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What Do You Want For Christmas?
By Lillian Duncan
That’s the question that everyone’s asking or being asked this time of year, right. What do you want for Christmas? And that question is usually followed with a list of things.
Now, believe me when I say I’m not a Scrooge, I love Christmas as much as anyone and I love presents. But the past few years, it’s all become a bit too much for me to handle.
As I write this, it’s not even Halloween yet and yet the Christmas displays have been up for weeks. In fact, maybe they never went away at all!
The problem for me is that so many people think that things are going to make them happy. If more things make you more happy, then the reverse must be true as well. If you don’t have money for more things, then you must be unhappy. Therefore the key to happiness must be money, right?
And how do get money—by being famous, of course!
So, everyone wants to be rich and famous these days, right?
Well, maybe not everyone but certainly a lot of people want exactly that!
In THE CHRISTMAS STALKING, Destiny has fame, money, and beauty. Everything that so many people think will make them happy. And yet, she’s not happy. And it’s not just because she’s being stalked, but that doesn’t help matters either. Without preaching, this story shows that true joy and happiness doesn’t come from things, but from God.
And after all isn’t that the Christmas message.
Now that’s something to celebrate!
Merry Christmas to all!!
As a special Christmas gift, anyone who purchases a copy of THE CHRISTMAS STALKING can receive a FREE e-copy of either DARK ALLEYS or GEESE MATE FOR LIFE. Once you purchase it, simply go to my website (www.lillianduncan.net) and send me the order number. I will email you a copy of the book of your choice. Merry Christmas!
Lillian Duncan writes stories of faith mingled with murder & mayhem. She writes 
the type of books she loves to read—suspense with a touch of romance. Whether as an educator, a writer, or a speech pathologist, she believes in the power of words to transform lives, especially God’s Word.
THE CHRISTMAS STALKER
Overzealous fan or crazed stalker?
Country music superstar Destiny appears to have it all. Beauty, money, and fame. But it’s not all glitz and glamour. Being a celebrity comes with a price—loneliness, and now threats from an unknown stalker.
With Christmas approaching, and as the danger escalates in Nashville, Destiny has no choice but to disappear. She escapes to her grandparents’ cabin in the Adirondack Mountains near the tiny Village of Serenity & Peace. It seems to be the perfect choice for a hideout. Longing for the serenity and peace she experienced there as a child, Destiny sheds her celebrity persona and resumes her long-forgotten identity as Holly Stone.
Unfortunately, fame follows her to the tiny village—along with her stalker.
To learn more about Lillian and her books, visit: www.lillianduncan.net. She also has a devotional blog at: www.PowerUpWithGod.com
Happy Thanksgiving!
HAPPY THANKSGIVING FROM
NATY MATOS
AND
THE RISING MUSE
Remember that I’m donating 50% of all my sales for both of my books Growth Lessons and The Road Home until Friday to the Red Cross to help the relief of Hurricane Sandy.
Today we honor you
Proverbs 21:21
Whoever pursues righteousness and love
finds life, prosperityand honor.
Today we thank you (all military active, veterans, those we have lost in combat and their families) for your sacrifice, for your pursue of righteousness and freedom for all of us. We will never forget.
May God Bless you,
Happy Memorial Day!
WF: Unrestrained
Surrendering to unconditional love is scary, experiencing the true nature of it it’s amazing. Men (women) can fail, but God’s love never fails. How should we live in love?
The Word of God says that ”Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails”. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8
That’s the love God gives us, that’s the love we need to learn to give…Unrestrained
Talking about unrestrained love, remember out book giveaway “ Love Letters to my Queen Bride” by author Beth C. Walker. 
not going to disclose much about it because I have a treat for you. You can win one of the three copies of this wonderful book that will be given away on Valentine’s Day. All you have to do is go to the page that says “Book Giveaway” give us your name and email address (at least your email if you don’t want to give your name) and you can win a copy of this fabulous book in the format of your choice (Kindle or paperback)
Also remember that you can obtain a copy of Growth Lessons on sale for $1.99
Where love starts
February is the month with a heart. It’s the month that people dedicate to talk about love and the demonstrations of love. You can’t talk about love without talking about the source of love.
It says in Deuteronomy 7:9 says “Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments” It is wonderful to know that our God has a covenant of love with us. A covenant is bigger than a promise, it deeper than words. It’s a permanent compromise to love us.
His love is unconditional. He gives us the freedom to love him back or not and even if we choose not to love him, he will still love us and receive us when we decide to come back.
Have you ever said that you forgive but don’t forget? Have you ever been told that you were forgiven but your transgressions were not forgotten? He who determines out eternity doesn’t measures us that way. “Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy.”Micah 7:18
If you have been around for a while, you know that I like things to be plain, simple and down to earth. I ran into a book titled “ Love Letters to my Queen Bride” by author Beth C. Walker. This is not only a must read, it’s a book that has personally improved my relationship with Christ because it has really given me practical way too see his love for me… But I’m not going to disclose much about it because I have a treat for you. As a sign of my love for all of you my readers, you can win one of the three copies of this wonderful book that will be given away on …you guessed it…Valentine’s Day. All you have to do is go to the page that says “Book Giveaway” give us your name and email address (at least your email if you don’t want to give your name) and you can win a copy of this fabulous book in the format of your choice (Kindle or paperback)
Also remember that you can obtain a copy of Growth Lessons on sale for $1.99 until Valentine’s Day as well as a token of my love for all your support.
