The price of disobedience is very high, much higher than we should be willing to pay. The rewards for obedience are wide and far reaching even into eternity.
Author Archives: Susan Wachtel
A Deadly Business – Mixed Emotions
I’ve watched her on Fox News and I’ve seen her mystery books in Christian bookstores, but this is the first novel I’ve read by author Lis Wiehl.
A Deadly Business in the second book in the Mia Quinn mystery series by coauthors Lis Wiehl and April Henry. The main character Mia is mother of two children, widowed and a prosecutor in Seattle.
This is a fast-paced novel, filled with action from the get go. Starting on page two, buckle you seat belts because you are on a roller coaster ride as Mia, her family and coworker are thrust into danger, mystery and intrigue. Questions arise on her husband’s death seven months earlier, that may indicate murder not an accident. In the middle of dealing with that duty calls as Mia is assigned a case prosecuting juveniles who critically injure a woman by dropping a shopping cart on her from two stories up. Mia has to make the tough decision to prosecute these criminals as juveniles or as adults in a highly volatile and politically charged atmosphere.
Now what did I think of the book…well the book held my attention. I found that I didn’t have a chance to get to know the main character early on because the action started so abruptly. I connected with two of the characters, Detective Charlie Carlson and Mia’s fourteen year old son Gabe because they seemed good and real. There were times I found myself put off by Mia’s thoughts and approach to the criminal justice system. Rather than punishing criminals for their acts, the character approached it as a place to help rehabilitate criminals. I wondered is that the authors view point or just what they wrote about the character?
Another question that came up, as I was reading this novel, is that I’m not sure what would qualify this book as “Christian Fiction”. If a writer is a Christian does that mean what they write is Christian fiction? I don’t think so. There was precious little in the book about God, faith or prayer and nothing that would stand out to suggest it was a Christian book. I wouldn’t have guessed this book was from a Christian writer unless I had known this was put out by a Christian based publisher.
Nevertheless, I did appreciate the fact that the book did not contain filthy language or promote sexual immorality, etc.
Would I recommend this book? I would advise customers to read the book synopsis, reviews, and choose based on an informed decision if it sounds like something you might like. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it for someone who likes to read books that include characters dealing with God, scripture, prayer and wrestling their faith. But if you are looking for a good mystery you might like it.
I would like to thank the people at BookLook for providing me with a free copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review.
I Bless You
For my precious friend, I pray and bless you
I bless you with faith that rises
Faith that burns brighter
In the darkness of trials
I bless you with faith like a jewel
A multifaceted diamond
Sparkling and reflecting the Light of God
I bless you with faith that takes God at His Word
“All things are possible to him who believes.”
A responsive heart that confesses, “I believe. Help me with my unbelief.”
I bless you with faith that remembers
Your Savior suffered and was tempted
And is able to help and strengthen you today
I bless you with faith that trusts God
When all others tell you to abandon ship
You will remember that God still calms the stormy seas
I bless you to remember your Savior’s compassion
He stands ready to wipe away your tears
With His nail scarred hands
I bless you to praise God,
Unapologetic, out loud and with boldness
Though others may tell you to curse God
I bless you to know with confident assurance
That God is perfectly weaving your trials and pain
Into a beautiful tapestry of your life
I bless you to recognize
That God will never waste your trials
Be confident that He will use them to help others
I bless you to remember book by book
Who God has revealed Himself to be
In holy and inerrant Scripture
I bless you to recall the names of God
Reflect and remember
How He has proven Himself over and over in your life
I bless you to rejoice always
Pray without ceasing
In everything and for everything give thanks
God is Able
Imperfect Forgiveness
Just when I thought I’d moved beyond it
I see wounds from the past and brokenness
Still impacting me today
Time has moved on
As has the one who fell short
Leaving scars in their wake
This side of heaven
My questions will remain unspoken
“Why?” and “What were you thinking?” will not be answered
I wish I had been able to talk it through
Or hear “I’m sorry”
And confess my sins against them too
Lord I need to forgive completely
Not dredge it up again
Let the pain remain in the past, not feel it afresh
Lord, I need to follow Your example
Forgive completely, once and for all
Cancel their debt
Help me to remember
Not only did Jesus pay my sin debt in full
But He died for the sins of the world
You are lavish in grace, mercy and forgiveness
Not holding my sin debt against me
You have cast my sin into the sea of forgetfulness
I need to remember
Unforgiveness is a sin
Like all sin, I must repent of it
Show me how to live this out day by day
Help me to remember that You never waste my trials and pain
You are working things out according to Your perfect plan
Thank You God that Your forgiveness is not like mine
You forgive fully and completely, even to the uttermost
Heavenly Father, help me to be more like You
by Susan Wachtel
June 19, 2014
Small View of God
A small view of God, an inaccurate view of God will lead to sin:
Sin against God
Sin against man
Fear
Anxiety
Worry
Doubt
Wavering
Double-mindedness
Unbelief
Prayerlessness
Neglect of the Word of God
Selfishness
Self-focus
Carrying a burden that God never intended for me to carry alone
Ceasing to praise and worship God
Overestimating myself
Underestimating others
Failure to put on the full armor of God
Fruitlessness
Bad fruit
Failure to take every thought captive…giving my thoughts free rein
Discouragement, not encouragement
Losing my focus that I am engaged in a spiritual battle every day this side of heaven
Listening to the lies and propaganda of the enemy
I’m sure that this list could go on and on. Perhaps you have a few that you can think of too. Please free to share them.
