Encountering God’s Heart for You: 365 Devotions from Genesis Through Revelation Diane Stortz Bethany House September 3, 2019 978-0-7642-3218-3 Description 365 short devotions take women on a journey through the Bible’s big story in a year. Encounter God’s heart of love, justice, and mercy and discover your heart of love for Him. Author bio Diane Stortz writes best-selling books for children and adults. Her goal: making God’s wonders known to the next generation. She and her husband, Ed, have two married daughters and five young grandchildren—all boys! Visit her website at DianeStortz.com.
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This is our archive pageEnjoy Your Holiday…Diligence Deserves a Reward
I think it’s a bit humorous that Labor Day is a vacation day. We celebrate labor by ceasing work. Today is the 125th anniversary of this national holiday paying tribute to the America worker’s contribution to our country. The value of a strong work ethic was highlighted centuries ago in the Book of Proverbs, which contrasts the diligent, hardworking man with the lazy, slothful man. “Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth” (10:4). “Diligent hands will rule, but laziness ends in slave labor” (12:24). “The lazy man does not roast his game, but the diligent…
The #CANCrown Awards Are Open!
Christian Authors Network Crown Awards #CANCrown on social media The CAN Crown Awards Celebrate Excellence in Christian Media and Marketing by Authors. Purpose of CAN Crown Awards: To recognize, educate, and encourage excellence in marketing and promotion skills of all Christian authors. Why? One crucial career area for Christian authors is marketing. (I know, stop rolling your eyes. Marketing can be fun!) The problem is that an author now has to wear so many hats. So many hats that the marketing hat may cause the whole stack to tumble if you don’t know how to make and follow through with a…
Trouble—No Problem for God
My friend’s husband slipped during a vacation and injured his back. Instead of getting better, the pain grew worse. After numerous doctors’ visits and tests, he heard the news no one wants to hear. Cancer. Of the bones. And he needed back surgery. The surgery left this formerly active husband and father with a back brace and a cane. His wife struggled with responsibilities he’d previously carried with ease. Sometimes the loss of the life they’d taken for granted and the frustration over lack of youthful strength boiled over. One such day, she fumed to herself and her husband as…
Joy is Transformation
Picture the contrast between a funeral and a wedding. A funeral is somber, reflective, full of sadness, grief, perhaps even remorse. A wedding, especially one between two godly believers, is full of gladness, delight, gless, bliss, rejoicing and packed with hope on the horizon. The wonderful majesty of God is that He has the ability and desire to turn our mourning into a wedding dance! You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing. You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy…(Psalm 30:11) I like to jump into the original language to dig…
Living Beyond Our Comfort Zone
Life is marked by change. Eighteen months ago, my husband and I purged our earthly belongings and moved aboard a sailboat. This was no midlife crisis. We did it because God said “go.” Transitioning from house to boat was my husband’s dream come true. He grew up in a waterfront home and drove a speedboat when he was six years old. He later built a small sailboat and then owned a 27-foot Catalina. As for me—well, I grew up on the Alberta prairies. The first time I rowed a boat, I did it backwards. I don’t even like cold…
Joy is a verb!
One of the benefits of writing about joy, like Discovering Joy in Philippians: A Creative Bible Study Experience, is that you learn many unique facts that can in turn help you and those in your ministry. In the New Testament, a common word is JOY! χαρὰ (chara) from chairó is in N. T. 74 times! When God repeats Himself– that is a sign of importance or priority– so obviously His ability to help us walk in joy is on His heart! To great someone and wish them JOY, was a a common greeting and farewell salutation. (Wouldn’t the world be…
Conference News—Edie Melson
Edie Melson announced that the Blue Ridge Christian Writers Conference is listed in The Write Life as one of the 31 best writing conferences in the world for authors, bloggers and freelancers.
The Woman We All Love to Hate
She’s the woman we all love to hate, and she used to really bug me. The woman Proverbs 31 praises so highly—she’s just too perfect. She meets everyone’s needs with a smile and looks great doing it. And she gets up early, well before sunrise, and gets right to work. Ugh. Through the years I’ve tried to follow her example. I had my couponing-and-three-store-menu-planning phase, my make-crafts-and-sell-them phase, and I’ve even had more than one let’s-get-up-before-the-sun-and-get-this-day-going phase. But eventually I learned I was trying to copy this much-maligned woman’s activities rather than her character. What the Proverbs 31 woman actually…
Joy is Celebration!
When you are experiencing JOY, what is your response? Do you do a happy dance? Jump for joy? High five someone near? Throw a party? The Bible clearly connects joy with celebration. Here are a few verses: When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy. Psalm 94:19 explains this word meaning of joy as a delight or to play. When was the last time you jumped up and down in delight and glee over something God had done for you? Do you celebrate with God when He pulls you up out of despair and rescues you from…
