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Showing posts from September, 2017

Thank goodness for "fall"

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Thank goodness for "fall." Even though it's still like 90 outside, I know it is technically fall. The Crafty Dad and Daughter loves fall. That's when the good craft shows are! This weekend started the first of our 8 craft events. We have four weekends in a row, 1 off, 2 more, 2 off, 2 more. In other words, 6 out of 7 weekends in a row.  It was a long day at Birdville High School though. Set-up was Saturday morning. We were there by 6 AM, barely got everything up by 9 AM. The event lasted until 5 PM, then we had to pack up and come home.  I may be a zombie by December 10!  You can't even see everything in these pictures, but if you see something you want, I'll ship it to you!

Randy Singer’s latest release is equal parts legal, political and military thriller

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Part 1 of an interview with Randy Singer, Author of Rule of Law In a world of political accusations and threats of war, what does the public need to know, and what is better left unsaid for our own protection? Are our leaders following the Rule of Law or acting outside it? In his latest legal thriller, Rule of Law (Tyndale House Publishers/September 5, 2017), award-winning author and attorney Randy Singer weaves a gripping page-turner that explores the inner workings of the White House, the CIA and the State Department in dealings with foreign governments. Drawing from one of his own recent cases, Singer gives readers a glimpse of what is really going on behind the headlines of today’s international events. Q: In the author’s note of Rule of Law you explain you wrote the book to address some critical issues lurking on the horizon. What are some concerns you have that Americans should be aware of? Throughout the past several years, the CIA has become a much more militar

Bringing Maggie Home

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Dive into the story of a seventy-year-old unsolved mystery spanning three generations of women in Kim Vogel Sawyer’s new book,  Bringing Maggie Home .  When a traffic accident forces Meghan to take a six-week leave-of-absence to recover, all three generations of DeFord women find themselves unexpectedly under the same roof. Meghan knows she will have to act as a mediator between her headstrong and contentious mother and grandmother. Will Meghan also be able to use her investigative prowess to solve the family mystery and help both women recover all that’s been lost? {MORE ABOUT  BRINGING MAGGIE HOME } (WaterBrook, September 2017) Decades of loss, an unsolved mystery, and a rift spanning three generations Hazel DeFord is a woman haunted by her past. While berry picking in a blackberry thicket in 1943, ten-year old Hazel momentarily turns her back on her three-year old sister Maggie and the young girl disappears. Almost seventy years later, the mystery remains unsol

Lessons in how to live and how to die

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Lessons in how to live and how to die Becky Baudouin shares priceless lessons her mother revealed during her battle with cancer “I’ve taught you how to live; now I want to teach you how to die. You don’t have to be afraid.” When Becky Baudouin’s mother spoke those words to her, they weren't said lightly. Her mother had an inoperable tumor — and after months of treatment, there was no hope for a longer life. There was, however, assurance of everlasting life. In Cancer, Faith, and Unexpected Joy: What My Mother Taught Me About How to Live and How to Die (Kregel Publications/September 26, 2017/ISBN: 9780825444746/$14.99), Baudouin shares the invaluable wisdom imparted by her mother during her final days. Upon learning of her mother’s diagnosis, Baudouin made a decision she knew she would not regret. “I decided to rearrange my priorities so I could show up and be fully present with my mom during her illness. I knew I needed to pull back from some of the groups and act

Counseling Under the Cross

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Revolutionize your understanding of soul care by studying Martin Luther’s reformed theology in Bob Kellemen’s new book,  Counseling Under the Cross .  The book will guide pastors, counselors, lay leaders, and friends toward a rich understanding of the gospel that will directly impact their personal ministry to others. Through lively vignettes, real-life stories, and direct quotes from Luther, readers will be equipped to apply the gospel to themselves and others so together they find their hope and help in Christ alone. {MORE ABOUT  COUNSELING UNDER THE CROSS } Counseling Under the Cross: How Martin Luther Applied the Gospel to Daily Life (New Growth Press, September 2017) Martin Luther not only reformed theology, but his understanding of the gospel revolutionized soul care. In  Counseling Under the Cross , biblical counselor and noted author Bob Kellemen explains how Martin Luther’s gospel-centered and cross-focused pastoral care transformed his own approach to soul c

Come out to Birdville this weekend!

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If you live anywhere near Birdville High School ,  come see The Crafty Dad and Daughter on Saturday, September 30!