I think I’m safe in saying that nothing good comes when I have a small view of God.
Just Thinking on Unbelief
Lord, help me to remember that You are at work in our lives, even when I can see it and when the outcome is yet unknown.
What form does unbelief take in my life? Fear, anxiety, doubt and negativity to name a few.
Unbelief is a sin! When I recognize it help me to repent, turn and walk by faith and trust in the One True and Living God.
Help me to renew my heart and mind through Your Word oh God.
Lord, when I feel overwhelmed help me to reflect on Who You are and what You have revealed about Yourself in the Bible.
The Bridge Tender – Insightful
When selecting a new book to read The Bridge Tender by Marybeth Whalen caught my eye. First the beautiful cover picture, then comments from other readers and finally the storyline drew me in. I’m not usually one to read romance books, so I wasn’t entirely sure if I would like this book by an author who is new to me.
The story starts out with Emily and her husband Ryan on their honeymoon in Sunset Beach filled with carefree days, romance and love. Fast forward five years and we find Emily getting dressed for Ryan’s funeral. In the ensuing chapters, we learn about Emily and how she handles overwhelming grief and how life moves on in spite her.
I found the author very insightful on relationships, friendships, grief, loneliness and learning to live again after a huge loss. Many times I found what was shared evoked in me a desire to appreciate what I have been given and to recognize that I don’t know how long I will have those gifts in my life. I appreciated how Emily reasoned through her way to be supportive of her friend Marta who had a budding romantic relationship in the wake of Emily’s loss of her husband Ryan. God and faith were part of what Emily wrestled through, but I would have appreciated an even greater emphasis on faith.
There were many times, I didn’t want to put the book down when duty or sleep called. All in all The Bridge Tender holds a special place in my heart and look forward to reading more books by author Marybeth Whalen. I highly recommend this book.
I would like to thank the team at BookLook for providing me with a free copy of The Bridge Tender to read in exchange for an honest review. I was under no obligation to provide a favorable review.
Feeling defeated?
I bless you to remember that satan is defeated foe. That you will recall the truth about your enemy and not be taken in by his lies. In the Bible, Holy and inerrant Word of God, we learn that from the beginning satan was a murderer, he is a liar and the father of lies. He comes only to kill, steal and destroy. Just as you would dismiss the words spoken to you by a known liar, I pray that you will dismiss the lies from the enemy. I pray that you will remember that on the cross Jesus Christ crushed the satan’s head. Jesus proved His victory when three days later He arose from the grave. Feeling defeated…then take a good look at the empty tomb. I pray that you will remember that you have been given the Holy Spirit who dwells within you. You have been sealed for the day of redemption. Remember that Jesus Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father and He is interceding for you. Remember Who is on your side. I pray that you will remember that You have been give the Word of God which is living and active, and is more powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword. It is able to divide soul and spirit, joints and marrow and is the discerner of the thoughts and intentions of your heart. I pray that you will follow Jesus Christ’s example when He was tempted in the desert for 40 days and nights, that He responded by wielding the Sword of the Spirit. I pray that you will remember that satan’s doom is certain. Just as God has revealed in Scripture the devil, who deceived them, will be cast alive into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are at. They will be tormented day and night forever and ever…Amen! Even so come quickly Lord Jesus!
Rising Faith
I pray that your faith will stand strong, even in times of trials and tribulation or in the doldrums of life. I pray that your faith will rise and be strengthened on the Solid Rock of Scripture. In those times when God seems to be silent, that you will turn to God’s Word and remind yourself about who God is, see what He has revealed about Himself in Scripture. I pray that you will hide God’s Word in your heart so that you may not sin against Him. That when other’s faith fails them, praises of God will come forth from your lips, strengthening your heart and mind and the faith of other believers. I pray for you to have a heart and mind that desires to know God more and to be obedient. I pray that you will be open and teachable, bendable and yielded unto the Lord God Almighty. I pray that you will fear God, not man. That you will turn to the Bible, holy and inerrant Scripture, daily to know who you are in Christ. That you will be bold, confident and unapologetic in your proclamation of the Gospel, knowing that it is the power of God for salvation of all who believe, first the Jew and then the Greek. I pray that you will desire to bless the Lord each day with how you live, what you say and think, even down to the desires and thoughts and intentions of your heart. I pray for you to hunger and thirst after righteousness, to desire to be washed by the water of God’s Word daily. It is in the incomparable, blessed and holy name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen and amen!
