Stitches Thru Time: From the Lake to the River

Monday, October 1, 2018

A Glimmer of Faith in the Midst of Doubt

You will keep him in perfect peace

whose mind is stayed on you.

Isaiah 26:3

She regarded the brightly shining angel, with its synthetic blonde-hair, tilting a little on the top branch. Perhaps she ought to say a prayer. If she thought it would help, she would do so.

But then, did prayer really help? Had God sent an angel to earth to look after her and her baby while Patrick was gone? Well, if he had, their angel had better get busy. He wasn’t doing so well right about now.

--from Christmas Angels, an anthology novella (From the Lake to the River)

Abigail is young, lonely, afraid and a new mother and wife, with little money, and not much of hope of getting any kind of help. What could be worse?

How many times have we gone through situations, problems, trials, or even persecution in one form or another, and found ourselves doubting God or his ability to carry us through, even if the thought was for just the briefest of time?

Did God hear me?

Does he even listen?

Does he even care?

Where is God when I need him?
What did I do that he won't answer my prayer?

Or much worse...

Is there even a God?

Thorndike Dictionary describes doubt as:

not believing or trusting
not to be sure of or feel uncertain about
difficulty in believing
an uncertain state of mind
an uncertain condition of affairs

Can we believe God when finances are low and there's no job in view?

How is our faith when a loved one is suffering physically or dying?

How do we pray when a child is wayward and rebellious?

Be assured that God knows our heart, our mind, our self. He understands our weaknesses, the temptations we have, the doubts that arise.

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart,

and lean not toward your own understanding.

He shall direct your path.

Proverbs 3: 5 and 6b

How to increase our faith?

Acknowledge our weakness
Snuggle deeper into his arms of strength and into his love and understanding
Dig deeper into his Word.
Refuse to listen to the enemy of our soul
Rest in the knowledge that God is God. He loves us!

In II Corinthians 12: 9-10, Paul admonishes by talking about his own experience:

And he said unto me:

My grace is sufficient for you,

for my strength is made perfect in weakness.

Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches,

in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake, for when I am weak, then am I strong.

In the short scene from Christmas Angels, above, Abigail, in her time of questioning and doubt, wonders if God is there. Would her prayer reach God's ears and would he care enough to help?

Yes, God hears!
Yes, God Cares!
Yes, he will answer!

Rest assured, Troubled Soul, of that!!

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort,

who comforts us in all our troubles,

so that we can comfort those in any trouble

with the comfort, we ourselves receive from God.

--II Corinthians 1:3 & 4

***

Thrilled to announce my newest contribution

to the writing world:

Christmas Angels

A Novella, (set during WWII)

is included in the Ohio anthology:

From the Lake to the River.

Consisting of nine stories from nine Ohio authors, there is something for everyone!

Set in Ohio, in the past and present, these nine short stories and novellas by Ohio authors cover a wide range of genres, topics, and locations.

From Troy in the west to the North Coast

and south-central Ohio.

From Lake Erie to the Ohio River.

From romance to YA adventure,

with touches of mystery and humor.

Dealing with historical events and situations,

such as floods and the lasting effects of the Civil War.

With characters involved in

square dancing, theater, and music.

Dealing with loss and danger,

a second chance at love

and taking a chance on love for the first time.

Chances are good, no matter what you have a taste for reading,

you'll find something to like. Welcome to a taste of the Buckeye State!

Here's the blurb for Christmas Angels:

Her mother called her a failure, and maybe she was. Her husband was gone—in the service, yes, but
if he loved her—really loved her, why didn't he write? Or call? Or send the money she needed?

She was scared too, afraid of being alone, and though she loved this sweet little bundle of joy—her baby—well, was she smart enough and strong enough to raise her?

She didn't mind doing without all the nice things she'd love to have, but not being able to provide luxuries like Christmas trees, ornaments and presents for her baby girl was beyond enduring.

