New Releases, New Awards, and New Opportunities!

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Author Susan K. Marlow has two new releases to celebrate! Stepping Stones #5: Andi Dreams of Gold When news of a gold strike spreads through town, Andi is sure there’s gold in the creek by her special spot. But she and her friend Cory get more than they bargain for when they set out to pan for the glittery metal. Stepping Stones #6: Andi Far from Home An outbreak of scarlet fever prompts Mother into sending Andi to San Francisco for safekeeping. But the noisy city and Aunt Rebecca’s bossy ways may be worse to Andi than catching the dreaded…

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Just Being

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Just Being By Susan G Mathis Just being. Just being together. What a sweet gift it is to just be together! What a sweet gift we can give to others in this busy world. Sometimes just being means sitting alone, quietly praying or thinking or dreaming. At other times, just being together means holding the hand of the one you love, resting in the knowledge that you are loved. Sometimes just being together means enjoying a rowdy Skype visit filled with little girl laughter and love and joy. Sometimes it means taking time to call your elderly mother to hear…

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God Talk

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God Talk By Susan G Mathis Talking about God is not just for Sundays; it’s for every hour of the day. Deuteronomy 6: 5-7 says, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” I don’t think this Scripture is only for parents. It’s for all of us—with…

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Learning Patience

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  It’s interesting how God works. My picture book, Lexie’s Adventure in Kenya: Love is Patient, teaches children to be patient, and I’ve needed a lot of patience lately. For all of you who need a bit of encouragement as you learn patience now or in the future, here are a few inspiring quotes that may help. God’s not finished with any of us yet! “God’s way of answering the Christian’s prayer for more patience, experience, hope, and love often is to put him into the furnace of affliction.” Richard Cecil. Yup, I think surgery might be my furnace at…

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St. Patrick’s Day Shamrocks

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St. Patrick’s Day Shamrocks by Susan G Mathis In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, because I’m Irish, and because my novel, The Fabric of Hope: An Irish Family Legacy, is about the Irish immigration, I want to share with you how St. Patrick used a simple weed to share the Gospel. St. Patrick lived in the fifth century Ireland where the shamrock clover was abundant, even a staple food for livestock. The shamrock is a weed that grows quickly and is hard to get rid of. In Ireland it was everywhere, so as Patrick traveled the country, he had a…

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Life’s Crazy Pace

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  “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1). I’m reevaluating the pace of my life, my priorities, and how I use my time. What’s really, really important? Yes, there are expectations, obligations, and demands that try to push and pull me in all kinds of directions, but what is an appropriately paced life? While I know that my gifts will make space for me, there is a season for everything. Yet I also know that I need to manage that space. So what does that look like for me—and for you?…

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A Valentine’s Gift That Lasts

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A Valentine’s Gift That Lasts By Susan G Mathis On this Valentine’s Day week, I’d like to remind you of the importance of keeping your marriage strong. It’s the best gift you can give your spouse. “Love is patient, love is kind, it does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud, it is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no records of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices in the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails,” (1 Corinthians 13:4-8). Remember…

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Conflict Has Purpose

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  By Susan G. Mathis I hate conflict. I don’t like getting into disagreements with my husband. I don’t like having a spat with a friend. As a parent, I hated the constant conflict-resolution needed when my two kids didn’t get along. As a teacher, I didn’t enjoy being the one to break up tiffs between pubescent girls. And as a Grandma? Well, let’s just say I sometimes choose to become an ostrich. You get the idea. So when I began writing fiction, I had a problem. Conflict is a main ingredient of a good story, and to write compelling…

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Resting on the Sabbath

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Resting on the Sabbath By Susan G Mathis There was a good reason that God invented the Sabbath, and I think that’s doubly important for families. Our kids never stop. We often feel pushed to do, go, do. We’re always on the move. But we need to stop and take some time to honor the Sabbath as well as our body, mind, and spirit.   Rest your body. Get your sleep. Take time to do—dare I say it?—nothing. Just sit. Just relax. Our culture is frantically pushing us to the point of craziness and so do the kids Busy is…

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New Nonfiction Releases and a Wonderful Review!

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Becky Harling has a new book releasing February 6th titled, Who Do You Say That I Am? This new Bible study considers the challenging questions Jesus asked and answers those question by considering His I Am statements.        What do you do when your marriage isn’t broken, but it doesn’t seem to be growing, either? Noted author and speaker Cindi McMenamin shows you the small changes you can make to touch your husband’s heart in a big way in her Feb. 1 release from Harvest House Publishers:  12 Ways to Experience More with Your Husband. McMenamin, who has been married 30 years to a pastor and introvert, is…

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