YES! Ladies and gentlemen, the moment we've all been waiting for! Okay, at least the moment I'VE been waiting for. =) 

And, yep, you guessed it, start scrolling if you REALLY want to see the cover for A Marvelous Redeemer! 
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JUST A LITTLE FURTHER!!!
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BAM! 

And ladies and gentlemen, the AMAZING cover!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 



​

And the synopsis: 

When Amira put her faith in Christ, she knew life wouldn’t be easy. But hiding her conversion from her Muslim family soon becomes the least of her worries.
Forced to leave the only home she’s ever known, she travels to the island of Gabeburough, trying her best to make a fresh start.

Two escaped convicts and a treasure map. A leafy paradise that becomes her home. Amira begins to wonder, where is her Redeemer when she needs Him the most?


Caleb Haddington is prince of Carpathia. Life should be perfect, but he can’t get a certain dark-haired girl out of his mind. Amira was his best friend when he lived in France, but her letters to him have suddenly stopped.

Her last letter is filled with terror that her faith will soon be discovered.

Only a single hope keeps him alive; when the time is right, he’s going after her. He’ll bring her back and prove to the kingdom that he’s a man.
But the journey proves to be more perilous than he’d ever imagined. Ridicule, comfortless days and the threat of a hurricane are just the start of his problems. Lying becomes easy for Caleb until his own life crumbles before him. Brought to his knees under the pressure of his actions, he comes to realize the sweetness of his Savior. Forgiveness, grace, and mercy are granted fully to those who ask.

Caleb and Amira soon discover that they don’t just serve a gracious Savior, but a wonderful, magnificent, marvelous Redeemer.
 

I CAN NOT WAIT to share this story with you all! 
​

Keep letting your lights shine!

Sometimes when we see people, it's really easy to judge them. It's easy to make fun of them because they aren't like us, because they're different. It's easy to try and stay away from them, or to think that we're better. 

When really, our first reaction should be to pray. To listen. 

Because, friends, just like us, they have a story too. 

If we only care to hear it. 

Today's post is the first episode in A Light for Christ Productions. 
Less than three minutes long, this video gives us the gentle reminder to listen...and pray. 

Watch the first episode now!!

​This was one of those profound titles that popped into my head. A real "thought provoker." 
Actually, the more accurate response when you read that title was probably along the lines of some of my family members. Which, yeah, could be summed up with two small words, "uh, duh." 

I think we all know that "dead trees can't bear fruit," it's a pretty simplistic sentence. But I don't think we put much thought into it after that. WE are the trees. If we're dead, we're not bearing fruit. If we're not bearing fruit, God tells us plainly of our outcome.

We're thrown into the lake of fire. 

That's a pretty sobering thought. But I'm getting ahead of myself just a little. Let's start from the beginning: 

John 15 is an AMAZING chapter. It's SO packed full of treasures! 
It's one of my favorite chapters in the Bible. 

John 15 can be divided into three main points: 
1. The True Vine
2. Love and Joy Perfected 
3. The Worlds Hatred 

Today, we're just going to talk about the first one, "The True Vine." 

I once heard it said that, "if the Lord saw fit to say the same thing twice in one chapter, then it must be something pretty important. Something that He doesn't want you to forget." 

Verses four and five of John 15 say pretty much the same thing: "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing." 


If we're not abiding in Christ, we won't bear fruit. 
And if we're not bearing fruit, we're dead. 
And folks, you can't have a dead Christian. 
We're either alive, or we're not. 

It then goes on to say in verse six that if we're not abiding in Him, (and bearing fruit will be the outcome of that) then we'll be cast into the lake of fire:

"If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned."

That's a scary thought. 

Friends, in this life, we're going to have trials. 
We'll mess up. 
We'll sin. 
We'll stumble. 

But if we're abiding in Christ, we'll come out of those trials victorious. 

If you're in a rut, struggling with sin,
If you're constantly being corrected day in and day out for the exact same thing,
If you're having trouble getting along with others,
If you are NOT bearing fruit.

Then, friend, I'd highly recommend taking a real hard look at where you stand in your relationship with Christ. 
"Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." (2 Peter 1:10-11)
​
Because I think by now, we ALL know where those branches go that don't bear fruit. 