What she needed was a miracle...and that wasn't going to happen.

BUY LINKS:

Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Lake-River-Buckeye-Chr…/…/ref=sr_1_1…

Barnes & Noble/Nook:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/from-the-lake-…/1129185393…

Kobo:
https://www.kobo.com/…/from-the-lake-to-the-river-buckeye-c…

About Carole:

Besides being an active participant in many writing groups, Carole is an award-winning author and enjoys mentoring beginning writers. She loves to weave suspense, tough topics, romance, and whimsy into her books and is always on the lookout for outstanding titles and catchy ideas. She and her husband reside in SE Ohio but have ministered and counseled nationally and internationally. Together, they enjoy their grandsons, traveling, gardening, good food, the simple life, and did she mention their grandsons?

Personal blog: http://sunnebnkwrtr.blogspot.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CaroleBrown.author

Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Carole-Brown/e/B00EZV4RFY/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1427898838&sr=8-1

Twitter: https://twitter.com/browncarole212

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/sunnywrtr/boards/

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5237997-carole-brown

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carole-brown-79b6951a?trk=nav_responsive_tab_profile

Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/113068871986311965415/posts

Word Sharpeners: https://wordsharpeners.wordpress.com/

Stitches in Time: http://stitchesthrutime.blogspot.com/

Wednesday, September 26, 2018

Neighbor Dana's Gingerbread from Christmas Angels

What do you do when you're sad, lonely and afraid? One thing that helps is partaking of comfort food. For poor Abigail, the taste of Dana's gingerbread that she shares with the other boarding house residents does the trick--at least for a bit of time.

Here's the recipe. May it give you a bit of cheer on a "bad" day!

Ingredients for the Gingerbread Loaf:

1 stick of butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 cup of applesauce
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp nutmeg
chopped walnuts, for topping (optional)

Frosting:
4 oz of cream cheese, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 – 2 cups powdered sugar (add more if icing is too runny)

Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray a 9×5 loaf pan lightly with nonstick cooking spray that has flour in it or use shortening and flour. Cream together the butter and the sugar until fluffy.

Beat in the vanilla and the egg. Blend in the applesauce

Slowly add the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices (ginger, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg.)

When everything is mixed, pour the batter into your loaf pan. Bake for about 55 minutes until it rises and a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool completely on a rack before frosting.

To make the frosting, beat the cream cheese with the vanilla and then add 1 1/2 cups of the powdered sugar and beat until smooth and creamy.

Spread a thick layer of the frosting over the gingerbread cake. Sprinkle with chopped walnuts.

Delicious! Enjoy!

Scene from Christmas Angels where Old Man Albert shares some of Dana's Gingerbread with Abigail:

He beckoned with his gnarled hand “Come in. Come in, Abigail. Want some tea? That dismal Dana—even if she is a good cook—brought me some gingerbread last evening. Have some. Have some. It’s good even if I didn’t make it. Sit down, child, for a minute.” Albert toddled over to the fridge and brought out a quart of milk. “Want milk with your tea, Abigail?”

Where had he gotten real milk?

But she shook her head, not wanting to use up his precious supply, and sniffed. The spicy, delectable smell of the gingerbread wafted toward her, and she closed her eyes to savor it. When was the last time she'd had such a treat? Suddenly ravenous, she couldn't wait any longer and crammed her mouth full of the sweet bread. A little sound of moaning escaped from between her lips. This was so-o-o good.

Christmas Angels blurb:

Her mother called her a failure, and maybe she was. Her husband was gone—in the service, yes, but if he loved her—really loved her, why didn't he write? Or call? Or send the money she needed?

She was scared too, afraid of being alone, and though she loved this sweet little bundle of joy—her baby—well, was she smart enough and strong enough to raise her? She didn't mind doing without all the nice things she'd love to have, but not being able to provide luxuries like Christmas trees, ornaments and presents for her baby girl was beyond enduring.