Author Archives: Janet Sketchley

About Janet Sketchley

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.

Sheltered in God

4 Replies

Whoever lives under the shelter of the Most High
will remain in the shadow of the Almighty.
Psalm 91:1, GW*

When you were little, did you like making blanket forts and nestling into small spaces? I used to love the airy, green “rooms” made by the trailing branches of giant willows.

Still do, actually. And I’ve turned a corner of my bedroom into a cosy “nest” for reading and writing.

The last few weeks have been extra hectic, but when I stopped to rest I kept getting thoughts of shelter. I drifted into some delightful naps while imagining myself tucked into a cosy nook in the overhang of a flowering shrub (on ground as soft as my bed, and without any insects).

When I read this week’s verse, “under the shelter” jumped out at me.

Under the shelter.

I think most translations say “in the shelter,” but this made me stop and think about the shelter images I’d been having. How good is our God, to prompt restful thoughts when I needed them, and then to remind me that He is our ultimate shelter, security and source of rest?

God Most High, Your shelter is perfectly secure because of Your strength. Even when bad things happen, You sustain us and can bring good if we trust You. Strengthen our faith, and help us to keep our trust in You. Open our eyes to the tender, personal ways You remind us of Your love, and help us to live and remain under Your sheltering shadow.

∞

Our song is “Hiding Place,” written by Steven Curtis Chapman and Jerry Salley.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdVj231fPFA

*GOD’S WORD Translation (GW) Copyright © 1995 by God’s Word to the Nations. Used by permission of Baker Publishing Group

Review: Oak Island Revenge, by Cynthia d’Entremont

Leave a reply
Oak Island Revenge, by Cynthia d'Entremont

Oak Island Revenge, by Cynthia d’Entremont (Nimbus Publishing, 2012)

It’s 1958. Fourteen-year-old Jonah Morgan and his best friend Beaz live on the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia (Canada). Nearby Oak Island is forbidden territory, so naturally it’s a rite of passage to row to the island and search for the legendary treasure.

This summer vacation, Jonah and Beaz are set to hit the island, but they’ll be even more secretive about it than most teens. Jonah’s mom is overprotective since his older brother died, and he’s pretty sure Beaz’s mom is abusive.

What they find on the island piles secrets on secrets. Jonah doesn’t want to lie, but he can’t tell the whole truth. When missing 16-year-old Charlotte Barkhouse turns up dead, surely what Jonah knows wouldn’t make a difference. Would it?

His parents and his dead older brother seem perfect, and Jonah can’t measure up no matter how good his intentions. As he wrestles with how much truth to tell and how much to hide, he begins to suspect that everyone has secrets of one sort or another and that life is more complicated than it looks.

Oak Island Revenge is a coming-of-age story that evokes the feel of 1950’s small-town Nova Scotia in a mystery for young adult readers. It’s one of those satisfying novels where all the threads weave in perfect balance to make an organic whole.

Author Cynthia d’Entremont has a fresh, vivid writing style with a satisfying splash of humour. She’s also the author of the award-winning young adult fantasy novel Unlocked.

[Review originally appeared on the Maranatha News site. Review copy provided by the author.]
Follow me on BookBub
Related articles

Rest: 5 links and a bonus quote

Leave a reply

Here are some posts that have spoken rest to my spirit:

Tranquility: river rocks

Kejimkujik National Park, Nova Scotia (photo credit: Janet Sketchley)

Margaret L. Been’s beautiful poem, “At His Feet.”

Emily Freeman’s “The Art of Rest” at (in)courage.

Rose Harmer writes about “Rest” at Under the Cover of Prayer.

At Roller Coaster Suspense, Marcy Dyer looks at exhaustion and priorities: “Noodled.”

And at Hearing the Heartbeat, Carolyn Watts reminds us that it’s not about working harder and pushing through the pain. It’s about resting in God. Read “Gifts from Your Personal Trainer.”

Bonus: In Refresh: 19 Ways to Boost Your Spiritual Life, Ron Hughes explores the value of rest. He says:

“Sabbath rest … reminds us that we did not make the world, that we are not in charge, and that everything will not grind to a halt if we reduce our activity level. Sabbath is not a reward for us getting all of our work done … we can relax in our awareness that we trust God, not ourselves, to meet our needs.” [Refresh, pp. 151-152]

Fear of the God Who Loves Us

2 Replies

Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true wisdom.
All who obey his commandments will grow in wisdom.
Praise him forever!
Psalm 111:10, NLT*

Fear of the Lord is one of those things I’m still trying to understand, and I’m sure that people who try to scare others into the Kingdom of Heaven have missed the point.

