12 Days of Christmas Giveaway!!

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Books, Christmas, Giveaway, Prizes

Welcome to the 6th day of the 12 Days of Christmas Giveaway!

12 Authors of Christian Fiction have teamed together to bring you this amazing giveaway, and I’m honored to be included!

The prizes are building, and today’s winner will receive ALL of the below!

The Memory of You 

& A $5 Starbucks Gift Card – by Catherine West!

and

A Child’s Christmas Wish

On Love’s Gentle Shore + tote bag

The Gift of Twins

The Rancher’s Mistletoe Bride

Christmas Captive

 It’s not too late to enter in the Rafflecopter giveaway below by following some of your favorite authors on social media and signing up for their newsletters. We draw a new winner every day, and on December 12^th, we’ll give away a Kindle Fire HD 8.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Don’t forget to stop by Susan Tuttle’s blog tomorrow for more prizes!

 

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A Christmas Giveaway!

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Authors, Books, Catherine West, Christian Fiction, Christmas, Giveaway, The Things We Knew

I’m thrilled to be participating in the 12 Authors of Christmas Giveaway, going on all this week!! We have a bunch of amazing authors here, so don’t miss out, and please tell your friends!

Now who doesn’t want CASH AND BOOKS at Christmas??? I don’t know about you, but I sure wouldn’t mind! 🙂

Here’s the LINK to ENTER! Just head on over and follow the instructions and that’s all there is to it!

https://promosimple.com/ps/a91e

Just our way of saying THANK YOU to our FABULOUS READERS!!

Merry Christmas!!

When You Don’t Know What To Say

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Christmas, Give, Hope, Love, Peace

In the quiet of the morning, after two days of rain, calm crests over the ocean beyond my window. I watch gentle waves and wonder why it feels so impossible to make a difference in this world. Wonder why so many are hurting in a season supposed to be filled with joy. Where is the peace in all the madness? And why don’t I know what to say?

Because I am afraid. 

Afraid of speaking the wrong words. Afraid of saying too much. Not saying enough. And so I sit in silence.

The past few weeks the world has tipped over into disarray. Tragedy and terror try our patience and wring our souls dry. And there is anger. Ignorance. Fear. Words are wielded like weapons and they cut and create more havoc, dividing on all levels in the worst kind of way. 

Do we know how broken we are? Do we care?

How much easier to huddle in our homes, safe and warm and dry, while streets in far off lands run with blood. How much easier to avoid those closer to home who need more than we think we can possibly give. We are convinced now that we cannot make a difference. And fear has won.

I envy those who believe they can. Those who push fear aside and step into darkness. Those who stand up and speak and get up and do. And I wonder if I could be one of them. If I could turn off the noise . . . the vitriol, the incessant back and forth fighting filling social media, a virus that will sicken us all if we let it . . . is that even possible now? And I wonder where the good is. Surely we have not succumbed so fully to this darkness that we no longer recognize the light.

Have we? 

Have I?

Or have we snuffed it out? Burned that candle right down to wick so it no longer holds a flame. I don’t know. Perhaps.

It’s possible that in all the mass confusion, unimaginable hurts and horrors, that we have lost sight of the good. That we have become so consumed with what is going on beyond our borders, we’ve also forgotten the very ones around us who need us just as much. Who need to know they are also loved. That they too matter.

And maybe that’s where we start. Acknowledging the brokenness instead of finding someone to blame for it. Attempting to fix it rather than figuring out how it all happened in the first place.

Fear tells us we can’t. Fear tells us we’re going looking for trouble when we try to do good. Fear keeps us in the safety of our homes, behind locked doors.

But love? You know.

Perfect love casts out fear.

Love in the truest, purest form, makes us more than who we think we are. More than what the world tells us we are. That kind of love lets people in. Lets us out beyond our safety zones and pushes us into places we’d rather not go. Places we cannot possibly go without it. But once we’re there? We know it’s we’re meant to be.

I can’t go out and save the world. But I can love those around me.

It may be a small step. But it may be all we can do. All we have to do.

A phone call. A card or email. A meal. Or even a hug.

I think I’ll start there. Because sometimes there isn’t anything to say. Sometimes words fail.

And actions speak louder.

How will you love this season?

Why Sometimes Storytelling Sucks…

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Christmas, Faith, Holidays, Hope, Hurt, Pain

I don’t rush the morning. I get up slow, head still hurting with thoughts that won’t go away. Heart still aching, full up with stuff I don’t know how to deal with.