Clutter
I officially stopped working outside the home two months ago. I’ve got to say, it’s still somewhat strange not to be under continual stress day in and day out. That’s not to say that there is no stress in my life, but in comparison to the work-a-day world it’s a world of difference.
I must declare publicly that my husband Chris is my hero. He has allowed me to stay home and take care of our home and do volunteer work. He is the one bearing the burden of being the sole income earner of which I am most grateful!
I am continuing on with cleaning out the clutter in our home. Each week I focus on closets or drawers and work on throwing away or giving away the endless amount of things that we don’t use or need any longer. Some of it’s in good shape or has never been used…that’s the stuff we give away. Some of it just needs to go away.
On a closet I cleaned out last weekend I found hundreds of cards that my husband and I have received. Cards for whatever reason, at the time, I decided I wanted to hang on to them. So I’m starting to go through them, one by one and see what I want to keep and what I can get rid of. Many of them we haven’t looked at for months if not years. In that respect, I would think that I should be able to throw them away. But I’m struggling with doing that.
That struggle has been heightened by the passing of friends over the last few years. I look at the cards and have precious memories of our friends and am comforted by what they wrote. The cards from people that have passed on are much harder to get rid of. But in reality, how often do I look at those cards?
So…I’ve been trying to think of a good solution. What I’ve decided to do is scan the cards that I want to keep. I’m going to take the scanned picture of the card and message the person wrote and post them to a personal Pinterest board that I’ve created just for cards we’ve received.
One of the lessons I’m learning from this is that I need to appreciate the people I’m with and hold on to those precious memories. I need to have a looser grip on material possessions but hold on to friends and memories.
At the end of the day, when I hold on to things I’m just delaying the inevitable. Perhaps it’s just part of getting older, but I realize that when I die…all those things that I’ve held onto, someone else is going to have to go through and get rid of. So maybe I need to learn to let go of the clutter day by day. Accumulate less instead of having to clean out the closets and cupboards every few years.
If anyone has some good ideas on what I should do with the cards and letters, let me know what you’ve done.
Enough of that…onward and upward and back to cleaning I go.
God and Prayer
What I believe about God will be reflected in my prayer life.
Who I understand God to be, how I approach Him, what I pray and how I pray will all be evidence of what I believe about God and my relationship with Him.
My prayer life is like the thermometer of my spiritual health.
What Is Love
Where Will I Turn?
When I turn to myself
I come up empty
When I turn to the world
I come up with worthless and meaningless things
When I turn to the Lord
I receive Wisdom
Power
Strength
Understanding
Peace
Truth
Joy
and so much more
Help me to choose to turn to You Lord, every single time.
Critical Condition…WOW!
If you like mystery, intrigue and suspense, look no further than Richard L. Mabry’s newest book Critical Condition. I love it when I find a good writer who is new to me, because that means I’ll be able to go back and read his earlier work.
Critical Condition is the first book that I’ve read by Richard L. Mabry M.D. and I wasn’t disappointed. He skillfully draws the reader in to the storyline and reveals the characters, almost like pealing an onion, layer by layer you learn about the characters and what motivates them and what brought them to this place and how will it end.
Dr. Mabry brings a different twist to mystery novels. The story includes characters who are doctors and the reader gets to view the events through the different lens of medicine.
The story is fast paced and more than once kept me up late because I didn’t want to put the book down. I can tell a good book when it leaves me thinking about the characters and try to figure out what will happen even when I’m not reading the book.
I especially appreciated how Dr. Mabry has interwoven faith into the storyline through the characters as they struggle with and grow in their faith. Faith seemed to be a natural part of the characters, not just something thrown in because this a book by a Christian author. I appreciate a writer who doesn’t have to turn to immorality to tell a good story
I give a big thumbs up to Critical Condition by Richard L. Mabry M.D. I look forward to reading more novels by this writer.
I would like to thank the people at BookLook for giving me a copy of Critical Condition to read and review. I was under no obligation to give a favorable review.
Distortion – Fast-paced Intrigue & Suspense
It was my pleasure to read Terri Blackstock’s newest novel Distortion, the second book in the Moonlights Series. I love to read mysteries and in the past I’ve read a number of Terri’s books and now I remember why I liked her writing so much.
