Great Christian Mystery- Stranded by Dani Pettrey

I love to read and right now my favorite books to relax by are Christian suspense or mystery. Thankfully Bethany House through NetGalley will occasionally let me review a book, giving my honest opinion for a free copy.

How can you not love a mystery that takes place in Alaska on a cruise ship?! Stranded by Dani Pettrey is the third book in Dani's Alaskan Courage series. And as I haven't made it to Alaska, or on a cruise ship I enjoyed this setting for a book.

I read the third book, Stranded, before reading the second book, Shattered. I had already enjoyed the first book a few months back called Submerged, which by the way was awesome as well. The first time through I was a little lost on some of the relationships but I still enjoyed the book not missing too much without reading the second book. But if you want to enjoy the whole series, following the McKenna family and their adventures I would recommend starting at book 1. I went back and bought book 2 to fill in some of the questions I had, and I loved how the three books beautifully fit together.

Stranded, starts out with Abby, an undercover reporter being in trouble and finds herself thrown overboard. She is rescued- but she disappears after that. Abby had invited her friend a "retired" undercover reporter, Darcy St. James (first introduced in book 2) to join her on the cruise ship to help with the mystery. Darcy can't find Abby on the ship- and starts to piece together that her friend had disappeared and must have found out something big to have gotten herself in so much trouble!

Darcy is soon joined on the ship by Gage McKenna who will be leading the adventure excursions and she and Gage are thrown together once again. Darcy finds herself in many adventures along the way...  maybe even an adventure of the heart. The other members of the McKenna family also get involved, and Landon and Jake as well.

I love when books are written in series that keep on developing the lives of a family, and I love the McKenna family. Dani does a great job of making you feel for the characters, and gives you many moments when you just have to read the next page or you just won't be sleeping that night without knowing what will happen next.

Dani Pettrey's books are awesome and I hope there might be a fourth in the series so I can find out more about the McKenna family, and see what adventure and mystery they might get themselves caught up in.

Something beautiful

What do you do when you realize the one thing that you have been hoping and praying for isn’t going to happen? What do you do when you realize that God isn’t going to heal your child, spouse, or friend? That is a question I have been wrestling with for years now. When my older two kids had their developmental delays they came out of it and are now really good students. BUT my Zachary he is now 9, and the realization that he won’t ever be normal hits harder with each birthday. When they tell you your son is developmentally at the 18 month level at 9 you wonder if he will ever talk or be even close to "normal."

What do I do with that, when I believe that God is good, He loves me and Zachary and wants the best for us. That’s what the Bible says. I have to either choose to believe what the Bible says…. or choose to turn away into my human sadness, bitterness. It is a struggle I have to make a choice each morning to believe that God has a purpose in Autism. I hate that word. I hate the essence of what it means. A son that has never had a conversation with me, made a friend. I never know what makes him sad or happy, or what he did while at school that day.

This week Isaiah 55:11 has been hitting me square in the eyes. You wouldn’t think you would find a gem that would be so convicting hidden away in Isaiah. Here it is to convict me again starting with verse 10 to get the gist of it: “¹⁰ As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, ¹¹ so is my word that goes out from my mouth:  It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”

 But will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it, what Lord?! But this has been gut wrenching, heart breaking, what will this achieve? I have to rest in that it will achieve His purpose. That it will produce something beautiful from these tears and human pain; that Zachary’s disability could be something beautiful.

I will continue to struggle until the day I see Jesus’ face and He makes my son well. But while here on earth I can rest in knowing my God must have a bigger plan for this that my finite mind can’t see or understand. May He make something beautiful from our tears here on earth.

Until next time friend keep seeking His face through each and every why, and heartache.

Book Review: Nothing to Hide by J. Mark Bertrand

Thank you Bethany House for sending me a copy of Nothing to Hide, by J. Mark Bertrand to read and to make an honest review.

This is the first Roland March mystery that I have read, this being the third in the series. The title Nothing to Hide, is clever in that Roland is called to a homicide which leads him down a road of conspiracy, intrigue, and really much to hide, with many doors being opened before any truth is found. BUT Roland himself comes in contact with someone from his past- and since Roland's honor has always been above the line- he doesn't have anything to hide.

This is a very gritty book, with very real characters that come in contact with horrible crimes every day. March and his partner come to a horrible homicide, with the man decapitated as well as degloved (I kind of liked my innocence of not knowing what that was). The dead guy is pointing towards a highway in which another crime was committed, and another man was killed by the police. Sadly as March and his partner Jerry start putting clues together, Jerry Lorenze ends up losing his life in the line of duty. They come to find out that Mexico and guns are involved in the death of their decapitated guy…but that is just the start of all that will be revealed in the shadows.

The book ends of course with March being a hero; staying true to preserving justice, and taking some horrible men and guns off the street.

This book was really well written with twists and turns that keep your mind wondering what in the world could happen next. But for me I like my crime books to be a bit less gritty, with a little more humor, and yes maybe even a love story going on. Guess that is the girl in me.

Thumbs up to Bertrand writing, but this girl will stick to her more fluffy Christian suspense.