Have a blessed and loving day!
Naty
Behind the name
WordPress gave us a prompt some time this weekend, Where did your name come from? (or something to that effect). My full name is Natividad. People tend to think that I was born around Christmas as it sounds very close to the word Navidad, which is Christmas in Spanish. Ironically my birthday is in July. I’ve been sang “Feliz Navidad” many times at the sound of my name.
I can’t deny that I didn’t like much of my name growing up. It has so many letters that it usually didn’t fit in any form with squares provided to enter your name. Since I moved to the continental US it has been funnier because people struggle to pronounce it and some make it a personal challenge to say it well. At this point I’m used to it and when I’m in a public place and hear someone with their tongue tied trying to say out a name, I know they were calling my turn. I have not been mistaken once.
The fact is I received my name after my paternal grandmother. My father who had six daughters told my mother that he had always wanted to give one of his daughters his mother’s name and had never had the chance, so my mom agreed. I never met my grandmother as she had passed away when I was born. I think I’ve seen some old pictures of her.
Now as a writer working on branding my name I’m actually grateful for the name I have. I like the meaning of my name. It means being born and I’ve been in life situations when I’ve been given the opportunity of being born again and start life all over. Also I’m glad that I have a different name that way people will recognize my name when they are looking for my books.
He’s alive!
It is time to rejoice! There’s a party in heaven and in earth. The best party ever. They saw him bleeding, battered and bruised. Once he had exhaled and taken down from the cross his breathless body lied in the arms of his mother who cleaned his face with her tears. He was probably getting cold real quick as he had lost so much blood.
A friend of the family had a tomb that had not been used and gave it for them to put his body in there. Because it was the Sabbath and nobody was supposed to do anything, everyone left. The women came the next day to do the habitual embalming of that time and guess what? He was nowhere to be found.
Some thought that maybe someone had stole his body and they were starting to feel sadness, but then two angels told the women that he had risen as he had promised. (Rephrasing from Luke 23 and 24)
If we think about the purpose for which we were created and how well we do
(not really) and that even then we obtain redemption because on a day like today he lives.
If we think about other religions who worship someone who was a prophet, but there is an actual grave site where their body lies. Or those who believe that an unanimated object is their god. We have a living, breathing, Almighty, All Powerful GOD!!!!
In life, He won! In death, He won! The movie has a happy ending. Rejoice, he’s alive, he’s risen from the dead, he won it for us.!!
Happy Resurrection Sunday!!
Handling New Year Resolutions
Image via Wikipedia
At the beginning of each year we decide that we’re going to do everything new, those resolutions usually last until the second week of January because routine sets in and life goes back to normal. Part of why we tend not to come through with our resolutions it’s because we set unrealistic goals.
So, does that mean not making New Year’s resolutions? Not necessarily… These were my lessons from 2010.
- Look at the root of the problem- Sometimes we are addressing the symptoms and not the real issue. When you don’t resolve the actual issue, your chances of success decline significantly because the behavior will either return or transform. The most common issues are food and finances, but this applies to anything as well. People enter into diets or financial plans to resolve debt, but within months they return to their bad habits, that’s an example of treating the symptoms and not the issue. Why do you eat or spend or drink or whatever the issue is? Is it loneliness, self esteem, boredom, lack of skills. Once you identify what’s really causing the problem, even though it may take a little longer to see results in the changes, you may experience more permanent changes and more satisfying results. (Matthew 13:20-22)
- Identify the reasons for the change- Are you making these changes for you or for someone else? Sometimes we have the tendency to join a wagon because our peer jumped in it, but are those things that you’re pursuing beneficial to you. Look if your goal will have a physical, emotional, spiritual or even financial benefit for you. This may be extreme, but for example, I have a friend who is anorexic and the last thing I would want for her is to go on a diet with me. (Romans 12:2)
- Find out what works for you- We are not truly created equal, we are as different as the stars in the sky. Find something that works for you in the accomplishment of your goal.
- Divide your big goal into small steps. I think the principle of one day at a time and small changes very well applies here. I get it! In the microwave mentality world that we live in, we want immediate results, but are those the ones that really last? Whatever you’re trying to change in your life didn’t happen over night and it will not go away over night. You will feel like a failure when you don’t get the results you want or when the results are not lasting. However if you start with smaller goals and celebrate those smalls victories, then once a goal is achieve you can up the bar to another one higher. By the end of the year you will be able to look back and see not only that you have accomplished more than you honestly expected ( Ecclesiastes 3:1-17;7:17)
- Seek help- if you have tried to achieve this goal before and the things you’ve tried has not work, there’s no shame on seeking help. Having someone to guide you through the process, encourage you and celebrate with you your success may be the formula to finally conquer that obstacle that you’re trying to overcome. (Deuteronomy 1:12-13)
So start working on your game plan and much success in 2011!!