But the Psalmist says fear of God is the basis for wisdom.

People explain it as “reverence for the Lord” and that helps a bit. Others say, “fear God or fear everything else.” That makes it a bit clearer.

Reading the book of Matthew in the New Living Translation, I feel like the proverbial penny has dropped. In Matthew 9 we have the story of Jesus saying to a paralyzed man, “Your sins are forgiven. Get up, pick up your bed and go home.”

Look at the crowd’s response:

Fear swept through the crowd as they saw this happen. And they praised God for sending a man with such great authority. (Matthew 9:8, NLT*)

Picture yourself in the crowd. I’d be afraid, wouldn’t you? This is power beyond our imagining. This is the God who is good, but not safe.

This is the God who is bigger than whatever situation threatens to paralyze me with fear. He doesn’t guarantee to provide a miraculous way out, but He does promise to be with me. And with Him in trouble is better than on my own in a safer place.

Holy and mighty God, a glimpse of Your power could undo us, yet we’re drawn to Your presence. Help us  understand and believe that we’re held in Your keeping, and that You are stronger than anything we could fear. Help us accept the paradox that in Your love and grace, You may not rescue us from what we fear, and help us trust that Your presence with us will somehow work even the darkness to good in Your time.

∞

Third Day’s “Consuming Fire” reminds us of God’s power.

*New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

A Gift Book, and a Special Offer

Leave a reply

A Second Cup of Hot Apple CiderA Second Cup of Hot Apple Cider released one year ago, and has already reached bestseller status in Canada (5,000 copies sold). Many of the entries are short-listed for The Word Guild’s Canadian Christian Writing Awards, my story won an award in the InScribe members-only contest, and the anthology itself was awarded 2012 Book of the Year: Gift Book Category by the Christian Small Publishers’ Association.

To celebrate, the publisher is offering a special deal for the month of May 2012: Buy a copy of A Second Cup of Hot Apple Cider and get a free copy of the original Hot Apple Cider. Just in time for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day!

Visit the Hot Apple Cider website for more information. And follow this link if you’d like a sample of my story, “The Road Trip that Wasn’t.”

Called to Write?

4 Replies

Writing

[Photo credit: Wikipedia, public domain]

Some of us know we’re called to write. That gives strength to hang on in the tough times.

I’ve never been sure. It’s just something I do. God has prompted me with a devotional thought to share here each week, so I’m pretty sure that’s part of my current assignment.

But fiction? All I know is it’s fun to write, and something in me comes more alive when I’m discovering a story. If that’s the whole point of it, I’ll embrace the gift and enjoy it. If He wants to bless someone through it, that’s great too and I’m relying on Him to connect the words with the person because it ain’t happenin’ through my own efforts.

Mary DeMuth is a writer who’s encouraged many other writers. Here’s a post she wrote in 2010 that I only just found. If you’re wondering about writing and calling, please click over and read Called to Write? Ten Ways to Know. Note she distinguishes between “called to write” and “called to write, be published and widely read”.

And you know what? “Not called” doesn’t mean “don’t write.” It just means writing is optional. If you’re called, better obey.

Related link: “Why Do You Write?” by Lisa Hall-Wilson.

 

Self-pity or God-praise?

2 Replies

Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again.
2 Corinthians 11:23, NIV*

The Corinthian believers have been listening to trendier leaders than Paul, and while those leaders may have a better delivery they aren’t delivering the truth. In this passage, Paul is reminding these Christians of his “credentials.”

His litany of sufferings prove he’s serving Christ—to the point of enduring persecution. But he’s not talking like a victim, nor a beaten-down fighter.

Instead of “poor me” he’s boasting about this. Not that he’s proud of the suffering as such. He’s saying “See how much Jesus trusts me—He knows I’ll keep focused on Him, and others will hear.” And “See how good He is to sustain me and to advance His kingdom even when its enemies throw everything they’ve got.”

That’s what happened in the jail in Philippi when Paul and Silas were singing praises to God. They showed how to “rejoice in the Lord always.”

