A Chat with Author Julie Lavender

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Greetings from Sarah Sundin in California! Our Christmas tree is up and the decorations are finding their way from boxes to shelves. Since we’re expecting our first grandchild in a matter of weeks, I thoroughly enjoyed today’s interview with Julie Lavender, a former teacher and Navy wife, and currently an author with a special focus on children. Welcome, Julie! Please tell us about your book, Children’s Bible Stories for Bedtime. Children’s Bible Stories for Bedtime features 52 best-loved children’s Bible stories filled with dreamy illustrations and timeless faith messages. Each story ends with simple reflections and a prayer. Children learn…

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A Chat with Author Julie Lavender

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Greetings from Marti Pieper in Seneca, South Carolina, where I’m rediscovering the wonder and beauty of fall after spending the past twelve-plus years in Florida! I’m excited today to introduce a new CAN member who also happens to be a longtime friend. Many years ago now, Julie Lavender and I were both young homeschooling moms who shared not only a church home (my husband was her family’s pastor for several years) but many family adventures and lots of laughter (please don’t ask her about the time we nearly lost each other in downtown Los Angeles). Welcome to the CAN blog,…

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What’s In A Name?

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I’m fascinated with names. Maybe all of us writers are. I like creative names and creative spellings. I’m intrigued with old-fashioned names that come back in style, and I like unique names I’ve never heard of. I’ve chuckled at names, like one of my college friends, whose first name was “Holly” and she married a gentleman with the surname “Wood.” She said she had trouble cashing checks with the signature “Holly Wood,” so she eventually stuck her maiden-name initial between the two words. My brother had a friend named William Williams, but at least he went by the name “Bill.”…

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He Exults with Loud Singing

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  The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing (Zephaniah 3:17 ESV). I love walking with God anywhere, but I especially like the quiet, serene walks where I’m surrounded by God’s creations. Recently, I walked and talked to God in the silence of a north-Georgia mountain path, enjoying the beauty around me. The quite enveloped me much as the foliage on the path did. But then I paused long enough to realize that it…

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Words Sweet to the Soul, Healing to the Bones

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By Julie Lavender Beautiful sights and scents of spring adorn my south-Georgia town. Honeysuckle and wisteria vines twist throughout the trees in the back yard, and yellow Jessamine dots the edge of the forest beyond. The dainty flowers attract nectar-seekers, especially honey bees, this time of year. Married to an entomologist, I’m quite fascinated with God’s diminutive insects, though I prefer to enjoy them from a safe distance. The honey bee is one of my many favorites, because it often reminds me of a writer’s pursuit. According to a trivia page on the National Honey Board website, honey bees must…

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