Glancing backwards; Peering ahead

Happy
     New
        Year
 

   Does it serve any useful purpose to look backwards? And while looking backwards, does it serve any purpose to pray for or about incidents that have already passed?

   In his first newsletter for the New Year, our pastor shared a discussion he had with another pastor: “... [We] were talking about prayer and he told me that he prays for Civil War generals. ... He explained that God sits outside of time, meaning God is not bound by time, so He can be at work in all times simultaneously....Maybe the outcome we know [from  the Civil War] is because God has already considered these prayers I offer today.” Wow!

Reader acclaim for Very Truly Yours

Here's what readers are saying about Very Truly Yours:

"... Nicholas Sparks with a Christian twist..."

"The faith that binds."

"Very well written...hooked from the first chapter."

"It frustrated me as a romantic and challenged me

as a Christian, but in the end

I couldn't put it down."

Available in hard cover, paperback, Nook and Kindle e-books through Amazon or Barnes and Noble bookstores. Email me for autographed copies - Maxit1@juno.com.

It's Here: Very Truly Yours is published.

I am pleased to announce the release of my first full-length novel,

Very Truly Yours

Very Truly Yours is a story of two people who plan to build a life together
 ...until they discover that one of them is already married.

Perhaps Buddy Madsen set her “husband goals” too high. The man who wins her heart must gain her family’s approval, be a good provider, love her unconditionally, and, most of all, share her strong faith. David Willoughby, the handsome New York architect who guest lectures her class does not meet those goals. But Buddy is attracted to him. She petitions God to guard her heart, and they go their separate ways – she to the security of family, he in search of a marriage that offers social prominence and career advancement.    

At their next meeting several years later, Buddy recognizes positive changes in David. He has given up his philandering ways. She is delighted with the changes she sees in him. Perhaps they can develop a forever relationship after all? Perhaps David can avoid the devastating consequences of his previous philandering lifestyle. Or perhaps, for them, it’s just too late.

Through every phase of their relationship, Buddy and David must choose between what is right and what is acceptable, what is honorable and what is selfish. But they are not perfect, and their desire to be together often drives them to take paths that could sideline their future, and their faith.

Very Truly Yours is available for purchase at your favorite booksellers: 

Amazon www.amazon.com

Barnes and Noble www.bn.com

and the publisher,

Westbow Press, a division of Thomas Nelson

www.westbowpress.com

Autographed copies also available. Email your request to:

Maxinethomas360@yahoo.com

or send your request through the comment window on this blog.

Happy Reading!

It's about the craftsman, not the tools

Phil is a first-class handyman. There is no task too menial, too large, too cumbersome or too complex for him to tackle. With his home-made, canvas tool belt tied around his middle, he tackles any aspect of home or vehicle or appliance repair, from plumbing, carpentry, and repairing broken windows to tuning lawn mower engines and changing the oil in the family car. There’s only one problem, a problem that only he sees: He never has the right tools. Whatever the project, he stops half way through and walks away in disgust muttering, I can’t do this; I don’t have the right tools. Inevitably he returns, attacks the project with renewed fervor using something he contrived in his workshop, and completes the job.

                Ill-equipped, incompetent, unprepared, and inadequate, are words the enemy uses to instill fear, discomfort and a sense of defeat in all of us. We question our ability, our knowledge and strength to do the job. We wonder if we really are called to serve in a specific place, or if our passion for a particular project is misplaced. We hesitate when opportunities face us and we question the appropriateness of our actions when we move ahead.

God doesn’t ask us to provide the right tools, or the best education, or depth of knowledge or worldly know-how before sending us out to do his work. What he asks is that we make ourselves available to him. [Romans 12:1] He is able to do more with our availability than with our ability. We are the tool he wants to use to accomplish his work.

This childhood song confirms the truth of scripture,  - that God uses committed people regardless of what they have to offer, to accomplish his mighty works.      

Shamgar had an oxgoad (1)

David had a sling (2)

Dorcas had a needle (3)

Rahab had some string (4)

Samson had a jawbone (5)

Aaron had a rod (6)

Mary had some ointment (7)

And they all were used by God.

For further study:

(1)     Judges 3:31; (2) I. Sam. 17:49; (3) Acts 9:36; (4) Joshua 2:15;

(5) Judges 15:15; (6) Ex. 7:9-12; (7) John 12:3