I need to write this down. 

I wander the house, sipping coffee and snapping photographs. I’m not a great photographer, amateur at best, but I’ve always loved the idea of capturing the moment. It’s what I do with words as well. Capture the moments.

It’s not that I don’t have the words. It’s that the ones I want to use wouldn’t be fitting.

And I’m angry all over again.

I need more coffee.

The old brown couch in the family room that has seen better days still hugs tight as I pull a blanket over my feet. I don’t need the blanket. It’s fairly tropical outside. It’s a comfort thing.

So I look at the photos and ponder the problem. What do we do then, with the broken?  My sigh is deep. Gut deep. Soul-searching deep.

God, not this. Not again. There is too much pain. Too much I don’t understand. The stories…sometimes they’re too hard to listen to. Too impossible to comprehend. Too painful to tell.

Not like the stories that sit on our tree. I like those. Those make me smile.

I collect ornaments, you see…to mark occasions, holidays, memories…so many now that this year we put up our fake tree as well because the real tree couldn’t hold them all…

These things that sit pretty on the tree remind us who we are, where we’ve been. They tell our stories, moments captured in sparkly reminders.

Tell the stories. Yes, even the hard ones. Perhaps, especially, the hard ones. 

I’m not so sure I can. No, that’s not true. I can. I’m not so sure I want to.

Where to begin when the foundations shake under what you thought you knew to be true? How to offer hope when those you love are hurting, struggling through the impossible that has been thrust upon them. Unwanted. Unasked for. Undeserved. How to love when you want to strike out, hurt back…how?

Silent night…holy night. 

Jesus.

It’s a whisper. My heart’s cry. Because it’s all I know. All I can do. All we can count on. The hope that is in Him.

Those ornaments on our tree, they tell you something.

These scars we cover and the fresh wounds still bleeding, they tell a story too. We all have to walk through pain. Whether you’re carrying it yourself or carrying someone else’s. It’s unavoidable. Because crap happens. It does. We can’t stop it. We can’t stop sin or satan even though we’ll call it something else and step around it or simply pretend it doesn’t exist. Because we’re Christians and we’re too good for that you know.

Jesus, help.

So I sit here and I think about how I tell these stories. And why. How others may not want to read them. But there are those who do. Those who need to hear them as desperately as I need to tell them. Even now in this holy season when all should be merry and bright…darkness can snuff out light.

But not for long. Not forever.

Where there is light, there is hope.

With hope comes the promise of joy. And a peace beyond our comprehension.

Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow. But it will come.

Because we are loved.

Be still and know…

 

Over in A Day

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Christmas, Faith, Hope, Joy

If you’re anything like me, your house probably resembles a war zone this morning. Dishes to be put away. Forgot to turn on the dishwasher. Stray glasses hiding here and there. And let’s not talk about the living room. Presents, garbage bag overflowing with wrapping paper, so easily discarded after being so painstakingly applied.

It’s the aftermath. Those few moments when you wake up, walk through the house, and go, “Huh.”

It’s all over. All the preparations. The food. The feasting. The fretting about not having this or that or whether the turkey would turn out. The planning, the partying…over in a day. Sad, isn’t it?

As I sat here this morning, I caught myself thinking, “What in the world do we do this for?” Now, don’t get me wrong, I love Christmas. I love decorating the house, watching my husband decorate the tree, (he’s very particular), love having the family gather together, the Christmas Eve service…the music, the hokey television shows. And I love Santa. Yes, I do. My kids are grown now, but one day (not any time soon, thank you) we’ll have tiny feet running around this house again, and the magic will return. But today…it’s quiet.

You know what you do this for.

The quiet reminds me of something. Something that took place a long, long time ago, on a lonely hill. It was a bloody mess, frankly. I can’t help thinking of those men and women at the end of that day. The anguish, despair, desperation and sheer terror they surely felt as they watched their friend, brother, son being put to death on a cross. All over in a day. Did they understand the greater meaning? Did they truly know what was happening or what was to come? I imagine all the words Jesus spoke about going to prepare a place and being with his heavenly father dissipated into dark night that day. I imagine the next morning, they felt pretty hopeless. And they probably asked what it was all for? Asked why they walked away from everything they knew, gave up all they had…for what? I wonder if their faith was shaken just a little. We know they stayed together, fasting and praying, but I imagine their thoughts were harried.

