Saturday, November 30, 2013

Blog tour- Read an Excerpt from The Redemption of Caralynne Hayman

I'm participating in a blog tour for some author friends of mine. I will be posting several times this month. Each post will be an excerpt from a different book.

All of the books featured are on sale this month and can be purchased by going to The John 3:16 Marketing Network Launch Page You can also enter to win a $200 gift card for Amazon! These books would make wonderful Christmas presents for the readers in you life.

You will also find these authors featured on a number of other blogs where you can read more from each book.


Enjoy reading great books!

The Redemption of Caralynne Hayman
Carole Brown
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They arrived at Cassie’s house as she and the girls exited the car. Dayne parked where they couldn’t be spotted but pulled out a set of binoculars from his dash and handed them to Cara.

Cara raised the glasses to her eyes and tensed. Her girls’ small bodies trudged up the walk. Lacy dragged a stuffed animal in one hand, a half-deflated balloon tied to the toy.
Leila held to her sister’s other hand, but the ten-year-old’s shoulders drooped as if she was too weary to walk. Cassie placed a hand on each girl’s back and urged them on.

Cara handed the glasses to Dayne and gripped the car door handle.

“Hold on.” Dayne placed a hand on her arm.

She jerked, but Dayne didn’t let go. Instead, he pointed.

“What?” Her patience had worn thin. “I’m tired of this.”

“So am I.” Dayne’s voice grew softer. Some hidden tone overrode his words.

Grabbing the glasses, she raised them.

Cassie and her girls were climbing the porch steps. Lacy jerked her
hand from Cassie’s and plopped onto the bottom step. Even at Cassie’s obvious coaxing, the little girl refused to budge.

Tears pricked Cara’s lids. She swallowed, holding back the sob. “If you don’t tell me in the next fifteen seconds why we’re stalling, I’m out of here.”

“Look over by the woods.”

At first Cara could make out nothing in the fading daylight. The waning sunlight reflected off—

A gun?

“Dayne.” She clutched his hand, panic building inside her. “Are they going to shoot my babies?”

“I don’t think so.”

The grim reply sent shivers up her arm. “That’s not a good enough answer.”

“The guns are for you.”

“Guns? There’s more than one?” Cara sank lower into her seat.

“Why do they hate me so much?”

“I count three men, and I’m sure more are around back. Circling the house, no doubt, to keep you from them.” Dayne shook his head.

“You haven’t made it easy for the group to love you, Cara.”

“Are you condemning me?” Hurt seared her heart. Criticism from others was one thing. Condemnation from Dayne was another.

“You know better, but it is the truth.”

“What are we going to do? I hope you’re not going to say we have to wait.”

“I am.” He raised a hand. “Just until dark.”

“What?”

“We’ll storm the fort.” Dayne smoothed back a stray bit of hair straggling in her eyes. “Cara, I want you to promise me once we get your girls, you’ll take them and get out. You can’t afford to stay any longer.”

“I know.” He was right. Letting the hurt and anger and her plans go was a must.

She stared at the woods where some of the group’s men hovered, and she realized it wasn’t enough. Not for Felicia and the other women still stuck at The House. Not for Leila and Lacy, and definitely not for Lori. No matter how many men suffered, it’d never be enough.


Read the second installment on Dec 2. here Lorilyn Roberts Blog

Saturday, November 23, 2013

Surrender, Trust, and Identity - They are tied together



A few months ago I had an experience that God used to begin the process of breaking my pride. I was rocked to my core. I've been going through the process of learning what it really is to surrender to God. EVERYTHING. Walking by the Spirit in every circumstance has always eluded me. In fact walking by the Spirit in just one circumstance has eluded me. Just how exactly do I give up the control, that I think I have, and let God do His thing through me?

I consider myself a brave person. But as I've walked through this breaking, I've discovered that I'm terrified. The worst part of this terror is that the cause of my fear is that I don't really trust God. That's not an easy revelation to swallow. Now, I know a lot about God and truly believe what I know. So then, why don't I trust Him? God is showing me that my lack of trust is because I don't understand WHO I AM. What I mean is, I don't know who God says I am.

Another thing that I'm learning is that it's one thing to be given love and quite another to receive that love. For what ever reason, I don't receive love from God or others. Without receiving it, I have nothing to love others with in return. I know that Salvation is a free gift and that I must choose to receive it, but it never occurred to me that all of the wonderful things that God gives me through salvation also have to be received to be used. I have to choose to believe what God says about me and walk in those gifts. I have to take them for my own. They are always there and always true about me. But, I have to let go of my flesh/control and let God do His thing through me.

How do you do that? Well, I'm still trying to learn how to do it. But I think that's the point. We don't DO it. We stop doing and start letting God do it. Easier said than done.


I'm amazed that surrendering to God is so closely tied to trust and that trust is tied to who God is and who I am.

I'll try to keep posting what I'm learning, and hopefully my journey of faith will encourage you in yours.