Tag Archives: Christian Living

Fortune and Paradise Virtual Book Tour

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Christian living, Personal Memoirs, Inspirational

Date Published: June 14, 2022

Publisher: Clay Bridges Press

How does a divorced, young mother go from broken, penniless, and desperate
to Fortune and Paradise? You won’t want to miss a minute of this story
of the challenging situations she faced throughout her life and how God
continued to lead her to victory!

Shirley Morgan gives you a bird’s eye view of what it was like
growing up on a farm in the country, moving to France as a young military
spouse, trusting God for provision as a single mother, persevering through
difficult life lessons, developing as an artist, miraculously healed from
stage 4 breast cancer, and becoming a Missionary at age 80! You will love
these real, true-life experiences and be inspired to overcome your own
trials with faith and trust in your loving Father God.

Don’t miss this delightful memoir of the dynamic power of simple
faith!

I PRAYED FOR A JOB. Father God provided one through a woman whose last name
is FORTUNE!  I PRAYED FOR A HOUSE. Father God provided one through a
woman whose last name is PARADIS!  I PRAYED FOR MONEY. Father God sent
checks in the mail!  I PRAYED WHEN I WAS DIAGNOSED. Father God healed
me from stage 4 breast cancer!

God Listens!  God Loves Us!  God Answers!

He did it for me and He can do it for you!

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About the Author

Shirley Morgan is a farm girl from Roanoke County, Virginia. She married a
soldier, and while he was stationed in France, they traveled through Europe.
In addition, she traveled on two mission trips to India. In the U.S., she
has traveled all over the East Coast, from the Mississippi to the Atlantic
and Maine to Florida. Now she is a Missionary at the Mill Mountain
Star!

What began as a desperate plea to God about how to generate finances after
a divorce, became an open door into God’s heart—from which has
poured out too-numerous-to-count answered prayers! Shirley was diagnosed
with stage four breast cancer; hospice was called in—but God healed
her! She needed a job, and God sent a woman by the last name of FORTUNE to
help her. She needed a home, and God sent a woman by the last name of
PARADIS to help her. She began visiting the Mill Mountain Star (which her
uncle and cousins, the Kinseys, designed), and telling how God healed her to
people from all over the world—one hundred and nineteen countries so
far! She did many paintings in the 90s. God told her to put Scripture on
some of her paintings and call them her Memorial Paintings. Shirley began
giving them away, if interested, to visitors at the Star who had listened to
her healing story. Her paintings with God’s Word went back with those
visitors all over the world.

Shirley is now eighty-five: a mother of three, a grandmother of ten and a
great-grandmother of seven. At one time she was a foster mom. Her volunteer
work has included: a jail ministry, Certified J&D Court Family
Counselor, Certified for General District Court Mediation to receive
referrals, a Notary Public, and nursing care for others. Shirley was
employed thirty plus years in the workforce, which included: working as a
Certified Dental Assistant & Prevention Therapist, retiring after ten
years from General Electric, Receptionist for the Southwest Virginia U.S.
Attorney’s Office, Intake Assistant at a Christian counseling center,
and various other office positions. For fun Shirley has enjoyed: writing,
cooking, sewing, gardening, painting, homemaking, being a beautician for
family and friends, doing “handyman” repairs, playing the piano
(once, she learned how to play the banjo!), and of course reading her
Bible—all the while talking to Father God. She wants to encourage
you:

 

“If Father God can talk to a farm girl like me—every
day—and answer my prayers about my life, my health and everything
else, He can do the same for YOU!

As grateful as I am to be healed and walking in divine health, even more
precious is knowing Jesus as my Savior, that He died for my sins, and I am
able to tell others about Him, and have my paintings with His Word go all
over the world.”

—Shirley Morgan

“The Star Lady”

 

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Naturally Curly Virtual Book Tour

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A Memoir

Christian living, Black and African American Biographies

Date Published: January 25, 2022

Publisher: Lucid Books Publishing

 

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The complexities of a racially divided culture are too numerous to count,
and with one glance around the globe, it is easy to see why no one is immune
to its effects. With so many stories, personal experiences, and
misunderstandings, it is all too much to contain and sort out. Thankfully,
we serve a God who will do the sorting if we simply keep our eyes on Him.
The One who truly knows us and sees us as we are understands our deeply
rooted issues; there is no condemnation in Him.

In her memoir Naturally Curly, Kristi shares a true account of how she was
nearly engulfed by a deeply rooted lie accepted by many in our country.
Kristi takes you on a journey from her early years when the lie first took
root in her life to its massive and subtle manifestations in adulthood,
which culminated in God’s grand rescue. Finally, she thoughtfully
explores some aspects of what she believes the racial divide means for the
church.

 

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About the Author

Kristi Sanders Lasher

Kristi Sanders Lasher was born in Dallas, TX as a biracial child in the
1980s. Kristi’s cherished childhood created a deep love for her
southern roots, yet a racially divided culture developed a fear in revealing
her true identity. Kristi hid well into adulthood until the God who
captivated her, uncovered her secret and set her free. Kristi now serves
alongside her husband in pastoring a small Baptist church in Gause, TX as
they raise their three beautiful teenage children. Kristi taught as a Texas
public school teacher for many years, and she holds a master’s degree
from Dallas Baptist University in Worship Leadership Studies.

