My parents were high school sweethearts. If you’d have asked my mom, when she was 17, what she wanted to be when she grew up, her answer was, “Bill’s wife.” Their high school year books are filled with references to their relationship. “Have a good summer! Good luck with you and Bill!” They’ve been married 45 years, have four children, and seven grandchildren. Somehow, they managed to create a functional, Godly home amongst the cultural revolution of the 70’s and 80’s.
Author: Hallee
I love our home. It’s a compact house on a rather busy residential street in small town Kentucky. We had to convert a bedroom to create a dining room, and I have to share that dining room for my office, but I love our home. The backyard is big enough to hold the dog, the kids, and a relatively large garden. We utilize every single room inside, and have a huge basement that holds way too much storage (I am so enamored of the simplicity & less is more mindset and am making the basement my goal for the year.)
I have a love-hate relationship with social media. I hate it because it sucks my life away. In order to have a presence there, you must be a presence there. So, when I could be doing a million other things, I have to be present.
I love it because I have made so many incredible friends through social media (including meeting my husband in a long ago pioneer form of social media called an AOL chat room). I also know that I know that if it weren’t for social media, this blog and my writing career would only have a fraction of the success they’ve had.
I often think about how fortunate I am to have clean, running water in my home, especially when it’s canning season. You have to wash the jars and lids, can whatever you’re canning, then fill the canner with water and process the jars. Washing everything and keeping it clean is one of the secrets to canning success. To do this much work with the added work of having to haul water from another source is an incredible thought. Yet, just a few decades ago, hauling water from another source was the norm.
As I’ve worked on this list of 30 things for which I’m thankful, I’ve found that I often quote Bible verses to elaborate on the subject. That’s when it occurred to me that I’m extremely grateful for the gift of God’s word.
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17
I believe that the Bible is the inerrant word of God, that He used the Holy Spirit to move men to write the Bible, (2 Peter 1:21) and that it is a living, breathing document that is always relevant. I think that with any situation in my entire life, I can find where the Bible will speak to me. I believe that the “Old” Testament is just as important as the “New” Testament. I believe that the Word of God is a weapon against evil (Ephesians 6:17).
1 Peter 4:10 tells us that God, through His grace, has given each of us gifts, and wants us to use those gifts to minister to one another. I am so grateful that He has given me the gift of storytelling.
Whether it’s a full length novel of Christian romantic suspense or a blog post about parenting a special needs child, I am able to entertain, engage, or enlighten. God determined that my ministry would be the written word, and for years now, I have I given of it freely, using it to minister to the world.
It has been ten years this month that I have been smoke free. I started smoking cigarettes when I was a teenager. On my 18th birthday, my mom jokingly bought me a carton of cigarettes and told me I could come out of the closet.
I LOVED smoking. I enjoyed the oral fixation, I enjoyed the feel — nothing was better to me than to sit down with a cup of coffee and have that first cigarette of the day.
Aria Suarez uncovers a nuclear plot that threatens the heart of our very nation. Sinister forces surround and threaten her when, out of nowhere, the man who reportedly died so many years before returns as if from the grave – intent on protecting her.
Has God finally joined them together?
Or is Aria doomed to mourn Nick Williams twice?
An Aria for Nick, Book 2 in the Song of Suspense Series, is available at the following locations:
Pin ItAt 5, Jeb is our absolute joy. I don’t say that to take anything away from our other children, but Jeb is just…joy. He is highly emotional and has a happy nature, which means he is almost always just bubbling over with happiness. A friend at church says often that she wishes she could capture his laugh and just have it throughout her day.