inspirational romance

No strings attached…

/ Dora Hiers / 6 Comments

Don’t you just love this time of the year?
Kids bundling up to play in the snow, then racing inside with rosy cheeks, flushed with excitement. Christmas music playing softly on the radio. Pumpkin pies baking in the oven, the scents of ginger and cinnamon drifting through the house. Whispers and giggles as children point out colorfully wrapped presents under a gigantic pine tree loaded with pinecones and sentimental ornaments. Snuggling in front of the fireplace with hubby while you cheer for football teams or watch your favorite movie. Loading up the car for road trips to visit family members you haven’t seen in awhile. Squirting whipped cream on a tall mug of hot chocolate for a late afternoon yummy. Watching the glow of a thousand candles light up a sanctuary, and songs of praise reaching toward heaven.
Christmas is a highlight of my year. Sure, it’s crazy busy with buying and wrapping gifts, attending school and church programs, making the rounds at holiday parties, school exams, visiting relatives. But, during this hectic season, I make a conscious effort to slow down, to thank God for the “ultimate” gift given to me.
What’s the ultimate gift? A chance for a fresh start. A giant eraser to wipe away the grunge. Paint bright enough to cover black walls. Spring-cleaning from the ceiling to the floor and all those dusty blinds in between.   
It’s a gift given to you by a loving Father. No strings attached. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Eph 2:8-9, NIV)
Wow! Merry Christmas!
What about you? What’s your favorite time of the year and why?
/ Dora Hiers / 7 Comments

Big Things Come in Small Packages
by Dawn Kinzer
As a little girl, I learned one Christmas that special things don’t always come in big packages. Like the Christ child, they can arrive in what may at first look small and plain.

Relatives gathered to celebrate Christmas at my aunt and uncle’s large Wisconsin farmhouse. Later in the day, while the adults sat back and enjoyed their coffee, thirteen children were called together to play “Bingo.” We were shown a display of prizes wrapped in boxes of various sizes. Sensitive to feelings, my aunt made sure there were enough for each child to win one.

Younger than most of my cousins, and quiet by nature, I was still just as excited as the rest about the prospect of being able to choose from the pile of colorful packages.

But as we played, one child after another won the game before I managed to get my circular pieces in the required straight line. Packages were eliminated from the pile, and as the supply dwindled, my heart began to sink as the larger boxes disappeared.

It seemed to take forever, but I finally shouted, “Bingo!”

It was my turn to pick from the remaining few packages. I tried to guess what could be hidden inside each one. I made my decision and reached for a large gift, wrapped in bright red paper. There had to be something wonderful inside.

“Big things come in small packages,” my aunt whispered in my ear. She pointed to a gift, barely noticeable, wrapped in plain white tissue paper.

I trusted her and picked the smaller gift. I carefully unfolded the delicate tissue and discovered the silver ring hidden inside. The setting held a round, cut piece of glass that reflected all the colors of the rainbow. The ring had to be inexpensive, but to me it was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. In my eyes and heart, I held a treasure in the palm of my hand.

In our pursuit for what we think may be better, it’s so easy to overlook anything that might appear insignificant. But what are we missing? What are the blessings, or everyday gifts, that we take for granted?

I don’t ever want to lose appreciation for a cool breeze blowing through the window on a hot afternoon, a comfortable bed after a tiring day, or a beautiful sunrise reminding me of God’s presence.

Wonderful, exciting, beautiful . . . and even life-changing things can be found in small packages. After all . . . didn’t the greatest gift bestowed upon us come in the gift of a small baby by the name of Jesus? And He gave the biggest gift of all. He gave us the gift of eternal life.

This Christmas, may you find great blessings in the small things.

  
Dawn Kinzer is a writer and freelance editor. Her writing has been published in the Christian Fiction Online Magazine, Backyard Friends, and The One Year Life Verse Devotional, and featured on the radio ministry, The Heartbeat of the Home.
To learn more about Dawn and her work, please visit:
Website and blog www.dawnkinzer.com
Editing services www.faithfullywriteediting.com
Blog for writers www.seriouslywrite.blogspot.com

She co-hosts and writes for the blog, Seriously Write. Learn more at her editing site: www.FaithfullyWriteEditing.com

Maggie’s Journey by Lena Nelson Dooley

/ Dora Hiers / 2 Comments

Back Cover copy:

Maggie’s Journey grabs you on page one with characters and events that reflect real-life joys and heartaches that change the characters forever. Make room on your “keepers” shelf! —Loree Lough, best-selling author of 80 award-winning books, including From Ashes to Honor.

