One Imperfect Christmas review

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
One Imperfect Christmas
Abingdon Press (September 2009)
by
Myra Johnson


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Making up stories has been second nature to me for as long as I can remember. A select group of trusted friends back at dear old Mission High waited eagerly for the next installment of my "Great American Spy Novel" (think Man from Uncle) and my "All-American Teen Novel" (remember Gidget and Tammy?). I even had a private notebook of angst-ridden poetry a la Rod McKuen.

The dream of writing persisted into adulthood, although it often remained on the back burner while I attended to home and family and several "real" (read paying) jobs along the way. Then in 1983, while recovering from sinus surgery, I came upon one of those magazine ads for the Institute of Children’s Literature. I knew it was time to get serious, and the next thing I knew, I'd enrolled in the “Writing for Children and Teenagers” course.

Within a year or so I sold my first story, which appeared in the Christian publication Alive! for Young Teens. For many years I enjoyed success writing stories and articles for middle-graders and young adults. I even taught for ICL for 9 years.

Then my girls grew up, and there went my live-in inspiration. Time to switch gears. I began my first women's fiction manuscript and started attending Christian writers conferences. Eventually I learned about American Christian Romance Writers (which later became American Christian Fiction Writers) and couldn't wait to get involved. Friends in ACFW led me to RWA and the online inspirational chapter, Faith, Hope & Love.

So here I am today, still on this crazy roller-coaster ride. Still writing. Still hopeful. Writing, I'm learning, is not about the destination, it's about the journey. My current projects are primarily women's fiction and romance . . . novels of hope, love, and encouragement. Novels about real women living out their faith and finding love in the midst of everyday, and sometimes not so everyday, situations.


ABOUT THE BOOK


Graphic designer Natalie Pearce faces the most difficult Christmas of her life. For almost a year, her mother has lain in a nursing home, the victim of a massive stroke, and Natalie blames herself for not being there when it happened. Worse, she's allowed the monstrous load of guilt to drive a wedge between her and everyone she loves-most of all her husband Daniel. Her marriage is on the verge of dissolving, her prayer life is suffering, and she's one Christmas away from hitting rock bottom.

Junior-high basketball coach Daniel Pearce is at his wit's end. Nothing he's done has been able to break through the wall Natalie has erected between them. And their daughter Lissa's adolescent rebellion isn't helping matters. As Daniel's hope reaches its lowest ebb, he wonders if this Christmas will spell the end of his marriage and the loss of everything he holds dear.

If you would like to read the first chapter of One Imperfect Christmas, go HERE


Watch the trailer:

Simple Woman's Daybook...Back to Work!

Note: I started this post early this morning, and didn't finish it before it was time to leave for the organ concert and errands. So...here I am again. Entries from later today are in dark purple. :)

FOR TODAY...
September 21, 2009

Outside my window...

Birds chirping, sun coming up (No Rain!! Yay!), cooler mornings promising that Fall is almost here, not only on the calendar, but in

weather!

I am thinking...

about today's organ concert, and planning a separate post on "The Accidental Organist." Loved her story!

I am thankful for...
Our vacation last week. It was so good to have Billy home all week and just have time together as a family. I am *so* thankful that God gave us that week with no major

interruptions or life crises. (Those have been rare here the past few years!) Even though we didn't get caught up on sleep as much as we'd planned, God's hand was obviously in all the

details, and He has brought me to where I need to be heading into this next season.

God's grace to meet *all* of our needs. I went into church last night with two very specific burdens, and by the end of the evening, God had reminded me, very pointedly

and very specifically, that although both issues are huge and not going to be "fixed" quickly, He has both situations completely under control, and He is going to provide our *every* need in both areas...just as He always has.

I am wearing...

Denim capris and a green striped shirt, but planning to change as soon as I finish this post. :)

I am hearing...
You Are My Hiding Place

I am remembering...
my dad. So much from this morning's organ concert reminded me of him! Years of classical music memories,

plus his silly version of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game", which I hadn't thought of in years. :)

I am creating...
plans for the rest of the semester. :)

I am going...
"out"...before noon on a Monday!! Those who know me well, don't pass out. ;-) Explanation below. :)

I am reading...
Catherine Palmer's Thread of Deceit, which I hope to finish today, plus a whole stack of non-fiction reading!

