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Gathering the Threads

By Cindy Woodsmall

Finally back in the Old Order Amish world she loves, will Ariana’s new perspectives draw her family closer together-or completely rip them apart?

After months away in the Englisch world, Ariana Brenneman is overjoyed to be in the Old Order Amish home where she was raised. Yet her excitement is mixed with an unexpected apprehension as she reconciles all she’s learned from her biological parents with the uncompromising teachings of her Plain community. Although her childhood friend, ex-Amish Quill Schlabach, hopes to help her navigate her new role amongst her people, Ariana’s Daed doesn’t understand why his sweet daughter is suddenly questioning his authority. What will happen if she sows seeds of unrest and rebellion in the entire family?

Meanwhile, Skylar Nash has finally found her place among the large Brenneman family, but Ariana’s arrival threatens to unravel Skylar’s new identity-and her sobriety. Both Ariana and Skylar must discover the true cords that bind a family and community together and grasp tight the One who holds their authentic identities close to His heart.

Gathering the Threads is the third and final novel in The Amish of Summer Grove series.

ISLAND BREEZES

Ariana and Skylar have both had their worlds turned upside down. Do they belong in the Englisch world or the Old Order Amish world? Or neither?

It’s going to be long and painful for each young lady to reassess what her life has been and what it will be in the future. These sisters of a sort have a difficult job ahead of them.

Ms Woodsmall has taken us through a unique situation, and has given us a deeper insight into what being Amish really is about.

Thank you, Ms Woodsmall, for this third in the Amish of Summer Grove series. I haven’t read the first two books, but can attest to the fact that this is a good stand alone read.

***I received this book free of charge from Litfuse.***

http://litfusegroup.com/author/CWoodsmall

Chapter 1

Summer Grove, Pennsylvania

Ariana’s head roared with voices, those in the kitchen around her and others from far away, even from hundreds of years in the past. Voices of real people she’d talked to or had heard preach or teach, as well as the voices from the many books Nicholas had asked her to read. The voices grouped in clans, their murmurings growing fervent, insisting precisely what she needed to believe, who she needed to be, and why she needed to march to the beat of their drum.

Ariana needed to know herself well enough to pick a tribe she agreed with and shut down the rest with her own reasoning. But she couldn’t parse what she believed, and they hounded without mercy.

Marred flatware jangled endlessly as her nine siblings, five of her fourteen nieces and nephews, her Mamm and Daed, and Skylar sat around the table in rickety chairs. The mid-January wind pushed against the house and seemed to come right through the walls.

An old galvanized bucket sat in the sink because the water pipe to the kitchen was broken again. If the pipes to the sink in the mudroom hadn’t been working, getting breakfast on the table would’ve been a lot more work.

Rickety furniture, cold winds seeping in, and broken pipes didn’t bother her. Money and work could easily fix those things. What nagged at her was much deeper. She was finally in the very home she’d pined for while away, and yet only a fragment of herself seemed to be here.

Her Daed worked really hard, but his income was too small for a family this size. Ariana couldn’t remember a time when she didn’t long to make life better for them. That was why she and Abram had spent years working to buy the café. She had been convinced it would bring in enough money to make life easier for Mamm and Daed.

The voices in her head grew louder. One group said money was evil and poverty was God’s will, that it made people rely on Him more. Another group shouted louder than the first, saying that lack was from the Enemy. Still more voices said that being poor was due to a lack of education. A dozen more camps vied to be heard, and Ariana was powerless to sort them out.

“Ariana.” Mamm pointed at her plate, sounding baffled, maybe even alarmed. “Is this not your favorite breakfast anymore?”

A stack of pancakes stared back at Ariana. Her stomach churned. “It is. Denki, Mamm.” She used the edge of her fork to cut into the pancakes.

“You’re not yourself.” Susie passed her a plate of bacon. “That’s more plain to see than your poorly pinned-up hair under your lopsided prayer Kapp.”

Her bun was messy and her head covering was pinned askew? She should at least adjust the Kapp, but she simply nodded. “I’m a little out of sorts. That’s all.”

She didn’t feel just a little out of sorts. She longed to scream at the voices in her head to shut up.

Cindy Woodsmall is the “New York Times” and CBA best-selling author of nineteen works of fiction and non-fiction with more than a million copies sold. Her connection with the Amish community has been featured in national media outlets such as ABC’s “Nightline,” the “Wall Street Journal,” and a National Geographic documentary on Amish life. Cindy and her husband reside near the foothills of the North Georgia Mountains.

Find out more about Cindy at http://www.cindywoodsmall.com.

Rule of Law

By Randy Singer

What did the president know? And when did she know it?

For the members of SEAL Team Six, it was a rare mission ordered by the president, monitored in real time from the Situation Room. The Houthi rebels in Yemen had captured an American journalist and a member of the Saudi royal family. Their executions were scheduled for Easter Sunday. The SEAL team would break them out.

But when the mission results in spectacular failure, the finger-pointing goes all the way to the top.

Did the president play political games with the lives of U.S. service members?