Stained Glass Hearts

I just finished reading the book, Stained Glass Hearts: Seeing Life from a Broken Perspective, by Patsy Clairmont. Patsy is a Women of Faith speaker and has a wonderful way with words spoken as well as written.

Each one of us have heartaches, pain, things unexpected that happen, but what IF these painful things could be stained glass pieces that will one day reveal the great masterpiece of our Master? I love how the writer says, "We have a Creator who knows where the scattered pieces of our achy-breaky hearts landed and how to fit them back together again. Not one splinter escapes His redemptive works. Our restoration will be an ongoing integration until the day we step into Christ's presence, when all will finally be set into place."

I have been challenged to really trust my Creator not only with me but with my "broken" son Zachary, believe me it is hard to give over your child when you think God could heal him but doesn't. I struggle each day with the Creator who can fix anything but sometimes chooses not to. But if I truly trust and believe God really does have all of us in His hands- then I have to believe these stained glass pieces will be a wonderful stained glass masterpiece that God's light can shine through, for me and for my Zachary.

Friends may your life be a beautiful stained glass masterpiece- may God take your brokenness and make something beautiful out of it! May I remember that I can only see the pieces but someday will see His masterpiece of my broken pieces. God Bless you my friend!

I was provided a copy of this book through booksneeze.com for free to review.

Book Review: 52 Ways to Wow Your Husband, Pam Farrel

I signed up to review books and was sent this book; 52 Ways to Wow Your Husband by Pam Farrel through NetGalley.

Now that we have married a few years, going on 15 years this November it is nice to have some new ideas of how to wow the husband. The book is broken down into 52 chapters and if you have time you could do a new date idea each week.

Each chapter is broken down into 3 sections; in wow assignment Pam gives you a question or topic to think about concerning your husband, in wow wisdom Pam gives you insight into something God's Word tells you about this topic, or some practical man insights (which I know I need sometimes), in wow date she gives you a practical date to plan for that week.

Well I know we have more like quarterly dates so 52 dates in 1 year would be something! But it was nice to get some insight into my man and to get some new date ideas.  

Will I Fly like an Eagle or Sink Down with the Fish?

Hi friends it has been a while. During the last few weeks I think I was swimming with the sharks. Let me explain....

I was recently reading the book, Heaven, by Joni Eareckson Tada and she had a chapter about how we can live to our fullest while waiting for heaven. She suggest that we should look to Isaiah 40:31, "Yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary.

At first I thought, "I have heard that so many times, okay." But I think this time my heart (the Holy Spirit) was taken in by a new idea that the verse has to say. This time I heard- If I give God my trust, my faith, my hope then no matter what comes I can fly above it like the eagles, because God is my hope and He will give me strength to carry on.


Romans 8:28, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." I have to believe that God has a bigger plan for me, my husband and my kids for giving us Zachary in our lives.  If I don't I am no longer flying above it looking down, but now I am in it- swimming frantically to stay alive.

Recently my husband and I had trouble sleeping so we decided to watch an ocean show. We followed beautiful schools of fish around swimming so peacefully- until a shark gang came and devoured each one of them until there was only blood and scales left to be seen. As I was thinking of this concept the verse from 1 Peter 5:8 came to me, "Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour."

Dear friend I have to fight to stay out of the waters each day- and make a decision to trust God, to believe He has plans for us, and a plan for my Zachary. If I don't, I end up living a life of defeat, bitterness, and rebellion from God. Believe me the pain of watching our son not being able to learn or communicate would be so much worse if I didn't have God to keep me flying above it.

May you find your wings this week my friends. And may I remember each day to stay out of the shark infested waters!

Strength to Weather the Storm

I am the sort of girl that I doesn't like change. I mean for the first 19 years of my life I got to live in pretty much the same place. I did leave home for college in PA a few years ago :) and never got to go back to my homestate, and family back in upstate NY.

Since marrying my sweetheart Nathan I have lived in a few more states; DE, KY and now TX, as you can see these moves did not get me closer to my roots. Plus with each state I lived in I made some really wonderful friends that I treasure and still miss.

So how can I deal with each move and what makes me sure I can make it? Or what helps me know that I can really make it with 2 tweens in the house, and a child with autism?

It is knowing that no matter where I am or what is going on I have a Rock that is higher than I to rest on, that gets me through those storms of life.

I love Psalm 61:2-3: "From the end of the earth will I cry to You, when my heart is overwhelmed and fainting; lead me to the rock that is higher than I [yes, a rock that is too high for me]. For You have been a shelter and a refuge for me, a strong tower against the adversary."

So when I see the storm approaching I have to really make sure I remember that I can rest on God and He will be my Rock that will get me through the storm, heartaches, and yes even moves far away from those I love.

In Texas we have some of the most amazing winds and storms. I look out and see young trees bent to it seems their breaking point, but alas after the storm they still stand. With God as my Rock I know that I will be bent- but in the end I won't be broken and after the storm I will stand taller then ever, hopefully stronger than before.

Well my friend keep looking up. Remember He is your Rock, and will help you through your storm and trials as well.

Does Thankfulness and Trust Go Together?

