Top Ten Verse about Joy

There is a teaching out there that the joy God gives is not really joyful. The teaching goes on to say joy is not really being happy. It’s not an emotion. While it is true the joy God gives is not the same as the human emotion of happiness, it is not true that God doesn’t care about our happiness. He wants us to be happy, but He wants us to find that happiness and satisfaction in Him. Here are my 10 favorite scripture passages about joy. They are in The Passion Translation unless otherwise stated.

1 Peter 1:8-9 You love him passionately although you did not see him, but through believing in him you are saturated with an ecstatic joy, indescribably sublime and immersed in glory. For you are reaping the harvest of your faith—the full salvation promised you—your souls’ victory!

Romans 15:13 Now may God, the inspiration and fountain of hope, fill you to overflowing with uncontainable joy and perfect peace as you trust in him. And may the power of the Holy Spirit continually surround your life with his super-abundance until you radiate with hope!

Isaiah 35:10 (ESV) And the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

Psalm 30:5 I’ve learned that his anger lasts for a moment, but his loving favor lasts a lifetime! We may weep through the night, but at daybreak it will turn into shouts of ecstatic joy.

Psalm 119:2 What joy overwhelms everyone who keeps the ways of God, those who seek him as their heart’s passion!

Psalm 16:11 (ESV) You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Psalm 28:7 You are my strength and my shield from every danger. When I fully trust in you, help is on the way. I jump for joy and burst forth with ecstatic, passionate praise! I will sing songs of what you mean to me!

Philippians 3:1 My beloved ones, don’t ever limit your joy or fail to rejoice in the wonderful experience of knowing our Lord Jesus!

Psalm 100:1-2 Lift up a great shout of joy to the Lord! Go ahead and do it—everyone, everywhere! As you serve him, be glad and worship him. Sing your way into his presence with joy!

Romans 14:17 (ESV) For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

My 10 Life Resolutions

by Tamera Lynn Kraft

While all of us are deciding what we want our goals and resolutions to be for 2018, I thought I would share 10 of my life resolutions.

Resolution #1: I resolve to obey God without delay and without consideration for the consequences or lack of resources.

Resolution #2: I resolve to be a student of God’s Word and as I read it to apply it to my life. I will be a doer of the Word and not a hearer only.

Resolution #3: Because I want to spend time regularly with God and develop an intimacy with Him, I will continually be in prayer even when I don’t “feel” like praying.

Resolution #4: I resolve to be a worshipper because God alone is worth of my worship.

Resolution #5: I will not compromise my faith to become more acceptable to the culture. This would include salvation is only through the blood of Jesus Christ, that there is only one road to Heaven, and that what God calls sin is sin.

Resolution #6: I resolve to constantly learn and read.

Resolution #7: I resolve strive to forgive anyone who I become offended with and to resolve any matter where people are offended by me as far as it is up to me.

Resolution #8: I resolve that when I am stressed by everyday life, to be in joy and peace through Jesus Christ.

Resolution #9: I resolve to be expectant and ready for the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ at any moment and to live my life that way.

Resolution #10: I resolve to repent as soon as I realize I have failed with one of these resolutions and to return to fellowship with Christ.

Ideas for Marketing 4

by Carole Brown

“A year from now, you’ll wish you had started today.”

–Karen Lamb

How do I get started with marketing? It’s so scary! And I’m a loner!

Really?

So?

So am I. You must take yourself by the “bootstraps” or “shirt collar” and move ahead. Truly.

Venturing out into an unknown world is scary for many of us. We’d rather lurk in our self-imposed writing “hut” than to meet and greet those in the BIG world of marketing. But it can be done. Here are a couple encouraging ideas to help you get started:

1. Take small steps. Ask friends, family and close associates for help. Whether helping you prepare a few memes or doing a small free promotion on their website, it will get you moving. Think small, think easy, think friendly. And one step…at…a…time.
2. Allow yourself time. Don’t try to take it all in at once. Begin small, read and re-read the online marketing place that caught your eye. Pour over all their material. And if it sounds viable, take a breath and go for it. What’s the worse that can happen? They say no? Reject your request? Accept? Either way, you’ve made a start, and each step helps you on your marketing journey!

Now, here are a few suggestions on marketing for this month:

• Check out marketing gurus who offer freebies and/or heavily discounted programs.
• Book Heaven is growing and seems to be a great source of promotion.
• Offer to write articles for magazines and blog sites. I’m not sure how many sales you’ll obtain, but your name will be in front of multiple eyes. Don’t discount this avenue.
• Don’t overlook your own personal space, and by that, I mean your hometown/state. Get acquainted with writing groups in your area, check to see what marketing festivals and smaller writing conferences are available. Snag a spot if possible. Put each group in a folder and keep track of when and where events are happening. Libraries, small hometown bookstores, specialty groups that you may have a hand-in by including something of interest in your books. All of these are important.

