Expect Favor

Recently hubby and I were blessed to hear inspirational speaker Dr. Dave Martin at our church. With thought-provoking concepts and belly laugh humor, he preached an entire sermon focused on one verse using the acronym DARE.

God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! (Eph 3:20 The Message)


Hang with me. I promise not to summarize the entire sermon or go into all of the letters, just E.


EXPECT favor

As in…expect favor from God, the Creator of the entire world. Who filled it with a sun that lights our days and warms our backs, and makes it rise and set without us ever having to lift a finger. He created seas that roar, rivers that trickle, and mountains that surge to the heavens. He crafted man from dust and woman from man and gifts us with precious little souls with miniature toes and fingers who grow to look just like us. He’s amazing, right? He’s able to do infinitely more than we can ever imagine, but —
Do we really expect Him to?

Martin’s philosophy is that when we recognize and celebrate His involvement with the little things, we’ll begin to see an increase in the bigger things. Cool, huh? 

Pumped up with a renewed attitude, we headed straight to our favorite lunch place (translation: my fave). 


Doesn’t the space look festive and neighborish? 🙂 My go-to dish is a chicken salad loaded with bacon and pecans and topped with a crisp apple cider vinaigrette…is it lunchtime yet? No? Bummer. lol. When the temperatures plummet, their Chili Nachos tempt me to veer from my usual, but on this particular day, the special was Chicken Mac and Cheese. Oohlala! What to do….what to do??

Hubby came up with the perfect solution. Why not order both the Nachos and the Mac and Cheese and we’d split everything? What a win! When I thanked hubby for suggesting this and God for granting me favor, this sparked a lively discussion on what favor really meant. 
How about weighing in? Maybe you can help settle the matter. 🙂


Does favor mean something that’s given to us or an unexpected blessing in any form? What’s your opinion? Do you live every day expecting favor?

Spreading some holiday cheer, er…reading!

11 Christmas Extravaganza Romance Novellas
by some of your favorite Pelican Book Group Authors

To celebrate my two most recent releases and in the spirit of giving, I’m GIVING AWAY a 
2014 Christmas Extravaganza postcard 
with eleven holiday-themed romance novellas, including Christmas in the Rink. 
The postcard comes with a redeemable code to enjoy these eleven (yes, that’s right, friends, 11!) e-books on your preferred electronic reader.

The 4 x 6 1/2 inch size makes this a perfect stocking stuffer for the romance reader on your holiday list! Or perhaps you’d like to unwind from the stress of the season by curling up in the evenings in front of a glowing fireplace to read some short stories bursting with family and laughter, sprinkled with grace and forgiveness, and weaved with reclaimed joy and rekindled faith? If so, here’s your chance! Just a few clicks and you could win these eleven delicious romances!

The winner will be announced here on Monday, 12/15/14, so make sure you come back by.

Oops, almost forgot! I’m also spreading some holiday cheer on Goodreads by giving away a print copy of 
When Love Triumphs. You can enter that giveaway here. 🙂

Wishing you a joyous holiday season! And Happy Reading!



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Curl Up with this Holiday Romance…

Buy Links: Pelican Book Group & Amazon

“Do you believe in second chances, Chaney?” His voice rumbled near, tickling the bare skin on her neck.

Was he referring to them? Or to his skating career? The air compressed from her lungs, but somehow she managed to squeeze out a raspy, “Yeah.”

His gaze never left her face, but his fingers moved to toy with the ends of her hair. Sliding the strands through his fingertips, a tic tightened his jaw and his lips firmed into a straight line.

Of its own accord, her palm reached up to cover his cheek, his whiskers scratchy against her skin. It wouldn’t ease the pain or regret over his past choices, but perhaps she could offer small comfort now.

“Do you think we might have a second chance?” His lashes dipped to hide his expression from her. She almost missed the naked vulnerability, the loneliness.

“A second chance at…?” She held her breath, waiting, hoping he wasn’t referring to their Olympic dreams.

“Us.” His lips covered hers, gentle and tentative, soft and tender. When her hand curled around his neck and dragged him closer, he deepened the kiss and slid one arm around her waist while the other cupped her cheek, his thumb wreaking havoc with her pulse.

Oh, dear God in heaven, I love this man. What will I do if he leaves again?


What readers are saying about Christmas in the Rink:
“Tis the season for love, faith and joy and what better way to experience them than by reading this book!” ~ Sally Shupe

“…a marvelous novella that reminds us dreams may be set aside for a reason and forgiveness can heal hearts. A lovely story for the season!” ~ Julie Steele
“Washed up Olympic hopeful looking for part time mechanic’s job.”
Not quite the glamorous life Conner Weddington envisioned during those countless hours of high school skating practices; but after his mother’s untimely death on Christmas Day, Conner joined the Army and left everything behind, including the father who despised his dreams, and his beautiful skate partner, Chaney Mitchum.

Chaney Mitchum understands why Conner left, but he stole her Olympic aspirations along with her heart. She’s never matched that graceful rhythm with another partner, so with her dreams squelched and an adorable niece who requires her attention, Chaney fills her days with diapers and students, not pleasure skating or romance.


Now that Conner’s back in town, will he reclaim the joy he once felt about Christmas and faith? Can Chaney and Conner rediscover their poetic elegance on the ice?

Buy Links: Pelican Book Group & Amazon