Friend, I realize that right now the words “safe” and “hands” may be rather trigger-ish with the pandemic’s stay safe and wash your hands mantras heavy on our minds—but what about the word “REST”? Being at peace in our very souls? Many of us are concerned about health, finances, and futures for ourselves—but also there’s the added layer of anxiety about loved ones we can’t be with, across the city or across the globe. Today, can our souls find rest as we entrust everything and everyone into God’s safe hands? 

Welcome to my “Six Sweet Summer Reads” post with some fabulous book recommendations just for you, PLUS the SUMMER LOVING BLOG TOUR with my fellow Anaiah Press authors! We have some amazing bookish prizes and the giveaway is on right now…

How well are we listening right now, friend? And to be clear, when I say WE I mostly mean ME. At the cusp of 2020, when the year ahead was brimming with potential and promise, I declared my “one word” for the year to be “LISTEN”. I had no clue. Today, the tragedies of a global pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement fill our minds and break our hearts—and we are only halfway through the year. Who to listen to? How to learn? Is there still hope? Surely, there is always hope…

What’s on your mind these days? Personally, I can’t stop thinking about lighthouses. Maybe it’s because I’m craving the ocean and traveling is not an option right now, or maybe it’s because it’s the one-year birthday of my novel, The Lighthouse Baby, 🙂 or maybe it’s just that in this current fog I long to see a literal beacon of hope shining bright. Whatever the reason, my heart has been drawn to the lifesaving lighthouse and how brightly it shines…

How are you doing these days, friend? It seems while we are in this surreal COVID crisis focusing on masks and hand-washing and social distancing, our Mother’s Day has snuck up on us and we’re really not sure what to do with it. Isolate and celebrate? Is that even a thing? How do we go about finding JOY this Mother’s Day?

I just broke a mug. It slipped from my hand into the dishwasher and smashed. I have a teeny-tiny cut on my finger to prove it. Just a one-second lapse in concentration, that’s all it took to break into pieces. I wonder if that’s how many of us are feeling right now—fragile. Like everything could break into pieces if we have a one-second lapse in our “holding it together-ness”. We know we are not in this alone. We know we have a God who is bigger. But in these at-home moments of needing to do something familiar yet fulfilling, how are we coping? For me, it’s in the simple pleasures of books and baking…

This Holy Week is a little different, isn’t it? Usually, most of us are busy shopping and meal planning for our big Easter dinner with extended family and friends, or we’re planning to be away for the long weekend, or making sure our people have appropriate Easter outfits to wear.  Not this year. Oh, we’ll make the best of it and have church online (maybe Easter pajamas will be a thing?) and have a shrunken Easter dinner for those under our roof. We’ll Zoom with loved ones and possibly get some fresh air—as long as we practice social distancing. And perhaps, just perhaps, in our solitude, we will see the sacrifice of the Saviour with fresh eyes… 

Hey, friend, how are you holding up? I’m guessing you are at home—feeling a little wonky and needing a little encouragement. In this week of crazy pandemic-panic, I want to offer you a virtual hug and whisper words of peace. I also want to share what God has set on my heart about this being our “mountain time” right now. Curious? Allow me to explain…

Anyone else lunging toward spring, desperate for sunshine and warmth and flowers? We are nearly there, friends, and as I shake off the winter doldrums, perhaps the only aspect I’ll miss from the most frigid of seasons is the coziness of reading. You know what I’m saying—hands wrapped around a mug of something hot and delicious, feet snuggled in a pair of actual reading socks, a super soft blanket, and a really good book. Sigh. On reflection, I read a stack of amazing books this winter and I’m here to share six of my favourites with you right now…

FEB 18 is book release day for my latest Christian romantic suspense novel, The Orphan Beach! Oh, friends, I am so thrilled to share this story with you. This is the third in my “Flight to Freedom” series, all published by Anaiah Press within twelve months! We have faced fears, kidnapping, family secrets, stalking, romance, shooting, weddings, abandonment, and a whole lot of suspenseful drama, all with a message of hope. Always pointing to God as Rescuer, Redeemer, and Rock. So I’m delighted to introduce you to the new book on the shelf…