That’s it for this month. Don’t despise the small. Whatever works for you, use it! 

Have a great month! 

What Would You Do…?

by Carole Brown

…if someone wanted to kill your baby? 

• Mary and Joseph fled.
• In the Redemption of Caralynne Hayman, Cara is mad with grief and anger at the death of her oldest daughter. A tough read? Yes, but well worth seeing what happens to this sorrowing mother.

 

…if you had to give up your business in a hurry? Or face destruction?

• Joseph did. He and Mary had to flee to Egypt to escape the wrath of the King and begin again in his carpentry business.
• In Sabotaged Christmas, Toni DeLuca must find the person casting doubt on her beloved father before her business is ruined and Christmas won’t be coming to Appleton, WV for her employees.

 

…if you were told you were having a baby, but you had no idea (at first) how it’d happened?

• Mary did. She heard the angel’s proclamation, but told no one and kept everything hidden in her heart, pondering.
• Starli Cameron was always told she couldn’t have a baby, but was it the truth? Only time would tell…after the struggles from the past vanished.

 

…if valuable items were given to you by kings?

• Baby Jesus was visited by the three Magi and given precious gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
• Caroline‘s friend, Andy, had valuable paintings, but Caroline disdained them. When one is stolen, she’s pushed into a mystery that proves how valuable paintings (and relationships) can be.  

 

…if you were suspicious of three foreign kings who visited you?

• King Herod was, afraid that a new baby would take his place someday.
• Tyrell Walker in With Music in Their Hearts had a reason to be suspicious of so many in the boarding house. After all, there was a foreign spy determined to wreck havoc to the U.S.

 

…if you were about to lose what you loved?

• Mary and Joseph were. Baby Jesus was a precious gift from God. They were assigned a duty to raise him, and they would do anything to keep him safe.
• Jerry and Josie thought they were losing each other, and both were determined to battle the war for their lives and their souls. 

 

Interest peaked?

Read St. Luke Chapter 2 to find the answers to the above questions.

Go here to find my books that hopefully will keep you reading and warm through the coming winter! 

Amazon Author Page

Merry Christmas!

 

10 Ways to Thank Veterans for their Service

by Tamera Lynn Kraft

Veteran’s Day is November 11th. What better time is there to honor our veterans. Here are the ten ways to thank veterans for their service.

10. Visit a national park  that commemorates veterans.

9. Fly the American flag.

8. Volunteer at a VA hospital.

7. Honor veterans in your church with special services.

6. Take a veteran or soldier to lunch.

5. Thank a veteran or soldier for his or her service.

4. Carry banners thanking the troops during parades and special events.

3. Find a family of a soldier who is deployed and help however you can.

2. Donate to Honor Flight Network  or another charity helping veterans.

1. Pray for active military and for our veterans.

8 Steps to Taking Care of Elderly Parents.

by Tamera Lynn Kraft

Ephesians 6:2  Honor your father and mother.” This is the first commandment with a promise.

My Mom’s HS Picture

When we are young, our parents do everything for us. As we get older, their role of taking care of us lessens and eventually goes away. Usually somewhere in our 20s or early 30s, parents become more like friends and confidants.

Then the time comes when we notice our parents can’t do what they once did. They start to slow down and have health problems. At some point, we begin to realize that our parents have started to need our help occasionally. The longer our parent live, the more help they need.

Then the day comes when our parents are no longer there. If we have honored and taken care of them, we share memories about them and miss them, but we don’t live in regret. This is the goal. Here are a 7 things to consider about taking care of elderly parents.

Visit your parents regularly. As our children get older, we sometimes have such busy lives that we don’t take time to visit with our parents. Make a special point of scheduling a time to visit you parents every week, or if you live far away, at least every three months. This will mean a lot to them, but it will also help you live without regrets. We used to visit my husband’s mom every Sunday after church. Now that she is gone, we treasure those visits.

Go to doctor’s visits with them. Sometimes elderly parents get confused and don’t remember everything their doctor says during the visits. Other times, parents downplay the doctor’s advice because they have a hard time accepting they can’t live the way they used to or because they don’t want to be a burden. If you are with them, you can help them make the decisions they need to make.

Protect Your Parents from Scams. Scam artists prey on the elderly. There are many reasons for this. Sometimes the elderly are confused easily or don’t understand the complexities of security in our technical age. The main reason is because as people get older, the part of their brains that warn of danger decrease. Have hard conversations with your parents about what to look for. Put safe guards in place. Do whatever you have to to keep your parents safe form these evil people. Your parents might be angry about you interfering in their lives, but it’s worth it if they aren’t scammed out of their life savings. Here’s an AARP article that might help. Keep Your Parents Safe from Scams.

