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Merry Christmas from Tara Randel

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas. My hope is that we all slow down, enjoy precious time with family and friends and remember Jesus being born in a manger for you and me. There is so much about this time of year to celebrate! Before long we’ll be looking to next year, which is a different conversation all together! There is so much to be excited about and it starts by thanking the Lord for all…

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Light by James R. Coggins

Right at the beginning of creation, God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God “saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness” (Genesis 1:3-4 NIV). This was before God created the sun, moon, and stars (Genesis 1:14-18). This means that before the earth was formed, God’s universe was fundamentally moral rather than physical. Light is good, and darkness is…

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What Is the Lesson? by James R. Coggins

In all of the Ten Commandments, perhaps the statement that causes the most concern to modern readers is “I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me” (Exodus 20:6). Most concerning is the idea that innocent children should suffer for the sins of their parents. And yet the reality is that sin does…

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A Baby Changed Everything!

There have been so many beautiful Christmas songs written through the years. O Holy Night, Silent Night, O Little Town of Bethlehem to name a few. And I love them all. A few years back I discovered a new favorite by singer Faith Hill. It’s called A Baby Changes Everything and it’s told from Mary’s perspective. The song really got me thinking about Mary hearing she was going to be the mother of…

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Context by James R. Coggins

Exodus 20 is the place in the Bible where we find the “Ten Commandments.” When we read that chapter, we might find it hard to understand the context. Many of us have known about the Ten Commandments all our lives. We might have read Genesis, as well as other parts of the Bible. But have we ever thought about the context of Exodus 20 or about the people who received the covenant that Moses brought…

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A New Season by Tara Randel

As I was waiting and thinking about what to post today, inspiration, as it always does, struck. Every year I pick a day between Thanksgiving and December 1 to change out my seasonal decorations. It takes a while to pack away Fall because I have A LOT of decorations. Then I slowly bring out the Christmas collection. About two years ago, I wanted to do something different on my fireplace mantle.…

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The Wonders of Technology by James R. Coggins

I am a writer, editor, and book publisher. Increasingly, however, I seem to be spending my time on other things.For instance, I recently accepted an upgrade to my computer’s operating system and then spent an entire afternoon trying to get my scanner to work. I ran the troubleshooter, I re-established my printer as the default printer, restarted the printer, restarted the computer, and refreshed…

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Look at the Words by Nancy J. Farrier

Photo by Biegun Wschodni on Unsplash Have you ever heard someone talk about how your perspective changes depending on which word is emphasized in a sentence? I’ve heard it done with questions and the result can be very interesting. For instance, if you ask – Did she steal the bracelet? – and stress a different word each time, the whole focus of that sentence changes. I have been doing something…

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The Ten Commandments by James R. Coggins

People sometimes rebel against moral codes such as the “Ten Commandments” (Exodus 20:1-17) and ask what gives Christians the right to tell people what to do. The answer is that Christians do not have that right. But the real question is what gives God the right to tell people what to do. The answer is that God created human beings and therefore has that right. Further, there is the answer given…

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Remembering My Grandfather by James R Coggins

My grandfather clanked when he walked. He lived with our family in my early years when I was growing up. He read stories and recited nursery rhymes to us children. I remember him as being very tall. His war records state that he was five feet, four and a half inches—taller than my parents, but hardly the giant of my memory. My grandfather did not relish war, but he felt it was his duty to…

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Is This the Right Way?

As a Christian Suspense author, I write a lot about characters who don’t always make the good decisions in their lives. All it takes is one wrong turn and they find themselves in a lot of danger. Thankfully, with God’s guidance, I can get them back on track and give them a happy ending despite their mistakes. In real life it isn’t always so easy. Making a wrong turn can derail us and get us off…

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The Prayer of Faith by James R. Coggins

In James 5, James was encouraging his Christian readers to pray by pointing out the example of Elijah: “Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops” (James 5:17-18). Elijah, James said, was just a human being like the…

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Frozen in Fear by Nancy J. Farrier

I’ve mentioned before the I take long walks in the desert pretty much every day. Over the years, I’ve seen several rattlesnakes. One thing that always happens is the snake does its best to get to safety—usually by hiding under a bush. Yes, they rattle as they go, but they’ve never struck at me, and they always escape as fast as possible.  A couple of weeks ago, I walked right by a…

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Medieval Torture Devices by James R. Coggins

The Middle Ages in Europe are often considered to be an era of “economic, intellectual, and cultural decline” between two great eras of civilization. They lasted about a thousand years, from the fall of the Roman Empire in the fifth century to the rise of modern Europe, beginning with the Renaissance in the fifteenth century. The Middle Ages are also called “the Dark Ages,” a term first coined…

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In All Circumstances by James R. Coggins

In the Bible book named after him, James talks a lot about dealing with suffering, but not all of life is hard. James concludes his letter with an exhortation to make God central in all parts of our lives (James 5:13-20). If we are experiencing blessing, we should thank and praise God: “Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise” (James 5:13). If we are suffering, we should pray for God’s…

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Hurricane Times Two by Tara Randel

I’m just going to state the obvious right off the bat. Two devastating hurricanes back-to-back is no fun. First Helene decimated the coastal areas not far from my home. The flooding was significant. I have friends who have lost their homes due to the storm surge. Then Milton barreled toward us, the aftermath causing inland flooding and because of the high winds, lots of downed trees. On the…

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Smarter and More Competent than I am by James R. Coggins

Things have changed. We had not bought a car for seventeen years. The problem is that the Japanese know how to build good cars. Our seventeen-year-old Toyota Yaris was still running very well, and our mechanic said it could continue to run well for another ten to fifteen years. But still it was time. So, my wife and I went out and bought a brand new Toyota Corolla Hybrid. Only had to wait twelve…