A girl who’s been lied to her whole life…

Near her eighteenth birthday, Margaret Lenora Caine finds a chest hidden in the attic containing proof that she was adopted. The daughter of wealthy merchants in Seattle, she feels betrayed both by her real parents and by the ones who raised her.

Maggie desires a place where she belongs. But her mother’s constant criticism and reminders that she doesn’t fit the mold of a young woman of their social standing have already created tension in their home. With the discovery of the family secret, all sense of her identity is lost.
When Maggie asks to visit her grandmother in Arkansas, her father agrees on the condition that she take her Aunt Georgia as a chaperone and his young partner, Charles Stanton, as protection on the journey. Will she discover who she really is and, more importantly, what truly matters most in life?
My review:

I think I’ve mentioned before that I’m not really a big historical reader, but I just finished Maggie’s Journey, the first book in the McKenna’s Daughters Series by Lena Nelson Dooley, and I think I’m changing my tune.  
Never having read a book by Lena Nelson Dooley, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Maggie’s Journey focuses on a woman’s search to find her identity after she discovers that her birth parents gave her away, and the serious emotional struggles between a mother and daughter.
From the first page, Ms. Dooley creates the stage with the setting. You could feel yourself suffering through the long journey on the Oregon Trail, enduring the train ride, or touring a magnificent clothing-design mansion. I enjoyed the historical tidbits offered throughout the book.
And the characters jumped right off the pages. I rooted for Maggie as she searched for answers and attempted to be the person she was meant to be, rather than the customary woman of society. Other times, I wanted to scold Florence, but the author molded her from the beginning in such a way that I understood her motivation.  
The real romance in this book wasn’t between the main characters, but rather with Joshua and Florence, Maggie’s parents. I admired Joshua, a man of honor and passion, who demonstrated unconditional love for his wife in the toughest of circumstances.  
I’ll look forward to Lena Nelson Dooley’s next book in the McKenna’s Daughters Series, Mary’s Blessing, coming in May. Congrats, Lena Nelson Dooley! Five stars for an impeccably written story!
Disclosure: I received this book from the author for a fair and honest review.
Author Bio: Award-winning author, Lena Nelson Dooley, has more than 675,000 books in print. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writershttp://www.acfw.com/ and president of the local chapter, DFW Ready Writers. She’s also a member of Christian Authors Network, CROWN Fiction Marketing, and Gateway Churchin Southlake, Texas.

Lena loves James, her children, grandchildren, and great grandson. She loves chocolate, cherries, chocolate-covered cherries, and spending time with friends. Travel is always on her horizon. Cruising, Galveston, the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas, Mexico. One day it will be Hawaii and Australia, but probably not the same year. Helping other authors become published really floats her boat, with fifteen signing their first book contract after her mentoring. Three of her books have been awarded the Carol Award silver pins from American Christian Fiction Writers and she has received the ACFW Mentor of the Year award at their national conference. The high point of her day is receiving feedback from her readers, especially people whose lives have been changed by her books. And she loves chocolate, especially dark chocolate.

Her 2010 release was Love Finds You in Golden, New Mexico, from Summerside Press which recently won the Will Rogers Medallion Award for excellence in publishing Western literature. Lena is currently under two 3-book contracts with Charisma House/Realms. The first book released in October 2011. It’s Maggie’s Journey, book one of her McKenna’s Daughters series. 
In addition to her writing, Lenais a frequent speaker at women’s groups, writers groups, and at both regional and national conferences. She has spoken in six states and internationally. 
Lenahas an active web presence on Shoutlife, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, and with her internationally connected blog where she interviews other authors and promotes their books.

Website: www.lenanelsondooley.com
Blog: Http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com