My mother-in-law, Charlotte Kraft (1924-2013)

Talk to siblings about who does what before the conversation is needed. There may be one sibling who lives closet to the parents and takes on more responsibility of hands on care, but that doesn’t mean other siblings should be out of the loop. They can help in other ways even if they live a distance away. They can help by providing financial support or investigating information like Medicare or care facilities. One sibling could take care of the elderly parents’ finances while another looks into funeral plans. It is important to discuss this ahead of time.

Take care of documents. Make sure your parents make living wills to let you and health care facilities know how they want to be cared for. Encourage them to place your name on their accounts. Discuss with them about when they would want to give you power of attorney over medical and financial matters. Make sure their wills are up to date and they have decided which sibling gets what – in writing. Ask them what they would like done at their funerals and if they would like to preplan them. These are morbid topics most people avoid until an emergency comes along.

Decide on long-term care. It is possible your parents can stay in their house until they die, but they might want to go to an assisted living facility when they get too old to care for themselves. Ask which they prefer.

Home Care: If you decide on home care, start looking into assistance you can bring into the home. This is what my mother-in-law decided, and she was able to stay at home until her last illness when she died in the hospital. At first, you will need someone to take care of the yard and clean the house. You’ll also want to set up a medic alert system so they can get emergency assistance if they need it. Later you might need someone to prepare meals. At some point, you might need someone to stay with them part-time or give around the clock care. Home health care workers and elderly sitters are cheaper than you might think and provide a way for the elderly to stay in their homes.

Assisted Living: If you decide to go this route, check into it early. There is usually a waiting list, and you’ll want your parents moved in before they need a lot of help. Assisted living facilities provide most services as needed for additional costs. So if they move in sooner, they can become comfortable in their new homes before they need to pay for the service available.

Nursing Homes: The day may come when you can no longer care for your parents, and a nursing home becomes the only option. When this happens, don’t feel guilty. The important thing is to your homework and find the right facility. Once you do, make sure to communicate with the staff often and visit regularly. Elderly patients with family advocates do much better in these facilities.

Hospice: If it ever comes time for hospice, decide ahead of time whether you will have home hospice of use a hospice facility. If you decide to use a facility, check them out and decide your top three choices before you need to make that decision. Not all hospice facilities are equal.

Be willing to sacrifice. You may have to sacrifice your plans at times, but God will reward you for every sacrifice you make. Remember how your parents sacrificed for you. It also might help you to thing about how you would like to be treated by your children in the same circumstances.

Set boundaries. Sometimes the elderly become demanding because they don’t feel good or because they become confused. In these cases, you may need to set boundaries. Remember that God wants you to consider the needs of your spouse and children first. Ask God to help you know when and where to set limits.

6 Reasons Why Reading is Good for Your Health

by Tamera Lynn Kraft

There are many benefits of reading, but did you know many of these include improving health. Including reading into your daily or weekly routine is a good idea for many reasons. Here’s a list of a few reasons you should read.

It stimulates the brain. Reading books has been proven to stimulate the brain. I can even decrease your chances of having Alzheimer and dementia. The brain is like every other muscle in your body. It needs exercise. The more you use it, the better it becomes. Reading is a great way to exercise your brain and keep it healthy.

It increases knowledge. Whatever you find interesting, you can learn more about in books. Reading can teach you all kinds of things. President Abe Lincoln only had one year of schooling, but he learned everything he needed to know to become a lawyer, a businessman, and the president of the United States by being an avid reader.

It improves your vocabulary. The more you read, the more you will pick up vocabulary words’ meanings. After a while, you’ll start to use them in every day sentences without even realizing it.

It reduces stress and encourages tranquility. Reading can actually help you relax. It has been scientifically proven that reading religious texts such as the Bible or a Christian book can lower your blood pressure.

It helps you achieve your goals. People who consistently read are more likely to have goals and achieve them throughout their lives.

It enhances the ability to focus. People who read are able to focus easier and are better at making decisions. Readers also, over time, learn easier by hearing information as well as by reading.

So the conclusion is that reading can make you smarter, and fiction reading can make you kinder and more creative. The best thing about reading is it is great entertainment and so much better than anything on television or playing social media games.

Ideas for Marketing 2

by Carole Brown

Today, I’d like to share a few places, some of which might seem obvious, but are well worth looking into. Don’t overlook avenues you think aren’t worth your time. You might be surprised! 

