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Showing posts from December, 2014

Evening Prayers For Every Day of the Year by Christoph Friedrich Blumbardt

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Christoph Friedrich Blumhardt lived from 1842-1919. He influenced many lay people and religious leaders during his time. We, in America, are not as acquainted with his name and his inspiring writings. Blumhardt is known for his short prayers which are full of detail and always offer words of thanks. It's great to know that The Lord hears short prayers as well as lengthy prayers. At the beginning of each prayer is a scripture. There are also black and white sketches before each month in the year. There is a lighted  room at the top of a house. Each black and white sketch gives an idea of the season. For example, for January there is snow. For April,  there is a light breeze blowing the curtains. In this sketch the moon seems to shine although there is not any color. In November, there are leaves falling. These tiny black and white sketches help to center the mind on God and His creation. Also, in the beginning there is a fine biography about Christoph Friedrich Blumhardt. The

Creative Writing Prompt

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2) Write a poem using three of the following words: expensive, lampshade, bruise, convincing.   A Love Gift Bruise his lips with a kiss. Then, I am more likely to receive the expensive Chinese silk lampshade.

Fifteen Minutes of Fiction Prompt

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A Christmas Haiku A snowman in red mittens stands in my yard now. Life warm with cocoa. (Fifteen Minutes of Fiction)

Snow Flakes

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Snowflakes float through the air like microscopic angels. Each one designed by God's hand. A million, trillion and one upon my scarf flutters like a cardinal's flapping wing. Psalm 74:17 It was you who set all the boundaries of the earth; you made both summer and winter.NIV topverses.com/about/winter  

Friday 56

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"He went on to say, "There are injustices which no honorable man can put up with." Then he added, " I have never spoken about this to any one, but because you are my friend I will tell you. My uncle caused so much pain and sorrow to my father and mother that in the end my mother died of it. My uncle slandered my father; above all he spread such lies about me that he prevented me from marrying a young girl I had loved from childhood, and all this because he, an older man, wanted to marry her  himself. Can anyone forget such an injury?" he asked. "I will never forgive him, ever!" Plough http://fredasvoice.blogspot.com

Home For Christmas by many authors

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Brother Robber by Helene Christaller " The hut hung like a swallow's nest on the southern slope of the Apennines . Built of the same stone as the rock on which it stood, it appeared a part of nature, not a work of man. A small window opening was stopped with straw to keep out the cold wind that blew over the mountains." http://rosecityreader.blogspot.com

The Secret of Pembrooke Park by Julie Klassen

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"He descended the ladder and nodded toward the paintings she'd been studying. "That's Catherine of Alexandria, the Martyr. Many painting of saintswere destroyed after the Reformation. But the artwork in our little church here was spared." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catherine_of_Alexandria

First Chapter First Paragraph

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Prologue London, England May 1817   "I sat across the table from the man I most admired, feeling self-conscious. How I wished I'd taken more time with my appearance. But my meeting with the housekeeper had run long, allowing me barely enough time to wash my face and repin my hair in a simple coil. I had planned to wear a new evening dress--but instead I'd slipped into the plain ivory gown I usually wore. It had far fewer fastenings." Bethany House http://bibliophilebythesea.blogspot.com  

An Untamed State by Roxane Gay

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Merielle's parents live in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. When Mireille, their daughter, son-in-law, Michael, and grandson, Christophe arrive for a visit, no one has any idea how their life will change. Later one psychologist will tell Mireille straight out that her life will never be the same again. On one fine day for an outing, Mireille, is kidnapped outside gates of her parents' mansion. The kidnappers will torture her with a laugh on their lips. As a matter of fact, she is gang raped over and over again. For me, it was very hard to read those beginning to middle pages. I can not describe what this poor woman lived through. When Mireille is set free, her battle at home is just as bad as the one led while in the presence of her captors. She is a different woman. Her family becomes different. How in the world do you treat a woman who has in many ways died? Her sister, Mona and the rest of the family have been raped too in their way. However, Mireille becomes angry when of them sta