As I was doing my trust word study in the Bible I saw that trust and thankfulness would sometimes go together in certain psalms. This is a hard blog for me to write this week because I am truthfully having a hard time being thankful. I have had some health challenges this month, as well as dissappointing news about Zachary and his progress. I can so concentrate on the "bad" things and forget the thousands of things I should truly be thankful for; I always have food to feed my family, I have a wonderful husband and kids, I have a place to live. This should bring me to be more then thankful to God!

I went to Psalm 77 and saw the the writer was wondering where God was, where was the help that he needed? And then a few verses into it he says, "I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago." (verse 11) He continues going on remembering the miracles he has seen God do, the things that God had provided for him in the past. This made the man again trust that God will deliver him once again, just like He had in the past.

So when I get overwhelmed with the challenges that Zachary brings, and the hopelessness I feel in not knowing how to help him. I need to remember that God knows, and that He has shown His mighty work previously in our lives. Today my children Ethan and Maddie who were severly speeched delayed at the age of 4 are 9 and 11 and are A/B students and need no speech services. He has worked mightely! I have to remember that He was faithful then so He will be faithful now. So I can trust Him!

Well my friends, may God bless you today. Keep looking up!

Do I want to stumble in the desert?

I decided to do a Bible word study of the word trust because to me trust and faith seem to go together. Do you know the first time that the word trust comes up in the Bible is when the Israelites decide that they are not going to trust God and do what He said....and we all know what happened to them, they wandered in the desert for 40 years.

Okay I don't think that if I lack trust God is going to send me to the desert,(boy if that were true I would be there often) but maybe our deserts look different. Maybe the desert is not living a life of peace, finding the rest in God that we could find if we did trust. Maybe it is even missing a great plan He had for us that we could only do if we were trusting Him, like those Israelites could have been living in the Promise Land if they trusted.

Well were do I get that from? Well Psalm 95:11 is convicting, "So I declared an oath in my anger, 'They shall never enter my rest." Why is God angry? In Deuteronomy chapter 1 it tells the story of the Israelites deciding not to trust God. God told the people to not fear the people in the land He was going to give them, but you know the story they sent the 12 spies in and 10 came back saying, "We can't do this," while only Caleb and Joshua said, "Wow, God is giving us an amazing land." Well the people sided with the 10 and decided not to trust God to take them to their promised land. They didn't find their peace, their rest, they died in their desert of non-trust. Hebrews 3:19 says, "So we see that they were not able to enter because of their unbelief."

I hope that I will live a life of belief, of trust, because Hebrews 3:12 says, "See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God." This tells me that when I don't trust I am sinning, rebelling against God's perfect plan for me. Sure life is going to be hard sometimes, we are going to have heartaches, but I don't want to wander away from my God's plan for me. I believe that He has a plan for us and that He makes us better with each tear and heartache if we allow Him to. It is better to be in God's peace, then to doubt Him and not have that rest. May He give me the strength to keep my eyes focused on Him. I would rather live in the rest that trusting Him brings me, then live in the desert of unrest, and bitterness.

Well my friends, until next time. Keep looking up and making God your focus.

Cinnamon Rolls on My Mind

You may wonder what do cinnamon rolls have to do with faith. Well as I was making some cinnamon rolls I was thinking about eating them, and about my favorite part which is the sweet cinnamon and sugar swirled layers in the roll. Well when you frost the roll and put pecans on it you can’t see the sweet centers, but you believe they are there. You really hope that that part wasn’t forgotten. So that made me think of Hebrews 11:1 which says, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” So how come it is so easy for me to believe my sweet cinnamon swirl will be in the roll, but so hard for me to believe God and trust Him and that He really has everything under control. 

I think the biggest thing I have learned as a parent, and especially as a parent of a child with severe autism that I AM NOT in control. I have no control. Many days I cry out to God that I have no idea of what I am doing, none at all. But I think that is where He wants me, He wants me resting and hoping and believing in Him. Here is a great verse that reminds me to rest in Him, Psalm 91:1-2 “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.  I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” But I need to rest in His shadow and stop trying to fight Him.

I believe that God has a purpose in each struggle, each heartache mostly because He tells me so. Romans 8:28, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” So I will keep walking this path of faith, and hold on to the One who is in control. Until next time my friends, keep looking up.

 By the way this is my favorite recipe ever!  http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Clone-of-a-Cinnabon/Detail.aspx

This is Just for a Short Time

I am just one of many...many mothers and parents facing the challenge of a child with a disability. Thankfully I have hope that someday my son will be fixed, in Heaven. I hope you have that same peace too. I don't know how I could face each day without God. Here is a poem or whatever you want to call it that came to me one day. Keep looking up my friends.

This is Just for a Short Time 

By Heather C. Jones

This is just for a short time.

Then your son will shine in glory forever more.

No more tears, no more silence.

No more misunderstanding, no more sadness.

You can sing for joy together in eternity, forever more.

This is your happy everlasting.

Keep walking don’t turn to the left or right, but walk straight in faith.

I am your hope and his hope.

I am always with you and will not forsake you.

I give you hope, peace, love.

I will protect him, I am his Father.

Rest under my wings, rest and know I am God.