Yes, some people are out of their cotton pickin' minds

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I started making these signs before a couple of people decided to start an online storm shaming Hobby Lobby and Cracker Barrel for selling cotton decorations. I've had more interest after the social media posts this week than before. I found some purple burlap I had to have to dress up a sign instead of the traditional tan color. I don't think it's going to take long to sell this variation as it is more purple than the photo lets on when you see it in person.

Pharaoh, Pharaoh

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The boys didn't know this quite as well as they claimed. ;) Pharaoh, Pharaoh Well a burnin’ bush told me just the other day That I should come over here and stay Got to get God’s people out of Pharaoh’s hand. And lead them out to the promised land. Chorus: Pharaoh, Pharaoh Woa-o Let my people go! Yea, Yea, Yea, Yea, Yea...  (repeat chorus) So me and God’s people going to the Red Sea Pharaoh’s army comin’ after me. I raised my rod, stuck it in the sand And all God’s children walked on the dry land Chorus Well, Old Pharaoh’s army was a comin’ too. So what did you think that I did do? I raised my rod and I cleared my throat And Pharaoh’s army did the dead man’s float. Chorus

Thankful not to work in Dallas

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I had a rare work-out-of-the-office day. I took meetings at the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) conference at the Gaylord Texan in Grapevine today. It was really nice to get out and see people.  It was not nice to get stuck about right here at 4:45 PM on a Friday afternoon though it can be like this at any time in Dallas. I'm so glad I don't have to deal with this daily. It also reminded me a lot of getting stuck right here on the way home from college for the weekend. Deja vu.

Ta’Mara Hanscom’s ‘The Pretender’ Blog Tour and Giveaway

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Despite just meeting each other, Tillie and Noah’s lives have been mysteriously intertwined for many years in Ta’Mara Hanscom’s The Pretender .  From the moment they met, Tillie and Noah wanted to spend the rest of their lives together, but a deliberate omission will keep them apart—and that same omission will be responsible for the escape of a murderer, and a bride’s deception. Join Ta'Mara in celebrating the release of the second printing and new covers by entering to win her $75 prize basket giveaway!   One grand prize winner will receive: A copy of  The Pretender A $75 Amazon gift card A decorative box containing measuring cups, ten recipes from the book, a potholder, a kitchen towel, pepper and salt grinders, kitchen utensils, and an olive oil dispenser   Enter today by clicking the icon below, but hurry! The giveaway ends on October 11.  The winner will be announced October 12 on the Litfuse blog . {MORE ABOUT  THE PRETENDER } The Pretender: A Bl

How would your life be different if you grew up in another family?

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Part 1 of an interview with Cindy Woodsmall, Author of Gathering the Threads     How different would your belief system be if you grew up in a different culture? Would your faith in God be the same if you were raised in a different family? New York Times best-selling author Cindy Woodsmall poses these questions in the powerful conclusion to the CBA and ECPA bestselling Amish of Summer Grove series in Gathering the Threads (WaterBrook/August 15, 2017) . Q: The Amish of Summer Grove series introduces readers to a pair of girls, one Englisch and one Amish, who were switched at birth. What are some of the challenges each faced when pushed to experience the life she would have lived had the switch never taken place? Ariana, who was raised Amish, battles to keep her sanity and survive in a lifestyle she’d never considered living. Her biological dad has devised what he calls a “bucket list” because he believes if she returns to the Amish ways, her life will be over. Her th

Lori Benton's Many Sparrows

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Travel back in time to the Ohio-Kentucky frontier in 1774 as it pulses with rising tension and brutal conflicts and meet Clare, who is determined to emerge from the wilderness with her children, in Lori Benton’s new book,  Many Sparrows .  Clare will face the greatest fight of her life, as she struggles to reclaim her son from the Shawnee Indians now holding him captive. But with the battle lines sharply drawn, her son’s life might not be the only one at stake. Can a stranger convince Clare that recovering her son will require the very thing her anguished heart is unwilling to do—be still, wait and let God fight this battle for them? {MORE ABOUT  MANY SPARROWS } (WaterBrook, August 2017) Either she and her children would emerge from that wilderness together, or none of them would. . . . In 1774, the Ohio-Kentucky frontier pulses with rising tension and brutal conflicts as Colonists push westward and encroach upon Native American territories. The young Inglesby famil