Friends, This movie came out a week and a half ago, and I want to let you know about it. If you've ever heard of Karen Kingsbury, then you know she is a popular Christian writer in the inspirational fiction realm of the industry. Well, she and her family have come out with their first (eee!) movie based on her 2020 novel, Someone Like You. Guys, it is SO GOOD. There's no language, no violence, it's clean, there are spiritual elements woven throughout. It's an incredible movie, one that tugs on your heartstrings. And be prepared to bring the tissues! There are several scenes that will make you cry (both sad and happy tears.) Karen Kingsbury's novels have always made me cry. . . and her movie was no different. =) It's a story of two families, hiding big secrets from their daughters. A man who loses his best friend and seeks answers when he discovers she possibly had a sibling. A woman who struggles with the idea that her whole life was based on a lie. And the love she discovers in the man who came to her in the first place. Please, please go see this movie. They're not backed by Hollywood (a plus!) And it's only in theaters for 4 or 5 more days. You won't regret it! For more info, I've linked the trailer below! :) Thank you so much, friends.
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Have you ever had the experience where you come face-to-face with Jesus in the Old Testament?
You know the one. Maybe you are in the middle of studying or reading the scriptures when—BAM—it hits you. A smile tugs at your lips or tears well in your eyes. And you think, There He is. There’s my Savior. Numbers 16:46-48 gave me that sweet experience a couple weeks ago. Today I’d like to share these verses with you, and just encourage all of you to spend quality time in God’s Word. There’s no greater joy than the kind Jesus fills us with, when His words penetrate our souls. Tell me, can you see a glimpse of Him in the verses below? ;) 46. And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a censer, and put fire therein from off the altar, and put on incense, and go quickly unto the congregation, and make an atonement for them: for there is wrath gone out from the LORD; the plague is begun. 47. And Aaron took as Moses commanded, and ran into the midst of the congregation; and, behold, the plague was begun among the people: and he put on incense, and made an atonement for the people. 48. And he stood between the dead and the living; and the plague was stayed. Numbers 16:46-48 (KJV) If you've had this experience recently, tell me in the comments what verses impacted you and gave you a sweet glimpse of Him. Do you have a book collection in your home? Some shelf in a quiet corner of the living room or bedroom that is lined with precious tomes you've gathered through the years? If you're anything like me, you could open your own lending library with the amount of books you've received. Recently, I was in the process of making more shelf space (wink, wink) and I gave some books away. I was going through my entire collection when I realized. . . there are stories behind some of those books; not only the stories within them but the stories AROUND them. Think of your top ten favorite books. Who gifted them to you? Where did you purchase them? What time of the year did you read them? Here are some of the stories that stand out most in my mind. 2013-2014 I had received the third book in this series the previous Christmas but didn't get the opportunity to snag the first two at Ollie's Bargain Outlet when I saw them. Then, I decided to gift my friends the whole series. We ordered them from Ebay. The first two were in excellent condition but the third one had a couple pages torn and missing. We got refunded, and the seller said to keep the books. I was ECSTATIC! I finally had the whole series! 2014-2015 Up to this point, I had been reading a whole bunch of Amish fiction (Beverly Lewis, more specifically) so this was one of the first tastes of "Christian fiction" I had. This reminded me of a Cinderella story, but so much better! A family friend thought of my younger sister and I and picked this book up for us at Barnes and Noble. :) If you want to read fiction about royalty, you can't beat any of Rachel Hauck's royal books. 2015 My first signed copy of a book!!!! Eeeee! I was so excited to receive this book from "Grandma" Sharon Frickanish. =) This book will always be a memorable one, and definitely a keeper. ;) 2019 A leap in time and I attended my very first Montrose Christian Writer's Conference a year before the. . . well. . . you know what. Any who, I got to meet Roseanna White there and she signed a copy of this historical fiction novel. Since then, I've been reading a whole lot more historical fiction. I'll always remember this book as the one I bought at my first conference. 