In this season where the star of Bethlehem is remembered, or in our culture of rising stars, how to be a star, and a star is born, I want to invite you to sit at the table with the One True Star who outshines them all. Few things fill me with such wonder and awe that I am struck both silent and small … a star-bejewelled sky on a clear dark night far from the artificial glare of city light will do it every time. Have you ever had the pleasure of sitting back with your eyes gazing upward with nothing more to do than to study the glory and vastness of God's incredible creative splendour? When we owned a cabin on a lake one of my favourite t...

This is not the type of blog I typically write. It is a plea for support but not without its reward. This piece of beautiful art has been created by my sister Donna for a God-inspired purpose, and you can be part of the story. Cancer is No Respecter of Persons. Every family is touched by cancer in some way sooner or later. Our family had two devastating blows this past year. First, my nephew, Isaiah, a strapping young man in his thirties with a wife and two little girls gets a cancer diagnosis that changed their world. The timing could not have been worse. It was the summer in-between teaching jobs as they had just moved to Vancouver Island f...

Day 2 AD A somber lies over the city of Jerusalem. Jesus is dead. The skies open and heaven weeps a thousand tears. The Messiah has been cornered, crushed, crucified. Tortured for our transgressions. A mammoth rock and soldiers that guard the tomb seem to have the final word. The day is dark. Dreary. Disappointing. The disciples huddle in an upper room full of defeat. Their Teacher has departed. The women weep. But WAIT FOR IT! All is as it should be… The quiet is part of the quest for hidden treasure. The sorrow is part of the solace. The tears are part of the triumph. A plan with a purpose slowly unfolds. WAIT FOR IT! God is never aloof, or...

Each year as Easter approaches, both Suzie and I (Blossom) fight a war inside our soul. An internal conflict ensues as to whether to watch The Passion of the Christ or not. The events leading up to that fateful hour of death on an excruciating cross are horrific. We feel drawn to watch the depiction of the crucifixion as it helps the heart and spirit prepare for Good Friday and Easter. At the same time, we are both sensitive souls and cannot bear to see the kind, gentle Jesus viciously tortured with unbridled cruelty. The taunting, the shaming, the condemnation is too much. As empaths we feel the pain viscerally… to see our Rock, our Foundati...

Would you like to thrive and live with more passion, meaning and purpose? And…be able to give to others out of the beautiful creation you are? You can accomplish this by discovering your God-given gifts…what you are born with and what the Holy Spirit gives you at salvation. Natural Talent: God knit gifts into us at the time of our conception. These unique gifts are given with purpose…to help others and glorify God. Non-believers often refer to these gifts as natural talent. Are you born to sing, to write, to organize, to teach, to lead? Are you athletic, musical, or artistic and on the list goes? Everyone is born with something they excel in,...

Information ascertained by Dr. Gary Chapman to help us understand our primary love language is hugely beneficial in growing our self-worth and in our relationships with our loved ones. It provides guidance on how to love, understand, and accept ourselves, as well as our partner or family members in a way that best expresses love. And let's face it, a happy marriage and peaceful family relationships bring life to our soul. The five love languages by Dr. Gary Chapman are:1 Words of AffirmationQuality TimeActs of ServiceReceiving GiftsPhysical Touch Dr. Gary Chapman so wisely states that Psychologists have concluded, "the need to feel loved...

Wow. I had no intention of sitting down today and writing this blog. In fact, I was quite disappointed my latest blog that I am co-authoring was not ready. I thought to skip this month and pick up next month, but God placed a burning in my soul. Words I would honesty, rather not write. But if there is one thing, I have learned it is to listen and obey. The urging of the Spirit started this morning when I was trying to find a YouTube song by Ray Boltz called The Anchor Holds for my sister who has stage 4 cancer. I was shocked to see the title Ray Boltz-The Anchor Holds and Ray Talking About Coming Out. This may be old news to many, but it...

Has anyone ever told you that "you are too sensitive," or "you need to toughen up," or "you're overthinking things?" Or perhaps you are that person offering this advice to someone else. In keeping with the theme of this series of improving our self-worth, understanding how we are created is paramount and valuable. Statistics tell us that 20 percent of the population identifies with being a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) and most likely a large portion of the population lives with a child, or a spouse that is this way. (Equal number of men and women are highly sensitive, so this is not gender specific.) What does this mean? People born with thi...