 

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Wanted Virtual Book Tour

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Personal Growth, Christian Living, Spiritual Growth

Date Published: April 4, 2021

Publisher: Clay Bridges Press

 

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From the outside world, the family was like any other. Within the walls of
the home was a completely different story. Set in a common suburban
neighborhood with extraordinary financial struggles and intense pressure
between Mom and Dad’s marriage. Divorce was imminent. Mom exhausted
herself to get her love from her husband until Dad’s desertion left
the family in ruinous chaos. Mom lost all self-control. Her temper flared
and the unwanted hatred for herself and Dad turned into rage, violence, and
unending terror towards the children. Poverty overtook us, malnutrition was
not uncommon, and unconditional love was an estranged enemy. Born into this
tragedy, I was two months old upon Dad’s leaving.

I take you on a narrative journey through my childhood. The rage,
devastation, and hatred are exposed to what really happened. However,
intertwined with this constant chaos is a spiritual awakening that brings an
amazing grace, freedom, and redemption. Nevertheless, every day was wrought
with surviving until the next. Yet, a close friend that I come to know, The
Peacemaker, the God who comes close to us and deeply entrenches Himself amid
each storm of life, made Himself known through the perils of my
upbringing.

From the jaws of death and fright comes a chilling, yet inspiring, story of
a child that thought of himself to be hated, deserted, abandoned, assaulted,
and worthless. A plan where Heavenly Father steps in, becomes my father and
friend, calls me son, and makes certain that I know I am Wanted.

Wanted paperback

 

Wanted tablet

 EXCERPT

PROLOGUE

The Fierce Storm

I

 awakened in that cold, leather recliner in the hospital room, next to Mom. The wind rattled against the large window and seeped through the cracks of the windowsill on this chilly February morning. I pulled the blanket a little closer to my shoulders to cover my whole body. It had been a long night.

Mom had been brought to the hospital early yesterday because she complained of leg pain. I had delayed coming until around noon because I was annoyed by her list of complaints. When I arrived at her new residence, where she had moved just five days earlier, I was startled by what I found. Mom was on her queen-sized bed, apparently unable to move her right leg. It was all she could do to try to lift it. I checked her vital signs and asked her about pain. Everything seemed to be normal, except it clearly was not.

As I walked through her residence, I saw evidence of her long battle with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). It had left its mark throughout the whole apartment, staining many of the surfaces in her home. The stench in her apartment wreaked, and the place where she had come to rest on her bed was unsightly.

Mom ached in what was obviously a prolonged state of pain. Quivering, she spoke in a somber and low tone: “My leg! Oh, my leg!” Yet, there was nothing definitively wrong. It baffled me until I gave up trying to find an answer and resolved to call the ambulance.

Now, I got up from the vinyl recliner and checked on Mom. I smiled at her. She smiled back and asked for me to look up. I followed her request, turning my head, and looking at the tile that spread across the ceiling of her hospital room. She seemed to be pointing to a specific tile, where she was clearly seeing something that was not visible.

“Look!” she said, “Furry, white kittens. They are looking straight at me.” Her smile was contagious, but my bewilderment caused my eyebrows to rise, and my eyes rolled as I tried to keep my chuckle hidden. Mom has gone nutty, I thought to myself. The moment stayed with me, though.

My wife and I had taken Mom in two years earlier. Her throat cancer had spread throughout her whole body. At the time, it looked as if her time was coming to an end quickly. The decision to bring her into our home was the hardest thing I had to do. To expose my children and wife to the narcissistic, self-absorbed, and controlling person that Mom was, and still is, stressed me to no end.

As the weeks and months passed with her living with us, her cancer stopped growing and the doctors went into a “watch and wait” pattern. Mom took it to mean her cancer was gone completely. This false narrative made her challenging to deal with when it came to facing other medical issues. Her IBS, only diagnosed two months before this hospital stay, was the cause of her constant diarrhea over the last couple of years.

Mom had always been a very difficult woman to be around. My motives in taking her in were to give her a home, a genuine family atmosphere, something she rarely experienced in her life. My intention was also to take care of her every need, no matter what it would cost us. Unfortunately, the cost was much more than I imagined, but not financially. Rather, the weight of Mom’s presence in our home came to be a very heavy burden.

When we moved Mom into her own place five days ago, her exhausting, controlling nature within our home finally had its end. We found this beautiful apartment that she could call her own. She was happy, as was my family now that she had her own residence.

The doctors ran all kinds of tests to determine Mom’s condition while she was in the emergency room. All the tests were negative. However, two things caused the doctors to move her to a room where she would stay overnight: Her chest x-ray came back, showing a dark circle within her lungs, and her blood pressure and heart rate were quite low. So, they kept her in the hospital to keep an eye on her. Otherwise, they would have been ready to release her. With that assurance, the doctor had expressed hope that she would be going home soon. His words brought me calm in this uncertainty.