Distortion is a fast-paced murder mystery. From the very beginning of the novel, I was drawn into the storyline and characters. This is the second novel in the series, but the reader is not at a disadvantage if you haven’t read the first book Truth Stained Lies. There is enough information peppered throughout the book that helps the reader know about the background of the characters. I do wish I had read the first book, but Distortion a good standalone book too.
Terri does a great job in developing the characters as the storyline unfolds. I find her characters very likable and appealing. Unlike other writers, Terri doesn’t have her characters making stupid blunders, just to put them in jeopardy.
As a Christian, I’m very appreciative of having Christian characters that wrestle with their faith in the middle of a crisis and see how they interact with family and friends, believers and unbelievers. I also appreciate a writer who doesn’t offend my moral standards by throwing in sin and immorality just to titillate the reader.
If you like mystery and suspense, I recommend that you give Terri Blackstock’s newest book Distortion a read. I do forewarn you that you may be staying up late a few nights because you won’t to put the book down.
I would like to thank people at BookLook for providing me with a free copy of Distortion to read in exchange for an honest review. I was under no obligation to provide a favorable review.
Just Thinking on Life, Heaven and @#!*%
There have been a number of thoughts and ideas that have been ruminating in my mind in the last few days. Some prompted by conversations or podcasts I’ve recently listened to.
Yesterday I made a comment “What price can you put on happiness?” and the response was, “Life isn’t necessarily about our happiness.”
Obviously, happiness should never come at the price of disobedience to God, choosing sin or going outside His will for us as revealed in the Bible. However, I believe that God does want us to be content and joyful in Him, regardless of our circumstances. That happiness, joy and contentment may be a choice that I have to make each day. What kind of witness am I for God if I’m continually downcast about my circumstances?
At the same time, I’m still learning that life isn’t about me. It’s about God and loving Him with all my heart, mind, soul and strength and it’s about loving others as I love myself. That may mean that God takes me through challenging circumstances that won’t outwardly produce happiness. But that brings me back to a choice. Will I choose to rejoice in God, Who He is and the work He is doing in and through my life, even in or especially during the trials of my life?
Yesterday I heard a quote something to the effect of “If people could see just 15 seconds of what @#!*% is like it would make them passionate and effective evangelists.” These days there are lots of books about heaven and what it’s like. Who doesn’t want to go to heaven? As crazy as it seems, even unbelievers may believe in heaven and desire to go there. I can imagine and talk about the wonders that await believers in heaven. But shouldn’t the eternal suffering of those going to @#!*% motivate me even more to share the Gospel message of salvation found in Christ Jesus alone? While I won’t be able to see 15 seconds of what @#!*% is like, I can read what the Bible says about @#!*% and know that I don’t want my family, friends, neighbors, co-workers or even my enemies to go there.
On a recently Family Life Today podcast author and speaker Gloria Furman shared that she realized that her children were eternal beings and that what she was doing in everyday life, from cleaning up messes to changing diapers to refereeing a squabble, was potentially impacting them for eternity.
What holds true for a mom and dad raising their children holds true for all parts of life. We are interacting with eternal beings everywhere. At home, in the workplace, marketplace and even on the roadway.
If I remembered that, would it change how I treat people? Knowing that these people are eternal beings and I can make an impact for good or evil, for heaven or @#!*% .
Help Me to Remember
LORD, when I don’t understand what You are doing in trials and tribulations, may I remember that You are good all the time. Help me to remember that You never waste our trials. For those who love You and have been called according to Your purposes, You are working ALL things together for good. Help me to not only walk by faith, but pray in faith, trusting that You are Who You have revealed Yourself to be in Your perfect and inerrant Word of God. When I feel helpless and don’t know how to help someone, may I be confident that You are able to help them and do a marvelous and might work in their life. You are able to do exceedingly, abundantly and beyond what I can ask or think.
David Platt’s Response to Heaven if for Real
Be Prepared to Be Blessed
While I didn’t have a lot of people leave comments on my recent post “Blessings from a Precious Friend”, I did have a few people that responded and they will be receiving a book from the giveaway of Ruth Stingley’s book Speak to Your Heart – 70 Biblical Blessings to Encourage and Challenge Yourself and Others.
Congratulations to:
Denise at Just Me, Being Me and The Lighthouse of Prayer
Jim Allis at his blog Jim Allis
Loralee at Little House on the Ridge and This & That
I know that the Lord will bless you through Ruth’s book…I will also try to contact you via email to get your mailing address. Please feel free to send me an email at susanwalkergirl@gmail.com.
For those who are interested in learning more about the book please check out Speak to Your Heart website and Amazon.
Susan's Blog 