Helen Sunday, affectionately called "Nell" or "Ma" by her famous evangelist husband Billy Sunday, was the woman behind the man.

He was shy and insecure, needing his wife's support. They decided to leave their three older children with a nanny so that Nell could accompany Billy in his ministry.

They met shortly after Billy's conversion. He'd been a professional baseball player before he became an evangelist. Nell taught Sunday school as a teenager, became the Intermediate Department supervisor, and was influential in youth ministry.

Billy trusted her with his career. Her loyalty made her Billy's backbone. She acted as a buffer between Billy and the outside world, enabling him to concentrate on his preaching.

Later, she also spoke at women's meetings and civic organizations and became a religious figure in her own right. She answered voluminous mail and wrote a syndicated feature called "Mrs. Billy Sunday's Column," supporting greater opportunities for women.

After Billy's death, she began her 22-year preaching ministry, encouraged young evangelists, and raised funds for Christian organizations.

Bob Jones Jr. said in her eulogy, "I can hear Ma Sunday now saying, 'That’s enough of this foolishness. Let’s get down to business and talk about Jesus.’”

I agree. Let’s get down to business and talk about Jesus with believers and those who do not believe yet.

Father, I would like to be like Ma Sunday if it's Your will. Amen.

Reprinted from

The King’s Daughters

By B J Bassett

B. J. Bassett encourages others as an author, teacher and speaker. Her books include a contemporary novel, Gillian’s Heart; a historical novel Lily; Sweet Charity; A Touch of Grace—The G.R.A.C.E. Ministries Story; and coauthor of a children’s devotional My Time with God, Focus on the Family, Heritage Builders, with over 55,000 copies sold.

As a contributing writer, publications consist of Writer’s Handbook 2000, The Writer, and The Focus on the Family Guide to Growing a Healthy Home, Wolgemuth& Hyatt, Publishers, Inc.—consistently on Bookstore Journal’s Best-selling Christian Books List from November 1990 - February 1991, and voted the 10 Best Books for 1990 by Today’s Christian Woman.

Magazines, devotional booklets, curriculum and newspaper publishers include Focus on the Family, Woman’s World, The Quiet Hour, Pathways to God, Devotions, Harcourt Brace, WordAction, Gospel Publishing and Times Standard (newspaper).

She teaches writing workshops at Umpqua Community College, Roseburg, OR and at writer’s conferences. As a speaker for Stonecroft Ministries, she tells her story of rejection and acceptance, not only in life, but as a writer as well. She also offers book talks, including discussion questions and shares the journey -- from the seed of an idea to a published book.

She enjoys reading, jigsaw puzzles, knitting, munching warm scones oozing with butter and strawberry jam and sipping earl grey tea.

Saturday, May 4, 2024

Welcome to the Gimme Some Sugar Celebration Tour! #Giveaway

About the Book

Book: Gimme Some Sugar: 90 Devotions to Sweeten Your Day in a Godly Way

Author: Linda Kozar

Genre: Devotional Book, Nonfiction

Release date: April 2, 2024

A perfect start to a joyful heart.

Good things from God can calm the soul and fill you with confidence. In Gimme Some Sugar, award-winning author Linda Kozar brings her southern wit and wisdom to sweeten your life with spiritual nourishment to ponder, perspective to pray about, and a touch of joy to put a smile on your face. This 90-day devotional will encourage you to set your heart and mind on God’s Word while having fun along the way. Each devotion includes

an engaging saying,
inspiring insights from Scripture,
practical advice for daily life, and
a sprinkle of homespun humor.

Brighten your day with a spoonful of biblical encouragement and reminders of God’s enduring love, hope, and peace.

Marilyn's thoughts:

Gimme Some Sugar, 90 Devotions to Sweeten Your Day in a Godly Way, is an easy to read devotional. The author has included a scripture verse, a quote from a well known individual, thought and sweet spoonful thought to tie it all up. Some of the quotes or humorous and others more serious to cause a deeper reflection on the Word, along with how it could be applied to your daily life. This devotional is in a soft bound leather cover that makes it perfect to give as a gift.

I received a complimentary copy of this devotional from Celebrate Lit and have expressed my own thoughts.

Marilyn's thoughts:

I received a complimentary copy of this devotional from Celebrate Lit and have expressed my own thoughts.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Linda Kozar is an award-winning multi-published author of traditional and indie-published fiction and nonfiction books with a Southern flair. Linda and her husband Michael live in The Woodlands, Texas and enjoy spending time with their two grown daughters, their wonderful son-in-law, two grands Eden and Wesley, and Gypsy their rascally Jack Russell Terrier.

More from Linda

The Southern life is simple, savory food, sweet tea, and family. Whether you have a twang or a drawl, or nothing at all, if you’re Southern at heart these devotions will perk you up, give you a scriptural truth to ponder, and a spoonful of inspiration to sweeten your day.

—Linda Kozar, Author of Gimme Some Sugar

Good Gracious! Company’s Coming Cheese Straws

Ingredients:

1 pound (4 cups) freshly shredded sharp cheddar cheese (gotta be sharp!)

1 cup salted butter (yes to salted)

1-1/2 teaspoons salt

4 cups all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

½ teaspoon smoked paprika

½ teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon onion powder

1/8 teaspoon black pepper (or white if preferred)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line your baking sheets with parchment or silicone sheets. Break out your box grater and go to town grating that sharp cheddar cheese on the fine side of the grater. When finished, (usually when your arm starts to hurt), cover and let it come to room temperature.

Add the butter and cheese to a stand mixer bowl and paddle beat for about ten minutes until creamed together.

Add salt, flour, cayenne pepper, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and pepper l and mix on medium speed until fully combined.

Transfer dough to a cookie press fitted with a star tip (if you want your straws to look fancy). Or you can hand-roll long thin strips and cut into uniform lengths (about 3 inches) with a knife.

Bake for 12-14 minutes until lightly-browned. Let cool for 5 to 10 minutes. Then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.