Sleeping in that recliner had made my back sore. Yet I sat in it again now and reflected on Mom’s startling choice from yesterday. While in the emergency room, I had stepped away to grab a bite to eat. A record-keeping assistant had come in to gather information from Mom, who had been fully cognizant and answered all his questions amiably. He was gone by the time I got back to her room. She had summarized the visit with these words, “He asked if I wanted to be resuscitated if my heart stopped. I told him no!” She had spoken in a quiet, confident, almost eerie tone. Now the words repeated themselves over and over in my head.

My daydreaming stopped. Looking over at her, I saw that Mom had fallen back asleep. Her vital signs were still well below normal. I was getting concerned, but took it all in stride, trusting the doctors every step of the way.

My mind wandered again. I began to reflect on the third reason that I had brought Mom to live with us. Many had questioned my decision. Nevertheless, I knew it was what I was supposed to do. I wanted her to experience the same spiritual awakening I had. I wanted the same for all those I knew and met, especially for my family. My heart was hurting for Mom, both for her frail state now and for her broken heart all those years ago.

Yet, she was not the only one who pained my heart. My story is just a story, I mused to myself, like any other. Yet, I knew it was so much more. I had been wrestling with writing my family’s narrative for six years now. Nevertheless, as Mom lay in that bed, the need had become very apparent and even more urgent that I finish what I set out to do.

The storms of life are vicious and ferocious at times. I wanted my mother to have peace as I have come to intimately know it. For that matter, I long for anyone who struggles with the tortuous nature of this life, with the storms that seem to have no end, and who does not know peace, to know there is freedom, a way out, and life on the other side. It is why I must tell my story…

 

About the Author

R. Dale Watkins

It is with obedience and brokenness that I present my life’s journey.
I owe much gratitude to my wife, children, siblings, friends, and many
others as they helped in this project of love.  The trauma and
destruction of my broken world have compelled me to lead others out of
darkness and into His Glorious light.  You can learn more
hayahbooks.com.

 

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Safe in His Arms Virtual Book Tour

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Personal Growth, Christian Living, Poetry

 

Date Published: June 22, 2021

Publisher: Lucid Books Publishing

“It’s broken,” our Healer says. “This world is broken.

It is not how I wanted it to be.

But I am bigger than all the brokenness.

I am bigger than all the evil.

And I am bigger even than death.

 

Come, take my hand and I will show you.

I will show you a beauty

you have never seen,

a peace you have never felt,

and a safe

You can’t even imagine.”

 

Tobin_Safe in His Arms 2 

About the Author

Mercy Tobin is someone her Healer is touching deeply in her journey of
healing. Still in the middle of her journey, writing poems has become her
journal. She is surrounded and encouraged on her journey by her children and
their families, and special friends who are walking alongside her.

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Love is an Emotion Virtual Book Tour

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Personal Growth, Christian Living, Love & Marriage

Date Published: May 25, 2021

Publisher: Lucid Books Publishing

 

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Explore the little-known truth about what it really means to love your
neighbor as yourself.

Loving your neighbor as yourself is an act of the will, not something you
feel. At least that’s what most Christians believe. But is that what the
Bible actually teaches? In Love Is an Emotion R. L. Lewis invites you to
take an honest look at the scriptures and determine the answer to this
question for yourself. As you reason your way through these pages, you’ll
discover:

 

●      How the common view of “Christian” love
measures up to the test of logic.

●      How the subjective nature of emotion
relates to the objective truth of God’s Word

●      How a revised definition of love can impact
our understanding of the gospel of grace.

 

If you’re eager to explore the little-known truth about what it really
means to love your neighbor as yourself, this book is for you.

Love is an Emotion standing book

 

Excerpt 
Whenever we experience an emotion, we genuinely feel it. Therefore, every time the Lord commands us to love, that love is something
we are expected to actually feel—even when he commands us to love our enemies (see Matt. 5:44; Luke 6:27,
35). In other words, emotion is the obligation. To fulfill
that obligation without that emotion is to fail at fulfilling
that obligation altogether.
Obviously, no human being can simply conjure up
a genuine emotion for someone else on command. This
reality often serves as the primary reason to reject that
love is an emotion. Unfortunately, this conclusion falsely
assumes that the only way a person can fulfill a command
to feel something is by conjuring up that emotion out of
thin air. Yet even though God desires for us to feel the
love he commands, he does not expect us to do so by
willing such love into existence. The command isn’t to
fabricate love; the command is simply to love—a duty
made feasible only through his Spirit (see Gal. 5:22).

 

Love is an Emotion tablet

About the Author

R. L. Lewis

R. L. Lewis was born and raised in Houston, Texas, where he currently
resides with his wife, Kayla, their son, and their 11-year-old dog,
Beatrice. A couple of years after earning his degree in applied mathematics
from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Lewis moved back to his
hometown to study painting at the University of Houston. Though he now works
in the art industry, he enjoys spending much of his free time on projects
that combine his affinity for analytical reasoning with his passion for
studying God’s Word.

 

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