2019-2020 There was this Instagram post, you've probably seen them, saying the first to comment gets this prize or that book. I jumped on at the right time and snagged this book and another by the same author, and I'll never be the same. At first, I was hesitant. A new-to-me author. What would her writing style be like? Would I even enjoy it? Then I glimpsed a review on the back of this one, written by none other than Roseanna White. I remember thinking, "If she liked it, why wouldn't I?" I dove in, and her writing! Ahhh! It's one of my favorite writing styles. She weaves in her faith threads so naturally, and her words draw you in. Let me tell you, READ A JOANNA POLITANO BOOK!! 2021 I'd heard of Sarah Sundin's books for a while now that I was in the "Bookstagram" world (Instagram pages for book lovers/enthusiasts). I snagged this one in Ollie's Bargain Outlet and the romantic tension in this was awesome! 2021 LOOK AT THE COVER! I'd seen different books by Amanda Dykes through the years and the covers were what finally drew me to purchase a few of them. Come on, part of the reason we buy books is because of the cover. Admit it. ;) Amanda Dykes' writing style is lyrical, with a little bit of whimsy, and very deep. If you ever pick up one of her books, be sure to stretch out the reading so you can soak it all in. Her books are something to ponder over. 2021-2022
I won this book on Instagram in one of the authors' contests. She had it signed for me, and the story inside is the most wonderful re-telling of Peter Pan that you'll ever find. And, again, isn't that cover gorgeous?? So there you have it! The stories behind the books, you might say. :) Have you ever noticed that certain scriptures fit together, or are perfect parallels? And when you stumble upon these verses, they become newfound treasures to your soul.
Take Psalm 27:9 and Hebrews 13:5 for instance. The psalmist-king David is praying, "Hide not thy face far from me; put not thy servant away in anger: thou hast been my help; leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation." (Ps. 27:9) I read over this verse slowly, trying to absorb the truths presented here when my heart caught onto the last half of the verse. It reminded me of a precious promise--an answer to this prayer, if you will--found in Hebrews 13. "Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." (Heb. 13:5) See how these two verses answer to each other? David prays that he wouldn't be left or forsaken of by God. Imagine a day without the presence of God in your life--it would be horrible, right? Just knowing He is there is a tremendous comfort on the hardest days. Then notice, it's almost like God's answer to David's prayer in Hebrews 13:5b, but He adds a word. Never. "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." We pray, and He answers us with one of the most precious promises imaginable. He will never leave us or forsake us. We don't have to know a single day without His presence. Isn't that amazing? "Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto Him be glory. . ." (Ephesians 3:20-21a) "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God." (Phil 4:6)
"In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." (1 Thess. 5:18) How is your prayer life looking these days? Especially as we near the end of 2023, we tend to evaluate our goals, what we've accomplished, where we can improve in the new year, etc. Let me rephrase that question: have you received answers to your prayers? I don't know about you, but I tend to focus on the specific requests I've prayed over and get disappointed or frustrated if they're "not answered." Then I realized how limited my perspective had become. We have prayers answered every day; maybe not the big job promotion we were hoping for, or health for the holiday gatherings coming up. Were you safe on the road today? God kept you safe. I'm always praying for safety on the roads and trying not to take that for granted. Did you have breakfast, lunch, and dinner? God provided sustenance for you. Again, this is an answer to prayer we take for granted. Or maybe it wasn't something we even prayed about, but the Lord provided for us anyway. Did you wake up this morning? God has given you life. Another day to live for His glory! Did you have good sleep? God gives his beloved children sleep (Ps. 127:2) "God has given us a variety of refreshments to relieve us, yet how often are we unthankful! We have better things than a cup of water to delight us when thirsty, yet are we not grateful. . . Did the Lord of Glory cry "I thirst" and have nothing in His extremity to comfort Him, and dost thou, who hast a thousand times forfeited all right to temporal as well as spiritual mercies, slight the common bounties of Providence! What! grumble at a cup of water, who deservest but a cup of wrath. O lay it to heart and learn to be content with what you have, though it be but the very barest necessaries of life." Arthur W. Pink, The Seven Sayings of the Saviour on the Cross. They may seem like "little things," but they ARE answers to our prayers. Stop and thank God for each and every blessing He bestows on you. In this way, we'll become a little more mindful of His Hand in our lives. :) P.S. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! I'll see you in 2o24! |
AuthorHi! I'm Carolyn, a writer seeking to glorify God with my words. Archives
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