Archive | October 2017

The Color Of A Christmas Miracle by Julianne MacLean

Oct11

Of Love And Friendship

The Color Of A Christmas Miracle by Julianne MacLean is a heart wrenching story surrounding the topic of infertility. When having a baby becomes the sole focus, it drains everyone and cracks in relationships start to appear.

The novel is about friendship and families, support and kind hearts. Both love and sadness radiate from the story.

There are the themes of hurt and forgiveness. Forgiveness frees us from the bondage of bitterness, consuming us from the inside out. The effects of forgiveness can be far reaching.

Second chances, new beginnings and hope all feature within this beautiful novel.

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The Color Of The Season by Julianne MacLean

Oct11

Love Remains

The Color Of The Season by Julianne MacLean is a bittersweet romantic novel which I loved.

There are many themes including that of grief. “Maybe I’m floating in a sea of grief where I can’t see the shore.” Grief hurts. Grief is raw. There is the grief of a loved one’s passing and the grief of missed opportunities.

Life is so much more than we can see and feel. Sometimes things happen with no logical explanation.

There is the theme of healing – actual and a healing from the past.

Past events may haunt the present and future. “The future doesn’t have to be dictated by the past.” The past has gone. It cannot be altered but we can learn lessons as we move into the future.

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Telling The Gospel Through Story by Christine Dillon

Oct10

A Great Tool

Telling The Gospel Through Story by Christine Dillon is a powerful evangelistic tool explaining the merits of storytelling. Story telling is not new. It has existed down the centuries. First there was the oral tradition and then the written word. People are drawn to stories. They imagine themselves to be in them and they remember them. A list of facts would be very dry and people would switch off but use those facts as the bones on which to hang a narrative and it is a very different kettle of fish.

Stories are an evangelistic tool. We need to tell the stories of the Bible in our own words, adapting to the needs of the audience to whom we are talking. They need to draw the listener in and awaken something inside that enables the listener to go off and explore this wonderful God for themselves. Our stories are not to replace the Bible but to work in tandem.

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The Dishonorable Miss DeLancey by Carolyn Miller

Oct9

Trust. Pray. Believe

The Dishonorable Miss DeLancey by Carolyn Miller is a most delightful Christian historical romance which I adored. It is the third book in the Regency Brides series and can be read as a stand-alone. However for maximum enjoyment and to understand the character development, it would be best to read the previous two books.

Once again Carolyn Miller has spun a fabulous tale. There is adventure, jealousy, kidnap, revenge and good old fashioned love. Over it all there is God. A God who “answer[s] even unspoken prayers.” A God who is closer to us than we realise and who desires to know us.

The novel is about restoration, second chances and new beginnings. As characters come to know Jesus, they get their priorities in order. Life is not about money and power, it is about people and passion.

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