Janet Sketchley is an Atlantic Canadian writer whose Redemption’s Edge Christian suspense novels have each been finalists in The Word Awards. She's also the author of the devotional collection, A Year of Tenacity. Janet blogs about faith and books. She loves Jesus and her family, and enjoys reading, worship music, and tea.
Fans of Christian suspense are invited to join her writing journey through her monthly newsletter: bit.ly/JanetSketchleyNews.
There’s something about a new year that can get us thinking. Here are six good posts that helped me start with a healthy perspective:
At Life So Aware, Jon Rouse encourages us to keep a positive outlook. (Read Perception)
At Beech Croft Tales, Mary Waind points out that our attitudes and expectations have a lot to do with the way we respond or react to others. (Read No Offence Intended)
At Other Food: daily devos, Violet Nesdoly gives three practical tips on how to embrace the new year “with a Caleb-like faith.” (Read A Caleb Spirit)
Bobbi Junior asks “When stuff happens in my life, do I let it take precedence, or do I weigh it in light of all the other things going on…” (Read Top of the Priority List)
And at Captured by God, Jenny shares an example of how to choose to believe God’s perspective instead of our own natural feelings. (Read Spirit of Joy)
Will we see the scarred pavement, muddy marks and old leaves, or will we see the heart?
He takes no pleasure in the strength of a horse
or in human might.
No, the Lord’s delight is in those who fear him,
those who put their hope in his unfailing love. Psalm 147:10-11, NLT*
If you take a few minutes to read Psalm 147 you’ll see descriptions of God’s power and actions. He restores the nation of Israel but also heals the broken-hearted. He names each star and feeds baby ravens.
He does it all without needing our help, although the Bible makes it clear that He invites and empowers us to participate in His work.
God is big, vast beyond our knowing. His power can’t be thwarted, nor His mercy exhausted.
What does He ask us to do? Save ourselves? Restore and bind up ourselves? Name the stars and feed the wildlife?
Some of those things we will do, and it will please Him. We’ll care for one another and for creation. That’s important. And I’m sure He doesn’t mind that we name the stars, even though His names for them are truer.
But it’s not our strength, accomplishments or actions that delight God. It’s our heart-responses to Him—responses of healthy fear of His power and hope in His love. His unfailing love, in case we missed that.
Majestic Creator God, there is none like You. You give us so much—including salvation—that we could never earn nor repay. Instead of trying to do the impossible, our response is to be reverent fear and hope. You say it pleases You, so help us to live this way more and more. And help us to show our love for You in how we treat others.
∞
God has saved us, and we have nothing to prove. Here’s Todd Agnew’s song, “I Need No Other.” You may recognize the seeds of an older song, “My Faith Has Found a Resting Place.”
Driving in heavy rain, Moira Harrison can’t avoid hitting the person who darts out in front of her car on a deserted woods road. Shaken from the accident, she accepts a kind stranger’s offer to call 911 and to help the victim. Then she passes out.
When she wakes, both the mysterious helper and the injured woman have vanished. Emergency responders dismiss her story as a product of a concussion, but Moira knows what she saw. The woman was not only real but terrified—fleeing from something or someone. What if Moira’s her only chance for help?
Moira is an investigative journalist, and her instincts insist she find some answers. Her story intrigues private investigator Cal Burke, but with no evidence, how far will they get?
Vanished is more of a puzzle-type mystery than an action-heavy suspense novel, and it doesn’t really get tense until the end. The key characters are strong and well-developed. I enjoyed watching Moira and Cal discover clues and chip away at the solution. From early on we see snippets from the villain’s point of view, and by the novel’s end we understand why he’s done what he’s done—and why he thinks it’s right.
Fans of romance will also enjoy the story, because the growing relationship between Moira and Cal is a strong secondary plot. Vanished is book one in Irene Hannon’s new Private Justice series, and it looks like Cal’s two single partners in the Phoenix Inc. PI firm will each find love in the books to come.