And then…the empty tomb. A sliver of hope, perhaps? Well, sort of. Except I think they thought He’d been kidnapped. Somebody moved the body. People don’t rise from the dead you know. That whole Lazarus thing? Well…

But Jesus showed up.

Did he ever. I would have loved to have been in that upper room on that day. Seen the shock, disbelief and then utter joy on their faces. Seen the big grin on His. And maybe a hint of ‘told ya so’ in the sparkle in His eyes.

That’s why we do this. It’s not about the presents. The tree. The food. That’s all Christmess. Yes, Christmess. Take away the mess and what’s left?

Christ. 

One word. So much meaning. So many gifts to offer.

Grace. Mercy. Healing. Redemption. Restoration.

Hope. 

And that’s not over in a day. That’s the future. That’s forever.

Don’t miss it.

No Room For Regret…

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Catherine West, Christmas

Christmas.

Immerse yourself in the word. What images come to mind? What are you feeling? What are you remembering?

I see colorful lights, glowing stars and snow angels. I hear childish whispers and giggles, voices raised in praise, murmured conversations around a crackling fire whilst others around us nod off, content after eating far too much turkey. I feel the tight hugs of excited children, waiting for the end of the evening, anticipating a visit from a jolly bearded fellow in a red suit. I feel the warmth in my husband’s eyes as we share secrets and set up surprises.

I remember days gone by when we were woken at five in the morning by kids who couldn’t wait a second longer. I remember my own excitement as a child.

I remember school concerts and church pageants. I remember visits from far away relatives come to spend the season with us. I remember the roaring fire, hot chocolate and Jingle Bells. I remember my mother’s smile and the way her eyes lit as each day grew closer. I remember the hospital visits when her last Christmas was near. I remember good times, fun times and very sad times.

I remember Jesus. And I thank Him for loving me. For giving us another year to celebrate His birth and what it means for us.

Often we use this time of year to reflect and count our blessings. To take stock of the things we have done, the things we didn’t do, and the things we still want to do. This year is no different for me. I have received many blessings. I have also been challenged in ways I can say I don’t particularly enjoy.

I am still learning how to navigate the waters of the publishing ocean. I am still learning to be patient, because as of yet, no miracle has occurred and I have not discovered the secret of waiting in peace…but I am determined to learn.

I have a feeling it may take a while.

I have made some mistakes, but I have no room for regret. Lessons are learned and I move on.

I anticipate the coming year with great joy. Our daughter will walk down the aisle and marry the man of her dreams. We will celebrate with family and friends.

I will continue to write, continue to seek God’s will in my writing career and in all areas of my life. I will continue to seek joy and peace, and simply enjoy the journey.

Those are my thoughts today as I consider Christmas.

What about you? What do you remember and what are you thankful for?

What’s On Your Christmas List?

Tags

Books, Christmas, Reading

Incase you need reminding, Christmas is just around the corner! I hope you’re excited, because I sure am. It is without a doubt, my favorite holiday of all. I’ve started decorating and we’ll probably get the tree up this week. My kids won’t be home until right before Christmas this year, so we’ll see if I can hold off on the tree decorating since they want us to decorate together, like always, but I may have to put at least a few ornaments up!

So, in light of the season which also means the giving of presents, I’m curious to know if you’ve purchased any books for anyone? Although I’m a confessed e-reader, I still LOVE the feel of a book in my hand. I love looking at the covers, flipping through the pages, and yeah, I even love the smell. E-books are convenient, but the real deal just can’t be beat. I have a pile of books sitting on my kitchen table right now. None of them are for me, but you can bet I’ve enjoyed looking through them. I miss the children’s Christmas books though. My kids used to bring home a big pile of Scholastic books around this time, and there were always a few awesome Christmas stories on the pile. In fact, I still have all our favorites and I put them out every year, even though my kids are no longer little. Here are just a few of the books you’ll find us reading again and again each Christmas!

 

But I’m especially tickled this year knowing that my book is out there too, and maybe it will find it’s way under somebody’s Christmas tree!

What about you? Do you have a collection of favorite Christmas books? Are you buying books as gifts? Tell us about it. What books do you love to give this time of year? Any books on your wish list for Santa?

Ho, ho, ho, MERRY CHRISTMAS!!