I am hoping...
the rain holds off long enough to get my bookcase painted!

On my mind...Yesterday's sermons. So thankful for Bro. Kent and Bro. Jeff, and the ways God has used them to speak to me in the last few weeks. (And for Lyndel's music selections, which have ministered so much as well!)

From the learning rooms...

Looking foward to digging back into school this week, and hitting it hard from now until Thanksgiving! Adding a bit of study of the organ/organ music, after this morning's concert. And looking forward to incorporating more of Bro. Jeff's series on Acts 1:8 into our missions' study.

Noticing that...
my children are also getting much out of Bro. Kent's messages in the mornings, and the missions study on Sunday nights.

Pondering these words...

from Psalm 32, verses 7-8. I almost missed church last night, after working hard to get there. I was even more thankful for the service after almost missing it! As the soloist sang

"You Are My Hiding Place", I was almost in tears thinking about how much I needed to hear those words at that very moment. I pulled out my Bible and immediately looked up the verse, Psalm 32:7, after finding it in my concordance.

"You are my hiding place; You preserve me from trouble;You surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah."

And then I was really fighting tears as I saw the next verse! The extended family situation we've been dealing with for the past few years is one in which we feel such a strong

need for Godly counsel, and yet Godly counsel experienced in this area has been very limited so far. We keep praying for God to lead us to someone

who can provide it, and it hasn't happened yet. At every point at which we have "hit bottom" with that particular worry, God has reminded us that He is our "Wonderful Counselor", and while He may lead us to

an earthly counselor at some point, HE is our true Counselor. We are not lacking anything. He reminded me of that again last night in this

verse...

"I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go;I will counsel you with My eye upon you."

I especially love the wording of the Amplified...

"You are a hiding place for me; You, Lord, preserve me from trouble, You surround me with songs and shouts of deliverance. Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]! I [the Lord] will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you."

From the kitchen...

I have an odd assortment of food in the cupboards and freezer that I need to use this week...it promises to be a creative week in the kitchen. :)

Around the house...
Hoping to paint a bookcase today while it is not

raining...then to snuggle it into a spot we're planning just for it in the dining room/school room. Always thankful for bookcases, especially a hand-

me-down from a friend who doesn't need it anymore. :)

One of my favorite things~Good organ music. :)

A few plans for the rest of the week:
Organ concert this morning...

I have an almost unbreakable "Don't leave the house on Monday morning" policy, but I

decided this would be worth breaking it. :)

Wedding shower for a friend tomorrow night! :)

Mercy Week Family Night Friday night...the kids have looked forward to this ever since last year's event!

GA sleepover for the big girls this weekend.

And, of course, school, house, cooking, choirs Wednesday, and co-op Thursday. Busy week...no "easing back into things after vacation" here! :)

From my picture journal...

The children with Dr. Joyce Jones.

For more Daybook posts, please visit Peggy at The Simple Woman's Daybook.

"Every Promise"

I love hymns. (I think I've said that here a time or two before. :)) I love old hymns. I also love new hymns...especially many of the new hymns by Stuart Townend and Keith Getty. Their combination of lyrically beautiful and Biblically sound words has ministered to me often. A friend posted a link this morning to a Townend/Getty hymn I hadn't heard before, and once again, it hit me right where I am today. What a beautiful reminder that no matter *what* our situation, the answer is to "stand on every promise" of His Word.

Every Promise

From the breaking of the dawn to the setting of the sun,
I will stand on ev'ry promise of Your Word.
Words of power, strong to save, that will never pass away,
I will stand on ev'ry promise of Your Word.
For Your covenant is sure,
And on this I am secure—
I can stand on ev'ry promise of Your Word.

When I stumble and I sin, condemnation pressing in,
I will stand on ev'ry promise of Your Word.
You are faithful to forgive that in freedom I might live,
So I stand on ev'ry promise of Your Word.
Guilt to innocence restored,
You remember sins no more—
So I'll stand on ev'ry promise of Your Word.

