Devotion: Resting in Him

When All Else Fails:

God Doesn't!

When We Don't Understand

God Does!

When the path is dark before us,

God sends the light!

God is Good

All the Time!

Truly my soul finds rest in God.

Psalm 62:1

Blessings!

***

The Redemption of Caralynne Hayman

Caralynne Hayman is angry and bitter over the abuse and death of her eleven-year-old daughter from the hands of her religious group, The Children of Righteous Cain. When her husband suffers a sudden heart attack, she does nothing to help him. In her eyes, someone needs to pay, and if that means all of the men in the group, then so be it.

Dayne MacFarland is sent away to college by the senior elder of the group to learn ministry. When he returns after finding salvation, determined to bring the truth to the people he’s known all his life, he rediscovers Cara and realizes the love he once felt for her is still deeply embedded within his heart.

Dayne faces men unwilling to turn their backs on the cult training he despises. Cara faces men who follow their leader in abuse toward their wives and the young girls of the group. Cara is considered rebellious and inappropriate to befriend. Dayne is the apple of Elder Simmons’ eye—until he takes a stand against their teachings.

Can Dayne's love for Caralynne bridge the gulf of anger and bitterness that divides the community? Or will Caralynne's deadly secrets prove too high a price for her redemption?

Purchase here:

https://www.amazon.com/Redemption-Caralynne-Hayman-Carole-Brown-ebook/dp/B01H2TUCZE/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

Never Alone

The Lord is my light and my salvation—
    whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life—
    of whom shall I be afraid?

Psalm 27:1

Years of one health problem after another seemed to condense into that one word. Alone. I don’t want to be sick. I don’t want to do this. I don’t want to do this alone.

Illness is a lonely thing by its very nature. We each have our own experience in pain that no one else shares quite in the same way. It is very subjective.

The trip to a specialty clinic thousands of miles away was a gift from God, a chance to see if the myriad symptoms attacking my body made sense to anyone. But two weeks of intense and intrusive testing and therapy meant I had to go alone. I have flown alone. I’ve driven alone, but there was always someone I knew waiting at the other end. This time there would be no one. To make the trip alone was one thing. To eat every meal, go to every doctor and therapist, spend every evening and two weekends alone, with no one to make me laugh when I felt like crying, no one to share my frustrations, or help me navigate around the massive complex—I cried just thinking about it.

Then a voice whispered in my ear. “I will be with you. You are never alone. Trust me. Focus on what I will do. Look for what I can show you. We’ll do this together.” I don’t know what God will do yet, but I will not be alone. God is in the midst of this trial. I will not fear.

Dear Lord, wrap your arms around those who are lonely and hurting. Whisper your presence into our darkness. Speak your truth into our circumstances. Shout your love into our loneliness. Remind us of your presence. Give us your peace. Help us go forth in hope and faith. Remind us we are never alone. Amen.

© Copyright by Norma Gail Thurston Holtman, February 16, 2016

About the author:

Norma Gail is the author of the contemporary Christian romance, Land of My Dreams, winner of the 2016 Bookvana Religious Fiction Award. A women’s Bible study leader for over 21 years, her devotionals and poetry have appeared at ChristianDevotions.us, the Stitches Thru Time blog, and in “The Secret Place.” She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Romance Writers of America. Norma is a former RN who lives in the mountains of New Mexico with her husband of 40 years. They have two adult children.

Connect with Norma:

Website: www.normagail.org

Amazon Author page: http://www.amazon.com/Norma-Gail/e/B00ILHXBAK/

Book trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQbZIoC_JSE

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorNormaGail

Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+NormaGailwrites

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

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7874459

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Norma_Gail

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/norma-gail-thurston-holtman/42/71a/3b2

Book Links:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Land-My-Dreams-Norma-Gail/dp/1941103170

Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas: https://lpcbooks.com/norma-gail/