Mary Hamilton
Out back, beyond our property line is a field that was left fallow for the summer. Lately, I’ve been watching a tractor travel from one side to the other, then back to front to back again, plowing the weeds under and breaking up the soil. One evening as the sun was going down and the …
I met Jennifer Slattery at a writer’s conference and I’ve been impressed by her determination and energy. She writes soul-stirring fiction for New Hope Publishers, a publishing house passionate about bringing God’s healing grace and truth to the hopeless. She also writes for Crosswalk.com, Internet Café Devotions, and the group blog, Faith-filled Friends. When not writing, …
Three weeks ago, I attended the annual conference for the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW). More than 450 published and unpublished writers came together in Dallas for 2-3 days of learning, talking, and eating, sleeping (maybe) and breathing writing. Rubbing shoulders with Christian superstar authors like Bill Myers and Francine Rivers. The conference is exhilarating, …
If you’ve never read through the gospels in chronological order, I encourage you to find a chronological Bible or a listing of the harmony of the gospels and read the life of Jesus in order. Each gospel writer emphasized different aspects of Jesus’ ministry, often grouping circumstances together for effect. Reading in chronological order reveals …
Author Lillian Duncan is taking over my blog today to tell you about her new release! To celebrate the release of Deadly Intent, I’m having a giveaway on my blog, Tiaras & Tennis Shoes at www.lillian-duncan.com. Grand prize is a $25 Amazon gift cards but that’s not all! Five more winners will get a $5 …
Ask any mother of boys and she’ll likely tell you there are few books out there that will motivate boys to read. Books about horses and girl detectives and romance abound for girls, but relatively few have enough action and adventure to keep boys interested. So when I run across a novel that I think …
Was there a time when God spoke to you? When you clearly knew that idea did not come from your own brain? Or are you one of the skeptics who has never heard God’s voice and doubt anyone else has either? I can recall twice when I clearly “heard” God speak. Both times, it was …
My teacher friends may already know these facts but I was stunned to learn them at a workshop I attended this weekend. 1. Children are learning to read in grades 1-3. After that, they read to learn. Therefore, reading fluently is important for learning. 2. Children who cannot read fluently at the end of third …
Last week, the news from Chattanooga, TN left us shocked. Four Marines killed, several others injured in an unprovoked attack by what appears to be a jihadist gunman. Since then, one of the injured has also died from his wounds. Many of us feel connected to the military and specifically the Marine Corps because our …
Now and then, I find a book that significantly changes my way of thinking. One of those books is The Life You’ve Always Wanted: Spiritual Disciplines for Ordinary People by John Ortberg. The author describes how, in the first century AD, much of the rabbinical writings dealt with circumcision, keeping the Sabbath, and dietary laws. …
On the third day, a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.” (John 2: 1-3, NIV) Ever wonder why Mary spoke to Jesus about …
Allow me to introduce you to Shannon Taylor Vannatter, who hails from Central Arkansas where she is an author and stay-at-home mom/pastor’s wife. She lives in a town with a population of around 100, if you count a few cows and once climbed a mountain wearing gold wedge-heeled sandals, which became known as her hiking …