When I'm faced with anguished choice, I will listen for Your voice,
And I'll stand on ev'ry promise of Your Word.
Through this dark and troubled land
You will guide me with Your hand
As I stand on ev'ry promise of Your Word.
And You've promised to complete
Ev'ry work begun in me—
So I'll stand on ev'ry promise of Your Word.

Hope that lifts me from despair, love that casts out ev'ry fear,
As I stand on ev'ry promise of Your Word.
Not forsaken, not alone, for the Comforter has come,
And I stand on ev'ry promise of Your Word.
Grace sufficient, grace for me,
Grace for all who will believe—
We will stand on ev'ry promise of Your Word.

~Stuart Townend and Keith Getty

In Other Words ~ Affliction

"Affliction will either warm you up toward spiritual things or turn you cold."

~Joni Eareckson Tada

We have all heard it, or some variation, probably more than once: "How can a good God allow suffering?" And we probably all know someone, or several someones, who has rejected God because "I can't believe in a God who would allow __________________." (Fill in the blank with any one of a million tragic, hurtful circumstances.)

On the other hand, there are many examples of people who have turned to God, rather than away from Him, in times of trial...people who have clung to God in the storm and come out purified and refined, knowing God in a deeper, more intimate way, and becoming living testimonies of God's power, glory, and grace.

Joni Eareckson Tada was one of those people. Paralyzed in a diving accident as a teenager, she has become an amazing testimony of God's work through suffering. God used her accident, and the quadriplegia that followed, to teach her total dependence on Him, and to give her a ministry that has impacted millions.

Our pastor and his family have demonstrated this as well. After the tragic death of their 16-year-old son last month, there was concern about his being able to preach again. He has been back in the pulpit the past two Sunday mornings, and last Sunday's sermon on God's goodness was one of the most powerful I've ever heard. It reminded me of Steven Curtis Chapman's comment after the death of his daughter in a horrible accident...that what he knew about God, he "knows a whole lot more for sure". Bro. Kent's sermon demonstrated a realization of God's goodness that was even more sure than ever, in the midst of tragedy and grief.

As I listened to that sermon Sunday morning, I remembered my dad's words not long before his death. He was experiencing horrible pain; although he was on powerful pain meds, they couldn't stay ahead of it. He was lying on his bed, knowing that it wouldn't be long before the cancer would shut down his body for good. I was sitting on the end of the bed visiting with him, and had laid Ammah Grace down beside him. As he looked at the tiny granddaughter for whom he had prayed so hard during her weeks in NICU, his eyes filled with tears, and he made a comment I was completely unprepared for at that moment. I was grieving the pain and suffering he had experienced for the past five years, and realizing, as I knew he did, that the worst of that was still yet to come. I will never forget the sound of his voice...on the one hand, breaking with tears, but on the other hand, as sure and certain as I had ever heard him about anything (and my dad was a pretty sure and certain person :))...as he said,

"God has been so good to me."

As Mr. James said at Daddy's funeral, and in this article, there are those who point to such suffering as a reason to doubt God. To others, as to me, God's faithfulness, goodness, and love are proven over and over again in seeing people like these go through deep suffering, and yet say with Job, "Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him" (Job 13:15).

The above quote was chosen by Debbie at Heart Choices, this week's hostess for In "Other" Words. To see what others have written about this quote this week, please visit Debbie's blog.

Simple Woman's Daybook...Vacation Week!

FOR TODAY...September 14, 2009

Outside my window...Cloudy and looking like it might rain again...

I am thinking... about Bro. Kent's sermon yesterday on gratefulness for the goodness of God. What an amazing God we serve!

I am thankful for...Billy's vacation this week! We have big plans...rest and relax and have fun with the kids...and NO alarm all week!

I am wearing...Jeans, pink tank top, and brown babydoll shirt.

I am remembering...my friend Andy, who was killed in a car wreck 16 years ago yesterday.

I am creating...memories with my family this week!