What Benefits Are There in Knowing Your Strengths and Finding the Courage to Step into them? By Suzie Zanewich and Blossom Turner Today we are going to share two short stories of our own life in order to convince you how important it is to know what your strengths are and encourage you to step into them. We all tend to think we need to work on our weaknesses, but we are going to spin that on its head and suggest the opposite. Concentrate on your strengths and leave your weaknesses to God. Here's why… Suzie: I worked as an office manager in an orthodontic office for 15 years. I believed I would work there until retirement. Being that...

by Blossom Turner and Suzie Zanewich Have you ever wondered what the advantage of knowing what your personality type is, including the people you share life with? There is a reason we are created so differently, and why opposites attract and it all has to do with our personality traits. Personality type assessments provide a useful structure for recognizing and understanding normal, natural differences between people. When I first did my personality assessment, I was amazed to find that I could improve my self-awareness, understand my motivations and develop my natural strengths. How excited I was to find I could also improve my communication...

What would an author of historical romance, a life coach, and a friendship have in common? And why should you read on? What does any of this have to do with low self-worth? Once upon a time…long, long ago, 50 years plus, there lived a little girl who believed the words shouted over her repeatedly, "You good for nothing filthy wretch." It took years for this little one, well into adulthood in fact, to shake this message and travel on a journey toward emotional health. It was not until she embraced God's love, combined with new thinking that she found she had energy and confidence to follow her dreams. Low self-worth drains a person and takes a...

I was doing so well and then crash…that Christmas bobble filled with joy hit the floor and busted into a thousand smithereens. I feel no more qualified to write a blog on Advent joy than the Grinch. Unless … as the Spirit of God nudges, I choose to be open and authentic. These last few days I have struggled. According to Covid regulations in our province we are not allowed to have anyone in our home for Christmas. The one loophole was that a single person could have a grouping of two and our son was going to join my husband and me. Then he phoned to say he had to work, and my joy melted like a snowman at the equator. One by one a la...

In the Toronto Star this past week Omar Mosleh wrote about a coming phenomenon that has not been seen since medieval times and may account for the wonder that the wise men seen in the heavenlies when Jesus was born. "On Dec. 21, which is also the date of the winter solstice, the gas giants Jupiter and Saturn will appear to align in the night sky, occurring as a single ultra-bright light in a rare event known as the 'Christmas Star.'" (Though science tells us at the time of Jesus' birth, Venus and Jupiter were aligning.) Of course, I'm going to peek into the heavens on that date, but it's got me thinking. How like our amazing Father ...

With all the Covid restrictions this Christmas season, maybe, just maybe, there is a silver lining splitting through the dark clouds of gathering gloom. Could it be that God wants us to sloooooow down? Could it be in the hush, not the rush, in the stillness not the scurry, in the presence of God we find the present? The gift of advent has rendered my type A personality, the Martha in me, to slow, to still, to invite silence. Each morning as I read and meditate on the advent Scriptures a metamorphosis unfolds. Joy leaks into my soul one silent moment at a time. Advent candle number two is the "Bethlehem Candle," and it symbolizes faith. S...

This has been the weirdest year of my life. I long for normalcy—we all long for normalcy. Covid has become a much-abhorred household word and I will not linger there. The media has given that subject ample hype and played on the fears of mankind. Rather, I will focus on Christmas joy and how to obtain it, but it means taking a couple moments each day with intentional devotion. Curl up in a chair, with a hot cup of chocolate or cinnamon apple cider—Breath in the sweet fragrance of freshly cut boughs and picture a wreath centred in the middle of your table. It's made with evergreens, rather than leaf stripped branches for a good reason. The eve...

If you will be so kind as let me ramble a bit about why I wrote Katherine's Arrangement, I promise this will be relatable to you. Long before I even knew I could write, I loved to read. Being a hopeless romantic I gravitated to all romance stories either contemporary or historical. I soon realized that finding clean fiction but still written with the passion of love that God created humans for, was hard to find. (Just read Song of Solomon, God was not afraid to express passion without being explicit. After all, love and sex is His creation.) Given the gift of a writing career late in life one thing was for sure…I wanted to write clean romance...

Back in the 70's when I was a teenager, (I know I'm dating myself,) our youth group started a study on Revelation. Back then there were no computers for the everyday person. We did not have desktops, laptops, iPads and phones that we carried around. Technology did not have the capability to place a mark on people and track them, and many small countries had not yet heard the gospel in their language. In other words, the possibility of many of the things spoken of in Revelation actually happening at that time seemed like something out of a sci-fi movie. Not so today. All is in place. Technology has advanced to such a place where ever...