Paige Chambers, a determined young lawyer, has a very personal reason for wanting to know the answer. The case she files will polarize the nation and test the resiliency of the Constitution. The stakes are huge, the alliances shaky, and she will be left to wonder if the saying on the Supreme Court building still holds true.
Equal justice under law.

ISLAND BREEZES

Falling in love is a little scary. Falling in love with a SEAL Team Six member is even scarier.

So how did Paige as a rookie lawyer go from love to presenting a case before the Supreme Court? And did the U.S. president really throw the SEALs to the wolf? Why did she call off the extraction team?

Mr. Singer had me in tears by the sixth chapter and on the edge of my seat through the rest of the book. Talk about adrenaline! I couldn’t turn the pages quickly enough, and I for sure didn’t want the book to end.

This is the first of Mr. Singer’s books that I’ve read. I definitely don’t want it to be my last. Thank you, Mr. Singer, for adding to my “must read authors” list.

***I received this book free of charge from Litfuse.***

Randy Singer is a critically acclaimed author and veteran trial attorney. He has penned more than ten legal thrillers, including his award-winning debut novel “Directed Verdict.” In addition to his law practice and writing, he serves as a teaching pastor for Trinity Church in Virginia Beach, Virginia. He also teaches classes in advocacy and ethics at Regent Law School and serves on the school’s Board of Visitors.

Find out more about Randy at http://www.randysinger.net.

Therefore, having been made righteous by trusting, we have shalom with God through our Lord Yeshua the Messiah.

Through Him we have also gained access by faith into this grace in which we stand and boast in the hope of God’s glory.

And not only that, but we also boast in suffering – knowing that suffering produces perseverance;

and perseverance, character; and character, hope.

And hope does not disappoint, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Ruach ha-Kodesh who was given to us.

Romans 5:1-5

shalom – Hebrew for peace

Yeshua – Hebrew for Jesus

Ruach ha-Kodesh –

Mercy Triumphs

By Jana Kelley

Three women. Three impossible circumstances. One merciful God.
Mia, an American Christian, has lived in Sudan so long that persecution, harassment, and danger have become commonplace for her. Her tough outer shell threatens to harden her heart while her newly Christian friends, Halimah and Rania, former Muslims, are forced to live in exile outside Sudan. All three quickly discover that escaping danger in one place only means facing even greater challenges elsewhere. As God’s mercy becomes evident in their lives, they must choose whether or not to offer mercy to those who don’t deserve it.

Third in a trilogy, Mercy Triumphs opens the reader’s eyes to modern-day persecution and the life of Muslims in Sudan. Based on real-life Mercy Triumphs reveals some of the struggles Christians face when living under Islamic law. The reader will be inspired to pray for new believers, those who are persecuted for their faith, and even for the salvation of the persecutors.

ISLAND BREEZES

It’s a very difficult life or a Muslim who converts to Christianity. Halimah escaped and is living undercover. Rania made it as ar as her aunt and uncle in Dubai. She has to keep her faith a secret from them.

I really don’t want to tell you much more as I’m afraid I’ll give too much away and ruin it for you. You really need to read it all for yourself. Be prepared to be on the edge of your seat at times. I kept wanting to tell them, “Don’t do that.” or “Don’t go there.”

This is a good stand alone read, but it’s so much better if you read Side by Side and Door to Freedom first. I truly hope Ms Kelley gives us more books.

***I received this book free of charge from Litfuse.***

Author of the captivating novel “Side by Side,” Jana Kelley is a Texan who hardly ever lives in Texas. Raised in Southeast Asia, Jana developed a love for cross-cultural living early in life. Her love for writing came soon after. Jana returned to Texas to attend East Texas Baptist University. She and her husband married a month after she graduated, and by their second anniversary, they were living in a remote African town. After 13 years living in Africa and the Middle East, Jana, her husband, and their three boys moved to Southeast Asia where they currently live.

Find out more about Jana here.

09.11.01

For while we were still helpless, at the right time Messiah died for the ungodly.

For rarely will anyone die for a righteous man  – though perhaps for a good man someone might even dare to die.

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Messiah died for us.

Romans 5:6-8

So let everyone who is godly pray to You in a time when You may be found.

When great floodwaters rise, they will not reach him.

You are my hiding place —

You will protect me from distress.

You surround me with songs of deliverance.

Psalms 32:6-7

Do not fret because of evildoers, nor be envious of them  who do wrong.

For like the grass they soon wither and fade like a green herb.

Trust in Adonai and do good.

Dwell in the land, feed on faithfulness.

Delight yourself in Adonai, and He will give you the requests of your heart.

Commit your way to Adonai.

Trust in Him, and He will do it.

He will bring out your vindication as light,

and your cause will shine as noonday.

Psalms 37:1b-6

Then I acknowledged my sin to You an did not hide my iniquity. I said:

“I confess my transgressions to Adonai,” and You forgave the guilt of my sin.

Psalms 32:5

Adonai is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer.

My God is my rock, in Him I take refuge,

my shield, my horn of salvation,

my stronghold and my refuge,

my Savior – You save me from violence.

I called upon Adonai, worthy of praise,

and I was rescued from my enemies.

2 Samuel:2-4