Teaser Tuesday

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"I was silent. I looked up into the sky, clear and blue, the sun high and bright. A flock of birds passed over head. I raided my arm high above my head. I wanted to grab hold of their dark feathers so they might lift me from the ground, take me away....The birds disappeared past the horizon. They left me. Nothing would take me away." http://shouldbereading.wordpress.com

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

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http://bookjourney.wordpress.com I finished The Heretic by Henry Vyner-Brooks. I also finished Dead Gorgeous by Elizabeth Flynn. It's for a blog tour. So I haven't published it on the blog yet.   I am still working on My Little People by... It's very good information. It just takes a long time to read it because its like a reference work. It's not written like a novella. For that reason the subtitle might be misleading. I also finished Home for the Holidays by Rochelle Alers. It's my second holiday book for 2014.

Home for The Holidays by Rochelle Alers

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Iris and Collier are falling in love while withstanding many problems in their relationship. Collier is home for the Christmas holidays. He is in the military. He has about two more years to go before retiring. However, the PTSD he suffers will be with him for much longer. It is painful to know he suffers with nightmares and flashbacks from the battlefield. It is far more painful to know that these ugly, brutal memories might separate him from the woman he loves, Iris. Iris also is fighting her demons. She has been in a marriage where she suffered Domestic violence. A strong memory is of a broken nose and dislocated jaw. When Collier jumps her one night like he might kill her, she draws away from him quickly. Although fighting in his sleep is not his fault, it's awfully frightening to the woman who is about to become his wife.  Collier is very understanding of her fears. He's a gentle man. It is interesting to find out whether these two fine people will be able to work o

Dead Gorgeous by Elizabeth Flynn (Don't publish yet).

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I enjoyed this mystery by Elizabeth Flynn. The mystery involves the fashion world. The fashion world is pretty dramatic. Those times when fashion designers prepare models to walk down the catwalk can involve negative emotions like jealousy. Some designers go as far as stealing another designer's fashion designs. Kirsty is one of many women who dreams of becoming a model. Sadly, she is too short. She must find her place in another part of the fashion world. Like all young women along the way she falls in love and out of love. After Kirsty is strangled to death with a scarf, many people will say she was a playgirl going from one guy to another guy. Kirsty in Dead Gorgeous by Elizabeth Flynn is more complicated than the solution to the mystery. I wasn't shocked by the findings of Angela, Gaz and the other detectives. What I couldn't figure out was the character of Kirsty. Although I never met a living Kirsty in the novel, Elizabeth Flynn does a fine job with the dead cha

Friday 56

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"Darren set his mouth in the stubborn way that Sandra didn't like. "I ain't got no story," he said, thrusting out his chin. "I was at the gym all afternoon and that's all there is to it. And you came round here to break the news to me. That's only natural, it's no secret." http://www.fredasvoice.blogspot.com

Book Beginnings

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http://rosecityreader.blogspot.com "The Passionista magazine third anniversary reception had begun well. With the lights, the wall coverings, and the highly polished black  floor, the stevedores who once worked in this converted docklands warehouse would have had trouble recognizing the place. Designers, columnists, editors, models, trendsetters, fashionistas, and a galaxy of stars mixed and mingled, making air kisses as they came together and small talk as they moved on."

Wondrous Words

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Driedl   Discovered this word for Bing.com. 12/16/14 on about.com.  A dreidel is a four-sided spinning top with a Hebrew letter on each side. It is used during Hanukkah to play a popular children's game that involves spinning the dreidel and betting on which Hebrew letter will be showing when the dreidel stops spinning.judaism.about.com/od/holidays/a/dreidel http://bermudaonion.net  A fiord is defined as a u-shaped glacier-carved valley which has been flooded by the sea. The fourteen fiords that fringe this south-west corner of the South Island were 100,000 years in the making, with the final details added during the most recent ice age just 10,000 years ago.