Let us take every anxious thought captive by praising and praying to our amazing God today. Offer up 5 minutes of solitude to meditate on the following name of God and what it means. To know the names of God is to know His character. To know His character reveals His love. To understand His love eradicates all worry. Each time a worrisome thought arises today cry out to: Name of God: El—The Strong One. (God who overcomes all) Scripture: Exodus 15:2; Number 23:22; Deut. 7:9 Prayer: Dear God, You are the Strong and Mighty One, you overcome all our enemies. This Covid 19 virus is an enemy to humanity and we call out to you for mercy today t...

 By now the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season has enveloped your world unless you are a scrooge or the Grinch. Ha Ha And yet I write … With the hope … You will be blessed by putting the most amazing blessing first—Jesus Christ. Over the past three weeks of advent we have allowed the Prophet's Candle of HOPE, the Bethlehem Candle of FAITH, and the Shepherd's candle of JOY to spark our Christmas season into flame. This last week of advent we will light the Angel's Candle of LOVE and on Christmas day you will light the final candle in the middle of your wreath representing JESUS CHRIST. My prayer for you is that the flicker of flame...

The last two weeks I have been encouraging the lighting of the advent wreath, why? The reason is easy, and intentional—I want to celebrate Christmas not just on the 25th but the whole month through. I invite you to join me on this Advent journey. December 1st we lit the "Prophet's Candle," symbolizing hope. It reminded the old testament patriarchs to keep the hope of a coming King… a Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger. It reminded the New Testament believers to have hope beyond the death of their Savior who died for the sins of the world. They began the great commission and proclaimed the good news that Je...

We are going to light candle number two this week and celebrate the glorious meaning of Christmas. This candle is called the "Bethlehem Candle," and it symbolizes faith. Seven hundred years before Christ was born the prophet Isaiah proclaimed these words. Isaiah 7:14 "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel." This time of year, I reflect upon what it must have felt like for the scared young woman—Mary to be pregnant out of wedlock, and for a man of integrity—Joseph (no more than a boy himself) who married her despite the unusual circumstances. All...

I've had a tough week. All kinds of mishaps, misunderstandings, and missteps. The Scripture that talks about the fact we wrestle not against flesh and blood, (meaning people) but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places, (Eph. 6:12) has been my reality. I opened my mouth when I should have kept it closed. I let painful memories surface. I allowed the actions of another bring me down. I struggled with dark depressing days. I overall felt low, which is not like me. I was under attack for sure. Then I read 1 John 2:1-2 "My little children,...

YAHWEH-ROPHE - The Lord Our Healer Luke 4:18 Jesus read the words of Isaiah 61 and proclaimed Himself the Healer: "The spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor: He has sent Me to heal the broken-hearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed: To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord." Last week I wrote about Spiritual and Emotional Healing, if you are interested in those aspects of God's healing. Today, I am going to focus on physical healing. First, I will tell you a true-life story of physical...

The LORD A Devotion to enrich your weekly prayer life. My hope and prayer is that you will read this blog each Monday morning and that your prayer-life will be enriched during the following week  by praying this specific Name of God. I personally have found incredible comfort and power in understanding and praying the different names of God, so-much-so, I feel a burning desire to share them with you. If you too, find power, encouragement or comfort, pass this devotion onto others. The LORD (in caps), translated Yahweh in the Old Testament was first used in Genesis 2:4 This is the history of the heavens and the ea...

THERE IS POWER IN THE NAME. And Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life." John 6:35 Bread. My favourite.  Give me a choice between a fresh slice of bread with butter and a decadent dessert, and I will go for the bread any day, all day long. In fact, the extra ten pounds I cart around can be attributed to my love of bread. It stands to reason then, that John chapter six is one of my favourites. Let me explain. The chapter starts out with Jesus feeding a great multitude (5000) famished people with two small fish and yup, bread—five barley loaves (a staple of that day). The crowd had followed Jesus up the mountain in...

A WORTHY BLOG SUBJECT I was wondering what to write about in my blog that would speak to all people not just to fellow writers or readers of inspirational romance, but to the soul of every boy and girl, every seeker, every person on their journey through life no matter the age, sex, race, religion, or political preference and only one subject came to mind. Only one subject is BIG enough, interesting enough, and powerful enough to fall into this category. Only one subject can embrace the atheist, the agnostic, the seeker, and the believer all at the same time because they are all people of beautiful creation. Only one subject can stand the tes...