RITA Award-winning Irene Hannon has written over 35 novels, including the bestselling Guardians of Justice series. You can read an interview with Irene Hannon and discover more about her books on her website. Click here to read an excerpt of Vanished.
After an evening struggling with discouragement, I woke the next morning from a dream about outnumbered soldiers in a battle where miracles were the only thing keeping them safe, where the final defenses were nearly breached but where victory may have happened at the end. And where the stakes were higher than the soldiers’ lives—where God had a higher purpose.
As soon as I pray, you answer me;
you encourage me by giving me strength. Psalm 138:3, NLT*
Wow… I’d been praying for help, for focus and encouragement. I’d been doing my feeble best to keep my thoughts God-centered in the gloom.
This verse tells me God heard. And He answered as soon as I prayed. Not that I experienced the answer then, but I wonder how much easier the night would have been if I’d counted the prayer answered as soon as I prayed it—if I’d begun to thank Him for what He was in the process of doing, instead of waiting until I saw for myself.
Encouraged? Yes. Challenged? Yes. Thank You, God, and please help me be ready for next time.
It’s different when we don’t have an overriding sense of calling or mission, or if we don’t have a felt purpose or deadline.
I’m in the happy state of being an at-home mom to almost-grown sons. They don’t need a lot of care, although they’d appreciate more home baking.
There’s plenty of housework that needs doing, but… it waits quite patiently. And there’s more writing I’d like to be doing, but… it too waits. As much as deadlines stress me, I often find I get more done when my time is tighter. Daily life (and email) seems to spread to take up all the available time.
I had full-time work from October through December, a repeat of my previous year’s seasonal job. It was a great opportunity that stretched me and demanded more than I had to give. When I told people God sent me back to the same role to re-learn the lessons He’d taught me the first time, I was only half joking.
The task was too big for me. I had to rely on God. That meant getting up early enough to start each day with prayer and a Bible reading. It meant committing the day to Him and depending on His intervention and provision.
There wasn’t much of me left over at the end of each day, but He was enough. And somehow the other details of my personal life (little things like preparing for Christmas) fell into place.
God our Sustainer and the Director of our paths, thank You for demonstrating Your goodness. Help me—help us all—to view each day as the assignment You have for us, however simple or complex. Help us to anchor ourselves in You and to work diligently, relying on the power of Christ in us. Nourish us daily from Your Word and Your presence. When things come up that aren’t on our agendas, give us discernment to know if they’re redeployments to obey or distractions to ignore. Help us do all to Your glory, with willing hearts.
∞
Geoff Moore’s song, “Your Day,” is a good one to start each morning. (Click to listen to Your Day at Last.fm)
Duke is indeed a Chihuahua. He’s, shall we say, mature in years. Bee is an adolescent German Shepherd. Donna Fawcett is an award-winning author of fiction (under the name Donna Dawson) and non-fiction, and a former writing instructor. She’s also a speaker and a singer-songwriter.
When Donna began chronicling Duke’s writing misadventures on her blog, they were so well-received that Duke the Chihuahua Writes! was born. As an eager novice, Duke gets himself into some “teachable moments” on his writing journey. Between them, he and Bee encounter just about everything a new writer needs to learn. Duke even tries his paw at NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month).
In 67 short chapters, the book covers the basics that beginners need to know: research, queries, self-editing, managing submissions, handling critiques and rejections, genres, characters, and more.
Duke and Bee make great company through the book, and readers will have more fun learning vicariously than reading a traditional “do this, don’t do that” instructional approach. The humour is appealing, and some of the author’s word choices are great. For example, Duke is a gentlepooch who, although he drinks cap-pup-chinos, leaves the pawdicures to Bee.
The book’s full title is Duke the Chihuahua Writes! A Self-Help and Slightly Crazy Book on How To Write. It’s available as an ebook through Smashwords. You can learn more about Donna Fawcett on her website. For more about her canine writing buddies, visit Duke and Bee Write or check out their blog.