I am going... to finish this post, eventually! I had planned to write it this morning, and didn't get that far, and have now been working on it off and on for almost 3 hours! Obviously waaay more off than on. :-)

I am reading...in a strange twist, I actually have multiple fiction books going at once at the moment. (A stack of non-fiction is normal, but I usually keep it to one fiction book at a time. :)) If I had the stack beside me, I could name them...but, alas. ;-)

I also checked out Raising Children to Adore God, by Patrick Kavanaugh, at the library today. I know nothing about this book but the title and back cover copy (and the fact that I have two books on music by this author), but I can't wait to read this! (If anyone has read it, I'd love to hear your thoughts on it in the comments.:)) If you have read much of my blog, you know that I have really been convicted in the past year or so that my most important goal must be raising children who "treasure God in their hearts". I'm excited to see what Kavanaugh has to say on this topic.

I am hoping...that our week stays relaxing and peaceful as planned. :)

On my mind... Bro. Jeff's Sunday night sermon series on Acts 1:8, and pondering an upcoming blog post related to it.

From the learning rooms...We're taking a break this week from school due to Billy's vacation, but we are planning to do lots of reading and drawing with Dad this week.

Pondering these words... from yesterday morning's sermon... "Are we still going to give thanks to God, even though what happened, happened? Yes, we are! Because our God is the God of the Universe..." (Bro. Kent)

from last night's sermon...Christianity is growing on every continent but North America...it is *shrinking* in North America. (Bro. Jeff)

From the kitchen... Hoping to get a bit of bulk cooking done this week.

Around the house... Mostly basic chores and upkeep this week.

One of my favorite things~ Having Billy home during the week!

A few plans for the rest of the week: Church/Children's Choir/Adult Choir Wednesday, Homeschool Co-Op Thursday, and a trip to the Nature Center one day.

From my picture journal... I am too tired to even think about posting a photo tonight. I'll try to come back and post one tomorrow. :)

For more Daybook entries, please visit The Simple Woman's Daybook.

What the World Eats: Word of Warning

Update on last week's review of What the World Eats:

I posted last week that we have been using this book in school as part of our geography/missions work, and have really been enjoying it. A friend messaged me over the weekend and related that she had bought a copy of this book a couple of years ago that had a large photo that was *very* inappropriate for children, causing her to return the book. I have been through our copy from the library page by page 4 times since then, and have not found the photo she referred to. I am assuming that perhaps ours is a later edition or reprint with that photo removed?

Anyway, if you should want to use this book with your children, *please* go through the book carefully to make sure that there is nothing inappropriate included. The edition we have been reading is the 2008 edition of the book actually titled What the World Eats, NOT the book titled Hungry Planet, with the subtitle What the World Eats.

A huge thanks to T. for calling this to my attention, and my very sincere apologies to anyone who may have picked up the book after reading about it here and come across anything inappropriate.

Sunday Song

We had an amazing worship service this morning. Just over a month after the tragic loss of their son, our pastor preached an incredible message this morning on gratefulness for God's goodness. He and his family have been such a testimony to God's goodness and faithfulness as they have demonstrated "Ye who long pain and sorrow bear, Praise God and on Him cast your care." This old and very familiar hymn spoke to me in a whole new way this morning...

All Creatures of Our God and King

All creatures of our God and King, Lift up your voice and with us sing

Alleluia! Alleluia!

Thou burning sun with golden beam, Thou silver moon with softer gleam!

O Praise Him, O Praise Him!

Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Thou rushing wind that art so strong, Ye clouds that sail in heav'n along,

O praise Him! Alleluia!

Thou rising morn in praise rejoice, Ye lights of evening find a voice!

O Praise Him, O Praise Him!

Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

And all ye men of tender heart, Forgiving others take your part,

O sing ye! Alleluia!

Ye who long pain and sorrow bear, Praise God and on Him cast your care!

O Praise Him, O Praise Him!

Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Let all things their Creator bless, And worship Him in humbleness,

O Praise Him! Alleluia! Praise, praise the Father praise the Son,

And praise the Spirit Three in One!

O Praise Him, O Praise Him!

Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Praise God from Whom all blessings flow; Praise Him all creatures here below;

O Praise Him! Alleluia!

Praise Him above ye heav'n-ly host; Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

O Praise Him, O Praise Him!

Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

~Francis of Assisi, William H. Draper, Thomas Ken