Teaser Tuesday

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http://shouldbereading.wordpress.com "Why, Nigel, why? We're getting on so well. We're good together. I thought we had something special. I love you. I don't want to break up with you." Then she'd tried to seduce him out of his decision with sex; it was the only bargaining counter she had, really; It always came back to that. She seemed to think if a woman gave a man everything he wanted in the bedroom, he'd give her everything she wanted out of it. That was where she showed her naivety." (Lion Fiction)

First Chapter First Paragraph

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http://bibliophilebythesea.blogspot.com "Kirsty Manner drove her Ford Ka past the Lebanese food wholesalers which marked the beginning of the trading estate. She went along the uniformly constructed row of buildings, pulling up in front of the one at the far end just beneath the sign, Ivano King."

Join The Book-a-Day Challenge

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travellinpenguin.blogspot.com 1.I was born. David Copperfield by Charles Dickens

Alien in The Delta by Thankful Strother

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http://www.visitnorway.com/us/What-to-do/Attractions-Culture/Nature-attractions/The-midnight-sun/ "Another different experience occurred that summer in Sweden, and that was viewing the midnight sun. During our two weeks, the sun was out most of the time. It was difficult to adjust your sleeping to the daylight. In June the sun began setting at 10:00 p.m., but it wasn't completely dark until midnight. The sun would come back out at about 3:30 a.m. Daylight lasted close to twenty hours."

Alien in the Delta by Thankful Strother

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Carnival in Stockholm "On e evening the three of us went to the Stockholm Carnival in the park. That night, up onstage performing was Louis Armstrong with his orchestra, and they were fantastic. What a nice treat and surprise. It didn't even cost us any money. It was considered a cultural event and was paid for by the Swedish government. There was no seating, but we were able to stand close to the stage."

The Heretic by Henry Vyner-Brooks

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In England during the Sixteenth century, life is difficult. The whole nation is struggling to hold on to their religious beliefs without losing their lives. The Heretic by Henry Vyner-Brooks introduces the reader to the King of England, The Pope, The Emperor, the, Augustinians, Benedictine monks,etc.The Christian Historical novel is rich with meaning and detail.With all of these very complicated and highly important events happening, there is a basic question in the hearts of every man. Will we lose our integrity during a time of trial? It's difficult to hold on to character when the finest men no longer care about being a good example to the masses. The Bishop might not be on the King's side any longer. Where is the Emperor's loyalties at the moment with which men or man? In this Sixteenth Century, there is a Dust storm every day. Loyalty and disloyalty are rampant. The bishops and monks are trading priceless rings for better status in the King's house. Beth main

Wondrous Words

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http://bermudaonion.net By the end of the week their hands are hardened and their backs stiffened like steel. Piers, who all week is also made to carry every barrelful of debris to the dump, is ruddy like a damson. Damson The damson or damson plum, also archaically called the "damascene" is an edible drupaceous fruit, a subspecies of the plum tree. Varieties of insititia are found across Europe, but the name "damson" is derived from and most commonly applied to forms which are native to Ireland and Great Britain. Damsons are relatively small plum-like fruit with... Wikipedia " He moves closer to the western end of the terrace, passing the unmistakable aldermen of the guilds and their equally gilded wives all fawning and flirting behind the safety of silk, velvet and sequinned masks.The bishop is intentionally unmistakable too -the ornate crimson dalmatic ; the pelican-beaked mask. I suppose the pelican motif will be lost on our soverei

Teaser Tuesday

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'"Come and cast your eye upon this." He rolls a parchment plan of the castle and environs out on his table. '"Hold this corner, will you? Yes, move those books, yes, and those papers. Any ideas yet?"' http://shouldbereading.wordpress.com

First Chapter First Paragraph

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"Stone columns, dark arches, candlelit pavement, stained glass ablaze in the dying light of Lady Day Eve, March 1536. "Upon my word, sir, I shall cleave you from head to toe!" http://bibliophilebythesea.blogspot.com

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

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Last week I finished Slow Hand by Victoria Vane Kindle Source http://bookjourney.wordpress.com and Open Your Heart To A Happy Relationship by Eve Picquette Self Published. . This week I'm reading Heretic by Henry Vyner-Brooks LionHudson/Kregel