But, we can't bear fruit unless we're part of the vine, unless we're abiding in Him. 

What does abiding in Him look like? 

1. Loving His Commandments (1 John 5:3)
If we're abiding in Him, we'll love His commandments. We'll love His law and take delight in it because we know it teaches us, makes us more like Him. If we're abiding in Christ we won't just LOVE His commandments, we'll FOLLOW them.

2. Loving His People (Leviticus 19:18)
If we're abiding in Him, we'll love His people. We'll love our neighbors, we'll love our siblings, we'll love our mother and our father, we'll love CHRIST. We'll abide in HIS love. (John 15:9)   

3. Loving Correction (Proverbs 19:20) 
If we're abiding in Him, we'll love correction. We'll love it because we know that however unpleasant it is, it's for our good. It's making us stronger. If we accept it, it will make us wise.

4. Loving His Letters (Proverbs 2:4)
The Bible is God's letters for us. If we're abiding in Him, we'll take joy in reading His letters. We'll search them like hidden treasures, we'll love them, we'll cherish them. 

So, friends, let's take a good hard look at our lives. Are we dead? Or are we alive, abiding in Him?
And if it's the latter, are we loving His commandments, His people, His letters? Are we loving correction because we know it will make us wise? 

If you're struggling in any of these areas, then there's no time like the present to change. 

I know I can improve in many of these areas. 

Let's work on them together. 

How can I be praying for you this week? Please comment below, or send me a private message or email. I would love to pray for you, no matter how big or small the request. 

Until next week, let's keep letting our lights shine! 

OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

Ladies and gentlemen, I’m excited to announce that the new site is FINISHED!!!
Head on over and check it out!

This blog will still stay here and you'll be directed to it each week with the weekly blog posts. 
But be sure to keep an eye on the website for events and other special info! I have two book signings coming up, so head on over and check those out!! =) 

Goodness, have I got some goodies for you today!!

An exciting update: 
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Keep scrolling...
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Almost there! 
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BOOM! 

Ladies and gentlemen, I'm pleased to announce that we're moving!! 

Okay, technically the "site" is moving, I'm not going anywhere. =) 

I've been working on a new and improved website and I have to tell you, I'm LOVING the results, which means a lot by the way, since I'm a terrible designer. But I've had some "helpful help." ;)
I'm hoping to have this new site published in the next month or so, but we'll see!  

A VERY IMPORTANT note: 
My blog will stay here at THIS address. Nothing will change in that regard. You'll still read blog posts HERE and be directed to THIS site in the weekly emails. =)


Anyway, that's the first update. The next one gets even better!!
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Yep, that's right, start scrolling again! =) 
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Almost there!!! 
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I'm teaching you the virtue of patience today, can you tell? =) 
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Ta-da! 

Over the course of the next month and half, you can expect some REALLY AMAZING things! 

The last book in A Light for Christ trilogy, "A Marvelous Redeemer" is just about to be released! 

Here's a small preview of what you can expect over the next month and half: 

1. A synopsis release 
2. A blurb release 
3. A book trailer for A Marvelous Redeemer
4. Cover reveal (Eeekk! I'm SO excited to show you all this cover! Ya'll, this is my TOP favorite cover so far! I love it SO much!) 
5. Giveaways (and when I say "giveaways" I really mean "GIVEAWAYS."
I have some pretty amazing gifts in the works for all of you, including some fabulous pre-order goodies!!) 
6. A Facebook party 
7. And SO much more!!


These next two months are going to be AMAZING! 

Stay tuned, folks, you aren't going to want to miss a single update! 

Until then, if you haven't had a chance to read my blog post published on The Rebelution, head over there and check it out!

And if you want to check out my favorite podcast, you can do so by following that pretty brown highlighted text below:
(it's actually not that pretty of a color, I would have much rather it be purple or green, but I didn't have a choice, so we're stuck with plain old brown.)
Check out Age of Minority, a podcast for YOUTH about the GOSPEL!  

Their latest episode about J.C Ryle is really fascinating! 


Until next week, friends!

Keep writing, reading, learning and studying!
Together, let's be Lights for Christ in the midst of this world! 
​