Where there is no vision, the people perish:
but he that keepeth the law, happy is he. Proverbs 29:18, KJV*
Where there is no revelation, people cast off restraint;
but blessed is the one who heeds wisdom’s instruction. Proverbs 29:18, NIV**
When people do not accept divine guidance, they run wild.
But whoever obeys the law is joyful. Proverbs 29:18, NLT***
Interesting nuances in the translations of this verse. The opening phrase is what’s on my mind today, with the vision / revelation / divine guidance – that which we need to not only receive but accept and obey.
I usually think of this verse in terms of direction and planning: of a corporate sense of purpose. But God’s been suggesting to me that there’s more to vision than just seeing the next step in His plan.
There’s seeing Him.
Not literally – not yet – but seeing, believing, accepting His revelation of who He is. His character. His attributes. His promises, laws and requirements.
Do we really know Him? Or are we distracted by the pain or pleasure in our own small lives? Too often the problems look bigger than the God who can solve them. Or we pray for help but don’t really believe things will change, because we don’t see them changing.
Instead, we need to see God.
At Other Food: daily devos, Violet Nesdoly often quotes J.I. Packer’s classic, Knowing God (affiliate link for The Word Guild). I received a copy for Christmas, and God is using the opening chapters to reinforce what He’s been saying to me about my need to actually see Him – to know Him rather than just knowing about Him. To believe Him instead of believing whatever stress is currently staring me down.
Holy and mighty God, You spoke the universe into being and You proved Yourself as Israel’s King and defender. You haven’t changed. Reveal Yourself to Your people today as we live among people who reject You and who are indeed casting off restraint and running wild. Guide us. Strengthen us. Give us a glimpse of who You really are, so we can stand in firm confidence in You, so that others will see You too.
Waxilium Ladrian is a frontier lawman with the Allomantic ability to mentally Push metal (a “coinshot” in the original Mistborn trilogy terminology). He’s also a good man with a gun.
Wax moves into the city of Elendel to manage his late uncle’s estate. It’s a struggle to reinvent himself to be acceptable in social circles … and to attract a wealthy bride to restore his house’s fortunes.
But his friend and former sidekick, Wayne, won’t let him forget his law-enforcement days. There’s a new gang of thieves at work and the local police are out of their league. Wax and Wayne 🙂 are a fun team to watch at work.
If you haven’t read the earlier Mistborn books, you can jump right in here. Much has changed since that trilogy, and anything needed is explained. Those who familiar with the first series will recognize little nods and tributes here and there.
The Alloy of Law takes place 300 years after the events of the original Mistborn series. In the acknowledgements section, the author says he plans to write two more epic trilogies on this planet, Scadrial: one urban and one futuristic, to show how the culture changes over time.
This novel, though, isn’t part of that. It’s shorter, and has a wild west / frontier town feel. It may be my favourite Brandon Sanderson book yet, possibly because it’s a bit faster-paced and still has his trademark threads of humour.
He doesn’t say anything about it being more than a stand-alone title, but the ending sets up enough problems for Wax and Wayne that I certainly hope there’ll be a sequel.
Since I have a story in this book, I haven’t written a review. But here are what some others are saying:
“The stories in the anthology do not all have happy endings. There are people who write about devastating losses in their lives, or occasions that do not turn out as planned. Sometimes there are people of faith who make stunning breakthroughs; sometimes people of faith die. But through the grief, hope survives.” Read the entire article at North Shore Outlook.
“The stories in both Hot Apple Cider books are written in ways that some of us can relate to. I appreciate the honesty of the authors as theyshared from their hearts. Thank you!” ~Helga (posted on the publisher’s website)
“This collection of wonderful writing from a variety of voices is honest, personal, and compelling. Stoke the fire, put up your feet, and open this book. Like me, you’ll be comforted, inspired, and encouraged. I felt as if God were reading over my shoulder.” ~Michael Messenger, Executive VP, World Vision Canada
“This book is easy to pick up and tough to put down. You’ll love these stories of love, faith, and hope. Thank God for second helpings!” ~Phil Callaway, bestselling author, speaker, and humorist
[Amazon links are affiliate links that benefit The Word Guild.]