Praise and thanksgiving really do work when we want to keep our spirits set on God.

Father, Sustainer of our spirits, most of us haven’t faced the abuse Paul did, and a lot of what we’ve endured hasn’t been because of persecution. But we still need to keep our eyes on You and our hearts tuned in praise and worship. You are God. Help us anchor in You. Strengthen us so others will see Your goodness and love even when we’re in hard times.

∞

Casting Crowns’ “Praise You in this Storm” is a good song to keep us focused.

*THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

A Tumbled Stone, by Marcia Lee Laycock

Fiction by Marcia Lee Laycock

Leave a reply

One Smooth Stone was the best Christian fiction I read in 2007. After a long wait, the sequel is finally out: A Tumbled Stone.

Here’s a refresher on One Smooth Stone, and a link to a review of A Tumbled Stone.

One Smooth Stone is a compelling read about hurt people fumbling toward healing, and about a God who won’t let go.

Marcia Laycock’s writing style is vivid and rich with sensory detail. She draws on her time in the North to evoke a strong sense of place. It would be worth reading just to experience the Yukon setting from our warm living rooms, but she also gives us lifelike characters to root for, suspense, and a puzzle to unravel.

Protagonist Alex Donnelly is a man with secrets, and Marcia Laycock brings them to light slowly, compassionately, and with a defter touch than a debut novelist should have. Alex’s and the other characters’ pain is neither minimized nor exploited, and it’s brought to light in a way that didn’t traumatize this chicken reader.

Hard questions and spiritual issues are treated naturally, with none of the heavy-handed preaching or pat answers found in some Christian novels. The story feels real, and it offers hope.

This is a story for adults, male or female, wounded or whole. You can read the opening chapter of One Smooth Stone here.  [Review copy from my personal library.]

Marcia Lee Laycock is a Canadian writer, speaker and pastor’s wife who lives in Alberta. You can learn more about Marcia and her books (novels and non-fiction) at her website, Vinemarc Communications, and read an interview on the Hot Apple Cider site. A Tumbled Stone, by Marcia Lee Laycock

Laura Davis’ review of A Tumbled Stone at Maranatha News begins like this:

A Tumbled Stone by Marcia Lee Laycock is the much anticipated sequel to One Smooth Stone and it doesn’t disappoint. Laycock is a gifted writer and has written a flawless story that tackles many issues such as teenage pregnancy, abortion, forgiveness and even autism. [Read the full review.]

I haven’t read the novel yet but I’m looking forward to it! Marcia’s books can be ordered through her website or through your regular bookstore.

Related articles
butterfly

Trust

2 Replies

My friend Jan Cox has dubbed this the Year of Trust.  I’m focusing on relentless gratitude, and there’s a definite cross-over. Gratitude to God reinforces trust in God.

Here are some links I’ve found helpful:

Carolyn Watts’ posts at Hearing the Heartbeat often bless me.  Here she offers a simple reminder of what trust can look like.

At Something About the Joy, Ginny Jaques shares Four Things About God that Make Life So Much Easier.

At Dreaming Big, Heather Boersma encourages us to let our words affirm our dependence on God and speak life, not death. That sounds like trust to me.

At Promises for All Who Are In Christ, Natalie Gidney lists several promises from God that define who we are in Christ. Good to memorize for when the doubts fly.

And Janice Dick reminds us of God’s protective hold on us.

What Does Victory Mean?

9 Replies

But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians  15:57, NLT*

Jesus won the ultimate victory, and if we trust Him, we’ll spend eternity with Him when we die. But in the here and now, what are some of the ways we have victory in Him?

In Christ, I

  • can replace the devil’s lies with truth
  • can learn to see with His perspective instead of my own
  • don’t have to feel sorry for myself
  • find strength beyond my own
  • am forgiven when I sin
  • am freed from the tyranny of sin
  • can love when it doesn’t come naturally
  • can give grace, instead of retaliating
  • can be secure in His acceptance, instead of fearing rejection or failure
  • have access to the God of the universe, who loves me
  • belong.

Merciful and holy God, thank You for rescuing us and for promising to never leave us nor reject us. Forgive us when we forget the benefits of being Your children, and help us learn to live secure in Your victory.

∞

Our victory song this week is Kathryn Scott’s “I Belong.”

*New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.