Quote:

 “You can’t expect to just write and have visitors come to you – that’s too passive.”            –Anita Campbell

 

• Pinterest:  They say the eyes are a good way to catch attention of others. One way to use pinterest is to create boards for your books such as memes. Be creative: add your pet to one meme with your book in the picture and a cute saying. What is the setting of your book? Add a board with probable images of places that “could be” the locale of your book. Character pictures, including minor characters, are “wow” items for a board. What about hair styles? Do make sure they all include your book’s title/cover.  (CAUTION: you can become addicted to this site! Lol)
• Twitter:  I love this marketing avenue! Short, to the point (and you learn how to promote in brief 🙂 ) and they also offer promotional options. To gain attention, add a pic too. It’s a fantastic way to market. Remember, you can also use Hootsuite, or similar, to schedule tweets ahead of time which is especially useful during sales, etc. 
• Interviews:  If you’re in any writer groups, you’ll usually find people who are offering invitations for author to do interviews/posts/promotion spots on their sites. Take advantage of these! You’ll not only gain marketable visibility but gain readers too. Even one or two good, faithful readers if well worth your time and effort.

Take action–today!

Successful Writing Efforts wished for you! 

4 Steps to Enhance Your Relationships

by Tamera Lynn Kraft

Many times, people try to show love, but they don’t show it in a way others accept. This happens because we don’t understand the differences in love languages. When we try to love their family member using our love language, but our loved one has a different love language, miscommunication can happen. That’s why it is important to understand love languages. There are 5 love languages.

Words of Affirmation: You feel loved when people affirm you with their words.

Acts of Service: You feel loved when people do things for you.

Receiving Gifts: You feel loved when people give you gifts.

Attention: You feel loved when people give you their undivided attention.

Affection or Physical Touch: You feel loved when you are touched appropriately.

Now that you know a little about love languages, your challenge for today is to do these four steps to enhance your relationships.

Step One: Take this test online at this link to find out what your love language is.

Step Two: Tell your spouse or a close loved one what your love language is.

Step Three: Find out your spouse’s, children’s, and close loved one’s love languages. If they are willing to take the test, have them do so.

Step Four: Because it is more important to give than to receive, plan to do something special for your loved ones using their love language.

 

God’s Wonderful World, Scenes and Imagination

by Carole Brown

And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. –the Bible

As an author, I marvel at the sights of this beautiful planet. My imagination soars with the heights and floats with the breeze and waves. I imagine my established characters, and sometimes new ones, in these scenes.

Pictures and scenes are one of the greatest ways to foster ideas. I take LOTS of pictures in our travels. Some of them have made it into videos of my books. Others serve to keep my mind agile and brisk with ideas. 

Tell me, what kind of story ideas do these pictures give you?

Do you see a young couple hiking in the northwest? What troubles do they stumble into? A dead body? A raging fire? Kidnapping? Finding themselves with new purpose? Do you imagine a family camping here and encountering wild creatures? Fishing? Hunting? Or can you see something entirely different?

For this one: I imagine one that I’ve begun and have yet to finish: 

Set in Mexico, in a missionary setting, a young girl meets two very different impressive men, but which one is the right one–for her? Then, she must also figure out which one is the drug lord… Can she do both–and survive?

 

What do you imagine here happening?

An Amish story? an 1800s novel? A wagon train passing through? Or perhaps a country farm setting with a wife who dabbles in mystery problems in the nearby town?

To me, I can see another story,  I’ve begun and hope to finish soon, set during the late 1800s, Destiny and Michael riding their horses through one of the fields he owns, arguing, both strong people who must decipher whose father was the gold thief and find love in the midst of their suspicions.

 

In this one, what does this scene depict in your mind?

A scary situation? Mystery? A lost child? Can you feel the terror? Do crazy thoughts of someone jumping out at you lurk in your imagination? Can you see children in an adventure book strolling this path?

To me, I can see in my Alex and Denton Davies series, the two of them walking this semi-dark woodland pathway, searching for clues or chasing after a suspect.

 

And one last one to stir your creative juices…

Does this bring to mind a warm, cozy feeling? Can you see an abominable snowmen lurking close by? Or can you see a couple meeting on the ski slopes? A family adventure? A lonely older person meeting his soul mate? 

I see a mountain lodge where a female detective looks for a psycho suspect and runs smack dab into a love she hadn’t planned on. But can she find the bad person…and keep the love?

 

 

Can you see how we can use pictures and images to further our writing, to increase our creative juices, to spur us to keep writing, and to give us the encouragement we need when we’re stumped?

Take advantage of everything and all things that keep you writing.

Tell me, what do YOU see in these pictures? What do you use to sit down at your writing desk and add a few more pages to your document?